The pagan Dama has a lot to teach us Jews TB Avodah Zara 23b-24a

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that your God YHVH is assigning to you. (Exodus 20:12) ” is the fifth commandment of the 10 Commandments. Dappim TB Avodah Zarah 23b-24a show us that the pagan  Dama has a lot to teach us as Jews.

“The Sages asked Rabbi Eliezer: To what extent must one exert himself to fulfill the mitzva of honoring one’s father and mother? Rabbi Eliezer said to them: Go and see what a certain gentile did for his father in Ashkelon, and his name is Dama ben Netina. Once, the Sages sought to purchase precious stones from him for the ephod of the High Priest for six hundred thousand gold dinars’ profit, and Rav Kahana teaches that it was eight hundred thousand dinars’ profit. But the keys to the chest holding the jewels were placed under his father’s head, and he would not disturb him.” (Sefaria.org translation)

I believe that this story teaches us three important lessons. The first lesson is that most of us don’t fulfill the mitzvah of honoring parents to the extent that it is required of us. If were honest, we need to be meticulous in the honoring our parents. The second lesson is that a wise person learns from everybody as Ben Zoma taught: “who is wise? He who learns from everyone. (Avot 4:1)” The rabbis were not hesitant using a pagan as a positive role model for Jews to emulate.

The story concludes with Dama’s reward for honoring his father by not disturbing his sleep. “In a subsequent year, a red heifer was born in Dama’s herd and the Sages of Israel approached him, seeking to purchase the heifer. Dama said to them: I know concerning you that if I were to ask from you all the money in the world, you would give it to me. Now I am requesting from you only that amount of money which I lost by refraining from waking my father.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Dama has another quality that we should emulate. He is a person of integrity. Red heifers are very rare in nature. Two or three black or white hairs invalidate the heifer as a red heifer. In fact, in our entire history there has only been seven red heifers. Dama could have extorted the rabbis for a lot more money than the 800,000 gold dinars, but he didn’t.