The Depth of Mercy: The Danger of Cruelty and the Lesson of Amatzia, King of Judah

Lesson No. 282 | Motzaei Shabbos Kodesh Parashas Vayeshev, Eve of 27 Kislev 5761 - Melaveh Malkah in the Yeshiva - Part 1

A profound discourse explaining why Hashem is distressed over the punishment of the nations of the world, illustrating through the story of Amatzia, King of Judah, how cruelty toward non-Jews defiles the heart and leads to idolatry. In contrast, the conduct of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair is presented, teaching the obligation to have mercy upon and respect every created being.

Hashem's Sorrow Over the Nations of the World

The Kedushas Levi says that when Hashem needs to punish the nations of the world, it is very bad and difficult in His eyes. He is pained by the evil He brings upon them, because His blessed will is that they should do teshuvah (repentance), and that the Jewish people should be a light unto the nations. As it is stated:

"And nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brilliance of your shine."

The aspiration is that there will be such a light in the world, that the Jewish people will learn Torah and its light will shine from one end of the world to the other, until the entire world will do teshuvah (repentance). Therefore, even when He wanted to strike Pharaoh, He said to Moshe, "Come to Pharaoh," because even upon the nations of the world, it is difficult for Him to bring evil.

The Beginning of the Decree of Destruction and the Test of Amatzia

The Midrash Rabbah on Megillas Eichah (Pesichta 14) asks a terrible and awesome question: When was the decree of destruction to destroy Jerusalem first issued? Although the decree was renewed every few years, when did it actually begin? The Midrash expounds on the verse "and he was angry and squeezed," explaining that the matter began in the days of Amatzia, King of Judah, when he went to subdue Edom.

Amatzia conquered the entire land of Edom, from south of the Dead Sea down to Eilat, including the city of Petra (referred to in the sources as "Rekem" or "Pantera"), which was a massive and fortified city carved entirely into the rock. Before the war, Amatzia hired one hundred thousand mighty warriors from the Ten Tribes for one hundred talents of silver. However, the man of G-d came to him and said:

"O king, let not the army of Israel go with you, for Hashem is not with Israel... But if you go, do it, be strong for the battle; G-d will make you stumble before the enemy."

Amatzia asked what to do with the vast amount of money he had already paid, and the prophet answered him: "Hashem has much more than this to give you." Amatzia withstood the immense test, relinquished his lust for money, believed the word of the prophet, and sent the soldiers back to their place.

The Cruelty That Led to Exile and Idolatry

Amatzia went to war and struck down ten thousand of the children of Edom. But afterward, he committed a terrible act: he took ten thousand live captives, brought them up to the top of the rock, and threw them down from there so that they were all dashed to pieces and crushed in horrific agony. At that moment, Hashem said:

"For this, I will no longer forgive. Until now, everything was fine, and you gave up the money, but to commit such a cruel act against non-Jews? This does not belong to the Jewish people!"

Because the Jewish people saw the king commit such an act and neither protested nor rose up, the terrible decree was issued for the first time to exile the Children of Israel from the Land of Israel. Furthermore, after a person commits an act of cruelty, his heart petrifies and turns into an impure heart of stone, which leads him to idolatry. Indeed, immediately after he cruelly defeated the Edomites, Amatzia brought the gods of the children of Seir, set them up as his gods, and bowed down to them. The cruel act extinguished his heart.

The Prohibition of Harming Non-Jews and Divine Providence

From here we learn a tremendous foundation brought in the Gemara in Tractate Chullin (page 7): It is absolutely forbidden to harm an Arab or any non-Jew for no reason. One cannot vent their nerves or boredom on non-Jews—this is a complete and absolute prohibition. On the contrary, we are commanded to help any non-Jew we meet on the way who needs assistance.

Hashem protects a person on the roads in wondrous ways, as we saw with King David when he fled from Saul. Hashem sent a spider that spun its web over the entrance of the cave to hide him. And when Avner ben Ner lay down and placed his legs over David, nearly suffocating him, Hashem sent a wasp that stung Avner and caused him to lift his legs. Hashem has special powers to cast a deep sleep and save a person from any trouble.

The Miracle of the Splitting of the River by Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair

The Gemara in Chullin tells of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair who went to perform the mitzvah of redeeming captives. He was accompanied by a Jew carrying wheat for Pesach, and they were also joined by an Arab non-Jew whom they met on the way. When they reached the Ginai River, Rabbi Pinchas commanded it to split. The river initially refused, but after Rabbi Pinchas gave it an ultimatum, the river split.

After he crossed, Rabbi Pinchas commanded the river to split again for the Jew carrying the wheat, so that it wouldn't get wet and become chametz (leavened). The river split again. When they were both on the other side, they remembered the Arab who was left behind.

Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair said: "Split also for this Arab, so that he won't say that Jews abandon people in the middle of the way!"

He had mercy on him as well and ensured that he crossed safely. Regarding this, Rav Yosef said that Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was as great as Moshe Rabbeinu, for he accomplished alone what Moshe did for sixty myriads (six hundred thousand people).

The Power of a Non-Jew's Blessing and the Secret of the Tribes' Dispute

Our holy Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) brings in Sefer HaMiddos (based on Midrash Tanchuma): "Do not take the blessing of a non-Jew lightly." One must answer 'Amen' even to the blessing of an Arab. When Yitzchak blessed Yaakov, "And those who bless you shall be blessed," the meaning is that anyone who blesses a Jew – even a non-Jew – is blessed himself, and his blessing is fulfilled.

Incidentally, let us return to the matter of Yosef HaTzaddik and the brothers. The root of the dispute between them was anchored in halachic (Jewish legal) issues. The brothers ruled according to the opinion of the Rambam, who permits cooking the meat of a wild animal (such as a deer) in milk, and holds that the prohibition is only Rabbinic due to maris ayin (the appearance of wrongdoing). Furthermore, the dispute touched upon the laws of vows (Nedarim 33) – whether one who vows to abstain from meat is permitted to eat poultry (according to the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel) or forbidden (according to the opinion of Rabbi Akiva). According to the Radbaz, this dispute also impacted the laws of ever min hachai (eating a limb from a living animal), and whether this prohibition applies to poultry as well.

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