Reminds Me of a King

Mekorot in Honour of Tikkun Leyl Shavuot 5783

Mashal LeMelech

Louis Jacobs, Principles of the Jewish Faith

Maimonides is of the opinion that whatever attributes we use of God are to be understood in a negative sense. They do not tell us what God is but what He is not. Thus when we say that God is one we do not really mean to imply that we know anything about God's true nature but we merely affirm that He is not a plurality of beings. Or when we say that God is compassionate we refer to His acts, which if done by humans would be due to compassion, and that He is not cruel. Even when we say that God exists we mean that He is not non- existent.

Bereishit Rabba 2:2

The heaven and the earth… the earth was Tohu VaVohu R. Abbahu said: This may be compared to the case of a king who bought two slaves on the same bill of sale and at the same price. One he ordered to be supported at the public expense, while the other he ordered to toil for his bread. The latter sat bewildered and astonished [Tohe v’Vohe]: 'Both of us were bought at the same price exclaimed he, 'yet he is supported from the treasury whilst I have to gain my bread by my toil!'

Kach the earth sat bewildered and astonished, saying, ' The celestial beings [sc. the angels] and the terrestial ones [sc. man] were created at the same time: yet the celestial beings are fed by the radiance of the Shechinah, whereas the terrestial beings, if they do not toil, do not eat. Strange it is indeed!'

… Rabbi Tanchuma said Mashal LeVen Melech who was sleeping in his cradle, but his nurse was shocked and confused [Tohe v’Vohe]. Why? Because she knew that she was going to be punished under his hands.

Kach, the earth saw that she was going to be punished under the hands of humanity, as it is written "Cursed be the earth for your sake" (Genesis 3:17). Therefore the earth was Tohu VaVohu.

Boyarin, Intertextuality and the Reading of Midrash

The very conventionality of the mashal-proper is thus its essential element and meaning. Seen in this light, it bears a semiotic function similar to "Once upon a time, there were three brothers" in folktales, by which we know: the third brother will do something which is good, from which we are to learn.

Thus the mashal assigns the roles, as it were, to the characters in the nimshal as the King's counsellors, sons, friends, pedagogues, guards, etc., providing us the semiotic code.

 

David Stern, "Rhetoric and Midrash: The Case of the Mashal," Prooftexts

The Mashal differs distinctly from [‘allegory’ and ‘parable’]: … to bring a certain message to bear upon an ad hoc situation before its audience by suggesting it to them through an allusive tale. The allegorical, or symbolic, or referential features of the mashal exist only for the sake of enabling its audience to grasp for themselves the ulterior message the mashal bears.

In literary forms like the mashal, midrashic exegesis - its microstructure - is used merely as a raw material, as it were, for compositions whose intended purpose moves far beyond exegesis into the macrostructures of midrashic literature, (p. 276)

 

Shir HaShhirim Rabba 1:8

The rabbis say: Do not let this mashal be light in your eyes, for by means of this mashal one comes to comprehend the words of Torah. A mashal: To a king who has lost a golden coin from his house or a precious pearl – does he not find it by means of a wick worth a penny? Similarly, let not this mashal be light in your eyes, for by means of this mashal one comes to comprehend the words of Torah.

 

1.    Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael Lauterbach I,224

And the angel of God, going before the Camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud moved from before them and went after them (Exod. 14:19).

R. Yehudah said: a mashal; to what is the matter similar? To a king who

was going on the way, and his son went before him. Brigands came to

kidnap him from in front. He took him from in front and placed him behind

him. A wolf came behind him. He took him from behind and placed him in

front. Brigands in front and the wolf in back he (He) took him and placed

him in his (His) arms, as is said, "I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them on

My arms" (Hos.ll:3). The son began to suffer, he (He) took him on his shoulders, as is said, "in the desert which you saw, where the Lord your God carried you" (Deut. 1:31). The son began to suffer from the sun; he (He) spread on him his cloak, as is said, "He has spread a cloud as a curtain" (Ps. 105:39). He became hungry; he (He) fed him, as is said, "Behold I send bread, like rain,

from the sky" (Exod. 16:4). He became thirsty, he (He) gave him drink, as is said, "He brought streams out of the rock" (Ps. 78:16).

2.    Sifrei Devarim 313

"He found him in a desert land" (Devarim 32:10)

This refers to our father Abraham. Mashal - A king and his soldiers go out to the wilderness, whereupon his soldiers bring him to a place of afflictions, invaders, and marauders, and they abandon him — whereupon there joins him a hero, who says to him: King, do not despair; fear nothing. I swear not to leave you until you return to your palace and sleep in your bed, as it is written (in respect to Abraham, Genesis 15:7) "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur Kasdim, etc."

