Why Does the Torah Contain Harsh Rebukes? Part 3

Evyatar asked:

"Greetings. I see all that Hashem has given us and believe with all my heart that He is merciful and gracious, yet in the holy Torah, I encounter frightening verses like 'and He will destroy you,' severe curses, etc. It is difficult for me to understand this."

* * *

First, I would like to note that I was pleased to see that this series of articles helps, with Hashem's assistance, those who have struggled with this question for a long time, becoming an obstacle to their connection to the Torah of Hashem, about which it is said, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17), and "The law of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul" (Psalms 19:8). All their desire is to feel this pleasantness: "One thing I have asked of Hashem, that will I seek... to gaze upon the pleasantness of Hashem and to visit in His temple" (Psalms 27:4). May it be His will that this opens a door for all of us.

The Torah spoke to us in each generation according to our spiritual capacities, and even in the wilderness generation, it differentiated between men and women, as the verse states: "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel" (Exodus 19:3), which Rashi explains: "To the house of Jacob - these are the women, you shall say to them gently; and tell the sons of Israel - explain to the men punishments and details in harsh words or sinews."

* * *

How Can There Be a Moral Nation in an Immoral World?

In previous articles we learned about Hashem's love from what is written in the Torah, and about the purpose of rebuke to save from harm, similar to a father warning his son of dangers.

However, in my humble opinion, there is also a great and essential historical purpose in the harsh language of the Torah, which created strong emotions in the hearts of the readers, prompting them to strengthen the observance of the Torah over generations without deviating from it.

Our generation, as is well known, struggles to accept harsh and sharp rebukes, and seeks to be treated with kid gloves. Thus, there are young people who struggle to endure the Torah's frightening rebukes and curses. We can explain to them that there is an important historical reason behind this writing - we would not have a Torah today without it!

Let us consider where and when the Torah was given.

Before the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel were in the 49th level of impurity and nearly entered the 50th gate. Moreover, the sages said: "When Israel was commanded concerning forbidden relations, they cried and accepted this commandment with protest and weeping, as it is said (Numbers 11:10): 'Bemoaning their families' - concerning family matters" (Shabbat 130b).

Now, let us logically ask: could an entire nation be distanced from the severe impurities they were familiar with in Egypt and sanctified through gentle and soft words, filled with kindness and affection?

Severe impurities, to which the soul of a person longs and desires, cannot be cut out of the soul except through strong and clear language (and the proof is that even after the harsh language heard by the children of Israel, they still sinned in the incident of Baal Peor, as told in Numbers 25, and all the more so would they have sinned and defiled a hundredfold had they heard about these commandments in gentler and softer language).

There is no doubt that strong rebukes and revelations of severe punishments were necessary to establish eternal ethical laws in our people, to eradicate from their hearts the abominations of Egypt and the temptations of the Canaanite peoples around them, which is essentially the only way to shape a people at the beginning of their journey and turn them into the holiest nation in the world for 3,300 years. This is how we became a light to the nations, so that all peoples learn morality from us: "Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people'" (Deuteronomy 4:6).

We look at the current world and are accustomed to 'moral' cultures around us (or more accurately: cultures that speak about promoting morality and values, because the very fact that there is such public discourse is itself a historical novelty). We forget that it is the Torah that shaped the world, as the two largest religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, are based on and imitate our Book of the Torah. Only thanks to us did humanity learn the severity of acts of abomination and wickedness, and for the first time learned a concept of caring for the poor and disadvantaged. The only cultures that rejected the values of the Torah were Communist Russia and China, and the infamous Nazi empire, which by abandoning Torah morals, devalued human life in a horrifying manner.

Before the giving of the Torah, nations did not recognize the value of human life, and their 'morality' dictated that it was natural for the strong and wealthy to rule the weak and vanquished at will. The powerful did not believe they had any moral obligations towards those weaker than themselves, such as women, slaves, the poor, and the defeated, and therefore saw no need to enact laws to protect the landless poor and slaves.

