By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — There are many times when I feel that I am living in Israel when I drive from the synagogue to my home. It is not because of the scenery or landscape, but rather because of the all-way stop signs at the intersection of Tommy and Wing Span Drives. About 40 percent of drivers ignore the signs and barrel through the intersection. This reminds me of driving in Israel, where traffic signs are seen more as suggestions than imperatives.
Why do people ignore this stop sign? Most likely because they think they won’t be caught. Police cars do not regularly stake out this intersection. However, there is One who constantly watches over our lives and sees when we do right and when we do wrong.
In parashat Kedoshim the phrase, “You shall fear your God: I am the Lord,” appears twice.
The first time it is connected to protecting the dignity and well-being of those with disabilities: “You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 19:14). The second time it is connected with honoring the elderly: “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” (Lev. 19:32)
The well-known Sephardic Biblical commentator Rabbi Isaac Abravanel explained why the phrase “you shall fear the Lord” was specifically attached to these two sections of our parasha. He wrote that it much easier to insult and ignore the disabled and the elderly than other individuals. One may think they since that since the blind or deaf may not be able to see or hear them, or the elderly are not as mentally acute as they once were, that they can behave badly around them.
The Torah teaches us that even where there may be no repercussions from those we offend, we are still offending God. We should live our lives in acknowledgment that God is witness to all that we do.
Do I think that God will zap those who are coasting through the stop sign on my block as an act of divine punishment? No. But I would like them to consider that even if the police are not watching them as they blatantly break the law, they are still endangering the lives of those who are counting on them to stop at that intersection, and that their actions are seen by One Who Sees Everything.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. He may be contacted via leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com