Sanctification and Overcoming the Flesh

Sanctification and Overcoming the Flesh

James Scott Trimm

In Yochanan (John) we read the following:

23. And Yeshua was walking in the Temple, in the porch of Shlomo.

24 And the Judeans gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, How long will You hold us? If You are the Messiah, tell us in the open.

25 Yeshua answered and said to them: I told you, and you did not believe. And the works that I do in the Name of My Father, bear witness about Me.

26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:

28 And I give them eternal life, and they will not perish, forever. And no man will pluck them from My hands.

29 For My Father who gave to Me from all, is great, and no man, is able to pluck them from the hand of My Father.

30 I and My Father are one.

31 And again the Judeans took up stones to stone Him.

32 Yeshua said to them: I have shown you many good works from My Father. Because of which work, do you stone Me?

33 The Judeans said to Him, We do not stone You because of good works, but because You have blasphemed, and being a son of man, have made Your nefesh [to be] Elohim.

34 Yeshua said to them: Is it not thus written in your Torah? I have said that you are Elohim. (Ps. 82:6)

35 If he called those [people] elohim because the word of Elohim was with them, and the Scripture is not able to be broken,

36 To Him–whom the Father sanctified and sent to the world–do you say, You blaspheme? Because I told you that I am the Son of Elohim?

(Yochanan (John) 10:23-36 HRV)

What does this very controversial passage mean? Yeshua says “I and my Father are one” (Yn. 10:30) and when the Judeans respond by threatening to stone him for “blasphemy”, Yeshua defends himself by quoting Psalm 82:6.

Some have attempted to explain this quotation by referencing Rabbinic sources that explain “Elohim” in Psalm 82:6 as simply meaning “judges” or “angels” and not Elohim. However, if this is the real meaning of Psalm 82:6 in this context, then Yeshua would have been taking the passage completely out of context, as he uses the passage, not to justify a claim of being a judge or angel, but a claim of being one with the Father.

Lets look at Psalm 82:

1 A Psalm of Asaf. (82:1) Elohim stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the

elohim He judges:

2 How long will you judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? Selah

3 Judge the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute:

4 Rescue the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

5 They know not, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness. All the

foundations of the earth are moved.

6 I said, You are Elohim, and all of you, sons of Elyon.

7 Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

8 Arise, O Elohim; judge the earth: for You shall possess all nations.

(Psalm 82:1-8 HRV)

Yeshua’s citation of Psalm 82:6 brings to mind a passage found in the Dead Sea Scroll document known as the Melchizedek Document (11Q13) which cites Psalm 82:1. 11Q13 speaks of this Messiah as a figure called “Melchizedek.” In this document Is. 61:2 is quoted with “Melchizedek” substituted for YHWH. Furthermore the terms EL and ELOHIM are in 11Q13 applied to the Melchizedek/Messiah figure.

11Q13 Col. 4-9 quotes Is. 61:1-2 but substitutes “the year of Melchizedek’s favor” for “the year of YHWH’s favor” thus identifying the Melchizedek figure with YHWH in this passage. 11Q13 goes on to say:

…as it is written about him [Melchizedek] in the Songs of David,

“ELOHIM has taken his place in the council of EL;

in the midst of the ELOHIM he holds judgment”

(Ps. 82:1) Scripture also says about him [Melchizedek],

“Over it take your seat in the highest heaven;

EL will judge the peoples” (Ps. 7:7-8)

(11Q13 Col. 10-11)

The text of 11Q13 goes on to apply the passage “Your ELOHIM reigns” (Is. 52:7) to Melchizedek finally concluding:

“Your ELOHIM” (Is. 52:7) is Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial.

(11Q13 Col. 24-25)

The Melchizadek figure of 11Q13 would free the captives (Is. 61:1-2) and through the Day of Atonement will “atone for all the Sons of Light”.

As shown above. The Melchizadek Document quotes Psalm 82:1 in reference to its identification of the Messiah with the terms YHWH, EL and Elohim.

Is it a complete coincidence, then, that Yeshua quotes Psalm 82:6 to support his claim that he is one with the Father?

What does Psalm 82:6 really mean? How does it support Yeshua’s claim?

