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THE DAFYOMI DISCUSSION LIST
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Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
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Re: Chulin 007: The powers of evil
Dr. M. Kaplan asked:
>>The Gemara first quotes Rebbi Chanina who says that nothing (even
>>"Keshafim") has power in this world except for Hashem, as it is written,
>>"There is nothing besides Him" (Devarim 4). Rebbi Chanina further states
>>that "a person does not hurt his finger unless decreed from above." The
>>Gemara then quotes Rebbi Yochanan who says that sorcerers are called
>>"Keshafim" because they are "Makchishin Pamalya Shel Ma'alah," -- "they
>>contravene the powers of above."<<
The Kollel replied:
>>The answer to your question involves two elements...<<
Rabbi Moshe Lehrfield writes:
Thank you.
The first answer given by the kollel is interesting; however, it implies
that another person can, in fact, harm another person even though such harm
is not preordained from above. This is very difficult for me to except.
Most people have a simple understanding that whatever occurs to a person
whether naturally or through the act of another person is because the one
above has decreed it to be so. Of course, there may be an "exception" to
this rule in the case of witchcraft, which needs further clarification.
There is a wonderful discussion of this entire matter in Sifsai Chaim.
The second explanation is nice, but I do not think that it is the Pshat.
M. Lehrfield
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The Kollel replies:
(a) Difficult as it sounds, the Or ha'Chayim that we quoted (in Bereishis
37:21) indeed says that a person can, in fact, harm another person even
though such harm is not preordained from above. I discussed this Or
ha'Chayim with Hagaon Rav Moshe Shapiro (Bayit Vegan) shlit'a recently, and
tried to argue that he doesn't really mean that the preordained can be
changed by another person, but that greater merit is necessary to prevent
damage being inflicted by a free-choosing person than to prevent damage by
an animal etc. However, Rav Moshe did not accept my argument and said that
the Or ha'Chayim's words imply that a person can, in fact, harm another
person even though such harm is not preordained from above.
(b) I am not sure what your difficulty was with the second explanation.
Perhaps you found it difficult to fit into the words of Rebbi Chanina that
a person does not stub his toe on this world unless it is decreed from
above; how can that be referring only to the very meritorious?
However, that statement is not discussing harm being caused by a Ba'al
Bechirah, but rather harm that comes by itself. Therefore it is true of
everyone; one will not stub his toe without having it decreed from above.
The other statement, "Ein Od Milvado", is limited by the Gemara itself to
those who are unusually meritorious, as we said in our second explanation
(which complements the first).
M. Kornfeld
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