R. Nathan, a sage of old, makes a powerful statement: "There is no mitzvah (commandment) in the Torah whose reward is not 'at its side.'" In other words, the benefit of doing good is always close by. To illustrate this, he shares an incredible tale about the power of tzitzit.
Now, tzitzit (fringes) are those special knotted fringes worn on the corners of a four-cornered garment as a reminder of all the commandments. They’re a tangible connection to our faith, a little nudge towards righteousness throughout the day. This story highlights just how powerful that nudge can be.
There once was a man, the story goes, deeply devoted to the mitzvah of tzitzit. One day, he heard tell of a renowned, shall we say, "woman of the night" in a faraway coastal city. This woman was known for charging an exorbitant price – four hundred gold coins! Driven by temptation, he gathered the sum and sent it to her, arranging a rendezvous.
Can you imagine the scene? The appointed time arrives, and he finds himself at her doorstep. Her maidservant announces his presence, and the harlot invites him in. What awaits him is a display of opulence: seven beds, each more extravagant than the last – six of silver and one of gold, upon which she reclined. Silver ladders connected each bed, with a golden one leading to her.
As he approached her, ready to succumb to his desires, something extraordinary happened. His four tzitzit, those humble fringes, suddenly lashed out, striking him across the face! To him, it was as if four men were standing there, rebuking him. Overwhelmed, he recoiled and sat on the ground, overcome with shame. She, equally stunned, also sat down.
"’Gapa of Rome,’" she exclaimed, using an idolatrous oath, "I won’t let you go until you tell me what flaw you saw in me!"
He swore he saw no flaw. "There is no beauty like yours in all the world," he confessed, "but there is one mitzvah, tzitzit, about which it is written twice, ‘I am the L-rd your G-d.’ ‘I am the L-rd your G-d’ – I am destined to reward; ‘I am the L-rd your G-d’ – I am destined to punish. And now, they appeared to me as four witnesses!"
The double declaration, "I am the L-rd your G-d," found in Numbers 15:41, is understood in this story as a potent reminder of both divine reward and divine accountability. His tzitzit, embodying this declaration, served as a powerful deterrent.
Deeply moved by his words, the woman made an astonishing declaration of her own. She wouldn’t let him leave until he wrote down his name, his city, and the place where he studied Torah. He complied, and what she did next was truly remarkable.
She divided all her wealth into three parts: one-third to the authorities for permission to convert to Judaism, one-third to the poor, and the remaining third she kept, along with those extravagant beds. She then sought out R. Meir, a renowned sage, and asked to be converted.
R. Meir, suspecting ulterior motives, questioned if she had set her sights on one of his disciples. She then produced the note the man had written. Upon seeing it, R. Meir exclaimed, "Go and claim your purchase!" Her reward in this world was that the very beds she had prepared for sin were now used for a righteous union. As for her reward in the World to Come? Well, that, the story concludes, is beyond our knowing.
What's so striking about this story is the immediacy of the reward. The man's devotion to tzitzit didn't just earn him a future reward; it saved him from a potentially disastrous decision in the moment. It redirected his path. And it wasn't just him who was saved. The woman, too, found redemption and a new life.
This tale from Sifrei Bamidbar reminds us that even the smallest acts of devotion can have profound and immediate consequences. Our choices matter, and the rewards for choosing righteousness, both seen and unseen, are always "at our side," ready to guide us toward a better path. Perhaps, the next time you're faced with a difficult choice, you'll remember this story and the power of those little fringes, the tzitzit, to steer you right.