21 Apr Acharei; Destruction of Evil
Inspired by the teachings of Rav Yitzchak Ginsburgh and Rabbi Moshe Genuth
We learn that G-d in His Infinite Wisdom created the Torah. And He looked into the Torah and created the universe. He then incorporated the malachim (angels) to decide if the Torah, a conduit of G-d’s Infinite Wisdom should go to the angels , or to Man.
The angels Uza and Azael were most rebellious when G-d decided that the Torah should go to Man rather than the angels. Uza and Azael protested that Man would just end up ruining creation. But Hashem in His Infinite Wisdom understood that the angels lacked free will and that Man , with free will man may sin, but that man with his free will will then have the ability to repair the world to a state better than before his sin. With Man , Torah and Creation would be a living thing. Not so with the angels. Angels (malachim) have no free will, they are ‘deterministic’ and therefore limited in their function.
The two angels, Uza and Azael due to their rebellious ways toward G-d were than cast from the heavens to live ‘like’ men on earth. They were the Nephalim, giants resembling Man, with a beastly nature inferior to Man. They robbed, lusted and were sexually immoral with ‘the daughters of Man’.
Their behavior created ‘deficient spiritual offspring’ (for generations) and the immorality of the generation that led to the Waters of Noah (the Flood). Uza and Azael are the archetypes of the two goats of Azazel (scapegoats from the Satan) we use in the ceremony on Yom Kippur.
The’ missions’ of the goats were chosen by lottery. One goat was sent to the desert (wilderness) to ‘Azezal’ ;the place of the precipice where the he-goat was pushed off/fell from the precipice to carry away the potential of a ‘sin of unknown consciousness ‘ (sins unknown). The other goat became an actual sacrifice ‘for the sins we know’.
A fascinating insight comes from a gematria of the verse; “the deeds [rectification of mitzvot] of Uza and Azael“= 613 as it alludes to the rectification of the entire Torah and all 613 mitzvot. The ceremony of Azazel is part of a remedy for negating negative or evil consequences of transgressions.
The versus of the Nephallim (giants) of Uza and Azael are found in Bereishis, Chapter 06 . Rashi writes: They were so called because they “fell” [ {Hebrew Ref} ] and caused the downfall337 [ {Hebrew Ref} ] of the world.338 In Hebrew it means giants.
Bereishis Chpt 6
Verse 1: It came to be when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, that daughters were born to them.
Verse 2: The sons of the rulers saw that the daughters of man were fair and they took for themselves wives from whomever they chose
Verse 3: Ad-noy said, “My spirit will not continue to judge man forever, since he is nothing but flesh. His days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”
Verse 4: There were giants on the earth in those days, and also later, when the sons of the rulers came to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mightiest ones who ever existed. [They were] men of renown.
Maftir-
Verse 5: Ad-noy saw that man’s wickedness had increased on the earth, and that every inclination of his heart was only for evil, all day long.
Verse 6: Ad-noy was comforted that He had made man on the earth, and He grieved in His heart.
Verse 7: Ad-noy said, “I will obliterate mankind which I have created from the face of the earth, from man to beast, to the creeping things and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I made them.”
Verse 8: But Noach found favor in the eyes of Ad-noy.
We are all experiencing some degree of angst in dealing with the pervasive forces of evil today; Anti Semitism, terrorism, shootings, violence, addictions, spiritual – mental – emotional and physical illness (a pandemic 2020) et al. As a result we may be consciously or unconsciously living with fear and doubt that removes us from our focus; our mission of doing good… Tikun Olam.
As we approach the arrival of Mashiach, may he come now, we are experiencing a powerful flow of G-d’s Goodness… His chesed. However this paradoxically gives cause to the rise of the forces of evil ‘who’s job’ is to push back and thwart the forces of Goodness. The clashing of these forces gives rise to destruction and deficiency unless we rise up to utilize and actualize the abundant and continuous devine sparks of G-ds Goodness that surround us.
Evil only needs a drop of Goodness to operate and sustain the fueling of Terrorism, Anti-semitism, ‘a pandemic’ and all deficiency and illness that exists in the world.
It is our inclination and need today to deal with these issues with might (gevurah)… to confront evil with physical force. But the rectifying blow to obliterate evil is spiritual and means we must to also remove… ‘starve out’ the source of Evils’ power. That requires us to utilize all the flow of Goodness that we are given, and use it for the Good. Evil will no longer have the power of goodness to operate.. not even a drop , and evil will cease to exist.
The guidelines of Torah; Righteous conduct and Mitzvot remains the Supreme manner and method to elevating goodness and obliterating evil. We ought not be fooled by the many distractions evil throws at us. That’s how He works.
The Divine Flow of Goodness is necessary for all Creation to sustain. When all the flow of divine goodness is not ‘absorbed and utilized’ for the good, it spills out to others who may use it for evil. Living in a Righteous Way according to the guidelines of Torah and mitzvoth will remedy this.
Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling
www.LawrenceLax.com
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com