Beyond the Letter of the Law

לְמַ֗עַן תֵּ֭לֵךְ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ טוֹבִ֑ים וְאׇרְח֖וֹת צַדִּיקִ֣ים תִּשְׁמֹֽר׃

So follow the way of the good And keep to the paths of the just.

וְעָשִׂ֛יתָ הַיָּשָׁ֥ר וְהַטּ֖וֹב בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ וּבָ֗אתָ וְיָֽרַשְׁתָּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְהֹוָ֖ה לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃

Do what is right and good in the sight of GOD, that it may go well with you and that you may be able to possess the good land that the ETERNAL your God promised on oath to your fathers,

הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־יְהֹוָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}

“You have been told, O mortal, what is good, And what GOD requires of you: Only to do justice And to love goodness, And to walk modestly with your God;

דְּתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: ״וְהוֹדַעְתָּ לָהֶם״ – זֶה בֵּית חַיֵּיהֶם, ״אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ״ – זוֹ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, ״אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ״ – זֶה בִּיקּוּר חוֹלִים, ״בָּהּ״ – זוֹ קְבוּרָה, ״וְאֶת הַמַּעֲשֶׂה״ – זֶה הַדִּין, ״אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּן״ – זוֹ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין. אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּן זוֹ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין. דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: לֹא חָרְבָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אֶלָּא עַל שֶׁדָּנוּ בָּהּ דִּין תּוֹרָה. אֶלָּא דִּינֵי דְּמָגִיזְתָּא לְדַיְּינוּ?! אֶלָּא אֵימָא: שֶׁהֶעֱמִידוּ דִּינֵיהֶם עַל דִּין תּוֹרָה וְלָא עֲבַדוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין.

The Gemara cites a source for going beyond the letter of the law in the performance of mitzvot. As Rav Yosef taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the path wherein they shall walk and the action that they must perform” (Exodus 18:20). The baraita parses the various directives in the verse. “And you shall teach them,” that is referring to the structure of their livelihood, i.e., teach the Jewish people trades so that they may earn a living; “the path,” that is referring to acts of kindness; “they shall walk,” that is referring to visiting the ill; “wherein,” that is referring to burial; “and the action,” that is referring to acting in accordance with the letter of the law; “that they must perform,” that is referring to acting beyond the letter of the law. It was taught in the baraita: “That they must perform”; that is referring to acting beyond the letter of the law, as Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Jerusalem was destroyed only for the fact that they adjudicated cases on the basis of Torah law in the city. The Gemara asks: Rather, what else should they have done? Should they rather have adjudicated cases on the basis of arbitrary decisions [demagizeta]? Rather, say: That they established their rulings on the basis of Torah law and did not go beyond the letter of the law.

הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע.

Do not say something that cannot be understood [trusting] that in the end it will be understood.

הָרוֹצֶה לֵילֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר וְעוֹשֶׂה לְפָנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין מַחְזִיר אֶת הָאֲבֵדָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֶׁיִּתֵּן אֶת סִימָנֶיהָ:

We assume that the owner despaired of its return when it fell, for he will say: "A gentile found it." Although a person is entitled to keep a lost article that he discovers, one who wishes to follow a good and an upright path should go beyond the measure of the law and return the lost article to a Jew, if he describes marks with which the object can be identified.

וַחֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ מַטִּין דֵּעוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶן מִדֶּרֶךְ הָאֶמְצָעִית כְּנֶגֶד שְׁתֵּי הַקְּצָווֹת. יֵשׁ דֵּעָה שֶׁמַּטִּין אוֹתָהּ כְּנֶגֶד הַקָּצֶה הָאַחֲרוֹן וְיֵשׁ דֵּעָה שֶׁמַּטִּין אוֹתָהּ כְּנֶגֶד הַקָּצֶה הָרִאשׁוֹן. וְזֶהוּ לִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין.

The same applies with regard to other character traits. The pious of the early generations would bend their temperaments from the intermediate path towards [either of] the two extremes. For some traits they would veer towards the final extreme, for others, towards the first extreme. This is referred to as [behavior] beyond the measure of the law.

וְכֵן מִצְוֹת הַלֵּב שֶׁאָנוּ חַיָּבִין בָּהֶן אֵין לָנוּ טַעֲנָה בָּהֶן וְלֹא טוֹרֵד מֵהֶן אֶלָּא אַהֲבַת הָעוֹלָם וְשֶׁאֵין אֲנַחְנוּ מְבִינִים עִנְיַן בּוֹרְאֵנוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ה) וְהָיָה כִנּוֹר וָנֶבֶל תֹּף וְחָלִיל וָיַיִן מִשְׁתֵּיהֶם וְאֵת פֹּעַל ה׳ לֹא יַבִּיטוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו לֹא רָאוּ: וְאָמַרְתִּי שֶׁמָּא הַמִּין הַזֶּה מִן הַמִּצְוֹת אֵינוֹ מִתְיַלֵּד לְמִצְוֹת רַבּוֹת וְעַל כֵּן הִנִּיחוּ אוֹתָם וְלֹא חִבְּרוּ בָּהֶם סֵפֶר מְיֻחָד. וְכַאֲשֶׁר חָקַרְתִּי עַל מִסְפָּרָם וּפִרְקֵיהֶם מְצָאתִים לָרוֹב מְאֹד בְּהִתְיַלְּדָם עַד שֶׁחָשַׁבְתִּי כִּי מָה שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד ע״ה (תהלים קיט) לְכָל תִּכְלָה רָאִיתִי קֵץ רְחָבָה מִצְוָתְךָ מְאֹד אֲמָרוֹ עַל מִצְוֹת הַלְּבָבוֹת כִּי מִצְוֹת הָאֵבָרִים יֵשׁ לָהֶם מִסְפָּר יָדוּעַ כְּמוֹ תַּרְיָ״ג מִצְוֹת אַךְ מִצְוֹת הַלְּבָבוֹת רַבּוֹת מְאֹד עַד כִּי אֵין לְתוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶן מִסְפָּר.

