Musar su Isaia 5:78

Furthermore, we know and understand that the Creator did not create the world for the sake of the wicked or those who anger Him, for reason cannot lead us to such a conclusion, but He created it for the sake of the pious, who acknowledge His divinity and serve Him properly. His intent was only to create the pious, but the wicked were created by virtue of the nature of creation. Just as a piece of fruit has a peel³This metaphor seems to be Kabbalistic, especially the use of "peel" for "evil."²This is a possible allusion to a favorite theme in Jewish Mysticism. "Evil is the Kelipah, the ‘bark’ of the cosmic tree or ‘The shell of the nut’ ". Gershom G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York: Schocken, 1946), p. 239. and that which is choice is what is within the peel, so the pious are the fruit of the creation of the world and the wicked are the peel . Just as we see that the intent of the sower of the seed is to cause wheat alone to grow, but that the strength of the sprout brings forth evil weeds with the wheat⁴See Isaiah 5:2. and that with the rose come all sorts of thorns, thus it is the intent of the Creator to create the pious, but by the virtue of the nature of creation, the wicked are brought forth with the pious. There is nothing that is created that cannot be divided into three parts: the choice or the purest part, which is like the finest flour; the inferior part, which consists of offal and worthless parts, such as straw or rubbish, and there is the part in between⁵This refers to some kind of intermediary state between excellence and worthlessness.. Thus you find among human beings one part which is choice and pure, and these are the pious ones; they are like the fine flour or the choicest fruit. And then there is the less worthy and the rejected, and they are the wicked that are like the rubbish or straw. Therefore, we can say that the world was not created for the sake of the wicked, but for the sake of the pious. Just as in the case of a tree, its master did not plant it and labor for the sake of the peel, but for the sake of the choicest fruit that it will yield.⁶This paragraph sounds Kabbalistic, not only in the imagery but also in the idea that evil is a necessary part in the creation of the world. Theodore Friedman in his review of Ephraim E. Urbach’s The Sages—Their Concepts and Beliefs (Hebrew) Jerusalem, Magnes: 1969, in Judaism Vol. 21:4, p. 499 deals with the famous controversy between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, whether or not it would have been better for man never to have been born (Eruvin 13b). Urbach said that the question that exercised the two Schools was whether or not it would have been better for [the wicked] never to have been born. Friedman feels "unconvinced" that such is the plain meaning of the text. It is interesting to observe that the text which Urbach uses (p. 226) taken from the Ethics of the Fathers VI: 11 "Whatsoever the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created it only for His glory", as it is written, Everything that is called by my name and that I have created, I have formed it, yea, I have made it (Isaiah 43:7) contains the very same verse which was cited by our author in the beginning of this chapter. See p. 10, lines 21-22.

As to Solomon's using the word "vineyard," aside from the fact that all of Israel is considered a vineyard, viz. (Isaiah 5:7): "For the vineyard of the L-rd of hosts is the house of Israel," and every Jew has a portion in this vineyard— aside from this, everyone has a distinct vineyard in Gan Eden, as it is written (Koheleth 12:5): "A man goes to his eternal house." And he must take especial care with it, to plant it with pleasing growths and to guard it that it not spoil.

And behold that the desire placed in the heart of man is the root of all of his actions. Therefore, if he refines the desire - instead of all the limbs serving it, he will draw them after the intellect. So they will accompany him and serve him; and all of his actions will be proper, as it is stated (Proverbs 21:8), "but he is pure and straight in his actions." (And it appears to me that he is understanding, "but he is pure," [as] meaning to say, that he is pure from desire; "and straight in his actions," [as] all of his actions are assumed to be refined and straight. And that is something that can be learned from its [context], as its opposite is written after it - "The desire of the wicked is set upon evil" [Proverbs 21:10].) And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 13:19), "Desire niheyeh is sweet to the spirit." Niheyeh [here] is like broken, as [its usage in] (Daniel 8:27), "I was broken (niheyeti), and languished." It is stating that when a man breaks his desire - even for things that are permissible - it renders his spirit successful. So this trait is sweet to it. For the intellect raises its hand and is victorious. "But to turn away from evil is abhorrent to the stupid" (Proverbs 21:8): The stupid, who do not break their desire but rather always pursue the desires of people - when their desire confronts them [to do a] sin or any bad thing, they will not veer from it. And they are called stupid because of [their] pursuit of pleasures - as it is stated (Proverbs 21:20), "and a stupid man will swallow them." And it is stated (Isaiah 5:11-12), "Ah, those who chase liquor from early in the morning, etc. Who have lyre and lute, etc.; but who never give a thought to the plan of the Lord, etc." And it is [also] stated (Proverbs 13:25), "but the belly of the wicked is empty." And it is [further] stated (Malachi 2:3), "and I will strew dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 151b), "These are people for which all their days are like festivals." And it states (Proverbs 18:1), "He who isolates himself pursues his desires; he disdains all competence." Its explanation is, one who seeks to go after his desire and his will, will be isolated from any friend or countryman. As admirers and companions will distance themselves them from him, since the desires and measures of people are [all] different - the will of this one is not like the will of that one. However if he will follow the path of the intellect, many friends will join themselves to him and his admirers will be many. And they said regarding ethics, one who [insists] upon his measures will have many [against] him. And it is possible to explain, "He who isolates himself pursues his desires," about this matter itself: A man is isolated from every brother and friend, by the desire that he seeks. And since he seeks to go after his will - because of that, his companions distance themselves from him. [It is] like the matter [of], "but a poor man loses his friend" (Proverbs 19:4). "He disdains all competence": One who follows his desires will not only sin in one thing. Rather he will disdain every thing in the Torah, since he will transgress all of it - like the wording (of Proverbs 20:3), "but every fool disdains."

