Sin and Punishment
TALMUDICA
AGGADA
By Rav
Yitzchak Blau
Shiur #04: Sin
and Punishment
The Rabbis taught: Croup comes into
this world for tithes [as a punishment for eating untithed fruit]. R. Elazar the son of R. Yossi says: For
lashon ha-ra.
The question was asked: Did R. Elazar the son of R. Yossi
mean exclusively for lashon ha-ra or also for lashon ha-ra? Come and hear: When the rabbis entered
the vineyard in Yavne, R. Yehuda, R. Elazar the son of R. Yossi, and R. Shimon
were present. The following
question was raised before them: Why does this affliction begin in the
intestines and finish in the mouth?
R. Yehuda the son of R. Ilai, the first speaker on all occasions,
answered: Even though the kidneys advise, the heart understands, and the tongue
formulates, the mouth finishes it.
R. Elazar the son of R. Yossi answered: Because they eat impure [or
non-kosher] foods. Do we really think it is for eating non-kosher foods? Rather, it is for eating untithed
foods. R. Shimon answered: It is
for the sin of neglecting Torah study.
They said to him: Women will disprove this theory [they suffer from this
ailment even though they are not obligated to study Torah]. [He responded:] They prevent their
husbands from studying. [They said to him:] Gentiles will disprove it. [He responded:] They prevent the Jews
from studying. [They said to him:]
Children will disprove it. [He
responded:] They prevent their fathers from studying. [They said to him:] School children
will disprove it. There it is as
R. Guryon said
When there are righteous people in the generation, they are
seized for the sins of the generation.
When there are no righteous in the generation, school children are seized
for the sins of the generation...Thus, we see that R. Elazar meant also for
lashon ha-ra (Shabbat 33a-33b).
Those turning
to this Talmudic page usually focus on the subsequent story of R. Shimon bar
Yochai hiding from the Romans in a cave.
In fact, the Gemara introduces that story as an explanation for how R.
Yehuda became the first speaker on all occasions. However, the section cited
above merits its own analysis.
Three sages adopt positions explaining why people suffer from croup, each
of which sees the illness as punishment for sin. R. Yehuda identifies the relevant
sin as lashon ha-ra, R. Shimon as neglect of Torah study, and R. Elazar
mentions both lashon ha-ra and eating untithed produce. R. Shimons focus on Torah study coheres
with the story that follows in the Gemara where R. Shimon leaves the cave and
looks angrily at Jews who are busy farming. For this sage, Torah study reflects an
absolute value that should trump all other activities (see also R. Shimons
famous position in Berakhot 35b).
How did the
Gemara know that R. Elazar could not possibly refer to eating impure
foods as a cause of croup? Rashi interprets the phrase as referring to
non-kosher foods and explains that while non-kosher food is forbidden, it
does not entail a death penalty.
Therefore, such a sin could not possibly bring on serious illness. This approach forces us to say that
lashon ha-ra can be a capital crime, since the Gemara accepts slander as
a reasonable cause of croup. Rashi
tries to justify this assumption, but it remains a difficult position. Alternatively, eating impure foods
refers to ritually impure foods. If so, the Gemaras rejection makes sense;
since there is no prohibition of eating impure foods, such an act could not
possibly inspire Divine wrath.
The Gemara
mentions many counterexamples to disprove R. Shimons theory, but does not
attack the other sages. Several
commentators note that we could address similar challenges to both R. Yehuda and
R. Elazar. After all, how could non-Jews or children receive punishment for
either lashon ha-ra or eating untithed fruit when they have no religious
obligations regarding these acts?
Yet non-Jews and children do unfortunately contract croup. Maharsha explains that non-Jews
could observe the laws of slander and tithes but are prohibited from studying
Torah; therefore, neglect of Torah study is a more problematic explanation for
suffering of non-Jews.
Maharsha makes
an important point, but he does not answer the question. Whether or not Halakha forbids non-Jews
to speak lashon ha-ra, non-Jews who avoid such discourse demonstrate fine
character and positive religious values.
Thus, it makes sense that the ideal of not talking negatively about
others also relates to non-Jews. However, arguing that they would deserve croup
for violating an ideal which is not obligatory for them remains quite a leap.
Maharsha reminds us that Judaism cares about the content of non-Jewish
conversation, but he does not fully explain why non-Jews are stricken with
croup.
Ben Yehoyada
offers a different explanation for this Divine punishment of non-Jews. Slander
can bring deadly consequences and Halakha certainly forbids non-Jews to
murder. According to this view,
some forms of lashon ha-ra would be forbidden to non-Jews as an extension
of the murder prohibition.
Regarding untithed produce, Ben Yehoyada suggests that non-Jews are held
responsible for eating stolen food.
The Noahide laws include a prohibition against theft, so for non-Jews
keeping kosher means avoiding eating stolen items.
The preceding
section of Shabbat 33a matches various ailments with the transgressions
that cause them. This gemara
seems to endorse a very straightforward notion of cause and effect, which allows
for easy identification of the sins that bring about particular illnesses. I would like to suggest that the
Talmudic give and take regarding R. Shimons position emphasizes the difficulty
of this simplified perspective.
After R. Shimon states that neglect of Torah study brings croup, the
Gemara notes a host of categories of people who suffer from croup absent the sin
of neglecting Torah study. R.
Shimons explanation does not seem to cover women, non-Jews, and children. Additionally, Sefat Emet notes
that the illness of children creates a much broader problem since their tender
years should relieve them of responsibility for any sin. Granted, the Gemara
finds ways to connect these groups of individuals with neglect of Torah, but the
Gemara clearly struggles to maintain R. Shimons theory.
What happens
when we arrive at the suffering school children? There, the Gemara thinks that the old
answer that they prevent parental study does not work easily. Why not? Rashi says that they do not hinder their
fathers. Busy and productive in the
school building, these children do not stop their fathers from studying Torah.
Alternatively, children who are themselves deeply engaged in Torah study cannot
be charged with causing neglect of Torah, even if they occasionally create
unwarranted interruptions for their fathers.
In the end,
the Gemara concludes that the children receive punishments for the sins of the
generation. Which sins? While we could claim that the sin of the
generation is neglecting Torah, the Gemara does not clearly say so. I posit that the Gemara gives up on
exclusively linking this illness with a specific sin. Divine providence and the natural order
work in complex ways, and we have no simple formula for identifying one sin as
the only cause of a given illness.
R. Shimon attempted to link all cases of croup with negligence regarding
Torah study but, following repeated challenges, he was forced to concede that
other causes exist.
This
gemara concludes that people do not always suffer for their own sins;
sometimes they suffer for others sins. But this gemara still maintains a
general connection between sin and punishment. Other Talmudic sources take matters one
step further, providing alternate models to the sin and punishment nexus as an
explanation for all suffering. We
certainly affirm belief in Divine providence and justice. Nonetheless, we reject
a simplistic assessment of the worlds working which assumes we can easily
explain why the sick suffer.
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