Circle the Mountain?
“You have enough. Circle the mountain and turn to the north” (Deuteronomy 2:3).
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, in his commentary Kli Yakar, spins this verse in a creative way. The Hebrew word for north is ‘tzafon’, which also has the meaning of to conceal. He was concerned with conspicuous and ostentatious displays of wealth, so he taught: You have enough – conceal it!
Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, in his classic Michtav M’Eliyahu, explains that ayin hara (the evil eye) can only affect someone who provokes envy in others. It is critical to be sensitive to the feelings of others and not flaunt our blessings.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
Rabbi Michael Skobac had been involved with Jews for Judaism (Canada) since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Education and Counselling. He is a leading authority on missionaries, cults and issues relating to Jewish continuity and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Skobac's publications include Missionary Impossible; Counter-Missionary Survival Guide; The DaVinci Code: A Jewish Perspetive; and Intermarriage: Is There Ligth at teh End of the Tunnel?
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Republished by Angelique Sijbolts with permission for the Noahide Academy.
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