LEFT AND RIGHT HEART
Dear Family,
I hope everyone is well.
We would like to wish Kevin Marks long life on the sudden passing of his father last week. Stan Marks ah, has been a dear friend of the Family ever since he married Zelda (ne Davidoff), our first cousin. Wishing you, your mother and your whole Family much comfort from Hashem, and only good news in the future, Kevin. Kevin is now part of our weekly email, and I hope you will slowly get to know everyone on the group. Welcome.
Mazal Tov to Shmuel Levy on his birthday this coming week. You should have a wonderful year Shmuel, with brochos in both gashmius and ruchnius and with much joy and nachas !
Mazal Tov to Chanie Davidoff (LA) on her birthday on Shabbos. Wishing you a happy year Chanie and continued success with all the good things that you do!
Mazal Tov to Shlomo Kehaty on his upcoming first birthday next week BH. Continue growing as the happy boy that you are, and give your parents much nachas!
Torah gives LEFT AND RIGHT much significance, and this week, I saw it discussed at least 3 times.
In this week's Sedra Vayechi. (48:11 - 48:20) Yosef brings his 2 children, Menashe (the older one) and Ephraim (the younger), to be blessed by Yaakov. Yosef places the older son in front of Yaakovs RIGHT so that his he can bless him with his right hand, and vice versa for the younger. But then Yaakov 'strangely' crosses his right hand over to the left to bless the younger son! Yosef tries to correct his father, but Yaakov indicates that he is doing this with full knowledge, foreseeing that the descendants of the younger son will be greater than that of the older!
In other words LEFT and RIGHT are real!? - Hard to understand!
Chassidus places much emphasis on left and right, and interestingly it came up in the Tanya of this week in discussion about the LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE HEART (Chap 9)
The Alte Rebbe is describing 2 levels of nefesh which are part of the make-up of a Jew ie the animal soul (nefesh habehamis) and the G-dly soul (nefesh haElokis), and where they reside in the body.
The animal soul is most manifest in the heart, and more specifically the LEFT SIDE OF THE HEART (biologically the blood in the left ventricle as we understand it today, is fully oxygenated and gets pumped to supply the rest of the body with all it's nutrients)
Because the animal soul resides here all lusts, boasting, anger and other passions are in the heart.
The Divine soul resides in the brain and from there extends to all the limbs. But the Divine soul also resides in the heart, but in the RIGHT SIDE OF THE HEART where there is 'no blood' (biologically this is where the blood has returned from all the organs deoxygenated). As it is written "The heart of the wise man is on his RIGHT.
This results in understanding and reflection in the brain, which flares up a fiery love to Hashem in the heart of discerning people........etc
And then I heard an amusing vort from Manis Friedman this week (without a source) - Every Gemorra starts on page 2.
When the wise man starts to learn, he looks to the RIGHT and he sees page 1 missing (Hebrew goes from right to left). He understands that he has not yet even begun to learn.
The fool, whose heart is on the LEFT, looks to the left and he only sees page 2. He thinks he is already up to page 2 at the start - just a light-hearted comment!
Tanya goes on to explain how all the nefesh components are essential, and we we can harness the passions of the animal soul and include them in our Service of Hashem.
Gut Shabbos to all!