Thoughts of Parashat Re’eh
How do you know if those you think are wicked are really wicked? Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said that there is no absolutely evil person in the world and no one who is absolutely good either (paraphrasing his famous saying which I quoted in my drasha a few weeks ago). Similarly, the great Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria taught that every created thing possesses a “spark” of divine energy that constitutes its essence and soul. This spark cannot be evil, it must be divine and good (unless we believe that there are some “sparks of evil” in God’s essence, which some kabbalists suggested.) Our beliefs that some people are good and some others are bad or wicked are usually based on limited and incomplete information. That is one of the reasons we should be restrained in judging others: we rarely have complete input about their good and bad deeds. Moreover, we are also rarely able to experience the world from someone else’s position: Ve’al tadin et-haverecha ad she tagiyah limkomo – Do not judge your fellow man until you have reached his place. (Pirkei Avot 2:4) Unless we know a person very well or have done thorough investigation about his or her life, unless we are able, at least in imagination, to walk in somebody’s shoes, our judgments will be unfair. In general, it is better not to make such judgments because by making them we may increase the injustice in the world.
Nevertheless, we judge other people, even if only in our hearts. Luckily, there is Divine judgment, and our faith in divine judgment satisfies the desire for justice that some of us feel quite deeply in our hearts. Nevertheless, we often have to be patient for Divine judgment. How long must we be patient? Only God knows and He didn’t set any standards in this matter. He is not obliged to immediately eliminate every injustice in the world, in the minute it appears. We can only believe that the judgment will come and if we are true believers, we are able to feel its coming in our veins. If God is the ultimate ruler of the universe it is His decision WHEN He wants to exert His judgment- because that’s a part of His plan.
The Rabbis realized this very early and thus extended the timeframe of his expected action to olam haba, the world to come. Using the much later language of Kabbalah we can say that His judgment will come when His sefirah Din (called also Gevurah) which represents justice and the fearsome powers of divine punishment and wrath – judgment or might – will prevail over his sefirah Chesed – that represents everything we love in God the most: His love, loving kindness, compassion, mercy.
If we make an intellectual experiment and put Kabbalah in a universal context we can say that as long as the sefirah Chesed primarily rules the world, humanity can do what it wants and often with impunity. The problem with this is that at some point humanity will always, given enough time, go astray and start tolerating or accepting some form of evil. After some time, there will be a change in the divine dynamic and sefirah Din will take charge and bring Divine judgment. Divine wrath will come. All of this is an unavoidable consequence of human freedom: freedom of thought (which I believe is absolute) and action (which is limited by resources and technology).
At the beginning of this week Torah portion we have a very important theological statement:
See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)
Ibn Ezra, in his commentary to the verse 11:27, explains how the process of choosing blessing vs. curse works:
The blessing, that you will observe, i.e., through your observing, you become blessed. A blessing is an increase in good, whereas a curse is a reduction [in good. (Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 11:27)
Nothing happens instantaneously. Each of your actions takes you up or down on the blessing / curse scale. Earning blessings, as well as earning curses, is a long process intertwined with many life events that are independent of us. Indeed, the mechanism of divine reward and punishment is stretched over time, which for example, can be read from the 2nd Commandment of the Decalogue:
For I the LORD your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me, but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Ex 20:5-6)
One of the possible understandings of these two verses is the following: God punishes children and grandchildren for the sins of their parents because their parents did something that significantly impacted the position of their children. Another, alternative interpretation, that is consistent with Ibn Ezra’s vision: children are punished for the sins of their parents because they constantly commit the sins of their parents. They learn sin and it is quite difficult to unlearn sin. As we all know, breaking your own bad habits requires acute awareness and substantial effort.
Divine justice may seem “slow” to us because it takes into account the actions of large groups of people over a long period of time. After all, God judges both individuals and entire nations.
He works judgment upon the nations, heaping up bodies, crushing heads far and wide. (Psalm 110:6)
Even in an individual life, when it is properly organized, nothing happens suddenly, except for perhaps accidents which usually have negative consequences. Moreover, in the realm of moral development, especially when it comes to groups of people, nothing happens instantaneously. If a certain family, community or nation learned bad practices, bad habits, bad beliefs, it will suffer for generations. Their bad habits may cause harm to other people as well. Accordingly, if a certain group of people learned good practices, good habits, proper and Godly beliefs they may be rightly blessed for generations and their higher status may be surely deserved. Noteworthy, this success is therefore rightly earned and cultivated and calling it ‘a privilege’ may not be accurate, given that privilege is, by definition, something that is not earned: privilege is a special right, advantage or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.
The arc of Divine judgment can be long, and it is unlikely we know where a person is on the blessing / cursing scale much less whether that person is moving up or down the scale. To notice this movement requires both time and careful observation. Consequently, we should not judge people on the basis of their current situation because we don’t know what they went through and what their history is. We also should not judge on the basis of the culture they originally come from (stereotypes), as you have no idea what good/bad they internalized and what bad/good they left behind.
What is important to keep in mind and remember is that even though we often have to wait for Divine judgment, there are many positive, psychological benefits that stem from the faith and the waiting. Believing in the existence of a righteous God helps us to let go, to be cleansed of the desire for revenge or retaliation. Letting this go, even if we feel that our negative feelings are justified is, in itself, a gift. Feelings of injustice can pierce the mind and heart for a long time, sometimes for your entire life. It is salutary for us to Put It In The Hands Of God. It heals us psychologically, frees us from obsessive thoughts, teaches patience, and allows peace of mind and strength for further goals and actions!
I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe — I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)
Shabbat shalom,
Menachem Mirski
