Pensée juive sur L’Exode 33:11

Philosophy, speculative reasoning contemplating the universe and its rules, is apt to lead man, by stages, to the recognition that there must be a Creator etc. On the other hand, the poison that has entered the mind of man through the sin in gan eden can produce faulty conclusions, since his power to reason has been contaminated by the yetzer hara, the evil urge, i.e. the urge to assert oneself as not beholden to anyone. Abraham succeeded in employing his intellect constructively, and he exposed the fallacies the philosophers who lived in his time labored under. Successful teaching is based on one of two conditions: 1) Being in the presence of an outstanding person, observing that person's lifestyle, attending to his needs, all of which together results in the gradual comprehension of the why and wherefore of such a person's lifestyle. Exposure plus observation will do their work. 2) A second method of learning is through listening to lectures by gifted orators. The first method is vastly superior to the second, since deeds are apt to make more profound impressions than mere words. "Greater is the personal service rendered to Torah than its teachers" (Berachot 7). In order for the second method to be really effective, the orator's deeds must match his words.

The Talmud Sanhedrin 22 states that anyone whose "first wife dies, is as if the temple had been destroyed in his lifetime." Rabbi Alexander compares such a tragedy to someone having lost his eyesight, the world becoming dark for him. Rabbi Abahu says that a person experiencing such a trauma loses his ability to make sound judgments. It is clear that neither of the three Rabbis quoted, refers to the natural physical wife, i.e. what we have termed "the second mating." It must refer to someone who has lost his mazzal, i.e. who has corrupted it. What the Rabbis are talking about is that just as we have a tradition that the wicked are called "dead" already during their lifetimes (Berachot 18), so in this example they are referring to those who have abused their G-d given endowments to the point that they have forfeited them. Our Parshah, though obviously dealing with the "second zivvug,” mating, may nonetheless contain some allegorical comments about the first zivvug. When the "lives" of Sarah are described, this may be a reference to the fact that Sarah had converted her original mazzal into the kind of personality that "lived" on, beyond physical death, inspired her husband for the rest of his natural life, not to mention her son. The fact that man is able to overcome the mazzal, i.e. zivvug rishon, may be hinted at in the verse "and to the woman He said, ‘Towards your man (husband) will be your inclination, and he can be in charge of you.’" (Genesis 3,16). If we view "woman" in this verse as the "first zivvug,” the meaning is "although it is your tendency to exert influence over your partner, he in turn can exercise control over you" (if he tries).

To this category belongs the submission of one who knows about himself that he is falling short regarding the bounds (the torah set -PL) in matters of this world and the next, and is ignorant of the proper path. When he finds the prophet of his generation or righteous teacher or anyone else who preaches the proper path, he will submit to him and lower himself before him, as our teachers said: "serving (a wise man) is greater than learning by him" (Berachos 7b), as written: "Elisha ben Shafat who poured water for Eliyahu" (Melachim II 3:11), it does not say: "who studied by Eliyahu" but rather: 'who poured water', this teaches that serving a Sage is greater than studying by him (one grows more from this); and also: "his (Moshe's) attendant, Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent" (Shmos 33:11). Likewise the wise man said regarding the general masses: "A rich man will rule over the poor, and a borrower is a slave to a lender" (Mishlei 22:7).