[Par-reg] Parshat Re'ay - shiur #3

Thu Aug 13 10:31:39 EDT 2009

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        THE TANACH STUDY CENTER [http://www.tanach.org]
		In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
	Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem Leibtag
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               For Parshat Re'ay    //   Who's to Blame,
or What's to Gain

    There's a short sentence in Parshat Re'ay, that
appears to be 'misplaced' - for it commands us to
'remember our slavery in Egypt' specifically on the
holiday of Shavuot!  [See Devarim 16:12]
	Would it not have made more sense to include this
commandment together with the laws of Passover?
	In the following shiur, we'll explain how this
'misplaced pasuk' is precisely where it belongs, by
considering its connection to a mega-theme of the Bible
(and Sefer Devarim).
    Hopefully, it will also shed some light on what we can
relate to more 'current' events.  

INTRODUCTION
	As you were probably aware, the Torah 'repeats'
the holidays towards the end of Parshat Re'ay (see
16:1-17).  In that section, we find three distinct
'parshiot'; corresponding to Pesach (16:1-8), Shavuot
(16:9-12), and Succot (16:13-17).
[In Chutz la'aretz, this section is the Torah reading for
8th day of Passover, 2nd Day of Shavuot, and Shmini
Atzeret!] 

	Even though these laws seem to be pretty much a
repeat (or summary) of the laws of the holidays recorded
earlier in Chumash (see Shmot 23:14-17, Vayikra 23, and
Bamidbar 28-29), this unit adds (and emphasizes) an
additional element - the need to celebrate these three
'pilgrimage holidays' at "ha'makom asher yivchar Hashem"
[the site that God will choose]. 
[See 16:2,6,7,11,15 & 17!  - In our previous shiur, we
explained how this was congruent with theme of "ha'makom
asher yivchar Hashem" that began back at the beginning of
Parshat Re'ay.]

	However, there is another "chidush" [something
new] in this section, i.e. the commandment of "simcha"
(see 16:11 & 16:14-15) - i.e. to rejoice before God.  Yet
for some reason, this commandment is mentioned
specifically in regard to Shavuot and Succot (and not in
regard to Pesach).  
	To explain why, we must take a closer look at how
the Torah words this commandment 'to rejoice'.  In doing
so, we will arrive at a deeper understanding why the Torah
tell us immediately afterward 'to remember'. 

SIMCHAT YOM TOV - FOR WHOM?
	Let's begin our study with the laws of Shavuot in
Parshat Re'ay.  Note how the opening psukim describe what
appears to be a very simple agricultural holiday, thanking
God for the seasonal grain harvest.
"Count seven weeks; from the time the sickle is first put
to the standing corn, you shall begin to count seven
weeks. 
And you shall keep the 'feast of weeks' unto Hashem your
Lord - by the measure of the freewill-offering of thy
hand, which you shall give as Hashem has blessed you."
(16:9-10)

    This commandment to keep "Shavuot" is followed by the
special mitzvah to rejoice on that holiday.  As you read
these psukim, pay careful attention to WHO is commanded to
be happy:
And you shall REJOICE before HASHEM... you & your son &
your daughter & your man-servant, & your maid-servant, &
the Levite that is within your gates, & the stranger, &
the orphan & the widow, that are in your midst - in the
place which Hashem shall choose to cause His name to dwell
there.  And your shall remember that you were once a slave
in Egypt..." (see 16:11-12)

	Two obvious questions arise :
1) Why doesn't the Torah just tell us that EVERYONE must
be happy?  [Why such a lengthy list of people?]  
2) What is the purpose of the 'additional' commandment to
remember that we were once slaves in Egypt?  Wasn't that
the purpose of the holiday of Passover, celebrated only
six week earlier!

	Furthermore, when the Torah continues with the
laws of Succot, we find a similar commandment to REJOICE
on that holiday as well, followed by an almost identical
lengthy list of people who need to be happy (see 16:14)!
Yet for some reason, this 'mitzvah to rejoice' is only
recorded by Shavuot and Succot, but not by Pesach. 

	The answers to these questions (as you probably
guessed) are inter-related, and relate to the purpose of
these two harvest holidays - Shavuot, when we thank God
for our grain harvest; and Succot - when we thank God for
our fruit harvest.

