Have you ever been in a location that felt particularly negative to
you? Maybe you would even describe it as
having a negative “energy?” What about
the opposite? Are there places that you
find to have a positive energy? What causes us to
sense these things, and do Jewish texts enlighten us on this topic?
This week’s Torah portion, Vayetze, begins with the words:
And Jacob went out from Beersheva,
and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and remained there
all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place,
and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. (Breishit 28:10).
Rashi asks why the Torah mentions “And Jacob went out.” It would have been sufficient to say, “He went
to Haran.” He teaches that Jacob’s
leaving of Haran informs us that:
…the departure of a righteous
person leaves an impression. For during the time that a righteous person is in
a city, he is its glory, splendor, and beauty.
When he departs, glory, splendor, and light turn.
According to Rashi, if there are good people in a place, we
will experience glory, splendor, and beauty there. For those who do experience different
“energies” in different places, this might be intuitive. However, Rashi also teaches that if those
good people leave, so do the good vibes.
Rabbi Michil of Zlotshov, an early Hassidic rabbi who was a
student himself of the Baal Shem Tov, bristles at the mere mention of
negativity in relation to Jacob. He reminds
us that there is a Jewish tradition that righteous people leave a positive
impression. For example, he says, we
sit shiva in the home of the departed because their energy is present
there and it is a comfort. He turns
Rashi’s comment radically on its head and understands him to say that when a
righteous person departs from a place, “Light, glory, and splendor turn to
the place.” We can use energy in a
certain place to help us grow.
The opposite is also true, he teaches. Negative energy remains in a place where
an evil person was present. What
impact can these negative vibes have on us?
The Zlotshov Rebbe innovatively interprets Pirke Avot 3:2 as giving
us one example:
When two people sit together and
there are no words of Torah, this is “a place of scorners,’ as it is said ‘Happy
is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the
way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of scorners.’ But when two sit together and
there are words of Torah between them, the presence of G-d abides among them.”
Usually commentators interpret this Mishna to mean that when
we sit together and do not speak words of Torah, we are creating a place of
scorners, and alternatively, when we sit together and do speak words of Torah,
we invite G-d to dwell with us. The
Zlotshov Rebbe is actually interpreting the Mishna to explain that when
two sit together and do not speak words of Torah it is because it is a
place of scorners. In other words,
the scorners that were hanging out in this place left their negative energy and
this is having a profound impact on us! In
addition, if we do speak Torah when together, this is because of the
positive spiritual energy there!
To a certain degree, we can control the places we visit and
the crowds of people with whom we associate.
If we feel a positive spiritual energy in a place, it can help us to do
more good and add to it. However, when
we need to be in a negative place we should redouble our efforts to put
positive spiritual energy there and we will be able to overcome it.
Don’t think that running with a “bad crowd” won’t have an
impact on you—there is social
scientific research that backs up the idea that we unconsciously mirror the
appearance and actions of others to feel a sense of belonging. From a Jewish (at least Hassidic)
perspective, there may be a lot more influencing us than we even realize—not
only the people in the room with us, but also the energy in the room
itself.
What is the practical implication of all of this? It is not just that we need to protect
ourselves from negativity as best we can. We also need to be aware of what kind
of impact we are leaving on others and on the spaces we inhabit. We might think that our behaviors do not rub
off on others or on our surroundings, but they do. I hope that if we all take care to “keep it
positive,” we will go into Shabbat (and every day) with good vibes. Shabbat Shalom
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