From Maran Rabbenu Ovadia Yosef ztvk”l
(translated by our dear friend Rav Daniel Levy Sh’lit”a, UK)
Hashem’s Kindness, Financial Loss Instead of Physical Punishment and Death
It is stated in the Parashah, “These are the chronicles of Heaven and Earth when they were created, on the day Hashem Elokim completed Earth and Heaven” (Bereshit 2:4).
It is well known that whenever the Name Hashem is used (the four-letter Name, as opposed to Elokim) the intention is to convey Hashem’s attribute of Mercy, as we say in the 13 attributes, “Hashem, Hashem, Kel, Rachum VeChanun…”. Whereas with the Name Elokim, the intention is to convey the attribute of justice with which Hashem runs the world.
Our Chachamim say in the Midrash [see Rashi, Bereshit 1:1] that Hashem wanted to create the world with justice so that should a person sin, they will immediately suffer the consequences through justice. Just as they will behave, so will be met out to them, should they transgress any rules and be punished.
But Hashem saw that the world cannot function in such a way, as Kind David a”h said, “Do not enter into strict judgement with your servant, for no living creature would be vindicated before you” (Tehillim 143:2).
Therefore, Hashem decided that the world should function also with the attribute of mercy, beyond the letter of the Law. This is what is conveyed when it states “…on the day Hashem Elokim completed Earth and Heaven,” “Hashem Elokim” intends to convey both the attributes of mercy and justice.
Our Chachamim say that Hashem didn’t just combine the attribute of mercy but actually placed it ahead of justice, for the sequence is “Hashem Elokim” and not “Elokim Hashem”. We need to understand why mercy was placed first. What difference does it make which is placed first?
It may be explained based on the Gemara Pesachim (118a), there the Chachamim explain, “Praise Hashem for He is good, for His kindness is forever” (Tehillim 136:1) that He claims His debt through kindness.
What does this mean? Sometimes a person may transgress a sin, and due to its severity, it is G-d forbid decreed that they die in order to atone for their sin. As the verse states, “The soul that sins shall die” (Yechezkel 18:4). But Hashem is merciful, what does He do? He gives the person goodness and claims that goodness. And this is what is meant, “that He claims the debt (goodness) in His kindness”. He claims from that person who sinned their silver, their money. First He gives them silver and gold, and then suddenly in one day a person loses their money. They sit weeping and crying out, not realising that Hashem gave and Hashem took away. Who gave them the money? Hashem. Why did He give it to them in the first place? So that He could take it from them in order to atone for their misdeeds.
And so, Hashem claims His debt from every sinner accordingly. The rich with their ox, the poor with their sheep, the widow with her chicken, each according to their means. He takes from them their financial resources and atones for them (Pesachim 118a).
And so it is for this reason that Hashem “preceded” the attribute of mercy to the attribute of justice. First He gives each person money and then He takes it from them to atone for the person.
A relevant story to this is related in the “Yalkut”. There was a king, who had a much-beloved friend who was full of grace and wisdom and Hashem had blessed him with the gift of excellent oratory skills. Wherever he went he would publicise the king’s good name. He would tell everyone, “Look how noble the king is! Look what a good heart he has! See how much he worries for his citizens!” Until the people’s hearts became attached to the king. They all admired the king. The king knew all that had been done, he knew who had acted kindly to him and who caused the people to love him so much. He kept these thoughts to himself.
One day, the person who was beloved to the king, fell from grace, and committed a grave sin. Since he was a respected person, five top judges were placed to examine his case. They said, “What can we do! There can be no favouritism! This person has truly transgressed a serious infraction, and he must be sentenced to one year in prison!”
One of the judges, who was a good friend of this person, turned to his fellow judges and said to them, “Please, see my brothers, there is no doubt that you are correct, this person transgressed a sin that requires this punishment, but perhaps there may be another option. Let us write that if he pays a large sum of $100,000 to the king’s treasury, he may redeem himself from the penalty of prison. Now we know that he doesn’t have $100,000, yet nevertheless, let’s give him the chance! The judges listened and agreed. They wrote the judgement that this person must sit in prison for one year. With the condition that if he pays the king’s treasury $100,000, he may redeem his sentence. They signed the ruling that he will be incarcerated in thirty days’ time.
That poor fellow didn’t have such a large amount of money, so he sought to obtain loans, turning to various loan gemachim (sing. gemach - charitable interest free loan organisations). Each responded that they cannot lend more than $50,000. And so, he went around forlorn until he gave up hope. He realised that he had no choice and that he would have to sit in prison.
On the last night before he went to prison, all the family came to bid their farewells, and they all cried and were upset. But there was nothing they could do. At ten o’clock at night they all departed and left him at home with his close family.
That night the king couldn’t sleep; he turned his attention to his beloved friend and knew that he hadn’t succeeded in obtaining the sum of money that would redeem him from prison. What did he do? He took a suitcase and placed in it $100,000. He called his son, the chancellor of the exchequer and said to him, “Look my son, how may I leave such a person to languish, who has dedicated himself for me. How shall I behave so? I must worry about him. But it is forbidden for it to be known that I have assisted him. Therefore, I request of you, take this suitcase, and at two o’clock at night take it by hand to the home of my beloved friend, smash the glass window and throw in the case, and flee!”
The chancellor went at two o’clock at night, looking around him that no one was watching. He smashed the window, threw in the case, and scarpered.
That man and his family heard the window smash in the dead of night. They immediately got out of bed, put on the lights, and saw the case. At first, they were concerned that maybe it was a bomb, but on closer examination they saw no wires or anything suspicious, cautiously they opened the case and then all shouted in surprise, “Wow! It is full of green notes!” They sat and counted the money and found exactly $100,000.
In the morning, the man went and gave the money to the court clerk. They counted the money and gave him an exemption from prison.
So Hashem acts with us. A person is liable to death, Hashem comes and has compassion on them, a pity that they should die, for they guide their children on the Torah path, for sure they will continue to guide generations of Torah observant people. Therefore, He makes the person hear the announcement, “lottery, lottery,” “ten-million-shekel jackpot”. That person merits to win and comes home happy. But after a while they lose all the money. All this Hashem does to us, in order to redeem us from death, to save us from alternative punishments. Thereby “claiming His debt through kindness,” with the intention to atone for the person’s sins.
Therefore with everything, one must justify the judgement, “He is a faithful G-d, never unfair; righteous and moral is He” (Devarim 32:4), “Only you, the ones who remained attached to Hashem your G-d, are all alive today!” (Devarim 4:4).
Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov!
