Parashat Acharei Mos

As an introduction to the various Issurei Gilu’ei Arayos listed in this week’s parasha, the pasuk prefaces “Lo Sikrivu LiGalos Ervah, Ani Hashem.” Rashi comments on the words Ani Hashem that the pasuk adds these seemingly unnecessary words to remind us that Hashem is “Ne’eman LiShaleim Sachar,” trusted to issue reward [for our keeping of the Mitzvos, like distancing ourselves from Gilu’ei Arayos]. But how can Hashem give us Schar for not doing a Mitzvas Lo Sa’asei? Of all places to remind us aboutSchar, the pasuk interjects this in the middle of an Azhara! Wouldn’t a lesson about Onesh be more fitting?

The Mizrachi answers that separation from Gilu’ei Arayos is much more active than not doing a Mitzvas Lo Sa’asei. The Schar is only paid for a person who is put into a situation where he could have violated the Mitzvah and then fought off his Yeitzer. One must wonder, however, why the Torah did not make separation from Gilu’ei Arayos into a Mitzvas Assei if Hashem intended to reward us for this action. There are plenty of other Mitzvos, like Yom Tov or Hashavas Aveida, that are both Mitzvos Asei and Lo Sa’asei, so if Rashi meant to say that we receive Schar for this Mitzvah, why wouldn’t the pasuk have been structured as a Mitzvas Asei? Furthermore, we still have no explanation why Rashi should talk about potential Schar and not potential Onesh in the middle of an Azhara.

It should be noted that Rashi’s comment “Ne’eman LiShaleim Schar” is not an isolated statement; rather it is the continuation to a much longer explanation on pasuk 2. The pasuk there introduces the concept of Chukos HaGoyim and states “Ani Hashem Elokeichem.” There, Rashi quotes the Sifra’s explanation of this seemingly superfluous declaration:

Rebbi said: It was known and obvious to [Hashem] that [Bnei Yisrael] were destined to resort to Arayos in Ezra’s time. Therefore, he came to them within His decree “Ani Hashem Elokeichem,” [meaning] know who is decreeing upon you, [for I am a] judge who collects payment, and I am trusted to issue reward. (Sifra 13:5)

There are several problems with this Sifra. First of all, if the words Ani Hashem Elokeichem directly regard the commandment of Gilu’ei Arayos, why should they precede the pasukim about Chukos HaGoyim? Why not write about Ma’asei Artzei Mitzrayim ViKina’an first, and then introduce Arayos with this pasuk? Also, why do we consider Hashem “trusted to issue reward?” Why not simply regard Him as the Dayan HaPorei’ah U’MiShaleim Schar?

But before we address these smaller problems, we should first wonder what Rebbi meant to teach about Hashem and His decree altogether. Does his comment to mean that Hashem did not want us to sin, and therefore He reminded us about all the bad that would happen to us should we err and all the good we would earn should we act properly? No! He clearly states that Hashem knew we would sin in the future; the Aveirah was inevitable. Sure enough, the people still sinned in Ezra’s days, despite the fact that Hashem had stated Ani Hashem Elokeichem! So what then did Hashem accomplish by saying “Ani Hashem Elokeichem”?! What is Rebbi trying to teach us?

The gemara in Mesechet Avoda Zara offers a tremendous insight – a critical Yisod – regarding the concept of Hashem collecting payment and issuing reward to Klal Yisrael:

[Some heretics once asked Rebbi Avahu:] the pasuk says “Rak Eschem Yadati MiKol Mishpachos HaAdamah, Al Kein Efkod Aleichem Es Kol Avonoseichem,” [Hashem says] ‘I love you [Bnei Yisrael] more than all the other nations of the world, therefore I will make you pay for all of your sins.’ When a person is angry, does he vent his anger on his best friend?! Of course not! Why then does Hashem vent His frustration on you if He loves you the most? Rabbi Avahu answered: what is this [pasuk] like? Like a man who lends money to two people: one friend and one enemy. From the friend, he goes out of his way and is willing to trouble himself to collect payments in small sums, little by little. But from the enemy, he waits until the end of the loan period and then collects it all in one heap. So too, Hashem treats us like His friend and makes us pay for our sins over a long duration so that all we will have when Olam Habah arrives are our Mitzvos. But He does not collect from the Goyim, His enemies, until their day of judgment, and so none of them will merit Olam Haba. (Avoda Zara, 4a)

Rabbi Avahu’s response turns our perspective of Hashem’s system of punishment upside-down! The fact that Hashem punishes us for our Aveiros does not reflect Midaas HaDin; in fact, it is actually something Hashem does out of Rachamim and out of His love for us. Therefore the pasuk uses the name Hashem, and not Elokim, in order to reflect the Midas Rachamim present in His judgment. Also, we now understand why He is Ne’eman LiShaleim Schar. Because He doesn’t mete out Schar until Olam Haba, all we see are our punishments and Puraniot; therefore, the pasuk teaches us that we shouldn’t worry; we will receive our rewards in due time.

And we can even come to understand the tremendous love Hashem expresses to us through giving us a Mitzvah that He knows we cannot keep! It seems like the strangest thing in the world. Did Hashem actually create Man without the potential to fulfill all 613 Mitzvos – or even 7 Mitzvos, for that matter – to the fullest degree?! It seems unfair. To a certain degree it is very unfair, but we can also view it as Hashem’s way of guaranteeing that only His chosen nation will merit Olam Habah. If both we and the Goyim sin, then everyone will end up in debt to Hashem. This gives Hashem the awesome ability to select who will pay for these inevitable sins over a long span of time, and who will pay for them on judgment day, what the gemara in Avoda Zara calls Yom Eidam (see dafim 2-4).

The lesson of “Ani Hashem Elokeichem” stretches way beyond the simple reminder to do the right thing. It is the recognition that sometimes Hashem gives us difficult Mitzvos and expects exactly the opposite results! However, Hashem promises to always be Porei’ah from us, and so he becomes Ne’eman LiShaleim Schar.

But this lesson is only helpful for us, and it only eases our concerns regarding the impossibility of perfectly observing Issurei Arayos, if we truly recognize that we are Hashem’s friend and the Goyim are His enemy. That’s why the pasuk cannot immediately segue into Hilchos Arayos. Instead, we spend four pasukim detailing the concept of Chukim, both the Chukim of the Goyim and the Chukim of the Torah. We come to recognize that there is a significant difference between us and the other nations of the world. We recognize how their customs and traditions are meaningless and hollow, while our customs are the King’s decree. And we are thus assured that we will maintain our close relationship to Hashem through even our toughest times. It is now clear that Chukos HaGoyim does not only connect to the concept of Arayos, there is no more fitting introduction to the concept. And there is no more fitting Mitzvah for Klal Yisrael to embrace than Arayos, especially within the parasha that thoroughly details Hashem’s guarantee to forgive all of our Avonos.