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Afflictions as Gifts: Drawing Near Through Abundance

From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Vayikra 14:34
כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל־אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶם
When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I will put the plague of tzara'as in a house of the land of your possession.
1“When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I will put the plague of tzara'as in a house of the land of your possession.”1 The commentators, the Ohr HaChaim and the Toldos Yitzchak, ask about the word venasati, literally “and I will give,”2 since it implies that the plagues that strike the houses of Israel are a gift to them. Yet Chazal said: “Nega'im, plagues of tzara'as, come because of seven things: because of lashon hara, evil speech, because of bloodshed, because of a vain oath …”3 The plagues, then, are a punishment for sins. Why should they count as a gift?
כִּי תָבוֹאוּ אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לָכֶם וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת בְּבֵית אֶרֶץ אֲחוּזַּתְכֶם (יד, לד). הִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (עיין באור החיים, ועיין עוד בתולדות יצחק) בְּבֵיאוּר הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳וְנָתַתִּי׳, שֶׁמַּשְׁמַע שֶׁבִּיאַת הַנְּגָעִים בְּבָתֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל מַתָּנָה הִיא לָהֶם, וַהֲלֹא אָמְרוּ חז״ל (ערכין טז, א) עַל שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים נְגָעִים בָּאִין עַל לָשׁוֹן הָרָע וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים וְעַל שְׁבוּעַת שָׁוְא וְכוּ׳, הֲרֵי שֶׁהַנְּגָעִים הֵם עוֹנֶשׁ עַל חֲטָאִים, וּמֵעַתָּה לָמָּה יֵחָשְׁבוּ כְּמַתָּנָה.
  1. Vayikra 14:34. ↩
  2. See Ohr HaChaim there; see also Toldos Yitzchak. ↩
  3. Arachin 16a. The list continues: forbidden relations, arrogance, theft and stinginess. ↩
In shortVenasati, “and I will give,” makes the plagues sound like a gift, yet Chazal teach that nega'im are a punishment for sins.
2Later the passage says, “And the one to whom the house belongs shall come and tell the kohen, saying, ‘Something like a plague has appeared to me in the house.’”4 The Masorah, the tradition that lists where a phrase recurs in Scripture, links this verse with “From afar Hashem appeared to me,” as cited in the Baal HaTurim.5 What does that verse have to do with nega'im?
וּלְהַלָּן בַּכָּתוּב ״וּבָא אֲשֶׁר לוֹ הַבַּיִת וְהִגִּיד לַכֹּהֵן לֵאמוֹר כְּנֶגַע נִרְאָה לִי בַּבָּיִת״, וְהוּבָא בַּמָּסוֹרָה (הובא בבעל הטורים) פָּסוּק ״מֵרָחוֹק ה׳ נִרְאָה לִי״ (ירמיהו לא, ב), וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר שַׁיָּיכוּת פָּסוּק זֶה לְעִנְיַן נְגָעִים.
  1. Vayikra 14:35. ↩
  2. Baal HaTurim on Vayikra 14:35; Yirmiyahu 31:2. Both verses contain the words nir'ah li, “appeared to me.” ↩
In shortThe Masorah links the homeowner's “Something like a plague has appeared to me” with “From afar Hashem appeared to me”; why?
3aWe can explain this by first citing a holy teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, zy"a, which my holy father and teacher, zt"l, often repeated, on the verse “Kel nekamos Hashem, O God of vengeance, Hashem; O God of vengeance, appear!”6 At first glance, why is the Name Kel, which stands for the attribute of kindness, mentioned here in connection with vengeance?7 The Baal Shem Tov explained it with a parable. A great king set out to tour the provinces of his kingdom and see what needed repair, and everywhere he came he was received with great honor. One day he came to one of the remote villages of his land, where the people were very coarse and had no idea of the honor due to a king.
וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ בְּהֶקְדֵּם אִמְרֵי קוֹדֶשׁ הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב זיע״א זצללה״ה, אֲשֶׁר הָיָה כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה רָגִיל לַחֲזוֹר עֲלֵיהֶם, עַל הַכָּתוּב (תהלים צד, א) ״אֵל נְקָמוֹת ה׳ אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ״, וְלִכְאוֹרָה מַדּוּעַ נִזְכַּר כָּאן שֵׁם א״ל הַמּוֹרֶה עַל מִידַּת הַחֶסֶד לְגַבֵּי עִנְיַן הַנְּקָמָה. וּבֵיאֵר עַל פִּי מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ גָּדוֹל שֶׁיָּצָא לְטַיֵּיל וְלִרְאוֹת מְדִינוֹת מַלְכוּתוֹ וּמַה צָרִיךְ תִּיקּוּן, וּבְכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁבָּא עָשׂוּ לוֹ כָּבוֹד גָּדוֹל, וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם בְּבוֹאוֹ לְבַקֵּר בְּאֶחָד הַכְּפָרִים הַנִּידָּחִים שֶׁבִּמְדִינָתוֹ, בּוֹ דָּרוּ אֲנָשִׁים מְגוּשָּׁמִים לִמְאֹד וְלֹא יָדְעוּ מַהוּ כְּבוֹד הַמֶּלֶךְ,
  1. Tehillim 94:1; see Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Bo, s.v. Al matzos. ↩
  2. As in the verse “The kindness of God is all the day” (Tehillim 52:3), where “God” is Kel. ↩
3bAs the king's entourage passed by, the village boys were playing with stones, as village boys do, and one of them threw several stones toward the king. The king's ministers at once ruled that there was only one sentence for him: death. But the king saw it differently. He ordered that the boy be brought along to the royal palace, and there he gave him a room of his own and all he needed, with a king's generosity. When the boy saw the splendor and honor of the king, he began to understand what he had done and against whom he had sinned, and he fell before the king, weeping, and begged his forgiveness.
וּבְעֵת שֶׁעָבְרָה שָׁם פָּמַלְיַית הַמֶּלֶךְ, שִׁיחֲקוּ הַנְּעָרִים עִם חַבְרֵיהֶם בַּאֲבָנִים כְּדַרְכָּם שֶׁל נַעֲרֵי כְּפָר, וְאֶחָד מֵהַנְּעָרִים זָרַק כַּמָּה אֲבָנִים לְעֵבֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ, וּמִיָּד פָּסְקוּ שָׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁאַחַת דָּתוֹ לְהָמִית, אַךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא כֵן הָיָה עִמּוֹ וְרוּחַ אַחֶרֶת בּוֹ, וְהוֹרָה לִיקַּח אֶת הַנַּעַר עִמּוֹ וְלַהֲבִיאוֹ לַפַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ, וְשָׁם נָתַן לוֹ חֶדֶר מְיוּחָד וְכָל צְרָכָיו כְּיַד הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר רָאָה יִקְרַת כְּבוֹד הַמֶּלֶךְ אָז הִתְחִיל לְהָבִין מַה עָשָׂה וּכְלַפֵּי מִי חָטָא, וְנָפַל לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּבְכִיָּה וּבִיקֵּשׁ מְחִילָתוֹ.
3cThe meaning of the parable is this. Every Jew is given a pure soul, but when it comes down to this world it forgets the honor of the King of kings, and so the person causes a blemish through his sins. In His great goodness, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends that person an abundance of good. This wakes him to realize against Whom he has sinned, and he returns in teshuvah, to cleave to the source from which he was hewn. That is the meaning of “O God of vengeance, Hashem”: Hashem's vengeance comes by way of kindness, through ever greater abundance, which is what the Name Kel stands for, and so Bnei Yisrael return, ask forgiveness and draw close to the King. Those are his holy words.
וְהַנִּמְשָׁל הוּא, דְּהִנֵּה לְכָל יְהוּדִי נִיתֶּנֶת נְשָׁמָה טְהוֹרָה, אַךְ בִּירִידָתָהּ אַרְצָה לָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה שׁוֹכַחַת כְּבוֹד מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, וּמֵחֲמַת כֵּן הָאָדָם פּוֹגֵם בַּחַטָּאִים, והקב״ה בְּרוֹב טוּבוֹ מַשְׁפִּיעַ עַל אוֹתוֹ אָדָם שֶׁפַע טוֹבָה, וּמִזֶּה מִתְעוֹרֵר לֵידַע עַל יְדֵי כָּךְ כְּנֶגֶד מִי חָטָא וְחוֹזֵר בִּתְשׁוּבָה לִידָּבֵק בִּמְקוֹר מַחְצַבְתּוֹ. וְזֶהוּ ׳אֵל נְקָמוֹת ה׳׳, שֶׁנִּקְמַת הקב״ה הוּא בְּדֶרֶךְ הַחֶסֶד בְּרִיבּוּי הַשֶּׁפַע שֶׁעַל זֶה מוֹרֶה שֵׁם א״ל, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ חוֹזְרִים בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמְבַקְּשִׁים מְחִילָה וּמִתְקָרְבִים אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ, עכד״ק.
In shortLike the king who brought the stone-thrower into his palace, Hashem answers sin with abundance until the sinner sees His goodness and returns.
4Now we can understand the plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brings on the houses of Israel. True, they come because of the sins Bnei Yisrael commit, as Chazal said. But when Hashem, in His great goodness, wants to bring His children back to the right path, He sends them an abundance of good; as the Midrash teaches, through the plagues they found hidden treasures of money in the walls of their houses.8 This leads them to reflect on Hashem's goodness to them and to return to the right path. That is why the verse uses venasati, the language of giving a gift: since the plagues bring Bnei Yisrael close to their Maker, they count for them as a gift.
