How much longer will this evil congregation who incite

they incited them to make against Me, I have heard. (Bamidbar 14:27)

This evil

congregation: This refers to the spies;

(Rashi Bamidbar 14:27, Judaica Press translation)

And you shall no

longer be called by the name Jacob, but rather Israel will be your name – and

all of Israel was named after him. At that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, dedicated

Israel to His name, as it is said, Israel, in whom I glory (Isaiah 49).

The Holy One, blessed

be He, said to Israel: Since you were dedicated to My name before I created the

world, be holy as I am holy, for it is said, for I am holy, therefore it

says, you shall be holy.

What is this like? It

is like a king who married a woman, and said to her: "Since you are

dedicated to me, I am king and you are queen, just as it is my honor, it is

your honor. Just so the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and sanctify

the people, for it is said, and sanctify them today and tomorrow (Shemot 19) – the Holy

one, blessed be He, sanctified them and said to Israel: and you shall be for

Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Why? For I, the Lord, am holy

– so you too be holy, since I have dedicated you to My name, for it is said: Speak

" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: When you merit it, you

are called the congregation of the holy, but when you do not merit it,

you are called [this] evil congregation, for it is said, How much longer will this evil congregation (Bamidbar 14).

(Tanhuma, Kedoshim 2)

The Colorful Commandment of Tzitzit

Dov Abramson

Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to

remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them…

Our parasha concludes with Parashat Tzitzit – the

passage of five verses which commands us to tie white fringes and an azure

thread to the corners of our garments. Tzitzit is an artistic commandment; it

involves the crafts of weaving and thread-making alluded to in the above

verses. Most of its details appear only in the Oral Torah. Our Sages went so

far as to expound upon the verse: "This is my God and I will

enshrine Him [ve'anveihu] – be decorated [hitna'eh] before

Him with commandments, make before Him… beautiful tzitzit… (Shabbat 133b).

It is not surprising that the tzitzit and tallit inspired the

works of many generations of Jewish artists, either when they designed them as

ritual objects, or in independent artworks that are in dialogue with the

commandment of tzitzit.¹

Tzitzit is also a colorful commandment. The color azure plays

a central role and is a necessary condition for the commandment's observance,

even though for many generations Jews had to abandon the azure thread due to

its unavailability and to uncertainty regarding the color's precise identity

and source.

It is interesting to see how the Sages dealt with color in

general and especially when it appears as a central element in a practical

commandment. Unlike most discussions in the Oral Torah, which were preserved

thanks to the oral transmission of texts and later by the physical writing of

those texts, the transmission of traditions dealing with color is a much more

subtle and complex affair. "Color traditions" posed a great challenge

to the Sages of the Mishnah and the Talmud, since color imagery could not be

created. This situation necessitated creative (and wonderful) solutions which

allow us to peek into Jewish culture's world of color.

The famous mishnayot in the beginning of tractate Berakhot

discuss the proper time for the morning recital of the Shema in terms of color

perception: "When one can distinguish between Azure and white. R. Eliezer

says: Between azure and green.² Relating

to the writing of tefillin, mezuzut, and Torah scrolls, the RaMBaM states:

"To the exception of other colors such as red, and green, and so forth,

for if one writes a single letter of a Torah scroll, or tefillin, or mezuzah in

other colors or in gold – then they are invalid (Hilkhot Tefillin 1:5).

Sometimes there seems to be a genuine dissonance between the

black and white textual descriptions to which we have become accustomed and the

attempt to bring life to the words in a colorful fashion. Despite the wonderful

attempts of the present generation to produce color-literature treating the

Tabernacle and its vessels (for instance), it appears that the graduate of the

monochromatic beit-midrash will always be plagued by doubt upon

encountering colorful and gleaming pictures of the High Priest's breastplate,

and he will ask himself: "Is this really accurate? How can one know? Isn't

it supposed to be black and white?"

Back to tzitzit. Since the color azure is so central to the

commandment, our Sages had to give it a profound treatment:

R.

