Parshat Re’ei 5770 -“Eat to Your Heart's Desire”

Parshat Re’ei 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

 

“Eat to Your Heart's Desire”

As the Jews stand on the east bank of the Jordan River, Moshe again warns them against following pagan practices. The people are instructed to focus on centralized worship in accordance with laws and statutes of the Torah. However, as they are about to enter of the Land of Israel, certain instructions they are given actually deviate from the accepted practice which had been followed during the years in the desert:

דברים יב: טו-כא

רַק בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ תִּזְבַּח וְאָכַלְתָּ בָשָׂר כְּבִרְכַּת ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ הַטָּמֵא וְהַטָּהוֹר יֹאכֲלֶנּוּ כַּצְּבִי וְכָאַיָּל:... כִּי יַרְחִיב ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת גְּבֻלְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ אֹכְלָה בָשָׂר כִּי תְאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ לֶאֱכֹל בָּשָׂר בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ תֹּאכַל בָּשָׂר: כִּי יִרְחַק מִמְּךָ הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ לָשׂוּם שְׁמוֹ שָׁם וְזָבַחְתָּ מִבְּקָרְךָ וּמִצֹּאנְךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן ה' לְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ בְּכֹל אַוַּת נַפְשֶׁךָ:

However you may slaughter animals and eat their meat in all your gates, to your heart’s desire, according to the blessing of the Almighty, your God, which he has given you; … When the Almighty your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, 'I will eat meat,' because your soul longs to eat meat; you may eat meat, to your heart’s desire. If the place which the Almighty your God has chosen to put his name there is too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which God has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your gates, to your heart’s desire. (12:15-21)

During the years in the desert the only meat allowed was holy, sacrificial meat of animals offered in the Mishkan. Once they enter the Promised Land, “optional,” non-sacred meat will become permitted.

דברים רבה (וילנא) פרשת ראה פרשה ד סימן ט

'ואמרת אוכלה בשר כי תאוה נפשך לאכול בשר בכל אות נפשך תאכל בשר' זש"ה [תהלים קמו] 'עושה משפט לעשוקים נותן לחם לרעבים ה' מתיר אסורים' מדבר בישראל א"ר פנחס בר חמא ... 'ה' מתיר אסורים' אלו ישראל כיצד רבנן אמרי שמונה דברים אסר להן הקדוש ברוך הוא והתיר להן שמונה בהן אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא אסרתי לך את החלב וכו' עד סדין בציצית הוי ה' מתיר אסורים אף להלן אסר בשר תאוה וכאן התירו להן מנין רק בכל אות נפשך תזבח ואכלת בשר.

"And you shall say, I will eat meat, because your soul longs to eat meat; you may eat meat, to your heart’s desire." ]Devarim 12: 20[ This bears out what Scripture says, "Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives bread to the hungry. God frees the prisoners." ]Tehilim Ps. 146: 7[. This refers to Israel. … "God frees the prisoners": refers to Israel. How? The Rabbis say: God forbade Israel eight things and made eight corresponding things permissible for them. God said: 'I prohibited you the fat,’ etc.... until ' a linen cloak with wool fringes’. Hence the force of 'God frees the prisoners’. Likewise, whereas previously He prohibited the eating of meat for satisfying the appetite, here He made it permissible for them. Whence this? "you may eat meat, to your heart’s desire." (Midrash Rabbah – Devarim 4:9)[1]

This shift of law, which permits what had previously been prohibited, is highly uncharacteristic. The Ramban[2] sees the shift in law as pragmatic: in the desert, where the camp was small and the Mishkan was centrally located and universally accessible, bringing an offering was always possible. However, the Jews would soon be living in the length and breadth of a vast country. Once a centralized place of sacrifice is mandated that is not easily or immediately accessible to all, the insistence that meat only be eaten as part of religious expression would no longer be practical. The cancellation of the prohibition, then, stems from issues of pragmatism, not theology.

On the other hand, the Rambam[3] sees the issue in spiritual terms: in the desert, dangerous spiritual forces held sway which accounted for the erstwhile prohibition. In the Land of Israel, those forces cease to be an issue.

Rav Tzadok haKohen[4] views the issue in an inverse manner: The spiritual qualities of the Land of Israel, and not the spiritual dangers of the desert, accounted for the change. The very air[5] or spirit of the Land is imbued with holiness; therefore the change in status of meat from exclusively “Temple” meat to “mundane” meat is a logical reflection of the new reality. By extension, we may say that all of the Land of Israel has the sacred status of the Mishkan in the desert.

While the transformation of a law from prohibited to permitted is intriguing, the precise formulation, apparently repeated for emphasis, seems counter –intuitive: not only shall the people eat – “but to their heart's desire”. This formulation sounds hedonistic. Why would the Torah, which is largely concerned with holiness and the elevation of human behavior to an exalted level, encourage us to capitulate to the desires of the heart?

This may be seen as part of a larger theme: While the Torah does try to lift man into a realm of holiness, at times the Torah makes concessions to the baser side of human nature. The prototypical example is that of the captive woman: The Torah allows a soldier to take a beautiful woman captured in battle – on condition that she becomes his wife with all the rights and privileges that status confers.[6] Interestingly, in the Talmud’s formulation of the justification for this leniency regarding the captive woman we also find reference to forbidden meat:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת קידושין כא עמוד ב- דף כב עמוד א

ת"ר: וראית בשביה - בשעת שביה, אשת - ואפילו אשת איש, יפת תואר - לא דברה תורה אלא כנגד יצר הרע, מוטב שיאכלו ישראל בשר תמותות שחוטות ואל יאכלו בשר תמותות נבילות, ... והבאתה - מלמד שלא ילחצנה במלחמה.

Our Rabbis taught: ‘And you see among the captives’: at the moment she is taken captive; 'a woman' — even married; ‘of beautiful countenance’ — the Torah only provided for human passions: it is better for Israel to eat flesh of [animals] about to die, yet [ritually] slaughtered, than flesh of dying animals which have perished; ‘and you have a desire’ …then you shall bring her home [to your house].’ teaching that he must not molest her on the [field of] battle. (Kiddushin 21b-22a)

Perhaps it is possible to understand the reference to meat in this passage as a metaphor, and not as a rejection of a carnivorous lifestyle as an ideal. Nonetheless, this passage implies that the entire allowance of meat consumption is a concession.

However when we return to the text of the Torah, the language of a subsequent verse compounds our question. Here, the Torah goes on to say that the fulfillment of the heart's desire is nonetheless regulated, restricted. Certain boundaries remain: the eating of blood was taboo in the desert, and it will remain taboo in the Land of Israel and in the Temple:

דברים יב:כג-כח

רק חזק לבלתי אכל הדם כי הדם הוא הנפש ולא תאכל הנפש עם הבשר: לא תאכלנו על הארץ תשפכנו כמים: לא תאכלנו למען ייטב לך ולבניך אחריך כי תעשה הישר בעיני ה'... ועשית עלתיך הבשר והדם על מזבח ה' אלהיך ודם זבחיך ישפך על מזבח ה' אלהיך והבשר תאכל: שמר ושמעת את כל הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך למען ייטב לך ולבניך אחריך עד עולם כי תעשה הטוב והישר בעיני ה' אלהיך:

Only be sure that you eat not the blood; for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh.  You shall not eat it; you shall pour it upon the earth as water. You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the eyes of God…  And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, upon the altar of the Almighty your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Almighty your God, and you shall eat the meat. Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the Almighty your God. (Devarim 12: 23-28)

The larger picture requires clarification: While blood is taboo, meat is not only allowed, but, by inference, included in what is described as “good and right in the eyes of the Almighty your God”. This makes the indulgence of meat sound not like a concession, rather like an objective.

We may further say that the fact that the Temple service included the consumption of meat may indicate that this is a positive behavior.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת פסחים דף קט עמוד א

תניא, רבי יהודה בן בתירא אומר: בזמן שבית המקדש קיים - אין שמחה אלא בבשר, שנאמר ]דברים כז[ וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ה' אלהיך. ועכשיו שאין בית המקדש קיים - אין שמחה אלא ביין, שנאמר [תהלים קד] ויין ישמח לבב אנוש.

