Torah

The Story of Dama ben Netinah

Who was Dama ben Netinah? Explore the famous Talmudic story of the Gentile merchant who refused a fortune to honor his father, the reward of the Red Heifer, and the deeper rabbinic symbolism behind his life.

Damah ben Netinah, Honoring One's Parents

Sometime in the first century, the Sages found themselves in need of one of the precious stones of the High Priest's Ephod¹. They were told of a merchant in Ashkelon who possessed one, who might be willing to sell it.

His name is Dama ben Netinah. And he is an important figure mentioned in the Talmud. You'll see why in a moment.

Dama's Deal

As the story goes², the Sages made the few-day journey to the Mediterranean coastal city and found Dama at home. Wasting no time, they explained their interest in the stone and offered him six hundred thousand gold dinars³. This was an incredible amount of money; by some rough math, this could be close to a billion dollars today.

Dama indeed owned such a stone, and he went inside to retrieve it. But he came back a moment later, empty-handed. Assuming he was driving a hard bargain, the Sages raised their price. This seems to have gone on for a bit until Dama finally emerged with the item.

Prepared to pay him the full amount, Dama declined, settling on the first amount the Sages offered. They were stunned.

(In some versions of the story, the monetary value varies, but nevertheless, Dama forfeited a large sum of money.)

Dama explained that the stone was inaccessible without waking his father. He accepted their first offer; he just had to wait for his father to awaken to retrieve it. His act of honoring his father serves as a universal lesson for all to follow.

But the story does not end there.

The Red Heifer (Para Adumah)

The following year, a blemish-free Para Adumah (פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה), also known as a Red Heifer, was born in Dama's herd. The Sages viewed this as a reward from Heaven, for his prior good deed.

A kosher and viable Para Adumah is possibly the rarest and most important animal in Jewish law, as its ashes purify those who have contracted corpse impurity.

The Para Adumah is a classic Chok, a Divine decree with no rational explanation. To this day, it remains one of the most mysterious commandments given in the Torah.

The Sages once again made the journey to purchase it. But when Dama named his price, he surprised them again:

"... I know that if I were to ask for all the money in the world you would give it to me. But I ask only that money that I lost due to the honor of Father." - Kiddushin 31a

In one version of the story, Dama was paid 600,000 dinars, which is an interesting number to take note of.

A Gentile Who Lived Torah

I'm aware of the Talmudic approaches to this story, one of which evokes the discussion of who is greater, one who is commanded and fulfills the commands, or one who is not commanded, yet fulfills.

Nevertheless, one thing that stands out is that Dama ben Netinah was not Jewish. Yet, the Sages place Dama at the center of one of the most important mitzvot. They are telling us, look at this man and learn from him!

Dama's act earned him a Divine reward, and we learn that the spiritual system of blessing is not exclusive to Jews alone. Righteous action, whoever performs it, is seen and rewarded.

When one's righteous deed supports and assists the Jewish people in their service of the Creator, a higher level of blessing is unlocked.

Hidden in the Name

I am sure there is more hidden in this story, but there are a few aspects worth noting.

Dama's name (דמה) means likeness, the same word the Torah uses in Genesis 1:26 when G_D said:

"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

For me, the name Dama seems to hint towards humans living into the image and likeness of G_D⁴.

Ashkelon

The city of Ashkelon is interesting too. Ashkelon is one of the cities in the Roman world permitted to mint its own coins. Its name is associated with the root meaning 'to weigh,' the same root behind Shekel.

An idea we've covered before, Jewish tradition teaches that G_D stamps every person (like a coin) with the seal of Adam⁵. And here, Dama, a Gentile in Ashkelon, is living into the image of the Creator by upholding the wisdom of the Torah.

Whether or not the Sages intended this association, the symbolism is there.

600,000

The number 600,000 that I alluded to earlier is also important. This number comes from the Torah, specifically, referencing the number of fighting-age men who stood at Sinai⁶.

In Rabbinic tradition, this number symbolically represents the composite soul of the nation of Israel (Klal Israel כלל ישראל).

Since ancient times, there has been a specific blessing one is to say when they witness a Jewish crowd of this size. As such, the number 600,000 contains deep messianic undertones.

Dama as a Prototype

For me, Dama is a prototype. He represents the growing movement of Righteous Gentiles who have awakened to the mission of Israel. They are actively taking part in bringing about the redemption and helping the Jewish people move toward this goal.

They are studying Torah, donating to these causes, and fighting anti-Semitism where it arises. While some in the Jewish world are not aware of their growing existence, the Creator is. They, like Dama, are contributing to the restoration of holiness in real ways and paying a cost.

The Sage's story affirms that, in the end, their efforts will ultimately be successful, and their losses will be restored beyond measure.