{"id":9630,"date":"2014-09-05T02:00:52","date_gmt":"2014-09-04T23:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=9630"},"modified":"2019-11-21T12:36:25","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T10:36:25","slug":"14-05-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/14-05-02\/","title":{"rendered":"02. \u1e24izkiyahu and Ben Azzai"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the mighty army of King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged Jerusalem, King \u1e24izkiyahu of Yehuda fell ill, as we read:<\/p>\n

In those days, \u1e24izkiyahu fell dangerously ill. The prophet Yeshayahu, son of Amotz, came and said to him, \u201cThus said the Lord, \u2018Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die; you will not live.\u2019\u201d (Yeshayahu 38:1)<\/p>\n

Even years before that, \u1e24izkiyahu had been aware that the Kingdom of Assyria presented a clear and present danger to his kingdom, for as a result of increasing sinfulness, Assyria had already subjugated the Kingdom of Yisrael and exiled the ten tribes from the land (2 Melakhim, ch. 17). In order to avert calamity, \u1e24izkiyahu ordered the entire nation to repent and to strengthen their allegiance to Torah:<\/p>\n

He stuck a sword by the entrance of the beit midrash<\/em> and said, \u201cAnyone who does not study Torah will be stabbed with this sword.\u201d They searched from Dan to Be\u2019er Sheva and did not find a single ignoramus; from Gevat to Antipatris and did not find a single boy or girl, man or woman, who was not thoroughly versed in the laws of purity and impurity. (Sanhedrin<\/em> 94b)<\/p>\n

It was at this difficult time, when the catastrophe \u1e24izkiyahu feared was imminent, when the Assyrian army had already besieged Jerusalem, and when he himself lay ill, that the prophet came to him with the terrible message, \u201cSet your affairs in order, for you are going to die; you will not live.\u201d The Sages explain: \u201cYou are going to die\u201d in this world, and \u201cyou will not live\u201d in the next world. \u1e24izkiyahu cried out in protest, \u201cWhat sin have I committed that I have been sentenced to excision from this world and from the next?\u201d The prophet replied, \u201cYou did not engage in procreation.\u201d \u1e24izkiyahu responded, \u201cBut it was made known to me through divine inspiration that my children would not be virtuous.\u201d The prophet replied, \u201cWhy do you involve yourself in the secrets of the Merciful One? You do what you were commanded to do, and God will do what is right in His eyes.\u201d \u1e24izkiyahu then realized that he had sinned. He asked Yeshayahu for his daughter\u2019s hand in marriage, hoping that his own merit plus the merit of Yeshayahu might help him have virtuous children. The prophet responded, \u201cYour fate has already been sealed.\u201d \u1e24izkiyahu replied, \u201cSon of Amotz, finish your prophecy and leave! For I learned from my father\u2019s father (King David) that even if a sharp sword is resting upon one\u2019s neck, one should not stop begging for mercy\u201d (Berakhot <\/em>10a).<\/p>\n

Then, \u201c\u1e24izkiyahu turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. \u2018Please, O Lord,\u2019 he said, \u2018remember how I have walked before You sincerely and wholeheartedly, and have done what is pleasing to You.\u2019 And \u1e24izkiyahu wept profusely\u201d (Yeshayahu 38:2-3). God heard him and commanded Yeshayahu to inform \u1e24izkiyahu that He had added another fifteen years to his life. Additionally, God would save him from Assyria\u2019s army. In fact, in the middle of the night, an angel of God struck down all of Sennacherib\u2019s soldiers, and Jerusalem was saved. \u1e24izkiyahu went on to marry Yeshayahu\u2019s daughter, and they had a son named Menasheh. \u1e24izkiyahu\u2019s fears were realized; Menasheh, who ruled after \u1e24izkiyahu, acted so wickedly in the eyes of God \u2013 worshiping idols and spilling much innocent blood \u2013 that God decreed that the First Temple would be destroyed (2 Melakhim ch. 19-21). Nevertheless, the mitzva of procreation remained in full force, for it is the foundation for the continued existence of the world. Even in the case of \u1e24izkiyahu, his wicked son Menasheh carried on the Davidic dynasty, from which ultimately the Messiah, descendant of David, will be born; may he come speedily in our time.<\/p>\n

