Haazinu: Our Relationship with, and between, the Physical and Spiritual

By Zachary Fish

כי שם יהוה אקרא הבו גדל לאלהינו

Because I will call on the name of the Lord: ascribe greatness to our God. (Devarim 32:3)

The Gemara (Berachos 21a) understands from this pasuk that there is a need to recite a beracha before learning Torah. And while at first glance this mitzvah, which we perform every day without much fanfare, seems quite ordinary, the significance that Chazal ascribe to it is quite jarring. The Gemara in Nedarim (81a) asks why it is common for talmidei chachamim to have sons that are not also talmidei chachamim. Ravina explains because “שאין מברכין בתורה תחלה,” “because they do not first recite a blessing over the Torah.” It is surprising that not making a single beracha, especially one that most people recite privately, would have such grave effects on one’s family. Even more shocking is the Gemara in Bava Metzia (85b) that ascribes the exact same sin, שאין מברכין בתורה תחלה, as the reasons for the Churban. This is incredible. How could it be that such a seemingly ordinary mitzvah can have such significant and irreversible effects not only on one’s own family but even on the course of Jewish history?

In his sichot on the Parsha, Rav Asher Weiss explains that the answer can be found in a seemingly extra word in the Gemara. The Gemara says that the grave mistake that causes much harm is “שאין מברכין בתורה תחלה,” “because they do not first recite a blessing over the Torah.” Why does it need to say “תחלה”, “first?” Isn’t the issue that they didn’t recite the beracha at all? Why is there an emphasis on the beracha not coming first?

Rav Asher Weiss answers this question with an enlightening insight from the Sefer Hachinuch. The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 430) contrasts the two berachos that are min hatorah[1]: Birchas Hamazon and Birchas Hatorah. Why does Birchas Hamazon, bentching, come after eating the food, whereas Bircas Hatorah, comes before learning Torah. He explains that there is fundamental difference between how we are supposed to relate to physical pleasure and spirituality.

Physicality can only be appreciated by our animalistic side once the pleasure has been experienced. Only after one eats the perfectly cooked piece of steak does one feel satisfied, appreciative, and thankful for the experience. However, this is not how one is supposed to experience spirituality, and specifically the Torah. The Torah is supposed to be appreciated even before we delight in its pleasure. Our appreciation of Torah should not be rooted in how amazing it makes us feel, but rather we are supposed use our holy cognitive ability to recognize the inherent preciousness that Hashem has given us.

Rav Asher Weiss explains that it is forgetting this distinction between physicality and spirituality that the Gemara is referring to. It is exactly for this reason that Gemara emphasizes that they did not make the beracha “first.” They may have made the beracha on Torah, but they did so afterwards, the same way one may make a beracha on a hamburger. Their relationship with Torah was no different than their relationship with any other physical pleasure in this world.

The Kli Yakkar in Parshas Netzavim (30:15) asks why the pasuk says Hashem puts before us life and good. Seemingly it would make more sense for good to come before life in the pasuk, because it is through doing the good that we can be zoche to more life. He explains that the order in the pasuk is teaching a very important lesson: that we should not do good in the eyes of Hashem in order to live, rather we should live in order to do good in the eyes of Hashem. Our desire, and requests from Hashem, for good physical lives should be rooted in the fact that we need life in order to serve Him.

I believe this is a very important idea to reflect upon when we are introspecting and reorienting before Yom Kippur. We are so fortunate that there is so much to gain from living a life of mitzvos, however we must not let the pleasure and benefits misguide us into believing that the reason to live such a life is for our own benefit. When we do teshuva, daven, or do mitzvos it is very easy to be motivated by the good and beracha these actions will bring into our own lives, and potentially forget that our main motivation should be to serve Hashem. We should want beracha in our lives so we can serve Hashem in the best way possible. This is particularly relevant when one davens. If one davens for physicality from Hashem so that we can serve Him better, we are no longer asking for a reward, but for a tool to help us bring Hashem’s desire in the world.

Bezras Hashem all our tefillos should be answered, and we should be signed in the book of life, so that we can continue fulfilling ratzon Hashem.

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[1] It is a machlokes whether birkas hatorah is deoraysa or derabanan. The Rambam does not include it in his minyan hamitzvos, whereas the Ramban does.