Editorial notes:
This is a meditation on the Shema, and the nature of love. It is pointed out that, as Midrashic commentators say, the reference in the Shema to loving God with all one’s hearts (plural) signifies both with the good and the bad impulse, etc., bringing the evil urge into conformity with the good urge and directed to God. Within the fleshly and worldly is the spiritual and heavenly, if only one joins everything in God.
The stiff-neckedness of the Jews, for which they are reproached, is also said to be a positive thing when, despite all their very demanding self-centred and worldly challenges lying before them, they turn their attention away from the world to focus on God, imitating the turn backward of the upper stem of the letter Tzadi, which initiates the word Tzadik, Righteous one. Esau doesn’t want this for Jacob, so he kisses his neck, meaning to bite it, weaken it, so it will not turn back to God. The Esau in each of us is like that, representing the deceptive glamour of the grossly material and self-gratifying world, a “kiss” that is a “bite” against the personal will.
Shai expresses gratitude for this positive, life-enhancing insight into his own life which reaffirms his refusal to allow circumstances and other people’s views to dominate him. Turning to God and even practising Jewish mitzvot is perhaps, he suggests, a beautiful path for him to take up so as to be free of worldly restraints, so he can “define the world, not be limited by it.” This also means for him not to condemn himself nor pay undue attention to criticisms from others. Only this way gives freedom [EZ*].
*Many thanks to Dr. Evan Zuesse for providing the commentary for this essay.
[This sounds like a drunk 4 yo.]
Veahavta et… and we learn what love is from R. Hillel, veahavta le’raecha, which is taught to mean to see the best in the other[1]. Furthermore, it means to love (in this way) via levavcha and nafshecha and meodecha[2].
Levavecha is known to be the ways of understanding, twice – [once] for yetzer tov and [once for yetzer] ra[3]; nafshecha is known to be lower soul [from the Hebrew word nefesh], which are taught by the faculty of judgement[4]; me’odecha is said by ? to mean financial, or by ? to mean whichever is one’s own challenge[5]
Ul levavecha… we know from the waters me’al harakiya that the thing underneath is contained at its reach by the thing above[6], and this is a law of what the whims may ponder, and which are taboo (regarding the mitzvot learned). [Editor: Coming to terms with the anti-reason of the heart of the religion’s reasoning]
Thus we are saying: I will look for the ways in which this world is being good[7], and I will be true to a law that is not mine, of which fruits I may choose to enjoy.
Thus we reinforce the shema: I will tie myself up closely with my bridegroom.
Appendix: Regarding good use of ayin and being true to one’s opinions:
The Jews are guilty and praised for their stubbornness. And this is due to their stiff neck, which is why the head as reish is so often bad (ra), it should rather turn around to see the tzaddik. The neck is turned from tzaddik/kuf.
When yaakov crossed yabok, it says that esav kissed his neck, but the word “kissed” is marked uniquely, which is explained, “he meant to bite”. To kiss means to convey understanding (as is taught in shir hashirim when it is wished they could kiss).
When we overcome crucial tipping points, then we gain the understanding that the yetzer hara had planned against us.
[Mitzrayim too chokes at neck, and this is because it can see no further, whereas the Jew knows that he is here to define the world, not be limited by it – and it is only against that which pulls us down that our stubbornness acts against us, for we are bit on the neck, losing our will (keter of kuf). Adam calls Isha zot, and so too the Creator is not our slave master, but a partner, to submit is not to (the power of bet) see past ourselves.]
Today, I feel gifted for these, and I believe that I was able to receive them for the following:
I had thought to discard forbidden fruit, and immediately knew that there could be many reasons not to, and then (having been given an understanding of ayin and nun just earlier) was able to see that my pei was being broken and samech losing form. Nun is faithful because it knows that that is what it wanted, no role to judge (that is ayin’s call, which balances the samech, doesn’t rule it).
