AND I WILL GRANT PEACE IN THE LAND, AND YOU SHALL LIE DOWN UNTROUBLED BY ANYONE; I WILL GIVE THE LAND RESPITE FROM VICIOUS BEASTS, AND NO SWORD SHALL CROSS YOUR LAND.

 (Vayikra 26:6)

 

 

Peace as Challenge and Blessing

And no sword shall cross your land: You shall be unaccustomed to using the sword.

(The NeTziV Mi'Vollozhin's Ha'Emek Davar)

 

Social peace shall be added to political peace: the events of war that occur outside of your land - even if they are close to your border - will not involve you.

(Rabbi S.R. Hirsch, ad loc)

 

And I will grant peace in the land - These are the two later sets of blessings, which refer to wild beasts and the sword. The passage does not refer to peace between those who dwell in the land. After all, it begins with the words, If you keep my laws. When people hate each other, they are not keeping God's laws! Rather, the passage refers to peace with evil beasts and with crawling creatures and with hostile nations. In regard to these it is said, and I will grant peace in the land. It is similar to the verse, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you (Job 5:23).

(R. Yitzhak Shemuel Reggio ad loc)

 

In the [story of] the world's creation it is said that the beasts were given grass for their food... for that is the nature which was eternally implanted in them, but afterwards they learned to hunt, due to [man's] deadly sin. And when slaughter of animals was permitted to Noah's sons after the flood, and humans were warned, but for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning... of a human life (Bereishit 9:5), and not the life of one animal for the other's, they [the beasts] continued their custom of eating prey. When the Land of Israel achieves perfection, vicious beasts will end their custom and return to their original nature that was instilled in them at the time of their creation... That is why Scripture says that in the days of the redeemer who shall be of Yishai's stock, peace shall return to the world and the viciousness and prey-eating will come to an end among the beasts and crawling things, as was their nature in the beginning.

(RaMBaN ad loc)

 

If you follow my laws... I shall give your rain in its season

Pinchas Leiser

Anyone who reads our parasha, the passage beginning and if you listen (Devarim 28), or masekhet Ta'anit, may receive the impression that there exists a clear correlation between our behavior and rainfall (or drought).

A naïve reading of the sources points to a direct connection between our acts and "heaven's response," as if our deeds are a kind of button that controls the supply of rain. Such an approach is also prone to promote simplistic and dangerous theological interpretations by creating the impression that God's ways in the world are fully understandable to us. The application of this interpretive approach to historical events brought ultra-Orthodox thinkers to propose "explanations" of the Holocaust as a punishment for Zionism. Alternatively, some religious Zionist rabbis have suggested that it came as punishment for the rejection of Zionism.

Indeed, it is more difficult to reject literal interpretations of biblical and rabbinic passages than to counter ideas of the contemporary rabbis whom they have influenced. At the same time, a simplistic approach that claims to understand God's ways in the world, even if it is founded upon biblical and rabbinic texts, may cause people to lose their faith. The facts of history may very well confound these amateur theologians - does reality really validate the claim that rain falls when we "follow God's laws"? Is it really clear to us that a drought demonstrates that our spiritual and moral condition has deteriorated?

It seems to me that reality is more complicated, that God's ways are harder to decipher, and that the Torah does not propose a causal connection between our behavior and natural phenomena or historical events.

Some of the Sages' dicta support this interpretive approach:

R. Abahu said: A day of rain is greater than the day of the resurrection of the dead; only the righteous will be resurrected, but rain falls for the righteous as well as the wicked. (Ta'anit 7a)

 

This statement may be read as supporting the notion that "the world goes its own way." Natural phenomena work themselves out in accordance with the laws of nature, laws which express God's will in the physical world.

