Deeds and faith make good person, local leaders say

Rabbi Peter Schaktman and Imam Ismail Elshikh held a public dialogue Sunday in the interest of helping their audience understand their respective faiths and to foster more peace and justice in the world.

Participating in Cha­mi­nade University’s Rev. Yoshi­aki Fujitani-Bukkyo Dendo Kyo­kai Interfaith program, they discussed "What is a ‘Good Person’? The Concept of Virtue in Islam and Judaism."

The afternoon forum was held at Temple Emanu-El. It was preceded by tours of the synagogue and the Hawaii Mosque in Manoa, hosted by their respective leaders. Schaktman said it was the second time a Muslim leader ever held the podium at the temple, and he welcomed future visits by the imam.

Elshikh said faith in Allah as God and creator, and worship (with prayer, fasting and charity) are the first two obligations of a good person. But a person’s "manners, or actions," are proof, or the fruits of his faith and worship, he said.

"Manners are how you deal with people in your daily life, how to be helpful, good deeds. If someone knows his neighbor is hungry and doesn’t send him food, he is not a believer," Elshikh said.

"You can say Islam is a religion of manners. A person who helps other people or their neighbor is loyal to his wife and parents, takes care of their elderly parents. Respecting your parents comes right after worshipping God. It’s said if your parents are pleased with you when they died, a man will end up in paradise," he said.

God will forgive someone who misses prayer or fasting, but if he harms or oppresses someone, God will not forgive him unless the victim first forgives him for the wrongdoing, Elshikh added.

Schaktman said Jewish people describe a good person as a "mensch, a real person who has or demonstrates a strong sense of ethics, who exhibits justice and compassion." The meaning of goodness in the Jewish traditions "means fulfilling one’s highest potential as a human being, and emulating God" in being kind, compassionate, forgiving and just, he said.

While there are 613 commandments Jews must follow, "if it was a choice between diligent adherence to the law versus being a mensch, the latter often would be considered more important," Schaktman said.

Forum moderator Roger Epstein concluded, "There are a lot of differences but a lot of similarities" between Judaism and Islam. It isn’t surprising, given the fact that these religions, along with Christianity, share a common heritage in Abraham as their patriarch, he said.

Being a good person boils down to three main points: belief in God, following the tenets of their religion and doing good for other people, said Epstein, a tax lawyer and president of the Mai­treya Institute, an educational organization on art, healing and spiritual matters.

"It’s important to follow the rules, but (both religions say) it comes down to being ‘pono,’ Hawaiian for ‘doing the right thing,’ to be in balance and harmony," Epstein said.

Epstein said in an interview that the ultimate goal of the Cha­mi­nade interfaith program is to use education as a means of creating peace, which is "probably the goal of all religions, though they’ve probably caused enough damage in their quest for peace."

"We’re (the world’s religions) all connected; we’re all trying for the same thing. We can only ask why religions can’t be completely proactive instead of negative," he said.