Parshas Shelach - Who Are You Going to Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes?

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~

Parshas Shelach

Who Are You Going to Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes?

וְשָׁם רָאִינוּ אֶת הַנְּפִילִים בְּנֵי עֲנָק מִן הַנְּפִלִים וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם

“...And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descendents of giants. We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes!”

-Shelach 13:33

            This week's parsha opens with Hashem's response to the B'nei Yisroel's request to send spies to scout Eretz Yisroel. Hashem said to Moshe, “...send forth for yourself men...”^[1] As Rashi^[2] comments, Hashem was not pleased with the idea of sending the meraglim (spies). After all, He promised us that Eretz Yisroel was good. What more of a guarantee could we possibly ask for? What better evidence could we possibly discover? Yet, Hashem allowed us to send in spies despite our inexcusable uncertainty and persistence.

           

            Rashi^[3] writes that just as the meraglim came back and spoke badly about Eretz Yisroel, that was really their intention from the beginning.

            The problem with this Rashi is that earlier in the parsha, when listing the names of the meraglim, the passuk^[4] testifies that they were kulam anashim (all men). Rashi^[5] on this passuk (verse) explains that whenever the Torah uses the word “anashim” it is an expression of importance. It therefore seems that indeed the meraglim had only the best intentions when chosen to be the ones to scout Eretz Yisroel. How could we understand this contradiction between these two Rashis?

            Furthermore, there is another fundamental question which must be asked on the whole story of the meraglim. The Medrash^[6] tells us that there is nothing loved before Hashem as much as one who is a sh'luach mitzva (someone sent to do a mitzva) and who puts in tremendous efforts to carry out the mitzvah. This is why sh'luchei mitzvos are exempt from doing other mitzvos^[7]. As an example, the medrash provides the story of the spies sent by Yehoshua to scout out the city of Yericho, which we read in this week's Haftorah^[8]. In contrast, the medrash mentions that the story of the meraglim sent by Moshe in our parsha reflects a polar opposite case to the Haftorah, and is far from showing an example of sh'luchei mitzvah.

            The question is, what did the meraglim that Moshe sent do wrong? Moshe himself, upon commanding the spies to go to Eretz Yisroel, said, “Ascend here in the south and ascend the mountain. See the land – what is it? And the people who dwell in it – are they strong or weak? Few or numerous? And how is the land in which they dwell – is it good or is it bad? And how are the cities – are they open or fortified? And how is the land – is it fertile or is it lean?”^[9] The meraglim were sent to offer their opinion regarding the land. After all, is it not a spy's job to determine the strengths and weaknesses of enemy countries.^[10] Did theses meraglim not do exactly that? They found the strengths and weaknesses of Eretz Yisroel. Is it because of them that the negative aspects that they discovered happened to outweigh the good news and cause the B'nei Yisroel to shout out against Moshe? What more could be expected of them? They were sent to determine the enemy's strategic position and they did just that. Why is it their fault that the giants living in Eretz Yisroel had prospered tremendously? They were just telling the truth – stating the facts!

            There is another difficulty in the actual speech that the meraglim gave when they came back. After giving the first part of their report, and then being interrupted by Calev, the meraglim described to the B'nei Yisroel that the land was populated with giants. They said, “We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes”. What did they mean that they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes? Granted they were received with a strong reception when it came to delivering the news back to the B'nei Yisroel, but that is no reason for them to think they sprouted antennas! Surely they knew that they were human, so why did they say that they seemed as grasshoppers in their own eyes?

            Furthermore, we must ponder the validity of the meraglim's statement. How did they know how the giants perceived them, that they had the confidence to declare, “...and so we were in their eyes.”?^[11]

            In order to better appreciate the story of the meraglim, let us think about the following. Imagine for a moment that you are walking down a street in Manhattan, when a Japanese tourist approaches you and, pointing at the Empire State Building, asks, “What is the name of that block?” You respond, “Well, this street we are on now is 34^th Street, perpendicular to us is 5^th Avenue, and parallel to us is 33^rd Street.” Confused, he repeats, “Okay, but what is the name of that block with the big building in it?” Thinking this man is crazy, you say, “I do not know what you are getting at. Blocks do not have names, only streets have names.” Annoyed, you then walk away.

