It's almost like one verse says one thing, and another… well, it says the opposite! It can be confusing, right? But Jewish tradition is brilliant at wrestling with these apparent contradictions. It offers ways to understand them, showing us the depth and complexity of our sacred texts.
The Sifrei Bamidbar, a collection of legal midrash on the Book of Numbers, tackles this head-on. It asks, how can we reconcile verses that seem utterly opposed? It does so by introducing a powerful idea: timing.
Think of it like this: one verse says, "The L-rd lift His countenance unto you," (Numbers 6:26) a beautiful blessing expressing divine favor. But another verse, from Deuteronomy, says God "does not lift the countenance" (Deuteronomy 10:17), meaning He doesn't show favoritism or forgive based on appearances. How do we make sense of this?
The Sifrei Bamidbar suggests it depends on the moment. Before a decree has been sealed, when there's still a chance for repentance and change, "The L-rd lift His countenance unto you." There's grace, there's forgiveness. But after the decree is sealed, after a judgment has been made, God "does not lift the countenance." Justice must take its course.
This theme repeats throughout the text, resolving many seeming contradictions. Psalm 65:3 says, "O, heeder of prayer, to You does all flesh come," while Lamentations 3:44 states, "You have covered Yourself with a cloud against the passing of prayer." Again, timing is key. Before the decree, God hears our prayers. After? A cloud intervenes.
Psalm 145:18 tells us, "Close is the L-rd to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth," a comforting thought. Yet Psalm 10:1 asks, "Why, O L-rd, do You stand afar?" Before the decree, God is near. After, He seems distant.
Even regarding good and evil, the text grapples with this. Lamentations 3:38 says, "From the mouth of the Most High there shall not issue forth the evils and the good," implying God isn't the source of both. But Daniel 9:14 states, "and the L-rd was anxious for the evil (to materialize)," suggesting a divine hand in punishment. The resolution? Before the decree, God doesn't initiate evil. After, He allows it to happen as a consequence of our actions.
The same logic applies to repentance, or teshuva. Jeremiah 4:14 urges, "Wash your heart of evil, O Jerusalem, so that you be saved," a call to change. But Jeremiah 2:22 despairs, "Though you wash yourself with niter and add borax, your sin is an (indelible) stain before Me." Before the decree, repentance works! After… it may be too late. Jeremiah 3:22 offers "Return, you wayward sons," but Jeremiah 8:4 warns, "If they (wish to) return, He will not return" (to accept them.) Isaiah 55:6 encourages us to "Seek the L-rd when He is found," while Ezekiel 20:3 seems to shut the door: "As I live (says the L-rd), will I be sought out for you?" Even God’s desire for our well-being seems to shift: Ezekiel 18:32 declares, "For I do not desire the death of the dead one," yet 1 Samuel 2:25 states, "… for the L-rd desired to kill them."
The Sifrei Bamidbar offers another way of understanding the initial contradiction: the difference between this world and the world to come – olam ha-ba. In this world, God's face shines upon us. In the world to come? Justice reigns supreme.
But the text doesn't stop there. It expands on the blessing, "and grant you peace" – Shalom. This isn't just the absence of conflict. It's peace in all aspects of life: "peace in your coming in and peace in your going out and peace with all men." Rabbi Chanina adds, "peace in your house." Rabbi Nathan connects it to the Messianic era, quoting Isaiah 9:6, "the king who increases the governance (of the L-rd), and his peace will be endless." It’s also the peace of Torah, drawing on Psalm 29:11, "The L-rd gives strength (Torah) to His people; the L-rd blesses His people with peace."
The text emphasizes the importance of peace, stating that "Great is peace, the Holy One Blessed be He deviating from the truth for its sake." It then provides examples, referencing Sarah in Genesis 18:12-13, and Manoach's story in Judges 13. It even speaks of the sotah ritual, where God's name is symbolically erased to bring peace between a husband and wife. The sotah is a woman accused of adultery, who undergoes a ritual involving drinking water with ink dissolved in it; if she is guilty, the water will supposedly make her ill.
The text goes on to say that peace contains all blessings, it is given to the penitent, to the righteous, to lovers and learners of Torah, to the humble, and to those who do righteousness. Even in war, peace is the ultimate goal!
Rabbi Chanina concludes by saying peace "is over and against the entire creation," referencing Isaiah 45:7. It's needed even in the celestial realms, as Job 25:2 states: "Governance and fear is with Him: He makes peace in His heights."
So, what does all of this mean for us? Perhaps it’s a reminder that our actions have consequences, that there's a time for grace and a time for judgment. But more than that, it's a powerful affirmation of the importance of Shalom – peace – in our lives, in our homes, and in the world. It's a goal worth striving for, even if it means bending the truth a little. After all, as the text makes clear, peace isn't just the absence of war. It's the very foundation of a blessed life.