Parshas Vayechi

Parshas Vayechi:
 

The Northern Lights

 

 By: Rabbi Tzvi Price

 


THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

 

Of the twelve shevatim (tribes), the tribe of Dan is probably the one most closely associated with the judicial system; even the name means ‘to judge.’ He was named that by his mother Rachel when she rejoiced in the birth of Dan, saying, “Hashem has judged me, and He has also heard my voice. [I have passed the test.] He has given me a son.” (Breishis 30:6, Rashi)

 
The shevet was known for its penchant for judicial rule. The Talmud in Pesachim 4a states that if you find a person who is always demanding that his disputes with others be heard in bais din (court), then you can be confident that his ancestry can be traced back to the tribe of Dan. Tellingly, when Eisav contested Yaakov Avinu’s right to be buried in the Ma’aras HaMachpelah (the cave in which the Forefathers were buried), it was Chushim, the son of Dan, who quickly passed judgment on Eisav and killed him.
 
The most well-known and historically important person to ever have come from Dan was Shimshon HaGibor, who was the last to lead Klal Yisroel during the period of the Judges. In fact, according to Rashi, when Yaakov Avinu blessed his son Dan with the words “Dan shall judge his nation…” (Breishis 49:16), he specifically had Dan’s descendant Shimshon in mind. Our Sages say about Shimshon that he was a judge par excellence. In Sotah 10a, Rebbi Yochanan states, “Shimshon judged Yisroel the way that their Father in Heaven judged them.” Without a doubt, something about Dan’s personality, his inner make-up, made him, and consequently his descendants, deeply attached to the concepts of law, judgment and justice. That ‘something’ might surprise you.

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There is another side to the tribe of Dan; a darker, more ignominious side. Dan was the lead tribe to encamp on the northern side of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). In Hebrew, the word for north is ‘tzaphon,’ which at its root means ‘hidden.’ North is the ‘hidden direction’ because it is the direction that receives the least light from the sun. It’s the direction that represents a lack of Hashem’s illumination upon us, the hiding of His Presence. The Prophet declares, “From the North, the calamity will be unleashed.” (Yirmiyahu 1:14) In Bamidbar Rabbah, we find the following: 
The North, from there Darkness goes out to the world. And this has a parallel to the tribe of Dan. Why? He darkened the world with the idol-worship that Yerovam made with the two golden calves…. Yerovam went around to all of Israel (to convince them to accept idol-worship) and they did not agree to him except for the tribe of Dan…
 
Shevet Dan’s attraction to idol-worship can be seen in the fact that the Clouds of Glory did not protect them from an attack by Amalek (Medrash HaGadol, Devarim 25:18), because, as the Medrash says, “They were all idol-worshippers.” In a different Medrash, Dan is given the dubious distinction of being “the lowest of the tribes.”
 
Are these two proclivities, the one for legality and justice and the one for idol-worship, in any way connected? Could it be just a coincidence that these two drives so strongly dominate and define the tribe’s character? The key to answering this question lies in a study of the flag of Shevet Dan and the odd symbol emblazoned on it.
 
In his blessing to Dan, Yaakov Avinu states that his son is similar to a venomous snake. A snake?! It would not seem to be much of a compliment. Of all the despicable characters in the Torah, the snake deservedly ranks on top. Yet, the tribe of Dan was so proud of this comparison that they chose the snake to be the symbol on their flag. What good could there possibly be about an animal that is the epitome of evil and a symbol of the Evil Inclination?
 
In his classic work The Ways of G-d (Derech Hashem), Rabbi Chaim Moshe Luzzatto, zt”l, reveals something of enormous importance: G-d’s purpose in creating a world in which evil exists (part I, chapter two). He explains that G-d does not smother us with His perfection. Rather, He hides Himself and makes us and the world imperfect (thereby introducing the potential for evil) so that we may earn our own perfection.
 
When we overcome our imperfections through grueling, agonizing effort, we attain our own inherent goodness. If Hashem would do it for us, we would be solely a reflection of His goodness. There is no satisfaction or justice in being given a ‘freebie,’ and there is no greater pleasure than rightfully enjoying the fruits of one’s own labor. Therefore, Hashem places us in this imperfect, potentially evil, often-times miserable state of existence, and gives us an opportunity to satisfy the demands of Justice by earning our own perfection. Ironically, Hiding Himself and giving us our own ‘space’ is Hashem’s most precious gift to us.
 
In the light of this explanation, we can now understand the good that can come from the snake. The job of the snake was to test Adam’s sense of independence. Would Adam use his divine gift of independence and separateness to deny the truth of Hashem’s absolute rule (the ultimate root of all idolatry)? Or would he use it to voluntarily proclaim that truth, thereby making himself inherently good? After Adam failed, the image of the snake reminds us of Man’s separation from Hashem and his idolatrous choice, but it also reminds us that Man can and must eventually pass the test of Justice and earn his own goodness.
 
The tribe of Dan encamped in the North, both in a literal sense and in a metaphorical one. The people of Dan lived with a feeling of being far away from Hashem. It was a feeling of harsh justice. Hashem’s Light shown on Dan the least; the potential for idolatry, the greatest. However, because they encamped in the North, they had a special opportunity. More than any other tribe, they could earn their own perfection by working to reveal Hashem’s Light and make it shine like the midday sun. And if they would succeed, they, too, would relish the opportunity to repeat the words that were said by Rachel at the birth of their forefather Dan, “Hashem has judged me and I have passed the test!”
 
No. Shevet Dan’s fondness for judgment and justice, and its tendencies toward idol-worship are not separate phenomena. They come from the same source; namely, a deep sense of separation and independence from Hashem, symbolized by the snake on their flag. That snake either expressed itself in the sin of idolatry, or in a deep desire to abide by the demands and reap the benefits of a life of strict justice.
 
We live in a time of Darkness. Hashem’s Light appears to be oh so dim, and we feel so far away from Him. Justice demands that we undergo this test. We must accept it. And therefore, the lesson that we learn from the tribe of Dan, the lesson of the snake, is especially our lesson. That lesson teaches us that we can and must attain our own goodness by freely choosing to reveal Hashem’s Light. If we learn that lesson, then we, too, will one day rejoice in proclaiming those glorious words, “Hashem has judged us and we have passed the test!”

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