Compassion and consequences

Music is powerful, and the high holy days are filled with majestic tunes to make the liturgy soar. There’s a line from the machzor that we sing again and again throughout the high holy days. It comes from the Torah, and it’s a powerful text with a powerful story to go with it.

This is the scene: Moses is up on Mt Sinai a second time. Why a second time? This after he came down with the first set of tablets, and seeing the Israelites dancing around the egel hazahav (golden calf), he smashed the tablets to the ground. G-d invites him back up, and explains that He plans to destroy the children of Israel. After all, what would one think when, after all the miracles of the exodus from Egypt, at the first big challenge, the absence of Moses for 40 days, they go back to idol worship!

But Moses isn’t a “yes man”. He challenges G-d and urges a change of mind, eventually negotiating/persuading G-d to relent and let the Israelites continue their journey to the promised land. And then Moses, seeing a possible moment, makes his most essential request, asking the Holy One to show Herself to him. A bold ask!

But G-d refuses, reminding Moses that no-one can see G-d’s face and live.

That could be the end of the story, but instead, G-d nestles Moses in a cleft in the rock and protects Moses with His hand, and so Moses is allowed to see G-d’s back as She passes by. And it’s then that Moses hears these words,

“The eternal G-d who was, is, and will always be, a G-d compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and truth, offering love in reward for your goodness to the thousandth generation, forgiving sin, mistakes, and transgressions, and granting pardon.” (Ex. 34:6)

It’s one of the most powerful moments in Torah, and powerful words spoken by G-d Himself. No wonder the rabbis wanted to include them in the high holy day machzor. They are perfect inspiration for us – G-d is compassionate, slow to anger, filled with chesed and emet (kindness and truth), granting pardon. Just what we want to hear as we stand in shul on yom tov.

But I’m afraid to tell you that the editors of the machzor were quite intentional here with their cut-and-paste from Exodus. You see, if you look at the Torah, the verse continues, but they chose not to include the rest. The machzor stops at the end of “forgiving sin, mistakes, and transgressions and granting pardon”, but the Torah continues, “yet G-d doesn’t cease from all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations”. The Torah doesn’t just present a totally cuddly Holy One forgiving us for anything, but insists that bad actions do bear consequences.

So why did the rabbis cut the hard stuff out of the machzor? They took out half the verse, and in doing so, changed the whole meaning of G-d’s proclamation to Moses. In the Torah, G-d is filled with mercy and forgiveness, but no-one escapes the consequences of their deeds. And the rabbis cut that off!

In times of crisis, call a friend. At such moments, our first call is to Rashi. Helpfully, the medieval French wine farmer and rabbinic commentator resolves the apparent contradiction in this verse with the following commentary, “G-d punishes, but with compassion; G-d administers consequences, but as kindly as possible and without anger.”

According to Rashi, we need to take responsibility for our actions, because although G-d is compassionate and loving, if we go astray and move away from the path that we’re supposed to be on, there are consequences for our actions.

Are we supposed to be using language in a way that is hurtful, spiteful, petty, and filled with gossip? No.

Are we supposed to be living lives that are so busy, we can’t carve out an island, a sanctuary in time once a week to spend with our family and community over Shabbat? No.

Are we supposed to tell jokes or stories that rely on demeaning others for their humour and interest? No.

And so, we come to shul and sing of G-d’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. But when we study Torah, we’re reminded that G-d isn’t just about mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. G-d also wants us to take responsibility for our actions. If there’s unfinished business between ourselves and G-d, between ourselves and other people, we need to make good and bring them to resolution, as difficult as they might be.

As we prepare for these yom tovim, may we allow ourselves to see through the compassionate eyes of G-d and look with love into the faces of each other. May we also be able to find the tools, the patience, and the love to repair what’s broken, to make good what’s still outstanding, so that we can leave shul with the final shofar blast signalling the beginning of a sweet new year for us and for all.

Shana tova umetuka.

• Rabbi Greg is one of the rabbinic team at the Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation.