Noach: The First Mitzva Observer
Norman Meskin
I. Introduction
Sefer Bereishit is often referred to as “Sefer Ha-yetzira” – “The
Book of Creation.” On the most obvious level, this refers to the
description of Creation that comprises the first two chapters of the book
which, ultimately, gave rise to the popular Latin-based name for the
book, Genesis.
In his commentary to the Torah, the Ramban explains that there is
another yetzira, creation, to which this title alludes, and that is the
creation of Am Yisrael, the nation of Israel, which, although still a “work
in progress,” basically comprises the entirety of Sefer Bereishit.
I would like to suggest that there is yet another yetzira that is
described in the beginning sections of Bereishit, one that serves as a
cornerstone for understanding the rest of Chumash, as a basis for the
acceptance of the normative portions of Torah, both written and oral, and
as a beacon for the elucidation of Jewish history.
The third yetzira is the development of the relationship between
God and the individual, the people of Israel, and humanity as a whole.
This dynamic relationship is complex and multi-layered, but it could be
argued that the most critical element in the development of a relationship
with God is the individual’s acceptance of the role of being a metzuveh –
“one who is commanded.”
115
Alei Etzion 17 (5772)
In explaining the Talmudic concept of Gadol ha-metzuveh veoseh mi-mi she-eino metzuveh ve-oseh, doing a good deed which you are
commanded to do is greater than doing it voluntarily (Kiddushin 31a;
Bava Kama 38a, 87a; Avoda Zara 3a), Tosafot provide two separate and
distinct rationales. In Kiddushin (31a, s.v. gadol), Tosafot explain the
priority of the metzuveh ve-oseh (one who is commanded and performs)
based on the fact that only someone who is commanded has something to
lose if he does not perform as commanded. This fear of not living up to
Divine expectations causes a higher level of anxiety, and, consequently,
warrants a greater reward. The eino metzuveh (uncommanded person) has
no such fear and, therefore, there is no “downside” if the action is not up
to par.
On the other hand, Tosafot in Avoda Zara (3a, s.v. gadol) point
out that the priority of the metzuveh ve-oseh stems from the fact that
when a typical human being is “commanded” to do something, there is
that little voice inside that person’s head that says: “Don’t do it. Nobody
can tell you what to do!” In other words, one needs to overcome this
built-in resistance in order to do as one is commanded, and that is why
the reward is greater than if one does the same act voluntarily.
My focus here will not be on this dichotomy of metzuveh ve-oseh
and eino metzuveh ve-oseh, but rather upon the basic concept of metzuveh
ve-oseh itself.
I will try to demonstrate how the Torah’s narrative regarding the
construction of the ark, the flood and its immediate aftermath, when
viewed through the perspective of this notion of the metzuveh ve-oseh,
plays a significant role in helping to develop our understanding of one of
the main aspects of the relationship between human beings and their
Creator. This analysis should lead to a clarification of the concept of
mitzva.
It should be clear that, in a very real sense, Noach was the first
individual upon whom the Torah conferred the title of metzuveh ve-oseh.
True, Adam and Chava were commanded in the Garden of Eden, but,
116
much to our chagrin, their actions were could hardly be characterized as
metzuveh ve-oseh. Kayin was also ostensibly a metzuveh, for although the
command against murder is not yet explicitly stated in the Torah, without
assuming prior command his punishment is incomprehensible. But he
was also not a metzuveh ve-oseh.
II. Analysis of the Text
The first step in the development of this thesis is a careful reading
and analysis of the appropriate Torah portion, which consists of Bereishit
6:9 through 9:7. For this purpose, I have conceptualized the story of the
Flood and the Ark as a one-act play with five scenes (the sixth scene is
the coda) and presented an abbreviated version thereof below.
Most scenes in this narrative contain the following two-part
structural element:
(1) God commands Noach to do something;
(2) the Torah confirms that Noach did as he was commanded.
The reader is encouraged to take note of the presence of this element in
the various scenes as it will play an important role in the development of
the theme of this article.
