Bamidbar:envy
Much of chapter Bamidbar is a 12-fold repetition. The tribes are named - their princes identified, their populations stated, their positions in the camp located. Boilerplate text is repeated for each tribe, in its entirety. Most of the pasha could have been expressed as a spreadsheet,
The reason for this repetition is to generate the illusion of fairness. Each tribe receives the same full introductory sentence . Every word that can be the same is the same, a level field, a way to minimize and deal with the natural envy that arises in this geneological census. a census that has implications for the distribution of the Promised Land ( see Babba Bathra 117).
I grew up with the eyin hara (EH), the authentic belief that a person could be harmed by the ill feelings of another person. My sense of the eyin hara was transmitted to me directly from the Polish shtettle through my mother. In was taught: that if something good happens, hide it, don't make it public because it could lead to a destructive EH. There is a close relationship between envy and EH
I looked up the etymology of envy. I was directed to "invidious", which in turn comes from vide, Latin for "see." Thus, envy is probably derived form "invi", a verb formed from the adjective invidious. Invidious is derived from"seeing into". This is the eyin hara. Seeing another person's success can lead to a desire for equality by any means: the rise of the seer or the fall of the seen, Consider the Russian revolution or the 1%
The counting of Israel is forbidden. In Ki Thisa, when the census is performed with the half shekel poll tax, Rashi says that the reason for this prohibition is eyin hara. Perhaps, eyin hara, envy , is an inevitable consequence of becoming aware, seeing, the gifts granted to other, the successes of others. The EH leads to disunity and revolution. Perhaps this counting in Ki thisa precipitated the Golden Calf rebellion?
Spare me from the Eyin Hara. Spare me from giving other the Eyin Hara.
Poo poo poo poo poo poo poo!
I grew up with the eyin hara (EH), the authentic belief that a person could be harmed by the ill feelings of another person. My sense of the eyin hara was transmitted to me directly from the Polish shtettle through my mother. In was taught: that if something good happens, hide it, don't make it public because it could lead to a destructive EH. There is a close relationship between envy and EH
I looked up the etymology of envy. I was directed to "invidious", which in turn comes from vide, Latin for "see." Thus, envy is probably derived form "invi", a verb formed from the adjective invidious. Invidious is derived from"seeing into". This is the eyin hara. Seeing another person's success can lead to a desire for equality by any means: the rise of the seer or the fall of the seen, Consider the Russian revolution or the 1%
The counting of Israel is forbidden. In Ki Thisa, when the census is performed with the half shekel poll tax, Rashi says that the reason for this prohibition is eyin hara. Perhaps, eyin hara, envy , is an inevitable consequence of becoming aware, seeing, the gifts granted to other, the successes of others. The EH leads to disunity and revolution. Perhaps this counting in Ki thisa precipitated the Golden Calf rebellion?
Spare me from the Eyin Hara. Spare me from giving other the Eyin Hara.
Poo poo poo poo poo poo poo!
posted by Sheldon Goldberg at 9:34 AM
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