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Biblical Faith Shows
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 6
Mishnah One
Emunah channel coming soon. For Info www.torahfaith.org
The term “Torah” is used in different contexts to refer to various aspects of the Torah. It may refer at times to a Torah scroll; to all Scripture; or to the laws of the Torah. In this chapter, Maharal considers Torah in its fullest scope, as an entity that embodies all truth. Here, “Torah” refers to ontology and law; theory and practice; values, principles and relationships; history and philosophy; as articulated or implied by G-d’s communication to mankind through Moshe. All we know about G-d is in the Torah, and within Torah lies even more about G-d than we will ever comprehend.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 6
All Yisra’el has a share in the World-to-Come
Torah and mussar complement each other. Torah illuminates the path that leads to the World-to-Come, while mussar is advice to deal with worldly temptations that draw us away from that path. The living practice of the study of the mussar is called derech eretz—the discipline of civilized behavior and good qualities of character. Avot, as a work of mussar, is clearly a close companion of Torah, as the Rabbis stated. “If there is no Torah, there is no derech eretz; if there is no derech eretz, there is no Torah.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 5
Summary of Chapter Five
The mishnayot progress from the level of performing mitzvoth: “Be bold as a leopard . . . to carry out the Will of your Father in Heaven” . . . to the study of Torah, which is superior to doing mitzvoth. “The reward is in proportion to the exertion,” concludes the chapter with the highest level of all, for our ultimate destiny is the reward of the World to Come.
Torah was not given to angels and they cannot earn reward for they do not change and improve, nor do they earn reward for duress, for they experience no difficulty in performing the will of their Creator.
In memory of Jerry Dean
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 5
Mishnah 26
Their names reflect the number five, corresponding to the Hebrew letter ה, hei. Among letters it is unsuppressed as a symbol of the spiritual for it is only the intangible strength of the life breath with no physical contribution from the throat, mouth, and lips. Hence, the letter hei expresses the essence of conversion, for a convert leaves the nations of the world and takes on the power of holiness that is the strength of Yisra’el. Indeed, the letter hei was added to the names of Avraham and Sarah when they entered into G-d’s holy covenant.
In memory of Jerry Dean
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 5
Mishnah 25b and 26
Ben Bag Bag wishes to convey the importance of the Torah. “Everything is in it” means that the Torah describes the entire universe, but why would that be so?
Mankind is the point of Creation and hence all Creation is subsidiary to mankind. Furthermore, Torah is the conceptual scriptures that G-d established for human conduct. Since Creation exists to support human existence, the structure of Creation must follow from Torah’s structure for mankind. Hence, Torah is the original premise of Creation, as the Rabbis said, The Holy One, Blessed is He, looked in the Torah to create the world.
If one could fully comprehend Torah, he would have grasped the structure of all existence.
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 5
Mishnah 25
A man is not a complete entity without a wife. As the Rabbis say: Whoever does not have a wife is not an Adam (person), as it says: “On the day G-d created mankind. . .male and female He created them, and He blessed them and called their name Adam.”
A man’s physical growth is it at its peak at eighteen, and then it is time to grow in another dimension, by expanding his life to include another. This stage of life begins at eighteen and continues until twenty, when he is ready to provide leadership in the household.
It is noteworthy that eighteen is a quarter of man’s life span of seventy years. In this way our lives parallel the sun, which reaches the zenith of its strength at noon, after one quarter of its 24-hour cycle.
Dedicated to Peggy Wingate
Biblical Faith – with Shmuel “Sam” Peak
Chapter 5
Mishnah 23 and 24
In metaphysical terms, we may say that things tend to eventually join with their like kind, as water flows to join water. Since the power and strength that underlie being brazen are qualities of fire, the fire of the brazen personality will by nature join the fire of Gehinnom.
In simpler terms, we may explain that the wicked act energetically to go outside the bounds of decent behavior. Hence, it is fitting that they will experience the unconstrained power of the fire of Gehinnom.
Being shamefaced is the opposite quality to being brazen. Such a person is passive and accommodating and hence belongs in the tranquil, stable repose of Gan Eden.