Monday, February 11, 2019

Please advise Re: Lev vs. Ruach

Shalom,

Perhaps you can help me. 

I am looking at the Gemara Sota 5a and the Rashi there regarding Chizkiya's statement regarding tefilla.
אמר חזקיה אין תפלתו של אדם נשמעת אא"כ משים לבו כבשר שנא' (ישעיהו סוכגוהיה מדי חדש בחדשו [וגו'] יבא כל בשר להשתחוות וגו'
I've seen multiple pasukim and sources but I do not have clarity.  Can you please tell or direct me to sources the explain what the Ruach and Lev do in terms of decision making and especially in regards to prayer?

10 comments :

  1. Sota 5a
    “Hezekiah said: A man's prayer is not heard unless he makes his heart [soft] like flesh; as it is said “And new moon after new moon, And sabbath after sabbath, All flesh כל בשר shall come to worship Me—said the Lord.” (Isaiah 66:23). R. Zera said: Concerning flesh it is written: “ובשר When an inflammation appears on the skin of one’s body and it heals ונרפא,” (Leviticus 13:18). And it is healed [Hence only one whose heart is soft like flesh will be healed, and not a man in his full pride.] but it is not written concerning man, And he is healed.”
    ויקרא פרק יג פסוק יח
    וּבָשָׂר כִּי יִהְיֶה בוֹ בְעֹרוֹ שְׁחִין וְנִרְפָּא
    רש"י ויקרא פרשת תזריע פרק יג פסוק יח
    ונרפא - השחין העלה ארוכה ובמקומו העלה נגע אחר:
    No, the poor fellow with the נגע is not healed, just שחין left and was replaced by שאת. “and a white swelling or a white discoloration streaked with red develops where the inflammation was, he shall present himself to the priest.” (Leviticus 13:19).
    It seems from the plain reading that making one’s heart soft like flesh בשר God will hear his prayer. Yes God hears prayer from the lowly, from those in pain etc. The high priest on Yom Kippur asks God for rain and not to listen to the prayers of the travelers who don’t want the rain... God hears prayer does not mean that God healed/cured the person. With the נגע, God cured the שחין but replaced it with שאת. Yes, the poor fellow must again pray to God. Seems we must always pray to God. Thank you God for hearing our prayers.
    No, we cannot rely that God will hear our prayers in our decision making. “Look down from Your holy abode, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.” (Deuteronomy 26:15).

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  2. Bravo that the jury voted guilty for El Chapo. What a trial! Chance are better now the Democrats will agree to a wall...
    Tomorrow, the NYS Ct of Appeals will release decisions.
    Allow me.
    טור אבן העזר הלכות אישות סימן ט
    אשה שנשאת לשנים ומתו לא תינשא לג' שכבר הוחזקה להיות אנשיה מתים ואם ניסת לשלישי כתב א"א ז"ל שכופין אותו להוציא דחמירתא סכנתא מאיסורא וכמו שב"ד חייבין להפריש האדם מאיסור כך חייבין למונעו שלא יפשע בעצמו

    A woman who has married to two and they died should not marry to a third, for she has a חזקה that her husbands die. Wrote my father of blessed memory to hit him [who marries a woman whose 2 husbands died] to separate [from such a wife] for dangerous matters are graver than forbidden matters. Just as a bet din is obligated to separate a couple in a forbidden marriage so too regarding preventing a man from injuring himself.


    Who had already been held to be a dead person and if the third letter was sent to the letter that forced him to remove Dmhirtaa danger from Isora and like the rabbinical court obligated to exempt the person from the prohibition so obliged to prevent him not to himself.
    Susan, ORA, K-Y, Mendel Epstein et al, Rabbi Ralbag etc love that NYS allows a woman to get a civil divorce over the husband’s objections. Susan tried her best to get a NYS civil divorce over my objections and failed until 2013.
    In Jewish law an opinion is that where it is dangerous, the court should order a separation. Yes, I felt it was dangerous for me in NY. Ian Anderson, my long time lawyer gave me good advice, God bless him. Maybe, we can say for the K-Y heter that K-Y was thinking of Aaron’s physical safety.... Physical safety is cases overrides prohibitions... Follow Kalonymus Anonymus, Yehoshua, etc my critics?
    Oh, Tamar and Aaron is a physical danger to Aaron. Didn’t Aaron get beat up?... Oh, for me too, it was dangerous for me in NY... Maybe K-Y does right to be quiet on Tamar’s marriage to her lover. Otherwise, who knows what Tamar would do.

