I hear Chassidic stories that the Samach Mem causes Jews to fight, and other evil
What is it? What is it's goal? What is it's powers? Why did G-d Almighty creat it?
Where can I read more about him?
11
-
It's called the yetzer hara– HeshyCommented Dec 4, 2019 at 14:06
-
1jtf.org/forum/index.php?topic=70861.0 dailyhalacha.com/Print.asp?P=True&ClipID=393 books.google.com/… I see also references to Samael and Eisav's angel– rosendsCommented Dec 4, 2019 at 14:34
-
1en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samael– Joel KCommented Dec 4, 2019 at 14:35
-
1@hazoriz Do you understand what the abbreviation "Samach Mem" stands for? (It is the specific name of one of G-d's angels.) In that context, it's unclear exactly how much of an explanation/answer you are seeking. It sounds like you don't understand the subject of angels as taught within the Torah. Your question is essentially, 'Why did G-d establish, within His system in the creation, the quality of judgement and decay/restriction?' There are many, many sources dealing with this. But it's not something that can be distilled into a brief answer.– Yaacov DeaneCommented Dec 4, 2019 at 15:36
-
2@hazoriz To my knowledge, there is nothing simple about this subject. There are plenty of books being produced today by people who represent themselves as 'kabbalists' that say all kinds of wild things. But these are not in keeping with what traditional Jewish teaching actually says. Are you in Israel or the United States or elsewhere? Depending on your location is most likely what would direct you to a potential source.– Yaacov DeaneCommented Dec 4, 2019 at 17:17
|
Show 6 more comments
1 Answer
As the comments mentioned, the 'samech mem' is the abbreviation for 'Samael' - the Yetzer Hara/Angel of Death/Archangel of Esav. You can find more written about it here as the article discusses
- The angel's prosecution of Yaakov (and the Jewish nation as a whole)
- The sa'ir l'azazel given on Yom Kippur which goes to the angel.
- The angel's role as Esav's archangel
You can also find more sources here. If you were wondering, one reason why Samael is called the samech mem is due to the general hesitancy in mentioning an angel's name:
When G‑d created the angels, He instructed them to go to a person who calls their name. As such, we do not want to "disturb" them unnecessarily (see Taamei Hamitzvot of the Arizal, end of Parshat Vayechi).
