Volume 22 Number 50
Produced: Fri Dec 22 0:42:01 1995
Subjects Discussed In This Issue:
Curse of the Chofetz Chaim
[Mordechai Perlman]
Curses
[Yosey Goldstein]
Curses and Fatalism
[Yeshaya Halevi]
Dreidel
[Stan Tenen]
Lilith
[a.s.kamlet]
Love and Hate
[Gedaliah Friedenberg]
Naming a Shul after Yitzchak Rabin?
[Shmuel Himelstein]
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From: Mordechai Perlman <aw004@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 13:10:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Curse of the Chofetz Chaim
On Tue, 19 Dec 1995, Yeshaya Halevi wrote:
> Many have written about the "pulsa denura" curse, and in both the
> Jerusalem Post and mail-jewish I even saw reference to Leon Trotsky being on
> the receiving end of that curse, courtesy of the Hafetz Hayeem. (Trotsky
> later received an ice pick in his head, which killed him.) Left unsaid was
> the interval between the curse and the demise. Was it a day? A month? A
> decade?
> To put this in perspective, though, let's reflect that Adolf Hitler,
> Josef Stalin and perhaps hundreds of other mass murderers were no doubt
> similarly cursed. It didn't do much good, unfortunately.
Actually, the story is that after the Chofetz Chaim saw that upon
cursing Trotzky, that Stalin came to power and was worse. Therefore,
when Hitler came to power in '32, he was not willing to curse him,
because who knows what may arise instead of him.
A Lichtige un a Lustige Chanuka
Mordechai Perlman
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From: Yosey Goldstein <JOE-G@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 12:33:57 EST
Subject: Curses
Yeshaya Halevi writes: "
To put this in perspective, though, let's reflect that Adolf
Hitler, Josef Stalin and perhaps hundreds of other mass murderers were
no doubt similarly cursed. It didn't do much good, unfortunately."
When I was younger I had heard, from a Rebbi that learned in Europe
and went thru the camps, that the Chofetz Chaim was asked to Curse
Hitler. The gist of his reply was that what was happening was the direct
will of the Ribbono shel Olom , The master of the universe, and he could
not curse him.
I therefore would not just assume that Tzadikkim just handed out
curses to every Rosho that lived. In fact I would assume that it was the
exception rather than the rule to curse anybody, ever!
Hatzlocho
Yosey
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From: <CHIHAL@...> (Yeshaya Halevi)
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 17:55:56 -0500
Subject: Curses and Fatalism
Shalom, All:
Being slightly skeptical about curses, I wrote <<To put this in
perspective, though, let's reflect that Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and
perhaps hundreds of other mass murderers were no doubt similarly cursed. It
didn't do much good, unfortunately.>> Yosey Goldstein (<JOE-G@...>)
replied he once heard <<from a Rebbi that learned in Europe and went thru the
camps, that the Chofetz Chaim was asked to Curse Hitler. The gist of his
reply was that what was happening was the direct will of the Ribbono shel
Olom , The master of the universe, and he could not curse him. I therefore
would not just assume that Tzadikkim just handed out curses to every Rosho
that lived.>>
This raises some interesting questions. Firstly, in both the
Jerusalem Post and mail-jewish I read that Leon Trotsky was cursed by the
Hafetz Hayeem. If one can curse Trotsky, then kal va'homer (a priori) one
can curse Hitler.
Secondly, if we accept all evil as being directed by God -- and
therefore *immutable* -- then why ever struggle against it?
Frankly, even though the Talmud does contain some fatalism -- the
phrase 'Malach Hamavet ma lee hacha, ma lee hatam' ('The Angel of Death
doesn't care where you are: when your time's up, you're road pizza,
sir') is one example -- it is not allowed as a cop-out for inaction or
negligence.
Judaism teaches us to struggle, as did Yaakov Aveenu when he struggled
with Aysav's angel; as did Avraham Aveenu, when he battled the four kings and
also when he pleaded with God for the lives of those in S'dom. Some of us
struggle spiritually, some materially, some in both ways; but all must do
_something._
My respect for the Hafetz Hayeem and my small knowledge of human
psychology lead me to conclude that probably he did curse Hitler. The
concentration camp survivor who said otherwise was, IMHO, looking for a
rationale as to why Trotsky bought the farm but Hitler ploughed Six Million
under.
