I need serious *HELP* on a Hebrew word & Genesis creation!

[emeraldtheparrot]

I need some HELP...!  Please!  I've been trying to learn as much about the Hebrew language as I can... 'paleo' included, & I've run into a problem I can't answer.

I've watched a REALLY good video on youtube by a Rabbi who's teaching about Hebrew... called 'The DNA of Creation'...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od-xkRDw6nk

I had heard from the Jewish community that Hashem created everything by first creating the aleph-beit,  & then creating everthing else from it.  I believed that but didn't know how exactly they knew this... so that's one of the reasons why I wanted to learn about the Hebrew.

He explained that in the first Chapter of Genesis the Hebrew says...

re'shiyth 'elohiym bara' 'eth shamayim 'eth 'erets.

And I see & 'GET' that the *'eth* is *ALEPH TAV*... (the aleph-beit).  And he said that the proper translation of Gen. 1:1 is something along the lines of...

In the beginning Hashem created *ALEPH TAV*... (the aleph-beit)... from that He created the heavens... & from that same *ALEPH TAV*, created the earth.

Looks & sounds good & right to me.

NOW!  I've run into a small Christian faction that is saying that God created 'general... nameless men' in Gen 1... & created Adam & Eve SEPARATELY in Gen.2:7-9.

The reason they're giving for this is that in 2:7 they claim that *'eth* is used in conjunction with 'adam & that *'eth* is an ARTICLE making it a SPECIFIC man/person, named Adam.

The FIRST problem I'm having with that is that I don't know if *'eth*/*ALEPH TAV* is REALLy used as an article in Hebrew.

And the SECOND problem I'm having with it is that when I look at Gen 2:7, 8 & 9 in the Hebrew, in the concordance of the Masoretic text which the Blue Letter online Bible uses... I don't SEE the Hebrew *'eth*/*ALEPH TAV* in there in front of the word for man...!!!

Here ALSO is a SHORT clip by this idiot so you can see what I'm talking about...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz8NOpq2xjo

And here's the first post of a guy on a forum about this...

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message963275/pg1

...where he says this...

"I cracked open The Companion Bible and for the word ‘man’ it referred me to Appendix 14 where it explains the synonym words used for “MAN.” It says that Adam without the article denotes man or mankind in general, E.G. Gen 1:26, 2:5, 5:1. With the particle (’eth) in addition to the article it is very emphatic, and means self, very, this same, this very, E.G. Gen 2:7, and it’s the first occurrence of this."

Can someone PLEASE help me with this dilemma so I can answer these people CORRECTLY...

And isn't Genesis 2 a re-telling of Genesis 1 from a different perspective giving some added info?

[edu]

I'll take the easy question.
You asked, 

isn't Genesis 2 a re-telling of Genesis 1 from a different perspective giving some added info?

The great majority of Jewish commentaries would agree with that statement. I am aware of at least one exception to that trend or outlook, namely, a relatively modern Rabbi, named Rabbi Soloveitchik that  (possibly to answer science questions against the Bible but not necessarily) viewed the man of Genesis 2 as different than the man of Genesis 1.

I favor other approaches to reconcile the Bible with science not connected to Rabbi Soloveitchik's approach.

[emeraldtheparrot]

Hi.     Thank you for a response.  That helps a little.  But I REALLY need someone to help with the other part ... ASAP!  I don't know enough yet about Hebrew to handle this on my own.  I believe these people are wrong... but don't know how to prove it.   

[muman613]

Aleph-Taf is the entire Hebrew alphabet.

And mystical Judaism is a valid belief and is entirely Jewish, so despite some who dismiss it, I will answer your question with some understanding of what you are trying to discover.

The Hebrew word for Truth is Emet, spelled Alef Mem Taf... This word encapsulates the entire Hebrew alphabet, with the 1st letter Alef, the middle letter Mem, and the final letter Taf....

A teaching is that if one removes the Alef, which is representative of Hashem (the number 1, Echad), that what is left is Meit (or death)...

It is also a belief that the entire world was created from the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. And that the names and words of Hebrew represent the spiritual essence of the thing. Adam (for instance) comes from the ground Adama, and has blood (dam)... So too every animal which Adam named is defined by the Hebrew name he gave it.

Hebrew words contain a lot of hidden meaning and the words are derived from 3 letter roots with different vowels. You know biblical Hebrew has no vowels and the one who reads the Torah needs to memorize the vowels when he reads from the Torah.

I can provide examples of how Gematria, and word roots, provide insight into some of the Torah text. Our sages have determined a great amount of knowledge from studying these aspects. Our Oral Law also expounds on the gematrias and the ways of understanding the various statements in the written Torah.


I would like to know a little bit more about where you stand in faith and 'religion' before we discuss more of this topic because some of these things should not be taught to non Jews.

But you have good questions...

