R’ Tzadok (Takanas HaShavim #6): As is well known from scientist – all birth is only through lust. When a parent is overcome by lust then the child will be energetic and smart as we see that most mamzerim are intelligent. However if lust is not so much involved the child will be lazy and foolish and of course if there is no lust at all there is no child at all. We see this also in Yoma (69b) that when the yetzer harah wasn’t involved it was impossible to find fresh eggs and there are no children born without lust and desire involved. G‑d wanted man to be formed through lust and because of this there is a basis of having free‑will and effort and Torah. All of these only come through having the yetzer. We also see this in Shabbos (89a). Moshe said to the angels who wanted to keep the Torah in heaven. “Do you have a yetzer rah amongst you? You have no need for the Torah which was given only to counteract the influence of the yetzer by means of the 613 mitzvos. The basic inherent lust in a person is by means of the lust of the parents in his creation. The essence of the yetzer is not inherently evil since we also have a yetzer tov (good inclination). It is called yetzer because the desire of the heart is called yetzer. When a person has a desire, wanting, lust or longing for a particular thing whether it is good or bad – that is the power of the yetzer.
[1] ר' צדוק (תקנת השבין - אות ו): והיינו כידוע מהטבעיים דכל הולדה הוא רק על ידי תאוה וכאשר הוא בתוקף התאוה אז יהיה הנולד זריז וממולא וחכם דעל כן רובן של ממזרים פקחים, ואם לא בתאוה כל כך יהיה עצל וסכל ושלא בתאוה כלל לא יוליד כלל, וכן איתא (יומא סט:) דכשכבשו יצר הרע לא אשתכח ביעתא בת יומא ולא אמרו דלא היה זיווג רק לא היה הולדה שאינו בלא יצר ותאוה, וכך רצה ה' יתברך שיהיה יצירת האדם על ידי תאוה ושיהיה בו יצר דתאוה בתולדה ועל ידי זה יהיה מקום לבחירה ולהשתדלות ומקום לתורה שהוא רק על ידי היצר, כמו שאמרו (שבת פט.) כלום יצר רע ביניכם ואינכם צריכים לתורה שהיא ניתנה רק להיות תבלין ליצר על ידי תרי"ג עטין שבה, ועיקר נטיעת היצר באדם הוא על ידי תאות האבות בשעת יצירה, ושורש היצר אינו לרע דהרי יש יצר טוב גם כן נקרא יצר דחשקות הלב הוא הנקרא יצר כאשר יש בו תוקף חשק והמיון חמדה ותשוקה לאיזה דבר טוב או רע זהו תוקף היצר:
I think artificial insemination pretty much puts this idea to rest.
ReplyDeleteOhr HaChaim(Devarim 21:11): Why did G d command this procedure of Yofas To’ar in which a man defiles himself by sexual relations with a non Jewish woman? This is especially problematic since it is done during the time that G d is doing miracles to produce victory in the battles and thus it would seem more appropriate to increase spiritual purity and closeness to G d. So why does G d permit a Jew to do such a debasing act which we know is despised by G d and causes greater weakeing of our attachment to G d? It is understandable why G d permits eating unkosher food during battle because as the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 8:1) correctly explains - it is allowed only if the person is hungry. However this act is not needed for his survival and is inherently disgusting. Our Sages (Kiddushin 21b) state that the only justification for this act is a tactic to deal with the Evil Inclination. This makes the question stronger since the Torah should be serving to help subdue and control the heart of the holy people during this time of battle since in fact it is G d doing the fighting. The answer to this question is based on an important principle that is stated in Zohar Chadash( Parshas Balak page 53). It says that with the sin of Adam many precious souls were captured by the Sitra Achara (forces of evil) and these are the souls of gerim. If you investigate you will find that a great number of great people came from the nations of the world as Ruth the Moabite illustrates. We also find (Sanhedrin 96b) that many great scholars came from the nations such as Shmaya and Avtalyon, Onkelos and many others. I will also reveal another principle that we find a pure soul attached to an impure soul and the pure soul does not have the power to positively influence the impure soul. The pure soul is thus trapped until the moment comes to be freed. An example of this is that the soul of Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon was attached to that to the soul of Shechem the son of Chamor. [Shechem was the rapist of Yaakov daughter Dinah.]. This reality is alluded to by the first letters of the words in Bereishis (34:21) as has been explained by the Kabbalists. We ffind that the soul of Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon did not positively influence Shechem and departed Shechem when Shechem raped Dinah. In fact Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon’s soul attached itself to the soul of Dinah instead of Shechem. This is alluded to in Bereishis (34:3), “His soul attached itself to her soul. [Which is usually understood to mean that Shechem loved Dinah.] It is important to keep this principle in mind… Kiddushin (21b) states that she is a married woman and of course the words of your Sages are true. However if the expression “eishes yofas to’ar” only meant that she was married it should have simply said that she was an “eishes ish.” Thus this phrased informs us that as a result of the soldier being involved in performing a mitzva (fighting for Israel) – G d opened his eyes so that he could recognize that in this non Jewish woman that there was some inner beauty. In other words the soldier was able to recognize who holy soul which is called “yofas to’ar”. That is because holy souls radiate a powerful spiritual light. Thus the soldier is in a senstive spiritual state because he is involved in doing a mitzva and is attached to the divine presence. He is therefore able to recognize her holy soul and that is what he is attracted to and what he desires in her. This can also be deduced from the fact the verse says “he desires something in her” and doesn’t say “he desires her.” That is to draw attention to the fact that he does not desire the woman per se but something beautiful within her which is the aspect of good which is the pure soul. Thus even if she is physically ugly she is permitted to him because it is the beauty of her soul not her body which is determinant. In this situation there is no physical lust as I have already explained.