Scene 1: Noach Is Instructed to Build the Ark (6:13-22)
‫בָּ ָּשר‬-‫ ֵקץ כָּל‬,‫ֹלקים ְלנ ַֹּח‬
ִ -‫ֹּאמר א‬
ֶ ‫ יג וַי‬13 And God said to Noach: ‘The end
,‫ ָּמל ְָּאה ָּה ָּא ֶרץ ָּח ָּמס‬-‫ בָּ א ְל ָּפנַי–כִ י‬of all flesh has come before Me; for
.‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫ ֶאת‬,‫יתם‬
ָּ ‫ ִמפְ נֵיהֶ ם; וְ ִה ְננִי ַמ ְש ִח‬the earth is filled with violence
through them; and, behold, I will
destroy them with the earth.
‫ ִקנִים‬,‫ ֹּגפֶר‬-‫ֲשה לְָך ֵתבַ ת עֲצֵ י‬
ֵׂ ‫ יד ע‬14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood;
‫ ַה ֵתבָּ ה; וְ ָּכפ ְַר ָּת א ָֹּּתּה‬-‫ ַּתעֲשֶׂ ה ֶאת‬with rooms shall you make the ark,
.‫ בַ ֹּכפֶר‬,‫ּומחּוץ‬
ִ ‫ ִמבַ יִת‬and shall pitch it within and without
with pitch.
117
‫ ְשֹלש‬:‫ֲשה א ָֹּּתּה‬
ֶׂ ‫ אֲ ֶשר ַּתע‬,‫ טו וְ זֶה‬15 And this is how you shall make it:
‫ חֲ ִמ ִשים‬,‫ א ֶֹּרְך ַה ֵתבָּ ה‬,‫ מֵ אֹות ַא ָּמה‬the length of the ark three hundred
.‫קֹומ ָּתּה‬
ָּ ‫ֹלשים ַא ָּמה‬
ִ ‫ּוש‬
ְ ,‫ ַאמָּ ה ָּר ְחבָּ ּה‬cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits,
and the height of it thirty cubits.
‫ ַא ָּמה‬-‫ וְ ֶאל‬,‫ֲשה ל ֵַתבָּ ה‬
ֶׂ ‫טז צ ַֹּהר ַתע‬
‫ ְב ִצ ָּדּה‬,‫ ּופ ֶַתח ַה ֵתבָּ ה‬,‫ְת ַכ ֶלנָּה ִמל ְַמעְ לָּה‬
,‫ּושלִ ִשים‬
ְ
‫ָּת ִשים; ַת ְח ִתיִ ם ְשנִ ִים‬
.‫ה‬
ָ ‫ֲש‬
ֶׂ ‫ַּתע‬
16 A light shall you make to the ark,
and to a cubit shall you finish it
upward; and the door of the ark shall
you set in the side thereof; with lower,
second, and third stories shall you
make it.
,‫ָ ָכְ כֹל ָאֲ ֶׂשר ִָצוה ָאֹתֹו‬:‫ ָנ ַֹּח‬,‫ כב ַּויַּעַּ ש‬22 Thus did Noach; according to all
.‫ֹלקים– ֵׂכןָעשה‬
ִ -ָ‫ א‬that God commanded him, so did he.
Scene 2: Noach and Entourage Enter the Ark (7:1-5)
‫יתָך‬
ְ ֵ‫ב‬-‫ ַא ָּתה וְ כָּל‬-‫ ב ֹא‬,‫ֹּאמר ה' ְלנ ַֹּח‬
ֶ ‫ א וַי‬1 And the Lord said to Noach: ‘Come
‫יתי צַ ִדיק‬
ִ ‫א ְֹּתָך ָּר ִא‬-‫ כִ י‬:‫ ַה ֵתבָּ ה‬-‫ ֶאל‬you and all your house into the ark; for
.‫ בַ דֹור ַהזֶה‬,‫ ְל ָּפנַי‬you have I seen righteous before Me
in this generation.
