MaNishma with Rabbi Arnold Goodman

The haftara  (prophetic selection)  this Shabbat foretells the birth of Samson. His mother is "visited by an angel" informing her that, from birth, he was to be a nazir, and thus, forbidden to cut his hair. This would be the source of the superhuman strength enabling him to defend his people. This all came to pass, and Samson did become the scourge of the Philistines who had subjugated his tribe (Dan).

We know the rest of the story. His infatuation with the sultry Delilah led him to reveal to her the secret of his long locks, that, if sheared, would render him powerless. Once he fell asleep, Delilah proceeded to cut his hair, thereby enabling the Philistines to subdue and then blind him.

The Midrashic take on this story is that Samson violated the commandment not to go astray after his eyes. His succumbing to the temptation of carnal pleasures was thus  punished with the loss of his sight.

Yet, even before the Delilah affair, Samson exhibited one serious character flaw: impulsiveness. He often acted without giving thought to the consequences of his deeds. He lacked the capacity to consider the possible consequences of his actions, and all too often failed to restrain himself. This had grave consequences since his people regarded him as their leader.

Throughout history, and to this very day there continues to be understandable concern that a leader's impulsive words could be catastrophic when we are confronted with crises whether at home or abroad…

We delude ourselves, however, when our concern is limited to the behavior of our leaders or other power brokers. All of us have to be more measured in our behavior and in our responses. There is a Yiddish proverb that cautions us "to think before we speak and not to speak everything we think." It's a caveat that a word, once uttered, cannot be returned to our mouths.

The old adage that, if angered by someone's words or actions, we should count to ten before responding  is a strategy to curb the impulsive response that we will inevitably regret once we cool off. The Talmud is clear that we are responsible for our actions and words. The defense "I just lost it" does not excuse our behavior.

We are not Samsons. We are not Presidents. We are, however, social beings who are quite often irritated by the acts or comments of others; yet we are accountable for our impulsive responses. We must be leery of "shooting from the lip–or the hip." May we be blessed with the wisdom and the restraint to think before we speak and certainly before acting.

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From Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach–a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.