The Secret of the Eglah Arufah: The Spiritual Responsibility of Torah Scholars

Lesson No. 262 | Cassette 262, Tuesday, Parashas Shoftim, 28 Menachem Av 5760 - At the Yeshiva

A profound discourse on the portion of the Eglah Arufah (decapitated calf), explaining how the spiritual state of Torah scholars directly impacts physical reality. The Rav explains, based on the Ibn Ezra, that every crime or disaster that occurs in the world draws its power from the spirit of impurity created when we do "whatever we feel like doing" instead of what is upright in the eyes of Hashem.

In the portion of the Eglah Arufah, the Torah commands the elders of the city closest to the slain victim to go out to the stream and publicly declare their innocence:

"Then the Kohanim, the sons of Levi, shall approach, for Hashem your God has chosen them to serve Him... And all the elders of that city, who are closest to the slain person, shall wash their hands over the decapitated calf in the stream. And they shall speak up and say, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.'"

The question arises: What is actually happening here? The elders, Torah scholars whose beards reach down to their navels, come and announce, "We did not murder him! Our hands are clean; look, white hands, without a drop of blood on them!" Who would even suspect these elders? Do they need to wander around the underworld or in taverns, eavesdropping on the conversations of criminals, to prove they have no connection to the murder? Why specifically must they testify to this?

Who is Truly to Blame?

The answer is deep and piercing. If someone is killed in the world, who is to blame? The one who studies Torah day and night—he is to blame. Because with just a little more Torah study, with just a bit more intention in prayer, this murder would not have happened.

Therefore, they specifically take the elders, the Torah scholars with peyos (sidelocks) and white beards, and they must wash their hands and testify, "nor did our eyes see it." The Ibn Ezra explains that if there had been no sin in that city, the murder would not have occurred specifically in its vicinity. The entire city is guilty. If a crime happens in Jerusalem, we are all to blame.

The Gemara in Tractate Makkos states that the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) is to blame if there is an unintentional murderer in his generation. The question is asked: Why on earth is he to blame? Is this why the mothers of the Kohanim Gedolim had to provide food and clothing for the murderers in the cities of refuge? The answer is yes! The Gemara brings a proof from Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. A person was torn apart by a wild beast at a distance of three parsos (miles) from the city of Lod, where Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi lived. As a result, Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet), who would reveal himself to him every day, stopped appearing to him for three days until he did teshuvah (repentance).

Why? Because everything that happens around us—people being murdered or killed in car accidents—is all our fault. The elders of the generation and the Torah scholars must do *teshuvah* (repentance) for every disaster that occurs. If we had prayed with more intention, if we had opened our eyes and guarded our minds, this would not have happened.

The Mechanism of Impurity and the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination)

The Ibn Ezra emphasizes that had they not committed a sin at that exact moment, the murder would not have taken place. They would measure which city the slain victim was closest to, in order to know which city was guilty. The closest city evidently sinned at that very second.

For someone to succeed in murdering, someone else must commit a sin at that exact moment. The sin releases a spirit of impurity into the world, and only by virtue of this does the *yetzer hara* (evil inclination) of the murderer manage to act. If there were no spirit of impurity in the air, the murderer would have tripped, slipped, or broken his hand, and would not have succeeded in carrying out his evil plot. Therefore, the thoughts of Hashem are very deep, and the elders, the Sanhedrin, and even the King and the Kohen Gadol—everyone must come and confess.

Doing What is Upright in the Eyes of Hashem

The Torah continues and says:

"And you shall purge the innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is upright in the eyes of Hashem."

The Ibn Ezra is precise with every word: How will you purge the innocent blood? By doing what is upright in the eyes of Hashem. As long as a person does what is upright in the eyes of Hashem, there are no murders in the world. But when a person does whatever he feels like doing—"Now I feel like drinking, now I feel like driving"—he gives power to others to also do whatever they feel like doing.

When I do whatever I feel like doing, the criminal also does whatever he feels like doing and succeeds in robbing or killing. But if I nullify my own will and do only what is upright in the eyes of Hashem, he too will be unable to do what he feels like doing. Torah scholars are the head of the world. If the head is in order, the body does not do foolish things. If the head is distorted, everything becomes distorted.

The Root of Crime and the True Tikkun (Rectification)

The entire country makes a living from chasing after criminals. They build prisons, employ police officers, judges, and lawyers, legislate laws in the Knesset 24 hours a day, and develop sophisticated tracking devices—and all of this is for a handful of thieves and murderers.

But why are there thieves in the first place? Because those who are supposed to study Torah and be the head of the Jewish people fall themselves. They "steal" forbidden sights, "steal" forbidden thoughts, and think that no one sees. Because a person says to himself, "Who saw me looking?", at that very moment a bank is broken into or a robbery takes place, and a million people are dragged into investigations and trials.

The book Avi Ezri (a commentary on the Ibn Ezra) summarizes this according to the principle, "the reward of a sin is a sin, and the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah." If everyone would do what is upright in the eyes of Hashem, there would be no murders, thefts, or robberies. There would be no need for the entire justice and law enforcement industry.

Instead of investing all the energy of this world into catching criminals, we must do the exact opposite: cleave to Hashem, study Torah, and think only about how to serve Him. Do not seek external justice and fairness—do what is upright in the eyes of Hashem. Go study Torah and pray with deep intention—this is the true uprightness that will bring about the eradication of evil from the world.

Part 1 of 2 — Lesson No. 262

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