Chasidut על שמואל ב 23:2
Kedushat Levi
A third alternative interpretation of Moses’ unusual definition of G’d in our verse.
It is assumed that man’s soul naturally craves to serve its Creator. The only impediments to the soul doing this to its heart’s content are the various cravings of different parts of the body it inhabits. This is difficult to understand seeing that both the body and the soul are G’d’s creatures. Therefore, just as G’d has equipped the soul with a desire to serve its Creator, the body too, even if not as anxious to do so as the soul, has been equipped by its Creator with the means to serve Him, else how could it be held responsible for not doing so? If, for some reason the body has not been equipped with as great an urge to serve its Maker, we have a justified argument against G’d Who, if he had provided the body with a stronger urge to serve Him, we would not go astray from time to time. Seeing that the body’s urge to serve G’d is relatively weak, it is incumbent upon Hashem to forgive our sins.
The נפש, life-force, which desires to serve the Lord is better known as רוח, “spirit,” as we know from Samuel II 23,2 רוח ה' דבר בי, “the Lord’s spirit speaks through me.” (David speaking) The body, on the other hand, is loosely referred to as בשר, “flesh.” When Moses in the verse quoted above, addressed G’d as : א-ל אלוקי הרוחות, “G’d, the G’d of the souls,” he adds that G’d should also be the G’d of the body in equal measure, enabling the body to serve Him with the same ardor as that of the soul.
It is assumed that man’s soul naturally craves to serve its Creator. The only impediments to the soul doing this to its heart’s content are the various cravings of different parts of the body it inhabits. This is difficult to understand seeing that both the body and the soul are G’d’s creatures. Therefore, just as G’d has equipped the soul with a desire to serve its Creator, the body too, even if not as anxious to do so as the soul, has been equipped by its Creator with the means to serve Him, else how could it be held responsible for not doing so? If, for some reason the body has not been equipped with as great an urge to serve its Maker, we have a justified argument against G’d Who, if he had provided the body with a stronger urge to serve Him, we would not go astray from time to time. Seeing that the body’s urge to serve G’d is relatively weak, it is incumbent upon Hashem to forgive our sins.
The נפש, life-force, which desires to serve the Lord is better known as רוח, “spirit,” as we know from Samuel II 23,2 רוח ה' דבר בי, “the Lord’s spirit speaks through me.” (David speaking) The body, on the other hand, is loosely referred to as בשר, “flesh.” When Moses in the verse quoted above, addressed G’d as : א-ל אלוקי הרוחות, “G’d, the G’d of the souls,” he adds that G’d should also be the G’d of the body in equal measure, enabling the body to serve Him with the same ardor as that of the soul.
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