On Hosea 5-6
Background: Radak on Genesis 2:18
1
ויאמר ה' אלוקים, G’d did not utter these words audibly, as is the meaning of the word when applied to human beings, but He “spoke” to Himself. Alternatively, G’d did utter words to that effect without directly addressing Adam, but Adam happened to hear these words. When the Torah speaks of “G’d speaking,” we must understand this as a sound created especially for that particular occasion. Seeing that Adam overheard the words אעשה לו עזר כנגדו, “I shall make for him a suitable companion,” he had entertained the hope that when all the animals paraded before him that he would encounter among them the helpmate, companion, G’d had spoken of. This is how we must understand the words in verse 20 ולאדם לא מצא עזר כנגדו, that he had not found a suitable helpmate when reviewing all the animals and naming them.
The Torah inserted these words between reporting on the commandment not to eat from the tree of knowledge and the sin, in order to make plain that man’s sin was due to the influence of the woman, as he had not eaten from this tree before she had been formed and been given to him as a mate, companion.
Mahx Note: Anyone who understands this as being said for the purpose of blaming the woman and providing some excuse for Adam joins Adam in seeking to cover his own shame. Adam blamed the woman in false pride in order to avoid his own responsibility for sin before G-d. When G-d made Adam He said that it was not good that Adam should be an individual alone. In light of the use of the word of G-d in the creation of the heavens and earth, where he used the word as a seal of approval to say that it was a finished work, it can be read to say that when G-d said that it was not good for Adam to be alone He was saying that Adam was not even a finished work as a mere individual, without the woman. He had nothing to be proud of by himself. Any man who joins Adam in trying to blame the woman for his own sin, therefore, embarrasses himself with Adam, and this embarrassment is only compounding the shame and embarrassment that he is trying to cover over.
The reason for this sequence is instead for the sake of the mystery of Mashiach and his redeemed and regathered assembly of Israel. To reveal this mystery to all the world when he comes to receive his bride unto himself is the reason Eve was formed from Adam side in the first place — in order that having themselves this corporate, family nature built upon marriage, humans might understand the revelation of the glory of the Kingdom of G-d.
Continuation of Radak's comment:
Clearly, also when G’d gave Adam the commandments and forbade him to eat from that tree, seeing that the woman had not been created yet, she could not have heard this commandment from the mouth of G’d, but only from the mouth of her husband. The woman was clever enough to know that G’d had created both her husband and her. She presumed that communication from G’d took place by means of both her and her husband’s intellect, seeing that they were the only creatures who had been endowed with superior intellect.
ויאמר ה' אלוקים, G’d did not utter these words audibly, as is the meaning of the word when applied to human beings, but He “spoke” to Himself. Alternatively, G’d did utter words to that effect without directly addressing Adam, but Adam happened to hear these words. When the Torah speaks of “G’d speaking,” we must understand this as a sound created especially for that particular occasion. Seeing that Adam overheard the words אעשה לו עזר כנגדו, “I shall make for him a suitable companion,” he had entertained the hope that when all the animals paraded before him that he would encounter among them the helpmate, companion, G’d had spoken of. This is how we must understand the words in verse 20 ולאדם לא מצא עזר כנגדו, that he had not found a suitable helpmate when reviewing all the animals and naming them.
The Torah inserted these words between reporting on the commandment not to eat from the tree of knowledge and the sin, in order to make plain that man’s sin was due to the influence of the woman, as he had not eaten from this tree before she had been formed and been given to him as a mate, companion.
Mahx Note: Anyone who understands this as being said for the purpose of blaming the woman and providing some excuse for Adam joins Adam in seeking to cover his own shame. Adam blamed the woman in false pride in order to avoid his own responsibility for sin before G-d. When G-d made Adam He said that it was not good that Adam should be an individual alone. In light of the use of the word of G-d in the creation of the heavens and earth, where he used the word as a seal of approval to say that it was a finished work, it can be read to say that when G-d said that it was not good for Adam to be alone He was saying that Adam was not even a finished work as a mere individual, without the woman. He had nothing to be proud of by himself. Any man who joins Adam in trying to blame the woman for his own sin, therefore, embarrasses himself with Adam, and this embarrassment is only compounding the shame and embarrassment that he is trying to cover over.
The reason for this sequence is instead for the sake of the mystery of Mashiach and his redeemed and regathered assembly of Israel. To reveal this mystery to all the world when he comes to receive his bride unto himself is the reason Eve was formed from Adam side in the first place — in order that having themselves this corporate, family nature built upon marriage, humans might understand the revelation of the glory of the Kingdom of G-d.
Continuation of Radak's comment:
Clearly, also when G’d gave Adam the commandments and forbade him to eat from that tree, seeing that the woman had not been created yet, she could not have heard this commandment from the mouth of G’d, but only from the mouth of her husband. The woman was clever enough to know that G’d had created both her husband and her. She presumed that communication from G’d took place by means of both her and her husband’s intellect, seeing that they were the only creatures who had been endowed with superior intellect.
Hosea Chapter 5Hear this, O ye priests, And attend, ye house of Israel, And give ear, O house of the king, For unto you pertaineth the judgment; For ye have been a snare on Mizpah, And a net spread upon Tabor.
2 And they that fall away are gone deep in making slaughter; And I am rejected of them all. 3 I, even I, know Ephraim, And Israel is not hid from Me; For now, O Ephraim, thou hast committed harlotry, Israel is defiled. 4 Their doings will not suffer them To return unto their God; For the spirit of harlotry is within them, And they know not the LORD. 5 But the pride of Israel shall testify to his face; And Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in their iniquity, Judah also shall stumble with them. 6 With their flocks and with their herds they shall go To seek the LORD, but they shall not find Him; He hath withdrawn Himself from them. 7 They have dealt treacherously against the LORD, For they have begotten strange children; Now shall the new moon devour them with their portions. 8 Blow ye the horn in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah; Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: ‘Behind thee, O Benjamin! ’ 9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke; Among the tribes of Israel do I make known that which shall surely be. . 10 The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark; I will pour out My wrath upon them like water. 11 Oppressed is Ephraim, crushed in his right; Because he willingly walked after filth. 12 Therefore am I unto Ephraim as a moth, And to the house of Judah as rottenness. 13 And when Ephraim saw his sickness, And Judah his wound, Ephraim went to Assyria, And sent to King Contentious; But he is not able to heal you, Neither shall he cure you of your wound. 14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, And as a young lion to the house of Judah; I, even I, will tear and go away, I will take away, and there shall be none to deliver. 15 I will go and return to My place, Till they acknowledge their guilt, and seek My face; In their trouble they will seek Me earnestly: |
Hosea Chapter 6’Come, and let us return unto the LORD; For He hath torn, and He will heal us, He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.
2 After two days will He revive us, On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. 3 And let us know, eagerly strive to know the LORD, His going forth is sure as the morning; And He shall come unto us as the rain, As the latter rain that watereth the earth.’ 4 O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, And as the dew that early passeth away. 5 Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And thy judgment goeth forth as the light. 6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings. 7 But they like men have transgressed the covenant; There have they dealt treacherously against Me. 8 Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, It is covered with footprints of blood. 9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man, So doth the company of priests; They murder in the way toward Shechem; Yea, they commit enormity. 10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; There harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled. 11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee! When I would turn the captivity of My people, Mahx Note:
Chapter 6 of Hosea is about the Great Repentance. In order to understand this we will turn to comments on this subject by Rabbi Nassim ben Reuven, the Ran (HaRan).
