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Ein Yaakov – Rabbi Yosei Meets Eliyahu HaNavi – Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol Was a Gilgul (Reincarnation) of Reuven – Sheidim – Demons – Wedding Customs – The Power of Kaddish – Speaker: Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld zal. (Recorded 1970-08-26.)
00:00 – Berakhos 3a. Rabbi Yosei meets Eliyahu HaNavi.
04:20 – During the giving of the Torah, HaShem showed Moshe Rabbeinu the future.
07:14 – Exchange of Torah between Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol and Rabbi Akiva.
10:05 – Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol cries bitterly and explains reason.
11:37 – Six thousand years of the world’s existence parallel the six days of Maaseh Bereishis (process of creation).
12:49 – Third day of creation.
13:14 – Fifth day of creation – Hod.
16:24 – Rabbi Akiva begins to cry over the future loss of his teacher, Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol.
19:20 – Why is Rabbi Eliezer called “HaGadol”?
21:09 – Where was Reuven when Yosef HaTzaddik was sold into captivity?
24:23 – Yaakov Avinu’s rebuke to Reuven in Vayechi.
***27:33 – Parshas VeZos HaBerakha. Blessing given to Reuven by Moshe Rabbeinu.
28:04 – Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol is a gilgul of Reuven.
32:37 – Encounter between Rabbi Yosei and Eliyahu HaNavi (Berakhos 3a).
*33:19 – Description of sheidim (demons) and where they’re found.
36:14 – Restrictions put on sheidim by great rabbis. Why the demons feared R’ Chanina ben Dosa and R’ Abaye.
37:17 – Sleep on Shabbat is a taanug – a pleasure.
38:30 – Wedding customs.
*44:20 – The power of Kaddish.
TRANSCRIPT:
The Gemara says that Rabbi Yosei once was walking along the road, an isolated road, and the time came for him to daven, apparently davening mincha. And he saw an uninhabited house there. He walked in. This was one of the homes that were destroyed from the חרבות [destruction] of Yerushalayim.
And he went inside there to daven. While there, Eliyahu HaNavi came, waited for him by the door ‘till he finished his tefilah. When he finished the tefilah, Eliyahu HaNavi greeted him. And he said to him, “Shalom aleicha rabi.” Yosei replied, “Shalom aleicha rabbi umori.” And then they went into further conversation.
Before we get to the conversation which discusses the type of house Rabbi Yosei was in, let’s first analyze very deeply this first exchange – something which has many סודות – secrets and התגלות – revelations to it.
Let’s identify Rabbi Yosei first. Rabbi Yosei was one of the main talmidim of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal. By “the main” we mean he had six main talmidim which comprised what was known as “the menorah”. The menorah has seven candles. The central candle which the other three turned to, this was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal, representing the Shabbos, and the other six – three and three – were the other students. Representing the [days of the week], and therefore Rabbi Yehuda, one of the students said “Ahnt hu Shabbos dekul yemei” – “You are considered a Shabbos of all days.” Rabbi Yosei was one of those main six students.
Eliyahu HaNavi said to Rabbi Yosei, “Shalom aleicha rabi”. Rabbi Yosei replied, “Shalom aleicha rabi umori”. What does the word “rabi” mean? It could have two meanings, the word rabi alone. “Rabi” means rabbi; “rabi” could also be “my rabbi.” In other words, there’s a difference. “Rabi” alone you would say to any rabbi. “Rabi” – “my rabbi” – you’d say only to one who is higher than you. In other words, one rabbi would say to the next: “rabi”, but if the second rabbi was greater than himself, he would say “rabi” – “my rabbi”.
Eliyahu HaNavi said to Rabbi Yosei, apparently, that the — rabbi. Rabbi Yosei answered “rabi umori”. Now, from the word “mori” we can determine what “rabi” means. “Moreh” is teacher. “Mori” – my teacher. “Rabi” means the same as “mori” – my rabbi, my teacher. Which means that in the greeting here, Eliyahu HaNavi was the master, Rabbi Yosei was the talmid.
Rabbi Yosei’s rabbi, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal, we find in a different light. There, when there was an exchange of greetings with Eliyahu HaNavi, always, Eliyahu HaNavi said to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, “rabi”. “Rabi” could be “rabbi” or “my rabbi”. But from the response where always Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal said to Eliyahu HaNavi “mar”. “Mar” means the same as “mister” or a respectful term which could be said to a talmid.
