Parshat Balak
by Rabbi Avi Billet
At the beginning of Chapter 24, the Torah informs us of Bilaam's third attempt to curse the Israelites – which will once again turn into a blessing, in this case the most famous of the three. "When Bilaam realized that God desired to bless Israel, he did not seek out the occult forces ("nechashim") as he had done before. Instead, he set his gaze toward the desert. When Bilaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling at peace by tribes, God's spirit was on him."
The word used to describe the occult, Bilaam's source of strength, is "nechashim" – which Ramban and others take to literally mean "snakes." Bilaam had intended to cause snakes to come attack the Israelites. Rashi and others say that "nechashim" refers to Bilaam's unique ability to divine when the occult forces were in his favor. On this last attempt however, he saw his own tricks would not work, so he looked to the desert.
If he looked to see if the snakes curse would work (Ramban) – looking to the desert would send him to last week's parsha, when a plague of snakes was defeated through the creation of the copper serpent which was visible to all.
If his divination skills were of no use (Rashi), why was he looking to the desert? Rashi said on the previous phrase (on "nechashim") that Bilaam's intent was to recall their sins, such that his curse could fall upon the remembered sin. And the sin? Rashi says, in one word, what it was – and why Bilaam needed to look to the desert.
Rashi, in a typical example of the brilliance of his simplicity, says, "K'targumo," which means – look at the explanation of Targum. Targum Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi and Targum Yonatan all say, "He looked to the desert to remember the (Golden) Calf, and the sin they had committed there."
The Targum Yonatan goes on, in the second verse of the chapter, to describe what he saw now, as "Israel dwelled at peace by tribes." He quotes the same Midrash Rashi quotes about how the openings of their tents did not face one another, so there was privacy, but he adds that when they dwelled by tribes, they were "in their houses of study."
With one word, Rashi told us "I might have my own feelings on this, but what you need to see is what Targum says about this." And unlike the many commentators who quote Rashi in full and then either choose to agree, disagree, or explain their own understanding of what Rashi meant, Rashi just passes the source along.
Rashi may have been referring specifically to Onkelos, but I like to think he was giving the credit to all the Targums. Because the lesson we see from the Targum Yonatan goes a step beyond just plain modest living, which is hopefully a universal concept all citizens of the world might appreciate.
Targum Yonatan says they were engaged in Torah study, which is a level of greatness Bilaam could not comprehend in the slightest, or even attempt to understand or appreciate. And it was the antidote to what Bilaam saw as being the desert-downfall of the people.
But the lesson is a profound one. Bilaam wanted to attack the Israelites for a sin done by the current generation's parents, 39 years earlier, for which the nation had been punished, had achieved atonement, and from which, as much as possible, they had moved on. Not only were they way past it, but they were currently engaged in Torah study, a sure sign that the sin of the Golden Calf episode was not part of who the people before him were.
Whether it's a political campaign or just the way we relate to people we know, we cannot define people solely by their past deeds.
Some people don't change, they're still doing the same thing (just in an older version of their past), their influences from their formative years still resonate strongly in defining who they are. And if they haven't changed, perhaps there is room to allow for treating them based on past impressions, if they are confirmed in the here and now.
But some people do change, even dramatically, over time. They do allow positive influences to effect change in them, and they work hard to become better, more wholesome people. And to judge them based on their past alone would be completely out of line – we need to see what they are doing in the here and now.
Bilaam saw the people in their Batei Midrash – which meant nothing to him – and he still saw the Golden Calf. He judged the children based on their parents, not realizing that the children were not only a different generation, but were their own individuals and communities.
In today's media-driven age, it is a Herculean task to hide from one's past. Those who try often fail, no thanks to the internet and newspapers. But those who seek to move on from past foibles do best when they face and embrace their past and make it clear that the experiences of yesteryear "are part of what made me who I am. Here is where I learned from a mistake, and here is how I grew from that setback."
And if, unlike Bilaam, we can learn to see that over 40 years, people might change and become more impressive, and certainly are not carbon copies of their parents (though in many case, being a carbon copy would not be a bad thing!), our overall experience with other people can be more fulfilling and more gratifying as we cross paths with others time and time again, each in our own journey through life.
Showing posts with label curses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curses. Show all posts
Friday, July 6, 2012
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Warnings, Curses and Different Tribes
Warnings - Not Curses
The parsha shiur of this past week focused on the curses that appear at the end of Devarim Chapter 27. Calling them “curses” is not entirely fair: they’re more like warnings of behaviors to avoid, as the one who violates is ארור – cursed.
The Number 12
When I first read through them, I saw Rashbam who mentioned there are 12 curses, corresponding to the 12 tribes. Then I saw Rashi, who says there are actually eleven (he considers the last one a general conclusion), corresponding to all the tribes except for Shimon.
At first deliberation my thought was, “The number 12 was chosen because it is a nice round number – just like the tribes.” Then I thought, “Perhaps each curse corresponds specifically to a tribe who was guilty of doing this exact act.”
