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Parshat VaEtchanan

By: SFW Students & Alumna
Chani Schonbrun, SFW ’04-‘05

Parshat VaEtchanan

In this week's Parsha, Bnei Yisrael are told about the issur of bal tosif and bal tigrah, not to add on to a mitzvah (or to the Torah in general) and not to take away from a mitzvah (or from the Torah in general). The pasuk says "lo tosifu al hadavar asher anochi mitzaveh etchem v'lo tigri'u mimenu lishmor et mitzvot hashem elokaichem asher anochi mitzaveh etchem" (D'varim 4:2).  Rashi questions what it means by saying that I can't add onto a mitzvah. He then quotes from the Sifrei and answers this question by giving examples: Putting 5 parshiot in tefilin instead of 4, having 5 minim on sukkot instead of 4, and having 5 tzitziyot instead of 4. In essence Rashi is explaining this issur as an issur against changing the identity of a mitzvah.  The mitzvot listed here are mitzvot that are characterized by their number; we cannot add on to a mitzvah that has a prescribed number associated with it which characterizes it.

Strangely enough, a few perakim later, in D'varim 13:1, we find a repetition of this issur of bal tosif and bal tigrah. Rashi in 13:1 comments about the meaning of this commandment, and there too Rashi lists a number of examples as a means of explaining this specific commandment. In 13:1, Rashi gives the examples of 5 parshiot in tefilin, 5 minim in lulav, and 4 brachot in birkat kohanim (instead of 3). Why did Rashi change his examples? Why in 13:1 did Rashi list 4 brachot in birkat kohanim instead of the example of 5 tzitziyot, which he listed in 4:2? The Gur Aryeh, the Vilna Gaon's commentary on Rashi, explains that each of these 2 psukim is referring to a different type of bal tosif. After reading 4:2, you might think that bal tosif is only assur with tangible, physical things; it's obvious that adding another species onto the arbah minim on sukkot is a violation of this issur. However, when it comes to words, you might think that words stand on their own.  If you add another bracha to birkat kohanim, you might think that it is only the last bracha that you added on which is assur, but that the first three brachot still count. However, Rashi is coming to explain that even if you add on just one bracha to birkat kohanim, the entire set of brachot are passul. You might think that 4:2 was only talking about tangible objects but when it comes to birkat kohanim, a fourth bracha stands on its own, so it's not similar to lulav or tefilin, which are tangible units. 13:1 is coming to say that even for spoken or seemingly ununified things you can’t add.

It's a little strange that this commandment is repeated in such close proximity to the first time it was given. Why the repitition? What is it coming to show us? Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch makes an interesting distinction. He explains that in 4:2, the issur of bal tosif and bal tigrah is directed towards a group of people, the Rabbanim. The Rabbanim are a group of people who are constantly making takanot and gzairot, an act that might be misconstrued as adding onto the Torah! However, when Rabbis make takanot and gzairot, they arent changing the laws, rather they are protecting them. That's why our pasuk says "lishmor et mitzvot hashem elokaichem" The Rabbis make takanot and gzairot to protect Hashem's Torah, not to change it. However, the Rabbis have an obligation to make it clear that the takanot and gzairot are just that, takanot and gzairot, and that they are not on the same level as mitzvot d'orayta. In 13:1, the commandment is given in the singular. Here it's a commandment to every individual. No individual person has the right to add or subtract onto a specific mitzvah or onto the Torah in general. This is, of course, in keeping with Rav Hirsch’s entire outlook in his peirush. Rav Hirsch lived during the time of the Reform movement and played a major role in combating it. The Reform movement was looking to change the Torah by subtracting from it to make it easier for more people to follow. As such, Rav Hirsch speaks out very strongly when commenting on this particular mitzvah.  He specifically targets the Reform movement when he says that the Rabbis cannot add or subtract if what they are doing are "unabashed attempts at reform." The only time that a Rabbi is allowed to make a change is when the change is for the purpose of “lishmor.”

The Sefer Hachinuch explains that the reason for this mitzvah is that when a person adds on to or subtracts from something, in essence he is saying that the original was in some way lacking, it wasn't perfect. The Torah and mitzvot come from Hashem and therefore are inherently perfect! Everything that Hashem does and commands is whole and good.  When we add on to it, we are implying that there is a chisaron in Hashem's mitzvot. Therefore, the Torah emphasizes the importance of this commandment by repeating it in such close proximity of each other.

Have a great Shabbos!