So, there we see the superiority of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal, who was so great that he was called “rabbi” by everyone, including the Greatest of the heavenly forces. In fact, as you’ve heard before, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal once heard someone, a voice calling him by his name without the word “rabbi”. This was in a gathering of a heavenly realm. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal said, “Whoever is called me by my name without the word rabi could be no one, no person, no neshama, and no angel in heaven. It must be only Hashem Himself, because no one would call me by my name without the word ‘rabbi’ prefacing it. Even Moshe Rabbeinu, when he spoke to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal, never called him by his name. [He] always called him “Butzina Kadisha” which means “Holy Light”. Therefore, he responded to Hashem when he heard his name being called, that’s Who it was.
Whereas in the case of Rabbi Yosei, Eliyahu HaNavi respected him as a student of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal. As a rabbi, called Him “rabi”. Rabbi Yosei, in turn, said to him, “shalom aleicha rabi umori” – accepting him as his rabbi because he was the rabbi of most of the rabbis in existence, Eliyahu HaNavi.
Now we find that Moshe Rabbeinu, in his ascent to heaven, going up to heaven to receive the Torah, Hashem showed Moshe Rabbeinu the future. In, again, to make this more clear, in the relationship among rabbis – let’s take the case of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai. Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai was the chief rabbi of the Gemara two generations before Rabbi Akiva. He had five major students: Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, who was the greatest. Rabbi Elazar ben Aruch, m—- in the mishneh. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania. Rabbi Yosi HaKohen. Rabbi Shimon Nesanel. And these five, they are buried in Tiveria – Tiberias (for those who have visited there) together.
These five students of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai. Now, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, having five students of such great stature – still when he spoke to them, or about them, he would call them by their name. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania he would speak by the name without the title “rabi” to teach them humility. They are talmidim, and before their rabbi they cannot use
their title “rabi”. Therefore, he never would call them by the name “rabi”.
Now these, imagine who they were. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol was the rabbi of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva was the rabbi of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai zal. Still, being so great, Eliezer HaGadol, he would still call him by his name. So we see that when the title “rabi” is used, it is a tremendous honor. And this is what the honor be bestowed upon Rabbi Yosei.
Now again, to show the greatness of these students: the Gemara says that when Moshe Rabbeinu went up to heaven – this is brought in the midrashim, of course, it’s not mentioned in the Gemara openly because this deals with a topic that’s not mentioned in the Gemara; it’s more sohdos – kabbala – he went to heaven and Hashem showed him the future generations and he saw Rabbi Akiva teaching Torah. He was so amazed at the greatness of Rabbi Akiva – to the extent that he asked Hashem, “How come Rabbi Akiva is not the rabbeinu of all Jews? He is surely worthy of it more than I am. He knows more Torah than I do. In fact, the midrash says that. The Torah says, “there never again arose a navi [prophet] like Moshe Rabbeinu”. True. But a chokham like Moshe Rabbeinu did arise, and that was Rabbi Akiva.
He saw this greatness of Rabbi Akiva and he said “If this is the greatness of Rabbi Akiva, I would like to see his rabbi. If he is this great, how great is his Rabbi? Let me see a sample of the kedusha, of the Torah, of Rabbi Akiva’s rabbi.” This is what he saw:
Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol and Rabbi Akiva are once walking along a road in Eretz Yisrael. And Rabbi Akiva said to Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, “Rabi, allow me to ask a question”. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol said, “Ask.”
Rabbi Akiva said, “We find in the six days of creation, where the possuk says, ‘Hashem said, “Let there be light – Yehi Ohr” – and then it says ויהי כן – “it was so”. Hashem said ‘Let this happen, ויהי כן – it was so’. How come we find, when Hashem created Adam, He didn’t say ‘Let there be Adam’ – ויהי כן – ‘it was so’ – where is the ויהי כן ? How come we don’t find the confirmation in this creation – ‘It was as Hashem said’?”
Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol answered, “Whenever the heavenly powers join to take part in the creation of anything, then it says ויהי כן – ‘and it was so’. But when it was a creation by Hashem Himself, required Hashem Himself to create it, then it doesn’t say ויהי כן because we don’t need a confirmation of Hashem’s creation. Hashem created it. It wasn’t necessary to say ויהי כן . Just as we see that it says that והנה טוב- ‘Hashem saw that it was good.’ What kind of a statement is that? Hashem created and then saw that it was good? Chas veshalaom. Hashem knows everything in the present. There’s no past, present, and future.
“When a person, no matter how great – a ממחה – an expert creates something, manufactures something, after he completes it, he surveys his work and he sees it’s good. If it comes out right, fine. How can you say by Hashem that after He completed it, then He saw that it was good? It’s not שיך [fitting] to use that term by Hashem.
“The answer is that Hashem saw that the work done by His heavenly officials was good. In other words, He placed His stamp of approval on it. About something which Hashem Himself did without the association of others, then it doesn’t say anything about כי טוב or it doesn’t say ויהי כן. And the most of creation, the waters took place, the heavens took place, and so forth. As each one
took part in producing something. But when it came to Adam, then it was Hashem’s masterpiece.
