The snake was given the punishment of "afar tochal kol y'mei chayecha," that he would always eat dirt. Seems like a strange punishment. Dirt is everywhere, so no matter where the snake goes, he never goes hungry. There are plenty of people who would love such a punishment!
R' Yitzchok Vorke explained that when a person has a need, he turns to Hashem. By ensuring the snake would never want for food, Hashem ensured the snake would never have the opportunity to turn to Him. There is no greater punishment than this, than being completed disconnected from speaking to Hashem (see also Shem m'Shmuel on Zos haBracha 5667).
R' Yehuda Deri asks a simple question: why did Hashem need to give the nachash a perpetual lifetime supply of food just to not have to listen to his requests? If Hashem didn't want to hear from the nachash and not have a relationship with him, all Hashem had to do is tune him out?
We see from here (as we've discussed in the past), that had the nachash turned to Hashem with a heartfelt prayer, then Hashem would be "unable" to tune it out. There is nothing that stands in the way of tefilah, even the tefilah of the biggest rasha.
Chazal tell us that when Nevuchadnetzar witnessed Chanaya, Mishael, and Azaryah being saved from the furnace, he started to sing praises to Hashem that would have outshone and eclipsed even David HaMelech's praises in Tehillim had a malach not slapped him on the face to stop him. Even though Nevuchadnetzar was a rasha, even though he was the one who threw Ch"M'vA into the furnace, nonetheless his "tehillim" were accepted by Hashem.
indeed Hashem effectively tunes out the snake >before< pronouncing its punishment at 3:14-- He solicits dialogue with man and woman (3:9-13), but seeks none with the nachash...
ReplyDelete...but once the punishment began, mightn't the snake still have cause to cry out-- 'please lift me off of my [blistered] belly, to walk again!' or, 'rachem na, Hashem Elokei, change this dusty diet as monotonous as mon!' or, 'won't You grant my tender skull, Chacham Elyon, 24-7 protection from the heartless heel of man?'?
{aren't "requests" one thing, and "praises" another (if He accepts all comers as to the former, but not the latter)? [or does one speak of a "need" to praise? here He gives Nevuchhadnetzar an "opportunity" to satisfy that need by turning to Him]}
{was this case #1 of "nahama d'kisufa"* (DC, Sept. 25, '20) [a 'guaranteed income' "plenty of people...would love"]? the nachash sought a busha of lasting consequence for adam & chava; midah k'neged midah, it would know lasting shame...
*while adam would eat the opposite,a bread of sweat}
[please pardon this latest midnight exercise...]
Delete"'kol y'mei chayecha'"
in time to come, the mashiach* will extend his hand and seize the nachash by the tail: 'you thought you were eating the flesh (afar**) of good and bad alike, together mixed; not so. you ate and were deceived***. he who requested, thrice daily, v'nafshi keh'afar lakol ti'yeh, and was Answered, [since he was as dust while living,] his corpse was never a part of your free lunch.'
*the chachamim on 'kol y'mei chayecha', haggada
**for dust you [your descendants all alike] are, and to dust you shall return, 3:19
***Chava's words, 3:13