Go North!

Not all evil was created equally. Some forms of evil must be destroyed. Some forms actually contain a spark of goodness. They are salvageable. Moshiach will rid the world of the former and empower us to convert the latter.

Going in Circles

In the opening parsha of Deuteronomy, Moses recounts the wandering of the Jews in the desert from the time of their liberation from Egypt until their entry in the land of Israel.

“We turned ourselves around and journeyed into the desert towards the Reed Sea, as G-d told me, and we circled Mount Se’ir for a long time.

“G-d spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough! Turn northward!’”

The message G-d imparted to the Jewish nation through Moses as they were poised to enter the Promised Land was to cease circling the mountain and go north.

Much, if not all, of what happened to the Jewish people in their transition from desert life to life in the Promised Land, was a portent of what is to happen in the age of transition from exile into the Messianic Age.

What message can circling the mountain and going north convey to us today as we stand poised to enter into the Age of Redemption?

The World is a three-sided Porch?

The Talmud states that the world was created by G-d to resemble a porch that is enclosed on three sides but open on the fourth side—the north.

What did our Talmudic Sages have in mind when they compared the world to a three- sided porch?

Chassidic thought explains that it was intended to convey the message that G-d deliberately created a world that is open, imperfect and vulnerable. Our world was so designed by its Creator that the hidden evil can enter. Indeed, the north is a metaphor for evil, as it says, “from the north shall evil come forth.” The evil impulse that lurks within us is also called the tzefoni, which means the clandestine and devious force within us. It is the evil that is cloaked in terms of goodness.

Peace, Peace and No Peace!

This phenomenon exists on both a societal level and on an individual level. In recent times we have seen people talk about their desire for peace with Israel, for example, even as they indoctrinate their children to hate, and even worse. Many people are duped by the peace loving rhetoric that they hear and are oblivious to the real feelings that exist beneath the surface.

On the individual level we find people who cloak their bad behavior in garments of holiness. They will argue incessantly that their motives and objectives are good. Some have actually convinced themselves that what they do and want is good. That is when evil is labeled “tzifoni” – the north one, or the furtive force.

Our task is to take the open and vulnerable world and enclose it and thereby sealing off any influences that come from the north. This is a daily struggle and will only be fully won in the Messianic Age when we will no longer be vulnerable. The world will then become a perfect world resembling the Hebrew final mem—a letter that is completely sealed—and a letter that is associated with the Messianic Age in Jewish literature.

Mountain Evil

A mountain is also used in the Talmud as a metaphor for the evil impulse. However, the mountain metaphor describes the evil that is open, brazen and in your face. It is not hidden at all. This is particularly true of Mount Se’ir, the mountain the Torah discusses in the verse cited at the beginning of this essay. Mount Se’ir is the province of Esau, who represents the nations of the world that were the arch enemies of the Jewish people; especially the nation responsible for the destruction of the Temple that we commemorate in these three weeks culminating with Tisha B’Av. It is also a metaphor for the most obvious and overt forms of evil.

As we make our journey through the “desert of nations”— as our experience in exile has been characterized—we are constantly “circling” the mountain. We cannot conquer the overt forms of evil because there is a subterranean form of evil that it feeds on. The mountain cannot be uprooted without getting to the very root of evil—the tzifoni.

Reclining at the Seder

This idea can actually be traced to the Passover Seder at which time we are required to recline. According to the Midrash, the Hebrew word for reclining “haseiva” is related to the word used here “sov” which means to encircle. We recline Passover night, according to the Midrash, because we went in circles when we were in the desert as we left Egypt.

The question arises, why would we want to commemorate the circling of the Jews in the desert on Passover night? What connection does it have with the idea of Redemption?

The reason we had to traverse the desert circuitously is because we were not ready to conquer evil. The negativity that we absorbed in Egypt did not leave us sufficiently to enable us to enter the Promised Land immediately. As much as we tried to shed the evil and extinguish the flames of the “other side,” these embers would always be reignited by the insidious force of evil that lurked beneath the surface. This means that we cannot really leave Egypt behind until we learn how to stop the vicious cycle of having to circle the mountain and still come up short.

When does this happen—at least in terms of the rituals of the seder? At the end of the meal we eat the Afikoman- Matzah which was previously hidden. That part of the seder is called “tzafun” which alludes to the fact that we hide the Afikoman matzah. And the reason we hide it is because it represents the goal of ridding ourselves of even the insidious and hidden form of evil known as tzafon.

The Process has Begun

Returning now to Moses’ admonition to the Jewish people to cease circling the mountain. As the Jewish nation ends its journey through the desert, G-d tells them: “Cease to circle the mountain! You are now ready to deal with the root of evil—the north side. Therefore, go north!

By their entering into the Promised Land—by accepting the daunting task of tackling the north side-hidden evil—a process had begun that would empower the Jewish people to ultimately conquer Mount Se’ir.

However, the Midrash tells us that G-d told them that it would not happen right away. It would have to wait until Moshiach would come. In the words of the Midrash: “Wait for Moshiach who will arrive and the verse “How abundant is the good that you have hidden… will be fulfilled” The word hidden in this verse is tzafanta, related to the word tzafon. Ironically, Moshiach’s coming is also identified with that which is hidden—the hidden good. Because the only fool-proof way to conquer and eradicate even the most insidious forms of evil is by unleashing a parallel, hidden and unfathomable force of goodness.

The Paradox of Modern Life

This explains the paradox of modern life. If we look around us we are witness to the worst and the best in human behavior—both phenomena are a sign of the times in which we are living. As we prepare for such time that the hidden evil will be vanquished by the hidden good, this drama plays itself out in the last days of exile.

It is our special mission to look for ways to uncover the heretofore untapped positive and G-dly resources within us. This will ultimately bear fruit with the arrival of Moshiach and the fulfillment of the twin prophecies that refer to the conquest of Mount Se’ir (Mount Esau) as well as the complete eradication of evil.

The difference between the two is that Mount Se’ir, since it represents the surface and superficial forces of evil, can be salvaged and harnessed for the good. Its conquest does not portend destruction of the nations of the world that were our enemies—it represents their transformation. However, when it comes to the essence of evil—the tzafon or hidden evil—that will be completely eliminated.

Destroying and Salvaging Evil

Similarly, all the vices that are not inherently evil will be transformed into goodness. Greed for material goods will be converted into a passion to acquire more knowledge and goodness, and so on. By contrast, the inherently evil forces of hatred and destruction will cease to exist because, as the Prophet declares, “The world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the water covers the ocean bed.”

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Devarim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.