ReplyDeleteSo it's only through the man's lust?
ReplyDeleteI have a more rational perush of eshet yefat toar. I have been thinking about this for some time. It is not wildly different from the mystical, but it is very much in the physical/peshat plane.
ReplyDeleteOne of my Rosh yeshivas, R ' Chaim Brovender would try to claim that this mitzvah is not "rational", and his argument (based on Reb Nachman M'breslov) was that why does the Torah require "yefat toar"? why not an average young lady, if it was to satisfy the momentary yetzer hara?
That is a good point - but the question has within it the answer (which was missed by rosh Yeshiva shlita).
1) wars are economic, existential, physical events. They are about land, security, prosperity, physical defence (concepts which are not understood by many ultra- frum people).
2) One important area of warfare, was and still is - manpower. usually young, aggressive men, who may be unmarried.
3) One barrier to garnering manpower is fear.
4) Society has, and always had, unfair distribution of opportunities - wealth, health, intelligence, good looks. Average Joe is not tall, rich and handsome (tell that to Sem girls looking for shidduchim).
5) the Torah , from the Beginning, is an "evolutionary" sefer. The first mitzvah is is Pru u'Rvu. that is evolutionary - survive and reproduce.
6) The soldier is at an evolutionary disadvantage compared to the farmer or yeshiva bocher - he can easily be killed in battle. Even whe he returns, he may be scarred, or neglected, or impoverished and may not find a good shidduch.
7) This is not only a heter, but a mitzvah!
8) Contrary to what the Gedolim say - this act IS needed for his survival and is not inherently disgusting. It is no more disgusting than a married man on his chasuna.
He may not sruvive the war, but may have offspring. or he may survive the war and have offspring who look like movei stars . This is not a joke - good looks get you places in job interviews, in opportunites in life - it has been demonstrated many times. why is David hamelech so obsessed with beautiful women, if it is such a disgusting thing?
The mitzvah is an evolutionary boost to underpriveleged risk takers. It is also a sweetenr or motivation for people to go to war. As the Taz says, what is explicitly permitted by the Torah, the rabbis cannot forbid. similarly, what is an explicit mitzvah and therefore kadosh, the rabbis cannot degrade and sully.
One can reference the Star Trek episode "The Enemy Within" where a transporter accident splits Captain Kirk into a totally yetzer tov version and a totally yetzer ra version. In the end the two halves must merge because the yetzer tov by itself, while decent and pleasant, can't make any decisions, and can't lead or command. The determination and goal-driven nature of the yetzer ra, controlled by the tov, is what makes a person function.
ReplyDeleteThere's a story that Steven Hill, who was a baal Teshuva actor in the original Misison Impossible, needed a minyan during the day, so he went to the Star Trek set and asked for 7 Jews (Shatner, Nimoy and presumably a few producers and writers).
ReplyDeletePrecisely. The drive to accomplish is through the YR, while the ability to remain humble and compassionate having accomplished is the job of the YT.
ReplyDeleteWhy? Do the donors not enjoy the donation process?
ReplyDeleteNowadays it can even be done by recovering a dead man's sperm.
ReplyDelete