It’s not just about breaking rules, but the intent behind the actions, the chilling calculation of wrongdoing. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, delves into this very question.
Rabbi Elazar paints a disturbing picture. He says the Israelites, at a certain point, would sit and calculate which forbidden relationship was the most egregious. Why? Not out of remorse, but to deliberately violate the most severe prohibition, specifically to anger God. Can you imagine? A cold, calculated attempt to provoke the Divine.
The verse from Ezekiel (22:11) is brought as evidence: "One [committed an abomination] with his neighbor’s wife, and [one] defiled [his daughter-in-law] with lewdness." Rabbi Elazar emphasizes the phrase "with lewdness," explaining it means "with forethought." It wasn't a crime of passion, but a premeditated act.
They would even compare the severity of punishments: Consorting with a married woman meant execution by strangulation, while intimacy with a daughter-in-law was punishable by stoning. The conclusion? Violating the relationship with a daughter-in-law was seen as the greater offense. This wasn't about justice, but about finding the most offensive act to commit.
Rabbi Yishmael offers another perspective, referencing Amos 2:7: "A man and his father go to the same young woman [in order to profane My holy name]." Now, the verse could be interpreted as mere lust. But Rabbi Yishmael insists that the verse specifies "in order to profane My holy name" – that is, specifically "to anger Him." It's that deliberate intention to desecrate, to provoke, that carries the most weight. It's not just the act, but the motive behind it.
Rabbi Levi adds a historical context, saying that Israel wasn't exiled until seven patrilineal houses – seven powerful families – became wicked. He references a verse that speaks of "children," "children’s children," and acting "corruptly and craft[ily]" over a long period. The Gemara (Gittin 88a) identifies these houses with seven dynasties of wicked kings, including Yerovam ben Nevat, Baasha ben Aḥiya, Omri, Yehu, Menaḥem, Pekaḥ, and Hoshea. This wasn't just about individual transgressions; it was a systemic corruption, a deliberate turning away from the Divine will embedded within the very structure of power. The slow, insidious rot that eventually led to exile.
So, what does it mean to truly anger the Divine? It's not just about breaking rules, but about the deliberate intent to profane, to defy, to calculate the most offensive act. It's about a corruption that spreads through families, through generations, until it consumes an entire nation. It's a sobering thought, isn't it? It forces us to consider not just our actions, but the motivations that lie beneath them. Are we acting out of genuine respect and love, or are we, in some small way, calculating how far we can push the boundaries?