Not Above The Law

The Gemara has a fascinating discussion about miracles happening to ordinary individuals.

A shepherd deserts his flock for a quick break. While he is gone, a wolf eats one of the sheep. To determine if the shepherd is liable, we evaluate whether the shepherd could have fought off wolf had he been there. Rav Sheishes wonders, why do we only take the normal circumstances into account? Dovid HaMelech was miraculously able to fight off a lion and a bear attacking his flock. Can’t the owner of the flock claim a miracle would have occurred? If the shepherd had not shirked his duty, Hashem might have miraculously given him the ability to fight off the predator. The shepherd should therefore be liable to pay restitution no matter what the evaluation concludes.

The Gemara retorts that if the owner merited having a miracle occur for him, a miracle could have occurred for him even if the shepherd was not present, just as it occurred to Rebbe Chanina ben Dosa. Rebbe Chanina ben Dosa’s goat miraculously returned to its owner carrying a dead lion over its horns.

Yet the Gemara does not reject the notion that miracles cannot occur for the common man; indeed, Tosfos say that through tefillos, even otherwise-ordinary individuals can merit to have miracles happen to them.

An interesting question presents itself. The Gemara discusses two miracles—the one that occurred to Dovid HaMelech, where he miraculously killed a lion and a bear, and the other, seemingly greater, one that occurred to Rebbe Chanina ben Dosa, whose goat was able to kill a lion. Why didn’t Dovid HaMelech merit to have the greater miracle occur to him?

My father, Rabbi Yaakov Sebrow, shlita, answered that Hashem wanted Dovid HaMelech to kill the lion and bear to inspire him to kill Goliath. In fact, this is exactly what the midrash says on Esther. Hashem hinted to two people who understood the hint. One of them was Dovid HaMelech. The midrash says that Dovid HaMelech took the hint that Hashem helped him miraculously kill a lion and a bear. Dovid said to himself: “Hashem would not have performed this miracle for me unless there was a reason.” Whereupon, he offered his services in killing Goliath.

The very same midrash says that Mordechai also took a hint. The pasuk (Esther 2:11) says: “And every day, Mordechai would walk about in front of the court of the house of the women, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what would be done to her.” Rashi comments based on the midrash “What would be done to her: He was one of the two tzaddikim who understood the hint, Dovid and Mordechai . . . Mordechai said, ‘This would not have occurred to a righteous woman that she be forcefully taken to marry a gentile unless she will end up being a savior for the Jewish people.’ Therefore he walked around the courtyard every day to see what would transpire.”

However, this comment from Rashi seems to directly contradict the comment he made on the previous verse (Esther 2:10): “Esther did not reveal her nationality or her lineage, for Mordechai had ordered her not to reveal it.” Rashi comments, “Mordechai had ordered her not to reveal her lineage in order that people should say that she comes from a degraded family, and the king would send her away.” Why is Mordechai trying to save Esther from the palace when he received a hint from Hashem that the salvation of the Jewish nation would come about through her being in the palace?

Rav Henoch Leibowitz, zt’l, answered that it is not a contradiction. Mordechai was, according to halachah, commanded to do everything in his power to stop Esther from being forced to marry the gentile king. The fact that he received a hint to the Divine plan does not alter the halachah. Hashem alone is responsible for carrying out His plans. Hashem just wanted Mordechai to follow the halachah. If there had been an evil decree at that point, then the halachah would be different. At that point, Mordechai would have had to take into account a situation of pikuach nefesh, saving the lives of all the innocent people who were given a virtual death sentence. However, at this point in the Purim story there was no evil decree. There was only a vague hint of future salvation. That does not alter the halachah.

We find a similar concept in Bava Metzia (85b). Rebbe asked Eliyahu HaNavi, “Is there any group of tzaddikim alive who when praying together would bring Mashiach?” Eliyahu answered, “Rebbe Chiya and his sons.’” Whereupon, Rebbe decreed a fast and had Rebbe Chiya and his sons daven for the tzibbur. The Gemara relates that when they recited “Mashiv HaRuach” together, the wind blew. When they recited “Morid HaGeshem” together, it started raining. They were about to say “Mechayeh Meisim” together when their prayer was miraculously disrupted by a fiery bear. And alas, Mashiach did not come.

Tosfos wonder how Rebbe could appoint Rebbe Chiya to be the chazzan, as the Gemara relates that Rebbe Chiya could not pronounce some of the words correctly. Obviously, Rebbe Chiya did the best he could at his own prayers. Still, when it comes to public prayer, we should not appoint a chazzan who cannot pronounce all of the words correctly.

The Brisker Rav expressed incredulity at Tosfos’s question. “Is there any loftier goal than bringing Mashiach? This is what Klal Yisrael pined for over countless generations! We daven for this every day—that Mashiach should come and redeem us from our trials and tribulations. If Rebbe knew the secret how to bring Mashiach, is it possible to tell him to refrain simply because Rebbe Chiya wouldn’t pronounce a few words correctly? Even regarding the recitation of Shema, which is a biblical mitzvah, it is an accepted halachah that if someone was not careful in the pronunciation of the words, he has still fulfilled his obligation. Certainly, regarding the issue of choosing a chazzan, which is just a rabbinic law, we should be lenient for the sake of bringing Mashiach! Especially, since this law of which chazzan to choose is only le’chatchilah. Post facto, any chazzan is acceptable.”

The Brisker Rav said that we see from here how important it is to follow even the minutest details of halachah. If the halachah actually precluded Rebbe Chiya from initially being chosen as chazzan, Rebbe would have abandoned his plan to bring Mashiach. Even the loftiest goals do not justify violating halachah. We learn this from Mordechai, too, as he was not willing to leave Esther in the palace even for the loftiest of goals—the hypothetical rescue of the Jewish nation.

This is an argument that comes up repeatedly. There are always those who posit that halachah should bend or be violated outright for one lofty ideal or another. But unless the halachah allows for violation, such as in imminent pikuach nefesh, we must adhere to halachah. We learn from these two incidents that no matter how lofty the goal, halachah should not be violated. ™