Gd supports the sinner as he sins

Hi,

"A person never sinned against Gd without Gd simultaneously supplying his very existence and the movement of his limbs. Even though the person sins with that strength, Gd does not withhold it from him, at all."

(Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Tomer Devorah 1:1)

גמר חתימה טובה,

Mordechai

Emulating Gd

Hi,

[Note: The following passage seems to be a commentary on Bereishit 1:26-27, in which Gd is described as making humanity in His tzelem and demut.]

"One should emulate the deeds of his Creator, and then he will be aligned with the secret of the higher Form, tzelem and demut. Were he only to resemble the Form [designed by Gd] and not the actions, he would degrade that Form. People would say of him, 'His form is pleasant, but his deeds are ugly.'

"The essence of the tzelem and demut is in one's deeds; what good would it serve for one to have the heavenly Form, the demut of the form of his limbs, but not resemble his Creator in his deeds?"

(Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Tomer Devorah 1)

Gmar tov,

Mordechai

The Fast of Gedalyah

Hi,

We fast on the day after Rosh haShanah; this is called "Tzom Gedalyah," "The Fast of Gedalyah."

The Meaning of the Fast: After the Babylonians destroyed the Temple, they appointed Gedalyah as governor of Israel's Jews. A group of Jews, supported by another nation, wanted the Jews to rebel against the Babylonians, and they accused Gedalyah of sympathizing with the Babylonians. They ambushed him and killed him, and in the aftermath, the remaining Jewish community in Israel went into exile.

This day is commemorated as a public fast from first light to the emergence of the stars.

This year, the day after Rosh HaShanah is Shabbat. Therefore, the fast is pushed off (nidcheh) to Sunday.

Have an easy and meaningful fast,
Mordechai

Sweet foods for Rosh HaShanah

Hi,

"The reason we eat sweet foods is to declare that Gd will decree a good and sweet year for us."

(Maharil, Hilchot Rosh HaShanah 7)

כתיבה וחתימה טובה,
Mordechai

Divine Inspiration, Part 2

Hi,

"The second level of prophecy:

"When a person finds that something has set upon him, a force has newly arrived, and it makes him speak, speaking in wisdom or in praises or in effective instruction, in practical or spiritual matters, and he is awake and using his senses normally, this person may be said to speak with ruach hakodesh.

"With this breed of ruach hakodesh King David composed Tehillim; and Shlomo composed Mishlei, Kohelet and Shir haShirim; and Daniel and Iyov and Divrei haYamim and the rest of the Ketuvim were composed with this breed of ruach hakodesh. Thus they are called Ketuvim ["written"], to say that they were written with ruach hakodesh. And the sages said explicitly, 'The book of Esther was stated with ruach hakodesh'…

"This is not full prophecy, not like 'The word of Gd came to Avram in a vision, saying,' and not like, 'And Gd said to Israel in the visions of the night,' and not like the prophecies of Yeshayahu and Yirmiyahu. Regarding each of them, even though the prophecy came in a dream, the prophecy itself informed him that it was prophecy, coming to him prophetically…

"This level is below that of 'I speak in a dream' [words with which Gd described low-level prophecy] for those who prophesy in a dream do not call it a dream in any way, once the prophecy comes to them in the dream. They declare it a prophecy, entirely. It is as our ancestor Yaakov said when he woke from the prophetic dream; he did not say it was a dream, but he declared, 'Gd is in this place, etc.'… And this is why the nation determined to arrange the book of Daniel among the Ketuvim, not the Neviim."

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 1:45)

כתיבה וחתימה טובה,

Mordechai

An apology; and Divine Inspiration, Part 1

Hi,

First, a personal request: I would like to take a moment to ask everyone receiving this email/RSS feed for mechilah (forgiveness) for anything hurtful or offensive I wrote, or should have written and did not, in the past year. I know that people's sensitivities are varied, but I am not always as careful as I could be. If there was anything at all, please do let me know. I can grow by learning from my mistakes.

