Today I took a walk to the new Chabad location instead of driving. Halfway into the walk I was starting to have second thoughts as I heard the sound of cracking branches from the weight of the wet snow and the deafening silence of the snow flakes falling.
Besides a few snowflakes on my coat and spotting what looked like a Coyote, I made it there safely.
On the way home after seeing a few branches break and fall I noticed a downed wire which was broken from an electric pole. I didn't know if it was live or not but did put a call in to the Fire Department to alert them so that they can check it out and determine if it is safe or not.
Living in Sudbury, I don't have a sidewalk that I need to clear of snow, although I do have a driveway and a walkway that we will make sure is clear of snow so that no one is at risk of hurting themselves.
Do the Laws of Snow Removal exist in the Torah?
The laws of snow removal from your sidewalk and preventing damage are modern day laws that Western societies have created. Yet Judaism has had laws which govern damages and prevention of damages for over 3300 years.
This week's Torah portion contains no less than 53 of the 613 commandments in the Torah and the vast majority of them are regarding financial obligations and property and person damages.
What is the law if someone injures someone?
If someone defamed someone, what is the consequence?
What about if you dug a pit in a public place that people could fall and hurt themselves in?
What about if you covered it and then someone else uncovered it?
What about if an animal you own bites someone or hurts someone?
These are just many of the Mitzvos in this week's portion that help provide a framework for a good society and a communal sense of responsibility.
Trailblazing a Fair Justice System
Thousands of years before most societies had a framework that protected the rights of the commoner and leaders alike, Judaism was trailblazing an innovative legal set of rules and commandments that would provide a fair society for all.
How One Letter Changes the Dynamics
Yet there is one letter in this week's portion that provides perhaps the most powerful element of these rules. It is the letter Vav in the very first word of the portion (ואלה) "and these". Instead of the Torah beginning the portion with "These are the Laws", it states "And these are the Laws". The letter "Vav" meaning "And", adds just one word to the meaning of the portion, yet it changes the whole dynamic of the laws.
"And" means in simple terms that the laws in this week's portion are a "continuation" of last week's portion which described the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. As the Talmud states, just like the Ten Commandments given at Sinai were Divine and from G-d, so too the rational laws in this week's portion are also Divine and originate at Mount Sinai.
It is for this reason that the message of the "And" is so important. It reminds us that despite the logical and rational nature of the laws in this week's portion, a critical underlying element of why we try to live by these rules is their G-dly element. Meaning, we fulfill them not only because they make sense and fit into our worldview, but rather also due to them being part of the wisdom and set of rules that G-d asked us to keep.
When we adhere and respect these rules while keeping this in mind, then they have true staying power to influence our conscience and morality for the long term.
So hey, when I clean the snow from my walkway, I am not just thinking about my legal obligations, I am remembering that my obligations not to cause damages to my friends and neighbors is a Divine responsibility.
Stay safe and away from cracking branches and downed wires!
Good Shabbos
Yisroel