The Baal Shem Tov taught that a sin in itself is only the bite of the snake. The real damage comes from the venom that spreads afterwards, saying, “What a worthless thing you are. Look what you’ve done! Now you’re really lost.”
With those few words, all the gates of hell open wide.
God heals all, no despair is needed! Amen! Reply
What is the bite of the snake? A lie. In preparation for this the serpent asked some pertinent questions to get the victims off guard, to make the mistake of adding to the requirement of God not to eat of the fruit of the or the knowledge of good and evil, but also not to touch it on pain of death. That lie opened them up for the serpent’s half truth that they won’t die (physically) but will instead will be able to work out knowledge of any pairs of opposites.
That promise was and is the venom: believing that they had separate existence from God. It is constantly active in human lives in the form of “ego” under which we all attempt to control our lives. This ego is conceptual, not actual, and attempts to mimic the One Self of the Creator. The problem is that we live under conceptual dominance, while we don’t even realize that there is an actuality, which cannot be put into words.
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Great book! I Bought it last year. My question is about " the gates of hell". Reading the article about jewish conception about hell, I got this quotation: "Hell is not a punishment in the conventional sense; it is, in fact, the expression of a great kindness." So in my simple understanding if I sin, I should find more kindness ? That doesn't mean I should purposely sin, of course!
Dear Rabbi, please clarify this for me.
Toda lecha!
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This "Daily Dose" is clearly a teaching of Bretzlover chassidus, which derives from the holy Baal Shem Tov Reply
yes. But in today's world these teachings are greately misrepresented. Reply
Aftermath
I took the time to watch eXtreme Weeding, as suggested by Rabbi Freeman on 9-16-08. I have always been a fan of Rabbi Infinity and KabbalaToons!
Besides the concept of weeding being an easily visualized metaphor, it also provides a solution - again in simple terms if one keeps weeding in mind.
The image of being bitten my a poisonous snake is also an excellent metaphor - the bite is bad, the spreading of poison into a body is worse.
This is an incredible start of a second new year!
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Where can I find Xtreme weeding suggested by Rabbi Freeman??? Reply
Marsha, I was going to tell you to scroll down in comments to the date I provided; that is why I posted the date. :-)
Todah rabah to the Chabad team for providing the answer!
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I thought we didn’t believe in hell. Please cite a source of reference to the word. Reply
In Hebrew, it's called Gehinnom.
Here's a few references out of many: Kiddushin 4.14, Avot 1.5; 5.19, 20, Tosefta t. Bereshith 6.15, and Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 16b:7a; b. Bereshith 28b.
We have an article on the topic by Rabbi Aron Moss: Do Jews Believe in Hell
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The Tree Yes, these are the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and less than. Just tasting the fruit brings the loss of being able to serve GOD with joy for a very long time. Reply
Re: Hell and Heaven are not Judaic concepts.
Classical sacred Jewish texts are replete with references to heaven and hell.
You can do a search on our site with the keywords "Heaven and Hell"
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Respectfully Rabbi,
Why use these phrases if they are not part of Judaism?
Removing the final sentence, does not lessen the impact of what is being said.
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Clarification you can find the sources at your local Chabad center in the book, as mentioned, put together by R. Freeman, "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". The book and this saying are not R. Freeman's teachings, but teachings of the Baal Shem Tov brought down by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Also, you can pick up the anecdotal, "The Scroll", at your Chabad center and online, advertised in the right hand of the screen, which contains many more of these and other columns. Reply
Hell and Heaven are not Judaic concepts.
Is Hell a concept of Judaism!?
Just shows how outside influences mold perceptions.
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Returning to Lesson. I too would love a source to that saying of the Besht. Is there one? Can someone please pass it along? I'd be most grateful. Reply
Aftermath The Title says it All! Counting the cost. Expensive. Thank you for posting it. Reply
Daily Dose You quotation for the daily dose seemed too abstract for my simple mind. sometimes it is very hard for me to comprehend the real meaning. Maybe I would accept that I am less enligthened about the deepest meaning, however I do apreciate you sending me all these message. Thank you very much. More power to you. Regards Reply
the name "daily dose" is perfect !!!!!!!!!! This "daily dose" is indeed my daily dose of strenght and inspiration and joy. Please do not stop !!! Reply
Rodin
Rodin sculpted " The Gates of Hell ". You can see the large version in his garden ( Rodin Museum - Paris ) or a smaller version inside the gallery. In either instance a few feet away are the large and smaller version of " The Thinker ".
This article jogs my memory of the imagery in those stones: once you lay your eyes on Rodin's ultra ugly version of the gates of Hell, you see the abyss and are relieved to walk away. As thinkers we can get out of the internal living hell by various means, starting with Torah learning, mitzvot and prayer amongst others. Or as the Rabbi puts it, " get on with life ". Don't look back. Or as Bob Dylan's lyric goes, better to position yourself to " Knock on Heaven's Door. " Another song that has been sung by many a fine singer on solemn occasions is Leonard Cohen's " Hallelujah ". Lately, there have been some sensational and intriguing artworks accompanying R. Tzvi's columns.
Trick is to surround yourself with beauty, not ugliness.
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question
Hi R' Tzvi,
I am please G_d doing a write-up on this topic.
Is there a source to that saying of the Besht?
It would be very helpful.
Thanks so much.
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Aftermath
"Commiting a transgression isn't the greatest
crime, after all temptation is a powerful force. The greatest crime is that you can turn your life around at any moment and choose not to do so".
Rabbi Simcha Bunim of P'shischa
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FORGIVING OURSELVES
We should forgive ourselves after or during Teshuva; Some time! And go on and learn to do whats the next right thing.
After all if Hashem forgive us. Who are we not to forgive ourselves?! We connect with G-d through Torah and mitzvahs. Let's keep doing what we are doing.
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close That bite from the snake sounds a bit like " Life is hard. Then you die. " Either way, you have to scrounge around for happiness/comfort and hope to find it before dire results confront/confound you. Reply
The Baal Shem Tov says that more than the Yetzer Hara wants us to sin he wants us to feel guilty that we did.
Humbly ask Hashem to remove them .