(יב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֗ן הִנֵּ֤ה כָל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֙ בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ רַ֣ק אֵלָ֔יו אַל־תִּשְׁלַ֖ח יָדֶ֑ךָ וַיֵּצֵא֙ הַשָּׂטָ֔ן מֵעִ֖ם פְּנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
(12) The LORD replied to the Adversary, “See, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him.” The Adversary departed from the presence of the LORD.
(א) וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל־יְהוָ֑ה וַיָּב֤וֹא גַֽם־הַשָּׂטָן֙ בְּתֹכָ֔ם לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל־יְהוָֽה׃ (ב) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֔ן אֵ֥י מִזֶּ֖ה תָּבֹ֑א וַיַּ֨עַן הַשָּׂטָ֤ן אֶת־יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מִשֻּׁ֣ט בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמֵהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ בָּֽהּ׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֗ן הֲשַׂ֣מְתָּ לִבְּךָ֮ אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י אִיּוֹב֒ כִּי֩ אֵ֨ין כָּמֹ֜הוּ בָּאָ֗רֶץ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֧ם וְיָשָׁ֛ר יְרֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְסָ֣ר מֵרָ֑ע וְעֹדֶ֙נּוּ֙ מַחֲזִ֣יק בְּתֻמָּת֔וֹ וַתְּסִיתֵ֥נִי ב֖וֹ לְבַלְּע֥וֹ חִנָּֽם׃ (ד) וַיַּ֧עַן הַשָּׂטָ֛ן אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר ע֣וֹר בְּעַד־ע֗וֹר וְכֹל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָאִ֔ישׁ יִתֵּ֖ן בְּעַ֥ד נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ (ה) אוּלָם֙ שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֣א יָֽדְךָ֔ וְגַ֥ע אֶל־עַצְמ֖וֹ וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ אִם־לֹ֥א אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֖ן הִנּ֣וֹ בְיָדֶ֑ךָ אַ֖ךְ אֶת־נַפְשׁ֥וֹ שְׁמֹֽר׃ (ז) וַיֵּצֵא֙ הַשָּׂטָ֔ן מֵאֵ֖ת פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וַיַּ֤ךְ אֶת־אִיּוֹב֙ בִּשְׁחִ֣ין רָ֔ע מִכַּ֥ף רַגְל֖וֹ עד [וְעַ֥ד] קָדְקֳדֽוֹ׃ (ח) וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ חֶ֔רֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד בּ֑וֹ וְה֖וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר׃ (ט) וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ עֹדְךָ֖ מַחֲזִ֣יק בְּתֻמָּתֶ֑ךָ בָּרֵ֥ךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים וָמֻֽת׃ (י) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלֶ֗יהָ כְּדַבֵּ֞ר אַחַ֤ת הַנְּבָלוֹת֙ תְּדַבֵּ֔רִי גַּ֣ם אֶת־הַטּ֗וֹב נְקַבֵּל֙ מֵאֵ֣ת הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָרָ֖ע לֹ֣א נְקַבֵּ֑ל בְּכָל־זֹ֛את לֹא־חָטָ֥א אִיּ֖וֹב בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו׃ (פ) (יא) וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת ׀ רֵעֵ֣י אִיּ֗וֹב אֵ֣ת כָּל־הָרָעָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֮ הַבָּ֣אָה עָלָיו֒ וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִמְּקֹמ֔וֹ אֱלִיפַ֤ז הַתֵּימָנִי֙ וּבִלְדַּ֣ד הַשּׁוּחִ֔י וְצוֹפַ֖ר הַנַּֽעֲמָתִ֑י וַיִּוָּעֲד֣וּ יַחְדָּ֔ו לָב֥וֹא לָנֽוּד־ל֖וֹ וּֽלְנַחֲמֽוֹ׃ (יב) וַיִּשְׂא֨וּ אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֤ם מֵרָחוֹק֙ וְלֹ֣א הִכִּירֻ֔הוּ וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ קוֹלָ֖ם וַיִּבְכּ֑וּ וַֽיִּקְרְעוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מְעִל֔וֹ וַיִּזְרְק֥וּ עָפָ֛ר עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם הַשָּׁמָֽיְמָה׃ (יג) וַיֵּשְׁב֤וּ אִתּוֹ֙ לָאָ֔רֶץ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים וְשִׁבְעַ֣ת לֵיל֑וֹת וְאֵין־דֹּבֵ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ דָּבָ֔ר כִּ֣י רָא֔וּ כִּֽי־גָדַ֥ל הַכְּאֵ֖ב מְאֹֽד׃
(1) One day the divine beings presented themselves before the LORD. The Adversary came along with them to present himself before the LORD. (2) The LORD said to the Adversary, “Where have you been?” The Adversary answered the LORD, “I have been roaming all over the earth.” (3) The LORD said to the Adversary, “Have you noticed My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil. He still keeps his integrity; so you have incited Me against him to destroy him for no good reason.” (4) The Adversary answered the LORD, “Skin for skin—all that a man has he will give up for his life. (5) But lay a hand on his bones and his flesh, and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face.” (6) So the LORD said to the Adversary, “See, he is in your power; only spare his life.” (7) The Adversary departed from the presence of the LORD and inflicted a severe inflammation on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (8) He took a potsherd to scratch himself as he sat in ashes. (9) His wife said to him, “You still keep your integrity! Blaspheme God and die!” (10) But he said to her, “You talk as any shameless woman might talk! Should we accept only good from God and not accept evil?” For all that, Job said nothing sinful. (11) When Job’s three friends heard about all these calamities that had befallen him, each came from his home—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. (12) When they saw him from a distance, they could not recognize him, and they broke into loud weeping; each one tore his robe and threw dust into the air onto his head. (13) They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights. None spoke a word to him for they saw how very great was his suffering.
