Truth Through Discomfort

 I think a constant theme of Torah, and perhaps one of its primary points, is to get us extremely comfortable in seemingly "uncomfortable" areas.

This is a generation is discomfort is extremely frowned upon.  Spaces must be safe; the hint of inappropriate insinuation can get you banned.  Tribalization is, of course, more prevalent than ever.  Comfort, regularity, predictability, and a purity spiral of agreement - this is where we are.

Reading Torah snaps you out of this.  Mass death.  So-called "reward" and "punishment."  The highest of love and compassion and endearment; the swiftest and most serious judgment.  Separation, and different rights.  

It doesn't feel right.  Everyone should be equal, and live comfortably, and not encounter any opposing forces.  But this is not life - sure, there may be some occasional measures of it, but life is perhaps the exact opposite.

I think the more you read Torah, the more you get very comfortable in unknown territory.  There's no other way of properly engaging.

For example, the harrowing story of the battle with the Midianites - or, what is to me equally harrowing - what happens after.

Specifically, Pinchas goes out with 12,000 of Israel's best and absolutely demolishes the Midianites, routing them in battle, including their kings and evil prophet, and burns every last city to the ground.  They take the spoils, women, and children back to the camp for review.  And?  And Moshe becomes "angry," as to why they didn't kill the women, and orders both the women and the young boys killed.  Only the young girls are spared.

This is followed by a quick transition to Elazar's instructions regarding the purification of the booty.  Every single warrior who killed someone, and every single captive, and every single non-metal thing must remain outside the camp for seven days and be purified on the third and seventh days (I believe this order applies to the Jews, Midianites, and objects equally, but I may need to read again).  And the metal objects - the gold, silver, bronze, and copper - must be purified by fire and then purified again (I think).

The parallels, sure, seem obvious on the surface - the fate of the people is decided and then it must be determined what to do with the objects.

But perhaps there's something much deeper at play.  I remember hearing that famous Rambam through the first time - said so casually - that the way of teshuva involves voluntary return, then involuntary return, and if those first two don't work, death.  Yes, death - that if things become so bad, the only way of ensuring the return of the soul is to end the life of the body.  And this is, in effect (and in reality), a return to G-d, who controls all.

But objects must be purified too - including by being run through fire.  Fire!  If there was a "death" for metal short of melting it down completely, fire seems pretty close.  This action returns the objects to H' and renders their being "pure" once again.

Through fire - literal and almost literal - a powerful lesson emerges.  Confront this part of life, the part most people avoid, or face the same fate.  You can't avoid discomfort forever.