Netvort Reeih 5773:    Never Enough

By Rabbi Joshua (sufficiently known as The Hoffer) Hoffman

            Following the laws regarding permitted and forbidden foods, the Torah commands, “You shall surely tithe the entire crop of your planting… and you shall eat it before the Lord, your God, in the place that He shall choose to rest His name there… so that you will learn to fear the Lord your God” (Devarim 14:22-23). These passages refer to the mitzvah of ma’aser sheini, which requires one to tithe his crop on the first, second, fourth and fifth years of the shemittah cycle, and bring that tithe to Yerusholayim, where he is to eat it. A number of commentators ask, why specifically in regard to ma’aser sheini, does eating something lead to the fear of God. How is eating ma’aser sheini different, in this regard, from, for example, the consumption of the permitted parts of an animal sacrifice? Another question asked is, why does the mitzvah of ma’aser sheini follow the portion of teachings on the laws of kashrus? Perhaps we can answer these questions by mentioning an important teaching that the Rabbis derive from the opening words of the section on ma’aser sheini.

            The Torah says “aseir te’aseir” – you shall surely tithe. The use of a double expression here, instead of the more basic “aseir,” standing by itself, indicates, according to the rabbis, that included in the meaning of this command is the idea that you shall tithe in order to become rich, with the word “aseir” being meant to include the word “asheir,” or, become rich. Usually, as the Ramban explains, it is forbidden to test God through our performance of the mitzvos to see if we will be rewarded for observing them. In regard to ma’aser sheini, however, it is permitted. In what way is ma’aser sheini different? The Chasam Sofer says that actually, the reward referred to here is not that one will receive an abundance of physical riches for observing the mitzvah of ma’aser sheini. Rather, the reward is in the realm of good character traits, in the sense of what we are taught in Pirkei Avos, that a rich person is one who is content with what he has. Rav Shimon Schwab zt”l, in his Ma’ayan Beis HaShoeivah, gives a similar explanation, and goes on to say that this applies specifically to ma’aser sheini because this mitzvah requires a precise amount to be separated, thus alluding to one’s being satisfied by what he has, as it will fulfill, through God’s blessings, his specific needs. 

            The Chasam Sofer goes on to say that once in regard to one’s physical needs a person has been able to be satisfied with what he has, he can then focus his inherent human tendency to constantly want more than he has on the development of his fear of God. This idea can also relate to the study of Torah. I once heard from Rav Aryeh Binah, who was a student of the great mashgiach of the Mir yeshiva in pre-World War II Poland that the mashgiach used to say that the principle of being satisfied with a small amount does not apply to the study of Torah. For the Chasam Sofer, apparently, this idea extends to all spiritual matters, including, ultimately, the fear of God. My teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveitchik zt”l, often said, in the name of his father, Rav Moshe zt”l, that Torah study that is not coupled with the fear of God is nothing more than philosophy or mathematics. The Netziv points out that, since people, in general, do not visit Yerusholayim very often, when they come there to eat their ma’aser sheini, they probably bring it in quantities too large to be eaten in a short time. The extended amount of time that they are in Yerusholayim should be used, in turn, to study Torah, and thus will lead them to fear God. Based on all of these ideas, we can understand the connection between the section on ma’aser sheini and the section on the laws of kashrus, which precedes it. 

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, in his Darash Moshe, mentions a verse earlier in Parshas Re’eih (Devarim 12:2) which says, “and you shall slaughter… as I commanded.” Nothing is said here about the specific laws of slaughtering however, and the rabbis teach that those laws were given to Moshe at Sinai, completely as an oral tradition. Rav Moshe, zt”l, says that, in regard to eating, then, before eating something someone must be aware of the Torah laws involved, as taught in the oral law. Since eating is something that people must do on a fairly constant basis, this necessity serves as an example for all areas of life, teaching that one must always be aware of the teachings of the Torah before proceeding with any physical pursuit. This is in fact the message of ma’aser sheini, as well, as can be seen from the comments of the Chasam Sofer and the Netziv. By joining the study of Torah with our physical activities, we will come to fear God, which unlike physical matters, is something which is limitless, about which one can never say, “enough.”