Shalom to all,
I hope all is going well (although me hoping that won't really change anything). If you are from the New York area, then you know that the weather has been a lot nicer this week. Also, as I write this D'var Torah, it is Purim Kattan, which is pretty cool. If you don't know what Purim Kattan is, just ask, and I'll reply, bli neder.
There is a very interesting Gemara (Avoda Zara 4b), and honestly, it is a bit shocking. I’ve been telling it over to a few people this week, and apparently, very few people know about it. Usually, when there is something as interesting as this, people know it. People hear things in shiurim or read them in Divre Torah. However, for some odd reason, people don’t know this Gemara. This makes me think, maybe there is a reason people don't know about it. Maybe Rabbis don't speak about this in their Divre Torah for a reason. Maybe this is just something that it's better for people not to know? If that’s the case, then I probably shouldn’t say it over, right? If people don’t say it over for a reason, why am I going to ruin that and tell it to the billions of people who are reading this? [Through my sarcasm, I am hinting to the fact that I can write whatever I want; no one is even reading this. This is my personal diary, which is why I am ranting on and on. Either way, I will hopefully address this point - why few people even know about this. Although, that is not true. Many of you reply to my Divre Torah, and I want you to know that I really appreciate that. Thank you very much!]
So I will quote this Gemara with one simple understanding. There are multiple ways of understanding this Gemara, but the message I want to draw will be the same. The Gemara states, the Jewish people were not really “fit” to do the sin of serving the golden calf. They would never really do this sin. So how come it happened? Well, they were forced into doing this sin. Why were they forced in serving the golden calf? The Gemara explains that, they were forced to do this sin so that in the future, people will have some hope and be encouraged to do teshuva. In order to give people a reason to believe in repentance, Hashem forced the Jewish people to do this sin. The consequently were forced to do teshuva, and Hashem forgave them.
This is what the onlooker will say: "Wow. Look at that. Hashem did so many favors for the Jewish people, performing miracles left and right in their exodus from Egypt, and this is how the Jews repay Him? But even though they did such a terrible thing, Hashem still forgave them. Wow. Hashem really forgives. If Hashem will forgive soooo many people for doing such a terruble sin, He'll definitely forgive me for my sin..."
When people first hear this, they are taken aback. How could it be that Hashem stripped them of free choice? What ever happened to free will? Why would Hashem be so unfair as to force them into doing such a sin?
Like I said, there are many other opinions that learn this Gemara differently, and they solve this issue. They present the Gemara such that they were not really stripped of their free will. For example, the Maharsha explains that when people are very righteous, Hashem helps them to keep on the right path. Hashem helps them stay away and prevents them from sinning. Now, the Jewish people at this stage were complete tzadikim, so Hashem should have helped them and have not allowed to do such a terrible act. However, Hashem allowed them to sin. What didn't he protect them from sin, as He normally does with tzadikim? The answer is because He saw that some good can come out from this, because their returning to Hashem will set a precedent for doing teshuva.
However, I would like to offer another explanation, one that I have just thought of myself. We think that we always have free will. But that is not true. Sometimes, Hashem will take away freedom of choice from you, if there is something more important going on. At this stage of the game, the Jewish people are beginning to become a nation, they are beginning to go on their own, serving Hashem with His Torah.It is important that from the very beginning of such a relationship, they completely understand that it is okay to make mistakes. It is not the end of the world if you do something wrong. As long as you apologize, you learn from it, and you become better because of it. Hashem wanted to make sure that they understand this important lesson, as they began this new relationship with Him. So what did He do? He forced them to sin, and then forced them to do teshuva. Hashem now says, "Look, it's all right to make a mistake. Just do teshuva, and I will forgive you." Imagine if there was no teshuva. You sin once, and game over. You know how many people would give up before they even start?
Hashem understands that we are humans, because He made us that way. As humans, we will make mistakes. But as long as we learn from them, grow from them, and use them to strengthen our relationship with Him, then this sin, is in fact, the best thing that can happen. (I am NOT saying that you should go sin. If that's what you are getting from this, then I am sorry for not being clear enough. I'm saying that, if someone sins, he must know that it is not the end of the world, as long as he apologizes, does teshuva, and moves forward.)
I hope this was clear. Like I said, people don't know this Gemara, and I think it is because it is difficult to imagine why we would be stripped of our free will. But if we explain that Hashem did this to us once at the beginning of our relationship with Him to set a precedent of repenting, I think it's easier to understand this Gemara.
Please let me know what you think!!!
Avraham Adam Sabzevari
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