This article was constructed with the help of either writings, lectures or shiurim of Rabbi’s Jay Shapiro, Baruch Dopelt, Yissachar Frand, Yossi Bilius and Dr. Abba Goldman
Many people don’t like surprises. It’s nice to know a few steps in advance what to expect from this wonderful life. Preparation is the key to get ahead in this tough world. Perhaps that is why a kabbalist is so popular in this day and age. Perhaps that’s why he can command premium prices. They give us the “inside scoop what lies ahead”. Well, I guess some of the time. Their percentage of being correct is roughly a bit more than half on the average. So what is all the hoopla of “a little bit more than average?” Well, that edge can make a major difference. Life is all about percentages.
However, there is a big time contradicting view to this insider trading philosophy. We learn a very famous concept in this week’s parsha.
The pasuk [verse] teaches, “You shall be innocent (tamim) with the L-rd your G-d” [Devarim 18:13]. Rashi interprets: Walk with Him with innocence (temimut) and accept what He has in store for you; do not try to divine the future; accept what the Almighty gives you with perfect faith.
Thus, after the Torah warns us not to follow those who predict the future in verses 10-11, we are then told to be perfect in our faith that the future is in G-d’s hands, rather than seeking fortune-tellers who are not always correct.
But, isn’t that what we strive for? Our Rabbis explicitly say we have to do hishtadlut-effort! It’s wrong to sit back and expect G-d to deliver. We have to use our know how to produce in the optimal way. Many Jews are born salesmen. The first phrase they utter in the delivery room, after they come into this world, is “how much per carat?” (Referring to the Jewelry business terminology: inciting a business transaction). We have a competitive nature. As a matter of fact, some Jews don’t realize the advantage of learning Torah for an extended period. Many of the ultra-Orthodox, as they are labeled, send their sons to Yeshiva to learn well into their late twenties for a very good reason. Yes, it’s important that they have to learn traits which there are many programs where these Yeshiva boys go to college at night earning a degree, besides learning a primary lesson how to be sensitive to others; they also develop certain sharpness and quick thinking where they’re able to solve tough equations from constantly learning the Talmud. There is a competitive nature that’s developed in the study hall. It’s in our genes to rise to the top, to come up head. What’s the expression: “sharp minds – sharp products”. So we’re always looking for the advantage and if we have the means, the palm reader, forehead reader, name reader, why not take it!!
ARE THE KABALISTS OR EXTRA TERRESTRIAL INCITERS FOR REAL?
It seems like the Rishonim (the highest and the elders level of Sages) believe there is truth to these powers whether it be kosher or not, meaning weather it come from a source of kedusha (holiness) or Tumah (impurity). Even today, most of the mainstream respected Rabbi agrees that to some degree these powers exist.
WHAT IS THE EXACT TRANSLATION OF THE WORD TAMIM?
The word tamim has appeared on numerous occasions in the Torah up to this point, and its translation is always “perfect.” For example, we find in numerous instances that the Torah requires a sacrifice to be tamim, which means perfect and without blemish. Furthermore, we also find that the word tamim suggests a perfection of character: Noach is described as a tamim, one who was perfect in his dedication to G-d, and Avraham is told by G-d, “Come close to Me in worship and be perfect (tamim).”
Why, then, did Rashi veer from this interpretation (which is suggested by Ramban) in our verse, and write instead that tamim means, “Walk with Him simple-heartedly”?
Is the translation of tamim – perfect or is it whole hearted?
Furthermore, we learn how the Torah famously describes our forefather Yaakov and his brother Eisav. “The children grew up and Eisav became a man who knew hunting, a man of the field, and Yaakov was a simple man who sat in the tents.
When the Torah describes Yaakov as a simple person, is that a form of praise or criticism?
When Yaakov steals the blessings, his own father describes the act as cunning (b’mirmah). Was Yaakov simple or was he cunning?
At the Pesach Seder, the third son is the Tam, the simple son. How does he compare to Yaakov?
How does the Tam that we meet at the seder differ from the Torah’s description of Yaakov as “ish tam”?
At that moment [when Eisav found out that Yaakov received the blessings] Eisav began to scream: Come and see what this “tam” did! [He is “tam”] as the Torah states “And Yaakov was a simple man (tam) who sat in the tents.” Is it not enough that he made a fool of me about the fact that I sold the birthright? He now took my blessings! (Devarim Rabbah)
Those who think that one can swindle or fool the simple are mistaken because one who is simple in the path of truth is a worthy opponent to any cheater. Yaakov, our forefather, about whom the Torah testified that he is a “simple man who sat in the tents,” and who embodied the trait of truth, as it states “give truth to Yaakov,” was a worthy opponent to Lavan – the cheater in his swindling. (R. Yechezkel Sarna, Haggadah Shel Pesach Chevron, Knesset Yisrael)
So we see being whole hearted simpleton doesn’t necessarily mean being naive, but how is a tam’s personality defined?
In just a few weeks we, Jews, will be judged by G-d, for the coming year. As we know Yom Kipur is not the final verdict. There is still another chance. At the end of Succot we stay up all night and pray and learn for those precious last moments which can make it or break it in the book of life. The night is called Hoshana Rabba. It’s a custom of the Sephardim and Chassidim… There is a difference of opinions as to what the source of this custom. One source is frankly mind boggling to say the least. It says in the Torah “yom hachitim” day of harvest, however, it should be read “yom hachatoom” the day of the signing.
