Date: October 6th 2022

Most of Parshas Haazinu is a shira written in cryptic prose which contains a prophecy of future events that will befall the Jewish people. It tells of how Yeshurun will become fat and eventually rebel against Hashem and turn to other gods. As a result, Hashem will conceal His Providence and punish them through the other nations. The shira goes on to describe the reaction of the nations who are the vehicles of these punishments and their perception, or perhaps misperception, of the events that will transpire.
“If only they were wise they would understand what will be their end. For how could one pursue a thousand…” (32:29,30)
The Commentary of Sforno (by Rabbi Ovadia Sforno, 1475-1550) explains these words as referring to the nations in whose hands the Jews will fall. The once mighty nation of Israel will become so weak that a thousand men will flee before one opponent. Such a downfall is in itself a miraculous expression of Hashem’s Providence, the Jews turned away from Hashem and became so unnaturally feeble. The oppressing nations aught to see a cautionary lesson in the plight of the Jews and thereby recognize how great will their own punishments be for the horrors and iniquities they commit. However, they will lack the wisdom to see and understand this truth.
“…Although our enemies have men of great intellect. For their grapes are the grapes of Sodom.” (32:31,32)
The Sforno understand these verses as supplying the explanation as to why the nations lack this wisdom despite having smart and intellectual people amongst them. He explains that as a result of the peace and tranquility the transcendent nations will experience, they will become arrogant and invest all of their energies in the pursuit of earthly pleasures as did the people of Sodom. Through this single-minded pursuit of pleasure, they will come to detest acts of kindness and eventually shed innocent blood for their personal gain.
This explanation of the Sforno seems puzzling at first glance. What is the connection between the pursuit of personal pleasure and an abhorrence for acts of kindness to others? Could a person not wholeheartedly pursue his own pleasure and still want to do kindness to others? Furthermore, how does this dynamic lead to a lack of wisdom and the inability to accurately understand events that transpire?
The words of the Sforno are teaching us a profound insight into the human condition. Apparently, if a person becomes consumed with the pursuit of pleasure it drives the innate goodness from one’s personality. Although the pursuit of ones own physical needs does not directly connect to a diminished sensitivity towards others, if one becomes completely engaged in themselves, they will slowly become more and more self-centered and narcissistic people over time. In essence, the trait true kindness requires one focus on the well-being of others while the striving for personal pleasure comes from total focus well-being of self. Eventually such a person becomes so intensely focused on the pursuit of their own benefit that doing something for another person seems detestable to them.

There is another fascinating dynamic that can be gleaned from the Sforno’s comments. The nations of the world possess many great thinkers, historians, philosophers, and social scientists, yet as a result of their occupation with self-indulgence they fail to see a simple truth that lies before their eyes. Much can be understood about life and the world around us if we have the eyes to truly see the experiences of others. The mindset of a completely self-absorbed person is that they cannot see beyond themselves. If they had the sensitivity to tune in to the plight of those around them, the nations would have seen and understood an important lesson about their own choices and the consequences that will come to them as a result.
In a general sense, we see how important middos are to the proper application of one’s intellect. Intelligence alone without perfection of character does not lead to true wisdom. More specifically, we learn from here the diminished sense of awareness that is caused by self-centeredness and that such a person will fail to understand the world and events large and small that surround them. Ironically, they will not even see that which is ultimately in their own best interests as a result.





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