Dear Friends,
Question: In life, is it better to safeguard against a negative, “Thou shalt not,” or to fulfill a positive, “Thou shalt?”
For instance, which is more effective with a two-year old: “Don’t touch the stove! It is hot!” (a negative command) or, “Stay in the other room while I am cooking in the kitchen!” (a positive command)
This concern appears in our Torah portion this week. Moses was walking in the desert when he encountered the burning bush. God called out to him and instructed, “Do not come closer! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground!” (Exodus 3:5)
The commentary, Or HaChayim, written by Rabbi Chayim ben Attar, an 18th century Moroccan and Palestinian scholar, notes that God gave Moses two commandments: first a negative, “Do not come closer,” and secondly a positive, “Remove your sandals.” Ontologically, it made sense for God to have reversed the order: “Remove your sandals, lest you accidentally advance and step on holy ground.”
But, no, God gave the negative charge first, and then the positive. Why?
The commentary teaches that Torah is principally concerned with our not violating negative commands, and secondarily concerned that we do achieve positives. It teaches that violating a negative command can be injurious. For instance, a person might violate “Do not steal,” and harm herself and her victim. A driver who runs a red light is at risk of hurting himself and others in the intersection.
Contrarily, if one fails to do a positive command, one misses an opportunity for good, but one is unlikely to harm oneself or another. For example, if one fails to offer a prayer before eating, or forgets to check one’s emails promptly, there is rarely a dangerous penalty.
Hence, the Torah, according to ben Attar, teaches that we should be more prudent with negatives. He asserted that Torah always addresses shmirah – care not to violate a negative command – before demanding asiyah – performance of a positive command. Thus, the sequence in the burning bush episode: “Do not come closer! Remove your sandals.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Question: In life, is it better to safeguard against a negative, “Thou shalt not,” or to fulfill a positive, “Thou shalt?”
For instance, which is more effective with a two-year old: “Don’t touch the stove! It is hot!” (a negative command) or, “Stay in the other room while I am cooking in the kitchen!” (a positive command)
This concern appears in our Torah portion this week. Moses was walking in the desert when he encountered the burning bush. God called out to him and instructed, “Do not come closer! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground!” (Exodus 3:5)
The commentary, Or HaChayim, written by Rabbi Chayim ben Attar, an 18th century Moroccan and Palestinian scholar, notes that God gave Moses two commandments: first a negative, “Do not come closer,” and secondly a positive, “Remove your sandals.” Ontologically, it made sense for God to have reversed the order: “Remove your sandals, lest you accidentally advance and step on holy ground.”
But, no, God gave the negative charge first, and then the positive. Why?
The commentary teaches that Torah is principally concerned with our not violating negative commands, and secondarily concerned that we do achieve positives. It teaches that violating a negative command can be injurious. For instance, a person might violate “Do not steal,” and harm herself and her victim. A driver who runs a red light is at risk of hurting himself and others in the intersection.
Contrarily, if one fails to do a positive command, one misses an opportunity for good, but one is unlikely to harm oneself or another. For example, if one fails to offer a prayer before eating, or forgets to check one’s emails promptly, there is rarely a dangerous penalty.
Hence, the Torah, according to ben Attar, teaches that we should be more prudent with negatives. He asserted that Torah always addresses shmirah – care not to violate a negative command – before demanding asiyah – performance of a positive command. Thus, the sequence in the burning bush episode: “Do not come closer! Remove your sandals.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