The first of the prophetic levels is for Divine aid to accompany a person, moving and energizing him to a great positive deed, like saving an important group from evildoers, or saving a great, important person, or benefiting a large number of people. He will find something moving him to action; this is called "the spirit of Gd." Regarding one who is accompanied by this, the text will say, "the spirit of Gd was powerful upon him," or "the spirit of Gd clothed him," or "the spirit of Gd rested upon him," or "Gd was with him," and similar expressions. This was the level of all of the Jewish judges, regarding whom the Torah said in general that Gd established judges for them, and Gd was with the judge and He rescued them. This is also the level of all of the distinguished counselors of Israel…

And know that a force like this never left Moshe Rabbeinu from the time he reached maturity. This was what motivated him to kill the Egyptian and to halt the wicked one of the two fighters. The power of this force in him was such that after panicking, fleeing and arriving in Midian, a frightened stranger, when he saw a hint of corruption he could not keep himself from eliminating it. He could not bear it! As it says, "And Moshe arose and he saved them."…

None of these [examples of those who experienced ruach hakodesh] was moved to state anything. The purpose of this force is to awaken the strengthened person to a specific action. And it is not for any action that might be at hand, but to help the oppressed, a great person or a community, or to prevent an event that would lead to that [oppression].

And just as not everyone who sees a true dream is a prophet, so, too, not everyone who is accompanied by assistance at a particular event that occurs, like acquiring property or reaching some special goal, can be said to have the spirit of Gd join with him, or to have Gd with him, that he has done something with ruach hakodesh. It is stated regarding one who performs an outstanding great deed, or a deed that leads to that, like Yosef's success in the house of the Egyptian, which was a first cause leading to the great matters which occurred afterward, as has been explained.

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 1:45)

כתיבה וחתימה טובה,
Mordechai

Getting help and receiving forgiveness

Hi,

"One who sins against another, and requests forgiveness and is rejected, should assemble a line of people to appease his former victim… Regarding one who does this, Job 33:28 says, 'He redeems his soul from passing into destruction.'"

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Bava Kama 8:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Is shofar a decree, or a rational statute?

Hi,

Psalms 81:5 says of blowing the shofar that it is "a decree [chok] for Israel, a law [mishpat] for the Gd of Jacob." On this, Malbim explains:

"We do not analyze the reason for this mitzvah of blowing shofar; for Israel it is a law, without any reason other than a decree from Gd. But it is a statute for the Gd of Jacob; Gd knows its reason, and for Him it is statute, not law."

[Note that the terms "law" and "statute" do not truly translate the Hebrew. The point here is to distinguish between chok as a law with power and force without need for explanation, and mishpat as a rational rule.]

(Malbim to Tehillim 81:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Shofar and other musical instruments of Rosh HaShanah

Hi,

"This holiday [Rosh haShanah] is different from all of the other appointed times, in that we blow the shofar on this day. The shofar is always a sign of fright; we normally blow the shofar on fasts for rain or for any other trouble, times when we do not play musical instruments. On Rosh HaShanah, though, the Levites play music in the Beit haMikdash and we also blow the shofar, such that the shofar blast does not frighten the nation."

(Malbim to Tehillim 81:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The connotation of the word "cherem"

Hi,

Note: The word cherem is popularly used to refer to a decree of ex-communication, but among its original uses is a term for dedicating one's property to the Beit haMikdash [Temple]. In the following passage, we see that such an act of dedication might be viewed as a negative.

"All consecration includes two aspects: A negative aspect, in which one renounces mundane benefit, and a positive aspect, in which one delivers the consecrated item to a sacred purpose. 

"In normal consecration, the positive aspect of delivering the item to a sacred purpose is the main action, and the negative aspect of renouncing mundane benefit is only a byproduct. In an act of cherem, though, the negative aspect of renouncing mundane benefit is the primary goal, and the positive sanctification is only a byproduct of that renunciation."

(Commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch to Vayikra 27:28)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Job and the Jews

Hi,

[The following midrash triggers many questions, of course...]

"Yirmiyahu said: When I ascended to Jerusalem I lifted my eyes and saw a woman seated atop the mountain… 

"Yirmiyah said to her: Your blows resemble the blows of Iyov:
Iyov's sons and daughters were taken from him, and your sons and daughters were taken from you. 
I took Iyov's silver and gold, and I took your silver and gold. 
I cast Iyov into the heap, and I made you a heap of manure. 