‫לְָך‬-‫ ָ ִת ַּקח‬,‫הֹורה‬
ָּ ‫ב ִמכֹּל ַה ְב ֵה ָּמה ַה ְט‬
-‫ּומן‬
ִ
;‫ִשבְ עָּ ה ִש ְבעָּ ה– ִאיש וְ ִא ְשתֹו‬
–‫ ְשנַיִם‬,‫הַ בְ ֵה ָּמה אֲ ֶשר ל ֹּא ְטה ָֹּּרה ִהוא‬
.‫ִאיש וְ ִא ְשתֹו‬
2 Of every clean beast you shall take
for you seven and seven, each with his
mate; and of the beasts that are not
clean two [and two], each with his
mate;
‫ זָּכָּר‬,‫ ג גַם ֵמעֹוף ַה ָּש ַמיִם ִש ְבעָּ ה ִש ְבעָּ ה‬3 of the fowl also of the air, seven and
.‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫פְ נֵי כָּל‬-‫ עַ ל‬,‫ ל ְַחיֹות ז ֶַרע‬,‫ ּונ ְֵקבָּ ה‬seven, male and female; to keep seed
alive upon the face of all the earth.
‫ ָּאנֹּכִ י ַמ ְמ ִטיר‬,‫ד כִ י ְלי ִָּמים עֹוד ִש ְבעָּ ה‬
‫ וְ ַא ְרבָּ עִ ים‬,‫ ַא ְרבָּ עִ ים יֹום‬,‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫עַ ל‬
‫ ַהיְקּום אֲ ֶשר‬-‫כָּל‬-‫ ֶאת‬,‫יתי‬
ִ ‫ּומ ִח‬
ָּ ;‫ָּל ְילָּה‬
.‫ פְ נֵי ָּהאֲ ָּד ָּמה‬,‫ ֵמעַ ל‬,‫יתי‬
ִ ‫עָּ ִש‬
4 For yet in seven days, I will cause it
to rain upon the earth forty days and
forty nights; and every living
substance that I have made will I blot
out from off the face of the earth.’
118
.’‫ָה‬,‫ ִצוהו‬-‫ָכְ כֹלָאֲ ֶׂשר‬,‫ָנ ַֹּח‬,‫ הָָ ַּויַּעַּ ש‬5 And Noach did according unto all
that the Lord commanded him.
Scene 3: The Rains Come and Stop; The Ark Comes to Rest
(7:6 – 8:5)
(Noach Does Not Act!)
Scene 4: Noach Opens the Window and Sends Out the Birds
(8:6-14)
,‫ ִמ ֵקץ ַא ְרבָּ עִ ים יֹום; ַּו ִיפְ ַּתח נ ַֹּח‬,‫ ו ַוי ְִהי‬6 And it came to pass at the end of
.‫חַ לֹון ַה ֵתבָּ ה אֲ ֶשר עָּ ָּשה‬-‫ ֶאת‬forty days, that Noach opened the
window of the ark which he had made.
‫ וְ ִהנֵה‬,‫ יא ו ַָּתב ֹּא ֵאלָּיו ַהיֹונָּה לְעֵ ת עֶ ֶרב‬11 And the dove came in to him at
‫ ַקלּו‬-‫ כִ י‬,‫יה; ַּוי ֵַּׂדע נ ַֹּח‬
ָּ ִ‫ ַזיִת ָּט ָּרף ְבפ‬-‫ ֲעלֵה‬eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive.‫ הַ מַ יִם ֵמעַ ל ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬leaf freshly plucked; so Noach knew
that the waters were abated from off
the earth.
,‫ ֵמאֹות ָּשנָּה‬-‫יג ַוי ְִהי ְב ַא ַחת וְ ֵשש‬
,‫ ָּח ְרבּו ַה ַמיִם‬,‫בָּ ִראשֹון ְב ֶא ָּחד ַלח ֶֹּדש‬
‫ ִמכְ ֵסה‬-‫ ֶאת‬,‫מֵ עַ ל ָּה ָּא ֶרץ; ָוַּי ַּסר ָנ ַֹּח‬
.‫ וְ ִהנֵה ָּח ְרבּו פְ נֵי ָּהאֲ ָּד ָּמה‬,‫ָ ַּוי ְַּרא‬,‫הַ ֵתבָּ ה‬
13 And it came to pass in the six
hundred and first year, in the first
month, the first day of the month, the
waters were dried up from off the
earth; and Noach removed the
covering of the ark, and looked, and
behold, the face of the ground was
dried.
