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Truth Balance
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
September 8, 2024, San Fernando Valley, California, USA
We attach mystical meanings to the Hebrew letters. Some, like those who study the secret writings of the Kabbalah, attach more to it, others less, but all see some deep historical and spiritual meanings behind the Hebrew letters and words. This weeks' Torah portion/reading starts with the letter Shin (S, or Sh) and discusses the importance of Judges, courts, and justice. The Letter Shin ש is something written with a flat bottom and sometimes with a pointy bottom. The letter is said to be derived from Teeth, or tooth. In modern Hebrew the word Shen means tooth.
Each letter in Hebrew is associated with certain concepts that begin with that letter. A stands for Amath, Truth, B stand for two or Bracha, blessings, D is for Daleth, or Door, R is for Rah, or bad. But shin is associated with two apparently contradictory ideas, Shalom, and Sheker, Peace and Lies, or Falsehood. How does that work?
The answer is, it can be both, and there is no contradiction. The Torah begins with Beth, B, the second letter of the Hebrew Alphabet as well as the English alphabet which is of course a much latter copy of the Hebrew. Many English letters have their roots in Hebrew. Many English words have their roots in Hebrew. The Torah, the Bible, begins with Beth, symbolizing two, unity. Two humans, a male and a female, can produce a third. One person alone cannot produce a third. Two students studying, or training, together, are much more creative, and objective, than just one person studying or training alone, no matter how smart or talented he may be.
Beth stands for Blessing and for Two. Two produce a blessing, one person alone cannot. A, Alef, stands for Amath, Truth, but Alef was not chosen to be the first letter of the Torah. Why? Because the world cannot survive on pure Truth alone. The world needs flexibility and compromise.
Let us imagine for a moment a world of pure truth, with no "white lies". You go to work and greet your fellow workers, Good to see you Stan, you are looking great, I am happy to see you. but really the Truth is, you look like crap in that outfit, and I find your sense of humor dry and annoying.
Is that your new car? Why, what great taste you have!, Replace that with, "How could you have chosen such a hiderous color, but then again, you have lousy taste in everthing",
The world could not survive with PURE truth, so even God lies, and the Torah and the Talmud allow it. In the story of Abraham and Sarah, God tells Sarah she will soon have the baby she and Abraham have been waiting for, for so long. And how does she respond? "And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, after I am withered will I have youth renewed within me? and my husband is old."
But does God repeat this to Abraham? No. Rather he says, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I, being old, truly be able to bear a child?"
Thus, God did not mention Sarah's comment about Abraham being too old, he left that part out in order not to insult Abraham, he only mentioned a partial truth.
Similarly, the Talmud discuss weddings and the bride. In tractate Kethuboth, (Marriage contracts), it says, Beth Hillel says that during the dancing at the wedding the people should sing the praises of the bride, a fine and beautiful bride, even if she is not really considered beautiful at all, and by singing of her beauty the husband will find her more attractive. The school of Shamai disagree, and what if she is blind, or has one leg, do we praise her as beautiful? but has not the Torah warned us, "Stay away from lies?" (Exodus Chapter 23, verse 7) but the school of Hillel answered, if someone purchased a bad product, do you praise it or insult it? One should praise it, and not make the person feel that he made a bad deal.
The Talmud also states, from here we learn that one's mind should always be connected with the creatures, i.e. people. The meaning being one should be careful with his choice of words and find a way to "fit in" without insulting people with the pure truth. The message is, the world cannot survive on Pure Truth, it must be mitigated with sensitivity, with being connected to the people. For two people to get along, for society to work, we must be flexible, this leads to Peace, to Shalom.
Thus, the letter Shin in Hebrew stands for Shalom, and Sheker, Peace and Lies, they are not opposites, they are complementary. Yes, one should not lie, and one should avoid lies at all costs, but sometimes avoiding the full truth, as God himself did with Abraham, can lead to peace. God telling Abraham that Sarah referred to him as "old", does not help the relationship. It takes Wisdom to know when to be quiet, to know what not to say.
Now if someone is going in for a job interview, and they ask you if this outfit is a good choice, it is best to be honest in order to help them get the job. But if you just happen to see a friend and think their outfit is hideous, there is no benefit to pointing that out. It takes wisdom to know the difference. Certain white lies can help bring about Peace.
But we must never forget the two aspects of the Shin, and the need for Balance. The flat-bottomed Shin represents Shalom/Peace, which is solid, while the pointy bottomed Shin represents Sheker, Lies, which is shaky and unbalanced. The Shin can be both, we just must be careful how we use it.
Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.
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All that and more in this unique book.
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