נצבים

Concealed Matters

At the conclusion of the על חטא recital on Yom Kippur, the following verse is referenced:

הַנִּסְתָּרֹת לַה' אלקינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד־עוֹלָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת׃ (דברים כט:כח)

The meaning in the context of the Viduy prayer is very apparent. We can only formally confess the sins which are revealed (i.e. known) to us yet also request forgiveness for those that we are unaware of (i.e. that we may have committed unknowingly):

אֶת הַגְּלוּיִים לָנוּ וְאֶת שֶׁאֵינָם גְּלוּיִים לָנוּ. אֶת הַגְּלוּיִים לָנוּ כְּבָר אֲמַרְנוּם לְפָנֶיךָ. וְהוֹדִינוּ לְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם. וְאֶת שֶׁאֵינָם גְּלוּיִם לָנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ הֵם גְּלוּיִים וִידוּעִים.

In the original context, however, the meaning of the verse is different.[1] The passage starts with the discussion of the individual who considers himself outside the scope of the covenant, or at least immune to its consequences:

פֶּן־יֵשׁ בָּכֶם אִישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁה אוֹ מִשְׁפָּחָה אוֹ־שֵׁבֶט אֲשֶׁר לְבָבוֹ פֹנֶה הַיּוֹם מֵעִם ה' אלקינוּ לָלֶכֶת לַעֲבֹד אֶת־אלקי הַגּוֹיִם הָהֵם פֶּן־יֵשׁ בָּכֶם שֹׁרֶשׁ פֹּרֶה רֹאשׁ וְלַעֲנָה׃ וְהָיָה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה־לִּי כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָה׃ (דברים כט:יז-יח)

Although on the surface these verses serve to warn the individual who thinks he can act under the radar, the metaphor of the weed and wormwood suggests the true purpose is to alert the wider community to the infectious nature of the individual’s sin. It is thus the community's responsibility to ensure collective compliance.

The simultaneous messaging to the individual and the community is further developed in the subsequent verses which describe the resulting destruction and exile:

לֹא־יֹאבֶה ה' סְלֹחַ לוֹ כִּי אָז יֶעְשַׁן אַף־ה' וְקִנְאָתוֹ בָּאִישׁ הַהוּא וְרָבְצָה בּוֹ כָּל־הָאָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה וּמָחָה ה' אֶת־שְׁמוֹ מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ וְהִבְדִּילוֹ ה' לְרָעָה מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אָלוֹת הַבְּרִית הַכְּתוּבָה בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה׃ וְאָמַר הַדּוֹר הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר יָקוּמוּ מֵאַחֲרֵיכֶם וְהַנָּכְרִי אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה וְרָאוּ אֶת־מַכּוֹת הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא וְאֶת־תַּחֲלֻאֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר־חִלָּה ה' בָּהּ׃ גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח שְׂרֵפָה כָל־אַרְצָהּ לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ וְלֹא־יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל־עֵשֶׂב כְּמַהְפֵּכַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה אַדְמָה וצביים [וּצְבוֹיִם] אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ ה' בְּאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲמָתוֹ׃ וְאָמְרוּ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם עַל־מֶה עָשָׂה ה' כָּכָה לָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מֶה חֳרִי הָאַף הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה׃ (דברים כט:יט-כג)

The first verse gives the impression that the sinner is being directly threatened with individual retribution. The next verse, though, is suddenly discussing retribution against the tribe and then the nation. The reader is caught off-guard as the field of the retribution rapidly widens.

The confusion is heightened by a literary quirk. Normal rule of language would suggest that the referent of the pronoun appended to the verb והבדילו (verse 20) is the last mentioned noun i.e. the individual sinner (verse 19). However, it quickly becomes apparent that the subject matter has moved to the wider tribe, notwithstanding that the previous mention of the tribe was way back in verse 17. A similarly switch happens when the scope of destruction shifts from tribe to entire nation in the subsequent verse. All of a sudden the country is desolate and the nation has been exiled. 

This appears to be an example of where literary form follows function. The reader is made to experience the powerful contagious effect of the individual sinner as the retribution subtly spreads from person to tribe to nation without the reader fully realising until it is over. The physical destruction thereby mirrors the process of spiritual corruption. 

This, therefore, continues the dual message. On the one hand, there is a threat to the individual that he is not automatically protected by the communal shield of righteousness. On the other hand, there is a stark warning directed towards the community of the negative spiritual and physical implications if the actions of the individual are allowed to persist. This duality continues into the final verse which may be seen as a summary of the passage:

הַנִּסְתָּרֹת לַה' אלקינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד־עוֹלָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת׃ (דברים כט:כח)

There is indeed a limit to what a community can do to prevent individual sin. To the extent that the sins are genuinely hidden, then the actions of the individual are fully in the domain of God to deal with it as He sees fit (how He does so is itself a 'hidden' matter). The second part of the verse sets outs the communal responsibility to deal with the matters which are within their capacity to prevent.[2]

In summary, the individual is wrong in thinking that he is protected on account of the community and the community is wrong in thinking that they will not be impacted by the actions of the individual. Arguably, these are but two sides of the same coin as the error of the former is sourced in the latter - the individual is not protected by the community because he ends up corrupting the community so he is destroyed with it. How these intricacies play out, however, are part of the inner workings of God and the passage seems to be deliberately ambiguous in portraying the directness and timeliness of the response to the individual. 