It was taught, R. Judah b. Bateira said: When the Temple was in existence there could be no rejoicing save with meat, as it is said, 'And you shall sacrifice peace-offerings, and shall eat there; and you shall rejoice before the Almighty your God.' [Devarim 27] But now that the Temple is no longer in existence, there is no rejoicing save with wine, as it is said, 'and wine makes glad the heart of man.' [Tehilim 27] (Pesachim 109a)

The joy of the festival offering included meat. This is no mere expression of hedonism, or even a concession to human frailty.  The Torah, which so well understands the physical, spiritual, and emotional makeup of man, encourages man to experience physical pleasure as part of the spiritual expression of joy.

Judaism does not see the body as an evil device designed to take man away from spirituality. The human form, and indeed the entire physical world of which is a part, is given to us so that we may perfect it, uplift it. A concise expression of this aspect of Jewish thought may be found in the Jerusalem Talmud's[7] insistence that when man stands before God for the reckoning of his deeds in this world, he will have to give an accounting for the pleasure that could have been legitimately experienced in this world but was forfeited. God created man as a physical being in a wonderful physical world; eating meat is an extreme expression of physicality. Judaism sees the challenge not as the rejection of the physical, rather in the elevation of the physical. The goal is to take the plain and make it holy, to transform mundane physical existence into a spiritual reality.

The danger remains that this philosophy will be taken to extremes; the result is idolatry, which ascribes equal holiness to all aspects of the physical world. Jewish law places boundaries between the pure and the profane, delineating the physical things that may be elevated by human practice, while proscribing others. In this sense, the Torah is extremely realistic, and psychologically attuned to man’s weaknesses. It is fascinating to see where the Torah “concedes” and where it demands unfailing allegiance.

The Alshech haKadosh notes that the phrase which discussed the consumption of meat – which is normally translated as “to your heart's desire” actually says “to your soul's desire”. The role of consuming meat is to bring one's desires closer to God.[8] And yet, the soul obviously has no need for physical nourishment. How can meat elevate the soul?

A rather brief comment by the Seforno may help us understand this concept. The Seforno Comments on the phrase; “Only be sure that you do not eat the blood; ...You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the eyes of God”. This verse, says the Seforno, does not imply that consumption of meat is the “good and the right thing in the eyes of God”. Rather, the avoidance of the blood is "good and right." Normally, avoidance of negative commands is not referred to in such positive terms; a person who does not break a negative commandment is simply not punished. Why, in this case, would the avoidance of a negative commandment be described as “doing the right thing?” The Seforno[9] explains that this phrase is used to describe the motivation of the adherent: When a person eats meat but does not consume the blood, he should not be motivated by aesthetics, but by the Word of God. This is what makes this particular behavior "right and good": despite human nature, despite the "heart's desire", we should not eat blood - not because we find it abhorrent, but because God demanded it.[10]

The purpose of all commandments, both positive and negative, is to bring us closer to God. Generally, positive commandments are viewed as an expression of man’s love for God while avoidance of negative commandments are viewed as an expression of man’s awe or fear of God. Avoidance of blood because it is disgusting would not constitute adherence to the Word of God; it would be compliance with one's personal aesthetic sense. Such avoidance would have no impact on the soul. Only when this is our motivation do we fully acknowledge that we are servants of God. This is equally true of all the "negative" commandments: Prohibitions avoided for considerations other than acceptance of God's kingship are spiritually irrelevant.[11]

Positive commandments, on the other hand, must be performed with intent to comply with a Divine directive. If the individual has other motivations while performing the mandated act, the mitvah is considered having been performed in a less-than perfect manner. The Netziv[12] clarifies this concept even further, explaining that this is the case only when the individual has a relationship with God. In a situation where a positive commandment is performed outside of a relationship with the God, the act cannot be classified as a "mitzvah": A person who does not believe that God commanded a particular behavior cannot be considered to have fulfilled a commandment if he happens to perform the mandated act. Such a person is worshiping his own desires, and not fulfilling a "mitzvah".

At the dawn of history desire entered the world, and it has been a defining characteristic of the human condition ever since. The seductive words of the Serpent of old sparked a rebellion against God; it was the one and only prohibition given to Man that gave rise to the first mention of desire:

בראשית ג: א-ו

וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה ה' אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּי אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן:

כִּי יֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְכֶם מִמֶּנּוּ וְנִפְקְחוּ עֵינֵיכֶם וִהְיִיתֶם כֵּאלֹהִים יֹדְעֵי טוֹב וָרָע: וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִי תַאֲוָה הוּא לָעֵינַיִם וְנֶחְמָד הָעֵץ לְהַשְׂכִּיל וַתִּקַּח מִפִּרְיוֹ וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּתֵּן גַּם לְאִישָׁהּ עִמָּהּ וַיֹּאכַל:

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Almighty God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God said, "you shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?… For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes, and a tree which is pleasurable to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her; and he ate. (Bereishit 3:1-6)

The very existence of limitations and prohibitions causes desire. This is the phenomenon described in Mishlei as “stolen waters are sweetest.”[13] Yet prohibitions are necessary precisely because they afford man a means of clarifying his own desires and indicating his acceptance that this universe has a Creator and Sustainer whose dominion is absolute. While desire is part of the human condition, man is called upon to frame and focus his desire. Now man must elevate the most basic physical activities, and regulate what he eats, in order to reverse the effects of the breakdown of boundaries perpetrated in Eden.

 There are those who might yet argue that the permissibility of eating meat may be a concession to man’s desires, yet in this instance the Torah felt that by institutionalizing and regulating this desire, man's soul could be elevated. The delineation of kosher and non-kosher animals and the laws regarding shechitah (ritual slaughter) are apparently sufficient to elevate and transform the physical to a spiritual experience. By adhering to the laws of kashrut, man indicates his acceptance of God, both through the rejection of certain types of food, and through the strict ritual preparation of those foods permitted to him.

We now have a deeper appreciation for the Alshech's teaching that the allowance of meat, rather than constituting a concession to the baser part of the human psyche, is a method of elevating the soul[14] by refocusing desire. By adhering to the laws of kashrut, by refraining from non-kosher food only because God decreed that we do so, we demonstrate our acceptance of God's dominion. Certainly on Shabbat[15] and festivals, the eating of meat is part of the process of elevating the soul. It ceases to be an exclusively physical gesture, and becomes part of a religious experience, and in the process reverses the effects of the venomous words of the Serpent in Eden.

---

[1] See Rashi, Kiddushin 57b, "Lifi shenemar ki yirchak vzavachta."

רש"י קידושין נז:ב

לפי שנאמר כי ירחק וזבחת־ ובא הכתוב להתיר להם בשר תאוה משיבאו לארץ והם יתרחקו מן המשכן לפי שבמדבר לא הותרו לאכול שום בהמה הראויה להקרבה אלא על ידי הקרבה.

[2] Ramban, D’varim 12:20:

רמב"ן על דברים יב: כ

כי ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבלך אין טעם הרחבה זאת כאותה שיאמר (להלן יט ח ט) ואם ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך וגו' ויספת לך עוד שלש ערים על השלש האלה, שאם כן לא היה בשר תאוה מותר בבואם לארץ אבל שם (להלן יט א) נאמר כי יכרית ה' אלהיך את הגוים אשר ה' אלהיך נותן לך את ארצם, והם שבעה הגוים שיזכיר בכל מקום, ואז נבדיל שלש ערים, וכן עשה יהושע (יהושע כ), ואח"כ אמר כי ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך כאשר נשבע לאבותיך, וזה ירמוז לעשרה עממין שנתנו לאברהם אבל כאן אמר "כאשר דבר לך", והם הגוים האלה אשר ה' אלהיך נותן לך את ארצם, כי מיד לאחר שכבשו וחלקו הותר להם בשר תאוה ואין טעם "כי ירחק ממך המקום" שיהיה מותר בהרחקת המקום בלבד, שאם כן יהיו אסורים יושבי ירושלים בבשר תאוה אבל עם כל ישראל ידבר ויאמר להם, כי כאשר ירחיב השם את גבולכם ולא תהיו כולכם יושבים סביב למשכן כאשר אתם היום במדבר יהיה לכם בשר החולין מותר, כי א"א שתלכו כולכם ממקום רחוק אל המקום אשר יבחר ה' ותזבחו זבחים שלמים כל מה שתאכלו.

[3] Guide to the Perplexed 3:46.

ספר מורה נבוכים – חלק ג פרק מו

 דע שלא נאסר 'בשר תאוה' אלא ב'מדבר' לבד. כי מן הדעות ההם המפורסמות – שהשדים שוכנים במדברות, ושם ידברו ויראו, ואמנם במדינות ובישוב אינם נראים – עד שמי שירצה מאנשי המדינות לעשות דבר מאלו השגעונות, יצא מן המדינה ליערות ולמקומות שאינם מיושבים. ולזה הותר 'בשר תאוה' אחר שנכנסו לארץ. ועוד שתגבורת החלי ההוא תמעט, בלא ספק, וימעטו הנמשכים אחר הדעות ההם גם כן. ועוד שהיה כבד מאד, קרוב לנמנע, ויבוא כל מי שירצה לאכול 'בשר בהמה' ל'ירושלים', ומפני אלו הטעמים לא אסר 'בשר תאוה' אלא ב'מדבר':

[4] Rav Tzadok Hakohen, Dover Tzedek section 1.

ספר דובר צדק אות [א] ד"ה וצ"ל

וא' בפר' שני דייני גזירות המביא דורן לת"ח כמקריב ביכורים כנ"ל בטעם ביכורים. וא' בפר' הקום שנהגו ע"ה אסור לאכול בשר. כמו במדבר נאסרו בבשר תאוה רק שלמים דבעלים משלחן גבוה זכו חלקם. אבל בלא"ה אין מכיר הנותן עד שלא נכנסו לארץ. ומשכנסו לארץ שאוירה מחכים כנ"ל הותר להם. ורק בצירוף התורה שעל ידה החכמה כנ"ל. והעצה לע"ה כמו שכתוב שילהי כתובות דמתדבק לתלמיד חכם ונעשה כמוהו ע"ש וכמו שכתוב בשבועות (מ"ז ע"ב) קרב לגבי דהינא ואדהן. ולכך מביא לו דורן כמקריב ביכורים [וגם ביכורים היה אוכלים כהנים. שהם שלוחי דרחמנא הזוכים משלחן גבוה ומכירים הנותן. ושליחו של אדם כמותו מחשיב כמביא לפני ד' מה שנותן להם מאחר שהם כמירים שהשם יתברך נותן להם על ידי זה הם שלוחיו שמכירים שהם רק שלוחי השם יתברך בעולם הזה וא"י לשנות כלום מדעת המשלח]:

[5] Rav Tzadok explains that the air of Israel impacts those who breathe it, so once the Jews entered Israel they became transformed.

[6] For more on this law see Explorations Parshat Ki Tezeh.

[7] Jerusalem Talmud Kiddushin, end of fourth chapter (66b).

תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת קידושין פרק ד דף סו טור ב /ה"ט

א"ר יוסי בי ר' בון אף אסור לדור בעיר שאין בה גינוניתא של ירק ר' חזקיה ר' כהן בשם רב עתיד אדם ליתן דין וחשבון על כל מה שראת עינו ולא אכל רבי לעזר חשש להדא שמועתא ומצמית ליה פריטין ואכיל בהון מכל מילה חדא בשתא

[8] Alshech, Dvarim 12:21. The Alshech also states that by eating the animal we elevate its animal soul to a human level.

אלשיך, דברים יב: כא

וזה שיעור הכתובים כי ירחיב ה' אלהיך את גבולך, והנה הגמול אשר תשלם לו הוא כי ואמרת אוכלה בשר חולין בביתי, ובכלל מאמרך הוא לאמר כי תאוה נפשך לאכול בשר, כלומר, כי לא להנאת גופך אתה עושה רק כי תאות נפש שהיא תאות נפשך לעשות זכות לתת שלמות לבעלי חיים להעלותו אל מדרגת אדם בעל נפש קדושה. והנני מזהיר לך ואומר בכל אות נפשך לגמרי תאכל בשר ולא להנאת גופך:

[9] Seforno Devarim 12:25.

ספורנו, דברים יב: כה

 לא תאכלנו וגו' כי תעשה הישר בעיני ה'. וכאשר תמנע מלאכול לא יהיה זה כמואס בו אבל כדי שתעשה הישר בעיני ה' כאמרם ז"ל אל יאמר אי אפשי בבשר חזיר אבל יאמר אפשי ואפשי, ואבי שבשמים גזר עלי (ספרא קדושים כ, כו. ורש"י שם):

[10] Based on the Sifra Parshat Kedoshim 10:11. See Rashi Vayikra 20:26; Rambam, Commentary to the Mishna, introduction to Avot (also called Shmoneh Perakim), chapter 6.

ספרא קדושים פרשה י ד"ה פרק יא

 ר' אלעזר בן עזריה אומר מנין שלא יאמר אדם אי איפשי ללבוש שעטנז אי אפשי לאכול בשר חזיר, אי איפשי לבוא על הערוה, אבל איפשי מה אעשה ואבי שבשמים גזר עלי כך ת"ל ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי נמצא פורש מן העבירה ומקבל עליו מלכות שמים.

רש"י ויקרא פרק כ פסוק כו

ואבדל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי - אם אתם מובדלים מהם הרי אתם שלי, ואם לאו הרי אתם של נבוכדנצר וחביריו. רבי אלעזר בן עזריה אומר מנין שלא יאמר אדם נפשי קצה בבשר חזיר, אי אפשי ללבוש כלאים, אבל יאמר אפשי, ומה אעשה ואבי שבשמים גזר עלי, תלמוד לומר ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי, שתהא הבדלתכם מהם לשמי, פורש מן העבירה ומקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים:

רמב"ם פירוש המשניות - שמנה פרקים להרמב"ם - פרק ו

וכאשר חקרנו דברי חכמים בזה הענין, נמצא להם שהמתאוה לעבירות ונכסף אליהן הוא יותר חשוב ויותר שלם מאשר לא יתאוה אליהן ולא יצטער בהנחתן, עד שאמרו, שכל אשר יהיה האדם יותר חשוב ויותר שלם תהיה תשוקתו להעבירות והצטערו בהנחתן יותר גדולות. והביאו בזה הדברים ואמרו (סוכה נ"ב) "כל הגדול מחברו יצרו גדול הימנו", ולא דים זה, עד שאמרו, ששכר המושל בנפשו גדול לפי רוב צערו במשלו בנפשו, ואמרו (אבות פרק ב') "לפום צערא אגרא". ויותר מזה, שהם צוו להיות האדם מתאוה לעבירות, עד שהזהירו מלומר, שאני בטבעי לא אתאוה לזאת העבירה, ואף על פי שלא אסרה התורה, והוא אמרם (ספרא קדושים), "רבי שמעון בן גמליאל אומר, לא יאמר אדם אי אפשי לאכול בשר בחלב, אי אפשי ללבוש שעטנז, אי אפשי לבא על הערוה, אלא אפשי ומה אעשה ואבי שבשמים גזר עלי". ולפי המובן מפשוטי שני המאמרים בתחלת המחשבה הם סותרים זה את זה, ואין הענין כן, אבל שניהם אמת ואין מחלוקת ביניהם כלל, והוא שהרעות אשר הן אצל הפילוסופים רעות, אשר אמרו, שמי שלא יתאוה אליהן יותר חשוב מן המתאוה אליהן ויכבוש את יצרו מהן, הם הענינים המפורסמים אצל כל בני אדם שהם רעים כשפיכת דמים, כגנבה וגזלה, ואונאה, ולהזיק למי שלא הרע לו, ולגמול רע למטיב לו, ולבזות אב ואם וכיוצא באלו, והן המצוות שאמרו עליהן חכמים זכרונם לברכה, (יומא ס"ז) שאילו לא נכתבו ראויות הן ליכתב, ויקראו אותן קצת חכמינו האחרונים, אשר חלו חלי. המדברים מצוות השכליות. ואין ספק שהנפש אשר תכסף לדבר מהן ותשתוקק אליו, שהיא חסרה ושהנפש החשובה לא תתאוה לאחת מאלו הרעות כלל, ולא תצטער בהמנעה מהן. אבל הדברים שאמרו עליהם החכמים, שהכובש את יצרו מהם הוא יותר חשוב, וגמולו יותר גדול, הן התורות השמעיות, וזה אמת, שאלמלא התורה לא היו רעות כלל, ומפני זה אמרו, שצריך האדם שיניח נפשו אוהבת אותן ולא יהיה מונע מהן, אלא התורה, ובחון חכמתם, עליהם השלום, במה שהמשילו, שהם לא אמרו "אל יאמר אדם אי אפשי להרוג הנפש, אי אפשי לגנוב, אי אפשי לכזב אלא אפשי ומה אעשה אבי שבשמים גזר עלי", אבל הביאו דברים שמעיים כולם, בשר בחלב, לבישת שעטנז, עריות, ואלו המצוות וכיוצא בהן הן אשר קראן השם יתברך "חקות". ואמרו רבנן, זכרונם לברכה (יומא ס"ז ע"ב) "חקים שחקקתי לך אין לך רשות להרהר בהם", ועובדי עבודה זרה משיבים עליהם, והשטן מקטרג בהם, כגון פרה אדומה ושעיר המשתלח. ואשר קראו אותן האחרונים שכליות תקראנה מצוות, כפי מה שבארו החכמים:

[11] See Sha’arei Leshem 1, 18:1.

