BREATHE Act Torah: Defund the Police

God spoke all these words, saying: I the LORD am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me. You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not swear falsely by^-b the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you. You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

So I took your tribal leaders, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you: chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens, and officials for your tribes.

You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Alternatively, just as in the case of fish of the sea, any fish that is bigger than another swallows the other, so too in the case of people, were it not for the fear of the ruling government, anyone who is bigger than another would swallow the other.

Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive. R. Hananiah ben Teradion said: if two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners, as it is said: “nor sat he in the seat of the scornful…[rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight]” (Psalms 1:1); but if two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them, then the Shekhinah abides among them, as it is said: “then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). Now I have no [scriptural proof for the presence of the Shekhinah] except [among] two, how [do we know] that even one who sits and studies Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes his reward? As it is said: “though he sit alone and [meditate] in stillness, yet he takes [a reward] unto himself” (Lamentations 3:28).

R. Hananiah ben Teradion said: if two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners, as it is said: “nor sat he in the seat of the scornful…[rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight]” (Psalms 1:1); but if two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them, then the Shekhinah abides among them, as it is said: “then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16).

There shall be one law for the citizen and for the stranger who dwells among you.

You shall have one standard for stranger and citizen alike: for I the LORD am your God.

He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified towns of Judah, in each and every town. He charged the judges: “Consider what you are doing, for you judge not on behalf of man, but on behalf of the LORD, and He is with you when you pass judgment. Now let the dread of the LORD be upon you; act with care, for there is no injustice or favoritism or bribe-taking with the LORD our God.”

He charged them, “This is how you shall act: in fear of the LORD, with fidelity, and with whole heart.

You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. For it is because they did all these things that I abhorred them and said to you: You shall possess their land, for I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I the LORD am your God who has set you apart from other peoples.

It was related that Rav, and Rabbi Ḥanina, and Rabbi Yoḥanan, and Rav Ḥaviva taught the statement cited below. The Gemara comments: Throughout the order of Moed, wherever this pair of Sages is mentioned, exchange Rabbi Yoḥanan and insert Rabbi Yonatan in his place. In any event, they said: Anyone who had the capability to effectively protest the sinful conduct of the members of his household and did not protest, he himself is apprehended for the sins of the members of his household and punished. If he is in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the people of his town, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the sins of the people of his town. If he is in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the whole world, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the sins of the whole world.

“Why, when we fasted, did You not see?
When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?”
Because on your fast day
You see to your business
And oppress all your laborers!

Ah, sinful nation! People laden with iniquity! Brood of evildoers! Depraved children! They have forsaken the LORD, Spurned the Holy One of Israel, Turned their backs [on Him]. Why do you seek further beatings, That you continue to offend? Every head is ailing, And every heart is sick. From head to foot No spot is sound: All bruises, and welts, And festering sores— Not pressed out, not bound up, Not softened with oil. Your land is a waste, Your cities burnt down; Before your eyes, the yield of your soil Is consumed by strangers— A wasteland aEmendation yields “like Sodom overthrown.”as overthrown by strangers!-a

Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me.” And He said, “Go, say to that people: ‘Hear, indeed, but do not understand; See, indeed, but do not grasp.’ Dull that people’s mind, Stop its ears, And seal its eyes— Lest, seeing with its eyes And hearing with its ears, It also grasp with its mind, And repent and savecLit. “heal.” itself.” I asked, “How long, my Lord?” And He replied: “Till towns lie waste without inhabitants And houses without people, And the ground lies waste and desolate— For the LORD will banish the population— And deserted sites are many In the midst of the land.

Lo! The day of the LORD is coming With pitiless fury and wrath, To make the earth a desolation, To wipe out the sinners upon it. The stars and constellations of heaven Shall not give off their light; The sun shall be dark when it rises, And the moon shall diffuse no glow. “And I will requite to the world its evil, And to the wicked their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant And humble the haughtiness of tyrants. I will make people scarcer than fine gold, And men than gold of Ophir.” Therefore eLit. “I will shake heaven.”shall heaven be shaken,-e And earth leap out of its place, At the fury of the LORD of Hosts On the day of His burning wrath.

The earth shall be bare, bare; It shall be plundered, plundered; For it is the LORD who spoke this word. The earth is withered, sear; The world languishes, it is sear; aChange of vocalization yields “both sky and earth.”The most exalted people of the earth-a languish. For the earth was defiled Under its inhabitants; Because they transgressed teachings, Violated laws, Broke the ancient covenant.bI.e., the moral law, which is binding on all men (cf. Gen. 9.4–6). That is why a curse consumes the earth, And its inhabitants pay the penalty; That is why earth’s dwellers have dwindled, And but few men are left.

The earth shall be bare, bare; It shall be plundered, plundered; For it is the LORD who spoke this word. The earth is withered, sear; The world languishes, it is sear; aChange of vocalization yields “both sky and earth.”The most exalted people of the earth-a languish. For the earth was defiled Under its inhabitants; Because they transgressed teachings, Violated laws, Broke the ancient covenant.bI.e., the moral law, which is binding on all men (cf. Gen. 9.4–6). That is why a curse consumes the earth, And its inhabitants pay the penalty; That is why earth’s dwellers have dwindled, And but few men are left.

