Leshem Shamaim: ⋐⋐⋐⋐⋐⋐ REAL JEWISH POTENTIAL IN YACOV – ISRAEL ⋑⋑⋑⋑⋑⋑ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PART-B ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ****************** ISRAELS PHYSICAL STRENGTH ******************** ********************** AS A CLEAR CONSEQUENCE *********************** *********************** OF ITS SPIRITUAL POWER *********************** …CONTINUED… 25. Its well known that Simeon & Levi were mighty in any battle. They had killed 24,000 men of Shechem [Genesis 34:25]. Even Pharaohs viceroy Josef (Yosef) kept them separated always just to avoid battling them. 26. Judah (Yehuda) had overpowered an army of the strongest of Egyptian warriors which Josef (Yosef) had summoned just by screaming at them. This made all the teeth of those special forces to be uprooted & fall off! 27. Naftali could run as fast as a deer covering long distances in a short time. So too the other brothers who are heads of the 12 Jewish Tribes, had special strengths. 28. Josefs sons, Efraim & Menashe were physically very powerful too. To subdue a threatening Judah, the Egyptian Viceroy Josef instructed his son Ephraim to do the needful. Ephraim delivered a blow that indeed felled the powerful Judah. 29. While still not knowing the Viceroys & his sons identities as his own family members, Judah immediately understood that the blow he received from Efraim had the definite strength of Jacobs house behind it! No other person on earth could possess such phenomenal strength said Judah. 30. The Ramban mentions a book called: The record of the wars of the Children of Yaakov that describes the various battles of Yaakovs children, fought in conquest of the region. We also recall the verse: And the fear of God was upon all the cities that surrounded them, and they did not pursue the Children of Yaakov. (Bereshit 35:5) ⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈ 31. Needless to say that physical strength accompanies spiritual prowess. We are aware of the awesome physical power of Samson (Shimshon haGibbor) which came from his spiritual devotion towards G-d. He was blessed to be stronger than a lion, and fleeter than a deer; and his spirit will be free and fearless. 32. Samson was a great Jewish sage. Right from before his birth he was blessed to be a holy Nazir (Nazerite or Nazerian). G-d had sent an Angel to inform his parents of this designation for their unborn son. No other Jew was a Nazir from the time of his still being in his mothers womb! 33. Contrary to popular beliefs & movies, Samson is described by Jewish scriptures as being physically very thin and actually a cripple from birth! He had the special spiritual power to invoke and call upon physical strength to perform G-ds will. 34. Jacob is the Righteous, son of the Righteous Isaac and also grandson of the Righteous Abraham. 35. What is the single MOST important quality by which Jacob is distinguished? Answer: Torah Study! ⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈ 36. As described earlier, each of our three Patriarchal Fathers Abraham, Isaac & Jacob are also referred to as representing the divine influences or Sefirot of Chessed, Gevurah & Tiferet, respectively. 37. In the body Chessed corresponds to the right arm, Gevurah to the left arm, and Tiferet the heart. Chessed refers to loving kindness, Gevurah to might and, tiferet to splendor! 38. Chessed – lovingkindness is the attribute, which diffuses benevolence to all, without limit. Abraham parallels Chessed. In Abraham we see wholesome loving-kindness without limit. His tent was open on all sides and he extended the warmest hospitality to all. 39. Creation itself is an act of Chessed, as it is stated, “The world was built with Chessed.” The attribute of Chesssed is also called Gedulah meaning greatness, since life issues from G-d to an unlimited number of worlds and creatures, for it is the nature of the benevolent G-d to do only good. 40. Since the infinite and unlimited chesed of G-d is intended for finite creatures unable to absorb infinite kindness and yet remain in physical existence, the attribute of chesed is therefore controlled and limited by the aspect of gevura. 41. Gevurah means restrictive power, the power to limit and conceal the Infinite Light so that each creature can receive according to its capacity. Thus, gevura is also an aspect of G-ds kindness, for if the outpouring of infinite kindness were to remain unrestricted, finite creatures would become instantly nullified in the infinite revelation of divine love. 42. Therefore the sefirah of gevura is the manifestation of G-ds power to restrict and conceal the light so that His creatures can receive His loving-kindness, each according to its capacity. 43. The patriarch Isaac, is paralleled with Gevurah as this was the dominant Sefirah within him, being the person who restrained his emotions magnificently at the Akeida / binding of Isaac and avoided wars. Within man it is the ability to restrain a degree of diffusion or to withhold diffusion altogether. 44. Gevurah is also called Din meaning law and judgment. Din demands that Chessed be distributed justly in proportion to the recipient’s merit and not in boundless, gratuitous fashion. ⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈ 45. In the great act of divine creation, if either Chessed or Gevurah were dominant, the world could not possibly exist. The attribute of Tiferet therefore blends chesed and gevura. 46. If Chessed was dominant, the earth would be full of sinners as love would cover and extent all iniquity. If Gevurah was dominant, no man could withstand and survive the scrutiny of severe judgement. 47. Therefore, both Chessed and Gevurah operate successfully through a mediating faculty, the Sefirah of Tiferet. Tiferet blends Chessed and Gevurah so that the result is harmonious and beautiful. It can be compared to a garment dyed with many colours blended in a way that gives rise to beauty and decoration. 48. Unlike Chessed which would freely show compassion even to an undeserving person, and Gevurah would only judge, Tiferet seeks to pity a person to whom compassion is really deserved & appropriate, and then to extend benevolence to him. 49. In this sense, Tiferet is also equated with Emet / truth in the sense that both Chessed and Gevurah agree to its flow. 50. Please recall, in the body, Tiferet is the heart which, in its central position in the torso mediates between right and left and creates harmony. 51. It is noteworthy that Abraham who embodied the attribute of Chessed gave birth to Ishmael, and Isaac who embodied the attribute of Gevurah gave birth to Esau, whereas Jacob whose attribute was Tiferet / Emet which represents perfection, all his children were righteous -- his bed was complete. 52. We may be descendents of Jacob but we must try to understand Esau. Why would a man sell his birthright for a bowl of soup? I realize that Esau represents an approach to life common today – call it the secular, materialist approach. 53. Esaus philosophy of life says: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die”. For when we die, we are gone and there is nothing more. So given a choice between an enjoyable bowl of soup today and some unknown spiritual future, grab the soup of lentils. 54. Some people live by their appetites. And some people live by their vision. Jacob was willing to take a long term view, sacrificing now for future fulfillment. We each have a little bit of Jacob and a little bit of Esau within us. Each of us must struggle between our yetzer hatov and our yetzer hara. 55. Each of us is involved in an ongoing internal struggle. Do I satisfy my appetite now? Or do I delay gratification for a long term gain? ⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈⋈
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 20:12:11 +0000
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