It all starts with the verse, “You shall know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba uses a parable to unpack this idea. Imagine a king entrusted with a precious deposit from a friend. The friend dies, and his son comes to claim it. The king doesn't just hand it over. Instead, he says, “Have you found another better than I? Have I not guarded the deposit...and have I not folded it?” "folded it" part. It's a detail. But it speaks volumes. It implies the king didn't just store the deposit away; he cared for it, maintained it. Similarly, when Israel sinned in the time of Jeremiah, God asks, “What injustice did your fathers find in Me?” (Jeremiah 2:5). God is essentially saying, "I made promises! I swore to bless your descendants (Genesis 22:17). Didn't I bless you through Moses (Deuteronomy 1:10)? Didn't I bring you out of Egypt with great wealth?" As (Psalm 105:37) says, “He brought them out with silver and gold; none among His tribes faltered.” The point? God doesn't just make promises; He actively fulfills them.
Rabbi Levi offers another angle on this same verse. He compares God's relationship with Israel to another deposit, a pikadon in Hebrew. This time, the deposit is the seventy descendants of Jacob who went down to Egypt. We learn this connection from (Exodus 3:16): “I have remembered [pakod pakadeti] you." To retrieve this "deposit" of the Jewish people, God says, in essence, "I need witnesses. Bring me two commanders and twelve advisers." These are Moses and Aaron, and the twelve heads of the tribes, as indicated in (Numbers 1:3)–4. God isn't just acting on a whim; He's doing it in a measured, deliberate way, ensuring accountability and demonstrating the weight of His commitment.
But here's where it gets really interesting. The text takes a surprising turn, suggesting we can understand God's faithfulness by observing the faithfulness of… human beings. It says, "from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He." To illustrate, we're treated to a series of stories about Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair and Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ.
First, Rabbi Pinḥas is entrusted with two se'a (a dry measure) of barley. The owners forget about it for seven years! But Rabbi Pinḥas doesn't just store it. He plants it, harvests it, and carefully stores the yield. When the owners finally return, he presents them with their "storehouses." Then, he helps a town plagued by mice by encouraging them to properly separate their tithes. Finally, when a man who dug water channels for the public loses his daughter in a river, Rabbi Pinḥas declares that because of his good deeds, she cannot be lost to the water. And miraculously, she is saved!
Then we hear about Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ, who buys a donkey from an Ishmaelite and discovers a precious gem hanging from its neck. His disciples urge him to keep it, citing (Proverbs 10:22): “the blessing of the Lord, it will enrich.” But Rabbi Shimon refuses, stating plainly, “I purchased a donkey, I did not purchase a gem.” He returns it to the Ishmaelite, who exclaims, “Blessed is the Lord, God of Shimon ben Shetaḥ!”
What do these stories tell us? They reveal that faithfulness isn't just about grand gestures; it's about the small, consistent acts of integrity. It's about honoring commitments, even when no one is watching.
The passage concludes by linking this human faithfulness to God's promise of reward for performing mitzvot (commandments). It points to (Exodus 12:17), “You shall guard the unleavened bread [ushmartem et hamatzot].” or perhaps (Deuteronomy 7:11) "You shall observe the commandment [veshamarta et hamitzva]." The idea is that while we perform the commandments today, the reward comes later, "in the end [ekev]," as hinted at in the following verse (Deuteronomy 7:12).
So, what does this all mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that faithfulness is a two-way street. God is faithful, and we are called to be faithful in return. And maybe, just maybe, by striving to be faithful in our own lives – in the small things and the big things – we can gain a deeper understanding of God's unwavering faithfulness to us.
