No King
"In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did that which was proper in his own eyes." Judges 21:25
At first glance, this verse appears to describe a chaotic state of
affairs, where in absence of a central authority everyone did as they
pleased, however, this interpretation is incorrect. Everyone has common
sense, which can reliably guide him to do right and avoid wrong. ("Do
that which is proper and good." Deuteronomy 6:18) How do we know what
is proper and good if the Torah does not specify it? It must be that we
have an innate common sense.
If so, why does the world seem so unjust? One reason might be that
people do not act according to their own common sense, but rather
according to what they think others might think of them.
When we stop behaving according to what we wish others to think, we might give our common sense a fighting chance.
By Rinah Shalom