Jewish tradition wrestles with this feeling, this unsettling reality, head-on.
There's a verse in Habakkuk (1:13) that screams this frustration: "Why do you look upon traitors, and are silent, when the wicked one swallows him who is more righteous than he?" It's a raw question, isn't it? Why does it seem like the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?
The Rabbis of the Mishnah, in a fascinating bit of legal and moral nuance (Berakhot 7b), picked up on the phrase "more righteous." They understood that the completely righteous—the truly, utterly good—are somehow protected. But, as they put it, one "who is relatively more righteous than him, he swallows." In other words, if you’re only somewhat better, the wicked can still get you.
Think about that for a moment. It's not enough to be a little good. We need to strive for a deeper, more profound righteousness to withstand the forces of negativity.
This idea, this vulnerability of even the "more righteous," connects to another powerful verse, this time from Samuel (1 Sam. 2:6): "...who takes down to she-ol and raises-up." She-ol, often translated as the grave or the underworld, represents a place of darkness and despair. The verse speaks of a God who has the power to bring us low, but also to lift us up. It's a reminder that even in the darkest times, hope remains.
Now, the Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei_Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei Zohar, a central work of Kabbalah, takes this concept in a fascinating, and frankly, chilling direction. It warns of a terrible fate: "Woe to the soul when the spleen swallows it!" The spleen, in Kabbalistic thought, is associated with anger, judgment, and negativity. Imagine your soul being consumed by bitterness and resentment. What a terrifying image!
But it doesn’t stop there.
The Tikkunei Zohar then connects this to a societal concern: "Woe to Israel when they become swallowed-up by the mixed multitude." This "mixed multitude" refers to those who joined the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. According to the tradition, they weren't fully committed to the Israelite covenant, and their presence brought challenges and temptations.
The verse invoked here is from Genesis (41:21), describing Pharaoh’s dream: "...and it was not known that they had entered them, and their appearance was as bad as at first..." Even after the famine consumed the cattle, it was as if they had never been there at all, making no difference. The "mixed multitude" can be like that, a force that infiltrates and corrupts from within, leaving things just as bad, or even worse, than before.
What does this all mean for us today?
Perhaps it's a call to vigilance. To be aware of the forces—both internal and external—that seek to "swallow" our souls and our communities. To cultivate a deep righteousness that can withstand the challenges of the world. To remember that even in she-ol, there is the potential for being raised up. To recognize the "mixed multitude" that can corrupt from within and to be strong enough to not let it.
It's a reminder that the struggle between good and evil is real, and that we each have a role to play in that struggle. Are we going to let the "spleen" swallow us? Or will we rise above, striving for a righteousness that truly makes a difference?