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  3. Bravo https://www.wsj.com/articles/pence-accuses-europe-of-busting-sanctions-against-murderous-iran-11550183751
    “Pence Accuses Europe of Busting Sanctions Against ‘Murderous’ Iran”
    Allow me to show my letter today:
    1.I request permission to submit these papers concerning my motion 2018 - 1149 12/10/2018. I attach Exhibit A Susan's website https://www.agunahinternational.com/. I'm attaching an affidavit of service proving I mailed by UPS a true copy to Susan.
    2.My argument is that Susan uses the NYS court system for her mission in life: “To free women trapped in dead marriages by recalcitrant husbands who refuse to grant a Get.”
    Recalcitrant is from Latin calcitrare, meaning “to kick,” so someone who is recalcitrant is kicking back against what's wanted of them. Synonyms are unruly, intractable, and refractory, all referring to what is difficult to manage or control. Writers are frequently referring to recalcitrant Democrats and Republicans, since many people are stubbornly loyal to their political parties and unwilling to change.
    3.Exhibit A “Agunah International I Will Betroth You with Justice under the Law” the full Bible quote with JPS commentary is:
    “And I will espouse you forever: I will espouse you with righteousness and justice [Then you shall be devoted to the Lord. As the bride-price which the bridegroom will pay, He will confer these qualities on her, so that she will never offend again.], And with goodness and mercy, And I will espouse you with faithfulness” (Hosea 2:21-22).

    4.To counsel women whose husbands use the Get as a weapon to extort financial gain or custodial rights, or to exact revenge during the divorce process.”' Susan counsels women who claim their husbands are bad on strategy and tactics in the divorce process in NYS courts.
    5.”We can alert you to the risks inherent in seeking a Get in the beit din system.” Susan counsels the women that come to her to avoid the beit din system as much as possible and to focus on achieving the angry women's aims in the NYS courts.
    6.Yesterday, my motion 1149 of 12/10/2018 is still on the list of undecided motions. I spoke to a motion clerk and told her that if the NYS Court of Appeals will nullify the 2013 NYS civil divorce, I'll contact the Supreme Court of the U.S. to stay their vote on my docket 2018-7160 for 2/22/2019. It seems to me that the NYS Court of Appeals is taking an unduly long-time in ruling on my motion 1149--12/10/2018.
    I’m happy to tell you that I got a Google Alert that a Christian scholar cites my analysis of the פילגש בהגבעה see http://jbqnew.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/412/jbq_41_2_idolofmicah.pdf
    Follow Kalonymus Anonymus, Yehoshua, etc my critics? See, I request nullification of the ridiculous 2013 NYS civil divorce. See bet din courts are so much better than NYS
    courts... Wow! What a prophet Hosea: “When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, Go, get yourself a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom; for the land will stray [lit. whore away] זנה תזנה הארץ from following the Lord.” (Hosea 1:2). In my analysis of the mistress/whore from the Givah, I bring the midrash that God tolerates idol worshipping if people are considerate one to another... Graver is physical danger than prohibitions...

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  4. Hertz Chumash on Hosea 2:21: “I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness...know the Lord. Betrothal was always accompanied by a gift [דברים פרק כד פסוק א
    כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה וּבְעָלָהּ וְהָיָה אִם לֹא תִמְצָא חֵן בְּעֵינָיו כִּי מָצָא בָהּ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְכָתַב לָהּ סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת וְנָתַן בְּיָדָהּ וְשִׁלְּחָהּ מִבֵּיתוֹ]. God will endow Israel, his bride, with righteousness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness---that she had lost. The bride’s gift will be knowledge of God וידעת את ה' --- recognition that God is a God of righteousness, lovingkindness, and faithfulness and that in these things He delights. Such a betrothal is everlasting.”
    God bears with us so tenderly: דברים פרק א פסוק לא
    וּבַמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתָ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאֲךָ יְקֹוָק אֱלֹקֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֲלַכְתֶּם עַד בֹּאֲכֶם עַד הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה
    This is what God is doing now to Israel with Trump and Netanyahu... Thank you God n heaven.

