“It is not sufficient to live by a dry and mechanical observance of Jewish law. In addition to living by our mitzvot, we Jews must impress upon all of humanity the importance of balancing human intellect with acts of charity and kindness, with teachings that reflect truth and equality, and with promoting a way of life that protects the human rights of all human beings created in God’s image, without discriminating based on race, color or creed. Repairing the world in the spirit of God, for the good of all of humanity, can only happen through loving our fellow man, protecting their human rights, and performing acts of charity and kindness, for this is the ultimate will of God.”
Isn’t that a Judaism you’d want to be a part of?
These words of wisdom are from Rav Avraham Shalem z”l, a classic Sephardic rabbi who was born in Jerusalem, studied under Israel’s Chief Rabbi Rav Uziel z”l, served as the rabbi of Sephardic communities in Peru, Seattle and Mexico City, finally returning to Jerusalem where he became a respected Sephardic scholar and author. These words are taken from his book “Eshed Nehalim,” and were translated by Rabbi Daniel Bouskila. It is these types of teachings that make Classic Sephardic Judaism worth teaching and preserving. Don’t you agree?