Nitzavim-Vayelech: Mysteries

This week's parsha contains an arresting sentence: 

 הנסתרת לה'  וְהַנִּגְלֹ֞ת לָ֤ׄנׄוּׄ וּׄלְׄבָׄנֵ֙ׄיׄנׄוּ֙ׄ עַׄד־עוֹלָ֔ם לַעֲשׂ֕וֹת אֶת־כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃ {ס}

The secret things belong to the Lrd our Gd: but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this Tora.

What does it mean? What are these nistaroth, these hidden things? 

Onkelos translates it: דְּמִטַּמְּרָן, dimitamron,  those things that have been hidden away. Are they objects?  Perhaps they are actions. 

Rashi puts the word in the context of the preceding  paragraph, introduced by the punishment brought on by the secret idolator: 

אִם תֹּאמְרוּ מַה בְּיָדֵנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת? אַתָּה מַעֲנִישׁ אֶת הָרַבִּים עַל הִרְהוּרֵי הַיָּחִיד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "פֶּן יֵשׁ בָּכֶם אִישׁ וְגוֹ'", וְאַחַר כָּךְ "וְרָאוּ אֶת מַכּוֹת הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא", וַהֲלֹא אֵין אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ טְמוּנוֹתָיו שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ אֵין אֲנִי מַעֲנִישׁ אֶתְכֶם עַל הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת, שֶׁהֵן לַה'

 And if you say, “But what can we do? Thou threatenest the many (the whole community) with punishment because of the sinful thoughts of one individual, as it is said, (v. 17): “Lest there should be among you a man, [or a woman or a family … whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord …]”, and afterwards it states, (v. 21) “And they will see the plagues of that land”. But surely no man can know the secret thoughts of his fellow! Now, I reply: I do not threaten to punish you because of secret thoughts

 The  Ramban offers  an additional opinion:

 ודעתי בדרך הפשט כי הנסתרות הם החטאים הנסתרים מן העושים אותם 

By way of the simple meaning of Scripture it is my opinion that the secret things are the sins that are  hidden from those who commit  them. 

This approach is closer to the way I, as a modern person, understand the verse. The idea that Gd would hold the community responsible for the private thoughts and actions of deviant individuals does not enter my mind. But my thinking  could reflect the tradition, as expressed by Rashi and others. 

The Ramban talks about sins. Presumably, these are actions, not thoughts.  Halacha, the law, does not punish thought. Ramban  may have found a way to interpret the verse that makes nistaroth, the hidden things, actions. However, Rashi  has a clear basis for considering the hidden  issue thought. The sentence that introduces the topic reads: 

פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶ֠ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ יְ

Perchance there is among you some man or woman, or some clan or tribe, whose heart is even now turning away from our Gd

The reference to thought seems clear. 

Moreover, we are not dealing with human justice, based on incomplete knowledge of circumstances and consequences.  We are not dealing with a court from which facts, and certainly thoughts, can be hidden.  The verse stipulates that these hidden things are the domain of Gd; in that context, thoughts may be considered - and, if appropriate, punished.  

I read this sentence every year, as Rosh Hashanah is palpably approaching, and worry about my own thoughts. I am a modern person. For me, thoughts have an origin. I believe that there is an unconscious psyche - some combination of physiology, instinct, learning and propaganda -  that determines most, perhaps all, of what I think and believe.  It is beyond difficult for me to escape from the  worldview that molds my thinking. The corrupt thoughts themselves come from hidden sources.  Although the thoughts are between Gd and me, perhaps it is my responsibility to limit the inputs... like social media and news. The verse is a warning that I cannot fully control the influences. Although my choices of inputs are  private, hidden, (sater) ,protected by law, they are clear to Gd and Google. 

Rabeinu Bachya  says: 

ושמעתי בשם הרמב"ם ז"ל בפירוש פסוק זה, הנסתרות לה'  אמר סודות התורה הנסתרים וטעם המצות לשם יתעלה הם, ואם יזכה אדם שיקח אזנו שמץ מנהם בידיעת שרש המצוה ועקרה בנסתר שבה אל יפטר בכך מן הנגלה שלא יעשה המצוה בענין גופני, אין לו להמנע מזה, שהרי הנגלות לנו ולבנינו לעשות. והפירוש הזה בעצמו שהם יקר וספיר, אבל אינו בענין הפרשה

I have heard it said in the name of Maimonides about this verse that that the words הנסתרות לה’ אלוקינו refer to the fact that mystical dimensions of the Torah, such as the true reason behind the various commandments, are the exclusive domain of the Lord; if man succeeds in revealing even a small portion of such reasons, this does not excuse him from fulfilling the respective commandment in accordance with what the Torah has revealed about it in the text. It is our duty to perform all the commandments as written, even if we are certain that seeing we know the true reason for them this would make performance redundant in our eyes.

The Torah rests upon a secret foundation. When a reason for a mitzvah ( commandment) is revealed, it does not transfer possession to the finder. The full extent of the reasoning behind the mitzvoth is  far beyond human understanding. This idea merits statement in the context of the introductory verse: 

וְהָיָ֡ה בְּשׇׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה׃

and it come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubborness of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:

 

Human knowledge is so limited. There are no limits to hubris. 

The  root word סְתַּרְ, sater, hide, reappears at the end of this weeks reading, in Vayelech. These are among the most frightening verses in the Torah

חָרָ֣ה אַפִּ֣י ב֣וֹ בַיּוֹם־הַ֠ה֠וּא וַעֲזַבְתִּ֞ים וְהִסְתַּרְתִּ֨י פָנַ֤י מֵהֶם֙

וְאָנֹכִ֗י הַסְתֵּ֨ר אַסְתִּ֤יר פָּנַי֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא עַ֥ל כָּל־הָרָעָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה כִּ֣י פָנָ֔ה אֶל־אֱ  אֲחֵרִֽים׃

And I will surely hide my face on that day for all the evils which they shall have perpetrated, in that they have turned to other gods.

 

Rashi :

והסתרתי פני. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאֵינִי רוֹאֶה בְּצָרָתָם:

י AND I WILL HIDE MY FACE FROM THEM, as though I do not see their distress.

This brings to mind the clearest documented historical example -  the holocaust. What secret sins and idolatrous thoughts  invoked this other usage of sater, hidden? I must take the advice attributed to the Rambam: it is beyond my comprehension. 

Perhaps the two usages of Sater are related. The episodes of the hidden face are not ours to understand, they are Gd's domain. This is idea is supported by the spelling in the Torah:   הנסתרת לה'.  It is translated as  secret things, in the pleural. The commentators insert  the missing vav, which would normally make the word a pleural, but it is not present in the calligraphy. Rather, the word is left with the possible meaning: the concept of hiddenness is Gd's alone. ( There is an allusion to this in Rabeinu Bahiya.)

The hidden place of Gd can be a shelter,. We invoke it every Shabbath (Psalm 91)

יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְי֑וֹן בְּצֵ֥ל שַׁ֝  יִתְלוֹנָֽן׃

He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

And we plead for it in the month of Elul, as the new year approaches: (Psalm 29)

כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֢וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אׇהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃

For in the day of evil he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the covert of his tent he shall hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮

Hide not Thy face from me;

I am thankful for the secrets that are revealed and the good that they bring. I know that the bulk are still, and will forever, be hidden. I will try to deal with what is revealed to me.