For an explanation of the methodology of this series, see the introduction.
"I will grant peace in the Land, and you will lie down with no one to frighten [you]; I will remove wild beasts from the Land, and no army will pass through your land " (Lev. 26:6)
Peshat (basic meaning):
...peace is equal to everything else.
Rashi: "And I will grant peace"
You might say, "Here is food, and here is drink,
but if there is no peace, there is nothing!" Scripture, therefore, states, after
all this [blessing], "I will grant peace in the Land." From here, [we
learn] that peace is equal to everything else. And so [this is illustrated in
our morning prayers] when we say: "[Blessed are You, O Lord] Who makes peace
and creates everything" [a paraphrase of the verse in] Isaiah (45:7).
Siftei Chachamim: The passage has been speaking of the blessing of plentiful produce. It now shifts to the subject of peace, and goes back to the subject of plenty inverse 10. This indicates that peace is not only a blessing in itself, it is a feature of the blessing of plenty. Without peace, we cannot enjoy plenty.
"and no army will pass through your land
It is unnecessary to state that
they will not come to wage war, but [they will not come] even to pass through
your land from one country to another.
Remez (hinted meaning):
Baal HaTurim: "Shalom/Peace"
The letters of "Shalom" can be
rearranged to spell "Lishmo: for the sake of his name" for ‘Shalom’ is
one of His Names.
"I will cause the wilderness of beasts to cease"
The gematria
of this phrase, 1021, equals the Hebrew of: "These are the 4 kingdoms: Babylon,
Media, Greece, Edom (Rome)
Derash (interpretive meaning):
R. Pinchas of Dinovitch: Only when competition and
jealousy diminish, suggested in this verse by "peace in the land" can the
trembling, fear, and paranoia stop "with none to make you tremble". As long as
kina/jealousy and competitive spirit continue, no one can have any peace
because jealousy fills everyone with trembling from fear that one's neighbor may
actually be successful at something. In the eyes of the competitive, this would
cast a pall over the lives of all their neighbors. (Pininei HaChassidut)
R. Pinchas Menachem Elazar of Piltz: You won't need anyone to teach you to
challenge life and make you tremble with awe towards G‑d and being and death
and nonbeing. By your own inner guidance you will come to a place of awesome
amazement. (Pininei HaChassidut)
Sod (esoteric, mystical meaning):
Zohar Bechukotei 113:
...men should tremble before the
Holy One, blessed be He, and fear Him...
And I will give you peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall
make you afraid." Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion with the verse: "Tremble,
and sin not..." (Ps. 4:5) This verse has been explained. It
behooves man to have his Good Inclination cause his Evil one to tremble. This is
well. But when night falls and man lies in his bed, numerous seekers of Judgment
stir up in the world and go and roam about. Thus, men should tremble before the
Holy One, blessed be He, and fear Him so that their souls will not be among
them, but will be saved from them. It behooves one not to utter one word of
them [and not even mention their names aloud] so as not to rouse them against him, and so that they will not be with
him. Hence, it says, "commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be
still" (Ibid.) that one must not talk about them.
Come and see: when Israel are found meritorious before the Holy One, blessed
be He, it is written: "And I will give peace in the land." This is up
above, as the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to join the Congregation of Israel.
Then, "you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid." Why? Because
"I will remove evil beasts out of the land." This is an evil kind of
beast that is down below. Which? [DON'T READ THESE NAMES OUT LOUD! —RHD]
Igeret, the daughter of Machalat, and all her companions. This is by
night. By day, to men from her side. This is the meaning of, "neither shall
the sword go through your land". (Lev. 26:6)
Rabbi Abba said: It has been explained that even a sword of peace as in the
case of Pharaoh Necho, as "neither shall the sword go through your land,"
alludes to her companions. "I will remove evil beasts out of the land,"
means that shall not have dominion over the land, nor shall it even go through -
not the sword of the other nations, and not even one armed person shall pass
you.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Torah study needs to be articulated to "count". Mere
passive reading doesn't do it, really.
However, this lesson is an exception, and is FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Here's why:
Remember the 1960's TV show later made into a movie later made into a Broadway
Show: The Addams Family? There was a character named Lurch, a sort of
Frankenstein like butler-type. To summon him a gong-like bell was rung. He would
appear ghostly and say, "You rang?"
...the Arizal taught
that one should not say the name Demon or Devil or Diablo or Lillit at
any time...
So it is with demons and other nasty spirits. So much so that the Arizal taught
that one should not say the name Demon or Devil or Diablo or Lillit at
any time, and particularly at night. I should tell you that I blanched at
writing Lil--'s name too, due to my training. The Ben Ish Chai puts this
forth as a Halacha/Jewish Law.
Why not?
Because of the Lurch example: what you say is what you get.
We can meditate but not say, "Abra keDabra" which means "I create
by speaking,", and L-rd knows we would not want in a million years to be in the
presence of these negative forces.
Nighttime between sunset and chatzot/midnight is the time of strict
judgment, when we should be in a safe place.
The sensitive soul who seeks to align with the spiritual calendar restricts
during this time, both in action and speech. Ideally, one is asleep, resting
below, but ascending above to learn in heavenly Yeshivas. Then comes the
Sweetest Hour at midnight, when one rises to pray and do the major fixing
required at that time.
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