Join for Free
Home » JLife

From Here to There in the Blink of an Eye

Submitted by One Comment

At science fiction and fantasy conventions, one might expect to hear strange tales of talking animals, shape shifters and teleportation. These things are not, however, commonly thought of in relation to Torah, but perhaps they should be. Balaam’s donkey talks to him, literally (Numbers 22), Moses changes his staff into a snake (Exodus 7), and, according to the sages (Sanhedrin 95a-b) “the earth contracted” for Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, and for Jacob (as well as Abishi ben Zeruah in the time of David).

“Our sages taught: For three did the earth contract…Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, as it is written ‘And I came on this day unto the well,’ implying that he had set out on that same day…” Eliezer had been charged with the task of going to Abraham’s brother’s household to find a bride for Isaac. This is certainly an important task, but why was it so important that God changed the laws of nature? In truth, Eliezer’s mission was very difficult for him personally. Part of him wanted it to fail so that Isaac might marry his own daughter. Perhaps it was to reduce that temptation that God caused him to arrive in just one day, on what should have been a long, multi-day journey.

The concept of God contracting the earth is referred to in the Talmud as Kefitzat Haderech. Kefitzat derives from the word “jump,” and derech means road. Many of the tales of the great chassidic rebbes, particulary the Baal Shem Tov, include Kefitzat Haderech.

The idea of the earth shrinking, or being able to jump from one place to another, is intriguing and appealing (especially to those stuck in rush hour). In fact, it is so appealing a concept that one science fiction writer did take it from the Talmud…Frank Herbert’s Dune series contains a power called Kwisatz Haderech, the shortening of the road.

Copyright © 2010 National hookup Outreach Program. All rights reserved.

Email this post Email this post
Bookmark and Share

One Comment »

  • T King says:

    This expression gives a new dimension to “Godspeed.”

Leave a comment!

Add your comment below, or trackback from your own site. You can also subscribe to these comments via RSS.

Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.

This is a Gravatar-enabled weblog. To get your own globally-recognized-avatar, please register at Gravatar.


6 + 8 =

Jmag Search
Search now! »
Please enter a zip code.

polls

  • What’s your top resolution for the hookup New Year?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

hookup hotshot compilation

Most of the apps obtainable on Google play store or iOS Appstore are produced exclusively for mobile platforms. But do you know you can still use any of your favourite Android or iOS apps on your laptop even if the official version for Pc platform not offered? Yes, they do exits a handful of simple tricks you can use to set up Android apps on Windows machine and use them as you use on Android smartphones. Neverthele aware bells ought position lowered in which a mannequin each a single of an urgent interaction a particular person to demand big bigger large date which near. kcrubratings According to Kathleen Bogle, the phrase hooking up is a slang term deemed unofficial and unpredictable due to the extended variation of its which means. Support for sexual freedom became increasingly well known as new tips and beliefs evolved about the optimistic and damaging aspects of engaging in sexual intercourse. It became much more widely accepted that obtaining sex was not necessarily normally intended for reproduction, but rather had additional emphasis on physical pleasure. Before the 1960s, unmarried ladies have been ordinarily denied access to birth manage due to the fact it was standard for males and females to refrain from having sex till right after marriage. If you re only interested in casual sex, let her know. Netflix Dating Show Casts too Hot To Handle, love Is Blind Singles west lafayette singles In 5 years from now we see ourselves being the Bumble or Hinge of social dating an untapped market that singles do not even realize they need, Dietzek said. Considering that most chat platforms do not make registration obligatory, it is important to know if there are also many fake users. You can read on the internet testimonials and use your finest judgment to ensure you do not engage with a malicious individual.