The verse we're looking at is about how "your fathers had not dreaded them" (lo se'arum). Now, on the surface, that might seem straightforward. But the rabbis, with their penchant for deep interpretation, saw something more. They suggested a different reading, a play on words if you will. Instead of lo se'arum ("had not dreaded them"), they proposed lo sha'um. The difference? A single letter, but the meaning shifts dramatically to "They had no regard for them." It's not necessarily about fear, but about a lack of respect, almost a dismissiveness. This interpretation draws on another verse, from Genesis 4:5, "But to Cain and his offering lo sha'ah," meaning God "did not pay heed." So, rather than cowering before foreign deities, our ancestors, according to this reading, simply didn't consider them worthy of attention. They may have even sacrificed to them, burned incense, but without true fear or reverence. A fascinating thought, isn't it?
Now, the passage takes an even more intriguing turn, moving to Deuteronomy 32:18: "The Rock of your birth you have weakened." Here, the Holy One, Blessed be He, uses a powerful, almost shocking, metaphor to describe the people's actions.
God says, in essence, "You have made Me like a male trying to give birth."
Imagine the pain, the struggle, the utter impossibility of such a thing! The text elaborates, drawing on vivid imagery of a woman in labor. It mentions the mashber, the birth-stone, a place of intense pain and effort. What if a woman is sitting on the mashber and cannot deliver? Or if it’s her first child, and she's experiencing the agony of first birth? We see this pain echoed in Jeremiah 4:31, "For I have heard an outcry like that of a woman sick (in labor), in pain as with her first child.” What if there were twins within her, wrangling and causing even greater distress? Genesis 25:22 says, "And the sons wrangled within her."
But the ultimate, almost absurd, image is a male trying to give birth! Jeremiah 30:6 asks, "Ask now and see if a male has ever given birth!" The agony would be beyond comprehension. This is the image the Holy One uses to convey the pain and frustration caused by the people's actions. By turning away from God, they were weakening the very source of their being, causing unimaginable pain to the One who brought them into existence.
What does this all mean? This passage from Sifrei Devarim invites us to consider the nature of our relationship with the Divine. It reminds us that our actions have consequences, not just for ourselves, but for the very source of our being. It's a potent reminder to be mindful of our choices and to nurture, rather than weaken, our connection with the Rock of our birth. It's a powerful and enduring lesson, wrapped in vivid imagery and profound insight, from our ancient texts.