Unleash Your Inner Beast

Point to Ponder

1) When you think beast, what animal comes to mind? What are 5 beast like characteristics? Do you believe you have them within yourself?

2) If you had super strength and energy to focus on one task, what would it be and why?

3) Do you think Judaism encourages to run from our animal selves or embrace it?

בראשית ב׳:ז׳

(ז) וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃

Genesis 2:7

(7) the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Question: What message is the Torah trying to teach us by describing man's creation as a unique process to all the animals?

רש"י על בראשית ב׳:ז׳:ד׳

(ד) לנפש חיה. אַף בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה נִקְרְאוּ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אַךְ זוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם חַיָּה שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן, שֶׁנִתּוֹסֵף בּוֹ דֵּעָה וְדִבּוּר:

Rashi on Genesis 2:7:4

(4) לנפש חיה A LIVING SOUL — Also cattle and beasts are called נפש חיה (1:20, 22, 24), but the נפש of man is the most highly developed of all of them, because to him was granted understanding and speech.

בראשית ג׳:א׳

(א) וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙ חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה אַ֚ף כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֔וּ מִכֹּ֖ל עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃

Genesis 3:1

(1) Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?”

Question: What are we supposed to learn from this dialogue between the snake and Eve? What relevance does this have for us today?

רש"י על בראשית ג׳:א׳:א׳

(א) והנחש היה ערום. ... אֶלָּא לִמֶּדְךָ מֵאֵיזוֹ עֵצָה קָפַץ הַנָּחַשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם, רָאָה אוֹתָם עֲרֻמִּים וְעוֹסְקִים בְּתַשְׁמִישׁ לְעֵין כֹּל וְנִתְאַוָּה לָהּ:

Rashi on Genesis 3:1:1

(1) והנחש היה ערום AND THE SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE ... with what plan did the serpent assail them? He saw them naked and engaged in relations in public and he coveted her (Eve) ...

Question: Do you think this is meant to be taken literally? What deeper message is a trying to teach us?

אורח חיים א׳:א׳

(א) דין השכמת הבוקר ובו ט סעיפים:
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו שיהא הוא מעורר השחר

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 1:1

(1) One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn.

Question: Why use the imagery of an lion? Does Judaism want us to become animalistic?

משנה אבות ה׳:כ׳

(כ) יְהוּדָה בֶן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי עַז כַּנָּמֵר, וְקַל כַּנֶּשֶׁר, וְרָץ כַּצְּבִי, וְגִבּוֹר כָּאֲרִי, לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמָיִם...

Pirkei Avot 5:20

(20) Judah ben Tema said: Be strong as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a gazelle, and brave as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in heaven ...

Question: Is one person supposed to have this all? Which category do you best fit into?

עירובין ק׳ ב:כ״ט

אמר רבי יוחנן אילמלא לא ניתנה תורה היינו למידין צניעות מחתול וגזל מנמלה ועריות מיונה דרך ארץ מתרנגול שמפייס ואחר כך בועל

Eruvin 100b:29

Similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Even if the Torah had not been given, we would nonetheless have learned modesty from the cat, which covers its excrement, and that stealing is objectionable from the ant, which does not take grain from another ant, and forbidden relations from the dove, which is faithful to its partner, and proper relations from the rooster, which first appeases the hen and then mates with it.

Question: So why give the Torah, let us just study nature?

שמואל א י״ז:ל״ד-ל״ו

(לד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל רֹעֶ֨ה הָיָ֧ה עַבְדְּךָ֛ לְאָבִ֖יו בַּצֹּ֑אן וּבָ֤א הָֽאֲרִי֙ וְאֶת־הַדּ֔וֹב וְנָשָׂ֥א שֶׂ֖ה מֵהָעֵֽדֶר׃ (לה) וְיָצָ֧אתִי אַחֲרָ֛יו וְהִכִּתִ֖יו וְהִצַּ֣לְתִּי מִפִּ֑יו וַיָּ֣קָם עָלַ֔י וְהֶחֱזַ֙קְתִּי֙ בִּזְקָנ֔וֹ וְהִכִּתִ֖יו וַהֲמִיתִּֽיו׃ (לו) גַּ֧ם אֶֽת־הָאֲרִ֛י גַּם־הַדּ֖וֹב הִכָּ֣ה עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽ֠הָיָה הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֨י הֶעָרֵ֤ל הַזֶּה֙ כְּאַחַ֣ד מֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י חֵרֵ֔ף מַעַרְכֹ֖ת אֱלֹהִ֥ים חַיִּֽים׃ (ס)

