When I heard a rabbi describe himself as, “the Rav Moshe Feinstein of our generation,” I realized that it’s not just presidential candidates who claim to be the reincarnation of Lincoln or Reagan, but people in all areas of life who claim to lead as did a great person from the past.

It’s not always so blatant; I observe rabbis imitating their teachers when responding to a halachic question, using their teacher’s words and mannerisms. People imitate those they admire. They appear to lead as did their teacher. I always heard my grandfather zt”l consider how his rebbi, the Alter of Slabodka, would have responded to a situation, but he never tried to be his teacher; he was who he was; deeply rooted in the past, but highly sensitive to the present and future. Yesterday, my sister and I were discussing how extraordinary it was for a man so rooted in the Yeshiva world of Europe to be so aware of the different needs of American students.

What happens when a situation demands an entirely new type of leader? The Rambam was unlike anyone before him; his approaches disconcerted the established rabbinic authorities of his time. The Baal Shem Tov responded to the unique demands of the post Shabtai Tzvi and Chelministki pogroms with an entirely new approach. He certainly shook up the establishment! We then have the iconoclasts who define themselves as such in imitation of the Baal Shem Tov. They present themselves as “unique” in imitation of someone else!

Which takes us back to Moshe: His generation, the slaves in Egypt, needed a leader who was different from the Patriarchs and Joseph. We suggested in “All in the Family,” that when the people “forgot” Joseph they were severing a link to the past. Perhaps, it was an expression of a deeper sense of disconnect; a sense that even Joseph would be unable to save them from their current situation. No wonder Moshe insists to God, “They will not believe in me!” They need a leader who will carry them as an alate protector, “On the wings of eagles,” not someone with a speech impediment!

Even if he can perform a bunch of miracles and claim them as signs; What kind of leader is Moshe projecting? We know that he wants to insert God into their vocabulary, (see “Debate Performance”) and succeeds only to disappoint them when their situation gets worse. Moshe begins to wonder what kind of leader he will be (“A Leader’s Spirit.”)

We will explore his decision making as we began in “Moment to Decide,” and attempt to diagnose the symptoms exhibited by the nation he was to lead.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight,

And the choice goes by forever, ‘twixt that darkness and that light.

– James Lowell, 1845

“It happened in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hit him in the sand (Exodus 2:11–12).” Moses had no problem with his “Moment to Decide.” He did not only decide to protect the Hebrew man, he decided to risk his position as a member of the royal palace by executing the Egyptian aggressor.

This was not Moses’ first Moment to Decide, as we saw in, “The Mouth.”

“The minister of Midian had seven daughters; they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s sheep. The shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and save them and watered their sheep (16–17).” Moses had no problem with his “Moment to Decide.” In the moment, he decided to provoke the shepherds and defend the women, once again, placing himself at risk in a place where he did not have the advantage of being a member of the royal family. The women he saved, on the other hand, were not quite as skilled in taking advantage of their “Moment to Decide.” Moses saved them, and they go home without him. “Then where is he? Why did you leave the man? Some and him and let him eat bread (Verse 20)!”

Yitro’s daughters were not the only ones who were not quite as skilled as Moses in taking advantage of their, “Moment to Decide,” Aaron too, once failed, as we saw in, “Biblical Personalities-Aharon-Selections from the Midrash.”

This man who has no difficulty in taking full advantage of his “Moment to Decide,” continues his pattern when, “he saw and behold! The bush was burning in the fire but the bush was not consumed. Moses thought, ‘I will turn aside now and look at this great sight’ (3:2).” (See, “A Dream-Wine & Vision,” “Lessons from Life,” and, “A Fantasy Lecture by King Solomon.”)

Something changes. “Do not come closer to here, remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground (Verse 5).” We never read of Moses removing his shoes.  Did he hesitate?

“I am the Lord of your father, the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac, and the Lord of Jacob. Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to gaze toward the Lord (Verse 6).” We could say that Moses did decide; he decided to hide his face, however, when the verse says that, “he was afraid,” it implies that this was not a deliberate decision, but an act of fear. What happened to this man who never before had a problem with his Moment to Decide?