“Although it says נעשה אדם – here, specifically, it says, ‘Let us create Adam’ – this, the Gemara says, is to teach us the modesty of a master, of a judge, to say, ‘We will not judge by ourselves. We will take in the advice of lowers ones.’ Hashem taught humility with this. But in actuality, though, to produce a נשמה – to produce life – this was only the act of Hashem.”
This was the answer that Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol gave to Rabbi Akiva. And then he paused, and he started to cry very bitterly, R’ Eliezer HaGadol.
Rabbi Akiva stood by for a moment and then he asked R’ Eliezer HaGadol, “Why do you cry? Is it something that I said?”
He said, “No. It’s something that you didn’t pursue far enough. You don’t see what I see, in what you mentioned.”
He said, “Listen carefully: Hashem created light on the first day. On the second day there was a separation. Third day, a different creation. Fourth day – there were six days of creation. These six days of creation are symbols. They represent the creation of the entire world. That is, the existence of the entire world from beginning to end.
“There are six days of creation representing the length of time – the period of the entire world’s existence. Since there are six days of creation, that means there will be 6,000 years that this world will exist. The Shabbos stands for the rest period – after the world exists 6,000 years, there will be a thousand years of rest – that is the Shabbos. That means there’ll be a time when there will be no more of this type of work we have now – aggravation.
“Normal life will go into a world of heavenliness. The 7,000th year will be one of heavenliness, pure rest, like in heaven. These 6,000 years are divided. Each day is represented by a different portion of the world’s existence, represented by names in Kabbala, too. The first six days are the first six ספירות – Chesed – the first day. Gevurah – the second. Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, Yisod – up to the sixth day.
“Now each day represents 1,000 years. The first two days – that’s Chesed and Gevurah – we will not enter into the Kabbala terms, but they could be applied very simply. The first two days of creation, meaning the first 2,000 years, are called the days or the thousands or 2,000 years of tohu – emptiness. void. There is no life during those 2,000 years. There will be people of course. There’ll be population. There’ll be civilization, but it’s 2,000 years of void because there’ll be no Torah.
“The world without Torah is a world of tohu – void. When these 2,000 years are up, then we come to the third day and the fourth. The third is Tiferes. The ספירה Tiferes stands for Torah. The third thousand year – the beginning of the third thousand year that’s when the Torah will be given. Third and fourth – those 2,000 years are called the Beis Alefim Torah – 2,000 years of Torah.
“The fifth day – the ספירה for it is Hod. Hod means beauty. Hod is pretty – beauty. What is this fiifth thousandth year called? We already have 2,000 years of tohu – of void. 2,000 years of Torah. Automatically what should follow? There are three tekufos – 2,000 years each. Three periods of time. Three eras – the first is the era of void, the second the era of Torah. Automatically the third tekufa should be the era of Moshiach. That’s the next step.
“That means that the schedule,” R’ Eliezer HaGadol was saying, “the schedule for Moshiach to come is the beginning of the fifth thousand. This is Hod – beauty.”
So the time for Moshiach’s coming is the end of 4,000 years, beginning of the fifth thousand. This, of course, was much prior to that time. Beginning of the fifth thousand. 1700 years ago.
This took place 2,000 years ago.
R’ Eliezer HaGadol said, “This is why I’m crying. Because I see. And I see that the fifth thousand – the whole thousand years – Moshiach should come the first day. Or if he’s delayed – a year later – 2 years in the fifth thousand. But I see the entire fifth thousand in front of my eyes. And I see the change – transition – and הוד spelled backwards is דוה.
“There’s a possuk which says: כָּל־הַיּוֹם דָּוָה – ‘…the entire day shall be a day of pain’ [Eicha 1:13]. דוה is pain. This beauty will be changed to pain. The fifth thousand, instead of the beauty of Moshiach’s coming will be changed to a thousand years of pain, struggle, suffering, deaths on the part of the Jews. I do not see the coming of Moshiach in the year 5000. It’ll be coming at the thousand years. It will be a thousand years of pain and suffering rather than the scheduled arrival of Moshiach.
“This too is not all. I see the sixth thousandth year. And there I see that in the 6,000th year, when the כל היום דוה is over, the thousand years of pain is finished, there will still be suffering because the 6,000th year is Erev Shabbos. It’s the Friday, the Erev Shabbos. And Erev Shabbos does not start – the Shabbos does not start ’till the evening. So that over half a day must go by before Moshiach will come.
“Which means we have to pass the year 5,500. Five hundred years in the six thousandth year. And then, after Chatzos, it starts being considered, literally, Erev Shabbos. This is why I’m crying.”