Scene 5: Noach and Entourage Leave the Ark (8:15-19)
.‫נ ַֹּח לֵאמֹּר‬-‫ ֶאל‬,‫ֹלקים‬
ִ -‫א‬
ָ ‫ טו ָ ַּוי ְַּדבֵׂ ר‬15 And God spoke to Noach, saying:
119
‫וְ ִא ְש ְתָך‬
,‫ ַה ֵתבָּ ה– ַא ָּתה‬-‫ ִמן‬,‫ טז צֵׂ א‬16 “Go forth from the ark, you, and
.‫בָּ נֶיָך ִא ָּתְך‬-‫ְשי‬
ֵ ‫ ּובָּ נֶיָך ּונ‬your wife, and your sons, and your
sons’ wives with you.
,‫בָּ ָּשר‬-‫ ִא ְתָך ִמכָּל‬-‫ ַה ַחיָּה אֲ ֶשר‬-‫יז כָּל‬
‫ ָּה ֶר ֶמש ָּהר ֵֹּמש‬-‫ּובכָּל‬
ְ ‫בָּ עֹוף ּובַ ְב ֵה ָּמה‬
‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ–הוצא ( ַּהיְצֵׂ א) ִא ָּתְך; וְ ָּש ְרצּו‬-‫עַ ל‬
.‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫ ּופָּרּו וְ ָּרבּו עַ ל‬,‫בָּ ָּא ֶרץ‬
17 Bring forth with you every living
thing that is with you of all flesh, both
fowl, and cattle, and every creeping
thing that creeps upon the earth; that
they may swarm in the earth, and be
fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.”
,‫בָּ נָּיו‬-‫ְשי‬
ֵ ‫נ ַֹּח; ּובָּ נָּיו וְ ִא ְשתֹו ּונ‬-‫ יח ָ ַּויֵׂצֵׂ א‬18 And Noach went forth, and his
.‫ ִאתֹו‬sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives
with him;
,‫ ָּהעֹוף‬-‫ ָּה ֶר ֶמש וְ כָּל‬-‫ כָּל‬,‫ ַה ַחיָּה‬-‫ יט כָּל‬19 every beast, every creeping thing,
ָ,‫יהם‬
ֶ ‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ–ל ְִמ ְשפְ ח ֵֹּת‬-‫רֹומש עַ ל‬
ֵ
,‫ כֹּל‬and every fowl, whatsoever moveth
.‫ ַה ֵתבָּ ה‬-‫ יצְ או ִמן‬upon the earth, after their families;
went forth out of the ark.
Scene 6: God Blesses and Makes a Covenant with Noach and the
Rest of Humanity and the Animal Kingdom (9:1-17)
;‫בָּ נָּיו‬-‫נ ַֹּח וְ ֶאת‬-‫ ֶאת‬,‫ֹלקים‬
ִ -‫ָא‬
ָ ‫ א ַּויְב ֶׂרְך‬1 And God blessed Noach and his
-‫ומלְאו ָ ֶׂאת‬
ִ ,‫ָורבו‬
ְ ‫ֹאמר ָל ֶׂהם ָפְ רו‬
ֶׂ ‫ וַּי‬sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful
.‫ הא ֶׂרץ‬and multiply, and replenish the
earth.
-‫ עַ ל כָּל‬,‫ י ְִהיֶה‬,‫ּומֹוראֲ כֶם וְ ִח ְת ֶכם‬
ַ
‫ב‬
‫עֹוף ַה ָּש ָּמ ִים; ְבכֹּל‬-‫ וְ עַ ל כָּל‬,‫חַ יַת ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬
,‫ ְדגֵי ַהיָּם‬-‫ּובכָּל‬
ְ ‫אֲ שֶ ר ִת ְרמֹּש ָּהאֲ ָּד ָּמה‬
.‫בְ י ְֶדכֶם נ ִָּתנּו‬
2 And the fear of you and the dread of
you shall be upon every beast of the
earth, and upon every fowl of the air,
and upon all wherewith the ground
teems, and upon all the fishes of the
sea: into your hand are they delivered.
