Gra, Peirush al Kamah Agados #14 (part 1) – Relationship ep. 6
(If you missed our discussion of the Maharal in episodes 1-5, see their posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.)
Thursday night (Apr 7th, 2022) 7pm EDT we started our study of the Vilna Gaon’s Peirush al Kama Agados, agadah #14. In it, the Vilna Gaon unpacks the metaphor of an aggadita on Bekhoros 8b, where the Elders of Athens challenge Rabbi Yehoshua ben Channania to build them a “house in the air of the world”.
Go to https://thekloiz.aishdas.org for links to the Zoom room, a link to join the WhatsApp group, to recordings of past shiurim, and the other posts like this one.
The resource sheet for the Vilna Gaon is on Sefaria at https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/386936
Our first weeks at Zelmele’s Kloiz had lots of wonderful give and take, and many of us stayed on afterward for exciting discussions. (Which personally, I found quite informative.) This week (Thu Apr 7th) was a great time to join, as we start a new text — the Vilna Gaon’s Peirush al Kamah Agados, agadah #14!
The story so far (the table may yet grow with the Gra):
| Maharal | |||
| Tov | Inherent / Relationship to Soul |
Relationship to Hashem | Relationship to Others |
| Micha’s Miqdash Speculation | |||
| Crowns | Torah | Kehunah | Kingship |
| Crowned Kelim | Aron | Mizbeiach haZahav | Shulchan |
| Uncrowned Keilim | Menorah | Mizbeiach Nekhoshes | Kiyor |
| Maharal (cont.) | |||
| Pillars | Torah | Avodah | Gemilus Chasadim |
| Uprooting Sin | Gilui Arayos | Avodah Zara | Shefichas Damim |
| Sustains the world | … gives the world value. | … for it was created liKhvodi | … causes Hashem’s Chessed to the world |
| Avos | Yaaqov | Yitzchaq | Avraham |
| Yaaqov/Yisrael as Synthesis | Yaaqov Rivqa’s two bracelets of 5 gold each |
Yitchaq Rivqa’s nose-ring |
Rivqa |
| Sefer haYetzirah “Mother Letters” | א | ש | מ |
| Non-Intert Elements | Air/Wind (אוויר) | Fire (אש) | Water (מים) |
| Element as Middah | Thought in Torah |
Passion / “Hislahavus“ in Avodah |
Calm / Unity in relating to other people |
| Protecting Torah / Anshei Keneses haGdolah | Establishing many students | Diligence in Law | Making a siyag laTorah (i.e. morality rather than precise Law) |
| Dynamic | Middle (Synthesis or Dialectic) |
Truth / Law | Peace / Lovingkingness |
| Gra | |||
| Aspect of Soul | Ruach | Neshamah | Nefesh |
| Desires | Ego | Spiritual | Physical |
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