Daf Yomi, Marriage Counseling, Psychotherapy, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Torah and Psychology
Our Gemara on Amud Aleph reasons a kal v’chomer about the rewards for mitzvos: “If with regard to the sending away of the mother bird, which is a mitzvah whose performance is simple, as it entails a loss of no more than an issar coin, i.e., the value of the mother bird, the Torah says: ‘That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days’ (Deuteronomy 22:7), it may be derived by kal v’chomer inference that the reward is no less for the fulfillment of the mitzvos in the Torah whose performance is demanding.”
It states in Pirkei Avos (2:1): “Be as careful with a light (easy to do) mitzvah as with a serious mitzvah, since one does not really know the ultimate reward or benefit of any of the mitzvos.” The Maharal (Tiferes Yisrael 61) asks: If so, the kal v’chomer in the Mishnah in Chulin is refuted. A kal v’chomer is based on an inference that if something applies to a less severe matter, surely it applies to a more severe matter. However, the assertion that the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird is a so-called lighter mitzvah is based on a false premise. Mishnah Avos states that we cannot actually judge which is a lighter or more severe mitzvah. So how is there a kal v’chomer?
The Maharal answers with the following distinction. There are two dimensions upon which we determine or describe the difficulty or severity of the mitzvah. There is the intrinsic reward or value in the mitzvah, which has to do with how it accomplishes the purification of the person’s soul and character and attachment to God. In that aspect, we really do not know or cannot evaluate and compare mitzvos. And so too with sin. There are some sins that could have much more of a deleterious effect than others. We cannot know, because we do not know the full meaning and purpose behind each mitzvah. However, there is a different scale, and that has to do with how easy or hard it is to do the mitzvah. Clearly, a mitzvah that is harder will generate more reward because of the sacrifice involved and the degree of devotion that it shows to God. On that level, it is legitimate to say that one mitzvah is lighter and the other one is more serious, because what is really meant is that one mitzvah is easier to do than another. Now we can understand the intent of the teaching in our Gemara. If there is such a great reward of long life for a relatively easy-to-accomplish mitzvah, such as sending the mother bird away, surely there is even greater reward for much harder mitzvos.
Maharal does not say this, but I believe he also means to say that even subjectively, based on the individual person, one mitzvah or sin could have greater impact than another. Each of us have different needs and me benefit from different mitzvos or prohibitions in different ways.
sponsored by https://empowermentaftertrauma.com/
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
Free resource for couples/families:
Over 80 lectures on heathy communication, marriage and sexuality from a Torah perspective Click here
If you liked this, you might enjoy my Relationship Communications Guide. Click on the link above.
Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com