The Logical
Conclusion
By Rabbi Joshua (logicaly known as The Hoffer)
Hoffman
In memory of Rebbetzin Shifra Tendler, wife ofRabbi Moshe D.Tendler and daughter
of Rav Moshe Feinstein,who passed away in Monsey on Thursday morning.May her
memory be a
blessing.
In this week's parsha,the Torah records the process that God went through
in deciding to destroy the world through a flood.At first,we are told,"And the
earth had become corrupt before God,and the earth had become filled with robbery
( chamas) " ( Bereishis,6:11) .Rashi explains that the 'corruption' (
'hashchasa') mentioned here refers to idolatry and sexual immorality. We are
then told, "God saw the earth and behold it was corrupted,for all flesh had
corrupted its way upon earth."In the next verse,God speaks to Noach,and tells
him,"The end of all flesh has come before Me,for the earth is filled with
robbery through them;and behold,I am about to destroy them from the
earth"(Berishis,6:13).In this verse, God only mentions robbery in telling Noach
that He has decided to destroy man from the earth,and not the corruption that
the Torah mentioned previously. Rashi, based on the Talmud ( Sanhedrin,108b)
explains that the sentence of destruction was sealed only because of robbery.
Why was this so? Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya explain that robbery is a
crime that logic dictates to be wrong, while idolatry and promiscuity are not.
Perhaps the idea behind this is that once people do not even follow laws that
logic dictates,society cannot continue to function properly. This is,in fact,how
Rabbi Dovid Kimche,the Radak,explains,in his commentary to Yonah, the sentence
that God passed on Nineveh,which was also addicted to chams,or
robbery.
The problem with this approach, however,is that the Talmud in Yoma,67b,,when
enumerating those sins which are considered to be matters of logic,includes the
sins of sexual immorlaity and idolatry..Why,then do Ramban and Rabbeinu Bachya
say that it is not a matter of logic? Moreover,the Rambam, in his Shemoneh
Perakim, or Eight Chapters,which is an introduction to his commentsry to
Mishnayos Avos,seems to contradict himself in this regard.In differntiating
between'mitzvos shimiyos,'or mitzvos which seemtohave no logical purpose,and
are only a matter of obedience to God's decree, and 'mitzvos sichlios,' or
mitzvos which do have a logical basis,the Rambam includes sexual immorality in
each of the two categories at different stages of his discussion.Is
promiscuity,then included among mitzvos sichlios,or is it not? My teacher,Rav
Aharon Soloveichik zt'l,felt that some categories of sexual prohibitions
belong in one category,and others belong in the other category.Rav Dovid
Feinstein,in explaining the passage in Yoma,and applying it to our verses here
in parshas Noach,suggested that even though idolatry and sexual immorality
seem,at fist blush,to be prohibitions that are purely between man and
God,still,if allowed to run rampant,they will lead to chaos,and robbery will
also occur,as a result. I would like to suggest a somewhat different, but
related,understanding,based on an idea I heard from Rav Yosef Dov HaLevi
Soloveitchik,zt'l.
At the end of parshas Balak,we learn of the incident at Shitim,when
the Jews sinned by worshiping Ba'al Peor,and by having illicit relations with
the daughters of Moav.The rabbis tell us that it was, actually,Bilaam who gave
Balak the advice to station women outside their tents with idols,and to offer
their favors to the Jewish men if they first worship their idols.In the haftarah
to parshas Bilaam,the prophet singles out Bilaam with opprobrium for the
advice he gave to cause the Jews to stumble in thisway.Why was his crime so
heinous? Rav Soloveitchik explained that although idolatry alone and promiscuity
alone are both terrible sins,when the two converge,they are not simply two
terrible crimes,but a life style of uncontrolled behavior. Based on Rav
Soloveitchik's insight,we can suggest that sexual immorality and
idolatry,when each stands alone,iareconsidered to be in the category
of mitzvos shimiyus,but,when they converge,, are considered to be in the
category of' mitzvos sichlios,'or prohibitions which logic dictates. Following
this approach we can say, along with Rav Dovid Feinstein, that hashchasa,
or corruption,leads to chamas,when the two elements of hashchasa,namely,idolatry
and sexual immorality, converge and form a life style.This is,apparently what
happened to the generation of the flood,and led to its ultimate
destruction.
Please address
all correspondence to the author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address -
JoshHoff @ AOL.com.
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