Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik
Kol Shearith Israel Congregation
Panama City, Panama.
Parashat Bechukotai, the last of the ten portions that make up the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), invites us to think about one of the most debated subjects in religious experience: the theodicy, or, divine justice and how it works.
Our parasha begins by enumerating the blessings from God for observing the mitzvot (Lv.26:3-13) and then moves on to the curses in case you do not comply (Id.26:14-45). Two important principles emerge from these passages. The first is the free will of the human being, and the second is the consequences of the decisions taken as a result of this freedom.
While it is true that the term "theodicy" is relatively new (created by the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz at the beginning of the XVIII century) the desire to understand how Divine retribution works in relation to human behavior is as old as man.
Explaining the suffering of the righteous has always been a challenge for those who are moved by the words of Jeremiah (17:7-8): "Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but its foliage shall be luxuriant; And shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Or whoever shares the vision of the Psalmist (92:12) "The righteous shall flourish like palms…"
However, the author of the book of Job sets forth his objection to the simple equation of suffering with punishment, explaining that the designs of God are incomprehensible to human beings (42:2-3). The appearance of the concept of Olam Habaa (the world to come) in the post-biblical world, seems to be an intent to offer an answer that justifies divine action, when the reality in the Olam Haze (this world) does not seem to do so.
The RaMBaM (Maimonides, Spain XII century) in his well known introduction to chapter 10 of the Sanhedrin tractate in the Mishnah, develops a long discourse on the topic of divine rewards that appear in the Torah. He affirms that it is a pedagogic resource to guide man in his spiritual growth, since man, in his limited capacity, does not appreciate the intrinsic value of observing mitzvot. He needs a stimulus to do it: "Study and you will get a candy or a sweet."
Today, with our almost daily news about earthquakes, floods, and all kinds of natural disasters and accidents, (it’s not that they didn’t happen before, only that today the information arrives immediately and with pictures) it is hard to continue supporting, from a rational point of view, that things happen under the control of the Hashgacha Elohit (Divine Providence).
The different answers to the question of where God was during the Shoah are attempts to build a new theology that includes a redefinition of the theodicy. The impact of such a tragic experience has thrown out traditional definitions.
It might be precisely due to the difficulty of the classical conception of reward and punishment – that continues to dominate our liturgy – that we can return to the Torah and find some valuable lessons for our lives.
If we put aside natural phenomena (today we know much more about where they come from) we can see that our parasha, just like other passages, places the collective, and not the individual, as the recipient of retribution. Rain, harvest, pests, invasions, etc, are phenomena that equally affect all the members of society. Drought, invasion of wild beasts, and the triumph over enemies do not distinguish among the different parts of the community.
In this way, just as society as a whole is the recipient of blessings or curses, we can also assume that the social construct and not the individual is responsible for the consequences of observing or not observing the mitzvot.
If we proceed to the next step and invert the formula, we can thus affirm that a society that functions according to the values of the Torah (justice, solidarity, commitment, peace, etc) will produce a dynamic that allows its members to live a life of "blessings." Meanwhile, a society that does not manifest these principles will be a "curse" to live in.
As such, more than theology and our interpretation of divine justice, the Torah summons us, in a more earthly plane, to be able to build communities that testify to the noblest human qualities and thereby make us generators of life’s blessings. This should be the outlook that guides our way.
Shabbat shalom
Gustavo
Our parasha begins by enumerating the blessings from God for observing the mitzvot (Lv.26:3-13) and then moves on to the curses in case you do not comply (Id.26:14-45). Two important principles emerge from these passages. The first is the free will of the human being, and the second is the consequences of the decisions taken as a result of this freedom.
While it is true that the term "theodicy" is relatively new (created by the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz at the beginning of the XVIII century) the desire to understand how Divine retribution works in relation to human behavior is as old as man.
Explaining the suffering of the righteous has always been a challenge for those who are moved by the words of Jeremiah (17:7-8): "Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but its foliage shall be luxuriant; And shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Or whoever shares the vision of the Psalmist (92:12) "The righteous shall flourish like palms…"
However, the author of the book of Job sets forth his objection to the simple equation of suffering with punishment, explaining that the designs of God are incomprehensible to human beings (42:2-3). The appearance of the concept of Olam Habaa (the world to come) in the post-biblical world, seems to be an intent to offer an answer that justifies divine action, when the reality in the Olam Haze (this world) does not seem to do so.
The RaMBaM (Maimonides, Spain XII century) in his well known introduction to chapter 10 of the Sanhedrin tractate in the Mishnah, develops a long discourse on the topic of divine rewards that appear in the Torah. He affirms that it is a pedagogic resource to guide man in his spiritual growth, since man, in his limited capacity, does not appreciate the intrinsic value of observing mitzvot. He needs a stimulus to do it: "Study and you will get a candy or a sweet."
Today, with our almost daily news about earthquakes, floods, and all kinds of natural disasters and accidents, (it’s not that they didn’t happen before, only that today the information arrives immediately and with pictures) it is hard to continue supporting, from a rational point of view, that things happen under the control of the Hashgacha Elohit (Divine Providence).
The different answers to the question of where God was during the Shoah are attempts to build a new theology that includes a redefinition of the theodicy. The impact of such a tragic experience has thrown out traditional definitions.
It might be precisely due to the difficulty of the classical conception of reward and punishment – that continues to dominate our liturgy – that we can return to the Torah and find some valuable lessons for our lives.
If we put aside natural phenomena (today we know much more about where they come from) we can see that our parasha, just like other passages, places the collective, and not the individual, as the recipient of retribution. Rain, harvest, pests, invasions, etc, are phenomena that equally affect all the members of society. Drought, invasion of wild beasts, and the triumph over enemies do not distinguish among the different parts of the community.
In this way, just as society as a whole is the recipient of blessings or curses, we can also assume that the social construct and not the individual is responsible for the consequences of observing or not observing the mitzvot.
If we proceed to the next step and invert the formula, we can thus affirm that a society that functions according to the values of the Torah (justice, solidarity, commitment, peace, etc) will produce a dynamic that allows its members to live a life of "blessings." Meanwhile, a society that does not manifest these principles will be a "curse" to live in.
As such, more than theology and our interpretation of divine justice, the Torah summons us, in a more earthly plane, to be able to build communities that testify to the noblest human qualities and thereby make us generators of life’s blessings. This should be the outlook that guides our way.
Shabbat shalom
Gustavo
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