Chazal have said (Sanhedrin 99b): “All who study Torah for its own sake make peace in the celestial and terrestrial retinues, viz. (Isaiah 27:5): ‘Or if he but take hold of My stronghold [Torah], he shall make peace for Me [1]; he shall make peace for Me [2].’ Rav said: ‘It is as if he would build the celestial palace and the terrestrial palace, viz. (Ibid. 51:16): “And I have placed My words in your mouth … to plant the heavens and to lay the foundations of the earth.”’”

Also, through this [(laxity in Torah study)] the idolators grow in strength over Israel, as we find in the Midrash (Eichah Rabba Pethichta) on the verse (Isaiah 5:24): 'As straw [Esav] will consume a tongue of fire [Jacob].' When will the straw consume the fire? 'When they [Israel] despise the Torah of the L-rd their [Israel's] root will be like rot.' The 'merit of the fathers' will not avail them."

By following this approach we can also understand the Midrash in Eichah Rabbati, 2,6, on Lamentations 2,3: "He has cut down in blazing anger כל קרן ישראל, all the might of Israel." The Midrash comments that there are ten קרנות, i.e. "strongholds" termed Keren. Abraham is one such קרן; he is referred to in Isaiah 5,1, as כרם היה לידידי בקרן בן שמן, "My beloved had a vineyard on a fruitful hill." Isaac is also known as a קרן, in Genesis 22,13 נאחז בסבך בקרניו, "caught in the thicket by its horns." We find a reference to Joseph as קרן in Deut. 33,17 where his קרן is described as וקרני ראם קרניו וכו' "He has thorns like the horns of a wild ox." Moses is referred to as קרן in Exodus 34,29: כי קרן עור פניו, "for the skin of his face emitted rays (like a horn)." The Torah is also described as קרן, since we read in Chabakuk 3,4: קרנים מידו לו, "it gives off rays of light in every direction." Priesthood is referred to as קרן, in Psalms 112,9, קרנו תרום בכבוד, "his horn is exalted in honor." (Possibly the word כבוד, used here which is also used in connection with the garments of the High Priest, is the reason the Midrash interprets this verse as alluding to the priesthood.) The Levites collectively are referred to as קרן in Chronicles 1 25,5: כל אלה בנים להימן חוזה המלך בדברי האלוקים להרים קרן. [The chapter traces the genealogy of the tribe of Levi Ed.] Prophecy is called קרן, in Samuel I 2,6: רמה קרני בה'. (Hannah prophesies about Samuel's future). The Holy Temple is also described as קרן, as in Psalms 22,22: מקרני רמים עניתני. Israel itself is also described as קרן in Psalms 148,14: וירם קרן לעמו. Some people add that the קרן of the Messiah should also be included, per Samuel I 2,10: ויתן עוז למלכו, וירם קרן משיחו. The Midrash continues that all of these "horns" were placed on the heads of the Jewish people, but they forfeited them due to their sins. This is alluded to in the verse we quoted earlier from Lamentations 2,3 that in His blazing anger G–d cut down every קרן of Israel. These "horns" subsequently were given to the Gentile nations, as is written in Daniel 7,20: ועל קרניא עשר די בראשה ואחרי די סלקת ונפלו מן קדמיה. "About the ten horns which were on its head, and the other one which came and fell." In verse 24 of the same chapter Daniel speaks about ten kings and kingdoms arising from the fallen horns. Provided Israel repents, G–d will restore these horns to their rightful place viz. Psalms 75,11: "And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up." This refers to the horns that the “Righteous One of the world,” i.e. G–d, had cut off. When is the time that He will restore them to their righful position? It is when G–d will raise the horn of His anointed: "He will raise the horn of His anointed" (Samuel I 2,10). Thus far the Midrash in Eychah Rabbati.

