Shabbat Parashat Vayechi 5784

Parashat Hashavua: The Eternal Significance of Mutual Responsibility

We explained last time that Yehuda’s acceptance of responsibility for his mistakes and for his brother made him deserving of the blessing comparing him to a lion and fit for leadership for him and his descendants. Like Yehuda, David also needed to repent for his mistakes and correct his lacking in mutual responsibility (arvut) in order to deserve to be the eternal King of Israel (see Rosh Hashana 25a).

David had a problem with erev (evening, sharing a root with arev, a guarantor). The story of his sin with Batsheva mentions erev twice, once, when he saw Batsheva on her rooftop, and again when David hosted Uriya (Batsheva’s husband) until nighttime, when Uriya refused to sleep at home (see Shmuel II, 11:1-2,13). David was forgiven only when he fully admitted guilt, at which time the navi told him that Hashem he’evir (removed, using same root) his sin.

The Malbim usually looks for merit in David’s actions. However, in this section, he is critical of David for lacking in arvut in the following way. David’s troops were in an extended war with Ammon, and David, the great warrior, stayed in his palace this time rather than joining them, as a Jewish king should do. The Malbim invokes the words of Moshe Rabbeinu to the two and a half tribes: “Will your brothers go to war, and you will stay here?” (Bamidbar 32:6). This complaint echoes throughout history to this day.

In halachic contexts, arvut works in two directions. On the one hand, even if only part of the nation sins, the whole nation can be punished. We learn from the pasuk “A man will stumble over his brother,” which the gemara explains as people being punished for the sins of others, that each person is a guarantor for the other (Sanhedrin 27b).

On the other hand, one Jew can perform a mitzva to help another Jew fulfill it. Although one needs to be obligated in a mitzva to do if for someone else, even if one already fulfilled his mitzva, we say that he is considered obligated in the mitzva if his friend, for whom he is responsible, has not yet fulfilled it. This too is based on arvut (see Ran to Rosh Hashana 29a). We learn great lessons from the halachot on “both sides of the coin.”

Rabbeinu Bachyei (Shemot 30:34) went a step further. Chazal (Kritot 6b) say that whenever Jews bind together, they must include sinners. He explains that the righteous must include sinners and try to inspire them and enable them to repent and sanctify Hashem’s Name. If they do not, arvut holds them responsible. That is the reason that all the four species taken on Sukkot¸ symbolizing people of various levels of spirituality and observance, are held together.

The Tiferet Shlomo expounds that Yehuda represents monarchy, and this position is all about arvut. For this reason, Yaakov instituted the prayer of Arvit. When we talk about a kol arev (pleasant voice), this means that the sound of our prayers will go up to the extent that we pray with arvut, with concern about others, not just ourselves.

These ideas give a sweet taste to the wonderful value of unity between Jews, of all types, and the responsibility of the leadership to lead in this matter. Let us internalize this matter and thereby be students of Yaakov and David.

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