The book of Kohellet in its entirety expresses a similar religious position. The midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 20) offers an example of our inability to see direct connections between a man's deeds and his fate:

After the death of Aaron's two sons - Rabbi Shimon opened his discourse: For the same fate is in store for all: for the righteous and for the wicked; [ for the good and for the pure, and for the impure; for him who sacrifices and for him who does not; for the good and for the sinner... ] (Kohelet 9:2). For the righteous - that is Noah, who is called a righteous man (Bereishit 6). R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Eliezer, the son of R. Yossi HaGalili: When Noah exited the ark, the lion bit him and disfigured him, and he was no longer fit to offer sacrifices, so his son Shem sacrificed in his stead.

For the wicked - That is Pharaoh Nekho, when he tried to sit on Solomon's throne he did not know its ways, and a lion bit him and disfigured him - they both died with limps, as it is written: For the same fate is in store for all: for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good and for the pure, and for the impure.

For the good: That is Moses, for it is said and she saw that he was good (Shemot 2); R. Meir says that he was born circumcised.

And for the pure - That is Aaron, who was occupied with the purification of Israel, for it is said: He walked with Me in peace and integrity, returning many from sin (Malachi 2)

And for the impure - Those are the spies; these praised the Land of Israel and those degraded it. Neither group entered the Land, as it is written, for the good and for the pure, and for the impure...

For the good and for the sinner - the good - that is David, for it is said, and he sent and brought him, and he was good to look at (I Samuel 16). R. Yitzhak said: Good to look at for halakhah, anyone who looked at him would recall the material he had studied.

For the sinner - That is Nebuchadnezzar, for it is said, redeem your sins (Daniel 4:24), this one built the Temple and reigned forty years, that one destroyed the Temple and reigned for forty years - that is one fate... Another opinion: One fate - That is Aaron's sons, for regarding them it is written, in peace and integrity (Malachi 2).

For the wicked - That is Korah's congregation, of whom it is written move away. These entered to sacrifice in controversy and ended up being burned, while those [Aaron's sons] entered to sacrifice without controversy and also ended up being burned.

The RaMBaM also points out that we are incapable of understanding divine justice and that we shall never comprehend God's calculations:

A person who has more sins than merits dies immediately in his wickedness, as it is said, for the multitude of your sins, similarly, a city whose sins are numerous is immediately lost, for it is said the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah for it is great. And so, the entire world: if they [its inhabitants] had more sins than merits they would be immediately annihilated, for it is said, and the Lord saw that man's wickedness was great. This weighing is not done according to the numbers of merits and sins, but rather by their importance; there is a merit which balances several sins, for it is said, if something good is found in him, and there is a sin which balances several merits, for it is said, one sinner can lose much good. They may only be weighed by the knowledge of the God of knowledge; He knows the relative values of merits and sins.

One of the stories used to explain why Elish ben Avuya - "Aher" - turned bad revolves upon his mistaken and concrete interpretation of two verses which promise longevity as the reward for the performance of a commandment, an interpretation rejected by R. Ya'akov:

Rabbi Ya'akov says: There is no commandment written in the Torah together with its reward that does not involve the resurrection of the dead. Regarding the honoring of parents, it is written: So that you may extend your days and so that it will be good for you (Devarim 5). Regarding the shooing away of the mother bird it is written: so that you may be well and lengthen your days (Devarim 22). After all, there was the case of one whose father told him, "Climb up the ladder and shoo away the mother bird and bring me the chicks." On his way down, he fell and died - where were his goodly days? And where were his lengthy days? Rather: so that it will be good for you - in the world which is all good; So that you may extend your days - in the world of infinite extension.

Elisha ben Avuyah, who was one of the greatest of the Sages and Rabbi Meir's teacher, lost his faith, because reality contradicted his theological position, which expected to find Divine recompense in this world.

How, then, can we understand the explicit statements made in our parasha, in the passage and if you listen, and in masekhet Ta'anit, etc.?

I think that they key to the proper reading of these passages is to be found in Berakhot 5a, in a discussion of suffering:

Rava said - some say Rav Hisda said: If a person finds suffering coming upon him, let him inspect his deeds, for it is said, we shall search our ways and investigate and return to the Lord (Eikha 3). If he inspects [his deeds] and does not find [sins] - he shall blame it upon [his] indolence in Torah study, for it is said, Happy is the man whom You discipline, O Lord, the man You instruct in Your Torah (Tehillim 94). If he tried to blame it [on indolence in Torah study] but could not find [instances of his being indolent] - it is certain that these are afflictions of love, for it is said, for the Lord reproves him that He loves (Mishlei 3).

On the one hand, the explanation may be viewed as filling a human need, and as not really constituting a theological claim. On the other hand, practical advice is being offered here to man regarding his duty. Suffering - as well as happy occasions - offers us opportunities to consider our deeds, correct our ways, and recognize the fact that we do not control the world. Every real event should, therefore, serve as a kind of signpost inviting us to draw near to God.

In that sense, everything written in our parasha - the timely falling of rain, drought, the blessings and admonitions, and all of the historical events in every age - are not theologically significant in themselves. However - they invite us to meditate upon our actions, and lend us an opportunity to improve our ways and draw nearer to God.

Pinchas Leiser, the editor of Shabbat Shalom, is a psychologist.

 

 

The Laws of the Torah Were Intended to Mold a More Ethical Person, Lest He Be Draw by His Evil Inclination

...It appears to me that when Scripture says the thing vowed and its substitute shall both be holy, it is similar to and if he who has consecrated his house wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to the sum at which it was assessed, and it shall be his -The Torah understood man's deepest thoughts and his evil inclination. Man's nature leads him to increase his possessions and safeguard his property. Even though he made a vow and consecrated [something belonging to him] he is liable to reconsider and redeem it for less than its real value. [So as a precaution against this] the Torah ruled that if one redeems [consecrated property, reestablishing his own ownership of it] for himself, he is to add a fifth [to the price he must pay to buy it back]. If he consecrated the body of an animal, he is liable to regret it, and since one cannot redeem such an animal, he might replace it with a less valuable animal. If you permit him to replace a poor [animal] with a better one, he may replace a good [animal] with a worse one, claiming, "It is a good [animal]". Therefore the Torah forbade exchange [altogether], and if one does exchange [animals] he is to be fined as is written, the thing vowed and its substitute shall both be holy. All of these [laws] are [given] in order that one rule over one's inclination and correct one's ideas, and most of the Torah's regulations are but counsel from afar, from the Master of Counsel, for perfection of ideas and the straightening of acts. And so it is written Indeed, I wrote down for you a threefold lore, Wise counsel, To let you know truly reliable words, That you may give a faithful reply to him who sent you.

 (Mishneh Torah, Rambam, Hilkhot Temurah 4:13)

 

Historical Processes and the Vision of the End of Days

Prior to the coming of the Messiah, falsehood will rule the world, and this is a major sign of these times that our salvation is close, and therefore falsehood gains much strength and power, even amongst people whose vocation is the search for truth. Every man is need of great reinforcement, lest he fall into the trap of falsehood... and one who is ensnared in this trap and falsehood rules his personality is to be much pitied.

(Shem MiShemuel, Behukotai, p. 368)

 

All the days of The World to Come, will be entirely feasting and drinking, joy and holiday, rejoicing and thanksgiving, happiness, joy and laughing, praise and benediction, tranquility and security, life without sorrow, good days without grief and years without misfortune and without distress, without the Evil Inclination and the Angel of Death, without fear and without trembling, without quarrel, without trials, without crying, without alarm, without war, without controversy, for there will be peace throughout the world, as is written The lowly shall inherit the land, and delight in abundant well-being... (Tehillim 37:11) From where do we know [that the end of days will be marked by] no war and controversy? For it is written, And I will banish bow, sword and war from the land (Hosea 2:20), [And from where do we know that] all inhabitants of the world will dwell in peace? It is written, I will grant peace in the land (Vayikra 26:6).

(Batei Midrashot, Midrash Otiyot D'Rabbi Akiva (version II), 2)

 

 

 

 

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