Timeless Torah

Does man shape the environment or does the environment shape man? Traditional psychologists depict the individual as a catspaw of circumstance while sociologists relegate him to the serfdom of his surroundings. He is deemed far less the sovereign of society than he is its subject. Inferentially, individual responsibility is thus obviated if human existence is analogous to a driven leaf impelled by the winds of fortune.
Of course, Torah vigorously rejects this prognosis of man. In fact, Judaism casts humanity in the mold of Creator with the absolute ability to choose or reject any outside influences. This philosophical motif reveals itself in the opening verses of Devorim where Moses subtly rebukes the new generation that is on the threshold of occupying the Promised Land.
In identifying the locale of several places that the Israelites had passed through while traveling in the desert the Torah mentions various sites such as, “Tofel, Lavan, Chatzeiros and Di Zahav.”
Rashi, the medieval French commentary quotes the Talmudic Sage, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai that though, “We reviewed the entire Scripture we found no places with these names.”
Nonetheless, the Torah utilizes these appellations because they were the subtle method by which the great leader Moses could remind the community of their former failings. Tofel and Lavan for example are catchwords: Tofel means denigrate while Lavan is Hebrew for the color white. The Biblical phrase, “between Tofel and Lavan” is now understood to be a cunning maneuver of speech, “Remember the place where you made denigrating statements about the manna which is white.”
“Di Zahav” is a similar use of disguised phraseology that Moses delivers when he wants to admonish his people about the episode of the Golden Calf (Di Zahav being literally translated as abundant gold).
What the Torah is obviously implying is that these places of historical significance acquired their identity and names as a consequence of the words that were uttered, or the actions that were committed by the Children of Israel during their encampments there. Thus it is not predestined that the individual be shaped by his surroundings, rather the opposite. The character, the essence, indeed the very designation of an environment emanates from the employments of those who dwell therein.
In this Shabbos of Vision that affords us a glimpse into the eternity of time, we see how the Jewish people are a living affirmation of the superiority of man over his circumstances. There is a thought from the Chassidic Rebbe of Kotsk which parallels this idea. Back in the Book of Exodus, Moses approaches the Burning Bush and is commanded to remove his sandals because, “The place on which you stand is holy ground.”
The Rebbe strikingly interprets this verse to read, “The place where you take a stand becomes Holy ground.” This is in contrast to the actions of Adam and Eve whose crossing the forbidden line and unfortunately not standing firm created an inverse result. Whereby Moses’ convictions transformed the barren desert into the site from which G-d’s sovereignty would be manifest, Adam’s willingness to be seduced by the voices from without converted the Garden of Eden into a snake-ruled doorway that led to banishment.
Through turbulent centuries of homelessness, prejudice and persecution, we were never adherents of the rationale that base surroundings justify immoral conduct. Consequently the Jewish ghetto was never an excuse for violence, and poverty was no absolution for ignorance or criminal behavior.
This axiom must be reiterated today louder than ever. Who hasn’t heard the excuse, “But Rabbi we live in America...It’s the 21st Century...Everyone is doing it. You want me to be different?”
Of course we acknowledge that raising youngsters now may be more difficult than ever before, even though I am not quite convinced. Talk to Jews who grew up in Communist Russia and see how the powers of education combined with forces of anti-Semitism were potent motivators for Jewish children to abandon the teachings of their fathers.
But even if we were to concede this point, that would not satisfy the One Above as He tells us in this week’s Biblical reading that He implanted within us the strength to hold our position. In fact, He even granted us the ability to influence those around us in fulfillment of our mission “To be a light unto the nations.”