Hearts, Minds, and the Indestructible Self
Psychologists, Sociologists and even Popularists have finally discovered what we have been saying for thousands of years; men and women are really different. And I mean in every sense; physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Terms like better or worse are foolish; we are different and those differences lead to the beauty of uniting the Male / Female dimension into a greater whole.
Here is an interesting example from the past weeks’ Torah portions.
We know that Moshe (Moses) was the conduit of the Divine wisdom. His prophecy was different than all other prophets. Other prophets retained a certain amount of “self” in their communication. They prophesized in the linguistic style and experience they knew while Moshe’s words were simply G-d speaking through him. And it needed to be that way because the five books of the Torah is the complete and ultimate transmission from G-d for all times. Nothing else can be mixed in.
Yet there is a bizarre exception; a commandment that doesn’t come through Moshe but though the 5 daughters of Tzlofchad. What? How can that be?
Let’s look at the law that these 5 women transmitted.
In the laws of inheritance there is a difference between what the sons or daughters receive. Women have priority in regards to livelihood from the estate. They are supported first and foremost to the point that if the estate has enough only for them, the boys are left out in the cold. But if the estate is large, then the daughters receive their livelihood but the sons inherit the rest of the estate. The father of these 5 women, Tzlofchad, died and left only daughters. Moshe was uncertain what to do with the land that was supposed to go to Tzlofchad. The daughters reasoned that in such a case they should definitely inherit the land (unlike many other cultures of the time where women did not inherit land even if there were no sons).So Moshe brought their case before G-d. Oddly, the words “their case” is written with an enlarged letter “Nune” (MishmpataN). The “Nune” has the numerical value of 50 and the giant “Nune” teaches us that this law arises from the 50th level of understanding; a level of understanding which is beyond the comprehension of this world.
Huh? Why is this question so hard that it emanates from the 50th level of understanding?
The “Emunat Etecha” explains that the daughters of Tzlofchad clearly understood that although their father had transgressed and died in the desert he was still connected to the source and has a portion in eternity. They also understood that the physical dimension reflects the spiritual, and therefore the land of Israel parallels the Eternal dimension (Olam Haba). Consequently, since their father has a place in the eternal world he must also have a place in its physical equivalent, the land of Israel; and since they are the extension of their father, the inheritance must be carried on through them.
This is the thinking of the 50th level. It intuits on a very deep plane that the inner spark of each one of us can’t be lost. The Eternal Source makes endless calculations that all His children come home. Sometimes those possibilities seem to contradict logic. This is the remarkable lesson of the daughters of Tzlofchad; a lesson that is revealed through the unique female quality of comprehension. It is a mode of thinking that extrapolates, connects and builds; a mode of thinking that can sense a higher reality beyond the limits of logic, it is a mode of thinking called Binah and women have more of it than men do.
Similarly, the Maharal explains that the 3 matzahs we eat on Pesach parallel the 3 forefather and the 4 cups of wine we drink parallel the 4 foremothers. The wheat of matzah or bread represents analytic thinking which is based on making distinctions. When an infant is old enough to eat a serving of bread his mind has developed to the point that he begins to differentiate. Seeing differences allows comparing and contrasting, separating and unifying, which are the building blocks of cold analysis. But wine is a different form of thinking altogether where things can be perceived beyond the limits of analysis. It has the power to help you tune into a deeper underlying reality that is rooted in a higher dimension. This is the power of Binah.
These women’s Binah knew that the Almighty has infinite ways to make sure our inner essence does not get lost and we remain connected. And so it was only right that this deep lesson should come through them; the righteous daughters of Tzlofchad who were conduits to the truth of the heart,the wine of reason, which sometimes reaches far beyond where the mind can ever go.