Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Is it permitted for a man to marry his dead wife's sister?
muman613:
Tag,
I was already aware of everything which Rabbi Wein said in this video and it still doesn't prove anything. These discussions have been held for 100s of years and at this point, as Rabbi Wein admitted himself, the Zohar has become an integral part of much of Judaism today. As one who considers himself a Chassidic Jew I attribute Holiness to the Zohar and the derivative writings on the topics expounded within. So too does the Sephardic community attribute Holiness to the Zohar.
There are various opinions on the topic and yet this will not change the situation. From what little Zohar I have directly studied I cannot find anything which does not compute with the Tanach and Talmud.
Sveta:
That's fine, I don't have to agree with Rabbi Ber-Hayim on everything. I love to hear him speak. But Rabbi Mizrachi is my rabbi, whom I have met in person. Whom I have listened in person and whom I have received guidance from. I personally accept the Gilgul. True, I tend to lean more to Chassidut as well. Though he is not Chassidic, I attend a shul where the rabbi and his family are Chassidic.
I admire the sages who have made a study of this as well. "Measure for measure" as it is said.
Ephraim Ben Noach:
I have stupid question? How many souls would there be if G-d keeps creating souls? I thought that there was a certain number of soul that make it to heaven? I'm pretty sure it says somewhere that Ezekiel will come back. Also Flavius Josephus recorded that the Pharisees and Essenes believed in reincarnation...
Tag-MehirTzedek:
--- Quote from: אפרים בן נח on July 07, 2013, 10:04:41 PM ---I have stupid question? How many souls would there be if G-d keeps creating souls? I thought that there was a certain number of soul that make it to heaven? I'm pretty sure it says somewhere that Ezekiel will come back. Also Flavius Josephus recorded that the Pharisees and Essenes believed in reincarnation...
--- End quote ---
???
1) As many as G-D allows their to be. If G-D is limitless why would their be any issues with the number of souls (or people) created and living? Just like their are now 7 Billion people (or something like that).
2) No "limit". Its not like buying tickets that can get sold out. If everyone is righteous then great if very few then very few.
3) Come back in the Resurrection? Correct, although I don't know anywhere where it singles him out. Nothing to do with "reincarnation"
4) I am almost sure he did not record such a thing, certainly not the "Pharisees" which means Torah Judaism. I would like the quoting for such a claim. This idea didn't even circulate among Jews at that time ~2,000 years ago.
muman613:
--- Quote from: Tag-MehirTzedek on July 07, 2013, 11:24:05 PM ---
???
1) As many as G-D allows their to be. If G-D is limitless why would their be any issues with the number of souls (or people) created and living? Just like their are now 7 Billion people (or something like that).
2) No "limit". Its not like buying tickets that can get sold out. If everyone is righteous then great if very few then very few.
3) Come back in the Resurrection? Correct, although I don't know anywhere where it singles him out. Nothing to do with "reincarnation"
4) I am almost sure he did not record such a thing, certainly not the "Pharisees" which means Torah Judaism. I would like the quoting for such a claim. This idea didn't even circulate among Jews at that time ~2,000 years ago.
--- End quote ---
Tag,
Indeed there is a belief that there are 600,000 Male Jewish souls which are the root souls of the entire Jewish nation. It is these souls which constitute the sparks of the Jewish souls alive today.
http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/380372/jewish/600000-Souls-600000-Letters.htm
--- Quote ---The word "Israel" can be read as an acronym for "Yesh Shishim Ribo Otiot LaTorah", meaning: "There are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah". Therefore, Israel did not leave Egypt until there were six hundred thousand of them, in order for each soul to be "supported" by one letter in the Torah, as we have written in a number of places.
We see that G-d overlooks many serious sins but He does not overlook negligence in Torah study, as is written, "Why was the land lost? G-d has said, 'Because of their forsaking My Torah.'" (Jeremiah 9:11-12) Even though they transgressed all of the sins, G-d only accused them of negligence in Torah study. As our Sages have said regarding the verse "the voice is the voice of Jacob": (Gen. 27:22) when the voice is the voice of Jacob, that is, of Torah study, then the hands are not the those of Esau, that is, the forces of evil are powerless. But when the voice is not that of Jacob, then the hands are that of Esau and the forces of impurity dominate. Our Sages likewise explained that the reason that "Amalek came and fought with Israel at Refidim" (Ex. 17:18) was that their hands had slackened from the Torah. [This is derived from the word "Refidim" which has as its root the Hebrew word "rafa", meaning "slackening".]
