One of the lesser known figures in Tanach was a man named Palti Ben Layish – I want to share with you his story:
When King Shaul became jealous of David, he sought to kill him. Michal, the wife of David and Shaul’s own daughter, helped him flee to safety. Shaul was so upset that he got the Beis Din to retroactively annul their marriage, and then married Michal off to a different man, Palti ben Layish. Michal was devastated.
And although Palti needed to heed the king’s decree that he marry Michal he did not feel that their marriage was legitimate, as he also felt that Michal was still married to David.
On their wedding night, when they returned home, Palti unsheathed his sword and plunged it into their bed. He said let this sword guard us from sin. Whoever crosses the line between this bed, should meet this sword’s blade.
The question that arises though, is why the need for all of the drama? If both Michal and Palti did not wish to consummate their marriage, why did he need to stab his sword into the bed?
Palti was astute. He understood human nature all too well and he realized that at that moment they both had the conviction to abstain from sinning. But what about in another month? Or six months? Or the next year?
Palti knew that eventually his resolve would wane, it would be difficult to abstain, and ultimately he might falter. Therefore, Palti chose to manifest this moral clarity by sticking his sword through the bed serving as a perpetual reminder of his conviction.
The story of Palti reminds me of fascinating explanation of Rabeinu Efraim, one of the baalei Tosfos in this week’s parshah.
When the Torah lists the different heads of the tribes, there are two names that stand out: The nasi of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochron, and the Nasi of Naftali, Achira the son of Enan. Both names seem to have a negative connotation. Ochron stems from the word perversion, or trouble. And Achira translates to my brother is bad. Why would these tribal heads have such unusual names?
Rabeinu Efraim explains: The Jewish people traveled through the desert in four groups of three tribes, one group in each direction. Each group of three would be under one banner. Natalie and Asher traveled with Dan, under their flag.
The tribe of Dan had an infamous idol which they brought with them from Egypt. It was called pesel Micha, and caused many problems for the Jewish people.
When the Tribe of Naftali and Asher found out that they were going to camp and travel alongside shevet Dan, they were upset. They didn’t want to be close to this idol worshiping faction.
And so the heads of the tribes changed their names. Pagiel Ben ochron can mean G-d has afflicted me with this perversion. Achira Ben Anan, my brother is bad, referred to their brother, the tribe of Dan, who was acting in an evil manner.
Why did they take on these names? Much like Palti, who captured his moral clarity with concrete action, they changed their names to remind themselves of their discomfort and disdain for the idolatry that neighbored them. They knew that with time, they may get used to the sins around Them. So they chose to make a permanent reminder, to change their names, so that they would never forget.
The passage of time can weaken even the strongest of resolve. To ensure we never lose our sensitivity, we can not rely on our memory.
Our moments of conviction and clarity need to accompany us with solidarity – so that irrespective of how it eventually feels, we will stay true to our ideals.
Put differently: Actively remembering is the antidote to passively forgetting.
