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Apr 30, 2010
Parshas Emor
Where True Strength Lies
Adapted from the Remarks of Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld ZT’L
A peculiar story concerning Alexander the Great is recounted in the Midrash of this week’s parsha (M. Tanchuma Parshas Emor 6). Alexander had conquered the world. Besides being a successful militarist, he was one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. They say that Aristotle was his private tutor. He would travel from country to country in his vast kingdom exploring the various cultures.
The Midrash recounts Alexander’s travel to a specific country in Africa. While he was meeting with the king, two men involved in litigation came before the king. Alexander the Great observed the proceedings.
One of the men explained to the king that he had bought a dilapidated building from the other. He was planning to fix it up and use it for a home and as a place of business. While repairing the foundation, the new owner unearthed a treasure. He brought it to the original owner. “I bought a building from you. I did not buy a treasure. It is yours. Please take it.” The other responded, “Just as you wish to stay far from thievery, so do I! When I sold you the building, I sold it with all of the possible rights and profits. Keep it. It is yours!” The King ruled that the treasure should be split between the two of them.
The king turned toward Alexander and saw a look of amazement on his face. He asked Alexander, “Why are you amazed? Was my judgement faulty?” The emperor replied, “No . . . you judged fairly.” The king then asked Alexander how he would have judged the case in his courts. To this Alexander replied, “I would have cut off the head of this one and cut off the head of the other one and kept the treasure for myself!”
Midrashim are not mere stories. They are the words of our Sages. They are our heritage. What are our teachers trying to illuminate for us with this incident? Are we to be so naive to think that we should give back buried treasures? [ Parenthetically, the law is not as the king stated -- see the Hagaos HaShrei in the Baba Metzia Chapter 2:9].
The Chachamim are teaching us a key toward liberating ourselves. They are speaking to Alexander and are saying to him: “Do you want to know what the strength of a Jew is? Do you want to know where our power lies? We are like these two litigants. The one who bought the building knew who he was. He knew why he had bought the building. He wasn’t daydreaming. He wasn’t fantasizing about winning a lottery. He was principled. He was sure of himself. The seller was the same. Both lived with the realization that true freedom and power are measured by how staunchly they could hold by the truths by which they lived. In contrast, Alexander, your strength rests solely in your brute force. You measure your stature according to how much power you can usurp from others.”
The power of Yiddishkite lies in the pride we have in ourselves as individuals and as part of Klal Yisroel. We must not be ashamed of who we are. Nor should we compromise our values and principles. We should exert ourselves according to the unique talents imbued within us and pridefully display our adherence to Hashem and the Torah. In this we will find our true strength. |
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