I Samuel 17:34-36

(34) David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and if a lion or a bear came and carried off an animal from the flock, (35) I would go after it and fight it and rescue it from its mouth. And if it attacked me, I would seize it by the beard and strike it down and kill it. (36) Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and that uncircumcised Philistine shall end up like one of them, for he has defied the ranks of the living God.

Question: What was David trying to do by bringing his lion taming stories?

Midrash Eliyahu Zuta 14 (Paraphrased)

Elijah the prophet once met a man who claimed to have a feeble mind and therefore never learned Torah.

Elijah asked the man what he did for a living. The man replied he was a fisherman and went on to describe the intricacies of fishing, making nets, boats, tides, etc. Elijah questioned why the man thought he had no intellect for Torah, but was quite intelligent when it came to fishing. The man only sighed, raised his voice, and wept.

Question: If the man could have studied Torah, why had he convinced himself otherwise, and if he couldn't, why was Elijah rubbing it in?

Talmud Yerushalmi, Teruma, 46b

When Rabbi Imi was kidnapped in Sifsufa, Rabbi Yochanan despaired and proclaimed him as good as dead. Reish Lakish replied to him before we abandon hope that he has been killed I am willing to run the risk that I may be killed in order to save him. He went and rescued him from the hands of the kidnappers, who all were eventually killed themselves.

שמות ב׳:י״ז

(יז) וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ הָרֹעִ֖ים וַיְגָרְשׁ֑וּם וַיָּ֤קָם מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיּ֣וֹשִׁעָ֔ן וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־צֹאנָֽם׃

Exodus 2:17

(17) but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock.

שופטים ד׳:י״ז-כ״א

(יז) וְסִֽיסְרָא֙ נָ֣ס בְּרַגְלָ֔יו אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל יָעֵ֔ל ... וַתִּקַּ֣ח יָעֵ֣ל אֵֽשֶׁת־חֶ֠בֶר אֶת־יְתַ֨ד הָאֹ֜הֶל וַתָּ֧שֶׂם אֶת־הַמַּקֶּ֣בֶת בְּיָדָ֗הּ וַתָּב֤וֹא אֵלָיו֙ בַּלָּ֔אט וַתִּתְקַ֤ע אֶת־הַיָּתֵד֙ בְּרַקָּת֔וֹ וַתִּצְנַ֖ח בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְהֽוּא־נִרְדָּ֥ם וַיָּ֖עַף וַיָּמֹֽת׃

Judges 4:17-21

(17) Sisera, meanwhile, had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, ... Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent pin and grasped the mallet. When he was fast asleep from exhaustion, she approached him stealthily and drove the pin through his temple till it went down to the ground. Thus he died.

Adapted from "Rav Gustman" (ArtScroll)

Rabbi Yisrael Zev Gustman (1908-1991) was a Talmudic genius. As a young man, he married the daughter of a top rabbi in Vilna, the center of Jewish life in the early 20th century. Rabbi Gustman's father-in-law died shortly before the wedding, thus the young 20-year-old inherited a seat on the illustrious rabbinical court of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the head of European Jewry prior to WW2...

When Rabbi Gustman reached the forest, his plan was to become a partisan to fight against the Nazis and defend himself and his family. However, to be accepted as a partisan, there was a single condition: A person had to come with a weapon.

Rabbi Gustman's opportunity came when he saw a lone Nazi soldier passing through a quiet place in the forest. Rabbi Gustman jumped the soldier, threw his rifle as far as away as he could, and killed the soldier with his bare hands.

Question: What is your beast like potential you'd like to unleash this year?