Although on the surface it may seem like the “ben sorer umoreh” didn’t do much, nevertheless, the habits and lifestyle of this boy dictate that eventually he will degenerate into a terrible person. Therefore, the Torah imposes the death penalty upon him now while he is “innocent,” so that he won’t be executed later on in life when he is actually guilty (see Sanhedrin 72a). Indeed, the very slippery slope of this boy is foreseen—that these actions will breed worse and worse actions. As the Gemara Yerushalmi (Sanhedrin, 8:7) explains, Hashem foresaw that this boy will eventually deplete all his mothers and fathers possessions (in order to be able to purchase his dietary wants); He will begin robbing other people; He will begin murdering people—and finally, he will forget his [Torah] learning.
If it’s a downward spiral going from bad to worst, the Gemara Yerushalmi seemingly indicates that forgetting his Torah learning is worse than robbing people and even worse than being a potential serial killer! Moreover, since this is the last on the list, it seems that once he forgets his Torah learning, only then does he hit the definitive point of no return, and not necessarily before that. Why would forgetting his learning be worse than murder and why would it be that only once he forgets it all hope is lost?
Rav Aharon Kotler explains that as long as he still remembered his Torah learning, the Torah could have returned him to the right path despite where he is currently holding. But now, once he forgets his learning, he’s left totally to the snares of his desires, with no hope of returning (Mishnas Rebbi Aharon 1, Maamer, “Ben Sorer Umoreh” 2).
We see from here the amazing power of Torah, how it can bring a person entrenched in terrible actions—even a serial killer—and refine and restore their character and actions. With Torah, there’s still hope even for such a person.
Let’s get to know this “rebellious son” a little better.
His punishment is sekilah—the most severe capital punishment, which seems odd since the typical punishment for a murderer is hereg, which is less severe! Rav Chaim Kanievsky explains that there are two kinds of murderers: One type is someone who acts in the heat of the moment—consumed by emotion and desire. But the other type is one who acts simply due to a callous disregard for human life—even if he has nothing to gain from it. Hence, since the Torah foresaw that the ben sorer umoreh has become so desensitized to others by his gross self indulgence that he is prepared to kill others with no more thought than he would give to swatting a fly, this level of cruelty warrants a more severe punishment. (Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Chumash).
And yet, even at this point, if he didn’t forget his Torah learning, perhaps it could have restored his character and brought him back! Such is the power of Torah.
With this restoring power of Torah, we can perhaps glean an understanding as to why in Parshat Vayishlach the Satan started up with Yaakov as opposed to Avraham or Yitchak. As Rav Elchanan Wasserman explains, when in a battle with someone, the way to defeat the other is by making them lose their weaponry. Similarly, in our constant battle with the yetzer hara, he aims to distract us away from Torah which is our weapon against him, as the Gemara says “I [Hashem] created the yetzer hara, and I created the Torah as its antidote.” For even if a person is involved in the worst transgressions, nevertheless Torah can inspire him to do teshuva and improve! Hence, since Yaakov was the pillar of Torah [and represented Torah], the Satan strategically went for Yaakov. (Kovetz Ma’amarim V’igaros, 1, Ma’amer Ma’aseh Avot Siman L’Banim).
Indeed, if Torah can potentially bring back even a ruthless killer, it’s no wonder why Satan tried to take down Yaakov, i.e. Torah. For with Torah, a person can overpower the yetzer hara even if a person is already deeply entrenched in its favor. Even when a person’s character and actions have taken a hit, and is in the lowest of places, the power of Torah can nevertheless restore a person’s consciousness and help regain his true identity. The Satan knew that, and he tried to remove that “weapon” from us.
When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt and crossed the sea, they started complaining after three days without water. This complaining is seemingly a great critique, for they just experienced miracles beyond proportion, and thus they should’ve been overflowing with belief and faith in Hashem. The Gemara says that water is a metaphor for Torah. It would thus seem that since they lacked Torah for just three days, this led to a decline in their character and spiritual state so much so that to an extent their emunah went out the window and they had grievances! Indeed, a lack of Torah even for just a few days can lead to a decline in one’s character and level of ruchniyot.
Since this was the result of three days without Torah, it was established that we have kriat hatorah three times a week—Monday, Thursday and Shabbat—so that three days don’t go by without Torah. The readings on Mondays and Thursdays are relatively short and mundane, which can imply that even this quantity and quality of Torah could have brought Bnei Yisrael out of this character deficiency and spiritual flaw.
I saw a story from Rabbi Frand, of a rabbi involved in kiruv. Once, this rabbi met Uri Zohar and asked him what he should learn with certain non-religious people he interacts with. Uri asked him, “What are you learning in yeshiva?” He said that he was learning Gemara, tractate Bava Kama. Uri told him “So learn with them Bava Kama.” The rabbi looked at him incredulously and said “Bava Kama? The ox; the pit; fire that damages? This will turn people on to Judaism?” To which Uri responded “My dear friend, you don’t believe in Torah! If you can question and doubt that learning with them Bava Kama is going to bring them back—then you don’t fully believe and appreciate the power of Torah.” Learn pure, unadulterated Bava Kama. You do not need to learn philosophical works such as Kuzari and Moreh Nevuchim. Learn about the ox that gores the cow. It does something to the soul. It is mystical. It is magical. It is the nourishment that the soul thirsts for, and a teacher needs nothing more.
Torah, even if it may not seem like it’s necessarily “speaking to us,” can have a profound effect and bring even those very far away, close again.
Now that we are in Elul, a particularly auspicious time for teshuva and improvement, enhancing our relationship with Torah is imperative. No matter where a person is holding or how far a person has gone, the restoring and nurturing nature of Torah carries the power to refine and enhance our character, and bring us back to our roots.
Binyamin is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, and Wurzweiler School of Social Work
