Re'eh - G-d's Household

B"H

 Full text here. Again, this is a short blog post only.

Source - Midrash Tanchuma Chapter 18 (final section only)

אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, אני אמרתי לך, שתהא מוציא מעשרותיך מן המובחר. הא כיצד. בא בן לוי אצלך, אם נתת לו מעשר מן המובחר, אני נותן לך מן המובחר, שנאמר, יפתח ה' לך את אוצרו הטוב (דב' כח יב). ואם נתת לו מן החפוריות מן הקטניות, יש לי ליתן לך כמותו, שנאמר, יתן ה' את מטר ארצך אבק ועפר (שם שם כד). ובא הלוי כי אין לו חלק ונחלה עמך וגו', רבי יהודה בר סימון אומר, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, אם יש לך ארבעה בני בתים, יש לך ושמחת בחגך אתה ובנך ובתך ועבדך ואמתך. ואני יש לי ארבע בני בית, הלוי והגר והיתום והאלמנה, שלי. וכלן בפסוק אחד. אם אתה משמח את שלי ואת שלך בבית בימים טובים שנתתי לך, אף אני משמח את שלי ואת שלך בבית הבחירה, שנאמר, והביאותים אל הר קדשי ושמחתים בבית תפלתי. אמן, וכן יהי רצון: 

This week's source is taken from the end of a longer midrash exhorting listeners/readers to perform the mitzvah of ma'aser sheni* properly, seriously, and with the faith that by doing so they will not suffer but will in fact benefit and gain greater material wealth. This is in the spirit of Moshe's own exhortations to the people later on in Devarim in the famous opposition of the blessings that Israel will experience if it keeps with Torah with the curses it will receive if it fails to do so - in fact, the midrash even quotes these sections in order to push its message that the Levi'im and other recipients of ma'aser sheni should be given their portion from the best parts of the harvest and not from the worst.

Why does the midrash - and for that matter, Moshe in the Torah - feel the need to emphasise so greatly the importance of keeping ma'aser sheni. The answer is simple - in an agricultural society, most people would normally be loathe to give away a significant portion of their crops without any direct financial return as this means a loss for them. This is doubly the case if people are told that the best part of their harvest - for which they could hope to obtain either most pleasure through consumption or the greatest financial reward through selling - is to be given away in the ma'aser sheni. Therefore, although the ideal may be to fulfill the mitzvah without any expectation of reward both Moshe and the authors of the midrashim recognise that a powerful incentive for people to keep this mitzvah fully would be the knowledge that obedience = greater reward in the form of more crops whereas disobedience = famine and ruin.

However, the midrash has another interesting message to convey. The person who properly fulfills the mitzvah of ma'aser sheni is portrayed as being able to celebrate the chagim (Festivals) of Shavuot and Sukkot with his entire household, which consists of four important members - the person's son, daughter, male slave and female slave (his wife is considered to be like himself). The midrash draws a parallel between these four members of a person's household and the four groups of people - Levi'im, gerim, orphans and widows - who are the recipients of ma'aser sheni, saying that these are all members of G-d's 'household'. 

According to the midrash's logic, therefore, if a person not only gives the best of his harvest to the members of G-d's household through ma'aser sheni but also welcoming these people into his house to celebrate the harvest festivals with his own household, G-d will reciprocate by blessing that person and his household with happiness in G-d's 'House' i.e. the Beit HaMikdash.

Why are these four groups singled out for special treatment as part of G-d's house? Again, this is very much based on the agricultural society peculiar to Israel in the Biblical era. The Levi'im, due to their role in the Beit HaMikdash, were not given any land alongside the other tribes and therefore had no ancestral land to rely upon to obtain food and sustenance. Gerim - particularly if we take this term as referring to full converts to Judaism - also had a precarious status as they too had no ancestral lands to rely on for food, and lacked the family support network and connections which would probably have been needed to fully take part in society. And so too with widows and orphans - both groups, operating outside the standard family unit, may have lacked support and (possibly) land rights in a largely patriarchal world. Therefore, the common factor is that these are all people who, in an agricultural society, cannot be independent and must instead rely on others for both sustenance and emotional support - hence the mitzvah in not only giving these groups food for eating/trading through ma'aser sheni, but also doing so with warmth and joy by giving them the best produce and welcoming them into one's home for celebrations.

Today's world has changed significantly in some ways - in particular, as we have moved out of the agricultural world of ancient Israel, Levi'im today are no longer at either an economic or social disadvantage compared to other Jews as they are just as capable of earning a living and maintaining family and social connections. However, three other groups in Jewish society - gerim/converts, widows and orphans - can still be seen as being vulnerable and in need of extra attention. While they may be at an economic disadvantage, often the problem is social - in a Jewish world based on family connections it is precisely these groups who are at risk of being 'left out in the cold', particularly at times when families come together to celebrate Shabbat and the chagim. 

This message of the midrash therefore still resonates today - in order to fully celebrate what G-d has given us, we must in turn ensure that we open our homes and share our celebrations with those who may be otherwise 'outsiders' in our eyes but whom are most loved by G-d. However, one question to ponder is this - we may still have gerim, orphans and widows, but who in today's world are the Levi'im who we should be welcoming into our homes?

Shavua tov,

RPT

*the second tithe, which was to be taken from the crop in the third year of the shmitta cycle and distributed to the Levi'im, the 'gerim' or strangers (which in the Torah can mean either converts or resident non-Jews), the orphaned and the widowed