[Avodah] what = a brit?

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Harvey Benton asked:

> what is a brit?
> if it is 2-sided (eg we do our part, then Hashem will do his
> part) then how can a "brit" be forced upon us??

There are two totally distinct questions here:

1) Is there a "quid pro quo", "tit for tat", an agreement that if we do our part, then HaShem will do his, but if not then the contract has been abrogated?

2) How can this brit be forced upon us? We never agreed to it. Our ancestors, many generations back are the ones who agreed, and we should be exempt.

I'll answer the second one first, as it is much simpler: While one can say that that we never consented, that's not the only way to become obligated. One can be born into it. The same way that we are obligated to do whatever it is that our government demands of its citizens, so too are we obligated to do whatever it is that our God demands of His chosen. I can see where others might not be satisfied with that logic, but it is sufficient for me.

The first question is more complicated, and bothered me for many years. It turns out that I was confusing "covenant" with "contract", and they are actually two very different things. I finally understood what a "covenant" is when I read about it in the new Koren Siddur, by Chief Rabbi Sacks of Britain, on page xlvi:

"Many of the key terms descriptive of G-d are not precisely translatable because they presuppose the concept of covenant: an open-ended pledge between two or more parties to join their destinies together in a reciprocal bond of loyalty and love. The nearest human equivalents are, (1) the bond of marriage, (2) peace treaties between nations. The unique idea of the Torah is that such a covenant can exist between G-d and humanity."

To me the key phrase here is "open-ended". A brit is *not* a contract, where the each party's obligation is dependent on the other party's fulfillment. Rather, a brit means: We're in this together, regardless of what the future brings. 

This is how I understand what we say on Yom Kippur: "Anu Maamirecha, v'Atah Maamirenu" (cf. Devarim 26:17-18).

Akiva Miller

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