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  5. Torah thought on parshat כי תשא
    “He said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will work such wonders as have not been wrought on all the earth or in any nation; and all the people who are with you [lit. in whose midst you are] shall see how awesome are the Lord’s deeds which I will perform for you. Mark well what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land against which you are advancing, lest they be a snare in your midst. No, you must tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred posts; for you must not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Impassioned, is an impassioned God. You must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices. And when you take wives from among their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause your sons to lust after their gods.” (Exodus 34:10-16).
    Note: “for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices.”
    See, the women of Jebusites etc lust after their gods and invite Jews to eat of their sacrifices---sounds like the sins of tribe of Shimon in the desert with the Moabite women “While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people profaned themselves by whoring [others began to commit harlotry] with the Moabite women, who invited the people to the sacrifices for their god. The people partook of them and worshiped that god.” (Numbers 25:1-2).
    במדבר פרק כה
    וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשִּׁטִּים וַיָּחֶל הָעָם לִזְנוֹת אֶל בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב: וַתִּקְרֶאןָ לָעָם לְזִבְחֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן וַיֹּאכַל הָעָם וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶן:
    My theory is that the Levi travelling with his mistress who once deserted him for 4 months (Judges 19:2) in the story of the פילגש בגבעה did not want to stay a night in Jebusite territory, for he might be tempted with their women: “Since they were close to Jebus, and the day was very far spent, the attendant said to his master, Let us turn aside to this town of the Jebusites and spend the night in it. But his master said to him, We will not turn aside to a town of aliens who are not of Israel, but will continue to Gibeah.” (Judges 19:11-12). My theory is that among Jews at that time they observed well the command “No Israelite woman shall be a cult prostitute קדשה, nor shall any Israelite man be a cult prostitute קדש.” (Deuteronomy 23:18).
    My theory is that God created Jewish men to have a huge יצר הרע for the women of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The Levi travelling with his mistress preferred to go to Gibeah so as not to be tempted with the women of the Jebusites.
    Reading Hosea. “In that their mother has played the harlot כי זנתה אמם, She that conceived them has acted shamelessly—Because she thought, I will go after my lovers, Who supply my bread and my water, My wool and my linen, My oil and my drink.” (Hosea 2:7).
    הושע פרק ב פסוק ז
    כִּי זָנְתָה אִמָּם הֹבִישָׁה הוֹרָתָם כִּי אָמְרָה אֵלְכָה אַחֲרֵי מְאַהֲבַי נֹתְנֵי לַחְמִי וּמֵימַי צַמְרִי וּפִשְׁתִּי שַׁמְנִי וְשִׁקּוּיָי
    מלבי"ם הושע פרק ב פסוק ז
    והנמשל שהכנסיה נפרדה מה' לגמרי ועובדת ע"ז בפרהסיא, וחושבת שכל שפעה והצלחתה באים מצד מערכת הכוכבים והמזלות ושה' לא ייטיב ולא ירע ואין תועלת מעבודתו כלל, ובזה נהיה ככל משפחות האדמה לשרת עץ ואבן, ולכן לא ירחם ה' גם על הטובים וישליך את כולם מעל פניו:
    God is warning us in this week’s parsha for Jewish men not to marry/love non-Jewish women... Israel is much safer for Jewish men than America, in this regard...

