Parashat BiChukosai

Everything happens for a purpose. The Klalos of Parashat BiChukosai are terrifying and gruesome, but they are not petty. Hashem promises His chosen nation that He will never permanently abandon them, and that they will emerge atoned through their suffering.

“Then they will appease [Me] over their sins,” they shall atone over their sins through their suffering.

Rashi, VaYikra 26:41

This suffering somehow generates a shift in the sinful nation’s mentality. The Malbim explains that Klal Yisrael stray from Hashem because of their desire to act like foreign nations. When Hashem exiles His nation to these foreign lands, they expect to relinquish their former identities and assume those of their new neighbors. However, through G-d’s benevolence, the foreign nations never accept the Jews as their own. And after ages of relentless oppression, the Jews will ultimately discover and admit to their true identity, their everlasting bond to Hashem, and their innate drive towards His Bris Rishonim, the covenant of old.

But the Klalos are itself a contract of sorts. Hashem pairs His rebuke with a contrasting set of blessings, promising good for those who follow in His ways and bad for those who do not. Each man chooses every day between these two options. When he chooses well, Hashem rewards him. Conversely, poor decisions warrant disagreeable consequences. Presumably, any sensible man will choose the lifestyle of righteous acts over one of wicked deeds. The overall structure of this Tochacha reflects something much simpler than the Malbim’s elaborate description of Hashem’s master plan.

The Malbim therefore explains that Klal Yisrael does not simply disregard Hashem’s ways but also His presence. They blame their woes on G-d’s undeniable absence and wish for His return, yet they fail to recognize that He is responsible for every drop of their suffering, and their very reluctance to accept His involvement attests to their lack of desire for a true relationship. They wish only for unconditional good and neglect their obligation to do good for Hashem in return. And so the suffering continues today until Klal Yisrael regains its identity and sincerely, wholeheartedly, returns to Hashem.

And they will admit their sins and the treacherous sins of their fathers, and [they will admit] that they obstinately went [against My ways]. I too will act obstinately with them and bring them in the land of their enemies; perhaps then they will humble their blocked hearts and appease [Me] over their sins.

VaYikra 26:40-41

Although the Jews admit to their treacherous deeds, they do not fully repent, and Hashem continues to punish them. As the Malbim explains, until Klal Yisrael desire a unique bond with Hashem and dissociate from the ways of the other nations, they will continue to live with oppression and suffering under the hands of their enemies.

By the Malbim’s view, Hashem uses His Klalos to bring about repentance and a constructive change in the Jewish nation. Much like Brachos, the Klalos are a necessary impetus to yield true Avodas Hashem. Nonetheless, there is a clear distinction between Brachos and Klalos, for Brachos physically and psychologically benefit the nation while Klalos hinder them. However, this distinction is slightly blurred within Rashi’s understanding of Hashem’s Klalos:

“And I will bring them in the land of their enemies,” I myself will bring them. This is a favorable deed, for [Bnei Yisrael] should never say ‘since He has exiled us to foreign lands, let us act like them.’ I will not let you [claim this], rather I will establish my prophets and return you to Me.”

Rashi, VaYikra 26:41

By Rashi’s assessment, Hashem does not fully withhold favorable deeds from His nation while they sin. Rather, Hashem graciously calls for their repentance through His prophets. According to the Malbim, Hashem expects His nation to cling to the ways of foreign nations and then afterwards reconsider their decision. But Rashi claims that Hashem will never let them make such a mistake in the first place.

However, Rashi’s interpretation is contextually very difficult. Hashem first threatens, “I will treat you casually,” a clear indication of undesirable consequences, and then immediately promises to remain close to us even in exile. Even if Rashi can infer a favorable deed from the words “I will bring then in the land of their enemies,” how could he ever infer anything favorable from their context?

In truth, the very thought that Hashem intends Klalos to produce positive outcomes is really itself a surprising notion. In the Tochacha of Parashat Ki Savo, Moshe Rabbeinu makes no promises or guarantees that Hashem will save Klal Yisrael from the perilous consequences of their misdeeds. “And you will be sold into slavery and no one will purchase you,” thus ends the fate of the Jewish nation. Hashem promises neither mercy nor favorable deeds.

The gemara in Mesechet Megila (31b) provides a strong distinction between the two sets of Klalos. The Klalos of BiChukosai are all stated in the plural tense; therefore they affect the nation as a whole, not each and every individual. If the nation is good, then this will be their reward. If the nation is bad, then this will be their punishment. However, the Klalos of Ki Savo are written in the singular tense and framed as the consequences of an individual’s actions. If the individual is good, then such is his reward, and so on.

The Klalos of BiChukosai are aimed at repairing a broken nation, a nation guaranteed of salvation no matter how far they sink. In stark contrast, the Klalos of Ki Savo affect the individual, and no individual is safe from utter annihilation. Mitzrayim can sell several individuals into slavery and the nation can survive. Hashem can send His prophets to keep the masses (or maybe even the minority) along a straight path, but not every member of the nation will heed their words. Some will inevitably lose their way forever.

Perhaps according to Rashi, even this good measure is actually a curse in disguise. Obviously, for the righteous, the counsel of prophets is a welcome blessing. For those evil individuals who cling to foreign cultures and customs and do not wish to repent, the very promise that prophets will keep the nation straight is itself a curse. Hashem’s promise, aside from guaranteeing salvation, also demands change on the part of the people. And those who cannot change will simply get left behind.

The distinction between blessing and curse is not so elementary. Reward, like punishment, stimulates change, and change is all Hashem asks of His people. Even amidst the mass enslavement of His people, His prophets will guide the righteous to safety and salvation. And this itself behooves those of lesser character to change and improve, to repent as best they can. For as long as there is room for improvement, on the part of His nation, Hashem will never have reason to become fully disgusted with them.