In this week’s parashah (19:31), we are toldאַל תִּפְנוּ אֶל הָאֹבֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים אַל תְּבַקְשׁוּ לְטָמְאָה בָהֶם..., Do not turn to Ov and Yidoni [forms of soothsaying through calling up spirits], and do not seek to become impure through them….
The Torah’s choice of the of the wordתְּבַקְשׁוּ , seek or desire seems a bit unusual. It could simply have said, as it does elsewhere, וְלֹא תִטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם, and do not become defiled by them.
Rashi comments do not seek to be involved in these, because if you become involved in them you will become impure. Apparently, Rashi felt that the Torah was adding an additional safeguard here: these practices are so toxic, don’t even want to do them.
However, we can also understand this verse to be teaching us a lesson that applies to everything in life: A person’s aspirations and focus are so inherently powerful, they will affect him. Do not be מְבַקֵשׁ Ov and Yidoni, because the very desire and quest for them has will spiritually corrupt and contaminate the person.
It is axiomatic that middah tovah merubah, whenever there is the power to achieve harm, there is a far stronger potential to do good.
This can give us an insight into a passuk in Tehillim. Dovid Hamelech, said (27:4) אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת ד' אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ, שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית ד' כָּל יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ד' וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ:; I ask but one thing of Hashem, it is this that I desire: To sit in the house of Hashem all the days of my life; to behold the splendor of Hashem and to visit His Sanctuary.
Though he never merited to enter the Sanctuary, the Beis Hamikdash, which was built after his passing by his son Shlomo, his very yearning for that level of connection with Hashem brought him, as the next passuk tells us, to be hidden in Hashem’s shelter on the day of evil, to be concealed in the concealment of His tent, lifted upon a rock.
If we aspire and seek to come close to Hashem, the desire itself has the ability to purify, uplift and sanctify us.
May we be zocheh to have the proper aspirations, and to be transformed by them.
Gut Shabbos.
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