"God's angel appeared to Moses in the heart of a fire, in the midst of a thorn-bush." (Ex. 3:2)

Why did God choose a thorn-bush to reveal Himself to Moses?

A Cure for Fever

The Talmud (Shabbat 67a) prescribes a peculiar procedure for those suffering from a high fever. The patient is advised to take a thorn-bush, and each day make a cut in it using an iron knife. When cutting the bush, he should trim it near the ground, and say:

"Thorn-bush, thorn-bush! The Holy One did not let His Presence reside in you because you are the greatest of all trees, but because you are the lowliest."

What do thorn-bushes have to do with fevers? What is the purpose of this strange procedure?

Circumstantial and True Humility

Rav Kook wrote that there are two forms of humbleness. The first type could be called 'circumstantial humility.' Due to infirmity, poverty, or some lack of talent, intelligence, social standing, etc, a person is liable to feel vulnerable and insignificant. This is not genuine humility, though. Should circumstances change, newly-found strength or wealth or power may very well delude one into believing in his own greatness and importance.

True humility comes from a different, more objective source: awareness of our place in the universe. This humbleness is independent of the vagaries of life's circumstances; it stems from a recognition of our existential value, an insight into the essence of the soul, and a clear understanding of the nature of reality.

Unfortunately, the fickle nature of the human mind allows us to be easily deluded by egocentric illusions into ignoring anything beyond our own physical world. How can we escape such delusions?

This trap may be avoided by recognizing the transitory nature of circumstances. Poverty, sickness, etc, have the power to make us aware of our intrinsic vulnerability. Awareness of our inherent potential for weakness leads us to properly evaluate our true value, and thus attain genuine humility.

The Lesson of the Thorn-bush

By all criteria, the thorn-bush is a lowly and unimportant plant. It lives by itself in barren locations, providing neither food nor shade for others. It even rejects interaction with other living things by means of its prickly thorns. Yet, precisely because of its isolation, the thorn-bush may deceive itself into believing in its own greatness. Therefore, the Sages advised cutting the bush down to its very roots. We trim away potential weakness, leaving only the essential value of bush — its roots, its connections to the rest of the world. God placed His Divine Presence on the thorn- bush not because of its sense of self-importance, but because of its innate lowliness — the spirit of true humility which remains after the bush has been trimmed to the ground.

The thorn-bush procedure recommended by the Talmud allows the suffering individual to recognize the purpose of his illness: attainment of sincere humility. This trait is the remedy for all strange fevers and delusions.

(adapted from Ein Eyah vol. IV, p. 121)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison