Vayishlach - The Three Parts of
the Night
"Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn." Genesis 32:25
The
beginning of Messechet Brochos states that the night is divided into
three sections, called three 'watches'. It then mentions the sign
that distinguishes each section.
"In
the first watch, the ass brays; in the second, the dogs bark; in the
third, the child sucks from the breast of his mother, and the woman
talks with her husband." (3a)
A
little later, the Gemorah asks: when can we know that it is light
enough for us to say the morning Shema, that the morning has actually
arrived? It answers:
"Reb
Meir says: from the time that one can distinguish between a wolf and a
dog; Rebbe Akiva says: Between an ass and a wild ass. Others say:
From the time that one can distinguish his friend from a distance of
four amos." (9b)
If
we combine these two statements, we see that the first part of the
night is the dominion of the donkeys, but it is only in the morning
that we can distinguish between domesticated and wild donkeys.
The second part of the night is the domain of dogs, but only in the
morning can we tell the difference between a house dog and the much
more dangerous wolf. And the third section of the night is marked
by intimacy and family socialization, but only in the morning can we
recognize our friends. At each stage of the night there is
activity that we can only discern clearly when the morning comes.
The
Gemorah in Avodah Zarah also divides a period of time into three parts,
namely the 6000 year saga of human history. The first 2000 years
is called the era of 'tohu', emptyness. The second 2000 years,
beginning around the time of Avraham, is called the age of Torah.
And the last 2000 years, starting about the time of the destruction of
the second Temple, is the era of Moshiach. After this somewhat
painful night of history, there will arrive the morning of Moshiach and
redemption.
Both
these Gemorahs raise many questions. What does the first Gemorah
mean when it says that the night is divided into domains characterized
by donkeys, dogs, and socialization? Is this literal, or a
metaphor? And when the second Temple fell, what does the Gemorah
imply when it says that the era of Torah ended and the era of Moshiach
started? Perhaps we can understand both these Gemorahs better if
combine them, and have them shed light on each other concerning the
three periods of the long dark night of human history. Perhaps
both Gemorahs are talking about what we will understand about the three
divisions of history when dawn breaks, and Moshiach brings the morning
of redemption, and we will look back and see clearly what was shrouded
in darkness throughout history.
From
this perspective, the period of history before Avraham is characterized
by donkeys because the donkey is a dumb beast of burden, known mainly
for its physical strength, its brawn and muscle. It doesn't think
much, but can be useful carrying burdens. During this period of
history, people didn't think much, but built their monuments and
pyramids and conducted commerce. The malevolent side of this
period is represented by the wild donkey that runs amok and uses its
physical strength to overpower others. It is interesting that the
Chumash refers to Yishmael as a wild donkey. During this period, the
strong overpowered the weak, bringing about the retribution of the
flood. This is called 'tohu', nothingness, when the mind of Man
was still weak.
Then
Avraham arrived and told the world there is more to life than just the
physical use of our muscles. There is a spiritual world and an
Almighty that created everything. This period is characterized by
the dog because the dog is much more intelligent than the donkey, and
the domesticated dog uses its mind to help its owner and be 'man's best
friend'. But beware of the wolf, that uses its greater
intelligence to be crafty and cunning to stalk and pounce on its
prey. This period saw the giving of the Torah and the rise of
Greece and Rome. The brain of man was lit up, and people used
their minds to become uplifted spiritually or cunning and vicious like
wolves.
The
Gemorah in Yuma says that the second Temple was destroyed because of
sinas chinum, 'causeless hatred'. Thus began the third part of
the night of human history, when the Jews in particular and Mankind in
general were to learn the achdus (unity and togetherness) and
socialization sklls that could bring about Moschiach. It is
called the age of Moschiach because we must learn to get along with
each other enough to merit the coming of Moschiach. We must learn
friendship, intimacy, and togetherness characterized by husbands and
wives talking to each other. But during this period there are
also many pitfalls, such as false Messiahs and misplaced loving
feelings that characterizes the abandon and degradation of modern
society. It is only when morning comes that we can distinguish
between true and false friendship.
In
a similar vein, the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget concluded in "The
Moral Development of The Child" that children go through three stages
of moral development. During the first stage that lasts until
they are about thee years old, children take what they want and make up
their own rules as they play. In the second stage, lasting until
about ten, the children can follow rules, but only by stricly listening
to an authority figure. After that, if and when children reach
the moral maturity of the third stage, a child learns to integrate the
rules that become a natural part of their psychological and social life.
The
Gemorah is therefore implying that history is like a dark night when we
must learn three skills, and avoid three pitfalls. We must learn
to use our strength and muscles wisely, and carry the Almighty's
burdens and not be a wild donkey. We must employ our minds to be
faithful servants to our Creator like the loyal dog, and not become
like cunning wolves. And we must learn the art of frienship and
love so we are worthy of Moschiach. May the dark night end soon,
and may we perfect the use of our muscles, mind, and heart - and to
avoid their pitfalls - to quickly bring the morning of redemption.