(א) אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן פָּתַ֤ח אִיּוֹב֙ אֶת־פִּ֔יהוּ וַיְקַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־יוֹמֽוֹ׃ (פ) (ב) וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ (ג) יֹ֣אבַד י֭וֹם אִוָּ֣לֶד בּ֑וֹ וְהַלַּ֥יְלָה אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר׃ (ד) הַיּ֥וֹם הַה֗וּא יְֽהִ֫י חֹ֥שֶׁךְ אַֽל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ מִמָּ֑עַל וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֣יו נְהָרָֽה׃ (ה) יִגְאָלֻ֡הוּ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָ֣יו עֲנָנָ֑ה יְ֝בַעֲתֻ֗הוּ כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי יֽוֹם׃ (ו) הַלַּ֥יְלָה הַהוּא֮ יִקָּחֵ֪ה֫וּ אֹ֥פֶל אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא׃ (ז) הִנֵּ֤ה הַלַּ֣יְלָה הַ֭הוּא יְהִ֣י גַלְמ֑וּד אַל־תָּבֹ֖א רְנָנָ֣ה בֽוֹ׃ (ח) יִקְּבֻ֥הוּ אֹרְרֵי־י֑וֹם הָ֝עֲתִידִ֗ים עֹרֵ֥ר לִוְיָתָֽן׃ (ט) יֶחְשְׁכוּ֮ כּוֹכְבֵ֪י נִ֫שְׁפּ֥וֹ יְקַו־לְא֥וֹר וָאַ֑יִן וְאַל־יִ֝רְאֶ֗ה בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר׃ (י) כִּ֤י לֹ֣א סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי׃ (יא) לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃ (יב) מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק׃ (יג) כִּֽי־עַ֭תָּה שָׁכַ֣בְתִּי וְאֶשְׁק֑וֹט יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי אָ֤ז ׀ יָנ֬וּחַֽ לִֽי׃ (יד) עִם־מְ֭לָכִים וְיֹ֣עֲצֵי אָ֑רֶץ הַבֹּנִ֖ים חֳרָב֣וֹת לָֽמוֹ׃ (טו) א֣וֹ עִם־שָׂ֭רִים זָהָ֣ב לָהֶ֑ם הַֽמְמַלְאִ֖ים בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם כָּֽסֶף׃ (טז) א֤וֹ כְנֵ֣פֶל טָ֭מוּן לֹ֣א אֶהְיֶ֑ה כְּ֝עֹלְלִ֗ים לֹא־רָ֥אוּ אֽוֹר׃ (יז) שָׁ֣ם רְ֭שָׁעִים חָ֣דְלוּ רֹ֑גֶז וְשָׁ֥ם יָ֝נ֗וּחוּ יְגִ֣יעֵי כֹֽחַ׃ (יח) יַ֭חַד אֲסִירִ֣ים שַׁאֲנָ֑נוּ לֹ֥א שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ ק֣וֹל נֹגֵֽשׂ׃ (יט) קָטֹ֣ן וְ֭גָדוֹל שָׁ֣ם ה֑וּא וְ֝עֶ֗בֶד חָפְשִׁ֥י מֵאֲדֹנָֽיו׃ (כ) לָ֤מָּה יִתֵּ֣ן לְעָמֵ֣ל א֑וֹר וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃ (כא) הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים לַמָּ֣וֶת וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים׃ (כב) הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־גִ֑יל יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ כִּ֣י יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר׃ (כג) לְ֭גֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ׃ (כד) כִּֽי־לִפְנֵ֣י לַ֭חְמִי אַנְחָתִ֣י תָבֹ֑א וַֽיִּתְּכ֥וּ כַ֝מַּ֗יִם שַׁאֲגֹתָֽי׃ (כה) כִּ֤י פַ֣חַד פָּ֭חַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵ֑נִי וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָ֝גֹ֗רְתִּי יָ֣בֹא לִֽי׃ (כו) לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז׃ (פ)
(1) Afterward, Job began to speak and cursed the day of his birth. (2) Job spoke up and said: (3) Perish the day on which I was born, And the night it was announced, “A male has been conceived!” (4) May that day be darkness; May God above have no concern for it; May light not shine on it; (5) May darkness and deep gloom reclaim it; May a pall lie over it; May what blackens the day terrify it. (6) May obscurity carry off that night; May it not be counted among the days of the year; May it not appear in any of its months; (7) May that night be desolate; May no sound of joy be heard in it; (8) May those who cast spells upon the day damn it, Those prepared