Today we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 that explores exactly that: the surprising power held within seemingly minor mitzvot (commandments), or commandments.
The passage opens with a quote from the story of Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites: "He took up his parable, and said: The saying of Bilam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye is opened" (Numbers 24:3). Now, what does washing your hands have to do with Bilam and curses? Stay with me!
The text immediately jumps into a discussion about halakha, Jewish law, asking about the liability of someone who eats without washing their hands. Our Rabbis teach that washing before eating is optional, while washing after is an obligation. Seems simple enough. But it gets much deeper.
The gemara, a part of the Talmud, even calls washing hands before a meal a mitzvah, a good deed, and after the meal an obligation. To illustrate the importance, the text tells a story that's, frankly, Imagine a Jewish storekeeper living during a time of persecution. To survive, he secretly sold both kosher and non-kosher meat, specifically pork, to avoid detection. But he had a system: if a customer didn't wash their hands before eating, he knew they were likely not Jewish and would serve them pork. If they washed and recited a blessing, they got kosher meat.
One day, a Jewish man entered and didn't wash. The storekeeper, assuming he was a gentile, served him pork. The man ate it without a blessing. When he went to pay, he argued about the price, remembering a cheaper price the day before. The storekeeper revealed the awful truth: "That which you ate was pig!"
The man was horrified! He confronted the storekeeper, who replied, "May a plague come upon you, as when I saw that you ate without washing your hands and without reciting a blessing, I was under the impression that you were an idolater."
This story highlights the profound consequences of neglecting even seemingly minor rituals. As the text states: "First waters caused one to eat pig meat; final ones killed a person."
But it doesn’t stop there. The passage continues with another disturbing story. A man ate legumes and didn’t wash his hands. His dirty hands were noticed in the market, and someone used this detail to trick his wife into giving away her ring. The husband, enraged by the apparent betrayal, killed her.
The lesson? “Therefore, if anyone does not wash his hands after food it is tantamount to killing a person.” Strong words, indeed!
So, what's the takeaway? The text emphasizes that even seemingly small mitzvot have immense value. As (Deuteronomy 32:47) says, "For it is not an empty matter for you, it is your life" – even a mitzvah that you deem empty and minor, in it is life and longevity.
The Holy One, blessed be He, cautioned Israel even regarding a minor mitzvah. Because if you observe My mitzvot, I will topple your enemies before you,’ as it is stated: “If only My people would listen to Me…I would subdue their enemies in an instant” (Psalms 81:14–15).
This brings us back to Bilam. When he saw how meticulously the Israelites observed even the smallest mitzvot, he understood he couldn't curse them. "Who can curse these, who observe His mitzvot and His name is associated with them?" (Numbers 23:21). Cursing them would be like cursing the Divine Presence itself.
And that's when, according to the text, God intervened, turning Bilam's curses into blessings. As (Deuteronomy 23:6) tells us, "But the Lord your God was unwilling to heed Bilam, and the Lord your God transformed [for you the curse into a blessing]." Bamidbar Rabbah goes on to say that God amplified Bilam’s voice so that the entire world could hear him blessing Israel.
The passage ends with a reminder of the disastrous advice Bilam ultimately gave to Balak (Numbers 24:14), leading to a plague that killed twenty-four thousand Israelites after they were lured into sin. “Is there a curse like this one?” the text asks, underscoring the devastating consequences of straying from the path of mitzvot.
Ultimately, this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 challenges us to reconsider our perspective on the "little things." It suggests that even seemingly insignificant actions, like washing our hands, can have profound spiritual and even physical consequences. It's a reminder that every action counts, and that even the smallest mitzvah can be a powerful force for good. So, maybe we should all think twice before skipping that hand wash!