Darashos HaRan Chapter 91
"AND I IMPLORED THE L-RD AT THAT TIME, SAYING" (DEUTERONOMY 3:23) 2 It is well known that one who wishes to correct another who has gone astray in some respect can do so in two ways. First, he can apprise him of his wrong and reprove him concerning it never again to repeat it. For so long as one averts his eyes from his sin it is impossible for him to repent of it, just as the sick man who does not acknowledge his illness cannot be cured. This is the intent of David's statement (Psalms 51:5): "For I know my offenses and my sin is constantly before me." This is the first way. The second way is to apprise him that great eminence awaits him, that for all his wrongdoing he is still beloved and desired by the one who wishes his closeness. In these two ways Moses corrected Israel. First he opened with words of chastisement, apprising them, in brief, of all their past wrongs. All of this is included in the section "These are the words." After this, so that they not lose hope and despair of coming to cleave to the Blessed One in their shame before Him over all their wrongdoing, he informed them in this parshah that they are still desired by the Blessed One — even more so than he, the patriarch of Torah, wisdom, and prophecy. And he demonstrated this to them, showing them that because he had gone astray in a certain matter and had slighted the honor of Israel — though they had gone astray in the same matter — still, the L-rd did not wish to forgive his sin. This is the intent of the verse (Deuteronomy 3:26): "And the L-rd was angry with me for your sake, and He did not listen to me." And in [the section] "These are the words" it is written (Ibid 1:37): "And the L-rd was also angry with me because of you, saying: 'You, too, shall not come there.'" The meaning of these two verses is not the same. In (1:37) "These are the words," Moses, correcting the Jews by rebuke, as I have written, says to them: "And the L-rd was also angry with me because of you, saying." That is, you caused evil not only to yourselves but also to me, for because of you, as a result of your conduct, the L-rd was angry with me. All this by way of rebuke for their sin. But here (3:26) this is not the intent. Rather, correcting them by way of apprising them of their eminence and of the great love that the L-rd has for them, he informs them that the L-rd did not accept his petition for the sake of Israel's honor. For there is a great difference between (1:37) "because of you" [biglalchem] and (3:26) "for your sake" [lema'anchem]. Add to this the fact that in the first case biglalchem refers to the arousal of the anger, in which Israel was certainly a contributing factor, whereas in this case lema'anchem refers to the reason for Moses' prayer not being heard and the Blessed One's unwillingness to forgive him. This is the intent of the homily in Yelamdeinu: "'Vayitaber with me for your sake' — How is 'Vayitaber' to be understood? R. Yehudah and R. Nechemiah differ on this, one seeing the meaning as 'And He was filled with [evrah] wrath against me,' and the other as 'He made me as a pregnant woman [ubárah] who cannot sit down because of her fetus [ubaráh].' The Holy One Blessed be He said to Moses: 'You will serve as an example for future judges — that men not come before judges for judgment and be cursed by them!'" And in Sifrei (on Deuteronomy 3:26) it is written: "'And the L-rd said to me: "It is enough for you."' He said: 'Moses, you will serve as an example for future judges. They will say: "Now if G-d did not forgive Moses, the wisest of the wise and the greatest of the great, because he said: 'Listen, now, you rebellious ones,' and it was decreed that Moses not enter the land of Israel, then those who delay justice and those who pervert justice, how much more so!"'" Our sages thus make it clear that the meaning of this verse is that the Holy One Blessed be He did not accept Moses' prayer for the sake of the Jews' honor. 3 But these medrashim misled some of the expositors, giving them the impression that Moses' sin was in saying "Listen, now, you rebellious ones." And this is not the case, for Scripture plainly indicates his sin as (Numbers 20:12): "…because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel," and the language is entirely inconsistent with Moses' prime sin being regarded as his slighting the honor of Israel [though the Ramban is hard pressed with the interpretation]. 4 The truth of the matter is, however, that Moses sinned primarily in a different respect in the episode of the waters of contention, and because I have already explained his sin elsewhere (The Eighth Discourse), I shall not do so here. And though his prime sin was not in saying "Hear, now, you rebellious ones," he did err in that expression itself, so that it in itself could have led to the other, graver, error, as our sages of blessed memory stated (Sifrei, Matot 157): "Because he lapsed into anger, he lapsed into error." And I have already explained in this regard that the error was not the anger itself but something else which resulted from it. And our sages of blessed memory were "awakened" to this interpretation by observing that this parshah stressed the honor and eminence of Israel and that Moses our teacher, of blessed memory, was apprising them of the Blessed One's great love for them. Accordingly, the interpretation of "And the L-rd was angry with me for your sake" could not possibly be the same as "And the L-rd was also angry with me because of you." For if it were so, then these would be words of rebuke and not words of desire and love. Their interpretation of the verse is thus consistent with the context, i.e., Moses is apprising them that though his real sin was not this one ["Hear, now, you rebellious ones"], still, the Blessed One would have forgiven his offense and bypassed his transgression had there not been conjoined with it some slight to the honor of Israel. 5 And another question is also hereby resolved. That is, it is well known that repentance atones for all of the transgressions in the Torah, even willful ones. If so, why should Moses' prayer have been unavailing in securing G-d's forgiveness for his sin? For though the Holy One Blessed be He is exacting with His saints to the degree of a hairs-breadth (Yevamoth 121a), this only causes the slight sins that they commit to be regarded as the grave sins of others; but how is it possible that what suffices for the grave sins of others should not suffice for their slight sins! If this is the criterion, then even in the world to come pain and suffering should not suffice to cleanse a saint even of a slight, unintentional sin, G-d forbid. And we are well familiar with the statement of R. Yishmael in relation to the four categories of atonement (Yoma 86a) that repentance and death atone for everything. And even if it be contended that there was an element in this sin of desecration of the Name of the L-rd (as in fact there was, Scripture stating [Numbers 20:12]) "…because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me"), still, it is cause for wonder that the prayer and merit of Moses should not have availed him to enter the land of Israel and that his sin should not in some way have been atoned. 6 The attention of our sages was drawn to all of these points in this Midrash, and they apprised us of the truth and essence of the matter. And that is that the Blessed One is full of mercy and forgives even the gravest of sins between man and G-d, but wherever forgiveness of the sin would result in injury to others it is impossible to erase it in any way whatsoever. This is the intent of the words of King David, may peace be upon him (Psalms 51:6): "To You alone have I sinned, and what is evil in Your eyes have I done." And Moses therefore said to the Jews: "And the L-rd was angry with me for your sake," to indicate to them the eminence of the congregation. For he had sinned to the Blessed One and had intoned many prayers and supplications over it and not been answered, the reason being the presence in his sin of a slight to the honor of Israel. And though this was not his real sin the Blessed One indicated that he should in no way be forgiven so as to serve as an example to future generations that all men be extremely circumspect not to slight the honor of the congregation. For the congregation, by virtue of its plurality, attains an eminence and a distinction that it is impossible for the individual to attain. 7 And Moses further intimated this to Israel in this parshah, saying (Deuteronomy 3:29): "And we sat in the valley, opposite Beth Peor," which our sages of blessed memory expounded (Sifrei, Deuteronomy 29): "He said to them: 'See the difference between me and yourselves. How many prayers, petitions, and supplications did I intone, and yet the decree stood fast that I not enter the land, whereas you angered Him in the desert forty years, as it is written (Psalms 95:10): "Forty years was I angry with this generation," and, what is more, the greatest among you bowed down to Peor, and now, Israel, you are new! The past has been forgiven!'" It is therein made clear that Moses' saying "And we sat in the valley…" is not by way of rebuke, to reprove them for the episode of Peor (for this is not the nature of this parshah, as I have written, the element of rebuke appearing before, in the parshah "And these are the words," viz. [Deuteronomy 1:1]: "…in the desert, in the wasteland"); but, to the contrary, it is stated here to reveal to them their greatness, that though their leaders committed a grave sin, they are still more beloved by the L-rd than he is. And the reason for this is that the congregation, by virtue of its plurality, attains an eminence which is greater than the sum of its parts, as nature itself demonstrates. 