Divine regret

Hi,

"A heretic asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karchah: Do you not say that Gd sees the future? He replied: Yes.

"The heretic asked: But Bereishit 6:6 says, "And He was sad in His heart!" He replied: Have you ever had a son?

"The heretic said: Yes. He asked: And what did you do?

"The heretic said: I was glad, and I made everyone glad! He said: But did you not know he would ultimately die?

"The heretic said: At a time of joy there is joy, at a time of mourning there is mourning. He said: So, too, for Gd…"

אפיקורס אחד שאל את רבי יהושע בן קרחה אמר לו אין אתם אומרים שהקב"ה רואה את הנולד, אמר לו הן, והא כתיב ויתעצב אל לבו, אמר לו נולד לך בן זכר מימיך אמר לו הן, אמר לו מה עשית אמר לו שמחתי ושמחתי את הכל, אמר לו ולא היית יודע שסופו למות, א"ל בשעת חדוותא חדוותא בשעת אבלה אבלה, א"ל כך מעשה לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא 

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 27:4)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The Deep and the Hidden, Part 3 of 3

Hi,

(continued from Thursday, still explaining Daniel 2:22, "He reveals deep and hidden things")

"R' Yehudah bar Simon said: From the beginning of the creation of the world, "He reveals deep and hidden things."

""In the beginning, Gd created the heavens" and He did not explain it. Where did He explain it? Isaiah 40:22, "He extends the heavens like a curtain."

""And the earth" and He did not explain it. Where did He explain it? Job 37:6, "He tells the snow, be [on the] land," and Job 38:38, "When the dirt was hardened into a solid."

""And Gd declared, 'There will be light' and He did not explain it. Where did He explain it? Psalms 104:2, "He is cloaked in light, like a garment.""

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Deep and the Hidden, Part 2 of 3

Hi,

(continued from yesterday)

"Alternatively: "He reveals deep and hidden things" – These are the deeds of the wicked, as in Isaiah 29:15, "Woe, those who dig deep, from Gd";

""Hidden" are the deeds of the wicked, as it continues, "to hide their counsel."

""He knows that which is in darkness" – The deeds of the wicked, as it continues, "Their deeds are in darkness."

""And light resides with Him" – The deeds of the righteous, as in Mishlei 4:18, "The path of the righteous is like radiant light," and Psalms 97:11, "Light is planted for the righteous, etc.""

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Deep and the Hidden, Part 1 of 3

Hi,

Daniel 2:22 says Gd "reveals deep and hidden things". What does this mean?

"R' Yehudah bar Simon began: "He reveals deep and hidden things" –

""He reveals deep" is Gehennom, as in Proverbs 9:18, "[The fool] does not know that spirits are there [in the depths]; those she called are in the depths of the grave," and Isaiah 30:33, "For tifteh was arranged from yesterday; it is even prepared for the king, deep and broad, its pile is fire and a great amount of wood, the breath of Gd is like a stream of sulphur burning there."

""And hidden" is the Garden of Eden, as in Isaiah 4:6, "And [on Mount Zion] there will be shelter for shade by day from dryness, for protection, a hidden place, from storms and rain," and Psalms 31:21, "You hide them in the hidden area of Your presence.""

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 1:6)

To be continued...

Have a great day,
Mordechai