Category: Ten and not nine

Kabbalah gave me a way to believe scripture that I previously found difficult. This is perhaps the thing I most appreciate about it. It’s not always easy for me to explain exactly what I mean when I say this. However, the other day I was reminded of a story from the Bible. The prophet Elisha, mocked by a group of children, responds by putting a curse on them. Immediately 42 of the children are mauled by bears. This is a perfect example of what I mean.

On its plain meaning, this brief encounter is, of course, troubling. Forty-two kids were savagely killed by wild animals as retribution for childish insults. Believing that God would, should, or did cooperate with a man to do this, presents obvious difficulties. A response so severe and violent, brought against children, would be hard to believe of a cruel general or maniacal king, let alone a loving God. Before finding Kabbalah, this is the kind of story I personally would not have been able to believe.

There are those who believe this biblical account is an authentic record of history. They have no other choice but to believe that the children deserved it. That may seem like an unlikely position to take but it is exactly the position of many religious commentators. The children are recast as a gang of ruffians, no longer little, but a band of outlaw teenagers. The taunts of “baldy”, have been reformed as death threats from an organized crime syndicate. Of course, none of that is explicitly contained in the Bible. The entire story is encompassed in two short verses, leaving little opportunity for back story.

2 Kings 2:23-24
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

King James Version

Each reader is, of course, free to interpret this story in whichever way they prefer. It’s not my point to say how a band of small children may or may not have deserved to be mauled by bears. This is an example of the type of bible story that begs for a better explanation than it normally gets. Admittedly, there probably is no way to rationally explain such an event that removes its many obvious difficulties. Those who attempt a reasonable explanation, inadvertently acknowledge this by the great lengths they often take to justify the story.

Typically it will be pointed out that the Hebrew word נערים (na’arim), young males, translated here as “children”, can also be translated as “youths”. This word appears hundreds of times in the Bible, in many places presumably referring to young adults. Therefore, expositors often suggest, this verse should be understood to refer not to little children, but to teen-age ruffians; a youth gang. The problem with that explanation is that it conveniently overlooks what is actually written in the Hebrew scripture. It doesn’t just read נערים (na’arim), but נערים קטנים (na’arim qettanim), small young males.

Kabbalah, in many ways, avoids this problem and others by employing a symbolic language for interpreting the scripture of the Hebrew Bible. According to Kabbalists, all of the Bible, or Torah, describes the nature of God, the ongoing story of creation, and the relationship of God with man and the created world. If a story about children being mauled by bears doesn’t seem to fall into any of those categories, it’s because it doesn’t. To Kabbalists, this is not a story of God directing a nightmarish punishment against incorrigible youth. This is a another story of God’s wisdom and the mechanisms of divine justice.

Before explaining the Kabbalistic symbolism of 2 Kings 2:23-24, it will be helpful to give some overview of Kabbalah for the uninitiated. The central symbol of Kabbalah is the עץ כיים (etz chayim), the Tree of Life. This usually consists of 10 circles, arranged symmetrically, and joined by a series of 22 lines. These are said to represent the 10 ספירות (sephirot) — at times understood as emanations of the Godhead or as divine attributes — and the 22 mysterious paths that connect them to each other. It is these paths by which divine energy traverses the structure, descending to Earth as the providence of God, and rising toward Heaven as the righteous acts of man’s worship.

Along with the perfectly balanced structure of the Tree of Life, there is another element to creation. Sometimes attributed to a “divine catastrophe,” this by-product of creation is known as the סטרה אכרה (sitra achra), the Other Side. This is the source and domain of all evil, imperfection, and corruption. The Other Side burst forth during the act of Creation, as the counter and opposite of the perfect balance and arrangement of the Tree of Life. Because of its disorder and imbalance, it was immediately overwhelmed by the divine outpouring, and its vessels were shattered, leaving broken husks as a remnant, and littering creation with shards.

The sephirot, occupy a hierarchy, with the lowest, called Malkuth, sometimes being referred to as the Shekinah, dwelling, God’s presence in the world. The Shekinah, being the most distant from the Godhead, is therefore the most susceptible to the corruption of the material world. This also puts her, at times, within the reach of the influence of the dark forces of the Other Side, who, because they have no part in the “world to come,” hope to draw her to them and perhaps achieve for themselves some measure of permanence. It is by way of this world of symbolism that the Kabbalists extract their understanding of the verses in question.

Those familiar with the Zohar, a principle text of Kabbalah, know that it rarely deals with a subject directly. In this case, it gives an excellent treatment, though with the Zohar’s peculiar style. The explanation opens with a conversation between rabbis discussing God’s Judgement. (Zohar 2:223b) One asks why God seems to withhold judgement of the wicked, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of their unrighteousness. The answer he receives suggests that God understands two distinct forms of judgement, one divine and the other worldly. (Zohar 2:224a) Wishing not to mingle divine Judgement with the “filthy” judgement of Earthly consequences, God allows the lower judgement to run its course in “the world that is”, and reserves divine Judgement for the “world that is coming.”

According to the Zohar, “all is arranged” before God and “nothing is lost.” (ibid.) This being the case, supplications, even though ill-intended, if they are properly made, may still have their effect. Subject to the flawed pronouncements of worldly judgement, blessings rightfully meant for the Shekinah are temporarily misappropriated by the Other Side, who maintains a portion in “the world that is.” Ultimately however, offerings made from the Other Side are not legal tender in the “world that is coming.” This is where the Zoharic rabbi mentions the biblical account of Balak and Balaam.

