While researching a little bit about what "Sefarim Chitzonim" means in the Gemorah on Sanhedrin 100B I came across a great explanation by the Maharal in the 15th perek of Tiferes Yisroel. Also, I was shocked at what I found Rav Moshe Shapiro, the Rav of Rabbi Hartman (he wrote the notes in the newest Maharals), says. First let us hear what the Maharal says.
In order to understand the Maharal's ideas, we must first translate part of the first mishna in perek hachelek of Sanhedrin. It says,
"Every member of Israel has a portion in the World to Come, as it is written 'For your nation has all righteous people forever they will inherit the land. They are the shoots of My saplings, My handiwork to glorify (Me).' (However,)these are the people that do not have a share in the world to come: Someone who says that the revival of the dead is not from the Torah; Someone who says the Torah is not from Heaven; and one who is an Apikores. Rabbi Akiva says, even someone who reads from 'Sefarim Chitzonim' and someone who recites verses of the Torah over wounds in order to heal them."
I am not going to go into what an Apikores is, however, I want to discuss what the Maharal says about Rabbi Akiva's additions to this Mishna. The Maharal says,
"Rebbe Akiva was trying to point out that it is not only these first three people, that completely remove themselves from having the ability to enter the world to come, that do not enter the world to come, but even someone who veers to the right or left of the path to the world to come. This that Rebbe Akiva said that 'Even one that reads from Sefarim Chitzonim or recites a verse over his wound loses his portion' is because Sefarim Chitzonim remove a person from the truthful Torah, that the Torah teaches the true and proper path. However, these Sefarim Chitzonim teach worthless ideas. These worthless ideas remove a person from the world to come, specifically from the world of intelligence, completely. This is because when a person reads from these Sefarim Chitzonim, that are full of worthlessness, this removes a person from the path to the world to come. Therefore, (if a person removes himself or herself from the path to the world to come) they will not receive the world to come."
The Maharal is telling us some basic principles. The first three types of people that are mentioned in the Mishna, the denier of the revival of the dead, the denier that Torah is from heaven and the Apikores are all people that completely remove themselves from having the ability to enter the world to come. Therefore, since they have removed themselves from having the ability to enter the world to come, they will be unable to enter the world to come. Why it is that these three people remove themselves from having the ability to enter the world to come is spoken about by the Maharal earlier in this perek.
With this in mind we can now venture forth and discuss why someone who does not remove themselves completely from having the ability to enter the world to come will still be unable to enter the world to come. According to Rebbe Akiva, the Maharal says that these two types of people, the reader of Sefarim Chitzonim and the reciter of verses over wounds, do not completely remove themselves from having the ability to enter the world to come. However, they do not follow the path that will lead them to the world to come. Therefore, since they do not follow the path that will lead them to the world to come, they will not enter the world to come.
The idea the Maharal is pointing out here is that Rebbe Akiva is of the opinion that Jews need to earn the world to come, whereas the Tanna of the Mishna seems to say only that Jews can lose their world to come. A person who removes himself, or herself from having the ability to enter the world to come is a person that knowingly rejects the existence of the world to come. That is why The denier of the revival of the dead, the denier of the Torah being from heaven and the Apikores are rejected from the world to come, because they deny the existence of the world to come. Therefore, if you deny the existence of the world to come, you no longer have the ability to enter the world to come.
However, a person that reads Sefarim Chitzonim or recites verses from the Torah over wounds to heal them do not deny the existence of the world to come. This is where the argument between Rebbe Akiva and the Tanna of the Mishna comes into play. The Tanna of the Mishna believes that all Jews automatically enter the world to come, no work is required. Therefore, even someone who wastes their time with falsehoods, like the Sefarim Chitzonim, can still enter the world to come. Rebbe Akiva rejects this idea. He is of the opinion that even though every Jew has a portion in the world to come, they must earn it. Therefore, if they waste their time on flasehoods, they will not enter the world to come since they have not earned it.
The Maharal continues and explains why it is that someone who recites a verse over a wound has no share in the world to come. He says,
"By a person that recites a verse over a wound, he or she is using the Torah for something that is the opposite of the Torah, since he or she is using the Torah as medicine for the body. It is the opposite use since the Torah is abstract (spiritual, intelligence) and this person is using it for something physical. This person is removing the grandeur of the Torah that is abstract (spiritual, intelligence) since he or she is using it for physicality which is the opposite of the Torah. We have already said that the Torah itself is the world to come, like is known to the ones who understand and the wise ones, therefore, when a person veers away from the abstract (spiritual, intelligence) Torah, that is the world to come, then he or she will lose their entrance into the world to come. These two things, reading from Sefarim Chitzonim and reciting a verse over a wound are the two ways of veering away from the Torah either right or left. This is because one who reads Sefarim Chitzonim does not consider the Torah of any value, for if this person considered the Torah of any value they would not waste their time with these books that are full of nothingness and worthlessness. However, one who recites verses from the Torah over his or her wounds does the exact opposite of this. This verse reciter values the Torah, however, this person thinks that the Torah should even be used as medicine to heal wounds."
The two ways to veer from the path to enter the world to come are 1)to not value the Torah enough and 2)to think that the Torah has application even to physical matters such as healing a wound. However, what are the real problems that are divulged through this understanding? Rabbi Hartman quotes an idea he heard from Rav Moshe Shapiro. He says,
"Here we are dealing with the disgraces of adding or subtracting. Someone who reads Seforim Chitzonim does not give enough credence to the Torah, therefore there is the disgrace of subtracting (value from the Torah). However, when someone recites a verse from the Torah over a wound he or she thinks the Torah can do everything, even things pertaining to physicality. This is the disgrace of adding to the (value of the Torah). Veering to the right or left means disgracing the Torah by either adding (right) or subtracting (left)."
The lesson here is that we have to understand the place of the Torah. Adding or subtracting to the use of the Torah takes away from the value of the Torah. To say something like, "the Torah can heal a wound" is absolutely ridiculous and diminishes the value of the Torah. However, saying that there is no value to the Torah is wrong as well. What is important is to find the balance and realize the place for the Torah. Therefore, one can enter the world to come through the Torah.
As a side point, it seems like we are saying that Sefarim Chitzonim are books that are read instead of the Torah according to the Maharal. However, Philosophy, Science, Mathematics, and any other type of book that helps one understand the Torah seems like it would be fine. The only problem is a book that will lead one to discount the Torah. Perhaps this means that one who reads books that bring a person to reject the Torah has no share in the world to come according to the Maharal.
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