8 And it is for this reason that our sages of blessed memory dilated in many places on the honor of the congregation and specified a minimum number necessary for the residing of the Shechinah upon them, viz. (Yevamoth 63b): "'Return, O L-rd, to the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel' (Numbers 10:36) — this teaches us that the Shechinah does not reside upon less than two ten thousands of the thousands of Israel…" And we find in their words various specified numbers for the residing of the Shechinah upon Israel. They have likewise exhorted us to join with ourselves always as many as possible, even sinners and offenders. I have expanded on the rationale for this in several sections of the Genesis Discourse (I). 9 But now I shall mention a new idea that has come to mind: We see that even in the realm of gross, material objects the Blessed One, in His wisdom, has provided for arrangements, and layers, and many levels, so that all would be properly ordered, progressively, from one extreme to the other. For example, the thinnest matter is not directly connected to the thickest, but to that which is less thin than itself — but still thin — and so on, progressively, until the thickest is reached. Now if the Blessed One has implanted this order in things because of their difference in kind and species, it certainly follows that this order or something similar to it would characterize the components of a progressive effluence which are similar neither in nature nor in essence, but in name alone. And it follows from this that since the Blessed One wished to confer upon us a prophetic effluence proceeding from Himself that this effluence be arranged in very many layers between Himself and us. For if it were not so, this would appear even more inconceivable to anyone contemplating it with the eye of intellect than the idea of one's being in immediate contact with the sun (whose mass has been estimated as many times that of the earth), and the sun's generating its natural heat and awakening his intellect and strengthening all of his faculties. This is more readily entertainable to any thinking man than the possibility of assimilating the effluence proceeding to us from the Blessed One in the absence of any mediation whatsoever. 10 It is, nonetheless, true, however, that the greater the man the less he requires of such mediation; and the lesser [the man], the more, less refined, mediation he requires. This is what was intimated by Moses our teacher, may peace be upon him, in this parshah (Deuteronomy 4:11): "And you drew near and stood at the foot of the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire until the heart of heaven: darkness, cloud, and mist." The last three words are stressed to inform them that the profusion of Divine effluence at that exalted encounter required (in point of their frailty) many mediating agents tending to thickness. This is the intent of the numeration: "darkness, cloud, and mist." The duplication here stresses the grossness of the mediating agents. And all this was needed for Israel, but not for Moses. For though when the Blessed One spoke with Moses there was a pillar of cloud between them, as indicated by the plain meaning of the verse, viz. (Exodus 33:9): "And it was when Moses came to the tent that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the entrance to the tent…," and (Psalms 99:6-7): "Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call upon His name; they called upon the L-rd and He answered them. In a pillar of cloud He spoke to them…", these verses seeming to indicate that most of G-d's converse with Moses was mediated by a pillar of cloud — still, even if we say that this was so, this mediation was not so gross as to be referred to as "darkness, cloud, and mist." The latter variety was necessitated by the relative frailty of Israel. 11 And this is how I understand the verse (Exodus 19:9): "And the L-rd said to Moses: 'Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people hear when I speak with you, and in you, too, they will believe forever." That is, the Blessed One was, as it were, apologizing to Moses for appearing to him in this prophecy with such thick mediation (as indicated by the phrase "a thick cloud" rather than just "a cloud" or "a pillar of cloud." "Thick" stresses the thickness of the cloudiness and is comparable in its signification to "darkness, cloud, and mist"). And He makes it clear that this thickness is required not for Moses' sake, but because He wished to make Israel worthy of hearing His words, which they could not receive except through the thickness of that mediating agent. And He adds that aside from desiring to confer this privilege upon Israel, there derived from it another profound benefit, their believing in Moses forever by virtue of their having participated in his prophecy. It is for this reason that he exhorts them in this parshah, saying (Deuteronomy 4:9): "But take heed to yourself and heed your soul extremely lest you forget the things that your eyes saw." For at that encounter the truth of the Torah was confirmed beyond any doubt whatsoever, to which end the afore-mentioned mediation was required, as I have explained. 12 In any event, it is apparent that if in material things, which are identical in essence, there must be many layers, a) this must certainly be true of things which are related in no way whatsoever, hardly even in name. b) It is for this reason that the Blessed One instituted the tabernacle, the sanctuary and its vessels, and the sacrifices offered therein. For they are receptacles and preliminaries for an entity designed by the Blessed One's will. For what is called a pillar of cloud, or fire, or any name you like — that entity is designed by the Blessed One's will, not through a natural progression, but through a progression known only to the Blessed One Himself. That progression is achieved through the ordering of sanctuary, vessels, and sacrifices, or through a different ordering that is hidden from us. c) And the resultant entity, which is, in truth, a discrete entity, involves the sanctuary as a far more exalted form than the form evident to us and invests us with a supernatural influx of perfection and prophetic power. And it is well known that the created entity through which the effluence is transmitted will fail of such transmission in the absence of agents capable of its reception. And because as individuals vary there vary predispositions and perfections, so that, conceivably, the least of individuals might possess a predisposition lacking in the most perfect, and because the projector as projector fully realizes itself in projecting all that it is in its power to project, d) it follows that perfect progression dictates for the perfection of the projector the presence of receptive agents that are capable of receiving all that is being projected. For example, let us posit a teacher of great perfection in various modes of learning, let us say the thirteen exegetical principles by which Torah is expounded. It will be his fulfillment to have so many students that between all of them there will be established a predisposition to receive the effluence of each of these principles. And though there be before him distinguished disciples whose perception encompasses most of these principles, still he would be deficient in projection if he could not project among all of them all of the modes and attributes of his perfection. And it is in this very connection that our sages of blessed memory said that the Shechinah comes to reside only in the presence of such and such a number. This is because the mediating effluence between the Blessed One and ourselves must realize itself from potentiality to actuality in all that it can potentially project. And because the predispositions to receive those perfections vary with the number of recipients, so that the absence of recipients amounts, in effect, to the absence of the projector, our sages of blessed memory have stated (Yavomoth 63b) that all who do not engage in propagation cause the Shechinah to absent itself from Israel. This is to be understood quite literally in terms of what we have written. It must likewise be assumed that the mediating agents are not of one type. For since our sages of blessed memory have apprised us of different requisite numbers for the residing of the Shechinah, it must be that there are different types of mediating agents (Let this suffice). It follows from this that the eminence of the congregation is greater than that of the individual, though his be the quintessence of greatness. And this is the premise on which Moses informed the Jews that the Blessed One would not forgive his sin because he had slighted their honor. 13 And it is likewise intimated in the Midrash that what Moses requested he requested within the framework of grace and not because he saw himself worthy of it, viz. (Sifrei, Deuteronomy 26): "'And I supplicated the L-rd at that time' — This is as the verse states (Proverbs 18:23): 'The poor man speaks entreatingly.' Two goodly leaders arose for Israel — Moses and David, king of Israel — and they could have attributed the existence of the world to their good deeds. Yet, they asked of the Holy One Blessed be He only a gift of grace." The reason for this is that when the righteous man reflects upon his sin against the Blessed One, in point of His majesty and exaltedness, he feels within himself that his sin can in no way be atoned, knowing a sin to be severe in proportion to the greatness of the one sinned against. It follows from this that if His greatness is infinite then the sin is of infinite severity. This is the intent of the statement of our sages (Shabbath 88b): "They [the righteous] act out of love and rejoice in afflictions," regarding their afflictions as naught in proportion to their sins. This is also alluded to in the words of the prophet (Hosea 5:13): "When Ephraim sees his sickness and Yehudah, his wound, then Ephraim will go to Ashur and send to King Yarev. But he will not be able to heal you, and he will not cure you of your wound." The analogy here is to a sick man who is ignorant of the cause of his illness and unable to be cured so long as his ignorance persists. It is thereafter written (Ibid 15): "I the L-rd will go and return to My place until they are guilty and seek My face." That is, until they acknowledge themselves as guilty, this being the prerequisite for repentance and correction of deed. For one's averting his eyes from his sins will not conceal them from the eyes of the Tester of reins and heart, as it is written (Isaiah 65:6): "Behold, it is written before Me; I will not be silent, but will repay," and (Ibid 7): "Your sins and the sins of your fathers together, says the L-rd." That is [(on the stylistic level)], their denying their sins will not cause them to be hidden from Me. They are written down before Me; how, then, can I not remember them? Even the sins of their fathers are exposed before Me. How, then, can they think that because they forget Me I will forget them! 14 All of this because the beginning of repentance is that a man place his sin before his eyes, as it is written (Psalms 51:4): "And my sin is always before me." And it is also written "until they are guilty," for so long as they do not acknowledge their guilt they will not be cured. And this is the intent of (Hosea 7:1): "When I heal Israel, then the transgression of Ephraim will be revealed and the evils of Shomron…" Now this is indeed cause for wonder, for the very opposite would seem to be dictated, as it is written (Jeremiah 50:20): "In those days and at that time the transgression of Israel will be sought, but it will not be there; and the sins of Judah, but they will not be found." If so, how can it be stated here that when Israel is healed, the transgression of Ephraim will be revealed! The verse, however, is to be understood as follows: The Prophet is comparing the forgiving of a sin to a doctor's coming to heal a grave wound over which has formed a surface coating of skin and flesh, the boil lurking beneath. That doctor will not begin to be able to heal the wound unless the patient allows him to open it, widen its edges, and bare its core. This is what the Blessed One is saying. At the time when Israel is healed, their sin will have to be revealed, for otherwise it cannot be healed. However, just as when the skillful doctor has opened the wound, widened its edges, and healed it, the wound will be sought and not be found, in the same way, after Israel has performed a perfect repentance and been cured of its sin, the sin will be sought and not be found. The administration of the treatment, however, requires the revealing of their sins; they cannot be cured otherwise. This is the intent of "until they are guilty" — that is, until they acknowledge themselves as guilty and bare their sins to Me. Then they will seek the L-rd and say (Hosea 6:1): "Let us go and return to the L-rd; for He has torn and healed us. He has smitten us and He will bind us up" — unlike the king of Ashur, who had the power only to do evil but not good, as it is written (Isaiah 10:5): "Woe, Ashur, the rod of My anger!" The verse continues (Hosea 6:2): "After two days, He will revive us. On the third day He shall lift us up and we shall live before Him." That is, when they will have repented completely after having placed their sins before their eyes, then all the days of their affliction, though extremely long, will be considered only as two days, all of their afflictions seeming as nothing in proportion to their sins — as is, indeed, the case. This is the intent of the statement: He will revive us from the days of affliction and exile, which amount to two days relative to our sins. The idea corresponds to (Ezra 9:13): "For You, our G-d, have been sparing, below our sins; and You have given us deliverance such as this." That is, the Blessed One does not exact payment of a man according to his sins, but far below them, as it is written (Deuteronomy 85): "And know in your heart that just as a man chastises his son, so the L-rd your G-d chastises you." 15 Since I have already expanded on this in the discourse, "And now, O Israel" (The Tenth Discourse), I shall not do so now. But one of the ways in which the Blessed One's chastisement of Israel is similar to a father's chastisement of his son is that just as a father does not smite a son in accordance with his evil, not killing him when he incurs the death penalty, but many times feeling, because of his great love and compassion for him, that he has exacted from him more than his due — so it is with the Blessed One vis-à-vis Israel. This is the intent of the verse in the haftarah on this section (Isaiah 40:2): "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her, for her time of affliction is ended, for her sin has been pardoned, for she has received from the hand of the L-rd double for all her sins." This is cause for wonder. Does the Blessed One exact from a person more than his sin? Are not all the verses full of His being great in lovingkindness and forgiving of sin and offense? And does the verse not explicitly state: "For You have been sparing below our sins"? How, then, can it be stated that Jerusalem has received double from the hand of the L-rd for all her sins? Scripture, however, is speaking here in the language of man in respect to the goodness of the Holy One Blessed be He — just as a man speaks of having beaten his son too much, when the truth is that he never beats him as much as he really deserves. This is the intent of King David, may peace be upon him (Psalms 18:36): "And Your right hand supported me, and Your humility increased me." That is, a man is far from realizing his perfection. It is the Blessed One who "increases" and perfects him. Notwithstanding this, when the righteous man looks into his heart and considers whom he has rebelled against, it is manifest to him that he can gain atonement only through the great mercies of the Holy One Blessed be He. 16 And it is for this reason that our sages of blessed memory expounded "And I supplicated" [Vaethchanan] as a request for a gift from the Blessed One. And so understood the parshah is well explicated, whether or not the idea of a gift is being alluded to in the word "Vaethchanan" itself. For it is written thereafter "at that time, saying," the meaning being that since Moses saw his sin as too great to forgive, he did not pray for its atonement immediately, after the Holy One Blessed be He had told him "…because you did not believe in Me," but only "at that time," after he had conquered Sichon and Og. For if one requests of a king something which he deserves in point of his deeds then all times are alike and appropriate to him. But if one requests something which can be given to him not in point of his deserts but only as an act of grace, it befits him to wait until such a time as is propitious for asking grace from the king. This is the intent of the homily of our sages (Sifrei, Deuteronomy 26): "'At that time' — this is analogous to the situation of the inhabitants of a province who desired that the king make their province a royal colony. Once, two of his foes were defeated by him, at which they said: 'The time is now propitious for our asking the king to make our province a colony.' In the same way, Moses desired that the Holy One Blessed be He allow him to enter the land. When he beheld the downfall of Sichon and Og, he said: 'This is the right time for me to ask the King to be permitted to enter the land.' This is the intent of "At that time.'" They have hereby made it clear that Moses requested this as an act of grace, not deeming himself worthy of it in point of his deeds. 