Parasha Ki Tetze "What Makes a Hero?"

Despite living in Chicagoland since 2008 I had not been to Wrigley Field until 12 days ago. If Middy and I were going to see one Chicago Cubs game this season, that game last Sunday, August 12, was the one to see. Many of you saw the game on national TV or read about it and certainly most of you have heard about it by now. The Cubs were playing the Nationals. The National’s ace, Max Scherzer, was locked in a pitching duel with Cole Hamels, recently acquired by Chicago from the Texas Rangers.  The Nationals were up 1-0 when they came up to bat in the top of the ninth. They scored two runs in the top of the ninth off of Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler to take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth. When the first Cub’s batter up in the bottom of the ninth grounded out, some people began to head for the exits. But the Cubs managed to load the bases and with two outs, pinch hitter David Bote came to the plate. Down to the last strike of the game, , Bote hit a grand slam home run to center field to win the game for the Cubs, 4-3. Wrigley Field erupted. People started hugging each other and dancing in the aisles as David Bote rounded the bases. The crowd roared for several minutes and even broke out into the “Go, Cubs Go” song. It was quite an exhilarating experience to be part of such an epic win.  Of course, in the middle of it all, being interviewed along the third base line was the hero of the moment, David Bote.  

He was not the first hero that evening to be recognized at Wrigley Field. Earlier in the game, between innings, we had been introduced to a young woman who had distinguished herself as a military hero. In fact, if you attend any ballpark, NFL stadium, NASCSAR race or golf tournament, on any day of the week, you will be asked to rise to recognize the contributions to our country by the military or the police or the firefighters who keep us safe. Often that recognition includes a salute to a “Hometown Hero” who was born and raised in that community.  This made me think about what Judaism says about “what makes a person a hero”.  

Tonight I would like to examine three texts from our tradition that define “heroism”. The first is from Pirke Avot, the “Ethics of the Fathers”. In this text, the word for “hero” in Hebrew is “Gibor”, which is derived from the three letter root meaning “to overcome” or “to conquer”.  In the fourth chapter of Pirke Avot , or “The Ethics of the Fathers”  Rabbi Ben Zoma asks, “Who is a hero?” He then answers his own question, “One who conquers his impulses”. How does Rabbi Ben Zoma know this? He cites a Biblical passage from the Book of Proverbs, “Being slow to anger is better than being a hero and one who can govern his passions is better than a warrior who conquers a city.” In Ben Zoma’s view, a person who has learned to reign in his or her impulses, to curb his or her destructive tendencies, to control his or her feelings in a difficult situation is the person deserving of the title “hero”.  

Our Torah reading for this week ostensibly starts out talking about rules for military engagement. “When you go out to war against your enemies,” begins the parasha. A Chassidic teaching holds that the Torah is not speaking only of doing battle against military opponents. The Torah is also directing us to do battle with ourselves by warring against our inherent selfishness, lust, rage, pride, laziness and envy. It is a person who subdues and masters his or her “Yetzer Ha-Rah” his or her “evil inclination” who is the true hero. 

Another model of heroism is the “Eshet Chayil”, or “Woman of Valor”. The text is from the Book of Proverbs. “Valor”, as a synonym for heroism, is defined as “courage in the face of a challenge”. Now the text could have chosen any number of heroines in the Bible to use as examples of the heroic woman. It could have chosen the story of Devorah, as a model of heroism. Devorah was a judge who heard her cases under a palm tree. She led an army against the Canaanites, who were oppressing her people. Or they could have sung the praises of Yael, who worked up the courage to kill the Canaanite general, Sisera after he sought refuge in her tent.  It could have chosen Esther, who risked her life to save her people.  But the author of Eshet Chayil chose none of these extraordinary women as the model of a hero. Instead, an Eshet Chayil, a “Heroic Woman” is described as a woman who is trustworthy, industrious, generous, wise and modest”.   

The final model of a hero that I want to share is found in the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses describes G-d as “Ha-el Ha-Gadol Ha-Gibor ve Ha-Norah – Great, Heroic and Awe-inspiring. Following that description are the words, “who shows no favor and takes no bribe, but upholds the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and befriends the stranger, providing him with food and clothing.” According to this model of heroism, a hero is one who resists the temptation to enrich himself by acting unjustly, and who extends protection to the most vulnerable members of society – the orphan, the widow, the poor and the stranger.  

Clearly the Jewish model of a hero goes well beyond those who distinguish themselves by demonstrating their physical courage. If we broadened our definition of the heroic to encompass Jewish values, we would see American sports teams honor not only our heroic military, police and firefighters but also our heroic teachers, social workers, lawyers, scientists, volunteers, home aid workers, musicians, caregivers, farmers, journalists, poets, nurses, doctors, little league coaches and others. Shouldn’t they, too, be given the opportunity to be honored, recognized and celebrated at ballparks, stadiums, racetracks, golf courses and arenas across America? I, for one, think so.  

Shabbat Shalom