The Inner Meaning of Responsibility

Ironically, we live in an age when the idea of personal responsiblity seems outdated. What we often hear instead are excuses for bad behavior. I know I’m generalizing here, but it’s in the interest of having us revert to ancient times when the notion of personal responsibility took hold in the Torah.

We can go right to the Hebrew for clarification. The word for responsibility Achrayut /אחריות includes layers of meaning that help us understand what a foundational concept it is in Judaism.

Let's first look at the core letters of the word, which in Hebrew, is called the root, the shoresh whose rich meaning soars above a dictionary definition. The three-letter root word consists of Aleph-Chet-Resh [A-CH-R] which can mean either Achar (After) or Acher (Other). What does responsibility have to do with either of these definitions? When we examine each one more closely, we’ll understand on a deeper level what these clues tell us about this trait / middah.

Let's interpret this concept of responsibility through the lens of Achar (After). We can be responsible to others after we take care of ourselves (think oxygen mask on an airplane). A well-known phrase from Leviticus / Vayikra (19:18) tells us to

וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ / V'ahavta L'rayecha Kamocha. "And you shall love your neighbor as yourself"

which can be interpreted in several ways, one if which is that by loving and respecting yourself first, you will in fact be better able to care for someone else. In other words, when you've worked on yourself enough, you are then able to love fully and therefore will be bringing (less) emotional baggage into the relationship. You are able to give fully, and love that person as a creation of God, when you, yourself, value yourself as being created in the Image of God.

Another interpretation of Achar (After) as part of responsibility is that we are entrusted with creating a better world for those who come after us. We are required to not just think of using up resources but working on replenishing them. Our task goes beyond ourselves to generations in the future.

What happens when we focus on the three-letter root word that can spell Acher (Other)? The meaning of this tells us that we need to be concerned about 'the other' in society. Those who are marginalized, the ones who are easily forgotten, those who are out of our daily sight yet need us to pay attention.

These are our challenges when we think of our responsibility. Do we prioritize our own needs first, as in Acharei / אחרי (After me ----which ironically is also part of the word אחריות ? Or do we concern ourselves with being activists, working on behalf of those who come Achar (After)? Do we focus on the immediate needs of the “other”, those who are mostly forgotten, as in “Acher” (The Other)? How do we juggle our responsibilities to ourselves and to others?

One answer cannot respond to every situation. Yet, what we're being asked to do is bring this knowledge of responsibility, with all of its meaning to our effort to be more responsible. To be more fully human. To care for ourselves, others and the planet.

The sage Hillel, said it best in the most poetic way:

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? ~Foundational Ethics / Pirkei Avot 1:14