One of the biggest issues that I come across on a regular basis is lack of communication. Whether it's work-related, family politics, or marital issues - improved communication COULD solve many of these issues, yet it often feels like an insurmountable hurdle. Not surprisingly, it sometimes seems as if the Torah suffers from the same problem. Time and again, we are forced to interpret the meaning of Biblical statements, because the literal meaning just doesn't cut it. As a result, we often end up with tens (or hundreds...) of proposed interpretations, and we are left with more questions than answers.
This is what happens in our current Torah portion, where we are introduced to the "Holiness Code," a long list of behaviors and actions which is meant to lead us to a holier state of being. Some of the laws are mercifully straightforward (though still hard to live by), like "you shall each revere his mother and his father" (Lev. 19:3) and "you shall not steal" (Lev. 19:11). Some, however, require a little more analysis. One of the famous lines of the
Holiness Code is "You shall not... place a stumbling block before the blind" (Lev. 19:14). What does this mean? It is almost impossible to read this verse literally, because no one places a stumbling block in front of anyone, let alone a blind person! For that matter, what IS a stumbling block? Do they sell them on Amazon.com? (Probably...) Why would anyone sell stumbling blocks, if the only expressed purpose is to make someone else trip?!? Clearly, it's not a literal commandment, but one that requires thought and consideration.
So what is the meaning of this metaphor? On one level, it's about people who cannot defend themselves. Do not take advantage of someone weaker or more vulnerable than you. On another level, however, it is also about all of us. We each have a weakness, a disability to which we are blind, and over which other people can cause us to stumble. Whether you're an alcoholic, have a gambling problem, a weight problem, or a poor self-image; we all feel like the blind person sometimes. At the same time, if you ever purposely gave someone bad advice, wrong directions, or discouraged them from doing something they wanted to do; you've also put a stumbling block before someone else. And let's face it, some credit card, insurance, and mortgage companies have made billions of dollars violating this prohibition every single day! Not all of them perhaps, but some.
I think you'll agree with me then, when I say that this is a pretty important issue. So why is the
Torah so enigmatic about it? Why leave it up for interpretation, so that someone who wants to assuage their guilt can say, "Well I'm not tripping blind people, so this law doesn't apply to me"? If this is such a major problem - and it is - why doesn't the Torah articulate it more clearly? As it reads, it almost seems like poor communication, as if the Torah missed an opportunity. But I don't think that is what's going on.
Some of the other, more explicit laws may be direct, but we also read them quickly and move right along. "Don't steal." Ok, we got it. Let's keep reading. This one, however, makes you stop and think: "What the heck is a stumbling block??" It catches your eye, and forces you to spend an extra moment reflecting. Furthermore, the Torah presents many laws that forbid things we do in secret, like hating someone in your heart. But no one can
arrest you for violating such a commandment! It's up to you to police yourself. That is the case here. If you want to, you can pretend this law doesn't apply to you. You never bought anything from www.stumblingblocks-r-us.com, did you? But if we're being honest with ourselves, this law applies to all of us. We should each examine our actions and think about how this law applies to us. We may be hurting someone we love without realizing it. We may be ignoring people who are calling out for help, and who we don't see until it's too late.
You can tell yourself this law isn't speaking to you. But if you do that, you're really just covering over your own eyes and setting yourself up for a pretty bad fall.
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