King Solomon and the Angel of Death: Succah 53a

This is a very strange story which I'm not sure how to interpret.

Hillel the Elder said, "My feet bring me to the place that I love...."

King Solomon had two Ethiopian scribes named Elicharef and Achaia.  One day King Solomon saw the Angel of Death, who was said.  King Solomon asked, "Why are you sad?"  The Angel replied, "I have to take these two Ethiopians sitting here before you."  King Solomon sent the scribes in the company of Se'irm to Moza Deluz.  (The commentator Rashi explains that King Solomon had authority of demons, including the kind of demons named Se'irim.  Also Moza Deluz is a city known for being exempt from the authority of the Angel of Death.)  When the scribes arrived at Moza Deluz, they died.

The next day, King Solomon saw the Angel of Death was happy.  King Solomon asked, "Why are you happy?"  The Angel replied, "You sent the scribes to the very place where I needed them to be [so I could claim them.] "  King Solomon replied, "A person is brought to the place where they are required."

Moses' greatness: Ruach HaChaim on Ethics of the Fathers 1:1

OSTT –NS Pirke Avot Shuir May 4 2013. 

Pirke Avot 1:1

Moshe received Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. 

Ruach HaChaim:

Why does it say that Moshe ‘received’ and with regard to Joshua and afterwards ‘transmit?’  Shouldn’t the text say ‘Moshe received… and Joshua received from Moshe’ or ‘The Holy One Praised be G-d transmitted Torah to Moshe and Moshe transmitted it to Joshua…?”  In order to respond to this question, we can also explain what was taught in Sifre and mentioned by Rashi that all prophets prophesied with the word ‘Thus says G-d’ while Moshe was more advanced and prophesied with ‘This is the thing G-d commands.’  What was the advancement that allowed Moshe to prophecy so?

We can understand this question about Moshe’s prophecy according to the story in Numbers 12.  “Miriam and Aharon spoke about Moshe… Does G-d only speak to Moshe?  Doesn’t he also speak to us?”  Following that “G-d descended and said, ‘Hear my words, if there be your prophets … “  The phrase “If there be your prophets” is problematic.  “I will make myself known to him (אליו)  in a vision; I speak to/within (בו) him in a dream” is strange.  Why does it say ‘to him’ and them ‘to/within him.’ 

It also says “I speak with/in (בו)  him face to face.”  Shouldn’t the text be ‘with him (עמו)?  The phrase ‘in/with my servant Moshe is also difficult. 

Behold we know what is taught in Talmud Yevamot, and in the Midrash, that all prophets prophesied with a unclear glass, while Moshe prophesied with a clear glass.  It also says that the Shechina spoke from Moshe’ throat. 

In the Zohar, it points out that in the Torah (Genesis 22:11) ‘Avraham -Avraham’ has an interruption within it, while (Exodus 3:4) ‘Moshe Moshe’ does not. That hints at to Moshe’s level, how exalted he was compared to our Father Avraham.  It says in Talmud Chullin, ‘What was said of Moshe was greater than that said of Avraham, for scripture says of Avraham, “I am dust and ashes” while it says of Moshe ‘What are we?”’  By means of this specifically Moshe merited that the Torah would be given by his hand.

In order to explain Moshe’s greatness related to the fact that there is no interruption in ‘Moshe Moshe’… the name is the essence of a person’s soul.  Evidence for this is (Genesis 2:18) ‘The Man gave names… whatever the Man called a living soul was its name.”  The language  ‘called a living soul’ is difficult, for it should have said ‘called the living soul.’  This can be explained that naming is not mere utterance, but rather Adam saw the source of each living thing in the upper world, and according to this source gave a name by means of combinations of letters of that upper world that binds that living thing.  Thus ‘Whatever the Man called the living soul was its name’ the essential appropriate thing by combination of letters from the part of the upper world binding its soul.  So too with people, the name is the soul essence of its biding upper source.

This is the matter of the double names.  With regard to “Avraham-Avraham” the first name relates to the upper soul essence that is the most important part of the soul, only a small part of which flows to the body.  The body is just a sandal for the soul.  Just as the sandal only dresses a small lower part of the body, so too the body only garbs a small lower part of the soul.  The body is like a sandal on the end of the soul’s feet.  Thus it says (Exodus 3) ‘Take your sandals from your feet,” that is the body.  The second ‘Avraham’ refers to small lower part of the soul that flows to the body.  This is the meaning of ‘Avraham-Avraham’ with an interruption in the middle, that is  between the upper Avraham which is the soul in its source of the upper world and the lower Avraham whose lowest small part is dressed in the body.  The interruption is present between the words because the body interrupts between the two parts of the soul.  However there is no interruption in “Moshe Moshe” because Moshe’ body was so pure that there was no separation between the parts of his soul in the upper world and the body.  This is because of the Moshe’ great humility, for Moshe thought of himself as having no body, and said, “What are we.”   Avraham thought of the body as ‘dust and ashes.’  Thus we learn that the Shechina spoke in Moshe’ throat for his body was no interruption, thus the Shechina literally spoke through his throat.

