The Failure of Conscience (1963)
There are many ways of classifying the mitzvot of the Torah. The most popular one is to divide them into two categories: those for which the reason is apparent, and which we would think of even without a specific command in the Torah; and those for which there is no obvious reason, and which we perform only because God willed it. In the Talmud, these two classes are known as hukim and mishpatim. Saadia refers to them by the name of shimiyot and sikhliyot. The rational commandments are almost all ethical in nature. They include such mitzvot as charity, love of neighbor, prohibition of stealing, and so forth. The second category is the ritual law: these include tefillin, shofar, kashrut, and so on.It is in reference to these two categories, the ritual and the ethical commandments, that a great Talmudist who died about 40 years ago, Rabbi Meir Simhah of Dvinsk, in his Meshekh Hokhmah, has made a profound observation that is of great significance to all of us.As we read the Torah, especially the portions of last week and this week, we notice the recurrence of such phrases as Ani Hashem, “I am the Lord,” or Ani Hashem Elokechem, “I am the Lord your God.” Rabbi Meir Simhah points out that this phrase usually follows the ritual commandments. The Torah means to tell us that although we may not understand the reason for the observance of this individual commandment, although we would never think of performing this kind of act on our own, nevertheless we must follow this precept because Ani Hashem, “I am the Lord,” and as our Creator He may command us to do even that which is beyond our comprehension and understanding. The words “I am the Lord” are, in effect, the authority behind the commands. They are what authenticate the mitzvot. When man begins to question the Torah, when he begins to doubt whether he is obligated to observe that which his mind cannot grasp, then the Torah reminds him that there is a God in the world, and that faith and love and reverence for God requir…
