(לז) וְכָשְׁל֧וּ אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֛יו כְּמִפְּנֵי־חֶ֖רֶב וְרֹדֵ֣ף אָ֑יִן וְלֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ תְּקוּמָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י אֹֽיְבֵיכֶֽם׃
(37) With no one pursuing, they shall stumble over one another as before the sword. You shall not be able to stand your ground before your enemies,
(לז) וְכָשְׁל֧וּ אִישׁ־בְּאָחִ֛יו כְּמִפְּנֵי־חֶ֖רֶב וְרֹדֵ֣ף אָ֑יִן וְלֹא־תִֽהְיֶ֤ה לָכֶם֙ תְּקוּמָ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י אֹֽיְבֵיכֶֽם׃
(37) With no one pursuing, they shall stumble over one another as before the sword. You shall not be able to stand your ground before your enemies,
והכתיב (ויקרא כו, לז) וכשלו איש באחיו איש בעון אחיו מלמד שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה
It is written: “And they shall stumble one upon another” (Leviticus 26:37)? This verse is homiletically interpreted to mean that they shall stumble, one due to the iniquity of another, which teaches that the entire Jewish people are considered guarantors/responsible for one another.
חידושי הריטב"א ראש השנה כט.
כל ברכות המצות אע"פ שיצא מוציא שאע"פ שהמצות מוטלות על כל אחד הרי כל ישראל ערבין זה לזה וכולם כגוף אחד וכערב הפורע חוב חבירו.
Ritva, Rosh Hashanah 29a
All blessings over commandments, even though one already fulfilled the obligation, he may still fulfill another’s obligation. For even though the commandments are placed on each individual, behold all Jews are guarantors for one another, and they are all as a single body, and as a guarantor who repays his friend’s obligation.
Questions for Chevruta:
1. What parameters exist for the responsibility that members of the Jewish community have for one another?
2. Is the concept of mutual responsibility a positive, negative, neutral, or a mix to you, and why?
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Orot
The relationship between the Jewish people and its individual members is different than the relationship between any other national group and its members. All other national groups only bestow upon their individual members the external aspect of their essence (a title such as American). But the essence itself each person draws from the all-inclusive soul, from the soul of God, without the intermediation of the group... This is not the case regarding Israel. The soul of the individuals is drawn from ... the community, the community bestowing a soul upon the individuals. One who considers severing himself from the people must sever his soul from the source of its vitality. Therefore each individual Jew is greatly in need of the community. He will always offer his life so that he should not be torn from the people, because his soul and self-perfection require that of him. (p. 144)
Chevruta Questions:
1. Where do modern examples of mutual responsibility show up for you?
2. What is the difference between an individual responsibility and a mutually responsible relationship?
וגו' לפי שכל ישראל ערבים זה לזה. ולמה הן דומים לספינה שנקרע בה בית א' אין אומרים נקרע בה בית א' אלא כל הספינה נקרעה כלה כך הם ישראל
The people of Israel are similar to a ship. If there is a hole in the lower hold, one does not say, ‘Only the lower hold has a hole in it.’ Rather they must immediately recognize that the ship is liable to sink and that they must repair the hole down below.