[12] Netziv, Ha'amek Davar Bamidbar 15:39.

העמק דבר על במדבר פרק טו פסוק לט

 ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם. לימדנו בזה מעשה המצות שלא נחשבו למצוה אלא אם עושה ומאמין עכ"פ שהוא מצוה ועושה. ולאפוקי אם לבבו פונה אחרי מינות שאינו מאמין במצוה כלל. אין בעשייתו נחשב למעשה וזהו אחרי לבבכם. ופי' בגמ' ברכות פ"א זו מינות. וכתיב עוד ואחרי עיניכם היינו עין הדעת. דיש עושה מצוה ומכוין שלא לצאת בה ע"פ איזה טעם שנראה לו בדעת שטוב יותר שלא לצאת ידי מצוה. בזה האופן אינו נחשב למצוה (וכמש"כ התוס' בכ"מ דאפי' למ"ד מצות א"צ כונה מכ"מ אם מכוין שלא לצאת ודאי א"י ידי חוב. והכי עיקר כמש"כ בחיבורי הע"ש סי' כנ"ד בעזרו ית') וע"ז כתיב ואחרי עיניכם. דעין הדעת מורה שלא לצאת אז אינו מצוה:

[13] Proverbs 9:17.

[14] Alshech Dvarim 12:21. The Alshech also states that by eating the animal you are elevating the animal soul of the animal, to a human level.

אלשיך על דברים פרק יב פסוק כא

כי לא להנאת גופך אתה עושה רק כי תאות נפש שהיא תאות נפשך לעשות זכות לתת שלמות לבעלי חיים להעלותו אל מדרגת אדם בעל נפש קדושה:

[15] Rashi explains that the reason we receive a nehsama yeteira, an additional soul, on Shabbat is to balance the additional food we eat. See Talmud Bavli Beitza 16a and Rashi's comments.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ביצה דף טז עמוד א

 דאמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש: נשמה יתירה נותן הקדוש ברוך הוא באדם ערב שבת, ולמוצאי שבת נוטלין אותה הימנו, שנאמר [שמות לא] שבת וינפש, כיון ששבת ווי אבדה נפש.

רש"י מסכת ביצה דף טז עמוד א

נשמה יתירה - רוחב לב למנוחה ולשמחה, ולהיות פתוח לרוחה, ויאכל וישתה ואין נפשו קצה עליו.

Parshat Ekev 5770 - The Little Things

Parshat Ekev 5770 

Rabbi Ari Kahn

The Little Things

As Moshe continues his soliloquy, after revisiting some of the major catastrophes that befell the people in the desert, he warns the people against idolatry and encourages them to keep the mitzvot. The Ten Commandments are repeated, and we may sense a certain stress that is born of having and maintaining a relationship with God: As Parshat Vetchanan comes to an end Moshe returns to the commandments:

דברים ז: יא

וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְאֶת הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לַעֲשׂוֹתָם:

And guard the mitzva and the statutes and the laws which I command you today to perform. (Devarim 7:11)

Ekev begins on a similar note:[1]

דברים ז:יב

 וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְשָׁמַר ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ אֶת הַבְּרִית וְאֶת הַחֶסֶד אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ:

And due to your listening to these laws and guarding and performing them, Almighty God will keep the covenant and kindness which he promised to your ancestors. (Devarim 7:12)

The word ekev, translated here as “due to”, is an unusual word. The word’s literal translation is derived from ‘heel’, the back of the foot, and is therefore taken to mean ‘that which follows’, as the heel follows the foot. Thus, the verse describes the relationship with God that will result from our observance of the laws and statutes – a relationship of spiritual and physical bounty. In his commentary on this verse, Rashi employs the metaphor of the heel of the foot in a more literal fashion:

רש"י, דברים ז:יב

והיה עקב תשמעון - אם המצות הקלות שאדם דש בעקביו תשמעון.

And due to your listening –if a [person listens] to the simple mitzvot which people (usually) trample with their heels.  (Rashi, Devarim 7:12)

Instead of stressing the grandiose, or the “important” mitzvot, Rashi stresses the light or easy mitzvot, the ones that are performed in a nonchalant fashion.  If those small, seemingly less-significant mitzvot are fulfilled, God will fulfill the covenant He made with our forefathers, and will treat us with kindness.

What are these “light” mitzvot? The verse continues, providing more details: “and due to your listening” is followed by “to these mishpatim (laws).” The Ramban points out that mishpatim are normally associated with torts, laws that regulate monetary transactions and interactions between people.[2] All too often, these laws are neglected or abused in the course of “business as usual”; this verse informs us that careful attention to these same laws will bring upon us the blessings promised in the covenant with Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov.

R. Moshe b. R. Yaakov of Coucy (France, circa 1200), follows this same line of reasoning to explain the lengthy exile. The Jews’ continued dishonest business practices force God to prolong the exile: If He were to redeem the Jews despite their corrupt behavior, God would be put in an awkward position, as it were. The non-Jews would rightly complain that this is unfair: Why are these dishonest people redeemed? The blatant and infamous dishonesty of the Jews leaves God no choice; the redemption waits.[3]

The problem with the tradition expressed by the Ramban and echoed by R. Moshe ben Yaakov is that the behavior they describe, the transgressions of which the Jews are guilty, do not seem to “minor”; dishonesty of this sort undermines the very foundations of community, unravels the fabric of society. Dishonesty in business dealings is dealt with aggressively and forcefully by the sages, even when the wrongdoing is not punishable by law. If, for example, someone withdraws from a transaction and the court cannot compel hime to stand by it, the Mishna describes the admonition that is read or recited to place his behavior in perspective. This text is known as the “Mi shePara,” and it speaks of generations that were obliterated because of corruption:

משנה מסכת בבא מציעא פרק ד:ב

כיצד משך הימנו פירות ולא נתן לו מעות אינו יכול לחזור בו נתן לו מעות ולא משך הימנו פירות יכול לחזור בו אבל אמרו מי שפרע מאנשי דור המבול ומדור הפלגה הוא עתיד להפרע ממי שאינו עומד בדבורו...

If [one person] drew into his possession [another person’s] produce without paying him the money, he cannot retract. If he paid him the money but did not draw into his possession his produce, he can withdraw. But they [the sages] said: He who exacted payment from the generation of the flood and the generation of the dispersion, He will take vengeance of him who does not stand by his word. (Mishna Bava Metzia 4:2)

The message is unmistakable: dishonesty, immoral business behavior - even when it is not criminal - destroys society. This is no minor transgression. Perhaps because of the importance ascribed to these types of laws, Rashi’s comments steer us away from the mishpatim, and instead focus on more generic mitzvot.[4] Rashi’s comments may be more akin to the Mishna in Avot:

משנה מסכת אבות פרק ב

רַבִּי אוֹמֵר, אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיָּבוֹר לוֹ הָאָדָם, כֹּל שֶׁהִיא תִפְאֶרֶת לְעוֹשֶׂיהָ וְתִפְאֶרֶת לוֹ מִן הָאָדָם. וֶהֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְּבַחֲמוּרָה, שֶׁאֵין אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת.

