Chasidut for Joshua 1:8
לֹֽא־יָמ֡וּשׁ סֵפֶר֩ הַתּוֹרָ֨ה הַזֶּ֜ה מִפִּ֗יךָ וְהָגִ֤יתָ בּוֹ֙ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַ֔יְלָה לְמַ֙עַן֙ תִּשְׁמֹ֣ר לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּת֖וּב בּ֑וֹ כִּי־אָ֛ז תַּצְלִ֥יחַ אֶת־דְּרָכֶ֖ךָ וְאָ֥ז תַּשְׂכִּֽיל׃
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy ways prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Sefer HaMiddot
Everything he gathered and assembled together in the order of the Aleph Bet, and in the course of time there was found by him a complete compilation on all the traits, and he instructed to copy all of it, and from his mouth he read to me, and I transcribed in the book (according to Jer. 36:18), in order that this book should not desist from our mouths (Josh. 1:8) to speak (/think) it always, in order that we cease from bad traits. For everyone, when he sees arranged the utter derision of a bad trait and the great loss it causes, and the dreadful violation that is realized through it, he will have compassion on his soul, and he will gird his loins to stand up against it, and he will beseech from He to whom mercy is His, to escape with his soul from the abyss, to save him from those bad traits or bad desires or similar ones, and so in the converse regarding good traits.
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Kedushat Levi
On the other hand, the wicked people on this earth, i.e. the overwhelming majority of the gentile nations, if and when they become exposed to an intensity of light that they are not accustomed to, will be blinded by it and will die. The Talmud alludes to this when saying that someone “set his eyes on him,” [in that case the teacher, Ed.] as a result of which the person concerned died from overexposure to light of an intensity for which he had not been prepared.
When the Torah, in describing the impact of the plague of darkness on the Egyptians, speaks of וימש חשך the word ימש was used in the sense of ”a removal,” withdrawal, of the protective screen we humans enjoy against overpowering brilliant light. [The word ימש will be familiar to the reader in that sense from Exodus 33,11 where Joshua’s not departing from Moses’ tent is described as יהושע בן נון נער לא ימיש מתוך האוהל, as well as from Joshua 1,8 where Joshua is commanded never to be without a Torah scroll with the words: לא ימיש ספר התורה הזאת מפיך והגית בו יומם ולילה, “this Book of the Torah must not be removed from your lips, but you shall recite from it daily, etc.” Ed.] We can now understand why the Talmud describes the result of the protective screen consisting of his Torah knowledge, etc. being withdrawn from the student mentioned in the Talmud, being that this student turned into a heap of bones, his body having been burned in a flash from the excessive brightness to which he had become exposed. In light of what we have just explained it is also easy to understand why the Torah chose to describe the situation of the Israelites during the period of this plague as being one that enjoyed light in their dwellings. They continued being protected by the screen against excessive light that people who deserve the appellation בני ישראל, “Children of Israel,” are entitled to by their birthright, by being descended from the patriarchs.
These considerations also help us understand a statement in נדרים 8, לעתיד לבא יוציא הקב'ה את חמה מנרתיקה צדיקים מתרפאים בה ורשעים נדונין בה, “in the future (messianic or post messianic times) G’d will take the sun out of is usual orbit, as a result of which the righteous (who are sick) will be healed, whereas the wicked will be judged by this (burned to death)." The word נרתיק in the Talmud there is an allusion to the protective screening against excess light/heat that G’d had provided when He created the universe.
When the Torah, in describing the impact of the plague of darkness on the Egyptians, speaks of וימש חשך the word ימש was used in the sense of ”a removal,” withdrawal, of the protective screen we humans enjoy against overpowering brilliant light. [The word ימש will be familiar to the reader in that sense from Exodus 33,11 where Joshua’s not departing from Moses’ tent is described as יהושע בן נון נער לא ימיש מתוך האוהל, as well as from Joshua 1,8 where Joshua is commanded never to be without a Torah scroll with the words: לא ימיש ספר התורה הזאת מפיך והגית בו יומם ולילה, “this Book of the Torah must not be removed from your lips, but you shall recite from it daily, etc.” Ed.] We can now understand why the Talmud describes the result of the protective screen consisting of his Torah knowledge, etc. being withdrawn from the student mentioned in the Talmud, being that this student turned into a heap of bones, his body having been burned in a flash from the excessive brightness to which he had become exposed. In light of what we have just explained it is also easy to understand why the Torah chose to describe the situation of the Israelites during the period of this plague as being one that enjoyed light in their dwellings. They continued being protected by the screen against excessive light that people who deserve the appellation בני ישראל, “Children of Israel,” are entitled to by their birthright, by being descended from the patriarchs.
These considerations also help us understand a statement in נדרים 8, לעתיד לבא יוציא הקב'ה את חמה מנרתיקה צדיקים מתרפאים בה ורשעים נדונין בה, “in the future (messianic or post messianic times) G’d will take the sun out of is usual orbit, as a result of which the righteous (who are sick) will be healed, whereas the wicked will be judged by this (burned to death)." The word נרתיק in the Talmud there is an allusion to the protective screening against excess light/heat that G’d had provided when He created the universe.
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