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should take the Children of Israel at of Egypt?” Not the answer we would expect from the man who has the confidence to act in his Moment to Decide!

The sages teach us that Moses spent an entire week arguing with God. What happened to the Moses who never before hesitated to act with confidence and determination?

Is this what happens to a decisive person who meets God?

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

“A man went from the house of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi (Exodus 2:1).” [We have discussed the absence of proper names in “Table Talk–Shemot I."]
Perhaps this verse informs us of one of the reasons that the Children of Israel fell into the trap of slavery: “a man from the house of Levi,” “a daughter of Levi,” it seems to be all about the tribe of Levi. Perhaps we are dealing with the family no longer functioning as one family, but as divided families. A man from Levi marries a woman from Levi is all we need to know. The tribes are sticking to themselves. We are no longer dealing with a single family but twelve.

Something terrible happens when a family divides. “She could not hide him any longer, so she took for him a wicker basket and smeared it with clay and pitch; she placed the child into it and placed it among the reeds at the bank of the River.” What did this mother expect to happen to her child? “His sister stationed herself at a distance to know what would be done with him.” The sister was concerned with what would happen to the baby; not the mother and not the father. Are we to believe that she is the only person who came up with the idea of saving a child this way? Was it not a regular scene on the Nile for a bunch of baskets to be floating with Jewish babies inside?

The Children of Israel were no longer a unified family. Each tribe lived independently and separately. Perhaps, once the people began to sever strong family ties, they became inured to family connections; they could place a baby in a basket, send it down the river, and walk away.

We are taught that the tribe of Levi did not fall into the trap of slavery. It seems that although they were not tricked into becoming slaves, they absorbed some of the influence of living amongst slaves.

There are other hints in the text to this loss of family connections: “A new King arose over Egypt, who did not know of Joseph.” While we are quite critical of the king for pretending that he did not know of Joseph and for lacking gratitude, we have to wonder whether the Children of Israel were any more grateful than the new King!

No one knew where Joseph was buried. Surely the family understood that Joseph’s role in Egypt would be an important asset for them as they remained there. I would have expected the family to build. A huge mausoleum marking the place where Joseph was buried but, they did not. They too forgotten about Joseph. Another family connections severed.

“During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died, and the Children of Israel groaned because of the work and they cried out.” Rashi quotes the Midrash that teaches us that Pharaoh did not actually die, but was stricken with leprosy and was instructed by his physicians to bathe in the blood of Jewish babies. Yet, they cried out, “because of the work,” not because their children were being slaughtered! Yet another family connection severed.

People who will sever such important and powerful connections will eventually lose their sense of identity. This is why, this Book, Exodus, or, “Names,” begins without names; a man from Levi, a daughter of Levi, his sister, the baby; descriptions, but no names. They had lost their sense of identity. How? By severing family connections.

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“Presumption is our natural and original malady. The most vulnerable and frail of all creatures is man, and at the same time the most arrogant (Michel de Montaigne).”

We have been tracing Jacobs steps as he sets out with his “Two Way Vision,” to reverse the steps taken by all since Adam was expelled from the Garden, creating increasing distance from what could have been humanity’s natural state. (“A Different Sort of Fear of Life”) Jacob is the “Eternal Man,” and refusing to, “Wait for his Monument,” lived every moment of his life, even in death and after! Jacob understands that to seek tranquility is to forfeit, “The Fragrance of Permanence.” He contained all the energy showered on him by God, and, “Stopped the Leaks,” that occur when we, “Break Our Link to the Eternal.”

In this, the final portion in the Book of Genesis, Jacob begins by teaching Joseph the importance of, “Balance,” as Joseph had begun to master in resisting his Temptations, “Directing the Conversation,” and the additional lesson of, “The Power of Softness.”

Jacob, the Master Teacher, allows Rachel and Leah to independently form their, “The Character in the Storm,” and building a family that will learn how to combine their strengths, as we saw in Part “Two.”

