Rabbi Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance Counselor – ASHAR/ Yeshiva Bais
Hachinuch
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
MATOS 5768
“THE
LETTER OF THE LAW”
During the summer of 2008, Camp Dora Golding[1]
was graced with a four-day visit from basketball star Tamir Goodman. Tamir came
to camp to run ‘basketball clinics’, giving tips and instruction drills to help
campers improve their game. But far more important than the basketball he
taught was the powerful message he conveyed.
Tamir gained popularity when he was
featured by the American media for being an unusually talented basketball
player who, as an Orthodox Jew, refused to play on Shabbos, and insisted on
playing with his yarmulke and tzitzis.
He earned recognition in Sports Illustrated
and was interviewed by ESPN, 60 Minutes, and Fox sports. When he was in 11th
grade he was ranked the twenty-fifth best high school player in the country.
Tamir was dubbed “JJ”, the Jewish Jordan, a title that he has been trying to
downplay.
At the age of 16, Tamir received a full
scholarship to the prestigious University
of Maryland
I asked Tamir how he, as a sixteen year old,
had the inner fortitude to turn down such an offer, which was his dream come
true. He replied that in the 60’s his father was the first lawyer to walk
around corporate Baltimore
Tamir later accepted a scholarship from
nearby Towson University
Tamir emphatically concluded his talk with
his important message: “Be so proud of who you are! Use your talents - whatever
they may be – to serve Hashem (G-d). My motto is ‘Always remember that Hashem
is with you’. I tell it to my children every time I leave them. And whatever
you learn apply to your life and live it!”
The battle against Midyan was to be Moshe
Rabbeinu’s ‘swan song’, the final national action he would lead on behalf of
his beloved people.
“G-d spoke to Moshe saying, “Take vengeance
of the Children of Israel against the Midyanites; afterward you will gather to
your people (i.e. you will die).”[2]
Rashi notes that although Moshe understood that he would die shortly after this
war he did not tarry. He led the nation into war with alacrity in fulfillment
of G-d’s command.
The Medrash[3]
comments: “Our Teachers said, ‘It is written in reference to Yehoshua (1:5)
‘Just as I (G-d) was with Moshe I will be with you’. Yehoshua was to have lived
120 years like Moshe Rabbeinu. Why was his life shortened ten years? Because at
the time that G-d instructed Moshe, “Take vengeance of the Children of Israel
against the Midyanites; afterward you will gather to your people”, although he
was informed that his death would follow the war, he did not delay but
enthusiastically dispatched the troops. However, in regard to Yehoshua, when he
was battling the thirty-one Canaanite kings he rationalized that ‘If I kill
them all immediately then I will die sooner, just as Moshe Rabbeinu did.’
Therefore, he began to delay the wars… The Holy One, blessed is He, replied,
‘Is this what you have done? I will shorten your life by ten years. This is in
accordance with what King Shlomo wrote “Many are the thoughts within the hearts
of man, but the counsel of G-d, that is what will endure!”[4]”
Harav Henoch Leibowitz zt’l[5]
notes that it is obvious that Yehoshua’s motive in delaying the battles was
noble. Yehoshua understood that after his death the nation would stray from G-d
and engage in sin. In fact, Moshe himself had warned the nation prior to his
death, “For I know that after my death you will become corrupt and you will
turn away from the path that I have commanded you, and evil will befall you at
the end of days.[6]”
Rashi there notes that Moshe was referring to the period after Yehoshua’s
death, for as long as Yehoshua was alive it seemed - in regards to the nation’s
spiritual level - as if Moshe was still alive. Therefore, Yehoshua wanted to
detain his own death for as long as possible in order to detain the retribution
that would follow when they began to sin.
If Yehoshua’s intentions were so noble why
was he punished so severely?
Rabbi Leibowitz answered that one is
obligated to perform every mitzvah with alacrity and enthusiasm. That law
applied to Yehoshua as much as it applies to anyone. G-d had commanded him to
wage war and he was obligated to do so as quickly as he could, his personal rationalizations
not withstanding. Even though Yehoshua seemed to have a very valid and even
laudable reason to delay the wars, his task was to adhere to G-d’s Word.
One must always remember that this is G-d’s
World and He is responsible for its upkeep, as well as the preservation of the
eternity of His people. We cannot be “more religious than G-d”. If G-d
instructs us to do something we must not allow our personal rationalizations to
interfere with our fulfillment of those commandments. Our obligation is to
fulfill the letter of the law as dictated to us in the Shulchan Aruch[7]
and not concern ourselves with what the ramifications of keeping G-d’s
commandments may be in the future.
Rabbi Leibowitz further expounds on this
pivotal concept in parshas Vayera. The Medrash[8]
records that when G-d commanded Avrohom Avinu to circumcise himself, Avrohom
was unsure if he should proceed. He sought the advice of his three confidants -
Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Aner and Eshkol both tried to dissuade Avrohom; it was
only Mamre who encouraged Avrohom to fulfill G-d’s command. Avrohom hearkened
to the advice of Mamre.
The Medrash is shocking. Did Avrohom, the
great monotheist and prince of faith, really have a thought to disregard G-d’s
Word?
Rabbi Leibowitz quotes the commentary of
the Taz on the Torah which states that, in truth, Avrohom was not obligated to
fulfill the mitzvah. G-d told him that if he did so the world would continue,
and if he didn’t the world would cease to exist. However, whether he fulfilled
the mitzvah or not was entirely his prerogative. In other words, the perpetuity
of mankind was contingent on whether Avrohom would adhere to G-d’s command and
circumcise himself.
The statement of the Taz is enigmatic. If
the continuation of the world was contingent on Avrohom circumcising himself why
would he even contemplate not fulfilling it?
Avrohom had reason to fear that if he
circumcised himself he may not survive the difficult ordeal, thus destroying
his legacy and his vital message. If Avrohom circumcised himself – which he was
not clearly commanded to do – and died, he would no longer have the ability to
fulfill any commandments or continue to perpetuate his message of faith. Thus, Avrohom
was unsure if he would proceed because he had never been blatantly instructed
to do so.
We see from here, continues Rabbi
Leibowitz, that the future of the world and the continuation of man and Klal
Yisroel is not our concern. That is G-d’s domain and somehow He will care for
it and ensure its eternity, even if to us it is inconceivable. Our task is to
fulfill what G-d has obligated us to fulfill and not allow our own
rationalizations and skepticism to interfere. If we have done what is incumbent
upon us, then we need not be worried or troubled that our actions may have
negative repercussions.
Many of the greatest tragedies that
occurred throughout the Torah can be attributed to great men who rationalized
against the Word of G-d. Our task is merely to fulfill our responsibilities and
leave the Divine for the Divine.
“Take vengeance, afterward you will gather
to your people”
“Many are the thoughts of man, but the
counsel of G-d will endure!”
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