17 And along these lines what follows is also well explicated, viz. (Deuteronomy 3:24): "O L-rd G-d, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand." I have not found this satisfyingly explained by any of the commentators. R. Abraham [Ibn Ezra] adduces a forced explanation to the effect that since there is no end to the Blessed One's wonders Moses says that all he has seen until now was only the beginning, for which reason he says "You have begun." But according to his words, if all that he has seen until now was only the beginning, how does this jibe with his concluding (Ibid 25): "Let me go over and see the good land"? It does seem to be well explicated, however, along the lines we have indicated. That is, Moses, in his humility and in magnifying the severity of his error did not regard himself as worthy of seeing the land. He therefore begins by conciliating his Creator, saying: "O L-rd G-d, You have begun…" as if to say: all I have seen now was not initiated by me in any way, for even in the beginning I was not worthy of it, but it is You who have begun to show. For in view of the Blessed One's greatness and man's lowliness no one can even begin to approach the Blessed One and witness His greatness and His mighty hand unless He himself draw him close and reveal it to him. This is the intent of (Jeremiah 30:21): "'And I will cause him [the Messiah] to draw near, and he will approach Me. For who would himself presume to approach Me?' says the L-rd." That is, though he be the most perfect of men, it would be wrong of him to approach me unless I first drew him near, after which he could come closer to Me. Therefore, Moses said: Though I know that I am not worthy of seeing the land, was I not also unworthy in the very beginning of seeing Your greatness and Your mighty hand! And if You showed me only what I was worthy of seeing, I would not have seen what You showed me. But You have begun to show Your servant all of this glory. This being so, I implore You, be even more gracious to me. "Let me go over and see the good land," though I not be deserving of it. 18 Moses was employing rhetorical emphasis here. Having opened: "You have begun to show," he concluded: "Let me go over and see." That is, just as You showed me this, show me that in Your great grace. But Moses was not contenting himself with seeing the land alone, as our sages have stated (Sotah 14a): "Now did he need to eat of its fruit or sate himself of its goodness? He was saying rather: 'There are many mitzvoth bound up with the land; may it be Your will that they be fulfilled by me.'" Many mitzvoth bound up with the land cannot be fulfilled by seeing alone. It is obvious, then, that Moses was employing this word ["see"] for its rhetorical effect. Or his intent may have been to ask for a little at a time. Or he may have wanted to impress it upon the Jews that the Blessed One did not even grant him this, "for their sake," that is, because he had slighted their honor. All this by way of encouraging and arousing them to strengthen themselves in fear of the L-rd in view of their being so greatly beloved in His eyes. 19 Furthermore, in my view, his saying "at that time" serves the purpose of apprising us that even after the Jews had sinned in the affair of Peor, the Blessed One was jealous for their honor and did not want to forgive Moses "for their sake." If "at that time" had not been stated, we would get the impression that he implored the L-rd at the time of his sin, before the Peor affair, in which case the Blessed One's concern for their honor would be no great cause for wonder. But "at that time," after they had stumbled into idolatry — with all this, His love did not depart from them. This shows that he related to them as a father to his son, who though he [the son] rebel grievously, he will not cast him from his presence. This is the intent of the concluding statement (Deuteronomy 3:29): "and we sat in the valley opposite Beth Peor." Why is this mentioned here? Only to stress what was stated before, viz.: G-d's becoming angry with me was for your sake and for your honor, after we had sat in the valley opposite Beth Peor and there had transpired what had transpired there (Perish the mention!). And this is the intent of our sages of blessed memory in the afore-mentioned homily (Sifrei, Deuteronomy 29). And it is in this vein that the verse continues (Deuteronomy 4:1): "And now, O Israel, hear the statutes and the judgments…" That is, since you are so greatly beloved by Him it well befits you to hear His statutes and His judgments." 20 "The statutes and the judgments" are cited, comprising, as they do, the entire Torah. Afterwards, the particular virtue of each [that is, of each category] is specified. First, statutes are singled out, viz. (Ibid 4:6): "And keep them and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the peoples, who shall hear all these statutes and say: 'It cannot be but that this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'" This verse is in refutation of the evil inclination, which would cause one to say: "Why should I observe these statutes and be ridiculed by all of the nations," our sages of blessed memory stating (Yoma 67b) that the evil inclination and the peoples of the world single out these [the statutes] out for attack in that their natures and reasons are not evident. Scripture therefore assures us that this [lasting ridicule] will not be the result, but, to the contrary, the statutes will cause the peoples to say: "It cannot be but that this nation is a great and understanding people." And the reason is stated (Ibid 7): "For where is there a nation so great whose god is so close to it as the L-rd our G-d in all our callings to Him?" This is to be understood as follows: One who does a strange thing for no apparent reason certainly deserves to be reckoned a fool and an ignoramus if no evident good results from what he has done. But if something of wondrous benefit does result, then the more bizarre the deed the more wondrous a sage will the doer be reckoned. This is analogous to one man's effecting a cure with conventional medicines and another's doing so through strange agents whose use is in no way dictated by reason, in which case the second will certainly be considered the more phenomenal sage, having achieved what is seemingly supernatural. The same is true here. For when the peoples see that you fulfill these statutes which are incompatible with reason, such as sacrifices and the like, and they see, furthermore, that through them the Shechinah resides with you and is closer to you than to all other peoples, then they will perforce have to admit that this is so not by virtue of laws legislated for the good of society (for all peoples and societies have such laws and customs, and why do they not achieve the eminence that you do?) They will thus be compelled to admit that though these statutes are superficially ludicrous, they are, in reality, not so, and they will perforce be constrained to acknowledge "that this great nation is a wise and understanding people." This is what is connoted by "It cannot be but that this great…" That is, though on the surface they seem to be a foolish people, the results of their deeds force us to conclude that they are a wise and understanding people. 21 After this, statute and judgments are combined and praised together, viz. (Ibid 8): "And where is there a nation so great that has righteous statutes and judgments as all this Torah…" Now this is to be wondered at. For though the judgments may be referred to as "righteous," even on the surface level, it seems inappropriate to use the term "righteous" for statutes. The interpretation, however, is as follows: Scripture is telling us that the nations will not ridicule the statutes in the end for two reasons: first, because they will see with their own eyes the good proceeding from them, as it is written: "For where is there a nation so great…," and, second, because after they see that the judgments, whose reasons are apparent, are righteous, they will be forced to conclude that the statutes, though their reasons are not similarly apparent, must also be righteous. Just as today, if we know of an outstanding sage, who composes treatises and does everything with great wisdom, understanding, and knowledge — if we see something among his words or deeds the reason for which is not clear to us, we give it the benefit of the doubt and say that, undoubtedly, if all of this man's writings and words, and deeds are so righteous and imbued with such truth and integrity, then that thing also whose reason we do not understand must also be invested with rightness, truth, and integrity, and any imperfections or shortcomings that we sense must be [not in that thing but] in ourselves. This is the intent of "that has righteous statutes and judgments." That is, it stands to reason that just as the judgments are righteous, the statutes, too, must be righteous. 22 After this it is written (Ibid 9): "Only take heed to yourselves and heed your souls exceedingly, lest you forget the things that your eyes saw." Two things are to be inferred from the connection between this verse and what precedes. First, it is as if the Jews are being told: though you will see the Blessed One to be close to you in all your callings to Him, do not allow the later wonders to cause you to forget the earlier ones, as people are wont to do. As our sages of blessed memory have expounded (Sifrei on Deuteronomy 6:6): "'And these words that I command you today shall be upon your hearts' — let them not be as an antiquated ordinance, which nobody pays heed to; but let them be as a new ordinance which all are wary of." And for this reason it is written here: "Only take heed…" That is, though you will always behold miracles and wonders, let them not be so precious in your eyes because of their newness to make you forget the old ones, as men are wont to do, but take heed to yourselves lest you forget that exalted encounter, for it is the pillar of the Torah, as the commentators have explained at length. 