Why Does the Torah Contain Harsh Curses? Part II

Avi asks: "I come across frightening verses like ‘and He will destroy you,’ harsh curses and the like. I find it hard to understand, and it weakens me. I want to strengthen my faith in God’s love and mercy through Torah study."

* * *

As previously explained, the Torah is full of evidence of God’s love — through His great acts of salvation and through verses of explicit affection. Against this background, we can now try to understand the verses of admonition and warning.

Some commandments are easily understood by human reason; these are referred to as mishpatim (laws). Others are divine decrees beyond human comprehension, like the commandment of the Red Heifer; these are chukim (statutes).

Regarding mitzvot between man and his fellow, we clearly see God’s love for His people: He wants us to love one another, to act with justice and fairness — not only outwardly, but with genuine concern and care from the heart.

The Torah that taught us: “Love your fellow as yourself” — a commandment that requires us to think of others as we think of ourselves. The Ten Commandments include “Do not covet” and “Do not hate your brother in your heart.” The Torah obligates us to avoid gossip, to help even our enemy’s donkey, to care for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, to lend to the needy, to tithe generously, and much more. These are not suggestions but binding commandments. A King who demands such profound love between people is clearly the God of boundless love.

The Torah also declares explicitly that God is “a compassionate and gracious God” (Shemot 34:6). Our sages even referred to Him simply as “Rachmana—the Merciful One.”

God as the Source of Mercy

God is the very source of mercy and He implanted mercy into the human heart. Every act of compassion we feel comes from Him. Without His divine gift, humans would be no different from animals. A cat does not feel pity for another wounded cat crying in the street. Humans however weep for widows, orphans, and the poor, because God placed His own mercy within us.

The Torah promises: “He will give you compassion, and have compassion on you” (Devarim 13:18). The Jewish People became known as “a people of mercy, children of the Merciful One” because of this gift. Mercy means giving even when justice alone would not demand it: “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy” (Shemot 33:19).

When we wonder, “Does God really have mercy on me?”, the answer lies in our own hearts. The very compassion we feel is proof of His mercy, for He implanted it within us. If we, as limited humans, feel mercy toward ourselves and others, how much more so does God, whose mercy is infinite.

Why the Torah Contains Harsh Warnings

Only in light of this truth can we correctly understand the Torah’s harsh admonitions and curses.

Judaism teaches that God created a system of justice: a mitzvah brings more mitzvot, and a sin brings more sins. The world mirrors our actions. If not for this system, creation itself would have no stability: “Thus says the Lord: If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have set the laws of heaven and earth” (Yirmiyahu 33:25).

This principle existed even before Sinai: the generation of the Flood perished, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, and the Canaanite nations were wiped out, because of their cruelty and corruption. As the Torah says: “Because of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God drives them out before you” (Devarim 9:5).

Just as there are natural laws in health — where a parent’s frightening warnings about germs or smoking are not curses but protection, so too the Torah’s harsh language is not to curse us but to save us from self-destruction.

A mother who sees her toddler putting a sharp object in his mouth will not speak gently, but will shout urgently. A father who sees his son drawn into drugs will use strong words to warn him of danger. The “severity” of the warning reflects the severity of the danger.

Admonition as a Sign of Love

The Torah’s rebukes are so sharp because of how precious we are to God. If apathy signals indifference, then strong admonition signals deep concern and love. As Shlomo Hamelech (King Solomon) said: “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, like a father the son in whom he delights” (Mishlei 3:12).

God does not punish out of vengeance, Heaven forbid, but out of love and concern — to atone, to correct, to straighten our path: “Know in your heart, that just as a father disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you” (Devarim 8:5).

The prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) emphasized that it is sin that harms us, not God: “Do they provoke Me? — says the Lord. Is it not themselves, to the shame of their own faces?” (Yirmiyahu 7:19)

The Real Choice

The Torah contains more verses of rebuke than of comfort, precisely because this world is full of temptations that can easily lead us astray. God warns us because He wants us to live, and not to lose our purpose in this world or the next.

As it is written: “See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil… I command you to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments… therefore choose life, so that you and your offspring may live, to love the Lord your God, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him — for He is your life and the length of your days” (Devarim 30:15–20).