This was a deep revelation. And then Rabbi Akiva burst out crying even more, with more bitter tears. This is brought elsewhere. R’ Eliezer HaGadol asked him, “Why do you cry so bitterly? To judge the extent of crying, you cry even more bitterly than I did. What worries you?”
R’ Akiva answered, “I cry at a much greater chorbon. That’s not a chorbon. I cry at a chorbon that’ll come much closer than the one you see. I cry for the day when you will be nistalek – the day when your histalkus [passing] will cause a darkening of this tremendous light of Torah that you spread. So much Torah coming from one person! This continuous revelation of secrets of Torah! The day you’re nistalek, this fountain will be shut, will run dry. And all your wisdom will be kept, will be closed in, locked in. This is why I cry even more bitterly than the loss that you see the future. The histalkus of a tzaddik is a greater chorbon.”
R’ Eliezer HaGadol said that Rabbi Akiva was the one talmid who was fit to take over his wisdom, and of course that’s what happened in later years. The day that R’ Eliezer HaGadol’s nistalkus came, he shut out the rest of the rabbis in the Gemara, and he revealed the secrets of Kabbala to Rabbi Akiva alone.
When Moshe Rabbeinu saw this, he was so impressed by this – seeing Rabbi Akiva’s rabbi, Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, that he said to Hashem, “I have a craving desire. I want – I have one request. I
want this one. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol. He is the one I want. I want the knowledge that he is mine. He comes from me”.
And the Midrash says that Hashem granted his request. Therefore, the Midrash says, the secret of the words that Moshe Rabbeinu had two sons – the wording in the possuk is: שם האחד גרשום –
“The name of one (one, that’s the first one, his first son) was Gershom”.
ושם האחד אליעזר – “And the name of the one: Eliezer” (Shemos 18:3-4, Yisro). It should be the name of the second – שם השני –
שם האחד – “And the name of the one” – but it’s not the one. It’s the second. The special one that he asked Hashem, “Let him come from me. I want Eliezer HaGadol to come from me.”
Therefore the word האחד אליעזר – R’ Eliezer HaGadol was originally the son of Moshe Rabbeinu, Eliezer.
האחד – the one, one and only one, so great that he was the אחד – the rabbi of Rabbi Akiva.
The Zohar HaKodesh tells us that, too, Eliezer HaGadol, why was he called Eliezer HaGadol? Why the word HaGadol? So, “gadol” means the greatest, the eldest. We mentioned once
that Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, besides being the gilgul – the original one – of Moshe Rabbeinu’s son Eliezer, he was also part supposed to have been part of the Eseres Harugei Malkhus – the ten brothers of Yosef HaTzaddik who sold him as a slave.
Later, the trial came up, in heaven of course, and then it was replayed on earth. This was the Satan in heaven who brought this out. And on earth, the roman king called in the 10 greatest rabbis, asked them the question, “If one kidnaps a Jew and sells him, what is the penalty?”
“The penalty is death” they replied.
He said to them, “Since I haven’t got the brothers of Yosef HaTzaddik to pay for this crime of selling him, then I’m going to take next 10 greatest since that time. You’ll pay for that crime.”
He killed ten. Ten of the greatest rabbis at that time. Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol. Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel – the Nasi. Rabbi Akiva. R’ Yehuda ben Bava . . .
And, of course there were only nine brothers who sold Yosef HaTzaddik. Rabbi Akiva took the place of the Shekhina which had joined these nine in this plot – the agreement to sell Yosef HaTzaddik. R’ Akiva was the Kadosh LaShem. Kadosh – nistalek for the sake of the Shekhina. What about the fact that they were nine? Who was missing? The missing one was Reuven.
Where was Reuven at the time of the sale? He was home taking care of his father, Yaakov Avinu. But what part did he play in this sale?
When the first plan came up to kill Yosef HaTzaddik, so Reuven spoke up – ויצלהו מידם – he rescued Yosef HaTzaddik from their hands (Bereishis 37:21, Vayeshev). How? He said, “Let us throw Yosef HaTzaddik into this pit rather than to be guilty of pouring his blood”. And though the Gemara says this pit had poisonous snakes, and scorpions in it, the Gemara points out clearly – the meforshim – very important to note – two things: what kind of a favor was this – throwing him into a poisonous snake pit?
In the first place, the pit was 20 אמות deep – about 40 feet deep. It was dark, so that he couldn’t really know that there were snakes there. Perhaps had he known he wouldn’t have done it. On the other hand, even if he did know there were snakes, Rav Noson zal points this out, that if he had a choice between the two, he said, ‘Better to throw him to the snakes than to leave him in the hands of his brothers. Because a baal bechira – one who has a choice – has more power than the Satan – the Malach HaMavess [Angel of Death].