Meir says. Why is azure singled out from all the varieties of colors? Because

azure resembles the color of the sea, and the sea resembles the color of the

sky, and the sky resembles the color of a sapphire, and a sapphire resembles

the color of the Throne of Glory, as it is said: And they saw the God of

Israel and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone; and it is also written: The

likeness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire stone. (Hullin 89a, based on Soncino translation)³

R. Meir's famous dictum

deals with the power of visual association, the power of color to arouse our

memories – both personal and collective – and with the ability of such

associations to generate memories and even deeds. Tzitzit is unusual among the

commandments in that the Torah explicitly explains its rationale. The visual

association is an inherent element in the commandment itself – and you shall

see it, and you shall remember. Here there are two layers of visual

associations: first, we see the tzitzit, which reminds us to observe the

commandments; this occurs, in part, thanks to the tzitzit's color, which is

itself fixed by the power of a second such visual association.

The question may be

asked: Why did R. Meir need this chain of associations? Why didn't he simply

say that azure is similar to the Throne of Glory, and that thus the tzitzit

remind us of God's existence? What does this journey by way of the sea, the

sky, and sapphire add for us?

I think that an answer

to these questions may be derived from a modern addition to R. Meir's chain of

associations. David Wolfson, a Zionist leader and activist who attended the

First Zionist Congress (1987) in Basil, wrote:

At the behest of our

leader, Herzl, I came to Basel to make preparations for the Zionist

Congress…. Among the many problems that occupied me then was one which

contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we

have in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We (Jews) have a flag – and

it is blue and white. The Tallit with which we wrap ourselves when we pray –

that is our symbol. Let us take this symbol from its bag and unroll it before

the eyes of Israel and of all nations. So, I ordered a blue and white flag with

the Shield of David painted upon it. That is how our national flag, that flew

over the Congress Hall, came into being. http://www.ort.org/ort/edu/festivals/independence/id2.html)

Indeed; the Israeli

flag constitutes an additional link in R. Meir's associative chain, lengthening

it to: Israeli flag > tallit > azure > sea > sky > sapphire >

Throne of Glory.

Perhaps that can

explain the reason why R. Meir spoke in chains. He may have wanted to show us

that visual associations are, by their very nature, open-ended. Such

associations are dynamic and can change in response to history and the

development of our culture as individuals and as a people. Associations come

and go, weaken and strengthen. We can add to them or subtract from them; we can

interpret them and demand their continuation – as Wolfson did – for the culture

of Israel is alive and breathing, flexible and elastic – and wonderfully

colorful.

1. Here I will mention two of my favorite artworks that make use of tallit

and tzitzit:  The first is Kol Ha'olam

Kula Gesher Tzar Me'od (2007)[All the World is a Very Narrow Bridge], by

the American artist Heather G. Stoltz, which uses tzitzit as an object (a

bridge).  It can be viewed on the

artist's website www.sewingstories.com.  The second piece is Avi Ezra's Isha

Be'Tallit (2002) [Woman in a Tallit].

2. I discuss the halakha's use of colors to determine

times of day in my Sha'ot Z'maniyot (2005), available on my website, www.dovabramson.com.

3. An example of the aforementioned difficulty in transmitting a

"visual tradition" can be found in Rashi's commentary on the verses

from our parasha in which Rashi surprisingly explains that tekhelet

(azure) is "the yarok [yellow or green] (!) color of a snail."

Dov Abramson

is a designer and artist who is involved with Jewish-Israeli culture. His work,

Viduy: HaNiggun [Confession: the Melody] is currently on exhibition at

the Artist's House in Jerusalem.

A new bottle full of old wine – from the

pen of our member, Ronen Ahituv

Moses and Aaron

fell on their faces… Joshua the

entire congregation of the children of Israel

Why did they tear

their clothes? When they saw Moses and Aaron accepting their comrades' words,

for it is said, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces (14:5). They did not

say, "Let us go and do battle," rather they said, "We are

incapable of entering the Land, for the Amalekite and the Canaanite are

there before you (14:43), and the sons of giants live there. If only we do not

return to Egypt!" That sealed the decree against them, for it is said, The

Lord was also angry with me because of you (Devarim 1:37). What does because of you

mean? Just as your decree against those who left Egypt was sealed when they

accepted the spies' words, so the decree against Moses was sealed for accepting

the spies' words for a time. The Holy One, blessed be He said to him: Is the

Lord's power limited? Now you will see if My word comes true for you or not!

(Bamidbar 11:23);

Moses has said, for he is stronger than him (13:31), and he came to

see the thing became true for him.

But what of its

saying, And I said to you, "Do not be broken or afraid of them"

(Devarim 1:29)?

