시편 111:6의 Chasidut
כֹּ֣חַ מַ֭עֲשָׂיו הִגִּ֣יד לְעַמּ֑וֹ לָתֵ֥ת לָ֝הֶ֗ם נַחֲלַ֥ת גּוֹיִֽם׃
저가 자기 백성에게 열방을 기업으로 주사 그 행사의 능을 저희에게 보이셨도다
Kedushat Levi
Going back to Rashi’s first commentary on the first word in the Torah, where he quoted Rabbi Yitzchok saying that the reason that the Torah does not commence with the first verse in Exodus chapter12, is that the Torah wanted to allude from the beginning by teaching the concept כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גויים, “He revealed to His people His powerful works by giving them the heritage of (other) nations.” (Psalms 111,6) This is important to know in the event that the nations will dispute the Jewish people’s claim to the Land of Israel as being their heritage. As the Creator and hence, owner, of the entire universe, G’d has the right to allocate parts of it to whoever He chooses.
Expressed differently, since in the words of the introduction to the Zohar, page 5, (based on Proverbs 8,30 (Torah speaking) “then I was with Him (G’d) as an artisan,” i.e. G’d used the Torah and its letters as the tool with which to create the universe; it follows that every part of the universe is imbued with some letter of the Torah.
Just as man is charged to perform the Torah’s commandments with the various limbs of his body, (248), so earth is also charged with the task of performing “commandments” appropriate to its composition. The expressions פי הארץ, ”the earth’s mouth,” or עין הארץ, “the earth’s eye,” are more than just figures of speech. Each of our limbs exudes the living essence of the letter of the Torah that corresponds to a specific commandment that limb is supposed to perform. Joshua was able to conquer seven lands (of the Canaanites) because he understood what it was that enabled each specific land to remain “alive.” Similarly, every city in those countries had been charged since creation with performing certain duties vis a vis its Creator. Joshua’s knowledge of these duties enabled him to “conquer” these towns and countries with a minimum of Jewish blood being shed in the process.
According to the introduction of the Zohar page 5, there is no part of the physical universe that does not in some way reflect the meaning of one of the letters in the Torah. If any of these cities were to confront the invading Jewish armies by calling them “robbers,” Joshua was able to remind them that the previous residents in these towns had only leased the land, but had never owned it, as it is G’d’s property. What could be more natural than that the Jewish people, who by definition serve their Creator by observing the commandments of the Torah, should now make their home on this part of the earth. This is what the psalmist meant when he quoted G’d as having revealed to His people the inherent strength of all His works, כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו. Wish that G’d were to grant each one of us the wisdom and the purity of heart to be conversant with the specific commandment that is incumbent upon each limb in our body to perform.
Expressed differently, since in the words of the introduction to the Zohar, page 5, (based on Proverbs 8,30 (Torah speaking) “then I was with Him (G’d) as an artisan,” i.e. G’d used the Torah and its letters as the tool with which to create the universe; it follows that every part of the universe is imbued with some letter of the Torah.
Just as man is charged to perform the Torah’s commandments with the various limbs of his body, (248), so earth is also charged with the task of performing “commandments” appropriate to its composition. The expressions פי הארץ, ”the earth’s mouth,” or עין הארץ, “the earth’s eye,” are more than just figures of speech. Each of our limbs exudes the living essence of the letter of the Torah that corresponds to a specific commandment that limb is supposed to perform. Joshua was able to conquer seven lands (of the Canaanites) because he understood what it was that enabled each specific land to remain “alive.” Similarly, every city in those countries had been charged since creation with performing certain duties vis a vis its Creator. Joshua’s knowledge of these duties enabled him to “conquer” these towns and countries with a minimum of Jewish blood being shed in the process.
According to the introduction of the Zohar page 5, there is no part of the physical universe that does not in some way reflect the meaning of one of the letters in the Torah. If any of these cities were to confront the invading Jewish armies by calling them “robbers,” Joshua was able to remind them that the previous residents in these towns had only leased the land, but had never owned it, as it is G’d’s property. What could be more natural than that the Jewish people, who by definition serve their Creator by observing the commandments of the Torah, should now make their home on this part of the earth. This is what the psalmist meant when he quoted G’d as having revealed to His people the inherent strength of all His works, כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו. Wish that G’d were to grant each one of us the wisdom and the purity of heart to be conversant with the specific commandment that is incumbent upon each limb in our body to perform.
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