The metaphor of the 'moist and the dry'

The above sheds light on an enigmatic phrase in the earlier verse:

וְהָיָה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה־לִּי כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָה׃

This phrase as well as several others find parallels in the episode of the destruction of Sedom (one being explicit):

Bereshit 18-19	Devarim 29
הַאַף תִּסְפֶּה צַדִּיק עִם־רָשָׁע	לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָה
וַה' הִמְטִיר עַל־סְדֹם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת ה' מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ וַיַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת־הֶעָרִים הָאֵל וְאֵת כָּל־הַכִּכָּר וְאֵת כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הֶעָרִים וְצֶמַח הָאֲדָמָה׃ וַתַּבֵּט אִשְׁתּוֹ מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתְּהִי נְצִיב מֶלַח׃	גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח שְׂרֵפָה כָל־אַרְצָהּ לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ וְלֹא־יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל־עֵשֶׂב כְּמַהְפֵּכַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה אַדְמָה וצביים [וּצְבוֹיִם] אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ ה' בְּאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲמָתוֹ׃
כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו	וְאָמַר הַדּוֹר הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר יָקוּמוּ מֵאַחֲרֵיכֶם[3]
וַה' אָמָר הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה׃	הַנִּסְתָּרֹת לַה' אלקינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד־עוֹלָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת

In the case of Sedom, the basis of Avraham's appeal was that a core community of the righteous should enable the entire city to be saved - presumably on account of their potential to positively influence their environment. In fact, establishing such a community as was missing in Sedom becomes the raison d'etre of the Jewish nation and explains the placement adjacent to the story of the announcement of Yitzchak's birth in which Avraham is told:[4]

וְאַבְרָהָם הָיוֹ יִהְיֶה לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם וְנִבְרְכוּ בוֹ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ׃ כּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ ה' לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט לְמַעַן הָבִיא ה' עַל־אַבְרָהָם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר עָלָיו׃ (בראשית יח:יח-יט)

The individual in our passage cynically exploits this model. Having concluded that he can do as he pleases and rely on the merits of the wider community to shield him, he casts off any personal responsibility. This is perhaps the meaning of the parable in the verse: the abundance of water (merit) in the moist (righteous) will supply the parched (wicked).[5] The sinner believes that the wicked will be able to freeride off the actions of the righteous. The consequence is that his selfish attitude spreads through the community. Rather than mutual responsibility and a spread of righteousness, the nation implodes on account of its wickedness and lack of responsibility. Instead of becoming a light unto the nations, the world takes heed from the scale of the punishment.

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[1] The reference to the verse in the Viduy is nevertheless a legitimate adoption of the basic principle of the verse, namely that God is aware of sins hidden from us. It may also be said that the entire Viduy section is pluralised and therefore the sins said to be אינם גלויים לנו may indeed refer to sins committed by others which are unknown to us (not just sins which we committed unknowingly) and therefore cannot be confessed. This latter approach aligns better with the plain sense of the verse.

[2] This explanation is similar but not identical to Rashi and Rashbam. I have suggested here (as others have taken it to mean) that the נסתרות also captures the way God deals with the sinner. 

[3] This additional parallel was noted by Daniel Loewenstein of AlephBeta.

[4] It is noteworthy that the birth of Yitzchak is presented as a direct result of Avraham’s act of hospitality towards the three 'strangers'. The new nation is thus literally built on a model example of spreading righteousness beyond one’s home. This contrasts to the situation of Sedom whose inhabitants appear to be characterised by their disdain for strangers and visitors, presumably due to the potential drain on resources. It is hardly surprising that such a self involved environment cannot harbour or be reached by a community of righteous.

[5] The precise attitude of the sinner when he says these words is challenging to interpret (assuming they are the words of the sinner and not the Torah’s verdict - see Ramban). The approach I have taken is that the sinner believes he will be protected because his personal fate is tied to the community who he assumes will adhere to the covenant. He himself is therefore free to pursue his heart’s desires. In this sense the words שלום יהיה לי are to be taken at face value (i.e. he genuinely believes no harm will come to him). The word ספות is derived from יסף meaning to ‘add’. This is similar to Ibn Ezra’s second (preferred) explanation.

Alternatively, the sinner is dismissive of the effect of the covenant altogether and believes that ultimately punishment will come and everyone will be 'swept' (from the root ספה) away together, whether one is righteous or wicked. This fits better with the usage and context in the Sedom episode. According to this interpretation when the sinner says שלום יהיה לי he means to say that, on a personal level, he will not suffer directly from his actions or at least there will be no immediate consequence. (See first explanation of Ibn Ezra in the name of Ibn Janah.)