~
Thoughts on the Parsha ~
Parshas Mishpatim
No Dogs Go to Heaven
By: Daniel Listhaus
וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי
וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִכוּן אֹתוֹ
“People of holiness
shall you be unto me; and flesh in the field that has been torn you shall not
eat; you shall throw it to the dog.”
-Mishpatim 22:30
Rashi[1]
comments that the passuk (verse) is not really precise because
certainly, just as one could feed the treif[2]
meat to the dogs, one could also sell or give it to a goy (non-Jew).
Rashi then offers two reasons as to why the Torah did not just write
that it could be given to a goy. The first reason is because the Torah
is coming to teach that it is better to be a dog than someone who
worships idols.[3]
Furthermore, Rashi writes, the passuk is trying to demonstrate
that Hashem does not deprive any creature of its reward.
When
the B'nei Yisroel were leaving Mitzrayim, the Torah[4]
testifies that not one dog “sharpened its tongue” [i.e. -barked]. This was
abnormal for a number of reasons. First, any dog owner knows that when a
stranger comes into a house, the dogs will start barking. Certainly this should
have happened in the case of B'nei Yisroel, who were going into
every house collecting all the valuables, jewelry, gold, and silver.
Furthermore, the Gemara[5]
states that at a time when the Malach Hamaves (Angel of Death) comes to
a city, the dogs bark. The time that the B'nei Yisroel left Mitzrayim
was by makas bechoros (plague of death to the firstborns). At that
point, Mitzriyim (Egyptians) were dying left and right and under normal
circumstances the dogs should have barked. However, for the B'nei Yisroel,
they kept their mouths shut. For this, Hashem rewarded all dogs to come by
mentioning in the Torah that treif meat be thrown to the dogs.
The
question is, however, why is it that Hashem considered this a fair reward? The
dogs did something out of the ordinary for B'nei Yisroel. Wouldn't it be
more fitting for Hashem to create a “Dog Heaven” filled of dog toys where they
could chase their tails for as long as they want? After all, a person who
refrains from speaking lashon harah (evil speech) or uses his mouth for
Torah or other good things is rewarded in the eternal world to come. Yet the
dogs, who on their level basically did the same thing by refraining from
barking at B'nei Yisroel, seem to be getting a cheap reward of mere
scraps of treif meat. Why is this so?
Using
the above question as a spring-board, let us ask an even more potent question
along the same lines. The Gemara[6]
relates that Moshe rabbeinu asked Hashem three things. The first was
that Hashem's shechina rest on B'nei Yisroel – and Hashem granted
Moshe this request. The second was that the shechina not rest on the goyim
– and Hashem granted Moshe this one as well. The third request was that Hashem
explain to Moshe His ways. There is actually a machlokes (dispute) in
the Gemara whether Hashem answered this one or not. However, everyone
seems to agree what the specific question was. Moshe wanted to understand why
it is that there are tzadikkim (righteous people) to whom good things
happen, yet there are also tzadikkim who experience disasters and are
greatly challenged throughout their lives. Along the same lines, Moshe wanted
to comprehend why it is that although,
granted, there are certainly resha'im (wicked people) to whom bad things
happen, there are plenty of resha'im who indeed live great lives with
everything seeming to go their way. This is a fundamental question which has
bothered many since the beginning of time and is often expressed at some point
in everyone's life: Why do bad thing happen to good people, and why do good
things happen to bad people?
According
to the one who holds that Hashem did in fact answer this third request of
Moshe, Hashem answered the following. The tzadikkim who only experience
good in both this world and the next are those in the category of tzaddik
gamur (complete tzaddik), while the tzaddik who goes through
hardships in this world is someone who is actually not a complete tzaddik.
Similarly, those who experiences only bad in this world and the next are
those in the category of rasha gamur (complete rasha), while the rasha
who experiences goodness in this world is in fact someone who is not a
complete rasha.
This
Gemara seems to contradict itself. Imagine a spectrum where on the
extreme left is the world-class rasha and all the way on the right is
the biggest tzaddik. Hashem causes only the best things to happen to the
biggest tzaddik and only the worst to the biggest rasha. Yet,
when dealing with those in the middle of the spectrum, the Gemara sounds
quite confused. Why should the person who is not the biggest tzaddik be
any worse than the one who is a few aveiros (sins) away from being the
worst rasha? They are both in the same uncategorized gray area in the
middle area. Even if we were to draw invisible lines within the spectrum and
put the semi-tzaddik closer to the right and the quasi-rasha closer
to the left, still, how could we understand their respective destinies of the tzaddik
suffering for his aveiros while the rasha is successful and
merry from his mitzvos?
The
Maharsha[7]
comes to address this issue and explains Hashem's answer to Moshe in the
following way. Those who are really tzadikkim but who have done a few aveiros
indeed need to be punished. However, Hashem does the tzaddik a favor
by instead punishing him in Olam Ha'zeh (this world) in order that he be
able to get his complete reward in Olam Habbah (the next world) with no
deficiencies. The quasi-rasha, on the other hand, despite the fact that
he is really a rasha, still, since he managed to do a few mitzvos,
he must be rewarded. However, Hashem would rather reward him with the small
stuff in this world in order that the rasha's punishment truly be maximized
in Olam Habbah.
The
question on this which begs to be asked is that this system does not seem fair
at all. The mishna[8]
declares that one moment of time in Olam Habbah is better than all
the time a person could possibly live in Olam Ha'zeh. So, imagine that
the rasha did some mitzva everyday of his life – he put on tallis
and tefillin each morning. The tzaddik certainly did so as well.