He took up his parable, and said: The saying of Bilam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye is opened (Numbers 24:3). “He took up his parable, and said” – halakha, one who eats but did not wash his hands, for what is he liable? Our Rabbis taught: Washing hands before food is optional, after food, is an obligation.74The gemara refers to washing hands before the meal as a mitzva, and after the meal as an obligation ( see Hullin 105a–b). There was an incident at the time of persecution involving a certain storekeeper of Israel, who would cook [both] kosher meat and pig meat and sell it, so they would not sense that he was Jewish. This was his custom; anyone who entered his store and did not wash his hands, he would know that he was an idolater, and would place pig meat before him. Anyone who washed his hands and recited a blessing, he would know that he was of Israel and would feed him kosher meat. On one occasion, a Jew entered to eat there and did not wash his hands. He [the storekeeper] was under the impression that he was an idolater. He placed pig meat before him, and he ate without reciting a blessing. He came to settle the bill with him for the bread and the meat. He said to him: 'You owe me such and such, from the meat that you ate, as a piece costs ten maneh.’75This is emended to say maa, as a maneh is worth one hundred dinar, an unreasonably exorbitant price. He said to him: 'Yesterday I ate it for eight and today, you seek to take ten from me?' He said to him: 'That which you ate was pig.' When he told him this, his hair stood on end, he was panicked and upset. He said to him discreetly: 'I am a Jew, and you gave me pig meat?' He responded 'May a plague come upon you, as when I saw that you ate without washing your hands and without reciting a blessing, I was under the impression that you were an idolater.' From here the Rabbis taught: First waters caused one to eat pig meat; final ones killed a person. There was an incident involving a certain person who ate legumes, and did not wash his hands, and went to the market and his hands were filthy from the legumes. Another saw him. He went and said to the man’s wife: 'Your husband told me to tell you a sign that he ate legumes now. Send him that ring.' She gave it to him. Some time later, her husband came, he said to her: 'Where is the ring?' She said to him: 'So-and-so came with your signs and I gave it to him.' He became filled with rage against her and killed her. Therefore, if anyone does not wash his hands after food it is tantamount to killing a person. That is why the Holy One blessed be He cautioned Israel even regarding a minor mitzva, as it is stated: “For it is not an empty matter for you, it is your life” (Deuteronomy 32:47) – even a matter of a mitzva that you deem empty and minor, in it is life and longevity. The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘If you observe My mitzvot, I will topple your enemies before you,’ as it is stated: “If only My people would listen to Me…I would subdue their enemies in an instant” (Psalms 81:14–15). When Bilam saw how Israel were observing the minor mitzvot, he said: ‘Who can curse these, who observe His mitzvot and His name is associated with them, as it is stated: “The Lord his God is with him”? (Numbers 23:21). One who curses them, it is as though he curses the presence of the Divine Presence, as his name is associated with them.’ He began transforming them into parables: “He took up his parable and said:” (Numbers 23:7, 18) – this is what the verse said: “He who blesses his friend in a great voice [early in the morning, it will be considered a curse for him]” (Proverbs 27:14). When Bilam came to curse Israel, the Holy One blessed be He distorted his tongue and he began to bless, as it is stated: “But the Lord your God was unwilling to heed Bilam, and the Lord your God transformed [for you the curse into a blessing]” (Deuteronomy 23:6). The Holy One blessed be He invested his voice with power and his voice carried from one end of the world to the other end, so that the nations would hear that he was blessing them. From where is it derived? Rabbi Elazar HaKapar said: It is written elsewhere: “A great voice that did not cease [yasaf]” (Deuteronomy 5:19), as it would go from one end [misof] of the world to the other end, and here it is written: “He who blesses his friend in a great voice…[it will be considered a curse for him]” As he said to him: “Come and I will counsel you”76This verse refers to the advice that Bilam gave to Balak, to lure Israel to sin, which resulted in a plague which killed twenty-four thousand people from Israel. See Sanhedrin 106a. (Numbers 24:14), and killed twenty-four thousand of Israel. Is there a curse like this one?
