Avodah Mailing List

Volume 25: Number 397

Thu, 27 Nov 2008

• 1. Re: Rivkah's Intention (Richard Wolpoe)
• 2. Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Richard Wolpoe)
• 3. Rejection test (Micha Berger)
• 4. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Micha Berger)
• 5. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Zev Sero)
• 6. Re: Rivkah's Intention (Rich, Joel)
• 7. The Jewish Woman (Yitzchok Levine)
• 8. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (David Riceman)
• 9. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Rich, Joel)
• 10. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Micha Berger)
• 11. Re: Lesheim Yichud Source Please and explanation (Yitzhak Grossman)
• 12. Re: Disclosure (Allen Gerstl)
• 13. The Ai Plan (Shmuel Weidberg)

On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 10:13 AM, Yitzchok Levine
<Larry.Lev...@stevens.edu>wrote:

> What was Rivkah's intention when she told Yaakov to pretend to be Esav and
> get the brachos from Yitzchok?
>
> RSRH gives a brilliant insight into the entire incident. Please see
> http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/rivkah_brochos.pdf
>
> Yitzchok Levine
>


TWO tangents [or answering 2 questions with the same derech]

   1. Who gave Yaakov permission to "lie"
   2. Who gave Eliezer permission to use Nichush to find a wife for
   Yitzchak?

The common answeris the hora'as hsa'ah of a navi..

Re: Ya'alkov Rivka received a prophecy that was destiny.  "vayomer hashem
lah"  This goes agaisnt Rashi's drush on the passuk and takes the statemtn
as literal.  Hashem Told Rivka the destinby and as a nevi'ah Rivka had
permission to set aside halachah in a temporary case.

Re: Eliezer, Avarahm told Eliezer that a "mal'ach" would acompany him.
Thus, his nichush was predicated upon the words of a navi.  Thus the G'mara
could BOTH say that this is absolute nichush IN GENERAL but that Eliezer did
no wrong because he had dispensation from a navi.


-- 
Kol Tuv - Best Regards,
RabbiRichWol...@Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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A Ffiend of mine asked me the following questions reqarding the Kabbalistic
phrase lesheim  Yichud KBH ushechinteih...


   1. What is the earliest source for this statement? Is this from the
   Zohar? The Arizal? Other?
   2. Doesnt' saying that KBH needs to be united with the Sehchina imply C'V
   some duality in the Achdus of HKBH? Or IOW how is this statemnt understood
   w/o violating the Unity of HKBH?

I was not sure how to anwwer so I shrugged my shoulders.  Any out there have
any insights?


-- 
Kol Tuv - Best Regards,
RabbiRichWol...@Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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Hi!



      

On Tue, November 25, 2008 11:21 pm, Richard Wolpoe wrote:
: A Ffiend of mine asked me the following questions reqarding the
: Kabbalistic phrase lesheim  Yichud KBH ushechinteih...

We discussed this in Avodah's early days; I'm repeating what I learned
from RYGB.

: 1. What is the earliest source for this statement? Is this from the
: Zohar? The Arizal? Other?

Shaarei Tziyon by a talmid of RAAbulafia, written in 1295. We don't
know the author, much as we don't with numerous other compositions of
a talmid that presents the rebbe's Torah.

: 2. Doesnt' saying that KBH needs to be united with the Sehchina
: imply C'V some duality in the Achdus of HKBH? Or IOW how is this
: statemnt understood w/o violating the Unity of HKBH?

This was the question I had asked.

The Shechinah isn't HQBH, it's our perception of Him. Thus, "lesheim
yichud QBH uShechintei" is a little like a declaration that one
commits this mitzvah to be a step toward "bayom hahu yihyeh H' echad
ushemo echad".

So much for previous discussions. New thoughts:

In RAA's universe, "sheim" has much meaning. We're talking about
someone who taught at length about meditating on combinations of
letters. It's not quite interchangable with Shechinah, as there is an
entire wealth of concepts included.

There is also a difference between Shechinah as Hashem's presentation
of Himself to the universe and the concept of sheim, how we in the
universe perceive Him. The gap between what we are shown and how we
choose to interpret or very often reinterpret it.