It takes the man who can allow the people around him to master their own growth with minimal guidance to understand the importance of “The Power of Softness.” This is why after Rachel and Leah have mastered combining their strengths, and healed their relationship (An Eloquent Silence Part Three) that Leah gives birth to Dinah and Rachel gives birth to Joseph, the brother and sister who are understood to share the same soul strength. The two sisters, with their newly combined attributes, are able to give birth to the male and female side of a single soul.

Jacob further developed his sense of balance through his dealings with Laban and his bravado: “Laban said to him, ‘I have learned by divination that God has blessed me on account of you’ (30:27).” Laban didn’t need divination to figure out that his wealth had exponentially increased since Jacob began working for him. His divination claim is pure bluster.

“It is in my power to do you all harm; but the Lord of your father addressed me last night, saying, ‘Beware of speaking with Jacob either good or bad’ (31:29).” Sounds like a mixed message to me! If it was truly in his power to harm everyone, why is he obeying the Lord of their father? If he has to obey God’s message, which included a warning to beware even of speaking with Jacob about good, why is he insinuating a threat in his words? Laban is torn between his desire to smash Jacob and his fear of Jacob and his God. (Learning How to Stand Up to a Bully)

“The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children and the flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine (31:43).” This is Laban as the famous, “Aramaean [who] attempted to destroy my forefather (Deuteronomy 26:5),” who we include in the Haggadah. Laban wanted to lay claim to the entire family (An Eloquent Silence Part Two). After all, he and his father had contributed more to Jacobs family than had Abraham and Isaac: Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, the maidservants, and all of Jacob’s wealth; Jacob had arrived in Laban’s home as a penniless vagabond.

Laban successfully distracted Jacob from his connection to the eternal and had him touch death: “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live (31:31).” Jacob had just unknowingly cursed Rachel who had stolen Laban’s gods. He carries this taste of death for the rest of his life, as he says, in this week’s portion, to Joseph, “but as for me; when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road (48:7).” Here is Jacob speaking to Joseph about the importance of maintaining an unbroken link to the eternal and yet he is still carrying this “taste of death!”

Joseph is not resentful of Jacob for burying Rachel in a faraway place. Joseph is not resentful of the fact that Jacob inadvertently caused Rachel’s early death. Joseph is resentful of Jacob carrying this sense of “on me,” ever since Rachels death. Jacob was not only carrying the guilt; he was keeping alive the wound of death that Laban had inflicted on him!

Joseph suspected that Laban was successful in wounding Jacob because there was a part of Jacob that believe Laban’s gasconade.

Jacob explains to Joseph that the issue was not that he was intimidated by Laban; but because Rachel died, “while there was still a stretch of land to go,” Jacob was weak because he felt he still had “far to go.”

At this moment, as Jacob is approaching death and his family will soon face slavery in Egypt with all its depressing suffering, he must send a message to the family that when we perceive ourselves as weak, we make ourselves vulnerable to the false claims of power and influence of liars such as Laban and Pharaoh.

In this, we see a powerful parallel to David’s reflections on his life as he speaks to Solomon in “Haftarah-Vayechi-Abner IV.”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

Many of the essays posted on The Foundation Stone have “Machberes Avodas Hashem” (The Service of God Notebooks) credited as the author. These essays are based on thoughts I’ve jotted down over the years to remember all the significant ideas I learn, hear, and read, and, what is more important, to figure out ways to incorporate into my Service of God in prayer, study, and work on my personal attributes, what I term, “Spiritual Tools,” many of which you can find as “Applications,” at the bottom of an essay.

One of my goals for The Foundation Stone is to introduce people to the idea of, “So What,” now that I have heard an idea; how can I use it.

If there is no practical lesson; it is not real Torah!

I recently posted a few essays on prayer based on the Parsha:

“Without a Battle.”

“Gathering the Joy.”

“Becoming Magnets.”

“Forgiveness.”

