Matot: Uplifting Our Past

“…this is the decree of Torah…the gold and the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin and the lead – everything that comes into the fire, you shall pass through the fire and it will be purified…" (Numbers 31:21-23).

The Torah gives us a rule-of-thumb formula for purifying an object: subject it to the same source of energy that contaminated it. In a way, that sounds weird, but it's really quite logical. Take for example a stainless-steel skewer that someone used to roast non-kosher meat with on an open fire. The skewer becomes treif, unfit for use with kosher meat. If used, the skewer will contaminate the kosher meat and render it non-kosher. But, the skewer can be purified; it must simply be subjected to an open fire until red-hot.

Rebbe Nachman teaches us that there is no despair in the world. A soul that has become contaminated and rendered impure can also purify itself. It too is subjected to the same source of energy that contaminated it, but this time, it channels that source of energy toward the side of holiness, whereas in the past, it used that energy for unholiness.

Here's an example: if a person had a problem with physical lust and thereby contaminated his or her soul, they can purify themselves by channeling that same lust – in all its power and magnitude – to the love of Hashem and His Torah and commandments.

The Rambam teaches the above principle of purification and codifies it in his laws of teshuva:[1] "What is perfect teshuva? This is when a past transgression that a person once committed again presents itself, and the person has the capability of transgressing again but he chooses not to, not because of fear or inability but because of his desire to repent. How? In the past, he had a forbidden relationship with a woman; he once again meets this woman and he still has strong affinity for her. He is once again in the same circumstance, but this time he forsakes the transgression and doesn't commit it. This is the perfect baal teshuva…"

Our innate powers are mind-boggling. The soul is like atomic power – it can either illuminate the world or destroy it, Heaven forbid.

What would you think if someone told you one of our great contemporary spiritual leaders was married to a former hooker from Las Vegas? Would you be disgusted? Would you think that person was making a sick joke?

It's no sick joke, it's our Tanach, our Bible. It's very true. The Book of Joshua tells about Rahav the harlot, who lived in a dwelling that was built in the massive outside wall of the city of Jericho. She had a rope extending from her window with which her clients would climb to her bedroom. Yet, when she decided to turn her life around, she used the same rope to enable the two Israelite spies to scale the wall, hide on the roof of her living quarters and perform their holy espionage mission. Rashi explains that she used the same exact rope that her former used. Rachav said, “Master of the World, with this rope I sinned and with this rope forgive me.”[2]

Rachav turned her life completely around. Her dedication in helping the spies was so tremendous that she merited to marry Joshua, Moses's successor and the leader of the Jewish People! If that doesn't testify to the Torah-sanctioned power of rectification, what does? What's more, Rahav gave birth to eight daughters, all of whom married High Priests. She was the great grandmother of another eight Cohanim who all became leading prophets – Jeremiah, Chilkiya, Saria, Maasia, Baruch ben Neria, Chanamel, Shalum and Neria. Some say that Chulda the Prophetess was also Rachav's offspring. What's more, Rachav is considered one of the most righteous female converts of all time, together with Osnat (Joseph's wife), Tzipporah (Moses's wife), Batya (Pharaoh's daughter), Ruth and Yael (the wife of Hever the Kinnite).

What do we learn from all this? You don't have to throw your past away! Take your power in all its force and uplift it! Hashem gave you that power and He simply wants you to channel it in the right direction. If Rahav could, then all of us certainly can!