DEUT291 "You must not test Hashem, your God" [this verse]. We have herein been admonished that a person should not say, "Let me test through charitable work [this does not include giving ten percent of one's gain to charity, where one is allowed to test Hashem; see below] whether Hashem will make me successful" or "Let me determine through proper deeds whether He will enrich me with silver and gold." A good person [I.e., Whose only desire is to fulfill the will of Hashem (Sha'arei Teshuvah Hamevo'ar)] will not weaken [in his service of Hashem, even] if, after having labored with wisdom, knowledge, and proper deeds [I.e., Following the way of Hashem (Sha'arei Teshuvah Hameforash)] he still has not been successful in acquiring wealth or any of the other physical benefits [of life]. Our Sages, z"l, said (Ta'anis 9a) that only concerning the mitzvah of tithes is it permissible to test Hashem, as the pasuk says (Malachi 3:10), "Bring all the tithes to the store house, that there may be food in My house, and test me now with this." [Rabbeinu Yonah in his Sefer HaYir'ah expands this dispensation to include tithing all one's gainful wealth, and does not limit it only to the tithing of produce (ma'asros).

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DEUT293 ... a person should not expose himself to danger, relying on the Divine decree [that he will live a definite term], and ingest deadly poisons; or risk his life by battling lions or other wild animals if he does not have to, or by hurling himself into the sea or into fire; or undertake other adventures in which a person cannot be sure of his safety and endangers himself. Scripture has cautioned us in this regard, saying: “Do not try Hashem your God, as you did at Massah” (Devarim 6:16). For one who acts in this fashion cannot escape one of [the following] two possibilities] either he will perish or he will survive]. If he perishes through his rashness, he will have committed suicide, for which he will be held responsible as if he had killed another human being-- notwithstanding the fact that his dying in this way was in accordance with God's decree and took place with His permission. He is he has cautioned us not to kill any human being in any way, saying: “Do not murder” (Shemos 20:13). The closer his relationship to the murdered person, the more culpable is the murderer, as it is written: “Because he pursued his brother with the sword and cut off all pity” (Amos 1:11). Accordingly [as none is closer to a person than he is to himself], he who kills himself undoubtedly deserves severe punishment. For he may be compared to a servant whose master ordered him to guard a certain place for a certain amount of time, warning him not to abandon his post until the arrival of his messenger. When the servant saw that the messenger was late in coming, he abandoned his post before the latter came. [As a result], his master grew angry with him and punished him severely. So too, one who commits suicide leaves God’s service and rebels against Him, by exposing himself to lethal danger. That is why you will find that when Shemuel, peace be upon him, said, “How can I go? If Sha’ul hears of it, he will kill me!” (Shemuel I, 16:2), it was not considered a lapse in his reliance on God. Rather, God's answer to him indicates that his prudence was commendable, as He said to him: “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to God’” (ibid.). If [the prophet 's question] had been [considered] a lack of trust [in God], the reply to him would have been: “I put to death and bring to life, I wounded and I will heal” (Devarim 32:39), or the like, as when Moshe pleaded, “But I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Shemos 4:10), and God answered: “Who gave man a mouth? Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind?” (ibid. 4:11). Now, if Shemuel, with his perfect piety, did not take the liberty of exposing himself [even] to a slight risk of danger-- though his doing so would have been in [response to] the command of the Creator, may He be exalted, Who had said [to him], “Fill your horn with oil and go! I am sending you to Yishay of Beis Lechem” (Shemuel I, 16:1) -- then it would certainly be reprehensible if that were done by someone who was not [acting] in [response to] the command of the Creator, May He be exalted. (Continued at [[GEN1371]] Genesis 32:11 unworthy DUTIES 401-5).

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DEUT294 All the areas of trust in the Holy One Blessed be He are eight: (1) The matter of a man's body in itself; One must surrender himself and give himself up to His great mercies. He must realize that he is without counsel or conduct without His permission and decree. But though the proper functioning of his limbs and the length of his days are dependent upon the Blessed One's decree, still one must bestir himself to gain all his needs, to restore his life, and to provide remedies for himself. Nevertheless, he must for us to God to heal him and realize that the doctor and the cure are being sent to him by the Blessed One. He must rely in this on God alone and ascribe to Him the ability and the power. And let one not say: "Since all depends on the Blessed Creator's decree, I will walk in ways of danger and drink poison!" Do we not find that Shemuel said (I Shemuel 16:2): "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me!" And, still, he was not considered as lacking in trust, and the Holy One Blessed be He answered him (ibid.): "Take a heifer with you and say, ' I have come to sacrifice to Hashem.'" Of one who places himself in danger and says, "I trust to Hashem," it is written (Mishlei 14:16): "And the fool passes on [into danger] and is confident." Torah has exhorted us against this [this verse]: "Do not try Hashem your God." If one places himself in danger and dies as a result, his punishment is greater than if he kills another.

