Commentary for Leviticus 26:11

ונתתי משכני AND I WILL SET MY DWELLING [AMONGST YOU] — This means the Temple at Jerusalem (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 3 2; Eruvin 2a).

AND I WILL SET MY TABERNACLE AMONG YOU. “This means the Sanctuary [at Jerusalem].” AND MY SOUL SHALL NOT ‘THIG’AL’ (ABHOR) YOU. “This means that My spirit shall not reject you. Every [form of the term] ge’ilah is an expression of spewing out something that has been absorbed in another substance, such as: for there ‘nig’al’ the shield of the mighty,²⁷II Samuel 1:21. The reference is to King Saul and Jonathan who fell in battle with the Philistines, and David in his eulogy mentions that their shields were of no avail to them, as Ramban explains. meaning that the shield was not receptive to the oil with which it was anointed; for they used to anoint a leather shield with boiled [fat], in order to make the blows of arrows or spears glance off it, so that it should not pierce the leather.” This is Rashi’s language.
But I do not know what would be the meaning of this, that the Holy One, blessed be He, should say that if we keep all the commandments and do His will, He will not reject us and His soul will not abhor us! Similarly when [speaking of] our transgressing His covenant [with us], and committing great provocations,²⁸Nehemiah 9:18. He said, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them!²⁹Further, Verse 44. And the prophet [Jeremiah] said at the time of cursing [i.e., the prediction of the destruction of the First Sanctuary], Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? Hast Thy soul loathed Zion?³⁰Jeremiah 14:19. But this subject is one of the secrets of the mysteries of the Torah.³¹The allusion is to the transmigration of the soul (Bei’ur Ha’lvush to Ricanti, and so also clearly in Rabbeinu Bachya’s commentary to the Torah (Vol. II, p. 575 in my edition). Scripture is thus stating that He will set His Tabernacle among us, and that “the soul”³²Here referring to a term which in the Cabalistic sense signifies the very source in one of the Divine Emanations from which the human soul originates (Abusaula). from which the Tabernacle³³I.e., the Divine soul within us. comes, will not spew us forth as a pot which we scour in hot water [in order to cleanse it of substances it has absorbed], but instead our garments will always be white³⁴Ecclesiastes 9:8. — Ramban is thus intimating that human life will be so perfect when we observe the commandments, that man will achieve his goal in one lifetime, and his soul will not be rejected on its return to its original heavenly abode. and new. For the term ge’ilah denotes, as Rashi said, “casting out,” related to the expression, his bull gendereth and doth not ‘yag’il’ (allow the cow to reject as loathsome), his cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.³⁵Job 21:10. He states here My soul [and ‘My soul’ shall not abhor you] similar to the expression, the Eternal G-d hath sworn by His soul.³⁶Amos 6:8. And the prophet [Jeremiah] thus is saying by way of amazement: “Hast Thou loathed Zion, itself³⁰Jeremiah 14:19. which is a city and a mother in Israel,³⁷II Samuel 20:19. and hast Thou cast her from before thee, so that all her sons are clothed with filthy garments,³⁸Zechariah 3:3. polluted [with sin]?”
Now according to their simple sense, these blessings, which are many and [stated in] general terms [affecting the people as a whole], — such as rain, plenitude, peace and the fruitfulness of people — are unlike the blessings with which He has already blessed [the people] in brief, saying, And He will bless thy bread, and thy water, and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.³⁹Exodus 23:25. For there He assured them that their food and drink would be [a source of] blessing, so that no sickness will occur to our bodies, and therefore the organs of procreation will be complete and healthy and we will give birth properly, and live full lives, as He said, None shall miscarry, nor be barren in thy Land, the number of thy days will I fulfill,⁴⁰Ibid., Verse 26. and similarly He said at the beginning, for I am the Eternal that healeth thee.⁴¹Ibid., 15:26. The reason for this [division of the blessings into two sections] is that [all] the blessings [mentioned in the Torah], although they are miraculous, are hidden miracles of which the whole Torah is full, as I have explained.⁴²See in Genesis 17:1 (Vol. I, pp. 215-216), and 46:15 (pp. 556-558). See also at the end of Seder Bo in the Book of Exodus (Vol. II, pp. 174-175). They apply even to an individual who serves [Him], for when there is a pious man who keeps all the commandments of his G-d, the Eternal G-d will guard him from sickness, barrenness and bereavement, and he will live out his days in goodness. But these blessings which are stated in this section are general ones applying to the people [as a whole], and they [take effect] when the whole of our people shall all be righteous.⁴³Isaiah 60:21. Therefore He mentions here always the Land: and the Land shall yield;⁴⁴Above, Verse 4. in your Land safely;⁴⁵Verse 5. peace in the Land;⁴⁶Verse 6. out of the Land;⁴⁶Verse 6. it shall not go through your Land.⁴⁶Verse 6.