I the LORD, in My grace, have summoned you, And I have grasped you by the hand. I created you, and appointed you A bLit. “covenants of a people”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.covenant people,-b cSee 49.6 and note.a light of nations-c— dAn idiom meaning “freeing the imprisoned”; cf. 61.1.Opening eyes deprived of light,-d Rescuing prisoners from confinement, From the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not yield My glory to another, Nor My renown to idols. See, the things once predicted have come, And now I foretell new things, Announce to you ere they sprout up.

I the LORD, in My grace, have summoned you, And I have grasped you by the hand. I created you, and appointed you A bLit. “covenants of a people”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.covenant people,-b cSee 49.6 and note.a light of nations-c— dAn idiom meaning “freeing the imprisoned”; cf. 61.1.Opening eyes deprived of light,-d Rescuing prisoners from confinement, From the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not yield My glory to another, Nor My renown to idols. See, the things once predicted have come, And now I foretell new things, Announce to you ere they sprout up.

No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of aChange of vocalization yields “lawlessness”; cf. mut·t·eh, Ezek. 9.9.the yoke-a To let the oppressed go free; To break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe him, And not to ignore your own kin. Then shall your light burst through like the dawn And your healing spring up quickly; Your Vindicator shall march before you, The Presence of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

No, the LORD’s arm is not too short to save, Or His ear too dull to hear; But your iniquities have been a barrier Between you and your God, Your sins have made Him turn His face away And refuse to hear you. For your hands are defiled with crimeaOr “blood.” And your fingers with iniquity. Your lips speak falsehood, Your tongue utters treachery. No one sues justly Or pleads honestly; They rely on emptiness and speak falsehood, Conceiving wrong and begetting evil. They hatch adder’s eggs And weave spider webs; He who eats of those eggs will die, And if one is crushed, it hatches out a viper. Their webs will not serve as a garment, What they make cannot serve as clothing; Their deeds are deeds of mischief, Their hands commit lawless acts, Their feet run after evil, They hasten to shed the blood of the innocent. Their plans are plans of mischief, Destructiveness and injury are on their roads. They do not care for the way of integrity, There is no justice on their paths. They make their courses crooked, No one who walks in them cares for integrity. “That is why redress is far from us, And vindication does not reach us. We hope for light, and lo! there is darkness; For a gleam, and we must walk in gloom. We grope, like blind men along a wall; Like those without eyes we grope. We stumble at noon, as if in darkness; bMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “In the daytime…”Among the sturdy, we are-b like the dead. We all growl like bears And moan like doves. We hope for redress, and there is none; For victory, and it is far from us. For our many sins are before You, Our guilt testifies against us. We are aware of our sins, And we know well our iniquities: Rebellion, faithlessness to the LORD, And turning away from our God, Planning fraud and treachery, Conceiving lies and uttering them with the throat.cLit. “heart”; see note at 33.18 and frequently elsewhere. And so redress is turned back And vindication stays afar, Because honesty stumbles in the public square And uprightness cannot enter.

No, the LORD’s arm is not too short to save, Or His ear too dull to hear; But your iniquities have been a barrier Between you and your God, Your sins have made Him turn His face away And refuse to hear you. For your hands are defiled with crimeaOr “blood.” And your fingers with iniquity. Your lips speak falsehood, Your tongue utters treachery. No one sues justly Or pleads honestly; They rely on emptiness and speak falsehood, Conceiving wrong and begetting evil. They hatch adder’s eggs And weave spider webs; He who eats of those eggs will die, And if one is crushed, it hatches out a viper. Their webs will not serve as a garment, What they make cannot serve as clothing; Their deeds are deeds of mischief, Their hands commit lawless acts, Their feet run after evil, They hasten to shed the blood of the innocent. Their plans are plans of mischief, Destructiveness and injury are on their roads. They do not care for the way of integrity, There is no justice on their paths. They make their courses crooked, No one who walks in them cares for integrity. “That is why redress is far from us, And vindication does not reach us. We hope for light, and lo! there is darkness; For a gleam, and we must walk in gloom. We grope, like blind men along a wall; Like those without eyes we grope. We stumble at noon, as if in darkness; bMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “In the daytime…”Among the sturdy, we are-b like the dead. We all growl like bears And moan like doves. We hope for redress, and there is none; For victory, and it is far from us. For our many sins are before You, Our guilt testifies against us. We are aware of our sins, And we know well our iniquities: Rebellion, faithlessness to the LORD, And turning away from our God, Planning fraud and treachery, Conceiving lies and uttering them with the throat.cLit. “heart”; see note at 33.18 and frequently elsewhere. And so redress is turned back And vindication stays afar, Because honesty stumbles in the public square And uprightness cannot enter.