The Satan, Rabbeinu zal says, will always gladly – if he’s attacking a tzaddik – trying to get at him – if he has a chance to get this tzaddik to fall into the hands of a different person – he would gladly give him over to the hands of the other person because a human can do more damage to a person than an angel – than the Satan himself. And therefore, Reuven felt ‘Let him better be thrown to the snakes where he stands a chance of being saved through a miracle, through tefilah [prayer] much more than being saved from these humans’. That’s if he did know about it.
In any event, in all probability he didn’t know – that’s why the Gemara brings out the depth of this pit. So what he did was he saved him from death – he intended to save him from either being killed or being sold as a slave, which is the equivalent of death because it carries the death penalty, and instead threw him into a pit. A pit is what the Torah terms a prison – beis assurim.
Therefore the Zohar says that since Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, he was called HaGadol because he was the gilgul of Reuven hagadol shebe’achav – the eldest of the brothers. Because he did not take part in the sale of Yosef HaTzaddik, he only had him thrown in prison, therefore the Gemara say in Avoda Zara, that he too was taken in by the Roman king. But he wasn’t killed as the others. He was put into prison. He he has put a trial later, and the end was that he was released. He was kept prisoner for a while.
This is the reason why he’s called Eliezer HaGadol – the oldest of the brothers. Reuven went through this experience in payment for the act of Reuven. While the others went through actual death payment for —–. At the same time, it’s important to note, this is brought further in sifrei Kabbalah, that we find in the Torah when Yaakov Avinu was nistalek, he gave brachos to his children, Reuven he placed a curse on. He said to Reuven, “You are you are Reuven bechori – you are my firstborn – the gadol shebeachav – the eldest. And … that means, being the firstborn – the bachor – you should have gotten both the kahuna and the malkhus. You should have been king of the Jews and the kohen, being the oldest.
“You lost out because … you have committed a chilul habris.” The possuk says that after the histalkus of Leah, … Reuven committed with Bilhah, the wife of Yaakov. Committed what? Yaakov Avinu said … “You committed a chilul habris with my bed.” The Gemara says what was done. It would seem from here that there was a serious crime.
The Gemara says anybody who dares to say that Reuven חטא – committed a sin – is a fool and a rasha, to say about Reuven HaTzaddik. Of course, it says “vayishcav Reuven”. Why does it use that term? And the curse? Reuven did something the sake of the honor of his mother Leah. He took the bed of Yaakov and moved it out of Bilhah’s tent, because he said “If my mother, Leah, was nistalek [died], then certainly it doesn’t mean that Rochel’s maid should take over. At least it should be Zilpah. The maid of my mother should at least take her place. So he moved the bed of Yaakov out of Bilhah’s tent.
Because he had done this, he had dared to do something which refers to something so delicate, it was classified as though he had committed this act, sin with Bilhah, chas veshalom. That term is used but it is not, chas veshalom, meant. Because Reuven was pure in Tikkun HaBris.
The proof is: the Gemara says, “The sons of Yaakov were 12” – all alike – with no difference as far as kedushah was concerned. When we speak of the sons of Yaakov, his familes, we say
“HaReuveni, Hashimoni,” not “Reuven, Shimon” but “HaReuveni, Hashimoni,” and so each one has… the shevet called “HaReuveni” for example, the Gemara says – note the Hey at the beginning and the Yod at the end. That means that Hashem is מצרף – He attaches His Name to each one י and ה to show that each one of them is holy. Since Reuven has the same part of Reuveni – Hashem His Name to each one, this is only when they are a tzaddik – tikkun habris.
Yet we find that Reuven was separated from the brothers because of this, until his passing.
Then we find the bracha that Moshe Rabbeinu gave to the Shevatim, the first words were יחי ראובן ואל־ימת – Reuven who was cut off by Yaakov Avinu. He couldn’t… his bones could not rest. He couldn’t go into Gan Eden.
Moshe Rabbeinu said: “Let Reuven live and not be considered dead.” In Heaven, what is called death? Gehinnam is called death. Gan Eden is called life. Let Reuvenbe spared – saved – and [allowed] to enter into Gan Eden.
This was the case with Reuven. And Eliezer HaGadol, being the gilgul of Reuven, therefore it was his lot to be separated from the rabbis during the mahklokes [dispute] of the tannor [oven] of Achnei. When because he maintained his din that the oven is tahor [pure] when the raban – majority of the rabbis said tumeh [impure] – the rabbis put him in cherem. He was separated from them until the day of his passing when they said, “The cherem is released – he is free”. Going through the same exact experience as Reuven – separated from his brothers, separated from the rabbis until the day of his histalkus.