to disable Leviathan; (9) May its twilight stars remain dark; May it hope for light and have none; May it not see the glimmerings of the dawn— (10) Because it did not block my mother’s womb, And hide trouble from my eyes. (11) Why did I not die at birth, Expire as I came forth from the womb? (12) Why were there knees to receive me, Or breasts for me to suck? (13) For now would I be lying in repose, asleep and at rest, (14) With the world’s kings and counselors who rebuild ruins for themselves, (15) Or with nobles who possess gold and who fill their houses with silver. (16) Or why was I not like a buried stillbirth, Like babies who never saw the light?... (26) I had no repose, no quiet, no rest, And trouble came.
MALBIM on 3:13 - כי עתה If, as a stillborn, "I had slept" then "I would have escaped directly into repose" (that is, repose from the constant turmoil of existence, where one can never rest for an instant). Then Iyov says, "with kings I would not be"...לא אהיה...meaning that there would have been no chance of creating a world of hierarchy and power-order. Whether I was a kind or a prince or a stillborn...I would not have existed...or had to be a member of the rank and file of the world order that exists.
(18) “Why did You bring me out of the womb? Better had I expired before any eye saw me, (19) Had I been as though I never was, Had I been carried from the womb to the grave. (20) But as it is, my days are few, so stop! Leave me alone, so I can catch my breath (21) Before I go my way—never to return— into a land of dark and deathgloom; (22) A land obscure as any darkness, A land of deathgloom, a land of chaos, where You blaze forth in rays of black!”
(ד) אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, רָאָה צַדִּיקִים וּרְשָׁעִים יוֹצְאִים מִמֶּנּוּ, אָמַר אִם אֲנִי בּוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ רְשָׁעִים יוֹצְאִים מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאִם לֹא אֶבְרָא אוֹתוֹ הֵיאַךְ צַדִּיקִים יוֹצְאִים מִמֶּנּוּ. מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִפְלִיג דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים מִכְּנֶגֶד פָּנָיו וְשִׁתֵּף בּוֹ מִדַּת רַחֲמִים וּבְרָאוֹ, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים א, ו): כִּי יוֹדֵעַ ה' דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד, אִבְּדָהּ מִכְּנֶגֶד פָּנָיו וְשִׁתֵּף בּוֹ מִדַּת רַחֲמִים וּבְרָאוֹ. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא לֹא אָמַר כֵּן, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נִמְלַךְ בְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת וְאָמַר לָהֶן: נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ אָמְרוּ לוֹ, אָדָם זֶה מַה טִּיבוֹ, אָמַר לָהֶן צַדִּיקִים עוֹמְדִים מִמֶּנּוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: כִּי יוֹדֵעַ ה' דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים, כִּי הוֹדִיעַ ה' דֶּרֶךְ הַצַּדִּיקִים לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד, אִבְּדָהּ מֵהֶם, גִּלָּה לָהֶם שֶׁהַצַּדִּיקִים עוֹמְדִים מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא גִּלָּה לָהֶם שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים עוֹמְדִים הֵימֶנּוּ, שֶׁאִלּוּ גִּלָּה לָהֶם שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים עוֹמְדִים הֵימֶנּוּ לֹא הָיְתָה מִדַּת הַדִּין נוֹתֶנֶת שֶׁיִּבָּרֵא.
