The Difference Between Noach and Avraham

''Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d.'' [Noach 6:9]

Later, the Torah tells us that Hashem told Avraham Avinu ''Walk before Me and be perfect'' [17:1], but here the Torah says that Noach ''walked with G-d''.  What was the difference between Noach and Avraham?

The Midrash Rabbah answers this question with a parable:  A father was once walking down the road with his two sons.  The father turned to the younger son and said ''Give me your hand and we'll walk together.''  But to the older son, he said ''Go ahead, you can walk before me.''

''Father'', asked the older son, ''why won't you hold my hand as well?''

''My son'' answered the father, ''your brother is still young and I'm afraid that he might stumble or fall.  You, however, are older and I'm not worried about your walking.''

The difference between Noach and Avraham was like the difference between the two sons in the parable.  Though Noach was a tzaddik, he nonetheless needed protection to make sure he would not stumble in his beliefs.  The verse therefore describes his relationship with G-d as ''Noach walked with G-d'', since Hashem stood by him at all times, to make sure his faith would not falter.

Avraham's faith, however, was much stronger, so Hashem told him ''Walk before Me - I'm sure you will not stumble.''

Rashi expressed this idea in one sentence: ''Noach needed support, but Avraham drew his strength from himself and walked in his righteousness on his own.''

Source and written by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

A Timely Warning to Israel's Enemies

Not sure who this guy is but it's taken from a recent Glenn Beck Show. He's reassuring us all that anyone who attacks Israel and the Jews will meet an unhappy end.

 

Before the Flood

Chassidic thought teaches that before the Flood, G-d sustained the world despite its low spiritual standing, due to His attribute of kindness. There was a limit, however, to how long G-d was willing to sustain a world without merit - hence the Flood.

The waters of the flood were not merely a punishment.  They purified the world, making physicality in general more refined and spiritually attuned.

Consequently, in the post Flood era, people were more predisposed to repentance.  This ensured that G-d would always sustain the world - not despite of, but because of its spiritual standing.  For, even if man would become corrupt, people would inevitably repent, ensuring that the world itself would have sufficient merit for its continued existence.

With this in mind, we can explain the following details:

• Noach was unaware of the above, so he was scared to repopulate the world, fearing it would be destroyed again.  Therefore, G-d had to re-command him to ''be fruitful and multiply'' [9:1]
• The inner reason why Noach's generation failed to repent was because, before the flood, the world was spiritually insensitive.
• Meat is an extremely coarse food that can lead a person to excessive physicality.  Thus it was only permitted to the spiritually-attuned post-flood generation. [9:3]
• Before the flood, people had extremely long lifespans because the world was sustained by G-d's kindness which was bestowed disproportionately to people's merits.
• Before the Flood, physicality was more coarse. This was true in a literal sense, to the extent that the clouds were too thick to refract light, so a rainbow never appeared.  After the Flood, physicality became more refined, so the clouds began to refract light.  Then, the rainbow was not only a ''sign'' of G-d's promise not to destroy the world, it was also a physical consequence of the refinement of the world that ensured its permanent existence.

[Based on Sefer HaSichos 5751, Likutei Sichos Vol. 15 - Lubavitcher Rebbe]

Angelic Healing

Image: Dusteramaranth

Every aspect of creation is governed by an angel. Even trees and plants (especially those with healing properties) have angels supervising their growth. As the Sages said [Bereishit Rabbah 10:6] "There is nothing below, not even a common herb, which does not have an angel on high that strikes it and tells it to grow". Each of these angels receives its life force from the particular Utterance which is the source of its creation. It then transmits a measured amount of this life force to its particular charge.

This power of the angels to receive and transmit life force is referred to as the power of the "hands". (The Hebrew word for power is ko'ach, numerically equal to 28, the number of bones contained in the fingers of both hands). With its "right hand" an angel receives life force. With its "left hand", it dispenses the exact amount needed to its charge below. This is the meaning of the Sages' statement: "he strikes it and tells it to grow". "Striking" is done with the angel's left hand (for the left side represents Gevurah, judgment).

The Torah tells us [Proverbs 4:20-22] "My son attend to my words, incline your ear to my utterances.... For they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh." We learn from this that all healing flows from G-d, through His Torah. The Torah is the source of the [healing] power of the angels, who in turn transmit it to all the various herbs in their charge. This power is manifest when one accepts the Torah and has faith in the Sages who reveal it, for the Torah was given over to the Sages, and one who deviates from their teachings is called "he who causes a breach in the wall [of faith].

This is the meaning of the injunction [Deut 17:11] "Do not deviate, neither to the right nor to the left, from what they teach you". If you deviate to the right (tending towards unnecessary zealousness), your angel's "right hand" (ability to receive from its corresponding archangel and Utterance) will be hindered. If you deviate to the left (by transgressing the Torah), the angel's "left hand" (ability to transmit) will be hindered.

