Parshat Bechukotai 5779-a fundamental hashkafa from the parsha

(based on the writings of R’Shlomo Goren zal)-dedicated to the memory of all those who gave their lives so that we can celebrate being in Jerusalem, as we will do this week, on Yom Yerushalayim.  For myself and many others,the memory of the 1967 war will always be bound together with the iconic picture of Rav Goren at the Kotel.

ג  אִם-בְּחֻקֹּתַי, תֵּלֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִצְוֺתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם.

3 If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them;

ד  וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם, בְּעִתָּם; וְנָתְנָה הָאָרֶץ יְבוּלָהּ, וְעֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה יִתֵּן פִּרְיוֹ.

4 then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

ה  וְהִשִּׂיג לָכֶם דַּיִשׁ אֶת-בָּצִיר, וּבָצִיר יַשִּׂיג אֶת-זָרַע; וַאֲכַלְתֶּם לַחְמְכֶם לָשֹׂבַע, וִישַׁבְתֶּם לָבֶטַח בְּאַרְצְכֶם.

5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread until ye have enough, and dwell in your land safely

In this first section of the parsha, we see all the rewards for observance of the mitzvot. These are all expressed as earthly rewards, rain, food, satisfaction from one’s diet etc. However our parsha also contains the famous ‘tochacha’ of God to the Jewish people, and this also seems to be revolving around earthly punishments:

יד  וְאִם-לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ, לִי; וְלֹא תַעֲשׂוּ, אֵת כָּל-הַמִּצְוֺת הָאֵלֶּה.

14 But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments;

טו  וְאִם-בְּחֻקֹּתַי תִּמְאָסוּ, וְאִם אֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּגְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם, לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-מִצְוֺתַי, לְהַפְרְכֶם אֶת-בְּרִיתִי.

15 and if ye shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant;

טז  אַף-אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה-זֹּאת לָכֶם, וְהִפְקַדְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם בֶּהָלָה אֶת-הַשַּׁחֶפֶת וְאֶת-הַקַּדַּחַת, מְכַלּוֹת עֵינַיִם, וּמְדִיבֹת נָפֶשׁ; וּזְרַעְתֶּם לָרִיק זַרְעֲכֶם, וַאֲכָלֻהוּ אֹיְבֵיכֶם.

16 I also will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall make the eyes to fail, and the soul to languish; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

We see the same thing in Parshat Ki Tavo, which contains Moshe’s tochacha to the Jewish people and also in Parshat Nitzavim:

כב  גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח, שְׂרֵפָה כָל-אַרְצָהּ--לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ, וְלֹא-יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל-עֵשֶׂב:  כְּמַהְפֵּכַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה, אַדְמָה וּצְבֹיִים, אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ יְהוָה, בְּאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲמָתוֹ.

22 and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath;

Rabbi Goren zal raises 2 questions on this principle which we seem to have enunciated from the rewards and punishments as seen above. In TB Kiddushin 39b we find the opinion of R’Yaakov who says explicitly:

אמר הא מני רבי יעקב היא דאמר שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא…………………………….

דתניא רבי יעקב אומר אין לך כל מצוה ומצוה שכתובה בתורה שמתן שכרה בצדה שאין תחיית המתים תלויה בה בכיבוד אב ואם כתיב (דברים ה, טו) למען יאריכון ימיך ולמען ייטב לך בשילוח הקן כתיב (דברים כב, ז) למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים

As it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Ya’akov says: There is not a single mitzva written in the Torah whose reward is stated alongside it, which is not dependent on the resurrection of the dead, i.e., the reward is actually bestowed in the World-to-Come, after the resurrection of the dead. How so? With regard to honoring one’s father and mother it is written: “That your days may be long, and that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 5:16). With regard to the dispatch of the mother bird from the nest it is written: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days”(Deuteronomy 22:7)…………

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The rewards in the Torah, as explained by R’Yaakov, are clearly understood as rewards for the individual in the world to come, and even a mitzvah such as ‘shiluach haken’ which is promised a reward of ‘long life’ is also understood as a reward in the world to come. If so, how does R’Yaakov understand the tochacha in our parsha and later in sefer Devarim which clearly talk of rewards/punishments in this world?

Rav Goren also says that in practical terms one of our biggest questions in this world is how do we come to terms with the fact that the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? This is expressed in TB Berachot 7a:

בקש להודיעו דרכיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ונתן לו שנאמר הודיעני נא את דרכיך אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם מפני מה יש צדיק וטוב לו ויש צדיק ורע לו יש רשע וטוב לו ויש רשע ורע לו

Moses said before God: Master of the Universe. Why is it that the righteous prosper, the righteous suffer, the wicked prosper, the wicked suffer? 

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The same sentiment is found in sefer Yirmiyahu 11: 3-11 and also in Pirkei Avot , amongst many other places. In which case, how do we understand our parsha talking of rewards in this world, when we clearly see that this is very often not the case?

Rav Goren answers both questions with a simple but important observation. He says that we must make a fundamental  distinction between the rewards promised to the individual(yachid) and to the community(rabim). The true rewards for the individual will be only in the next world and this is for a basic reason. In this world we are given free choice in our actions, and if we received immediate reward, we would not be able to make our freewill choices, as the rewards (and punishments) would guide our actions completely. So reward for the individual is saved for the next world, to allow free choice to take place in this world.

However with regard to the community, the situation is different. The world is judged according to the majority of the community, as we see in the famous Talmudic statement in TB Kiddushin 40a:

ת"ר לעולם

יראה אדם עצמו כאילו חציו חייב וחציו זכאי עשה מצוה אחת אשריו שהכריע עצמו לכף זכות עבר עבירה אחת אוי לו שהכריע את עצמו לכף חובה 

a person should view himself as though he were exactly half-liable and half-meritorious. In other words he should act as though the plates of his scale are balanced, so that if he performs one mitzva he is fortunate, as he tilts his balance to the scale of merit.

ר' אלעזר בר' שמעון אומר לפי שהעולם נידון אחר רובו והיחיד נידון אחר רובו עשה מצוה אחת אשריו שהכריע את עצמו ואת כל העולם לכף זכות עבר עבירה אחת אוי לו שהכריע את עצמו ואת כל העולם לכף חובה 

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says: Since the world is judged by its majority, i.e., depending on whether people have performed a majority of mitzvot or a majority of sins, and an individual is likewise judged by his majority, each person must consider that if he performs one mitzva he is praiseworthy, as he tilts the balance of himself and the entire world to the scale of merit. Conversely, if he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts the balance for himself and the entire world to the scale of liability……

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The community is not bound by considerations of free will and choice, as this applies only to the individual, as explained by Rambam in Hilchot Teshuva(ch.5).

We can now understand our parsha and its earthly rewards and punishments. These pesukim are directed at the community and the rewards are earthly, which is  the only measure which is relevant to the community. In fact, in the next world, it may be that the community is not even represented and the judgements are exclusively for the  individual. Only in this world the individual is not  truly rewarded , so as to preserve the required level of free choice and this is the explanation of  R’Yaakov’s statement as we saw above. He is talking about the individual and the rewards/punishments are relevant only in the next world, as we have explained above.

When I read this explanation of Rav Goren zal, I was immediately taken with the simplicity of this idea and yet at the same time the profundity of his words. Let us hope we can experience all the blessings promised us in this world as a community, especially with the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days.

Rabbi Ian Shaffer       SCW/Cherry Hill NJ               May 2019