Definition:

Social Action is the inevitable result of believing in Social Justice.

Since Judaism is marked by the importance of action and not mere thought or belief, it is through Social Action that our concept of Social Justice is made real. Social Action is very much a modern term in the sense that it always used to be an integral part of Jewish living. Since modern life is so individualised, however, Social Action is currently a distinct area of Jewish life. Many Reform Rabbis seek to address this by placing Social Action at the forefront of the life of their communities.

The Torah is full of mitzvot (commandments) that would nowadays be described as Social Action, for example “You shall not wrong a stranger, neither shall you oppress a stranger” (Ex. 22:20). There is good reason given for this mitzvah – “for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (ibid.). Social Action therefore not only has a basis in Social Justice but in a profound emotional connection to all human beings, perhaps best expressed in the verse “You shall show love to your neighbour as you would have it shown to you, for I am the Eternal” (Lev. 19:18). This verse brings in another important aspect which is that Social Action is a theological imperative, not just a human whim.

In terms of theology, there is a very interesting and important commentary on the verse that states that we should “walk after God (Deut. 13:5).” The commentary asks how it might be possible to literally walk after God and answers its own question by explaining that this means that we should emulate God – “Just as God clothed the naked (Gen. 3:21)…so too you should clothe the naked. Just as The Holy Blessed One visited the sick (Gen. 18:1)…so too you should visit the sick. Just as The Holy Blessed One comforted those who mourned (Gen. 25:11)…so too you should comfort the mourners. Just as The Holy Blessed One buried the dead (Deut. 34:6)…so too you should you bury the dead.” (Babylonian Talmud: Sotah 14a)

Other examples of Social Action mitzvot include “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan” (Ex. 22:21), “You shall not gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard – you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger” (Lev. 19:10 (see also Deut. 24:19)), “You shall not see your brother’s ass or his ox fallen down by the way and hide yourself from them – you shall surely help him to lift them up again” (Deut. 22:4), “You shall not oppress a stranger” (Ex. 23:9) and “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbour.” (Lev. 19:16)

The essential call to Social Action in Torah is Deut 16:20, which states, “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.” The clear repetition of the word “justice” indicates that this is paramount – some translations render this verse “justice, only justice.”

It is not just in Torah that Social Action is pronounced – the Prophets also spoke against Judaism heavy on ritual but empty of Social Action. Thus, of Yom Kippur Isaiah asks, “Is this the fast that I have chosen, a day for self-denial? To bow one’s head like a bulrush, to grovel in sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast, a day the Eternal would accept? Rather, is not this the fast that I have chosen – to looser the fetters of evil, to untie the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and whatever the yoke, to break it? Is it not sharing your food with the hungry and bringing the homeless into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe them, never hiding from your own flesh and blood?” (Is. 58: 5-6)

Many Reform synagogues have Social Action groups which address issues of economic justice such as housing, homelessness and starvation, issues of human and civil rights, issues of the environment and much more. Rabbi Tony Bayfield, Chief Executive of the Reform Movement, states that in the Reform Movement “we affirm our religious duty to work for the alleviation of human suffering and acknowledge the claim that all those in need, of whatever creed and colour, have upon us. We affirm our religious duty to work for a just, compassionate and peaceful society and a just, compassionate and peaceful world.”

Sources:

• Progressive Judaism – A Collective Theological Essay and Discussion Paper, Rabbi Tony Bayfield, MANNA Magazine, Spring 1990

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