Free Associations
The one corresponding to Reuven (do not lay with your father’s wife) was obvious from the Bilhah story – Bereshit 35:22: “While Jacob was living undisturbed in the area, Reuben went and disturbed the sleeping arrangements of Bilhah, his father's concubine. Jacob heard about it…Jacob had twelve sons.”
I thought the warning about sleeping with one’s sister would refer to Shimon, as per the midrash that he married Dinah.
בראשית רבה פ:יא - א"ר הונא אמרה ואני אנה הוליך את חרפתי עד שנשבע לה שמעון שהוא נוטלה, הה"ד ושאול בן הכנענית
In the end I found the comments of the Maskil L’David (see two snippets of his biography here and here) and the Abravanel (bio here and here), who delineated to whom the warnings refer. They have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight on Biblical history, and they interestingly take the liberty of either accusing a tribe of being guilty of the crime suggested, or using historical evidence to prove they could have been in violation of one of these sins, but chose not to. In this latter case, the hope is their tribesmen will continue following their model and will avoid losing the character trait that was so wonderfully embodied by their ancestor.
Without further ado, the hit parade with explanations for how they arrived at their conclusions.
(Click on the image to see the explanations in a readable size)
[If the image does not work, click here to see it spelled out]
The parsha shiur of this past week focused on the curses that appear at the end of Devarim Chapter 27. Calling them “curses” is not entirely fair: they’re more like warnings of behaviors to avoid, as the one who violates is ארור – cursed.
The Number 12
When I first read through them, I saw Rashbam who mentioned there are 12 curses, corresponding to the 12 tribes. Then I saw Rashi, who says there are actually eleven (he considers the last one a general conclusion), corresponding to all the tribes except for Shimon.
At first deliberation my thought was, “The number 12 was chosen because it is a nice round number – just like the tribes.” Then I thought, “Perhaps each curse corresponds specifically to a tribe who was guilty of doing this exact act.”
Free Associations
The one corresponding to Reuven (do not lay with your father’s wife) was obvious from the Bilhah story – Bereshit 35:22: “While Jacob was living undisturbed in the area, Reuben went and disturbed the sleeping arrangements of Bilhah, his father's concubine. Jacob heard about it…Jacob had twelve sons.”
I thought the warning about sleeping with one’s sister would refer to Shimon, as per the midrash that he married Dinah.
בראשית רבה פ:יא - א"ר הונא אמרה ואני אנה הוליך את חרפתי עד שנשבע לה שמעון שהוא נוטלה, הה"ד ושאול בן הכנענית
In the end I found the comments of the Maskil L’David (see two snippets of his biography here and here) and the Abravanel (bio here and here), who delineated to whom the warnings refer. They have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight on Biblical history, and they interestingly take the liberty of either accusing a tribe of being guilty of the crime suggested, or using historical evidence to prove they could have been in violation of one of these sins, but chose not to. In this latter case, the hope is their tribesmen will continue following their model and will avoid losing the character trait that was so wonderfully embodied by their ancestor.
Without further ado, the hit parade with explanations for how they arrived at their conclusions.
(Click on the image to see the explanations in a readable size)
[If the image does not work, click here to see it spelled out]
Alternatively, you can try to make your own list.
This exercise is fascinating because anyone can be right. It’s all a matter of how you want to match things up, and how much knowledge you have to support the ideas you may bring to the table.
Final Lesson
The nit picking leaves us open to thinking that somehow, the things we do matter. We can find the smallest flaws or the smallest credits (or the greatest flaws and the greatest credits) from actions that seem to be completely unrelated to the specifics of our behavior we draw out of our deeds.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Ki Tavo - my article in the Jewish Star
Please click here if you'd like to see it on the Jewish Star website. Otherwise, it is reproduced here:
Parsha Ki Tavo: Hitting in secret
September 4, 2009
By Rabbi Avi Billet
The imaginative among us will conjure up a scene of the curse that appears in 27:14: “‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”
Picture a holding cell, with a blindfolded prisoner tied to a chair. An assailant comes, hits the trussed up victim, and leaves him there to wallow in his pain.
Or perhaps, we can imagine a dark alley, where a criminal blindsides his intended victim, whether to rob him or for some other reason (or for lack of reason).
In either instance, the attacker is cursed. Give a person a chance to fight, a chance to defend himself. Or, better yet, leave him alone.
Rashi, who is a little more homiletical in his interpretations, says this “striking down in secret” refers to the sin of Lashon Hara. When your friend is not near you, the things you say which have a damaging impact, even when said in private with only one other person, can have repercussions we can not anticipate. “So-and-so is not such a good doctor.” “I once had a bad experience with so and so, so that means the person is always bad and worth avoiding.” “Did you hear that she is getting divorced? It’s true!”
All of these comments lead to more speculation and unnecessary negative comments about others, even and especially when they’re true.
The Ktav V’Hakabalah focuses on the word “Re’ehu” — one who strikes down “his neighbor” — saying the word is specific. A person who is not your “neighbor,” or in a more exact definition of the word, your “friendly or beloved” neighbor, i.e. someone who is anti-friendly, who is abrasive and difficult, is not included in this prohibition. He quotes the Jerusalem Talmud that allows a person to speak ill of those who are confrontational, as long as your intentions are for the sake of heaven and to promote peace between other peoples.
