HashemisBeautiful: Textual analysis

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**Did Jacob Really Wrestle With God?**

March 25, 2021 - Nisan 12, 5781

Who Was That Man?

Genesis 32 tells us that Jacob encountered and wrestled with "a man" on the return home from Lavan. What was the identity of this man?

Genesis 32:25: And Jacob was left alone, and a man (אִישׁ֙ - ish) wrestled with him until the break of dawn.

Rashi explains that "this was the prince (guardian angel) of Esau." (Genesis Rabbah 77:3, 78:3).

However, Christians maintain that this being was actually God Himself having taken the physical form of a man, known as a "theophany."

Genesis 32:29-31 says:

And he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with [an angel of] God (עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים) and with men, and you have prevailed." And Jacob asked and said, "Now tell me your name," and he said, "Why is it that you ask for my name?" And he blessed him there. And Jacob named the place Peniel, for [he said,] "I saw an angel (אֱלֹהִים֙) face to face, and my soul was saved."

Notice that the words marked in orange above are the Hebrew words used in the Torah, which in English are translated as "angel," but which in fact say "elohim." Christians who are aware of this translation, typically Messianic Jews, often use it to claim that the Jews are nervously trying to conceal the fact that God can and did materialize in human form in the Tanakh. They claim that the rabbis have tried to hide this fact, because if the Torah says that God takes physical form then more Jews will believe that Jesus was God.

A Hint in Hosea

However, the book of Hosea gives us a clear proof that the being with whom Jacob wrestled was indeed an angel beyond any reasonable doubt.

Hosea 12:3-5 says:

Now the Lord has a contention with Judah, and to visit upon Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds He shall recompense him.

In the womb, he seized his brother's heel, and with his strength he strove with an angel (אֱלֹהִֽים - elohim).

He strove with an angel (מַלְאָךְ֙ - malach) and prevailed; he wept and beseeched him; In Bethel he shall find Him, and there He shall speak with us.

.רִ֥יב לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה עִם־יְהוּדָ֑ה וְלִפְקֹ֚ד עַל־יַֽעֲקֹב֙ כִּדְרָכָ֔יו כְּמַֽעֲלָלָ֖יו יָשִׁ֥יב לֽוֹ

.בַּבֶּ֖טֶן עָקַ֣ב אֶת־אָחִ֑יו וּבְאוֹנ֖וֹ שָׂרָ֥ה אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים

.וַיָּ֚שַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ֙ וַיֻּכָ֔ל בָּכָ֖ה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־ל֑וֹ בֵּֽית־אֵל֙ יִמְצָאֶ֔נּוּ וְשָׁ֖ם יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּֽנוּ

In verse 4 above, the word elohim is once against used to describe the identity of this being that wrestled with Jacob. However, verse 5 explicitly refers to this same being as a malach, an angel. Now come, let us reason; in its generic context as a spiritual being, the word elohim can be used to refer to an angel, but the word "angel" (malach) cannot be used to refer to God (Elokim).

To conclude, the ambiguity present in Genesis 32:29 is not present in Hosea 12:5, and we can be sure that Jacob indeed wrestled with an actual angel and not with anything else.

Jacob, Commander over Angels

There is, however, another proof that Jacob wrestled with an angel and did not encounter a theophany. Genesis 32:4 tells us: Jacob sent angels (מַלְאָכִים֙ - malachim) ahead of him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

Did he send angels ahead of him, or did he send theophanies ahead of him? Rashi says that Jacob sent literal angels, i.e., that he had commanding power over angels. This is confirmed by what "the man" tells Jacob: "...because you have commanding power with [an angel of] God (עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים) and with men, and you have prevailed."

What seems relatively clear is that Jacob's angels went to Esav, and Esav's angel went to Jacob, i.e., they encountered each other's angels. This culminates in Jacob's defeat of Esav's angel, indicating that he finally gained the upper-hand over him in the spiritual realm.

To contrast, what purpose would have there been in Jacob wrestling with God? And if Jacob did wrestle with God, how is it possible for him to have beat Him? Did God let him win like a father lets his son beat him at arm-wrestling?

Did Abraham Marry His Sister?

March 16, 2021 - Nisan 3, 5781

Did Abraham Marry His Sister?

In Genesis 20:12 Abraham tells Avimelech that Sarah is his sister. However, we see earlier in Genesis 11:29 that Sarah is Avraham's niece. Our tradition tells us that Iscah was actually Sarah (she had two names, a common occurrence in the Torah). If Iscah is Sarah, and Sarah is the daughter of Haran, and Haran is Abraham's brother, then Sarah is Abraham's niece, not his sister. Genesis 11:26 tells us that Abraham and Haran were brothers.

How Do We Know That Iscah is Sarah?

That Iscah is Sarah also makes sense because the name "Iscah" pops out of nowhere suddenly in 11:29; Sarah and Milcah appear as parallels as the respective wives of Abraham and Nahor, both of whom married the daughters of their brother, Haran. We therefore should have expected the text to read as follows:

And Abram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Sarai.

