Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

54
בלה תובשחמ
Elchanan argues that we need to be extra careful in their chinuch to protect them
from harmful spiritual elements when they are most vulnerable.
The gid ha-nasheh is not just anatomically connected to Yaakov’s hip socket.
The Gemara in Chullin 99b writes that whereas different foods have the ability to
impart ta’am (taste) into other foods and into pots and dishes, gidin do not impart
ta’am. The Shulchan Aruch holds like this in Yoreh Deah (100:2). He writes that
if non-kosher food accidentally gets mixed with kosher food, we normally need
the kosher food to be 60 times the amount of the non-kosher food to nullify the
taste of the non-kosher food. Only then could the mixture be eaten. This does not
apply to gid ha-nasheh because ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am. Gid ha-nasheh does
not impart ta’am, taste, to other foods or utensils. Therefore, we do not need 60
times its volume to nullify its presence.
Interestingly enough, the word ta’am has another meaning and that is “reason”.
Perhaps halacha connected the gid ha-nasheh and the hip socket to stress the
point that the Yetzer Ha-ra has the most access to our souls when there is no
ta’am, reason,( ein be-gidin be-nosein ta’am). When there is no ta’am, taste or
reason, for certain things we do, it is harder to perform those mitzvos. We will be
quicker to scrutinize whether it is worth it to perform this mitzvah or not. The
same way that Sama’el found Yaakov’s hip socket to be the most accessible point
on his body, so too the Yetzer Ha-ra finds mitzvos that do not have a ta’am, reason,
to be the most accessible points of our souls.
When Yaakov asked the angel for his identity, the malach responded with a
question of his own: Why are you asking me my name? Most interpret the angel’s
response as a simple inquiry. Perhaps another way to read the pasuk is not as a
question in response but rather as Esav’s malach’s actual name. His name is “Why
are you asking my name?” Why are you searching for my identity? Why are you
trying to figure out what I am all about? Stop asking questions. Life will be much
simpler and enjoyable that way. When we don’t ask what the identity of our weak
points are, then the Satan has us exactly where he wants us.