You may find this discussion of the letter 'alef' interesting.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/137073/jewish/Alef-The-Difference-Between-Exile-and-Redemption.htm

[muman613]

The Holy Rabbi Kook, of blessed memory, a great Zionist rabbi of the previous generation expounds on this concept in the following publication. And while some call it a 'legend of mystical Jews' others (such as this blessed Rabbi) believe just this 'legend'.


http://ravkooktorah.org/BREISHIT-70.htm



Breishit: Letters of Creation

The Midrash relates how the first letter of the Torah was selected. Before the world was created, the letters of the alphabet presented themselves before God. The letter Aleph then announced: I should be used to create the world, since I am the first letter in the alphabet. But God replied: No, I will create the world with the letter Bet, because it is the first letter of the word brachah (blessing). If only My world will be for a blessing!

For this reason, the account of the world's creation begins with the letter Bet — Breishit. The Aleph, as the first letter in the alphabet, was given a different honor: it was selected to begin the Ten Commandments — Anochi.

Nice story — but what does it matter which letters were used to start Genesis and the Ten Commandments?

Two Types of Light

A major textual difficulty in the account of Creation concerns the creation of light. God created light on the first day, but the sun and the stars were only formed on the fourth day. So what kind of light was created on day one?

According to the Sages, the light of the first day was no ordinary light. It was a very elevated light — so elevated that God decided that it was too pure for this world. He hid this special light away for the righteous in the future. Where did God conceal it? In the Torah.

The Torah, the Sages taught, preceded the world and its physical limitations. The pristine light of the first day also belongs to this initial stage of creation, transcending all limitations of time and place.

Unlike the elevated light of the first day, regular light is produced by the heavenly bodies that were created on the fourth day. Our awareness of the passing of time, of days and seasons and years, comes from the world's movement and rotation. The sun and the stars, God announced, "will be for signs and festivals, days and years" (Gen.1:14). Our concept of time belongs to the limits of the created universe; it is the product of movement and change, a result of the world's temporal nature.

This second type of light corresponds to a lower holiness that penetrates and fills the world. In the language of the Zohar, the higher, transcendent light 'surrounds all the worlds' ("soveiv kol almin"), while the lower, immanent light descends and 'penetrates all of the created worlds' ("memalei kol almin").

Now we may understand why the Midrash states that God created the universe with the letter Bet. Bet, the second letter, indicates that our world is based on two forms of infinite light: an elevated, timeless light, and a lower light subject to the limitations of time and place. These two forms of light are the blessing that God bestowed to the world.

Sanctifying the Sabbath

This dual holiness is apparent in the seventh day of creation — "The heavens and the earth and all of their components were finished and He rested on the seventh day"  (Gen. 2:1-2). The holiness of the Sabbath is keviyah vekayama, set and eternal, independent of our actions. And yet, we are commanded to sanctify it — "Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy" (Ex. 20:8). How can we sanctify that which is already holy?

The essential holiness of the Sabbath is eternal, transcending time; but it has the power to sanctify time. By reciting kiddush, we give the Sabbath an additional holiness – the lower, time-bound holiness. Therefore it is written that the Jewish people are blessed with a neshamah yeteirah, an extra soul, on the Sabbath. The first neshamah is the regular soul of the rest of the week, the soul that rules over the body. This soul is bound by the framework of time, just as the body that it governs is temporal and impermanent. On the Sabbath, however, an additional neshamah is revealed — a soul that transcends time, the soul of Israel that is rooted in the highest spiritual realms.

Our recitation of kiddush on Shabbat commemorates two historic events: creation of the world, and the Exodus. Creation is the aspect of holiness that transcends time, a holiness that is still only potential. The Exodus is the aspect of holiness within time, a holiness that was realized.

Bet and Aleph

Thus the Bet of Breishit is a double blessing: of potential and realized holiness, of timeless and time-bound light.

And what about the Aleph? The Torah's revelation at Sinai came to repair the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. "I created the evil impulse and I created the Torah as a remedy for it" (Kiddushin 30). The Torah reveals the transcendent light of the first day of Creation, the light of timeless holiness. Therefore the first letter of the Ten Commandments, the beginning of the Torah's revelation, is an Aleph — "Anochi Hashem Elokecha," "I am the Eternal your God." Like the Aleph, representing the number one, the Torah contains the infinite light of day one, the boundless light that God saved for the righteous.

(Adapted from Shemu'ot HaRe'iyah Breishit, pp. 6-9 (1931))

[muman613]

To try to understand Hebrew words it is often good to learn the root (3 letter root) of the words...


http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/root.htm

The vast majority of words in the Hebrew language can be boiled down to a three-consonant root word that contains the essence of the word's meaning.  For example, the first word of the Torah is "bereishit", meaning in the beginning.  The root is Resh-Alef-Shin, which means head or first.  (See Hebrew Alphabet to learn the letters).  It is the same root as the "Rosh" in "Rosh Hashanah" (first of the year, i.e., Jewish New Year).