            Now imagine you take a trip to Japan. You are walking along some street one night and realize that you are totally lost. As you continue to walk around aimlessly, you come across a unique six-story glass crystal building. Wanting to be able to check it out in the morning, you find a Japanese man who understands English and you ask him, “Excuse me sir, what building is this?” He responds, “That is the famous Prada Aoyama building.” You then say, “I would like to come see it tomorrow, could you please tell me what street we are on?” “Street?” He asks, clearly very confused, “Well, it is on block number 2”. Now it is your turn to be confused, “I do not care what block it is on. What street is this?” The Japanese gentleman just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Look fella, the address is 5-2-6. Meaning, it is in District 5, Block 2, and Building number 6 on the block. Streets do not have names, only blocks have names here.”

            As humans, we often find ourselves in the position of the Japanese tourist in America, or the American visiting Japan. Every person has his own premises, opinions, and perceptions which one assumes to apply universally. We enter situations which should be viewed objectively, and instead apply our own previous notions, personal thoughts, and subjective opinions.

            Perhaps this was the main issue with the cheit ha'meraglim (sin of the spies). Hashem had already promised the Jews that they would enter Eretz Yisroel and that it contained nothing but pure goodness. The meraglim, though, did not go forth with their mission with the perspective of being messengers from Hashem. Rather, they went looking through their own glasses, which was the foundation of their mistake. Hashem gave them a choice, “Are you going to spy out the land coming from the perspective that on your side there is Hashem, before whom everything else is puny like insects before Him? Or, will you be the insects – grasshoppers, standing on your own, without fully appreciating Hashem's power, perceiving every molehill as a mountain.

            Unfortunately, the meraglim did in fact fail to have the full bitachon (faith) in Hashem, thereby utilizing the middah (character trait) of anavah (humility) incorrectly. Once they made the choice to view themselves as grasshoppers, they caused themselves to be viewed in the eyes of the giants as little insects as well. Perhaps this is an alternative way to understand the aforementioned passuk, “...We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and therefore we were in their eyes as well”. In other words, it was only because the meraglim felt insecure, due to their lack of belief in Hashem, that the giants realized that they had nothing to fear about these “human-looking creatures”, for they were nothing but puny grasshoppers.

            Had the meraglim trusted in Hashem completely, instead of their own eyes, they would have seen the truth about Eretz Yisroel. They would have come back alongside Yehoshua and Calev, confirming how prosperous and beautiful the land is. The giants and their fortified cities would have seemed like nothing more than midgets behind sticks.

            With this in mind, we could now understand the contradiction between the two Rashis. On the one hand, there is no doubt that the meraglim chosen were the cream of the crop – the most chashuv (prestigious) members of B'nei Yisroel. However, because they set off with the intention of applying their own preconceived notions and opinions, instead of going with the mind-set of Hashem being on their side, it was as if they originally went with the intention to speak badly about Eretz Yisroel. They went in specifically looking for the streets, when they should have been noticing the blocks.^[12]

            At the end of the parsha, we find the last paragraph of kriyas shema which deals with the mitzva of tzitzis. After the Torah's actual commandment for one to attach tzitzis to a four-cornered garment he is wearing, the Torah provides the reason for the mitzva - “It shall constitute tzitzis for you, and you shall see it and you shall remember all of the commandments of Hashem and perform them; and you shall not spy after your heart and after your eyes after which you stray.”^[13] We are supposed to look at our tzitzis, remember the mitzvos of Hashem,^[14] and perform them in the correct way. What would be the incorrect way of doing the mitzvos? Rashi explains^[15] that the heart and eyes are the “spies” of the body. We must make sure to avoid looking at this world through our own glasses and instead utilize the instruction manual, the Torah, which Hashem provided us. Only if we accept da'as Torah and seek ratson Hashem will we achieve the level of the next verse in kriyas shema, “...so that you...be Holy to your G-D”.^[16]

            So, “Who are you going to believe?” Hashem asks us every day, “Me or your own eyes?”

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[1]     Bamidbar 13:2

[2]     Ibid.