He continues and explains that this prohibition is different than other Lashon Hara prohibitions we may have seen before, because similar commandments warn against speaking Lashon Hara in front of the object of discussion. Here the discussion is about speaking Lashon Hara in secret — which may be a warning against spreading the “avak lashon hara” — the “dust of Lashon hara.”
Examples of the dusty lashon hara include: telling a tale, as if you don’t know whom the tale is about (even though it is obvious, and everyone else knows); saying “Don’t talk about Jeff. I don’t want to know what happened with him”; saying nice things about Fred in front of someone who hates Fred will only cause the ‘enemy’ to say bad things about Fred; telling a parent something bad about his or her child “just so you should be aware” makes them feel doubly horrible.
It is also possible that our original images and the interpretations introduced by Rashi and expanded by the Ktav V’Hakabalah can be combined to give us a new approach.
We can have wonderful things to say about others, and we can make every effort to never violate someone else’s body using physical violence. But what about the things we do in our innermost hearts? What about when we think evil thoughts, or pray that evil things happen to someone else? What about when we take measures — without using any lashon hara — to cause a competitor’s business to fail? There are ways to hit people secretly which are underhanded, dirty and downright cruel.
What about when we keep secrets from our spouses, the kind that would be extremely hurtful were they to be out in the open?
There are secrets that exist between two people, and there are secrets which a person holds deep within his or her own heart. The former will most likely not remain a secret, and the latter does nothing to advance good relationships between people, and to promote peace in our lives and our communities.
When the Torah talks about secretive sins, sometimes the secret is between us and God.
Avoidance of this curse is realized when there are no secret feelings, and no secret intentions to harm anyone else.
Parsha Ki Tavo: Hitting in secret
September 4, 2009
By Rabbi Avi Billet
The imaginative among us will conjure up a scene of the curse that appears in 27:14: “‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”
Picture a holding cell, with a blindfolded prisoner tied to a chair. An assailant comes, hits the trussed up victim, and leaves him there to wallow in his pain.
Or perhaps, we can imagine a dark alley, where a criminal blindsides his intended victim, whether to rob him or for some other reason (or for lack of reason).
In either instance, the attacker is cursed. Give a person a chance to fight, a chance to defend himself. Or, better yet, leave him alone.
Rashi, who is a little more homiletical in his interpretations, says this “striking down in secret” refers to the sin of Lashon Hara. When your friend is not near you, the things you say which have a damaging impact, even when said in private with only one other person, can have repercussions we can not anticipate. “So-and-so is not such a good doctor.” “I once had a bad experience with so and so, so that means the person is always bad and worth avoiding.” “Did you hear that she is getting divorced? It’s true!”
All of these comments lead to more speculation and unnecessary negative comments about others, even and especially when they’re true.
The Ktav V’Hakabalah focuses on the word “Re’ehu” — one who strikes down “his neighbor” — saying the word is specific. A person who is not your “neighbor,” or in a more exact definition of the word, your “friendly or beloved” neighbor, i.e. someone who is anti-friendly, who is abrasive and difficult, is not included in this prohibition. He quotes the Jerusalem Talmud that allows a person to speak ill of those who are confrontational, as long as your intentions are for the sake of heaven and to promote peace between other peoples.
He continues and explains that this prohibition is different than other Lashon Hara prohibitions we may have seen before, because similar commandments warn against speaking Lashon Hara in front of the object of discussion. Here the discussion is about speaking Lashon Hara in secret — which may be a warning against spreading the “avak lashon hara” — the “dust of Lashon hara.”
Examples of the dusty lashon hara include: telling a tale, as if you don’t know whom the tale is about (even though it is obvious, and everyone else knows); saying “Don’t talk about Jeff. I don’t want to know what happened with him”; saying nice things about Fred in front of someone who hates Fred will only cause the ‘enemy’ to say bad things about Fred; telling a parent something bad about his or her child “just so you should be aware” makes them feel doubly horrible.
It is also possible that our original images and the interpretations introduced by Rashi and expanded by the Ktav V’Hakabalah can be combined to give us a new approach.
We can have wonderful things to say about others, and we can make every effort to never violate someone else’s body using physical violence. But what about the things we do in our innermost hearts? What about when we think evil thoughts, or pray that evil things happen to someone else? What about when we take measures — without using any lashon hara — to cause a competitor’s business to fail? There are ways to hit people secretly which are underhanded, dirty and downright cruel.
What about when we keep secrets from our spouses, the kind that would be extremely hurtful were they to be out in the open?
There are secrets that exist between two people, and there are secrets which a person holds deep within his or her own heart. The former will most likely not remain a secret, and the latter does nothing to advance good relationships between people, and to promote peace in our lives and our communities.
When the Torah talks about secretive sins, sometimes the secret is between us and God.
Avoidance of this curse is realized when there are no secret feelings, and no secret intentions to harm anyone else.
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