Parshas BeChukosai begins, “Im BeChukosai Teileichu, VeEs Mitzvosai Tishmoru...(Vayikra 26:3)” Similarly, a few Pasukim later, the Torah reads, “VeIm BeChukosai Timasu, VeIm Es-Mishpatai Tigal Nafshechem...(26:15),” and finally, even later in the Parsha it says, “Eileh HaChukim VeHamishpatim...(26:6)” There is a consistent pattern in the Torah that every time both Chukim and Mishpatim are mentioned in one Pasuk, Chukim come first. The word Chok is always written before the word Mishpat in the Torah (See Shmos 15:25; Devarim 4:1, 5:1, 6:1...) What’s the big deal what the order is? Why is the Torah always careful to say Chukim first?
To understand, let’s go through some background:
In Yesodei HaTorah, where the Rambam goes through the fundamental principals of Judaism, he lists knowledge (Daas) of G-d as number one. Daas, according to the Rambam is the basis for everything else in Judaism. There is no “blind faith” or something, where a person just has to “believe.” Rather, a person has to come to an awareness of his creator. Only after that, can we even consider Emunah.*
Emunah, most accurately translated as faithFULNESS, means loyalty to that original Daas; that original knowledge of Hashem. It says by the battle with Amalek, that when Moshe held his hands up, the Jewish people would win, and that his hands were “Emunah” until sunset (Shmos 17:12). Clearly the only way that Emunah can be understood in that sentence, is to mean “loyal.” His hands were not “faith” until sunset, they were faithful, or loyal to the cause.
Here is a practical example: A person might hear a tremendously inspiring lecture, and decide to change his life in some way because of it. Let’s say that one night you heard a Shiur about how important it is to leap out of bed in the morning, as it says in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim), right in the beginning, “Be mighty like a lion to arise in the morning to serve your creator.” You decide that tomorrow morning, you are going to jump out of bed. Why? Because you are certain that it is the right thing to do. You understand clearly how important it is to begin the day like that, and you are determined to do it. Come the next morning, and your alarm clock goes off at 6:45am; time to wake up. So you contemplate for a minute about how much you want to jump out of bed. You think back to the lecture, and for some reason, it’s just not so inspiring at 6:45 in the morning. After a short struggle with your Yeitzer HaRa, you give in, hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.
What just happened was comparable to a test of your Emunah. You understood clearly what to do. If you would have been able to jump out of bed right after hearing that Shiur, you would have, no problem. You had a clear comprehension of what to do. That is similar to Daas, knowledge. The problem comes the next morning, after the inspiration is gone. Can you be loyal to what you perceived was true? Will you be faithful to that which you understood so clearly just a few hours before? That is a test of Emunah, a test of loyalty.
The Jewish people’s first experience obviously involving Hashem, was the ten plagues. The purpose of the plagues is clearly stated by Hashem, “BeZos Teida Ki Ani Hashem - With this you will know that I am Hashem (Shmos 7:17).” The purpose was to give the world knowledge of G-d. The Pasuk uses the word Daas (Teida). This idea with some modifications is repeated in Shmos 8:6, 8:18, 9:14 and 9:29. In terms of the Jewish people’s relationship with G-d, Daas came first.
After the plagues, came Pesach. Pesach is imbedded with elements of Emunah. The Zohar calls Matzah, “Lechem D’Mehemnusa - Bread of Emunah.” In addition, Pesach must fall out in the spring, which the Gemara associates with Emunah (Seder Z’raim), because planting demonstrates one’s Emunah that it will come to fruition. In the Torah, one of the few Parshios that separate the Exodus from Egypt with the giving of the Torah, is the story about the manna. The manna was a tremendous test of Emunah. Rav Twersky explained it like this: Imagine you are stranded on a desert island, with no indication of immediate rescue and all you have to eat is one loaf of bread. You are then told not to ration it, eat it all. Have faith! That was the test of the manna. The Jews had to eat all of the manna that they gathered. If any was left over, it would spoil. They had to depend on food falling from heaven every day (except Shabbos). It’s hard to imagine a bigger test of Emunah then that. The prophet Yirmiyahu praises the Jews for this loyalty, when he says, “Zacharty Lach Chesed Neurayich - I remember the generosity of your youth...(Jer. 2:2)” The Torah is telling us much more than a historic sequence, it is telling us the way that a perception of G-d must develop. First comes Daas, which must then be followed by Emunah. After knowledge, one is called upon to demonstrate faithfulness, even when it exceeds or defies one’s understanding. That is the test of Emunah.
In fact, Hashem’s response to Daas is always to test Emunah. When Avraham Avinu came to an awareness of G-d, Hashem did not give him a hearty Yeshar Co-ach and leave him alone, far from it. G-d proceeded to test Avraham’s Emunah. The prime test of his Emunah was the Akeida, the sacrifice of Isaac.
