Is it Really So Simple?

Ekev
Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25

Précis: Moses continues his recapitulation of the law to the people, reminding them to be obedient to God’s laws as they struggle with the Canaanites. Moses describes in detail all of the blessings which God had bestowed upon them, and commands them to bless and thank God for the bounty they receive. On the other hand, they should learn the lesson of rebelliousness of their fathers, including the incident of the Golden Calf. Moses reminds the people that he brought down a second set of tablets, which require their continued obedience to God.


Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God demand of you? Only this: to revere the Lord your God, to walk only in His paths, to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, keeping the Lord's commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good.”

In recent weeks, we have seen how supposedly “observant” rabbis have been caught in sting operations involving everything from bribery to money laundering to the sale of human organs. I am fairly confident that those accused pray frequently – and perhaps with sincere fervor. But if they are indeed guilty of these crimes, they have been guilty of a greater sin: the willful ignoring of the simple requirement of the verse we read this week – to walk in God’s path – by participating in the complexities of ritual practices while they ignore real world ethical behavior. Moreover, it is unfortunate that these individuals are only the latest in a line of “observant” Jews to run afoul of legal (and ethical) behavior. Agriprocessors comes to mind in this connection.

Nor are these failures unique to the Orthodox community. Reform and Conservative clergy have in recent years been found guilty of crimes ranging from child abuse to fraud to murder, and examples of criminal conduct are all too common among the Israeli government leadership.

How can we begin to understand the failure of our leaders to follow the “simple” rule set forth in our verse this week?

Writing in the JTS Chancellor’s Weekly Commentary (8/23/08) Rabbi Marc Wolf took note of the concept of “Simplexity” – the idea that very complex systems can appear on the surface to be very simple. He notes that many new technological gadgets, like an iPhone, are so intuitive that they don’t even come with instruction manuals! Yet “simplexity” is not so simple: what may look simple on the surface may be very complex, and that which appears complex may really be quite simple in reality. (Physicists among the readers, if any, may here cite Einstein’s most famous equation of E=m2 as an example of how an incredibly complex universe can be simply explained.)

Returning to our verse, we ask whether having a good relationship with God really can be that simple? “Only this”? If so, why do we have the Mishnah, the Talmud, various codes of law, etc. etc., which all seem to make the simple so incredibly complex.

Rabbi Wolf suggests that the answer itself is pretty “simple.” We understand that the text tells us to walk in God’s way, and we ask, “how?” It is about the “how” that our sages have labored. They tell us that the “how” is through observing the mitzvot which appear throughout the Torah (and by further extension, through the Mishnah, Talmud, and their own exegeses).

I would submit, however, that such an interpretation of “how” can lead to a mindless, rote repetition of actions which, being separated from their holy purpose, become the empty ritual about which the prophets (particularly Isaiah) castigated the people. The so-called “observant” Jew who is fastidious about following the detail of ritual life may well miss the forest for the trees: the reason we recite brachot when taking actions throughout the day (upon awaking, washing, eating, etc.) is not for the sake of obeying a command but rather is a simple reminder of God’s presence in our lives. The reason we walk in God’s path is to create and participate in a moral, ethical community.

To be Jewish is to wrestle with God. Perhaps we are horrified by the failings of Jewish leaders not only because we expect “more” of them, but because we recognize that we may share the same human failings. Perhaps we should feel compassion for the latest group of Jews to run afoul of civil law. But we should also be reminded this week that 2,000 years of complexity can obscure our simple obligation to follow God’s path.

All You Need is Love

Va'ethanan

Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11


Précis: Moses continues the recapitulation of travels and urges the People to follow the laws and commandments of Adonai. Moses pleads with God that he be allowed to enter the Promised Land, and is refused. Moses reminds the people that God was angry with him on account of their sinful ways, and that this was why he, Moses, was refused permission to enter the Land. Moses continues with a restatement of the Ten Commandments, and follows with an articulation of the basic statement of our theology: the Sh’ma. Moses then warns the people against the peril of forgetfulness, particularly of the Exodus, and cautions against idol worship of gods of the nations they will conquer.


Deuteronomy 6:5 - “You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

This familiar passage from the paragraph following the Sh’ma poses a host of serious philosophical issues. How can one be commanded to love, an emotion which seems to emanate totally from within? As Rabbi Plout points out in his Torah Commentary, love is a significant theme of the Book of Deuteronomy, presupposing a reciprocal relationship between Israel and God. How are we to express this love?

Rashi suggests that we are to obey His commands in love, and not though fear. He agrees with earlier commentators who held that love for the Creator is “natural” for human beings. But there are distractions and obstacles which interfere with our ability to “love” God.

Franz Rosenzweig noted that there are three times in the Torah than we are commanded to love: twice in Leviticus (19:18,34) when we are commanded to love our neighbors and the strangers who dwell among us, and here in Deuteronomy, when we are commanded to love God. From this, he explains that only after we have learned to love other people can we come to love Adonai.

This may, in fact, be the clue we are looking for: we “love” God not in some detached, emotional way, but rather, we express our love for God through our actions. When we treat our fellow human beings with respect and honor, when we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, we show our love for God.