FOR NITZAVIM-VAYELECH
A BALANCED RELATIONSHIP
It was the beginning of the Fall season last year, when the news carried warnings about drought conditions in the state of Georgia. As late as mid-November, the media carried notices about water restrictions about to go into place. The rains came shortly thereafter.
And they have not stopped since then. According to the National Weather Service, the six-month period from February to July in Georgia was the wettest six months on record!
Needless to say, the drought is over for Georgia. All the lakes and reservoirs are full. It would seem that people who worry about sufficient water should be overjoyed about these developments.
This, however, is not the case. Half of the watermelon crops – which grow while lying on the ground – were flooded away due to the excess of rain. They were also delayed because of the cooler than usual summer caused by the rain. Some corn crops have developed mold, and fears persist about peanut crops. Rain has caused the peaches to be much bigger than usual, but the abundance of water has diluted their sugar contents.
While the abundance of rain has turned into a blessing for most, the excessive amount of rain is not appreciated by some.
“Choni,”a Talmudic sage and great miracle worker, had the word “Ma’agal,” or “circle maker,” added to his name. This, relates the Talmud, was because once, when the Land of Israel was under a severe drought, Choni drew a circle on the ground and stood within it. He called out to the Almighty for rain, and swore that he would not move out of the circle until rain fell.
Rain began to fall in tiny droplets. Choni called out to the Almighty, “I did not ask for rain like this, rather for rain sufficient to fill up the cisterns, ditches and caves.” Immediately the rain began to come down furiously. Choni called out to the Almighty, “I did not ask for rain like this either, but for rains of goodwill, blessing, and generosity.” The rains then began coming down in the normal way. (Talmud Ta’anis 23,a.)
A balance is, by definition, in the middle. In every relationship, it is the balance which makes things happen. When two entities are in sync, they are in balance. One-sidedness is going to the extreme. And that is not the way successful relationships function.
And so, Choni was seeking a balance to the rain issue. He wanted it not too soft and not too hard. Similarly, an unbalanced abundance of rain also upsets certain farmers in Georgia. And it is this idea of balance that is presented in the first of this week’s two Torah portions, “Nitzavim.”
The portion contains the words Moses instructed the Jewish people on his last day on earth. Among those words, he says: “This commandment (i.e., the Torah) that I command you today is neither hidden from you nor is it distant. It is not in heaven, [for you] to say, ‘Who can ascend to the heaven for us and take it for us so we can listen to it and perform it?’ Nor is it across the sea, [for you] to say, ‘Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?’ Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth, in your heart, to perform it.” (D’varim (Deuteronomy) 30:11-14.)
The point is clear: The Torah is accessible for all. It is physically reachable, and its knowledge is not beyond the capacity of humans to comprehend.
Moses was talking to people who, thirty-nine years prior, had stood at Mount Sinai and personally heard the Ten Commandments from the Almighty. A few weeks later, Moses returned with two tablets engraved with those very Commandments. Every aspect of the Sinai experience underscored how the Torah was sent to, and belongs on, earth. The original carved Tablets sent from Heaven to earth demonstrate this point, as do the written Torah scroll, discussed in the second of this week’s portions (31:9;19).
It would seem, then, that Moses was overstating the point regarding the accessibility of the Torah to human beings. It should have been obvious to all!
Moses, in fact, was referring to the oral Torah, also given to the Jewish people at Sinai. This part of the Torah, though, was transmitted verbally to Moses. In turn, Moses transmitted it orally as well. The Oral Torah would not be disseminated through writing until well over one thousand years later.
In his parting words, Moses was telling the Jewish people then and now: “The Torah is not (any longer) in heaven. Whatever had to be transmitted was done so with me. There will never again be a need for anyone to ascend to Heaven to bring the Torah to earth. It is all on earth already, and easily accessible for those who want it.”
The Torah now is balanced. The written section was given to the people as is, but was sent down to earth. The oral section, as well as its rules on how the Torah can be extrapolated, were not written, but given to humans to expand upon it, providing they adhere to its rules and principles. The oral Torah allows humans to share in the decisions of Torah law, balancing it between the Almighty and the people.
The Torah is a relationship. When people are in a loving relationship, their greatest pleasure is being able to do something for their beloved. One’s innermost identity and desire are expressed by doing what one’s beloved wants. In the relationship between the Almighty and humans, the balance is, as Moses expresses it: The Torah of “Heaven” has been given to those on “Earth.” The Torah creates a most powerful opportunity to connect with its Divine Author.
When things are in balance, people feel stable and secure. And they also feel the blessing of a loving relationship.
SUMMARY: Partnerships and relationships thrive when things are balanced. It is also so with the relationship between the Almighty and humans through the Torah.