BY YITZCHOK ADLERSTEIN · PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 24, 2008
She was witty, charming, frum, and a Harvard Law School graduate. She was also black, and living as a single woman in an Orthodox neighborhood. One Purim, she was treated in a local shul to the sight of a young mother with a few children in tow. As her Purim get-up, the mother had chosen to adorn herself and her kids with blackface and thick lips. The connection to Purim was not clear. The black Jewess, recounting to me why she eventually left that community and relocated to another state, outside of a frum area, had this comment. “What was that woman trying to tell me? What was she trying to say?”
In all likelihood, she was saying nothing at all. She probably gave no conscious thought to the message that she broadcast. She did not mean to deliberately offend anyone; it just seemed like a quirky thing to do. Her lack of malice, however, did not reduce the collateral damage of her actions.
(1) Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite woman!” (2) They said, “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” The LORD heard it.
(ג) לכוש ומצרים ופוט שהם בני אביו.
ויש אומר כי הכושים הם עבדים בעבור שקלל נח את חם והנה שכחו כי המלך הראשון אחר המבול היה מכוש וכן כתוב ותהי ראשית ממלכתו בבל
(3) Kush and Mitzrayim and Put are descendents of their father.
And there are those who claim that Kushim are slaves because Noah cursed Ham;
yet, they have forgotten that the first king after the deluge was from Kush and thus one should say that the head of the kingdom of Babylonia was from Kush.
(א) עבד עבדים. באמת גם מזרע שם ויפת נמכרו כמה לעבדים. או נשבו במלחמה וכדומה. וכן להיפך לא כל בני כנען המה עבדים. והרי כמה אומות גדולות יצאו ממנו.
אלא הקללה היה אשר מי שיגיע לזה להיות עבד יהא מסוגל לזה. כאשר הוא מזרע עבדים מלידה ומבטן ומהריון.
משא״כ משם ויפת. אין זרעו מסוגל לזה וגם בהיותו עבד רוחו הפנימית שואף להיות חפשי וממילא אין נוח להשתמש בו
וע״י השתדלות נעשה חפשי
BY YITZCHOK ADLERSTEIN · PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 24, 2008
When anesthesia was first made available to women in labor, some church groups resisted, claiming that the curse of Eve demanded that women feel the pain of childbirth. I know of no such attitude in the responsa. If there was such a voice, it was drowned out by others, who apparently held that a curse is a challenge, not a description of reality. Adam’s curse means we generally have to toil to make a living. An heir is under no obligation to force his brow to sweat to keep his part of the bargain; the rest of us are permitted to make working conditions easier for ourselves. Eve’s curse is not prescriptive. It does make it necessary for a woman approaching the end of pregnancy to deal with pain-management plans.
Our job, in general, is to work against the effects of curses, not to accept them. [OB- "curse" presents a challenge but doesn't prescribe a destiny]
(א) בַּהֶרֶת עַזָּה נִרְאֵית בַּגֶּרְמָנִי כֵּהָה, וְהַכֵּהָה בַכּוּשִׁי עַזָּה. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲנִי כַפָּרָתָן, הֲרֵי הֵן כְּאֶשְׁכְּרוֹעַ, לֹא שְׁחוֹרִים וְלֹא לְבָנִים, אֶלָּא בֵינוֹנִיִּים. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, יֵשׁ לַצַּיָּרִים סַמְמָנִין שֶׁהֵן צָרִין צוּרוֹת שְׁחוֹרוֹת, לְבָנוֹת וּבֵינוֹנִיּוֹת. מֵבִיא סַם בֵּינוֹנִי וּמַקִּיפוֹ מִבַּחוּץ, וְתֵרָאֶה בַבֵּינוֹנִי. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, מַרְאוֹת נְגָעִים לְהָקֵל אֲבָל לֹא לְהַחְמִיר, יֵרָאֶה הַגֶּרְמָנִי בִּבְשָׂרוֹ לְהָקֵל, וְהַכּוּשִׁי בַּבֵּינוֹנִי לְהָקֵל. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, זֶה וָזֶה בַּבֵּינוֹנִי:
(1) The bright spot in a German appears as dull white, and the dull white spot in an Ethiopian appears as bright white. Rabbi Ishmael says: the children of Israel (may I be atonement for them!) are like boxwood, neither black nor white but of an intermediate shade.
Rabbi Judah says: in determining the colors of negaim the law is to be lenient and not stringent; let,therefore, the negaim of the German be inspected on the color of his own body so that the law is lenient, and let that of the Ethiopian be inspected as if it were on the intermediate shade so that the law is also lenient. The sages say: both are to be treated as if the nega was on the intermediate shade.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם עַנְוְותָן כְּהִלֵּל וְאַל יְהֵא קַפְּדָן כְּשַׁמַּאי.
מַעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהִמְרוּ זֶה אֶת זֶה, אָמְרוּ: כׇּל מִי שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ וְיַקְנִיט אֶת הִלֵּל יִטּוֹל אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. אָמַר אֶחָד מֵהֶם: אֲנִי אַקְנִיטֶנּוּ. אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת הָיָה, וְהִלֵּל חָפַף אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ. הָלַךְ וְעָבַר עַל פֶּתַח בֵּיתוֹ, אָמַר: מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל, מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל? נִתְעַטֵּף וְיָצָא לִקְרָאתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, מָה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ? אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאֵלָה יֵשׁ לִי לִשְׁאוֹל. אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאַל בְּנִי. שְׁאַל: מִפְּנֵי מָה רָאשֵׁיהֶן שֶׁל בַּבְלִיִּים סְגַלְגַּלּוֹת? אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, שְׁאֵלָה גְּדוֹלָה שָׁאַלְתָּ. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם אֲחָיוֹת פִּקְּחוֹת. הָלַךְ וְהִמְתִּין שָׁעָה אַחַת, חָזַר וְאָמַר: מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל, מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל? נִתְעַטֵּף וְיָצָא לִקְרָאתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, מָה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ? אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאֵלָה יֵשׁ לִי לִשְׁאוֹל. אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאַל בְּנִי. שְׁאַל: מִפְּנֵי מָה עֵינֵיהֶן שֶׁל תַּרְמוֹדִיִּין תְּרוּטוֹת? אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, שְׁאֵלָה גְּדוֹלָה שָׁאַלְתָּ. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁדָּרִין בֵּין הַחוֹלוֹת. הָלַךְ וְהִמְתִּין שָׁעָה אַחַת, חָזַר וְאָמַר: מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל, מִי כָּאן הִלֵּל? נִתְעַטֵּף וְיָצָא לִקְרָאתוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, מָה אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ? אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאֵלָה יֵשׁ לִי לִשְׁאוֹל. אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאַל בְּנִי. שְׁאַל: מִפְּנֵי מָה רַגְלֵיהֶם שֶׁל אַפְרִקִיִּים רְחָבוֹת? אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי שְׁאֵלָה גְּדוֹלָה שָׁאַלְתָּ — מִפְּנֵי שֶׁדָּרִין בֵּין בִּצְעֵי הַמַּיִם. אָמַר לוֹ: שְׁאֵלוֹת הַרְבֵּה יֵשׁ לִי לִשְׁאוֹל, וּמִתְיָרֵא אֲנִי שֶׁמָּא תִּכְעוֹס. נִתְעַטֵּף וְיָשַׁב לְפָנָיו. אָמַר לוֹ: כׇּל שְׁאֵלוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָךְ לִשְׁאוֹל שְׁאַל. אָמַר לוֹ אַתָּה הוּא הִלֵּל שֶׁקּוֹרִין אוֹתְךָ ״נְשִׂיא יִשְׂרָאֵל״? אָמַר לוֹ: הֵן. אָמַר לוֹ: אִם אַתָּה הוּא, לֹא יִרְבּוּ כְּמוֹתְךָ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, מִפְּנֵי מָה? אָמַר לוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאִבַּדְתִּי עַל יָדְךָ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז. אָמַר לוֹ: הֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּרוּחֲךָ כְּדַי הוּא הִלֵּל שֶׁתְּאַבֵּד עַל יָדוֹ אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת זוּז, וְהִלֵּל לֹא יַקְפִּיד.
The Sages taught in a baraita: A person should always be patient like Hillel and not impatient (ob- inaccurate translation) like Shammai.
The Gemara related: There was an incident involving two people who wagered with each other and said: Anyone who will go and aggravate Hillel to the point that he reprimands him, will take four-hundred zuz. One of them said: I will aggravate him. That day that he chose to bother Hillel was Shabbat eve, and Hillel was washing the hair on his head. He went and passed the entrance to Hillel’s house and in a demeaning manner said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Hillel wrapped himself in a dignified garment and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. Hillel said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked him: Why are the heads of Babylonians oval? He was alluding to and attempting to insult Hillel, who was Babylonian. He said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The reason is because they do not have clever midwives. They do not know how to shape the child’s head at birth. That man went and waited one hour, a short while, returned to look for Hillel, and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, Hillel wrapped himself and went out to greet him. Hillel said to him: My son, what do you seek? The man said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked: Why are the eyes of the residents of Tadmor bleary [terutot]? Hillel said to him: My son, you have asked a significant question. The reason is because they live among the sands and the sand gets into their eyes. Once again the man went, waited one hour, returned, and said: Who here is Hillel, who here is Hillel? Again, he, Hillel, wrapped himself and went out to greet him. He said to him: My son, what do you seek? He said to him: I have a question to ask. He said to him: Ask, my son, ask. The man asked: Why do Africans have wide feet? Hillel said to him: You have asked a significant question. The reason is because they live in marshlands and their feet widened to enable them to walk through those swampy areas. That man said to him: I have many more questions to ask, but I am afraid lest you get angry. Hillel wrapped himself and sat before him, and he said to him: All of the questions that you have to ask, ask them. The man got angry and said to him: Are you Hillel whom they call the Nasi of Israel? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If it is you, then may there not be many like you in Israel. Hillel said to him: My son, for what reason do you say this? The man said to him: Because I lost four hundred zuz because of you. Hillel said to him: Be vigilant of your spirit and avoid situations of this sort. Hillel is worthy of having you lose four hundred zuz and another four hundred zuz on his account, and Hillel will not get upset.
