Bechukotai – A Part Of Something Bigger

Rabbi Ezra Friedman

One of the most interesting philosophical questions concerning Judaism has to do with reward. The Torah never mentions any type of reward that an individual would enjoy in the next world. Rav Yitzchak Abarbanel, as well as many other Jewish philosophers, dealt with this theological difficulty. One of Abarbanel’s answers is that the Torah does in fact mention reward for good deeds, however only with respect to collective rewards. When we follow Hashem’s commands and abide by the way of life prescribed for us, then we as a nation are rewarded. For example, in this week’s Parsha when the Torah demands that we keep the Mitzvot, the reward enumerated is always collective. The rains will fall in abundance and we will conquer our enemies without effort.

If the Torah mentions reward, why is there no mention of personal reward as well? The answer is that behind every collective reward there is also personal reward, however Hashem doesn’t want us to focus on that aspect. Rather the Torah wants to teach that genuine reward is when everyone benefits. True reward and happiness come when everyone flourishes. The importance of focusing on the whole of Am Yisrael, rather than just one’s own personal achievements, is an essential part of Judaism. Even though Judaism demands that we serve Hashem in an individual framework, religious service must always be connected to our nation, Am Yisrael. Many Mitzvot express the importance of a united and dedicated nation. For example, certain Mitzvot are only designated for kings or Kohanim, as well as others which are only applicable when most or all of Am Yisrael return to Eretz Yisrael. An individual can never accomplish complete spiritual success on his or her own. An individual Jew can never complete all 613 Mitzvot because he needs a nation.

Since the beginning of time, these two values, the collective and the individual, have clashed. In certain periods of history, the individual was the focus and during other periods the collective was the focus. There must be a balance between these two ideals because extremes are never beneficial. During the rise of communism and socialism, the ideal of focusing on the collective was embraced. Great rabbinic scholars, such as, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky and Rav Yosef Kahanman, expressed how difficult it was not to join the overwhelming majority and join the communist movement. However, times have shifted, and we are currently witness to a very different social movement where self-fulfillment is a very dominant ideal. People feel the need to search for their own personal happiness and to reach their individual goals, and as a result, people disconnect from a sense of responsibility to the whole. The Rambam is famous for his concept of the golden path; this idea teaches that following the middle of the road between two extremes is the correct path according to Judaism. In our modern world, we should attempt to find a sensible middle ground where each and every member of Am Yisrael can uncover his or her own path and try to advance personal goals, yet at the same time never relinquish the connection and responsibility for the whole of Am Yisrael. As was mentioned earlier, true individual happiness can only flourish when others are happy as well.

During this special time of the year, the season when we celebrate our independence in our land and the reunification of our holy city, Yerushalayim, it is important to analyze this conflict between the individual and the collective. When the State of Israel was founded there was a narrow focus on creating a melting pot of Israeli society, Ben Gurion and his followers felt that the extreme diversity of Jews during the exile, if allowed to continue, would prevent the country from functioning as a united entity. The kibbutz movement, as well, tried to establish a communistic form of living, not only on an economic level, but on a social one as well. Certain kibbutzim, at one point, even enforced the existence of separate quarters for all young children in the kibbutz, an experiment that failed miserably. It is clear that these movements were based on the ideal that the individual must be totally sublimated to his country or people. In modern Israeli society, many in the younger generation want the complete opposite; they search for a sense of some sort of artificial freedom and release from all responsibility. These individuals want as little government control as possible and wish those who preach for the good of the Jewish people and its State as a whole should just “leave us alone”.

Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook taught that the land of Israel is not just a piece of land which protects the Jewish people, but rather, it represents so much more. Rav Kook felt, as many of his predeccesors did, that Eretz Yisrael has intrinsic value. It allows Am Yisrael to realize its potential and achieve all the goals it needs in order to enhance our world. Rav Kook also felt that religious Jews should look at the progress of the country and state through religious eyes and analyze what these developments mean. Perhaps we can look toward 21st century Israel as following a golden path, a bond and equilibrium between the whole of Am Yisrael and the rights of each individual. Our return to our country after two thousand years is meant to convey to us the need for us to go back to our roots and build a devout and united nation. The hardest part of our mission is to strengthen the concepts of our brethren and ourselves. When we hear the words of our Torah this Shabbat let us use both of our ears, one for ourselves and the other for Am Yisrael.