Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 15:39

והנחש, another word for Satan, which itself is a way of describing the evil urge. (Baba Batra 16). The reason why this evil urge is compared to a serpent is that just like a serpent which makes itself as invisible as possible, blending in with its environment, and yet causes more damage than the most prominently visible obstacles, so the evil urge lurks where one does not suspect to find it. It is a common practice to name phenomena according to other well known phenomena, such as calling the king “lion,” to show what is expected of a king, i.e. strength, fearlessness, etc. (compare Jeremiah 4,7 “the lion has come up from his thicket,” a reference to King Nevuchadnezzar) Also in Jeremiah 8,17 Israel’s enemies are referred to as נחשים צפעונים אשר אין להם לחש, “adders which cannot be charmed.” G’d, using a metaphor, calls the evil urge נחש, in our verse. Anything or anybody who leads Israel into sin is termed נחש. The reason why a serpent has been chosen for such a metaphor is that it is a creature whose potential harm is huge, whereas its potential benefit to man is minimal. Moreover, seeing that its visibility is minimal, it is similar to the evil urge who never attacks frontally, and often poses as friend rather than as enemy. Our sages in Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer chapter 13 already enlarged on this metaphor by describing Samael as riding the serpent, meaning “taking advantage of this power of imagination.” The insidious nature of the evil urge consists of the fact that it conjures up in our imagination something desirable, which because of its desirability we rationalize into considering as harmless, harbouring no physical or spiritual danger for us. Greed, lust, combined with one’s imagination is a powerful tool for leading man into sin. Unless man is able to harness the power of reason against such insidious attempts to trick him into disobedience against G’d by giving in to his desire for gratification of his senses, he will fall victim to the evil urge’s machinations. When our sages (Jerusalem Talmud Berachot 1.8) said עינא ולבא סרסורי דחטאה, “the eyes and the heart are agents of sin,” they referred to the warning against the evil urge we recite twice daily in the last section of the keriyat shema. (Numbers 15,39).

King Solomon, of blessed memory, said: “give your mind to me, my son; let your eyes watch my ways” [Proverbs, 23:26]. This means, give your heart to me and your eyes should watch my ways. The verse teaches us that the person should serve the Holy One with all of his limbs. It is known that the eyes and the heart bring the person to commit all sins and lusts, since the eyes and the heart desire. When the heart and the eyes are whole with the Holy One, the person is pious in the service of God. Therefore, we say every day, “so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in lustful urge” [Numbers, 15:39]. This means, you should not follow your hearts and eyes who make you inconstant, like a whore who misleads people. Therefore, it says, “follow lustful urges” [Numbers, 15:39]. Since the one who goes after his eyes and heart, is like somebody who goes after a whore. Therefore, King Solomon, of blessed memory, also said about this verse, “a harlot is a deep pit; a forbidden woman is a narrow well” [Proverbs, 23:27]. The one who goes to the house of the harlot is like one who goes near a large, deep pit and falls into it. He certainly has wounds and other harm. So too, the one who goes to the house of the harlot. He does not come out without harm and sins. He is like a fountain that gushes. The more water one takes out of it, the more water the fountain has. So too, the one who goes after harlotry. All day he thinks of nothing but that he wants to quiet his evil inclination, and the evil inclination incites him even more. From speaking with an unrelated woman, he comes to looking at her. When he looks at her, he has thoughts, and from these thoughts comes that he touches her hand.¹Bahya, Ki Teizei, Introduction.

ויאמר אינו נוהג אלא ביום – which includes the portion of the Ritual Fringes/Tzizit (Numbers 15:37-41) which are not observed at night, as I states (Numbers 15:39), “look at it.”

Give wings to Moab Heb. ציץ. Give wings to Moab. Every appendage that hangs or protrudes from man or beast is called ציץ. Cf. “And it shall be to you for fringes (לציצית)” (Num. 15:39); “And He took me by the locks (בציצית) of my head” (Ezek. 8:3).