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DEUT295 See [[DEUT300]] Deuteronomy 6:18 right DORFFDRAG 117-8

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DEUT297 … the rabbinic rationale for the validation of a get given under duress is the assumption that in reality every Jew wants not only "to obey the words of the wise," but above all "to do that which is good and upright in the sight of the Lord" [this verse]. Though conditions beyond our control make it impossible for us in the United States to force a man to give a get, these conditions do not absolve him from his obligation "to do that which is good and upright in the eyes of the Lord." Furthermore, not only do the Rabbis sanction the use of compulsion in order that a man do the right thing, but they even explain the harsh biblical law regarding the "rebellious son" as a law in the interest of the son, for if he were permitted to live he would end up as a murderer. Sanhedrin 71b. (See also ibid., 73a; Tosafot on lehazilo b'nafsho, which Tosafot says may be interpreted to mean that you are permitted to kill a man who is pursuing another man, not because you are thereby saving his victim, but because you are preventing the pursuer from committing a mortal sin.) In both instances the law acts in order to prevent one from doing evil, more particularly from doing harm to another human being. In both instances the action of the law is considered a zkhut, "to the advantage" of the person who is ostensibly being punished by the law.

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DEUT296 … Nahmanides' comments on "be holy" (Leviticus 19:2) and "do the straight and a good" [this verse]--cited in many or most Modern Orthodox essays on how halakhah relates to ethics--refer to a standard that is inferred from other laws of the Torah, not from an independent standard. (Nachmanides interprets these verses, respectively, as "do more than the law requires" [which prevents untoward results] and "when approaching cases that have no precedents, use ethical reasoning" [which covers cases where the rules run out]). Indeed, he draws a parallel between "be holy," "do the straight and the good," and the general law tishbot (rest) on Shabbat. The latter's applications are extrapolated from other laws of the Shabbat and clearly do not come from an independent ethic. (By David Shatz, "Ethical Theories in the Orthodox Movement"

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DEUT298 The difficulty is obvious. The preceding verse makes reference to commandments, testimonies, and statutes. This, on the face of it, is the whole of Judaism as far as conduct is concerned. What then is meant by the phrase "the right and the good" that is not already included within the previous verse? Rashi says that it refers to "compromise [that is, not strictly insisting on your rights and action within or beyond the letter of the law [lifnim mishurat hadin]." The law, as it were, lays down a minimum threshold: this we must do. But the moral life aspires to more than simply doing what we must. (see Lon Fuller, The Morality of Law (New Haven, CT: Yale University press, 1969), and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein's much reprinted article, "Does Jewish Tradition Recognize an Ethic Independent of the Halakhah?" in Modern Jewish Ethics, ed. Marvin Fox, (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1975), 62-88.) The people who most impress us with their goodness and rightness are not merely people who keep the law. The saints and heroes of the moral life go beyond. They do more than they are commanded. They go the extra mile. That, according to Rashi, is what the Torah means by "the right and the good."

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DEUT299 …there is an overall, all-encompassing verse and mandate in Judaism to do the right thing in every situation.

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DEUT303 In addition to the many individual commandments mandating proper behavior between Jews and others, there is one overarching commandment, a general Mitzvah that covers all man-to-man situations not specifically enumerated in the rest of the Torah. This Mitzvah "to keep the straight path and do what is right" is given so that the Jew is aware at all times, and every situation, that Jewish behavior mandates doing what is good and right [this verse with Nachmanides commentary]. In another verse commanding the Jew to do the "straight and right thing [Exodus 15:26] the Midrash explains that this refers specifically to how a Jew behaves towards others in business, and then states that any Jew who treats others properly in commerce, it is as if that person has fulfilled the entire Torah (Midrash, Mechilta, Beshalach 1). Just as proper behavior to others is the most important aspect of Judaism and of life in general, the lack of this behavior can bring disastrous results. The people in Noah's generation, for example, committed many horrible sins, but the destruction of the entire world through the flood came about only when the people began stealing from each other en masse (Sanhedrin 120a). The great Vilna Gaon states the importance of goodness in simple terms. He says that the essential purpose of life is to constantly improve one's character and act morally toward others (Even Shlaima 1:2). If not, what is the purpose of living? Another way to evaluate Judaism's hierarchy of values is to see how a person will be judged after one's life in this world is completed. The Talmud declares that a Jew will be asked a series of questions to assess his or her life (Shabbat 31a). The very first question a person will be asked after death will not be about Yom Kippur, proper feeling in prayer, or even about belief in God. The first question will be "Were you honest in your business dealings?" ... All of the prophets stressed what the quintessential element of Judaism entails-behaving ethically with others. This quality of kindness is so crucial to Judaism that the Midrash says that anyone who denies the importance of kindness denies the entire Torah (Midrash, Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel I 25:134; Midrash Shmuel 23:8).

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DEUT305 The medieval commentator Nahmanides (Ramban, 13th-century Spain) offers a profound elaboration on the verse: “Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:18). He says that no amount of legislation can cover every single situation because there will always be one more variable or nuance to be considered. So the Torah offers a long list of specific and general instructions, and then tells us to “do what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord.” That is, we are to build on both the general principles and specific laws that we see in the Tradition, and then extrapolate from them the guidance we need to do the right thing.... It is my call to the readers of this essay to consider these teachings and to guide themselves in a way that is “right and good.” Any pleasure, and certainly that which is gained by deceit, is momentary. But the satisfaction one gains from acting honorably, the self-esteem that comes from knowing that we live in accordance with our values, endures. (By Uzi Weingarten)

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