 There are surprisingly few root words in biblical Hebrew, but we get a lot of mileage out of the ones we have.  For example, from the root word Qof-Dalet-Shin, meaning holy, sacred, or sanctified, we get kedushah (holiness), kiddush (a prayer over wine sanctifying the Sabbath or a holiday), Kaddish (an important prayer commonly thought of as a mourning prayer), aron kodesh (holy cabinet - the place in synagogue where the Torah scrolls are kept), and kiddushin (betrothal).

 Less obviously, from the root Samech-Dalet-Resh, meaning order, we get siddur (the daily prayer book, which sets for the order of prayers), seder (the Passover family ritual, which must be performed in a specified order) and sidrah (the weekly Torah reading, also called a parashah).

 A substantial amount of rabbinical interpretation of the Bible is derived from the relation between root words.  For example, the rabbis concluded that God created women with greater intuition and understanding than men, because man was "formed" (yeetzer, Genesis 2,7) while woman was "built" (yeeben, Genesis 2,22; our JPS Bible translates "made He a woman" here).  The root of "built", Bet-Nun-Heh, is very similar to the word "binah" (Bet-Yod-Nun-Heh), meaning understanding, insight, or intuition.

If you are interested in Hebrew root words, a good book to look at is Edith Samuel's Your Jewish Lexicon, which looks at a lot of important Jewish concepts and idioms through their root words.

[muman613]

Dan,

Maybe you can rationally explain why Hashem had to create the world using ten utterances (using letters of the Hebrew alphabet) in order to bring creation into existence. I know you firmly deny evolution so you take a literal view of the story of creation. Why didn't Hashem just 'blink' the world into existence (we all know he could have done it, he is omnipotent)...

He created the world using ten separate utterances to teach a lesson. The lesson is that words (and letters) are the foundation of creation.

The oral law and the medrash back me up on this. You are a Ben Noach and that is fine... Jews also hold the Talmud holy and you have not learned it.

[muman613]

Jews everywhere study portions of the Oral law called "Pirkie Avot" (Wisdom/Ethics of the fathers) and one pasuk from the 5th Chapter (1st mishnah) contains the following wisdom:


http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter5-1a.html

Spiritual Global Warming, Part I
Chapter 5, Mishna 1(a)
By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

"The world was created in ten utterances. What does this come to teach us? Could not the world have been created in a single utterance? It was in order to exact punishment from the wicked who destroy the world which was created in ten utterances and to grant reward to the righteous who sustain the world which was created in ten utterances."

As an introductory note, we'll find Chapter 5 to be of a somewhat different style than previous chapters. Much of this chapter is factual. The first 18 mishnas provide us with lists and totals -- lists of miracles, types of punishments, different classes of people, etc. It is fascinating in its own right, but it is perhaps a little less "straight" ethics. We will try, all the same, to approach the wise words of the Sages with the same reverence -- and will hopefully reveal in them the same profound messages and life lessons we have always discovered.

The ten utterances through which the world was created appear in the story of Creation, primarily in the first chapter of Genesis. They correspond to the expression "and the L-rd said" which appears throughout the story. (E.g., "And the L-rd said: 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (v. 3).) The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 32a) explains that although "and the L-rd said" appears only nine times in the story of Genesis, the first verse of Genesis itself -- "In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth" -- is also considered a statement. It too refers to an act of creation. And, continues the Talmud, all acts of creation were achieved via Divine utterance, as the verse states, "By the *word* of G-d were the heavens made" (Psalms 33:6).

An interesting aside to our mishna is the concept that the world was created through G-d's utterances alone. When G-d stated "Let there be light," we might have thought this was simply a statement of intent -- G-d was merely talking to Himself, so to speak, that He would then go ahead and create light. The verse, however, implies a far more immediate result: "And the L-rd said: 'Let there be light,' and there was light." The light resulted directly from G-d's utterance.

Kabbalistically speaking, the idea of this is that G-d's utterances are not merely "plans". His words themselves *were* acts of creation. G-d's "statements" are a creative force. At Genesis they were actual projections of His will -- and began a long process of concretizing spiritual intent into physical reality and the universe we know.

(This concept also reveals a bit about the wisdom and sanctity of the Hebrew language. G-d "spoke" in Hebrew when He created the world. In Kabbalistic thought, Hebrew words do not just "mean" something by convention. The words themselves contain the spiritual essences of their physical counterparts. Each letter corresponds to a spiritual force; each word the combination of such forces. Actually, Hebrew words *really* mean their interpretations.)

