Rabbi Kook

[We know that there are idols that are treated as such even though they are smaller than the size of an olive, as we have learned in a baraita: The pasuk (Shoftim 8:33) that says, “They made for themselves a ba’al brit as a god” is referring to a zevuv (image of a fly) which was the ba’al idol of the people of Ekron. This teaches us that every one of them made the image of the deity he followed and would put it in his pocket. When he would think about it, he would take it out of his pocket and kiss it.

The pasuk (Yeshaya 30:22) says [in regard to the reaction to idol worship after being warned by the prophet]: “Distance them like a dava, say to it: ‘Leave.’” Do not say to it: “Come in.”

A scholar from the Galil was asked to expound upon the ma’aseh merkava (the description of Hashem and His Heavenly abode). He said to them: “I will expound to you according to the way Rabbi Nechemia did to his friends.” A hornet came out of the wall, bit him on his forehead, and he died. They said: “It was from him that it came to him.”

The moral attribute of patience has to find its way into every element of a person’s personality. It applies to the proper pursuit of purity and making the soul unpolluted. This spiritual process of improvement resembles the acts to beautify the body and its limbs, by using special techniques.

An early state of development in the vegetable world has its impact even on the human body, because they share the characteristic of growth and therefore the former can give a style of youth to the latter. That is the reason that smearing premature olive oil on a woman’s skin will bring back youthfulness or reverse premature aging. The purity of youth and the balance of their constitution along with the lack of “strong heat” cause hair not to grow [throughout the body]. This lack of hair is an element of true beauty, whose inner characteristic is of aesthetic adornment, which indicates proper qualities. It is proper that when one strives for such a standing, it should make its imprint in such a manner that all will sense the beauty. The internal purity of the characteristics is that which causes the skin to be smooth, including possessing a charm of spiritual fineness. This is an attribute that is well beyond the coarseness of animalism, which gives the skin a sign of moral ugliness, which is the opposite of smoothness.

There are three animals that become more powerful when they get older: the fish, the snake, and the pig.

Afadna (a hallway before a palace) represents apitcha dein (to this opening)

Sudra (a cloth to cover the head) hints at sod Hashem liyrei’av (the secret of Hashem is [known] to those who fear him).

The gemara continues to look at Aramaic words, looking at similarities to other words.