Now we have already explained⁴²See in Genesis 17:1 (Vol. I, pp. 215-216), and 46:15 (pp. 556-558). See also at the end of Seder Bo in the Book of Exodus (Vol. II, pp. 174-175). that all these blessings are miracles, for it is not natural that the rains should come [in their due season], and that we should have peace from our enemies, and that they should have faintness of heart so that a hundred of them flee before five, as a result of us observing the statutes and commandments of G-d, nor that everything should be the opposite [i.e., that none of these things should happen] because of us planting in the Seventh year [which we are forbidden to do]. But although they are hidden miracles, for they are [brought about] by means of the natural events of the world occurring according to their habit, yet [the Torah mentions them separately because] they come to be known [as miracles] because of their constant and continuous occurrence in the whole Land. For if one righteous man lives and G-d takes away sickness from him, and he lives out his days, this also happens to some wicked people [and is thus not acknowledged as miraculous]. But when an entire land and a whole people always have rains coming in their season, and plenitude, security, peace, health, strength and defeat of their enemies, in a manner unparalleled in the whole world, it becomes known to all that this is the Eternal’s doing.⁴⁷Psalms 118:23. Therefore He said [in connection with these blessings], And all the peoples shall see that the Name of the Eternal is called upon thee, and they shall be afraid of thee.⁴⁸Deuteronomy 28:10. And the opposite of this will occur because of the curses, when punishments will come upon the [whole] Land, just as He said, and I will make your heaven as iron,⁴⁹Further, Verse 19. and punishments of sickness, as He said, and sore sickness, and of long continuance,⁵⁰Deuteronomy 28:59. meaning that the food will be spoiled and bring about sickness, and thus the miracle will be made known to all because of its continued existence amongst the whole people. Therefore it is written, And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say when they see the plagues of that Land, and its sicknesses.⁵¹Ibid., 29:21. For they will not wonder at that [single] man upon whom all the curse that is written in this book shall lie⁵²Ibid., Verse 19. for it happens many times in the natural order of the world, among all nations, that bad happenings come upon a certain individual. It is only with reference to that Land⁵¹Ibid., 29:21. that they will wonder, and that all the nations will ask, Wherefore hath the Eternal done thus unto this Land?,⁵³Ibid., Verse 23. for all will see and understand that the hand of the Eternal hath done this.⁵⁴Isaiah 41:20. And [by way of reply] they will say, Because they forsook the covenant of the Eternal, the G-d of their fathers.⁵⁵Deuteronomy 29:24.
In general then, when Israel is in perfect [accord with G-d], constituting a large number, their affairs are not conducted at all by the natural order of things, neither in connection with themselves, nor with reference to their Land, neither collectively nor individually, for G-d blesses their bread and their water, and removes sickness from their midst, so that they do not need a physician and do not have to observe any of the rules of medicine, just as He said, for I am the Eternal that healeth thee.⁵⁶Exodus 15:26. And so did the righteous ones act at the time when prophecy [existed], so that even if a mishap of iniquity overtook them, causing them sickness, they did not turn to the physicians, but only to the prophets, as was the case with Hezekiah when he was sick.⁵⁷See Isaiah Chapter 38. And Scripture states [of Asa, king of Judah, by way of rebuke], Yet in his disease he sought not to the Eternal, but to the physicians.⁵⁸II Chronicles 16:12. Now had the practice of [consulting] physicians been customary among them, why should the verse mention [as a sinful act Asa’s consulting] the physicians, since his guilt was only because he did not [also] seek G-d? But the verse can be compared to someone saying: “That person did not eat unleavened bread on the Festival of Passover, but instead [ate] leavened bread.”⁵⁹The intent of this statement is that the transgressor has committed two sins: not only has he failed to fulfill the positive commandment of eating unleavened bread (see “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 168-169), but he has also eaten chametz during Passover, which is forbidden by a negative commandment (ibid., Vol. II, pp. 194-195). In the same way Scripture states that Asa committed two sins: he failed to seek G-d, and he consulted the physicians. This shows that consulting the physicians was not customary. For he who seeks the Eternal through a prophet, will not consult the physicians. And what part do the physicians have in the house of those who do the will of G-d, after He has assured us, and He will bless thy bread, and thy water, and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee,³⁹Exodus 23:25. whereas the physicians are concerned [mostly] with food and drink, warning [the patient] against [eating] certain foods and commanding him [to eat] others.