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Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” The expression “an eye for an eye” comes from this week's parsha. This is the concept that if you hurt me, I have the right to instill my own justice and hurt you back. “Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has maimed a man, so shall it be done to him.” 

This pasuk at face value, gives the impression that Judaism is focused on pure vengeance. The Rabbis however explain that this verse is not meant to be taken literally. Rashi quotes the rabbis saying “It is not inflicting a wound itself rather an exact payment.” It is meant to say that if you harm another person you must pay compensation. 

Not only must one pay for the damage inflicted, but also for any inconveniences that occur as a result of the injury. The Torah gives such drastic examples of a limb for a limb to prove a point. Even if you made up for what you have done, your actions are not so easily forgotten. You may not to continue living your life as if nothing happened because you merely paid for your actions. 

The entire parsha teaches us that bad actions can have repercussions, but the same can be said for our positive decisions. As we come to the end of our year in Israel we recognize how no of an impact our actions can make. It is our job to make those choices for the better and not the worse. We must not go home next month and forget everything we chose to do here. We will not forget the Torah, chesed, and friendships we poured our hearts and souls into. We should refuse to go back and act as if the biggest year of our lives never happened. We made an everlasting impression on the people around us that can not so easily be forgotten. Our actions in only one year of our lives will change the way we live out the rest of it.