I hope to continue a series, “So What,”  on The Foundation Stone, throughout this calendar year of applying the commentaries to the Torah to Prayer and Spiritual Growth. I hope you enjoy this series, and that you will learn to reify all that you learn.

You can find more on this idea in, “Spirituals 101,” and, “Mishlei-Insight and Application,” and, “Stopping the Leaks.”

Enjoy!

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

“Now you yourself know what Yoav son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Yeter. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace (I Kings 2:5-6).”

We have studied the confrontation between Yoav and Avner over the issue of balance that David is addressing in his charge to Solomon. We now begin to examine why Yoav’s assassination of Amasa belongs in this opening paragraph of “Balance.”

Who was Amasa?

• David’s nephew and Yoav’s cousin,


• He was the person who successfully defended David’s lineage by quoting Samuel’s ruling. (Yevamot 77a)


• He is described, together with his cousin Avishai, as a “Lion in Torah.” (Yerushalmi, Peiah 1:1)


• Refused, with Avishai to murder the Kohanim of Nov at Saul’s order (Midrash Tehillim 52:5).


• Had a history of standing up against the king when he felt halachically justified (Midrash HaGadol).


• Brought all of Israel to invite David back as king, just as Avner had done See: Abner I (Kadmoniyot HaYehudim II 159).


• Yoav considered him to have the halachic status of one who rebelled against the king for having led Avshalom’s armies (II Samuel 17:25), and he was justified in killing him (Sanhedrin 49a).

Historical Background: A Time of Instability

Avshalom, David’s oldest son, plots a conspiracy, forming an army and winning the hearts of the Israel through displays of warmth and kindness. Supported by David’s chief counselor, Avshalom goes to Hebron where his followers pronounce him king. Informed of this event, David flees from Jerusalem with his men, and the people of the countryside weep as he marches by.

One of Saul’s relatives, Shimi ben Geira, a relative of King Saul, however, curses and throws stones at the band, gloating over David’s demise. David forbids his attendants, including Yoav’s brother, Avishai, to punish the man.

Yoav ignores David’s instructions to treat Avshalom gently and drives three spears into Avshalom’s hanging body (something David does not mention in his instructions to Solomon).

When David is notified of Avshalom’s death, he weeps, screaming repeatedly, “O my son Avshalom, O Avshalom, my son, my son (19:4)!” Yoav is furious with David for mourning the son who rebelled against him.

Shimi ben Geira knows that he’s in danger and meets David and begs forgiveness. Avishai insists on killing him, to which David replies: “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel (II Samuel 19:23).”

To the frustration of his officials, David shows mercy to all of Avshalom’s supporters who approach him for forgiveness, especially Avshalom’s commander Amasa. David sends messengers to the leaders of Judah, and the tribe welcomes him back to Jerusalem. The remaining tribes—Avshalom’s chief supporters—fear that David will be angry at them. An uprising ensues.

Text: David Takes Immediate and Decisive Action

“Then the king said to Amasa, ‘Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.’ But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Avishai, ‘Now Sheva ben Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.’ So Yoav’s men and the Kereti and Peleti and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Avishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheva ben Bichri.

While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Yoav was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.

Yoav said to Amasa, ‘How are you, my brother?’ Then Yoav took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Yoav’s hand, and Yoav plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Yoav and his brother Avishai pursued Sheva ben Bichri.

One of Yoav’s men stood beside Amasa and said, ‘Whoever favors Yoav, and whoever is for David, let him follow Yoav!’ Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Yoav to pursue Sheva ben Bichri (II Samuel 20:4-13).”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

We left off in “The Character in the Storm” with Rachel, having incorporated Jacob’s lessons (“Strength from Brokenness“) in her relationship with Leah, but wondering whether Leah understood Rachel’s message. I wonder whether Jacob was prepared for the storm that awaited him upon his return home. We must also see how Jacob incorporated the gains of this major event in his life into his final moments in this week’s portion, “Vayechi.”

“So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. ‘You must sleep with me,’ she said. ‘I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.’ So he slept with her that night.

