Shabbat Shelach Lecha – Mental Fortitude
The reading this week is mainly concerned with the 12 men sent by Moses to tour the land of Israel prior to the invasion.
On their return, ten of them reported that although the land was fruitful, the inhabitants were too much of a challenge. It would not be possible. The two dissenters, Joshua and Kalev were shouted down. The upshot was that the people were sent back into the wilderness for another 40 years until a new generation with a different mental state would be ready to invade. Mental fortitude, it is all in the mind, is the theme not only of the spies but towards the end of this week’s reading the Torah talks about fringes Tsitsit, that many Jews wear, sometimes over their clothes and sometimes underneath.
God said to Moses speak to the children of Israel and tell them that they should make these fringes on the corners of their garments for all future generations and included in the fringes should be a thread of blue and when you look at them you will remember all the commandments which God has given and you will carry them out and you should not allow your eyes and you should not be seduced after your heart and your eyes which so easily seduce you. So that you will remember the commandments will be holy to God ( Numbers Chapter 15:37-40).
Archaeologically, we know that in the ancient Middle East, aristocrats and priests wore distinctive clothes, including girdles with fringes, as a symbol of superiority. The Israelites adopted these fringes to remind every one of them of their spiritual aristocracy and their laws.
Originally the general clothing of the Israelites were square garments with a hole in the middle for the head, falling down at the sides with four corners. And that was where the fringes were attached. When the style of clothing changed to be togas or skirts during the Greek and Roman period which didn’t have four corners, some gave up the law, others had specific garments made specially to keep the tradition. Of course, this identified Jews a being different in the Graeco-Roman world. Some flaunted and others hid.
But the Talmud contains a series of fascinating examples of ordinary men and rabbis about to do something wrong and their Tsitsit flew up and hit them in the eyes or they looked down and saw them which reminded them of their obligations, and they were able to withstand temptation.
After enlightenment in the 19th century Jews began to mix more freely and generally in non-Jewish society and tried to avoid looking different. It became a pretty widespread custom to make special four cornered garments that would be worn underneath one’s shirt and therefore not necessarily visible. The only place that one saw the garment with fringes was in the synagogue, where we have what is called the Talit Gadol, which is much bigger than the smaller Talit Katan, the little one worn underneath.
In the less civilized world that we live in, I have been asked several times whether it would be better if we didn’t wear our Tsitsit out for fear of being attacked. Some people have even asked me whether they are allowed to take down their Mezuzah because they fear that if their house would be recognized as a Jewish house it would be vandalized. This is not a new problem. It has been with us throughout our period of exile in an alien world whether Christian or Muslim. Particularly toward the end of the 19th century as Jews spread out beyond the Ghettoes, and Jews were attacked, assimilated Jews like Franz Kafka and Marcel Proust resented his fathers’ passivity in the face of antisemitism and withdrew even more.
Wearing Tsitsit in public (and/or Kipot for that matter) can take courage. And not all of us have the fortitude to assert our identity openly. And it’s up to us as to how we deal with it. For me it is a matter of pride and taking a stand. As well as passing on to the next generations that being proud to be a Jew may very often subject you either to ridicule or even attack, but it defines one as a person.
It was so impressive and reassuring during the New York parade for Israel to see hundreds of youngsters and adults walking down fifth avenue happily wearing the Magen David, kipot and flaunting their Tsitsit. Quite apart from the religious idea of needing to be reminded of our religious obligations, we also need to be reminded every day of our obligations to our people.
We all make choices as to how much of our tradition we adhere to and to what degree
to be strict or lenient, but this is a very important test case of who we are and where we stand. This too is about mental fortitude.
Numbers13-16
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
