September is a time of beginnings. With the end of the summer
vacation season we return to our workplaces and campuses ready
for new encounters. And, with the High Holy Days upon us, we
return to the synagogue to confront relationships old and new.
What should be the focus of our seasonal reflections? Should we
concentrate on our relationships with one another, or our
relationship with God? Is there a difference? Rabbinic
commentators throughout the ages have categorized the various
mitzvot, behavioral commandments, into two groupings: those
among human beings (bein adam l’chaveiro) and those between an
individual and God (bein adam l’makom). But in his book “A Code
of Jewish Ethics,” Rabbi Joseph Telushkin suggests that this is
a problematic distinction. He notes, disapprovingly, that we
generally judge an individual’s level of “religiosity” in terms
of lighting Shabbat candles or keeping Kosher – not
acknowledging that paying workers an honest wage or returning a
lost possession to its owner is also religio