Isn’t it a little strange for Leah to phrase this night as, “hiring Jacob?”

“Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, and she had borne to Jacob, went out to look over the daughters of the land (34:1).” “Because Dinah went out, in contradiction to the code of modesty befitting a daughter of Jacob, she is called the daughter of Leah because Leah, too, ‘went out.’ (Rashi) However, the Midrash on Proverbs praises Leah for going out, and says that it was her going out that caused her to merit to have descendants who would be kings and prophets (Chapter 31)!” Clearly, Leah’s going out is ambiguous. Why?

When Leah insists that she “hired” Jacob, she is informing him that she now feels equal to Rachel in her relationship with Jacob. Jacob hired himself out to marry Rachel. Leah was informing him that he was now hired out to marry her; in her mind, he would work for her just as he had worked for Rachel.

The first time that Jacob met Rachel, she too, was “going out.” “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel had arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherdess (29:9).” Everything that Leah was doing at this moment was a re-creation of the beginnings of the relationship between Jacob and Rachel.

Leah had clearly understood Rachel’s message of their joint eternal link to Jacob. The storm was over. Jacob did not walk into a fight, but into an entirely new stage of relationship with both, Rachel and Leah.

God considers Leah’s change as a form of prayer, and He grants her both Issachar and Zebulun who would eternally work together as partners, just as she was now prepared to work with Rachel.

Here is a woman going out to be with her husband and achieving greatness; as the Midrash says, kings and prophets would descend from her, just as another woman who “went out” to be with her husband and merited to say, “I have acquired a man with God (4:1),” I referred, of course, to Eve.

Remember, that when Eve decided to leave the Garden from which she had not been expelled just to be with her husband, she was willing to forfeit some of her elevated status to be with someone else. She certainly did the correct thing, but she paid a price, just as Leah will eventually pay a price for her “going out.”

“The Lord listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. Then Leah said, ‘The Lord has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.’ So she named him Issachar.

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, ‘The Lord has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.’ So she named him Zebulun.

Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah (Genesis 30:14-21).”

It is not only the sons who will work eternally as partners who result from this new relationship with Jacob, it is also Dinah, who will be at the center of another storm yet to a buffet Jacob and his family. Eve too, merited to “acquire a man with God,” but that man, Cain, would also be at the center of a storm.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

The time of patriarchs was reaching its end. Jacob was dying, and alongside his dictation of burial arrangements, he also gave final words to his twelve sons, words in which he would tell them “what will befall you in the end of days.” We usually read them as his final “blessings.” But in the case of two sons, Simeon and Levi, they are assuredly curses.

Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords. Let my soul not come into their council; to their assembly let my honor not be united. For in their anger they slew a man, and in their willfulness they lamed an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. (49:1–4)

Jacob knew full well the power of a father’s deathbed will: He had caused unspeakable pain to be inflicted on his brother Esau through words much milder than these. But the actions of Simeon and Levi, who deceived and slaughtered the men of Shechem in retaliation for the rape of their sister Dina, were too much for Jacob to suffer.

Does the Bible endorse Jacob’s view? Not necessarily. While Simeon’s offspring ultimately descend into historical irrelevance, the Levites become the guardians of the Temple, priests to God, teachers of the people.

This is not a small problem in the text. The stories of the twelve brothers are meant to tell us something about the fate of the tribes they sired. If Jacob’s curse on Levi doesn’t come true, it raises the possibility that he deeply misunderstood at least one of his own sons.

To unravel the mess, we need to reread the saga of Simeon and Levi, as individuals and tribes, as a five-act play. It’s a story of extremism, zealotry, and violence—and the difficulty in telling right from wrong in the high-stakes game of the love of God.

Act 1: Shechem. After the king of Shechem helps himself to Jacob’s only daughter Dina, Simeon and Levi conspire to vanquish the whole city. They pretend to cut a deal in which the Shechemites first circumcise themselves, and will then be allowed to marry Israelite women. They agree, and when they are at the height of their physical weakness, the brothers kill them all. Jacob is livid, on the grounds that all the other peoples will descend upon him and his family. The brothers respond, “Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?” And here things get strange.

