Musar su I Samuele 25:45

And know that the soul of the evildoer whose entire desire while alive is for the things of the body - the desire of which is separated from service to the Creator and is removed from its roots - will in his death descend to the ground, to the place of its desire. And its destiny will be - like the nature of the ground - to descend and not to arise. However it will be brought up for justice and for trial and to see how it exchanged the above for the pit - like they bring up a stone to the hollow of a slingshot. But after they raise [the stone] up - by its nature - it comes down to the ground, when the stone comes back and falls down to the ground after [its] projection, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life in the care of the Lord, your God; but He will fling away the lives of your enemies as from the hollow of a sling." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said in Midrash Mishlei (Kohelet Rabbah 3:27), "Both the souls of the righteous and the souls of the evildoers [rise above and are judged there: The souls of the righteous are triumphant in their trial and hidden under the Throne of Glory, but the souls of evildoers] are eaten away to the ground, as it is stated, 'but He will fling away the lives of your enemies, etc.'" And it is stated (Proverbs 11:7), "At death the hopes of a wicked man are lost." For there is no hope for the soul of an evildoer to leave from the darkness to the light, as it is stated (Psalms 49:20), "yet he must join the company of his ancestors, who will never see daylight again."

Behold it has been explained from the two verses that we mentioned - [as well as] from the words of the Sages, may their memory be blessed - that the soul of the evildoers goes down to the pit. And it has also been stated (Proverbs 15:24), "For an intelligent man the path of life leads upward, in order to avoid the pit below." And it has also been stated (Ecclesiastes 3:21), "Who knows if the spirit of men does rise upward and if a beast’s spirit does sink down into the earth?" The explanation [of this] is who can recognize the righteous ones and the evildoers in this world? For there are are evildoers whose actions are in the dark, and people will not know it about them; and there are righteous ones that fear the Heavens in private, like the matter that is stated (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly." And he called the soul of an evildoer, the soul of a beast, because it follows its physical desire like a beast. And [this is] like the matter that is stated (Jonah 4:11), "who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!" But he called the righteous ones, "the spirit of men" - like the matter that is stated (Ezekiel 34:31), "you are men." And the explanation of the wording of the verse is like this: Who knows the spirit of men - which are the righteous ones - which goes above; for there are many righteous people that a person cannot determine in this world that they are truly righteous, and that their souls will arise above, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 16:7), "man sees only what is visible, but the Lord sees into the heart." And also since there are many righteous ones whose fear of the Heavens is secret, and their righteousness is not known, and like the matter that is stated, (Micah 6:8), "and walk humbly with your God." "And the beast's spirit, etc." is that there also many evildoers that a man would not recognize from their actions, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 29:15), "who do their work in dark places and say, 'Who sees us, who takes note of us?'" And they, may their memory be blessed, likewise explained in Midrash Kohelet (Kohelet Rabbah 3:21) that the "spirit of men" is the righteous ones, "and the beast's spirit" is the evildoers. But a person cannot say that he is in doubt whether the soul of a man rise up; for behold it is written (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And also how can he doubt whether the spirit of a beast descends below? Is the spirit of a beast not from the earth? So how could it rise? And it is explained in the Torah that the soul of man is supernal. As it is written about the spirit of an animal that it is from the ground, as it is stated (Genesis 1:24), "Let the earth bring forth living spirits according to their specie." But about the spirit of man, it is written (Genesis 2:7), "and He blew into his nostrils a living soul." Therefore the soul of man rises above with the death of the body; since all things return to their source, like the matter that is stated (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "And the dust returns to the ground as it was, and the spirit returns to God who bestowed it." And it is stated about the soul of the righteous one (Zechariah 3:7), "and I will permit you to move about among these ones standing." Its explanation is among the angels that are standing and enduring - as it is stated (Psalms 148:6), "And He made them stand forever." And it is [also] stated (Daniel 7:16), "approached one of the standing." And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 152b), "The souls of the righteous are hidden under the Throne of Glory, as it is stated (I Samuel 25:29), "the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life." And all men of heart will consider this world like a temporary dwelling; so they will only use it for the service of the Creator, may He be blessed, and prepare provisions for their souls. For if a man lives many years - even if he lived twice a thousand years - since there is a number to his years, the number will end, and his end will be as if they had not been. But the world of repayment has no end, like the matter that is stated (Job 16:22), "For a few more years will pass, and I shall go the way of no return." Even more so, since the days of man are like a passing shadow, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 90:10), "The span of our life is seventy years, etc." And it is [also] stated (Psalms 144:4), "his days are like a passing shadow." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Kohelet Rabbah 1:3), "Not like the shadow of a tree or the shadow of a wall, but rather like the shadow of a flying and passing bird." It means to say a person is obligated to compare in his heart, this world to the shadow of a bird that if flying and passes over in a small instant - especially since a man does not know whether he is here today but in the grave tomorrow. And it would come out in his efforts today for tomorrow, that he has taken pains for a world that is not his. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 100b), "Grieve not about tomorrow’s trouble, because you know not what a day may bring."

Among the [negative commandments] dependent upon the shutting of the hand and the one who prevents himself from an act is “do not [...] shut your hand against your needy kinsman, [etc.] Beware lest you harbor the base thought, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,’ so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing” Deuteronomy 15:7-9). We have learned from this that one who refrains from lending to a poor person violates two negative commandments. And they are “Beware,” and “lest.” So if at the time that the seventh year is approaching, we are warned not to prevent ourselves from loaning because of the fear of the matter of the year of remission, certainly [is it so at] a time when he will not lose [the loaner’s] debt - for the sin of one who shuts his hand from lending will become greater. And from the greatness of this iniquity, the verse called the thought of stinginess from lending, “base thought (devar belia’al).” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Ketuvot 68a), “[Regarding] anyone who averts his eyes from the obligation to give charity, it is as if he engages in idol worship. It is written here, ‘Beware lest you harbor the base thought in your heart…and you will not give him’ (Deuteronomy 15:9), and it is written there, ‘Certain base fellows from among you have gone out’ (Deuteronomy 13:14).” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yalkut Shmuel 28:134) that a miser is called base. And so is it written (I Samuel 25:25), “to that wretched fellow, Nabal” - because he was stingy, since he said to David’s servants (I Samuel 25:11), “Should I then take my bread and my water and the meat that I slaughtered, etc.?” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 63a), “Greater is one who lends to a poor person than one who [gives] charity.”

Among the [negative commandments] dependent upon the shutting of the hand and the one who prevents himself from an act is “do not [...] shut your hand against your needy kinsman, [etc.] Beware lest you harbor the base thought, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,’ so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing” Deuteronomy 15:7-9). We have learned from this that one who refrains from lending to a poor person violates two negative commandments. And they are “Beware,” and “lest.” So if at the time that the seventh year is approaching, we are warned not to prevent ourselves from loaning because of the fear of the matter of the year of remission, certainly [is it so at] a time when he will not lose [the loaner’s] debt - for the sin of one who shuts his hand from lending will become greater. And from the greatness of this iniquity, the verse called the thought of stinginess from lending, “base thought (devar belia’al).” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Ketuvot 68a), “[Regarding] anyone who averts his eyes from the obligation to give charity, it is as if he engages in idol worship. It is written here, ‘Beware lest you harbor the base thought in your heart…and you will not give him’ (Deuteronomy 15:9), and it is written there, ‘Certain base fellows from among you have gone out’ (Deuteronomy 13:14).” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yalkut Shmuel 28:134) that a miser is called base. And so is it written (I Samuel 25:25), “to that wretched fellow, Nabal” - because he was stingy, since he said to David’s servants (I Samuel 25:11), “Should I then take my bread and my water and the meat that I slaughtered, etc.?” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 63a), “Greater is one who lends to a poor person than one who [gives] charity.”