[3]     Bamidbar 13:26

[4]     Bamidbar 13:3

[5]     Ibid.

[6]     Bamidbar Rabbah 16:1 and Tanchuma 6

[7]     See Gemara (Mishna) Succah 25a

[8]     Yehoshua 2:1-24

[9]     Bamidbar 13:17-20

[10]    This idea is also seen in Mikeitz 42:12 when Yosef, under disguise as an Egyptian, accused his brothers of being spies and trying to discover the weaknesses of Egypt, he attributed that as the reason why each of the tribes entered through a different gate.

[11]    To answer this question, Rashi (Bamidbar 13:33) explains that the meraglim said that they overheard the giants saying, “There are ants in the vineyard which look like men”. Many mefarshim (commentaries) are bothered by this Rashi. How How did hearing the giants say that they looked like ants mean to the meraglim that they really meant that they were like grasshoppers. After all, this was the claim of the meraglim, that they were also grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants. There are a few approaches to answer this question on Rashi. (See Mizrachi., Kli Yakar, and Maharal [Gur Aryeh] on Bamidbar 13:33)

[12]    See also Maharsha to Gemara Sotah 35a, Maharal Gur Aryeh Bamidbar 13:26, and Mizrachi there, who seem to resolve the contradiction in between the Rashis as follows. At the time that the meraglim were chosen, they were indeed great men. However, upon being sent to spy out the land by the people who were not willing to trust completely in Hashem, it had a negative effect on them and caused them to scout Eretz Yisroel without the proper bitachon in Hashem.

[13]    Bamidbar 15:39

[14]    See Rashi (Bamidbar 15:38) who explains that the word tzitzis = 600 in gematriya (numerical value) + five knots + eight strings = 613. Also, when we look at the t'cheiles (blue-dyed string on tzitzis), which is made from the chilazon (a type of sea-snail), our memory gets triggered to think about the blue ocean which reflects the Heavens and reminds us of Hashem and his mitzvos.

[15]    Bamidbar 15:39

[16]    Bamidbar 15:40

Parshas Nasso - Pieces of Peace

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~

Parshas Nasso

Pieces of Peace

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ וּמָעֲלָה בוֹ מָעַל

“Hashem spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: Any man, if his wife will go astray and commit a trespass against him....”

-Nasso 5:11-12

וְכָתַב אֶת הָאָלֹת הָאֵלֶּה הַכֹּהֵן בַּסֵּפֶר וּמָחָה אֶל מֵי הַמָּרִים

And the kohen shall inscribe these curses on a scroll and erase it into the bitter waters....”

-Nasso 5:23

            This week's parsha discusses the topic of sotah – the story of a woman who was specifically warned by her husband not to be with a certain man, and yet was caught secluded with him. The Torah[1] describes that when she is brought to the kohen, there was an interesting process she had to go through. First, her husband brings a karbon[2] on her behalf. Then, the kohen takes an earthenware cup filled with mayim kedoshim (sacred water)[3] and puts dust from the ground into it. The kohen then uncovers the woman's head[4] and gives her the karbon to hold[5]. If at this point the sotah has yet to confess, the kohen begins to recite the following introduction before giving her the water. He says, “If a man has not lain with you, and you have not strayed in defilement with someone other than your husband, then you shall be innocent from these bitter, afflictive waters. But if you have strayed with someone other than your husband, and you have become defiled, and a man other than your husband has lain with you...!” The kohen then continues to announce, “May Hashem set you as a curse and as an oath among your people, when Hashem makes your thigh fall and your stomach distend....” The woman then responds, “Amen Amen.” At this point, the kohen inscribes these curses on a scroll and erases it into the bitter, afflictive waters. The sotah then drinks the water[6]. If she indeed is guilty, then her stomach becomes swollen and her thighs collapse. However, if the waters have no affect then she is innocent and receives a beracha (blessing) to have easy childbirths in the future and produce beautiful children.[7]

           

            The obvious question on the sotah process is why is it necessary that the erasing of Hashem's name be included? Certainly the same miraculous results could be achieved without this disgrace to Hashem's name. Furthermore, the gemara[8] writes that it is asur (forbidden) to erase Hashem's name[9]. If so, why should the process include erasing Hashem's name by putting it in the water for the sotah to drink?

