Monday, November 20, 2006

I promised Chavera I would explain the brocha of "Shelo usanu esha"
OK here goes nuffin!
Davening is not for Hashem! No the L-rd needs nothing from us puny humans.
Well maybe a small token of appreciation.
Hashem made the world to fill a need, namely to do good.
Yes, the Aibishter likes to do chesed.
So you need a recipient for this chesed, hence little helpless sniveling humans. (that's us)
OK, so the world is created and let the chesed roll.
Now for short note, to paraphrase Arnold Fine i'll give you 'ah farinstance'. You buy lolly pops to give to 2 kids, you tell 'em that they get the lollies when the clean up their toys. 1 does an excellent job and earns the lolly. The other does a bit and then whines until he gets his lolly. Who do think enjoyed the lolly more. Doesn't the kid that earned it, enjoy it more, the geshmake feeling of earning your own is very satisfying. Not to mention you the giver, you feel way better giving the earner his lolly, doncha?
So Hashem is giving lollies, the earner and G-d, way more enjoy this exchange, then the freeloader, who will always grumble. Look around, you know some of 'em.
So working with assumption that Hashem likes giving to those who follow instructions, the Torah is created to provide such instructions. Personally I think G-d has a great sense of humor with some of the mitzvos, but all in all they do a body good.
So those who listen win fabulous prizes and those who don't still get, 'cause G-d is great! But they get, with a sigh.
Now Hashem need humans on a constant basis, so humans need to reproduce. OK to solve that, G-d introduced desire, I mean we could've grown on trees like apples, right?
So the good L-rd creates 2 types of humans, both species are needed to procreate but they are distinct. There are those who will create the new humans and those that will build what humans need to survive.
Let us use Adam and Chava.
Adam's instructions:
Arrange food and shelter.
Provide for your wife and kiddies this and whatever else falls into the miscellaneous folder
whether you get a office job, count sheep or plow fields is up to you, but that's your job.
Chava's Instructions:
Make sure the human race continues.
(sorry to those who get offended but I am not making this up. I believe this to be Torah values! I didn't write that woman couldn't be a lawyer, astronaut, cook, shlepper president or anything else she darn wants to be, I'm just saying that This is the way Judaism presents the family unit, and it, as all Torah values, work well.)
The female is given a G-d like ability to create life, she is made closer to a G-d like image than the male. In return, she is to use this gift to bring forth and nurture kids. And while there are exceptions, as a rule, women are way more capable of doing it.
What does all this have to do with the 3 brochos?
Well as hakoras hatov, we daven, not 'cause Hashem needs it, we daven to express thanx.
So we thank for what Hashem gave and will give.
This matnas chinum (free stuff) can be earned to a degree, by mitzvos, so everybody do as many as you can, but some might say 'hey its not fair, G-d told me to be busy with my children'.
True kids come first, and so says the L-rd "henceforth women are exempt from time based mitzvos and they can rack up more heaven points by just lovin' those kiddiepoos".
So in order
Ggentiles have only about 7 mitzvos (poor souls).
Jewish slaves have more.
Jewish women have even more.
Jewish men have most.
Get it?

The women express their, replacement heaven points, by saying 'thank you creating me more like yourself, your will'. Basically thanx for giving me the G-d like gift of creation! Women are more in tune with G-d than males.
Which also explains the mikva going, one purifies oneself before engaging in G-d's work.

OK 1 more point, if all this is true, then why the negative connotations, thanx that I'm not this and not that.
There is a famous Gemara that discusses whether it's better to be born or not, strictly from the human point of view. The conclusion is, that it's better not to ever arrive on this world.
So instead of thanking in the positive, the Great Assembly wrote these brachos the other way. Sorta I'd rather not be here, but since I already am, thanx for at least giving us the Torah Mitzvos to keep me going. And since you already created me, thanx for not making a gentile slave or a woman. At least I got lotsa mitzvos. And the women say thanx for making me more G-d like in the positive, 'cause they're happier with their lot!

Breath breath breath.
OK I think I got everything, if not give me a holler.

12 comments:

Y.Y. said...

hakudoysh burich hee misaveh l'tfelusen shel tzadikem
so hashem does need us to daven it is his pleasure he gets
about shelo usanee ee shoo (sorry i dont have hebrew font)
you coulve put it in one sentence the bracha is not for that its better to be a guy physical stance its spiritual men have much more mitzvos and we thank hashem for that

Anonymous said...

ee shoo?
burich hee?
your havura sound very chasidish

Y.Y. said...

that is correct chuckee

socialworker/frustrated mom said...

Interesting thoughts

Anonymous said...

You are so obsessed with your precious manhood

yingerman said...

Lady Delish
I thought it was a clarification respectful of both genders,
but your comment indicates you feel different actually I'd say from your comment......are you horny?

YY taveh and tzurich are 2 different words
I stand by my statement, G-d need nothing from us.
Enjoys?
Sure!
Needs?
No.

sw/f mom
Thanks

Chaim Chusid said...

Yingerman,

I see spousy has you well trained!

Great writing as usual.

Chaim

chaverah said...

very well thought out answer. I still hate that bracha b/c no matter how you cover it with sugar and spice it still feels negative. lets face it the gemara degrates women. Thanks for the explanation.

Anonymous said...

nuffin? holler? Are you a Chasidish shvartza?

yingerman said...

Sorry Chavera I can't anyone's perception of anything. But what I wrote IS the truth.

Thanx Chaim

Anony yep I got usedta a particular way of speakin'

anonym00kie said...

chaverah i have a feeling that whatever anyone says, ull still feel negative about it. you made up ure mind and now ure gonna stick with it no matter what. its like those kids who get a gift and instead of playing with it and being happy with it, they look over to their brother and whine.. heyyyy why did he get THAT and i got THIS!? or the husband who buys his wife a pair of diamond earrings and then looks over at her neighbour and instead of thankig her husband for working hard and buying this, blurts out - how come i have earrings and she has a bracelet!
i mean cmon.. lets focus here.. this yinger guy just gave a beautiful explanation - g-d gave women the ability to create human life - a g-d like ability that men dont have.. and instead of being proud of your brocha, you focus on what the men say..
i just dont get it..

anonym00kie said...

y.y. maybe men have more mitzvahs.. cuz they NEED more mitvahs. unlike yingerguy, i dont agree that mitzvahs are here to get us brownie points. theyre tools to get us closer to hashem.. so the more you need signifies the more work you need to do..
sorry to break it to you :)