120
‫ ָּלכֶם י ְִהיֶה‬,‫ ַחי‬-‫ ֶר ֶמש אֲ ֶשר הּוא‬-‫ ג כָּל‬3 Every moving thing that lives shall
-‫ֶׂםָאת‬
ֶׂ ‫ָנ ַּת ִתיָלכ‬,‫ כְ י ֶֶׂׂרקָעֵׂ ֶׂשב‬:‫ ל ְָּאכְ לָּה‬be for food for you; as the green herb
ָ...‫ כֹל‬have I given you all…
,‫ָורבו; ִש ְרצּו בָּ ָּא ֶרץ‬
ְ ‫ ָפְ רו‬,‫ ז וְ ַּא ֶׂתם‬7 And you, be you fruitful, and
‫בָּ ּה‬-‫ ְּורבּו‬multiply; swarm in the earth, and
multiply therein.”
‫בָּ נָּיו‬-‫ וְ ֶאל‬,‫נ ַֹּח‬-‫ֹלקים ֶאל‬
ִ -‫ֹּאמר א‬
ֶ ‫ ח וַי‬8 And God spoke to Noah, and to his
.‫ ִאתֹו לֵאמֹּר‬sons with him, saying:
‫יתי‬
ִ ‫ ְב ִר‬-‫ָאת‬
ֶׂ ‫ָמ ִקים‬
ֵׂ ‫ָה ְננִי‬
ִ ,‫ ט וַּאֲ נִי‬9 “As for Me, behold, I establish My
.‫ ַאחֲ ֵריכֶם‬,‫ז ְַר ֲעכֶם‬-‫ וְ ֶאת‬,‫ ִא ְתכֶם‬covenant with you, and with your
seed after you;
,‫ָה ַּחיה אֲ ֶשר ָ ִא ְתכֶם‬
ַּ ‫ ֶׂנפֶׂש‬-‫י ָוְ ֵׂאת ָכל‬
‫ ַחיַת ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫ּובכָּל‬
ְ
‫בָּ עֹוף בַ ְב ֵה ָּמה‬
‫ ְלכֹּל ַחיַת‬,‫ִא ְת ֶכם; ִמכֹּל י ְֹּצ ֵאי ַה ֵתבָּ ה‬
...‫הָּ ָּא ֶרץ‬
10 and with every living creature
that is with you, the fowl, the cattle,
and every beast of the earth with you;
of all that go out of the ark, even every
beast of the earth…
,‫יה‬
ָּ ‫ית‬
ִ ‫ בֶ עָּ נָּן; ְּור ִא‬,‫טז וְ הָּ י ְָּתה ַה ֶק ֶשת‬
‫ ּובֵ ין‬,‫ֹלקים‬
ִ -‫ בֵ ין א‬,‫לִזְ כֹּר ְב ִרית עֹו ָּלם‬
-‫בָּ ָּשר אֲ ֶשר עַ ל‬-‫ ֶנפֶש ַחיָּה ְבכָּל‬-‫כָּל‬
.‫הָּ ָּא ֶרץ‬
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud;
and I will look upon it, that I may
remember the everlasting covenant
between God and every living creature
of all flesh that is upon the earth.”
‫ ז ֹּאת‬:‫נ ַֹּח‬-‫ ֶאל‬,‫ֹלקים‬
ִ -‫ֹּאמר א‬
ֶ ‫ יז וַי‬17 And God said to Noach: “This is
‫ ּובֵ ין‬,‫ בֵ ינִי‬,‫ אֲ ֶשר הֲ ִקמ ִֹּתי‬,‫הַ ְב ִרית‬-‫ אֹות‬the token of the covenant which I have
.‫ ָּה ָּא ֶרץ‬-‫בָּ שָּ ר אֲ ֶשר עַ ל‬-‫ כָּל‬established between Me and all flesh
that is upon the earth.”
In his commentary on the phrase, “a light [source] shall you make
for ark” (6:16), Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch offers an insight which
frames the entire narrative cited above:
…Surely it is not without reason that the arrangements for
the ark are so specially told us, and later on again stressed
that Noah did everything “ken,” exactly as prescribed. God
121
could have saved Noah in a thousand different ways.