Instead of "Sarah," the Torah uses the name "Iscah," indicating that Iscah was Sarah.

Why Did Abraham Refer to His Wife as His Sister?

If Sarah was Abraham's niece, why did he refer to her as his sister?

According to AskNoah.org, "Note that Abraham said this to appease Abimelech. It was actually only figuratively true in his case, since Sarah was the daughter of Abraham’s brother. They had the same paternal grandfather, whom people often referred to as “father”.

In other words, one is allowed to lie to save his life, and so Abraham was permitted to do so in this case. However, being a person of the moral and spiritual stature that Abraham was, lying was not an ideal course of action for him. When he therefore used the term "sister" in reference to Sarah, he used it in a way commonly used in the Tanakh and in Semitic cultures as a broader term referring to next of kin.

When studying Torah we generally use earlier verses as the basis for later verses. The genealogies in Genesis 11:29 above precede the interaction with the Pharaoh in Genesis 20:12.

A Brother is Not Always A Brother

Nevertheless, Genesis 14:12 also contains a proof that the word "brother" does not always mean a literal brother. A few verses later Genesis 14:16 refers to Lot as Abraham's brother.

The Torah refers to Lot both as "the son of Abram's brother," i.e., his nephew, and as "his brother," i.e., his brother. It's possible to refer to a nephew as a brother, but not to a brother as a nephew. Therefore Lot was Abraham's nephew. We can therefore also understand that Sarah was not Abraham's sister even though the Torah uses the word "sister" to refer to her.

This also teaches us that Sarah and Lot were actually brother and sister.

We also see the broader context of the word "brother" in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. The context of this verse was God's appointment of Moses' successor and was addressed to the entire nation of Israel. By definition because the entire nation of Israel were not literally brothers, "from your brothers" means "from your kinsmen." The word "brother" or "sister" can double as literal siblings or as extended family, and is determined by context.

Exodus 20:3-5 - Prohibition Against Idolatry

Exodus 20:3-5

1) You shall not have 2) the gods of others 3) in My presence.

You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness which is in the heavens above, which is on the earth below, or which is in the water beneath the earth.

You shall neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a zealous God, Who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me..

לֹ֣א יִֽהְיֶ֣ה־לְךָ֩ אֱלֹהִ֨ים אֲחֵרִ֜ים עַל־פָּנַ֗י

לֹ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ֣ פֶ֣סֶל | וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם | מִמַּ֡עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁר֩ בָּאָ֨רֶץ מִתַּ֜חַת וַֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּמַּ֣יִם | מִתַּ֣חַת לָאָ֗רֶץ

הלֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֣ה לָהֶם֘ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְ-הֹוָ֤ה אֱ-לֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵ֠ד עֲוֹ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֽׂנְאָ֑י

Rashi

You shall not have: Why was this said? Since it says, “You shall not make for yourself, etc.” I know only that one may not make [graven idols, etc.] How do I know that one may not keep what was already made? Therefore, Scripture states: “You shall not have.” -[Mechilta]

...the gods of others: Heb. אֱלֹהִים אִחֵרִים, which are not gods, but that others have made them for gods over themselves. It is impossible to interpret this passage to mean: gods other than I, since it is a disgrace for Heaven to call them gods along with Him. Alternatively: strange gods, for they are strange to their worshippers. They cry out to them, but they do not answer them, and it appears as if it [the god] were a stranger, who never knew him [the worshipper]. — [from Mechilta]

...in My presence: Heb. עַל-פָּנָּי [This means] as long as I exist [signifying forever. God states this so] that you should not say that only that generation was commanded [prohibited] concerning idolatry. — [from Mechilta]

Ramban

You shall not have the gods of others in My presence: Rashi wrote, "Why was this said? Since it says, “You shall not make for yourself, etc." I know only that one may not make [graven idols, etc.] How do I know that one may not keep what was already made? Therefore, Scripture states: "You shall not have."

This Beraisa is indeed taught in the Mechilta. If so, this prohibition only means that a person is not allowed to have idols in his presence, for which he is not liable for the death penalty (because he did not actually make the idols). Therefore why did the Torah precede with the passive prohibition against having idols instead of the prohibition against bowing and worshiping them, which requires spiritual excision and the death penalty (i.e, the latter is more severe than the former. It would have made sense for the Torah to state the more severe sin before the lesser severe sin.)?

According to my understanding, this is not the intended halacha of this Beraisa, because it (20:3) is speaking about an individual's injunction, as is taught in Sifra (the beginning of Kedoshim), "...nor shall you make molten deities for yourselves," (Leviticus 19:4) implying that they can be made for him by others, and therefore the verse says, "nor... for yourselves" (to also prohibit you from having them made for you by others).

However, the verse says only "nor... for yourselves," which implies that you can make them for others, therefore the Torah uses the words "you (shall not make (plural)," to include both for yourselves or for others.

