The end result or the investment

The Parasha in our everyday life – Parashat Bechukotay 5782

Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - Rosh Yeshivat Hesder 'Meir Harel' Modi'in

How many times have you heard, in different contexts, "the end results, outcomes, etc." This is the most important measure to be examined, whether the process has led to the desired result.

An achievement and career-oriented company is constantly busy measuring accomplishments and setting rendition indexes. It measures processes according to outcome and performance; it measures organizations and people according to their achievements. As a result, quite a few people measure themselves the same way, as well as the value of their lives!

If the 'achievement quality' becomes the main measure, the 'process quality' and human effort and investment turn out to be merely marginal. The 'result' of the 'outcome test' is that an unreached achievement is considered a failure! Even if the process is done correctly, and the failure is due to uncontrollable factors. According to the 'result test', the human effort invested in the process has no meaning. In an achievement and careerist society 'personal success' is examined in the career result of the person. It does not give space to question how he reached his achievements, or whether success was achieved through not morally kosher moves, or stepping over others, colleagues, and assistants. Nor does it refer to the price paid in other important and valuable areas, such as whether it involved neglecting their spouse, family, or at the expense of contributing to the community.

Indeed, it is extremely important to carefully examine the achievements and quality. Without these, the world and society cannot advance. Resource-intensive processes will not come to an end, and will go to waste, or the results will not be of sufficient quality. But can it be the only measure?! More so when dealing with the value of human beings' life or a society and nation. Their achievements and successes in their field of economic pursuit are certainly not the most important indexes!

The Torah gives preferred weight to life's moral behavior. It does not measure the value of life according to economic or career achievements, but according to the moral content of life. On the contrary, It criticizes those who do achieve in a non-moral way.

קֹרֵ֤א דָגַר֙ וְלֹ֣א יָלָ֔ד עֹ֥שֶׂה עֹ֖שֶׁר וְלֹ֣א בְמִשְׁפָּ֑ט

"Like a partridge hatching what she did not lay, so is one who amasses wealth by unjust means…" (Yirmiyahu 17:11)

הקורא הזה מושך אחריו אפרוחים שלא ילד דגר.

"This cuckoo draws after it, chicks that it did not lay". (Rashi ibid).

Our Parasha opens with the blessings:

אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃ וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם בְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ...

"If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments, I will grant your rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and the trees of the field their fruit..." (Vayikra 26:3-4)

Rashi explains as follows:

יָכוֹל זֶה קִיּוּם הַמִּצְווֹת, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר וְאֶת מִצְוֹתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִיתֶם אֹתָם הֲרֵי קִיּוּם הַמִּצְווֹת אָמוּר, הָא מָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּם אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ? שֶׁתִּהְיוּ עֲמֵלִים בַּתּוֹרָה

"If ye walk in my ordinances — One might think that this denotes the fulfilment of the commandments; but when Scripture states “and ye shall keep My commandments and do them”, in this passage it is mentioned the “fulfilment of the commands”. How then must I explain אם בחקתי תלכו? As an admonition that you should study the Torah laboriously" (Rashi ibid)

Because “studying is compared to 'walking' because there is hassle and toil into walking, so too your studying will have some struggles and efforts" (Gur Aryeh Vayikra 26:3). There is a special value to 'toiling in Torah' in addition to 'studying Torah'. To invest great efforts in studying Torah in order to achieve the highest possible result, to know the Torah and keep it. Yet the work is not just an investment to get a result and an achievement, it has self-worth! Because in Torah study, the very act and way has a value, not just the result. The struggle itself is the test of investment, not just the test of the result! He who struggles with the Torah shows that he loves the Torah and recognizes the importance of learning.

אמר רבי אלעזר כל אדם לעמל נברא שנאמר (איוב ה, ז) כי אדם לעמל יולד איני יודע אם לעמל פה נברא אם לעמל מלאכה נברא כשהוא אומר כי אכף עליו פיהו הוי אומר לעמל פה נברא ועדיין איני יודע אם לעמל תורה אם לעמל שיחה כשהוא אומר (יהושע א, ח) לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך הוי אומר לעמל תורה נברא והיינו דאמר רבא כולהו גופי דרופתקי נינהו טובי לדזכי דהוי דרופתקי דאורייתא

“Rabbi Elazar says: Every man was created for labor, as it is stated: “Man is born for toil” (Job 5:7). Based on this verse, I do not know whether he was created for toil of the mouth, speech, or whether he was created for the toil of labor. When the verse states: “For his mouth presses upon him” (Proverbs 16:26), you must say that he was created for toil of the mouth. And still I do not know with regard to the toil of the mouth whether it is for the toil of Torah or for the toil of conversation. When the verse states: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth” (Joshua 1:8), you must say that he was created for the toil of Torah. And that is the meaning of what Rava said: All bodies are like receptacles to store items until use. Happy is one who is privileged, who is a receptacle for Torah.” (Sanhedrin 99b)

In this way, the Maharal also clarifies the wording of the Torah blessing: "It seems this is the reason why the blessing is: …Who sanctified us with his mitzvot and commanded us to engage in matters of Torah and not to study Torah". Because the main mitzvah is about the actual learning, even if the learner did not reach the result and achievements in learning, and even if the learner made a mistake in understanding his learning!

On the study of the Torah and the world of Mitzvot and values, it is said:

לְפוּם צַעֲרָא אַגְרָא: “According to the labor is the reward.” (Pirkei Avot 5:23)

"Whether engaging in matters of Torah, or in the observance of its commandments, and in correcting characteristics, in all of them, your reward will be according to the sorrow you get while immersing yourself in them" (Tiferet Yisrael commentary ibid).

And from here we learn about life and our whole world of values!