Every day it seems the news media bring us new evidence of corruption, deceit and malfeasance. It is no exaggeration to say that there is a virtual epidemic of immoral behavior sweeping the country. Consider the following examples, all of which have made the headlines in just the last few weeks:
- Executives at Goldman Sachs may have created and promoted financial instruments designed to fail, from which they profited and their customers lost $1 billion. Meanwhile, bank executives and Federal Reserve chairs testify before Congress that they could not have anticipated and are not responsible for bringing the world’s financial system to the brink of collapse, despite the fact that others warned against the risks they were taking (or permitting).
- Shalom Rubashkin, former owner of one of the largest kosher meat processing companies in the country, is convicted of dozens of counts of fraud (leaving aside the dozens of immigration and workers’ safety laws that he allegedly violated). While the prosecutor seeks life imprisonment, in accordance with sentencing guidelines, many Orthodox groups petition the judge for leniency.
- The Catholic Church continues to face allegations that priests and bishops both in this country and in Europe sexually abused vulnerable minors, and that other officials routinely overlooked these transgressions (or actively covered them up) in order to protect the reputation of the Church.
- Masse Mining company, despite receiving hundreds of notices of safety violations in its mines, apparently failed to correct problems that ultimately led to the deaths of 29 miners. The Federal Bureau of Mine Safety appears to have shirked its responsibility to vigorously enforce existing safety regulations.
- In Israel, the list of government officials accused of fraud, corruption and sexual misconduct grows longer all the time
The list could be extended, but the point is clear. We live in an age of rampant moral irresponsibility, which extends from Wall Street to Main Street and through all levels of government. Is it any wonder why trust of government is at an all-time low and anger at business executives is at an all-time high?
It would be a mistake, of course, to suggest that corruption and deceit are somehow new phenomena; on the contrary, they have been with us since the beginning of civilization, as any careful reader of the Bible certainly knows. What has changed is that we seem to have lost our sense of moral outrage in response to these transgressions. Perhaps we have been worn down by the barrage of such revelations to the point where we simply expect people in positions of authority and privilege to misuse their power. Or perhaps our culture has so exalted the values of individualism, relativism and freedom that we have forgotten that these need to be balanced with countervailing values of community, moral authority and accountability.
As Jews, we are heirs to a long legacy of moral teachings. It would be naïve to suggest that our tradition holds the answers to the complex moral dilemmas we face today. But Jewish sources do provide some insights and perspectives that could help us regain a sense of moral responsibility and renew a sense of urgency about striving to uphold the highest standards of moral behavior. Here are just a few such insights that we would do well to consider.
First, as the rabbis were keenly aware, our evil inclination (yetser ha-ra) is powerful and persistent. Temptation to cross the line, to cut corners, and to massage the truth is ever present. Many of us who consider ourselves liberal Jews have come to believe in the essential goodness of human nature and subscribe (sometimes unconsciously) to the idea that humankind is progressing (however imperceptibly) toward moral perfection. But such a view underestimates the forces of evil at work within us and lulls us into a sense that we need not be vigilant in defending ourselves against the yetser ha-ra. But our tradition cautions us otherwise.
Living righteously is hard work. It must be practiced regularly until it becomes second nature. Just as health care experts now warn us that we must exercise regularly to maintain our physical health, it is time to pay attention to religious and moral teachers who remind us that we must exercise our moral faculties regularly to strengthen our moral fiber.
Second, we do well to remember that with greater power—political, financial or personal—comes greater moral responsibility. The rabbis warned us to beware of the government, knowing that they were predisposed to act in their own self-interest. Too much power concentrated in a small number of people is a virtual invitation to corruption and fraud. The founders of our country were wise, indeed, to create a system of checks and balances among our branches of government. We need to create structures of accountability as a safeguard against the misuse of power in all spheres of our lives.
Finally, our tradition reminds us to cultivate the awareness that we stand before God always. While most of us no longer believe in a God who looks over our shoulder and keeps a scorecard of how good or bad we’ve been each day, can there be any doubt that we will be more scrupulous in our behavior if we feel that we must answer to some kind of higher authority for our transgressions?
Even setting aside classical Jewish beliefs about divine providence, we can still learn much from our tradition about how to cultivate humility and accountability—two of the prerequisites for moral rectitude—if we take to heart the teaching that we must ultimately give an accounting for our moral choices.
Many contemporary Jews have turned away from classical Jewish moral teachings, seeing them as being authoritarian, moralistic or antiquated. But those who have taken the time to look more closely—both at the moral crisis of our age and at the moral wisdom of our tradition—will likely discover that there is much here that merits more careful consideration. We have nothing to lose, other than the tendency to slide ever more deeply into a state of moral disorientation.