This is the basis of the principle that one who makes an idol for himself transgresses two prohibitions: 1) "you shall not make," and 2) "for yourselves." Rabbi Yosei's view is that making an idol transgresses three prohibitions: 1) "you shall not make" (for others) 2) "for yourselves," and 3) "you shall not have" (in your possession idols made by others). Therefore when Rabbi Yosei is among others, he is the one who says that "you shall not have" refers to the prohibition of owning idols, which is not the case according to the first opinion.

And this is also true according to the plain understanding from the wording (of the verse) "and the Lord will be my God..." (Genesis 28:21), and "...to be your God" (Leviticus 11:45). I.e, these are the positive injunctions opposite to the negative injunction discussed so far. That is to say that we shall not have aside from God any other gods from among any of the supernal angels or from among the hosts of the Heaven, which are called elohim (powers, forces). As it is said, "He who slaughters [a sacrifice] to the gods shall be destroyed, except to the Lord alone." (Exodus 22:19) The purpose of this is to prevent him from believing in any of them, to not accept any of them as his god, or to say "you are my god." This comports with the view of Onkelos, "Elah acherah bar mini."

What Did The Pharaoh Do Wrong?

February 12, 2021 - 28 Shevat 5781

The Ramban explains that God prevents evil people from repenting under extenuating circumstances. This is the case with the Pharaoh, whom God wanted to punish for enslaving the Jews with severe labor (Midrash Rabbah 5:6). According to this, this is the meaning of the verse in Exodus 7:3 as the introduction to the plagues, "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt."

The Ramban recognizes that this approach seems unjust. He therefore says, "And here is the answer to the question that everyone asks: If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, what then was his transgression [since he had no choice]?"

To this end he provides the following two answers, both of which are true:

Firstly, because Pharaoh unjustifiably treated the Jews with terrible labor, He removed the path of repentance from him.

The following is a direct quote from the Ramban regarding the second answer:

Secondly, only the second half of the [ten] plagues were brought upon Egypt due to Pharaoh’s transgressions, as the Torah states, And Pharaoh’s heart was strengthened, (Shemot 7:13, 22; 8:15), and Pharaoh hardened his heart (ibid. 8:28, 9:7).

Plague of Blood - And the necromancers of Egypt did likewise with their secret rites, and Pharaoh's heart was steadfast, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. (Exodus 7:22).

Plague of Frogs - When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. (Exodus 8:11)

Plague of Lice - So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, "It is the finger of God," but Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. (Exodus 8:15)

Plague of Beasts - But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. (Exodus 8:28)

Plague of Livestock - And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel died, but Pharaoh's heart became hardened, and he did not let the people out. (Exodus 9:7)

Plague of Boils - But the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord spoke to Moses. (Exodus 9:12)

Plague of Hail - Because this time, I am sending all My plagues into your heart and into your servants and into your people, in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth. (Exodus 9:14)

Plague of Locusts - But the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out. (Exodus 10:20)

Plague of Darkness - The Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he was unwilling to let them out. (Exodus 10:27)

Plague of Death of the First Born Child - Moses and Aaron had performed all these miracles before Pharaoh, but the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel out of his land. (Exodus 11:10)

How We Know that the Trinity is Not in the Torah?

September 7, 2020 - 18 Elul 5780

Introduction

The first and most basic answer is that God did not explicitly reveal the Trinity in the Torah.

What Christians claim to be God's explicit revelation of the Trinity in the Torah are in fact implicit references to what they assume to be explicit revelations. There is a difference between the words "explicit" and "implicit." God explicitly tells the Jews that His Nature is Unified. He explicitly tells them that He expects them to keep His commandments, and explicitly tells them what will happen if they do not. He does not explicitly tell them that He is a Trinity. When God wants to make something understood clearly and imminently He explains it in an explicit fashion so as to remove any possibility of doubt of what He is referring to. He does not leave it up to conjecture or interpolation. This does not mean that the Torah is low on mystery or enigmatic passages, for any student of the Tanakh knows it contains many. Instead, those passages tend to be found in association with particular details related to narratives and not when describing His true Nature, or His expectations of the Jews or humanity.

The question becomes, if God wanted to reveal Himself as a Trinity why did all Jews up until the first century fail to realize that God had revealed Himself as such?

Some Christians like to make the claim that appearances of particular angels throughout the Torah are in fact appearances of the Second Person in the Trinity before he manifested himself as Jesus. Some common examples are Genesis 18 (and 21) in which three angels visit Abraham's tent, and another is Judges 13, each of which will be examined independently.

Chol Hamo'ed Shabbos

July 19, 2020 - 27 Tammuz 5780

Is Shabbos a Yom (יוֹם) or a Zman (זמן)?

Why does the Shabbos davening (prayer service) couple “blessed [Shabbos]" with "from all the days," and "sanctified [it]" from "all the seasons?”

אַתָּה קִדַּשְׁתָּ אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי לִשְׁמֶךָ, תַּכְלִית מַעֲשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, וּבֵרַכְתּוֹ מִכָּל הַיָּמִים, וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ מִכָּל הַזְּמַנִּים

You blessed the seventh day for Your Name's sake, the purpose of creating the heavens and the earth, and blessed it among all the days, and sanctified it among all the seasons...