(ה) אָמַר רַבִּי סִימוֹן, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נַעֲשׂוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת כִּתִּים כִּתִּים, וַחֲבוּרוֹת חֲבוּרוֹת, מֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים אַל יִבָּרֵא, וּמֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים יִבָּרֵא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים פה, יא): חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת נִפְגָּשׁוּ צֶדֶק וְשָׁלוֹם נָשָׁקוּ. חֶסֶד אוֹמֵר יִבָּרֵא, שֶׁהוּא גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים. וֶאֱמֶת אוֹמֵר אַל יִבָּרֵא, שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ שְׁקָרִים. צֶדֶק אוֹמֵר יִבָּרֵא, שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה צְדָקוֹת. שָׁלוֹם אוֹמֵר אַל יִבָּרֵא, דְּכוּלֵיהּ קְטָטָה. מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נָטַל אֱמֶת וְהִשְׁלִיכוֹ לָאָרֶץ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (דניאל ח, יב): וְתַשְׁלֵךְ אֱמֶת אַרְצָה, אָמְרוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים מָה אַתָּה מְבַזֶּה תַּכְסִיס אַלְטִיכְסְיָה שֶׁלָּךְ, תַּעֲלֶה אֱמֶת מִן הָאָרֶץ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים פה, יב): אֱמֶת מֵאֶרֶץ תִּצְמָח. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי לָהּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר אִידֵי וְרַבִּי פִּינְחָס וְרַבִּי חֶלְקִיָּה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי סִימוֹן אָמַר, מְאֹד, הוּא אָדָם. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית א, לא): וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, וְהִנֵּה טוֹב אָדָם. רַב הוּנָא רַבָּהּ שֶׁל צִפּוֹרִין אֲמַר עַד שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מִדַּיְּנִין אֵלּוּ עִם אֵלּוּ וּמִתְעַסְּקִין אֵלּוּ עִם אֵלּוּ בְּרָאוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. אָמַר לָהֶן מָה אַתֶּם מִדַּיְּנִין כְּבָר נַעֲשָׂה אָדָם.
Rabbi Berakhya taught that at the time the Kadosh Barukh Hu went to create the first human being the Divine saw that both righteous souls and evil-doers would go forth. If I do not create humans there will be no righteous ones to inhabit the world. What did God do? God took mercy on the evil-doers and created them as well as well as the righteous souls, by creating humanity. As it says, (Psalms 1:6) "God knows the ways of the righteous, and the ways of the wicked shall perish." God's aspect of mercy won out over strict judgment. Rabbi Chanina said that God only revealed to the ministering angels that righteous souls would shoot forth from the human about to be created. If God would have revealed that evil-doers were to be born the aspect and angels of strict justice would have won out and no human would ever have been created.
At the time to create humans the angels organized into factions. There were those who said do not create humans and those who said "do create!" As it says in Psalms 85:11 Kindness and truth will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss. The angel of kindness said "create - humans will bestow kindnesses." Truth, though, said "do not create - they will all be liars." Righteousness said "create - righteousness will come forth..." Peace said "do not create - they will be bickering and warring forever." What did God do? The Divine took and threw truth to the Earth, as it says in the Book of Daniel (8:12) God took and threw truth to the ground. The Ministering Angels said before God: Master of the Universe...lift truth to its proper place...meanwhile, while the angels were arguing, God contemplated creation and all it holds and saw that human beings were part of the "TOV M'EOD" reality that the Holy One Desired, so while the angels were arguing God decided and created human beings.
– Avot de Rabbi Natan 7 on Genesis 21:33
When the great calamity befell Job, he pleaded with the Holy One. “Master of the Universe, did I not feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, as it is written, “Have I eaten bread alone, and orphans not eaten from it?” ( Job 31:16). And did I not clothe the naked, as it is written, “Was he not warmed by the fleece of my sheep?” ( Job 31:20).
However, the Holy One answered Job, “Job, you have not yet reached half the measure [of hospitality] extended by Abraham. You sat in your house waiting for guests to come to you. To him who was accustomed to eat wheat bread, you gave wheat bread; to him who was accustomed to eat meat, you gave meat; and to him who was accustomed to drink wine, you gave wine.
But Abraham did not act this way. He went out, getting about in the world. When he met prospective guests, he brought them to his home. Even to him who was not accustomed to eat wheat bread, he gave wheat bread; to him who was not accustomed to eat meat, he gave meat; and to him who was not accustomed to drink wine, he gave wine. Not only that, but he got busy and built spacious mansions along the highways, and stocked them with food and drink, so that whoever entered ate, drank, and blessed Heaven. Therefore, unusual satisfaction was given to Abraham, and whatever any person requested was to be found in his house.
From: THE TEMPLE AND A WORLD MORE REDEEMED by Rabbi Scott N. Bolton
The Temple is a symbol of the world filled with Divine presence. It represents the light amidst darkness - goodness, kindness, love and possibility for meeting human needs at the center. God did not need a building or physical space to dwell in. Yet, the Divine gifted to the Jewish People (and symbolically to the world) a physical space in which expiation could be achieved and inspiration garnered to build a world that reflects the deepest Divine hopes for humanity and all that is contained herein.