But still, the basic declaration is that one is hoping this act brings
the universe's perception of the Aibishter closer to the Reality.
Nothing remotely heretical.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
mi...@aishdas.org        and he wants to sleep well that night too."
http://www.aishdas.org     - Rav Yosef Yozel Horwitz, Alter of Novarodok
Fax: (270) 514-1507

Richard Wolpoe wrote:

>    2. Doesnt' saying that KBH needs to be united with the Sehchina imply
>       C'V some duality in the Achdus of HKBH? Or IOW how is this
>       statemnt understood w/o violating the Unity of HKBH?

"Ki yad al kes YH".  "Bayom hahu yihyeh H' echad ushmo echad."

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
z...@sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                                                  - Clarence Thomas

 

                 



        TWO tangents [or answering 2 questions with the same derech]
        

        1.      Who gave Yaakov permission to "lie" 
        2.      Who gave Eliezer permission to use Nichush to find a
wife for Yitzchak? 

        The common answeris the hora'as hsa'ah of a navi..
        
        Re: Ya'alkov Rivka received a prophecy that was destiny.
"vayomer hashem lah"  This goes agaisnt Rashi's drush on the passuk and
takes the statemtn as literal.  Hashem Told Rivka the destinby and as a
nevi'ah Rivka had permission to set aside halachah in a temporary case.
        
        Re: Eliezer, Avarahm told Eliezer that a "mal'ach" would
acompany him.  Thus, his nichush was predicated upon the words of a
navi.  Thus the G'mara could BOTH say that this is absolute nichush IN
GENERAL but that Eliezer did no wrong because he had dispensation from a
navi.
        
        
        -- 
        Kol Tuv - Best Regards,
        RabbiRichWol...@Gmail.com
         =======================================
        1. Any insight then into why HKB"H didn't just tell Yitzchak
rather than set up a story which leads many to the "wrong" conclusion?
        
        2. I'm in the office but doesn't the gemara say that eliezer's
nichush was of an acceptable variety for different reason (based on
psychology iirc)
        
        KT
        Joel Rich 

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My recent email on the subject of  "RSRH, Sinatra, and Love and 
Marriage" has generated some discussion as to what the Torah view of 
love and marriage actually is. Some claim that what RSRH writes ( 
http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/rsrh_love.pdf  ) about love 
coming after marriage is not the only scenario for building a strong, 
successful  marriage.

In the hope of clarifying RSRH's views on this and related issues, 
I  have posted part of his essay The Jewish Woman at

<http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/jewish_woman_83_94.pdf>The 
Jewish Woman (Collected Writings VIII:  pages 83 - 94).

This essay is fairly long (pages 83  to 135) and that is why I posted 
only part of it.

I have also posted RSRH's essay Beauty and Long Life at 
<http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/beauty_long_life.pdf>Beauty 
and Long Life (Collected Writings VIII:  pages 137 - 144).

Links to other writings related to TIDE are at 
http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/

For me the Collected Writings of RSRH provide a world of insight into 
Judaism. Those who do not own this set have no idea what they are 
missing.  The Collected Writings can be purchased at www.feldheim.com.

Yitzchok Levine 
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Richard Wolpoe wrote:
> Doesnt' saying that KBH needs to be united with the Sehchina imply C'V 
> some duality in the Achdus of HKBH? Or IOW how is this statemnt 
> understood w/o violating the Unity of HKBH?
"Kol makom shegalu yisrael shchina galtah imahem".  The l'sheim yihud 
can be understood on a humble level as an allegorical expression of the 
apocalyptic attitude (perhaps prayer would be a better word) that 
fulfilling mitzvoth will end the exile and inaugurate the Messianic era.

I'll add a lawyerlike caveat here: this post should not be taken as an 
endorsement either of saying "l'sheim yihud" or of a theurgic view of 
mitvoth.

