Reish Lakish is one of the most brilliant and famous rabbis in the Talmud. But his beginnings are shrouded in mystery. We first hear of him in Massekhet Bava Metzia (84a): one day, the Talmud tells us, Rabbi Yochanan was bathing in the Jordan River. All of a sudden Reish Lakish - who was a bandit – leapt across the Jordan and jumped in to attack him. Rabbi Yochanan said to the powerful man, "Your strength should be devoted to Torah." Reish Lakish replied to the handsome rabbi, "Your beauty should be devoted to women." Rabbi Yochanan said, "If you commit yourself to Torah, I will let you marry my sister, who is even more beautiful than me." Reish Lakish accepted his offer. When they were about to head out, Reish Lakish tried to leap out of the river, just as he had leapt in. But he was unable to do so. The Talmud then says that Rabbi Yochanan taught him Torah and Reish Lakish became a great sage.
This is an amazing story, but there is one part that is a little unclear. Why does the Talmud say that Reish Lakish could not jump out of the water? And how is this related to when Rabbi Yochanan began to teach him Torah? Rashi, in a short comment, explains that Rabbi Yochanan needed proof that Reish Lakish was sincere in his desire to embrace the Torah. After all, Rabbi Yochanan had offered Reish Lakish his sister's hand in marriage, and wanted to be sure that the bandit's intentions were pure. The fact that Reish Lakish could not leap out of the water was Rabbi Yochanan's proof: it showed him that Reish Lakish had wholeheartedly accepted the yoke of Torah. It was this burden that diminished his physical strength. He was now ready to be taught Torah.
The Vilna Gaon relates Rashi's insight to the story of Ruth, which we read on Shavuot. In the story of Ruth, Naomi is widowed and loses her two sons. She then decides to return to the Land of Israel because of a famine. Although she certainly needed help and support after her tragic experiences and at her stage of life, Naomi instead worries about her daughters-in-law. She bids them to return to their parent's homes to begin life anew and not to be burdened by caring for her. But Ruth chooses to remain with her mother-in-law, while her sister-in-law returns home. Again Naomi urges her to return to her people and her gods. But again Ruth insists that she is staying. Ruth pledges loyalty to Naomi, the Jewish People and Hashem. But none of that convinces Naomi to allow Ruth to accompany her. Finally, the Book of Ruth says, "Vateire Ki Mitametzet He Lalekhet Etah" - Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, "Vatehdal Ledaber Ale'ha" - only then did Naomi stop trying to convince her to leave. Why does she suddenly stop trying to dissuade Ruth? The Vilna Gaon says that Naomi perceived that it was now an "effort" for Ruth to walk. Ruth's physical strength was diminished, and she could no longer walk as quickly as before. When Naomi saw this she understood that her daughter-in-law had wholeheartedly taken upon herself the yoke of Torah.
I believe that Reish Lakish and Ruth's physical weakness is a metaphor for physical restraint. Commitment to Torah requires us to place limits on all aspects of our physical selves. Spiritual commitment means that we cannot do "anything" humanly possible. We must physically refrain from putting certain foods into our mouths, we may not be physically present in any restaurant we see, we must limit our physical movements on Shabbat, we must limit our physical relations with our spouses to certain times of the month and we must place limits on our physical appearances by following the command to dress modestly. Taking on the yoke of Torah is like carry a grande piano on your back: you can not walk through every door or fit through every alleyway.
The Torah which places these restraints on us, however, is not a burden, but a blessing. The yoke of Torah helps to mold us into individuals who are sensitive to needs of Hashem and the needs of other human beings. By physically distancing us from many things in this world, the Torah helps us avoid the temptations of the yetzer hara - the evil inclination. Only by honoring this distance can we acquire closeness to Hashem. And this closeness is our greatest source of strength.
Rabbi
Mordechai Friedfertig
Congregation B'nai Shalom
Williamsville,
New York
Email: mordechai at utj.org
Copyright 2001-2003 by Mordechai Friedfertig