Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Shalom
MassuhDGoodName:
Re: "To just say 'The Talmud' is useless... "
True.
I'll have to go look in The Talmud and I'll let you know later.
AsheDina:
In Genesis, there is some type evil serpent thing that talks and is deceitful. Job talks about some type accuser. If you need to look to see if there is a demon, look no further than the white House, you will find the most evil demon alive.
Genesis Chapter 3 בְּרֵאשִׁית
א וְהַנָּחָשׁ, הָיָה עָרוּם, מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים; וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-הָאִשָּׁה, אַף כִּי-אָמַר אֱלֹהִים, לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן. 1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman: 'Yea, hath God said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'
ב וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה, אֶל-הַנָּחָשׁ: מִפְּרִי עֵץ-הַגָּן, נֹאכֵל. 2 And the woman said unto the serpent: 'Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
ג וּמִפְּרִי הָעֵץ, אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹךְ-הַגָּן--אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, וְלֹא תִגְּעוּ בּוֹ: פֶּן-תְּמֻתוּן. 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.'
ד וַיֹּאמֶר הַנָּחָשׁ, אֶל-הָאִשָּׁה: לֹא-מוֹת, תְּמֻתוּן. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman: 'Ye shall not surely die;
ה כִּי, יֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים, כִּי בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְכֶם מִמֶּנּוּ, וְנִפְקְחוּ עֵינֵיכֶם; וִהְיִיתֶם, כֵּאלֹהִים, יֹדְעֵי, טוֹב וָרָע. 5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.'
ו וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה כִּי טוֹב הָעֵץ לְמַאֲכָל וְכִי תַאֲוָה-הוּא לָעֵינַיִם, וְנֶחְמָד הָעֵץ לְהַשְׂכִּיל, וַתִּקַּח מִפִּרְיוֹ, וַתֹּאכַל; וַתִּתֵּן גַּם-לְאִישָׁהּ עִמָּהּ, וַיֹּאכַל. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
ז וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה, עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם, וַיֵּדְעוּ, כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם; וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה, וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגֹרֹת. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles.
ח וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת-קוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, מִתְהַלֵּךְ בַּגָּן--לְרוּחַ הַיּוֹם; וַיִּתְחַבֵּא הָאָדָם וְאִשְׁתּוֹ, מִפְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, בְּתוֹךְ, עֵץ הַגָּן. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
ט וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, אֶל-הָאָדָם; וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, אַיֶּכָּה. 9 And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him: 'Where art thou?'
י וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶת-קֹלְךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּגָּן; וָאִירָא כִּי-עֵירֹם אָנֹכִי, וָאֵחָבֵא. 10 And he said: 'I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.'
יא וַיֹּאמֶר--מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ, כִּי עֵירֹם אָתָּה; הֲמִן-הָעֵץ, אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְבִלְתִּי אֲכָל-מִמֶּנּוּ--אָכָלְתָּ. 11 And He said: 'Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?'
יב וַיֹּאמֶר, הָאָדָם: הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה עִמָּדִי, הִוא נָתְנָה-לִּי מִן-הָעֵץ וָאֹכֵל. 12 And the man said: 'The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.'
יג וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים לָאִשָּׁה, מַה-זֹּאת עָשִׂית; וַתֹּאמֶר, הָאִשָּׁה, הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי, וָאֹכֵל. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman: 'What is this thou hast done?' And the woman said: 'The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.'
יד וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶל-הַנָּחָשׁ, כִּי עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת, אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל-הַבְּהֵמָה, וּמִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה; עַל-גְּחֹנְךָ תֵלֵךְ, וְעָפָר תֹּאכַל כָּל-יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent: 'Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
טו וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית, בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה, וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ, וּבֵין זַרְעָהּ: הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ, וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב. {ס} 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.' {S}
טז אֶל-הָאִשָּׁה אָמַר, הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה עִצְּבוֹנֵךְ וְהֵרֹנֵךְ--בְּעֶצֶב, תֵּלְדִי בָנִים; וְאֶל-אִישֵׁךְ, תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ, וְהוּא, יִמְשָׁל-בָּךְ. {ס} 16 Unto the woman He said: 'I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.' {S}
יז וּלְאָדָם אָמַר, כִּי-שָׁמַעְתָּ לְקוֹל אִשְׁתֶּךָ, וַתֹּאכַל מִן-הָעֵץ, אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לֵאמֹר לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ--אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה, בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ, בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכְלֶנָּה, כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. 17 And unto Adam He said: 'Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
יח וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר, תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ; וְאָכַלְתָּ, אֶת-עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה. 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.