David Riceman

 


But still, the basic declaration is that one is hoping this act brings
the universe's perception of the Aibishter closer to the Reality.
Nothing remotely heretical.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

In this and similar situations , the interesting questions to me are
what do most people who say it think it means, what do most people who
think about it think it means?
KT
Joel Rich     
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Thank you.

On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 12:37:22PM -0500, Rich, Joel wrote:
: In this and similar situations , the interesting questions to me are
: what do most people who say it think it means, what do most people who
: think about it think it means?

Lehavdil: The Hindu hair donor population contains many ignorant people
who think the temple is collecting offerings of hair. The priests teach
that they are providing a ceremony of denial of physicality via baldness.
Is the hair taqroves AZ or not?

BTW, the Noda biYhudah was vociferously against saying "Lesheim Yichud"
(YD 93). Even modifies Hoshea (14:10, which you may remember from the
Chazal and Rashi justifying the lashon rabim of "na'aseh adam") from
"For the ways of Hashem are yesharim, and tzadiq'im walk in them while
posh'im yikashelu vam" into "vechassidim yikashelu vam".

The NbY's objection appears to reflect this problem -- telling the
masses to say something that requires subtle reflection in order to not
be AZ. This is much like the NbY's resolution WRT the RYE-RYE debate. He
agrees that RYEibshitz's kemei'os were valid qabbalah (and heaped on much
praise of RYEibshitz), but since many might misunderstand and think they
were Sabbatean, they should be placed in geniza and not copied.

I hear the Chida defended the practice. (He and the NbY were
contemporaries. R' Yechezqeil Landau was rav in Prague, niftar in 1793.
R" Chaim Yoseif David Azulai [CHYD"A] was in EY and Livorno Italy,
niftar in 1807.)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             It is harder to eat the day before Yom Kippur
mi...@aishdas.org        with the proper intent than to fast on Yom
http://www.aishdas.org   Kippur with that intent.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                       - Rabbi Israel Salanter

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:34:49 -0500 (EST)
"Micha Berger" <mi...@aishdas.org> wrote:

...

> Shaarei Tziyon by a talmid of RAAbulafia, written in 1295. We don't
> know the author, much as we don't with numerous other compositions of
> a talmid that presents the rebbe's Torah.

Any more information about this work, such as publication date and
place?  Google isn't helping.

> Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,

Yitzhak
--
Bein Din Ledin - bdl.freehostia.com
A discussion of Hoshen Mishpat, Even Ha'Ezer and other matters

When I attended shiurim in Halacha with the late Rav Gedalia Felder z"l I recall hearing him discuss these issues. 
The context, however in which he discussed them, IIRC (and I am certainly
not speaking for the late Rav but only recalling such context of a case for
which I heard him discuss this halacha)  was that of a sibling with whom
someone was not that closely in contact and therefore it might be
appropriate to avoid full fledged aveilut.
 
KTEliyahu
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Hello everybody. Even though I haven't posted in a while, I just had
to post this pshat that occurred to me while reviewing Sefer Yehoshua.

The Bnei Yisroel under Yehoshua sent 3000 soldiers to attack the city
of Ai, but they were routed and according to the posuk 36 of them were
killed.

It occurred because Achan took from the spoils of Yericho. After they
settled the matter of Achan they came up with a plan to attack Ai
again.

They had 30,000 soldiers hiding near Ai and had 5000 soldiers make a
feint towards Ai to draw the soldiers out. Then when the soldiers of
Ai chased them they would run away. As soon as Ai was empty of
soldiers the 30,000 soldiers hiding near Ai burnt it to a crisp and
the soldiers of Ai lost their nerve and were easy pickings for the
soldiers of the Bnei Yisroel. In all 12,000 soldiers from Ai were
killed.

The question is why did the Bnei Yisroel  need such a complicated
plan? Why couldn't they simply launch a full conventional attack
without trickery?

I think that the answer is that Yehoshua did not want any of the
surrounding nations to realize that the Bnei Yisroel had really been
defeated by Ai's first counterattack. He designed the second attack to
make it look like the failure of the first attack had been planned all
along in order to draw the soldiers of Ai out and leave the city
undefended.


------------------------------


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