Whether the size of the ark was sufficient normally to hold
its contents,1 etc., are considerations which we really can
leave aside. God chose one man, he is to save himself, his
family, and the animal world for the future, he can save
them and himself if, and only if, he does everything as,
and only as, he is commanded. ‫גדול המצווה ועושה ממי שאין‬
‫מצווה ועושה‬, doing a good deed which you are commanded
to do being greater than doing it spontaneously, is one of
the first Jewish principles. Contrary to the opinion usually
held, only that has true value which is done in fulfillment
of the Will of God. What one does according to one’s own
prompting etc. has only doubtful, secondary importance.
What a lot more could Noah have done in the 120 years;
built a hundred arks, etc. So that what it may want to tell
us here is that Noah restricted himself to do, but to do
exactly and completely, that which God had ordered, and
left the rest to God. (Emphases in original translation)
Rabbi Hirsch asserts that this biblical narrative teaches us the
importance of being a metzuveh ve-oseh – one commanded by God who
acts accordingly. In essence, Noach and his family, along with the animal
kingdom, can be saved if, and only if, he does exactly as God instructs
him. Noach satisfies this condition and God, consequently, fulfills His
promise.
Rabbi Hirsch was clearly led to this conclusion by the repetition
of the following sequence in the narrative: instructions from God to
Noach to act in a certain way and confirmation that Noach proceeded to
do precisely as he was told.
III. The Problem
However, close inspection reveals that this same text contains an
anomaly that threatens Rabbi Hirsch’s thesis and undermines our
understanding of the relationship between God and Noach, in particular,
1 This issue is addressed by the Ramban (6:19) – ed.
122
and God and humanity, in general.
The problem is that the pattern of “command from God and then
confirmation that Noach satisfied the demand,” that develops quite
clearly in Scenes 1 and 2, is glaringly absent from Scene 4 (opening the
window and sending out the birds) before recurring in Scene 5.
Scene 4, therefore, is the only instance in this entire narrative
where Noach is not a metzuveh and acts on his own! This enigmatic
finding gives rise to two complementary questions:
1. Why did Noach act without first getting instructions from God?
2. Why didn’t God command Noach regarding these particular
actions?
IV. The Solution
I would like to suggest that Noach’s perception of the scope of
being commanded by God (being a metzuveh) was that God only
commanded humans regarding “extraordinary,” “unnatural” or
“irrational” events or behaviors. Building an ark for 120 years in one’s
backyard and then bringing your family and a whole animal menagerie
into the ark at high noon, with the sun still shining, certainly constitute
unnatural acts! Noach understood that when God commands about such
things – about ritual matters or bein adam la-Makom issues (matters
exclusively between man and God) – one must listen and accept. He
could take no initiative regarding these matters because he would not
know where to begin!
However, there is nothing unnatural or extraordinary about
opening the window to see what the weather is like outside. There is
nothing ritualistic or irrational about finding out if the water has receded
after a flood. So the first question above is answered: Noach didn’t think
he needed to wait for a command from God for something so logical and
so pedestrian – something that made so much sense!
123
God, for His part, did not command Noach about these particular
actions precisely because He wanted Noach to learn the full scope of
being “commanded.” He wanted him to appreciate the true essence of
Torah and of mitzva performance and of one’s relationship with God. But
how was this lesson taught?
After Noach acted independently and was (probably) ready to
disembark, God addressed him, as follows: “Go forth from the ark…”
(8:16). With these words God taught Noach that He does not only
command man regarding unnatural or irrational matters, matters that man
would never realize on his own. That would be an incorrect and
incomplete understanding of the mitzvot of God. “Mitzvot” cover the
whole range of human behaviors – even those for which one thinks there
is no need for a Divine directive because they are so obvious (e.g., the
prohibitions against stealing, killing, raping, etc.)
The Torah then tells us that “Noach went forth” (8:18) – a
simple, logical, straightforward action – but one he could not perform
until so instructed by God. So, now, the second question above is also
answered: God did not command Noach about certain actions in order to
teach him the vital lesson that all mitzvot are gezeirot ha-Melekh, decrees
of the King, and their performance is not dependent on our understanding
the rationale behind any or all of them.