23 And "Only take heed to yourselves and heed your souls exceedingly" is stated in yet another connection, viz., the conclusion (Deuteronomy 4:12): "…but you saw no form, only a voice," and, similarly (Ibid 15): "and heed your souls exceedingly, for you saw no form…" The connotations of "Only take heed to yourselves and heed your souls exceedingly" and "And heed your souls exceedingly" are the same. It is as if one were to say to his neighbor: "Take great care lest you fall into the hole that you are in danger of falling into." This is the intent of the aforementioned phrases. That is: In the beginning it was stated: "For where is there a nation so great whose god is so close to it as the L-rd our G-d in all our callings to Him?" Now one might be caused to err by this and to impute some link or bond to the Blessed One and so come to attribute to His Divinity some corporeal elements. For this reason it is stated: though you witness this [G-d's closeness to you] always, take heed to yourselves, and heed your souls exceedingly, lest you forget that exalted encounter in which the Blessed One came closer to His creations than He had ever come before or than He will ever come thereafter, and still, this did not result in your witnessing any form that you could attribute to Him (for He does not have one); but you heard only "a voice of words" alone, which was a created voice [and not a voice emanating from G-d Himself]. 24 And it is for the same reason that we say in our prayers, in the third benediction of the Shemoneh Esreh, "You are holy," as explained in the Kuzari (3:17). For having said first that He causes the wind to blow and brings down rain and that he heals the sick and releases the bound — so that this does not lead us to attribute any corporeality to His Divinity, we say thereafter that though He does, indeed, perform all these things, He is removed from and exalted above all corporeal factors. And this is, likewise, the intent of (Deuteronomy 4:11): "Only take heed to yourselves…" and its iteration, "And heed your souls exceedingly, for you saw no form… (Ibid 16) lest you become corrupt and make a carved idol." The nexus of these last two verses is strange, and the commentators do not shed any light on it. I understand it as follows: Take great heed of your souls, for though the Blessed One desired to leave the most enduring impression possible of that exalted encounter, to the extent that He originated and created darkness, cloud, mist, flames, and voices — with all this He did not desire to originate and create any form, though this would be indicated for the creation of a more enduring impression of the encounter, visible impressions being etched more deeply into the imagination than audible ones. Just as He originated a created voice, without apprehension as to its superficial suggestion of corporeality, and was not deterred thereby, why should He not have originated a created form to implant that encounter more deeply in their hearts? He was, however, deterred in this case "lest you become corrupt…" For you would think to benefit your souls by making an image of the form that you saw in order to perpetuate the impression of the encounter for your children and grandchildren, but the result will be that your children after you will worship that form or ascribe corporeality to the Blessed One because of it. It is for this reason that this exhortation was repeated many times in this parshah. Add to this the fact that the nations were very much attracted to idol worship in earlier times, and even in the time of the Temple, as our sages have stated (Sanhedrin 102b): "When R. Ashi came to the episode of the three kings [who have no share in the world to come], he said: 'Tomorrow we shall discourse on the subject of our colleagues' [these kings]. Following this Menasheh appeared to him in a dream and said to him: '…If you had lived in that generation, you would have lifted the skirts of your cloak to run to serve idols.'" Now there is no doubt that their penchant for idol worship proceeded from their great wisdom and their ability to employ it for the drawing down of heavenly powers. It did not proceed from their ignorance, for though they were wicked, they were not fools. 25 And this is the intent of the verses (Deuteronomy 4:25-28): "When you beget children… and the L-rd will scatter you among the nations… and you will there serve gods that are the work of men's hands, wood and stone, not seeing…" On the surface, this is cause for wonder. What is this verse doing in the context of the punishment for idol worship? It would seem that this is what caused Onkelos to translate: "And you will there serve nations that worship false gods," being constrained to translate it thus for otherwise it would constitute a transgression and not a punishment. But it would seem to me that the interpretation, according to the plain meaning of the verse, is as follows: If, when you are in the land, you will become corrupt and make idols in the likeness of anything, doing so from your great acumen, and being so entranced by your acumen as not to be deterred from employing it for what is evil in the eyes of the L-rd, thereby angering Him — then your punishment will be that you will be exiled from your land and He will exile you among the nations, and you will lose your wisdom and the understanding of your understanding ones. Following the customs of your forefathers, you will serve images, but this service will not reflect wisdom and it will not result in the drawing down of heavenly powers. Unlike the service of the images in your land proceeding from the afore-mentioned acumen, this service will proceed from complete ignorance and nothing whatsoever will result from it. This is the intent of the conclusion: "…not seeing, and not hearing…" That is, there will not be seen by virtue of serving them those unique phenomena that were seen to proceed from the service of the images in your land — there being no question as to the manifestation of such phenomena, because of which the Torah voiced repeated exhortations against idol worship. 26 Add to this the fact that (in my view) the peoples regarded idol worship as appropriate and necessary, and as dictated by reason itself! This, contrary to what the Rambam of blessed memory has written in the first chapter of the laws of idol worship (Mishneh Torah) to the effect that the essential error behind idol worship from the beginning was people's saying that the Blessed One had created stars and constellations and accorded them honor in their roles of servants serving Him on high, and that they, therefore, deserved praise, glory, and honor, the King desiring that His servants be honored. Accordingly, they became idolators to gain the Creator's favor, according to their perverse theories. This is the opinion of the Rambam, which he may have been led to by having found a similar idea in one of the Midrashim or in one of the early books of idolatry that may have come to his hands. It is my view, however, that reason itself led them to this conclusion, their being of the school of those philosophers who thought that the Blessed One exercised no will or providence over the creation and that everything in the universe proceeds mechanically. All who subscribe to this view see the opposite view as absolute rebellion against the Blessed One and as the attribution of defect to Him, thinking, as they do, that He is extremely exalted above all this [direct governance of this "lowly" universe]. Reasoning thus perversely, and knowing for a fact that the stars and constellations act upon and influence the terrestrial world, so much so that each nation had a star of its own, as it is written (Deuteronomy 4:19): "And lest you lift your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, and you go astray and bow down to them, and worship them, the L-rd your G-d having set them aside for all the peoples under the whole heaven" — knowing this and reasoning in their perverse wisdom that through their worship they would obtain bounty and success from the stars, they became entirely stepped in this perverse conviction — to the point that the accursed women said (Jeremiah 44:18): "And from the day we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked all things." Such thinking would have confounded intellect completely if the Torah had not enlightened us, as it is written (Psalms 119:105): "Your word is a lamp to my feet." For there is no question that all who were of those convictions would not look upon idol worship as rebellion and perversity, being more likely to see as rebellious one who served the Blessed One than we, today, of the true conviction, see one who serves idols! And it is not that they denied His existence, for all peoples acknowledge this, as it is written (Jeremiah 10:7): "Who will not fear You, O King of nations; for to You it is fitting. For among all the sages of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like You." Our sages explained (Menachoth 110a): "They called Him the 'G-d of gods.'" That is, they admitted that He was the cause of all causes and that everything emanated from Him — but by way of mechanics, not by way of will. It followed from this that all who served Him, thinking that the Blessed One could show favor to them or protect them, were imputing a defect to Him [preoccupation with the "lowly" world]. And it followed, likewise, that one should serve the stars and the constellations in order to draw down