Musar zu Jeschijahu 48:78

After explaining by the way of reason that the Creator created His world only that it might worship Him and not through necessity, we shall (now) explain this matter by the way of Scripture. And we have advanced the rational arguments prior to the Scriptural arguments because the mind is more likely to accept them rather than the Scriptural arguments; they are more likely to become settled convictions in the mind of whoever attends to them because they are accompanied by (probable) arguments and demonstrations. I can therefore maintain that we have Scriptural warrant for the world’s creation, not by necessity, but as an act of grace and kindness¹⁶The word "Hesed" has several meanings in Biblical Hebrew. Louis Jacobs "The Concept of Hasid in the Biblical and Rabbinic Literatures" (Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. VIII, numbers 3 and 4, pp. 20 ff) writes that the word "Hesed" means "mercy, loving kindness, loyalty, grace or charm, according to the context in which it occurs." See Nelson Glueck Das Wort Hesed im Alttestamentlichen Sprachge-brauche; English edition, Hesed in the Bible, Cincinnati, 1967.. As it is said (Psalms 89:3), “For I have said that the world is created through kindness.” We have discovered that every good done by the Creator, (may He be praised), for the sake of His creatures is implemented for His own sake rather than out of necessity or obligation. As it is said (Isaiah 48:11), “For mine own sake will I do it.” Further it is said (Hosea 14:5), “I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely.” It is said (Deuteronomy 4:30), “Know this day and lay it to Thy heart, that the Lord, He is God.” And even before this, reason has already taught us that the Creator, may He be praised, did not create His world by necessity, but only so that it might worship Him. Hence, we have explained the mystery of the world’s creation by the way of Scripture and that of reason.

Wherefore the excellence of good-will is related to life, being a source of superiority and a fount of good fortune according to the saying (id., xvi. 15), "In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain." So also in that of man; thus Pharaoh bore good-will to Joseph, even bringing him unto kingly power. Thus Ahasuerus, too, bore good-will to Mordecai. Thou seest how such a man is treated and exalted; how much more he to whom God bears good-will, therefore the saying (Isa. xlviii. 17), "I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go." The sage said, "Whosoever is contented is rich: whosoever is obedient is joyous: whosoever is rebellious is sad." He was wont to say, "He who is not content of his own accord with his condition will be (compelled to be) satisfied despite himself."

Moreover, the examination of the enormity of the iniquity will help to ‘cover the mortification of his face’ during his request for forgiveness, like the matter that is stated, (Ezra 9:6), “O my God, I am too ashamed and mortified to lift my face to You, O my God”; to wrap his soul in shame before God, may He be blessed, after the assurance of His forgiveness, like the matter that is stated, (Ezekiel 16:63), “In order that you shall remember and feel shame, and you shall be too abashed to open your mouth again when I have forgiven you for all that you did”; and that the greatness of the kindness of the atonement be in front of his eyes, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 26:3), “For Your kindness is in front of my eyes.” And the parable for this is that if a slave sinned to his master and [then] comes to humble himself in front of him, [the master’s] soul would not pay attention to him until after [the slave] knew of the weightiness of his sin. But if it appears to [the slave] like the sin is light, [the master’s] rage against him would [only] grow. Therefore the sinner is obligated to recognize the enormity of his sin and its punishment, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 26:21), “behold I have been a fool, and I have erred so very much.” Therefore we need to teach the Children of Judah - for instruction and message - the weightiness of the punishments of each iniquity and of each sin. Hence [the need] for all these words of introduction. And another sublime, great and trenchant purpose is that I have surely seen most of the people thinking about several weighty transgressions that they are light; and about [sins that carry] the death penalty or excision, that concern about them is [just] greater refinement or a measure of piety. So they stumble without paying attention; and there is no rebuke, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 48:8), “even from yore, your ears were not opened.” Therefore we need to warn them and to have their ears revealed about the weightiness of many sins, and that there are [also] many ways and angles to the light commandments that [lead] to decreed destruction and loss of the soul. And many of the evildoers would leave their paths if they will know the loss and damage that [comes] with it, when they hear about the greatness of the sin and the [punishment] which is decreed about it. [This is] so those that stumble will gird their power to conquer their desire. For how could they see the destruction of their souls [and not react]?

