Parashat Mishpatim 5770
The Profound Word
Howard S. Joseph
http://TheProfoundWord.com
The Wedding Continues
Reading Yitro and Mishpatim together we see the continuity of the wedding process: conditions and terms that extend for many chapters, documents are written and then a final celebration with food and drink as the elders celebrate, or, lead the celebration. Let us follow how Neziv sees the unfolding procedures.
Chapter 19 [5-6]
And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes[lit. kohanim] and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.
The word translated as “treasure” [Hebrew: Segulah] can have a variety of meanings: extraordinary, exceptional, treasured, a remedy. One or more of these meanings may be active here.
Moses is now the go between for the groom to the bride. He continues to deliver the groom’s terms and conditions. What are they?
These [verses] are condition and effect: if you do such and such then there will be for you such and such. However, in explaining the matters in detail there are two possibilities.
The first is that if you will obey me and keep my covenant, then you will be for me a treasure. In this manner, the following expression becomes a command: you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation, not a condition and effect.
The second way is to see all the expressions as conditions: if you will obey me and keep my covenant and become for me treasure, then you will become to me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.
Actually, both interpretations are required by the order of the expressions…. They both stand together and are understood from the word of God. This is what is meant: ‘and now’ means from now on, if you will listen to my voice, meaning you will study Torah intensely, to understand it accurately and precisely.
This condition comes opposite what was said earlier in the introduction: you saw what I did to Egypt. At that time I did it freely and no reciprocity was necessary on your part. However, ‘from now on’, [now that we will be in this marital-covenantal relationship- hsj] it will depend upon your obedience to my voice. Then I will fight your battles for it is known that Torah study is the sword of Israel.
‘And keep My covenant’: this refers to the worship service [avodah], the Covenant of sacrifices that began with Abraham at the Covenant of the Pieces that I expect you to follow in their proper moments and seasons.
This condition is opposite ‘I carried you on eagles’ wings’. Until now my support was again freely given but from now on it is dependent on your loyalty.
Neziv has treated two of the three matters upon which the first Mishnah in Ethics of the Fathers claims that the survival of the world depends: Torah and Avodah, Torah study and worship. What about the third principle: gemilut hasadim, acts of kindness. Let us see how he moves ahead.
However, regarding kindness God said nothing for [this is not unique to Israel as] all nations are expected to live up to this since ‘olam hesed yibaneh’, the world is built and sustained on kindness [Psalm 89:3].We saw that Sodom was destroyed for not caring about the poor and weak.
Furthermore, [another reason why kindness is not dealt with in the terms of the covenant] it is known that it is in the nature of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be compassionate and kindly. Therefore, God only established conditions of Torah study and worship with the effects being the promise of the defense and support of Israel.
However, God now adds a further promise: ‘you will be to Me a treasure out of all peoples’. This means that from now on one who wishes to serve God and be removed from all the stains of the world, cannot be a convert [to this] unless by being attached to the Congregation of Israel and its Torah. This is what segulah means: a treasury which welcomes people into itself from all the nations.
‘for Mine is the entire earth’: there are many people among the nations worthy to convert and serve God as Moses later says [Deut. 33:3]: Indeed, you showed love for peoples; all his holy ones are in your hand, for they let themselves be centered at your feet, bearing your utterances. Until the giving of the Torah at Sinai every person would worship God according to their own vision and practice. Now, however, true worship depends upon entering the treasury known as Israel and accepting the Torah as did Israel…. This promise is opposite what was said in the introduction: I brought you to me.
Furthermore, ‘you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation’. Besides the condition of Torah and worship, without which there is no Israel, you must add to be for me ‘a kingdom of princes’. This refers to conduct between people in a straight and goodly manner [bederekh hayashar vehatov] as noblemen [efratim]. Now these matters cannot be fixed in definite instructions [torah] for all inter-human affairs, places and times are not similar. However, it is God’s will [that this be done.]
