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Parashat Ekev, 5755TORAH OR "AVODAH"?
If you carefully obey my commandments that I command you today... I will grant you the rains of your land on time... and you shall gather in your grain, your wine and your oil. I will make grass grow in your fields for your animals, and you will eat and be satisfied. What is the meaning of the verse "You shall gather in your grain, etc."? In another verse we read, "The words of the Torah shall never depart from your mouth; you shall contemplate the Torah day and night" (Yehoshua 1:8). One might think that this verse is to be taken literally (i.e., that we are expected to learn Torah to the exclusion of all other occupations). This is why the Torah says, "You shall gather in your grain, etc.," -- we should study Torah in the framework of the everyday necessities of life. This is the opinion of Rebbi Yishmael. Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai, however, said: Should a man really plow during the plowing season, sow in the sowing season, harvest during the harvest season, etc.? What then would become of Torah study? Rather, when Israel does the will of Hashem their labors are done by others, as it says, "Foreigners will come and tend to your flocks..." (Yeshaiah 61:5). It is when the people of Israel do *not* do the will of Hashem that they must do their own labor, as our verse states, "*You* shall gather in your grain" (Devarim 11:14). And that is not all -- they will even be forced to do the labors of others, as it says, "You will work for your enemies" (ibid. 28:48).Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai presents us with a radical and far-reaching approach to Torah study: If someone trusts completely and unfalteringly in Hashem ("does the will of Hashem"), he ought not toil for a livelihood. Rather, he should trust that his physical needs will be taken care of by the One Who created him with those needs. (This is the ideal situation that a person should aspire for, although, as the Gemara points out (ibid.), there are very few individuals who actually have practiced Rebbi Shimon's strategy and succeeded in life. Apparently, half-hearted attempts to follow Rebbi Shimon's lifestyle are doomed to failure. Only those who are capable of abandoning all mundane pursuits with peace of mind, fully convinced that they will receive all that they need from the One Above, can succeed with Rebbi Shimon's attitude. See also Parasha-Page, Bechukotai 5755, section III.) This, Rebbi Shimon tells us, is the background of our verse, "You will gather your grain." Our verse is dealing with people who are not fulfilling the will of Hashem fully. They are tending to their own grain, rather than waiting for others to do it for them. Looking at the context of the verse, however, it is very difficult to understand how Rebbi Shimon can possibly interpret the verse in this manner. The paragraph begins: "If you carefully obey my commandments that I command you today...." How can the continuation of this paragraph possibly be taken as a reference to people who are *not* properly fulfilling Hashem's words? (This question has perplexed many of the greatest commentators; see particularly Maharsha, Ahavat Eitan on the Ein Yaakov, Meshech Chochmah to Devarim 11:13, etc.) Perhaps we may suggest a novel approach to this problem. II
Beware, lest your heart become tempted and you go astray and worship other gods... and Hashem becomes angry with you and holds back the sky so that there will be no rain....The simple understanding of the transition of ideas in this section is that after having been told of the reward for *following* Hashem's will, we are told of the punishment for *not* following His will. Thus there are two different themes discussed in this section: reward and punishment. However, there may be another way of interpreting the flow of the verses. The Gemara tells us: A full stomach is one of the worst sins [i.e., it can lead to the worst sins - MK], as it says, "When they ate well they became satisfied, and when they became satisfied they became arrogant and forgot Me" (Hoshea 13:6). Rebbi Nachman proved it from a different verse: "Lest you eat and become satisfied and build elegant houses and live in them... and your heart will become arrogant and you will forget Hashem" (Devarim 8:14). The other Rabbis proved it from here: "[Israel] will eat and be satisfied and grow fat and turn to other gods" (Devarim 31:20). Alternatively, from here: "And Yeshurun (=Israel) grew fat and rebelled" (ibid. 32:15).Material success and complacency lead to arrogance, and arrogance leads to the worst of sins. Based on this theme, we can suggest a new interpretation of the paragraph from the Parasha with which we are dealing. It is true that the paragraph starts with a description of the rewards Hashem bestows upon the worthy. But it is necessary to warn those who have merited such blessings of prosperity not to allow their success to lead them *away* from Hashem. Bearing this in mind, perhaps the paragraph is not a description of reward followed by a separate description of punishment. Rather, it is a description of reward followed by a *warning* not to *react* to the reward in a way that will cause us to sin. As a support for this interpretation, it is interesting to note that the Torah does not introduce the second half of the paragraph with the words "If you do not obey My commandments, etc." -- as it began the initial reward section with the words "If you carefully obey My commandments." Rather, it states, "*Beware* lest your heart become tempted...." The Sifri, in fact, states quite clearly that this is the intent of these verses: "...and you will eat and be satisfied; beware, lest your heart become tempted..." -- Take care that you do not rebel against Hashem. Typically, it is only when a person is "satisfied" that he is prone to becoming rebellious. III
