Parashat Re'ei includes the famous verse, "Banim atem l'Hashem Elokekhem" – "You are children of the Lord your God" (14:1). The Sifrei and Gemara (Masekhet Kiddushin 36a) record a curious debate between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir regarding Benei Yisrael's status as God's "children." Rabbi Yehuda claims that this status depends upon our conduct; only when we behave like God's children, he asserts, are we indeed considered God's children. But when Benei Yisrael do not act like His children, then He does not think of them as His children, either. Rabbi Meir, by contrast, argues that regardless of Benei Yisrael's conduct, God looks upon them as His own children.

What precisely are these Tanna'im arguing about?

The "Yismach Moshe" (cited in "Likutei Batar Likutei" to Masekhet Kiddushin) claims that as in many instances of a debate concerning Aggadic, rather than Halakhic, subject matter, these views do not represent conflicting positions. Rather, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir speak of two sides of the same coin. God indeed looks upon us as His children even when we are undeserving, as Rabbi Meir claims, but He will not address us directly as His children, as suggested by Rabbi Yehuda. The "Yismach Moshe" likely means that when we are not worthy of God's fatherly love, He indeed punishes us and treats us harshly. Nevertheless, even when this happens, He will never disown us completely, just as a parent always remains a parent to his child. Though He might punish us and cast us into exile, the parent-child relationship is never broken, and ultimately He will bring us a back.

Others, however, understood that Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda indeed disagree. The Meshekh Chokhma finds a purely technical basis for this debate. The Gemara writes in Masekhet Yevamot (4a) that Rabbi Yehuda acknowledges the significance of "semukhin" (textual juxtaposition) in Sefer Devarim. This means that Chazal could derive halakhot based on the textual juxtaposition between verses in Sefer Devarim. For example, from the fact that the Torah discusses the mitzva of tzitzit immediately following the prohibition against wearing sha'atnez (22:11-12), the Gemara derives that one may wear sha'atnez for the purpose of wearing tzitzit (i.e. wool strings on a linen garment). Accordingly, the Meshekh Chokhma suggests, Rabbi Yehuda found significance in the juxtaposition between Moshe's statement that Benei Yisrael are God's "children" and the immediately preceding verse: "for you will be heeding the Lord your God, obeying all His commandments that I enjoin upon you this day… " This juxtaposition suggests that only when Benei Yisrael faithfully observe the mitzvot do they earn this distinction of being God's children. Apparently, the Meshekh Chokhma felt that Rabbi Meir denies the significance of "semukhin" even in Sefer Devarim.

The Yalkut Yehuda cites a different approach from the work "Galya Masekhta," which claims that this debate surrounds the question of the extent of Benei Yisrael's accountability for their wrongdoing. Rabbi Yehuda felt that given the concept mentioned in the Gemara that Torah study helps one overcome his evil inclinations, Benei Yisrael cannot excuse themselves from culpability by claiming that their human instincts overpowered them. After all, God provided them with the antidote to the yetzer ha-ra (evil inclination), and so their sinful conduct shows that they chose not to make use of this remedy. Therefore, their disobedience strips them of their status as God's children. Rabbi Meir, by contrast, felt that although Torah study enables one to overcome his inclinations, this process entails intensive effort and hard work. Therefore, we do not forfeit our status as God's children when we fail to meet His expectations, given the immense challenges we face in observing the mitzvot.

The Rashba, in one of his responsum (194, repeated in 242), also treats this discussion as an outright debate and even lends it Halakhic significance. The Rashba was asked whether a Jewish apostate who converted out of the faith retains his status as a Jew with respect to the laws of tum'a (ritual impurity). (A Jewish corpse transmits tum'a to any person or utensil under the same roof, whereas a gentile corpse transmits tum'a only through physical contact.) He responds that we must, indeed, consider this individual a full-fledged Jew with respect to virtually all areas of Halakha. Although there are a small number of halakhot with regard to which we treat an apostate as a non-Jew (such as lending money on interest), this is because the Torah specifically hinged these laws on "achva" – literally, "fraternity," which does not apply to a Jew who betrayed his faith. In terms of personal status, however, a Jew retains his status as a Jew regardless of his religious beliefs of practices. Amidst his discussion, the Rashba indicates that Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir debate this very issue, of whether a Jew loses his Jewish status when he forsakes his religion, and claims that Halakha follows the position of Rabbi Meir. Therefore, according to Halakha, a Jew remains a "child of the Almighty," irrespective of his conduct.

David Silverberg