Two Types of Sacrifice
Understanding Aggada
Yeshivat Har Etzion
By Rav Yitzchak Blau
Miracles
were performed in connection with the (
(Yoma 37a)
What miracles were
preformed in connection with his gates?
Nikanor went to
(Ibid.
38a)
I would like to briefly
focus on two shorter themes before addressing the central idea of this
aggada. Over the course of this story, Nikanor progresses from
gift-giving to a more enduring dedication, as the authentic volunteer spirit
ultimately demands more than writing a check and even more than creating a gift:
it involves an ongoing commitment to ensuring that the donation reaches its
desired destination. Nikanor's
decision on the boat to save the second door represents this lasting dedication
to a good cause.
The end of the story
also steers us in a clear direction. Why were Nikanor's doors left in place as
the sole
Let us now turn to the
story's dominant themes. The
sensitive reader cannot help but notice several parallels with the story of
Yona. There is a storm at sea and something needs to be thrown overboard to save
the ship. A sea creature swallows what was cast into the ocean and spits it out
onto dry land. Clearly, this tale must either be compared to or contrasted with
that of Yona.
To me, it seems that a
sharp contrast emerges. Yona is passive during the early parts of the storm,
sleeping in the lower decks as the other sailors pray. While he does agree to be
cast into the sea, this seems to reflect an apathetic stance the assumption
that it does not truly matter what happens more than an act of fierce
heroism. The fact that the literary
parallel between the two stories equates Yona with the lifeless doors further
indicates his passivity in the story. Nikanor, by contrast, risks his life
precisely because he cares deeply.
Indeed, one can choose
to sacrifice out of indifference or out of idealism. Yet only the person who fully
appreciates the great worth of life has the capacity to truly sacrifice, because
only that person understand what it means to give up something worth caring
about. The challenge is to emulate
Nikanor's sacrifice, rather than that of Yona.
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