CLIMBING THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE OF COMFORT
Eikev - Haftorah
There is a fascinating Midrash that describes how Hashem responded to the lament of the Jewish people at the beginning of this week’s Haftorah.
ַתֹּ֥אמֶר צִיּ֖וֹן עֲזָבַ֣נִי ה‘ וַֽאדֹנָ֖-י שְׁכֵחָֽנִי “And Zion said Hashem has forsaken me and the L-rd has forgotten me.”
This emotional cry expresses the deep pain of the Jewish people. The Beis Hamikdash had been destroyed, the Jewish people were now being thrown into the darkness of Golus. Hashem’s presence was hidden and they felt completely abandoned.
What was Hashem’s response? You Jewish people are a bunch of complainers; complainers the sons of complainers!
When I made a wife and soulmate for Adam, after the sin of the Eitz Hadaas, he complained about her. Yaakov did the same when Yosef was sold. I was preparing to crown Yosef as king over Egypt and Yaakov complained.
Their descendants are the same. When I gave the Jewish people the Manna, the sublime food of the angels, they too complained.
And Zion did the same. I was preparing to eradicate the evil kingdoms from the world. I removed the Babylonians, the Medes and the Greeks and in the future I will remove the fourth kingdom (Rome). Yet Zion complains, saying “Hashem abandoned me and Hashem has forgotten me.”
The implication of this Midrash is that, like the other examples, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and subsequent exile was an amazing kindness that Hashem was doing for us and that we were wrong to complain about it.
How could this be? The Churban was one of the darkest moments in our history and we mourn it deeply. How could it be anything other than darkness? It seems the antithesis of kindness.
We can understand this through one of the famous teachings of the Baal Shem Tov - the analogy of a spiral staircase.
In Yiddish, a spiral staircase is called a “Shvindel Trep”, literally swindling stairs. This is because the spiral staircase swindles and confuses the person who is climbing them.
When you climb a vertical staircase, you can see the apex at every point of your climb. You can sense how each step brings you closer to your destination.
But on a spiral staircase you can’t always see the place that you are trying to reach. You may see it initially, but as you climb and turn 180 degrees around, you can’t see it anymore. It even seems as though you are moving in the opposite direction and further away from your destination.
But once you turn the next 180 degrees, you can see the top again… that is until you make the next half circuit and are ‘swindled’ again.
The destruction of the Temple and subsequent exile was a 180 degrees turn up the spiral staircase of Jewish destiny. This staircase is leading us to the ultimate redemption when Hashem’s presence will be openly manifest in our world. Without going through the moments of darkness and concealment, we will never reach the top.
The Churban and Golus present us with an opportunity to grow from the darkness and reach heights that we would not have otherwise been able to reach. These times of darkness force us to dig deeper and access our deepest levels of Emunah and spiritual strength.
Our own lives are also like a Shvindel Trep. We have moments of clarity, light and revelation. We experience the good times of success and open blessings. But we also suffer times of darkness, loss and failure.
We don’t always see it while we are going through these times, but every step is taking us higher. If we persevere, when we turn the corner, we will see how the setback was in fact part of our growth and ascent.
The Jewish people got swindled. When they could no longer see Hashem’s presence and a brighter future, they felt abandoned.
Hashem’s response was that these are the blind steps leading us closer to the Redemption. He never abandoned us. He is hidden, waiting for us to climb through the darkness and complete the revolution.
And when we do we will come to the apex of Geulah; the ultimate revelation of Hashem’s presence. Then there will be no more concealment as the evil kingdoms and darkness are eradicated forever.
ַתֹּ֥אמֶר צִיּ֖וֹן עֲזָבַ֣נִי ה‘ וַֽאדֹנָ֖-י שְׁכֵחָֽנִי “And Zion said Hashem has forsaken me and the L-rd has forgotten me.”
This emotional cry expresses the deep pain of the Jewish people. The Beis Hamikdash had been destroyed, the Jewish people were now being thrown into the darkness of Golus. Hashem’s presence was hidden and they felt completely abandoned.
What was Hashem’s response? You Jewish people are a bunch of complainers; complainers the sons of complainers!
When I made a wife and soulmate for Adam, after the sin of the Eitz Hadaas, he complained about her. Yaakov did the same when Yosef was sold. I was preparing to crown Yosef as king over Egypt and Yaakov complained.
Their descendants are the same. When I gave the Jewish people the Manna, the sublime food of the angels, they too complained.
And Zion did the same. I was preparing to eradicate the evil kingdoms from the world. I removed the Babylonians, the Medes and the Greeks and in the future I will remove the fourth kingdom (Rome). Yet Zion complains, saying “Hashem abandoned me and Hashem has forgotten me.”
The implication of this Midrash is that, like the other examples, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and subsequent exile was an amazing kindness that Hashem was doing for us and that we were wrong to complain about it.
How could this be? The Churban was one of the darkest moments in our history and we mourn it deeply. How could it be anything other than darkness? It seems the antithesis of kindness.
We can understand this through one of the famous teachings of the Baal Shem Tov - the analogy of a spiral staircase.
In Yiddish, a spiral staircase is called a “Shvindel Trep”, literally swindling stairs. This is because the spiral staircase swindles and confuses the person who is climbing them.
When you climb a vertical staircase, you can see the apex at every point of your climb. You can sense how each step brings you closer to your destination.
But on a spiral staircase you can’t always see the place that you are trying to reach. You may see it initially, but as you climb and turn 180 degrees around, you can’t see it anymore. It even seems as though you are moving in the opposite direction and further away from your destination.
But once you turn the next 180 degrees, you can see the top again… that is until you make the next half circuit and are ‘swindled’ again.
The destruction of the Temple and subsequent exile was a 180 degrees turn up the spiral staircase of Jewish destiny. This staircase is leading us to the ultimate redemption when Hashem’s presence will be openly manifest in our world. Without going through the moments of darkness and concealment, we will never reach the top.
The Churban and Golus present us with an opportunity to grow from the darkness and reach heights that we would not have otherwise been able to reach. These times of darkness force us to dig deeper and access our deepest levels of Emunah and spiritual strength.
Our own lives are also like a Shvindel Trep. We have moments of clarity, light and revelation. We experience the good times of success and open blessings. But we also suffer times of darkness, loss and failure.
We don’t always see it while we are going through these times, but every step is taking us higher. If we persevere, when we turn the corner, we will see how the setback was in fact part of our growth and ascent.
The Jewish people got swindled. When they could no longer see Hashem’s presence and a brighter future, they felt abandoned.
Hashem’s response was that these are the blind steps leading us closer to the Redemption. He never abandoned us. He is hidden, waiting for us to climb through the darkness and complete the revolution.
And when we do we will come to the apex of Geulah; the ultimate revelation of Hashem’s presence. Then there will be no more concealment as the evil kingdoms and darkness are eradicated forever.