Four factors in aging

Hi,

"Four factors cause old age to leap upon a person:

1. Fear as in the case of King David (Divrei haYamim I 21:30);

2. Anger regarding one's children as in the case of Eli (Shemuel I 2:22);

3. A bad spouse as in the case of King Solomon (Melachim I 11:4);

4. War as in the case of Yehoshua (Yehoshua 13:1)."

(Midrash Tanchuma, Parshat Chayyei Sarah 2)

המצפה לישועה,

Mordechai

Go after wisdom!

Hi,

Hi,

"Mishlei 9:5 says, 'Go eat my bread and drink the wine of my pouring.'

"In this verse, King Solomon compared Torah to bread and wine, because bread and wine are the essential foods of the body. So Torah and wisdom are the essential food of the spirit.

"He said 'Go' rather than 'Come' to teach that one must go after wisdom and its students. As Mishlei 13:20 says, 'One who goes with sages will become wise.' It should have said 'One who sits with sages,' and it said 'goes' to clarify that one should always go after them and join himself to them, and thus he will become wise.

"Alternatively, 'Go' means that one must go even to distant lands to learn Torah. Thus it says, 'Go eat my bread,' go to distant lands to eat my bread."

לְכוּ לַחֲמוּ בְלַחְמִי וּשְׁתוּ בְּיַיִן מָסָכְתִּי. (משלי ט, ה).

שלמה המלך ע"ה המשיל התורה בפסוק זה ללחם ויין לפי שהלחם והיין עיקר המזון אשר לגוף, כן התורה והחכמה עיקר מזון הנפש, והזכיר לשון "לכו" ולא אמר "בואו", להורות שיצטרך האדם שילך אחרי החכמה ואחרי לומדיה, כענין שכתוב: (משלי יג, כ) "הולך את חכמים יחכם", והיה לו לומר "יושב את חכמים" והזכיר "הולך" לבאר שילך תמיד אחריהם ושיעשה עצמו טפל להם ועם זה יחכם. או יהיה ענין "לכו", שיצטרך ללכת אפילו לארץ מרחקים ללמוד תורה, וזהו שאמר: לכו לחמו בלחמי, לכו לארץ מרחקים ללחום לחמי.

(Rabbeinu Bechayye to Devarim 31:2)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Divine willingness to hear prayer

Hi,

Proverbs 15:29 says, "Gd is distant from the wicked, and the prayer of the righteous He hears."

"R' Acha bar Chanina said: How much harsher is Solomon's wisdom than that of his father! David said (Psalms 145), 'Gd is close to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth,' and Solomon said, 'Gd is distant from the wicked'! [But] these are the ones who do not repent at all."

(Midrash Mishlei 15:29)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

Symbolism

Hi,

On the power of symbolism:

"Our sages taught: Kings are annointed only next to a spring, to indicate that their monarchy should flow forth, as it is written, 'And King David said, 'Bring him (Solomon) down to the Gichon and annoint him there.'"

(Talmud, Keritot 5b)

Have a great day,

Mordechai

The music of idols

Hi,

"When Solomon married the daughter of the Pharaoh, she brought him one thousand musical instruments. She said, "So they play for this idol, and so they play for this idol," and he did not protest."

(Talmud, Shabbat 56b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Does Gd listen to the prayers of the wicked?

Hi,

Mishlei 15:29 – “Gd is distant from the wicked, and He will hear the prayers of the righteous.”

“Rabbi Acha bar Chanina said: Come and see how Shlomo’s wisdom is so much harsher than the wisdom of his father. David said, ‘Gd is close to all who call Him, to all who call Him in truth (Tehillim 145:18),’ and Shlomo said, ‘Gd is distant from the wicked,’ meaning those who do not repent, ‘and He will hear the prayers of the righteous’ when they pray with the community.”

(Midrash Mishlei 15:29)

Have a great day,
Mordechai