The Akeida was the total opposite of everything that Avraham had understood about Hashem. Avraham had fought against idolatry, and human sacrifice. He had convinced who-knows-how-many people to abandon idols for the one, true G-d. But, now, Hashem tells him to sacrifice his son. Human sacrifice?! How could that be? How can G-d demand such a thing. It is inconceivable. Yet, even though it defied his understanding, Avraham remained loyal to his Daas of Hashem; Avraham had Emunah. He got up early in the morning, and wasted no time in executing the will of G-d. That was a test of Emunah.
Similarly, after the Jewish people gained their knowledge of Hashem through the ten plagues, their Emunah was tested. Be it though the manna, or even at the Red Sea, when they were faced by a wall of water in front of them and an army of Egyptians behind them. These were tests of loyalty to their Daas, their perception of Hashem.
It is only after one goes through these fundamental stages that he can acquire Torah. It was only after the ten plagues and the Exodus from Egypt with all of its tests, that the Jews could receive the Torah. Shavuos only occurs after Pesach. Again, this is not just a historic order of events, but a system of how to approach G-d. Why is this entire process necessary to correctly acquire Torah?
At the end of Hilchos MeEelah, the Rambam writes that a person should try to understand the intent of the Mitzvos to the best of his ability. However, if a person cannot figure it out, he should not allow the Mitzvah to become trivial in his eyes, he shouldn’t be reckless in casting judgment on a Mitzvah. We see how strict the Torah is on a person getting benefit from an object set aside for the Temple. Once the name of G-d is associated with sticks and stones, they become consecrated. Anyone who treats them otherwise, is liable for MeEelah, even if he did it BeShogeg (not on-purpose) he requires atonement! How much more so when it comes to a Mitzvah, one shouldn’t despise it simply because he doesn’t understand.
How can we do something which we don’t understand? Why should we do something that “makes no sense?”
We do it as an act of loyalty to our knowledge of Hashem. Following the Mitzvos, even when they “don’t make sense” is an act of Emunah. Daas and Emunah are necessary elements in the acceptance of the Torah; the entire Torah. We do not keep the Torah because we understand it, but rather, we keep the Torah even though we don’t understand it. Let’s see if we can grasp this fundamental idea.
When a Jew sits down to learn Torah, it is a tremendous act of Emunah. Rav Twersky said in the name of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik (his grandfather), that a person tries to understand Torah on its own basis, without preconceived categories. Values must be elicited from within. We check at the door all of our modern notions and logic, and commit ourselves to Torah values and its logic. We do not mold Torah to our ephemeral ones.
One must look in to the Torah and extract what IT says, not, G-d forbid, project his values on to the Torah. A person has to restrain himself, his ego, to try to figure out the Torah on it’s own terms. That is a tremendous act of Emunah, of loyalty to our knowledge of Hashem.
Certain Mitzvos are easily understood. Murder, charity and honoring one’s mother and father, are all actions that human-beings could have come up with on their own. Those Mitzvos are called Mishpatim. We understand clearly their goal. However, there is another class of Mitzvos, which we wouldn’t be able to come up with intuitively. The red heifer and keeping kosher are among those Mitzvos, called Chukim.
Mishpatim are easily fulfilled. We understand them, they provide no cognitive dissonance. However, Chukim are harder to swallow. “Why should I keep kosher?” is a common question. What is the answer? Even if there was scientific evidence that keeping kosher is healthier than eating traife, would that be a reason to do it? What happens when the next study comes out stating the opposite?
The answer is that once a person has achieved a certain awareness of G-d, he feels obliged to do whatever He says, even when it “doesn’t make sense.”
Perhaps that is a lesson inherent in the Torah’s placement of the words Chukim and Mishpatim. Chukim are always listed first. It is critically important to follow Mishpatim, however, the real test of Emunah lies in the Chukim. In order to properly fulfill even the Mishpatim, one must recognize his limitations as a human being. In order to understand Torah, one must first accept the Chukim. If one approaches Torah with preconceived notions and values, then conflict is the only possible result. However if one is willing to put aside his modern values and read the Torah for what IT has to say, then he has done a tremendous act of Emunah, and he will merit to see the Torah’s Emes. Perhaps that is what the Torah is teaching us by the order of the words. In order to achieve a full understanding of the Mishpatim, one must first fulfill the Chukim. The Emunah involved in the Chukim must proceed the Mishpatim.
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* How can one achieve this Daas, awareness of Hashem? That is a very long and complicated topic. A few suggestions to get you started are:
1) Permission to Believe by Lawrence Keleman
2) Aish HaTorah’s Discovery program
3) Ohr Someach’s Torah Tape Library: They have a tremendous series of 7 tapes by Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz on Emunah and Daas. They will change your life.
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