Deed & Creed - Class #8 God directly links a person s actions to the nature of the reward and punishment. By Rabbi Benjamin Blech with Rochelle Lev 2007 JewishPathways.com 1
Punishment: Measure for Measure (11-min. video) Understanding Judaism p. 79-100 Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9 The way that a person acts, is the way that God acts toward him in kind. The suspected adulteress dressed herself up for sin, so God commanded that she be dressed shabbily in the Temple; she acted immodestly for sin, so God commanded that she be deposed in shame before the public Samson [the Judge] went after his eyes [telling his father that he wanted to marry for beauty], and so the Philistines poked his eyes out Absalom was conceited about his long hair, so he was hung by his hair [This principle applies] also for good: Miriam waited for Moses for an hour [after he was placed in the Nile River as a baby] and so the entire Jewish people waited a week for her [when she was exiled from the camp for having spoken ill of her brother] Joseph merited to bury his father, and in turn his reburial in Israel was later attended to by Moses. 2
(1) How many positive commandments are found in the Torah? How many negative commandments are found in the Torah? (2) What reasons does Rabbi Blech give for the specific number of negative and positive commandments, and the way they are divided? (3) How did Avraham know how to keep the mitzvot if he lived many years before the Torah was given? How do we see the answer expressed in his name? (4) The statement all mitzvot are equal refers to positive commandments only. Why is this so? (5) Negative commands are not equal and carry different punishments. What are the three types of punishments prescribed for transgressing a negative commandment? (6) What is meant by the term measure for measure? How does the punishment given to one who steals reflect this principle? (7) Give three examples of the principle of measure for measure in the Torah. (8) Why is measure for measure considered to be the ideal method of Divine punishment? 3
(1) Q: How many positive commandments are found in the Torah? How many negative commandments are found in the Torah? A: There are 248 positive and 365 negative mitzvot in the Torah, making a total of 613. (2) Q: What reasons does Rabbi Blech give for the specific number of negative and positive commandments, and the way they are divided? A: All systems contain a set of do s and don ts. Rabbi Blech points out that it is far more important to know what not to do the boundaries to our behavior than to tell us when to do something. Therefore, we find that the number of negative commandments in the Torah is greater than the number of positives. Our Sages teach us that the 248 positive mitzvot correspond to the 248 organs in the human body. Every part of our being is attached to some positive demand. Indeed, Kabbalah can identify the exact part of the body that each mitzvah affects. Rabbi Blech describes the phenomenon as Jewish Acupuncture. Performing the mitzvot is good for our health living in accordance to the way we need to live. The remaining 365 laws are phrased in the format of You shall not. These 365 negative commands correspond to the 365 days of the solar calendar. Every day of the solar year carries a warning against Divine disobedience. The awareness of the gravity and consequences of our actions should be with us every day of our lives. The breakdown of mitzvot into these two categories teaches us that goodness is a matter of knowing the parameters both of our obligations and our prohibitions. Holiness has its commitments as well as constraints. 4
(3) Q: How did Avraham know how to keep the mitzvot if he lived many years before the Torah was given? How do we see the answer expressed in his name? A: Abraham kept the mitzvot intuitively, because he had the spiritual sensitivity that his whole body sought to keep the mitzvot in their entirety. This is expressed in his name, the numerical value of which equals 248. (4) Q: The statement all mitzvot are equal refers to positive commandments only. Why is this so? A: Rewards refer to the world of good deeds. Transgressions are followed by punishment. Furthermore, although it is true that we do not know the specific rewards for our actions, for they are not stated in the Torah, punishments are in fact listed, and we know precisely what the relative ranking of every transgression is, based on the severity of the punishment expressing Divine displeasure. Negatives commands carry penalties and these are clearly indicated in the Torah. Punishments differ with regard to the particular crime. Hence we know the level of the severity of a crime from the intensity of the punishment. (5) Q: Negative commands are not equal and carry different punishments. What are the three types of punishments prescribed for transgressing a negative commandment? A: The three types of punishment outlined in the torah are: Mamon -- Monetary punishment Malkut -- Lashes Mitah -- Death 5
(6) Q: What is meant by the term measure for measure? How does the punishment given to one who steals reflect this principle? A: As the Mishnah in Sotah (source 1) explains, measure for measure means that the way that a person acts, is the way that God acts toward him in kind. When someone steals, he is obligated by the Torah to pay back double the amount he stole. This is a fulfillment of the principle of measure for measure. For a thief to simply return the money would be giving him the educational message you tried to steal, but you failed -- this time. If a thief who stole $100 is ordered to pay back $200, his experience is different. The message he is getting is that of measure for measure. Pay back what you stole and then have happen to you what you wanted to do to another. Now you will feel the loss of the $100 that you sought to steal. Next time he will think twice before acting this way again. Measure for measure punishment can be direct or metaphorical. Samson lusted after his eyes concerning Philistine women. The principle of measure for measure dictates that if he sinned with his eyes, he should be punished in that way too. He was punished by having his eyes gouged out by the Philistines, metaphorically measure for measure. (7) Q: Give three examples of the principle of measure for measure in the Torah. A: See Mishnah source above. 6
(8) Q: Why is measure for measure considered to be the ideal method of Divine punishment? A: Measure for measure punishment creates a link to the specific crime that caused the punishment. The nature of the punishment sends a message to the guilty party of what they are experiencing and why they must suffer as a result of their own actions. Therefore, the Egyptians had to be killed by drowning rather than any other method, so that the link between their crime and resulting punishment is clear for all to see. It is important to note that measure for measure applies positively as well. Therefore when we act mercifully to others, God will act mercifully to us. When we perform acts of kindness to others, God acts kindly toward us. When we are forgiving and overlook other s shortcomings, God will overlook our shortcomings, too. Jewish Law, like any system, contains parameters dos and don ts. The mitzvot outlined in the Torah are 248 positive and 365 negative commandments to perform. Why are there so many more don t than do s? It is more important, says Rabbi Blech, to know when to stop and not do something, than to know when to do something. It is more important to know when to STOP at the traffic lights than it is to know when we can go. The negative commandments are there to tell us what we must not do, and which actions are detrimental to our being. Our sages link the 248 positive mitzvot to the 248 organs of the body. Our actions have an effect on our entire body. It is as if every part of our body strives to do the right thing. Thus Avraham was able to intuit the mitzvot in the Torah, many years before it was given to the Jewish 7
people on Mount Sinai. This is hinted to by Avraham s name, whose numerical value is 248. The 365 negative mitzvot allude to the 365 days of the solar calendar. Every day of the year we must be aware of what we must not do. Rabbi Blech qualifies his earlier statement that All mitzvot are equal. All positive mitzvot are equal and we do not know the reward of these mitzvot. However, negative commands are not equal. Negatives commands carry penalties which are clearly indicated in the Torah. Punishments differ with regard to the particular crime. Hence we know the level of the severity of a crime from the intensity of the punishment. There are three categories of punishment mentioned in the Torah: Money (mamon) Lashes (malkut) Death (mitah) The punishment for stealing (mamon) introduces the concept of measure for measure. If a person steals $100 he is required to give back double in order for the thief to experience the feeling of loss that he wanted to inflict on another. There are many examples in Torah illustrating how God deals with us measure for measure. The idea is to create a direct link between a person s actions and the nature of the punishment they receive. Thus punishment becomes a tool in re-education, rather than simply a restriction with little or no connection to the crime committed. 8