TOLDOS - GEVURAH (STRENGTH)

February 6, 1995

"And he (Yitzchak) said 'Your brother came with guile, and has taken away your blessing."    Genesis: 27:35

The Babylonian Talmud begins with Brochos and ends with Nidah.  These Tractates deal with our strongest appetites, for food and relations, and their common message is that we must uplift our desires and subsume them under the Will of the Almighty.  As it says in Pirkei Avos, "Who is strong (a Gibor), one who is able to overcome his natural inclinations."  We often feel powerful emotions and desires coursing through us, and it takes courage and strength to direct them in a way that makes the Almighty proud.

Tradition says that our forefather Yitzchak is associated with the trait of Gvurah (strength), while Avraham is associated with Chesed (kindness) and Yaacov is with Emes (truth) because he merged strength and kindness together.  The idea that Yitzchak was the man of Gvurah, strength, may help explain two puzzling stories about Yitzchak, one from the Chumash and the other from the Gemorrah.

The Chumash tells us that Yitzchak wanted to give the physical brocha to Esav instead of Yaacov.  This is hard to understand because Esav was a 'man of the fields' who stole and killed, while Yaacov was concerned with being good, an 'ish tam be ohalim', like an innocent Yeshivah student studying in his tent.  One explanation is that Yitzchak, being a man of Gvurah, knew the important truth that nothing gets done in this world without Gvurah.  We must be strong enough to overcome countless internal and external challenges in life if we are to fulfill our goals.

Yitzchak saw that Esav, as bad as he was, at least had Gevurah, and perhaps in time could apply this strength to improve himself.  But Yaacov was just a 'nice Jewish boy' learning all day, who didn't seem to exhibit the Gevurah necessary for the struggles of life.  Rivkah saw that Yitzchak was making a mistake and convinced Yaacov to disguise himself as his brother and trick his blind father into obtaining the physical brocha.  When Esav came in Yitzhak realized he had been tricked, he trembled, and Rashi explains that he had given the brocha to the right person, Yaacov, after all. 

What made Yitzchak see this?  Ironically, perhaps he saw that because Yaacov had the strength and spunk to trick him, that he wasn't so namby-pamby after all, that he had the capability of true grit and Gevurah.  Indeed, for the rest of Yaacov's life he had many tests, such as with Lavan, Esav, and an angel to prove that he had Gevurah, and to overcome his natural inclination to be reclusive.  The Jews are called the children of Israel, the children of Yaacov, because the Jew has been called upon countless times in history to overcome his natural inclination to just be good and kind, and to exhibit Gevurah.  We will mention two such 'tests' in the Gemorrah.

The first, described in Sanhendrin, tells us that Herod, who came from a group that had been recently converted to Judaism against their will, had become the head of the Galil and had killed some people illegally.  The Sanhendrin called Herod, who appeared before it with armed guards.  The Sanhendrin was concerned that if they passed judgement on Herod, that his guards would attack them. The only one that was totally unafraid was the head of the Sanhedrin, the famous Shamai, known throughout Jewish Law for his decisions reflecting the need for Gevurah.  Shamai got up and said that they must dispense justice to Herod now.  But the rest of the Sanhendrin was afraid, and uncharacteristally postponed the decision to the next day.  That night Herod escaped, and when he later came to power he killed practically all the Jewish religious leaders, including 70 or the 71 members of the Sanhendrin, leaving only Shamain alive, perhaps because he respected his Gevurah. 

The other story, the one from Gittin that we often hear on Tish B'av, is about Kamtza /Bar Kamtza.  A rich man threw a party and and invited his friend Bar Kamtza, but by mistake the invitation went to Kamtza, someone he didn't like.  He tried to throw Kamtza out, who, to avoid embarrasment, offered to pay for the whole party.  But the host ejected Kamtza anyway, and the Gemorrah is clearly critical that the many sages present didn't object, knowing that to embarras someone is like killing him.  They exhibited a lack of Gevurah in defense of a fellow Jew. 

The story continues that Kamtza, filled with rage, sought revenge, and convinced the Roman leader to buy an animal to be offered as a sacrifice in the Temple.  Kamtza brought the offering on behalf of the Roman leader, but first put a blemish in the animal, making it unfit to be offered.  The Sanhendrin was in a quandry, because the offering was not fit to be offered, but not offering it might be interpreted as an act of rebellion against the Romans.  Some suggested that they offer it anyone, but the head of the Sanhendrin said no, that might teach people that an animal with a blemish could be offered as a sacrifice.  Then let's kill Kamtza, so he doesn't tell the Roman leader we didn't offer the sacrifice.  No, said the head of the Sanhendrin, they people might learn that someone making an blemish in an offering is killed.  The full Sanhendrin went along with his decision. 

The Gemorah then dramatically states: Reb Yochanon says that because of the annivus, humility, of the head of the Sanhendrin, the Temple was destroyed, burned to the ground, and we were thrown into exile.  The Jews again exhibited their natural proclivity to be an 'ish tam be ohalim', simple, good, and studious, but lacked the Gevurah needed to accomplish their historic goals.  Yitzchak, the man of Gevurah, foresaw that the Jews must overcome their tendency towards humility to accomplish their historical mission. This may also explain an enigmatic story in Messechet Shabbos.

 The Gemorrah there says that the Jews were acting bad, so Hashem went to Avraham and said 'Your people are sinning.'  Avraham replied that they probably deserve punishment.  Hashem then went to Yaacov who had the same response.  But when Hashem went to Yitzchak saying that the Jews were sinning, Yitzchak strenuously argued against punishment, and Hashem relented, sparing the Jews.  The strange story implies that the Chesed of that is the hallmark of Avraham and Yaacov is not enough to ensure Jewish survival, that true Ahavas Yisroel, love for one's fellow Jew, requires great courage, strength and Gevurah.