The first division is the science of nature, called in Arabic, "Al-Ilm al-tibi". This branch of knowledge deals with the essential and incidental properties of material bodies. The second division consists of the practical sciences, called in Arabic, "Al-Ilm al-riazi". These comprise arithmetic, engineering, astronomy, and music. The third division, called in Arabic, "Al-Ilm al-ilahi". is the science of theology, which deals with the knowledge of G-d, knowledge of His torah, and other [spiritual] things, such as the soul, the intellect, and spiritual beings. All these divisions of wisdom, and their respective branches, are gates which the Creator has opened for men through which they may attain [a comprehension] of religion and of the world.

וּלְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ בָּזֶה מִדְרָשׁ יָפֶה, אָמְרוּ זוֹ פְּשָׁרָה וְלִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין. וְהַכַּוָּנָה בָּזֶה כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה אָמַר שֶׁתִּשְׁמֹר חֻקּוֹתָיו וְעֵדֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ, וְעַתָּה יֹאמַר גַּם בַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוְּךָ תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו, כִּי הוּא אוֹהֵב הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר. וְזֶה עִנְיָן גָּדוֹל, לְפִי שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְהַזְכִּיר בַּתּוֹרָה כָּל הַנְהָגוֹת הָאָדָם עִם שְׁכֵנָיו וְרֵעָיו וְכָל מַשָּׂאוֹ וּמַתָּנוֹ וְתִקּוּנֵי הַיִּשּׁוּב וְהַמְּדִינוֹת כֻּלָּם. חָזַר לוֹמַר בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה הַטּוֹב וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּכָל דָּבָר עַד שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס בָּזֶה הַפְּשָׁרָה וְלִפְנִים מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין, וּכְגוֹן מַה שֶׁהִזְכִּירוּ בְּדִינָא דְּבַר מִצְרָא (ב"מ קח), וַאֲפִלּוּ מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ (יומא פו) פִּרְקוֹ נָאֶה וְדִבּוּרוֹ בְּנַחַת עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת, עַד שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא בְּכָל עִנְיָן תָּם וְיָשָׁר:

They have said: “[That which is right and good] refers to a compromise and going beyond the requirement of the letter of the law.” The intent of this is as follows: At first he [Moses] stated that you are to keep His statutes and His testimonies which He commanded you, and now he is stating that even where He has not commanded you, give thought, as well, to do what is good and right in His eyes for He loves the good and the right. Now this is a great principle, for it is impossible to mention in the Torah all aspects of man’s conduct with his neighbors and friends, and all his various transactions, and the ordinances of all societies and countries. But since He mentioned many of them — such as, Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer; Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor; Thou shalt not curse the deaf; Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head and the like — he reverted to state in a general way that, in all matters, one should do what is good and right including even compromise and, going beyond the requirements of the law. Other examples are the Rabbis’ ordinances concerning the prerogative of a neighbor, and even what they said [concerning the desirability] that one’s youthful reputation be unblemished, and that one’s conversation with people be pleasant. Thus [a person must seek to refine his behavior] in every form of activity, until he is worthy of being called “good and upright.”

יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵנוּ. תִּתֵּן אֱמֶת. אִם כֵּן רָאוּי שֶׁתִּמְצָאֶנָּה בוֹ י"ג מִדּוֹת אֵלּוּ.

Therefore it is fitting that he should [make his actions] resemble the actions of the Crown (Keter), which are the thirteen highest traits of mercy. And they are hinted to in the secret of the verses (Michah 7:18-20), "Who is a power like You; He will again have mercy on us; You shall give truth." If so, it is fitting that these thirteen traits [also] be found in man.

יבאר ענייני גמילות חסדים והכנסת אורחים ובקור חולים והלוויית המת ושמחת חתן וכלה:

וזהו ויאכלו, כי המלאכים החיות שלהם ממצות ישראל כשישראל עושים רצון הקדוש ברוך הוא ועושים מצותו ברוך הוא ונמצא שעשה המצוה של הכנסת האורחים. וזהו הרמז ויקח ויתן לפניהם, המצוה של הכנסת אורחים שעשה ויאכלו, מזה היה החיות שלהם. וזהו והוא עומד עליהם תחת העץ ויאכלו, כי העץ הוא תורה על שם הפסוק (משלי ג, יח) עץ חיים היא: ונבאר מה דאיתא במדרש (בראשית רבה מט) דאברהם אבינו עליו השלום לאחר שאכלו אמר ברכו לאלהי עולם.

Genesis ‎18,2. “when he saw, he ran towards them;” Avraham had ‎still been suffering from the pains of his circumcision. A sick or ‎ailing person is usually the recipient of the loving concern of the ‎attribute of Mercy; Avraham, instead of indulging himself was ‎overcome with the attribute of ‎גבורה‎, overpowering courageous ‎energy, so that he was able to run to meet these men.