And for that, my friends, I too have no answer other than 'It was
God's inscrutable will.'
<Chihal@...> (Yeshaya Halevi)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Stan Tenen <meru1@...>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 13:32:08 -0800
Subject: Dreidel
The Dreidel or sevivon ("spinner") was originally used as a kabbalistic
teaching tool. In its current version, it displays only some of its
original construction - and in a slightly distorted form. The original
was likely first seen in meditation. Ancient mathematicians (members of
the Sanhedrin studying in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, etc.) understood it
(with the details I will describe below) as what we would call a 3-
dimensional projection of a 3-torus (a doughnut) in 4-dimensions.
The original sevivon looked like a cube, but it was not spun from the
center of one face. Instead the spin axis was through the diagonal of
the cube from one corner to another corner. Erupting from the center to
each square face of the cube is a spiral vortex form. (Each of these 6-
spiral vortices forms a model human hand that we (at Meru Foundation)
have found produces all of the early Ashurit Merubah letters when it is
used as a Tefillin strap and bound on the hand.)
The pattern of 6-vortices erupting from the center of a cube is
identified in kabbalistic literature as the 13-petalled rose and/or as a
shoshon flower because it literally grows through a cluster of 13-
spheres in the form of a cube-octahedral sphere pack - and because it
looks somewhat like a rosette of roses. When the letters of B'Reshit
I.1. are written, in order, on the sequence of 6-vortices, the letters
of B'Reshit I.1. on opposite faces of the cube form a mirror image
pattern.
An ordinary 2-torus (doughnut) is made when a flat square or rectangle
is bent and stretched so that its 2-pairs of opposite edges are
connected (or arrayed with a mirror image patterns). Likewise, a 3-torus
is formed (in one 3-D projection) when the 3-pairs of opposite square
faces of a cube are connected (or arrayed with mirror image patterns).
This mirroring of the letters on opposite faces of the "dreidel" (6-
vortex cube) is what demonstrates that B'Reshit I.1. is truly an
oroboros ("snake that eats its tail") as is claimed (without
demonstration or proof) in kabbalistic sources.
In order for the letters on the 3-pairs of opposite faces of the cube to
be paired, it is necessary to make use of the symmetries inherent in the
Hebrew alphabet. The alphabet consists of 4-different groups or classes
of symmetrical letters. In one group there is a Nun, in the second
group there is a Gimel, in the third group there is a Heh, and in the
fourth group there is a Peh. When written on a modern dreidel toy,
these letters stand for Nes Gadol Haya Po - "a great miracle happen
here". (Peh - for "here", as in Eretz Israel, NOT Shin - for "there", as
in the diaspora.)
There is a further confirmation of the kabbalistic meaningfulness of
this "dreidel". When the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are written out
on the 6-vortices of the 3-torus on the cube (with final letters in
gematria order at the end of the alphabet), the letters with triple
Tagin (Keterim) all line up at alternate vertices of the cube. They
define the spin axis of the "dreidel" and they count out the tetrahedral
coordinate axes that (ultimately) give the letters their specific
meanings and shapes.
I sincerely doubt that anyone reading this without seeing the drawings
will be able to make any sense of it. This is work in progress and it
is speculative. However, it simultaneously resolves several different
questions and kabbalistic riddles and in doing so, it does seem to
generate the shape of our dreidel complete with a spin axis, the
particular letters we now use on the dreidel (in Israel) and an
explanation of how and why the triple tagin (keterim) appear on some of
the letters of the alphabet.
All of this mathematics and geometry is, of course, pointless in itself.
It is merely a way of recording and keeping track of the sequence of
feelings of a meditation (based on the sequences of letters in Torah.)
Mastering the meditation does not depend on knowledge of mathematics but
rather on mastery of the sequences of feelings underlying the sequences
of letters in Torah. The dreidel we have is a remnant and a reminder of
deep kabbalistic teachings preserved for us as a child's toy.
