Community Magazine June 2019

22 Community Magazine לעילוי נשמתם של משה בן עליזה, יצחק הלל בן עליזה, והנרייט לאה בת עליזה, דוד בן גילה, רבקה בת גילה, יהושע בן גילה, משה בן גילה, שרה בת גילה, יעקב בן גילה, ואליאנה בת גילה. ולרפואה שלמה ליוסף בן אהובה מסעודה, שילת אהובה בת עליזה, ודניאל בן עליזה. Rav Shimshon adds that the letters of the word “ anavim ” (“grapes”) – ayin , nun , bet , mem – are preceded in the alphabet by the letters samech , mem , alef , lamed – the letters that spell the name of the Satan . (This name is customarily not pronounced as written, and is referred to simply as “ samech-mem .”) The period of the grape harvest is associated with the Satan , because this is the time when the Satan has special power and is particularly dangerous – and for this reason, the Midrash Peli’a attributes the failure of the spies’ mission to the fact that it occurred during the “dark” summer days, when Satan is at the height of its strength. This interpretation sheds new light on Moshe’s instruction to the spies: “ Vehithazaktem – You shall be strong.” Moshe realized that the spies were embarking on their mission during a time of spiritual challenge, and so he urged the spies to “be strong,” to prepare themselves for this danger, to commit themselves to avoid the pitfalls that would present themselves. Tragically, the spies failed, leading to one of the great catastrophes of Jewish history. Blindness The question remains, why would the Satan be associated with grapes? Why is it specifically during the period of “ bikkureh anavim ” – the grape harvest – that Satan enjoys special power, and why is Satan ’s name alluded to specifically in conjunction with the word “ anavim ”? This question is addressed by the Keli Yakar (Rav Shlomo Efrayim of Luntshitz, 1550-1619), commenting on Parashat Vayishlah. He explains that Satan ’s name (which, as mentioned, is spelled samech , mem , alef , lamed ) is derived from the root s.m.a. , which refers to blindness. This is Satan ’s name because it perfectly captures the crux of Satan ’s objective – to blind us. After all, what else is a sinful impulse, if not a form of blindness? When we feel tempted, we are blinded to the evil of sin, and see it as something enjoyable and beneficial. The Satan – our evil inclination – distorts our vision, presenting bad as good and good as bad. It shows us that things like indulgence, laziness, pettiness, and anger are good for us, and that things like restraint, self-sacrifice, flexibility, and patience are bad for us. It shows us that Shabbat observance is boring, outdated, and unimportant, whereas forbidden Shabbat activities are fun or profitable. It shows us that accumulating wealth is the ultimate goal, and that religious devotion just gets in the way. It shows us that dishonesty in business is necessary because “this is how it’s done,” and scrupulous honesty is a ticket to failure. This is what the Satan does best – it blinds us to the truth. Therefore, the Keli Yakar explains, there is no more accurate symbol of the Satan than the grape – from which wine is produced. The Satan intoxicates like wine. Alcohol dulls our senses and prevents us from seeing things rationally. It makes us see things the wrong way. It makes strange behavior seem normal, and normal behavior seem strange. And this is exactly what the Satan does – it intoxicates our senses, preventing us from seeing things the right way. It makes us see vice as virtue and virtue as vice.