When G-d Sounds Harsh: The Deeper Meaning Behind Tough Words in the Torah

Tsahi asks: "I wanted to know why, in the written Torah, it sometimes seems that G-d speaks in a harsh tone, using strong language like 'He will destroy you,' etc. I find it hard to connect to that. I’d appreciate an explanation. Thank you."

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Dear Tsahi,
Thank you for your important question.

Let’s start by remembering that, alongside the Torah’s words of rebuke, there are many verses filled with love:

• “Because G-d loved you…” (Deuteronomy 7:8)

• “The Lord desired to love them…” (Deuteronomy 11:13)

• “For the Lord your G-d loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:6)

• “Because He loved your ancestors…” (Deuteronomy 4:37)

• “You are children of the Lord your G-d” (Deuteronomy 14:1)

• “Know in your heart that just as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your G-d disciplines you” (Deuteronomy 8:5)

• “I drew them with human cords, with bands of love” (Hosea 11:4)

• “I have loved you, says the Lord” (Malachi 1)

And don’t forget, G-d asks the same from us: “You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart…” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Love is central to our relationship with G-d. The Torah consistently compares our connection with G-d to a loving father caring for his child and wanting only their good.

That said, it’s true that the Torah contains many more verses of rebuke than of affection. This too, has a clear reason. Our world is filled with temptations and desires that pull us away from G-d. These distractions are the root of so much suffering and loss to the extent that many people end up missing the true purpose of life, or worse, carry serious moral and spiritual failings with them to the next world.

Imagine a loving father who sees his young child reaching for something dangerous. He won’t calmly suggest putting it down, but he’ll speak firmly and urgently. If a parent sees their older child getting involved with addictive substances or toxic influences, they’ll likely speak even more strongly, because their child’s life is at risk.

In a similar vein, the Torah warns us, often forcefully, about the dangers of sin. In Deuteronomy 30:15, we read: “See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil…I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse—therefore choose life, so that you and your children may live, to love the Lord your G-d, to listen to His voice, and to cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.”

Fear is a powerful human emotion. The Torah uses it strategically to keep people away from destructive behaviors. Many ideas that seem obvious to us today such as belief in one, non-physical G-d, or prohibitions against incest, were radical at the time the Torah was given. In a world where such things were common and accepted, the Torah needed to speak in strong, uncompromising terms to leave no room for confusion. That strength helped preserve Jewish identity and morality through generations of challenge and exile.

G-d wants us to live and He wants us to choose good. He therefore warns us sternly, not only about evil, but about the danger of missing out on the good. If a father sees his child about to lose his family, career, or the deal of a lifetime, he must speak with the gravity the situation demands.

King Solomon summed it up simply: “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, as a father does a child he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:12) The Torah’s harsh tone reveals just how important we are to G-d, how much He loves us, and how deeply He wants to protect us. The greater the rebuke, the greater the value He places on us.

Still, many people today struggle to connect with these strong words. In the early generations after the giving of the Torah, people had much stronger spiritual awareness and were able to handle hard truths and use them to grow.

Our generation is more fragile in certain ways, and education has had to adapt. Harsh rebukes don’t usually sit well with young people today, who need more emotional sensitivity and support to receive moral guidance. In truth, it takes a lot of maturity to appreciate rebuke and to recognize how much love can be hidden inside it.

G-d still loves us immensely, just as much as ever, although we may have a harder time sensing it. Today’s Jewish ethical literature often focuses more on love, so that we don’t forget, even for a moment, how great and boundless G-d’s love is for each and every one of us.