            The medrash[10] brings the following story:

            There was a story with Rabbi Meir who was giving a drasha (lecture) in shul one Shabbos Friday night, and there was a certain woman who was attending. By the time the drasha ended and she got back home, the Shabbos candles had already gone out and her husband furiously asked her, “Where were you until now?” She responded that she was listening to the shiur that Rabbi Meir was giving in shul. Her husband ordered her to leave the house and warned her not to return until she spat in the face of Rabbi Meir. In the meantime, Eliyahu HaNavi came to Rabbi Meir and related the event which had occurred between this woman and her husband. He told him that ultimately, because of Rabbi Meir's lecture, this woman was sent away from her house. In response to Eliyahu's visit, Rabbi Meir went to the beis medrash (study hall). At the same time, the woman, not knowing what to do, also came to the beis medrash to daven (pray). When Rabbi Meir saw her, he approached her and asked if she knew how to heal his eye. She said she did not. Rabbi Meir then asked her if she could please spit in his eye seven times to help heal it. The woman did so and went back home after telling her husband, “You only asked me to spit in Rabbi Meir's face once, but I did so seven times!”

            The medrash continues to relate that the talmidim (students) who witnessed this story were very unsure of Rabbi Meir's actions. They asked him, “How could you allow for such bizayon (disgrace) of the Torah by allowing this woman to spit in your face? You should have asked us to drag her husband into the beis medrash and we would have whipped him and told him to be nice to his wife.” Rabbi Meir responded, “My kavod (honor) should by no means be greater than the honor of Hashem. So, if Hashem allows his name to be erased in the sotah-waters in order to bring peace between man and his wife and demonstrate that she is indeed innocent, then certainly I too must give up my honor to achieve peace between couples.”

            This lesson that Rabbi Meir learned from the parsha of sotah is quite profound. It is worth to give up even the kavod of Torah and Hashem – so to speak - in order to bring about peace in a household.

            The medrash[11] says that keeping peace is of utmost importance. As one of many examples, the medrash mentions that when it came to creating the world, Hashem was very careful to create everything in balance. On the first day of Beraishis, Hashem created the Heavens and the Earth – something for the upper realm and something for the lower realm. On the second day Hashem made the rakiya (firmament) – for the sky. On the third day, it was earth's turn again and Hashem gathered the waters so that dry land could appear and grow produce. On the fourth day, Hashem created the Sun, the Moon, and the stars. On the fifth day, Hashem created the birds, giant fish, and insects – creatures of the Earth. On the sixth day, Hashem wanted to create man but was unsure – so to speak – as to what to do. If Hashem would form man from the upper realms, then it would not be fair to Earth; and if Hashem would form man from earth alone, it would be unfair to the Heavens. So, the medrash explains, Hashem formed man from both Heaven and Earth.[12]

            Man is challenged with bringing peace to the world. Each and every person has the obligation by doing his part as an individual and forgo his kavod in order to bring shalom (peace) to others. This is leaned from the parsha of sotah. If even Hashem is willing to have his name erased in order to bring peace to a couple, and through a kal v'chomer (fortiori argument) Rabbi Meir allowed a woman to spit in his eye seven times, then certainly we must do whatever it takes to bring peace to our own homes, those of others, and to the world as a whole.

            At the same time, man is challenged with another task of bringing peace; and that is within oneself. As humans, we consist of a combination of Heaven and Earth. Part of us is made from dust and wants nothing more than to just lazily lie on the ground like dust. The other half of us, our neshama,  yearns for nothing other than to become close to Hashem and kedusha (Holiness), where its source is. Our job is to use the material part of ourselves in order to interact with this world, and then use the spiritual part of us to channel the physical to be used for spiritual purposes. This internal peace is what the parsha of Nazir  is all about – learning to stay away from indulging in physical pleasures for its own sake, in order to ultimately be prepared to use everything in this world for purposes of kedusha.

