T181 PNC - Bond Against One Person — Aggregated Honor / Curses Uphold You (2 segs)

When individuals form a bond against one person — even if he is more prominent and spiritually greater than they are — they can nevertheless cause his downfall. This happens because their individual portions of honor (kavod) aggregate and combine, nullifying his own portion of kavod. Even though each individual has only a small portion of honor compared to the great person they oppose, the combined force of many small portions can overpower a single large portion. This is a sobering teaching: even the greatest tzaddik or leader is not immune from the combined opposition of many people. Their combined intent, combined kavod-portions, create a force that can affect even someone far above their individual spiritual levels.

Yet there is a deeper comfort from the Midrash (Tanchuma, Parashat Nitzavim): the verse 'You are standing' appears adjacent to the section of curses — to indicate that the very curses are what uphold you. The apparent negatives, the afflictions and oppositions, ultimately provide stability and elevation. The person who is the target of a group's opposition — if he remains firm, if he does not collapse — is ultimately upheld and sustained by the very curses directed at him. This is the paradox of persecution: the forces meant to destroy end up strengthening. The great tzaddik who faces the combined opposition of many, and who does not break, emerges from the experience not only intact but elevated — because the curses themselves become a foundation for his continued standing.