By Rabbi Bradley Artson, provided by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, for MyJewishLearning.com
Here Comes The Judge
Parashat Mishpatim teaches us that our society cannot function without laws, judges, and courts of justice.
At its deepest core, America prides itself on the rule of law–the insistence that no individual, however wealthy, influential, popular or powerful, is superior to the rules which govern human conduct. Above any individual–even the President of the United States–is a body of laws that translate general principles into legal guidelines for harmonious living.
The Case in America
That priority was not always the case in America. The West, with its frontier ethic, the South with its racial hatred, and the Northeast with its violence against labor unions often acted against this general commitment to the rule of law. As great a president as Andrew Jackson was, when told of a decision of the Supreme Court that he opposed, responded, "They’ve made their decision, now let them get their own troops to enforce it!"
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