And see, my brother, this wondrous allegory in Tanna d'bei Eliyahu 7: "The children of Israel are compared to a vineyard, as it is written (Isaiah 5:7): 'For a vineyard of the L-rd of hosts is the house of Israel,' concerning which R. Eliezer Haladul said: 'The house of Israel, which is the vineyard of the Holy One Blessed be He — do not look at it [with ill intent]. And if you have looked at it, do not go down into it. And if you have gone down into it, do not derive benefit from it. And if you have derived benefit from it, do not eat of its fruit. And if you have looked, and gone down, and derived benefit from it, and eaten of its fruit, the end of that man [i.e., you] is to be cut off from the world." And the Zohar Chadash 21b states:

And there is yet another confusing joy that casts smoke over all the Commandments and causes reverence for the Lord, may He be Blessed, to be forgotten from the hearts of men, for instance — those who get themselves drunk and rejoice in the banquet houses. And after this type of joy comes sorrow, for much hurt comes from drinking feasts. And who in wisdom was as wise as Solomon, the son of David, who said: "Who cries 'Woe!' Who cries 'Alas!' Who has quarrels? Who has ravings? Who has wounds without cause? Who has red eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that constantly try mixed drinks" (Ibid. 23:29, 30). Also the prophet said: 'Woe unto them that rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink. They tarry late into the night till the wine inflames them" (Is. 5:11). And he said further: "And the harp and the psaltery, the tabret and the pipe and wine are in their feasts, but the work of the Lord they do not regard and the work of His hands they have not seen" (Ibid. : 12). And he said : "Therefore, my people are gone into captivity for want of knowledge, and their honorable men are famished and their multitude are parched with thirst" (Ibid.: 13). And he said : "Therefore, has the netherworld enlarged her desire, and opened her mouth without measure and down go their glory and their tumult and their uproar and he that rejoices, among them" (Ibid. : 14). And he said: "But these also reel through wine and stagger through strong drink, the priest and the prophet reel through strong drink; they are confused because of wine, they stagger because of strong drink, they reel in vision; they totter in judgment" (Ibid. 28:7). See how much harm comes from the wine! And it is written : "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is riotous and whoever reels thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1).

This solves all the problems in the Midrash we have quoted. Before addressing other parts of the פרשה, allow me some remarks about the פרשה in general, after which I will deal with specific matters raised in this portion. We shall be guided by the approach in Midrash Tanchuma which commences its commentary on our פרשה with the verse: ויגבה ה' צבאות במשפט, והאל הקדוש נקדש בצדקה, "The Lord of Hosts is exalted by judgment, the Holy G–d proved holy by righteousness" (Isaiah 5,16). The Midrash says: "When is G–d perceived as exalted in His world? When He performs justice with the Gentile nations." The Midrash, at the end of the paragraph, cites Isaiah 49,3: "He (G–d) said to me: 'You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.'"

However, he who sets his desire and wish on evil deeds and is gracious to the wicked and to their deeds, and rejects the righteous ones, him will his graciousness bring to the netherworld. Concerning him it is said "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil" (Is. 5:20). And it is further said "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, even they both are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 17:15).

Great is charity — it is this quality for which the Holy One, Blessed be He, will be praised when he brings salvation to Israel, as it is said, "I that speak in victory, mighty to save" (Is. 63:1). Great is charity — it brings honor and life to those who practice it, as it is said "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life, prosperity and honour" (Prov. 21:21). Great is charity — with this quality, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will redeem Israel, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and they that return of her with righteousness" (Is. 1:27). Great is charity — with this quality Abraham, our father, was praised, as it is said, "And he trusted in God and He reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6), and it is said further, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen. 18:19). Great is charity — with this quality, David, King of Israel, was praised, as it is said, "And David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people" (II Sam. 8:15). Great is charity — with this quality King Solomon was praised, as it is said. "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do justice and righteousness" (I Kings 10:9). Great is charity — it reaches up to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne" (Ps. 89:15). Great is charity — through it Israel was praised, as it is said, "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. 6:25). Great is charity — with it, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will in future be praised on the Day of Judgment, as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One, is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. 5:16). Great is charity — it accompanies those who practice it at the hour of their departure from the world, as it is said, "And thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward" (Is. 58:8). Great is kindness — with it the world was built, as it is said, "The world on mercy is built" (Ps. 89:3). Wherefore a man should cleave to the quality of generosity which brings about all these good things (Mekhilta on Ex. 15:13).