יט בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ, תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם, עַד שׁוּבְךָ אֶל-הָאֲדָמָה, כִּי מִמֶּנָּה לֻקָּחְתָּ: כִּי-עָפָר אַתָּה, וְאֶל-עָפָר תָּשׁוּב. 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'
כ וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ, חַוָּה: כִּי הִוא הָיְתָה, אֵם כָּל-חָי. 20 And the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
כא וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים לְאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ, כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר--וַיַּלְבִּשֵׁם. {פ} 21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. {P}
כב וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ, לָדַעַת, טוֹב וָרָע; וְעַתָּה פֶּן-יִשְׁלַח יָדוֹ, וְלָקַח גַּם מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים, וְאָכַל, וָחַי לְעֹלָם. 22 And the LORD God said: 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.'
כג וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, מִגַּן-עֵדֶן--לַעֲבֹד, אֶת-הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר לֻקַּח, מִשָּׁם. 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
כד וַיְגָרֶשׁ, אֶת-הָאָדָם; וַיַּשְׁכֵּן מִקֶּדֶם לְגַן-עֵדֶן אֶת-הַכְּרֻבִים, וְאֵת לַהַט הַחֶרֶב הַמִּתְהַפֶּכֶת, לִשְׁמֹר, אֶת-דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים. {ס} 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life. {S}
Kahane-Was-Right BT:
--- Quote from: AsheDina on October 10, 2010, 10:49:48 PM --- If you need to look to see if there is a demon, look no further than the white House, you will find the most evil demon alive.
--- End quote ---
lol
muman613:
Do you understand what the HaSatan in the garden was doing? It was not the devil, it was acting as the evil inclination yet it was external from Chava. If you look at how the serpent deceived Chava it is because she incorrectly states that Hashem forbid her and Adam to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when all which was commanded was not to eat of the tree. The yetzer hara, which was external before the sin, used her own weakness against her. This is one of the important lessons of Beresheit, and how we can conquer our own yetzer haras.
It is also important to realize that if only Adam had done teshuva instead of blaming Chava for eating from the tree, then things could have been different.
HaSatan only does his job, which he was created to do from the day all the Melochim were created.
http://www.torah.org/learning/kolhakollel/5763/vayishlach.html?print=1
--- Quote ---Kol Hakollel
Vayishlach
Giving Satan What He Really Wants
By Rabbi Pinchas Avruch
At the conclusion of the struggle between Yaakov (Jacob) and a strange man - which the Medrash clarifies was Satan himself, functioning as the Guardian Angel of Yaakov's brother Esav (Esau) - the Angel of Evil begs Yaakov to allow him to depart. "Then [the angel] said, 'Let me go, for dawn has broken.'" (Beraishis/ Genesis 32:27). The Talmud (Tractate Chulin 91b) explains that Yaakov initially asked him if he was a thief or a gambler, since he feared the break of dawn. The stranger replied, "I am an angel, and from the moment of my creation I have never had the opportunity to sing Shira (song of Divine praise) until now!" Why did this angel, just defeated and disgraced, and never before allowed to sing Shira, have to sing right now?
Michtav Me'Eliyahu (collected writings and discourses of Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler (1891-1954) of London and B'nai Brak, one of the outstanding personalities and thinkers of the Mussar movement) elucidates that, while every creation has the potential to sing Shira, indeed, it is only sung when that creation reaches its loftiest spiritual levels, when it achieves perfection in its purpose. The Children of Israel, who witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea (see Shemos/Exodus 15), had the most profound, intimate appreciation of G-d's presence in the Universe - the Medrash Yalkut Shimoni explains that a maidservant at the Sea beheld visions of the Divine Glory that the great prophet Yechezkiel/Ezekiel was never able to envision - therefore, at the conclusion of this fantastic miracle they sang Shira, the Song of the Sea. Similarly, the Angel of Esav, at the moment he was defeated by Yaakov in the ultimate external expression of man's internal fortitude to quash his inclination for evil, fulfilled his Divine mission of enabling and facilitating the spiritual growth and elevation of the G-d fearing Jew. His G-d given charge now accomplished, he was now - as never before - suited to sing Shira.
Thus, the Yetzer Hara (the evil inclination: Satan's personal tampering with one's thoughts creating each individual's temptation to sin and do wrong) finds success in failure and failure in success. As a servant of the King of Kings, he serves with gusto, always trying to pull the Jew away from G-d. But his success in our failure ultimately serves to detract from G-d's glory, a phenomenon that pains him immensely. As relentless as he is to gain in his objective of stunting our spiritual growth, he wishes he would lose the battle. His true Divine objective is to challenge us to fail so that we may overcome him and grow from that challenge. Ultimately, when he loses, he wins.
