The Good Serpent
I believe the serpent (NaChaSh, nun chet sheen in Hebrew) all too often gets a bad rap. Whereas my searchings in the Hebrew Torah have caused me to see it as a good and necessary part of our existence.
First, what is a serpent? A snake, something with its head to the grindstone, weaving right and left to move forward. There are many times in Torah where we are instructed to not turn to the right or left:
De 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as YHWH your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
De 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
De 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
De 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
And I also see it when they crossed the sea of weeds:
Ex 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Personally, I see a lot of "pictures" in the Hebrew. If you draw a vertical line, and then draw a snake, starting with its head on the line, and weaving right and left as you go down, you will see what I am trying to convey. Tradition tells us that Aaron's rod had a serpent wrapped around it (maybe two, i forget) but we also see in the medical symbol a rod with 2 serpents wrapped around it. This brings healing, when the serpent is wrapped firmly around the matteh (rod). But again, what is this serpent, this nachash? Is there any metaphorical meaning here? If the serpent wrapped firmly around the matteh brings healing, then what happens if the serpent is willy nilly turning right and left?
In our human relations, if I called someone a snake, you would know what I meant. Someone who was devious, deceptive. But, could it also be someone who turns right and left, looking for ways around the law? Looking right and left for loopholes in the law so as to justify his behaviour? I believe this has much to do with the nachash, as it is used in the Torah.
Torah tells me that a human is a nephesh just as many other animals/creatures, nephesh; a breathing creature. We know that this nephesh has some sort of instinct, a survival instinct, a very good and necessary part of our being. It's focus is on food, procreation and shelter, good necessary parts of our existence.
According to the Jewish tradition, the Hebrew word that is referring to the Godly "soul" is neshama (not nephesh). The Jewish tradition also speaks of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, but as far as I know, they do not recognize any specific Hebrew word in the Torah that is referring to it, whereas I see the strong possibility that nachash may very well have much to do with the "voice" of the nephesh. The contrasting voices in our heads, the one from Above, the neshama, that is seemingly some kind of receiver where our conscience lies, the part of us telling us to do the right thing, and gives us understanding from a Godly perspective, and the other voice, the voice of our nephesh, the reasoning part of our instinct, the part which figures things out thru ingesting the data from our physical experiences (our physical experiences being the "dust of the earth", history if you will). This is what the nachash "feeds on", dust, and it is the most cunning of all the "field life" (Ge 3:1), the nachash within humans is more cunning than the nachash within any of the other creatures upon the earth. It has the greatest reasoning ability. Notice what Laban said to Yaqob:
Ge 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience <05172> that YHWH hath blessed me for thy sake.
05172 is the verb root of the noun nachash 05715. Laban wasn't stupid, he could see how YHWH had blessed Yaqob as he slaved away in Laban's household. Any of us creatures would have seen this, and thru the ability of the nachash to reason, we can figure it out. Well, this again is a good and necessary part of our being. The ability to figure things out, even if it is without input from Above, thru the neshama. Our reasoning ability can be used for good but it can also be used for bad, turning right and left, seeking justification for our actions when we know our actions are wrong because neshama tells us they are. I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I know in my little mind there are 2 voices. Back in what I nowadays call a "previous life" when I was seemingly always giving in to the nachash, seeking personal gratification to the extreme with little concern of the wake ruin it might cause, 'self will run riot' as some call it, this nachash ruled my being, and was the dominate voice always trying to suppress neshama, quench it completely, whereas since I gave up and asked "God" for help in my life, today I can honestly say that neshama is the dominate voice, but nechash still nips at me from time to time, and I still have plenty capability to give in. This is a daily struggle that I figure will continue to the day I die.
This is how I see this so called nachash metaphorically as it is used in Torah, and I can also see the possibility that what brings "healing" is when we can take that nachash by the tail, and straighten it out into compliance with the neshama, into compliance with the "rod", the law, the pathway. Where it stops looking for justifications around doing the right thing. I see this also when YHWH instructs Moshe to not fear the nachash, but to take hold of it by the tail and watch how it will straighten out:
Ge 4:2 And YHWH said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moshe fled from before it.
4 And YHWH said unto Moshe, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
When we do this, it can become a strength, a twofold cord, neshama and nechash, working together towards the same cause. When neshama is the dominate voice in our being, nachash stops turning right and left. Keep nachash's nose to the grindstone, in the middle of the path, and although it's tail may still occasionally sway right or left outside the boundaries of the path, at least it is still moving in the correct direction.