A cursory examination of the word יום as it appears in the Torah refers to a specific period of time, while the word זמן refers to a general period of time, a season, or Jewish holidays.

The first instance in the Tanakh of both words in the same verse aptly demonstrates the difference between them:

לְקַיֵּם אֶת יְמֵי הַפֻּרִים הָאֵלֶּה בִּזְמַנֵּיהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר קִיַּם עֲלֵיהֶם מׇרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי וְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וְכַאֲשֶׁר קִיְּמוּ עַל נַפְשָׁם וְעַל זַרְעָם דִּבְרֵי הַצּוֹמוֹת וְזַעֲקָתָם (אסתר ט׳:ל״א).

...to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fasts and their cry. (Esther 9:31)

Shabbos - A Hybrid Creation

According to these descriptions the words of the davening may be telling us that Shabbos has aspects related to the days of the week and to the Jewish holidays, which the Torah refers to as zmanim (זמנים), or “seasons” or “times.” In other words, it is a cross-section between both of these dimensions.

The aspect of “day” (יום) seems to be a reference to the increased degree of blessing conjoined upon the day, as discussed in Holiness vs. Blessing- Three Dimensions.

And yet Shabbos has an aspect of zman (זמן), i.e., the רגלים (Pesach - פסח, Sukkos - סֻכֹּת, and Shavuos - שבועות) in terms of Halacha (Jewish Law), although it is more highly sanctified. For example, one may cook during chol hamo’ed (חל המועד, the interim period of these holidays), but not during the Yom Tov (יום טוב, the first and last day of Pesach and Sukkos). In that the Yom Tov of these holidays may be comparable to Shabbos, on which it is prohibited to cook, indicating that Shabbos is a Yom Tov of sorts. It is interesting to think of Shabbos as a Yom Tov with no chol hamo’ed. Or perhaps even more interesting, one may consider the six days of the week between Shabbos as chol hamo’ed Shabbos.

Genesis 2 - What Really Happened on the Third Day?

July 19 2020 - Tammuz 27 5780

The Summary

Contradiction between Genesis 2:1 and Genesis 2:5
Rashi's resolution of the contradiction
The Rabman's refutation of Rashi's resolution
The Ramban's resolution
Practical application

The Contradiction

Genesis 2 seems to start off with a good old fashioned contradiction between two verses:

Now the heavens and the earth were completed and all their host. And God completed on the seventh day His work that He did, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He did. (Genesis 2:1-2)

.וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָֽם. וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה

Now no tree of the field was yet on the earth, neither did any herb of the field yet grow, because the Lord God had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the soil. (Genesis 2:5)

וְכֹ֣ל | שִׂ֣יחַ הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה טֶ֚רֶם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה בָאָ֔רֶץ וְכָל־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה טֶ֣רֶם יִצְמָ֑ח כִּי֩ לֹ֨א הִמְטִ֜יר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה:

The former verse says that God completed creating everything by the seventh day (including the trees, which were created on the third day), but the latter verse says that the trees had not yet been created.

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Rashi's Resolution

Rashi resolves the contradiction as follows:

... neither did any herb of the field yet grow: [I.e.,] had not yet grown. And on the third [day], where it is written: “Let the earth bring forth,” they [the plants] had not yet emerged, but they stood at the entrance of the ground until the sixth day. And why? Because there was no man to work the soil, and no one recognized the benefit of rain, but when man came and understood that they were essential to the world, he prayed for them, and they fell, and the trees and the herbs sprouted. — [from Chul. 60b]

וכל עשב השדה טרם יצמח - עדיין לא צמח, ובשלישי שכתוב ותוצא הארץ, על פתח הקרקע עמדו עד יום ששי: - כי לא המטיר: ומה טעם לא המטיר, לפי שאדם אין לעבוד את האדמה ואין מכיר בטובתם של גשמים, וכשבא אדם וידע שהם צורך לעולם התפלל עליהם וירדו, וצמחו האילנות והדשאים:

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The Ramban's Refutation

The Ramban notes that Rashi seems to have overlooked the literal reading of the verse:

Neither did any herb of the field grow (Bereishit Rabbah), ibid Chulin 60 says "they stood at the entrance of the ground until the sixth day" after it had rained. In my opinion this verse should be understood according to its literal meaning; on the third day the earth brought forth herbage and fruit-bearing tree in their places and to their types as they were commanded, and now the Torah says that there was nobody to till and sow and that they did not sprout until the mist rose from the ground to water it, and until Man was created to work the land and till and sow and guard it.

וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה על דעת רבותינו (בבראשית רבה) עיין חולין ס בשלישי עמדו על פתח קרקע הארץ ובששי צמחו לאחר שהמטיר עליהם ועל דעתי כפי הפשט כי בשלישי הוציאה הארץ העשב ועץ הפרי בקומותם וצביונם כאשר צותה בהם ועכשיו יספר הכתוב כי אין נוטע וזורע מהם והיא לא תצמח עד אשר עלה אד ממנה והשקה אותה ונוצר .האדם העובד אותה לזרוע ולנטוע ולשמור

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The Ramban's Resolution

The Ramban settles the contradiction with the following:

The explanation is as follows: the reason that the verse said "neither did any herb of the field yet grow" instead of "herb of the earth" is that the word field refers to the domain of Man's work. See Exodus 23:16 (... which you will sow in the field...), and Numbers 20:17 (... we will not pass through fields or vineyards...). This is the purpose of the world made after the six days of creation onward forever due to the mist the rain fell from the skies, which caused the earth to sprout forth its seeds.

וזהו טעם "שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח" שלא אמר "שיח האדמה" כי המקום הנעבד יקרא שדה אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה (שמות כג טז) לֹא נַעֲבֹר בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם (במדבר כ יז) וזהו תשמישו של עולם שנהיה מאחרי ששת ימי בראשית והלאה כל ימי עולם כי בסיבת האד ימטירו השמים ובסבתם הארץ זירועיה תצמיח:

In other words, both verses are true (Genesis 1 and Genesis 5). The word "earth" and "field" are two different domains. Earth is occupied by plants and animals, who do not need to pray for rain to receive it - it is a free gift. "Field" is a separate domain occupied by Man and is a sub-set of "earth." It connotes labor and indicates his need to pray for sustenance and can be understood by modern man as "the workplace." Genesis 1 tells us that the rain that fell on the third day was limited to the domain of the earth. God withheld the rain from the field until the 6th day when He created Man, who prayed for it.

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The Application

The word "field" corresponds to our modern workplace, the way we make our livings. Note that Isaac went to pray in the field, indicating that our livelihood is associated with, and dependent on, our prayers. This may serve to argue against the idea that these two domains (work and spirituality) need to be mutually exclusive.

And Isaac went forth to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were approaching. (Genesis 24:63)

(בראשית כב:סג) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק לָשׂ֥וּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לִפְנ֣וֹת עָ֑רֶב וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּ֥ה גְמַלִּ֖ים בָּאִֽים

Note that the word שִׂ֣יחַ means both "tree/herb" and "discussion," translated as "prayer" in Jewish sources.

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Holiness vs Blessing - Three Dimensions

July 13, 2020 - 21 Tammuz 5780

Introduction

During Magen Avos on Shabbos we say the following:

מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת וּמְבָרֵךְ שְּׁבִיעִי

He sanctifies the Shabbos and blesses the seventh day.

What is the meaning of the word sanctifies and blesses such that God sanctifies Shabbos and blesses the seventh day? Why doesn’t He sanctify the seventh day and bless the Shabbos? Or better yet, why doesn’t He sanctify and bless both? Is Shabbos not blessed? Is the seventh day not set apart? In any case, don’t they mean the same thing?

Right, so let’s try to break this down.

What do these words mean?

Sanctify - to set something apart for some particular reason or function.
Bless - to endow something with increased goodness or abundance, or to provide it with the ability to confer blessing upon other things.

The First Dimension

With those descriptions in mind let’s try to plug them in to our verse:

He sets apart the Shabbos and endows the seventh day with goodness.

Now that may explain why the Shabbos is set apart and the seventh day is not. Indeed, the word Shabbos is different than the name for the rest of the days of the week. What in English is “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday” etc, is in Hebrew “the first day, the second day, the third day,” etc. The next day in the chronology is “the seventh day,” but it is called Shabbos instead. In other words, its name does not express its place in the sequence, but it expresses its primary attribute, which is of desisting. It falls within the sequence, but it is not part of the sequence.

The Second Dimension

Okay, so let’s move on to “blesses the seventh day.”

If the unique name of Shabbos sets it apart from the sequence, the term “seventh day” indicates that it is very much a part of that sequence. However, the term “blesses,” as we said, endows something with increased goodness or abundance (the manna given in Exodus 16:5, 22). Therefore, the goodness we experience on the seventh day is a reference to the pleasure that we can experience on that day. God blesses every day of the week, which is why it known as “the seventh day.” It is still part of the sequence, but has an added measure.

In other words, it may be said that Shabbos and the seventh day respectively refer to the spiritual and physical attributes of this entity called Shabbos. The spiritual attributes refer to the extra holiness that is present during that time, such as increased time praying and learning Torah. The physical attributes refer to our partaking and increasing in bodily and emotional pleasures, such as eating tasty foods, spending time with family and friends, singing songs, and let’s not forget taking a big ‘ol fat nap!

Both of these elements are experienced in unison, as the Torah says “Guard it and remember it in one utterance.” Both characteristics of Shabbos are inextricably fused within each other so that to experience one means to experience the other. In fact, isolating them from each other, i.e., to focus only on the spiritual or the physical aspects of Shabbos is to miss it. It is not a monastic retreat, nor is it a day of carnal indulgence.

