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שבת שלום - פרשת חקת / בלק
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by
Rabbi Scott Kahn about ברכת החמה
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News and Notes
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We wish a big mazal tov to Lisa and David Kriegel,
sister and brother-in-law of our rosh yeshiva,
Rav Scott Kahn, on the birth of twins -
a boy and a girl - on Thursday!
Shetizku l'gadlam l'Torah ul'chuppah ul'maasim tovim!
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Tzniut and Dignity
By Rabbi Scott Kahn
"'Bil'am raised his eyes, and saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes [and the spirit of G-d came upon him].' (Bamidbar 24:2) What did he see? He saw that the openings of their tents were not aligned across from each other [i.e., one family could not see into its neighbor's tent]. He said, these people are deserving that the Shechinah should dwell among them." (Baba Batra 60a)
From the above statement in the Gemara, it is clear that the modesty expressed by the placement of Israel's tents leads directly to the dwelling of the Divine Presence amongst the people. Indeed, the Maharal cites this proclamation of Chazal and explains, "From this one can learn that tzniut brings the Shechinah, and its opposite removes the Shechinah." (Chiddushei Agadot on Baba Batra)
The Baalei Tosafot ask how the above verse leads to the conclusion that the people deserve that the Divine Presence dwell in their midst; while the verse mentions that Bil'am noticed Israel's dwelling places, and while his blessing makes this explicit in saying, "How good are your tents, Yaakov" (Bamidbar 24:5), why does that imply anything about the Shechinah's dwelling place? Tosafot's answer is that the verse cited in Baba Batra concludes with the words, "The spirit of G-d came upon him." Thus, upon seeing the modest way that the Children of Israel lived, Bil'am was inspired to the point that the Shechinah rested upon him.
What relationship does tzniut have to the dwelling of the Divine Presence?
An explanation can be seen from a surprising story in Masechet Berachot 62a: "A certain eulogizer went down [to speak] before Rav Nachman. He said [about an individual who had died], 'This one was modest in his ways.' Rav Nachman said to him, 'Did you go with him to the bathroom such that you know whether or not he was modest?! For it is taught: The only person called 'modest' is someone who is modest in the bathroom.'" Indeed, the requirement for modesty in the bathroom is explicitly legislated in the Shulchan Aruch. (Orach Chaim 3:2) This is unexpected, given that we commonly think of tzniut as a code of behavior dependent upon interpersonal interactions. Why should one's behavior in the privacy of the bathroom relate to the attribute of modesty?
The answer is that tzniut is primarily related to a person's sense of dignity. Although the bathroom is a place of privacy, one must nonetheless act with modesty inside in order to enhance one's recognition of his own importance and intrinsic worth. This is not the dignity related to one's accomplishments, for the laws of tzniut are equally incumbent upon the ignoramus and the scholar, the exceptional individuals and the common folk. When a person acts with modesty, it has little to do with how others perceive him; rather, it is associated with how he views himself. Every person was created in the image of G-d, and that image deserves to be treated with respect and honor.
Once an individual has internalized the need for respecting himself, he will, in turn, learn to respect others, as well. The recognition that he is inherently dignified inevitably leads to the proper assumption that all other individuals are equally dignified. Therefore, modesty begins with treating oneself with respect, and develops into the obligation to accord others the same sense of respect. In other words, tzniut is self-respect which leads to selflessness, a belief in one's own dignity which engenders recognition of the community's dignity. And once an individual recognizes that he is regarded by others as a dignified being, he will begin to develop his own self-respect. Uniquely among character traits, modesty is an utterly private matter which creates a dignified community. The dignified community of Israel - in which the image of G-d is recognized in every member - is the ultimate vehicle for the indwelling of the Divine Presence; the recognition that each person is created in G-d's image - that every individual is potentially a vehicle for the Shechinah - allows the Shechinah to become a member of that community.
Bil'am epitomizes the individual whose dignity is dependent upon how others see him. Thus, Rashi explains that after Hashem initially refused to let Bil'am curse Israel, Bil'am responded to Balak's messengers that he could not go with them, but perhaps he could go with more important messengers. (Rashi on Bamidbar 22:13) Accordingly, Balak responded by sending more honored ministers to Bil'am, who relayed the message that, "I will surely honor you greatly." (Bamidbar 22:17) Bil'am was seduced by the prospect of honor, for his own self-worth was exclusively contingent upon external factors.
When Bil'am noticed the tzniut - the self-dignity - of Israel, he finally recognized that the worth of the individual is independent of the way others view him; indeed, the authentic value of the individual may be debased by the flattery which only recognizes the external accomplishments rather than the internal image of G-d. For the first (and only) time, he recognized the folly of determining his value solely based upon the external; in a sense, he was inspired for the very first time, allowing his own sense of dignity to come to the fore. This is the reason that only now, before Bil'am's third prophecy, the words, "The spirit of G-d came upon him" appear. The previous two prophecies are introduced with the phrase, "G-d happened upon Bil'am," which implies a temporary and almost impure vision. (Rashi on Bamidbar 23:4) When Bil'am recognized Israel's dignity, he finally found his own; only then did the "spirit of G-d" - in all its purity - appear to him.
By recognizing our own dignity - a dignity which is inherent in our very being - we naturally begin to respect every other individual. We become a community in which the image of G-d is seen in every member, which, in turn, allows the Shechinah to become a part of the community, as well. May we become truly tzanu'a by developing self-respect and by seeing the Divine image in every person, and may we thereby merit to have the Shechinah dwell permanently in our midst.
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