In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1-29:8)
Moses commands that, when they enter the land, the tribes of Israel are to stand on the tops
of two mountains to hear the Levites recite the blessings and the curses to them. The tribes of Simon, Levi, Judah Issachar,
Joseph and Benjamin are to stand on Mt. Gerizim to respond “amen” to the
blessings, and the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali are
to stand on Mt. Ebal to respond “amen” to the curses.
Unlike other mountains mentioned in the Torah, we know the
location of these two mountains, and the difference in their appearance is
striking. In his Torah commentary on
this portion, Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch
writes:
Mt. Gerizim was located on the south side, next to
Shechem. It had stunning landscaping,
beautifully grown grass and many types of foods grew on it; it was full and
prosperous with an abundance of flora. On the other hand, Mt. Ebal was located
adjacent to that, towards the northern side of Ephraim’s portion. It was empty
and barren. Nothing grew on this mountain and it seemed to be void of any plant
life. These two mountains, which stood side by side, presented the most
striking visualization of blessing and cursing. They are both being nourished
by the same soil, the same water and the same wind. Yet, Mt. Ebal was barren of
all shrubbery while Mt. Gerizim was full of lush vegetation, all the way up the
mountain. We see that blessing and cursing are not dependent on external
appearances; they lie within a person’s heart.
Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal represent two different sorts of
temperament. Some people take the
nourishment given to their souls and use it to produce constructive and
positive lives, and some reject the gift, leaving themselves and those around
them empty. A Native American parable
says that each of us is born with two dogs inside them. One dog is good, loving and eager to please;
the other is nasty, snappish and evil. And
which dog is the one that will prevail?
Whichever one we choose to feed.
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