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KIDDUSH HASHEM: MARTYRDOM and TESHUVA Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

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KIDDUSH HASHEM: MARTYRDOM and TESHUVA Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz KIDDUSH HASHEM: MARTYRDOM AND TESHUVA Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz I. Primacy of Life Vayikra 18:5 ּוְׁשַמְׁרֶתֶּ֤ם ֶאתֻ־חֹּקַתי֙ ְׁוֶאתִ־מְׁשָּפ ַַ֔טי ֲא ֶֶׁ֨שר You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the ַיֲעֶשֶֹּׂ֥ה אָּתָ֛ם ָּהָָּאדָָּ֖םו ַַ֣חיָּ א בֶהֲֶ֑םִָ֖ני ה'׃ )ס( .pursuit of which man shall live: I am the LORD Rashi ad loc: ושמרתם את חקתי וגו.' YE SHALL THEREFORE KEEP MY ושמרתם את חקתי וגו' לרבות שאר דקדוקי הפרשה ORDINANCES — [This is not a mere repetition of v. 4 but is ,שלא פ רט הכתוב בהם .דבר intended] to include other details of the laws mentioned in אחר ליתן שמירה ועשייה .this chapter which Scripture does not expressly mention לחוקים ושמירה ועשייה Another explanation is: Scripture makes this repetition in למשפטים ,לפי שלא נתן אלא and (שמירה) "order to attach the commands of “observing עשייה למשפטים ושמירה and the commands of ,חוק ים to the (עשיה) "performing" לחוקים :וחי בהם. לעולם for in v. 4 it uses the term ,משפטים to the עשיה and שמירה הבא ,שאם תאמר בעולם שמירה and that of ,משפטים only in connection with the עשיה הזה , והלא סופו הוא מת Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section) חוקים only with reference to the :אני ה.' נאמן לשלם שכר: .(10 8 An Example: Rambam, Hilchot Shabbat, 2:1-3 … ֹּחוֶלה ֶשֵּישֹּבו ַסָּכָּנה עֹּוִשין ֹּלו ָּכל ְׁצָּרָּכיו ְׁבַשָּבת ַעל ִפי When these things are done, they ֹּרוֵּפא ֻאָּמן ֶשל ֹּאותֹּו ָּמֹּקום.ָּסֵּפק ֶשהּוא ָּצ ִ ריְך לְׁחַ לֵּלעָּ לָּיו are not to be done by means of a ֶאת ַהַשָּבת … non-Jew, or children … but rather )ב( ... ַּומְׁדִליִקין לֹּו ֶאת ַהֵּנר ְּׁומַכִבין ִמְׁלָּפָּניו ֶאת ַהֵּנר by the scholars and leaders of ְׁוֹּשוֲחִטין ֹּלו ְׁוֹּאוִפין ְּׁומַבְׁשִלין ְּׁומִחִמין ֹּלו ַחִמין ֵּבין Israel … and it is forbidden to ְׁלַהְׁשקֹּוֹּתו ֵּבין ִלְׁרִחַיצת ּגֹּּופו. ְׁכָּללֹּו ֶשל ָּדָּבר ַשָּבת ְׁלַגֵּב י hesitate in breaking Shabbos, for ֹּחוֶלה ֶשֵּיֹּש בוַסָּכָּנה ֲהֵּרי ְׁהּוא כחול ...: ”the Torah states “live by them ְׁכֶשֹּעוִשים ְׁדָּבִרים ָּהֵּאלּו ֵּאין ֹּעוִשין ֹּאוָּתןֹלא ַעל ְׁיֵּדי ָּנְׁכִרים and not “die by them”. For the ְׁוֹלא ַעל ְׁיֵּדי ְׁקַטִנים ... ֶאָּלאַעל ְׁיֵּדי ְּׁגֹּדוֵּלי ִיְׁשָּרֵּאל ְׁוַחְׁכֵּמיֶהם. laws of the Torah are not to exact ְׁוָאסּור ְׁלִהְׁתַמְׁהֵּמַה ְׁבִחלּול ַשָּבת ... ֶשֶנֱאַמר )ויקרא יח ה( retribution on the world, but they "... ָּוַחי ָּבֶהם" ְׁוֹלא ֶשָּימּות ָּבֶהם ... ֶשֵּאין ִמְׁשְׁפֵּטי ַהֹּתוָּרה are rather mercy and kindness ְׁנָּקָּמהָּב ֹּעוָּלֶם אָּלַארֲחִמְׁים וֶחֶסְׁד וָּשלֹּוםָּ בֹּעוָּלם. .and peace to the world Another Example: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 717:4 יולדת תוך שלושה ימים ,אפילו היא [It is forbidden for a woman to fast [on Yom Kippur בריאה ואומרת שאינה צריכה within three days of giving birth, even if she is לאכול יש שיכולות לסבול התענית healthy and says that she does not need to eat … From Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz Kiddush Hashem בלא שום נזק לגוף … להתענות . three to seven days [after giving birth], there are ...ומשלשה עד שבעה ויש שאינן those who can fast without any damage to their יכולות ולכן תלוי בה . ..ובזמנינו bodies and those who cannot. Therefore it depends ידוע שהן בעצמן יגידו תמיד שאינה on the individual … In our days, it is known that צריכה ,ואי אפשר לסמוך על זה women will usually say that they do not need to eat .ולכן אם יש רופא ישאלו אצל so this may not be relied upon. Therefore, if there is הרופא . ..ואם יש ספק מאכילין a doctor, he must be consulted … and if there is a אותה פחות פחות מכשיעור .doubt, she must eat, in small quantities How much value does the Torah place on life? II. When Life Becomes Secondary Sanhedrin, 74a-b א"ר יוחנן משום It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says: One ר"ש בן יהוצדק who seeks to desecrate Shabbat may be saved from transgressing נימנו וגמרו even at the cost of his life. The Gemara explains that Rabbi Elazar holds בעליית בית :in accordance with the opinion of his father, Rabbi Shimon, who says נתזה בלוד כל ,The court administers punishment based on an a fortiori inference עבירות שבתורה and the halakha with regard to one who desecrates Shabbat is derived אם אומרין from the halakha with regard to idol worship by way of a verbal לאדם עבור ואל analogy between the word “desecration” mentioned in the context of תהרג יעבור ואל Shabbat and the word “desecration” mentioned in the context of idol יהרג חוץ .worship מעבודת כוכבים The Gemara now considers which prohibitions are permitted in times § וגילוי עריות of mortal danger. Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ושפיכות דמים ben Yehotzadak: The Sages who discussed this issue counted the ועבודת כוכבים votes of those assembled and concluded in the upper story of the לא והא תניא house of Nitza in the city of Lod: With regard to all other א"ר ישמעאל transgressions in the Torah, if a person is told: Transgress this מנין שאם אמרו prohibition and you will not be killed, he may transgress that לו לאדם עבוד prohibition and not be killed, because the preserving of his own life עבודת כוכבים overrides all of the Torah’s prohibitions. This is the halakha concerning ואל תהרג מנין all prohibitions except for those of idol worship, forbidden sexual שיעבוד ואל יהרג relations, and bloodshed. Concerning those prohibitions, one must ת"ל) ויקרא יח, .allow himself to be killed rather than transgress them ה (וחי בהם ולא The Gemara asks: And should one not transgress the prohibition of idol שימות בהם worship to save his life? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: Rabbi יכול אפילו :Yishmael said: From where is it derived that if a person is told בפרהסיא תלמוד Worship idols and you will not be killed, from where is it derived לומר) ויקרא כב, :that he should worship the idol and not be killed? The verse states לב (ולא תחללו ,You shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which a person shall do“ את שם קדשי and he shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5), thereby teaching that the ונקדשתי OU Chag at Home 2 5781 Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz Kiddush Hashem אינהו דאמור mitzvot were given to provide life, but they were not given so that one כר"א דתניא ר"א .will die due to their observance אומר) דברים ו, The baraita continues: One might have thought that it is permitted to ה (ואהבת את ה' worship the idol in this circumstance even in public, i.e., in the אלהיך בכל לבבך presence of many people. Therefore, the verse states: “Neither shall ובכל נפשך ובכל you profane My holy name; but I will be hallowed among the מאדך אם נאמר .(children of Israel: I am the Lord Who sanctifies you” (Leviticus 22:32 בכל נפשך למה Evidently, one is not required to allow himself to be killed so as not to נאמר בכל מאדך transgress the prohibition of idol worship when in private; but in public ואם נאמר בכל .he must allow himself to be killed rather than transgress מאדך למה נאמר The Gemara answers: Those in the upper story of the house of Nitza בכל נפשך .stated their opinion in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer אם יש לך אדם As it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: It is stated: “And שגופו חביב עליו you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your מממונו לכך :soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). If it is stated נאמר בכל נפשך ”,With all your soul,” why is it also stated: “With all your might“ ואם יש לך אדם :which indicates with all your material possessions? And if it is stated שממונו חביב With all your might,” why is it also stated: “With all your soul”? One“ עליו מגופו לכך .of these clauses seems to be superfluous נאמר בכל מאדך Rather, this serves to teach that if you have a person whose body is גילוי עריות :more precious to him than his property, it is therefore stated ושפיכות דמים With all your soul.” That person must be willing to sacrifice even his“ כדרבי דתניא רבי life to sanctify God’s name. And if you have a person whose property אומר) דברים כב, is more precious to him than his body, it is therefore stated: “With כו (כי כאשר all your might.” That person must even be prepared to sacrifice all his יקום איש על ,property for the love of God. According to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer רעהו ורצחו נפש .one must allow himself to be killed rather than worship an idol כן הדבר הזה וכי From where is it derived that one must allow himself to be killed rather מה למדנו מרוצח than transgress the prohibition of forbidden sexual relations and the מעתה הרי זה בא prohibition of bloodshed? This is in accordance with the opinion of ללמד ונמצא Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. As it is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda למד מקיש רוצח HaNasi says: With regard to the rape of a betrothed young woman it is לנערה המאורסה written: “But you shall do nothing to the young woman; the young מה נערה woman has committed no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises המאורסה ניתן ”against his neighbor, and slays him, so too with this matter להצילו בנפשו Deuteronomy 22:26). But why would the verse mention murder in this) אף רוצח ניתן ?context? But what do we learn here from a murderer להצילו בנפשו Now, the mention of murder came in order to teach a halakha about ומקיש נערה the betrothed young woman, and it turns out that, in addition, it המאורסה לרוצח derives a halakha from that case. The Torah juxtaposes the case of a מה רוצח יהרג murderer to the case of a betrothed young woman to indicate that ואל יעבור אף just as in the case of a betrothed young woman one may save her at נערה המאורסה the cost of the rapist’s life, so too, in the case of a murderer, one may תהרג ואל תעבור .save the potential victim at the cost of the murderer’s life רוצח גופיה מנא לן סברא הוא OU Chag at Home 3 5781 Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz Kiddush Hashem דההוא דאתא And conversely, the Torah juxtaposes a betrothed young woman to לקמיה דרבה a murderer to indicate that just as with
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