In memory of our
friend and neighbor Mr. Richard Lakin who was murdered while riding the 78 bus
in
In Breisheet 18:18-19 we read: “Avraham is indeed to become
a great and mighty nation and through him shall be blessed all of the nations
of the world. For I have given him special attention because he commands his
children and his household after him and they will preserve the way of God,
doing righteousness and justice (tzedaka umishpat) so that God will bring upon
Avraham all that which He has spoken of him.”
The way of God is the way of righteousness and justice.
Avraham and his descendents are commanded to emulate God by doing righteousness
and justice.
Avraham was a role model in the area of Kvod HaBriyot,
respect for all of God’s creations. Avraham welcomed strangers into his home,
sought to save the people of Sdom even though they were corrupt and was
distressed when Yishmael had to be sent away.
In Yirmiyahu 9:22-23 we see the importance of righteousness
and justice: “Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in
his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows
Me, that I am the Lord who does kindness, justice and righteousness in the land:
for in these things I delight says the Lord.”
According to Radak, to know God is to imitate His ways by
dealing with others with kindness, justice and righteousness.
Righteousness and justice are also found in Amos 5:24: “Let
justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
The Ramchal, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746) wrote a famous
book of musar called Derech HaShem, The Way of God. He chose that title because
“it speaks of God’s ways as revealed by His prophets and taught in His Torah.
These are the ways in which God directs both ourselves and everything else He
created.”
This past Tuesday we received the horrible news that our
neighbor, Mr. Richard Lakin passed away. Mr. Lakin had been in critical
condition for two weeks after being shot and stabbed by two terrorists on our
local 78 bus. Mr. Lakin was a man who walked in God’s path. He lived on the
main floor of our apartment building in the Talpiot/Arnona section of
entering or leaving the building almost every day. He always had a kind word to
say. I even ran into him outside of our building on the afternoon before the 78
bus was attacked by two terrorists. He was a humble person that would never
hurt anyone.
A few years ago Mr. Lakin gave me a copy of the book that he
wrote: Teaching as an Act of Love. It was interesting to learn more about this
man who I always saw around but didn’t know much about. In his book, one can see
what a wonderful principal he was in a
elementary school before making Aliya in the 1980s. He was careful to teach
every child in the way that they would learn best. In one story, a student who
couldn’t handle the new math curriculum was totally lost so Mr. Lakin pulled
old math books out of the closet and taught the student the more traditional
methods which were easier to grasp. When students were asked to bring gifts to
exchange with their friends, Mr. Lakin didn’t embarrass the poor student who
brought a live chicken to school but rather accepted the gift graciously and
took the chicken home with him. Just like Avraham, Mr. Lakin was a role model
who cared about every human being.
At the end of his introduction, the Ramchal writes: “And
now, fellow seekers of God, go on your way. May God be with you, giving you
eyes to see and ears to hear the wonders of His Torah.”
Using the Torah as our guidebook, we must follow the path
that God outlines for us and bring more kindness, justice and righteousness to
the world.
