The Tzaddik of Tzfat זצ''ל

I found some old Torah on the internet from my dear Chavrusa Yonatan, who died a while back. Yonatan was one of my best friends of all time, and his Torah only gets louder and clearer as the days trickle on. It was him who broke me into yeshiva learning; countless hours of him teaching me the true path to learning Torah, the Yonatan way. He was an African-American Chasidic Jew straight out of Compton...the Compton [L.A.]

As I am nearing completion of Shir HaShirim [5 years in the making], I am honing in on its message. Most are aware of the Love theme in the Book, and I think Yonatan answered for me just what "its" all about.

In the words of Yonatan, in reference to God's Greatness, "Who!!!!! Would have thought, to create a kiss?

It seems that Shlomo HaMelech wanted to know the same question, i.e. Shir HaShirim.

Here is more Torah I found by Yonatan, and again, he was right.

by Jonathan Streetsong 

Jews of Color 

THE STRENGTH OF A WOMAN 

It is commonly known that the woman is spiritually higher than the man. Some people feel that men are physically stronger than women. Yet in fact the opposite is true! How do we know this? When Moshe was on Sinai and asked to see HaShem, HaShem replied that I will let you see My back but My face you cannot see. The English would imply that HaShem has a backside and a face hashveshalom. In the Hebrew the word 'panim' can have various meanings. One of them is internal. The word 'ahar' translated into English would be 'back' implying that there is a back of HaShem hashveshalom. But in Hebrew it can be also mean external. So if we use the more accurate translation for this situation He would have said you can see My external side but not My internal. From this it is be understood that there is a masculine aspect of G-dliness and a feminine aspect of G-dliness. It is reflected in the physical world in the physical body, in the form of the mans body is external and the form of the woman's body is internal. It is also reflected in their different roles that they play in life. The home [the internal] is the domain of the woman whereas the external is reflected in the man whereas he goes 'out' into the world to make a living. This is not to say as some cultures may believe that a woman should not have a job. It says in Ashet Hiyeel that she considers a field and buys it: from her earnings she plants a vineyard. This implies that she is involved in real estate so there is such thing as a business woman. Yet her domain in truth is the home and the fact is that she can actually do both.

The point of this is to break the myth of what people may think a woman truly is. The ideal and not necessarily for every situation is to give her the decision of what she wants to do. Some women don't mind working while the man learns full time. Some people think that is unfair or cruel but it's not true. It takes deep understanding of each and every situation in order to balance each and everyone's personal life and live it to the fullest in comfort and joy. But back to the point how is the woman 'definitively' physically stronger than the man? It would seem that from the 'external' view that the man is stronger than the woman using the 'concept of averages', most men are stronger than women. But this is the external view. Even that is debatable because the strongest person in the world could be a woman. Do we know who is the strongest person in the world? However the subject that we are want to deal with is is "actual" strength. But first let's come to the true definition of what is strength. Man's basic energy comes from food, bottom line. Although on a deeper level that's not true. HaShem can give life without food if He desires. But on the simple physical level strength comes from food. So what is the one thing that a woman's body can do that a man's can't? Have a baby? No, that doesn't count because she has to have the male seed in order to do that. The thing that a women's body can do that a man's can't is feed two bodies. A man can not do that. Isn't that a phenomena? The body of a woman can produce sustenance!

Therefore the ultimate truth of the the matter is that woman's body is in fact physically stronger than man's. In some circles it's been heard women speak about the bracha, "Blessed are You G-d who has not made me a woman. Some say it doesn't seem fair to have such a blessing. For those who understand the meaning behind this bracha it is enough. For those who feel that it is questionable here is an interpretation that was heard that may make it easier to understand. Blessed are You G-d who did not make me a woman because if you have made me a woman I would not be able to experience all of the joy and pleasure that a woman has to bring. 

Maspeak l'haven: A word to the wise is sufficient.

Thank you Yonatan for answering Shlomo's riddle, otherwise known as Shir HaShirim. I just call it Yonatan's Torah: Being in Love with God, the Torah way.

Here is a mushel that I think drives home this point.

  

Posted in: Torah