LAND OWNERS & HAPPINESS
	Take a look once again at the list of the people
who the Torah commands to rejoice, noting how just about
all of them do not own land.  The Levite by the Torah's
decree (see 18:1), the stranger due to his social
predicament, the orphan and widow due to a family tragedy.
	Note how this list looks more like a roster of
those who are NOT happy at this time of the year - as
everyone around them are gathering their wealth (while own
nothing). 
    In other words, the land owner will be very happy
during this time of year - even if the Torah didn't
command him to be happy; while the other people in the
Torah's list will not be happy (more likely jealous),
commandment or not! 
    And this is exactly what the Torah is talking about! 
    Unlike our original assumption, the Torah does not
command everyone in this list to be happy; rather it
commands the land owner to share his natural happiness
with the 'have-nots'.  
    Surely he must rejoice by thanking God for his
harvest, but he accomplishes this by sharing his produce
with the downtrodden, helping them rejoice at this special
time of the year.
    This interpretation also explains why this mitzvah of
"simcha" is recorded in regard to Shavuot and Succot -
which are both seasonal harvest holidays, and not on
Pesach - when the harvest is just beginning, and its
outcome remains in doubt
[This does not imply that there is not a mitzvah of
"simcha" on Pesach, rather its application by providing
for the needy does not apply in realm of agriculture
(harvest produce), as it does on Shavuot & Succot .] 

REMEMBER YOU WERE ONCE A 'HAVE-NOT'!
	This interpretation also neatly explains why the
Torah reminds us to remember that we were once slaves in
Egypt, specifically after this commandment to rejoice with
the downtrodden on Shavuot.  Recall once again the
juxtaposition of these two commandments:
"... REJOICE before HASHEM... you & your son & your
daughter & your man-servant, & your maid-servant, & the
Levite that is within your gates, & the stranger, &  the
orphan & the widow, that are in your midst....
 ** Remember that you were once a slave in Egypt!" 

    This 'reminder' to - remember you were once a slave -
should not be understood as an additional commandment, but
rather as a 'statement of motivation'.  In other words, to
make sure that we fulfill the Torah's commandment that we
share our happiness with the needy, the Torah reminds us
that once the entire nation of Israel was in the position
of the 'downtrodden' under Egyptian bondage.  That
difficult experience should be remembered to sensitize our
feelings toward the poor, and hence motivate our
commitment to follow God's command to share our rejoicing
on Shavuot and Succot with the 'have-nots'.
    In fact, that may have been the very reason why God
put is through that difficult period of "shiabud mitzraim"
- enslavement in Egypt- in order to sensitize our national
character, to ensure our constant awareness to care for
social justice.

THE SAME PHRASE THROUGHOUT SEFER DEVARIM
	To support our interpretation that to 'remember
you were once a slave in Egypt' should be understood as a
'statement of motivation' (and not a separate mitzvah).
Let's examine how this identical phrase is used numerous
times in Sefer Devarim, and always in this same context,
i.e. as a motivator to follow commandments relating to
social justice.

EVED IVRI 
	Previously in Parshat Re'ay, in regard to the laws
of how to free an "eved ivri" [a Hebrew servant], we find
this exact same phrase:
"If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold
to you, he shall serve you six years; and in the seventh
year thou shall let him go free. And when our let him go
free - don't let him go empty; You shall furnish him
liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy
threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; of that which
Hashem has blessed you...
** Remember that you were once a bondman in the land of
Egypt, and Hashem redeemed you..."  (see 15:12-15)

    Clearly, in this context, this phrase serves as a
'motivator' to keep the previous commandment (and not as a
commandment in itself).  [Note how most all of chapter 15
relates to social justice.]

IN PARSHAT KI-TEZE
	Later on in Sefer Devarim, we find numerous
mitzvot relating to social justice, and especially in
chapter 24.  We bring two examples where this phrase is
used once again as a 'motivator':
"Do not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy,
whether he be your brother or a stranger in your land...
In the same day thou shalt give him his hire....
Do not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the
orphan; nor take the widow's raiment to pledge. 
Remember that you were once a bondman in Egypt..."
     (see 24:14-18)

	Only a few psukim later, when the Torah discusses
the laws of "leket" & "shikcha", we find this phrase once
again:
"When you reap thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a
sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go back to fetch it; it
shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the
widow ....
When you beat your olive-tree, do not go over the boughs
again; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan and
widow.
When you gather the grapes of thy vineyard, do not glean
it, it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan and
widow.
Remember that you were once a bondman in Egypt..."
     (see 24:19-22)

