YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Bechukotai
After detailing the rewards for obeying God’s laws, the Torah warns against the consequences of their violation. If the Jews despise the law and ignore the commandments, their actions will lead to the severing of the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
The process of defecting from God’s society involves a series of escalating acts of deviance. The first stage is not listening, לא תשמעו, which refers to not studying the Torah. Without the foundational knowledge gained through learning, observance has no meaning. The second stage is תמאסו/despising, which begins with rejecting observance and leads to contempt for the law and the need to rationalize one’s non-observance. This is especially common in relation to the חוקים, which limit the pursuit of pleasure. These laws may be rejected as anti-progressive and restricting man’s freedom and independence.
The word תשמעו is from the root ש-מ-ע "to listen and pay attention." The word תמאסו is from the root מ-א-ס "to despise."
The next act of defiance is being totally repulsed, תגעל נפשכם, by the social norms, the משפטים. Then as now, many Jews, feeling the animosity of the non-Jewish world, blame their condition on Jewish institutions and leaders, particularly Torah scholars. Because these laws set them apart from non-Jews, they choose to redefine the מצוות and the entire Torah. They decide that the Torah is not divine, but a myth; that Moshe never existed; and so on.
The word תגעל is from the root ג-ע-ל "to release from protective cover." The root connotes exposure to derision. The word נפשכם is from the root נ-פ-ש "to return to spiritual repose." The noun is used for "soul."
The משפטים are the laws that regulate society. They govern the community as the חוקים guide the individual. The cardinal tenet of משפט is צדק/justice, the ultimate aim of the governance of society. When a community embodies צדק, all people receive their due in accordance with their conduct. צדק sets the Torah standard for the Jewish nation. It is the highest value a community can achieve.
The word משפטים is from the root ש-פ-ט "to create order and harmony." A phonetic cognate is ש-ב-ט "to control". The word צדק is from the root צ-ד-ק "to satisfy objective justice."
The final stage is להפרכם את בריתי, breaching the covenant with God. The rebels’ final act is rejecting God’s existence. The step-by-step distancing from Jewish knowledge and observance leads to a total secularization of life in which there is no place for God and His laws.
The word להפרכם is from the root פ-ו-ר "to invalidate and undermine." The word בריתי is from the root ב-ר-ת "to separate parts" as in a detailed agreement.
The Torah sets forth a clear choice between rejecting God’s laws and following them. The happiness and prosperity that results from observing the Torah sharply contrasts with the disastrous events that will befall the nation if they do not observe Torah.
Copyright © 2014, Matityahu Clark. All Rights Reserved. This is an excerpt from the forthcoming Hirsch At Your Table, a collection of brief divrei torah based on R. Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Torah Commentary.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
