The Blessing Of Choosing Wisely
By: R’ Mordechai Young
There were times when I was growing up when I had a test or a sports tryout and someone’s words of berachah or confidence helped me out. I’m sure everyone has had moments like that. It’s amazing what words of confidence can do!
In the beginning of this week’s parashah, Re’eh, it states: “See, I am giving before you today the formula of the blessing and curse.” (Re’eh anochi noten lefanecha hayom berachah v’klalah.) The wording of “noten” (giving) is written in the present tense and not the past tense (natan) to remind us that Hashem is giving to us constantly—all day, every day. Dovid Hamelech states in Tehillim 116:12: “How can I repay Hashem for all His kindness to me?” It’s impossible.
The next pasuk in Re’eh states that the blessing is intended to motivate us to heed Hashem’s mitzvos. But when it comes to the curse in the third pasuk, the Torah states, “And the curse will follow if you do not listen to the mitzvos of Hashem.” How come when it comes to the blessing, it doesn’t state “if you do not listen” like it does by the curse?
The Chovos Levavos (Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Pakuda) answers that since the pasuk uses the word “if,” implying doubt, the Torah doesn’t want to write “if” when it comes to doing good, implying that we might not. We can add to this and state that the Torah has confidence in us, believing we will choose good and do good. This infuses us with confidence so we can ignore the yetzer hara and choose good and therefore, be successful. It is also a berachah to us when we choose correctly.
Rashi on pasuk 27 comments that the blessings are given on condition “that you heed.” Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, in “Kol Ram” explains this pasuk that by the blessing, it didn’t state a condition, like with the curse, and the reason is because Hashem is good and does good for us. Hashem wants there to be blessing in the world. So, Hashem made the world in a way where there will be blessings in the world. As an example, the sun always shines, the rain always falls, and the produce always grows. Only when people are sinful does bad come to the world. I was thinking with regard to Rashi’s explanation that the blessing is in condition “that you heed.” How does this fit with Rav Moshe’s explanation? The answer is that the Torah deliberately left out the condition and does not state it like with the curse, which is not the same thing as saying it comes “on condition.” When stating “if,” as Rabbeinu Bachya explained, it implies a certain doubt. When explaining the pasuk on “condition,” there is a confidence there just as when explaining that the blessings will not automatically come. We can see this in how the Sifsei Chachamim explain the Rashi. It should have stated im (if) in the pasuk with blessing like it did by the curse. The way the Torah worded it “Asher tashma’u—that you will hear” implies a guarantee that we will follow the mitzvos. That can’t be, because it states in Gemara Berachos 32b that everything is decided by Heaven except for yiras shamayim. So, in spiritual matters, we have free will, as the Sifsei Chachamim explain; the Torah cannot state for sure that we will do the right thing. That would remove our free will. So, he explains that’s why Rashi wrote on condition “that you heed.” Only then will we get the berachos. He goes on to state that we see a difference since by the curse, it states “if,” and by the blessing it states “asher.” Rashi didn’t want to explain here by blessing “if you listen” but on the condition that you do listen. Is this a problem of the concept that there is no reward for a mitzvah in this world, which the Gemara Kiddushin teaches in general the Torah doesn’t give a reward in this world for mitzvos because a mitzvah, being spiritual, is so great that you can’t package its reward in something physical, which is limited. So how can the Torah state we receive a blessing for listening? We can understand the Torah means the blessing is the listening itself: following the path of the holy Torah. That is the best blessing there is. Rav Aharon Kotler, zt’l, was once talking to a rich individual who didn’t learn Torah. He told the rich person, “Fine, if you don’t want to enjoy the benefits in the Next World for following the Torah, that appears faraway and it’s not concrete to our understanding. You should want to enjoy this world, learning and following the Torah with all the mitzvos is a pleasure.” Here the blessings are the Torah and mitzvos. I was happy to see this explanation in Shaare Aharon, quoting Rabbeinu Bachya and Panim Yafos, that in Pirkei Avos it teaches schar mitzvah—mitzvah (the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah). Doing one brings the opportunity to do another. We see Hashem wants to do good for us, and He has confidence in us to choose correctly. Let’s tap in and thank Hashem and believe in ourselves that spiritually, we can be great!
Have a great Shabbos!
R’ Mordechai Young can be reached for comments at [email protected].