⁶⁰Rambam writes in a similar vein: “Most maladies that afflict people are the result of bad food, or of overeating even wholesome food” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Dei’oth 4:15). Thus also the Rabbis said:⁶¹Horayoth 14 a. To understand the full significance of this Talmudic statement about Rav Yoseph, and especially about Rabbah’s connection with it [“During all the twenty-two years that Rabbah reigned …”] it is necessary to know the background of a certain event that transpired in their lives. When the post of chief of the Academy of Pumbeditha became vacant the Rabbis of Babylon were in doubt as to whom they should appoint — Rabbah or Rav Yoseph. Rabbah’s distinction was that he was the outstanding dialectician of his generation, while that of Rav Yoseph was that he was the greatest erudite scholar. When an inquiry was made of the Rabbis in the Land of Israel the answer came back: “An erudite scholar is preferable.” It was thus Rav Yoseph’s turn to become the head of the Academy. Yet in his humility Rav Yoseph refused to accept the post and insisted that Rabbah should reign. And thus for twenty-two years Rabbah continued to rule over the Academy of Pumbeditha. In recompense for his humility, the Talmudic story continues, Heaven rewarded Rav Yoseph that “During all the twenty-two years that Rabbah reigned Rav Yoseph did not call even a bloodletter to his house,” as was customary in those days, for his health was in such perfect condition. — See in Ein Ya’akov at end of Horayoth, in the commentary Hakotheiv, at end, for source of this beautiful interpretation. It expresses no doubt the intent of Ramban’s words here before us. “During all the twenty-two years that Rabbah reigned [as head of the Academy at Pumbeditha], Rav Yoseph did not call even a blood letter to his house” [as he, being a righteous person, was protected directly by G-d and needed no physicians], and they also say by way of proverb:⁶²Shir Hashirim Rabbah 6:17. “A gate which is not open for the commandments [i.e., a house wherein the commandments are not observed] is open for the physician.” This is also the meaning of their saying:⁶³Berachoth 60 a. “People should not have to take medicaments, but they have become accustomed to do so.” [That is to say]: had they not accustomed themselves to [taking] medicines, people would become sick according to the degree of punishment corresponding to their sin, and would be healed by the will of G-d, but since they accustomed themselves to medicaments, G-d has left them to natural happenings. This is also the intent of the Rabbis’ interpretation:⁶⁴Baba Kamma 85 a. “And he shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.⁶⁵Exodus 21:19. From here [you deduce the principle] that permission has been given to the physician to heal.” They did not say that “permission was given to the sick to be healed” [by the physician], but instead they stated [by implication] that since the person who became sick comes [to the physician] to be healed, because he has accustomed himself to seeking medical help and he was not of the congregation of the Eternal whose portion is in this life,⁶⁶See Numbers 27:3; Psalms 17:14. the physician should not refrain from healing him; whether because of fear that he might die under his hand, since he is qualified in this profession, or because he says that it is G-d alone Who is the Healer of all flesh, since [after all] people have already accustomed themselves [to seeking such help]. Therefore when men contend and one smites the other with a stone or his fist⁶⁷Exodus 21:18. the one who smote must pay for the healing,⁶⁵Exodus 21:19. for the Torah does not base its laws upon miracles, just as it said, for the poor shall never cease out of the Land,⁶⁸Deuteronomy 15:11. knowing [beforehand] that such will be the case. But when a man’s ways please the Eternal,⁶⁹Proverbs 16:7. he need have no concern with physicians.

ונתתי משכני בתוככם, “My Shechinah will reside amongst you, everywhere;” The meaning is that the close relationship which had existed between the Jewish people and its G’d before the sin of the golden calf would be restored. Prior to that traumatic break in the Israel-G’d relations, G’d had been on record (Exodus 20,21) בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא רליך, “I will come to you to any place where My name will be mentioned.” [In other words, there was not even a need for a Sanctuary. Ed.]