Rabbi Michael mentioned something in his Torah teaching this Shabbat that I wanted to take a deeper look at. He was talking about the sacrificial system and the need for the shedding of blood and he brought up the topic of Cain and Abel's offerings within that context.

Beresheet 4:3-5 says:

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Hashem. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Hashem had respect unto Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

The point the rabbi was making was that Cain's offering was not acceptable because it was not a blood sacrifice. While produce was offered in the Tabernacle and Temple, it was always placed on the altar in conjunction with a blood sacrifice.

This got me thinking, however, about the way Cain opted to follow Hashem’s command. Cain decided that it was okay for him to offer a grain offering, even though the only precedent Hashem had set was for blood offerings. Cain's actions bear a striking resemblance to David's and Uzzah's in 2 Samuel 6:3-8:

And they set the ark of G-d upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of G-d, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played before Hashem with all manner of instruments made of cypress-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with sistra, and with cymbals. And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of G-d, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of Hashem was kindled against Uzzah; and G-d smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of G-d. And David was displeased, because Hashem had broken forth upon Uzzah; and that place was called Perez-uzzah, unto this day.

This translation (JPS 1917 Edition) says that Cain was “very wroth” and that David was “displeased”, but the Hebrew for both is the same word: וַיִּחַר (vayichar), which comes from the root ‏חָרָה‎ (charah)—“burn, be kindled (of anger)’.

So, what is the correlation? Cain, David, and Uzzah all apparently had pure desires. Cain was offering the best of his produce, the results of his labor in the hot sun—something that meant a lot to him. David wanted to bring the aron kodesh to Jerusalem after it had been recovered from the P'lishtim. He bought a new cart and formed a party to celebrate along the entire road. Uzzah reached out to steady the ark to keep it from falling off the cart and being damaged, an act that was surely performed out of a pure heart. However, Hashem dealt harshly with all three of these men. He banished and cursed Cain and killed Uzzah, making David afraid (see verse 9).

What stands out to me in all three of these men is that despite their pure hearts and motives, they did not observe Hashem's commands as He had declared them. Hashem mandated blood sacrifices; Hashem mandated that the aron kodesh be carried by priests and not placed on a cart (Numbers 7:9); Hashem mandated that no one touch the aron kodesh (Numbers 4:15). These men, however, thought, “That's okay. Hashem will be okay with me just doing this the way that makes the most sense to me.” Then, after events did not turn out the way they planned, they became angry at Hashem. They felt rejected and rebuked... and they were. Hashem taught them the lesson that we all should learn: G-d does not want us to follow Him in the ways we think are right. He wants us to follow him in the ways that He mandated. He is G-d and He does not change.

Hashem has established the Torah as the foundation stone for the rest of the Scriptures, and He demands that we follow it. Common sense is fine, but we need to be very careful to not be drawn into the trap of thinking that observing Hashem’s commands as He has given them is not important. We should not neglect the “dill, mint and cumin” while we practice the “weightier matters of Torah.” (Mattityahu 23:23)

How do we do that? Well, I believe that the best way to follow Hashem is to join with the people who have been doing so the longest. If we join ourselves to the Jewish people then we will automatically find ourselves immersed in obedience to the Torah. Yes, there are areas of disagreement, and yes, there are differences of opinion. But when it all comes down, the fact still remains that observing the Torah is not possible without the Jews. It is their covenant with Hashem and we Gentiles have been given the opportunity to hitch along for the ride. Just don’t get the idea that you can drive better than the people behind the wheel.

Labels: Biblioblogging