Q&A: A Torah-Level Commandment as a Safeguard
A Torah-Level Commandment as a Safeguard
Question
Hello, Rabbi,
I heard in one of your lectures that there are no Torah-level commandments that serve merely as a safeguard, and that each one has a purpose that affects the world in some way (or the upper worlds).
You gave several examples, but I didn’t hear your example regarding the commandments about the king, where it is written explicitly that they are a safeguard, such as horses, so that he not send the people back to Egypt, and so on.
I assume anything can be interpreted, but on the face of it the Torah really does state the reasons for those commandments.
How does that fit in?
Answer
There are indeed exceptions, at least according to some medieval authorities (Rishonim), such as seclusion with a forbidden partner and the prohibition of owning visible leaven. Specifically regarding the king, this is a dispute among the Tannaim. According to Rabbi Shimon, who interprets the reason for the verse, this is not a reason but an additional command. See Sanhedrin 21a.