There is an interesting comment by Yalkut Shimoni on 11,13 item 863. We note that the word כל is missing when the Torah speaks about our collective observance of its commandments. The Torah writes: והיה אם שמוע תשמעו אל מצותי אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם היום, "It will come to pass when you will surely listen to My commandments which I command to you this day." The Yalkut explains that the wording is designed to forestall our argument that we cannot fulfill all the commandments, that "its measure is longer than the earth" (Job 11,9). We may compare the situation to a king who possesses a deep pit, so deep that no one has probed its exact depth. He tells a member of his staff to hire workers to fill up the pit; he does so. One of the more foolish of the workers takes a look into the pit and asks: "Will I ever finish filling up this hole?" The intelligent worker relates quite differently to the task at hand He is not concerned with the time it may take to complete the task but reasons that, since he is a day laborer and gets paid for the amount of time he puts in, he is happy to have found work which may assure him of a continued livelihood for an indeterminate period. This is what G–d says here to the Jewish people. He tells us not to worry about the immensity of the task but to view ourselves as day laborers and to be happy that we will receive a reward for every day that we keep observing His commandments. Thus far the Yalkut. This Yalkut presents a difficulty. We can understand the comparison offered when we adopt the viewpoint expressed by Rabbi Yochanan in Sanhedrin 111 in connection with Isaiah 5,14: "Sheol has opened wide its gullet and parted its jaw in a measureless gap." Rabbi Yochanan differed from Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish; the latter applied this verse to the consignment to purgatory of people who have omitted only a single statute in their observance. Rabbi Yochanan did not agree that G–d is so demanding and therefore preferred the opposite interpretation, i.e. that observance of a single statute is enough to save a person from being consigned to purgatory. How can we reconcile the view of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish with that of the Yalkut?

All this caused G–d to become angry at him. Rashi quotes a Midrash Tanchumah on 22,24: "The angel of G–d stood, etc." The Midrash explains the reason why the angel positioned himself in the three locations mentioned in the Torah, as being a warning to conduct himself as the patriarchs had done, and not in any other way. None of the patriarchs had ever relied on charms and similar sorcery-like manipulations. This is why Bileam himself acknowledges that neither Jacob nor Israel had ever employed such means in order to advance their fortunes (23,23). The reason that Bileam quoted Jacob/Israel as the example for not employing sorcery is that Jacob was the only patriarch who succeeded in training all his children to remain loyal to his teachings. The words משעל הכרמים (22,24), is a veiled reference to Abraham of whom it is said כרם היה לידידי, "My beloved had a vineyard etc." (Isaiah 5,1). The words והיה גדר מזה וגדר מזה, are a reference to the two unfit sons produced by Abraham and Isaac respectively (ibid). The purpose of the fences was to prevent attacks by the "serpent." Ishmael is understood to have emanated from Abraham's "right" whereas Esau emanated from Isaac's "left". The latter is referred to by the line describing the she-ass as ותלחץ אל הקיר, "she pressed herself against the wall." When the angel is described as "standing" in a narrow place (22,26), this is a reference to Jacob who did not deviate to the left or to the right, and who therefore represents the "central pillar" of the Patriarchs.

When we consider all this we can understand a Midrash on the words: ועשו לי מקדש, which otherwise is difficult to understand. The Midrash quotes G–d as saying to Israel: "You are My flock, and I am your shepherd." This is based on Psalms 80,2: "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel." Construct a dwelling for the shepherd so that he can come and guard you. This is why the Torah says: "They shall make a Temple for Me and I shall dwell amongst them." G–d said to Israel: You are a vineyard, since we have a verse "For the house of Israel is a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 5,7). I am the guard (of the vineyard) says G–d, for we have a verse telling us "the guardian of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers" (Psalms 121,4). G–d said: "Make a hut for the watchman so that he will watch over you." G–d also said: "You are children and I am your father." We have a verse in Deut. 14,1: "You are children of the Lord your G–d." We also have a verse showing that G–d is our father, in Jeremiah 31,8: "For I have been a father to Israel." It is an honour for the father to be found near his children, and it is an honour for the children to be near their father, as we know from Proverbs 17,6: "Grandchildren are the crown of their elders. G–d said: "Make a Temple for Me!" Thus far the Midrash.

Bereshit Rabbah 68,13 on this portion quotes the following comment by Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: The opening words of our portion, ויצא יקב describe exile, and can be compared to Jeremiah 15,1, where G–d describes this in the cruellest terms: שלח מעל פני ויצאו, "Dismiss them from My Presence, and let them go forth." The next two words, וילך חרנה, are comparable to the verse in Lamentations 1,12: אשר הוגה ה' ביום חרון אפו, "When G–d afflicted me on the day of His wrath." The words following, i.e. ויפגע במקום, must be understood as analogous to Isaiah 5,8: עד אפס מקום, "until there is no room left" (for the Jews in ארץ ישראל); the words: וילן שם כי בא השמש, "he remained there overnight for the sun had set," should be compared to Jeremiah 15,9: אומללה יולדת השבעה, "The forlorn one who gave birth to seven." The Midrash continues in that vein.