Although we learn of a great Tanna, Ben Azzai, who never married and did not fulfill the mitzva of procreation. The Talmud relates that Ben Azzai extrapolated from the biblical verses that if one does not engage in procreation, \u201cit is as if he spills blood and diminishes the divine image.\u201d The Sages said to Ben Azzai, \u201cSome preach well and practice well; some practice well but do not preach well; and then there are those like you, who preach well but do not practice what they preach!\u201d Ben Azzai responded, \u201cWhat can I do? My soul longs for Torah. The world can be sustained by others\u201d (Yevamot<\/em> 63b). In fact, halakha<\/em> accepts Ben Azzai\u2019s position. If someone\u2019s soul longs for Torah, and he spends his entire life studying with tremendous dedication, as a result of which he never marries, he has not sinned, as long as his sexual desire does not overcome him (MT, Laws of Marriage 15:3; SA EH 1:4). However, the language here is precise: he has not sinned, but le-khat\u1e25ila<\/em>, it is not proper to behave this way (Na\u1e25alat Tzvi<\/em>; Taz<\/em> ad loc.<\/em> 6).<\/p>\n

We see that there is only one mitzva one can engage in and thereby, under pressing circumstances, abstain from the mitzva of procreation \u2013 the mitzva of Torah study. This is because Torah study itself adds life to the world. The fact is that although Ben Azzai did not engage in procreation, he delved deeply into the great importance of the mitzva and expounded upon its great value. Certainly, many children were born as a result of his teachings. In contrast, when \u1e24izkiyahu wished to stipulate his performance of the mitzva on having children who would not be wicked, he was negating the sacred principle underlying the mitzva, which expresses the absolute value of life. This is why he would have been subject to terrible punishment in both this world and the next. We learn from this that life is the supreme value, and even the wicked can repent. Furthermore, even if they do not repent, the righteous can learn from their mistakes. However, when one disregards the mitzva altogether, he uproots everything and denies the value of God-given life in this world.[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n[1]<\/a>. AHS poses the following question: The Yerushalmi states that one stops studying Torah in order to build a sukka<\/em> and take the four species (y. Shabbat<\/em> 1:2). It further states that if someone studies Torah without the intention of putting what he learns into practice, it would have been better had he never been born (y. Berakhot<\/em> 1:2). In light of these statements, how can it be that Ben Azzai abstained from fulfilling the mitzva of procreation? AHS suggests that the reason must be that \u201che was unable to detach himself from the Torah at all, and doing so might have been life-threatening for him\u201d (AHS, EH 1:14).<\/p>\n

The explanation seems to be that since the mitzva of procreation is contingent upon marriage, and marriage entails being attentive and emotionally available to another person so that one can form a loving relationship with a spouse. Ben Azzai knew himself and realized that his intense commitment to Torah study would not allow him to adequately satisfy the needs of his wife. Therefore, he did not marry. Other mitzvot<\/em>, however, do not require emotional investment, and therefore can be fulfilled even if one\u2019s mind is still engaged in Torah study. See Sota<\/em> 49a, which states, \u201cWhen Ben Azzai died, that was the end of the unceasing learners.\u201d Someone like Ben Azzai also knew that his sex drive would not overpower him. Some poskim<\/em> have written that no one can emulate Ben Azzai nowadays (Ritva and Birkei Yosef<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the mighty army of King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged Jerusalem, King \u1e24izkiyahu of Yehuda fell ill, as we read: In those days, \u1e24izkiyahu fell dangerously ill. The prophet Yeshayahu, son of Amotz, came and said to him, \u201cThus said the Lord, \u2018Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die; you will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-14-05"],"yoast_head":"\n02. \u1e24izkiyahu and Ben Azzai - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/14-05-02\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"02. \u1e24izkiyahu and Ben Azzai - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the mighty army of King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged Jerusalem, King \u1e24izkiyahu of Yehuda fell ill, as we read: In those days, \u1e24izkiyahu fell dangerously ill. 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