Friday, September 22, 2017

hashkafah philosophy - How can one give HaShem "Naḥat Ruaḥ"?


At the end of מוסף לשבת in דרכי אבות השלם (p. 375), a quotation is written in the name of רבי יהודה:




אמר רבי יהודה: אשרי מי שעמלו בתורה ועושה נחת רוח ליוצרו



Rabbi Yoḥanan makes a similar statement in Berakhot 17a:



ר' יוחנן כי הוה מסיים ספרא דאיוב אמר הכי סוף אדם למות וסוף בהמה לשחיטה והכל למיתה הם עומדים אשרי מי שגדל בתורה ועמלו בתורה ועושה נחת רוח ליוצרו



In the words of Shraga (link),



"Can anyone explain [this saying]? How can one give ["naḥat ruaḥ"] to the perfect, non-lacking G-d who feels no emotions?"





Answer



According to my Rav, we are misreading the quotation by interpreting "nahhat ruahh" as "comfort" or "peace of mind" as the phrase has come to mean in other contexts.


In fact, says my Rav, "nahhat ruahh" is literally "a place for one's spirit to rest (i.e. reside)". If you plug that interpretation/translation back into the quotation it makes much more philosophical sense. By studying and being steeped in Torah, we literally create a place for HaShem's spirit (read: the Shekhinah) to reside.


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