It looks like faithfulness is a great gift in this world. Faithfulness to oneself. I think that is beautiful. More beautiful since the first gift arrived without any payment required upfront. [I wonder if this is the meaning of Eliyahu’s double-lettered 4 name, which brought him yeriah (nb. Nun sofit), and which is a rachamim twice and justified; I was empowered to access nun, and it was beautiful (tiferet/rachamim)].
[1] Just as we do not wish to hurt ourselves by seeing our faults, since they hinder our will’s movements, so too for the other, this should be done as a courtesy. [Explained in Talmud?]
[2] By analogy with the opinion of Beit Hillel regarding the meaning of be’shachbecha uvkumecha (I mean that the 3 terms explain ve’ahavta, just as be..kumecha are within shinantum…vedibarta [I don’t know if both, or just one]).
[3] By being optimistic (chochma as tet), by seeing the ways it could nurture and protect (bina as chet), when liking, or when disliking, then seeing how that emotion offers nurturing or protects us (even if disliked; bina within chesed as zayin and within gevura as hei). Lev is 32, which are the number of major chambers, and here 4 were described. These 4 are doubled as inwards/outwards pointing, to 8, and each of these is further divided by 4 along the original set (cochma, bina, bina in chesed, bina in gevura). The second bet is explained for the two inclinations, which is not precluded from this instruction here (at lev).
[4] Faculty of judgment meaning Aba and Ima of Briya. Eg, as hinted in ve’shinantem levanecha (the children are the immature zeir anpin which is at nefesh), when one is made aware of their base inclination towards the Infinite, then the inclination is explained in what ways it is to do so, and what cases not. (Shinantem is known to allude to teeth breaking up subject – the nun-nun is the faithfulness to a law which links to further faithfulness as-if a boundary line samech). This is like Ima nursing from nun to gimel [need to confirm that occurs from nun and not pei-nun]. [Editor: Much later: I think Ima feeds from Nun-through-direction of Samech, but feeds upwards from Gimmel, because need to account for calendar of maturing child, e.g. midot sechel maturing separately to midot Avraham, or 7 midot [i.e. not synonymous with label “avraham” who I refer to as lower 7 but sans-vav,)
[5] Letters suggest an effort that requires drawing strength (mem that points to ayin but to get aleph, and these symmetrical to daled – potential power drawn up, implying that one’s abilities are freer to operate unencumbered, but those are seen as an action, and that drawing up into action is a new opportunity). And this suggests a role for ayin per positive and negative eyes.
I am thankful for the lesson I was taught today which enabled me to understand how ayin is used without self-deprecation. When I sensed other’s judgement, and if I believed them to be fully within right of criticizing me, then I hated the sensing, and thus was afraid of it (hei which disappears into a nun sofit) and oscillated between judging to be unfair, and judging to be due. This meant that I was never true to my beliefs. Thus what I did was decide what my value was (pei), and said “They may judge, but I make it a law not to listen if they are not talking to me.” And each time I sensed insecurity, I silenced it without justifying myself (nun), in this way, I allowed samech to take definite form, and allowed myself my own judgments freely (ayin). There was no more nun sofit, felt as fear. It was enough to be consistent with nun, and to make sure I wasn’t censoring my opinions (ayin) for the samech to take form and take over.
Similarly here. If I have two beliefs, “I should do this” and “That is too much”, then both are right to express themselves, and be heard in court. Ask self, “Why should I”, then “Why is it too much.” If you find yourself asking “Why should I, isn’t there reason to be sympathetic,” then the witness is being primed unfairly, and you will know you are trying to deceive yourself. The unsuccessful is righteous if the ruling is accepted; don’t maim yourself.
[6] Alternatively, ayin lamed, is the right to judge which evokes a ruling (as if pei) in the form of a perspective (lamed). So too, the mitzva is given right to judge the heart to be its perspective (or teacher, or direction). Furthermore, the thing that is above (the mitzvah) is a thing that goes beyond, but is only seen as a layer hiding depths (hence the rakiya is the name called the top waters).
[7] Good to me (see the explanation of 3 ways), and beyond complaint (see explanation on R Hillel), and that which is loved as a beloved (i.e. pshat).
