“And if you will be obedient
to my commandments that I command to you this day, and you will love Hashem
your G-d and serve Him with all your heart and soul, then I will provide rain
in its proper time – in the beginning and the end of the season – and you will
gather your grain, oil and wine.” (Devarim
11:13-14)
In these pesukim, Moshe relates Hashem’s promise to Bnai Yisrael. The nation must be obedient to the Torah. The people must wholeheartedly love and serve the Almighty. Hashem promises that, in return, He will assure that the land produces its bounty. These passages are recited in the second paragraph to the Shema.
In Tractate Berachot, the
Talmud describes a fundamental dispute regarding these passages. Rebbe Yishmael notes that the passages above
tell us that if we observe the commandments of the Torah, then we will
successfully gather our harvest. The
passages promise that our observance will be rewarded with abundant harvests. But the passages also imply that we will be
responsible for the gathering of these harvests. Rebbe Yishmael asks a simple question. The Torah admonishes us to devote ourselves to the ceaseless and
uninterrupted study of the Torah. In
His charge to Yehoshua, Hashem commands him, “This Sefer Torah should not be
removed from your mouth. You should
contemplate it day and night.”[1] It seems that Hashem is suggesting that we
should strive to achieve constant study of the Torah. Rebbe Yishmael points out that this seems to contradict the message
of our passages. Our passages tell us
that Hashem will provide us with abundance but we must actually harvest the
bounty. Hashem’s charge to Yehoshua
seems to indicate that we should not involve ourselves with the mundane –
gathering the harvest. Instead, we
should devote all of our time and energy to the study of Torah!
Rabbi Yishmael suggests a
resolution for this problem. He
explains that Hashem’s charge to Yehoshua should not be understood
literally. We are not expected to study
without interruption and completely neglect the necessities of our material
existences. We should devote ourselves
to the study of the Torah but also give proper attention to our practical
needs. In other words, we are required
to care for our needs and gather our harvest.
But we must not allow these material needs to become our main
focus. Instead, the study of Torah must
be the focus of our lives.
Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai
argues with Rebbe Yishmael. His
objection is interesting. He observes
that mastery of the Torah requires complete devotion. If a person must plow his fields, plant his grain, harvest the
crop and then perform all of the activities required to produce the final
product, a tremendous amount of his time and energy will be expended in these
efforts. The time and energy that
remains will be inadequate for the mastery of the Torah. Therefore, he suggests that we should not
concern ourselves with materials issues.
Hashem will provide for us.
In short, these two
authorities disagree on the extent to which we should rely on Hashem to provide
for us. Rebbe Yishmael asserts that we
should not assume that we can ignore the practical necessities of life. We must devote ourselves to the study of
Torah. But we cannot ignore our
practical needs. Rebbe Shimon ben
Yochai suggests that we rely completely on Hashem. Our responsibility is to study the Torah. Hashem will provide for our needs. We should not divert our attention from the
study of Torah.
The discussion concludes
with the comments of Abaye. Abaye notes that those who adopted the approach of
Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai generally failed.
But those who adopted the approach of Rebbe Yishmael generally
succeeded.[2] Since the Talmud’s discussion ends with
Abaye’s comments, it seems that the Talmud adopts the position of Rebbe
Yishmael.
However, Maimonides seems to
adopt the position of Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai.
Maimonides explains that when the Land of Israel was divided among the
tribes of Bnai Yisrael, Shevet Leyve was not given a portion. Why was this shevet excluded from receiving
a portion? Maimonides explains that
Shevet Leyve was selected by Hashem to serve in the Bait HaMikdash, to study
and to teach the Torah to the nation.
In order to enable the members of Shevet Leyve to completely devote themselves
to this sacred task, they were not given a portion of the Land of Israel. Instead, it is the obligation of the other
members of the nation to provide Shevet Leyve with support.
Maimonides continues. He explains that Hashem does not only
provide sustenance to Shevet Leyve. Any
person who completely devotes himself to Hashem – to His serve the study of His
Torah – can enjoy the same support provided to Shevet Leyve. Hashem will provide the person with his
needs. Hashem will sustain him.[3] This seems to be Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai’s
position! This raises a question. Why does Maimonides adopt Rebbe Shimon ben
Yochai’s position? Based on Abaye's
objections, the Talmud seems to accept Rebbe Yishmael’s position! In other words, Maimonides seems to be
arguing with the conclusion of the Talmud!
In order to understand
Maimonides position, we must return to the discussion in the Talmud. On a superficial level, this discussion is
difficult to understand. It seems that Rebbe Yishmael and Rebbe Shimon ben
Yochai are arguing over whether Hashem will provide for those individuals who
are dedicated to His service and the study of His Torah. Rebbe Yishmael contends that they must
provide for themselves and Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai contends that Hashem will provide
for such individuals. Abaye seems to
take the position that the issue can be resolved through observation. Observation indicates that Rebbe Yishmael is
correct.
This simplistic
understanding of the Talmud’s discussion presents a difficulty. It seems that Abaye is siding with Rebbe
Yishmael because observation indicates that Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai is
incorrect in his assessment. His
position is not consistent with the observable facts! In other words, Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai does not understand how
the world really works! Simply put, the
implication is that Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai’s position is based upon an
uninformed and perhaps, naive view of the world!
Nachmanides, in his comment
on our passages, provides the basis for an alternative understanding of the
Talmud’s discussion. Essentially, he
contends that the degree to which Hashem provides for a person is proportionate
to one’s devotion to Hashem and His Torah.
Hashem does provide for those who are completely dedicated. But one who does not achieve this ultimate
level of devotion must be prepared to face the challenges of living in the
material world and care for oneself.[4]
Based on these comments, we
can understand the debate between Rebbe Yishmael and Rebbe Shimon ben
Yochai. Both agree that Hashem provides
for those who are completely devoted.
However, they disagree on how we should conduct ourselves. Rebbe Yishmael suggests that – at a
practical level – most of us cannot expect to achieve the level of devotion
required to secure Hashem’s complete and comprehensive support. We must strive to achieve the highest level
of commitment that we can achieve. But
we must be prepared to provide for ourselves.
Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai suggests that we must strive towards the level
of devotion that will secure Hashem’s complete and comprehensive support. We must seek a level of devotion that will
allow us to abandon all material concerns and distractions.
Abaye does not disagree with
the fundamental premise outline by Nachmanides. He agrees that a person can secure Hashem's complete
support. However, he questions the
practicality of the average person taking this approach. He notes that the level of devotion that Rebbe
Shimon ben Yochai would mandate is difficult to achieve and many have failed in
their attempts to reach this level.
Therefore, he suggests that – at a practical level – Rebbe Yishmael’s
approach is more appropriate.
Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai
would not dispute Abaye’s observation.
It is difficult to achieve the level of commitment necessary to secure
the complete support of Hashem. He
would acknowledge that most people fail to achieve this exalted level. Nonetheless, we are required to strive for
this commitment.
Now, let us return to Maimonides
comments. According to this analysis,
there is no contradiction between Maimonides’ position and the conclusions of
the Talmud. Maimonides is not adopting
Rebbe Shimon ben Yochai’s position. He is not suggesting that the Torah
mandates that we forsake the concerns and distractions of the material world
and rely completely on Hashem to provide for all of our needs. Instead, he is suggesting that if we choose
such a path, and we are successful in achieving complete devotion, Hashem will
provide for us. This is completely
consistent with the Talmud’s discussion.