And just how does Satan thrive with such a backward assignment? Because it is only through him that creation has purpose. Without him there is no "choice" in the world, no reason to want to do anything but fulfill G-d's will. But such service would be empty and devoid of meaning. G-d's essential expression of kindness in creation is His allowance for us to develop and grow in our "G-d consciousness", to actively foster a relationship with Him through fulfillment of the mitzvos (Divine commands) of His Torah while resisting the tug of the Yetzer Hara to do otherwise.
Intellectually, we know the Yetzer Hara would love nothing more than to fail. The least we can do is work to accommodate him.
Have a Good Shabbos!
--- End quote ---
http://www.shemayisrael.com/parsha/leff/archives/vayish.htm
--- Quote ---Struggling With Angels
Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn (Bereishis 32 24).
A society in which technology enables us to deal effortlessly with many of life's difficulties raises the issue of the value of challenges and struggles. The Torah's view on this question lies at the center of the account of the struggle between Yaakov and the angel.
According to one Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 77:3) the angel who confronted Yaakov was Esav's archangel, Satan himself. He came to obstruct and deter Yaakov on his return to Eretz Yisrael. Another Midrash however, says that the angel was Michael, the patron of Yaakov and the Jewish people. To make matters even more difficult, Rashbam writes that Yaakov sought to run away from Esav, and Michael came to restrain him by demonstrating to Yaakov that Hashem's promise to him would be fulfilled.
To resolve these seeming contradictions we must understand the Torah's view of man's struggle. Mesilas Yesharim describes life as one of struggle. Hashem put the neshamah (soul) into a physical body in order for it to earn Olam Haba through its efforts to overcome the yetzer hara. It is this struggle which elevates a person and enables him to reach the ultimate goal of achieving the World to Come.
Upon his return to Eretz Yisrael, Yaakov wanted to sit in peace after all the trials of his life: flight from his brother Esav, life in the house of Lavan, the tragedy with Dinah and the death of Rachel. He came back to Eretz Yisrael ready to begin a life of tranquillity. Immediately, Yosef was taken away. Hashem responded, says the Midrash, by saying "Is that which is prepared for tzaddikim in the next world not enough? Do they also want to have tranquillity in this world?"
Is it, then, impossible for a tzaddik to have good in both worlds? Do Chazal not tell us that not everyone merits two tables - this world and the next-thereby implying that some do merit both?
Like all rhetorical questions, that of Hashem in the Midrash is really a statement of fact. Man was put into this world to grow, not to remain stationary. Through that growth man acquires an ever greater portion in the World to Come. Respite from outside tensions is not an invitation to take it easy but an opportunity to exert oneself more in attaining perfection. The problem with Yaakov's desire for tranquillity was in the fact that he sought to sit, to remain at rest, and not to utilize his respite to be able to redouble his efforts.
Hashem responded, "It is not enough what is already prepared for the tzaddik in Olam Haba. It is never enough. There is always potential for more. And yet he wants to remain at rest?" Hashem will not permit that, for it is detrimental for the tzaddik. And therefore Yaakov was presented with a new challenge-the sale of Yosef- to prevent him from remaining static.
The struggle between Yaakov and the angel has far reaching significance for us today. The Talmud says that the dust kicked up by Yaakov and the angel reached up to the Throne of Glory, signifying the effect of that struggle on all future Jewish history. (The Throne of Glory represents God's Providence. the guiding force in history.)
During the struggle the angel took on different disguises. According to one opinion, he came as a talmid chacham. Another opinion says that he came as a robber. Sometimes a person wants to elevate himself, but something stands in his way. That is the Satan- the robber - who seeks to deny the person what he wants. That denial is to challenge him and cause him to appreciate all the more his accomplishments. On the other hand, there is the angel who tries to pull a person up when he wants to stay put. That is Michael, the talmid chacham. Yaakov wanted to avoid problems; Michael forced the struggle upon him in order to elevate him higher.
At the end of the night, the angel asked to be set free, but Yaakov refused. While at the beginning of the night Yaakov sought to avoid the confrontation, by night's end he realized that the struggle was essential to his very existence.
And why did the angel want to go? He wanted to sing to Hashem. His time to sing only came in the morning. Rabbi Dessler explains that when an angel fulfills its purpose, that is the song it sings. The angel, whether it be Satan or Michael, exists to give us the chance to fight and be successful, and when we are successful then the angel, too, has fulfilled its mission.
In this light we can understand why the angel did not tell Yaakov his name. Angels' names change with their function. Yaakov's struggle represents all struggles Jews have faced and will face throughout history. Each man's struggles in life are different, depending on his unique nature. What is easy for one person is difficult for another. Thus, every person has a slightly different Satan and Michael to fight with. Consequently, the angel could not give a single name.