The Temple's rituals remind us that goodness must be systematized and permeate the physical realities of Israel and the globe. Those who inhabit "the world below" - the world wherein the Temple exists and the Shekhinah rests - must be willing to make sacred journeys to renew their relationships with both great visions and the required actions necessary to create a more Divine world.
The Beit HaMikdash then is a home-base and a lighthouse. Being both physical and spiritual, the Temple represents both inspiration and possible completion. The spiritual openness the Temple provided reminds us to set up institutions that meet worshippers where they are and that take into account the unique needs and spiritual hopes of individual souls.
When the Temple was lost, there was a degradation of the conceivable "good society" or "world of KI TOV" that the story of creation presents. The Temple was a high point of the climb up the proverbial Mount Sinai. If we were free to worship on our holy mountain then others could be as well. If the Temple was not destroyed twice by the enemies of the Jewish People, we would not have had the foreshadowing and perhaps not even the subsequent history of the Crusades and Nazi Germany. Terrorist attacks in our time remind us that we still lack the greater good that was and could be stitched into creation. As partners with the Master of the Universe, the Temple was a meeting place to renew strength and a place from which to step forth, to partner with God in helping manifest more holiness.
According to Jewish tradition, the Temple was a dwelling place for God's indwelling presence, the Shekhinah. So, the question arises: given the loss of the Temple, how are we to garner the inspiration we need to build a world of chessed (kindness), spiritual uplift, love and one that serves to respond to the needs of all who seek God's Presence?
There is a lesson to be learned from the history before the Temple stood in Jerusalem. Generations who came before the Beit HaMikdash did design tents and other physical places to encounter God. We may look back to the the tent of Abraham and Sarah that became a place where "they made souls." The tents of our ancestors, about which the sorcerer Bilaam could only bestow blessing, said, "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob!"
The religious spaces of our ancestors, particularly the Mishkan, would remind ancient worshippers that God is beyond the realm of humanity but must be manifest in the bonds between people and the responsibility we take for one another. God's presence will help you embrace the internal work that must be done to relieve guilt, let grudges go and return to the camp, where every soul had to do his or her part to the keep the journey going.
The Israelites were always involved in gaining perspective on how to build a society - physically and institutionally - during their wanderings in the wilderness. They rejected, as God did, the tyranny of Egypt. After the Mishkan there was the Temple, and now, after the Temple, there must be new places and spaces to gain the insights and understandings necessary to design lives and a world that is "ki tov." Nonetheless, we mourn the loss of the Temple itself, because we are not exactly sure which physical places or conceptual locations provide us with the affirmations and energies we need to build a world of kindness, love and peace. The Temple was a central place and institution that aided in renewing individuals' commitments to pursuing holiness in one's life, among the Jewish People and in the world beyond the Temple walls. There was, in this vain, a particularist universalism that was inspired, as well.
In our time, shall we say synagogues, our "mikdash me'at," serve in the same symbolic way as the Temples? Does Israel gain that status and not just the Temple sitting atop the Temple Mount? Is prayer itself, said to be a substitution if not replacement for sacrifices and the work of the Temple, the "institution and place" to go, to garner such inspiration and creating motivation? After all, the Rabbis call prayer "the work of the heart." But the Temple was beyond the heart. It was the work of the hands, the encounter with very real life-forces, and it provided visceral experience, as much as any spiritual inspiration on an ethereal plane. Do we lack the symbol we need, the physical and spiritual home we need, to awaken us to the possibilities our world holds and those we have, as individuals, to contribute to a world more redeemed? Will our tents ever be as soul-forming as Abraham's and Sarah's or as Divine a place for encounter as the Temple in Jerusalem [that sparked world's of possibility beyond our imagination!]?