Of course, the removal of your angel's hands means that you cannot receive your healing, for without an angel to bestow the life force upon it, the herb upon which your healing depends loses its power to heal. Thus, the degree to which a person is attached to Torah determines the degree to which he is able to be healed.

Source: "Anatomy of the Soul" - Chaim Kramer

from the teachings of Rebbe Nachman

A Chai from Above

This is an original photo taken in Nahariya Israel by Mira Anaehel - no photoshop!

The Zohar on Noach

Rav Dov Ber Pinson speaks about the Zohar on Noach

 

When Sheker Met Pachsa

by Rabbi Daniel Travis

Two by two the animals came into the Ark to Noach. [Bereishis Noah 7:9]

The concepts in this verse are illustrated by the following allegory:

Sheker (lies/deceit) approached Noach and requested entry into the Ark. Noach refused sheker on the grounds that it did not have a “mate.” When sheker left Noach, it met pachsa (financial loss and destruction) and proposed that they form a partnership, so that together they could gain entry into the Ark. Pachsa agreed, stipulating that any profit which would be earned through sheker would be handed over to pachsa to be destroyed.

There are many questions to be asked about this allegory. Why did our Sages see fit to single out sheker from all the possible negative character traits? Furthermore, why was it necessary for sheker to find a mate? Surely it would have been better to deny sheker entrance to the ark altogether. On the other hand, if sheker belonged in the world, should it not have been allowed to enter the ark without having to fulfill any conditions?

The decree of the flood was sealed on account of the dishonesty of that generation. Sheker was rampant, and there was no way to stop it short of wiping out the entire world. In the process of reconstructing the world, God wanted to make sure that the sins which had caused it's demise would not be repeated. Therefore sheker could not be allowed to perpetuate in its present form. However, it was important that sheker continue to exist in order for the iniquities of the previous generation to be rectified. This could only come about through recognition of the utter futility of any involvement with sheker.

When pachsa joined forces with sheker, causing the loss of all profits earned through sheker, it made it glaringly evident that any association with sheker is totally counterproductive. The lesson that would be learned from the alliance between sheker and pachsa allowed sheker to continue to exist.

After leaving the ark, sheker came to pachsa and requested all of the profits that it had acquired through under-handed methods. Pachsa reminded sheker of their agreement, and sheker was unable to respond. Although under normal circumstances sheker would have denied ever making such a promise, this case was different. Denying the truth would be tantamount to self destruction, for without its partnership with pachsa, sheker would not be allowed to exist.

At the time of the flood sheker joined with pachsa to teach the following generations the futility of trying to acquire wealth dishonestly. Although this type of destruction is certainly a punishment for one’s crooked behavior, there is a flip side to this relationship. Since pachsa “wed” itself to sheker, it can not affect any money earned one hundred percent honestly.

This concept was vividly demonstrated to the Jewish people after their Exodus from Egypt. For forty years they were sustained every day with manna, a miraculous food that descended from the heavens. Each individual was instructed to take an omer each day – not more, not less. If someone tried to “steal” a little bit more than he was allotted, the extra manna would disappear. The futility of taking more than was Divinely allotted was quite clear. Although we are not privileged to see this principle in action in such a striking fashion, it is still in effect even in our times.

Someone once came to Rav Mordechai Schwab and told him that one of his investments had gone sour, causing him a loss of seventy thousand dollars. Rav Schwab asked him if the money had been earned honestly to which the man replied in the affirmative. Rav Shwab assured him that he would recover the money, for wealth acquired honestly does not get lost. Within a few months the investment turned a profit.

Similarly, when Rav Chaim of Volozhin was hosting a meal in his home, one of his guests inadvertently knocked over the table. All the delicate porcelain on the table came crashing to the floor. The guests were all stunned into silence, in anguish over the tremendous loss which they were certain had occurred. Only Rav Chaim remained calm. He explained to his guests that property loss can occur only if the money used to purchase that property had been acquired corruptly. Since he knew that every penny used to buy the dishes that now lay on the floor had been earned honestly, he was sure that none of the porcelain had broken, so there was nothing to worry about. When they picked up the dishes, they found that not a single one was broken or damaged.

From the above incidents we see that the partnership that sheker established with pachsa still remains in force. As such, we can be sure that any funds acquired without a tinge of corruption are not subject to pachsa, and will be spared from damage.

(c) Text Copyright © 2006 by Rabbi Daniel Travis and Torah.org

The Secret of the Snake

Recorded in 2013, an excellent shiur from HaRav Dov Ber Pinson

The Secret of the Snake