Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE BEREISHIT STORIES These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical. "To find a wife for my son, for Yitzchak" [4] Was Eliezer's test an example of divination, the discovering of omens from certain events, nichush, such as is forbidden by the Torah; "You shall not indulge in divination and you shall not believe in lucky times" (Vayikra 19:26)? The Gemara sees an omen which is after the manner or form used by Eliezer or by Yonatan, son of Shaul HaMelech (Samuel Alef 14:9-10) as examples of such divination and therefore forbidden (Chulin 95b). However, Soforno comments that Chazal were referring to cases where the person uses the same formula but does not include a prayer to Hashem as Eliezer and Yonatan each did. Rabbi S.R. Hirsch writes that the forbidden Nichush, as explained by the Ran, is making a decision based on beliefs or actions that have no logical or rational connection with the matter concerned; such as undertaking something because a black cat met you, whereas Eliezer had used a sign that would show that the girl was fit to be a wife for Yitschak. "Rather than seeing his test as magic or as arbitrary, we should see it as something to simply determine a character reference about her spiritual and inner qualities, which in the circumstances was quite rational and far from divination" (Abarbanel). Even if we realize that Eliezer's test was not an act of divination, fortune telling or of a search for an omen, there till is the major spiritual issue of the conflict between the principle of Free Will and the Divine decree that exists in all areas of life: business, health, social, but especially in choosing a mate, finding one's basheret. At the climax of the whole story, Lot and Betuel answer Eliezer, that they can neither object nor agree to allowing Rivka to go be Yitschak's wife, since his repetition of the test had clearly shown that this was from Hashem. "A woman is assigned to a man. We see from the answer of Lavan and Betuel that Divine decree determines marriage, this is repeated in the Neviim where the parents' doubts about the suitability of Samson's shidduch is dismissed by the verse 'and they did not know that it was from G-d' (Shoftim 14:4) and also in Ketuvim, 'a house and wealth are an inheritance from fathers but an intelligent wife is from Hashem' (Mishlei 19:14)" (Moed Katan, 18b). Even more striking is the teaching that 40 days before the child is formed in the womb, a bat kol announces this one is destined for such and such and this one will marry so and so ((Sotah, 2a). The mystics teach that although G-d created Man and Woman together, their souls were split to be re-joined latter in marriage, each person to their basheret. So of what avail was his threat that if they did not agree he would have to turn either to the right and the daughters of Ishmael who lived to the right - south of Eretz Yisrael, or to the left to the daughters of Lot who lived to the left-north? If the wife was the basheret, of what significance were Avraham's measures, like the oath that he made Eliezer swear not to take a wife from Canaan or for that matter his fears of such a marriage? If the results were predestined, what difference did Eliezer's whole careful and well constructed test make? On the other hand, we have the numerous teachings that in shidduchim like in all else, it is Free Will and the strivings of humans that guide our decisions. "A man should endeavor and strive his utmost to marry the daughter of spiritually fine and good people; Moshe married a daughter of Yitro, Kohen Midian and his son was Yonatan who made the idol (Shoftim 14:4), whereas Aharon married the daughter of Aminadav and his son was Pinchas" (Bava Kama 109b). "A person should always sell everything that he possess in order to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar, failing that a daughter of a gadol hador, failing that the daughter of a communal leader or a gabbai tzedaka, failing that the daughter of a teacher of small children" (Pesachim 49b). "Rabbi Meir said: One who marries a dissolute woman transgresses: You shall not seek revenge, you shall not hate your fellow, you shall love your fellow, and your brother shall live with you, and he abrogates the mitzva of being fruitful and multiplying" (Sota 5). Our sources actually cover a wide spectrum of opinions regarding this problem of Free Will and Divine decree, ranging from a belief in unlimited Free Will to very limited, and the same disparity exists in regard to the issue of basheret. The many examples of early betrothals on the basis of parental choice in important Torah families are evidence of basheret while the following words of the Rambam are the banner of the spokesmen of Free Will. "We can not accept at face value the idea that marriage is the result of Divine decree, since a marriage to a kosher woman through chupa and kiddushin is for the mitzva of P'RU URVU and Hashem would not decree against the fulfillment of a mitzva. On the other hand, if there is any issur in the marriage then there is an AVEIRA and Hashem would not decree AVEIROT. Rather all the actions of Mankind are given to them and dependent on their Free Will, therefore it is written everything is in the hands of heaven except the fear of heaven" (Introduction to Pirkei Avot). "The bat kol that announces the destiny of each partner is not a decree but rather merely an announcement. The decision whether to marry or not, and also the decision as to which partner are given to men; and the bat kol is an announcement as to what the decision will be" (Shibolei Haleket). "We know that Leah wept and prayed that she should not marry Eisav but how could she expect to revoke the decree that he, the oldest son was destined to marry her, the oldest daughter? The ARI taught that the basheret, two souls merging, is dependent on them each living up to their spiritual obligations and fulfilling their proper roles. Since she knew that Eisav was far from living according to his obligations, she correctly felt that through her prayers and tears she could avert the decree of the basheret" (Shem Mi Shmuel). This is the 118th installment in Dr. Tamari’s series [The
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