In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights.
This Shabbat, Torah places the Israelites on the steppes of Moab—inching ever closer to the Promised Land. Parashat Ki Tetzei continues what scholars consider to be the third part of Moses’s final discourse to the people, a section heavily rooted in and focused on moral codes and commandments. Within this week’s parasha we find statements of or allusions to 74 of the 613 mitzvot considered part of our tradition, and— thematically for this week on our American calendar—they turn to a number of laws that govern employer–employee relationships.
Reading them through the lens of today’s world—or even through the lens of medieval scholars—we might see how and why the American labor movement was shaped and often defined by Jewish voices; these verses also explain how these early labor leaders crafted their demands for a fair and safe workplace. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 forbids an employer from withholding pay, and suggests that wages must be fair and transparent, regardless of the employee’s background or history. Deuteronomy 23:24-25 has been read since medieval times as a requirement to offer time and resources to eat and rest on the job.
Beyond the specifics of employee rights, though, this connection between the American labor movement and the voices of our tradition reminds me—reminds us—of a fundamental truth: A shared vision—and the language to describe it—is a powerful change agent. As my colleague Rabbi Shmuel Polin writes, when we unify around that vision, when we work towards it, “we are ensuring a brighter, stronger tomorrow for all of us.”
—Rabbi Sari Laufer