Maharal, Derekh Chaim 4:13 (part 1) – Relationship ep. 9
IMPORTANT ADMINISTRIVIA: We are now learning on Wednesday nights at 8pm EDT.
(If you missed our discussion so far, there is always the posts in The Kloiz Aspaqlaria category.)
Wednesday night (May 11th, 2022) 8pm EDT we moved on from our study of the Vilna Gaon’s Peirush al Kama Agados, agadah #14. In it, the Vilna Gaon identifies three middos — ta’avah (physical desire), qin’ah (jealousy), and kavod ([self-] honor). The Maharal discusses these middos in his commentary on Avos 4:21. But there the Maharal refers to what he writes on mishnah 13, which discusses the three crowns with which we opened this whole series.
So, now that we have seen how the Maharal and the Gra discuss the three domains that the three crowns are associated with, weeturn to the opening idea about the three crowns on three of the utensils in the Beis haMiqdash.
Go to http://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 Maharal on Avos 4:13 is on Sefaria at https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/405402
The story so far:
| Maharal | |||
| Pillars | Torah | Avodah | Gemilus Chasadim |
| Tov | Inherent / Relationship to Soul |
Relationship to Hashem | Relationship to Others |
| 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 / Lovingkindness |
| Gra | |||
| Aspect of Soul | Ruach | Neshamah | Nefesh |
| Desires | Ego | Spiritual | Physical |
| Time of Life (paired with desires) | Adulthood | Old Age | Youth |
| Time of Night | Middle – the dog barks (demanding “hav hav!”) | Near Dawn – The baby nurses, the wife talks with her husband |
Near Sunset – The Donkey Brays |
| Children of Adam & Chavah | Hevel | Qayin | Sheis (bidmuso betzalmo) |
| World | “In the Air” / the world between our ears |
Shamayim | Aretz |
| Organ | Heart | Head | Liver / Groin |
| Micha’s Miqdash Speculation | |||
| Crowns (simple take) | Torah | Kehunah | Kingship |
| Crowns (according to Maharal 4:13) | Torah | Kingship – in the soul’s ability to rule mind and body | Kehunah as the sanctification of the physical |
| Crowned Kelim (see the Maharal, Avos 1:2) |
Aron | Mizbeiach haZahav | Shulchan |
| Uncrowned Keilim (as implied by the Gra) |
Menorah | Mizbeiach Nekhoshes | Kiyor |
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