And in order to set one's mind at rest in this, I have thought it fit to introduce an exalted thought here which is rooted in the Yerushalmi adduced by Semag, that if one were walking on the road and struck one of his feet with the other and, in doing so, fell to the ground and hurt his body, his face and also that foot — aside from the fact that it would never enter his mind to take revenge of that foot by [desisting] from healing it, he would also harbor no hatred whatsoever against it. For what is the foot and what are his body and his face — they all are one [body], but divided into organs. Rather, he would reason that his sins caused this. Here, too, if it happened that his friend did not benefit him with a certain good that he asked of him, or even if he grieved or insulted him in some way, he should not avenge himself and harbor hatred against him. For who is his friend and who is he? Both are from one root, as it is written (I Chronicles 17:21): "And who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?" And it is written [Bereshith 46:27): "All of the soul of the house of Jacob that came etc." It is not written "souls," to teach us that all the souls of Israel above are reckoned as one soul. It is just that each one is an entity in itself. As with a man in his entirety — even though, as a whole, he is one man, still, he has organs which are "heads" to him, like the head and the heart; and there are those beneath these, like the hand and the foot. And it is also into one rest that all of Israel will gather in the end — under the Throne of Glory — as it is written (I Samuel 25:29): "And the soul of my lord will be bound in the bond of life with the L-rd your G-d, etc." It is just that because in this world, where everyone is clothed in his own matter by himself, and because each of his affairs and undertakings is an entity in itself that a man imagines himself to be a distinct person and not "one" with his fellow Jew at all — but this is not so.

The worshipper should know that when he plans to do a good deed and it comes out quickly, he should recognize that he has found favor in the eyes of his God, and that the Creator loves him. If he should wish to commit a transgression and there happen to him things which trouble him and he cannot complete the sinful act, let him know that he has found favor in the eyes of his God, as was the case with David, of blessed memory, as it is said (1 Samuel 25:34), “For in every deed, as the Lord, the God of Israel liveth, who has withholden me from hurting thee.” So one who has been spared from committing a transgression should recognize that the Creator has chosen his service and his prayer and guards him from occupying himself with filthy deeds, so that he may be pure and holy to serve his God. For this reason, every man ought to help the intellect, and in this way the intellect will be stronger than the evil inclination. If a man should commit a transgression and his evil inclination triumphs over him until he has done his desire, he should repent after he has done the deed, and he should worry and be astonished [over what he has done.] If he does this, it will be a sign that he will improve his deeds as time goes on. If a man should grieve at any one of the following three times, there is hope that in the end he will improve his deeds: First, before he commits the transgression; second, while he is still committing the transgression, and, third, after he has committed it. When one repents before he commits a transgression, that is the best of all, and when one repents after he has done the transgression, that is the worst of all. This is like one who is filled with remorse and repents at the time of his death, but who did not remember his God when he was in his full health, when he trusted in his continued tranquility, and, therefore, there is no benefit in such remorse.

ולא יכלו דברו לשלום . Rashi comments that we can learn the praiseworthy character traits of the brothers from the very criticism the Torah directs at them. The brothers were no hypocrites, fawning on Joseph to his face and cursing him behind his back. They were candid and frank. We have a parallel to this frankness in Samuel I 25,3, where Naval is described. Our sages say that he was just as evil as is implied by his very name [hardly a name given to him by his father at birth. Ed.], i.e. he did not bother to conceal his עין הרע, ill-will. The difference between Naval and the brothers was that whereas Naval was offensive to everybody, the brothers refrained from speaking to Joseph altogether. They did not want to be guilty of hypocrisy by speaking to him peacefully, hiding what was in their hearts; they also did not want to be guilty of hateful behavior towards him.

From this a man can learn that he should not squander his money on useless things and to no purpose. However, when it comes to fulfilling a commandment, for example, dispensing charity and other commandments which involve expense, such as acquiring a teacher, a companion or books, he should be very liberal in order to attain lofty qualities. He thereby restores the soul to its place of purity so that it will be bound up in the bond of life, as it is written, "Yet the soul of my Lord shall be bound up in the bond of life" (I Sam. 25:29).

