Pemikiran Yahudi Mazmur 104:24: Hegyonei Uziel, Akeidat Yitzchak, Kuzari & Duties

Blessed be the Creator and exalted be the Former, who created His world with wisdom and fashioned man, the crown of creation, in His image. As it is written: ‘In the beginning God created’. The Jerusalem Targum translates: ‘With wisdom God created. And what the Targum left general, the holy Zohar explained: Rabbi Yehudai said: What is Bereishit? This is Wisdom, upon which the world stands, elevated within hidden supernal secrets (Zohar, Introduction 3a). What is Reshit (‘beginning’)? It is Wisdom. It is the inner point, of which it is said: ‘All the glory of the king’s daughter is within’ (Tehillim 45:14). And this is Yirah (awe/reverence), which is the first commandment. About it, it is said: ‘The fear of Hashem is the beginning of knowledge’ (Mishlei). (Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 30). And so said the sweet singer of Israel in his psalms: ‘How manifold are Your works, Hashem! All of them You made with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions’ (Tehillim 104:24).

Man attains his ideal state via a threefold process. 1) He must fulfil his duties towards himself. 2) He must fulfil his duties towards his fellow man. 3) He must fulfil his duties towards G'd. The prophet Michah, in chapter six, describes man's tasks as follows: "What is it that the Lord asks of you, except a) to do justice, b) to practice loving kindness, and c) to walk humbly with the Lord your G'd." Duties towards oneself are easily understood, therefore the prophet refers to them by the word mishpat. When Manoach was told about the impending birth of Samson, he asked the angel "what is the mishpat of the boy, and how is he to be treated? (Judges 13,11) He meant "how can one ensure the boy's survival?" Duties towards oneself are to ensure one's survival. Performance of duties towards one's fellow man consists of putting acquired good character traits to practical use. David asked his son Solomon (Chronicles I 28,9) "and you my son Solomon, know the G'd of your father, serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing soul." Our sages display a negative attitude towards people who make vows. Prompt fulfilment of the vow is equated with offering a sacrifice on a private altar at times when private altars are forbidden. (Gittin 56) The reason is that though there clearly is a good intention, the venue is unwelcome. This is so when the subject of the vow is a devar mitzvah, something desirable in the eyes of G'd. When the subject matter of the vow is merely a devar reshut however, i.e. something merely permissible, the vow itself is viewed as reprehensible, since it presupposes that by accepting the gift, G'd indicates His need of it. What could be more laughable? Since vows are subject to annulment, the question why some famous vows have never been annulled is in order. Why was the vow of Yiphtach who offered the life of the first living thing that would come towards him when he would return from war victorious, and which resulted in his own daughter being that sacrifice, not annulled? Our sages blame the pride of both Yiphtach and the High Priest Pinchas. Supposedly, each waited for the other to make the first move. Both were punished for their pride. Pinchas no longer enjoyed the ear of G'd. (Chronicles I 9,20) Yiphtach's body was scattered all over the place, as parts of it were buried in different part of Gilead. (Judges 12,7) In the case of the aftermath of the pilegesh be-givah, Judges chapter twenty one, one must ask why the annulment procedure was not used to cancel the vow to kill all the men of Yavesh Gilead? Surely, this would have been even more important than to save the life of a single person, the daughter of Yiphtach at the time? Surely a lesson could have been learned from the former event? Also, why was the vow not to give daughters in marriage to the the remnant of the tribe of Benjamin not annulled? One of the main reasons for this national paralysis, could have been the absence of a central authority at that time. After all, the era has been characterised by the book of Judges as "in those days, there was no king in Israel." (Judges 19,1) Again, at the end of the book of Judges (Judges 21,25) we read "in those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in." When an entire nation had vowed a vow, only an even greater authority can absolve from such a vow. Since many of the people had died since the vow had been made, it could not even have been annulled by an equal number of people. (Moed Katan 17) For that reason they had to resort to the subterfuge described there, i.e. letting the young men of Benjamin kidnap their brides to be. (see commentary by Kimchi) All of the above illustrates the severity of the laws concerning vows, once they have been made. Surely then it is preferable not to make vows in the first place. Man's tendency not to make payment promptly when he pledges a donation, is a sign that he overestimates his own value, and his effort to compensate for this when the time comes to make payment. The Torah, therefore, provides objective valuations, so that the person who promised a value to the temple treasury that equals his own value, would not shortchange the temple treasury. When the vow concerns a devar mitzvah, a duty that had to be fulfilled anyways, even if no vow had been made at all, the Torah warns "do not be tardy to pay it, the Lord will surely demand it from you." (Deut 23,22) For that reason the Torah continues: "if you fail to make vows, this will not be counted a sin against you."

When we now pursue the question of what is G-d’s goal in having man serve Him, seeing that we have established that man's efforts do not contribute to the state of G-d’s perfection, then the answer is that it is the will of G-d, not because of His need for man. Rather it is because of His generosity and kindness in affording man the opportunity to reach a level of wisdom and piety that enables him to appreciate G-d and His glory. Our sages in Avot 6,9 tell us that G-d possesses five acquisitions in this universe. They are: heaven and earth, Torah, Abraham, Israel and the holy temple. Since we have proof from scriptures that G-d owns the entire universe, i.e. "the earth is filled with Your property” (Psalms 104,24), what can be the meaning of that Mishnah? The answer cannot lie in the specific references to the word kinyan, possession, in the Mishnah. It is significant that the verses from Scripture quoted there to support the statement of the Mishnah, do not mention the term kinyan in connection with "heaven and earth." Even in the case of Israel, although one of the verses quoted mentions the term kinyan, the second verse quoted in support of the same statement does not mention kinyan. The meaning of our sages must be that G-d acquired these five possessions to serve as the instruments by means of which He can bestow His kindness and generosity on man, to let him rise to the lofty position of comprehending His greatness. G-d, as it were, "needed" these five possessions to carry out His plan for the ultimate elevation of mankind. When Solomon describes the Torah as having been "acquired by G-d" (Proverbs 8,22), this means that G-d has planned to use the Torah as a tool to implement His grand design. When Isaiah describes the function of heaven and earth as "the footstools and throne of G-d" respectively, he similarly underlines that they are merely tools in the hands of G-d. Just as acquisitions serve as a means to and end, so these five acquisitions serve as a means to the end which G-d pursued when He created man. Abraham being described as "blessed" to the supreme G-d by Malki Tzedek the king of Salem underlines the fact that, being a priest, his function was to teach the people about G-d (Maleachi 2,7; Genesis 14,18-20). We explained that in connection with the pearl that hung around Abraham's throat in chapter 4. Israel, instructed already by its forefathers who spread knowledge of G-d, is to do so in even greater measure. It will act as such tool, as will the holy temple representing the benevolent Presence of the Shechinah on this earth. Nothing could serve more directly as a tool to acquaint people with the power, generosity and splendor of G-d. Contrary to man, who is considered foolish when he fails to employ all his faculties for his own advantage, G-d is concerned with employing these five tools (faculties) to promote the advancement of His creatures rather than Himself.