Positive Vision

We have truly entered the summer season, with the hot weather, schools ending, and camps beginning. It also means that the Three Weeks, beginning on the 17th of Tamuz, are approaching — a challenging season for many people. However, in truth, it already began from Rosh Chodesh.

In Sefer Yetzirah, credited to Avraham Avinu, it says that every month has its unique powers, when certain functions and senses are especially powerful. This is true both in the physical sense and in the spiritual sense. In Tamuz, sight is powerful. In the physical sense, this month has the longest days, with the most sunlight and the greatest ability to see.

There is also a negative side. During Tamuz, there is a certain mazik, a damaging power, called Ketev Meriri, which has the ability to harm. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 551) brings that extra caution is needed during Tamuz, as this mazik has the ability to cause damage. It is either composed of many eyes, or it has one eye over its heart. It sees, but it sees too much, and it sees incorrectly. Much suffering during this season was influenced by this mazik.

In the spiritual sense, we have several examples where the power of sight was used and, unfortunately, abused. The cheit ha’eigel happened on the 17th of Tamuz, when they viewed the entire situation of Moshe Rabbeinu’s delay incorrectly. The meraglim traveled throughout Eretz Yisrael during this entire month. They were supposed to see good, but they chose to see everything negatively.

We know that the names of our months — Nisan, Iyar, and so on through Adar — were adapted during galut Bavel. Before that, they were called the first month, the second month, and so on.

So what is Tamuz?

The Navi in Yechezkel says (8:14) that Yechezkel saw women crying over the Tamuz. The Mefarshim explain that the Tamuz was an avodah zarah that appeared as if it was crying. The Radak, and the Malbim, bring the Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim, who read ancient manuscripts from the idol worshippers telling the story of the Tamuz.

There was a prophet, Tamuz, who told a king to worship the stars. Instead, the king had him tortured and murdered. On the anniversary of his death, the first day of the month of Tamuz, all the idols came together to his temple in Bavel, mourning Tamuz’s fate. There was a golden sun there, representing him. (Tamuz means heat in Aramaic.)

Rav Moshe Shapiro zt”l explained that there was truth to this legend, but they altered it for their own purposes. The chief adversary of this Tamuz was Avraham Avinu. Avraham fought against avodah zarah — against serving the sun, moon, fire, and all such forces.

The sun is strongest in the month of Tamuz, and that is why they worshipped it then. Avraham taught that the sun, especially in the hot summer, is very beneficial — a chesed from Hashem. It ripens the fruit, gives light, and provides healthy energy. Avraham had an even tovah, a special stone with healing power. After Avraham died, that power was transferred to the sun, so it also has healing powers.

We would like to suggest that the king was Nimrod. He was convinced by the prophet Tamuz to serve the sun, whose power is felt through fire — hot and destructive. He tried killing Avraham by throwing him into the fire. After Avraham was miraculously saved, Nimrod looked very foolish, as everyone ran to Avraham, wanting to worship him. Avraham taught them about Hashem instead.

Nimrod was also very impressed with Avraham, and he gave Avraham his son Eliezer as a servant. So he killed Tamuz for making him look foolish.

In reality, the prophet and avodah zarah lost, defeated and humiliated in a great way. Later on, the idol worshippers altered the story, crying for the “Tamuz,” wanting people to believe the opposite — that the avodah zarah was still around and powerful. (The Rambam’s goal was to ridicule the idol worshippers.)

The lesson for us is that in the hot summer season, we can easily complain about the weather, the heat, dryness, or humidity, depending on our location. Instead, we should try to focus on the tremendous berachah there is from the sun. There is potential for the positive or for the negative.

Let us turn to Parshat Balak.

There is the story of King Balak hiring Bilam to curse Bnei Yisrael. Bilam went against Hashem’s will, and then had to deal with his talking donkey before being frightened to death by the malach. He tried cursing Bnei Yisrael three times, but was forced to give beautiful berachot. Then he advised Balak to get them to sin through immorality, to make them lose their protection and be destroyed, succeeding in causing 24,000 of Bnei Yisrael to die.

We should notice and realize a simple point here. This entire parshah was unknown to klal Yisrael. In next week’s parshah, Hashem tells Moshe to avenge klal Yisrael by punishing Midyan for getting them to sin. There is not even any mention of Moav’s involvement there; that is only mentioned later in Sefer Devarim.

This entire parshah was only told to Moshe at a later date, when Moshe was writing the Torah.

Bilam could have destroyed us, and Hashem stopped him — and we could have never known anything. How would we even have known to look for it? Maybe someone saw a few individuals walking on top of the mountains around the encampment? And then there was a sin, with 24,000 dying. Terrible.

But see how the entire nation was saved from the curse! It is important for us to see how Hashem saved us, to appreciate and know that He is always taking care of us.

In Parshat Chukat, klal Yisrael sang a song about the Well of Miriam after it revealed to them the miracle of the mountains crushing the Emori armies and saving klal Yisrael from the ambush. That miracle is only hinted to in the Torah. They could have been thinking about the hardships of traveling, as some did complain. Without the well, they would not have known anything.

The communities in Queens had the great honor to host several of the great Israeli Roshei Yeshivot and Gedolei HaDor. Unfortunate circumstances necessitated the difficult travels — none of them are young — and the need to go around fundraising. On the other hand, it was such an inspiration and gain for Queens. It depends on how we choose to view these events.

The Gemara in Yoma (10a) brings a dispute over what will happen before Mashiach arrives. One opinion says that Paras, Iran, will defeat Edom — Eisav, the “Western world.” The other opinion says that Edom will defeat Paras.

Well, we see both opinions happening today. The United States is saying, “We won!” Iran is saying, “We won!” Both opinions are true. How is the deal with Iran good for us? We do not know. We can either despair, or turn to Hashem, trusting that He is taking care of us.

During this month, we should work on “seeing” well — on seeing positively. Every situation, even difficult and challenging ones, can be viewed through the proper lens, the Torah lens, to see properly.

May we merit to see the yeshuah gedolah speedily!

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R’ Dovi Chaitovsky and his family have the zechut to live in Eretz Yisrael, where he dedicates himself to learning and teaching Torah. His divrei Torah often draw from the shiurim of R’ Yisrael Altusky shlit”a of Yeshiva Torah Ore, available on KolHalashon.com. In his column, Connecting The Dots: Torah Thoughts For Modern Times, R’ Dovi offers thoughtful insights that bridge timeless Torah wisdom with the challenges of contemporary life, using stories, parables, Torah sources, and reflections on current events to highlight practical lessons from Jewish tradition and encourage readers to apply them in their daily lives.