Come and see how great is the power of peace. For in the beginning of the creation of the universe the Holy One Blessed be He employed Himself in the creation of an instrument of peace, as it is written (Bereshith 1:3): "And G-d said: 'Let there be light' — and there was light." And how do we know that light is peace? For it is written (Isaiah 45:7): "He fashions light and creates darkness; He makes peace and creates evil." On this basis, our teachers of blessed memory ruled (Shabbath 23b): "As between a candle for his house and wine for kiddush, to sanctify the Sabbath [if he can afford only one], a candle for his house takes precedence because of the peace of his household." What is more, our sages enacted many ordinances in pursuit of the paths of peace, viz. (Gittin 59a): "They declared the following in pursuit of the paths of peace: 'The Cohein reads first [in the Torah], then the Levite, then the Israelite, because of "the paths of peace."'" An eruv [a halachic enabling device] is placed in an old house, because of "the paths of peace." The pit nearest the irrigation canal is filled first because of "the paths of peace."'" And so is it written (Proverbs 3;17): "Its [Torah's] ways are ways of pleasantness and all of its paths are peace." And thus did our sages of blessed memory say in the aggadah (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:13, Tanchuma Beha'alothecha 11): "There are thirteen things that the Holy One Blessed be He loved, and of all of them, He "doubled" [in profusion of love], only "peace." They [(the thirteen)] are: Cohanim, Levites, Israel, Sanhedrin [the high court], the first-born, the offerings of the tabernacle, the sacrifices, the oil of anointment, the Land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, the kingdom of the house of David, and the silver and the gold. The Cohanim — (Shemoth 28:41): "And they shall be priests unto Me." the Levites (Numbers 3:41): "And I shall take the Levites unto Me." Israel — (Shemoth 19:6): "And you [Israel] shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests." Sanhedrin — (Numbers 11:16): "Gather unto Me seventy men." The first-born — (Shemoth 13:2) "Sanctify unto Me every first-born." The offerings of the tabernacle — (Ibid. 25:2): "And they shall take unto Me an offering." The sacrifices — (Numbers 28:2): "You shall heed to sacrifice unto Me in its appointed time." The oil of anointment — (Shemoth 30:31): "The holy oil of anointment shall this be unto Me for your generations." The Land of Israel — (Ibid. 19:5): "For unto Me is all the land." Jerusalem — (I Kings 11:36): "The city that I have chosen unto Me." The Temple — (I Chronicles 17:12): "He shall build unto Me a habitation." The kingdom of the house of David — (I Samuel 16:1): "For I have seen in his sons a king unto Me." The silver and the gold — (Chaggai 2:8): "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." But, of all of these, none was doubled [in profusion of love] but "peace," as it is written (Isaiah 27:5): "Or let him take hold of My strength. He shall make peace unto Me; peace shall he make unto Me." Great is peace, which takes precedence to praise of the Blessed One Himself. For when Yithro came to Moses, immediately (Exodus 18:7): "And each made inquiry of the other's peace," whereas only afterwards (Ibid. 8): "And Moses related to his father-in-law all of the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He had wrought for Israel." What is more, for all of the mitzvoth that the wicked perform in this world, the Holy One Blessed be He gives them their reward in this world — such as wealth, property, years, honor, and the like — except peace, which He does not give them, as it is written (Isaiah 57:21): "There is no peace, says my G-d, for the wicked." And, what is more, the Holy One Blessed be He gives peace as a reward to the righteous, as it is written (Ibid. 32:17): "And the reward for righteousness shall be peace…" What is more, it is with peace that He draws near to Him converts and penitents, as it is written (Ibid. 57:19): "He creates the utterance of the lips: 'Peace, Peace,' for the far and the near, says the L-rd, and I will heal him." Great is peace, for in regard to all of the journeyings in the desert it is written "And they journeyed and they rested," journeying in strife and resting in strife. But when they came to Mount Sinai, they made one great "resting," as it is written (Shemoth 19:2): "And Israel rested there, before the mountain." (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "The Holy One Blessed be He said: 'The time has now arrived for Me to give Torah to My children.'" For as long as they are at peace with one another, the Shechinah is among them. And thus is it said (Devarim 33:5): "And He was a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered, together with the tribes of Israel." When does the kingdom and the Shechinah of the Blessed One abide in Israel? When they are all gathered together as one. Come and see how great is the power of peace; for it is through the power of peace that the world endures. For thus have our sages of blessed memory said (Avoth 1:18): "On three things does the world stand: on judgment, on truth, and on peace, as it is written (Zechariah 8:16): 'Truth and a judgment of peace shall you judge in your gates.'" What is more, when there is peace among men, there is blessing in their fruits, as it is written (Ibid. 12): "For as the seed of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give its dew, and I shall bequeath all of these to the remnant of this people." And thus is it written (Psalms 147:14): "He makes peace on your borders and sates you with the fatness of wheat." Our sages have said (Vayikra Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for if one erases one letter of G-d's name, he transgresses a negative commandment, as it is written (Devarim 12:3): 'And you shall wipe out their [the idols'] name from that place,' followed by (Ibid. 4): 'You shall not do so to the L-rd your G-d.' Yet to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says (Numbers 5:23): 'And the Cohein shall write these curses [containing G-d's name] in a book and erase them into the bitter waters.' The Holy One Blessed be He says: 'Let My name, which was written in holiness, be erased by the waters.'" And Chazal have said further (Vayikrah Rabbah 9:9): "Great is peace, for all of the goodly blessings and consolations that the Holy One Blessed be He convokes upon Israel conclude with "peace." The Shema — "He spreads a canopy of peace." The Amidah — "He makes peace." The priestly blessing — "And He shall repose peace upon you." "Therefore, my sons, be circumspect in this trait — to love peace and to pursue peace. For there is no end to the reward for loving peace and pursuing peace." Until here, the language of Ma'aloth Hamiddoth.