3.    Bereishit Rabba 39:1

"God said to Abram, 'Go forth from your land…'" (Genesis 12:1)

Rabbi Yitzchak said: Mashal - a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a castle aglow. He said, "Is it possible that this castle lacks a person to look after it?" The owner of the building looked at him and said to him, 'I am the master of the castle.'" What happened with Abraham our father was similar. He said, “Is it possible that this universe lacks a person to look after it?," the Holy Blessed One looked at him and said to him, 'I am the Master of the Universe.'"

And let the king be aroused by your beauty since he is your master (Psalms 45:12) And let the king be aroused for your beauty in the universe. Hence, God said to Abram, [go forth...]

 

4.   Leviticus 18:3

You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws.

 

Leviticus Rabba 23

Rabbi Hunya said: Mashal - a king who had an only daughter and he caused her to dwell in a particular alley and they all turned out to be masters of licentiousness (ba’alei zenut). He went and caused her to dwell in another alley and they all turned out to be masters of licentiousness and masters of magic (ba’alei keshafim). Her father said to her, “My daughter, give it your attention so that you will not practice like the practice or these or like the practice of those.” Thus, when Israel was in Egypt, the Egyptians were masters of licentiousness – “. . . whose members were like those of asses . . .” (Ezek. 23:20). And when they entered the land of Canaan, the Canaanites were masters of licentiousness  and masters of magic – “Because of the countless harlotries of the harlot (zenunei zonah), the winsome mistress of sorcery (ba’alat keshafim)” (Nahum 3:4). The Holy Blessed One said to them, “My child, be cautious not to practice either like the practice of these or like the practice of those.” Thus it is written, “You shall not copy the practices ...”

5.    Talmud Yerushalmi Taanit 2:2

R. Levi said: What is the meaning of erekh ‘apayim? (lit. long in anger) Mashal – a king who had two tough legions. The king said, “If [the legions] dwell with me in the province, when the citizens of the province anger me, [the legions] will make a stand against [the citizens]. Instead, I will send the legions far away so that if the citizens of the province anger me, before I have a chance to send for [the legions], the citizens of the province will appease me and I will accept their appeasement.”

Kach the Holy Blessed One said, “Af and Hemah [synonyms for anger] are angels of devastation. I will send them far away so that if Israel angers me, before I have chance to send for them and bring them, Israel will do teshuvah and I will accept their teshuvah.” This is that which is written, They come from a distant land, from the edge of the sky [God and the weapons of his wrath–to ravage all the earth] (Isaiah 13:5).

6.   Rambam Guide to the Perplexed 3:51 (Last chapter)

I will begin the subject of this chapter with a simile. A king is in his palace, and all his subjects are partly in the country, and partly abroad. Of the former, some have their backs turned towards the king’s palace, and their faces in another direction; and some are desirous and zealous to go to the palace, seeking “to inquire in his temple,” and to minister before him, but have not yet seen even the face of the wall of the house. Of those that desire to go to the palace, some reach it, and go round about in search of the entrance gate; others have passed through the gate, and walk about in the ante-chamber; and others have succeeded in entering into the inner part of the palace, and being in the same room with the king in the royal palace. But even the latter do not immediately on entering the palace see the king, or speak to him; for, after having entered the inner part of the palace, another effort is required before they can stand before the king—at a distance, or close by—hear his words, or speak to him.

I will now explain the simile which I have made. The people who are abroad are all those that have no religion, … I consider these as irrational beings, and not as human beings… Those who are in the country, but have their backs turned towards the king’s palace, are those who possess religion, belief, and thought, but happen to hold false doctrines…But those who have succeeded in finding a proof for everything that can be proved, who have a true knowledge of God, so far as a true knowledge can be attained, and are near the truth, wherever an approach to the truth is possible, they have reached the goal, and are in the palace in which the king lives.

 

7.    The Tainted Grain -  A Parable of Rebbe Nachman of Breslav (1772-1810)

A King once told his Prime Minister who was also his good friend, 'I see in the stars that whoever eats any grain that grows this year will go mad. What is your advice?'

The Prime Minister replied, 'We must put aside enough grain so that we will not have to eat from this year's harvest.'

The King objected, 'But then we will be the only ones who will be sane. Everyone else will be mad. Therefore they will think that we are the mad ones. It is impossible for us to put aside enough grain for everyone. Therefore we too must eat this year's grain. But we will make a mark [Heb. ot] on our foreheads, so that we will know that we are mad. I will look at your forehead, and you will look at mine, and when we see this sign [Heb. ot], we will know that we are both mad.'