This is the matter of Aharon and Miriam speaking regarding Moshe, for they thought that they too were pure like Moshe, and thus they said ‘It is true that G-d only speaks within Moshe’ that is to say literally from within his throat, for they thought they were on the same level.  G-d replied with ‘If there be your prophets of Hashem’  that is to say actual prophets of G-d.  All names of G-d are nicknames, but Hashem is the proper name.  Thus, G-d said to them, don’t imagine that your prophecy is on such an exalted level like Moshe, whose prophesy came from the level of Hashem directly.  For your prophecy is not always on this level.  “If there be your prophets of Hashem’ that is to say if sometimes it happens that there is prophesy among you on that level. 

Then it will be ‘I will make myself known to him in a vision.’ … A ‘vision’ is like perception through a glass wall…  thus scripture says ‘I make myself known in a vision’ that is from a distance.  This is a glass that does not shine, like an image in glass that does not shine, its manner is to show the shadow only.  Thus Ezekiel said, ‘I heard someone speaking to me,’ that is a voice was speaking and he heard it, but the voice did not actually reach him.  “I speak to him in a dream” because in dreams the body does not interrupt between the soul in its upper source because during sleep the soul arises from the body and not a single trace of the soul is left in the body.  At such a time the rest of the prophets are, like Moshe, able to have the word within their throats.  ‘Not so with my servant Moshe, face to face I speak within him’ that is with Moshe’ voice and vision, not with an image, as our sages said a clear glass, like simple glass that shows the actual thing and not an image, not like other prophets who (Ezekiel 17)  ‘propound a riddle and relate an allegory.’

This is why the rest of the prophets spoke with a ‘Thus says G-d.’  ‘Thus’ is like an image of the essential thing, and they were not able to say that was the actual word that they heard, the word without change heard from the mouth of G-d.  However the prophesy of Moshe was so elevated that G-d spoke to him as one does to a companion, in a clear manner.  Thus Moshe could say ‘This is was G-d commanded, saying.”  This is the word I heard clearly and I speak it to you  This is because of his great purity, he was able to see the source… all of this was due to his great humility.

… One can further explain the matter of Moshe receiving and transmitting to Joshua through consideration of (B Talmud Sotah 49a) ‘When Yose ben Yoezer died, the grapes were annulled; he was a man that contained everything.’   The meaning of this is like (Midrash Leviticus Rabba) on ‘Your breasts are grapes.’  Just as a grape that is larger than its neighbor on the vine is lower than it, so too a scholar that is greater than his neighbor is humbler.  A person merits everything through humility, and even though Moshe was the lord of prophets and father of the wise, he was only praised for this humility and achieved everything through it.  If there were now a person as humble as Moshe he would surely merit the Torah in its entirety.  This is as our Sages say (B Talmud Ta’anit 7a) ‘Why are words of Torah like water?  Just as water leaves a high place and travels to a low place so too words of Torah only stay in one who is very humble.’  The Torah migrated to Moshe who was extremely humble.  Just as a vessel, as its walls become thinner it holds more, and if its walls become like an onion skin it is almost completely a receptacle, so too the more humble a person is more space is available and open to receive Torah.  (Deuteronomy 8) “Lest your heart be elevated and you forget.”  When one raises oneself up automatically there is less room available for Torah and thus the Torah, G-d forbid, flees.  (Isaiah 11) “For the land will be full of knowledge of G-d like the water covers the sea.”  Just as water covers the sea, in places that are deeper more water flows.  

The King and the Moon: Shemot Raba 15:26

One of the most elegant rituals of Jewish prayer is 'Kiddush Levanah,' said some time after the new moon outdoors when the Moon is visible.  The liturgy connects the increase of the Moon to the restoration of Israel's monarchy, as well as the tradition that the Moon and Sun were once equally bright:

May it be Your will, G-d my L-rd and fathers' G-d, to complete the deficiencies of the moon, and may it be completely undiminished.  Let the light of the Moon be like the light of the Sun, as was the case during the seven days of Creation, before the Moon's light was reduced... and bring to pass what is written:  "They shall seek the L-rd their G-d and David their King, Amen!

I always wondered about other texts that connected moonlight to Israel's monarchy.  The book 'A River Flows from Eden' by Melila Hellner-Eshed led me to one.

