Merit and Mazal
ועבדתם את ה’ וגו’ וברך את לחמך ואת מימיך וגו’ לא תהיה משכלה ועקרה בארצך את מספר ימיך אמלא (כג’ ,כה’-כו’)
You shall serve Hashem, and He will bless your bread and water, etc. There will be no woman who miscarries or is barren. I shall fill the number of your days (23:25-26).
These three blessings, children, health, and wealth, are in reality the three things that the Gemara teaches (Mo’ed Katan 21b) are not merit-based but are rather dependent on one’s mazal, predestined fate.
The Zera Shimshon asks that the pesukim seem to imply that these things are indeed based on one’s merits. And even according to Tosafos (Shabbos 156a), which says that with a very large merit, one can indeed change one’s fate, still, this pasuk does not seem to be talking about someone with a very large merit. It is speaking about when the Jewish people serve Hashem as they should. How then does the Gemara reconcile these pesukim?
The Zera Shimshon explains that these blessings can take place even without one’s mazal being changed. For example, if, based on the mazal, someone is supposed to be poor and live on bread and water, this pasuk says that Hashem will bless that bread and water with a special blessing of satiation. Thus, his mazal will not change, but whatever he brings in will be blessed, and he will feel no different than the one who has much. This is why the pasuk singles out that the bread and water will be blessed and doesn’t mention riches.
The same is true about the blessing “I shall fill the number of your days.” This means that the person will live out the days allotted to him and not die before his time. Thus, his mazal will not change to live longer; however, he will be blessed that he will live out the days allotted to him.
The Zera Shimshon asks that this blessing seems to be superfluous, since if a person didn’t sin, why would he need such a blessing? The Zera Shimshon explains that nevertheless, there in fact remains a good reason for this blessing. This is because a person encounters numerous scenarios where he is in danger or has unhealthy habits that can technically make him ill. Here, the Torah is saying that if a person serves Hashem, he will be watched over to live out his days even if he is unknowingly in a dangerous situation.
Until now, the Zera Shimshon explains that these pesukim do not contradict the Gemara. The Gemara is discussing if through merits, a person can actually change his fate. The Gemara says that one cannot, upon which Tosafos comments that through a great merit, one can indeed change his predestined mazal. Whereas these pesukim, although they say that through keeping Hashem’s commandment as one should brings a person blessing, it comes in ways that are restricted by his mazal but still overrides it in a way, as explained.
Regarding the blessing of bearing children and not miscarrying, this, the Zera Shimshon says is in fact a changing of one’s fate. However, the passuk clearly writes that is a blessing that applies only בארצך, in Eretz Yisroel. The great merit of living in Eretz Yisroel changes one’s mazal specifically in this regard. The reason for this is that since one who lives in Eretz Yisroel does so to connect to the Shechinah (see Kesubos 110b), and having children brings the Shechinah to this world (see Yevamos 64a), middah keneged middah, he merits children.
ZERA SHIMSHON