their intrinsic effluence (according to their perverse views). There is no doubt that reasoning itself would have brought one to this pass if the Torah had not enlightened us to the contrary. Therefore, unaided reason causing one to think that idol worship constitutes exaltation of the Blessed One, and the opposite, denigration, the Torah had to repeatedly exhort us otherwise, to impress it upon us that this was not so, that idol worship did not exalt the Blessed One, but, to the contrary, angered Him. 27 And this is how I understand the statement of our sages (Makkoth 24a): "We heard 'I am the L-rd your G-d' and 'You shall not have any other gods' from the All-Powerful Himself." For if this is not understood as we have said there is cause for wonder here, viz. the stranger a thing is the more verification it requires, and the more apparent it is to reason the more readily should it be believed. And in view of the fact that our forefathers were not simpletons who believed in all things, as befitting them, but only in those things which had been confirmed to them beyond a doubt, as is apparent in many places in the Torah, it would follow that they should not accept until they had heard them from the All-Powerful Himself, the categorical mitzvoth, those with no apparent reason. But the perspicuous ones, those dictated by reason and which every reasoning man, by virtue of the intellect implanted in him, would believe and acknowledge — why should these have to be heard from the All-Powerful? Do we require sign and proof to belief in first principles, such as that the whole is greater than the part, or, what is close to it [in obviousness], the first mitzvah, which is, according to the Rambam, to believe that there is a First Cause from whom all things derive, as he wrote in his Sefer Hamitzvoth and as he expanded in Sefer Hamada (Yesodei HaTorah 1:1): "The foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdoms…"? Reason itself dictates this. There is no heretic in the world whom, if he wanted to deny this, we could not force to concede it to be true by means of irrefutable logical arguments. This being so, why did it have to be stated by the All-Powerful? This would more naturally commend itself to Moses' belief than (Deuteronomy 22:11): "Do not wear a garment of wool and linen mixture [shaatnez]." And, similarly, "You shall not have any other gods before Me" is more congenial to belief than (Leviticus 19:19): "Do not sow your field with mixed seed." For the very beginnings of thought adduce the inappropriateness of serving aught but the L-rd Himself. True, it could be answered that though these two mitzvoth are completely perspicuous, still, because they are the pillar and root of the Torah, the Blessed One desired that they reach us through Him alone, with no mediation whatsoever — and this would be a valid reply. 28 I should like to add something, however, along the lines I have mentioned, and that is that the first mitzvah, "I am the L-rd your G-d" is not to believe that there is a First Cause from whom all things derive, as the Rambam would have it. This is not at all connoted by the language (though the idea is implicit in it). The essence of the mitzvah, rather, as I understand it, is to believe in "Torah from Heaven" in general, that the words and exhortation of the Blessed One reach us. It is therefore stated "I am the L-rd your G-d," this exalted Name, the Tetragrammaton, designating the First Necessary Cause, and serving here not as the object of a command to believe but as the subject of a self-evident belief concerning which they entertained no doubt whatsoever — the existence of a necessary cause. What was being originated now and commanded as an article of belief was (as embodied in the statement): "I am that Necessary Cause, your Leader (this being the signification of Elokecha ["your G-d"], continuing "who took you out" — as one says to his friend: "Don't you recognize me? I am the one who did this and this for you"), stating along these lines "who took you out of the land of Egypt." The essence of this mitzvah, then, is to believe that from Him whom we already know to be the Necessary First Cause (knowing this as an indisputable dictate of the reason implanted in man) — from Him there reach us mitzvoth and exhortations — as opposed to that perverse view which would reason and believe this to constitute the ascription of failing and defect to the Blessed One. This is the first mitzvah — in essence, to believe that the Blessed One governs and exhorts us. The second mitzvah is "You shall not have any other gods before Me." That is, "Serve no other god in the world but Me. Serve Me alone, for I govern you." Now these two mitzvoth are not dictated by reason. Reason, to the contrary, would cause us to err and reach the opposite conclusion (if Torah had not enlightened us otherwise), that the L-rd is exalted above all our acts and affairs, and far be it from Him to give thought to commanding us and exhorting us — as per the philosophers' belief, a belief upon which they built their entire perverse edifice (may it speedily fall apart and be uprooted!). And even the prophets, though they knew the truth of the matter for what it was, wondered at it, saying (Psalms 8:5): "What is man that You are mindful of him…," and, similarly (Job 7:17-18): "What is man that You magnify him and that You set Your heart upon him? That You remember him every morning and try him every moment?" This being so, if the Torah had not enlightened us, our reason would cause us to think and to believe that the Blessed One was too exalted for His mitzvoth and exhortations to reach us and that it was inappropriate to serve Him at all, such service showing us to believe that He is affected by our deeds and that He is in some way dependent upon and bound to us, and it would be fitting, rather, for us to serve the stars, with which we did, indeed, have a bond. And we would consider all this to be the absolute truth and deem all those who thought likewise magnifiers and exalters of the Blessed One and all who thought otherwise ascribers of imperfection to Him. This is the intent of the statement of our sages: "We heard 'I am the L-rd your G-d' and 'You shall not have any other gods' from the All-Powerful Himself." This is stated by way of analogy, viz., if a certain man, though one of the chief officers of the king, and one of the most intimate of his entourage, were to command us in aught that might seem to be a detraction from and demeaning of "the crown of his kingdom," it would befit us to place no credence in his command and to respond that we would in no way abide by it unless we heard it from the king himself, face to face and mouth to mouth (though we would believe this officer in respect to everything else that he commanded us in the king's name). So it is with these two mitzvoth. 29 And this is the very opposite of what the Rambam says in the Moreh Nevuchim (II:33), where he thus explains "We heard 'I am the L-rd your G-d' and 'You shall not have any other gods' from the All-Powerful Himself": "The existence of the Blessed One and His oneness can be perceived by human reason, and in respect to anything which can be proved, the perception of the prophet and of all others who know it is equal; the former has no advantage.'" The other commandments, however, are in the category of the prescribed and accepted and not in that of what is perceived by intellect." The Rambam's words and mine are at two opposite poles. I have already written that the first commandment is not to believe in the existence of the L-rd, and that the language does not connote this at all. And though the idea is implicit in the verse because of the mention of the Blessed One, it is by way of speaking of something that is well known and accepted and that need not be commanded anew. The second commandment, likewise, is not to believe that the Blessed One is one, as the Rambam would have it. For if the basic error of the idolators were what the Rambam said it to be in Sefer Hamada (Hilchoth Avodah Zara 1:1), this would not necessitate their believing in many gods. 30 The more likely explanation, then, is as I have written, that because reason would arrive at the opposite of these two commandments, it was necessary that we hear them from the All-Powerful Himself. And even if one would contend that though reason concluded that the Blessed One does not command us or exhort us and that it is inappropriate to serve Him as we do, still it would not conclude that we should therefore serve idols — it would still be necessary for us to have heard "You shall not have any other gods" from the All-Powerful Himself. The explanation is as I have already written. The first commandment is to believe that the Blessed One concerns Himself with us and commands and exhorts us. Now there is no doubt that intellect would decree the opposite of this, regarding it as the ascription of imperfection to the Blessed One. Having to hear this command then from the All-Powerful Himself, not befitting us to believe it from anyone else, it was necessary that the L-rd speak thus with us: "I am that Necessary Cause from whom there come to you mitzvoth and exhortations, commanding you [in this instance] not to do this thing [to have other gods]. And, from this point on, now that you know for a certainty that I command and exhort you, it behooves you to believe the additional