The Third Dimension

This is all-and-good, but the text of the siddur quotes a verse from Genesis that complicates our nice little model of the spiritual and physical aspects of Shabbos:

וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it… (Genesis 2:3)

In contrast to our model it seems that God blessed and sanctified the Shabbos. The verse above does not associate the verbs with each of the different descriptions of Shabbos, indicating that our analysis does not flow naturally from the verse in the Torah.

However, the same verse that complicated the matter in the first place seems to provide us with the answer. Notice that the verse above contains two verbs describing what God did to the Shabbos (וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ and וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ). The verse contains a third verb that explains how He did both things. That verb is שָׁבַת֙, desisted. To conclude, the act of basing Shabbos on both elements was achieved simultaneously by a single act, therefore preserving both of them.

Thought Precedes Action - סוֹף מַעֲשֶּׂה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה תְּחִלָּה

July 12, 2020 - 20 Tammuz 5780

לִקְרַאת שַׁבָּת לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה, כִּי הִיא מְקוֹר הַבְּרָכָה, מֵרֹאשׁ מִקֶּדֶם נְסוּכָה, סוֹף מַעֲשֶּׂה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה תְּחִלָּה

The stanza above comes from Lecha Dodi, which is said in Shabbos in shul.

The end of the second stanza (in orange above) seems to be peculiarly out of order. The meaning of these words is “The deed comes at the end, the thought comes at the beginning.” Would it not have made more sense for this to read “The thought comes at the beginning, the deed comes at the end?” In other words, shouldn’t the parts of the sentence follow the chronological order that it is trying to convey?

Perhaps the parts of the sentence are sorted according to priority and not to order. This would explain that although the act of Creation was based on the intent to do it, that nevertheless the act preceded the thought in terms of importance. This is the idea explained by “God sought a dwelling place in the lowest worlds.

אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הָעוֹלָם, נִתְאַוָּה שֶׁיְּהֵא לוֹ דִּירָה בַּתַּחְתּוֹנִים כְּמוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּעֶלְיוֹנִים. (מדרש תנחומא, נשא ט״ז:א׳)

The act of Creation is an expression so dear to God that it overrides the natural way of describing things in the order that they occurred.

This can further be applied to Shabbos itself. The whole apex of Creation was Shabbos, and so even though it occurs at the end, it was mentioned at the beginning.

The purpose of Shabbos is to try to migrate into this holy space and out of the mundane. It follows that the Shabbos davening is itself designed to facilitate that mental and emotional process, as a form of meditation. Perhaps then this wording can be used as a tool for concentration on God's initial motivation for the Creation, which can in turn help us derive pleasure from Shabbos.

Psalm 97:12 - The Price of a Good Life

July 9, 2020, updates made July 12, 2020 - 17 Tammuz 5780, Tammuz 20 5780

Summary

A phrase pattern commonly found in Tehillim (Psalms) is as follows:

[A] has been done for [B], and for [C], [D].

In case that made no sense, here's a made-up example:

Danny ordered pizza, and Sam, coffee.

The sentence above omits the word "ordered' in the second phrase, but we know that it means that Sam ordered coffee:

Danny ordered pizza, and Sam [ordered] coffee.

Application

We can apply the above to the verse below from Tehillim:

א֭וֹר זָרֻ֣עַ לַצַּדִּ֑יק, וּֽלְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב שִׂמְחָֽה

Light has been sown for the righteous, and for the straight-of-heart, joy.

As in our made up example above, the words "has been sown" are omitted from the second phrase, but we know that it means "...and for the straight of heart, joy has been sown."

Here's what it looks like if we plug in the omitted word:

א֭וֹר זָרֻ֣עַ לַצַּדִּ֑יק, וּֽלְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב זָרֻ֣עַ שִׂמְחָֽה

Light has been sown for the righteous, and for the straight-of-heart, joy has been sown.

However, we can reason that the word זָרֻ֣עַ (sown) was omitted to convey a deeper hidden meaning. Consider that the word זָרֻ֣עַ indicates an action that occurs now, but comes to fruition at a later time just as a seed is planted now and blooms later. Perhaps this explains why the word זָרֻ֣עַ is not used for יִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב, implying that they experience שִׂמְחָֽה immediately. Surely an appropriate bonus!

In other words, if זָרֻ֣עַ can be taken to mean in the World-to-Come, the צַּדִּ֑יק receives his light (for being a צַּדִּ֑יק) in the World-to-Come, while those who are יִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב receive joy in the here-and-now. These, by the way, are two different spiritual prototypes and it seems clear that one individual can be both.

The Downside

That's great news, but it may leave the צַּדִּ֑יק wondering if his reward for living a life of righteousness is suffering and misery. Not exactly a compelling perk to fight for the light side:

זו תורה וזו שכרה?! (מנחות כט:)

Is this the Torah and is this its reward?! (Menachos 29b)

Perhaps to the tzaddik's chagrin, the Torah itself confirms this:

רַ֭בֹּות רָעֹ֣ות צַדִּ֑יק וּ֝מִכֻּלָּ֗ם יַצִּילֶ֥נּוּ יְהוָֽה׃ (תהילים לד:כ)

The troubles of a righteous person are numerous, and Hashem shall rescue him from all of them. (Psalms 34:20)

The Resolution

And so the very next verse comes to explain that the righteous do receive joy in this world:

שִׂמְח֣וּ צַ֭דִּיקִים בַּֽיהוָ֑ה וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ לְזֵ֣כֶר קָדְשֽׁוֹ

Rejoice, you righteous, with the Lord, and give thanks to His holy name.