IN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!
    Based on these examples, we can bring one final (and
thematically significant) proof from Sefer Devarim - and
this time from the Ten Commandments!
    Recall how the Fourth Commandment - to keep Shabbat -
is worded differently in Sefer Devarim.  Not only is the
opening word "shamor" instead of "zachor", but the very
reason for keeping Shabbat is different.  According the
Commandment in Shmot, the reason for resting on Shabbat is
to remember that God created the Heavens & Earth in seven
days; while the reason to rest in the Sefer Devarim
version is to allow your workers a day of rest!
    As you read this Commandment, note how we find our
'phrase', and how once again it is employed as a
'motivator' - to ensure that we keep this commandment:
"Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy...
You shall not do any work, you, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant...
nor the stranger that is within thy gates; in order that
your man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as
you!
Remember that you were once a bondman in Egypt and the
LORD thy God brought you out..." (see 5:11-14)

    We are commanded to rest on Shabbat, in order that our
workers can rest - followed by the 'motivator': Remember
you were once a slave in Egypt - and there, your bosses
never gave you a day of rest!

    Based on these numerous examples, the meaning of the
phrase 'Remember you were once a slave in Egypt' is very
clear in Sefer Devarim.  It consistently serves as a
'motivator' to encourage us to keep a rather wide range of
laws, but all relating to social justice - and our need to
be sensitive to the needs of others. 

A MEGA-THEME 
	Let's return for a minute the concluding lines of
the mitzvah to keep Shabbat in Sefer Devarim.  Even though
it is commonly understood that the reason for Shabbat in
Devarim is to remember the Exodus ("zecher l'yetziat
Mitzraim"), a careful reading of its final lines leads us
to slightly different conclusion:
"Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy ...  You shall
not do any manner of work... in order that your servant
and maid-servant may rest as well as you.  Remember that
you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and God brought
you out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm;
THEREFORE God commanded you to keep the sabbath day "
(5:11-14)

	Note how the purpose of Shabbat, according to this
commandment, is NOT to remember the Exodus, but rather to
allow your workers a day rest!  This commandment, as we
explained above, is followed by the 'motivator' - Remember
you were once a slave in Egypt.  In other words - when you
were slaves in Egypt, you masters never gave you a day of
rest.  Now that you have become God's special nation, be
sure give your servants the kindness that you wished your
masters had given you.
    However, immediately after this 'motivator' statement,
we find an additional comment, which explains HOW God
brought us out of Egypt (see again the quote above).  It
appears that the Torah wants us to remember (on Shabbat)
not only that we were once slaves in Egypt, but also HOW
God took us out of Egypt.
    In the context of giving our workers a day of rest, it
makes sense that we must remember our 'slavery in Egypt',
but why must we also remember that God took us out?  Is
this simply an expression of gratitude, or does this
comment serve as a 'motivator' as well?  If so, what is
its meaning?
    To answer this question, we must return to our
discussion of the purpose of "brit bein ha'btarim" (see
related shiurim on Parshat Lech Lecha, Sefer Shmot, and
the Haggada), and the reason why God forecasted Am
Yisrael's 'bondage in a foreign land' at the same time
when he chose Avraham Avinu to become the forefather of
His special nation.  
    In those shiurim, we explained how God chose Avraham
to  establish 'model nation' (characterized by "tzedek
u'mishpat" /Breishit 18:18-19), that would bring the 'Name
of God' to mankind.  Towards this purpose, God promised
Avraham not only offspring and a special land - but He
also forecasted the need for his offspring to endure
decades of slavery followed by redemption - in order to
become that nation.  We posited that one of the reasons
for that 'slavery experience' would be to 'sensitize' the
nation - to encourage them to establish a nation with a
much higher moral and ethical standard (than Egypt).

    If so, one could suggest that the Torah mentions the
Exodus in relation to Shabbat in order that we remember
WHY God took us out Egypt (and not simply that He took us
out).
    In this sense, our mention of the Exodus on Shabbat
serves not only as an expression of gratitude, but more so
as a 'recognition of destiny and purpose'. 
[This would be the deeper meaning of "zecher le'yetziat
mitzraim" that we mention in Kidush on Friday night.   See
also Rashi on Shmot 13:8 ("ba'avur zeh"), where he explain
to our children how God took us out of Egypt in order that
we eat matza (& keep all of His mitzvot); in contrast to
eating matza - because God took us out of Egypt.]

    This mega-theme is congruent with Sefer Devarim, for
in the main speech, Moshe Rabeinu is teaching Bnei Yisrael
the mtizvot that they must keep once they enter the Land
of Israel.  As the overall purpose of these mitzvot is to
establish Am Yisrael as a nation representing God, it only
makes sense that we find this theme of 'remembering you
were a slave in Egypt' repeated so often.  [See Devarim
4:5-8 and 26:16-19.]