Another matter, what is written above? “You shall know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: To what is the matter comparable? To the friend of a king who entrusted a deposit to the hands [of the king]. The friend of the king died, and his son came and requested the deposit from [the king]. He said to him: ‘Give me the deposit that my father entrusted with you.’ The king said to him: ‘Have you found another better than I? Have I not guarded the deposit that is with me, and have I not folded it?’3It was expected that one who was guarding another’s garment or fabric would occasionally air it out and refold it. So, when Israel sinned in the days of Jeremiah, the Holy One blessed be He said to Jeremiah: ‘Go and say to Israel: “What injustice did your fathers find in Me?” (Jeremiah 2:5). I took an oath to them that I will bless their descendants, as it is stated: “For I will bless you….” (Genesis 22:17). Did I not bless you by means of Moses, as it is stated: “The Lord your God has multiplied you”? (Deuteronomy 1:10). I said to him that I would take them out with great wealth, as it is stated: “Then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). Did I not do so?’ – “He brought them out with silver and gold; none among His tribes faltered” (Psalms 105:37). That is why Moses said: “And from His observance of the oath” (Deuteronomy 7:8), “He redeemed you from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 7:8); you know that He is the faithful God. Another matter, “That the Lord your God, He is God” (Deuteronomy 7:9) – Rabbi Levi said: To what is the matter comparable? To the friend of a king…his son came and requested the deposit from him. The king said to him: ‘Go bring two military commanders and twelve advisers, and through them I will give you the deposit.’ So the Holy One blessed be He said when Israel departed from Egypt: ‘Your ancestors entrusted Me with a deposit [pikadon].’4The deposit was the seventy descendants of Jacob who descended to Egypt. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “I have remembered [pakod pakadeti] you” (Exodus 3:16). He said to them: ‘Let two commanders and twelve advisers come’ – these are Moses and Aaron and the twelve heads of the tribes. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “You shall count [tifkedu] them according to their hosts, you and Aaron…. And with you shall be a man for each tribe” (Numbers 1:3–4). Another matter, “the faithful God” – from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He. There was an incident involving Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair who was residing in a certain city in the South. People went there to earn a living. They had two se’a of barley and they deposited it with him, forgot about it, and left. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair would sow them every year, place them in a grain pile and gather them. Seven years later, those same friends went there, to demand that he give it to them. Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair recognized them immediately and said to them: ‘Come and take your storehouses.’ That is, from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He. There was another incident involving Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair, who went to a certain city, and the mice were devouring [everything] within the boundaries of that city. They came and asked his help. What did Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair do? He said to them: ‘Why do you not separate your tithes properly? Are you asking me to guarantee you that if you separate your tithes properly the mice will devour no more?’ They said to him: ‘Yes.’ He guaranteed them, and the mice departed and were not seen again. Another matter, there was an incident involving a certain man who would dig water channels for the public. His daughter was walking on her way and came to cross a river, and it swept her away. They came and said to Rabbi Pinḥas: ‘This happened to the daughter of so-and-so.’ He said to them: ‘It is impossible; since he performed the will of the Holy One blessed be He concerning water, the Holy One blessed be He would not eliminate his daughter by means of water.’ Immediately there was an outcry in the city: ‘The daughter of so-and-so has come!’ Our Rabbis say: When Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair said this, an angel descended and lifted her [from the water]. There was an incident involving Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ, who purchased a certain donkey from a certain Ishmaelite. His disciples went and found on it a gem suspended from its neck. They said to him: ‘Rabbi, “the blessing of the Lord, it will enrich”’ (Proverbs 10:22). Rabbi Shimon ben Shetaḥ said to them: ‘I purchased a donkey, I did not purchase a gem.’ He went and returned it to that Ishmaelite. That Ishmaelite called out in his regard: ‘Blessed is the Lord, God of Shimon ben Shetaḥ.’ That is, from the faithfulness of mortal man you can know the faithfulness of the Holy One blessed be He, who is faithful to pay Israel reward for the mitzvot they perform. From where is this derived? “You shall guard the unleavened bread [ushmartem et hamatzot]” (Exodus 12:17).5Many suggest that the reference should not be to the verse “You shall guard the unleavened bread [ushmartem et hamatzot]” but to the verse: “You shall observe the commandment [veshamarta et hamitzva], and the statutes, and the ordinances that I command you today, to perform them” (Deuteronomy 7:11). The implication is that one must perform them today, but the reward is later – “in the end [ekev],” as hinted to in the following verse (Deuteronomy 7:12). But the reward for them: “It will be, because [ekev] you heed” – in the end [be’ekev] I will give you your reward.
