Navigating Uncertainty: Lessons in Humility Before Passover
The rabbi sensed the pharmacist was speaking with excessive confidence, leading him to seek advice from another scholar, who confirmed that the production of this dye involved alcohol, often derived from grain fermentation for whiskey. Initially, the pharmacist seemed keen to demonstrate his knowledge, but found it challenging to later "climb down."
- יהוסף יעבץ
- פורסם י' ניסן התשפ"ד
#VALUE!
Every letter in the Torah teaches us layers of lessons and insights.
In the Parashat Metzora, the Torah describes someone coming to the priest and saying: "It seems to me like an affliction has appeared in the house." That initial 'like' (כ) is crucial. The Mishnah in the tractate of Negaim instructs that even if one is a learned scholar and sees what appears to be an affliction, he must not state it definitively, rather like an affliction, as if it is one.
The Torah teaches humility and acknowledgment of the truth, as the certainty of affliction is determined only by the priest.
Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky emphasized this point through an incident related both to the eve of Pesach and Parashat Metzora...
Before emigrating to America, Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky served as the rabbi of the town of Zhitavian in Lithuania. When the month of Nisan began, a Jewish man approached him with a food dye, commonly added to wine to make it appear red and superior. What was the ruling on this dye for Pesach? Could it pose a chametz concern?
Rabbi Yaakov sought to clarify the question. He approached the local pharmacist and asked: Do you know what this food dye is made from? Unaware of the rabbi's reasoning, the pharmacist confidently replied: Of course, it’s made from certain chemical dyes, very straightforward. The rabbi continued questioning: And what about chametz? Could wheat or grain-derived alcohol be involved? The pharmacist answered: No way, impossible.
Perceiving the pharmacist's overconfidence, the rabbi sent a telegram to another scholar, who confirmed that alcohol, often from fermented grains for whiskey, was indeed used in the dye’s production. Initially, the pharmacist seemed eager to display expertise, not thinking the matter significant, and later found it hard to "climb down."
Rabbi Yaakov would share this story, reminding us: The Torah teaches us to be cautious with what's not absolute. Say "like an affliction," and then it won’t be too hard to climb down. Say "apparently from dyes," and later it will be easier to admit: I don’t know if there's chametz, we need to check...
