Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: Personality Traits that Ruined Important People’s Lives

(based on Berachot 2:72)

Gemara: “There should be no breeches” (Tehillim 144:14) – this refers to the idea that our group should not be like Shaul’s group, out of whom came Do’eg Ha’adomi (who massacred the kohanim of Nov); “and nothing going out” (ibid.) – that our group should not be like David’s group, from whom came Achitofel (who plotted unethically in support of Avshalom’s rebellion); “and no screaming” (ibid.) – that our group should not be like Elisha’s, from whom came Geichazi; “in our streets [rechovoteinu- literally wide places]” (ibid.) – that we should not have a son or a student who burns his food (i.e., who acts in a manner that demonstrates his religious lacking) in public.

Ein Ayah: The mishna (Avot 4:21) mentions three things that remove a person from the world: jealousy, desire, and pursuit of honor. These are all referred to in this prayer.

Do’eg lost his place in the world due to jealousy, as the gemara (Zevachim 54b) says that his actions against the people of Nov were taken out of jealousy. This is similar to the idea found in Tehillim (69:10): “For the jealousy of your house ate me up.” Achitofel was motivated to aid the rebellion because he … thought that he was going to become king (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:2). Geichazi acted out of desire for silver, gold, clothes, olives, vineyards, as Elisha pointed out (Melachim II, 5:26).

Burning the food is a good metaphor for someone who distorts Torah ideas and turns them into false philosophies. The food is intrinsically good. So too, Hashem’s words in the Torah are straight, just that the wanton person turns them into horrible sayings.

How does this happen? The person in question heard how the words of Torah can be expanded [the root rachav and be used in “expanding” or “street”] with exegesis and pure ideas. He stumbled by thinking that he could establish thoughts of his heart that are antithetical to Torah concepts. One must pray that a son or an improper student should not use the broadening of Torah ideas to go in the opposite direction from the words of the living G-d.