Parshas Ki Seitzei - a thought on one of the first Rashis

"If you should go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God puts them in your hand and you capture prisoners from them. And you see among the prisoners a beautiful woman; if you desire her, you may take her as your wife."

~ Devorim 21:10-11

You may take her as your wife. The Torah speaks only to go against the evil inclination, because if God would not permit her, he (the Jewish soldier) would live with her illicitly. But if he does marry her, he will ultimately hate her, as it is further stated: "If a man has two wives, etc. " [see 21:15] and ultimately he will father, with her, a wayward and rebellious son [see 21:18]. That is why these chapters adjoin one another.

~ Rashi on Devorim 12:11

Rashi's view is that the Torah grants permission to a Jewish soldier to marry a captivating captive only as a necessary but unfortunate (and ill-fated) concession to human nature. As I'm aware, this is not the only instance of the Torah  making such a concession. For example, it is the opinion of Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook that God granted Noah and his descendants permission to eat meat, after the Flood, (Bereshis 9:3) only as a last resort, in recognition that humankind had become desensitized to violence and could no longer restrain its desire for meat [see Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshis, p. 77].

These two instances are, at least, well within the realm of Torah-approved allowances to our less refined tendencies. Two questions we should ask ourselves, as we prepare for Rosh HaShana, are: What are the allowances we give ourselves that fall outside the realm of Torah-sanctioned concessions? And can we, perhaps, hold ourselves to a higher standard in the upcoming New Year?

Parshas Re'eh - an iffy proposition

This week’s Torah portion opens with a straightforward proposition: “See, I have set before you this day a blessing and a curse. A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day. And a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known.” (Devarim 11:26-28).

Nehama Leibowitz points out that this balanced proposition includes an anomaly that is evident only in the Hebrew text – the word for “if,” that follows the words “A blessing” is asher whereas the word for “if” that follows the words “A curse” is im. What should we make of these differing clauses? Mrs. Leibowitz offers three possible answers.

The Malbim suggests that the word asher after the words “A blessing” can also be translated as “that” and this implies that the fulfilling the commandments is a reward into itself. In secular terms, this corresponds to the axiom that “virtue is its own reward.” Rashi, elucidated by Mrs. Leibowitz, suggests that the term asher informs us that the blessing in the verse refers actually to the expansive world we’ve already been granted, which offers us tremendous opportunities. Rabbeinu Bahya suggests that the word im (after the words “And a curse”) is a more ambivalent and less certain term, to subtly communicate the idea that adherence to the Torah is the more reliable path.

All three answers offer encouraging perspectives to each of us whenever we struggle to fulfill a particular mitzvah or avoid a poor course of action. We can focus on the reward of virtue, the inherent uncertainty of life outside Torah, or the foundation of blessing we’ve already received. None of these ideas will ward off a challenging passage but may serve as a useful beacon to help us get to the other side of the bridge. 

VaYechi - All in the context

Sometime a single phrase can increase bitterness in one setting and lead to reconciliation in another.

Jacob’s wife Rachel, frustrated that she is seemingly unable to become pregnant, complains to Jacob that he should do something about it. Jacob replies: “Am I in God’s place?” (HaTachat Elokim Anochi?) Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (30:2).  We can presume that Jacob’s response, though it was accurate, probably did not assuage Rachel’s anxiety and pain.

Decades later, after Jacob has died and his sons return after his burial to their new homestead in Egypt, the ten sons (of Leah and the handmaids) fear that now – with Jacob gone – Joseph may take revenge on them for selling him into slavery. They send a message requesting his forgiveness and then appear before him, where they kneel down and state: “Behold, we are your slaves.” Joseph replies: “Fear not, for am I in God’s place? (HaTachat Elokim Ani?)” (50:18). He proceeds to reassure his brothers that he is not carrying a grudge and intends to act towards them only with kindness.

Nehama Leibowitz, in her essay “What If Joseph Hates Us?” notes that the Midrash Tanhuma picks up on this striking similarity in phrases and sees a connection. Perhaps Joseph’s magnanimous act of forgiveness was the ideal counterbalance for a moment of great insensitivity his father had shown to Joseph’s mother. In the best circumstances, we see our children learn and grow from our mistakes. And that is one of the greatest blessings.

Chayei Sarah - significant servant

The character in the book of Bereishis (Genesis) that deserves a serious second look is Eliezer, the faithful servant of Abraham. What do we know about Eliezer? We know, from the two previous week’s Torah readings, that Eliezer was apparently a formidable warrior¹, a skilled student and teacher of monotheism², and one of the people that accompanied Abraham and Isaac to the Akeidah (the near-sacrifice of Isaac)³. In this week’s Torah reading we observe that, in his travels to secure a suitable wife for Isaac, Eliezer demonstrates remarkable diplomatic skills as he carefully describes his master, his mission, and his experiences on the way to Rebecca’s family⁴. I find it particularly noteworthy that, taking into account his very active role throughout the chapter (24) that outlines this mission, the Torah devotes more text to describing the conversations and actions of Eliezer than it does to the conversations or actions of Sarah or Ishmael (59 vs. 35 and 13, respectively). What are we to make of all this attention devoted to Abraham’s faithful servant?

I wonder if – in the example of Eliezer - the Torah is providing us with a role model for a ‘regular’ person of faith, to which we can more readily relate than some of the other characters. Abraham was the prophet of God, while Eliezer ‘merely’ received the teachings of God’s values from Abraham and shared them with others. Most of us are not learned rabbis or seasoned Torah teachers, with a refined sense of God’s will in the world. Instead, we attach ourselves to rabbis and teachers who speak to our religious sensibilities and then we become ‘servants’ of their teachings and worldview.  And like Eliezer, we can marshal our skills and experiences in the service of God, under the direction of those ‘masters’ of God’s perspective. While Abraham, Sarah, and the other patriarchs and matriarchs are vital role models, it may be Eliezer that speaks most clearly to the regular Jew.   

1 = 14:14

2 = see Rashi, on 15:2

3 = see Rashi, on 22:3

4 = see Nehama Leibowitz, New Studies in Bereshit/Genesis, “Table-talk of Patriarch’s Servants,” p. 230 – 236.