But it was not Moses but rather Joshua who said that! Rather, it would have

been appropriate for Moses to have said it, and similarly it says, and they

said the Land is good (verse 25); Joshua said that, but it would have

been appropriate for the spies to have said it.

Know, that the

Omnipresent told him, If you come to the Land… save Caleb son of Yefuneh

and Joshua son of Nun (14:30); Caleb and Joshua will come, Moses and

Aaron will not come.

What of its saying, Since

given them (Bamidbar

20:12)? This tells us that He postponed punishment for the sin of the

spies until they committed the sin of Meriva, saying, "If they sanctify My

name I will forgive them the sin of the spies, the sanctification of Meriva

will come and atone for the sanctification of the spies. When their time

came to sanctify, the Omnipresent told them, "This is your hour." When

Moses hit the rock, He immediately told him, Since you

did not have faith in Me in the episode of the spies, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel

at Mei Meriva.

The above derasha

develops indications found in the book of Devarim that Moses and Aaron

participated in the sin of the spies. Another hint is found in parashat

Beha'alotkha, where God berates Moses for doubting His power, a sin similar to

that of the spies. As for the interpretation of the phrase, for he is

stronger than him, that the enemy is stronger than God, see Sotah

35a.

The principle sin of Moses and Aaron was,

then, the sin of the spies, and not the sin at Meriva. Indeed, the sin at Meriva

does not seem to justify their punishment; this has been a source of much

discussion. The derasha goes on to explain verses that seem to contradict the

interpretation.

And

if Moses had Sent Women to Scout the Land?

He specifically

mentioned [that] men [would be sent to scout the Land] because the

Sages said (Yalkut

Shimoni Pinhas 5773:

27) that the men hated the Land and [this is evident since the men] said

let us make a leader and return to Egypt (Bamidbar 14:4), while the women loved the Land and

said, give us a holding (27:4).

And so, God said: To my mind, I see from future events that it would be better

to send women who love the Land, for they would not speak badly of it. But [God

told Moses]: [Send ] yourself [men] –

that is, in accordance with your own opinion, for you think that

they are fit and that they love the Land. [Go ahead!] Send men! That is why [it

says] yourself, i.e., according to your opinion, but in My opinion, it would be better to send women.

(Kli Yakar Bamidbar 13:2)

The Finger of God and Man's Responsibility for

his own Decisions

The

night – Rabba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: That night was the ninth of Av. The Holy One,

Blessed be He said to them: You cried for no good

reason – I shall give you reason to weep for generations to come.

(Ta'anit

79a)

It

is almost impossible to fully exhaust the significance of the fact that the

people who merited that which no generation before and no generation thereafter

merited – for the giving of the Torah was a one-time, never to re-occur event –

that this generation in particular failed totally, bringing about the

nullification of the divine plan which included the promise to bring the nation

to the Promised Land.

From

this we derive that man, through his actions, can ruin the world, even

notwithstanding the divine plan. The entire story of the generation which

exited Egypt is replete with signs, omens, and revelation, yet all of these

were unable to change man's nature, unable to bring him to faith, and certainly

not to the reform of the entire nation. One incapable of recognizing his status

before God and its ensuing commitments from within himself will never achieve

this awareness through any external agent. This conclusion is valid not only

with regard to the distant past, but also to the present and future; Divine

supervision and all that is humanly perceived to be "the finger of

God" cannot bring men to find their way even in political, national or

social matters … the correct path in management of the world, the state and

society or the determination of historical courses of events. All these flow

from human understanding, the reaching of conclusions and the making of

decisions. Paths of action are never given man as a free-gift, through the

medium of wondrous revelation, by supernatural means.

We

do not belong to the generation of the wilderness [midbar] which merited

divine revelation; we belong to the generation which talks [medaber], which

has no divine revelation. We do not know – we cannot know – what event or act

has elements of "the finger of God" in the sense of divine

intervention in historical processes. We cannot know which of these phenomena

belong in the category of olam k'minhago noheg – "the

world acts in its usual way." We must beware the great and terrible danger

of dependence upon that which seems to be "the finger of God," a

dependence with potential for casting off responsibility from the shoulders of

man and nation – the responsibility of determining their way according to their

understanding and their accountability.

(Y. Leibowitz: Sheva

Shanim shel Sihot al Parashat HaShavua, pp. 665-666)

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