Hiding deep teachings in seeming children's toys is a fine technique for
preserving vital information in the face of persecution. -
Unfortunately, it is also a fine technique for hiding these teachings
from modern persons who are primarily trained to look for word and
semantic meanings in the Pshat/narrative level of Torah. This may be
why we have apparently lost this knowledge in the wider Torah world.
The Kabbalistic dreidel (formed by B'Reshit and the symmetries of the
alphabet) is a fundamental part of Chanukah. The center point of the 3-
Torus (in the midst of the 6-vortices on the square faces of the cube)
literally (geometrically) appears to act as a "shamash" and to "light"
the 6-vortices which look like candle flames (as well as model human
hands.) This produces an arrangement that is similar to the kabbalistic
description of the Menorah in the Temple. (But that's another story.)
But, besides the 6-square faces of the cube, the cube also has 8-
corners, each surrounded by 3-vortex flames (like a torch of keterim.)
These 8-corner torches form a meditational model of the 8-branched
Chanukiah and they geometrically demonstrate the "miracle of Chanukah",
the lighting of 8-flames from the oil source sufficient for only one
flame.
A prediction: When the source and purpose of the statistically
significant letter skip patterns in Torah is understood, I expect the
"dreidel" to be found and understood also.
So, while tops in general have been around for a very long time, our
dreidel with its special features was originally a model or tool to aid
in and/or to teach kabbalistic meditations. In principle, it was
created with the alphabet.
B'Shalom,
Stan
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From: <ask@...> (a.s.kamlet)
Date: 21 Dec 1995 2:09 EST
Subject: Re: Lilith
>. Lilin and Lilith are names for types of evil spirits in the
>Talmud and in midrashic literature. Lilith is mentioned once in the
>Bible: "Wildcats shall meet hyenas, goat-demons shall greet each other;
>There too the lilith shall repose and find herself a resting place"
>(Isa. 34:14).
Interestingly, the Keren Hebrew/English TaNaCh tries to transliterate
proper nouns. So it will say in English: Yerushalayim and Ya'akov.
However here, when it comes to Lilith, it does not do this, but
rather, says, "The wild creatures of the desert also shall meet with
the jackals, the scops owl shall cry to his fellow, the tawny owl
also shall rest there and find for herself a place of rest."
So the Hebrew Lilith doesn't appear anywhere in the English.
Of course, Keren also makes sure that there is never, anywhere in
the English, any mention of Satan. I believe it is because the
publishers believe all appearances of satan in TaNaCh are not to a
proper noun-ed being, but to an adversary or prosecutor, and that's
what appears in Keren. And they seem to believe Lilith is some
sort of owl. FWIW.
Art Kamlet AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus <ask@...>
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From: Gedaliah Friedenberg <gedaliah@...>
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 09:15:40 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Love and Hate
Newsgroups: shamash.mail-jewish
In v22n37 Mordechai Perlman writes:
> The Chinuch mentions in his opening line to make sure that the
>hatred towards a seducer of Jews to idols, must always remain with us.
>Question: Does this apply to Jews for Yeshu missionaries?
If these misguided individuals are actually Jews, then would any hatred
of them violate the perscription to love all Jews (v'ahavta l'reacha
k'mocha)?
Gedaliah Friedenberg
<gedaliah@...>
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From: Shmuel Himelstein <himelstein@...>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 05:29:40 +0200 (IST)
Subject: Naming a Shul after Yitzchak Rabin?
A recent issue of the *Ha*Aretz* newspaper reported that Rav Min-Hahar
of Bait Vegan, Jerusalem, ruled that one may not name a Shul in memory
of Yitzchak Rabin za"l, or write a Torah scroll to be dedicated in his
memory, as he was not a halachically observant Jew. Other rabbis have
disagreed, and have permitted both practices, citing Prime Minister
Rabin's great contribution to the Jewish people.
Without going into the question of Yitzchak Rabin's behavior Jewishly -
which has been discussed here at length - I wonder if anyone has any
input on naming a Shul or dedicating a Torah to someone who is not
halachically observant.
Shmuel Himelstein
<himelstein@...>
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End of Volume 22 Issue 50
