THE HUNGRY BEAR

“Behold, another [figure appeared]; a second beast, resembling a bear, and it was positioned on one side, and there were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; so they said to it: Arise! Devour much flesh!” (Daniel 7:5)

One of the most terrifying visions in the Bible is the dream of Daniel in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon. In the dream, the four winds of the heavens were whipping the sea into a frenzy from which four frightening beasts emerged out of the waves. The first resembled a lion; the second, a bear; the third, a leopard; and the fourth was a fearsome monster of unique appearance and power. Daniel approached an angel in his dream and asked him for an interpretation. He was told that the beasts represented four kingdoms or empires. These empires were identified as Babylon (the lion); Persia (the bear); Greece (the leopard) and Rome (the terrifying beast). These empires would oppress the Jewish people, each in their own unique way, in accordance with their character and personality.

In light of the recent preemptive strike of Israel on Iran – modern-day Persia – we will focus on the second beast. The Talmud (Kiddushin 72a) cites the verse above and comments: “And behold a second beast, similar to a bear” (Daniel 7:5). Rav Yosef taught: These are Persians, who eat and drink like a bear, and are corpulent like a bear, and grow hair like a bear, and have no rest like a bear. When Rabbi Ami saw a Persian riding, he would say: This is a bear on the move.” A bear is restless and always on the move. They have enormous appetites and great physical strength. They are constantly eating. The Persian Empire had a voracious appetite for riches and territory. The Talmud (ibid) explains that the three ribs in the bear’s mouth refer to three cities that the Persian government continually attempted to snatch from Roman rule. The Maharal (in Ner Mitzvah, paragraph beginning v’amru b’perek asara yuchsin) notes how Achashverosh, king of Persia during the Purim story, is characterised as levelling taxes upon his provinces (Esther 10:1). Although he was exceptionally wealthy, he always wanted more. In fact, the name Achashverosh is understood by the Talmud (Megillah 11a) as coming from the root rash which means poor, “for everyone became impoverished during his reign” due to high taxation. Haman’s offer to purchase the lives of the kingdom’s Jews for ten thousand talents of silver (Esther 3:9) was extremely tempting to the king. Haman, who was not a Persian, understood the king’s desire for wealth and exploited it for his own nefarious purpose.

In regard to the Jewish people, the goal of Persia was to obliterate them completely and deprive them of an existence in the physical world. This is unlike the third empire, Greece, that sought only the spiritual destruction of the Jewish people through banning the study of the Torah and through the process of Hellenisation (Maharal, Ner Mitzvah, paragraph beginning U’b’midrash Vayikrah Rabbah). The Islamic Republic of Iran has often stated that it intends to destroy the State of Israel, “the small Satan”, together with its partner, America, “the large Satan.” Their murderous plans are often carried out by proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. The recent barrage of ballistic missiles sent by Iran leaves no doubt that they are the modern heirs of the Persian Empire. In his discussion of the four empires, the Maharal (Ner Mitzvah, paragraph beginning v’zeh she’amar b’midrash) writes that some ask why the kingdom of Yishmael [the Islamic Nation] does not feature as its own Empire considering its size and power.   He offers two answers. The second, which he prefers, is that Yishmael is subsumed within the empire of Persia! This is interesting considering that Russia is always portrayed as a bear and there has long been an alliance between Russia and many of the Islamic countries, including Iran.

Iran’s power and its diabolical regime are indeed frightening. We have seen this week what they are capable of. At a prayer meeting held this Sunday night, I shared a passage from the Midrash (Tanchuma, Toldot 5:1) that I believe offers comfort at this difficult time when we feel the world is closing in around us:

“It is written: “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise in judgment you shall condemn” (Isaiah 54:17). You find that Israel cried to the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, observe how the idolatrous nations persecute us, they do nothing but sit and conspire against us, as it is said: “Look at their sitting and their rising, I am the subject of their song [the object of their mockery and ridicule] (Eicha 3:63). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded: “To what avail are their conspiracies against you? I will void their decisions and destroy them, as it is said: “I am their deliverer”, and it is elsewhere written: “Blessed be God the Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands” (Bereishit 14:20). “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river” (Shmot 1:22). Thereupon, Hashem exclaimed: “Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not?” (Eicha 3:37). Pharaoh decreed that the firstborn children should be cast into the river, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not ordain that. On the contrary, “The more they [the Egyptians] afflicted them, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread out” (Shmot 1:12). Haman wanted to destroy all the Jews, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not desire it, and therefore: “Whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews ruled over them that hated them” (Esther 9:1). Bilaam and Balak wanted to curse Israel, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not agree, as it is said: “Nevertheless, the Lord your God did not listen to Bilaam” (Devarim 23:6). Hence it is said: “Who is he that says, and it came to pass, when the Lord commanded it not?” (Eicha 3:37). Hadrian said to Rabbi Yehoshua: “Mighty is the lamb [Israel] that can survive among seventy wolves [the nations of the world].” And he replied: “No! Mighty is the Shepherd who can save and protect the lamb, and destroy the wolves surrounding her.” Therefore, it is written: “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).”

Israel is surrounded by seventy hungry wolves. But her secret weapon is her Shepherd, the God of Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps. Please God He will save us from their hands!

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Liebenberg.

Rabbi’s YouTube message: https://youtu.be/7cXrQrDVdwM?si=GLS8-hANhIgujdvl

*Thursday 26 & Friday 27 June – Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

Tammuz contains the fast of the 17^th Tammuz (Sunday 13 July) when the walls of Jerusalem were breached. This fast marks the beginning of the Three Weeks of Mourning that conclude on the ninth Av. The Molad (appearance of the new moon) is on Wednesday 25 June at 21h58 and 4 chalakim (a chelek, literally a “portion”, is a Talmudic measure of time equal to one-eighteenth of a minute, or 3 and 1/3 seconds).