Do you ever have those moments in life when you feel like a punching bag? Hit after hit keeps coming your way and you can’t quite figure out the best process to move forward? Do you keep at it following usual habits or pivot to something else?
That’s the question raised by some commentators this week as the Israelites find themselves reeling from a series of unfortunate events. Aaron, their intrepid leader has died, the clouds of glory that have been their escort in their journey have departed, and as they travel on, they are attacked by the Canaanites. Facing that onslaught, we might’ve expected them to pitch their camp, turn back, or maybe even give up, but they don’t. Instead, Numbers 21:2 reads:
וַיִּדַּ֨ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל נֶ֛דֶר לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אִם־נָתֹ֨ן תִּתֵּ֜ן אֶת־הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ בְּיָדִ֔י וְהַֽחֲרַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־עָרֵיהֶֽם׃
Then Israel made a vow to יהוה and said, “If You deliver this people into our hand, we will proscribe their towns.
They turn to holy words instead. In their words in this moment of great unease, they promise that whatever booty they gain in this battle will be dedicated to God. They don’t seek out material gain but realize that things are so dire they need to make an unexpected choice.
That decision is further elucidated by Rabbi Shmuel Borenztain, the 2nd Rebbe of the Sochatchov Chasidic dynasty in the early 20th century:
At this moment in time Israel was brokenhearted and in a very low place after all the loss they’d experienced. Instead of succumbing to this darkness, their internal compasses pushed them to the opposite, by cleaving to elevated thinking. Namely, the searched within themselves for the innermost point in their hearts and they jumped at the chance to offer something to God in this moment. This is internal essence of every Jew that is connected to all their ancestors before them who have also survived such trials and tribulations. In doing this, they aroused their internal strength.
This is the lesson for all humans. When we find ourselves in a low place, do the opposite of you might think you ought to do. Reach for something that feels in contrast to where you are, something elevated, something that requires extra strength. Like I heard from the great Chiddushei Ha’Rim (the first Rabbi of the Gerrer Chasidic dynasty): ‘some people say "If you can’t go over, you have to go under, but I say, If you can’t go under, you have to go over.’
When we find ourselves in a narrow place, we should think unexpectedly. Note our sadness but don’t allow it to overwhelm us. See if we can push ourselves to do something that requires strength and fortitude specifically in a moment where we’re not sure you can. We just might surprise ourselves. When we do this, we can realize that we’re tapping into something ancient, a fortitude passed down to us through generations.
Then, he offers that last quote which is a cheeky Yiddish aphorism and in essence, both phrases mean the same thing but his slight rewording is particularly useful in this context. Sometimes you’re so low, you can’t go any lower. Instead of going around it, this vow in the portion teaches us that maybe we need to aim a little higher than we think.
In this state of the world that continues to pack a wallop, especially this weekend when we celebrate our country despite many of its powerbrokers being hellbent on taking advantage of its most vulnerable, it’s a reminder that resonates. The hits will most likely keep coming. Instead of letting them send us deeper into a pit, maybe we can use them to think differently, not follow our usual patterns, and ride a little higher. Or, zig when they zag.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy 4th of July!