Before the Holy One Praised be G-d took Israel out from Egypt, G-d let Israel know through a hint that they would only achieve a monarchy after thirty generations... the Moon is a 30 day cycle, and your monarchy will be the 30th generation.  The Moon begins to shine on the first of the month of Nisan, and increases until it's disk is full on the 15th, and then the Moon's light decreases until it is not visible on the 30th of Nisan.  So to is the case with Israel.  There were 15 generations from Abraham to King Solomon.  Abraham began to shine...  when King Solomon came, the disk of the Moon was full.

Problematic and Beautiful: Sukkot 45b

This text is both beautiful and problematic.  It is difficult not to read it as surprisingly, even shockingly Christian.  A famous sage also sounds egotistical.  

Hizkiah taught that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said, 'I can make the the entire world exempt from Judgement, from the day I was created until now.  If my son Eliezer were with me, we could expempt the entire world from Judgement since the world was created until now.  With Yotam ben Uziah [a king known for his humility] we could exempt the world from Judgment from the beginning to the end of creation.'

Hizkiah taught that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said, 'I have seen exalted people [Rashi says, those who receive the divine presence], and that there are few of them.  If there are 100, me and my son are among them.  If there are two, it is me and my son.'

[The Gemara asks] are there really so few?  Did not Rava teach that 8,000 people dwell before the Holy One, Praised be G-d...?

There is no contradiction between Rava and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.  Rava referred to the 8,000 who see G-d through a obscure lens, while Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai taught about the few who see G-d through a shining lens.

[The Gemara asks] but can there be so few people who see G-d through a shining lens?  Abbaye taught, 'There are at least 36 righteous people who receive the divine presence every day.'  How could there only be two?

There is no contradiction between Abbaye and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.  Abbaye taught regarding those who must seek permission to receive the divine presence, while Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai taught regarding those who do not need permission.  

Beautiful Zohar 1:6a

As I get more into Rabbinic texts, I think there are two ways for me to grow.  I could explore advanced halacha, or study mysticism.  They aren't exclusive, but are pretty different.  I find mysticism to often be, simply, more beautiful and so am directing a lot of my attention there recently.  Here's a section I think is especially gorgeous.  Two Rabbis are traveling in the Galilee, and their donkey driver turns out to be a hidden sage.  The Rabbis ask his name, and the sage responds cryptically:

My father's dwelling was in the great ocean.  He was a fish, circumnavigating the vast ocean from one end to the other.  So grand and splendid, ancient of days, he would swallow all the other fish in the ocean, then spew them out alive, thriving, filled with all the goodness of the world.  So strong, he could swim the ocean in one moment.  He shot me out like an arrow from the hand of a mighty warrior...  then he returned to his site disappearing into the ocean.

(Trans by Daniel Matt).  

A Meal for Angels

According to the commentator Rashi, when Abraham was visited by three angels, Abraham served them cow tongue with mustard sauce.  While angels don't need to eat, they ate the tongue out of courtesy.

Theory and Practice

This is a story from Rabbi Steinsaltz's commentary on the 26th Chapter of the Tanya.  I love it because it feels very honest.

Rabbi Berush Meilitz was a great scholar and devout person, who later became the chief rabbi of Krakow and Warsaw.  He was both a Rosh Yeshiva and highly successful lumber merchant.  He would transport lumber on rafts on the Vistula River from forests to the sea.  When the river traffic was orderly, such lumber merchants would make huge profits, but from time to time due to bad weather or other circumstances, the rafts would sink and such merchants would lose all of their wealth.

One time, the news came to Rabbi Meilitz's yeshiva that his rafts had all sunk.  Instantly, this man who had been wealthy all his life was transformed into an impoverished debtor.  The Rabbi's relatives worried and did not know how to break the news.  Finally, the relatives asked one of the Rabbi's students to find a way to tell Rabbi Meilitz.

The student approached Rabbi Meilitz with a Talmud and said, "Rabbi, I there is a section of the Talmud that I don't understand."  The student pointed to a section of the Talmud which says that we must bless G-d for bad news in the same spirit as we bless G-d for good news.  Rabbi Meilitz explained the issue, but the student continued to say, "Rabbi, I don't understand the Talmud  How can one receive bad news joyfully?"  The Rabbi explained both the plain and hidden meanings of this part of the Talmud.  The student said, "Rabbi, I still don't understand the Talmud.  If I were to tell you that all of your rafts were sunk, would you dance in joy?"  The Rabbi replied, "Yes, absolutely!"  The student said, "In that case, you should dance, for in truth your rafts have all really sunk!"

When he heard the news, Rabbi Meilitz fainted.  Upon awakening, he said, "Now I too don't understand the Talmud!"