By David Meyer

The Torah has a lot of “speaks.” G-d speaks to Abraham. G-d speaks to Moses. Moses speaks to the Israelites, to Pharoah, and then to G-d again.

So why is Leviticus 21:1-24:7 called Emor? Because G-d speaks:

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and all who heard [his blasphemy] shall lean their hands on his head. And the entire community shall stone him.”

“So they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him, and the children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

For all other aggressions — acts done by individuals to individuals —Emor proclaims a broad policy of eye-for-an-eye. Blasphemy is an aggression against G-d; against the community.

“And the entire community shall stone him.”

Not only must the blasphemer face the community whose contract he has broken, but the whole community is obligated to commit murder in defense of that contract. If the people truly believe, they must follow. The responsibility of delivering justice naturally falls on everyone.

(Justice - the administering of deserved punishment or reward.)

#BlackLivesMatter has sparked a transformation in how our society thinks about racism and the law. Elected officals and former police chiefs are coming out in favor of cameras on police uniforms. The center is talking about institutional racism again: in education, in housing, in politics. There is a collective voice for justice.

But it started with the police: the very people in our society sworn to protect us from murderers, committing senseless and unnecessary murders.

How can our community deliver justice for these men, when we—who arm the police with our taxes, who could require (and praise!) their presence in our moments of deepest need—are the ones responsible?

In Emor, the Israelites’ willingness to engage in a collective act of corporal punishment against a blasphemer reflects their collective responsibility to G-d’s laws. Similarly, in our commitment to justice for victims of police violence, we must hold ourselves accountable to our communities and the many complexities of our society. We must understand how we perpetuate and create racism. And if the system loses its legitimacy – like, say, public stoning goes out of fashion – then the system needs to change.