Bechukothai: Causality

Bechukothai: Causality

אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ 

If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, 

This  parsha is used as an exemplar of the Hebrew Gd of Vengeance.  There is a promise of prosperity as a reward for going in the path of the edicts and guarding the commandments.  This section is followed by a much longer passage, whispered in the public reading, that describes the consequences of rebellion against these edicts and commandments. 

The rules that are to be followed are called חֻקֹּ, chok. The  arbitrary  is strongly implied by the word chok. It is an edict that does not require, and may defy, explanation. 

 An allowance is called a chok. Thus, in the story of the Egyptian famine, which Joseph capitalized upon  to acquire almost all the land of Egypt: 

רַ֛ק אַדְמַ֥ת הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים לֹ֣א קָנָ֑ה כִּי֩ חֹ֨ק לַכֹּהֲנִ֜ים מֵאֵ֣ת פַּרְעֹ֗ה וְאָֽכְל֤וּ אֶת־חֻקָּם֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן לָהֶם֙ פַּרְעֹ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֕ן לֹ֥א מָכְר֖וּ אֶת־אַדְמָתָֽם׃ 

Only the land of the priests he did not take over, for the priests had an allotment (chok)from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment (chok) which Pharaoh had made to them; therefore they did not sell their land.

Chok also comes to mean a law of nature. Newton's laws are חוקי ניוטון, chukei Newton.

The consequences described in the parsha do not require agreement or understanding. The consequences are contained in the actions, for good or ill. Our failure to comprehend the connection is a flaw in human perception. Why should a jet engine, simply by forcefully expelling gas, propel its container? Why does the Pythagorean theorem ( a² + b² = c².  ) work? Even theorems that can be proven are not instinctually obvious. We live in a world that is made so pleasant, entertaining and comfortable by secret, hidden processes whose causal essences  we do not expect to grasp.

The admonition  in the parsha need not be seen as a declaration of power.  It can be a revelation about nature (חֻקֹּתַ֖י, Gd's edicts). In the complex systems of agriculture and politics, things need not remain  the way they are. They can change for the better or worse. Human actions can impact the future in mysterious ways. The commandments provide a path through the mine field. 

We live on an allowance. 

Behar: the dream

מָה עִנְיַן שְׁמִטָּה אֵצֶל הַר סִינַי?  What has the matter of the Sabbatical year to do with Mount Sinai?

Rashi quotes the Sifira to  give a religious answer. The mention of Mount Sinai validates the laws of  Sabbatical and Jubilee, equates them with the other laws transmitted from Gd to Moses. This is  a(n a)historical view, it could not have been how the message was originally received. Those listening at Sinai could not have known that these particular laws would not be repeated in Deutoronmy, on the plains of Moab, in the days before entry into the land  - where they were supposed to apply. To the Sinai audience these were details about a dream. 

A model of social justice is presented to people who had been slaves a year ago. It is a system based upon an (almost) irrevocable  ownership of land , all "sales" of  rural land  are  limited to  49 years. The land  then reverts to the ancestral family. The laws of inheritance will be detailed later (when they are challenged to determine the status of women), on the Moab plain. After the conquest of the land, the new owners could never transfer possession ( short of their dispossession by a usurper).  Is this the reverse of their position in Egypt? I think it likely that  part of their  servile status was an  exclusion from owning land.  The prohibition on owning land is an age old method of preventing a foreign  group ( like the Jews in Europe) from integrating into an area of settlement. When the promised land is won, the Hebrews will be the owners; no one else would be allowed in. 

The new order would include the Sabbatical year, when the land is left fallow and whatever it produces (in the absence of cultivation) is left for the wanderer and the beast. I speculate that the story of the Egyptian famine is connected to this plan. We recall that following the seven years of plenty, there is a severe famine through which Joseph comes to acquire all of the land of Egypt in the name of Pharaoh.  There is a recognition that  interminable tilling of the soil leads to its exhaustion. Giving the hoarder unlimited opportunity to accumulate leads to a slave society. Thus, every seventh year the land lies fallow and no one can use this produce to add to the silo. 

