Professor discusses community obligations

Community obligations and the concept of a just city were discussed Thursday night during a lecture by Aryeh Cohen, associate professor of Rabbinic Literature at American Jewish University.

The lecture, “Justice in the City: The Talmud as a Resource for Social Justice,” was presented in conjuction with the Jewish Studies Program at IU.

Cohen initiated the discussion by exploring topics from his book, “Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism.”

“In this book, I argue that literature of the rabbi paints a compelling picture of what a just city should be,” he said.

He also discussed the textual analysis and the study of Emmanuel Levinas, a Talmudic commentator.

Levinas instills an obligation on the part of the eye toward another, Cohen said.
 
“The reason Levinas speaks of the eye is to distinguish himself from the other person in a complete way,” Cohen said. “For this type of textual reasoning to take place, the text that is generating the dialogue must be a text that generates a certain level of respect.”
Cohen said people’s actions affect those of a larger community.

“Political culture is the culture of rights while popular culture is the culture of the entitlement,” he said.

People should act as part of a community of obligation, Cohen said, and residents should open themselves to the cries of strangers in need.

“The city needs to be organized such that the cry of the stranger can be heard,” Cohen said.

He urged those in attendance to engage panhandlers in conversation when they ask people for money.
“In a community of obligation, demand is predicated on absolute responsibility of each person for the justice of the world,” Cohen said.

— Matt Stefanski