(1) I have covenanted with my eyes Not to gaze on a maiden. (2) What fate is decreed by God above? What lot, by Shaddai in the heights? (3) Calamity is surely for the iniquitous; Misfortune, for the worker of mischief. (4) Surely He observes my ways, Takes account of my every step. (5) Have I walked with worthless men, Or my feet hurried to deceit? (6) Let Him weigh me on the scale of righteousness; Let God ascertain my integrity. (7) If my feet have strayed from their course, My heart followed after my eyes, And a stain sullied my hands, (8) May I sow, but another reap, May the growth of my field be uprooted! (9) If my heart was ravished by the wife of my neighbor, And I lay in wait at his door, (10) May my wife grind for another, May others kneel over her! (11) For that would have been debauchery, A criminal offense, (12) A fire burning down to Abaddon, Consuming the roots of all my increase. (13) Did I ever brush aside the case of my servants, man or maid, When they made a complaint against me? (14) What then should I do when God arises; When He calls me to account, what should I answer Him? (15) Did not He who made me in my mother’s belly make him? Did not One form us both in the womb? (16) Did I deny the poor their needs, Or let a widow pine away, (17) By eating my food alone, The fatherless not eating of it also? (18) Why, from my youth he grew up with me as though I were his father; Since I left my mother’s womb I was her guide. (19) I never saw an unclad wretch, A needy man without clothing, (20) Whose loins did not bless me As he warmed himself with the shearings of my sheep. (21) If I raised my hand against the fatherless, Looking to my supporters in the gate, (22) May my arm drop off my shoulder; My forearm break off at the elbow. (23) For I am in dread of God-sent calamity; I cannot bear His threat. (24) Did I put my reliance on gold, Or regard fine gold as my bulwark? (25) Did I rejoice in my great wealth, In having attained plenty? (26) If ever I saw the light shining, The moon on its course in full glory, (27) And I secretly succumbed, And my hand touched my mouth in a kiss, (28) That, too, would have been a criminal offense, For I would have denied God above. (29) Did I rejoice over my enemy’s misfortune? Did I thrill because evil befell him? (30) I never let my mouth sin By wishing his death in a curse. (31) (Indeed, the men of my clan said, “We would consume his flesh insatiably!”) (32) No sojourner spent the night in the open; I opened my doors to the road. (33) Did I hide my transgressions like Adam, Bury my wrongdoing in my bosom, (34) That I should [now] fear the great multitude, And am shattered by the contempt of families, So that I keep silent and do not step outdoors? (35) O that I had someone to give me a hearing; O that Shaddai would reply to my writ, Or my accuser draw up a true bill! (36) I would carry it on my shoulder; Tie it around me for a wreath. (37) I would give him an account of my steps, Offer it as to a commander. (38) If my land cries out against me, Its furrows weep together; (39) If I have eaten its produce without payment, And made its [rightful] owners despair, (40) May nettles grow there instead of wheat; Instead of barley, stinkweed! The words of Job are at an end. (to Bildad)
(ג) וַיַּ֖עַן אִיּ֥וֹב אֶת־יְהוָ֗ה וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ (ד) הֵ֣ן קַ֭לֹּתִי מָ֣ה אֲשִׁיבֶ֑ךָּ יָ֝דִ֗י שַׂ֣מְתִּי לְמוֹ־פִֽי׃ (ה) אַחַ֣ת דִּ֭בַּרְתִּי וְלֹ֣א אֶֽעֱנֶ֑ה וּ֝שְׁתַּ֗יִם וְלֹ֣א אוֹסִֽיף׃
(ו) וַיַּֽעַן־יְהוָ֣ה אֶת־אִ֭יּוֹב מנ סערה [מִ֥ן ׀] [סְעָרָ֗ה] וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ (ז) אֱזָר־נָ֣א כְגֶ֣בֶר חֲלָצֶ֑יךָ אֶ֝שְׁאָלְךָ֗ וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃ (ח) הַ֭אַף תָּפֵ֣ר מִשְׁפָּטִ֑י תַּ֝רְשִׁיעֵ֗נִי לְמַ֣עַן תִּצְדָּֽק׃ (ט) וְאִם־זְר֖וֹעַ כָּאֵ֥ל ׀ לָ֑ךְ וּ֝בְק֗וֹל כָּמֹ֥הוּ תַרְעֵֽם׃ (י) עֲדֵ֥ה נָ֣א גָֽא֣וֹן וָגֹ֑בַהּ וְה֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר תִּלְבָּֽשׁ׃ (יא) הָ֭פֵץ עֶבְר֣וֹת אַפֶּ֑ךָ וּרְאֵ֥ה כָל־גֵּ֝אֶ֗ה וְהַשְׁפִּילֵֽהוּ׃ (יב) רְאֵ֣ה כָל־גֵּ֭אֶה הַכְנִיעֵ֑הוּ וַהֲדֹ֖ךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תַּחְתָּֽם׃ (יג) טָמְנֵ֣ם בֶּעָפָ֣ר יָ֑חַד פְּ֝נֵיהֶ֗ם חֲבֹ֣שׁ בַּטָּמֽוּן׃ (יד) וְגַם־אֲנִ֥י אוֹדֶ֑ךָּ כִּֽי־תוֹשִׁ֖עַ לְךָ֣ יְמִינֶֽךָ׃
(3) Job said in reply to the LORD: (4) See, I am of small worth; what can I answer You? I clap my hand to my mouth. (5) I have spoken once, and will not reply; Twice, and will do so no more.
(6) Then the LORD replied to Job out of the tempest and said: (7) Gird your loins like a man; I will ask, and you will inform Me. (8) Would you impugn My justice? Would you condemn Me that you may be right? (9) Have you an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His? (10) Deck yourself now with grandeur and eminence; Clothe yourself in glory and majesty. (11) Scatter wide your raging anger; See every proud man and bring him low. (12) See every proud man and humble him, And bring them down where they stand. (13) Bury them all in the earth; Hide their faces in obscurity. (14) Then even I would praise you, For the triumph your right hand won you.
