It teaches us that even the smallest injustice can have enormous consequences, echoing through the world and even impacting our relationship with the Divine.
Our jumping-off point is Vayikra Rabbah 22, a fascinating passage in the Midrash. It begins with the seemingly simple phrase: “any man from the house of Israel.” But what follows is anything but simple. It launches us into a powerful discussion about the interconnectedness of our actions, both good and bad, and their reverberating impact.
The text quotes Isaiah 66:3, a rather jarring verse: “One who slaughters a bull, smites a man; one who sacrifices a lamb, beheads a dog; one who presents a meal offering, it is the blood of a swine; one who brings frankincense, brings a gift of iniquity.” What on earth does this mean? It sounds like the prophet is saying that these acts of worship are actually evil!
Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, two prominent sages, offer different interpretations of this verse. Rabbi Yoḥanan argues that even robbing someone of a single peruta – the smallest denomination of currency – is akin to murder! He supports this with multiple biblical verses: "He learned to maul prey, he devoured man" (Ezekiel 19:3), "So are the ways of every pursuer of ill-gotten gain; it takes the life of its owners" (Proverbs 1:19), and so on. The idea is that stealing, even a little, diminishes the life of the victim, creating a ripple effect of harm.
He even uses the story of the Gibeonites and King Saul to illustrate his point. Remember that story? The Gibeonites claimed Saul “eliminated us, and who devised against us, so that we would be destroyed” (II Samuel 21:5). But did Saul actually kill them? No, but by destroying Nov, the city of priests that provided them with sustenance, it was as if he had. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this act indirectly led to their demise (Ginzberg, Legends, 4:69).
Reish Lakish, on the other hand, flips the verse on its head. He reads Isaiah 66:3 to mean: “One who smites a man, slaughters a bull; one who beheads a dog, sacrifices a lamb…” In other words, people commit terrible acts and then try to cover them up with acts of apparent piety, thinking they can get away with it. The verse "They too chose their ways" (Isaiah 66:3) suggests that people deliberately choose a path of wrongdoing while deluding themselves into thinking they are righteous. It's a powerful critique of hypocrisy!
Then, the text presents a fascinating question posed by Rabbi Elazar to Rabbi Ḥanina (or vice versa – the text notes the uncertainty, adding a very human touch to the debate). The question is this: Which is worse, poverty or wealth? "Two I ask of You…. Distance vanity and falsehood from me; do not give me poverty or wealth; feed me my allotted bread, lest I become sated, and renounce, and say: Who is the Lord? And lest I become poor, and steal, and appropriate the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7–9). Poverty can lead to stealing and false oaths, while wealth can lead to arrogance and denial of God. Which is the greater danger?
Rabbi Ḥanina answers that desecration of God's name is worse than idol worship. As Ezekiel 20:39 says, "You, house of Israel, so said the Lord God: Let each man go worship his idols… You shall not profane My holy name any more." Therefore, the dangers of poverty, which can lead one to desecrate God's name, are greater than the dangers of wealth. This is a powerful and unsettling idea!
The passage concludes by connecting this discussion back to the original verse in Leviticus: “Any man from the house of Israel who will slaughter…” The Torah is warning us to be mindful of our actions because our behavior reflects on God's name. Imagine, says the Midrash, if Israel violated the prohibition of private altars and were punished. The nations of the world would see and say, "They worship in His name, and He kills them!" That's a chillul Hashem, a desecration of God’s name.
So, what’s the takeaway from all of this? It's a powerful reminder that our actions, no matter how small they seem, have consequences. They affect not only ourselves and those around us, but also our relationship with the Divine. Even a seemingly insignificant transgression can be a chillul Hashem, damaging the reputation of God in the world. It’s a call to live with intention, integrity, and awareness of the impact we have on the world around us. It's a weighty responsibility, but also a profound opportunity to sanctify God's name through our actions.