Chelm, as anyone knows, is a mystical place in Poland full of folly, dressed as wisdom. There is a long tradition of stories about all the bad decisions made by the leaders of this small European shtetl. Shalom Aleichem, Isaac Bashevi Singer, of two of the many Yiddish writers who have tried their hand at them. One of my predecessors at Temple Sinai, Rabbi Joseph Herzog, told a Chelm story at many a family service and even regularly published them in the Jewish Review. Given the folly and hubris of politicians over the years, these stories still ring true. I confess I have tried my hand at a number myself over the years. They are quite fun to write.=
While this week’s Torah portion Shemot is not a Chelm story, there is one moment in it that feels like we are immersed in one. Afraid of our ancestors growing strength they decide to nitchochma, “deal wisely,” with them, enslaving them and later killing their first-born children. The root for wise is chacham the same word used to describe the leaders of Chelm. Foolish leaders are not a new invention, nor are ones who believe themselves to be wise. We get the last laugh of course, because through God’s help instead of suppressing our power, Pharaoh’s strategy unleashes it. Chelm stories teach us not to take ourselves too seriously. This was true in Biblical times, as it is today. So, any time we think we have all the answers we should remember often what we take as wisdom is actually pure folly.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex