Sforno (Vayikra 13:47) Most Jews except for a few exalted people are without a doubt are ruled by Nature and are influenced by the heavenly bodies like other animals who do not receive personal Divine intervention but only as a species. They receive attention only as being part of the Jewish people.
Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 18:19) The personalized supervision of mankind, operates in the following manner. 1) There is supervision in the sense that G’d is aware of all of man’s actions and thoughts; this extends both to Jews and to Gentiles alike. We know this from Psalms 33,15, “He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their doings.” The supervision becomes manifest in G’d protecting people against mishaps. This type of benevolent supervision does not extend to Gentiles and not even to all Israelites except the righteous among them. G’d saves the righteous from experiencing the kinds of disasters which non-deserving people are prone to experience.
If every blade of grass has its own angel, why doesn't Sforno think every Jew has one as well?
ReplyDeleteHe obviously agrees with Rambam that angels are just another name for forces of nature, Also the medrash doesn't say jews all have an angel or that each blade of grass has one
Deletegoogle ai says
DeleteThe quote "Every blade of grass has an angel bending over it saying, 'Grow, grow'" is a popular saying often attributed to the Talmud or Rabbinic literature, highlighting the divine care in nature. It is formally found in Midrash Rabbah (Bereshit 10:6), where it states that a mazal (spiritual appointee/angel) in the sky tells every blade of grass to grow.
You can't imagine how disappointed I am to see you, of all people, quoting Google AI instead of bringing 13 different sources of yours.
DeleteAnd disagrees with the alter Rebbe
ReplyDelete