💡 Think:
The Talmud (Sukkah 56b) relates a fascinating story. When discussing the priestly family of Bilga, it mentions how the family remained diminished among the other Kohanim. It thus explores why the family of Bilga was so punished.
The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Miriam, the daughter of a member of the Bilga watch, who apostatized and went and married a soldier serving in the army of the Greek kings. When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, she entered with them and was kicking with her sandal on the altar and said: Wolf, wolf [λύκος, λύκος], until when will you consume the property of the Jewish people, and yet you do not stand with them when they face dire circumstances? And after the victory of the Hasmoneans over the Greeks, when the Sages heard about this matter and how she denigrated the altar, and punished the watch of Bilga…
And due to Miriam’s father and mother, do we penalize an entire watch? Abaye said: Woe unto the wicked, woe unto his neighbor. To conclude the tractate on a positive note, the Gemara says: Good for the righteous, good for his neighbor, as it is stated: “Say you of the righteous that it shall be good for him, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings” (Isaiah 3:10); the neighbors of a righteous man who witness and acknowledge the good that befalls him will benefit from their proximity to him.
For close to 2000 years, Jews around the world would read about Miriam bat Bilga with shame. Here was a daughter of privilege, a member of the priestly family, and when the Jews were at their nadir, she seemingly turned her back on her religion and people, sided with the Greek occupiers and accompanied them into the Holy Temple as they ransacked and defiled it. There’s a term that I detest, but one that seemingly many would employ in this context. Was Miriam not the ur-“Self-Hating” Jew?
Woe unto Miriam and woe unto us…
But on September 22, 1974, the Rebbe, whose yahrtzeit is this Shabbat, offered a profoundly different perspective on this story.
The story of Miriam bat Bilga was not one of woe, but rather a chance to meditate on the profound and eternal bond between G-d and the Jewish people.
Far be it from a question of self-hate, the story of Miriam is one of the intense love of G-d for each Jew, and the intense love of each Jew for our people.
After all, why was the entire family of Bilga punished? Seemingly Miriam’s act of defiance, of hitting the holy alter with her sandals, was the least of her problem. Didn’t she leave behind her Judaism? Consort with the Greek oppressors?
But here, the Talmud teaches us something incredibly profound:
YOU MATTER!
To the infinite primordial essence of the Al-mighty Creator, you, in all your complexity, matter. So what if Miriam ‘gave it all up,’ she was precious and important, an integral part of the Jewish people. That it seemed that she gave it all up? That’s only superficial, her deep bonds remained unchanged.
And so too with Miriam: with everything she did, marching into the Sanctuary as the Greeks pillaged and destroyed… She was bothered with the injustice she saw.
”Wolf!” she shouted out to G-d. “Where are you for the Jewish people when they need you?” Far be it from someone disconnected, Miriam deeply loved the Jewish people. At that moment she was driven by a sense of deep justice to correct something she saw as broken and wrong.
There is a lesson for us: The story ends with a teaching on the words, “Woe unto the wicked, woe unto his neighbor… Good for the righteous, good for his neighbor.”
When you see someone else, why do you look at them as foreign to you? As a wicked neighbor? If you do, then woe is unto you both. But if you see them as *your* neighbor, as part of a dynamic relationship where you can share and inspire, then it will be good for you both. Truly righteous.
🏃 DO:
🎤 The first of our TWELVEX events is is on its way. Grab your seat to join author AJ Jacobs in conversation on Wednesday, July 20th at 7:00pm!
🤖 Our next Lunch and Learn at Snap is scheduled for July 6th. Join us to further explore questions of Artificial Intelligence and Judaism!
🙌 Over the weekend, G-d Willing, I’ll be visiting the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens. If you’d like me to mention you there, reply to this email with your Jewish name and your mother’s!
🎧 Listen:
I was featured on Tablet’s Talmud passage. Give a listen!
🎬 Watch:
A moment from the above 1974 talk.
Watch the full video
💬 Saying:
When the Rebbe accepted the mantle of leadership in 1951, this was his “acceptance speech”:
If you find a Jew who has love of G‑d, but lacks love of his people and love of Torah, tell him that this love cannot last.
If you find a Jew who has love of his people, but lacks love of G‑d and love of Torah, work with him to nurture this love until it overflows into the other two, until all three join in one tight knot that will never be untied.
🎉 Mazel:
#ChaiSociety member Rafi and Megan Letzter on their recent wedding!
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📚 Read:
🌎 Buzzfeed reflects on 11 Ways The Lubavitcher Rebbe Forever Changed The World How one man in Brooklyn shattered misconceptions and predispositions about Judaism and forever changed the world.
🏖️ I’m Out of the Office. Really. The key to a truly restorative summer vacation? Crafting the perfect out-of-office email.
🇺🇸 Did Chabad's Founder Envision an American Future?
✨Chasidic Wisdom For The Extremely Online: How The Rebbe’s Visionary Approach Inspires Me To Better Use Social Media Chai Society Season II Episode 7.
🔥 Lit:
This week, light Shabbat candles in NYC at 8:13.
For Shabbat candle-lighting time in your area click here.
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