While attending this class on political microeconomics, taught by Moses, the  newly freed slaves see the wisdom in the system, and say they accept it. ( When I was 18 I joined the Peace and Freedom party, because I believed in these values.)  The next parsha, Bechukothi ( my [ Gd's] laws), in its litany of punishments states the expectation that these rules will not actually be followed. (Lev 26;34)

אָז֩ תִּרְצֶ֨ה הָאָ֜רֶץ אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶ֗יהָ כֹּ֚ל יְמֵ֣י הׇשַּׁמָּ֔הֿ וְאַתֶּ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֹיְבֵיכֶ֑ם אָ֚ז תִּשְׁבַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִרְצָ֖ת אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתֶֽיהָ׃ 

Then shall the land make up for its sabbath years throughout the time that it is desolate and you are in the land of your enemies; then shall the land rest and make up for its sabbath years.

(compare with Herzl: אם תרצו, אין זו אגדה,  usage of tirzeh)

 Food insecurity is too frightening,  greed is too powerful,  to expect voluntary adherence to statutes that seem arbitrary, possibly absurd, in the context of local conditions: drought, flood, the conspicuous consumption of neighbors. Faced with the need to produce grain, to replace the manna from heaven, these restrictions look different.  They were not repeated on the Moab plain, just prior to entry into the land. 

The actual implementation of socio-political economic theories has a very poor track record. What justice we have has come from providing the masses enough to deter revolution; and when appeasement has failed, and revolution has come, the new system, developed in the optimism of powerless hope, has soon become oppressive. Discovery and technology have improved living conditions so that in many places, the distribution of wealth is not  a matter of life or death, but justice is in the eye of the beholder - minister or critic. 

 Economic justice  applies in the classroom. Every economic  system outlives its usefulness.  To the hungry, a meal beats justice. 

Emor: Speech

The parsha is aptly named. We see that in the last story: the blasphemer who is stoned for his speech. The appropriateness of the title is exaggerated by translation. The word emor is not used in relation to the blasphemer. In the parsha, emor is used at the beginning to describe the manner in which Moses is to speak to a receptive audience: the anointed  sons of Aaron.  Emor is the exalted articulation of creation. The speech of the blasphemer is designated וַ֠יִּקֹּ֠ב, (vayikov); The root meaning is: "to pierce or puncture. The  instructions for the  disposition of the blasphemer  are stated with the word for speech that  usually precedes a command:  וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ( vayidaber).

The idea of blasphemy is antithetical to free speech. I was  indoctrinated to believe that free speech is a core human value. It is an American value, enshrined in the first amendment (commandment?): 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The statement begins with an attempt to sever any possible relationship between religion and the state.  I have  no doubt that this was the 1789 understanding of  religion, meaning some type of Christianity.  Many of the  colonies that  this document was intended to unify were founded as havens for various Christian sects. But my modern understanding of religion has come to mean any set of  dogmatic beliefs that override reason. Thus, patriotism and the belief in fairness  are religious beliefs ( not to mention when life begins). Can  laws  really  avoid impacting these beliefs?

Connecting "abridging the freedom of speech " with religious freedom recognizes that people often see the ideas of others as irrational and dogmatic. It is acceptable to allow the free expression of crazy  ideas that can be dismissed. But we have seen times when  irrational and evil  statements  gain traction and become the governing principles. 

Free speech has been the basis of many revolutions: the American, (several) French, etc. Once the forces of Free Speech gained power, they have generally taken actions to abridge that powerful and unpredictable energy.  The  US Alien and Sedition act of 1798 essentially made it illegal to criticize the government ( until it expired in 1801).  Robepierre, whose ascent was based on free speech, silenced those who spoke against him with the guillotine. Much silencing has been based on Lev 24;14, which prescribes the penalty for blasphemy: 

 and let the community stone him.

I grew up with the ditty: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. " How many millions were hurt by the words of  Hitler?  How did the propaganda of Goebbels  make these outrages acceptable to the German nation and their sympathizers?  Would that they were stoned!

We, in the age of Twitter and Facebook, are more aware of the propaganda war that is called news. Every news story is framed by the author, at times with the "help" of professional influencers, to nudge  the viewer to a position.  Now we have scientific studies that attest to the power of social media to direct opinion an emotion. Now we can trust nothing.  

The story of the blasphemer purchases my trust through the details. He is confused, brought up in two worlds: Egyptian father, Hebrew mother. What was the penalty for preaching Israelite beliefs in Egypt?  Moshe says that the Hebrews would have been stoned had they done their sacrificial rite in Egypt. We do not know the Egyptian penalty for seditious speech, but I imagine it was severe. 

