I was looking for the origin of the phrase, "לא ידח ממנו נידח," "[Hashem] won't let anyone be left behind." It is used to mean that Hashem is always making plans and putting off bringing the geulah, the redemption, so that he kind find a way to make it so that when the geulah does come, no Jew will be left out.
After googling around, I was able to find this reference, which I linked to in this post. The author of that article said that the phrase came from the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh regarding Pinchas. I found that reference in the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh at the beginning of Parshas Pinchas, Bamidbar 25:14, "וְשֵׁם אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמֻּכֶּה אֲשֶׁר הֻכָּה אֶת-הַמִּדְיָנִית זִמְרִי בֶּן-סָלוּא נְשִׂיא בֵית-אָב לַשִּׁמְעֹנִי." "And the name of the Jewish man who was smitten, who was smitten with the Midianite woman, was Zimri ben Salu, prince of the tribe of Shimon."
The Ohr Hachaim is coming to explain why Zimri ben Salu is introduced with the complimentary phrase, "אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל," "The Jewish man." One explanation he shares is that the Torah uses that phrase to show that even after what he had done with the Midianiate woman, he was still an "אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל," fully part of the Jewish people. Like I referred to in this post, no matter how low a Jew has fallen, Hashem never forgets about him and is always making plans about how to return that person back to their root, the place where they belong.
In this vein, the Ohr Hachaim says, in the name of the "Mekubalim Hakadmonim," the earlier Kabbalists, that "לא ידח ממנו נידח," no Jew will be pushed aside or left behind and that every Jewish spark will be returned to its source in holiness. He says that even if a Jew is deserving of being killed, he will still br brought back.
I don't know if this idea originally comes from the Zohar or some other earlier source. But if anyone else knows, please let me know!
-Dixie Yid
(Picture courtesy of pro.corbis.com)
Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox.
5 comments:
Hi Dix, it may indeed have its origins in the Ohr HaChaim, but I believe it's based on the verses found in Devarim 30:1-6, especially:
בכל הגוים אשר הדיחך... [verse 1]
AND
אם יהיה נדחך בקצה השמים, משם יקבצך ה' אלוקיך, ומשם יקחך [verse 4]. MY 2 agorot!
It is actually a posuk in Sefer Shmuel II 14:14. l'bilti yidach mimenu nidach
weird. i saw this phrase quoted a few days ago .. as a passuk, though now i don't remember where it was that i saw it.. so it's a good thing anonymous saved the day :)
Shmuel Bais, Perek 14 Pasuk 14 (a remez to Yad'B'Yad here?)
כִּי-מוֹת נָמוּת וְכַמַּיִם הַנִּגָּרִים אַרְצָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֵאָסֵפוּ וְלֹא-יִשָּׂא אֱלֹ-ים נֶפֶשׁ וְחָשַׁב
מַחֲשָׁבוֹת לְבִלְתִּי יִדַּח מִמֶּנּוּ נִדָּח
I'll leave it to Dixie Yid to darshan.
Thank y'all. And the whole phrase, "וְחָשַׁב
מַחֲשָׁבוֹת לְבִלְתִּי יִדַּח מִמֶּנּוּ נִדָּח" is exactly how I'd heard it. I'd still be interested if there's an earlier use of that pasuk than the Ohr Hachaim in the specific way he's using it, which is the modern way I'd heard it used. Yasher koach for finding the pasuk!
-Dixie Yid
Post a Comment