It might be suggested that the seemingly excessive reward that
Noach received was, in part, due to his successfully internalizing this
fundamental theological message. After all, given the circumstances,
survival itself could readily be perceived as a more than adequate reward.
Clearly, God deemed that more was necessary. Perhaps the
covenant of continuity and the permission to become meat-eaters were
meant to suggest that now that Noach had learned this fundamental
lesson, humanity was ready to move forward with its new mission. Now
people could slaughter animals to satisfy their basic needs,
simultaneously maintaining the Torah standards of kashrut, purity, ritual
sacrifice, empathy for all creatures, and the like.
124
V. Other Support for this Concept: A Sampling
Textual support for this fundamental understanding of the
concepts of mitzva and metzuveh can be found in numerous places in the
Torah, in the Talmud, and the Midrash. One example from each of these
three sources follows below.
First, let us examine the wording of the mitzva to honor one’s
father and mother as recorded in the second set of the Ten
Commandments, which appears in Parshat Va’etchanan (Devarim 5).
ָ‫ כַּאֲ ֶׂשר‬,‫ ִא ֶמָך‬-‫ ָּא ִביָך וְ ֶאת‬-‫טו כַבֵ ד ֶאת‬
,‫ֹלקיָך–ל ְַמעַ ן יַאֲ ִריכֻן י ֶָּמיָך‬
ֶׂ -‫א‬
ָ ָ '‫צִ וְ ָך ָה‬
'‫ה‬-‫ אֲ ֶשר‬,‫ עַ ל ָּהאֲ ָּד ָּמה‬,‫ִיטב לְָּך‬
ַ ‫ּולְמַ עַ ן י‬
.‫ֹלקיָך נ ֵֹּתן ָּלְך‬
ֶ -‫א‬
15 Honor your father and your mother,
as the Lord your God commanded
you; that your days may be long, and
that it may go well with you upon the
land which the Lord your God gives to
you.
Commenting on the phrase, “as the Lord your God commanded
you,” which does not appear in the first set of the Ten Commandments,
Rashi notes (ibid., s.v. Ka’asher):
Also regarding the honor of father and mother were they
commanded at Mara, as it says (Shemot 15:25): “There He set
before them statutes and ordinances.” (Based on Sanhedrin 56b)
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv) understood the
extra phrase not as an historical reference as Rashi did, but rather as
defining a key aspect of the concept of mitzva. These are his words in his
commentary Ha’amek Davar (ibid., s.v. Ka’asher):
Since the mitzva of honoring one’s father and mother is a
logical mitzva with which all man’s faculties agree, the
Torah, here, warned that one should perform the mitzva
because it is a command by God like all other chukkim of
125
the Torah.
The celebrated commentary Me’am Lo’ez explains this phrase in a very
similar fashion:
Here the Torah says, “Honor your father and mother as
God your Lord commanded you.” This is somewhat
difficult to understand, since God gave all the
commandments. However, this teaches that a person
should not honor his parents merely because it is morally
and ethically right. It is true that a person’s parents raise
him from the time he is an infant, but if one honors one’s
parents because of the moral imperative and not because it
is God’s commandment, then he is not considered doing
God’s will and is not rewarded… (The Torah Anthology,
Volume XVI, p. 240)
The approaches of both the Ha’amek Davar and the Me’am Lo’ez
serve to concretize the notion that being a metzuveh implies that God is
the absolute authority; conformity to God’s will is not dependent upon
rationalization, accommodation, or conceptualization.
Our second example comes from the Talmud (Berakhot 33b):
Mishna: If one [in praying] says “Thy mercies extend to a
bird’s nest,” or “Be Thy name mentioned for well-doing,”
or “We give thanks, we give thanks” – he is silenced.
Gemara: We understand why he is silenced if he says “We
give thanks, we give thanks,” because he seems to be
acknowledging two powers [in Heaven]; also if he says,
“Be Thy name mentioned for well-doing,” because this
implies, for the good only and not for the bad, and we
have learned, “A man must bless God for the evil as he
blesses Him for the good.” But what is the reason for
silencing him if he says “Thy mercies extend to the bird’s
nest”? Two Amoraim in the West (Israel), Rabbi Yose ben
126
Avin and Rabbi Yose ben Zevida, give different answers.
