O. T. Gaslighting: D’varim

“And I said to you, “Don’t be scared and don’t be afraid of them. The Lord, your God, who is going in front of you, He will fight for you- like everything that he did with you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Deuteronomy 1:29-30

Gaslighting is an ubiquitous phrase. Especially during this election year, every day we are in contact with a news article or an opinion piece mentioning this psychological tactic. In day-to-day conversation, people trying to be cool or sophisticated drop it into a sentence. In pursuit of enlightenment, this post will tackle an Old Testament gaslighting event from the Torah Portion D’varim.

We begin our journey to nirvana with the words from the brilliant political theorist Marx. In the 1933 movie “Duck Soup”, Groucho-not to be confused with Karl- delivered the epic line: “Who are you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?”

Vision

For humans, vision serves as one of their most reliable and efficient sources for data collection. For the sighted, cognition and reasoning often depends upon it. What is seen is readily accepted as the truth; a fact. The field of science heavily relies upon visual observation to prove or disprove hypotheses.

One of Gaslighting’s goal is to cause an individual to question their personal observations. Gaslighting typically occurs when one tries to control another by causing them to doubt and question themselves. In some cases, a witnessed event can become a moment of disbelief.

Vision In Scripture

Vision is foundational aspect of the Torah. One need only look towards the creation story to appreciate this notion. At creation’s end, it is said that: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. ” Genesis 1:31. In the Torah, for humans, vision could be a source of salvation. In moments of despair, a “better” vision can transform reality.

One of the Torah’s most famous eye-opening moments involved Abraham’s concubine Hagar. She, due to Sarah’s request, is sent away with her son Ishmael. While in the wilderness, Hagar fears that her son will die. At that moment, divine intervention occurs. It is told that “And God opened her eyes, and she saw a water well, and she went and filled the bottle with water and had the boy drink.” Genesis 21:19.

The quality of one’s vision is god-like. From scripture, it is connected to the ability to know good and evil. In Genesis, after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it is said: “And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles. Genesis 3:7

The Twelve Spies

In the Torah Portion D’varim, gaslighting takes a unique spin. The gaslighting, in this instance, is a third-party affair. The Israelite Deity’s actions become a source of contention. D’varim tackles gaslighting when the doubt created is not only personal but also directed towards their deity.

The Portion D’varim is the first chapter of Deuteronomy. This Book uniquely includes, in part, a recap of the happenings from the Books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. In D’varim. Moses offers up a second helping of the “Twelve Spies” tale which includes a gaslighting event.

Before addressing the story, Twelve Spies tale’s significance must be addressed. This event re-shaped the Exodus. The chaos that ensued as a result of the spies’ gaslighting was the impetus upon which the Children of Israel were forced to wander in the desert for forty years.

The tale begins with distinguished tribal members, one from each tribe, who were sent on a mission to scout out the “promised” land. The spies offered up to the Children of Israel their prospects of conquering the land. The spies’ comments caused tremendous discord and dissension. In Moses’ recounting of the tale, he indicated that “Our brothers [the spies] have melted our heart saying, ‘We saw a bigger and taller people than we are, big cities and fortified to the skies, and also giants!'” Deuteronomy 1:28.

Moses then continued: “And I said to you, “Don’t be scared and don’t be afraid of them. The Lord, your God, who is going in front of you, He will fight for you- like everything that he did with you in Egypt before your eyes.” Deuteronomy 1:29-30.

Reading into this passage, one interpretation is that the Children of Israel’s hearts were damaged because they saw themselves as individuals. They looked at their individual prospects of defeating giants and fortifications. They failed to appraise the situation in terms themselves as a nation. They failed to appraise the situation in terms of a people who were covenanted with the deity who delivered them from Egypt. They failed to remember that their deity- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob- had already demonstrated a history of intervening on their behalf. He had produced signs and wonders. The Children of Israel’s calculus, after the gaslighting, failed to consider what they had seen happen occur in Egypt.

Moses, in the passage, reminded the Children of Israel that they have witnessed their Deity’s acts and signs. In essence, they needed to restore trust in their own vision.

This episode falls in line with gaslighting. Its definition includes that the consequences of it can include feelings of powerlessness, confusion, isolation, disorientation, and low self-esteem. Newport Institute. Arguably, these feelings became so ingrained that it prevented a population from taking on one the most challenging of tasks.

Summation

In sum, D’varim presents as a cautionary tale as to gaslighting’s consequences. It is the tale of an entire nation’s momentary loss of faith caused irreparable harm to an entire generation. Further, it is tale of the danger of gaslighting when it is practiced by societal leaders.

Be well!!

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