This is why he is called Eliezer HaGadol. HaGadol she’be’achim – HaEchad Eliezer – this is the one that Moshe Rabbeinu selected for himself.
And yet, despite all his greatness, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai called him by his name because as a student he gets no Kovod, and this would help in the future years. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol said during all his lifetime that “I know nothing”.
This shows a true student. The type of Rav Noson zal: “I know nothing at all. Whatever I say anything I ever say in my lifetime, is only what I received from my rabbi, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai.”
There’s one case in where Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol was asked a question znd he tried to avoid, to shun, the question, to change the subject and… with every possible plot, till he told them that the answer of the question about what made have such a long life. And he answered, “The reason for my living so long is… this I did not hear from my rebbe, that’s why he tried to avoid it, till he was pressed to it, and he said “One time you making me break my habit. The reason is that I never allowed anyone to come to the yeshiva before me. I was always the first one to come to the Yeshiva.
I never considered it against my kovod [beneath my dignity] to come earlier.
The geonim say, that because this was one of the qualities – Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol came first to the yeshiva – he was zocheh with this to be the first rabbi mentioned in Shas. Shas begins with – the Gemara in Brochos… Eliezer HaGadol… The first name of a rabbi mentioned in Shas is Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol. Because he was the first one to come to the yeshiva always and never let anyone precede him, he was zocheh to be rewarded by having his name mentioned the very first rabbi in all of Shas.
Now this, again, was the loyalty of Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol to Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai and through being treated in such manner he learned derech eretz. And because he had this derech eretz, therefore he had derech eretz of fear. The Gemara says that a person who has a deep love for rabbis, that person is zocheh that he’ll have sons-in-law for rabbis. He has a deep ahava for rabbis, then he will be zoche that his daughters will marry rabonim.
A person has a respect, very high respect, there’s a difference. A deep respect for rabbis. his schar [reward] will be he will have sons who are rabbis. His own sons will be rabbis. A person who has a deep fear – tremendous fear and awe of rabbis – that person will be zoche that he himself will become a great rabbi.
The Gemara says: what if that person is not fit to become a rabbi? What if he doesn’t have the capacity for it? At least he’ll become great – an authority where his words will be listened to and accepted by all others as a rabbi. This, because of this deep fear that Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol had for his rabbi, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, he would never dare to say a word he hadn’t
heard from him, therefore he became Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol.
And this we see, too, Rav Noson zal’s secret. He became so great – Rav Noson zal became the top student of Rabbeinu zal, [to] carry on after him, because of the same type of midah. He dropped everything. He knew nothing, he said, except that which he learned and received from Rabbeinu zal. Nothing else counted as chokhma with him.
Now we return to the story of Rabbi Yosei and his enounter with Eliyahu HaNavi. Eliyahu HaNavi asked Rabbi Yosei, “Why did you go into this churva – this house that’s destroyed?”
So he answered, “I went in to daven”.
So Eliyahu HaNavi asked him, “Why didn’t you daven outside, on the road?”
Why? Because a churva is a place that’s destroyed, a home that’s destroyed and there is the constant danger of sheidim [demons] there. Why is there a danger of sheidim? Because [let’s] study the nature of sheidim in general. The Gemara says that sheidim have powers that are far superior to humans. Sheidim are half angel, half man.
If they are superior, much more powerful, what would their nature be? Would they be glad they are sheidim? Or would they prefer being human?
The Gemara says that sheidim, regardless of their power, are constantly envious of humans. They’re envious of the fact that a human could reach a madrega [spiritual level] even higher than an angel. And therefore this envy makes them become mazikim. This is the reason why they do harm, why they hurt humans to the extent that they are willing to maim, to cripple, or even to kill a human being.
This is out of envy. We find that the possuk says that Cain killed Hevel because of jealousy. Jealousy – kinah – could be so great it could lead to destruction. This is the nature of sheidim.
Now, where do sheidim live? Where are they found? The Gemara says that sheidim originally had the freedom of roaming the streets of cities and every person’s life was in danger. They would come in and they could do physical harm or property damage – unlimited. They had this power ‘till, the Gemara says, one day sheidim came into the city, they met up with Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa.
R’ Chanina ben Dosa was one of the of the talmidim of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai. He was so great, if you recall, R’ Yochanan ben Zakai’s child was ill and R’ Chanina ben Dosa’s tefilah cured this child because of the fact that he was called, like himself, being a child of Hashem: “a Beloved Child of Hashem” – so powerful was his tefilah.
Now, these sheidim. this band … Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, they wanted to do him harm, to cripple him, and they stopped short. And he they asked them, “Why do you stop? Why don’t you go on with your work?”