One says it is because he creates jealousy among God’s
creatures, and the other because he presents the measures
taken by the Holy One, blessed be He, as springing from
compassion, whereas they are but decrees.
This passage from the Talmud seems to expand the definition of
metzuveh beyond the scope provided by the commentaries on the
Chumash that were cited above. The aforementioned sources taught that
we are obliged to perform mitzvot because they are manifestations of
God’s will, with no concern for their inherent morality or ethicality.
The Talmud, on the other hand, teaches that even if we think we
understand the rationale behind a mitzva, we dare not permit that thought
to motivate our behavior. Doing so undermines God’s authority and, as a
consequence, our subservience.
The final example comes from the halakhic midrash on Sefer
Vayikra, the Sifra (Torat Kohanim). Toward the end of Parashat
Kedoshim, we find the following verse (Vayikra 20:26): “And you shall
be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy, and I have set you apart from
the nations, that you should be Mine.” Rashi’s commentary to the
phrase “And I have set you apart from the nations, that you should be
Mine,” based on the Midrash, seems to establish yet another level to the
concept of metzuveh (s.v. Va-avdil):
If you are separated from them [by not performing
forbidden acts], behold, you are Mine, but if not, behold,
you are [akin to] Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia,
and his cohorts.
Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: From where do we know
that a person should not say: “I am disgusted with pig
meat,” or “It is impossible for me to wear sha’atnez,” but
rather he should say: “I desire these, but what can I do,
now that my Father in Heaven has decreed upon me that I
may not”? The verse says: “And I have set you apart from
127
the nations that you should be Mine,” that your separation
from them should be for My Name’s sake – he separates
himself from sin and [thus] accepts on himself the yoke of
the Kingdom of Heaven. (Based on Sifra Kedoshim,
11:22)
This midrash, cited by Rashi, tightens the screws even further, for
now we are exhorted to deny our true feelings about a particular mitzva
and, even if we hate what is prohibited, we may not allow our personal
proclivities to, in any way, guide or motivate our behavior. Our sole
concern in performing the mitzva is to fulfill our obligation as a
metzuveh.
VI. The Importance of the Concept
“Na’aseh ve’nishma” (“We will do and we will listen”) – the
exclamation of Benei Yisrael at Har Sinai – is generally cited as the
ultimate expression of acceptance of the will of God. The Talmud
(Shabbat 88a) lists several rabbinic teachings that glorify Benei Yisrael
for this act.
On the same page, however, there appears a well-known
statement by Rav Avdimi that appears antithetical to the approach
mentioned above. Basing his view on a verse in the Torah, Rav Avdimi
indicates that had God not “raised up the mountain over their heads” (and
threatened them), they would have not accepted the Torah.
Almost all the classical commentators are troubled by this
seeming contradiction and they attempt to explain it away. The Maharal,
on the other hand, takes the position that coercion was necessary and
requires no apologetics. For the Maharal, the “contract” between God and
Benei Yisrael could never be a matter of volition alone; for a contract that
is merely a voluntary agreement has no standing as it can be jettisoned at
any time.
According to the Maharal, coercion was necessary because in its
absence, there can be no such concepts as reward and punishment, or
128
doing God’s will, or the like. Put another way, without coercion we
would never be metzuveh – invited maybe, but certainly not
“commanded.”
The declaration “Na’aseh ve’nishma” was important but it wasn’t
sufficient. Our relationship with God must be predicated on more than a
whim. It must be based on our total acceptance of His will, even when
our human faculties dictate otherwise.
VII. Conclusion
It has been demonstrated that a seemingly enigmatic stylistic or
literary inconsistency in the account of the Flood contains a profound
lesson regarding the substance of the relationship that a human being can
forge with God. The concept of metzuveh lies as the cornerstone of our
performance of mitzvot, and thus it can be said that Parashat Noach
begins the Torah’s exploration of that Divine requirement.
Sefer Bereishit can now be seen as the Book of Many Creations:
the creation of the world, the creation of the Jewish Nation, and the
creation of the relationship between God and the human race.
129
130