Torah Study > Chapter 5: Self and Community > Texts 3 & 4

What could the word areivim mean in this context?

What does the metaphor of the boat teach us about the nature of
living as part of a community?

The key to this text is to understand the word areiv. In legal terms, it means
a guarantor: one who guarantees an obligation and has a legal duty to fulfill
it. Simply by virtue of being a Jew, I am responsible for you and you are
responsible for me. I promise to take care of you and you promise to take
care of me.

Another meaning of areiv is being mixed up or bound together with sometthing.
That is, Jews are bound together not just legally but emotionally,
historically, and culturally.

Living as part of the community can necessitate giving up individual
freedom. Our independence extends only to the extent that it does not
compromise the welfare of the group.

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Have you had experiences in which you have felt bound up, or
responsible, for other Jews?

Do you feel responsible for other communities or groups in the same
way? Which other communities and why?

 

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