Interesting stuff from my parasha book: Bereshit
See http://ruchel.livejournal.com/151659.html
Bereshit etc: For the Torah G-d created, etc. Not in the beginning. Because everything that exists will serve a purpose of Torah/helping Jews.
[note there is no mention of righteous non jews, as this is a charedi book]
Following the majority stuff: only when there is doubt and no way of knowing.
Ezer kenegdo machlokes: Rashi says, if the man is deserving [both before and after the marriage] she will help, if not she will hinder. Or Ha'Haim says it's in fact written "like against him", which means she seems against him, but in the end he will progress through her reactions to his behaviour.
About forbidden fruit: Eve gave to Adam so she wouldn't die and he wouldn't have another wife, because she only half believed the snake (about not dying), but the curiosity was so strong it was enough.
The snake today: "oh it's not so bad once", "it's the holidays", "no one will know", "let yourself go", "everyone does it", "only the tzadikim/charedim do/don't", "frummer people did worse", ""better that than...", "G-d will understand", "where is it written that it's forbidden?".
Eating dirt every day: the snake will find its food everywhere, he will not have to pray to G-d or struggle. It shows G-d puts to test those he loves best, so they turn to him and he can show them his love and they can be close.
Pregnancy: From the previous, we see that suffering is a test and an occasion to rise.
It says "you'll give birth in pain and passion will draw you towards your husband". What's the link?
The link is, logically, no woman should accept [since it's not her mitzva] to have children, so immense the pain and anguish of pregnancy and childbirth are. [Earthy types won't like this, but hey, it's a French book]. To the point that she should refuse marriage [also not her mitzva].
So G-d gave her this attraction to her man, so she wants to marry him, and they have children.
The hardships and sufferings the women go through in pregnancy and birth are not vain, they increase her merits. As our sages say, Better one with pain/difficulty, than 100 without.
Seeing the good: although Eve brings death, Adam names her from the root "life", because she is also the mother of all human beings. It shows us we should always see the good in our spouse. This is a basis in shalom bayis.
Why the woman: Why is Eve named for the life she creates, when Adam also creates it?
Eve is considered the mother of all humans because she gives birth in pain and not Adam. From this we learn that someone who struggles to have something is the one who really has it, to the point that he's the only one mentioned.
Bereshit etc: For the Torah G-d created, etc. Not in the beginning. Because everything that exists will serve a purpose of Torah/helping Jews.
[note there is no mention of righteous non jews, as this is a charedi book]
Following the majority stuff: only when there is doubt and no way of knowing.
Ezer kenegdo machlokes: Rashi says, if the man is deserving [both before and after the marriage] she will help, if not she will hinder. Or Ha'Haim says it's in fact written "like against him", which means she seems against him, but in the end he will progress through her reactions to his behaviour.
About forbidden fruit: Eve gave to Adam so she wouldn't die and he wouldn't have another wife, because she only half believed the snake (about not dying), but the curiosity was so strong it was enough.
The snake today: "oh it's not so bad once", "it's the holidays", "no one will know", "let yourself go", "everyone does it", "only the tzadikim/charedim do/don't", "frummer people did worse", ""better that than...", "G-d will understand", "where is it written that it's forbidden?".
Eating dirt every day: the snake will find its food everywhere, he will not have to pray to G-d or struggle. It shows G-d puts to test those he loves best, so they turn to him and he can show them his love and they can be close.
Pregnancy: From the previous, we see that suffering is a test and an occasion to rise.
It says "you'll give birth in pain and passion will draw you towards your husband". What's the link?
The link is, logically, no woman should accept [since it's not her mitzva] to have children, so immense the pain and anguish of pregnancy and childbirth are. [Earthy types won't like this, but hey, it's a French book]. To the point that she should refuse marriage [also not her mitzva].
So G-d gave her this attraction to her man, so she wants to marry him, and they have children.
The hardships and sufferings the women go through in pregnancy and birth are not vain, they increase her merits. As our sages say, Better one with pain/difficulty, than 100 without.
Seeing the good: although Eve brings death, Adam names her from the root "life", because she is also the mother of all human beings. It shows us we should always see the good in our spouse. This is a basis in shalom bayis.
Why the woman: Why is Eve named for the life she creates, when Adam also creates it?
Eve is considered the mother of all humans because she gives birth in pain and not Adam. From this we learn that someone who struggles to have something is the one who really has it, to the point that he's the only one mentioned.