Their joy, however, is attained by leading a Godly life. This may also underline the difference between יִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב and a צַּדִּ֑יק; the former derive joy from their pure intent, while the latter derive it from a direct connection to God. It may also be that the former is a gateway to becoming the latter.

Further (and no more "furthers" after this), יִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב is in the plural and צַּדִּ֑יק is in the singular, which may be taken to mean that the former is more common than the latter.

So don't worry, if you want to be a צַּדִּ֑יק not only would it certainly be worth your while, God (Who designed it) apparently seems to think that you can do it!

לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַֽעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֨יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַֽעֲשֶֽׂנָּה: (דברים ל:יב)

It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?" (Deuteronomy 30:12)

Ashrei

July 5, 2020 - 13 Tammuz 5780

Verse Analysis

Note: This analysis is a work in progress and will be periodically updated.

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The following is an analysis of the grammatical structure of selected psukim from the Ashrei prayer. The Ashrei prayer is almost verbatim Psalm 145. It is written in an acrostic format and is attributed to King David.

To explain how this analysis works I selected an example where the difference between the meaning of the phrases is unmistakably clear. Notice that the first phrase in this verse says that "God guards all those who love Him," while the second says that He "destroys all who are wicked."

Hashem guards all those who love Him, and shall destroy all who are wicked.

.שׁוֹמֵר יהוה אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו, וְאֵת כָּל הָרְשָׁעִים יַשְׁמִיד

Just as the meaning of these two phrases is clearly different, it must be that all verses structured in this same way contain phrases that also mean fundamentally different things.

Let's look at a more subtle example before applying this to other verses:

Hashem is good to all, and His mercy is bestowed on all things that He has made.

.טוֹב יהוה לַכֹּל, וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו

We may be tempted to think that "good to all" and "mercy is bestowed on all things" mean the same thing, but if they do, one of them is redundant. The Jewish tradition says that King David wrote the Ashrei while experiencing ruach hakodesh. If so, and they are not purely poetic, then the specific selection of words must have been deliberate to convey a particular meaning. If understood, that meaning is most likely profound.

For example, rearranging the words in this verse to "mercy to all" and "is good to all things" would change the meaning of the verse fundamentally.

Support for this Method

My analysis is based on a well-known concept that the Tanakh contains no superfluous information and lacks none.

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According to judaism.stackexchange.com, the "Ramban writes in his hassagos to shoresh sheni of the Rambam in sefer Hamitzvos that there is not even one extra letter in the Torah:"

Rather, the verses contain all [of the ideas contained in the d'rshos of Chazal] for the explanation of the text is not [meager] in accordance with the words of those lacking intelligence, nor like the opinion of the Sadducees. For the Torah scroll of God is perfect, it has neither a superfluous nor a missing letter, they were all written with wisdom.

The below translation was provided by the MiYodeah user known as mevaqesh. The word mevaqesh means "one who seeks" or "asks for".

אבל הכתוב יכלול הכל כי אין הפשט כדברי חסרי דעת הלשון ולא כדעת הצדוקים. כי ספר תורת ה' תמימה אין בה אות יתר וחסר כולם בחכמה נכתבו

Text of Ashrei

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Opening pasuk 1

Happy are those who dwell in Your house, may they always praise You, selah!

אַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ, עוֹד יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶּלָה

Opening pasuk 2

Happy is the nation for whom it is so, happy is the nation for whom Hashem is their God.

אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ, אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁיהוה אֱלֹהָיו

A psalm of David

A psalm of David:

:תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד

Aleph - א

I will exalt my God, the King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever.

,אֲרוֹמִמְךָ אֱלוֹהַי הַמֶּלֶךְ, וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Bet - ב

Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.

.בְּכָל יוֹם אֲבָרְכֶךָּ, וַאֲהַלְלָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Gimmel - ג

Hashem is great and highly praised, and His greatness is without measure.

.גָּדוֹל יהוה וּמְהֻלָּל מְְאֹד, וְלִגְדֻלָּתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר

Dalet - ד

From generation-to-generation Your deeds shall be praised, telling of your greatnesses.

.דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁבַּח מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, וּגְבוּרֹתֶיךָ יַגִּידוּ

Hey - ה

The splendid honor of your glory, and I will tell of your amazing deeds

הֲדַר כְּבוֹד הוֹדֶךָ, וְדִבְרֵי נִפְלאֹתֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה

Vav - ו

And they will speak of your awesome strengths, and I will tell of Your greatness.

