If the study of the Torah is all about debate and the diversity of opinions, Jewish communal life often requires an ever-renewing sense of mutual responsibility and concern for the wellbeing of all members of the tribe. The many divisions among the Jewish people (social, political, religious, etc.) not only threatens collective unity in the face of suffering but diminishes the rich possiblity of building a more vibrant Jewish future. Jewish reconciliation requires a forgiving attitude toward Jews of different opinions in the hope that this attitude is mirrored by others, and a more positive relationship is maintained.
On this note, Rabbi Yehuda Loew of Prague ("Maharal") presents an interpretation of Ulla's statement (Shabbat 139a, below) that the city of Jerusalem will only be redeemed through charity (tzedakah), linking the value of charity with the trait of forgiveness. The Maharal's view of charity in the context of redemption is one that orients the Jewish individual to consider the interpersonal relationships that stimulate charitable action. In his Chidushei Agadot, he writes:
- Ulla said: Jerusalem will be redeemed only through righteousness, as it is stated: "Zion will be redeemed with justice and those who return to her with righteousness" [Isaiah 1:27] (Talmud Shabbat 139a). "Jerusalem, which lies under the dominion of the nations, will not be redeemed from the dominion of the nations, except through charity (tzedakah). This is because the [value] of charity relates to [the value of] forgiveness (rachamim). And it is through the quality of forgiveness that Jerusalem is redeemed, for [Jerusalem] is like a widow, whom God has distanced from. And [Jerusalem] cannot be redeemed except through a trait that bonds [two distant people] and overturns all distance and separation. And of all the personal traits, nothing bonds [two people] like [the trait of] forgiveness. For when one forgives another, they become bonded together. They forgive the [offending] issue as [the two parties] share a relationship that is like a forgiving parent. This notion of a relationship and bond, as one that is directed to a child, results in the forgiving attitude. For this reason, [the Hebrew word for] a lover (ha-ohev) who is in relationship to another, is translated [into Aramaic] as rachamuhei [i.e., the Aramaic word links the notion of a lover with the theme of forgiveness and mercy, see for example Targum on Deut. 7:9]. Accordingly, [Ulla] declared that Jerusalem will only be redeemed for the sake of charity as charity embodies the power of forgiveness that may displayed toward another. And the entire [purpose] of forgiveness is [to form] a relationship and bond [so intense] that the two become completely united. And this is the redemption of Jerusalem that will lead God to return to Jerusalem and to be [revealed] in Jerusalem. And this is the understandable interpretation [of the passage]. It is therefore essential for you to understand how charity features in the redemption of Jerusalem which lies under the dominion of the nations, and how through charity - which is [a representation of] the unifying relationship [i.e., between God and Israel] - [Jerusalem] is separated from the dominion of the nations which cause the separation [from God]." (Chidushei Agadot, Vol 1, 1972 edition, pp. 72-73).
Shabbat 139a
אָמַר עוּלָּא: אֵין יְרוּשָׁלָיִם נִפְדֵּית אֶלָּא בִּצְדָקָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה״.
Ulla said: Jerusalem will be redeemed only through righteousness, as it is stated: “Zion will be redeemed with justice and those who return to her with righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27).
Chidushei Agadot (Vol 1, 1972 edition, pp. 72-73)