But regarding the righteous of the generation, upright in their deeds, pursuing charity and lovingkindness, strong in their faith, remorseful over their misdeeds, who prepare for judgment every day that they may come before the Throne in holiness and purity — all their good deeds are engraved upon their foreheads. When the higher and lower angels behold them, they bless them, saying, “This is a holy child of the Holy One Blessed is He. He is a beloved child who brings joy to his Heavenly Father!” The Sitrah Acharah flies away from him and holiness clings to him, increasing day by day. Fortunate is he and fortunate is his lot! The Zohar continues: The man’s listeners inquired, “Rabbi, how do you know that what you have said is true?” He replied that such a mark had been made upon his own face as the result of a sin and a certain tzaddik (Rabbi Aba) caused it to vanish. Rabbi Aba asked, “What is your name?” “Elazar,” he replied. Rabbi Aba said, “Blessed be the Merciful One who has allowed me to behold you and to see you thus! Fortunate is your lot in this world and fortunate is your lot in the World to Come!” Rabbi Aba added, “I am the one you met along the road,” whereupon the fellow prostrated himself before him. Afterwards he brought Rabbi Aba into his home and served him bread and a tender calf. When Rabbi Aba saw that the man was perfect in his learning as well as in his piety he recited upon him the verse, “Peace to you and peace to your house and peace to all that you have!” (I Shmuel 25:6) — “Peace to you in this world and peace to you in the World to Come!”

Other Rabbis in that Midrash add that the "ox" is a reference to Joseph, that the "donkey" is a reference to Issachar who is described in terms of a patient and hard working donkey in Jacob's blessings in Genesis 49,14. Joshua, a direct descendant of Joseph, would defeat Amalek in battle. The sons of Issachar, steeped in Torah study, know how G–d rules His universe. This is why the emissaries they sent to attend the crowning of King David are referred to as יודעי בינה לעתים, (Chronicles I 12, 33) "who know how to interpret the signs of the times." At that point in history they knew what was required from the people of Israel. The עבד and שפחה may allude to David and Abigail. A Biblical allusion is also cited for this. Thus far the Midrash.

There is another explanation, basically along the same lines. We have already explained that Jacob represented the "beauty of Adam," i.e. a human being at its highest spiritual level. He guarded the flocks of Laban for twenty-two years. All this was in order to extract the two good "drops" (of semen) Laban had ever emitted, i.e the ones from which Leah and Rachel were born. These two drops of semen were the ones that were emitted by Adam and had become mixed with the semen which the serpent had injected into Eve when he had mated with her in גן עדן. [The serpent's part of the semen produced the likes of Laban. Ed.] Similarly, David, who was the re-incarnation of Adam, had to become a shepherd of the flocks belonging to Naval (Abigail's first husband) in order to extract from Naval another drop of semen which had not yet been fertilised, and was latent within Abigail's womb. This is the mystical dimension of Abigail. The original serpent, represented in David's time by Naval, who in turn was the re-incarnation of Laban, possessed the spiritual power to retrieve the spiritual essence Jacob had deposited within Leah. When David appeared on the scene of history, he took Abigail from Naval, [she became David's wife after Naval's death.] David had to guard the sheep of Naval, just as Jacob had to guard the sheep of Laban. This is the hidden meaning of Samuel I 25, 16: חומה היו עלינו גם לילה גם יומם כל ימי היותנו רעים הצאן. "They were a wall about us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the flocks." Thus far the Arizal.

Bileam says in Numbers 23,10: תמות נפשי מות ישרים ותהי אחריתי כמוהו, "May my Hereafter be like that of Israel." Here too we have the plural of ישר, ישרים. The אחרית referred to by Bileam are the last two letter in the word ישראל. Bileam hopes for a future beyond the grave equaling that of the patriarchs, matriarchs, and the 12 tribes of Israel together. Throughout Scripture we find several times the verse: ברוך ה' אל-ה ישראל; the מספר קטן [a system of numerical values in which the digit 0 is ignored Ed.] of the word א-ל-ה-י, i.e. 1+3+5+1 =10. The מספר קטן of the word ישראל, also amounts to ten, i.e. 1+3+2+1+3=10. This is the allusion to the statement of our sages that the Presence of G–d does not come to rest on fewer than ten Jews.