Parashat Tzav - March 24-25, 2000 - A Taste of Torah in Honor of Shabbat & Yom Tov by Rabbi Avi Weiss

Shabbat Forshpeis

A Taste of Torah in honor of Shabbat
from Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parshat Tsav
March 24-25, 2000/18 Adar II 5760

THE POPE'S VISIT TO ISRAEL:
WORDS ARE ONLY WORDS. IT IS DEEDS THAT MATTER MOST

In this week's portion we continue to read about the sacrifices. One of the sacrifices, the korban asham, the guilt offering, deals with how one repents for sinning against a fellow person. (Leviticus 7:1-10; see also Leviticus 5:14-26)

Even before the sacrifice is offered, two steps must be taken. First, an act of restoration is required. Thus, if one steals, he or she must repay. (Baba Kamma 9:5) Second, the wrongdoer must ask forgiveness of the aggrieved party.

In the words of the Mishna: "For offenses between the human being and God Yom Kippur atones, for offenses between a human being and his neighbor, Yom Kippur does not atone until he has appeased his neighbor." (Yoma 8:9) Only after taking these measures is the sacrifice offered.

These observations shed light on the Pope's attempt to apologize to the Jewish people. While some applauded the Pope's words, others like myself found them sorely inadequate. In truth, my upset relates to how the Jewish approach to tshuva--repentance fundamentally differs from the Christian one.

In Christianity, the basis of repentance is admission of guilt. In Judaism, while admission of guilt is important it is only the first step--the basis of repentance is not words but deeds. As noted concerning the guilt offering, an act of restoration is required. Hence Maimonides argues that authentic repentance is when a person is faced with the same challenge wherein he failed, but this time does not make the same mistake. (Laws of Repentance 2:1)

It therefore seems to me, that even if the Pope offers words of sorrow while in Israel concerning the church's actions during the Holocaust, it will be difficult to take them seriously, when at the same time, he is prepared togrant sainthood to Pope Pius X11, the very Pope who was in power during the time when the church turned their backs on the Jewish people.

Of course, the Pope will never apologize for sins committed by Pope Pious XII during the Shoah as such an apology would undermine the doctrine of infallibility. In contrast, the portions we read these weeks point out that even the High Priest must bring a sacrifice for sins he commits. (Leviticus 4:3-12) In other words, our leaders are fallible. (See Leviticus 4:22-26)

Even within the Pope's spoken words concerning the Crusades and the Inquisition he has fallen short. In Christianity, general declarations are enough. In Judaism, Maimonides insists, that repentance requires a detailed description of what one has done wrong. In his words, one states "I have sinned...and have done thus." (Laws of Repentance 1:1) The Pope's description of some of the church's errors were not described in the detail required for true repentance.

There is one other difference. In Christianity all sins can be forgiven by God. In Judaism, as pointed out vis a vis the guilt offering, that would only apply to sins committed against God. Concerning sins committed against our fellow person, only the victims--not even God--can offer forgiveness.
Thus, the Pope's attempts to apologize for Catholic sins committed during the Inquisition and Crusades fall short, as the victims of these atrocities are not here to forgive. So while an apology has value, true forgiveness cannot take place.

Distinctions between Judaism and Christianity also explain why the pope will never be able to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal undivided capital of Israel. Consider the picture of Pope John Paul II looking toward the hills of Jerusalem from Mt. Nebo where the book of Deuteronomy states that God showed Moshe (Moses) the land of Israel. For Jews, Moshe looked at the land wherein the Jews would settle in accordance with Torah law. For Christians, Moshe is the forerunner to the coming of Jesus who would establish a new covenant with God.

This theological difference lies at the very root of Israel's and the Vatican's differing views on Jerusalem. With minor variations, Israelis are united in the sentiment that Jerusalem should remain the eternal, undivided capital of Israel. This however is a position that is theologically unacceptable to the Christian community as it would allow the Jews, who according to Christianity are the people of the Old Testament, to be in control of the spiritual center of Israel.

And so, while we can recognize that progress from the church is being made, it must be understood for what it truly is, only general words--the beginning of true repentance. True repentance starts with specific words, it comes to fruition with deeds, with actions, and with asking forgiveness of the aggrieved party. And millions of the aggrieved daily prayed to return to Jerusalem.

Shabbat Shalom

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