Article about Heroism, following The Piyut "Anshe Emuna" and Parashat Korakh
Heroism, Three Models
Parashat Korakh
Yaacov Maoz
In the Sefardi High Holiday prayerbook, there is a piyut (a religious poem) that is repeated several times, and is usually recited by the pay'tan (a Sefardi cantor) in a heart-breaking and imploring way. The piyut "Anshei emunah avadu" opens with the words (paraphrased): "People of faith and principle, who strengthened and protected us with their meritorious deeds, have disappeared". The pay'tan continues and laments that these heroes had the strength to stand up in the face of crisis and would use their bodies like a protective wall around the People of Israel. This power is described in their ability to plead to God and placate Him. Yet, to our great sorrow, these heroes are no longer with us, and this is the reason for the pay'tan to cry out: "They have traveled to eternal rest; they have left us sighing." Who were these heroes, and from what were they protecting the People of Israel? I will try to answer this question in the following paragraphs.
The concept of "heroism" in Jewish thought, like that of other peoples, is a noble and very valuable one. The Mishna presents two models of heroism: "Who is a hero? One who conquers his urges, as it is said (in Proverbs 16:32): 'Better to be forbearing than mighty, to have self-control than to conquer a city" (Pirkei Avot 4:41). We see this expression of "conquering a city" with Joshua and the city of Jericho, and therefore understand it to mean physical prowess. As important as this is, it also means that there is both a winner and a loser. The hero builds on the destruction of the other.
A different heroism that expressed in this same mishna is the conquering of one's own desires. In this case, the enemy isn't external but rather ourselves, the ego, the desire for gain, honor, wealth, and sex. This war with ourselves against ourselves is understood to be more difficult than against an external foe, yet it also has an additional unique quality. If I conquer myself, that is to say, my desires, then both sides are victorious. Yet if I lose, both sides are defeated: both the heavenly part of me and the earthly part as well. For one who cannot regulate the satisfaction of his/her desires is doomed to spiritual and physical destruction.
Parashat Korach lays before us a third model of heroism. It is the same heroism whose disappearance the pay'tan laments on Yom Kippur. This heroism is expressed in the battle with God Himself and is considered no less noble from the two previous examples. After the conclusion of the drama with the death of Korach and his 250 followers, a feeling arises among the people that Moses and Aaron themselves are to blame: "You two have brought death upon the Eternal's people!" (Numbers 17:6). This claim did not please God in the least, who then begins an additional killing spree against the people, the result being 14,700 dead. Moses, who apparently understands that the divine plan of exodus from Egypt and settlement in the land of Israel is about to be destroyed by God Himself, takes action in the "heroic" way that the pay'tan describes. He and Aaron use fire and incense in a sort of magical way, but primarily serve as a physical barrier between God and the people: "He (Aaron) stood between the dead and the living until the plague was checked" (ibid 17:13). In that same place that they chose to stand, the killing ceased. It could be said that they, with their very own bodies, protected the People of Israel from the God of Israel.
Here the concept of kiddush hashem (the sanctification of God's name) receives a new meaning altogether, in that the sanctification of God's name is through confrontation with Him. It would seem that the simple believer should fulfill without question the commandments of his/her creator, "we shall do and we shall listen", yet here the believer confronts God. And to our great surprise, God isn't angry, but rather is understanding and sometimes even obeys the command of the national hero, Moses. This type of heroism displayed by Moses is seen at other times as well. Following the incident of the golden calf, Moses threatens God: "Now, if You will forgive their sin (well and good); but if not, erase me from the record which You have written!" (Exodus 32:32). Moses continues a tradition that was already established by Abraham in his argument preceding the destruction of Sodom: "Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. For be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" (Genesis 18:25). Miracle of miracles, God isn't angry for the enlightening sermon that Abraham gives Him.
In what way can this type of heroism be relevant today? For are we lacking arguments with God? Arguing in our day has become Israel's national sport. The message here is intended however for those who view themselves as bearing the word of God, and to those who accept what they say without discretion, without criticism, and without disapproval, as if God's own voice came out of their throats. The point of this wonderful piyut for the High Holidays, and from the models of Moses and Abraham at their best, is constant confrontation, ironically, with the One in whom we have faith.
- חברי האתר יכולים להוסיף תגובה להצטרפות