The Midrash continues: G–d called to Moses whereas G–d did not call to Abraham. How are we to understand this in view of Genesis 22,15: ויקרא מלאך ה' אל אברהם; Clearly G–d did call to Abraham. We must answer that it is no disgrace for the king to speak with his innkeeper. When G–d spoke to Moses He did not do as He did when He spoke to Abraham, but the angel first called to Abraham (to tell him G–d was about to speak to him). Rabbi Avin says that G–d said: "I am the caller and it is I who is speaking." We know this from Isaiah 48,15: אני אני דברתי אף קראתיו והביאותיו והצליח דרכו, "I, I have spoken, I called him; I have brought him and make him successful in his mission." Thus far the Midrash.

When the Torah writes in 10,12: ועתה ישראל מה ה' אלוקיך שואל ממך, the word מה is an allusion to Moses and Aaron who had said disparagingly of themselves, ונחנו מה. It is expected of us that we follow in the steps of Moses and Aaron, both of whom set such an outstanding example of humility. Only if we try and emulate Moses and Aaron will we attain the level of spirituality which is implied in this verse by the title ישראל. The word מה may be read as מאה, i.e. 100, seeing it can be understood as diminutive such as in the example from Moses and Aaron. On the other hand, it can also stand for unlimited expansion such as מה רב טובך, "How abundant is Your good," in Psalms 31,20. It is our task to use the word in the latter connotation when we speak about G–d and in the former connotation when we refer to ourselves. The Rabbis who suggested reading מה as מאה referred to our hymns of praise, our prayers when we aggrandize G–d's attributes. All that G–d asks of us is the minimal interpretation of מה, i.e. to revere Him. This is the only area in which humility is not a virtue. We must project a high profile in our display of reverence for G–d. The letters in the word אם in that verse (Deut. 10,12), are the first letters of the names of אהרון משה. Limits on one's own modesty are imposed when one's modesty is maintained at the expense of a public desecration of the name of G–d. The Talmud Berachot 19b rules that if one discovers a mixture of wool and flax in the garment one wears one has to remove such a garment at once and not wait until one comes home (even if one causes oneself considerable embarrassment thereby). The reason is that no personal considerations are valid when G–d's name is at stake. The sages who have composed our Prayer Book have inserted eight expressions such as מה אנו, מה חיינו, in our morning prayers to counteract the eight areas where signs of arrogance manifest themselves. All these are rooted in one's head. It begins with מחשבה, one's thoughts, whence it proceeds to the heart. A contrite heart is the counter-measure to such feelings of superiority. A second manifestation of haughtiness is the forehead, symbol of obstinacy the result of arrogance. One needs to cultivate the opposite, something the author calls מצח רצון. The third manifestation of arrogance is עינים רמות, pride. One needs to cultivate עין טובה, a generous eye instead. The fourth way of displaying arrogance is described as אזנים רחבות שמע שוא, ears open to all kinds of disinformation. Its antidote is the ability to hear oneself denigrated without feeling the need to respond; one must develop the ability to listen to people in trouble. The fifth manifestation of haughtiness is flaring up in anger. Anger is most frequently the result of injured pride. One's behaviour ought to be modelled on that of G–d described in Isaiah 48,9: ותהלתי אחטם לך לבלתי הכרתיך, "To My own glory, I control My wrath not to destroy you." The sixth manifestation of pride and arrogance is the tongue which speaks boastfully. The only remedy is to curb one's tongue. The "tongue" of scholars is considered therapeutic (spiritually). The seventh way in which arrogance is displayed is with the palate. Arrogance is often shown in what one eats and how one eats, and what one disdains to eat. The obvious remedy is to live frugally. The eighth and final manifestation of haughtiness is expressed by one's facial muscles, i.e. a superior mien. The only way to overcome such signs of pride is to train oneself to present a face radiating sympathy at all times. All of these manifestations of arrogance emanate in the head. It is appropriate therefore not to walk around with one's head held high. Our sages are on record that ההולך בקומה זקופה דוחה רגלי השכינה, "He who walks with his head held high pushes away the feet of the שכינה." This simile is used as an example of מדה כנגד מדה, punishment fitting the crime. The punishment for such a person who did not practice the virtue of seeing himself like an עקב, heel, symbolising humility, is that he has forced G–d to be humble in the presence of his own display of arrogance.