haber@sunybcs.UUCP (Rabbi Yaacov Haber) (10/01/86)
V VAYELECH
Moses,in one of his last talks to the Jewish people
announces his retirement, and the appointment of his
successor, Joshua. He says: "I am 120 years old today, and
can no longer come or go" (Deut. 31:2). Later we read
"Moses was 120 years old when he died; his eye was not dim,
and his natural force not abated" (Deut. 34:7). We seem to
have a contradiction here! Why does Moses say that he could
no longer move around? Rashi explains that he means: he is
no longer was able to maneuver in Torah. In other words,
the wellsprings of Torah have been closed to him.
The Ramban explains that this was a miracle. But this seems
very cruel! After all, Torah was Moses' whole life. Is
this his reward for a lifetime of teaching Torah, that he is
prevented from going on with this? The Rambam goes on to
explain that this was done so that it would be easier for
Moses to give over the reins of leadership to Joshua. But
this explanation also presents a difficulty: it is hard to
understand how Moses of all people would be so pettty as to
find it hard to give up his position as leader.
To emphasize this point, let me recount a midrash. On the
day of the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua,
Moses went to visit Joshua in his tent. (This was unusual,
for people usually came to Moses as Rabbi.) Joshua saw Moses
coming and ran out to greet him. They walked together to
the Tent of Meeting, where G-d would communicate with Moses,
and Moses made Joshua walk on his right, symbolizing his new
position of leadership. In the tent, the holy presence of
G-d descended, for the first time, upon Joshua and not upon
Moses. When the presence of G-d lifted again, Moses asked
Joshua what it was that G-d had told him, Joshua replied
"When G-d used to communicate with you did I ever ask you
what G-d told you?" When Moses heard this he cried out:
"G-d! give me a hundred deaths, but not this feeling of
jealousy!" (Yalkut)
This is a remarkable story. We may be sure that if Moses,
the humblest of all men, was susceptible to such feelings of
pride and jealousy, then so is every person who has ever
lived.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla, the leader of the Sanhedrin in the
1st Century, said: "Before I accepted this office, if anyone
had suggested it to me, I would have tied him up in front of
a lion." (I presume this was a figure of speech!) "But now
that I have this office, if anyone were to ask me to step
down, I would pour a pitcher of boiling water on him! I
learned this from Saul; before he became king he hid from
the honor, but afterwards, when David wanted to take it away
from him, Saul tried to kill him." (Talmud Menachot 98)
There is nothing more fragile than people's feelings. Here
is a true story. A man I know borrowed ten thousand dollars
from a friend of his, a multimillionaire. He agreed to
repay him after a year. However, when the year was up, he
found he did not have the money to repay the debt. But he
did not speak to his friend about the problem, since he
expected to find the money somehow soon. In this way, one
week went by, two weeks, one month, two months, and he still
could not find the money for repayment. But he still did
not discuss the problem with his friend, since he kept on
hoping that the money would turn up somehow. By now he was
too embarrassed to be even in the same room as his friend,
since he could not stand the way his friend would look at
him (although his friend never even brought up the
subject). So he went to pray in another synagogue, and if
he was at a wedding at which his friend would appear, he
would leave immediately. Even this was not enough to stop
his humiliation, since he could not avoid sometimes passing
his friend in the street.
Eventually (since the money still did not turn up) he
decided that the only thing left for him to do was to leave
town. He told this to his Rabbi, who responded: "But why
are you leaving?" You have a good job here, a good home, and
your kids go to school here!" He then told the Rabbi the
whole story, and the rabbi said: "Well, I can't stop you
from leaving, if that's what you want, but at least go and
talk to your friend!" Well, he steeled himself, and after
some sleepless nights he went to his friend's home. Barely
able to speak, he began: "You know, two years ago I borrowed
ten thousand dollars from you ..." "You did?" the friend
replied. "I'll check at the office tomorrow."
The point is this: This man's feelings, although they
probably seems idiotic to us, were real enough for him, and
it is our duty to be considerate of them. In fact, that is
the halacha! According to the Shulchan Aruch, if someone
owes you money, and know he cannot repay, you must not
embarrass him by asking for it, or even discussing the debt
in his presence, or even hinting at it, or even appearing
before him, if that will embarrass him! (This is not to
fault the behavior of the millionaire in the story, who was
a tzaddik.) So concerned is halacha with people's feelings.
The desire not to be to be humiliated is as human as having
eyes, a nose, and two ears. It is all in the way G-d made
us. We don't find any divine criticism of Moses, Saul, or
R' Yehoshua ben Gamla for their all too human
sensitivities. What we consider as smallmindedness occurs
even among the greatest of us.
At this time of the year, it is important for us to increase
our concerns for our neighbors' sensitivities, and we do
this by realizing that such sensitivities, even those we
consider "mishigassen", are part of their reality, and are
our concern as much as theirs.
A wonderful happy New year to everyone.
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Rabbi Yaacov Haber
Torah Center of Buffalo
1695 Hertel Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14216
Tel. (716) 833-7881
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