Whose opinion do we value?

Hi,

"[When Rabbi Eliezer was dying,] his students said to him: Our master, bless us!

"He said to them: May it be Gd's will that you are as intimidated by heaven as you are by flesh and blood.

"His students said to him: Is that it? [Meaning: Would that be the greatest level we could achieve?]

"He said to them: I wish [you would achieve that much]! You know this, for when a person sins he says, 'I hope people don't see me.'"

(Talmud, Berachot 28b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Abbaye's peace plan

Hi,

"Abbaye was wont to say: One should always be clever in [developing] reverence [for Gd]; a soft response dispels rage; one should increase peace with his brothers, relatives and all people, including a non-Jew in the market, to be beloved above and pleasant below, and he will be accepted by people."

מרגלא בפומיה דאביי: לעולם יהא אדם ערום ביראה, מענה רך משיב חמה ומרבה שלום עם אחיו ועם קרוביו ועם כל אדם, ואפילו עם נכרי בשוק, כדי שיהא אהוב למעלה ונחמד למטה, ויהא מקובל על הבריות. 

(Talmud, Berachot 17a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah is not enough

Hi,

"Rabbah bar Rav Huna said: Any person who has Torah but does not have awe of Heaven is like a storehouse manager who has been given keys to the inner doors but not to the outer doors; how will he get inside?"

(Talmud, Shabbat 31a-b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Motives for mitzvot

Hi,

"In one Talmudic passage it seems that performing mitzvot due to love or fear [one potential translation of the Hebrew word יראה] is good, and in another passage it sounds as though it is bad!

"Rabbeinu Yitzchak explained: Performing a mitzvah due to love for Gd or awe [a second potential translation of the Hebrew word יראה] of Gd is praiseworthy. Performing a mitzvah out of love for a person or awe of a person is not as good.

"Additionally, as Rashi pointed out, performing a mitzvah out of love for reward is not as good. This applies to someone who would regret his good behavior if he would not receive reward. 'יראה,' then, refers to fear of punishment."

(Tosafot to Talmud Yevamot 48b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

A new Fear of Gd?

Hi,

"To fear G-d [in our era] is to fear abandonment by G-d. The desolate soul is less frequently overwhelmed by G-d's numinous presence than by His thundering absence. In a word, the dominant emotion of spiritual apprehension is anxiety rather than fear."

(R' Shalom Carmy, "Yet My Soul Drew Back", Tradition 41:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The soul is hidden

Hi,

"Every Jewish soul experiences awe of, and loves, Gd. It is only that she is buried in a reed mat (reference to Berachot 18b), hidden in the body, and so her love and awe are also buried."

(R' Klonymus Kalman Schapira, Bnei Machshavah Tovah, Seder Hadrachah uKlalim 14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Love and Awe

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: One who acts [for Gd] out of love is greater than one who acts out of awe...

"There were two students of Rava. One said: I was told in a dream, 'How great is Your goodness, which You have stored for those who are in awe of You.' The other said: I was told in a dream, 'All who trust in You will be glad, and will sing eternally... those who love Your Name will rejoice in You.'

"Rava said: Both of you are completely righteous, one out of love and the other out of awe."


(Talmud, Sotah 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

No justice, No joy - Part II

Hi,

Continuing from yesterday's link between the dissolution of the Sanhedrin and the end of musical celebration, the Talmud Yerushalmi clarifies that the loss of the Sanhedrin led to the sages banning song:

"Rav Chisda said: In the beginning the awe of the Sanhedrin was upon them, and people did not say repellent things in their songs. Now that the awe of the Sanhedrin is not upon them, they say repellent things in their songs."

(Talmud Yerushalmi Sotah 9:12)

Have a good day,
Mordechai

Praying at sunrise/sunset

Hi,

"Rabbi Yosi bar Chanina would pray with the partial appearance of the sun, so that he would live in awe of Heaven all day."

(Talmud Yerushalmi, Berachot 4:1)

Pnei Moshe explained: He would pray Shacharit at sunrise, so as to experience awe of Heaven for the rest of the day.

Sefer Charedim explained: He would pray Minchah at the approach of sunset, so as to experience awe of Heaven for the following night and the ensuing day.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Awe of Gd and Torah growth: A proportional relationship

Hi,

An interesting proportional relationship between spiritual and intellectual development

"A person is able to absorb and retain an amount of Torah in direct proportion to the degree of awe of Gd he has developed for himself."

(R' Chaim of Volozhin, Nefesh haChaim 5:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Almost all is in the hands of Heaven

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina said: All is in the hands of Heaven, except awe of Heaven, as it is written (Deuteronomy 10), 'Now, Israel, what does Gd ask of you other than to have awe of Him...'"

(Talmud, Niddah 16b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Remember Gd

Hi,

"The essence of awe of Gd (Yirat HaShem) is awe of Gd's greatness; a person must think, while he prays or performs a mitzvah, that he is praying or performing that action before the King of Kings."

(R' Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Mesilat Yesharim, Chapter 19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai