What the Outside World Thinks of Us
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5777
Moshe Rabbeinu makes a claim that at first glance seems outrageous.
דברים פרק ד
ה) רְאֵ֣ה׀ לִמַּ֣דְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֗ם חֻקִּים֙ וּמִשְׁפָּטִ֔ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוַּ֖נִי יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהָ֑י לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם בָּאִ֥ים שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ
ו) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם֘ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם֒ כִּ֣י הִ֤וא חָכְמַתְכֶם֙ וּבִ֣ינַתְכֶ֔ם לְעֵינֵ֖י הָעַמִּ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֚ת כָּל־הַחֻקִּ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְאָמְר֗וּ רַ֚ק עַם־חָכָ֣ם וְנָב֔וֹן הַגּ֥וֹי הַגָּד֖וֹל הַזֶּֽה
5. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do so in the land where you go to take possession of it.
- Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who, when they shall hear all these statutes, shall say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
Rashi reads these verses in the most straightforward manner. Learn Torah and do the Mitzvoth and בזאת תחשבו חכמיםי ונבונים לעיני העמים – through this you will be seen as sagacious and wise in the eyes of the other nations.
The problem with that read is – it does not match our reality! We don’t seem to get respect for learning or doing mitzvoth.
Rabbeinu Bachya already picked up on this at least regarding the chukim. He was aware that people mocked the Jews for keeping the chukim, laws that we do not understand.
He writes that when they see us keeping the mitzvoth that do make sense they will come to realize that the chukim are not meaningless as well.
While I am not sure that this is true, today we even get mocked for the mitzvoth that we do understand! They see the mitzvoth as obsolete and antiquated!
The Netziv, as one would expect, focuses more on the Torah learning than the mitzvoth perse and writes that our literary output of Torah Shebealpeh is what will amaze the nations.
The Maharal in his commentary to Rashi, Gur Aryeh, argues that Rashi is not talking about the other nations appreciating our Torah and Mitzvoth; rather it is how they perceive us and how we relate to our Torah and mitzvoth.
The Taz in his commentary to the Torah, Divrei David, takes the same approach and writes that this is a promise to us not to be nervous about or afraid of what the other nations will think. Hashem knows that we will be nervous about what they think and how they perceive us. Thus this promise that it will indeed be the opposite – if you keep the mitzvoth and learn, if you stay committed, then you will earn their respect.
Hirsch make the same point, one that is especially noteworthy given his world view. Don’t think that it is in the world of the arts and general wisdom that you will impress the nations. The Torah promises us in Bereishit 9/27 יפת אלהים ליפת וישכן באהלי – שם, the world of beauty will reside in Yefet, the Greeks, while God will dwell in the tents of Shem – us. The world can have the beauty while we must focus on the divine.
That sentiment is especially noteworthy because Hirsch was the founder of Torah Im Derech Eretz – the school of thought which believed in the sciences, arts and interaction with the world around us.
Despite that he writes that the foundation must be Torah and mitzvoth. We must sanctify ourselves to Torah and mitzvoth and so we must live amongst the nations.
This is one of the great messages of their time and our time- it is not the assimilated Jew who gets the respect, rather it is the committed one.
Don’t be embarrassed to be a Jew; embrace Torah and Mitzvoth and the respect will come!