The brothers’ retort is left hanging in the air, at the very least suggesting they have fought to a draw. Later on, it becomes clear that Jacob’s fears were unfounded: “The terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.” We are left with a sense that Jacob’s judgment is not the same as that of the text itself.

Act 2: The Curse. In this week’s reading, Jacob curses Simeon and Levi, calling them “brothers”—the emphasis suggesting that he saw them as identical to each other, motivated principally by anger, deserving the same fate.

Act 3: The Test. Generations later, in the wake of the Golden Calf in the book of Exodus, Moses famously calls out “Whoever is with the Lord, come with me!” Only the Levites come to Moses’ side, and they slay two thousand Israelites with the sword as retribution and purification of the camp. Simeon’s tribe, for all its presumptive bloodlust, is nowhere to be found. And so, at a crucial moment, we discover that while Levi and Simeon may both have indulged in violence, their deeper nature was in fact different.  To put it bluntly, Levites are zealots for the Lord, while Simeonites are thugs.

The Levites are rewarded with the priesthood. It’s a double-edged reward: Their violent zealotry, so repugnant to Jacob, is channeled away from physical violence and towards extreme ritual, where any mistake can mean death, but where the consequences are purely religious. They are to be left out of military affairs and without land of their own. Their violence neutralized, their zealotry can be expressed in a more useful manner.

Act 4: The Last Battle. To make the point clear, in Numbers we find the head of the tribe of Simeon, Zimri ben Salu, publicly bedding the daughter of the king of Midian—an act not just of licentiousness but, in context, of idolatry as well. With Moses and Aaron standing by, powerless to stop it, Aaron’s grandson Pinhas, heir to the leadership of the Levite priests, hurls his javelin through Zimri and his concubine, killing them both. This is the final act of Levite violence, and it is aimed at none other than the chief of Simeon. Zealotry takes out thuggery, Levi defeats Simeon once and for all, thereby distinguishing himself and disproving Jacob’s claim that they are “brothers.”

Act 5: The Inheritance. In the book of Joshua, upon entry into the Promised Land, the Levites receive just the minimal land around urban centers and are teachers of God’s word and servants in the Temple. In this sense only, Jacob’s curse comes true. Simeon, on the other hand, is lost to history, his descendants unable to find a coherent piece of territory and utterly subsumed into Judah.

The message of all this? Our human world is a complex one, with some people built for the nasty business of diplomacy, nuance, and gracious maneuvering; while others are preternaturally primed for ideological purity, simplicity of principle, and extremity of action. Jacob was clearly the former, and had no room in his world for Levi. Somehow, however, biblical religion did make room for the Levite, not just by giving a place of honor and productive purpose to his otherwise uncontrolled zealotry—but also in requiring that the rest of us take care not only of the poor and orphaned, but also the “Levite in our gates”—as well as their spiritual heirs, the zealots, mystics, absolutists and other difficult individuals who, in spite of everything, are entrusted to our care.

David Hazony is author of The Ten Commandments: How Our Most Ancient Moral Text Can Renew Modern Life (Scribner, 2010).

In our journey of “Balance,” “David, Yoav & Abner I,” “Part Two,” and, “Part Three,” we’ve been studying David’s opening charge to Solomon urging him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We have watched as Joab battles the king’s sense of balance, and how he was willing to place his desires above the stability of the kingdom and God’s expressed will. We left off with David refusing to allow himself to stop Joab, because he is struggling to maintain balance between his drive for action and God’s Providence, especially when it is clear that it is God Who is guiding these major events.

Let’s return to the Abner-Joab story to discover what David learns about this issue:

Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

Later, when David heard about this, he said, ‘I and my kingdom are forever innocent before God concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food. (22-29)

“Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon (30).”

Why is David not angry with Abishai?

“Then the king said to his men, ‘Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds’ (38-39).”

