# Seeking God, finding God: Avoiding the trap of partiality
*2009-03-01*

> Bill Young reflects on a reading from Leviticus regarding the danger of showing partiality to the weak and the importance of treating every person with equal dignity.

## A Challenging Commandment

Today's reading comes from Leviticus, which states: 'Show neither partiality to the weak, nor deference to the mighty.' Leviticus gives us a different view of the commandments; here, the limits of human decency are expanded to what we must do if we wish to be holy, as the Lord our God is holy. The American Bible translation says, 'Show neither partiality to the weak,' while the RSV says, 'You should not be partial to the poor.' Either way, the phrase is striking. I know we are not to defer to the mighty, but I thought we were supposed to be partial to the poor and the weak.

## The Danger of Pity

Pondering this phrase reminded me of the time when I was one of the weak. I had been recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was using a wheelchair. People who didn't know me treated me in a strange, paralyzed manner that was both annoying and demanding. I was shopping with my nine-year-old daughter when a saleswoman began to speak to me in the superior voice I had come to endure. My daughter listened, becoming more and more agitated, until she suddenly planted herself firmly between the wheelchair and the saleswoman. Hands on her hips, she announced authoritatively, 'You know my mom is not stupid. She's just crippled.'

## Compassion versus Dehumanization

When we show partiality to the weak, we frequently dehumanize them. We treat them, in my daughter's words, as stupid. It is easy to cross the line from compassion to pity. This is why Leviticus warns us to show no partiality: treat them as equals. I know from experience that this is how we all want to be treated.

## Putting Faith into Practice

For today's practice, at work, treat your subordinates with the same deference and respect you expect from your superiors. At home, treat your family with the same deference that you give to business associates.

*True holiness requires us to move beyond pity and treat every person, regardless of their strength or status, with equal dignity and respect.*