"Miracles were performed in connection with the gates of Nicanor and his memory was praised" (Yoma 37a)

"What miracles were preformed in connection with his doors? When Nicanor went to Alexandria in Egypt to bring them, on his return a huge wave threatened to engulf the boat. Thereupon they took one of the doors and cast it into the sea but still the sea continued to rage. When they prepared to cast the other one into the sea, Nicanor rose and clung to it saying 'cast me into the sea with it '. The sea immediately became calm. He was, however, deeply grieved about the other door. As they reached the harbor of Akko, it broke the surface and appeared from under the side of the boat. Others say a sea monster swallowed it and spit it out onto dry land... Subsequently all the gates of the Sanctuary were changed for golden ones except for the gates of Nicanor (which were of bronze) because of the miracles done with them. And some say that they remained because the bronze of which they were made had a golden hue." (Yoma 38a)

I would like to briefly focus on two shorter themes before addressing the central idea. Nicanor progresses from gift giving to a more enduring dedication as the authentic volunteering spirit ultimately demands more than writing a check or even more than making the doors. It involves an ongoing commitment to insuring that the gift leads to the desired result. Nicanor's decision on the boat to save the second door represents this long lasting participation in a good cause. The end of the story also steers us in a clear direction. Why were Nicanor's doors left in place went they were the sole doors not refurbished in gold? One possibility is that the hue of the bronze meant that there was no great aesthetic difference. The other possibility is that an object's history often proves more powerful than the beauty of its appearance. Just as a couple might keep the first couch they bought despite its ugliness, the doors of Nicanor generated a profound impression even when they could not match the beauty of the other doors.

A sensitive reader of the story (as my havrutah Steve Nadell realized immediately) can not help but notice the parallels with the story of Yona. There is a storm at sea and something needs to be thrown overboard to save the ship. A sea creature swallows what was cast into the ocean and spits it out onto dry land. Clearly, this tale must either be compared or contrasted with that of Yona. It seems to me that a sharp contrast emerges. Yona is passive during the early parts of the storm, sleeping in the lower decks as the other sailors pray. While he does agree to be cast into the sea, this seems to reflect more an apathetic stance that it does not truly matter what happens than an act of fierce heroism. Nicanor by contrast, risks his life precisely because he cares deeply. One can choose to sacrifice out of indifference or out of idealism. The challenge is to emulate Nicanor's sacrifice and not that of Yona.