Aggadot from Hamivtar Rabbi Yitzchak Blau If you have comments or questions please feel free to e-mail Rabbi Blau at: nyz@netvision.net.il

Torah Only and Having a God 

When R. Elazar ben Parta and R. Hannina ben Teradyon were captured, R. Elazar said to R. Hannina: “You are fortunate as you were captured for one offence. Woe is me as I was captured for five offences.” R. Hannina said to him: “ You are fortunate as you were captured for five offences and you will be saved. Woe is me who was captured for one offence and I will not be saved because you engaged in Torah and gemilut hasadim (acts of compassion) and I was only involved in Torah alone. It is as Rav Huna taught. R. Huna said: “Whoever is only involved in Torah, it is as if he has no God as it says ‘And there where many days in Israel without a true God’ (Divrei Hayamim II 15:3). What does the verse mean when it says ‘without a true God?” That anyone who only involves himself with Torah is compared to someone without a God.” (Avodah Zarah 17b)

The sharp formulation of Rav Huna demands explanation. While we can easily understand that Torah learning without acts of compassion leaves a person religiously incomplete and inadequate, that hardly constitutes lacking a God. Why does Rav Huna employ such a harsh and sweeping formulation? Rashi explains that the person lacks a God to protect him as God will only step in to aid the compassionate. If so, the Torah only personality obviously has a God but not a God who will provide succor. 

R. Shmuel Edels (Maharsha) offers a beautiful alternative explanation. He points out that the Divine attributes (see the famous list in Shemot 34:6-7) are predominantly about compassion. Furthermore, the attempt to emulate God, to the best of our human ability, represents a significant religious ideal. Thus, the person who eschews acts of kindness must have a fundamentally flawed conception of the Divine. A person who truly understood the nature of God would be drawn to emulate His compassion. If so, the person with only Torah is in reality “without a true God.” 

In addition, this gemara clearly rejects the idea that hessed can be accomplished in a metaphysical manner. Some say that everyone who learns Torah engages in an act of compassion because that Torah learning improves the world in some grand cosmic way. If we push such an idea too far, there would be no category of Torah without hessed. Apparently, compassion must be expressed in a naturalistic way when my own efforts and resources are directed towards helping other flesh and blood human beings. May we successfully integrate the great twin religious callings of Torah and hessed.

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