As Abner had done to Ish-Bosheth, Joab did to David: Ish-Bosheth, “did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him,” he was so weak that, not only did he not dare to say another word, he actually helps Abner’s plan to support David; “So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish!”

David makes a public declaration, even after saying, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before God concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food,” that, “today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds,” I am weak!

Joab made David appear weak, so much so, that even when David publicly curses Joab, “May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food,” and, “May God repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds,” David’s reliance on God to exact retribution is perceived as a sign of weakness. Was that balance?

If the issue was David’s political weakness; no. However, David is not speaking of his inability to directly deal with Joab; he is speaking, in deep and honest self-reflection, of his self-doubt: Did he hesitate to confront Joab because he believed that God would deal with things, or, did his political weakness cause him to use the Divine Providence argument as an excuse to avoid a confrontation?

There is no balance without such honest introspection, and, it is only the balanced David who can be so honest.

This is one of the most important lessons he can convey to his son, Solomon, one that Solomon will repeat in the fourth chapter of Proverbs. See: “Receiving the Transmission,” and “Judgment Calls.”

We can now turn to the next assassination mentioned by David to Solomon, that of Amasa:

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

It is clear in “Balance,” “David, Yoav & Abner I,” and “Part Two,” that David’s opening charge to Solomon is to urge him to balance his dual roles as person and king (Be a Man). We’ve begun to see how Joab is anti-balance, and why David includes his instructions regarding Joab in his opening charge. Let’s now see the balance in David’s immediate and long term responses to his powerful and essential general:

“Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do.

When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. Then Abner said to David, ‘Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.’ So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace (17-21).”

Abner speaks to David of, “Everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do.” He does not speak of what he had convinced them to do. Abner does not mention his role. He is coming to David as the representative of the tribes that have yet to publicly support David as their new king. Abner has successfully learned from David how to place his own concerns to those secondary of the nation.

I would expect Abner to come to David with a huge contingent of leaders, soldiers, and common people; probably, a significant representation of the tribe of Benjamin as well. However, for this epochal meeting, Abner brings only twenty men with him. It is clear from the rest of the paragraph that Abner did not intend this as the final meeting, but only his opening gambit: “let me go at once and dissemble all Israel for my lord the king.” What was the purpose of this initial meeting?

“David prepared a feast for him,” for this was a meeting between David and Abner as men, not as powers. This was Abner’s way of conveying to David the message that he had heard, understood, and reified David’s message of balance.

“Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder.

But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

So Joab went to the king and said, ‘What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.’ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it.”

At that moment, Joab “returns from a raid with a great deal of plunder,” proving his importance to David. Yet, the verse stresses that the soldiers who accompanied Joab were “David’s men,” not Joab’s! In fact, while we would certainly expect the verse to say that ‘Joab and David’s men returned,’ placing the leader of the raiding party, the powerful general, Joab, first, the verse places David’s men before Joab; as if to say that the return to David with substantial plunder was not necessarily Joab’s preference. He, as opposed to Abner, has not decided to make his personal concerns secondary to those of his king.

Joab criticizes David for having allowed Abner to leave in peace. He accuses David of being naïve and not realizing that Abner’s approach was a pretense simply to allow him to “observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

It is difficult for a person who has no sense of balance to believe that David is anything but naïve. Joab became not understand the subtleties of the communication between David and his new ally. He sees things only from his perspective of power: Abner is a threat.

Joab makes his feelings clear, and with out articulating his intentions, he leaves David. He fully expects David to figure out his deadly intentions. Joab not only rebukes the King, he sends David the message that he, Joab, the mature general, will deal with this matter. There is an inherent challenge to David’s power in Joab’s message: “Try and stop me!” Abner had come to solidify David’s reign; Joab is placing everything at risk!

David, the balanced Man, has throughout his life steadily maintained a far more essential sense of balance; that of his desire to take action directed by God’s Divine Providence. Abner had clearly stated to all that his decision to support David was part of the fulfillment of God’s promise. David felt that these events were being directly provided by the Almighty.

Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.