This concept -- of ten Divine utterances -- is a Kabbalistic one (as you may have guessed by now...). We are taught that there are ten "sefiros" or levels of emanation from G-d to the world. The concept, loosely speaking, is that G-d's infinite reality filters down to the physical world via ten gradations. The world is a reflection of G-d, but ten steps removed -- the higher emanations being entirely beyond man's ability to comprehend. (Kabbalists generally deal with at most the lower seven -- and more often the lower six.) The physical world we know is inextricably bound to the spiritual, infinite realm of the Almighty, but it requires ten degrees of dissipation to span this infinite gap. From a Kabbalistic sense, our mission is to span that distance, bringing the physical world in harmony with the spiritual and making the world a reflection of the Perfect Being from which it emanated.

This concept is meaningful to non-mystics as well, among whom I number myself. And that is the simple, profound message of our mishna. (Pirkei Avos, to be sure, is not a work on Kabbalah. However, we will find the more literal approach to life and reality here taken by the Sages to be entirely consistent with the depth of their understanding of the metaphysical world.) What practically is our mishna teaching us with this concept that the righteous/wicked sustain/destroy a world of Ten Utterances?

The idea, simply, is that if G-d created the world in ten utterances or emanations, the layers of the universe are inextricably bound together. And so, if I do good or evil, I do not only harm myself or even the physical world about. I damage all levels of existence -- from the lowest to the highest. And thus, the acts of the righteous or wicked sustain or destroy the world in ways infinitely above and beyond what we are able to comprehend.

For better or worse, however, this idea is far too broad and far-reaching to be dealt in the remainder of this class. (And we didn't even decipher this week's corny title...) ;-) G-d willing, we will build on this further next week.

Read more on this @ http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter5-1b.html

[muman613]

A midrash is not a literal story.  It is a legend created to advance a certain point.  To blur the distinction between legend and literal truth confuses people and does a disservice to Judaism by passing off myths as truth.  "Et" as a word has no connection to the aleph-bet, nor does it suggest this in the context of the Torah.  Otherwise the Torah would be constantly talking about the aleph-bet, because it uses the word "et" everywhere.  But mystical Jews read stuff like that into the Torah just like the Christian in the video posted by emeraldtheparrot read Jesus into "et ha'adam".  Kabbalists and Christians are actually 2 sides of the same coin.  This should be a comfort to Gentiles because it shows that just because people are born into Judaism doesn't mean they are automatically on the right track, and must diligently seek God if they want to know the truth just like a Gentile has to.

I said nothing about the word 'Et'. I am certainly aware it is a common word used as 'the'...

And I am Jewish, and I learn Judaism. I don't know what they teach you. And you have no ability to rebuke me for my teachings of Judaism. You only profess to be a Ben Noach and that is righteous, but don't go telling Jews what to believe.

You are making straw man arguments in your post suggesting any true Orthodox Judaism or Chasidism allows one to not have true Emunah and Kevana during prayer and mitzvah observance.

[muman613]

What the poster said was truth from the Torah, and you Dan, deny it...

I can humbly say you are a denier of Torah, a heretic, according to Rambam's laws. One who denies the Oral law (any part of it) can be considered a heretic, a denier of Torah.

But you are not Jewish, so you cannot be a denier, you are a scoffer...

[muman613]

Medresh.... You are denying Pirkie Avot and Talmud Rosh Hashana 32a (which discuss the 10 utterances of genesis).

So you can rationalize your position. But a Jew, one who believes in the Judaism which has been passed down from our fathers, will most likely dispute you...

[muman613]

Here is an excerpt from Talmud Rosh Hashana 32a...
http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Rosh_HaShanah.pdf

 GEMARA. To what do these ten kingship verses correspond? — R. Levi said, To the ten praises that David uttered in the book of Psalms. But there are a large number of praises there? — It means, those among which occurs, Praise him with the blowing of the shofar.34 R. Joseph said: To the ten commandments that were spoken to Moses on Sinai.35 R. Johanan said: To the ten Utterances by means of which the world was created.36 Which are they? The phrase ‘and he said’ occurs in the account of the creation only nine times? — The words ‘in the beginning’ are also an utterance, as it is written, By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

[muman613]

The original post was about the meaning of the word "et".  It is not used as "the", it is used WITH "the".

Also, the Judaism passed down from antiquity does not include the views of the Zohar, which the rabbi in the "Torah Anytime" video posted by emeraldtheparrot cited as the source for the creation of the alphabet before everything else.  The Zohar is a forgery originated by someone who could not sell a book that had his name on it, so he had to pass it off as the work of an ancient Sage.  I did not make this up, Jews say this as well.  So kabbalah and mysticism in its modern state is not something that was passed down, it is something that was passed OFF.

That is your opinion Dan. Most Jews hold that the Zohar is authentic, and I count myself among them.

And you are denying the Talmud, who no Jew will say is a forgery or a fake. So stick to the issue at hand.

Explain your rational view of why the TALMUD says the world was created by 10 utterances.

