Shabbat Lech Lecha

Written by Yuval Keren Thursday, 18 October 2007

We read in today’s Torah portion that God said to Abraham: ‘הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי וֶהְיֵה תָמִי’ ‘Walk before Me and be perfect’ (Gen. 17:1-2).

Abraham receives here a specific instruction of how he is to conduct himself before the Almighty. Walking before God can be achieved by fulfilling the commandments, by performing God’s Mitzvot. God uses the word ‘הִתְהַלֵּךְ’ meaning ‘Walk’ in his instruction to Abraham. The root of this word is also shared by the word ‘הֲלָכָה’ – ‘Halachah’. It the collection of Jewish religious laws and customs that include biblical law as well as Mishnaic and Talmudic teachings that were compiled during the first to the sixth century CE and rabbinic laws, with some additional customs and traditions, developed and refined from then until today.

The Mitzvot contained in the Halachah are divided into two main types. There are Mitzvot, obligations or prohibitions, between the individual and God. These are the ritual Mitzvot. They tend to have a specific measure. For example, the halachah of Shabbat tells us when Shabbat starts and when it ends and what should and should not be done during Shabbat.

The other type of Mitzvot are between one person and another. These are the ethical laws, and they usually do not have exact measure. We are commanded not to reap an entire field during the harvest time so that some is left for the poor (Lev. 19:9, 23:22). Yet, we are not told how much we should leave and it is left for the individual do decide the right measure for his or her generosity.

Both types of Mitzvot are very important for Judaism. Yet, despite the claim of some that they strive to fulfil all the mitzvot, it is impossible and indeed undesirable to reach that goal. For example, the Torah tells us that we should stone to death any child who does not listen to his parents (Deut. 21:20). If this law were to be fulfilled then million years from now the next intelligent creature on Earth might be developing countless theories in an attempt to explain the reasons for the extinction of the human species.

What halachot should we and should we not fulfil and what are the most important Halachot? Perhaps we can learn the answer from the Talmudic story of two great scholars, Shammai and Hillel.

A gentile once came to Shammai said to him. I really want to convert to Judaism but I don’t have much time. Please convert me and teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot. The strict Shammai immediately rejected the impetuous convert. But he did not give up. He went to Hillel and made the same request. Hillel taught him an ethical principle: "What you do not want to be done to you, do not do to your friend. This teaching is the basis of the entire Torah.’ Hillel converted him on the spot while adding. “The rest of the Torah is a commentary on this teaching; go and learn it!" (cf. Bavli Shabbat 31a).

Hillel’s words of wisdom and fast conversion process can teach us a great deal about what laws are and are not most important for Judaism. Hillel realised that if the person in front of him wanted to know everything about Judaism in an instant then teaching him about keeping the Shabbat and the recitation of the Shema twice a day would not meet his spiritual needs. Hillel knew that Judaism is first and foremost about applying the ethical commandments, and he passed this teaching on to the convert and to us. We first need to care for each other’s wellbeing and Jewish ritual will follow.

The story of Hillel also teaches us a great deal about how we should relate to ritual halachah. The convert was probably rejected by Shammai because according to the Halachah, which undoubtedly Shammai knew very well, a convert must first spend some time studying the Jewish law in depth so that he or she is ready to practice Judaism when it is their time to convert. At the end of the conversion process, a man must undergo circumcision and both men and women must immerse in mikveh, the ritual bath. Yet, having realised the needs of the individual, Hillel decided to perform conversion then and there while ignoring all the Halachic prerequisites.

Another good example for the superiority of ethical law over ritual halachah is the importance in Judaism of פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶש, the preservation of life. This law supersedes all but three cardinal sins: idol worship, sexual immorality and murder. The foolishness of choosing ritual over ethical laws is demonstrated in the Talmud. What is the meaning of the phrase ‘Pious fool’? It is a man who stands by the riverbank and sees a woman drowning in the river. He says to himself: “I am halachically forbidden to touch that woman” and he lets her drown (Bavli Sota 21b). This Talmudic illustration has a strong root in reality. In 2002 fifteen schoolgirls died in a fire in Saudi Arabia because the local religious police prevented girls who did not wear headscarves from leaving the burning building. God instructed us to keep His commandments and live by them, but not to die by them (Sifra, Aharei Mot 9,13, based on Lev. 18:5). We should not cause physical or mental harm to others in an over-zealous attempt to practice the ritual law.