So why is it fair that the tzaddik will be rewarded for this in Olam
Habbah whereas the rasha will be forced to get an incomparably
smaller reward in this world?
Furthermore,
leaving this unfair comparison aside, the Gemara[9]
says that it is not possible to reward a mitzva in this world,
rather because of the greatness of doing a mitzva its reward is only
possible to give in Olam Habbah. If so, even if somehow it would be
considered fair that the semi-rasha be rewarded differently for doing
the same mitzva as the semi-tzaddik, shouldn't it still be
impossible for the rasha to be rewarded for his mitzvos in this
world?
In
order to understand these contradictions, we must return to the fact there is
no such thing as Dog Heaven. Unlike a person who is partially made of ruchniyos
(spirituality [i.e.- a Holy spirit from Hashem]), a dog is completely
comprised of gashmiyus made from earth without a neshama (soul).
A dog does nothing on the ruchniyus scale nor could it ever appreciate
it, therefore it is never rewarded in any way other than through gashmiyus.
This
is an idea that is not foreign to us. Take the following example. Imagine you
lost your wallet and in desperation put up a sign saying that you will offer a
one-hundred dollar reward to anyone who could find your wallet. Later that day,
your four-year-old son loses a toy under the couch and while searching for it pulls
out the missing wallet along with some other junk which found their way under
the couch. You see this and are so happy with your son for finding your wallet,
even though it was completely accidental, and so you go and buy him a special
candy. The child, not even sure what he did good, is ecstatic and enjoys the
special candy immensely. In this example, what happened to the one-hundred
dollar reward you offered? You were willing to give that amount of money to
anyone who could find the wallet, so why are you cheating your son out of all
the cash just because you could get away with it? The answer is simple. In the
child's eyes, the money is worthless, whereas the special candy is worth all
the money in the world.
Similarly,
the Ma'bit[10]
writes that as the Gemara says, it is truly impossible to reward a mitzva
in this world. Doing a mitzva means carrying out the word of G-d and
the reward for doing so is infinite. As he explains, the s'char v'onesh (reward
and punishment) system is in place for those who do or transgress mitzvos
of the Torah. The Torah comes from the Olam Ha'Elyon (upper world) and
therefore, by extension, its rewards and punishments must also be from there in
the same currency.
Following
this idea, when it comes to those who are being rewarded or punished in this
world, it must be that their rewards and punishments are not actually from
keeping or transgressing the Torah but rather for doing other things. What are
these other things? What is there to be rewarded or punished for if not the
based on the Torah? The answer is that rewards in this world are for people who
do mitzvos shelo lishma. In other words, people do mitzvos all
the time – we come to shul because others may notice if we miss, we make
berachos subconsciously because that's the way we grew up, we throw our tefillin
on each morning because that is the habit we got used to, and the list goes
on. However, when we do the mitzvos in this fashion, we are not truly
fulfilling the mitzvos in the way they are supposed to be done commanded
from the Olam Ha'Elyon, and therefore the reward for doing mitzvos in
this way does not come from there either. Rather, the reward comes from Olam
Hazeh.
The
opposite holds true as well. People who are overall trying very hard but just
cannot make it to being a complete tzaddik because they get caught up in
some aveiros along the way. These aveiros are not ones which such
a person is trying to do, on the contrary, he is trying very hard to work on
himself and strives to be the complete tzaddik. Therefore, although
there must be consequences for these actions, the punishment will not be the
harsh punishments of Olam Ha'Elyon, but rather will be carried out
through inconveniences and troubles in this world.
With
this in mind we could now understand Hashem's answer to Moshe. The tzaddik
gamur (complete tzaddik) experiences only good in both this world
and the next, while the rasha gamur experiences only bad in both worlds.
When it comes to the gray area in the middle, it depends on who you really are
which will define the rest of your actions. The semi-rasha who happened
to have done a few mitzvos clearly does not care about the mitzvos as
being direct commandments from Hashem, otherwise he would have tried to work
himself towards being a tzaddik. Therefore, although his good deeds
require reward, they will be rewarded for in this world. However, the semi-tzaddik
who spends his life working towards the right side of the spectrum,
although he may have a number of aveiros on his list, those will be punished
in this world rather than in the next world because they are really
lower-leveled aveiros since they were not done purposely or specifically
to go against the word of Hashem.
May
Hashem help us do the mitzvos for the right reasons and help us turn all
of our mitzvos she'lo lishma's into lishma. This way we will be
on the path of at least the tzaddik she'eino gamur instead of the rasha
she'eino gamur, and ultimately achieve the level of the tzaddik who
only experiences good in both this world and the next.
[1] Shemos 22:30
[2] Treif here in he passuk does not
mean like the way we incorrectly use the term now-a-days to simply mean
“non-kosher meat”, rather it specifically means torn meat which cannot be
slaughtered properly.
[3] See Gur Aryeh (Shemos 22:30).
This does not mean that it is better to be a dog than a goy, after all,
all people were created b'tzelem Elokim (in the Image of Hashem) (Avos
3:18 [editions may vary]). Rather, Rashi is saying that better be a
dog than someone who chooses to worship idols (something which is forbidden
even for non-Jews) because such a person has misused his potential whereas at
least a dog is neutral because it does not have free will.
[4] Shemos 11:7
[5] Bava Kamma 60b
[6] Berachos 7a
[7] Ibid.
[8] Avos 4:22 [editions may vary]
[9] Kiddushin 39b
[10] Ma'bit: Beis Elokim, Sha'ar Ha'yesodos 42
No comments:
Post a Comment