The story of Balak and Balaam (Num. 22:1-24:13) occurs as Israel has been wandering the desert following their flight from Egypt. When Israel takes over the land of the Amonites, Balak, the king of neighboring Moab, fears he’s next. He asks Balaam, a holy man, to curse Israel and secure victory for the Moabite army. They are unsuccessful. Moab is conquered by Israel. However, in their attempts to secure the favor of the God of Israel, they make a total of 42 sacrifices. This produces, the Zohar tells us, 42 outstanding claims.

Though Balak’s sacrifices are ultimately rejected, he does, the rabbis say, succeed in visiting at least a portion of evil upon his enemy Israel. Soon after his sacrifices, the men of Israel stumble, mixing with Moabite women (Num. 25:1-5). When they begin worshiping Moabite gods, many are executed. Balak’s sacrifices do, by way of imperfect judgement, result in punishment for Israel. They will not, however, be acceptable in the “world that is coming”. The Other Side persisted in making these ill-founded claims until all was finally corrected in the time of Elisha.

Elisha, “on the way up” to Bethel, encounters his nemeses, the little children, who taunt him, calling him “bald.” The rabbi explains that these נערים (na’arim) are so called here to suggest they are מנוערים (meno’arim), empty. Specifically they are devoid of the Torah and so lack any value. Relating words that sound alike or share root letters, as these two words do, is a common Kabbalistic technique. Indeed, he continues, they are קטנים (qettanim), little — that is, of little faith. They have come “out of the city”, which is explained to mean, they have left “the mystery of faith.” They symbolically represent the empty and faithless sacrifices of Balak, partially redeemed in this world but worthless in the world to come.

It is these insignificant and empty claims that taunt Elisha. The rabbi translates ויפן אחרין (vayapen aharon), he turned back, as “he turned behind him.” The “him” is normally understood to refer to Elisha, i.e. “he turned behind himself” or “he turned around.” The rabbi however, tells us that “him” refers to the Shekinah. That is, Elisha turned behind the Shekinah and there he “saw” from the Other Side, the irredeemable offerings of Balak. The verb “saw” suggests more than simple vision. It’s the same verb used in the Creation account in Genesis when it is said that God “saw” what He had done that day and that it was good. Elisha saw these sacrifices, and that they had no value.

The rabbi then uses another Kabbalistic tool. The same phrase, ויפן אחרין (vayapen aharon), “turned behind him,” is connected with a phrase used in the book of Numbers, ויפן אחרן (vayapen a’aron), “Aaron turned.” When Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses’s marriage to a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1), both are chastised for speaking against Moses, but Miriam is afflicted with a rash while Aaron, seems to avoid punishment. The rabbi references a tradition recorded in the Babylonian Talmud where it was said “Aaron turned for he was freed“. Here too, he says, the expression suggests that Elisha would be freed from punishment. Assured of this, he curses “the children”, dismissing Balak’s claim in the “world that is coming.”

If this explanation has left you with more questions than answers, that is not surprising. This is why I said that Kabbalah gave me “a way to believe” and not “something to believe.” The understanding is still mine. The goal in interpreting words symbolically is not to unlock the secret meaning, but to give a foothold for their further consideration. In this example, I much prefer contemplating the divine or spiritual consequence of good deeds performed by bad people, than imagining how God or His prophet might justify the horrifying death of so many juvenile delinquents.

This is the gift of Kabbalah. It doesn’t always give you an explanation, at least not a perfectly clear one. Instead it gives you something to contemplate. It gives you a way to consider God, the world He created, and mankind’s role in that world. It opens even the most mundane elements of both scripture and life, to a spiritual understanding.

The interpretation above is not the only one. Highly esteemed Kabbalist and professor, Daniel Matt, gives a different interpretation. Balak and Balam usually worshiped foreign gods, i.e., the Other Side. According to Matt, when they directed their sacrifices to the God of Israel, the Other Side demanded restitution. He suggests the expression “he turned behind him” should be understood to mean that the Other Side, not Elisha, turned. When they did, they saw among Israel, those who were destined to evil. Elisha brokered the exchange of 42 of these as payment for the sacrifices rightfully belonging to the Other Side. Every interpretation gives something else to consider.

Nor is the explanation here exhaustive or complete. It’s only a beginning. A lot is left to be explored. Elisha is headed to Bethel, meaning “house of God”. The children confront him while he is going up “by the way”, בדרך (b’derek). Kabbalah notes an interesting difference between “a way” and “a path” which adds another context. Elisha “curses” the children. The word קלל (qalel), “curse” means to minimize something as to make it small or insignificant. He curses them “by way of the name of the Lord,” which suggests magic power in the divine name. A separate magical tradition tells that Elisha summoned the bears by the magical use of God’s name and was punished. In Kabbalah, there are endless paths to explore and doors to unlock.

It is this brand of contemplative Kabbalah which appealed to me and added faith and the beauty of scripture to my life. I hope it might do the same for others who want to receive more than they currently are from Holy Scripture and Bible study. Those who follow this speculative path, experience God by contemplating His divine attributes, His laws, and what has been revealed in Creation and by His holy prophets. By learning the symbols of Kabbalah and developing an understanding of how to apply them, both in your daily life and in your spiritual journey, every aspect of human experience takes on a divine significance and everywhere appear opportunities to worship, serve the Creator, and participate in the divine workings of the world.