(25) Can you draw out Leviathan by a fishhook? Can you press down his tongue by a rope? (26) Can you put a ring through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a barb? (27) Will he plead with you at length? Will he speak soft words to you?
(1) Job said in reply to the LORD: (2) I know that You can do everything, That nothing you propose is impossible for You. (3) Who is this who obscures counsel without knowledge? Indeed, I spoke without understanding; Of things beyond me, which I did not know. (4) Hear now, and I will speak; I will ask, and You will inform me. (5) I had heard You with my ears, But now I see You with my eyes; (6) Therefore, I recant and relent, Being but dust and ashes.
(א) ענין איוב הנפלא הוא מכת מה שאנחנו בו - רצוני לומר שהוא משל לבאר דעות בני אדם בהשגחה. ... סוף דבר 'בין היה בין לא היה' - בכמו ענינו הנמצא תמיד נבוכו כל המעינים מבני אדם; עד שנאמר בידיעת האלוק ובהשגחתו מה שכבר זכרתי לך - רצוני לומר היות האיש התם השלם הישר במעשיו הירא מאד מן החטאים - יחולו בו רעות גדולות ותכופות בממונו ובניו וגופו ללא חטא יחיב הענין ההוא. ולפי שתי הדעות - רצוני לומר אם 'היה' או 'לא היה' - הדברים ההם אשר בפתיחת הספר - רצוני לומר מאמר ה'שטן' ומאמר האלוק אל ה'שטן' ומסור איוב בידו - כל זה משל בלא ספק לכל בעל דעת. אלא שהוא משל לא כשאר המשלים כולם אבל משל שנתלו בו פליאות ו"דברים שהם כבשונו של אולם". והתבארו בו ספקות גדולות ונגלו ממנו אמיתות שאין למעלה מהם...:
(1) The wondrous Book of Job is in the same category; I mean to say that it is a parable to explain the opinions which people hold on Divine Providence. ...Ultimately, whether [Job] existed or not, that which is related of him is a constant experience, a source of perplexity to all deep thinkers among humankind; until it is said of God's knowledge and providence what I have already mentioned to you - I mean to say, being a simple and perfect person, upright in his actions, and very fearful of sins - there settle upon him great and consecutive evils in his wealth, his children, and his body, even without sin. According to both theories, by which I mean whether [Job] was or he wasn't, the introduction to the book is certainly a parable to every intelligent person; I mean the portion which relates to the words of the adversary, the words of God to the adversary, and the handing over of Job to him. This parable, however, is different from all other parables, but has attached to it profound ideas and great mysteries [lit., secrets of the world]. And through it may be explained great doubts, and revealed truths of which there is nothing more significant...
Jigsaw by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Each lifetime is the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
For some there are more pieces.
For others the puzzle is more difficult to assemble.
Some seem to be born with a nearly completed puzzle.
And so it goes.
Souls go this way and that.
Trying to assemble the myriad parts
But know this. No one has within themselves
All the pieces to their puzzle.
Like before the days when they used to seal
jigsaw puzzles in cellophane. Insuring that
All the pieces were there.
Everyone carries with them at least one and probably
many pieces to someone else's puzzle.
Sometimes they know it.
Sometimes they don't.
And when you present your piece
Which is worthless to you,
To another, whether you know it or not,
Whether they know it or not,
You are a messenger from the Most High.
(As quoted by Rabbi Dayle Friedman in her wonderful book Jewish Wisdom for Growing Older from Jewish Lights Publishing)
(3) The same is to be said6a concerning ובורא רע And creates evil. By "evil" is meant war, as the opposite of peace, or the sickness in the human body, as being at war with his constitution. [These antitheses are] cited in this section [to suggest that similarly] He will strengthen Cyrus in opposition to the king of Babylon.