            These are the two pieces of peace described in our parsha. The topic of Sotah teaches us the importance of bringing peace to the world as a whole, while the discussion of Nazir conveys the necessity of internal peace within the two parts – gashmiyos and ruchniyos – of every human being.

            Following the parshiyos of sotah and nazir, Hashem commands Moshe as follows:

“Speak to Aharon and to his sons, saying: So shall you bless the Children of Israel, say to them: 'May Hashem bless you and guard you. May Hashem illuminate his countenance toward you and endow you with grace. May Hashem lift his countenance to you and establish peace for you.'”[13]

            May Hashem fulfill his promise of Birkas Kohanim and grant us the siyata d'shmaya (Heavenly aid) necessary to achieve internal and external peace.

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[1]    Bamidbar 5:11-29

[2]    A tenth-eipha of unsifted barley flour (without any oil or frankincense).

[3]    The water was brought from the Kiyyor. Rashi (5:17) explains that the reason the water was taken from the Kiyyor for this purpose was because the kiyyor was what the women of b'nei Yisroel donated their mirrors for (Shemos 38:8).

[4]    See Rashi (5:18) who says that not only is her hair uncovered, but all braids must be taken out of her hair as well.

[5]    See Rashi (5:18) who writes that the reason for this was to try to tire her out so that she would just confess before the process leads to erasing Hashem's name, as we will soon see.

[6]    See Rashi 5:27 who writes that if she refuses, we actually force her unless she admits to being guilty.

[7]    See Rashi 5:28

[8]    Makkos 22a

[9]    The gemara learns it from Devarim 12:3-4

[10]  Vayikra Rabbah 9:9 brought in Lev Eliyahu by Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian (also in Devarim Rabbah 10:15).

[11]  Vayikra Rabbah 9:9

[12]  Also see Beraishis 2:7 and Rashi there.

[13]  Bamidbar 6:23-27

Parshas Bamidbar - E for Effort

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Bamidbar

E for Effort

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי לֵאמֹר: פְּקֹד אֶת בְּנֵי לֵוִי לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם כָּל זָכָר מִבֶּן חֹדֶשׁ וָמַעְלָה תִּפְקְדֵם: וַיִּפְקֹד אֹתָם משֶׁה עַל פִּי ה' כַּאֲשֶׁר צֻוָּה:

“Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai saying, ‘Count the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ house, according to their families, every male from one month of age and up shall you count them.’ Moshe counted them according to the word of Hashem.”

 -Bamidbar 3:14-16

            After commanding Moshe to take a census of B’nei Yisroel,[1] Hashem commanded Moshe to separately take a count of the Levi’im. Unlike the rest of B’nei Yisroel who were counted only from age 20 and older, the Levi’im were counted from the age of one month old. From a logistics perspective this posed a slight difficulty. Instead of 20 year old men bringing their shekalim to Moshe to be counted, as was the case with the rest of B’nei Yisroel, Moshe had to go around to all the tents to get the count of all the infants in shevet Levi. Rashi[2] comments that when Moshe was commanded to count shevet Levi he responded, “How can I enter into all their tents to count the nursing infants?” The Gur Aryeh[3] explains that certainly Moshe was not complaining about the extra work that this particular counting would involve, but rather that Moshe was making a valid point with regards to modesty. After all, if Moshe himself had to be the one to go around and count the infant Levi’im who were nursing in their tents, how could Moshe enter? It would be a breach of modesty and privacy! Therefore, as Rashi continues to explain based on the Medrash, Hashem told Moshe, “You do that which is yours and I will do that which is Mine.” Moshe went around to each and every tent but did not enter. Hashem would then announce by each tent exactly how many babies were inside. Problem solved. Moshe was commanded to count the infants but could not enter the tents to do so, therefore the solution was for him to go around and stand outside each one and Hashem would tell him how many were inside. This is why the passuk (verse) ends by saying “Moshe counted them according to the word of Hashem”. Not merely that Moshe fulfilled the commandment of Hashem, which he certainly did, but that the only way he was able to accomplish it was literally “by the word of Hashem”. Moshe needed Hashem to count and tell him the numbers because doing so himself and entering the tents would be a lack of tzniyus.