[muman613]

Shimon Bar Yochi is talked about in the Talmud, his knowledge of the hidden aspects of Torah are legendary even without the Zohar.

[muman613]

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/154191/jewish/A-Bond-of-Oneness-The-Legacy-of-Rabbi-Shimon-Bar-Yochai.htm

Fusing the Material with the Spiritual

Lag BaOmer commemorates the passing of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the foremost sages of the Talmud and author of the Zohar, the primary text of the Kabbalah. Rabbi Shimon’s knowledge extended from the exoteric, legal realm of the Torah, to its deepest mystical secrets. Moreover, he was uniquely able to perceive these two areas of knowledge not as distinct, self-contained disciplines, but as one composite unit, the legal aspect being the body and the mystical element the soul of one integrated Torah.1

This unity within the Torah which Rabbi Shimon recog­nized enabled him to perceive the Divine unity within our material world, and moreover, to have this unity expressed in actual fact as well as in the abstract. He understood Torah study as all-encompassing, able to influence and control every aspect of our lives.

Thus the Zohar relates2 that Eretz Yisrael once suffered a severe drought. When the Jews appealed to Rabbi Shimon for help, he expounded the verse,3 “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together” — and it began to rain.

In the same vein, the Midrash relates4 that one of Rabbi Shimon’s students returned to Eretz Yisrael after acquiring wealth in foreign lands. Seeing that some of his other stu­dents grew envious, Rabbi Shimon led them to a valley and called out, “Valley, valley, fill up with gold coins,” and it did. “Anyone who wants may take,” declared Rabbi Shimon, “but he should know that he is taking from his portion in the World to Come.”

Rabbi Shimon was able to make the spiritual wealth of the World to Come manifest as material wealth in this world.

[muman613]

I'm not denying Talmud or the 10 utterances, I was just explaining the word "et", although one would do well to remember to separate between the literal and the legend when looking at Talmud as well.

Dan, I do not suggest that the word 'et' means the entire creation. What I tried to explain is that there is a teaching, according to our Talmud and even our mystical texts, that the Hebrew letters and words are a part of the fabric of creation.

I also have heard the explanation of Emet from many sources...

You can disagree, that is fine, but what I am saying is accepted by most rabbis... As the Talmud is learned by Jews as the Oral Law (and tradition).

[muman613]

This excerpt from a page on Kabbalah from the Chabad site explains the concept of Emet...


http://www.kabbalaonline.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/379619/jewish/Flying-Letters-of-Life-and-Death.htm
.
.
.
A few lines further on the Talmud questions why the sign chosen for these markings had been the letter tav, and answers that this letter is the first letter of the word "tichyeh", meaning "you will live", as well as the first letter of the word "tamut", meaning "you will die". Shemuel said that the reason is that at that point the merit of the patriarchs had been exhausted and it no longer could be called upon to protect their descendants from G-d's anger. Rabbi Yochanan, however, then said that the letter tav symbolized that these people could be granted grace only through the merit of the patriarchs. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, also on that folio, says that the letter is the final letter in G-d's "seal", seeing that Rabbi Chanina taught that the "seal" of G-d is Truth - in Hebrew, "emet". At any rate, we know that the combination of the letters mem and tav spell the word for "death", since there was a deadly plague [in Hebrew, "magefa"], which killed twenty-four thousand Israelites at that time. The letter tav, discussed in the Talmud, is also known to have been written in blood on the forehead of the wicked.

Remember that the creation of the universe proceeded under the parole of "truth", since the final letters in the words "In the beginning G-d created" [in Hebrew, "Bereishit bara Elokim" (Gen 1:1)] combine to make the word "emet", "truth". At the end of G-d's creative activities we again find this reference to "truth" when we look at the final letters of the verse "And G-d saw…" [in Hebrew, "Vayera Elokim et…" (Genesis 1:31)] Pinchas became Elijah, an angel who goes on living forever…

The universe was created for the sake of man, i.e. adam, who represents the tithe of one tenth (in Hebrew, "maaser") of Truth, "emet". ["Adam" in Hebrew is spelled alef, dalet, mem.] The numerical value of the letter mem in Adam's name (40) is 10% of the numerical value of tav (400) in the Hebrew word for "Truth" (emet), and the letter dalet (=4) in Adam's name is one tenth of the letter mem (=40) in the word "emet". The letter alef in "emet" is, of course, irreducible.

The serpent was the first to introduce the concept of lying into the universe by claiming that G-d had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge before being able to create the universe. Proverbs (16:28) describes the serpent as saying, "A quarrelsome one alienates his friend."