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  6. More on The Golden Calf and the idolatry of the people.
    “Early next day, the people offered up burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; they sat down to eat and drink, and then rose to dance לצחק. (Exodus 32:6)
    שמות פרק לב פסוק ו
    וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ מִמָּחֳרָת וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת וַיַּגִּשׁוּ שְׁלָמִים וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם לֶאֱכֹל וְשָׁתוֹ וַיָּקֻמוּ לְצַחֵק
    רש"י שמות פרשת כי תשא פרק לב פסוק ו
    וישכימו - השטן זרזם כדי שיחטאו:
    לצחק - יש במשמע הזה גלוי עריות, כמו שנאמר (בראשית לט יז) לצחק בי, ושפיכות דמים, כמו שנאמר (שמואל ב' ב יד) יקומו נא הנערים וישחקו לפנינו, אף כאן נהרג חור
    מלבי"ם שמות פרק לב פסוק ו
    וישכימו. אבל הם השכימו ממחרת לפני רדת משה ויעלו עולות ועי"כ ויקומו לצחק, כפי מנהג המצריים בעבודת השור שהיו עושים צחוק ומחולות:
    Rashi states that three violations occurred here: murder (the murder of Hur), adultery (“Then she told him the same story, saying, The Hebrew slave whom you brought into our house came to me to dally with me לצחק בי; (Genesis 39:17)), and idolatry.
    Egypt was infamous for its licentiousness. “You shall keep My charge not to engage in any of the abhorrent practices that were carried on before you, and you shall not defile yourselves through them: I the Lord am your God.” (Leviticus 18:30).
    My theory is that God created Jewish men to have a huge יצר הרע for the women of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. In Egypt, even the saintly Joseph, in the midrash, had a huge יצר הרע for the wife of Potifar. This is how God created men.
    Yoma 69b:
    “The prophet said unto them: Cast him into a leaden pot, closing its opening with lead. Because lead absorbs the voice, as it is said: “That, he said, is Wickedness הרשעה; and, thrusting her down into the tub, he pressed the leaden weight into its mouth.” (Zecharia 5:8). They said: Since this is a time of Grace, let us pray for mercy for the Tempter to evil. [The evil desire, for idolatry is also the evil desire for immorality. The two were found to go hand in hand.] They prayed for mercy, and he was handed over to them. He said to them: Realize that if you kill him, the world goes down. They imprisoned him for three days, then looked in the whole land of Israel for a fresh egg and could not find it.”

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  7. Torah thought on Parshat ויקהל
    Shabbath 96b
    “Consider: throwing is a derivative of carrying out: where is carrying out itself written? Said R. Johanan, Scripture saith “Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: Let no man or woman make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary! So the people stopped bringing: their efforts had been more than enough for all the tasks to be done.” (Exodus 36:6-7).”
    בעל הטורים שמות פרק לו פסוק ו
    ויצו משה ויעבירו קול במחנה. בשבת ניתנה תורה (שבת פו ב), א"כ יום כפורים של אותה שנה היה יום ג'. ולמחרתו ביום ד' אמר להם מלאכת המשכן (סדר עולם פ"ו) והם הביאו לו בבקר בבקר דהיינו יום ה' ויום ו' (שמו"ר מא ב), ובשבת ויצו משה ויעבירו קול במחנה (שבת צו ב):
    “Then Ezra the priest got up and said to them, You have trespassed by bringing home foreign women, thus aggravating the guilt of Israel. So now, make confession to the Lord, God of your fathers, and do His will, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women. The entire congregation responded in a loud voice, We must surely do just as you say. However, many people are involved, and it is the rainy season; it is not possible to remain out in the open, nor is this the work of a day or two, because we have transgressed extensively in this matter.” (Ezra 10:10-13).
    עזרא פרק י פסוק יג
    אֲבָל הָעָם רָב וְהָעֵת גְּשָׁמִים וְאֵין כֹּחַ לַעֲמוֹד בַּחוּץ וְהַמְּלָאכָה לֹא לְיוֹם אֶחָד וְלֹא לִשְׁנַיִם כִּי הִרְבִּינוּ לִפְשֹׁעַ בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה
    מצודת דוד עזרא פרק י פסוק יג
    העם - נושאי עבודת כוכבים המה רבים ואין כאן בתים להכיל את כולם והעת היא עת גשמים וכו':
    והמלאכה - מלאכת הפרשת הנשים העובדות כוכבים:
    כי הרבינו - ר"ל רבים הם אשר פשעו בדבר הזה:
    More on danger of assimilation, see my
    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23486
    Yes, SCOTUS did vote on docket 18-7160. I’ll find out details, maybe, Monday 9:30 Washington DC time.

