Tradition and innovation

Parsha and its Implementation - Parashat Bechukotai - Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - 5779

One of the blessings at the beginning of the Parsha "If you follow My laws" is about the abundance of crops that will arise from the field as wages for the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvot: "You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make room for the new (Vayikra 26:10)

In this Pasuk, there seems to be a contradiction between the beginning and the end. In the beginning - the blessing is on the old crop, " You shall eat old grain" - to merit eating from an old crop, since there was such abundance of the crop there will be plenty of it for the year after, and the pleasure of old fruits, since the older ones are finer:

ואכלתם ישן נושן. הַפֵּרוֹת יִהְיוּ מִשְׁתַּמְרִין וְטוֹבִים לְהִתְיַשֵּׁן, שֶׁיְּהֵא יָשָׁן הַנּוֹשָׁן שֶׁל שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים יָפֶה לֶאֱכֹל מִשֶּׁל אֶשְׁתָּקַד (בבא בתרא צ"א):

AND YE SHALL EAT STORE OF FORMER YEARS (lit., ye shall eat old that has become old) — This involves a promise that the fruits (grain) will be fit to keep the whole year and will even be of such good quality as to become old, so that the old grain that has grown old, that which is in its third year, will be better for food than that of the last year (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 3 1; cf. Bava Batra 91b)". (Rashi, ibid)

And at the end - the blessing seemingly refers to the new crop, "clear out the old to make room for the new".

וישן מפני חדש תוציאו. שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַגְּרָנוֹת מְלֵאוֹת חָדָשׁ וְהָאוֹצָרוֹת מְלֵאוֹת יָשָׁן, וּצְרִיכִים אַתֶּם לְפַנּוֹת הָאוֹצָרוֹת לְמָקוֹם אַחֵר, לָתֵת הֶחָדָשׁ לְתוֹכָן (שם):

AND YE SHALL CLEAR OUT THAT OF THE FORMER YEARS BECAUSE OF THE NEW — because the threshing floors in the fields will be full of new grain while the granaries are still full of the old, so that you will have to clear the granaries out into another place in order to place the new fruit in them (for this requires a dry place to preserve them, while the old fruit has already become dry and may therefore be removed from the granaries) (Bava Batra 91b)" (Rashi ibid).

It can be said that there are two different blessings here that complement one another. The blessing on the old - to eat from old refined fruits that are of higher quality and more durable: "And ye shall eat store of former years"- "This teaches that any produce that is older than other produce of that same type will be better than that other produce. And I have derived that this is the case only with regard to items for which it is the normal manner to age them. From where do I derive in the case of items for which it is not the normal manner to age them, e.g., fruit, that they too will improve with age? The verse states: “Old store long kept,” a general expression that indicates that in any case the land will keep its produce from spoiling, as all types of produce will improve with age." (Bava Batra 91b). And the blessing of the new - that the renewal of the new crop added is a sign of blessing, gives financial security for the future, and is a source of joy.

The Sefat Emet saw in the "Old" versus "New" in the agricultural crop a more general principle related to the complementary dialectical tension between the Old and the New: " You shall eat old grain long stored." (Berakhot 40a)

"ויאמר אם שמוע תשמע אם שמוע תשמע ואם לאו לא תשמע דבר אחר אם שמוע בישן תשמע בחדש ואם יפנה לבבך שוב לא תשמע"

This is alluded to by the verse where it is said: “And He said, if you will surely listen [shamo’a tishma] to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes” (Exodus 15:26). This verse is interpreted homiletically: If you listen [shamo’a] in the present, you will listen [tishma] in the future as well; and if not, you will not listen. Alternatively: If you listened [shamo’a] to the old, you review what you already learned, then you will listen [tishma] to the new as well. But if you turn your heart away, you will no longer be able to hear".

That the person should be impressed by the knowledge of the truth and should not have to be awaken by admiring only new things" (Sfat Emet Vechukotai).

"Old" is the accumulation of all the spiritual wealth acquired up to this moment and is the infrastructure upon which the "new" can be built, but compared to the familiar, known and archaic "old" that loses its charm and attractiveness, the "new" has a force of renewal, freshness. It's Intriguing, motivating and stimulates the soul, and fills it with faith and energies for doing, and are more appealing.

On the other hand, the "old" has passed the test of time and is established and dependable, the "new" is still temporary and will have to stand the test and 'prove' itself.

The tension between "old" and "new" is an inseparable part of our spiritual world. It is present in our lives with varying intensity. From time to time, it comes up more forcefully as a challenge to a long-time tradition of customs and as halakhic regulations of the past, and in various initiatives of change and innovation. Recently, there were those who wished to change the halakhic regulation of legumes on Passover for Ashkenazim, on the pretext that it is irrelevant to the present day, that women wear skirts or pants, prayer, etc.

Of course, each subject must be explained in its own right and why it should not be changed. However, the sources should discuss the validity of the custom and the importance of tradition and the necessity of the custom even though there is no halakhic obligation from the Torah or rabbinic law. The custom is one of the pillars of the existence of Judaism throughout the ages.

*-"And the custom of our forefathers is Torah" (Tosafot Minchot 20b).

*-"as it is stated: “My son, hear your father’s rebuke and do not abandon your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8). In addition to adhering to one’s father’s rebuke, i.e., halakha, one is also required to preserve his mother’s teaching, i.e., ancestral customs" (Psachim 50b)

In the case that the halachah disappeared, the Sages sought to learn about it from the custom of Israel:

הלכתא מאי אמר ליה פוק חזי מאי עמא דבר

*-"What is the halakha in this dispute? He said to him: Go out and observe what the people are doing and act accordingly". (Berachot 45a).

אלא הנח להן לישראל אם אין נביאים הן בני נביאים הן

*-He said to them: I once heard this halakha from my teachers but I have forgotten it. But leave it to the Jewish people; if they are not prophets to whom God has revealed His secrets, they are the sons of prophets, and will certainly do the right thing on their own". (Pesachim 66a)

לא יפרוש מן הצבור לעשות אגודות

*-" He shall not leave the congregation to form yourselves into religious factions. (Beit Yosef Orach Chaim Siman 34).

A custom that has been accepted by the Jewish people and that has been preserved from time immemorial, especially those derived from generations of Sages, it has necessarily a reason, even if it is not always clear ("the wisdom of the masses"). There is another side to the custom. There is spiritual and public strength in the existence of a long-time tradition. The duration and continuity of the custom over generations creates stability in comparison to frequent and provisional changes that each renews for himself.

It is also necessary to discuss the problem of motivation to undermine the existing, to move out "old" for "new". The urge to seek renewal instead of making an effort to delve into and understand the relevant value of every regulation and custom. Although there are also some 'wrong customs' that have taken root over the generations but are exceptions to the rule.

Conservatism has value no less than the value of innovation. Although innovation and change are an important part of the constantly changing reality, so is the spiritual world, and it does not mean that everything has to change, and what needs to be changed is not always good to change all at once, but gradually, naturally and not proactively.

'The old will be renewed and the new will be sanctified' (Rav Kook zt"l, Igrot HaRiyya 1).