Sincerely,
Tom
First, what is a serpent? A snake, something with its head to the grindstone, weaving right and left to move forward. There are many times in Torah where we are instructed to not turn to the right or left:
De 5:32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as YHWH your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
De 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
De 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
De 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
And I also see it when they crossed the sea of weeds:
Ex 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Personally, I see a lot of "pictures" in the Hebrew. If you draw a vertical line, and then draw a snake, starting with its head on the line, and weaving right and left as you go down, you will see what I am trying to convey. Tradition tells us that Aaron's rod had a serpent wrapped around it (maybe two, i forget) but we also see in the medical symbol a rod with 2 serpents wrapped around it. This brings healing, when the serpent is wrapped firmly around the matteh (rod). But again, what is this serpent, this nachash? Is there any metaphorical meaning here? If the serpent wrapped firmly around the matteh brings healing, then what happens if the serpent is willy nilly turning right and left?
In our human relations, if I called someone a snake, you would know what I meant. Someone who was devious, deceptive. But, could it also be someone who turns right and left, looking for ways around the law? Looking right and left for loopholes in the law so as to justify his behaviour? I believe this has much to do with the nachash, as it is used in the Torah.
Torah tells me that a human is a nephesh just as many other animals/creatures, nephesh; a breathing creature. We know that this nephesh has some sort of instinct, a survival instinct, a very good and necessary part of our being. It's focus is on food, procreation and shelter, good necessary parts of our existence.
According to the Jewish tradition, the Hebrew word that is referring to the Godly "soul" is neshama (not nephesh). The Jewish tradition also speaks of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, but as far as I know, they do not recognize any specific Hebrew word in the Torah that is referring to it, whereas I see the strong possibility that nachash may very well have much to do with the "voice" of the nephesh. The contrasting voices in our heads, the one from Above, the neshama, that is seemingly some kind of receiver where our conscience lies, the part of us telling us to do the right thing, and gives us understanding from a Godly perspective, and the other voice, the voice of our nephesh, the reasoning part of our instinct, the part which figures things out thru ingesting the data from our physical experiences (our physical experiences being the "dust of the earth", history if you will). This is what the nachash "feeds on", dust, and it is the most cunning of all the "field life" (Ge 3:1), the nachash within humans is more cunning than the nachash within any of the other creatures upon the earth. It has the greatest reasoning ability. Notice what Laban said to Yaqob:
Ge 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience <05172> that YHWH hath blessed me for thy sake.
05172 is the verb root of the noun nachash 05715. Laban wasn't stupid, he could see how YHWH had blessed Yaqob as he slaved away in Laban's household. Any of us creatures would have seen this, and thru the ability of the nachash to reason, we can figure it out. Well, this again is a good and necessary part of our being. The ability to figure things out, even if it is without input from Above, thru the neshama. Our reasoning ability can be used for good but it can also be used for bad, turning right and left, seeking justification for our actions when we know our actions are wrong because neshama tells us they are. I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I know in my little mind there are 2 voices. Back in what I nowadays call a "previous life" when I was seemingly always giving in to the nachash, seeking personal gratification to the extreme with little concern of the wake ruin it might cause, 'self will run riot' as some call it, this nachash ruled my being, and was the dominate voice always trying to suppress neshama, quench it completely, whereas since I gave up and asked "God" for help in my life, today I can honestly say that neshama is the dominate voice, but nechash still nips at me from time to time, and I still have plenty capability to give in. This is a daily struggle that I figure will continue to the day I die.
This is how I see this so called nachash metaphorically as it is used in Torah, and I can also see the possibility that what brings "healing" is when we can take that nachash by the tail, and straighten it out into compliance with the neshama, into compliance with the "rod", the law, the pathway. Where it stops looking for justifications around doing the right thing. I see this also when YHWH instructs Moshe to not fear the nachash, but to take hold of it by the tail and watch how it will straighten out:
Ge 4:2 And YHWH said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moshe fled from before it.
4 And YHWH said unto Moshe, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
When we do this, it can become a strength, a twofold cord, neshama and nechash, working together towards the same cause. When neshama is the dominate voice in our being, nachash stops turning right and left. Keep nachash's nose to the grindstone, in the middle of the path, and although it's tail may still occasionally sway right or left outside the boundaries of the path, at least it is still moving in the correct direction.
Sincerely,
Tom
Views: 30
Comment
Events
Forum
Freemasonary and The Lost Tribes 12 Replies
Started by Joanna Garrett. Last reply by Kris Carmichael 16 hours ago.
Who is my brother? 3 Replies
Started by Tom Moniz. Last reply by Ted Walther May 25.
Potluck for Torah Dedication
Started by Jodell O May 22.
Music
© 2012 Created by Ross Nichols.
You need to be a member of A Synagogue Without Walls to add comments!
Join A Synagogue Without Walls