            This Rashi is hard to understand. If Hashem was going to have to tell Moshe the number of babies in each tent anyway, why did Moshe have to go around in the first place? Granted when it came to counting the rest of B’nei Yisroel there was a special mitzvah for each member to bring a shekel to Moshe to be counted, in such a situation we could understand that Hashem commanded a mitzva to be done and that is how it had to be done. However with regards to the infant Levi’im, where they did not bring shekalim and Moshe was unable to go in and count himself what was the point of having Moshe go around to each tent just to have Hashem tell him the number of babies inside? If Moshe needed to completely rely on Hashem for this, why didn’t Hashem just tell Moshe the total numbers without making him go around to each and every tent?

            Perhaps we could learn from this Rashi a fundamental lesson when it comes to keeping the Torah and mitzvos of Hashem. As Jews we are commanded to fulfill a tremendous amount of commandments. Not just commandments which are one-time objectives, but cyclical ones as well – whether once mitzvos that are once in life time, every fifty years, seven years, yearly, monthly, weekly daily, multiple times a day, and even constantly, there is no question that mitzvos come in all shapes and sizes. We obviously know that those who think all we have to keep are the 10 commandments are ignorant beyond belief, and the same is true of those who believe that there is a simple list of 613 mitzvos. Yes, we have the Aseres Ha’dibros and taryag mitzvos, but those are only the skeletal structure of the mitzvos which infuse our daily living. Each and every mitzva has so many details, conditions and qualifications that the aggregate permutations and combinations are virtually countless. Every detail of every movement from the order of tying one’s shoes, cutting nails and washing one’s body, to the laws of berachos and intricate laws of kashrus; and from the perplexing laws of tummah and restrictive laws of shabbos and yom tov, to the many laws of business and money matters, every single activity we do throughout each moment of every day has a mitzvah associated with it with details and differences depending on each specific scenario. One would think it is impossible to be able to remember all of them, let alone live by them. Forget about being difficult, how is it even possible for a person to be able to live by so many rules without one’s head exploding with the number of things to remember? Yet, people do it and people love it. Where does this capacity of seemingly borderless capability come from?

            The answer is that it was given to us with the Torah.[4] Hashem did not just give us the Torah and wish us luck. Rather, with the Torah He gifted to B’nei Yisroel the power to be able to keep it if we put in our hishtadlus (effort). Indeed, to be able to live a complete, pure life as a Torah Jew is impossible unless two key ingredients are present: absolute effort and siyata d’shmaya. Our job is to put in everything we can and Hashem promises that he will help us by giving us the strength to go beyond our own capacity.

           

            This is the lesson that Rashi is teaching us. Hashem commanded Moshe to do something which was not possible for him to do on his own. However, Moshe was still expected to do as much as he could and from that point, siyata d’shimaya would kick in and help him complete the task.

            This is what Shavuos is all about. We already know that it is more than a commemoration of an event that took place in the past, because in reality it is a re-receiving of the Torah as we did on Har Sinai. However, it is even more than that. It is also a celebration of our changed selves who have the renewed ability to reach goals and keep the Torah and mitzvos to incredible degrees with the same siyata d’shimaya which accompanied mattan Torah, a present and a promise  for those who put in the requisite effort.

            May Hashem help us over this Shabbos and Yom Tov of Shavuos re-accept the Toras Hashem and help us recognize our borderless capacity which we receive along with it as long as are willing to put in the effort. As Hashem told Moshe, “You do your part, and I will do Mine.”

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[1] Bamidbar 1:2

[2] Bamidbar 3:16

[3] Gur Aryeh Bamidbar 3:16. See also the mforshim on Medrash Bamidbar Rabbah on this passuk.

[4] See Sefer Matnas Chaim

Parshas Bechukosai - Wild Gorillas and Mother Goose

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Bechukosai

Wild Gorillas and Mother Goose

By: Daniel Listhaus

: אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי בחוקותי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִצְו‍ֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם

“If you will go in My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them….”

