Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Chassidut

As the dust of the earth

The Rav Name: Rabbi Yitzchak Arad

As Dust:
What is the origenal souce that the Rabbah references to Genesus 13:16 and 41:9:1 for the following:
“As the dust is made to be trampled on, so your children will be made for kingdoms to trample on”
From where does this statement originate?

Shalom and thank you for your question. It is not quite clear what you are referring to.  If your question is about Genesis 13:16, the Torah states there:

“I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted.”

The classic and widely accepred commentator, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, (known by the acronym Rashi,) who also wrote commentary on the Talmud, explains .this sentence as follows:

I WILL MAKE YOUR OFFSPRING AS DUST OF THE EARTH: That they will be scattered, throughout the world,  like dust which is scattered. And furthermore,  if there is not dust in the world there are no trees and crops in the world. So too, if there were no Israel,  the world could not exist,  as it says,  “And all the nations of the world shall bless themselves by your offspring. “

But in the days of the Messiah, the Jewish people are compared to sand which sets everybody’s teeth in edge (if it is ingested.)

Thhs means that the gentile nations will ultimately not be able to conquer the Jewish people.



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