UNITED STATES
Times of Israel
David Cheifetz
A quick thought as we start the Aseret Yemai Teshuva – the Ten Days of Penitence.
There are thousands, tens of thousands, and perhaps more, of victims of sexual abuse in our Jewish Community. While some rabbis have signed proclamations acknowledging the “mistakes of the past” and the poor systemic handling of abuses in our community and calling on victims to reach out directly to the police, many more have not signed onto such a proclamation. In the United States, that includes such Modern Orthodox luminaries as Herschel Schachter and Mordechai Willig, and umbrella organization such as Agudas Yisrael of America.
We are before Rosh Hashana, when the Heavens are supposed to be open to our repentance. But there can be no repentance without direct sincere apologies to the victims, and addressing the needs of the victims in the five part framework defined by the Gemara – Nezek, Tza’ar, Ripui, Shevet and Boshet – Direct damages, pain and suffering, medical bills, reparations for lost wages, and reparations for the public embarrassment and public humiliation of victims.
As long as sexual abusers and their enablers have not asked, begged, forgiveness from their victims, their prayers are empty. For if a Jew cares only about Mitzvot Bain Adam LaMakom – commandments addressing religious requirements between a human being and the Divine, and ignores Mitzvot Bain Adam LeChaveiro, commandments addressing religious requirements between a human being and another human being, there is no justice. We know this well from the teachings of Isaiah and others.
I am told that in heaven there is no Statute of Limitations. So sexual abusers and their enablers have no Halachic structure to hide behind.
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