Chasidut su Salmi 85:2
רָצִ֣יתָ יְהוָ֣ה אַרְצֶ֑ךָ שַׁ֝֗בְתָּ שבות [שְׁבִ֣ית] יַעֲקֹֽב׃
Signore, sei stato favorevole alla tua terra, hai trasformato la prigionia di Giacobbe.
Kedushat Levi
Midrash Rabbah 8,5 relates that at the time when G’d was about to create the physical universe containing man, Truth objected, saying that man would be a corrupt being; as a punishment, i.e. means of educating Truth, G’d condemned Truth to descend to earth and “live” there.
In order to comprehend the meaning of the Midrash we need to remember that lying, the opposite of truth- is a sin which is in a category by itself, as people known to be liars will find it difficult if not impossible to be accepted in society even in this imperfect world where most people indulge in one sin or another. If someone desecrates the Sabbath, this will not be held against him by most of his peers who feel that it is a matter between him and G’d. If someone deliberately hurts others bodily, or even commits murder, the courts will punish him accordingly. In other words, there is a built in incentive on this earth for people not to commit murder, etc., as they know they will pay a heavy price when found out. Lying, because it is difficult for the courts to deal with, is dealt with by consensus of one’s peers who will shun the company of known liars. Sending “truth” to earth was G’d’s way of providing incentives for potential liars to be truthful, as otherwise they would be ostracised by their peers.
[In other words, rather than seeing in the Midrash above a “punishment” for truth having opposed the Creator, our author sees in it an acknowledgment by G’d that “Truth” in opposing the creation of the human species had a valid point, and He appointed “Truth” to be active on earth in order to minimize the potential danger to the whole species if too many people were to make lies their way of life. Ed.] The message of the Midrash is that without “Truth” the human species would not survive for long.
In order to comprehend the meaning of the Midrash we need to remember that lying, the opposite of truth- is a sin which is in a category by itself, as people known to be liars will find it difficult if not impossible to be accepted in society even in this imperfect world where most people indulge in one sin or another. If someone desecrates the Sabbath, this will not be held against him by most of his peers who feel that it is a matter between him and G’d. If someone deliberately hurts others bodily, or even commits murder, the courts will punish him accordingly. In other words, there is a built in incentive on this earth for people not to commit murder, etc., as they know they will pay a heavy price when found out. Lying, because it is difficult for the courts to deal with, is dealt with by consensus of one’s peers who will shun the company of known liars. Sending “truth” to earth was G’d’s way of providing incentives for potential liars to be truthful, as otherwise they would be ostracised by their peers.
[In other words, rather than seeing in the Midrash above a “punishment” for truth having opposed the Creator, our author sees in it an acknowledgment by G’d that “Truth” in opposing the creation of the human species had a valid point, and He appointed “Truth” to be active on earth in order to minimize the potential danger to the whole species if too many people were to make lies their way of life. Ed.] The message of the Midrash is that without “Truth” the human species would not survive for long.
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