We consider talent and ability to be a blessing and it certainly is. But such gifts can also be a curse as the 19th century sage, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin points out. Samson, (whose birth story is narrated in the Haftorah) is a prime example of how a blessing can also become a curse.

Typically, during the biblical era, one who had a yearning to increase his piety would voluntarily expect upon himself the Nazarite vow for a limited period of time. During this period, the individual would live an ascetic lifestyle, abstaining from wine, refrain from cutting his hair as well as having contact with the dead. But Samson was the exception to the rule. Even before he was conceived, his parents were told by an angel of God that their son would live his entire life as a Nazarite. As the young Samson grew, the divine spirit resonated throughout the land, for the land had been blessed through Samson. The only problem was that Samson viewed the blessing as a curse. This ultimately led to the mighty man’s downfall. 

Samson’s Philistine wife, Delilah, repeatedly asked Samson to reveal the secret of his strength, hoping that this would allow her countrymen to finally capture their nemesis. Samson told Deliah that if she bound him with seven wet twines, he would lose his strength. As a Philistine ambush party lay in wait nearby, she bound her husband and  cried out, “the Philistines are upon you Samson.”........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)