HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Yitro Volume V, Number 17 (202) 18 Shevat / February 2, 1991 Parasha Overview This Parasha deals primarily with "Matan Torah" - G-d's giving the Torah to Bnei Yisrael. The Torah writes that Hashem asked Bnei Yisrael if they would accept the Torah, and they answered eagerly, "Na'aseh V'Nishmah" - "We will do [its Mitzvot], and we will learn it." [This precise phrase does not appear in our Parasha, but only later.] The Talmud, however, teaches that Hashem held Har Sinai over Bnei Yisrael and threatened them until they accepted the Torah. How can this Midrash be reconciled with the explicit statement of the Torah to the contrary? Maharal explains that Bnei Yisrael did accept the Torah willingly, but that was not enough to guarantee their observance of it. They had to understand that, ultimately, a person has no choice in the matter. Although we have free-will, we must be aware that if we fail to keep the Torah, the very existence of the world will be jeopardized. R' Aryeh Leib HaKohen adds another answer. G-d's forcing us to accept the Torah was not intended to coerce us, but, so-to-speak to coerce Him. Because G-d forced us to "marry" Him, He can never divorce us. [See Devarim 22:29] (Shev Shematita, introduction) ************************************ "I am Hashem, your G-d, a jealous G-d..." (Sh'mot 20:5) "G-d will not absolve [of sin] one who takes His Name in vain." (Sh'mot 20:7) R' Avraham ben HaRambam (the son of Maimonides) notes that these are among the many verses in the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim which present Hashem as One who punishes harshly a person who does not obtain His forgiveness for his sins. Nevertheless, writes R' Avraham, it is neither for fear of punishment nor because of a desire for reward that one should serve Hashem faithfully. A person should be motivated solely by a desire to do G-d's will. One should say, "I would do the Mitzvot which G-d commanded even if He would punish me for doing good and reward me for doing evil." A person who serves Hashem with complete faithfulness is called "one who loves G-d." This is the behavior that the Mishnah refers to in saying, "Do not be like servants who serve their master in hopes of receiving a reward, but rather, like servants who serve their master with no thought of receiving reward." (Avot 2:3) This is also the level of which the Torah spoke when it said: "On this day, G-d commands you to observe these decrees and these laws, and you shall keep and do them with your whole heart and with your entire soul." (Devarim 26:16) The expression "[W]ith your whole heart and your entire soul" refers to devotion [i.e. the willingness to sacrifice all for G-d], but it refers also to faithfulness, for one who is not completely faithful can never be fully devoted. (HaMaspik L'Ovdei Hashem: Perek Al Ne'emanut HaMa'asim) [R' Moshe Chaim Luzzato ("Ramchal") expresses a related thought in the following excerpt from his best known work.] There are three levels - each one less commendable than the one preceding it - on which a person can "inspire" himself to serve G- d. The highest level is where a person serves G-d for no other reason than because it is the right thing to do and the way to achieve perfection. Such a person knows that there is no greater evil than to achieve less than one's full potential. The second level is where a person serves Hashem because he seeks honor. It should be obvious that "seats" in the world-to- come will be assigned on the basis of merit. Therefore, a person who seeks a "good seat" in the world-to-come had better improve his service of G-d in this world. However, a person might say, "I don't need a good seat in the world-to-come; just as long as I get in the door." To this person we respond, "But you seek honor! How will you feel when you arrive in the world-to-come and must stand near the back door, while your friends and neighbors all occupy seats of honor?" We might point out to such a person that if he is disturbed in this, a temporary world when others excel more than he does, certainly he will be ashamed to be in such a position in the world-to-come, a permanent world. On the lowest level is the person who remains unmoved by all of the above. To him we say, "G-d rewards the good generously and punishes the evil with a strong hand." (Mesilat Yesharim, ch.4) [Note: One might wonder why the middle level described by Ramchal, i.e. the person whose service is motivated by jealously, is more commendable than the person who serves G-d only for fear of punishment. It appears, explains R' Yechezkel Sarna in his commentary to Mesilat Yesharim, that jealously is not inherently bad. Jealousy is the trait which causes a person to notice what he is lacking. Thus, even the highest level of service described by Ramchal derives from a form of jealousy. The difference between the first and second levels is only that the former is motivated by comparison of one's present situation with his potential, and the latter, by comparison between people. Commentaries also note that the middle level described by Ramchal is the one of which Chazal said, "Let a person serve G-d without proper intentions, so that he will eventually serve G-d with proper intentions.] *********************************** R' Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: The congregations outside the Bet Hamikdash sought to add the 'Aseret HaDibrot' (Ten Commandments') to the prayers, just as it was recited in the Temple, but they prevented from doing so because of the heretics who adduced from this custom proof that only the Aseret HaDibrot, but not the rest of the Torah, came from G-d. Later, Rava tried to establish this custom, but was prevented >from doing so for the same reason. Later, Ameimar tried, but he too was prevented from doing so for the same reason. (paraphrase of Berachot 11b and Rashi's commentary there) The above Gemara is perplexing. If the recitation of the Aseret HaDibrot had previously been restricted, why did the later sages, Rava and Ameimar, seek to institute it? Didn't they know the law? Interestingly, the Halachic code, Tur, writes that a person should recite the Aseret HaDibrot in the morning. The commentary Bet Yosef, noting he above Gemara, explains that this recitation may be done in private, but not in public. Other commentaries maintain that it may even be done in public so long as it is before or after, but not during, the prayers. The Midrash records the following dispute between R' Yehoshua ben Levi ("R.Y.B.L.") and the Sages: R.Y.B.L. says that Bnei Yisrael heard only the first two of the Aseret HaDibrot directly >from Hashem; the others, they heard from Moshe. The Sages say that all of them were heard from G-d Himself. Based on this Midrash, perhaps we need not fear the heretics' reaction to a daily reading of the Aseret HaDibrot. True, according to the Sages' view, we need be concerned, for they say that only the Aseret HaDibrot were heard directly from G-d while the rest of the Torah came through His intermediary, Moshe. The heretics could easily twist this to mean that Moshe made up the rest of the Torah. However, according to R.Y.B.L.'s view, there is no such problem. In fact, our reading the Aseret HaDibrot which, in R.Y.B.L.'s view were heard partially from G-d and partially >from Moshe, would show the heretics that, unlike their view, we equate the laws that G-d's prophet taught us in His name with those that G-d gave us directly. Over time, the view of R.Y.B.L. came to be accepted and taught. Thus, Rava and Ameimar thought that they could finally do what earlier generations could not: institute the daily reading of the Aseret HaDibrot. However, these sages were told that we must still worry about the attempts of the heretics to devalue the Torah. Nevertheless, as the Halachic works note, not all reading of the Aseret HaDibrot was prohibited but only in certain circumstances. (R' David Cohen, Shlita, Masa'at Kapi, p.93) Reminder: As always, nothing in HaMaayan should be relied upon in practice. All Halachic questions should be referred to a competent Rabbi. ********************** Our "biographical" presentations will IY"H resume next week. Upcoming features include: * "D'rosh V'Kabbel Schar" - Does the Gemara discuss questions of no practical significance ? * A year in a Babylonian Yeshiva * The Babylonian vs. Yerushalmi Talmud ******************** Posted by Alan Broder, ajb@grebyn.com (uunet!grebyn!ajb), who should be contacted to request back issues of HaMaayan or to get on or off the direct email mailing list. Shlomo Katz can not receive EMAIL, however I will pass on any comment forwarded to me, or alternately, send your comments care of yehuda@gwuvm.bitnet