The articles in this column are transcriptions and adaptations of shiurim by Rav Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, zt”l. The Rav’s unique perspective on Chumash permeated many of the shiurim and lectures he presented at various venues over a 40-plus-year period. His words add an important perspective that makes the Chumash in particular, and our tradition in general, vibrant and relevant to our generation.
Kavod habriyos, respect for mankind, is a fundamental principle in Judaism. Burial laws, mourning, respect for others, are based on kavod habriyos. Indeed one can posit that all commandments bein adam la’chavaeiro, between man and man, are based on kavod habriyos. kavod habriyos is in turn based on tzelem Elokim, the creation of man in the image of God. Ramban (Bereishis 1:26) notes that the verse in Psalms of kavod v’hadar teat’reihu, You shall crown him with honor and splendor, expresses the halachic equivalent of tzelem Elokim. kavod refers to kavod Elokim or as Chazal called it, kavod habriyos.
Chazal stated often that man should distance himself from pursuing kavod. Chazal warn us that jealousy, desire and (pursuit of) honor remove man from the world (Avos 4:21). Gedulah (kavod), grandeur, eludes those that seek it (Eruvin 13b). If Torah wanted man to reject the pursuit of kavod, why was he adorned in kavod as noted in Psalms? Because kavod is an attribute of Hashem, the Melech Hakavod. We are commanded to walk in the ways of Hashem, V’halachta b’drachav. If Hashem is Melech Hakavod we must strive to emulate Him and aspire to kavod. With this foundation, we can begin to glimpse why the concept of kavod plays such a central role in Judaic thought and why Judaism stressed the equation of tzelem Elokim and kavod v’hadar.
To understand Judaism’s dichotomous approaches to kavod we must analyze the following (Nidah 30b): Upon the birth of the child the angel slaps his mouth, he doesn’t leave the womb prior to the administration of a vow and oath, as it says Ki li tichra kol berech tishava kol lashon (Isaiah 45:23). Ki li tichra kol berech connotes the day of death. Tishava Kol Lashon connotes the day of birth. The oath is the child should be righteous, not wicked. Regardless if people speak of you as a righteous person, always perceive yourself as wicked. And you should know, Hashem is pure, his servants are pure and the soul that was implanted in you is pure. Your mission is to maintain its purity. Success is appreciated, mutav. Failure to maintain the purity of your soul will result in Hashem, so to speak Himself, reclaiming it from you. The Talmud says that prior to birth, each child’s fate is determined, with the exclusion of fear of Heaven. The oath taken by the fetus does not interfere with the concept of free will. Man retains the ability to serve God if he so desires. The oath he takes, shavuah, is to fulfill the commands of Hashem.
These Talmudic statements provide the framework for understanding the metaphysical/philosophical role of man in this world and how Chazal viewed the proper pursuit of kavod. These principles related to kavod were revealed to Moshe when Hashem appointed him to lead the Jews from Egypt. It is impossible to fully appreciate Moshe’s role in Jewish legacy without understanding these principles.
Parshas Shemos introduces the idea of man, Moshe, acting as Hashem’s representative, shaliach. V’ata l’cha v’eshlachacha el Paroh, and now go and I will send you to Pharaoh. This command represents a brand new relationship between Hashem and man. For the first time, Hashem, the Infinite, the Master of all, appoints a finite, frail human being as His representative. Doesn’t this violate the principle of shelucho shel adam k’moso, the emissary represents the dispatcher? How can limited man represent Hashem? There is no satisfactory answer to this question, yet the fact remains that Moshe was sent as the emissary of Hashem. This is reiterated “And he sent an emissary (malach) and took us out of Egypt” (Bamidbar 20:16). Rashi interprets malach as referring to Moshe. Apparently, since he was created b’tzelem Elokim, man assumes the role of God’s emissary to the rest of creation. Instead of shelucho shel adam k’moso, we should view it shelucho shel Makom nivra b’tzalmo, the emissary of Hashem was created in His image.