The passage begins with a verse from Leviticus (25:14): "If you sell a sale item…[you shall not wrong [tonu] one another]." The Hebrew word tonu speaks of exploitation, of taking unfair advantage. But what does this have to do with prophecy? Hold on, it's about to get interesting.
The text then jumps to the prophet Amos (7:7): "Behold, the Lord standing beside a level [anakh] wall." What's this wall? According to the Maharzu, it represents the great separation between God and Israel caused by the sins of people exploiting each other – a wall of exploitation [deunita]. It's as if our wrongdoings build a barrier between us and the Divine.
And what about the "plumb line in His hand" that Amos sees? Vayikra Rabbah interprets this plumb line [anakh] as a promissory note [onakh]. Imagine a creditor standing with that note, demanding payment. It’s a powerful image of divine justice.
Think about the story of the Exodus. "A new king arose" (Exodus 1:8), the midrash tells us, like a creditor with a promissory note. He was demanding payment for what God told Abram: "Know, that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they shall be enslaved to them and they shall oppress them" (Genesis 15:13). The suffering in Egypt, as terrible as it was, was seen as a fulfillment of this divine decree. A cosmic debt being collected.
But the plumb line image goes even deeper. Amos says, "The Lord said to me: What do you see, Amos? I said: A plumb line [anakh]" (Amos 7:8). Here, the plumb line is connected to the Great Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish high court! Why? Because the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in anakh (alef – 1, nun – 50, kaf – 20) equals 71 – the number of judges in the Sanhedrin. This suggests that justice, both human and divine, is essential for maintaining balance.
There’s a beautiful teaching from Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon. He says that a pot is sustained by its tin coating [anakha]. Similarly, God says, "I will give you a protective coating of suffering in this world, but in the World to Come, 'I will not continue to be enraged by them any longer'" (Amos 7:8). This is a profound idea: suffering, though painful, can serve as a protective layer, purifying us and paving the way for future redemption. The suffering imposed on the Jewish people causes them to repent, and also removes liability for their sins so they can benefit from the World to Come.
Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Elazar and Rabbi Tavyomei, in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya, add another layer. Regarding other iniquities, it's written, "Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity?" (Micah 7:18). But regarding the sins that caused the destruction of the Temple, it says, "I will not continue to forbear them any longer" (Amos 7:8). There's a sense that some transgressions, particularly those involving exploitation and injustice, have a lasting impact that requires a different kind of reckoning.
So, what does it all mean? This passage from Vayikra Rabbah paints a picture of a world where our actions have consequences, where fairness and justice are paramount, and where even suffering can have a redemptive purpose. It challenges us to examine our own lives: Are we building walls of exploitation, or are we striving to create a world where divine justice and compassion can truly flourish? It reminds us that even when things seem bleak, there's always the possibility of repair, of repentance, and of a future where divine favor is restored. Are we contributing to the cosmic debt, or working to pay it down?