A SIGNIFICANT CONTRADICTION
	This apparent contradiction in regard to the
reason for Shabbat between Shmot (to remember Creation)
and Devarim (to be kind to your workers) carries a very
powerful message.
	By intentionally 'contradicting itself', the Torah
expects the reader to notice this contradiction and
contemplate why!  In other words, why would the Torah
first provide a reason for Shabbat in the realm of one
personal relationship with God ("bein adam la'makom"), and
in a later version of the Ten Commandments provide a
totally different reason in the realm of man's
relationship with his fellow man ("bein adam
le'chaveiro").
	This contradiction may be precisely the message!
The simple recognition by man that God created the heavens
and earth is not enough.  For that knowledge to become
meaningful, man must translate his intellectual
understanding into the realm of his daily actions, or in
our case, to the realm of social inter-action.  In this
manner, he not only shows God his belief in Creation, but
also his recognition of its purpose.
[It should be noted that these two 'complementing' reasons
for Shabbat appear in Sefer Shmot itself (and are not only
a contradiction between Devarim and Shmot).  See Shmot
23:9-12, noting the context on Shabbat within the laws of
Parshat Mishpatim.]

BACK TO SHAVUOT
	With this background, we can return to the laws of
Shavuot in Parshat Re'ay.  Recall how the first
commandment is to rejoice before God at the time of your
grain harvest (see Devarim 16:9-11) - which was followed
immediately afterward by the commandment to rejoice
together with those who don't own their own land.  
	Here were find a theme very similar to what we
found in regard to Shabbat.  The Torah wants the farmer to
recognize that his harvest comes from God, but to
formalize that intellectual understanding, the Torah
commands the farmer to take action.  He must rejoice in
front of God by sharing his harvest with those who are
needy - with those who would otherwise be rather depressed
during this time of the agricultural year.
	We find a beautiful expression of this
understanding in Rashi's commentary to these psukim:
"The Levite, stranger, orphan, and widow: - My four
against your four: your son, daughter, servant, and
maidservant.  If you make My four happy, I [God] will make
your four happy."  (See Rashi on 16:11.)

BACK TO SEFER SHMOT
	This concept, that our slavery in Egypt should
serve as a 'sensitizing experience' for all future
generations of Am Yisrael, finds a similar expression in
Sefer Shmot - both at the beginning and end of a full set
of ethical laws within Parshat Mishpatim (see 22:19 thru
23:9).  That section of ethical laws begins with:
"And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou
oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 
Do not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. Should
afflict them in any wise--for if they cry at all unto Me,
I will surely hear their cry...."

And concludes with:
"Keep thee far from a false matter ....Do not take a
bribe...
Do not oppress the stranger - for you know the soul
[nefesh] of a stranger, seeing you were strangers in the
land of Egypt."  (see 23:7-9)

	This theme which he have discussed in Sefer
Devarim had already emerged when the Torah presented its
first set of laws that followed the Ten Commandments (in
Parshat Mishpatim). 

BACK TO THE FUTURE
	We will never know for sure exactly why God found
it necessary to put us through such a difficult bondage in
Egypt.  Was it in punishment for the sins of our
forefathers, or was it in preparation for the challenges
of our future?
    We may conjecture and ponder, but we trust that God is
just in all His ways (see Devarim 32:4-6).
    However, based on our shiur, we do have a pretty good
idea of how God wanted us to learn from those negative
experiences; and how our national suffering can become the
impetus for the improvement of our own behavior.
    Similarly, we will never know for sure exactly why God
has brought upon us such calamity throughout the thousands
of years of our history, even in our own time.  We may
conjecture and ponder, but we will never know for sure.
    But we can be pretty sure that God would expect that
we become sensitized by our experiences.  
After national calamities, we usually tend to dedicate our
energies in search of who's to blame, or to gloat in 'I
told you so', or to conjecture regarding God's deeper
motives.
However, we can also contemplate the suffering in those
events, and take a 'hint' from God that maybe He would
like us to improve ourselves.  To increase our sensitivity
for those who are homeless, for those in need of food, and
for those in need of friendship.
    If we follow the lesson from Parshat Re'ay, we have
much to gain - if we can translate the understanding of
our experiences into actions of increased "chessed",
"mishpat", and "tzedaka" in the months and years to come. 
    If not, we will only have ourselves to blame.

    					shabbat shalom,
    					menachem  

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