"And just as I returned and comforted Iyov, so I will return and comfort you:
I doubled Iyov's sons and daughters, and I will double your sons and daughters. 
I doubled Iyov's silver and gold, and I will do so for you. 
I moved Iyov from the heap, and regarding you (in Yeshayah 52:2) it says, "Shake yourself from the dust, arise, return to Jerusalem"…"

(Midrash, Psikta Rabti 26)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rambam on the Identity of Job

Hi,

"The incredible matter of Iyov is of the type we have been discussing, a parable to explain human views regarding Divine supervision. You already know their explanation, and how some have said, 'Iyov did not exist and was not created; he was a parable,' and how those who thought he existed and was created and that his story is about a real event knew neither his time nor his location… This strengthens the view that he did exist and was not created…"

(Rambam, Moreh haNevuchim 3:22)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

How to read the book of Job

Hi,

"The narrative does not stop with the start of Iyov's complaint; rather, it continues throughout the book. Each presentation is another layer in the narrative… 

"The narrative and the conversations (presentations) complete each other and need each other. We could not understand the conversations unless we would first read the narrative at the start of the book. And the story itself would be neither complete nor comprehensible if we would skip the presentations and pass from the story at the start to the story at the end. And even the story at the start and the story at the end include conversations, which are essential to understanding the flow of ideas in the book…"

(Amos Chacham, Daat Mikra Introduction to Iyov, pg. 9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Don't flatter Gd

Hi,

"Daniel said [when addressing Gd in prayer], "The powerful, the great, the awesome," but he did not include [the standard Mosaic text], "the mighty." His children are in chains, where is His might?... 

"But is flesh and blood empowered to make such decisions?! Rabbi Yitzchak ben Elazar said: His prophets know that their Gd is a Gd of truth, and so they do not flatter Him."

(Talmud Yerushalmi Berachot 7:3)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Leaders who challenged Gd

Hi,

"And Rabbi Elazar said: Chanah launched words heavenward, as Shemuel I 1:10 says, 'And she prayed upon Gd' – this teaches that she launched words heavenward.

"And Rabbi Elazar said: Eliyahu launched words heavenward, as Melachim I 18:37 says, 'You turned their hearts back.' Rabbi Shemuel bar R' Yitzchak said: How do we know that Gd acknowledged this to Eliyahu? Michah 4:6 says, '[I will gather in] those whom I made ra.'…

"And Rabbi Elazar said: Moshe launched words heavenward, as Bamidbar 11:2 says, 'And Moshe prayed to Gd' – read it not as 'to Gd' but as 'upon Gd.' Rabbi Yannai's yeshiva taught it from Devarim 1:1, 'ודי זהב' – Moshe said before Gd, 'Master of the universe! The silver and gold You flowed upon the Jews until they said די [enough] is what caused them to create the calf!'"

(Talmud, Berachot 31b-32a)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The meaning of the number 7

Hi,

"Just as the miraculous act performed by Gd in Creation was done in six days, halting on the seventh day, so, too - to demonstrate to the nations and leaders that the conquest of Jericho was a Divine act, meaning marvelous and miraculous, like initial Creation - He commanded that they make seven circuits of Jericho in seven days, with seven kohanim and seven shofarot, to hint that this deed would be of the same type as that first Divine deed.

"This was also the purpose and reason for the mitzvah of Shabbat and of shemitah, regarding which the Torah also says 'a Shabbat for Gd', hinting at Shabbat of Creation."

(Abarbanel to Yehoshua 6)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Defining "Jewish Philosophy"

Hi,

My apologies for my absence these past few days; it was due to illness.

"Any interpretation, from whatever foreign source it may originate, that acknowledges Gd, Israel and the Torah as historic realities, and attempts to provide the metaphysical or theological corollary to the facts and events for which they stand, may well be incorporated in a Jewish philosophy. On the other hand, any interpretation that attempts to substitute the idea, the metaphysics, and the philosophy for the historic reality, cannot be called Jewish."

(Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits, What is Jewish Philosophy?, pp. 121-122)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Shabbat and the Exodus from Egypt

Hi,

"We say in kiddush [that Shabbat is] 'a memorial for the exodus from Egypt,' as stated in Pesachim 117b; the Tur strained regarding this, for Shabbat commemorates Creation! He explained that the phrase refers to 'days of holy convocation' – [the line in kiddush should read: 'it is the first of the days of holy convocation, which are a memorial for the exodus from Egypt.'

"In the name of Rambam, the Tur wrote that Shabbat itself commemorates the exodus from Egypt, for in the exodus from Egypt it was clarified that He is Divine, first, creating, desiring and capable, and this is what Shabbat itself teaches.

"But Ibn Ezra wrote simply that Shabbat commemorates Creation, and the rest of the slave on Shabbat commemorates the exodus from Egypt. This is explicit in the second appearance of the Commandments (Devarim 5:14), 'So that your male and female slave will rest like you, and you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, etc.'"

(Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 271:27)

Have a great day,

Mordechai