(ד) פרק ב׳.—ר׳ עקיבא פתח, אֱנוֹשׁ כֶּחָצִיר יָמָיו וגו׳ (תהלים ק"ג ט"ו) מעשה בר׳ ישמעאל ור״ע שהיו מהלכין בחוצות ירושלם, והיה עמהם אדם אחד. פגע בהם אדם חולה, א״ל, רבותי אמרו לי במה אתרפא. א״ל, עשה כך וכך עד שתתרפא. א״ל, ומי הכה אותי? א״ל, הקב״ה. א״ל, ואתם הכנסתם עצמכם בדבר שאינו שלכם, הוא הכה ואתם מרפאים, אינכם עוברים על רצונו?! א״ל, מה מלאכתך? א״ל, עובד אדמה אני והרי המגל בידי. א״ל, מי ברא את הכרם? א״ל, הקב"ה. א״ל, ואתה מכניס עצמך בדבר שאינו שלך, הוא ברא אותו ואתה קוצץ פירותיו ממנו. א״ל, אין אתם רואים המגל בידי, אילולי אני יוצא וחורשו ומכסהו ומזבלו ומנכשו לא תעלה מאומה. א״ל, שוטה שבעולם, [ממלאכתך] (צ״ל מימיך) לא שמעת מה שכתוב אֱנוֹשׁ כֶּחָצִיר יָמָיו (תהלים ק"ג ט"ו), כשם שהעץ אם אינו מנכש ומזבל ונחרש אינו עולה, ואם עלה ולא שתה מים ולא נזבל אינו חי והוא מת, כך הגוף - הזבל הוא הסם ומיני רפואה, ואיש אדמה הוא הרופא. אמר להם, בבקשה מכם אל תענישוני. הגוף הזה תולדותיו נתלין זה בזה וזה בזה, ואם אין זה אין זה, וכיון שהן מתפרקות אחד מחבירו הגוף נטוי למות, כמו שיש לבית ארבע צדדין אם מתפרק אחד מהן הבית נופל. וכל מה שברא, בתמורה בראו. אילולי מות לא היה חיים, ואילולי חיים לא היה מות, ואילולי שלום לא היה רע, ואילולי רע לא היה שלום. אילו יכנס אדם במדינה חציה שלום וחציה רע, היה הולך ברע ומכיר שלום, ואם מדינה אחרת כלה שלום, אם אין שם רע אין השלום ניכר. אם היו כל בני אדם טפשין לא היו ניכרין שהן טפשין, ואילו היו כל בני אדם חכמים לא היו ניכרין שהם חכמים. אלא גַּם אֶת זֶה לְעֻמַּת זֶה עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹקִים (קהלת ז' י"ד). ...עם כל התמורות שאמר שלמה בקהלת: עת ללדת עת למות וגו׳, וכל זה להודיע גבורתו של הקב״ה, שכל דבר שברא ברא בשתים ובשתוף... אם אין צדיק אין רשע, אמר רשע לצדיק: מבקש אתה להחזיק לי טובה, לולי שאני רשע מאין היית ניכר. אילו היו כל בני אדם צדיקים לא היה לך יתרון....
...Ch. 2 - R. Aqiva began: Humankind, its days are like grass, etc. [Tehilim 103:15] There was an incident with R. Yishma'el and Rabbi Aqiva, who were taking a walk on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and there was a person with them. A sick person encountered them. He said to them: My masters, tell me what I can be cured with. They said to him: Do this and that until you are cured. He said to them: And who has stricken me? They said to him: The Holy One (blessed be He). He said to them: And you have intruded yourselves in a matter that doesn't belong to you! He has stricken and you heal, are you not transgressing against His will?! They said to him: What is your occupation? He said: I am a farmworker and see, the sickle is in my hand. They said to him: Who created the vineyard? He said to them: The Holy One (blessed be He). They said to him: And you have intruded yourself in a matter that doesn't belong to you! He created it and you cut your fruits from it. He said to them: Do you not see the sickle in my hand?! If I did not go out and plow and cover over and fertilize and prune it, it would produce nothing at all. They said to him: Fool of the world! In all your days, have you not heard that Humankind - its days are like grass. Just as the tree, if it is not pruned and fertilized and plowed, it will not come up- and if it comes up and doesn't drink water or is not fertilized, it will not live but will die, so also with the body. The fertilizer is the potion and various medications, and the farmworker is the doctor. He said to them: I beg of you, please don't punish me. This body - its elements are contingent this upon that and this upon that, and if this isn't there, then that isn't. And if one is detached from its fellow, the body tends to die, just as a house has four sides and, if one is detached from the others, the house collapses. And everything that He created, He created with its counterpart. Were it not for death, there would be no life, and were it not for life, there would be no death. And were it not for peace, there would be no evil, and were it not for evil, there would be no peace. If a person were to enter a country which was half peace and half evil, he would go among evil and recognize peace. And if another country were altogether peace, if there were no evil there, the peace would not be recognized. If all human beings were fools, they would not recognize that they were fools, and if all human beings were wise, they would not recognize that they were wise. But rather God made this in relation to that [Qohelet 7:14]....with all the counterparts that Shlomo said in Qohelet: A time to be born, a time to die, etc....And all this to make known the greatness of the Holy One (blessed be He), that every thing that He created, He created in pairs and in partnership....If there is no righteous person, there is no wicked person. Said the wicked to the righteous: You are trying to strengthen the good in me. Were it not that I am wicked, how would you be recognized? If all human beings were righteous, you would have no advantage...