Author Topic: That Gentile That Banded together with us Deserves a Miracle Too.  (Read 2597 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline edu

  • Master JTFer
  • ******
  • Posts: 1866
The following makes use of the translation of Tractate Chulin/Hulin page 7, at
http://halakhah.com/pdf/kodoshim/Chullin.pdf

Once Rabbi Pinchas Ben Yair {Soncino translates the name as Phineas b. Jair} was on his
way to redeem captives, and came to the river Ginnai. ‘O Ginnai’ , said he, ‘divide thy waters for
me, that I may pass through thee’. It replied. ‘Thou art about to do the will of thy Maker; I, too, am
doing the will of my Maker. Thou mayest or mayest not accomplish thy purpose; I am sure of
accomplishing mine’. He said: ‘If thou wilt not divide thyself, I will decree that no waters ever pass
through thee’. It, thereupon, divided itself for him. There was also present a certain man who was
carrying wheat for the Passover, and so R. Pinchas {Phinehas} once again addressed the river: ‘Divide thyself
for this man, too, for he is engaged in a religious duty’. It, thereupon, divided itself for him too.
There was also an Arab who had joined them [on the journey], and so R. Pinchas {Phinehas} once again
addressed the river, ‘Divide thyself for this one, too, that he may not say. "Is this the treatment of a
fellow traveller?"’ It, thereupon, divided itself for him too.

One of the lessons of morality to take away from this story is that a Gentile who bands together with a Jew for common protection deserves his share in the benefits of the group even if the improvement to the group really came about just through the efforts of the Jewish members {see Maharsha to Succa page 45b, that our story in tractate Chulin took place in a situation where it was dangerous to travel alone}. And we should not give the Gentiles a reason to complain that Jews lack gratitude for those that wish to help them survive.

By the way, the Arab in the story for those who do not know history, lived before the invention of the barbaric Islamic religion by that liar, pervert, and madman, Mohammed.

Offline edu

  • Master JTFer
  • ******
  • Posts: 1866
Re: That Gentile That Banded together with us Deserves a Miracle Too.
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2011, 02:30:01 AM »
The Talmud in tractate Sotah 46b emphasizes the reward for escorting Jews that are in danger.
The following is primarily the translation of Soncino of that text at http://halakhah.com/pdf/nashim/Sotah.pdf

They then declare, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes
seen it’{Dvarim/Deut.21:7}. But can it enter our minds that [the members of a] Court of Justice shed blood! [The
meaning of their statement is], however, [The man found dead] did not come to us for help and we
dismissed him without supplying him with food, we did not see him and let him go without an
escort.It has been taught: R. Meir used to say: We may compel a person to escort [a traveller],
{Soncino: Or the court compels a town to provide escorts for travelers}
because the reward for escorting is limitless; as it is said: And the watchers saw a man come forth
out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will
deal kindly with thee.{Shoftim/Judges 1:24} It continues, And he shewed them the entrance into the city.{ibid, verse 25} What was the
kindness they did to him? They slew the whole of the city at the edge of the sword, but let that man
and his family go.
And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz:
which is the name thereof unto this day{ibid, verse26}.
 It has been taught: That is the Luz in which they dye the
Blue/Tekhelet {Soncino:For the fringes (Num. XV, 38). The purpose of this statement and what follows is to illustrate the words ‘which is the name thereof unto this day’, showing that the city survived destruction and still exists.}; that is the Luz against which Sennacherib marched without disturbing it, against which
Nebuchadnezzar marched without destroying it, and even the Angel of Death has no permission to
pass through it, but when the old men there become tired of life they go outside the wall and then
die.
 For is not the matter an a fortiori inference{Kal Vachomer}? If this Canaanite, who did not utter a word or walk
a step, caused deliverance to come to himself and his seed unto the end of all generations, how
much more so he who performs the act of escorting by actually going with the person!
How did he show them [the way]? — Hezekiah said: He just curved his mouth for them; R. Johanan said: He
pointed for them with his finger. There is a teaching in agreement with R. Johanan, viz., Because this
Canaanite pointed with his finger, he caused deliverance to come to himself and his seed unto the
end of all generations.

Offline muman613

  • Platinum JTF Member
  • **********
  • Posts: 29958
  • All souls praise Hashem, Hallelukah!
    • muman613 Torah Wisdom
Re: That Gentile That Banded together with us Deserves a Miracle Too.
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2011, 02:41:41 AM »
The name of the city is 'Luz' which according to this means 'showing that the city survived destruction and still exists'.

This reminds me of what the sages say concerning the resurrection of the dead. That there is a bone in the body called the 'Luz' bone, and it is this bone which is indestructible. While the entire human body decomposes, the luz bone remains intact and from this luz bone the entire body will sprout.

From this I learn that the word 'luz' itself means that it will survive destruction and still exist.



http://ohr.edu/ask/ask215.htm

Quote
Luz-ers Are Winners
Dr. Aharon Altabe from Paris, Francewrote:

   Dear Rabbi,

    The Sefer Ta'amei Haminhagim states in the name of Eliyahu Rabba and Zohar that there is a bone in the brain which never vanishes. You can't burn it, break it or mill it. I believe it b'emuna shelemah - with utmost faith - but I would like to know if someone could tell me more about it: Did you see it or read about it or hear a Rav ... or a physician who could give the name of such a bone? Thanks to you.

Dear Dr. Aharon Altabe,

Yes, according to tradition there is a kind of bone or organ no bigger than a barley corn called the luz or neskvi; its shape is almost cubic and apparently it lies at the top of the spine, inside the skull underneath the brain. It is described as having within it many intertwined spider-like blood vessels.

It has curious properties: It receives nourishment only from food eaten Saturday night at the melave malka meal. And, yes, it is indestructible and doesn't decay in the grave. The Midrash says that the Roman Hadrian once took a luz and tried to grind it, burn it, and dissolve it in water, to no avail. When he hammered it against an anvil, the hammer and anvil broke!

The future resurrection of the dead will be from this bone; that is, a person will be resurrected from his luz bone.

The idea behind it is this: The luz symbolizes the point where physical and spiritual meet. Thus, it is nourished only from melave malka, the meal eaten between the spiritual Shabbat and the physical weekday. It's like the Western Wall: Just as the Western Wall will never be destroyed, and from it the Third Temple will be built, so too the luz is never destroyed, and from it the person will be re-built during the future resurrection.

Regarding the precise identity of the bone, I advise asking Dr. Eli Temstet from Paris. I am sure he can be of help.

Sources

    * Sefer Ta'amei Haminhagim 425
    * Bereishet Rabba 25
    * Mishna Berurah 300:2
You shall make yourself the Festival of Sukkoth for seven days, when you gather in [the produce] from your threshing floor and your vat.And you shall rejoice in your Festival-you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, who are within your cities
Duet 16:13-14

Offline mord

  • Global Moderator
  • Platinum JTF Member
  • *
  • Posts: 25853
Re: That Gentile That Banded together with us Deserves a Miracle Too.
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2011, 04:36:15 PM »
I think it's the  bone at the bottom of spine
Thy destroyers and they that make thee waste shall go forth of thee.  Isaiah 49:17

 
Shot at 2010-01-03