{"id":47573,"date":"2019-01-15T12:24:41","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T10:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=47573"},"modified":"2022-08-09T17:25:45","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T14:25:45","slug":"when-the-bitter-becomes-sweet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/when-the-bitter-becomes-sweet\/","title":{"rendered":"When The Bitter Becomes Sweet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[615,363,360],"acf":{"old_id":"47573","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":47523,"related_cahpter":"134","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"On the deeper symbolism of the almond blossom","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Korach\u2019s dramatic and failed rebellion against Moses and Aaron, God tells Moses to collect the staffs of all the tribal leaders and to write the name of each leader on his particular staff. Moses is then instructed to place all the of staffs in the<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ohel Moed<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Tent of Meeting. God explains that the man whose staff miraculously blooms is the person whom God has chosen to lead the nation. The next day, the staff of Aaron from the tribe of Levi had grown almond blossoms thus indicating that Aaron was God\u2019s chosen leader.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of all the ways that God could have distinguished Aaron\u2019s staff from the others &#8211; gilding it in gold, transforming it into a crown, etc- why did God specifically choose that it sprout almond blossoms?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rabbi Shlomo Zalman HaKohen Kook (c.1844-1929) offers an interesting and relevant interpretation. He explains that an almond is a fruit that grows in one of two ways; it either starts off sweet and turns bitter or it starts off bitter and ends up sweet. This also reflects two different approaches toward <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">machloket<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (disagreement). There are those who view <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">machloket<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a \u201csweet\u201d opportunity to prove they\u2019re superior and sow discord, which leads to lasting bitterness and anger. On the other hand, there are those who view machloket as a bitter starting point that can ultimately end in compromise and mutual respect if all parties are willing to put in the necessary effort to resolve the dispute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the aftermath of the bitter power struggle launched by Korach, God teaches the tribal leaders and the nation that those engaging with <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">machloket<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> should do so with an eye toward achieving the genuinely sweet outcome of peace and progress rather than being proven right. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This message is true in all eras but it particularly resonates in today\u2019s climate. If we keep this story of the almond blossom in mind, perhaps it will help us build an environment of civil discourse, respect, and peace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>image by: Ester Inbar &#8211;\u00a0https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Shkediya02_ST_04.jpg<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":47574,"id":47574,"title":"Num17-1280px-Shkediya02_ST_04","filename":"Num17-1280px-Shkediya02_ST_04.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Num17-1280px-Shkediya02_ST_04.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/when-the-bitter-becomes-sweet\/num17-1280px-shkediya02_st_04\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"num17-1280px-shkediya02_st_04","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":47573,"date":"2019-01-15 10:24:27","modified":"2019-01-15 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