Exactly where in the paragraph is the transition from the discussion of the reward, to the description of the reaction to the reward? At first glance it would seem that vv. 13-15 (If you carefully obey...) constitute the description of the reward, while the end of v. 15 ("you will eat and be satisfied") warns of what the reward may lead to. However, Rav Shimon, perhaps draws the line in a different place. It would seem that according to Rebbi Shimon, the description of the reward ends in the middle of v. 14, with the words "I will grant you the rains of your land on time, the early rain and the late rain." The continuation of that verse -- "and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil" -- is already the beginning of the objectionable reaction to the blessings of prosperity. If you will react to the blessings of Hashem by "gathering in your own grain," -- devoting more and more time to cultivating your abundant grains, rather than putting your trust in Hashem -- and by "eating and becoming satisfied," then you must beware lest you completely rebel against Hashem! If so, it is true that the section is dealing with the reward for those who *follow* the Mitzvot of Hashem. Nevertheless, the verse that discusses "gathering in your grain" is not describing a positive deed. It is describing the *negative* reaction that may follow Hashem's bountiful blessings. IV
What is the reason that Rebbi Shimon has such an unfavorable attitude towards earning a living? On the surface, it would appear that his concern is that one should not spend valuable time that could be used constructively -- i.e., in spiritual pursuits -- in a "wasteful" way, on mere mundane matters. This would seem to be a rather extreme way of looking at life, however. If a person toils to earn a living with a positive, "healthy" attitude -- i.e. that his money may be used to foster his observance of the commandments and to allow him the peace of mind necessary for Torah study and closeness to Hashem, etc. -- why should it be looked at as regretful? Isn't this kind of exertion also fulfilling a Mitzvah of Hashem's? According to the theme developed above, however, there may be another reason behind Rebbi Shimon's somber view on working for one's living. The more time and effort a person invests in making money, the more he will be tempted to take credit for his successes in life. "[Beware,] lest you eat and become satisfied and build elegant houses and live in them... and your heart will become arrogant and you will forget Hashem... saying to yourself, `It is my *own strength and the power of my hand* that have earned me this wealth' " (Devarim 8:12,14,17). If a person, on the other hand, trusts totally in Hashem, completely refraining from any personal input into his earnings, this pitfall is obviously avoided. It will be unquestionable that all that he has received is simply a gift from the One Above. This may be one of the reasons behind Rebbi Shimon's assertion that the truest believers are justified in devoting all of their time to learning Torah, and letting Hashem provide for them. There is also a difficulty in the wording of Rebbi Shimon's statement which may now be resolved. Rebbi Shimon, after telling us that it is of people who are not truly God-fearing that the Torah states "you will gather in your grain," continues and carries the thought one step further: "And that is not all -- they will even be forced to do the labors of others, as it says, `You will work for your enemies' (ibid. 28:48)." This statement seems to be irrelevant to his basic theme, which is that it is not the will of Hashem that people should attend to their *own* livelihoods. It seems to be simply a description of an additional punishment that is meted out to those who do not follow the will of Hashem. (See Chidushei Geonim on the Ein Yakov and others, who are bothered by this point.) We can now propose a possible explanation for what Rebbi Shimon meant by adding this phrase. The words "And that is not all" imply a progressive deterioration. The wrongdoing won't stop with "gathering in their grain." It will worsen, until eventually the sinners will have to be punished by being slaves for others. Rebbi Shimon may have meant to emphasize exactly what we have just pointed out above. Why should "gathering in one's crops" be so frowned upon? Not necessarily because it is so terrible in and of itself, but rather because of its possible consequences. It may cause a person to become arrogant and leave the path of his Creator. He will eventually be punished "measure for measure" by being condemned to destitution and slavery, depending on others for his every need. Secondly, by pointing out this imminent progression, Rebbi Shimon may be explaining how he understands the flow of verses in our Parasha. As we asked before (section I), how can Rebbi Shimon explain that those who gather their crops are non-believers, when the paragraph is introduced with the statement, "If you carefully obey my commandments that I command you today?" The answer, explains Rebbi Shimon, is as we have outlined above. "Gathering the crops" is not the blessing of Hashem -- it is a *reaction* to that blessing. The Torah is warning us that if we respond to Hashem's blessing by letting ourselves take credit for our successes, (=cultivating and gathering in our grain), it may set off a progressive deterioration. This is why the Torah finds it necessary to immediately warn us, "Beware lest your heart become tempted and you go astray and worship other gods...." -- don't cause Hashem to enslave you to others! Rebbi Shimon's addition of the phrase "And that is not all..." thus reveals to us another rationale for his radical philosophy as well as shedding light on his reading of the verse at hand. Trusting in one's own physical prowess for earning a living may lead to arrogant smugness, and ultimately to apostasy, exile and slavery. May we all merit to preoccupy ourselves with Torah and the fear of G-d, so that Hashem may fulfill for us the verse "Foreigners will come and tend to your flocks!" | ||||||
