CHOCHMAS NASHIM: OURS IS NOT TO QUESTION WHY
By: Suri Davis
This week’s two Torah portions are heavy on prohibitions and punishment for said prohibitions/sins.
Why is it that the Torah sets forth the punishment for sins, but in only two instances, honoring mom and dad and the mitzvah/commandment of shooing a mother bird from her eggs before taking them, it discusses the rewards, and in no other instances is there a direct correlation between performing mitzvoth and their rewards.
One might say that if we know which commandments are the BIG ones, then we would ensure that we do them with the time we have and we’ll get to “the minor ones,” when we have time. The answer is that each commandment should be viewed as equally important, and our desire to do them as equal as well. We do get an inkling on how important a commandment is by reading the punishment for transgressing the commandment as set forth in these two Torah portions.
Then why cant we know what reward we will get for each commandment we perform? I believe as to the prohibitions, we are all equally prohibited, and therefore our punishment is the same for all. Death is equally as bad for all as are lashes etc.
The Rabbeinu Bachayai, in his Shaar Habitachon, states that the rewards are not set forth because we do not know about the rewards and punishments in the world to come. It appears to me also that G-d is patient with us and slow in punishing us, preferring that we repent and turn away from sin. If there is a reward attached to every commandment, we would expect immediate reward for doing the commandment and be highly disappointed if we did not get exactly what our expectations were and we didn’t get rewarded immediately. It is G-d who keeps tabs on what we deserve, whether it appears to us good or bad. In truth, almost from our births, we are indebted to G-d for our existence, what He gives us is far greater than the merit we expect from G-d, or merits are always running a deficit compared to what G-d gives us moment to moment, day by day. We need to trust, that what we receive from G-d is good, and far greater than what we deserve.
I believe we all can agree on one thing, the birth and existence of the State of Israel was and continues to be a miracle, far beyond what we deserve. Truly there but for the grace of G-d go we. Rabbi Yisroel Meir Lau Shlita, former Ashkenazi Rabbi of the State of Israel said it bluntly and clearly in his speech this week during the March of the Living in Europe: “We Jews are great at dying together, we have to become great at living together.” That is the message of the Omer, respecting one another and uniting to bring Moshiach bimhayra biyameinu.
Good Shabbos. Happy Yom Haatzmaut.
-Suri