By removing the first letter of the word "emet", alef, all that you are left with is the word "met", meaning "dead". When you remove the first letter from the word "adam", you are left with the word "dam", meaning "blood". Anyone who is able to protest wrongdoing with a chance of success and fails to do so has blood inscribed on his head. Those were the people who, though they are described as having observed the commandments of the Torah "from alef to tav", i.e. "from A to Z", were not pious in the true sense of the word since they failed to admonish the other members of their society. Under such circumstances the letter mem which ought to symbolize a letter from the word for "truth", "emet", symbolizes the word "death", "mavet", instead.

When the Talmud describes their piety in this matter, i.e. "from alef to tav", it merely wants to draw our attention to the missing letter mem in those people's piety. Hence the Angel of Death had unrestricted control even over such Torah-observant people.

This brings us to the meaning of the verse "…He turned away My wrath…." (Num. 25:11) When Pinchas saw the letter mem flying in the air, he took the lance [in Hebrew, "ramach"] to publicly display his jealousy on behalf of G-d and succeeded in transforming "My (i.e. G-d's) wrath", in Hebrew "chamati" [spelled chet-mem-tav-yud], with the emphasis on the letters mem-tav [spelling the Hebrew word for "death"] in that word into the other two letters of "chamati", chet-yud [spelling the Hebrew word for "life"].This is why Pinchas became Elijah, an angel who goes on living forever.

[muman613]

Well if you play around with the word "Madonna" in Hebrew, you can probably get something interesting too, but that doesn't really do anything to advance the practical knowledge and applications of Torah.

Then why do it? Your question does not advance your position.

Everything which we learn from the sages of the Talmud has practical application for the Torah.

And even madonna is in the Torah... Because we believe the Torah contains sparks from all creation, mainly the sparks of Adam and Eves souls...

PS: I should say 'we' refers to Chasidic Jews... Some may dispute my blanket statement.

[muman613]

Why use gematria at all if the same tricks can be done with any word?  I am sure it can even be done with profanity.  You can bend any word into any meaning you want using gematria and enough calculations.

Maybe there can be some truth in what the gematria reveals. Not every association is considered to be relevant. But various ones are considered relevant according to some sources.

As Rabbi Richman said in a video I posted recently, the Talmud says 'This and This' are both the living word of Hashem. The Torah does allow for differing interpretations (as the Talmud relates many opinions).

[muman613]

Sorry for the detour but this posting is relevant because today we read the portion of Behaalotecha which contained the command from Hashem, through Moses, to Aaron to light the menorah in the Mikdash (Tabernacle)...

From the great Gadol of his generation, Rabbi Kook and his discussion of the machloket between Hillel and Shammai.

http://ravkooktorah.org/HANUKA68.htm


Chanukah: The Highest Love

Is there something idealistic and holy in loving the Jewish people? Or is this just another form of nationalism, an emotion far less noble than a universal love for all peoples?

Chanukah Lights

The minimal obligation during Chanukah is to light one candle each night of the holiday. The academies of Hillel and Shamai, however, disagreed as to the optimal way to light:

"The school of Shamai ruled that the most punctilious individuals ("Mehadrin min HaMehadrin") light eight lights on the first day, and the number of lights decreases each day. But the school of Hillel ruled that they should light one light on the first day, and the number of lights increases with each passing day." (Shabbat 21b)

What is the reasoning behind each opinion? The Talmud explains that Beit Shamai compared the Chanukah lights to the bull offerings on Succoth, which decrease in number on each successive day of the holiday. Beit Hillel, on the hand, followed the dictum that "In holy matters, one should increase and not detract."

Is there a deeper philosophical basis for this disagreement? And what is the connection between Chanukah and the Succoth offerings?

The Jewish Home

The conflict between the Maccabees and the Hellenists was not just a military struggle for political independence. The essence of the conflict was ideological, a clash between widely divergent cultures. Greek culture emphasized the joys of life, physical pleasures, and the uninhibited expression of human imagination in art and literature. As a result, the Hellenists fought against the Torah of Israel, with its focus on purity and sanctity.

One aspect of the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah lights is quite unusual. Unlike most mitzvot, the obligation to light is not on the individual but on the home ("ish uveito"). Only if one wishes to fulfill the mitzvah more fully does every member of the household light. Why is this?

The average Jew may not exemplify the ideals and beliefs of the Torah in his everyday life. But in his family life, one may sense the special light of Israel. Purity, modesty, and other holy traits are manifest in every Jewish home faithful to a Torah lifestyle. Therefore, the basic obligation of Chanukah lights — which represent Judaism's victory over the corrupting influences of Greek culture — is not on the individual, but the home: "ish uveito."

The Mehadrin

There are, however, righteous individuals whose personal life does in fact exemplify the sanctity of Torah. They are suitable to be Mehadrin, each one lighting his own Chanukah light, since the light of Torah accompanies them in all of their actions. It is about these holy individuals and the spiritual light they project that the Torah writes, "And all the peoples of the world will realize that God's Name is called upon you and they will be in awe of you" (Deut. 28:10).

