Ha'azinu 5774:                       Beyond the Norm

By Rabbi Joshua (extendedly known as The Hoffer) Hoffman

As an introduction to the shira, or poem, that Moshe is about to present to the Jewish people, he speaks in praise of God, saying, “The Rock, perfect in His ways, for all His paths are justice; a God of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He” (Devarim 32:41). We find in the Talmud (Bava Kamma 50a) that R. Chanina cites the beginning of this verse as a proof-text for his assertion that anyone who says that God is a “vatran,” that he disregards sins, his life shall be disregarded.  Rabbi Yosef Salant, in his Be’er Yosef, cites this teaching of R. Chanina, and Rashi’s explanation of it, which is that by saying that God disregards sin, the person will lead others to sin.  However, points out Rav Salant, the Torah is full of exhortations about the punishment one receives for sin, so how can this person’s statement cause others to sin?  What is so distinctive in this person’s statement that would give such a wrong impression? 

Rav Salant explains that if we look carefully at the verse, we will see that it refers to God’s ways, and asserts that they are justice.  God’s ways, he says, are His attributes of mercy, compassion, graciousness, and the like, which He exercises in rewarding or punishing people. The Talmud (Shabbos 133b), says in explanation of the verse “and you shall walk in His ways,” that just as God is gracious and compassionate, so, too, should we be gracious and compassionate. This requirement, in fact, is counted as a mitzvah of the Torah by the Rambam and the Seder HaChinuch. Our verse is teaching that these ways of God, His comportment with people beyond the strict letter of the law, are also based on justice, and not applied indiscriminately. Rather, if a person acts with mercy and graciousness towards others, God will act similarly towards him.  One should not think, however, that he will receive God’s mercy in a vacuum, without any effort on his own part.  Having such an attitude can indeed, lead others to sin.  Rav Salant mentions a number of sources that teach this principle of God’s comportment with others, including the Mesillas Yeshorim (chapter nineteen), who says that it is part of God’s standard of measure for measure.

This explanation of Rav Salant puts into relief a story that my teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveitchik, zt”l, was fond of telling over at this time of year, concerning his grandfather, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, the Brisker Rav.  Rav Chaim decided a certain Torah judgment against a particular butcher, declaring the meat he issued as treifah. The butcher, in his wrath, insulted Rav Chaim, who in turn told him that he was very brazen – a “mechutzaf” and that he should leave the beis din room.  Before Kol Nidrei of that year, Rav Chaim went to the butcher with his sons and asked forgiveness. The butcher replied that he would only forgive him if he returned the loss incurred by the judgment. Rav Chaim asked forgiveness three times, did not receive it, and then left, saying, that he had fulfilled his obligation of appeasing the butcher.

After the incident, his sons asked why he felt a need to appease the butcher. After all, the butcher had insulted him, and the Sefer HaChinuch rules, in regard to the prohibition of ona’as devarim, or insulting others, that if someone is insulted by another, he does not have to act like a stone and disregard it, but is allowed to react. Rav Chaim, then, was within his rights when he reacted.  Why, then, did he apologize for it?

Rav Chaim answered that the Chinuch goes on to say that it is a special middas chassidus, comportment beyond the letter of the law, to not react. Before Yom Kippur, said Rav Chaim, we should follow this “midas chassidus” and ask forgiveness for not doing so. Based on Rav Salant’s explanation of our verse, the idea here is that on Yom Kippur, we ask God to have mercy on us and not judge based on the strict letter of the law, but, still, that mercy is meted out in justice. If we want God to go beyond the letter of the law with us, we must act that way towards others as well.

The Netvort ensemble wishes a wonderful new year to all our patrons.