Daf Yomi Gittin 8
As our patriarch Yaakov lay on his deathbed, he called over his
sons to bestow his final blessings upon them.
A father knows his children and it is clear from Yaakov’s blessings how
different each of his children were. The
key to an effective blessing is to harness the Divine flow of energy towards
the specific strengths of the individual who is being blessed. In our forefather’s blessings, we discover
the unique nature of each of his sons.
According to Kabbalah, everything in this world consists of
the four basic elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. These elements are not like those found on the
periodic table, the elements of which may of course be broken down much further
into molecules, atoms, protons, and neutrons.
These ‘elements’ are the most basic building blocks of matter in this
universe, whether tangible or intangible.
Intangibles are things like character traits.
When Yaakov blesses his children, he singles out their
primary elements and blesses them accordingly.
Reuven, he says, had “water-like
impetuousness.” The deeper meaning of
the blessing was that he channel his natural desire to make things right for
the good. Shimon and Levi had “rage that
was intense.” That’s the element of fire.
Yaakov’s blessing here too was that they channel it for the good. Zebulun should “settle by seashores” utilizing
his element of water to practice
international commerce and support Torah scholars; while Yissachar saw that “the
earth was pleasant.”
A plant that grew on soil
from outside of Israel but sprouted whilst on a boat in Israeli waters is
subject to the laws of maaser (tithes) and sheviis (the sabbatical year). Rabbi Yehuda says: When is this so? Only when the boat is touching the riverbed,
but if it is not touching, it is exempt from the laws.
Rabbi Zaira suggests: Concerning
a perforated pot sitting atop a tripod, we could apply the debate of Rabbi
Yehuda and the Rabbis.
Rashi explains:
According to the Rabbis, if it is in the air, it is just like it is resting on
the ground; whereas according to Rabbi Yehuda, it is not biblically subject to
maaser and sheviis unless it is actually resting on the ground.
Rava responds: Perhaps
the comparison is not accurate. Over
there, the Rabbis stated their position regarding a plant that is directly on
top of the ship with no air intervening, for the water is like thick earth (and so it is as if the plant were
directly on the earth of the seabed).
But concerning a perforated pot on a tripod where the air intervenes
between the plant and the ground, they would not maintain their position.
Interestingly, one of the earliest books of Kabbalah, the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), which
was penned by our patriarch, Avraham, does not mention the element of
earth. The great Kabbalist, Rabbi Moshe
Cordovero, explains in the Pardes Rimonim
that, on a certain level, water and earth originate from the same spiritual
source, ultimately manifesting that union in the physical. He offers the example of the limescale one
finds on a tea kettle after a period of time boiling water. ‘Earth’ appears to be deposited by the ‘water,’
demonstrating that they emanate from the same source. Essentially, we could say that “water is like thick earth!”
Just like every physical creation consists of the four
elements, every human being’s character is made up of these four elements. However, every individual has some elements
more pronounced than others. Before
getting into the elements of character, let me just say that a good way of
determining which element you are is to think about where you would most prefer
to live, if the choice were completely up to you. That’s how Yaakov described it to his
children.
If you’re a mountains kind of person, your element is
air. If you prefer the beach or lake,
your element is water. Like living in
the country or on a farm? Your element
is earth. And if you must have the fast
pace of city-life, you’re a fire-man (or woman!)
How do the elements play out in character? The key
is to first realize that every element has both positive and negative
aspects. No element is better than
another; it all depends on how you channel your primary element.
Fire people are very passionate, eager, enthusiastic,
zealous. Those attributes may be
positive or negative. If you’re
passionate and eager to do mitzvos, you’ve channelled your fire for the
good. But if you’re passionate about
running out to party on a Friday night, then obviously your fire has taken the
wrong direction.
Water people are easy-going and go with the flow. That could be a good thing, especially when
you’re dealing with difficult people or challenging situations. But it could also be a bad thing. Sometimes when everyone around you is on the
wrong path, you shouldn’t just go with the flow and participate. Or it might even be your own temptations that
you don’t stand up to – when anything goes, water is not the ideal attribute.
Earth people are obstinate and unchanging. That too may be good or bad. On the one hand, when everyone around you is adopting
the latest trends in defiance of tradition, you stand up for what is
right. On the other hand, when you’re
not right, you may be stubborn and unwilling to bend to the will of
others. The element of earth also
manifests itself in terms of laziness, sitting around lacking the passion and
drive to do anything positive.
Wind or air people are creative. They might be artistic or musical or great
orators. Those are certainly great
attributes to possess. But, at the same
time, sometimes if you lack groundedness, your head might be ‘in the clouds’
and nothing is ever achieved. And so you
see how each of these elements may be found in different people’s character
types.
It is important to note that every individual is combination
of all four elements. Nobody has just
one single element at the exclusion of the other three. But most people have a dominant element or
two that tend to outshine the other elements of their character. So while you certainly consist of all four,
you need to figure out what your primary element is, so that you can make sure
you’re channeling it to its positive side.
We mentioned earlier than, in a certain way, water is like
thick earth. How so? Originally, in the Creation story, Hashem separated
the upper waters from the lower waters.
In other words, all there was in the beginning of the world was
water. Each morning, we make the bracha, “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who
places the earth above the water.” In this
sense, water and earth are working at odds, but at the same time in
conjunction, with one another. Water
creates life; earth limits that flow.
And so while it may feel like earth and water are opposites,
you really need both in this world. Too
much life – too much flow – would mean there would be no dry land, i.e. nowhere
to walk and live. But if it would all be
dry, there would be no life at all! That’s
the meaning of earth and water being from the same original element-source and
the Gemara’s teaching that water is like thick earth. Water represents life, but without the limits
placed by earth, the water would be overly abundant and ultimately, ineffective.
What that means character-wise is that if you are a water
person or an earth person, the best way to achieve success is to strive to
embody that opposite element. Earth
people are stubborn; water people go with the flow. Each of these attributes may be good, but may
also impede your success. How do you
overcome the negative aspects? If you’re
earthy, try to be watery. If you’re
watery, try to be earthy. Don’t worry
that you’ll go overboard and adopt the negative aspects of the alternate
element, because you can never lose your primary element. Simply work on the opposite attribute, and everything
will fall into place.
Just like no two individuals have the same face, no two
individuals have the same character. We
are all complex combinations of earth, fire, wind, and water. May you discover your primary element and
work to bring out only the positive aspects of your complex character!