(א) ברך נח ובניו שנא' ויברך אותם אלקים במתנותיה והנחילם את כל הארץ. ברך לשם ולבניו שחורים ונאים והנחילם את כל ארץ נושבת ברך לחם ובניו שחורים כעורב והנחילם חוף הים ברך ליפת ובניו כלם לבני' ויפי' והנחילם מדבר ושדות אלה הנחלות שהנחילם.
(1) NIMROD AND THE TOWER OF BABEL
Noah brought his sons and his grandsons, and he blessed them with their (several) settlements, and he gave them as an inheritance all the earth. He especially blessed Shem and his sons, (making them) dark but comely, and he gave them the habitable earth. He blessed Ham and his sons, (making them) dark || like the raven, and he gave them as an inheritance the coast of the sea. He blessed Japheth and his sons, (making) them entirely white, and he gave them for an inheritance the desert and its fields; these (are the inheritances with) which he endowed them.
(5) I am dark, but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem— Like the tents of Kedar, Like the pavilions of Solomon. (6) Don’t stare at me because I am swarthy, Because the sun has gazed upon me. My mother’s sons quarreled with me, They made me guard the vineyards; My own vineyard I did not guard.
(א) שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה וגו'. אַתֶּם רַעְיוֹתַי, אַל אֵקַל בְּעֵינֵיכֶם אַף אִם עֲזָבַנִי אִישִׁי מִפְּנֵי שַׁחֲרוּת שֶׁבִּי, כִּי שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי עַל יְדֵי שְׁזִיפַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְנָאוָה אֲנִי בְחִתּוּךְ אֵבָרִים נָאִים.
דֻּגְמָא הִיא זוּ: אוֹמֶרֶת כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאֻמּוֹת: "שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי בְמַעֲשַׂי וְנָאָה אֲנִי בְמַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹתַי, וְאַף בְּמַעֲשַׂי, יֵשׁ מֵהֶם נָאִים"
(1) I am black but comely, etc. You, my friends, let me not be light in your eyes. Even if my husband has left me because of my blackness, for I am black because of the tanning of the sun, but I am comely with the shape of beautiful limbs.
The allegory is: The congregation of Yisroel says to the nations, “I am black in my deeds [i.e., sins], but I am comely by virtue of the deeds of my ancestors, and even some of my deeds are comely.
(ה) לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי, לְלַמֶּדְךָ, שֶׁכָּל הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וּמִפְּנֵי שְׁלוֹם הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ אַבָּא גָדוֹל מֵאָבִיךָ. וְשֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ מִינִין אוֹמְרִים, הַרְבֵּה רָשֻׁיּוֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם. וּלְהַגִּיד גְּדֻלָּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁאָדָם טוֹבֵעַ כַּמָּה מַטְבְּעוֹת בְּחוֹתָם אֶחָד וְכֻלָּן דּוֹמִין זֶה לָזֶה, וּמֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא טָבַע כָּל אָדָם בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְאֵין אֶחָד מֵהֶן דּוֹמֶה לַחֲבֵרוֹ. לְפִיכָךְ כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד חַיָּב לוֹמַר, בִּשְׁבִילִי נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם.
(5) Therefore but a single person was created in the world,
to teach that if any man has caused a single life to perish from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had caused a whole world to perish; and anyone who saves a single soul from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had saved a whole world.
Again [but a single person was created] for the sake of peace among humankind, that one should not say to another, “My father was greater than your father”.
Again, [but a single person was created] against the heretics so they should not say, “There are many ruling powers in heaven”.
Again [but a single person was created] to proclaim the greatness of the Holy Blessed One; for humans stamp many coins with one seal and they are all like one another; but the King of kings, the Holy Blessed One, has stamped every human with the seal of the first man, yet not one of them are like another. Therefore everyone must say, “For my sake was the world created.”