And they said, “Because we visited heaven. We visit Heaven regularly. And in heaven we hear a voice constantly saying to us: “Beware of Rabbi Chanina and his Torah. The Torah he learns. Beware of him because he is very precious in heaven – which means: watch out – don’t start with him. That’s why we don’t touch you.”
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said, “If that’s the case – I am that valuable in heaven – then I hereby order you to permanently cease coming into the cities. You are expelled from entering these cities.”
The sheidim knew this order meant that they would be kept out forever. They pleaded with Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, “Don’t block us completely. Give us a chance. Let us have some pleasure, too, of seeing the cities. Let us come at least at certain periods. Give us a set time.”
He said, “Fine. I’ll give you two times a week that you’re allowed to come into the cities. One is Tuesday night, the other is Friday night.” Why these two times? Because during those times – Friday night – the nature of a Jew is – the night of Shabbos – that he eats a meal which is incomparable. The food of Shabbos has tavlin – a spice in it – which cannot be found any other time of the week. You make the same type of meat, same type of vegetables, and yet when you taste it on Shabbos it has a different taam entirely.
Even the challah, which a person does not find tasty or appetizing during the week, on Friday night, tastes better than any cake during the week. Why? Because there’s a special spice that gives Shabbos “Mey’ein Olam Habah – the feeling – a taste of Olam HaBah.
After the meal is over, there’s another thing that has a spice on Shabbos. This is sleep. The word Shabbos – Shin Beis Tav – roshei teivos “sheina beShabbos taanug”. Shabbos – sleep on Shabbos is taanug – also a pleasure that’s part like Olam Habah.
During the week, the Arizal says that it’s wrong for a person to sleep by day. It’s a little dangerous. If he goes to sleep by day he’s liable to have a different neshama come down, a bad neshama, chas veshalom. In general a person should … Shabbos is a special time when sleeping on Shabbos is “sheina beShabbos taanug” – Shin Beis Tav – [there’s] a special taanug to it, because sheina – sleep is one-sixtieth of death during the week. On Shabbos it’s one-sixtieth of what comes after death, which means Gan Eden. Also – a sixtieth of Gan Eden.
Therefore a person on Friday night is busy with Shabbos meal, he learns something, and then he goes to sleep. A person generally does not walk outside of this house on Friday nights. The streets are empty [near] Jewish homes. That’s why he said to the sheidim, “Friday night I grant you. You can have it.” Tuesday night, too, in those days, was a special night of staying in, for various reasons. He gave them these two nights.
Also Tuesday night, of course, was a night of protection,it was a night of … veyom harevi’i … the Ari HaKadosh and Rabbeinu zal brings in Sefer HaMidos, is the proper date, night, for a wedding for a besulah is Tuesday night. The first words of the Gemara in Casuvos says that בְּתוּלָה נִשֵּׂאת לַיּוֹם הָרְבִיעִי – a girl gets married on the night of the fourth day – Wednesday – which means Tuesday night. The Ari HaKodesh says that the first letters are “levana” – “the moon” – which stands for the Shekhina/besulah, and so on.
He gave them these two nights. The Gemara says that they had this “two nights of freedom”.
Many years later, generations later, they came into the city again and they met Abaye. Abaye is one of the two rabbis, Abaye and Rava, who are the Amoraim. Later generations of Amoraim, rabbis of the Gemara, who are most often mentioned in the Gemara. Abaye, the Abaye veRava it’s called.
The Gemara speaks about Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai , who was one of the greatest students of Hillel HaZakeyn. It says, “Why was he so great? Because he knew all the chederei haTorah. He knew the language of the sheidim, the language of the trees, and everything. He knew the Kabbalah, he knew the …
Questions that Abaye and Rava ask in the Gemara. Speaking about knowing Gemara, they mention Abaye veRava. The sheidim met Abaye. They wanted to harm him and they said to him, “We can’t touch you.”
He said, “Why?”
They said, “Because in heaven they say, ‘Be careful for Abeya and his Torah”.
Abeya said, “If that’s the case, then I hereby decree that you never come into the city again. That which R’ Chanina ben Dosa allowed you, Tuesday night and Friday night, we now lose that privilege”.
Therefore they do not come into the cities. The Gemara asks: we see sometimes they do come into the city. The Gemara answers: sometimes one of their horses gets lost and they send somebody
to retrieve it. Sort of a sharp statement. In any event, they are not seen in cities anymore. Where do they assemble now? Where do they abide? Where is their abode? Where do they reside?
In the forests. Places that are uncivilized. Now, they are forced into areas that are not civilized, not inhabited, but they will certainly prefer to be among humans. And therefore, if
they have their choice of living in a hut, in a home, in a castle, even in the forest, or in a broken down home where a human once lived, they’d rather stay in that home where a human once resided.
