Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch ztz"l
"Rebbi Yitzhok said: When a man does a mitzvoh, he
should do it wholeheartedly. For, had Reuven known
that the Holy One would write about him: and Reuven
heard and saved him (Yosef) from their hand, he
would have carried him on his shoulder to his father.
And, had Aharon known that the Holy One would
write about him: Behold he will come out to meet you
and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart, he
would have gone out to meet him (Moshe) with music
and dancing. And had Boaz known that the Holy One
would write about him: And he reached her (Ruth)
parched corn, and she ate and was satisfied, he would
have feasted her with fattened calves. R' Kahan and R' Yehoshua of Sichnin said in the name of R' Levi: In the past when a man did a mitzvoh the prophet
would record it; now, when someone does a mitzvoh
who records it? Eliyohu and Melech-Hamoshiach
Write it down and the Holy One sets His seal to their
work. This we find in the verse (Malachi 3, 16):
Then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another;
and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a Book of
Remembrances was written before Him for them that
feared the Lord and that thought upon his name."
(Midrash Rus, Ch. 5).
The Midrash requires some explanation. Is it only
for the sake of having one's good deeds recorded in the
Torah that a person should do a mitzvoh wholeheartedly? Of course, there is an infinite difference between
having one's name written in the Torah which is above
time and space, and having it written in a newspaper
'which after a short while is discarded in a trash pile.
However, even the expectation of such a reward should
not be a motive in fulfilling the Divine Will. We must
also understand the relationship of .the reward of having
one's deeds perpetuated in the Torah, to the recording
in the Book of Remembrance mentioned in the concluding part of the Midrash.
It would seem that there is a more profound explanation of the Midrash.
When we examine the historical portions of the Torah, we are struck by the fact
that certain events in the lives of our patriarchs are
related in great detail, whereas whole periods of apparently great historic importance arc entirely omitted.
For example, the history of Avraham begins when he
is already 74 years old! The life of Moshe, from the
age of 13 until the age of 80, is almost a complete
blank, despite the fact that there is a tradition that he
reigned for forty years as king of Ethiopia.
The truth of the matter is that the Torah's standard
of history differs greatly from that of historian. History, as the Torah sees it, is not merely a chronological
record of past events. The Torah-which is the Book
of Creation-records only those events which bring the
world closer to its intended goal. Just as the work of
Creation is expressed in the letters of the Torah, so
do those acts which influence the world's course toward
its ultimate climax, record themselves boldly, regardless
of their seeming insignificance, on the Eternal Tablet.
Thus, a person of the stature of Moshe Rabeinu rules
an empire for forty years and no mention is made of it in the Torah, because the course of history-history
as the Torah sees it-is not affected. However, when
Boaz reaches some parched corn to a Moabite beggar
woman, he makes his mark on the Divine Record. For,
this seemingly trivial act is to lead to that union which
will beget the royal line of Dovid, and will bring forth
Melech Hamoshiach. To Boaz it seems as if he were
doing a simple act of kindness; yet, what world-shaking
results it was to produce.
Reuven thought he was but acting the part of a
merciful brother and dutiful son in trying to save Yosef
from the hand of his brothers. But, did he realize the
far-reaching effects of the rescue of Yosef?
Surely, Aharon could not have suspected that his
going to greet his brother Moshe was anything more
than a demonstration of brotherly affection. Little was
he aware that, at that time, Moshe was beset by serious
doubts as to his own capabilities, and that his brother's
simple, loving act was to give him the confidence necessary to lead Israel forth from bondage to Mount Sinai
and thns bring about the greatest development in world
history since the Creation!
Had Reuven, Aharon or Boaz grasped the true historical significance of their individual actions-had they
realized that they were writing passages in the Torah,
how much differently they would have acted!
Thus we see that an apparently insignificant act can
alter the course of history. Is it, therefore, possible for
a man to say, "That which I am doing is unimportant"?
Each rnitzvoh should be done wholeheartedly, for, who
knows? perhaps it is worthy of being written in the
Torah!
The Midrash thus naturally raises the question: In
the past when a man did such a mitzvoh, the prophet
recorded it. Now that there is no prophet, has history come to a stop? Are there. then no such deeds in our
day worthy of being inscribed in the Eternal Record?
The answer is forthcoming. No, even in our times
the Divine process continues. Eliyohu, the messenger
of Redemption, and Melech-Hamoshiach impatiently
await the End of Days. They are the scribes who
painstakingly record each deed which hastens or delays
their mission, and the Almighty, who sees to the end of
all times, set His seal to their work.
All this we learn from the closing words of the last
of the prophets, Malachi, who, seeing that the age of
prophecy was drawing to its close, passed on to succeeding generations the knowledge that, although there
would be no prophet to record and reveal them to
mankind, men's deeds would nevertheless be recorded "ויקשב השם וישמע ויכתב בספר זכרון לפניו" - the ledger would
not be closed!
We live in an age void of prophetic inspiration. We
have no divinely-moved scribe to record the deeds and
misdeeds of men; there is no one to give men and
events their proper perspective. No one would now
call Bilom a righteous man, or Yorovom an inspired
religious leader, for they have already been clearly portrayed in the Holy Writings for what they truly were.
There is no mistake to be made. Yet, in our day, how
many Biloms and Yerovoms receive the honor due to
(l'havdil) an Avrohom Ovinu or a Moshe Rabbeinu?
But the time will yet come, says Malachi, in that
great and terrible day which the Almighty has set for
His long-awaited Retribution, when the Record will be
laid open for all to see.
Then shall you again discern between the righteous
and the wicked, between him that serves G-d and him
that serves Him not. וְשַׁבְתֶּם וּרְאִיתֶם בֵּין צַדִּיק לְרָשָׁע בֵּין עֹבֵד אֱלֹהִים לַאֲשֶׁר לֹא עֲבָדוֹ.
[Jewish Observer June 1965]