The custom back in the days was at midnight our ancestors would go into the field and from the reflection of the moon would see their shadow. Now get this: if the shadow had a head – their prayers would be accepted and if their shadows did not……pack your bags!!
Incredibly this originates from a very credible Torah source. Although I suggest you don’t try this at home, or your back yard for that matter. Interestingly when the spies came back and gave a bad report and the people panicked as result of their negative statement; Kalev, one of the two spies that came back with a good report, the other Yehoshua ben Nun, said SAR TZILAM M’ALEHEM-their protection has departed from them. Don’t worry G-d has removed protection from the seven nations. TZILEM means shadow.
Why don’t we do this today? Why don’t we all open our back porch door and find our shadow and hope it’s got a head…YIKES!! It’s not recommended for we don’t exactly know how to interpret the shadow and its angles. Are we are performing it correctly?
At times it’s dangerous reading or following the advice of the supernatural. There is a famous story in the Talmud:
The Midrash teaches that the wise king knew the language of the birds (sichas haTziparim). A person came to Shlomo HaMelech and asked that Shlomo HaMelech teach him this language. At first, the king refused but the man pestered him until he finally relented and taught him sichas haTziparim. The fellow was then walking in the field and heard two birds talking with one another. One bird told the other “You see this fellow; his entire flock of cattle are going to die within the next couple of weeks.” The man went home and immediately sold his entire flock of cattle at the very first opportunity. Lo and behold, two weeks later the entire flock died. The man avoided a major financial setback!
Sometime later, the man was again walking in the field and heard one bird tell another that the fellow they saw was going to have his house and everything therein burn down within two weeks. Again, he sold his house and all his possessions lock stock and barrel. Sure enough, two weeks later the house burned to the ground. Again, he avoided catastrophe!
When he next went out to the field, he heard one bird tell the other that the fellow near them was going to drop dead the following week. He then went back to Shlomo HaMelech and desperately asked for his advice what to do. Shlomo HaMelech said “I told you that I did not want to teach you the language of the birds! You did something terribly wrong and G-d wanted to give you a punishment. He was going to punish you through the death of your cattle. However, you “outsmarted Him” and found out – through the birds – how to avoid that punishment. The punishment would have been for your benefit – that financial setback would have shaken you up and forced you to repent and amend your ways.
Then the Almighty was going to get you to do Teshuva by burning your house down, but again you avoided the tragedy and hence the opportunity to repent. Your sins however now remain and the only option that you left the Almighty is to bring about your death as punishment for those sins.
Aside from second guessing one’s decision which can drive a person bananas there is a simple explanation not to follow the mystical route.
The Ramban says there is legitimacy to some of these astrologists and their hokas pocas highfalutin stuff, however, the reason we don’t follow and listen is because of a fundamental concept. Jews can change their mazal. It might be difficult but it can be done. Avraham and Sarah could not have children, that was their mazal, however, with prayer, teshuva and tzedaka, sounds familiar, we scream and plead that statement during the high holidays prayers: We can change our verdict!! The other nations of the world cannot!
This is a very important point; we can change!! How many people do you know who had some deficit in their lives and prayed or taken upon themselves a mitzvah and saw positive changes in their lives?
However, the human psyche is such that if we are told something negative we fall into despair and think “that’s it” – it’s final. Nevertheless that’s not so, some of the mazal can be changed. In fact some of the negative mazal can be changed rather easier than others. Nevertheless the damage has been done for we feel we are doomed… This despair will lead us not to follow the proper protocol and duty we have as Jews which is prayer and good deeds. This entail will fight the negative decree and overturn the verdict… One loses focus that our bread is always buttered by G-d and the methods of change that He provides. However, we don’t take Him up on it. This knowledge from the astrologist or more legitimate Kabbalist is better not known for our own sake; it’s counterproductive. The hidden secret is better hidden. If one thinks they can manage with the hidden truth, even though it’s not so accurate to begin with, hey! By all means, go for it! However, the Sages want to protect us and preserve the proper and optimal channels to G-d.
On Pesach we read about the four sons. There is a general opinion that the rasha-evil one is on one side; opposite him is the Chacham-smart one. Under the chacham there is the Tam and “the one who doesn’t know how to ask”. So we have the chacham, then dumb and dumber. Interestingly there is an opinion that suggests that opposite the rasha is in fact the tam. The Tam doesn’t ask; he takes it the way it is. He is pure, there are no questions. He’s not like the rasha a pure cynic. He is not a fool. He doesn’t need to ask questions, everything is clear. The tam heads no complaints, he is perfectly happy with his lot. It seems like we’re painting a perfect picture. He is shalem-complete; Shalem is the same word as shalom-peace. Ironically, this is the description of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai – the granddaddy of mysticism.
It’s a difficult question to answer, for everyone is different. If one is clever enough to walk the fine line between a touch of mysticism and practicality – kol hakavod to him. However, if one is of the personality that can get sucked into a web and get tangled where he’s running to the kabbalist for every nick and cranny, that’s a recipe for disaster. Then perhaps we should take the advice of the pasuk and follow the Torah as is!