The Evil Inclination

Posted by Eli Dahan on December 29, 2009 under Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Read the First Comment

“I make peace, and create evil; I am the LORD, that doeth all these things.”

” עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם וּבוֹרֵא רָע; אֲנִי יְהוָה, עֹשֶׂה כָל-אֵלֶּה.”

Isaiah 45:7

The Evil Inclination, Yetzer hara in Hebrew, is a term in Judaism that refers to the temptation to do evil and to disobey and ignore God’s will.

In Judaism the evil inclination is internal and it has its balance, the good inclination. Every man has a yetzer hara, Evil inclination, and a Yetzer tov, good inclination.  In order to be able to freely choose goodness and righteousness, we must have the freedom to choose evil, as well. God has created both good and evil and they are not separate powers.

According to the Talmud, every day the Evil inclination of a person overcomes him and seeks to kill him. The Yezer ha-ra is created in man at birth.

The idea of Yetzer hara can also be found in the Bible. Genesis 8:21-

“  וַיָּרַח יְהוָה, אֶת-רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ, וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-לִבּוֹ לֹא-אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת-הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם, כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו; וְלֹא-אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת-כָּל-חַי, כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי.”

” And the LORD smelled the sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart: ‘I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”

The Evil Inclination has seven names as follows:

God called it Evil

Moses called it the Uncircumcised

David called it Unclean

King Solomon called it the Enemy

Isaiah called it the Stumbling-Block

Ezekiel called it Stone

Joel called it the Hidden One

As we can see, there is no good without evil and the other way around.

The choice is ours…

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

The Zohar

Posted by Eli Dahan on December 28, 2009 under Jewish Folklore | Be the First to Comment

Sefer ha -Zohar is one of the most famous and unique books that were ever written. It is a classic text of the Kabala.

The Zohar is a collection of commentaries on the Torah (five books of Moses), intended to guide people who have already achieved high spiritual degrees to the root of their souls. The Zohar is written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew. It contains a mystical discussion of the nature of God, the nature of souls, sin, good and evil and much more. The zohar is a collection of books and not one book. These books include scriptural interpretations as well a as material on the mythical cosmogony, mystical psychology and anthropology.

According to tradition, the Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rashbi, who lived in the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries.

However, there is another point of view that claims that the Zohar was written by Rabbi Moshe de Leon in the 13^th century .This view was contradicted by Rabbi Moshe de Leon himself, who said that the book was written by Rashbi. Most scholars today believe that the book was written by Rabbi Moshe de Leon.

Traditionally, one may not study it until one is 40 years of age and married.The Zohar contains all the spiritual states that people experience as their souls evolve. According to the book, there are 125 stages. At the end of the process, after someone experiences all the stages the souls achieve what Kabbalah refers to as “the end of correction” the highest level of spiritual wholenes”.

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

 Eli@eteachergroup.com

Elijah the prophet- an initiator or doer of the lord command?

Posted by Eli Dahan on December 27, 2009 under Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Be the First to Comment

I don’t think that there is one who doesn’t know Elijah the prophet- we all heard about the miracles that he has done with the widow’s food or widow’s son in the book of kings. But, one of the most important things about Elijah seems to be forgotten – the beginning of Elijah…

Maybe the beginning is forgotten because there is no clear start to him – he comes from no where land, like the Beatles sang, no one knows the name of his mother , how old is he, how was his childhood ,and there is one more important question about him –is he initiator or do the Lord’s whishes?

If we want to under stand let us read what he said to us in his beginning as written in 1 kings 17:1-

“וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלִיָּהוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּי מִתֹּשָׁבֵי גִלְעָד, אֶל-אַחְאָב, חַי-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו, אִם-יִהְיֶה הַשָּׁנִים הָאֵלֶּה טַל וּמָטָר–כִּי, אִם-לְפִי דְבָרִי.  {ס}”

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

I gave you one option to translate this verse, but this one of two options- the second is that Elijah said the oath without asking The Lord if he can do it – this is his initiation – but we will never know – like Elijah came to us – he disappeared….

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com

Ten things were created at twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath

Posted by Eli Dahan on December 23, 2009 under Bible, Biblical Hebrew, Jewish Folklore | Read the First Comment

The ten things were created at twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath are ten objects ,that according to the Sages , were created on the eve of the world’s first Sabbath, in the mystical twilight after the sun had set but the stars had not yet appeared.

The ten things are: the mouth of the earth, the mouth of the well, the mouth of Balaam’s ass, the rainbow Noah would see after the great Flood, the Manna, the staff, the Shamir worm, the script, the inscription and the inscription on the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Some also add destructive spirits, the burial place of Moses, and the ram of our father Abraham.

Another version can be found in the Talmud:

” תנו רבנן עשרה דברים נבראו בערב שבת בין השמשות ואלו הן: באר ומן וקשת, הכתב והמכתב והלוחות, קברו של משה ומערה שעמד בה משה ואליהו, פתיחת פי האתון ופתיחת פי הארץ לבלוע את הרשעים ויש אומרים אף מקלו של אהרן שקדיה ופרחיה ויש אומרים בגדו של אדם הראשון.“

“Ten things were created at twilight on the eve of the Sabbath: the mouth of the earth, the mouth of the well, the mouth of the she-ass, the rainbow, manna, the rod of Moses, the diamond, letters, and writing, and the Tablets. Some also say the walking stick of Aaron, almond tree and the first man’s cloth.”

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

Eli@eteachergroup.com