Parashat Ki Tavo
The Worst Curse
Is To Lose All Control
Among the curses
for those who break the covenant is the inability to provide for themselves.
By Rabbi Avi Weinstein
The following article is reprinted with permission from Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
Most of us, as a rule, do not dwell on the
"unpleasant" parts of the Torah. After all, who wants to dwell on
unpleasant things any day of the week, let alone on Shabbat, a day where we are
supposed to, dare I say, enjoy ourselves a bit. However, after a very
optimistic beginning, where the children of Israel imagine bringing their first
harvest to the Temple, thanking their Creator for the bounty that has been
provided for them, suddenly, the Holy One introduces us to the
"downside" of being part of this covenant.
Just as the rewards are great for God's chosen, the
punishments are very severe. What God threatens could ruin even a masochist's
Shabbat. Even more depressing is that a close reading of the curses will show
that the Jewish people have endured all the calamities mentioned, only taking
solace that they lived to tell the tale.
Toward the end of the curses, the Torah says: "And your
life will hang before you, and you will be frightened night and day, and you
will not believe in your life" (Deuteronomy 28:66).
The midrash that introduces the Book of Esther, the Pitichta of Esther
Rabba, opens with this verse, and explains it the following way:
Midrash Esther Rabba, the Pitichta (Introduction):
"and your life will hang before (depend upon) you…" this refers
to a person who has grain for one year.
"and you will be frightened night and day…" this refers to a
person who must buy his flour each day from the miller.
"…and you will not believe in your life." This refers to one
who must buy his bread from the baker.
Rabbi Berachya disagreed:
"and your life will hang before (depend upon) you…" This
refers to one who has grain for three years.
"and you will be frightened night and day…" This refers to one
who has grain for one year.
"…and you will not believe in your life." This refers to one
who must get his grain each day from the miller.
The other rabbis asked: What about the one who must get his bread from the
baker? Rabbi Berachya answered, "The Torah did not address the dead.”
Your Midrash Navigator
1. The Hebrew word "Talui" can mean either
"hang before" or "depend upon." Read the verse both ways
and describe how it changes the meaning of the verse. If the verse means
"depend upon" is this saying something positive or negative?
2. Describe the emotions clarified in this verse. Do things
get better or worse? Is being frightened better than not believing in your
life?
3. Why does Rabbi Berachya presume that the one who does buy
his bread from the baker is already not among the living?
4. What happens to a person whose responsibility for his/her
own life is taken from them? According to the midrash, is the ability to
provide for ourselves a privilege?
A Word
If you notice, I have translated the first clause in the
verse two ways, one which assumes that you are barely able to exist, and the
other which assumes that you are still in control of your life. The reason for
this ambiguity is that the Hebrew word "Talui" can mean both these
things. The rabbis have chosen to interpret the word "talui" as
"depend on," and they seem to think that one who has wheat for a year
feels secure. He only becomes terrified when he does not know from where the
next day's wheat will be. And he is only considered in total despair when he is
too depressed or incapable of baking his own bread, and thus relies on the
baker for his own survival.
Rav Berachya says anxiety kicks in when one watches his annual stock deplete
for he is already worried about next year. If he has no wheat stored and is
living day to day, this is already a life of complete despair. If, however,
someone has given up to the point they no longer bake their own bread, such a
person is no longer considered to be alive enough for the Torah to address.
This is the ultimate curse, when the will to endure and work toward that end is
no longer present. At this stage, Rav Berachya says, the Torah ceases to be
interested in us.
Despair is the Torah's enemy, for in moments of despair the miracle of creation
and God's love are not felt. The beauty of connecting with another is beyond
reach and yet, God wishes this upon those who deny the covenant. It is as if
the Holy One says, "To deny the source of existence is to deny existence
itself. Do not think, your life depends on you even when things are
going well." For once you assume you are the master of all the good in
your life, that is when your existence may come into question. It is these
curses that have humbled us as a nation, and have made us strong with the
knowledge that we will not only endure, but we will also grow, with the help of
the Holy One, into a truly holy people, worthy of being declared chosen.
Another question: Why would the midrash on the Purim story open with such a
devastating passage? The rabbis wish to remind us that there is an underlying
obscenity in the Purim story. It happened in exile where we were dependent upon
a foreign king through whom hidden miracles of elegant timing were performed.
Had we been in our own land none of the pain, terror and despair prior to the
salvation of Esther and her good uncle would have been necessary. Despair is
synonymous with exile.
Prepared by Rabbi Avi
Weinstein, Director, Hillel’s Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning.
Provided by Hillel’s
Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning, which creates innovative
educational resources based on Jewish texts and trains Hillel students,
professionals, and lay leaders to infuse Jewish content throughout their
activities. © 2002 Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