Finally, there is a third level, even higher — the "Mehadrin min HaMehadrin." These are selfless individuals whose efforts are not for their own personal welfare, not even for their own spiritual elevation. Rather, they aspire to fulfill God's Will in the world. The miracle of Chanukah inspires these elevated individuals to pursue their lofty goal, and they light accordingly, increasing (or decreasing, according to Beit Shamai) the number of lights each day.

The Universalistic Approach

Yet we may ask: what is God's Will? What is the ultimate goal of creation? This question is at the heart of the disagreement between the schools of Hillel and Shamai.

The "Mehadrin min HaMehadrin" may follow one of two paths. The first is to meditate on God's Will by considering the multitudes of peoples and nations that God created. For what purpose did God create all of these souls stamped in His Divine image? Surely God intended that ultimately they will be elevated, raised from the depths of ignorance and brought to the level of the righteous who delight in God and His goodness.

According to this view, the mission of the Jewish people is to inspire all nations to strive for Divine enlightenment and a life of holiness. The ultimate purpose in keeping the Torah and its mitzvot is not to elevate the Jewish people, but for the more universal goal of benefiting all of humanity. The focus of one's life should not be love of one's people but love of God and His Torah, for the Torah encompasses the true goal of elevating all of humanity, and love of Israel is merely a means to this end.

Love for the Nation

The second approach agrees that any form of self-love is unsuitable to be one's highest goal, even if it is love of one's own people. Rather, we should love that which is good for its own sake. We should strive to advance that which is the highest and loftiest. Since the Jewish people are blessed with a special segulah, an intrinsic quality of holiness, they have the potential to attain the highest state, and they will remain the focus of all spiritual life even after the elevation of the other nations of the world.

Love of Israel is thus a true value of Torah, since the ultimate goal will always be the elevation of Israel. The purpose of creation is not measured in quantity but in quality, and the Jewish people will always retain a unique advantage due to their segulah quality.

The School of Shamai

How do these two approaches relate to the disagreement between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai?

The universalistic outlook sees Israel's mission as an agent of change, inspiring all peoples to form a harmonious society living a life of righteousness and sanctity. Over time, the plurality of diverse national characteristics will diminish as they absorb the ever-brighter light of truth. As the nations are drawn to the holiness of Torah, their unique ideologies and traits will become less distinct. This is the approach of Beit Shamai, who taught to progressively reduce the number of Chanukah lights until there remains but a single resplendent light.

This view sees the story of Chanukah as a milestone in a long historical process. The confrontation with Greek culture and the subsequent victory of Israel brought about a greater interaction and influence of Israel upon the nations. The struggle with Hellenism significantly increased the world's familiarity with the Torah's teachings. Thus it is fitting that the lights of Chanukah should reflect the historical process of the world’s progressive elevation and unification.

The Opinion of Beit Hillel

Beit Hillel certainly concurred with this universal mission of the Jewish people. But is Israel merely a tool to elevate the rest of the world? The true goal of the Torah is to establish the highest level of sanctified life possible — and that can only be attained through the intrinsic segulah quality of Israel.

While the Jewish people appear to suffer from spiritual decline over time, the inner holiness of Israel can only be properly measured if we take into account all the generations over time. Every generation that affirms Israel's special covenant with God, despite the pressures of persecution and exile, contributes to the overall segulah of this unique people.

The many nations of the world are certainly numerically superior. Yet Israel is not just a vehicle for their spiritual elevation. On the contrary, their elevation is a means that facilitates the emergence of a loftier sanctity of Israel. The nations will enable the unique segulah that will crown the world in the end of days — an entire people prepared to live life on the highest level of holiness. This is the ultimate goal of the world, as the Sages taught, "The idea of Israel preceded all of creation" (Breishit Rabbah 1:4).

How does this outlook see the lights of Chanukah? Despite the importance of the Hasmonean victory and the resulting increase in Israel's influence on the world, the quantitative advance is still secondary in importance to the qualitative goal. Therefore on each night we add an additional Chanukah light, to symbolize the increased light of Israel. The focus is not on the gradual unification and elevation of the nations of the world, but on the increasing light emanating from Israel, as it intensifies in brightness and diversity, reaching out to each nation according to its special characteristics and needs.

We may now better understand the Talmud's explanation for the opinions of Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel. Beit Shamai, who stressed the universalistic aspect of Israel's influence on the world, compared the Chanukah lights to the bull offerings of Succoth. What is special about these offerings? The Sages (Sukkah 55b) noted that the total number of bull offerings was seventy. These seventy offerings were brought for the spiritual benefit of the seventy nations of the world.

Beit Hillel, on the other hand, taught that "in holy matters, one should increase and not detract." The reason why love for the Jewish people is an authentic goal of the Torah is due to the special segulah of Israel. Its existence is a goal even higher than the elevation of all of humanity. Love of the Jewish people is rightfully considered a holy matter, as it fully appreciates the unique role of Israel in the universe.

