Last year I began supervising a cohort of multifaith interns for the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life at Elon University. The internship focuses on multifaith literacy, learning to listen across lines of difference, creating spaces for the broader university community to engage in multifaith learning, and students’ professional and spiritual development.
In working with my students, I often wrestle with the question of how to create a common set of expectations for my students while also honoring that they are arriving with a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds, skills, personalities, and interests. As their supervisor, I must balance setting and upholding shared norms with honoring individual differences.
This week’s Torah reading, Parashat Emor, shows how the ancient Israelites also struggled with balancing upholding shared communal norms across personal differences.
The parsha presents a novel legal situation for the nascent Israelite community. A half-Israelite man has profaned God’s name. For a full Israelite, this would mean execution. However, should this outsider be held to the same legal standard?
The answer, conveyed from God by Moses, is a resounding yes. However, this is not the end of the matter. Moses quickly launches into a longer explanation on the law of retribution (Leviticus 24:17-22). The law of retribution teaches that the punishment should fit the crime: In cases of bodily damage, “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth.” In cases of death, “a life for a life.” Moses concludes, “You shall have one law for stranger and citizen alike: I am Adonai your God.” (Leviticus 24:22).
The meaning of this verse seems obvious: It does not matter if a person is a native or foreigner—the law is the same for everyone. However, the ancient practice of the law of retribution and the meaning of Leviticus 24:22 are anything but clear-cut.
From biblical times and through the rabbinic period and beyond, a person would have received damages for an injured eye, tooth, or limb in the form of monetary compensation. This is because not all organs or limbs are of equal value-–after all, would the eye of a blind person hold the same monetary value as one for a person who sees (Bava Kamma 84a)? Rabbinic law has a complex system for determining the precise sum and there was no uniform amount of money that would have been paid (Mishnah Bava Kamma 1:3)
Saying that the law is the same for the stranger and the citizen alike does not mean that every case has the same result. Instead, it means that the law must be applied equally to everyone. Equal application of the law does not result in uniformity of judgment because every case is different.
In working with my students, I have learned that having a standard set of expectations around participation and performance is crucial. Much of the work of the internship supports the broader work of our multifaith center. Students who do not meet these expectations add to the workload of their fellow cohort members and professional staff. If unaddressed, such behavior leads to low-quality work and resentment among the team.
However, my students are all different. A student majoring in communication design can create a quality flier for an event in 15 minutes-–a potentially impossible task for a student of a different major. An extroverted student may engage with others more easily, while an introverted student may naturally have keener listening skills. Finally, some students may need adjustments to their expected participation in planning certain religious festivals because of restrictions stemming from their own religious traditions.
Finding a balance between having a common set of expectations and allowing for individual differences is a dynamic process. In supervising students in their multifaith work, finding this balance is essential. Like in Parashat Emor, there is one law for everyone; however, the application of that law will look different in each individual case.
Rabbi Dr. Maor Greene (they/them) is the Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life at Elon University. They previously served as the first Ritual and Music Rabbinic Intern at Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action and as Senior Rabbinic Intern at Park Slope Jewish Center. They were ordained by Jewish Theological Seminary, where they also earned their doctorate in Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation. Their work has previously been featured in 929.co.il and North Carolina Public Radio. A spiritual director, musician, and outdoor enthusiast, they live in Durham, NC, with their partner and child.