Since the name "Israel" alludes to the fact that the number of letters in the Torah corresponds to the number of souls, it follows that when the Jewish People come to count their souls [take a census], the accuser comes and accuses them saying, "Master of the universe, didn't Israel only reach this size population in order to match the number of letters in the Torah which are hinted at in their name? And now they are negligent in [the Torah]!" This becomes the substance of the accusation. Israel…should awaken their fear of Heaven in order to repair their souls and spirits…
Furthermore, the word "negef", meaning "a scourge", has the same numerological value as 'Satan', the Angel of Destruction, short two. ["Negef" equals 133, while "Samael" equals 131.] The missing two allude to the two Torahs (Oral and Written). When Israel are lax in the two Torahs, two powers are added to those of the forces of evil, and it becomes "negef", a scourge, and afflicts them, G-d forbid.
--- End quote ---
http://www.aish.com/tp/i/moha/48924507.html
--- Quote ---Each time the people are counted, the result is 600,000, more or less; in fact, the number 600,000 has become a descriptive term for the totality of the Jewish people. On a mystical level, the number 600,000 is identified with the number of souls comprising the Nation of Israel. The Talmud teaches that the arrival of the Messiah will transpire when all these souls are "complete."
The son of David will not come until all the souls in the body are complete. (Yevamot 62a)
In fact, the source goes even further, implying that the Nation of Israel is one body with 600,000 parts. That poses one obvious problem: virtually every generation from the Exodus onward outnumbers 600,000, yet this number is still used to describe the totality of the Jewish people.
Even in the desert there were more than 600,000 people; there, the number 600,000 refers to the number of men between the ages of 20 and 60. All others were not included in the tally. Are we to assume that others -- men over 60 or under 20, or women -- were of no significance?
The Zohar carries this numeric parallel even further, stating that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah which are meant to parallel the 600,000 souls. (See Zohar Hadash Shir HaShirim 74d.)
Another mystical source, the Migaleh Amukot, expands on this idea:
Every one of Israel has for his soul one letter of the 600,000 letters of the Torah ... Indeed, Israel is an acronym for yesh shishim ribo otiyot laTorah, "there are 600,000 letters in the Torah." (Section 186)
One difficulty which arises with these teachings is the fact that when the letters of the Torah are counted, there are found to be only 304,805, only slightly more than half of the number we expected to find. One way of resolving this contradiction would be to cite another mystical tradition which is found in the introduction to the Ramban's Commentary to the Torah (for the actual source see Yerushalmi Shkalim 6:1) which refers to a primordial Torah which preceded the creation of the world which was written in black and white fire.
--- End quote ---
The number of souls has nothing to do with a limitation on G-d but rather a part of the creation.
And there is a Talmudic source for the statement that Pinchas is Elijah, who is a prophet and an angel (Elijah the prophet never died).
http://www.bethisraelct.org/page.asp?pageID=%7B482EEFA0-3BC3-46CD-AC59-4F88AABB91DE%7D&displayAll=1
--- Quote ---Pinchas and Elijah the Prophet
Question:
There is a midrash that states that Pinchas and Elijah the Prophet are the same person. What is the meaning of this?
Answer:
The same soul descended to the world twice -- once in the body of Pinchas and once in the body of Elijah.
According to the Midrash, Pinchas and Elijah the Prophet are the same person. The simplest meaning is that the same soul descended to the world twice -- once in the body of Pinchas and once in the body of Elijah.
The same statement can be found in a number of places in Midrash. What is interesting is that "Pinchas is Elijah" and "Elijah is Pinchas" are written interchangeably. When Pinchas is being discussed, the Midrash says that Pinchas is Elijah. When Elijah is being discussed, the Midrash says that Elijah is Pinchas.
Since Elijah the Prophet lived hundreds of years after Pinchas, it would apparently make more sense to say that "Elijah is Pinchas", and not the reverse. After all, Pinchas lived before Elijah, and was Pinchas before he was Elijah.
According to an explanation in the Zohar, the soul of Elijah was actually created during the Six Days of Creation. He has existed ever since as an angel, but on occasion, he descends to the world in human form, born of a mother and father.
This is why the Midrash sometimes uses the phrase "Pinchas is Elijah", even though Pinchas was born first. The essence, the soul of Elijah existed before Pinchas was born.
Elijah and Pinchas led similar lives and their paths complement each other. Pinchas is a symbol of zealousness for G-d and His commandments. He displayed self-sacrifice to prevent G-d's name from being desecrated. Elijah the Prophet is a guest at every circumcision, to witness the Jewish People imprint their bond with G-d in their flesh.
Through our single-minded commitment to fulfilling G-d's will, as epitomized by the deeds of Pinchas and Elijah, we will merit the ultimate Redemption, which will be heralded by Elijah the Prophet, who is Pinchas.
(Bereishis 1:20. Yalkut Simoni, Pinchas. Zohar, 3:15,1. Igrot Kodesh, vol. III, p. 160. Likutei Sichot vol II, p. 343.)
--- End quote ---
So Tag, it seems it is not so clear as you suggest it is. Unless you disregard a lot of sources, both Talmudic and Kabbalistic (not only Zohar).
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