Rebbi said: which is the right way that a man should choose for himself? One which is [itself] an honor to the person adopting it, and [on account of which] honor [accrues] to him from men. And be as careful with a light mitzva as with a grave one, for one does not know the reward [for the fulfillment] of mitzvot. (Mishna Avot 2:1)[5]

There is a subtle difference between this Mishna and Rashi’s comments on our verse: whereas the Mishna speaks of scrupulous performance of mitzvot, even those whose importance we may believe to be minor, Rashi’s comments refer to a verse that discusses “listening.” The word ekev is connected to the word “listen.” This phrase does not call upon us to guard or perform the commandments; simply “listening” will bring reward.[6]

What is the value of listening? What, in Rashi’s view, is the importance of listening to the little things which people usually take for granted? The verse tells us that if we are attentive, God will fulfill His side of the covenant; apparently, what is at stake is the very nature of the relationship, a covenant of kindness. A relationship of this sort is not forged by virtue of mere obedience; a covenantal relationship, a relationship of intimacy and kindness is forged by love. And love is in the little things, in the details, in the attentiveness and that special type of listening that “hears” nuances, shades of meaning, unexpressed desires and needs. This type of relationship is not born of obedience, no matter how precise or punctual, but of that step beyond adherence to the law.

When the Rambam describes the highest level of service of God, one motivated by love, he uses daring terms to describe a passionate relationship:

רמב"ם הלכות תשובה פרק י הלכה ב

העובד מאהבה עוסק בתורה ובמצות והולך בנתיבות החכמה לא מפני דבר בעולם ולא מפני יראת הרעה ולא כדי לירש הטובה אלא עושה האמת מפני שהוא אמת וסוף הטובה לבא בגללה, ומעלה זו היא מעלה גדולה מאד ואין כל חכם זוכה לה, והיא מעלת אברהם אבינו שקראו הקדוש ברוך הוא אוהבו לפי שלא עבד אלא מאהבה והיא המעלה שצונו בה הקדוש ברוך הוא על ידי משה שנאמר ואהבת את ה' אלקיך, ובזמן שיאהוב אדם את ה' אהבה הראויה מיד יעשה כל המצות מאהבה.

רמב"ם הלכות תשובה פרק י הלכה ג

וכיצד היא האהבה הראויה הוא שיאהב את ה' אהבה גדולה יתירה עזה מאוד עד שתהא נפשו קשורה באהבת ה' ונמצא שוגה בה תמיד כאלו חולה חולי האהבה שאין דעתו פנויה מאהבת אותה אשה והוא שוגה בה תמיד בין בשבתו בין בקומו בין בשעה שהוא אוכל ושותה, יתר מזה תהיה אהבת ה' בלב אוהביו שוגים בה תמיד כמו שצונו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך, והוא ששלמה אמר דרך משל כי חולת אהבה אני, וכל שיר השירים משל הוא לענין זה.

What is the appropriate love that a person should love God? a great, brazen, extreme love, until one’s soul is connected with love of God, and he speaks of it consistently as if he were lovesick… Rambam Laws of Teshuva 10:3

The person who serves God with love is consumed with this love, is always aware of this love and is constantly mindful of the object of their love. Even when they are separated by the necessary interruptions of everyday life, such a person sees the world through a unique prism: The object of their love is always in mind, and the world is seen through dual eyes – for such a person attempts to see and experience through the eyes of their beloved, to relate all experiences to their beloved. This is what is meant in our verse: to be “listening” to God is far more than fulfilling commandments or avoiding transgressions; rather, to be always thinking, always seeing the world through God’s eyes, as it were, always considering God’s desires, always “tuned in” to God’s voice. The result of such listening is a relationship of profound intimacy - a covenantal relationship, a relationship of kindness.

This same “listening” lies at the heart of is considered by many to be the most succinct expression of Jewish faith, the phrase which may be the greatest common denominator[7] of the Jewish religion: The Torah commands us to know that there is one God, but goes further, and bids us to listen:

דברים ו: ד

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה’ אֶחָד:

Listen, O Israel: The Eternal is our God, the Eternal is one. D'varim 6:4

This listening is immediately followed by love:

דברים ו: ה

וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ:

Love the Eternal your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your wherewithal. D'varim 6:5

The Seforno’s comments on our verse underscore this important connection:

ספורנו, דברים ז: יב

והיה עקב תשמעון. הנה המלך צוה את כל אלה כדי שתזכו שישמור לכם הברית והחסד וזה שאתם תשמרו היום לעשותם מאהבה שלא על מנת לקבל פרס והוא בשביל זה ישמור לכם הברית והחסד:

“And due to your listening:” Here the King commanded all of this, so we shall merit the covenant and the hesed, that which it says, “And guard … today to perform”. (Dvarim 7:11) - out of love, not on condition to be rewarded; and for that you will merit the covenant and the hesed. (Seforno, D’varim 7:12)

Real relationships are not based on utility, or hope of reward. A real relationship is based on love, and it is the result of listening, of paying careful attention to the little things. What we learn from this first verse in Parshat Ekev is that this love reciprocated by God “in a big way.” When we are attentive to the “little things” that fall in the area beyond the letter of the law, we build a loving relationship, and God, in turn, takes care of the “big things.”

---

[1] See the Baal haTurim, D’varim 7:12, who notes the connection between the end of Vaetchanan and the beginning of Ekev.

בעל הטורים דברים פרק ז פסוק יב

והיה עקב. לעיל מיניה כתיב היום לעשותם וסמיך ליה עקב. כלומר, היום לעשותם אבל שכרם בעקב, פירוש בסוף (דב"ר ג: ג).

[2] Ramban, D’varim 7:12.

רמב"ן דברים פרק ז פסוק יב

והזכיר הכתוב המשפטים, אולי יזהיר במשפטים הקלים כדיני ממונות שלא יבזו אותם.

[3] Sefer Mitzvot Gedolot, Positive Commandment 74.

ספר מצוות גדול עשין סימן עד

כבר דרשתי לגלות ירושלים אשר בספרד ולשאר גלויות אדום כי עתה שהאריך הגלות יותר מדאי יש לישראל להבדיל מהבלי העולם ולאחוז בחותמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא שהוא אמת ושלא לשקר לא לישראל ולא לגוים ולא להטעותם בשום עניין ולקדש עצמם אף במותר להם שנאמר (צפניה ג, יג) שארית ישראל לא יעשו עולה ולא ידברו כזב ולא ימצא בפיהם לשון תרמית וכשיבא הקדוש ברוך הוא להושיעם יאמרו הגוים בדין עשה כי הם אנשי אמת ותורת אמת בפיהם אבל אם יתנהגו עם הגוים ברמאות יאמרו ראו מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא שבחר לחלקו גנבים ורמאים ועוד כתוב (הושע ב, כה) וזרעתיה לי בארץ כלום זורע אדם כור אחד אלא למצוא כמה כורים כך זורע הקדוש ברוך הוא [את] ישראל בארצות כדי שיתוספו עליהם גרים (פסחים פז, ב) וכל זמן שהם מתנהגים בהן ברמאות מי ידבק בהם. והרי הקפיד הקדוש ברוך הוא על גזל הרשעים שנאמר (בראשית ו, יא) ותמלא הארץ חמס. עוד אני מביא ראיה מירושלמי דפרק אלו מציאות (ב"מ דף ח, א) שאומר שם רבנין סבייאי זבנין חד כרי דחטין ואשכחן ביה צררא דזוזי והחזירום להם ואמרו הגוים בריך הוא א - לההון דיהודאי, וכיוצא בזה מספר שם מעשים הרבה מאבדת הגוים שהחזירום מפני קידוש השם:

[4] See Mizrachi, Devarim 7:12.

מזרחי, דברים ז: יב

"עקב" עקב הרגל, גם אמר "אם המצות" במקום אם "המשפטים" האומרים בפרשה…

[5] The Rambam in his commentary to the Mishna Chapter 2, Mishna 1, writes that the “light” mitzvot include being happy on holidays and learning the Hebrew language.

רמב"ם פירוש המשניות - מסכת אבות פרק ב משנה א

אח"כ אמר שצריך ליזהר במצוה שיחשב בה שהיא קלה כשמחת הרגל ולמידת לשון הקדש כמצוה שהתבאר לך חומרתה שהיא גדולה כמילה וציצית ושחיטת הפסח, ושם סיבת זה שאין אתה יודע מתן שכרן של מצות,

[6] See Siftei Kohen, D’varim 7:12.