.וֶעֱזוּז נוֹראוֹתֶיךָ יֹאמֵרוּ, וּגְדוּלָּתְךָ אֲסַפְּרֶנָּה

Explanation

Zayin - ז

They will share a reminder of Your great goodness, and they will sing of Your righteousness.

,זֶכֶר רַב טוּבְךָ יַבִּיעוּ, וְצִדְקָתְךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ

Chet - ח

Hashem is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness.

.חַנּוּן וָרַחוּם יהוה, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדָל חָסֶד

Tet - ט

Hashem is good to all, and bestows His mercy on all things that He made.

.טוֹב יהוה לַכֹּל, וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו

Explanation

Yud - י

All that You have made shall give thanks to You, Hashem, and Your righteous ones* shall bless You.

.יוֹדוּךָ יהוה כָּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, וַחֲסִידֶיךָ יְבָרְכוּכָה

Kaf - כ

They will speak of the glory of Your sovereignty, and talk of Your greatness.

.כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ יֹאמֵרוּ, וּגְבוּרָתְךָ יְדַבֵּרוּ

Lammed - ל

In order to announce to all people His mights, and the honor of the glory of His Kingship.

.לְהוֹדִיעַ לִבְנֵי הָאָדָם גְּבוּרֹתָיו, וּכְבוֹד הֲדַר מַלְכוּתוֹ

Mem - מ

Your kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and Your rule extends into each and every generation.

.מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל עֹלָמִים, וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדֹר

Explanation

Samech - ס

Hashem supports those who are fallen, and straightens those who are bent.

.סוֹמֵךְ יהוה לְכָל הַנֹּפְלִים, וְזוֹקֵף לְכָל הַכְּפוּפִים

Explanation

Ayin - ע

Every eye shall turn expectantly to You, for You give them with their food in its proper time.

.עֵינֵי כֹל אֵלֶיךָ יְשַׂבֵּרוּ, וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן לָהֶם אֶת אָכְלָם בְּעִתּוֹ

Pey - פ

You open Your hands, and satiate the will of all living creatures.

.פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ, וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצוֹן

Tzaddi - צ

God is righteous in all of His ways, and virtuous* in all of His deeds

.צַדִּיק יהוה בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו,וְחָסִיד בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו

The word tzaddik literally means righteous. According to the Nesivos Shalom, the word tzaddik refers to someone that has completely uprooted his yetzer harah to the extent that it no longer has any power over him. This translates to a person who observes all of the details of the commandments perfectly. The word chassid, also according to the Nesivos Shalom, refers to someone goes beyond what is required of him and does things with the correct intentions. While the words are not exactly opposites, they convey a fundamentally different way of serving their Creator.

Using the Nesivos Shalom's description of these words we can try to understand how this verse is structured.

The word tzaddik is paired with "in all of His ways," while chassid is paired with "in all of His deeds."

I looked up the first ten instances of the word "way" in the Tanakh, all of which appear in Bereishis (Genesis).

The very first instance is Genesis 3:24 and says, "And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life." The second instance is in Genesis 6:12 and says, "And God saw the earth, and behold it had become corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth."

The first ten instances of this word are used in both of the different ways shown above. The first meaning is as a direction or a path, while the second meaning describes the manner in which something is done. What is interesting about just the first ten instances of the word "way" is that eight out of the first ten instances refer to how something is done and not to a physical direction or path.

Regarding the first ten instances of the word "deeds," eight refer to things that have been made and two refer to actions that have been taken. However, unlike with "way," the word "ma'ase" technically means the same thing whether it is used as "deed" or "created object." The reason for that is it requires a deed to make an object, so the word "object" is actually a contextual description of "deed."

In short, the word "way" corresponds to a general manner in which something is done, and the word "deed" corresponds to a specific action.

Plugging these definitions into the verse renders something like the following:

God runs all aspects of the world in perfect measure, and gives special treatment to specific situations and things.

This seems to correspond perfectly to the concepts of hashgacha klalis and hashgacha pratis respectively, and therefore seems to have been the intent of using these words.

Quf - ק

Hashem is close to all who call upon Him, to all who shall call to Him with sincerity.

.קָרוֹב יהוה לְכָל קֹרְאָיו, לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ בֶאֱמֶת

Resh - ר

God will do the will of those who fear* Him, and will hear their cry and save them.

.רְצוֹן יְרֵאָיו יַעֲשֶׂה, וְאֶת שַׁוְעָתָם יִשְׁמַע וְיוֹשִׁיעֵם

Shin - ש

Hashem guards all those who love Him, and shall destroy all who are wicked.

.שׁוֹמֵר יהוה אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו, וְאֵת כָּל הָרְשָׁעִים יַשְׁמִיד

Tav - ת

May my mouth speak of the praise of Hashem, and may all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

.תְּהִלַּ֜ת יהוה יְדַבֶּר פִּי, וִיבָרֵיךְ כָּל בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Closing

And we shall bless God, from now and for always, Halleluyah!

וַאֲנַחְנוּ נְבָרֵךְ יָהּ, מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם, הַלְלוּיָהּ

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