Close the Mem
Torah is G-d’s knowledge and cannot be tainted. Torah, at its root and in its essence is Divine and pure. When it is introduced into the parameters of our physical existence and materialistic pursuits it can become corrupted. Study of the mystical teachings preserve the Torah’s integrity under all circumstances.
The Floating Mem
The hero of this week’s parsha was Pinchas, after whom the entire parsha was named.
At the end of the preceding parsha, the Torah relates how Pinchas killed a Jewish prince and a Midianite princess who were engaged in an illicit and immoral act. The weapon he used was a spear known in Hebrew as a romach. The Torah, in this week’s parsha, describes this rather brutal act of Pinchas as a life saver. It stopped a terrible plague that had already claimed the lives of 24,000 Jews.
The Zohar, the principal work of Kabbalah, describes the scene that confronted Pinchas in metaphoric and spiritual terms.
Pinchas saw the image of the Hebrew letter mem [the regular “open mem” that appears in the beginning or middle of a word] floating in the air. He was concerned that the letter mem would become attached to the two letters vav and tav, which would then spell the word maves, which means death. Indeed, these two letters of vav and tav are the first two letters of the key words employed by the Torah in the saga of Eve partaking of the forbidden Tree of Knowledge that introduced death to the world. These key words are “va’tei’reh-and she saw”, “va’tikach-and she took”, va’tochal-and she ate”, va’titein-and she gave”, and “va’tipakachna-and their [eyes] were opened.”
The Zohar continues that Pinchas took the letter mem and attached it to himself. Since Pinchas’ name has the numerical value of 208, which in Hebrew is represented by the two letters reish and ches, by inserting the mem into his name it formed the Hebrew word romach which means spear. And it was with this “spear” that he stopped the deadly plague that was caused by immorality.
The Zohar seems to be saying that the “open mem” is a letter-force that can go both ways. It depends on how and where it is channeled. If this powerful letter is attached to the letters vav and tav it can prove disastrous; if it is attached to Pinchas it will bring life in its wake.
What does all this mean in more down-to-earth terms?
The Two mems; Two Dimensions of Torah
The Talmud and Kabbalists explain that the letter mem is the initial of the word ma’amar, which can be translated as a saying or teaching. But the letter mem comes in two forms: an “open” mem and a “closed” mem. They are said to represent two dimensions of Torah teachings: the open and accessible teachings of Torah and the closed and esoteric teachings of Torah.
The difference between these two dimensions is that the “closed mem” level of Torah deals with G-d, His attributes, His relationship with our world, spiritual worlds, our soul and the deeper meanings of Judaism.
By contrast, the “open mem” level of Torah knowledge includes Biblical and Talmudic literature that presents and analyzes the commandments and discusses their application to everyday life.
The subjects treated in the Talmud, while eminently understandable to the average mind, belie their true nature as products of the Divine Mind. For example, if one studies the laws concerning a business dispute in Talmudic literature, one could imagine oneself sitting in a law school classroom, or reading a detailed ruling of a secular judge. It is possible for one to completely forget that one is studying G-d’s Torah.
Furthermore, while the Torah—all parts of it, open or closed—is G-d’s knowledge and cannot be tainted, it is nevertheless possible for a student of Torah to become degraded by his sense of importance at having mastered the Torah. One can even use the Torah knowledge for nefarious ends.
All these negative outcomes are a result of a person who studies Torah but has not worked at self-refinement. With all of the materialism and temptations that abound in our lives it is easy to see how a person imbued with much Torah knowledge can degenerate into a very low place in spite of—nay, because of his superior Torah knowledge.
And while Torah—any part of Torah—at its root and in its essence is Divine and pure, when it is introduced into the parameters of our physical existence and materialistic pursuits it can become corrupted.
In the air
We can now appreciate the imagery of the Zohar. Pinchas saw a “floating open mem.” This means allegorically that Pinchas realized that while Torah study—even the open dimension of it—when it is “in the air,” i.e. when it is in its own heavenly element it is pure and holy, for it is G-d’s teaching.
However, Pinchas was concerned that the letter mem could attach itself to the letter vav and tav. If that were to happen, the Torah knowledge that is represented by the “open mem” could be diverted and channeled into negative territory.
The reason he was concerned about the letter tav was because as a vertical line that extends downward from its head on top it symbolizes the process of extending the Torah downward into the parameters of our physical existence. It is not that the Torah itself is corruptible but rather the person who is unrefined can exploit it and use it for less than honorable objectives.
Down a Slippery Slope
Once that happens, it can lead down a slippery slope that ends up with the letter tav. According to the Talmud, it is the initial of the word that suggests the negation of life.
To avert this possibility Pinchas took the “open mem” to himself. Pinchas personified the final mem, or the “hidden” spiritual dimension of Torah that has now been preserved for us in the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidus. He was therefore able to introduce us to the hidden dimension of Torah, represented by the final mem.
When one accesses the mystical dimension of Torah, the level of Torah that deals with G-d and spirituality, one is uplifted and refined. Even as we are standing on the ground our minds are preoccupied with heavenly matters when we study the mystical teachings of Judaism.
Popularity of Mysticism
One of the reasons the mystical teachings of Judaism have become popular in recent times is because we are on the threshold of the Messianic Age when the wellsprings of Torah will be fully revealed; when the “closed mem” of Torah will inform the “open mem” of Torah and all aspects of our lives. As in the days of Pinchas when death was averted, in the future Messianic Age we will experience the complete removal of death and an age of eternal life will be ushered in. One way of preparing for that age is to immerse oneself in the “hidden mem.”
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Pinchas by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
