Ashrei Adam Mefached Tamid - Understanding God's Relationship with Us

Full Summary

This shiur analyzes Tosfos's challenging interpretation of why the Gemara (גמרא) in Gittin 55b introduces the three tragic stories leading to the Churban (destruction of Jerusalem) with the verse "Ashrei adam mefached tamid" (Happy is the person who fears constantly). Rabbi Zweig first presents Tosfos's explanation: just as a person should constantly fear forgetting his Torah (תורה) learning and therefore review regularly, so too the Jewish people should have feared Divine punishment rather than relying on their prosperity and tranquility when they embarrassed Bar Kamtsa and mistreated Caesar's soldiers. The people mistakenly believed that since things were going well, they could act improperly without consequences. Rabbi Zweig initially struggles with this interpretation, questioning how people could think their good fortune would protect them from punishment for wrongdoing. He explores whether the issue was that they considered themselves tzadikim gemurim (completely righteous) who could start up with reshaim (wicked people) without fear of Divine retribution, referencing a Gemara in Brachos about when one may or may not engage with the wicked. However, this approach doesn't address the Bar Kamtsa incident. The shiur then develops a profound insight using the opening of Parshas Lech Lecha. Rabbi Zweig analyzes why the Torah uses the phrase "Lech lecha" (go for yourself) when describing Hashem (ה׳)'s command to Avraham, when the subsequent verses already promise rewards. He explains that the extra word "lecha" teaches a fundamental principle: Hashem's relationship with us is for our benefit, not His. This contrasts with human relationships where employers pay salaries to control workers for their own benefit. The crucial distinction is whether our relationship with Hashem is transactional (we serve Him, He rewards us to get what He wants) or truly for our benefit. If it's transactional, then like a valuable employee who steals but remains profitable, Hashem might overlook our wrongdoing because He "needs" us. But if the relationship is truly for our benefit, then when we do wrong, Hashem will punish us because it's good for us, like a parent disciplining a child. This explains the mistake of the people in the three cities. They believed they were indispensable to Hashem - that He needed the chachamim (sages) and the Jewish people to represent Him in the world. Therefore, they thought they could mistreat Bar Kamtsa or beat up Roman soldiers without consequences because Hashem couldn't afford to punish His valuable representatives. Their error was fundamental: they misunderstood the nature of their relationship with Hashem. The relationship isn't about what's good for Hashem; it's about what's good for us. When we do wrong, Hashem punishes us not because we've damaged His interests, but because wrongdoing damages us spiritually and morally. This insight transforms our understanding of Divine providence and explains the tragic mistake that led to the Churban.