שפתי כהן על דברים פרק ז פסוק יב

והיה עקב תשמעון וגו'. יאמר אם יש לך שכר בעולם הזה הוא על השמיעה לבד כמו שכתבנו על פסוק (בראשית כ"ב, ט"ז) כי יען אשר עשית את הדבר הזה, שאמר לו הקב"ה על העשיה אין לה לא ערך ולא שכר כי שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא, כי ברך אברכך והרבה ארבה את זרעך עקב אשר שמעת בקולי, כלומר אם יש לך שכר בעולם הזה הוא על שדשת בעקבך ושמעת בקולי, לזה אמר ברך אברכך והרבה ארבה, כן אמר כאן אם יש לכם בזה העולם שום שכר על עשיית המצוות הוא על שדשת בעקביך ועל השמיעה, אבל על השמירה ועל העשיה אין שכר בעולם הזה אלא יהא שמור לך לעולם הבא מקום שאין היד מגעת שם, זהו ושמר ה' וגו'. וכבר כתבתי במקום אחר ששם הוי"ה באלב"ם בגימטריא שכר, לומר כמו שזה השם אינו נקרא בעולם הזה ככתבו כן המצוה שהיא שם הוי"ה בהיפוך מ"צ י"ה וה, אם כן מצוה היינו שם הוי"ה, כן שכרה הוא לעולם הבא ששם הוא נקרא ככתבו אז יהיה השכר, כי זה השם מורה על אמיתות ובזמן הזה השקר והכזב מצוים לזה אינו נקרא ככתבו ונקרא בכינוי, וכמו שהעקב הוא סוף הגוף כן השכר האמיתי הוא סוף המעשה:

[7] See Tzror Hamor, D’varim chapter 2, and see Rav Zadok haKohen, Machshavot Charutz section 17.

צרור המור דברים פרק ב

את ה' אלהיך הוא כלל גדול בתורה. ובה כלולים י' הדברות וכל התורה כולה:

ואמר והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום על לבבך. לרמוז על הדברים הנזכרים של הייחוד. וכן למסור נפשו על קידוש השם. והענין הזה הוא כמו שכתבתי שהתורה הגיעה לסוף הצרות והגזרות שעתידין לגזור על ישראל. להעבירם על דת ושלא יעסקו בתורה. כמו שקרה בגירוש פורטוגא"ל שגזרו שלא ידרשו ברבים ושלא ילמדו לתינוקות. ולקחו כל הספרים והבתי כנסיות באופן שלא יתפללו ולא יעסקו בתורה. עד שכמעט נשתכחה תורה מישראל. כי איך ילמדו לבניהם בלי ספר ובלי מלמד. ולא נשאר להם אלא שילמדום שמע ישראל וידעו איך ה' אחד. ושראוי לאהבו ולמסור נפשו על קדושתו. ולכן נתן השם לישראל לאותם זמנים פרשה קצרה של שמע ישראל שהיא כלל כל התורה.

ר' צדוק הכהן מלובלין - מחשבות חרוץ אות יז

וזהו ואהבת לרעך כמוך שהוא כלל גדול בתורה (בראשית רבה כ"ד, ז'), וכן שמע ישראל ה' אלקינו ה' אחד לחד מאן דאמר כמו שאמרו בבראשית רבה.

Tu b’Av (excerpt from Emanations)

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Dancing in the Streets

The Fifteenth of Av (Tu b’Av) is a holiday of unclear significance. Although certain elements of the celebration of this day have captured the imagination of popular Israeli culture, the day itself remains obscure. While not specifically mentioned in the Torah, it is described by the Mishna at the end of Ta’anit by way of a surprising analogy: This hitherto unknown day is compared with Yom Kippur, arguably the holiest day of the year.[1]

R. Shimon ben Gamaliel said: There never were in Israel greater days of joy than the Fifteenth of Av and the Day of Atonement. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem used to walk out in white garments which they borrowed in order not to put to shame any one who had none. All these garments required ritual dipping. The daughters of Jerusalem came out and danced in the vineyards exclaiming at the same time, “Young man, lift up your eyes and see what you choose for yourself. Do not set your eyes on beauty but set your eyes on [good] family. ‘Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised’. And it further says, ‘Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise her in the gates’. Likewise it says, ‘Go forth, o ye daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, even upon the crown wherewith his mother had crowned him on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the gladness of his heart’. ‘On the day of his espousals:’ this refers to the day of the giving of the Law. ‘And in the day of the gladness of his heart:’ this refers to the building of the Temple; may it be rebuilt speedily in our days. (Ta’anit 26b)  

This Mishna is the concluding Mishna of the tractate of Ta’anit, which deals with fast days and the laws of fasting. The previous Mishna had taught the laws of the ninth of Av. Now the Mishna continues to the next day of importance in Av – Tu b’Av. Ostensibly, the intent of the Mishna is to end on a positive note, especially after all the tragedies enumerated in the previous section. Indeed, the Mishna concludes with the building of the Temple, clearly a cause for monumental joy.

A scene of dancing and celebration is described, raising two questions: First, the description of Yom Kippur as a day of song and celebration seems dissonant with our understanding of Yom Kippur. And secondly, what is the significance of Tu b’Av, and why did it deserve the same celebration as Yom Kippur?

The Talmud answers the first question while raising the second, explaining the joy of Yom Kippur while pondering Tu b’Av:

I can understand the Day of Atonement, because it is a day of forgiveness and pardon and on it the second Tablets of the Law were given, but what happened on the Fifteenth of Av? (Ta’anit 30b)

Ecstatic joy, which is absent from our contemporary experience of Yom Kippur, is taken for granted in the Talmud: The experience of Yom Kippur was palpably different in Temple times. We are told that the red string in the Temple turned white, serving as a veritable spiritual barometer of God’s forgiveness of man. When the people were shown this tangible sign of forgiveness, celebration erupted.

R. Yishmael said: But they had another sign too: a thread of crimson wool was tied to the door of the Temple, and when the he-goat reached the wilderness the thread turned white, as it is written: ‘Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow’. (Yoma 68b)

They would accompany him (the Kohen Gadol) to his house. He would arrange for a day of festivity for his friends whenever he had come forth from the Sanctuary in peace. (Yoma 70b)

This type of joy was spontaneous, even though it was a yearly occurrence on Yom Kippur. Singing, dancing and celebration broke out all over. The women of Jerusalem began dancing in the vineyards. Marriage was on their minds. Perhaps this is the reference at the end of the Mishna:

‘On the day of his espousals:’ this refers to the day of the giving of the Law.

The Talmud had described Yom Kippur as a day of “forgiveness and pardon and on it the second Tablets of the Law were given.” Yom Kippur encapsulates the mutual commitment between the Jewish People and God. It is the day that the Jews finally took their vows and were forgiven for the indiscretion of the Golden Calf. The Seventeenth of Tammuz, the day Moshe first came down with the Tablets in hand, should have been the day when the Jews solidified their commitment with God; instead it became a day of infamy. The fate of the entire community was held in abeyance in the following weeks until Moshe was invited once again[2] to ascend the mount on the first day of Elul.  Forty days later, on the Tenth of Tishrei, the day celebrated henceforth as Yom Kippur, Moshe descended with the second Tablets, and with God’s message that He had forgiven the Jewish Nation. This is what the Mishna describes as “the day of his espousals”.[3]

This idea dovetails with the teaching that one’s wedding day is a day of personal forgiveness, and has a cathartic, “Yom Kippur- like” element.[4] For this reason, tradition dictates that bride and groom fast on their wedding day, an additional expression of the atoning powers of the day. This may also explain the choice of Torah reading for Yom Kippur afternoon: The section of the Torah that enumerates forbidden relations.  The backdrop of celebration in the streets explains the need, on this day more than others, for a warning against unmitigated, excessive frivolity, and a demarcation of forbidden relations.

