He Should Have Prayed
The verse in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Masei (Bamidbar 35:25), says that one who has killed a person unintentionally must flee to a designated city, an “Ir Miklat (city of refuge),” and remain there until the death of the Kohen Gadol (the high priest). The Talmud says (Makot 11a), that since their liberation from the Ir Miklat was contingent upon the death of the Kohen Gadol, the Kohen Gadol’s mother would supply these people with their needs, in order that they shouldn’t pray for the Kohen Gadol to die.
The Talmud asks on this reasoning, being that the Kohen Gadol did nothing wrong to these people, why should there be a concern about such prayers? To support this question, the Talmud proves that one does not have to be concerned about a curse which is unmerited. The Talmud answers, that indeed there is fault to be found in the Kohen Gadol, for which these people have what to blame him for. The Kohen Gadol himself should have prayed harder that such incidents of accidental killings should not happen.
Judgement for Every Deed
This statement is an astonishing lesson. What Parshat Masei is teaching us is that a person is held accountable for every single minute misconduct, to the point that one can be held responsible for not praying enough that a tragedy, unrelated to him personally, should not have occurred! The fact that a person can be held liable for the fact that he didn’t pray enough for another person, is a startling lesson about the extent of which a person must be careful with all aspects of his conduct.
The Talmud (Chagigah 5a) quotes the last verse of Kohelet (12:14) which states, “For God will bring every deed for judgment, and every concealed deed, whether good or bad.” The Talmud gives examples of small things that people would not think of as sins. One example is killing lice in the presence of someone who becomes nauseated from the sight of it. Causing just a small discomfort to someone else is a deed one will be judged for. As the Mesilat Yesharim explains (chapter 4), the Talmud is stressing that a person will be held accountable for even the most minute aspects of his life. We will be judged for every single little detail of our behavior.
Be Vigilant and Keep Reassessing
Although it may be impossible for us to be perfect, we must still pay attention as much as possible to keep all details of our lives in line with Torah values and law. Based on this concept, the Rambam asserts (Igeret Teiman) that even if it’s impossible for a person in a given situation to keep everything as ideally as he should, he must still do whatever he can.
Moreover, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter (Ohr Yisroel, letter 6) writes that a person is judged with all factors of the situation and all components of the deed involved. The harder it is for a person to refrain from the transgression, the lighter the punishment will be. The more a person is involved in a misdeed, the more severe the sin is. Even if we are not capable of conducting ourselves on a perfect level at all times, as situations in our lives change and we make changes in ourselves, we may become more responsible to demand higher standards of ourselves. We must always be vigilant of our capabilities and constantly assess if all our deeds and aspects of our character are on par.
Thank You for Working Overtime!
Mr. Moshe Reichmann, a leading real estate magnate, was once involved in a business meeting which went overtime, causing the work day to end late. As he walked into the elevator at the conclusion of the meeting, engrossed in discussion with his lawyer, he stopped for a moment and exited the elevator. He went over the secretary and thanked her for staying after hours. Only then did he return to the elevator to resume his discussion with his attorney. No matter how engrossed he was in the deal he was pursuing, he did not neglect the seemingly small deed of showing appreciation to his secretary for working overtime.
Parshat Masei: Keep the Monitor On
From Parshat Masei, we learn that there is no cruising in life. There may be times which call for more relaxation than others, and times of stress when our minds have less stamina to perform our best. But this does not absolve us from monitoring our behavior. We must keep in mind that every nuance of our conduct will be brought for judgment, and strive to have all details of our behavior be as virtuous as possible.
Parshat Masei By Rabbi Yitzchok Aryeh Strimber torah4every1@gmail.com
