Parashat Hashavua: Shavuot
What choice or voice is available to each of us within the system of laws that originates from Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah, which we celebrate on Shavuot? At the outset, when we were deciding as a people whether to receive the Torah, the choice seemed to be ours when God said, “if you will listen to My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples; all the earth is Mine. You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation / אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ: וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ.” (Ex. 19:5-6) But if we didn’t? On that the Torah is quiet, perhaps because of how quickly “all the people answered as one, saying, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’ / וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ כׇל־הָעָ֤ם יַחְדָּו֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶׂ֑ה.” (Ex. 19:8)
Once we accepted the Covenant – after we were in the system – things got a bit more complicated. On the one hand, towards the end of the Torah, God still echoes the earlier language when reminding us that “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your offspring can live. Love the Lord your God, by listening to His voice and holding fast to Him / הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ: לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדׇבְקָה־ב֑וֹ.” (Deut. 30:19-20) However, that language is preceded by a threat: “if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, I tell you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not endure on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess / וְאִם־יִפְנֶ֥ה לְבָבְךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע וְנִדַּחְתָּ֗ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֛יתָ לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים וַעֲבַדְתָּֽם׃ הִגַּ֤דְתִּי לָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּן לֹא־תַאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה עֹבֵר֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לָב֥וֹא שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃.” (Deut. 30:17-18) While that tone is not surprising in light of all the bumps on the road during our wilderness journey, the apparent lack of any real choice is striking considering where we started. It seems there was no opt out.
And the system itself also feels limiting. “Be careful,” the Torah cautions, “to observe only what I command you: neither add to it nor take away from it / אֵ֣ת כׇּל־הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָנֹכִי֙ מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֹת֥וֹ תִשְׁמְר֖וּ לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת לֹא־תֹסֵ֣ף עָלָ֔יו וְלֹ֥א תִגְרַ֖ע מִמֶּֽנּוּ.” (Deut. 13:1) Furthermore, when there is some question regarding a law’s meaning, the ruling of an authority is declared absolute: “According to the Torah taught to you and the law you shall act; do not deviate from what they tell you to the right or left / עַל־פִּ֨י הַתּוֹרָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יוֹר֗וּךָ וְעַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֛ט אֲשֶׁר־יֹאמְר֥וּ לְךָ֖ תַּעֲשֶׂ֑ה לֹ֣א תָס֗וּר מִן־הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־יַגִּ֥ידֽוּ לְךָ֖ יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹֽאל׃.” (Deut. 17:11)
Thank God for Chazal, the Rabbis of Blessed Memory, who found justification in more than one place from that same Torah to interpret it beyond the bounds of literal meaning. For example, back when we were receiving a second set of luchot to replace the first ones that Moshe smashed (itself an action fraught with meaning), “the Lord said to Moshe: ‘Write these words for you, because according to these words I have made a covenant with you and Israel / וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כְּתׇב־לְךָ֖ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֞י עַל־פִּ֣י הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה כָּרַ֧תִּי אִתְּךָ֛ בְּרִ֖ית וְאֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃.” (Ex. 34:27) Based on the language of “According to / עַל־פִּ֣י,” which literally means “by the mouth of,” Rabbi Yochanan goes so far as to say that “the Holy Blessed One only made a covenant with the Jewish people for the sake of oral teaching / לֹא כָּרַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּרִית עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל דְּבָרִים שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה.” (Gittin 60b) In light of the passages we saw above in the Torah regarding its own authority, this is a tremendous statement.
Moreover, disagreement was thankfully something that in the main was celebrated. In Pirkei Avot it is famously taught that, “Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will endure in the end / כָּל מַחֲלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם.” (Pirkei Avot 5:17) Also, authority was not absolute or eternal: “Why are the opinions of Shammai and Hillel recorded unnecessarily? To teach future generations that a person should not stand on their opinion, because our ancestors did not stand on theirs. And why are the opinions of an individual among the many when the law is according to the many? So that if a court prefers the opinion of the individual, then they can rely on it / וְלָמָּה מַזְכִּירִין אֶת דִּבְרֵי שַׁמַּאי וְהִלֵּל לְבַטָּלָה, לְלַמֵּד לַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם עוֹמֵד עַל דְּבָרָיו, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֲבוֹת הָעוֹלָם לֹא עָמְדוּ עַל דִּבְרֵיהֶם. וְלָמָּה מַזְכִּירִין דִּבְרֵי הַיָּחִיד בֵּין הַמְרֻבִּין, הוֹאִיל וְאֵין הֲלָכָה אֶלָּא כְדִבְרֵי הַמְרֻבִּין. שֶׁאִם יִרְאֶה בֵית דִּין אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַיָּחִיד וְיִסְמֹךְ עָלָיו.” (Eduyot 1:4-5)
In “The Jewish Political Tradition,” Rabbi Nachman of Breslav is quoted as describing the value of debate beautifully, by comparing to the kabbalistic notion that the world exists because God scaled back to create room for it: “You should know that controversy has the quality of creating the world. [God] withdrew…to the sides, providing the vacant space within which was created all that was created…through words. The same applies to controversies. For if all the Sages were in agreement, there would be no room for creating the world. It is only by virtue of their controversies through which they depart from one another, each taking himself to one side, that a quality of vacant space is provided between them… For all the words each of them speaks are all for the sake of creating the world, which they enable within the vacant space between them.” (p. 365)
As we enter Shavuot, may we engage in learned and profound debate, offering our words and deeds for the sake of heaven, in order to create new worlds.
Chag sameach and Shabbat shalom!
Rabbi Jack Nahmod
Middle School Rabbi and Judaic Studies Head (Ivrit/Tanach/Toshba/Tefillah)
