SUBTRACTING BY ADDING

Parashat Va’etchanan – Shabbat Nachamu

Av 15, 5785 / August 8-9, 2025

Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 (First Haftarah of Comfort)

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This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, for the words of God and the prophet following Tisha B'Av (9 Av).

This Shabbat also falls on Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av, traditionally a day for celebrating the beginning of the grape harvest in the Land of Israel, and more importantly for us all, a day for celebrating love.

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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

This d’var torah is offered for an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn will not meet until September 8.

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SUBTRACTING BY ADDING

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you subtract from it, that you may keep the commandments (mitzvot) of the Lord which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

Rabbi Alexander Moshe Lapidot taught: “A Jew must find the golden, middle path (citing Rambam) in the fear/awe of God and in the observance of the mitzvot. Just as a wicked person is liable to violate the prohibition of “you shall not subtract”, a righteous person is liable to violate the prohibition of “you shall not add”, and can thereby bring tragedy upon the world.”

Jewish tradition understands that there are two general types of mitzvot: bein adam lamakom (between a human being and God) and bein adam l’chaveiro (between a human being and his/her fellow human). Rabbi Lapidot seems to be talking only about the first type. The Vilna Gaon taught that there was a third category: bein adam l’atzmo (between a human and him/herself). These divisions matter.

"Cities of Refuge" - Providence Lithograph Company, 1901

Whether a person violates or makes stricter upon their self a mitzvah bein adam lamakom is strictly between them and God – God can reward or punish as God sees fit. Regarding a mitzvah bein adam l’atzmo – the only one affected is the person – no one else.

But, someone who alters or ignores or makes easier (for themselves) or makes stricter (for others) the mitzvot bein adam l’chaveiro regarding interpersonal relationships, damages others and society. (One could easily frame this in the context of government and other leaders changing laws to their own advantage) For these mitzvot, the person doing the adding/subtracting must answer one simple question: Who benefits from my change to this mitzvah? If the answer is, “I do,” then one is upending their relationships and their society for their own ends, and could well be causing an otherwise preventable tragedy. This was the lesson of Tisha B'Av - the mistreatment or favoritism towards individuals because of their status in society, in violation of established norms, cascaded into the destruction of that society.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

.הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה

He [Rabbi Tarfon] would say: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. Pirkei Avot 2:16

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