Jewish Nationalism

To question whether Jewish nationalism is a genuine Torah value reveals a superficial knowledge of Torah. The real question is whether the ultimate Divine goal is quantitative — the elevation of all of humanity through Israel and its Torah — or qualitative — the incomparable segulah quality of Israel. To use Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi's metaphor of Israel as the 'heart among the nations,' the disagreement between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai may be presented as follows: Is the heart subservient to the other organs of the body, as it provides them with life-giving blood? Or is the heart the central organ, protected and sustained by the rest of the body? Both of these positions are legitimate; "Both views are the words of the Living God" (Eiruvin 13b).

This is the basis for a true understanding of nationalism in Israel. It transcends the usual form of nationalism as it is found among other nations. This unique national love is based on the ultimate Divine goal that can only be fulfilled through the Jewish people. While Jewish nationalism contains elements common to regular nationalism, it is of a completely different order.

(Silver from the Land of Israel. pp. 120-125. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III on Shabbat 21b (2:7).)

[edu]

On the most simplest level of grammar, Dan Ben Noah is probably right.
On the question of the Zohar, I have stated in the past that I hold like the Chatam Sofer/Yaavetz view that at least most of the Zohar is not really from Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
This is not to say that it has to be ignored completely just it shouldn't be given the high level of authority of a book written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Is it possible to understand that G-d used the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in the way Muman613 understands. Yes it is possible, since the Biblical text besides stating simple messages also has allusions to deeper messages for those on the spiritual level who are fitting to decode them.
Are the beliefs of Muman613 on this issue required beliefs for a Jew? Absolutely not!
There is room for many other interpretations.
Since in the course of the conversation the 10 utterances to create the world were mentioned,
I wish to point to the article "The Sequence of The 6 Biblical Days of Creation In Light of Science"
http://www.vilnagaon.org/book/science-creationdays2.html
for another possible outlook on the 10 utterances of creation

[muman613]

On the most simplest level of grammar, Dan Ben Noah is probably right.
On the question of the Zohar, I have stated in the past that I hold like the Chatam Sofer/Yaavetz view that at least most of the Zohar is not really from Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
This is not to say that it has to be ignored completely just it shouldn't be given the high level of authority of a book written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Is it possible to understand that G-d used the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in the way Muman613 understands. Yes it is possible, since the Biblical text besides stating simple messages also has allusions to deeper messages for those on the spiritual level who are fitting to decode them.
Are the beliefs of Muman613 on this issue required beliefs for a Jew? Absolutely not!
There is room for many other interpretations.
Since in the course of the conversation the 10 utterances to create the world were mentioned,
I wish to point to the article "The Sequence of The 6 Biblical Days of Creation In Light of Science"
http://www.vilnagaon.org/book/science-creationdays2.html
for another possible outlook on the 10 utterances of creation

A) I never commented on the issue of 'Et'... I point out a very common idea that EMET the letter Alef Mem Taf (meaning Truth) encapsulates the entire Hebrew alphabet. And Alef-Taf also is used in the Talmud to mean 'all encompassing' (see Talmud)

B) I never said that a Jew must accept these interpretations. I said that one is free to believe or disbelieve, but this belief is fully accepted by Jewish thought.

[emeraldtheparrot]

Hi guys.     I'm sorry I'm just getting back.  I've been sick.

WOW!      What awesome info in these posts.  Even though you don't agree on everything.

I was going to thank you, Dan Ben Noah... & edu,  for your help with the language.  I understand it.  Now if I can just get these people I mentioned, to 'get' it.   

But I was ALSO going to ask you about the mysticism part.  I was going to ask you whether or not you think that there might just be SOMETHING to it on SOME level.  After all, Hashem IS, compared to us, supernatural & there is much that we don't understand about what He does & can do.

I feel that there's something to it... but also know that Torah says... Deu 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God...  & Proverbs also says... Pro 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

I also realize that there's a line that we shouldn't cross when it comes to these supernatural things as it can be dangerous.

And was going to ask you if you thought Gamatria would be included in the term mysticism.  It seems to me that the Hebrew language is TOTALLY unlike any other human language & that since the numbers are not numbers as we know them but are actually the letters also, it's amazing how the letters, words & numerical values work out.

[emeraldtheparrot]

muman613...    thank you also, for your valuable input.  I'm still reading so give me some time to take in all this info from you guys.  Keep it coming!   

Shalom to both of you.

[muman613]

muman613...    thank you also, for your valuable input.  I'm still reading so give me some time to take in all this info from you guys.  Keep it coming!   

Shalom to both of you.

You are welcome. If you have any questions you think I may be able to answer please feel free to post them on the 'Ask Muman613 : Almost live' thread in the Ask Posters forum...

http://jtf.org/forum/index.php/topic,25101.0.html