‘ a holy nation’: refers to conduct between humans and God, to sanctify oneself through what is permitted as is said [Lev. 19] ‘you shall be holy’. Ramban [Nahmanides] explains this as not being gluttonous while eating permitted foods and the like. Here again finding one’s personal way to holiness cannot be legislated for not all people are equal in this. So again this is not part of the Sinai conditions but it is clearly God’s will that this be done. All this is the first explanation of these verses [for the ordinary Israelites].
Neziv will now introduce one of his major concerns throughout hie entire commentary. So far I have not mentioned it but I hope to deal with it in the future. He tries to make a strong case in favor of religiously motivated goodness and decency as against that based on human reason alone. The latter, if sufficient, might remove entirely the need for a true or correct religion and for a people, Israel, to bring it into the world and uphold it. He tries in many places to demonstrate the superiority of religious ethics against humanistic ethics. Goodness between humans must be done for the sake of God. It is a stronger foundation than human reason which can delude itself into quite reasonable justifications of much selfish behavior when it deems it necessary. It is this issue which is now addressed to the leaders of Israel.
For the leaders of Israel there is a second explanation. ‘ you will be to Me a treasure’: this is also a condition. That is that the kindness you do should not stem from human nature and human reason but should be for the sake of Heaven. This is the meaning of ‘you will be to Me a treasure’: that all your behavior should be treasured to me [linked to me]…. Thus, all that you do, even that which is natural, should be for my name and honor. In this way you will be distinguished and elevated from the other nations of the world.
In matters of Torah and worship it makes no sense to speak of being different from the nations for they are not commanded regarding these. However, in matters of kindness they are commanded. And, ‘for Mine is the entire earth’ therefore, means that they too are mine. In the merit of kindness they survive. However, you must excel in kindness in that you will do it for me. This condition is opposite the phrase ‘I brought you to me’. Until now God raised their consciousness to the spirit of holiness without expecting reciprocity. Now, however, the exalted state of holiness can only be achieved through excellence in this matter of doing everything for the sake of Heaven. Then you will achieve the level of the spirit of holiness and knowledge of God.
We will return to this issue in the future but let us realize the full implications of what Neziv is saying.
- The pre-Sinai, pre-Covenant [pre-wedding] days are a time without responsibility, a childish period in which all is taken care of by a loving parent. Maturity begins at Sinai. God invites us to marriage and responsibility and on this basis we can live a full life. Nothing will come freely anymore but only with the fulfillment of our responsible tasks.
- The Sinai marriage covenant expects Israel to live in intimate contact with God through Torah study and proper worship. However, God chose this wife, Israel based on her ‘yihus’, her ancestry, as a people that is naturally kind and compassionate. But God needs a wife, a nation in the world, to demonstrate the insufficiency of being naturally kind. Kindness is the foundation of existence. It must be deemed an absolute necessity for the universe to survive. It must be known that this is the will of the Creator: that humans live with kindness and compassion so that God’s world can survive. God’s bride must bring this message into the world by not only doing acts of kindness but by insuring that this foundation in God’s will is known. In this way the world can survive according to the vision of the creator. In this way humans will know that despite the fact that there are difficult and challenging moments in our lives that is because the Creator built the best universe possible. [See Parashat Vaera 5770] However, by telling us that kindness is the key to a better life, the Creator, known as YHWH, our lover, our friend, gave us the challenge to bring goodness into the world according to the conditions of our nature, time and place.
Being a member of Israel is therefore not only a question of great Torah study and a unique worship system. More than anything else it demands excellence in kindness and goodness for the sake of Heaven and Earth. It is here that the uniqueness of Israel must express itself and reach its fulfillment. God’s bride, the chosen one, must be prepared to understand and achieve this profound goal.
Shabbat Shalom
Hayyim Shemuel Yossef
Adar 7 5770
February 13, 2010
A weekly parashah essay based on the writings of Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehudah Berlin, the Neziv, in Ha’amek Davar [HD] and Harhev Davar [HRD]. Please feel free to distribute this material for educational purposes. All rights reserved.