While the celebratory aspect of Yom Kippur has been identified, the Fifteenth of Av remains elusive. The Talmud offers numerous explanations for the joy on that day:

Rav Yehdah said in the name of Shmuel: It is the day on which permission was granted to the tribes to inter-marry. … R. Yoseph said in the name of R. Nachman: It is the day on which the tribe of Binyamin was permitted to re-enter the congregation [following the episode of the concubine in Givah]. …Rabbah b. Bar Chanah said in the name of R. Yochanan: It is the day on which the generation of the wilderness ceased to die out. …‘Ulla said: It is the day on which Hoshea the son of Elah removed the guards which Yerovam the son of Nevat had placed on the roads to prevent Israel from going [up to Jerusalem] on pilgrimage, and he proclaimed ‘Let them go up to whichever shrine they desire.’ R. Mattenah said: It is the day when permission was granted for those killed at Betar to be buried. …Rabbah and R. Joseph both said: It is the day on which [every year] they ceased to fell trees for the altar. It has been taught: R. Eliezer the elder says: From the Fifteenth of Av onwards the strength of the sun grows less and they no longer felled trees for the altar, because they would not dry [sufficiently]. R. Menashya said: And they called it the Day of the Breaking of the Axe. From this day onwards, he who increases [his knowledge through study] will have his life prolonged, but he who does not increase [his knowledge] will have his life taken away. What is meant by ‘taken away’? — R. Yoseph learnt: Him his mother will bury. (Ta’anit 30b-31a)

While the Talmud offers six different causes for celebration on Tu b’Av, many of these reasons seem insufficient to justify the type and intensity of celebration described. At first glance the various explanations seem unrelated, but we may be able to find a common thread running through them by looking back to the first “Tu b’Av” ever celebrated:

R. Abin and R. Yochanan said: It was the day when the grave-digging ceased for those who died in the wilderness. R. Levi said: On every eve of the Ninth of Av Moshe used to send a herald throughout the camp and announce, ‘Go out to dig graves’; and they used to go out and dig graves in which they slept. On the morrow he sent out a herald to announce, ‘Arise and separate the dead from the living.’ They would then stand up and find themselves in round figures: 15,000 short of 600,000. In the last of the forty years, they acted similarly and found themselves in undiminished numerical strength. They said, ‘It appears that we erred in our calculation’; so they acted similarly on the nights of the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. When the moon was full they said, ‘It seems that the Holy One, blessed be He, has annulled that decree from us all’; so they proceeded to make [the fifteenth] a holiday. Their sins caused it {the Ninth of Av}to become a day of mourning in this world, in the twofold destruction of the Temple. That is what is written,  ‘Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep.’ Hence, “And the people wept that night” (Bamidbar 14, 1). (Midrash Rabbah – Eichah, Prologue 33)

This description is certainly morbid, yet it succeeds in capturing the pathos of the yearly Tisha b’Av commemoration. The crying in the desert at the report of the spies created a negative paradigm for the rejection of the Land of Israel and it’s holiness, and even more, the rejection of God. The yearly commemoration of this breach of faith was systematic, inexorable: The entire generation of the Jews who had been redeemed from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea would die out in the desert. They had doubted God’s ability to complete His promise; they had rejected the Promised Land and their own destiny, and each year on this day of infamy they would dig their own graves and lie down in them, arising the next morning to take stock of their situation. The character of this day, the spiritual power of the paradigm unleashed at the sin of the spies, was revisited on future generations when Jews rejected the sacred. Tragedy struck over and over on this same date.

 The Fifteenth of Av marked the end of the death sentence for the sin of the spies. Only on the night of the Fifteenth, by the light of the full moon, could they be certain that the chapter of the spies was closed. This alone would be sufficient rationale for the Mishna of Ta’anit, regarding Tish’a b’Av, to conclude with a teaching about Tu b’Av: On a conceptual level, the Fifteenth marks the end of the Ninth of Av.[5] During First Temple times the people certainly did not fast on Tisha b’Av but they may have celebrated Tu b’Av.

The end of the death sentence is the main cause for celebration offered by the Sages. But what of the other explanations offered by the Talmud? Arguably the strangest of these relates to the pagan king[6] Hoshea the son of Elah. While it may be argued that he displayed remarkably liberal thinking and was not particular whether his constituents served foreign deities wherever they chose, or served God in the Beit HaMikdash, he certainly did not lead people toward Jerusalem, toward the service of God! Why would this be a cause for celebration? Hoshea’s decree reversed the nefarious deeds of his predecessor on the throne, Yerovam, yet even this reversal seems insufficient cause for celebration: Hoshea merely removed the guards charged with preventing pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Furthermore, during Hoshea’s reign the Ten Tribes were carried into captivity. He was not a leader to be remembered in song and celebration.

In order to understand the significance of Hoshea’s decree we must first understand the implications of Yerovam’s actions. Due to the spiritual failings of Shlomo, God wrested part of the monarchy from the Davidic family.

And it came to pass at that time when Yerovam went from Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahiya the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and the two were alone in the field; And Ahiya caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces; And he said to Yerovam, 'Take you ten pieces; for thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Shlomo, and will give ten tribes to you; But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel; (1 Melachim 11:29-32)

Yerovam ignored God’s plan and built an alternative place of worship in an attempt to deter the people from Jerusalem, and, perhaps, allegiance to the Family of David. Motivated by jealousy, totally misdirected and self-centered, Yerovam did the unthinkable: he built places of worship replete with Golden Calves:

Then Yerovam built Sh'chem in Mount Ephraim, and lived there; and went out from there, and built Penuel. And Yerovam said in his heart, 'Now shall the kingdom return to the House of David; If this People go up to do sacrifice in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this People turn back to their Lord, to Rehavam King of Yehudah, and they shall kill me, and go back to Rehavam King of Yehudah. (1 Melachim  12:25-27)

And the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. And he set one in Beit-El, and the other he placed in Dan. (1 Kings 12:28,29)

Unlike Yerovam, Hoshea was not afraid or jealous of Jerusalem or the Davidic dynasty. He may have been an idolater, but he was not filled with spiritually self-destructive hatred. Thus, Hoshea removes the guards stationed by Yerovam, indicating healing from the hatred and jealousy, and the possibility of reconciliation.

This observation will help us reveal the message our Sages were trying to convey. The sages associated the destruction of the Temple with the sin of baseless hatred,[7] which has its roots in the fratricide perpetrated by Cain. This strand of baseless hatred is first discerned within the Jewish community in the hatred of the sons of Leah toward the sons of Rachel. Yerovam’s scheme should be seen within this context, proving that a son of Rachel could be just as bad, if not worse than the sons of Leah.

The Temple in Jerusalem was a manifestation of the unity of Israel, bringing together diverse spiritual attributes within the community of Israel. The primary tribes are Yehuda, descendents of the son of Leah who would one day be kings, and the tribe of Yosef, descendents of the favorite son, the son of Rachel. It may be argued that had the sons of Ya’akov been able to unite, the Temple would have stood in the portion of Yosef (Jerusalem) and the seat of the monarchy would have been in the realm of Yehuda. With the sons of Rachel and Leah united, this Temple would never have fallen. Unfortunately, the brothers are never able to resolve their differences with Yosef.  The son of Rachel who becomes the unifying symbol of the people is Binyamin, and the Temple eventually stands in his portion. This explains the tears of Yosef and Binyamin at the moment when Yosef reveals himself to his brothers:[8]

And he fell upon his brother Binyamin’s neck, and wept; and Binyamin wept upon his neck. (Bereishit 45:14)

R. Eleazar said: He wept for the two Temples destined to be in the territory of Binyamin and to be destroyed. And Binyamin wept upon his neck: he wept for the Mishkan of Shiloh which was destined to be in the territory of Yosef and to be destroyed. (Megila 16b – see Rashi Bereishit 45:14)

The hatred of the brothers created the spiritual power for the hatred that would one day destroy the Temple. This simmering conflict is what caused the Temple to be built in the portion of Binyamin, and not in the portion of Yosef. This is the same hatred that poisoned Yerovam and motivated him to place guards in the path of would-be pilgrims to Jerusalem. On Tu b’Av, when Hoshea rescinds the evil edict of Yerovam, the division and hatred cease.

On Tisha b’Av the tribes of Yosef and Yehuda were united: When the spies returned only Yehoshua and Calev, from the tribes of Yosef and Yehuda respectively, remained steadfast in their desire to enter Israel. They serve as the prototypes for the Messiah from Yosef, and the Messiah from David (Yehuda), who will usher in the messianic era.[9] Tragically, the other tribes did not rally around those two leaders; what should have been the beginning of the great march to Israel became the day the Land of Israel was rejected. What could have been a day of celebration became a day of mourning.

