Date: September 22nd 2022

Parshas Netzavim contains a cryptic description of someone whose misdeeds are such that he will be destroyed and never forgiven for his sin. The pasuk says: “And it will be when he hears the words of this oath and he blesses himself in his heart saying peace will be upon me even though I follow the whims of my heart to add the satiated to the thirsty. Hashem will not be willing to forgive him, for then Hashem’s wrath will smoke against him and the entire curse which is written in this book will come down upon him and Hashem will wipe away his name from this earth.” (29: 18-19)

To which sin is this unusual language in the verse referring when it says, “To add the satiated to the thirsty?” One of the several explanations given in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 76b) is that it refers to one who returns a lost object to a gentile. According to this interpretation the reference in the verse means adding the satiated- meaning a gentile, to the thirsty – a Jew, i.e. adding the gentile to the obligations one has towards Jews. There is a Torah obligation to return a lost item to a Jew and this individual ‘added’ a gentile to that mitzvah by returning his lost object to him.

The Torah describes an extreme punishment for this person and counts him as one whom Hashem will not forgive. According to this interpretation of the Talmud, what did he do that was so bad to deserve such a severe punishment? If anything, this person seems to be engaging in an act of kindness and concern for another human being. Is that not the purpose of the Torah itself for man to perfect himself and become merciful and kind?

Rashi’s explanation of this passage provides a deeper understanding of the error of this behavior. In his comments on the Talmud in Sanhedrin (ibid) Rashi explains that by returning the lost item to the gentile this person demonstrates that he does not consider the obligation of the Torah to return a lost item as a commandment from Hashem.

Now, it is understandable that if a person denies the divinity of even one commandment in the Torah he is worthy of a severe punishment but why is this person considered to be denying the torah’s commandment? He did not violate anything in the Torah, he only added something of his own to it. It could be argued that he so fully embraced the ideal of the Torah that he even wanted to take it a step further.

The human being is an unimaginably complex and finely tuned being. Our purpose in this world, indeed that of creation itself, is to achieve the highest form of spiritual perfection and G-dliness. The Jewish people were given the greatest gift in the universe, the Torah, the only vehicle through which we can reach this lofty goal. The precepts and commandments in the Torah are not mere guidelines for proper living but the word of the Almighty himself. If a person truly appreciated the divinity and authority, the absolute truth, subtlety, depth, and wisdom that the Torah contains he would not fathom that his own intellect could be applied to alter his conduct from the Torah’s guidelines by even a minuscule deviation. A person adding on to the Torah’s mitzvos is akin to saying that his intellect is in some way superior or more knowing than G-d's.

As an analogy to Rashi’s idea, consider the example of two identical heart patients with identical medical conditions. Both patients were advised by the cardiologist to undertake a 20 minute walk each day and lose 20 pounds. One patient did just that. The second one, however, decided that in order to hasten his return to full vigor, he would also start a regimen of weightlifting. Outwardly, the second patient seems even more committed to the objective of following the doctor’s guidance to achieve better health. Upon reflection though, the reaction of the second patient demonstrates a disregard for the medical expertise of the physician, a reality he unfortunately learns when he drops dead of a heart attack in the weight room.

Rashi’s explanation of the Talmud is that Hashem’s commandment is to return lost items to their Jewish owners and not to gentile owners. Accordingly, one who extends this moral imperative beyond Hashem’s guidelines is thereby demonstrating a critical disregard for the wisdom and authority of the Torah. Once one has deemed the Torah's ethical compass inferior to his own, it is only the next logical step to discard everything in the Torah. Why would you need the Torah if your own internal morality is better? It is then understandable why the Torah would prescribe such a severe consequence for this error.

As a possible illustration of the significance and prescience of this commandment, in our world today religion and traditional values are under popular attack. The people at the forefront of this movement strive for their supposed progress ALWAYS in the name of moralism. The renunciation of traditional values in the name of undisguised immorality would not gain wide popularity. We all consider ourselves moral people and are not easily seduced by blatant evil. Only in the name of righteousness, in the name of new and better values, do people disregard the moral convictions and standards of previous generations. In the name of virtue, there is no terrible thing people will not do.

To follow the path of the Torah we must always be faithful and humble and receptive to the Torah’s guidance. Our directive is to learn and understand and follow the words of the Torah, not to superimpose our own moral standards on the Torah’s commandments, and certainly not to invent our own commandments entirely.


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