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  8. Torah thought on Haftorah Parshat Shekalim
    “And Jehoiada solemnized the covenant between the Lord, on the one hand, and the king and the people, on the other—as well as between the king and the people—that they should be the people of the Lord. Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal. They tore it down and smashed its altars and images to bits, and they slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. [Jehoiada] the priest then placed guards over the House of the Lord.” (2 Kings 11:17-18).
    Some background:
    “When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, learned that her son was dead, she promptly killed off all who were of royal stock. But Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, secretly took Ahaziah’s son Joash away from among the princes who were being slain, and [put] [cf. 2 Chron. 22.11] him and his nurse in a bedroom. And they [2 Chron. 22.11 reads she] kept him hidden from Athaliah so that he was not put to death. He stayed with her for six years, hidden in the House of the Lord [Jehosheba was the wife of the high priest Jehoiada; cf. 2 Chron 22.11] while Athaliah reigned over the land.” (2 Kings 11:1-3).
    Hertz Chumash p. 992: “But when her son died at the hands of Jehu, she would have to yield her position to her son’s widow; and therefore, this true daughter of Jezebel proceeded to murder all her grandchildren and to ascend the throne of Judah herself.”
    Wow, the root of the trouble is that Ahab had such strong יצר הרע for Jezebel. This fits with my theory in http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23486
    What Ahab needed was a good wife in stead of Jezebel. Trump has a good wife, thank God. Trump’s past and his יצר הרע episodes are not important. I agree with Joseph Orlow’s comments... Netanyahu has a good wife, thank God... I like Trump gives no sanction relief to Kim... https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-north-koreas-kim-end-nuclear-summit-early-11551334804
    “President Trump also said that the House Oversight Committee did a “terrible thing” by scheduling a fiery hearing with his former lawyer Michael Cohen to coincide with the timing of the summit. “Having it during this very important summit is sort of incredible,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I think having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is a terrible thing,” he added.”
    God bless Trump, God bless America.

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  9. Daf Hayomi
    Chullin 88a-b
    Wherein do they differ? The Rabbis maintain that “And if any Israelite or any stranger who resides among them hunts down an animal or a bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood את דמו and cover it with earth. (Leviticus 17:13) the blood thereof את דמו means the whole of its blood; R. Judah maintains that the blood thereof את דמו implies even part of its blood; and R. Simeon b. Gamaliel maintains that the blood thereof את דמו means the vital blood....
    R. Nahman son of R. Hisda expounded. One may only cover up [the blood] with that which if sown would produce growth [This would exclude hard and dry earth which cannot produce any growth]. Raba remarked: This is an absurdity! Said R. Nahman b. Isaac to Raba: Wherein lies its absurdity? I told it him, and l derived it from the following Baraitha: If a person was travelling through a desert and can find no dust wherewith to cover up [the blood], he may grind a golden denar to powder and cover it up therewith [The fact that he must resort to such an expedient proves that the hard stony ground of the desert may not be used for covering]. If a person was travelling on a ship and has no dust wherewith to cover up [the blood], he may burn his garment and cover up with the ashes thereof. Now this is clear concerning the burning of a garment and covering up therewith, for we find that ashes are referred to as dust [Cf. Num. XIX, 17. The two Heb. terms אפר ashes and עפר dust are similar in sound and might very well be interchanged as in the verse referred to.]; but whence do we know this of a golden denar? R. Zera answered: It is written: It hath dust of gold ועפרות זהב לו ["There is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper smelted from rock. He sets bounds for darkness; To every limit man probes, To rocks in deepest darkness. They open up a shaft far from where men live, [In places] forgotten by wayfarers, Destitute of men, far removed. Earth, out of which food grows, Is changed below as if into fire. Its rocks are a source of sapphires; It contains gold dust too ועפרות זהב לו. (Job 28:1-6)].”
    In the midrash a person who buys onions and carrots and such in the market in the city of Sodom before God hailed fire and brimstone over it---would find gold dust stuck to the roots of the vegetables... The wicked people of Sodom wanted to keep it a secret that there was plenty silver, gold, copper, iron, sapphires etc in Sodom...
    “Yours, Lord, are greatness, might, splendor, triumph, and majesty—yes, all that is in heaven and on earth; to You, Lord, belong kingship and preeminence above all. Riches and honor are Yours to dispense; You have dominion over all; with You are strength and might, and it is in Your power to make anyone great and strong.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-14).
    May it be God’s will to make America and Israel great and strong.

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  10. Kalonymus AnonymusMarch 1, 2019 at 12:45 AM

    they found a sapphire stronger than diamonds in israel, perhaps this was in or near S'dom?

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