וּמֵעַתָּה יִתְפָּרֵשׁ עִנְיַן הַנְּגָעִים שֶׁמֵּבִיא הקב״ה בְּבָתֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁכֵּן אָמְנָם הֵם בָּאִים עַל חֲטָאִים הַמְּצוּיִים בִּידֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמַאֲמָרָם ז״ל, אֶלָּא שהקב״ה בְּרוֹב טוּבוֹ כְּשֶׁמְּבַקֵּשׁ לְהַחֲזִיר אֶת בָּנָיו לְמוּטָב, מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָהֶם שֶׁפַע טוֹבָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (ויקרא רבה יז, ו), שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הַנְּגָעִים מָצְאוּ מַטְמוֹנִיּוֹת מָמוֹן בְּקִירוֹת בָּתֵּיהֶם, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מִתְבּוֹנְנִים בְּטוֹבַת ה׳ עֲלֵיהֶם וְחוֹזְרִים לַמּוּטָב. וְלָכֵן נֶאֱמַר בָּזֶה לְשׁוֹן מַתָּנָה ׳וְנָתַתִּי נֶגַע צָרַעַת׳ וְגוֹ׳, מֵאַחַר וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְקָרְבִים עַל יְדֵי כָּךְ אֶל קוֹנָם, עַל כֵּן נֶחְשָׁבִים לָהֶם הַנְּגָעִים לְמַתָּנָה.
  1. Vayikra Rabbah 17:6. The Emorites had hidden the treasure; the plague led the owner to tear down the house and find it. ↩
In shortPlagues come for sins, but Hashem sends them with hidden treasure so that Israel sees His goodness and returns; so they count as a gift.
5aThis lets us explain a Midrash: “When Bnei Yisrael heard the passage of nega'im, they were afraid. Moshe said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; these are for the nations of the world, but you are to eat, drink and rejoice.’”9 The commentators, the Etz Yosef on the Midrash and the Vavei HaAmudim, raise a difficulty: the whole passage on the impurity of nega'im was said only to Bnei Yisrael, not to the nations of the world!10 In light of what we have said, we can explain it. It is only with Bnei Yisrael that the Holy One, blessed be He, deals in this way, rousing them to return to the good through the abundance He sends them, as with the plagues. For they reflect and realize that it was Hashem Who sent them the abundance, and so they return to Him with all their heart.
וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר מַה דְּאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ויקרא רבה טו, ד) כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרָשַׁת נְגָעִים נִתְיָירְאוּ, אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה אַל תִּתְיָירְאוּ, אֵלּוּ לְאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֲבָל אַתֶּם לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ, וְהִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (עץ יוסף שם, ווי העמודים פרק כג) הֲרֵי כָּל פָּרָשַׁת טוּמְאַת נְגָעִים נֶאֶמְרָה רַק לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא לְאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם. וּלְהָאָמוּר יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ, דְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ לְעוֹרֵר לָשׁוּב לַמּוּטָב עַל יְדֵי הַשְׁפָּעַת שֶׁפַע שֶׁמַּשְׁפִּיעַ עֲלֵיהֶם ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, כְּמוֹ עִנְיַן הַנְּגָעִים כָּאָמוּר, דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ נוֹהֵג הקב״ה רַק עִם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵם מִתְבּוֹנְנִים וְיוֹדְעִים כִּי ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שָׁלַח לָהֶם הַשֶּׁפַע, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ שָׁבִים אֵלָיו בְּכָל לֵב,
  1. Vayikra Rabbah 15:4. ↩
  2. Etz Yosef there; Vavei HaAmudim, ch. 23. ↩
5bThe nations of the world do not understand this way. When Hashem gives them abundance, they use it for their vanities and sins and add still more sins. As the Gemara says: “When Israel eats and drinks, it begins with words of Torah and words of praise; but when idol worshippers eat and drink, they begin only with words of frivolity.”11 So Hashem does not deal with them by sending great good; when they deserve punishment, He brings great plagues on them. With Bnei Yisrael it is different. Even when Hashem brings plagues on them, it is only to rouse them to the good, and He sends the plagues in a way that bestows good, for they find an abundance of money, as Chazal said. That is what Moshe Rabbeinu answered them. “These are for the nations of the world”: only on the nations of the world do plagues come purely as punishment. But “you are to eat, drink and rejoice”: for Bnei Yisrael, an abundance of good comes along with the plagues, and through it they are roused to the good.
מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֵין מְבִינִים דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָהֶם ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שֶׁפַע הֵם מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים בּוֹ לְהַבְלֵיהֶם וְחַטָּאֵיהֶם וּמוֹסִיפִים עוֹד לַחֲטוֹא, וְכִדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא (מגילה יב, ב) כְּשֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל אוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין מַתְחִילִין בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה וּבְדִבְרֵי תִשְׁבָּחוֹת, אֲבָל עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים כְּשֶׁאוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין אֵין מַתְחִילִין אֶלָּא בְּדִבְרֵי תִיפְלוּת, וְלָכֵן אֵין נוֹהֵג עִמָּם הקב״ה בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ שֶׁל הַשְׁפָּעַת רִיבּוּי טוֹב, אֶלָּא כַּאֲשֶׁר רְאוּיִים הֵם לְעוֹנֶשׁ מֵבִיא הקב״ה עֲלֵיהֶם נְגָעִים גְּדוֹלִים, מַה שֶׁאֵין כֵּן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אַף כַּאֲשֶׁר מֵבִיא ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ עֲלֵיהֶם נְגָעִים, אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בִּכְדֵי לְעוֹרְרָם לְמוּטָב וּמְבִיאָם ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַשְׁפָּעַת טוֹבָה שֶׁמּוֹצְאִים שֶׁפַע מָמוֹן כְּמַאֲמָרָם ז״ל. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁהֱשִׁיבָם מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ ע״ה ׳אֵלּוּ לְאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם׳, שֶׁרַק עַל אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם בָּאִים הַנְּגָעִים בְּתוֹרַת עוֹנֶשׁ בִּלְבַד, ׳אֲבָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ׳, שֶׁעִם הַנְּגָעִים מַגִּיעַ עוֹד שֶׁפַע טוֹבָה, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מִתְעוֹרְרִים לַמּוּטָב.
  1. Megillah 12b. ↩
In shortOnly Israel is roused to return by abundance, so its plagues come with blessing; for the nations, who misuse abundance, plagues are pure punishment.
6Now the Masorah's link to “From afar Hashem appeared to me” becomes clear. The physical matters of this world, such as eating and drinking, as in the Midrash's “you are to eat, drink and rejoice,” seem far from Hashem. Yet even when Bnei Yisrael are occupied with them, they find Hashem there too, and through these very things they draw close to Him. We see this in the passage of the plagues: it was through an abundance of physical wealth, of all things, that Bnei Yisrael came to draw close to Hashem. That is the meaning of “From afar Hashem appeared to me”: [from within what seems far from Him, Hashem appears.]
וְעַל פִּי הָאָמוּר יִתְבָּאֵר מִשְׁפַּט הַמְּסוּרָה ׳מֵרָחוֹק ה׳ נִרְאָה לִי׳, שֶׁבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַף כַּאֲשֶׁר עוֹסְקִים בְּעִנְיְינֵי עוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים, כְּמוֹ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַנִּזְכָּר מֵהַמִּדְרָשׁ ׳שֶׁאַתֶּם לֶאֱכוֹל וְלִשְׁתּוֹת וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ׳, שֶׁהֵם עִנְיָנִים הַנִּרְאִים רְחוֹקִים מֵה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם גַּם בָּהֶם מוֹצְאִים הֵם אֶת ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ שָׁם וּמִתְקָרְבִים מִתּוֹכָם אֵלָיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בְּפָרָשַׁת הַנְּגָעִים שֶׁדַּוְוקָא מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁפַע רִיבּוּי הַמָּמוֹן הַגַּשְׁמִי הָיוּ מַגִּיעִים בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהִתְקָרְבוּת אֶל ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, וְזֶהוּ ׳מֵרָחוֹק ה׳ נִרְאָה לִי׳.
In shortEven through eating, drinking and wealth, which seem far from Hashem, Israel finds Him and draws close: “From afar Hashem appeared to me.”
7May Hashem help us be privileged to draw close to Him and to serve Him amid plenty, with an abundance of blessing and success, and so may we bring near the end of days. Amen.
יַעֲזוֹר ה׳ יִתְבָּרֵךְ לָנוּ שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלָיו וּלְעָבְדוֹ מִתּוֹךְ רוֹב כֹּל וְשֶׁפַע בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה, וּבָזֶה נְקָרֵב קֵץ הַיָּמִין אָמֵן.
In shortMay we draw close to Hashem and serve Him amid abundant blessing and success, and so bring near the end of days.
Takeaway

Hashem may answer our failings with more good, like the king who brought the boy who threw stones at him into his palace. When we see how much He gives us, we come to know against Whom we have sinned and return to Him. Even eating, drinking and wealth, which seem far from Hashem, can become the very place where He appears to us.

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English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.