Sticks and Stones: Insults and How We React To Them

H/t Sara

by Rabbi Eliyahu Safran

“Our Rabbis taught: Those who are insulted ne’elavin but do not insult, hear themselves reviled shomeim cherpasan without responding, act through love and rejoice in suffering, regarding them the verse states: ‘But they who love Him as the sun goes forth in its might’ Judges 5:31

In commenting on this Talmudic passage, my grandfather notes, “Why the double language? Why, “those who are insulted but do not insult” only to repeat (in form and idea) “hear themselves reviled without responding” . 

Aren’t these speaking to the very same people and lesson, they who are insulted but do not respond in kind? 

To address the question, he delved deeply into the psychology of life. He explained that there are times when one is insulted, demeaned and humiliated, and the insulted one remains stone silent; he gives no response at all, not so much as a peep to the one who insulted him. However, his silence, my grandfather notes, does not necessarily suggest that he is generous of spirit, or blessed with the most beautiful human attributes. It could very well be the insult stuns him so that he is rendered silent, left to seethe, to seep and to stew in his anger and silence. 

There are other times when one who is insulted knows only too well how evil the one piling on the insult is, he knows just how despicable the insult is and he feels he simply must respond… and yet, he holds his tongue. He accepts the abuse heaped upon him with silence and grace. This reaction is a sign that the insulted one is of noble character, that he is high up on the ladder of hishtalmut (wholesomeness). 

Thus, when we are first taught about those who “are insulted but do not insult (ha’neelavin ve’einan olvin) we cannot be certain that their non-response comes from a noble place or from a frightened, defeated place. However, those who “hear themselves reviled” (shomeim cherpasam) hear all of the abuse heaped upon them. They know how to respond. Indeed, they are capable of giving back in kind to those who heaped cherpa upon them. Yet, they do not. They einam meishivin – they do not respond. Their non-response, rather than being a sign of weakness is a sign of strength; it is the ultimate indicator of their character. They are the ones who “act through love and rejoice in suffering”! 

It is in praise of those possessing such fine character that the passage goes on, “…they who love Him as the sun goes forth in its might.” Why? Why this verse from Judges with its comparison to the sun? Because the insulted one who does not respond – even with a justifiable reason to respond – is compared to the sun which did not respond to the moon’s complaint and unfounded challenge that “…it is not possible for two kings to rule with one crown (light)”!

Source: OU Torah

Understanding Mashiach ben Yosef Part 3

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov

Part 1 can be found here

Part 2 here

Awaiting Moshiach - The Mitzvah Hashem Fulfills

H/T Mindel Puah

Rabbi Daniel Glattstein

"The mitzvah of awaiting the coming of Moshiach is so important and so powerful, that in it's merit alone, Moshiach could come..."

The Fall of Gaza and the Rise of the Third Temple

Re-blog to remind you

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn

*The Fall of Gaza and the Rise of The Third Beis Hamikdash* [Part 2 of 2] - note, I do not have Part 1

This translation was carefully researched and prepared by Rabbi Shmuel Pollen, Shlit”A

BS”D 

The father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Shneerson, makes a comment in his book “Torah of Levi Yitzchack” (page 452) that seems to imply that the fall of Gaza is a harbinger of the rebuilding of the 3rd Holy Temple and the coming of Moshiach. 

He writes that the “doors of Gaza” are 60 cubits and the sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash is also 60 cubits. 

He further writes: “G-d created the world in such a way that, everything in the realm of good, has an opposing counterpart in the world of evil.” 

This would imply that if Gaza (the side of evil) were to be destroyed, the opposite of that would happen to the Beis Hamikdosh i.e. it would be built. And the Beis Hamikdosh will only be rebuilt with the coming of Moshiach. 

Gaza (in Hebrew: Azah) comes from the word “brazen (face)” As it says “the brazen faced go to hell.” And “dogs have a brazen soul.” Gaza corresponds to the rule of the evil side, Satan and impurity. 

The Talmud states in Tractate of Sotah 10A, “the pillars of Gaza which Samson knocked down were 60 cubits tall. This corresponds to the 60 tractates of Talmud. 

This also corresponds to the 60 mighty Jewish soldiers who guarded King Solomon. The sanctuary of the Beis Hamikdash was also 60 cubits tall. As it states: “The house that Solomon built for G-d was 60 cubits.” 

Once again, we see the fall of impurity leads to the rise of holiness. When Gaza falls, along with the 60 cubit pillars Samson knocked down, the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt with, G-d’s help. 

The Gaon of Vilna, peace be upon him, says, the impurity of the Philistines is preventing the Jewish people from meriting the messianic redemption today. 

*What is the connection between the Philistines and Gaza?* 

King David writes in psalm 83 that “within the Ishmalites (the Arabs today) we have mixed in, the Philistines and the Amalekites.” This means, all the evil forces, are together into Gaza: the children of Ishmael, the Amalekim, and the Philistines. 

Shortly before his death, the Philistines poked out both of Samson’s eyes. With no vision, Samson prayed to G-d for one final feat of strength to be able to knock down the columns of the building and thereby kill many Philistines. He asked for this act of revenge, in the merit of the loss of one of his eyes. Why did he ask only for one eye and not both? Many more Philistines were killed in Samson’s death than he ever killed in his lifetime. But the great Rashi tells us, that he wanted to leave the other eye so we can be rewarded with another defeat of the Philistines in the future (we have that merit on our side in our current war). 

When Gaza falls, the redemption will come. And we will build the Beis Hamikdash. And we will merit to see the face of the Moshiach, speedily in our days, with G-d’s help. Azah is related to the word “Azuvah” which means deserted, because “Gaza will be deserted.” Before the day is done, may all the enemies of G-d, be destroyed. 

*Translation by:* Shmuel Yitzchak Pollen 

Impeding the Redemption

I blogged this a long time ago - it was something that I originally saw at Mystical Paths, and back then I thought the Baal Shem Tov was referring to corrupt rabbis, but after reading the comments from Aharon the other day, I realize the Besht was talking about the Erev Rav rabbis who deny the Geula.

In those comments, Aharon wrote:   Rabbi Chaim Vital in "Dalet Maot Shekel Kesef" - clearly states that Moshiach knows who he is and is only recognized by a few people initially. The big opposition to Moshiach is "Tofsai Torah" - the Rabbis who do not believe that the Ketz has arrived and he bases this on Yosef's brothers "Haim Lo Hikiruhu" = the brothers did not recognize Yosef, yet Yosef is referred to as "Yosef HaTzaddik".

I heard from my teacher and father-in-law, who was the chief disciple of Rebbe Yechiel Michal of Zlotchov, that once when the Baal Shem Tov was traveling on the road, he stepped into a wooded area to pray the afternoon prayer. 

His disciples were dumbfounded to see him hitting his head against a tree, crying and screaming. 

Afterward, they asked him what had happened. He explained that he had seen, with divine inspiration, that in the generations before the coming of the Moshiach there would be a multitude of rabbis, and that they would be the very ones who would impede the redemption.     [Otzar Chayim]

Amazing Auroras

The solar flare has given us these amazing auroras all over the world, in places where they've never seen it before.  Colours seen depend on the altitude. [The Hebrew word for light is "ohr"  so an aurora is a double "ohr"] - Signs in the Heavens.

Dr Phil interviews Netanyahu

Interview just completed in Jerusalem.

Dr Phil has made this interview video available everywhere, no charge. 

Israel Will Stand Alone

 

Netanyahu vows Israel will 'stand alone' if it has to after Biden comments on Rafah invasion