Accordingly, these ancient nations were mired in acts of immorality, bloodshed, theft, and corruption, severe acts that persisted even in the 'advanced' Greek and Roman empires.

It was a dangerous time to travel: "And Abraham said: Because I said surely there is no fear of Hashem in this place and they will kill me over my wife" (Genesis 20:11); "and the people of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house, from every quarter. They called to Lot and said to him, Where are the men who came to you...?" (Genesis 19:4).

Thus the Torah tells us about the neighboring peoples: "For the people of the land, who were before you, did all these abominations, and the land was defiled... so keep my requirement not to do any of the detestable things that were done before you and do not defile yourselves by them. I am Hashem your God" (Leviticus 18:27-30).

Imagine how frightening it is to stand before a group of people who do not understand the concept of justice and moral obligation to a stranger at all, looking at him as an object of abandonment. The statement "You shall not murder" or "You shall not steal" or "You shall not stand by the blood of your neighbor" is not comprehensible to them at all!

You could see them committing the most horrific atrocities without batting an eye, and if you were to say to them, "How can you behave with such cruelty, it is unfair! It is immoral! It is unjust! What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow!" - they would look at you as if you were speaking Chinese...

Indeed, they know not to murder each other within the group according to the king's current decisions because there can be no state cooperation without laws, but they do not understand at all that there is such a moral obligation in essence - a universal and divine obligation - to care for another person. Concern and responsibility towards our weaker brothers, regardless of place and time.

I saw someone claim that the greatest novelty of the Nuremberg Trials was the coining of the term "crimes against humanity." Such a concept can only logically have meaning based on a spiritual belief in universal divine justice and can never be justified based solely on arbitrary laws dependent on some political decision.

The Torah is what revealed to the world laws of personal commitment and care for others, imparted morality to the nations, and gave humanity some form of human shape. But where could this morality have been revealed if not from the chosen people?

Therefore, a very stable and strong moral system was required within the Jewish people. To exert such a profound influence on humanity and eventually bring about its redemption, we must be faithful to the Torah: "Lo, it is a people that dwells alone; it is not reckoned among the nations" (Numbers 23:9), a people capable of standing on its own, in its morality, and being a compass for the whole world, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Precisely because we are alone in the world - we must be strong in our spirit. A dark people cannot be a light to the nations, the fire of the Torah must burn brightly and steadily in our hearts. Such a grand objective cannot be achieved except through penetrating ethical discipline: "For it is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance" (Exodus 34:9).

There is no doubt that the Jewish people is a unique and moral nation in the world, but let us see it at its beginning - just emerging from Egypt's dirtiest abominations. How could a clear moral framework be forged that would continue for future generations? How could a nation that refrains from adultery be created in a world that treated abominations as a given?

Meaning: it is the severe rebuke in the Torah that shaped the Jewish people who came out of Egypt, giving them the strength and courage to stand against the rampant immorality and promiscuity of all the nations surrounding them in the ancient world, against their "taken-for-granted" culture viewed from all sides.

Such an exalted goal cannot be achieved in soft language. For example, the Torah tells us about the limitations of the people upon their exodus from Egypt: "For God said, 'Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt'" (Exodus 13:17). The entire management and shaping of the Jewish people is divine wisdom, a spiritual strategy for thousands of years, and not something that could be achieved in one day. Though the birth pangs are difficult, this is how the chosen people came into the world - through suffering, and their eternal benefit is invaluable.

* * *

Not In Your Righteousness and Uprightness of Heart!

I will use one example to illustrate this. The Torah speaks to the Jewish people in harsh language: "Not in your righteousness and uprightness of heart are you going to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations, Hashem your God drives them out from before you, and to establish the word that Hashem swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Deuteronomy 9:5).