The blasphemer may have been unclear about the rules, he did not think his talk a crime. The word  וַ֠יִּקֹּ֠ב, (vayikov) used to describe his action implies an attack. Perhaps there was even some "truth", some element that felt plausible,  in his assault on Gd. Such appeal is common in propaganda and adds to its threat. 

When confronted with the act, having been admonished ( Lev 22;32)

וְלֹ֤א תְחַלְּלוּ֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם קׇדְשִׁ֔י וְנִ֨קְדַּשְׁתִּ֔י בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל

You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people

Moshe and the people do not know what to do.  I think that is wonderful. The people have enough ambivalence to consider tolerating this challenge. The Divine instructions are not so forgiving. 

One of my strongest identifications with Jewishness is through the revolutionary beneficiaries of free speech: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, etc., etc. Whether they were right or wrong is less important than the frame they provided for the ensuing discussion. Orthodoxy is an older ,time tested frame. How do I know that my opinion is right? Does it stand up to relativity or dialectical materialism or the subconscious? Is it supported by Torah?

Let free speech enlighten. Stone the blasphemers before they perpetrate mass crimes. 

Kedoshim: Choice

 

דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְ

Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I your God  am holy.

What could this mean? Can a person be like Gd?  To what extent is kedusha (holiness, sanctity) an optional Divine quality? Can Gd decide to abdicate from this quality, or is it part of the definition of GD? 

What is kedusha -holiness? I would like to  revert to a mathematical  understanding of definition. A definition includes the entity in a set (the necessary condition, the "if") and distinguishes it from all other elements of that set ( the sufficient condition, the "only if"). This level of definition is  rarely attained in "real life." We generally use a much looser criterion: "you know it when you see it."  In medicine, we assume an intermediate stance - the word "sometimes" finds its way into diagnostic criteria. The kedusha ( sanctity) of a person's actions may depend , in part, upon the stringency of the definition.

The parsha either assumes a prior understanding of kodesh ( holy) or attempts to convey it by examples. The next verse, the first instruction is: 

אִ֣ישׁ אִמּ֤וֹ וְאָבִיו֙ תִּירָ֔אוּ וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ

You shall each revere your mother and your father, and keep My sabbaths:

Two of the Ten commandments  are juxtaposed.  A modification of the fifth commandment, 

כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ  Honor your father and your mother,  

 is conjoined with "and" to the fourth Sinai declaration

: זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ 

 Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. 

The first use of the קַדְּשֽׁ֗, kodesh is in reference to Shabbath (Gen2;3)

וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱ    אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱ    לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃

And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy—having ceased on it from all the work Gd had  created to be done.

The Sabbath is an exemplar of kodesh. These verses imply that kodesh, sanctity, involves a decision to refrain. The Sabbath is sanctified by abstaining from certain activities that are called melacha  ( translated "work").  Rashi writes that kodesh implies abstinence from forbidden liaisons and sins of passion: 

קדשים תהיו. הֱווּ פְרוּשִׁים מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת וּמִן הָעֲבֵרָה. 

 Kedusha is in the set of a self-restraints. Self control is a necessary condition for kedusha. 

Pinchas ben Yair prescribed a series of steps toward salvation. Moshe Chaim Luzzato codified the first ten, which lead to kedusha in his renowned work: Messilath Yesharim, The Path of the Upright. Kedusha is achieved through a formula. Perishuth, abstinence, is the fifth, the central, of the ten steps. 

The juxtaposition of two commandments signals that they may be in conflict.  Rashi tells us that keeping the Sabbath  should prevail. Kedusha, holiness is the prescribed choice, even if it is difficult and counterintuitive. Holiness demands adherence to the law, regardless and in spite of feelings. Holiness is achieved by the correct resolution of the conflict. 

Kedusha implies a world with unseen networks. The values of freedom assume that every individual lives along an independent path; their actions are no one else's business. Kedusha is opposed to the idea of the victimless crime. Cursing the deaf (19;14)  causes damaging vibrations, even if they are not heard by their target. These connections are perceived only by those willing to undertake the practices necessary to obtain such a sensitivity; and willing to suffer the censure of the self-righteous.    

Is kodesh attainable? There are two kinds of aspirations. Following the  yellow brick road leads to Oz. If you get off and settle anywhere along the way, you are in Munchkinland. The road to kedusha is filled with self denial and conflict. Wherever you get off, that's your legacy. You can find everything in the struggle.

 It's a choice.