mitzvoth and exhortations by way of the prophets." The nature of the matter demands that we hear from Him at this juncture a command or exhortation, whether it be close to intellect or distant from it; and He chose the mitzvah to be the exhortation against idolatry, it being the most appropriate to issue from His own mouth, especially so in that service of the Blessed One Himself is so antagonistic to reason that all of the nations gravitated to idol worship, for which reason the Torah repeatedly exhorted against it. And we have been informed in this parshah that the Blessed One does not delay the punishment of the idolator, as it is written (Deuteronomy 4:26): "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you shall soon perish…" 31 However, though idolatry be the gravest transgression in the Torah, still we have been assured that when we return to the Blessed One we will find Him, as it is written (Ibid 29): "And if you seek from there [the lands in which you have been dispersed] the L-rd your G-d, then you will find Him — if You seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." The phrase "from there" calls for explanation. It is to be understood as follows: Though, in our view, the Shechinah resides only in the land of Israel and not outside it, as it is written (I Samuel 26:19): "For they have driven me out this day from being joined to the inheritance of the L-rd" — still, though (according to common parlance) the Blessed One is not found outside the land of Israel, you will find Him even there if you seek Him. 32 And He was even more munificent to us in lovingkindness, saying (Deuteronomy 4:30): "When you are afflicted and all of these things come upon you in the end of days, and you return to the L-rd your G-d and listen to His voice…" That is, even if you repent only because you are being afflicted, still, if you return to the L-rd, He will hear you because He is merciful, and He will not forget the covenant that He made with your fathers. 33 Afterwards it is written (Ibid 32): "For ask now of the former days…" The juxtaposition of these verses is so strange that the Ramban was constrained to interpret "For ask now of the former days" as referring to the beginning of the parshah, to the effect that the Blessed One will not forgive the idolator or postpone his punishment because of His having done for you what He did for no other nation. This is not implied by the context, however, because there intervene many verses which have nothing to do with this idea at all. For after being profuse in words of consolation, saying that the Blessed One will accept our repentance and that we will find Him when we call upon Him, why should Moses suddenly revert to the beginning to explain why the Blessed One will not postpone the punishment of idolators? 34 It is, therefore, my view that these two verses, "For the L-rd your G-d is a merciful G-d…" and "For ask now of the former days" are the rationale for the immediately preceding verses in which we are assured that even if we do not seek the Blessed One from the pureness of our hearts but in the extremity of afflictions, He will nonetheless listen to our voices. And this is, indeed, a wondrous thing, that after having rebelled and having done what is evil in the eyes of the L-rd to anger Him, and, even after that, not having taken it to heart to repent before Him except in the extremity of afflictions — with all this, to have our repentance accepted by Him! We find Yiftach expostulating with the men of Gilead (Judges 11:7): "And why do you come to me now, when you are in distress!" How, then, is it possible for the Blessed One, the Majestic and Exalted, to tolerate something which an ordinary human being would not tolerate, to place the dignity of a mere mortal above His own! Moses supplies the rationale for this, saying: Do not wonder about this, "for the L-rd your G-d is a merciful G-d; He will not forsake you and He will not destroy you," and though you do not merit this, still, "He will not forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them." And do not wonder how the covenant of your fathers will suffice for all this, "for ask now of the former days… was there ever anything so great as this" that the Blessed One has done for you? As he concludes (Deuteronomy 4:33): "Did a people ever hear the voice of G-d…", sealing his words with (Ibid 37): "…and because He loved your fathers." That is, all of these wondrous, awesome things He did not for your sakes, but because He loved your fathers. And just as these great, awesome things were done for your fathers, so you can believe that the Blessed One will accept your repentance that proceeds from affliction for the sake of the covenant of your fathers, though this be wondrous indeed. 35 The juxtaposition here has a parallel in that referred to by our sages, viz. (Berachoth 10a): "Why was the parshah of Avshalom (Psalms 3) juxtaposed with that of Gog and Magog (Psalms 2)? To teach you that if one questions [the Gog and Magog parshah]: 'Would a servant rebel against his master?' answer him: 'Would a son rebel against his father? But it happened. Here, too, it will happen.'" The idea is that when someone is skeptical as to the factuality of a strange phenomenon, when he is shown something equally strange whose existence he must perforce acknowledge, his mind confirms the first and he believes in it, too. The same idea is operative in our case, viz.: if it is strange in your eyes that the Blessed One would do something so strange because of the covenant with your fathers, then ask of the former generations and see that He did for them something equally strange or even stranger. 36 In any event, though he assured us that even repentance proceeding from our afflictions would be accepted, he stipulated the condition, "if you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul." The idea behind this is that those whose repentance proceeds from afflictions fall into one of two classes. There are those in whose hearts repentance is not firmly implanted, who, though they call out to the L-rd in their affliction, do not really undergo a change of heart and outlook, but who, sensing relief after the passing of their afflictions, harden their hearts and return to their folly. Of such as these it is written (Jeremiah 2:27): "…and in the time of their affliction they say: 'Arise and save us.'" To exclude this variety of repentance, he says "if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." That is, your repentance must be of the second variety in which afflictions humble the heart. For in a time of tranquility a man inebriates himself with the pleasures and lusts of this world; and there is no doubt that if in such a time he resolves to "rid himself of his wine," his repentance is of the choicest kind. But Scripture assures us that even if one's repentance is not of this kind but he returns to the Blessed One from the midst of afflictions, if he returns to Him with his whole heart and soul, his repentance being so firmly embedded in his heart that even after the afflictions have passed he girds himself with strength and renews his energies to cleave to the Blessed One and glorify and praise Him for His bountifulness to him — this is considered a perfect repentance and it is accepted. 37 It is in this connection that King David, may peace be upon him, wrote (Psalms 71:14): "But as for me, I will always hope and I will add to all Your praises." The idea here is that there are some people who hope to the Blessed One only when they are being afflicted and praise Him only while He is favoring them with some good, only to forget about Him afterwards. An analogous situation would be that of the sick man, who, in the throes of his illness, consumes himself in hoping to his G-d, who, upon arising and walking on his cane, thanks the Almighty for His mercies to him and expansively recites the benediction "Who bestows good upon the guilty," and who, upon being restored to his health, can find in his heart neither the knowledge nor the understanding to bless the L-rd and praise His name, his earlier afflictions having been forgotten and having vanished form his sight. David therefore says: This is not my way, but I always hope to the L-rd — not in times of suffering alone, but even in times of tranquility. And though I may have occasion to praise Him in the midst of a multitude for having saved me in the time of my affliction, I will not diminish my praising and blessing of His name afterwards, but I will even add to His praises. 38 In this way, even though one's repentance may be initiated by affliction, still, if the repentance is a complete one it is acknowledged and accepted. This is the intent of "if you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul." And this is the precondition for the Blessed One's redeeming us from among the nations and leading us erect back to our land. But even repentance of lesser perfection is of avail, protecting against afflictions and reducing suffering, as it is written (Deuteronomy 30:1-4): "And it will be, when all of these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse… then the L-rd your G-d will return your captivity and have mercy upon you… If your outcasts be at the ends of the heavens — from there will the L-rd your G-d gather you, and from there will He take you." The parshah is to be understood as follows [in The Tenth Discourse]. |