 -Bechukosai 26:3

            The Torah[1] describes the incredible rewards that will come for following in the ways of Hashem by learning His Torah and keeping His mitzvos. No other holy scripture or religion in the world could possibly promise physical rewards in this world directly connected to following the rules of the religion. However Judaism with a Torah given by Hashem Himself - the Creator and Director of the universe - certainly can. Indeed, the miraculous effects of keeping in the ways of Hashem are ones which we as a nation have experienced in the past, and the promise holds true for the future.

            The beginning of the parsha indeed starts with a simple “if-then” structure to convey that the keeping of the mitzvos yields great rewards. However, the passuk (verse) seems to be repetitive when writing the “if” part of the sentence. The Torah writes, “If you will go in my chukim (statutes) and observe My mitzvos (commandments)…” Although chukim often refer specifically to the category of mitzvos which are beyond human understanding, such as keeping shatnez and laws of purity, while the expression of mishpatim is used to refer to laws which society requires to function; here the all-encompassing terminology of “mitzvos” is used following the term of “bechukosai” indicating that the Torah is not referring to the aforementioned distinction at all. This repetition and strange usage of words is something which bothers Rashi[2] here and compels him to learn that “bechukosai teileichu” refers to the learning of Torah while “mitzvosai tishmoru” refers to the actual keeping of the mitzvos.

            After describing some of the rewards that will come for leaning and keeping the Torah, the passukim contrast this and relate that “im lo sishm’eu lee v’lo sa’asu…es hamitzvos….v’im bechukosai tim’asu v’im es mishpa’tai tig’al naf’shechem….” – “But if you will not listen to Me and will not perform all of these commandments; and if you will consider My statutes revolting, and if your  being rejects My ordinances so as not to perform all My commandments….”[3] This contrast is not exactly parallel, as the Torah seems to be more specific describing the various ways that one could fail in keeping in line with Torah values. The passuk begins by using the general terminology of “not keeping the mitzvos” and then proceeds to break the mitzvos into their two basic categories of chukim and mishpatim – explaining that punishment is certain for those who consider the chukim revolting and those who reject the mishpatim.

            The Ramban[4] points out the difference in the way the Torah describes the ones who do not keep chukim and those who reject the mishpatim. Chukim are the mitzvos for which we do not understand the reasons as they involve concepts deeply woven into the DNA of the intertwined physical and spiritual worlds, which are way beyond human comprehension. Therefore, people who are not interested in keeping the chukim tend to ridicule them as worthless activities of “busy work” which the Torah demands. When it comes to mishpatim however, there is more brainwork involved in order to devalue them. After all, so many of the Torah’s mitzvos are ideas which any judicial system would need at some level in order to maintain a functional society. The commandments not to murder, steal, commit adultery, pay for damages, and so many other mitzvos are, although Torah ideas, ones which we could completely comprehend and would probably be smart enough to develop on our own as a civilization in order to ensure basic survival.[5] This is why here, where the Torah makes the clear distinction between those who will not follow the ways of the chukim and those who will reject the mishpatim, the Torah uses category-specific descriptions, detailing that those who reject chukim do so by brainless mockery whereas those who discard the mishpatim do so by actually rationalizing and distancing oneself from keeping them.

The consequences of individuals not keeping the Torah and mitzvos, and even more so when the nation as a whole is failing to do so, are frightening. K’lal Yisroel is always tasked to work together and be responsible for one another to ensure that there are no weak links in our chain. However, unfortunately we are not always so great and amongst us there are those who ridicule the chukim and reject the mishpatim. As bad as this is, and certainly there could be no worse thing that transgressing the mitzvos of Hashem, if there is one “redeeming quality” to be said it is that it lies within the realm of “normal”, albeit poor, behavior. After all, no one is perfect and life consists of ups and downs. Someone who rejected mishpatim through rationalizations could be brought back that same path by being calmed down and patiently shown how his thinking was flawed. Once that first step is taken and he is able to accept Hashem and understand that the mitzvos are not just to-do lists but rather ways of living the highest quality of life, it is possible for him to then reflect back to the chukim and feel sorry for his brainless cynicism and reaccept them with love.