Where does a person derive the power to carry on these struggles? The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 771) states: "There is none like God; yet who is like God? Jeshurun [which means Yisrael, the Patriarchl. Just as it is written of God, 'And the Lord alone shall be exalted' (Isaiah 211). So, too, of Yaakov: 'And Yaakov was left alone' (Bereishis 32 25).'
Both Hashem and Israel possess the quality of being alone. No outside power has an effect on Hashem. Nothing adds to or subtracts from His Essence. A Jew has the power to a certain degree to emulate Hashem in this respect. If a person has the inner strength of character and knows who he is, then nothing external, no problem or challenge, can deter him. He recognizes that all external obstacles are just that -external. He remains strong, for his essence remains untouched. He knows that even if he fails it is only in unessential matters. He may be slowed down but he perseveres; he is not overwhelmed.
And what is the inner strength of a Jew-Torah. Yaakov is the personification of Torah. He represents the strength of character that Torah builds.
Yaakov was wounded in the thigh. Midrash Tanchuma relates that the angel wanted to know how Yaakov could keep up the fight for so long, and concluded that he must be an angel himself. The difference between angels and humans is that angels do not have a hip joint. They cannot sit. An angel is always ready for action. Consequently, he never becomes depressed or overwhelmed. A human does not have this ability. He can be overwhelmed by a situation, causing him to give up and sit down in inactivity.
The angel struck Yaakov in the hip joint and saw that he was a man. Yaakov was wounded; he had failed a little; but he did not give up and become depressed. Because he knew who he and what he was, he could overcome; it was only a minor setback and he continued the struggle. A tzaddik can fall seven times and still continue to get up. He deals with each failure and remains in control.
The Torah gives us a constant reminder of Yaakov's struggle the prohibition on eating the aid hanasheh (the sciatic nerve). Sforno explains that we thereby show that the place where Yaakov was wounded is not important. That is how a person must deal with failure. When you fail in one area you cannot become de- pressed over it. What's the aid hanasheh-nothing important. We throw it away. Every time a person refrains from eating the aid hanasheh, he is reminded not to be overwhelmed by adversity.
Each negative prohibition in the Torah corresponds to a different day of the year. The aid hanasheh corresponds to Tishah B'Av, a day of destruction. Other nations would have been devastated by the loss of their land and independence. But Klal Yisrael continues on, even in galus. 'God thrust us into the darkness'-this refers to the Babylonian Talmud" (Sanhedrin 24a). Out of the darkness of galus, the Chafetz Chaim explains, comes the incentive to achieve, to produce. It is the darkness that is the motivating force in the continuation and enhancement of the Oral Torah - Talmud Bavli. Klal Yisrael was wounded when we had to leave Eretz Yisrael, but we continued to function and gain strength through the struggle.
Chazal say that when the First Temple was destroyed, the cherubim embraced each other. One represented God and the other Yisrael. Hashem shook us to our very foundation by destroying the Beis Hamikdash and forcing us to limp away into galus, but at the same time He guaranteed that we retain the ability to return.
Failure itself is the incentive to rise and continue. It is challenges and struggles that give a person the chance to turn his life around. Every negative thing in life can be used in a positive way. Rabbi Dessler points out that the word, evil, inverted is, awaken. Evil is there for the purpose of awakening a person. Setbacks and obstacles in a person's life are not there to immobilize him, but to offer a challenge, something to fight against in order to strengthen himself and earn his ultimate reward.
Since Yaakov can now distinguish between the peripheral and the essential, he is no longer Yaakov but Yisrael. The name Yisrael signifies his worthiness to receive the blessing. The name Yisrael represents struggle with man and angel. Because he struggled he came face to face with Hashem. The struggle is the essence of the name Yisrael.
That, too, is the greatness of Klal Yisrael. We deserve Hashem's blessing because we have the strength of character, derived from the Torah, to be able to struggle even when we are wounded. Yaakov's name is changed but not completely. The name Yaakov still remains because the struggle goes on. At times we will be Yisrael and win; sometimes we will go back to being Yaakov. Life is full of ups and downs. But we realize that we have the potential of being Yisrael even when we are Yaakov, facing the setbacks and disappointments of life; we may be slowed down, but we will not give up.
In the end, the angel left Yaakov wounded, but he did not sit down and bemoan his fate; he limped away. Once he showed that he could persevere, then Hashem took out the sun and healed him. This is a hint to Olam Haba, when Hashem will take out the bright light hidden at Creation and with it heal the tzaddikim. There, they will reach their highest level of perfection, the culmination of all their struggles in this world with men and angels.
--- End quote ---
Chai:
Og was a fallen angel in the story of Noah
but in human flesh.
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