This theme of division and reunion may be the key to some of the other reasons for Tu b’Av festivities offered by the Talmud. Significantly, the prohibition of inter-tribal marriage began with the daughters of Zelofchad – from the tribe of Yosef. Surely, this law, which maintained each tribe as insulated and separate, also had a negative impact on interpersonal relationships between Jews. Tu b’Av marked the end of this division. Likewise, the isolation of the tribe of Binyamin: Their role in the episode of the concubine of Givah was certainly an outrage [See the Shoftim, Chapters 19,20,21]. But the isolation of an entire tribe, specifically of the son of Rachel, was even more significant in light of the ongoing division between the sons of Rachel and the sons of Leah. Tu b’Av, in all three of these episodes, marks a reunion of the estranged sons of Rachel with the larger community of Israel.

This, then, is the unifying theme in all the explanations offered by the Talmud for the celebration of Tu b’Av: The battle of Betar was the culmination of the Bar Kochva rebellion, which was doomed to failure because the students of Rabbi Akiva did not treat one another with respect (see essay on the omer). Without national unity, the Third Temple could not be built: The failure of Bar Kochva’s messianic movement was caused by the breakdown of the Jewish community, represented by Rabbi Akiva’s students who could not get along with one another.

Another of the reasons for Tu b’Av celebrations now seems less strange: The days begin to get shorter, or in the Talmud’s words “the sun loses its strength”.  The Midrash, in recounting the first Tu b’Av in the desert, noted that on this date the moon is full. The tension between the sun and moon represents the first struggle for dominance, for leadership. This ancient, primordial struggle between the sun and the moon[10] is the same struggle for dominance as the struggle between the sons of Ya’akov, and between Yerovam and the Davidic dynasty: two kings cannot share one crown. In fact, the resolution of this struggle for dominance is one of the harbingers and prerequisites for the messianic age:  The Talmud speaks of the complementary leadership of a Messiah, son of David, and a Messiah, son of Yosef, which will pave the way to the messianic age[11].

As we noted above, the first catastrophe of Tisha b’Av was the failure of the spies, and the nation’s inability to rally around a united core of leadership- Yehoshua/Yehuda and Calev/Yosef. The Land of Israel was forfeited, the messianic age passed up, and the Temple, which cannot tolerate disunity, laid to waste on this day.  The spiritual character of this day is one of discord, internal struggle. Conversely, Tu b’Av, is a day which has the potential to rebuild the community of Israel and, as a result, the Temple. Unity of the community is a prerequisite for building and preserving the Temple; this is the message of the last phrase of the Mishna with which we began:

Likewise it says, ‘go forth, o ye daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon, even upon the crown wherewith his mother had crowned him on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the gladness of his heart’. ‘On the day of his espousals:’ this refers to the day of the giving of the law. ‘And on the day of the gladness of his heart:’ this refers to the building of the Temple; may it be rebuilt speedily in our days. (Ta’anit 26b)    

After describing the unique celebration of Yom Kippur and Tu B’Av, the Mishna intertwines the giving of the Law and building of the Temple. As we have seen, “the giving of the Law” refers to Yom Kippur.[12] Now we understand why the reference to “the building of the Temple” refers to Tu b’Av. On this day the daughters of Jerusalem would share their clothes and dance merrily in the streets, united. The Zohar identifies the type of material the garments are made from:

“Scarlet” (tola'at shani) is connected with the Fifteenth day of Av, a day on which the daughters of Israel used to walk forth in silken dresses. (Zohar Sh’mot 135a)

The significance of silk and its connection to the unique spiritual character of Tu b’Av lies in a more mystical message: Silk is not like wool or linen. The Vilna Gaon points out that the prohibition of mixing wool and linen – shaatnez- emanates from the hatred between Cain and Abel. On these glorious days the daughters of Jerusalem freely share their clothing, with no hatred or jealousy in their hearts.[13] The distinctions made by the requirements of shaatnez are irrelevant on this day. Perhaps this served as a type of healing for the hatred the brothers directed toward Yosef and his coat of many colors. This may also be the significance of the Talmud’s description of God’s attempt to lure Yerovam back into the fold:

‘After this thing Yerovam turned not from his evil way.’ What is meant by, ‘after this thing’? — R. Abba said: After the Holy One, blessed be He, had seized Yerovam by his garment and urged him, ‘Repent; then I, thou, and the son of Yishai [i.e.. David] will walk in the Garden of Eden.’ ‘And who shall be at the head?’ inquired he. ‘The son of Yishai shall be at the head.’ ‘If so,’ [he replied] ‘I do not desire [it].’(Sanhedrin 102a)

God grabbed Yerovam by his clothing to break his jealousy; alas, Yerovam could only join if he was given center stage and the leading role. Ultimately he was unable to control his self-centeredness. The image of his garment, torn into twelve pieces by the prophet, prevails over the image of God Himself attempting to mend the torn fabric of Jewish community.

This is the secret of Tu b’Av and the reason that marriages abound on this day. Marriage of two individuals, the most basic of all relationships, is only possible if each one controls innate egoism and narcissism. The rebuilding of the Temple is dependent on the community being able to unite in a similar manner. The first step is controlling hatred and jealousy, breaking the boundaries that exist between people. The Talmud therefore associates the mitzva of bringing joy to the newly married couple with building Jerusalem:

And if he does gladden him (i.e., the groom) what is his reward?… R. Nahman b. Isaac says: It is as if he had restored one of the ruins of Jerusalem. (Brachot 6b)

Tu b’Av marks, celebrates, even creates this type of healing behavior. Jealousies are broken down, tribal distinctions disappear, new unions are created.

We are taught that in the future the fast days marking the Temple’s destruction will be transformed into days of celebration:

Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month (17^th of Tammuz), and the fast of the fifth (9^th of Av), and the fast of the seventh (Yom Kippur), and the fast of the tenth(10^th of Tevet), shall become times of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts to the house of Yehuda; therefore love truth and peace. (Zecharia 8:19)

Rav Zadok HaKohen from Lublin taught that the Ninth of Av will indeed become a holiday – a seven-day holiday similar to Pesach, consisting of festival on the first and last days as well as intermediate days (Chol HaMoed). We may theorize that the first day of the holiday, Tish’a b’Av, will commemorate the coming of the Messiah[14]. Then there will be Chol haMoed, and on the seventh day – Tu B’Av - the Temple will be rebuilt. The day when Jews arose unscathed from their graves in the desert will witness the spiritual rebirth of the entire nation, symbolized by the building of the Temple. This will be followed by the ultimate Resurrection: Once again, the people will climb from their graves, as the world achieves perfection and completion. On that day the joy in the streets will be echoed in the vineyards surrounding Jerusalem, and will reverberate throughout the entire world.

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[1]  Rav Menachem Azarya Defano, and Rav Zadok Hakohen (Yisrael Kedoshim section 5) both point at the power of minhag –custom- at the core of this day. We know of Torah festivals, and Rabbinic festivals; Tu B’Av has its unique charisma as an expression of the power of custom.

[2] According to tradition, Moshe ascended the mountain three times: the first and last, to receive the Tablets, and, in between, to pray for forgiveness for the People. See Rashi on Shmot 33:11, Devarim 9:18.

[3] See Rashi’s Commentary on the Mishna 26b “Zeh”.

[4]  This idea may be found in The Jerusalem Talmud Bikurim Chapter 3 section 3 page 65c. See Rashi Bereishit 36:3, Torah Temmimah Bereishit 28:9, שו"ת יחווה דעת חלק ד סימן סא

[5] Whether the fifteenth of Av marks the end of the sadness of Tish’a b’Av is a point debated by the Halachik authorities. The Mishna (Ta’anit 4:6, 26b) teaches that from the beginning of Av happiness is decreased, and debates whether  this sadness continues until Tu b’Av or until the end of the month. See Shulchan Oruch, Orach Chaim section 551:1, Mishna Brura bet opines that the entire month is sad, whereas Chatam Sofer rules that Tu b’Av marks the end of the sadness. See Piskei Teshuva 551:2.

[6]  For more on this king see II Melachim, Chapter 15:30. “And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him, and killed him, and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Yotam the son of Uzziah.”

[7] See Yoma 9a

[8] See Explorations page

[9]  See Sukka 52a

[10] See the essay on Rosh Chodesh

[11] See Sukkah 52a. Rashi on Yishayahu 11:13 states that the two Messiah’s will not be jealous of one another.

[12] See Rashi Commentary on the Mishna 26b “Zeh”

[14] According to Rabbinic tradition, the Messiah is born on Tish’a b’Av.