Recently, there was a story in the news regarding a four year old boy who fell into a gorilla exhibit in the Cincinnati zoo which attracted national attention. After the horror of the child falling down the ten-foot drop into a moat and being in the cage with Harambe the gorilla for ten long minutes being dragged around, the zookeepers were finally able to make it to the scene and made the call to shoot the gorilla dead. An obvious response – or so we would have thought. For a full week now, the country has been divisive over whether doing so was the correct thing to do. After all, silverback gorillas are an endangered species.

The fact that there was even a discussion after the event is something which is still hard for many to comprehend. Is saving a helpless child not a priority-one task? Society has spent so many years working, and continuing to work on not just literally saving children’s lives but even seeing the bigger picture of correlations and causations recognizing the importance of things such as living in a good neighborhood and getting a good education. Is this what it all boils down to that despite how far we have come, when faced with the possible risk of a child’s life on one side with killing a gorilla on the other that there is a hava amina to not kill the gorilla? Is there a more basic mishpat than saving a child’s life? One would think it obvious, yet there is a large number of people out there who are essentially doubting whether a human life is worth more than a 400 pound endangered gorilla. Such an argument does not come from even the most remote form of logic or even extremely twisted rationale. Rather, it comes from an absurd and brainless approach of living.

Approaching a concept one does not understand and making a mockery of it and calling it ridiculous might be a big mistake but at least it is a normal human response to deem something that is not able to be understood as absurd. However, to look at a binary choice: man or gorilla and question the decision to choose man, is using the “brainless” approach to decide what is already obvious from the logical side. What hope is there for such people who do not value human life? Perhaps they should wish upon themselves to become an endangered species so that if they are ever in the need of assistance maybe their kind will find them worthy of being helped.

In psychology there is an idea known as imprinting. Imprinting refers to the idea that animals and people, during certain stages, tend to learn the characteristics of some stimulus, independent of the consequences of behavior, which is therefore said to be “imprinted” onto the subject. The most famous imprinting experiment, performed by Lorenz, was with incubator-hatched geese that followed the first moving object they saw even if the object had no way of providing them food or water. The idea of being stimulated by something and mindlessly following it without thinking through what it means or what the consequences might be is something which is usually only effective during vital learning stages where the brain takes the first piece of information it is fed and imprints it deeply. The fact that there are humans among us who could actually consider not saving a child is scary. It would seem as if they are brainless aliens seeing human life being favored for the first time and after watching the gorilla die for the possible saving of one life are traumatized and brainwashed with the imprinted notion that the gorilla was killed in cold blood.

            There is no doubt that unspeakable and unimaginable things are going on in the world. The push to do utterly senseless things in the name of equality is beyond belief. We are living in a world where even the most basic mishpatim are being approached with senseless debate and mockery, something which would not even be appropriate if they were chukim.

            We must remember that at some level we are responsible for keeping the world sane. The Torah and mitzvos we keep is a power source for the world. The stronger we are, the greater the positive influence we give off as a light to the nations. However, the weaker we are, the more we allow the negative influences to cloud the earth. We must take the recent publicized events of ridiculous agendas and rallies to heart and realize that perhaps we are partially responsible. Do we ridicule the Torah’s chukim calling them nonsense? Do we rationalize our own actions in order to be able to reject mishpatim? We must reflect on what is going on in the world and the message that Hashem is perhaps sending by allowing these absurd matters to be publicized to such an enormous degree.

            May Hashem help us during this time leading to z’man matan Torah to strengthen out emunah and bitachon, learning the Torah and keeping the mitzvos not only because without holding on tight we risk being swallowed up by the poisonous brainless beliefs of society, but because every mitzvah of Hashem – even the most basic of mishpatim is at its core a chok and the reason we do even the most “obvious” mitzvos is l’shmah - because Hashem commanded us to do. Ashrei ha’am she’Hashem elokav and ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu! In this zechus may we be zocheh the berachos promised as reward for “im bechukosai teileichu”.

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[1] Vayikra 26:3

[2] Rashi ibid.

[3] Vayikra 26:14-15

[4] Ramban Vayikra 26:15

[5] We must keep in mind that even at the base of every mishpat, lies the chok of keeping the Torah solely because it is what Hashem commanded. And the idea that some mitzvos are “obvious:” is really not so obvious. For more, see d’var Torah on Parshas Re’eh – Baseless Beliefs.