At first glance, the verse diminishes the value of the children of Israel, creating a feeling that we are not deserving in Hashem's eyes to receive the land of Israel, as if we are merely "the lesser evil" among the nations, and this divine gift is given to us only by virtue of the promise to our forefathers. Such a statement may appear distancing, Heaven forbid, but this is only at first glance.

One must always consider the context, the situation, and the setting in which the words were spoken. When and to whom were they spoken? To the people of Israel who now witnessed immense miracles in the land of Egypt, to the point that even Pharaoh, king of Egypt, submitted to them. They took their plunder, and the entire Egyptian army fell defeated at their feet. A people to whom Hashem was revealed in a mass prophecy at Mount Sinai as He was never revealed to any other people in history, a nation that ate and drank from the hand of Hashem in a barren desert for decades, receiving its bread from the heavens and its water from the rock, seeing the pillar of fire and cloud every day. Nations fell before them; even the king of Moab and the terrifying seer Balaam could not overcome them, a nation promised a land flowing with milk and honey!

Against this backdrop, there is no doubt that the Jewish people were prone to enormous pride, arrogance blindness in their superiority over all the nations in the world, self-confidence, and contempt arising from overindulgence. After all, to whom would the King of Kings bestow such great honor if not to deserving, important people?

Too many great gifts naturally cause their recipients to suspect that they must be worthy of them, or even deserving of them by their righteousness.

But there is no greater danger to maintaining the Torah than pride, which distances from Hashem and removes a person from the world; Hashem is not willing to dwell in the same place with the haughty.

The proof that pride was a real danger for the Jewish people is revealed in the audacity displayed by Korach and his assembly towards the greatest prophet: "They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For the entire assembly are all holy, and Hashem is in their midst. So why do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of Hashem?'" (Numbers 16:3). The accuser accuses with his own flaw, but we must consider their argument. They said in this language: "The whole assembly is holy, and Hashem is in their midst." Because they had witnessed the prophecy at Mount Sinai and seen visible miracles, they reached such arrogance that they belittled Hashem's messenger (try comparing this to the humility of Moses our teacher, who said to Joshua: "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Hashem's people were prophets and that Hashem would put His spirit on them" - Numbers 11:29).

Our eyes see that there was a great danger of pride hovering over the Israelites in the wilderness generation, the mass prophecy and visible miracles led many to think of themselves as righteous and holy without the need for effort and sacrifice. Therefore, the rebuke verses come to discipline them and remove from their hearts this pride, placing them firmly in their place so that they can attain true holiness through humility, with a sense of servitude and true dedication befitting a chosen people.

The proof that this is the truth is revealed in a previous verse that clearly states that Hashem saved us out of His love for the Jewish people: "Because of Hashem's love for you, and His faithfulness to the oath He swore to your forefathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 7:8).

This is the way of the Torah: the left hand pushes away and the right hand draws close! (Sanhedrin 107b). On one hand, the Torah teaches the importance and greatness of the Jewish people, and on the other hand, it rebukes and disciplines them so they do not become arrogant and trust in themselves and their own significance.

That is why the Torah repeatedly emphasizes the sins of the people in the wilderness generation, to keep them from becoming haughty and prevent them from sinning again from pride and self-confidence: "You have been rebellious against Hashem from the day I knew you" (Deuteronomy 9:24).

In this way, the Torah reminds them of their slave status in Egypt to foster compassion for the afflicted and the sojourner out of humility: "And you shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19), "Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 15:15).

Such a consciousness of humility can only be achieved through verses of rebuke! If the Torah were expressed in gentleness and affection, instead of repeatedly emphasizing the people's sins and iniquities, the people would be tempted by the pride of Korach and his assembly, and the Torah would be entirely lost in this arrogance, Heaven forbid.

Therefore, even when we encounter harsh rebuke verses, we must always place them in context, understanding the Torah's purpose in stating them. Nonetheless, we should not forget that the Torah is eternal, and thus the rebuke is also intended for us and greatly beneficial to us. How? We will expand on this, with Hashem's help, in the next article.