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The Hungry Bear
Adar is the month in which we celebrate Purim. Purim marks our victory over the kingdom of Persia and Media, led by Achashveirosh (coupled with Amalek, in the persona of Haman). These events were recorded in Megillas Esther, and are well known to all.
In the Gemara, however, various Sages offer "keys" to the megillah, single verses from elsewhere in the Torah which express the essence of the entire episode (according to each Sage's perception). There is one in particular which concerns us:
"Resh Lakish opened up that episode based on this: The lion roars, the bear growls, the wicked man rules over a poor nation (Mishlei 28:15).
The lion roars... refers to Nevuchadnetzar...
The bear growls refers to Achashveirosh, as it is written [in Daniel's dream, in reference to the kingdom of Persia], ...and afterwards was an animal like a bear, and Rabbi Yosef taught that this refers to the Persians, who eat and drink like a bear, and are clothed in flesh like a bear, and are hairy like a bear, and have no rest like a bear.
The wicked man rules refers to Haman.
Over a poor people refers to Yisrael, who were impoverished from mitzvos.
(Megillah 11a)
The bear, the embodiment of the force of Persia, was formerly a widespread creature. Israel's subspecies of the grizzly bear was known as the Syrian bear, and its last member was killed in Nachal Ammud, near the Kinneret, in 1865.
Bears are highly dangerous creatures. Unlike other predators, such as lions and leopards, which attack only when hungry, bears are actually aggressive and kill people regularly. When the Torah describes an extremely dangerous enemy, it uses the bear as a metaphor: "It is better to meet a mother bear bereft of her cubs than a fool in his madness" (Mishlei 17:12). Bear cubs are astonishingly small, weighing only three hundred grams, and utterly helpless. The mother bear invests enormous effort into raising her cubs and forms an especially close bond with them. She is thus a particularly protective mother and a highly dangerous foe. The males are vicious, too, in their fight with other bears to secure a mate. With their poor eyesight, they may often confuse a person with another bear.
The Gemara explains that the bear represents Persia in terms of its ravenousness. Bears eat almost anything -- not only herbage and fish, but also grubs, rodents, carrion, and livestock. This diet results in their massive bulk, weighing up to six hundred pounds.
The Persian empire expanded ravenously, engulfing all. They continually fought and conquered, never satisfied: "They have no rest, like a bear [which wanders constantly in search of food]." On an individual level, they were steeped in hunger and desire: "They eat and drink like a bear."
Achashveirosh's enormous feast demonstrated their preoccupation with pursuing their desires. Such was the evil of Persia.
Bear Surprise
Each of the four creatures in Daniel's dream manifests a different type of evil. The ferocity represented by the bear is used against the Jewish people in a specific situation.
Exile is a period of banishment during which the Jewish people are not able to live in Eretz Yisrael and fulfill all of the mitzvos. This is supposed to be an unsatisfactory state of affairs for the Jewish people, one that spurs them to improve their observance of the Torah and merit redemption.
Unfortunately, people sometimes miss the point. They do not miss having a Beis HaMikdash, and they feel no stimulus to improve their ways. They relax in exile and feel comfortable. But if we go down to galus this way, we are in for a big surprise. For it is against this sort of complacency that the bear is sent.
The first example of this concerns Yosef, when he was exiled from his father's house. As a slave in Mitzrayim, with his father mourning his presumed death, he was not supposed to be content with his state of affairs. But as he rose in position to be the controller of his master Potifar's affairs, he became complacent about his lifestyle:
Yosef was beautiful of form and appearance (Bereishis 39:6) -- since he saw himself as a ruler, he began eating and drinking and curling his hair. Hashem said: "Your father is in mourning and you are curling your hair? I will set the bear upon you!" Immediately, his master's wife lifted her eyes toward Yosef, and she said, "Lie with me..."
(Bereishis Rabbah 87:3)
The bear is always wandering (The word dov actually means "movement") and has no rest, says the Gemara. Such is supposed to be the lot of the Jew in exile. If the Jew considers himself at rest, then the bear is sent to remind him otherwise.
So, too, was the situation at the time of Achashveirosh. The Jews indulged themselves in his feast, ignoring their position in exile. Their complacency called for an attack by the bear. Sure enough, Achashverosh turned against them and sealed a decree to annihilate them. It was only when they returned to Hashem through fasting and prayer that the decree was rescinded. We finally learned the lesson that the Jew in exile is to view his situation as strictly temporary and yearn for redemption.
This essay is extracted from the ongoing publication of the Torah Universe series of books (Published by Targum Press - Distributed by Feldheim Publishers), which explore how the lessons of the Torah are manifest in the natural world. Already published is the book "Seasons of Life," which shows how the Jewish year is reflected in the seasons and the life cycles of animals and plants. In preparation is "Nature's Song," which explains the ancient Midrash of Perek Shirah that details the philosophical and ethical lessons manifest in the natural world; and "Creature Chorus," a collection of essays on Torah and the animal kingdom. The author, Nosson Slifkin, is currently studying at the Mirrer Yeshivah, and in his spare time he directs educational projects at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.
