Be careful to observe all that I command you. Do not add
to it, nor subtract from it.
—Deuteronomy 13:1
One fine afternoon, Benny found himself scratching his
head. His neighbor, Sid, had returned a plate he had borrowed, but not just the
plate. Resting atop the plate was a small saucer.
Benny frowned. “Sid, what’s this?”
“Oh,” Sid said airily, “the plate gave birth while it was
at my house.”
Benny blinked. He was no fool—at least, not in his own
estimation—but the saucer did look useful. So, with a shrug, he accepted it
without further inquiry.
A few weeks later, Sid came knocking again. This time, he
borrowed a pitcher. And sure enough, when he returned it, there was a miniature
pitcher tagging along.
“Mazal tov,” Sid explained, straight-faced. “Your pitcher
had a baby.”
Benny scratched his head but pocketed the little pitcher.
A man would be crazy to argue with free household goods.
Months passed, and Sid came once more, this time with a
special request. “Benny, my family’s having a big occasion,” he said, voice
full of sincerity. “Could I borrow your silver candlesticks? Just for the
night.”
By now, Benny saw Sid as a highly responsible borrower,
perhaps even an asset to have as a neighbor. So, without hesitation, he lent
Sid the candlesticks.
Days passed. No candlesticks. A week. Two. Finally, Benny
rapped on Sid’s door.
“Sid, my friend, what happened to my candlesticks?”
Sid sighed, his face the picture of sorrow. “Benny, I hate
to be the one to tell you this, but your candlesticks died.”
Benny turned red. “What nonsense! Candlesticks don’t die!”
Sid spread his hands, perfectly calm. “Benny, Benny… When
I told you your plate and pitcher had babies, you accepted it without question.
If plates and pitchers can reproduce, well, then candlesticks can die.”
Torah From Heaven
The Torah warns us to observe the Torah’s commands
carefully—not to add to them, and not to subtract from them.
We understand why we shouldn’t subtract from the Torah,
skipping laws that are inconvenient. But why the prohibition against adding to
it? Surely, extra devotion, throwing in a few more rules, could only be a good
thing, right?
The answer lies in a simple truth: The Torah is not our
creation. It’s God-given. If we begin to add our own laws, even with the best
intentions, we risk blurring the boundary between what is commanded and what is
invented. And once that line is blurred, what follows is all too predictable.
The same authority that felt entitled to add will feel entitled to subtract.
And the difficult laws, the inconvenient ones—they will be
the first to go.