That’s why this chorvah, this destroyed home, that was uninhabited, Eliyahu HaNavi said to Rabbi Yosi, “This is a dangerous place, because here is where the sheidim would most probably want to congregate. You walk into this place, you are in complete danger. You’re jeopardizing your own life by going in there because they could do your harm.”
R’ Yosei answered, “I had this question in my mind too. But I had to decide between two items. One: the fact that the din says a person should not walk into a chorvah where sheidim are,
but rather daven in this home. Second: where could I daven? Outside in the road? The din says you should not daven in an open place because you haven’t got the fear of Hashem on you except in a place which is enclosed. Daven inside. I had my choice. Where should I go?
“That’s why I felt: better to daven inside with the fear of Hashem. Perhaps that will protect me.”
Eliyahu HaNavi answered, “You should have davened outside. And as far as the fear of the open place, [that’s] mainly because people could stop you, passers-by would stop you and ask…”
It’s not like nowadays, when [if] a person would stand outside today, it would be acting strange. Nobody would stop and ask if anything was wrong. They’d be afraid to get involved. In those days, when people were normal, [if they’d] see a person standing outside, motionless, eyes closed, they’d walk over and ask him, “Is anything wrong? Can I help you?” And be mafsek him from davening. So because of that danger, he might stop you,
Eliyahu HaNavi said, “The aitza for that is: there is a tefilah called הֲבִינֵנוּ. It’s an abbreviated tefilah, where the first… beginning of the Avos, the brachos, beginning until ‘Keyl HaKadosh’ you say, and then ‘Ata Chonen’ ’til ‘Shomeyah Tefilah’, there’s 13 brochos, that are a compact bracha, one single bracha that contains all 13. The first bracha, ‘Ata chonen’ is for דעת – for wisdom.
The second one, ‘Hashiveynu’, is for תשובה – תורה. The third is ‘Selach lanu’, מחילה. The fourth is ‘Goel Yisrael’ – from geulah [redemption]. And the fifth is for refuah [healing]. The sixth is for parnassah. The seventh: for the shofar of Moshiach. ‘Meshiv hashofteynu’ – for the judges – our own rulers. ‘Malshinim’ – destruction of apikorsim. ‘Al hatzaddikim’ – the tefilah Yerushalayim Ihrcha – the Shekhina should return to Yerushalayim. ‘Es Tzemach Dovid’ – the rise of Melech HaMoshiach. Then, finally, ‘Shomeya tefilah’ – that our tefilah will be accepted.
This bracha הֲבִינֵנוּ has all these words in one single bracha. Give us daas, teshuvah, Torah, mechila, refuah, parnassah, and so forth. A person who is, in case of emergency, unable to daven the entire davening, can say this bracha, this tefilah הֲבִינֵנוּ. Now, of course nowadays we don’t say it, because nowadays we could daven the whole Shemoneh Esrei much faster than they could ever daven
הֲבִינֵנוּ before. The kavana they had during הֲבִינֵנוּ meant that it was an abbreviated tefilah – it would cut down their davening to the time it would take us to say the whole Shemoneh Esrei plus, probably, the korbonos, and Ashrei, and so on.
This is what Eliyahu HaNavi told Rabbi Yosei: “You should have davened הֲבִינֵנוּ”. Then he said to Rabbi Yosei, “When you were in there you hear anything?”
He said, “Yes I did. I heard a voice – a soft voice like the cooing of a dove”.
Now the Shekhina is compared to a dove – canfei yona. And this voice said, “Woe is to the… how pitiful it is, what a pity it is on the children who were driven away from their home. Jews driven from their home, driven away from the table of their Father… the Beis HaMikdash, woe is to the fact that I have destroyed the Beis HaMikdash and driven my children out of Eretz Yisrael”.
This is the Shekhina bemoaning, רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנֶיהָ [Yirmiyahu 31:14]. Again, “Rachel” stands for the Shekhina. Eliyahu HaNavai said to R’ Yosei, “It is true, this voice you heard. But know, too, that this is not the only time this voice says it. This voice comes every time that the Jews come to shul – daven. And they say יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ – every time the Jews say this, this voice comes from heaven and says, “How beautiful is the tefilah of the Jews who give praise to Hashem. What a pity it is that these Jews, these children, were driven away from their Father’s home.”
And the more times that Jews say יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ with kavana, the more they evoke the pity of Hashem from Heaven, the more they strengthen the chances that Moshiach could come.
This כח of tefilah – “Yehei Shemei Rabba” – saying it especially with the hiskashrus to the Tzaddik Emes, [will] surely realize the ביאות המשיח, binyan Beis HaMikdash, veGeula sheleyma, b’meheyra beyameinu, amein ve’amein.
[Transcript by syw]
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