Torah Talk W/ David Suissa

Luke Ford writes:

David Suissa and I will discuss on my live cam this week’s two Torah portions — Maatot and Masei. Chabad commentary. Aish. Roundup.

Here are some of the notes I made of things I wanted to discuss (mainly taken from Chabad):

Ascetism leads to purity, purity leads to holiness, holiness leads to humility, humility leads to fear of sin, fear of sin leads to saintliness, saintliness leads to the [possession of] the holy spirit, and the holy spirit leads to eternal life.
(Talmud, Avodah Zarah 20b)
The Hebrew word midian means “strife”. Midian is the essence of divisiveness, which is the root of all evil.

Judaism is not pacifist. And Moses spoke to the people: “Arm yourselves… to take G-d’s vengeance on Midian” (31:3)

G-d said to Israel: It is you who have an account to settle with them, for they caused Me to harm you. But Moses said: Master of the worlds! If we had been uncircumcised, or idol-worshippers, or had denied the mitzvot, the Midianites would not have hated us. They only persecute us on account of the Torah and the precepts which You have given us! Consequently the vengeance is Yours; and so I say: “To take G-d’s vengeance on Midian.”
(Midrash Tanchuma)
“To take G-d’s vengeance on Midian” — for whoever stands against Israel, stands against G-d.
G-d sees the war on Midian as avenging Israel, for G-d’s foremost concern is for His people; the people of Israel see the war as avenging G-d, for they are concerned only with the honor of G-d.
(The Chassidic Masters
The proverb says: “A well from which you drank, cast not a stone into it.”