The answer lies in Genesis 2:7:

Then YHWH Elohim formed man of the dust of the earth, and breathed into his

nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

(Gen. 2:7 HRV)

Man is a spark of the Divine, a fragment of Elohim. This is why the first Century Jewish writer Philo f Alexandria commented on this passage saying:

… There are two several parts of which we consist, the soul and the body; now the body is made of earth, but the soul consists of air, being a fragment of the Divinity, for “God breathed into man’s face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7) It is therefore quite consistent with reason to say that the body which was fashioned out of the earth has nourishment which the earth gives forth akin to the matter of which it is composed; but the soul, inasmuch as it is a portion of the ethereal nature, is supported by nourishment which is ethereal and divine, for it is nourished on knowledge, and not on meat or drink, which the body requires.

(Allegorical Interpretation, III, 161)

He does well here to attribute the flow of blood to the mass of flesh, combining two things appropriate to one another; but the essence of the mind he has not made to depend on any created thing, but has represented it as breathed into man by God from above. For, says Moses, “The Creator of the universe breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul,” (Gen. 2:7) who also, it is recorded, was fashioned after the image of the Creator.

(Who is the Heir of Divine Things? 56)

For among created things, the heaven is holy in the world, in accordance with which body, the imperishable and indestructible natures revolve; and in man the mind is holy, being a sort of fragment of the Deity, and especially according to the statement of Moses, who says, “God breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7).

(On Dreams 1, 34)

In the Tanya of the Rebbe Zalman we read likewise:

The second soul of a Jew is truly a part of G‑d above (Job 31:2), as it is written, “And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” (Gen. 2:7) and “Thou didst breathe it [the soul] into me.” (Morning Prayer b.Berachot 60b)

(Tanya; Likutei Amarim Chapter 2)

In the Tanya, this second soul is called the Nefesh Elohit (נפש אלהית) and is in conflict with the animal soul.

When Psalm 82:6 says “you are Elohim” it means that you are a fragment of Elohim. You have within you a spark of the Divine, a Nefesh Elohit. But we don’t act like it, we judge unjustly because we know not, neither do we understand that we are elohim, but we wonder around in darkness (Ps. 82:2-5).

But it is not YHWH’s intent that we wonder in darkness forever. The prophet Zechariah writes:

9 And YHWH shall be King over all the earth. In that day, shall YHWH be One, and His

Name one.

(Zech. 14:9 HRV)

If YHWH will me One “in that day” then what is YHWH now? Right now, YHWH is fragmented, because we are all fragments of YHWH, but the time will com when YHWH will once again be One. This is called the “lifting up of the sparks.” It is a great work of refinement and sanctification. And this is why Yeshua referenced Psalm 82:6 to support his own claim of being one with the Father.

The Fall of Adam

Now I want to share with you a secret, the Fall of Adam, was absolutely essential to this process of the lifting up of the sparks and of our sanctification. We read in the Torah concerning the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge:

And out of the ground made YHWH Elohim, to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

(Gen. 2:9)

The Jewish commentator Nahmanides comments on this passage saying:

…You may think the serpent was lying to her [saying “you shall be as gods”] (in Gen. 3:5), but our tradition admits he told the truth; and see “the YHWH Elohim said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us knowing good and bad’” (Gen. 3:22). The explanation that seems best to me is that man would have done what was naturally proper for him to do, just like the heavens and all their host, surely, reliably, and without emotion; but the fruit of that tree engendered will and desire, so that those who ate it could choose a thing or its opposite, good or bad. That is why it was called “the tree of knowledge of good and bad,…”

Nahmanides refers back to this very insightful comment in his commentary on Deuteronomy 30:6

And YHWH your Elohim will circumcise your heart (Deuteronomy 30:6) It is this which the Rabbis have said, “If someone comes to purify himself, they assist him” [from on High]. The verse assures you that you will return to Him with all your heart and He will help you.

This following subject is very apparent from Scripture: Since the time of Creation, man has had the power to do as he pleased, to be righteous or wicked. This [grant of free will] applies likewise to the entire Torah period, so that people can gain merit upon choosing the good and punishment for preferring evil. But in the days of the Messiah, the choice of their [genuine] good will be natural; the heart will not desire the improper and it will have no craving whatever for it. This is the “circumcision” mentioned here, for lust and desire are the “foreskin” of the heart, and circumcision of the heart means that it will not covet or desire evil.”

Man will return at that time to what he was before the sin of Adam, when by his nature he did what should properly be done, and there were no conflicting desires in his will, as I have explained in Seder Bereshit.

It is this which Scripture states in [the Book of] Jeremiah 31:30], ‘Behold, the days come,’ says YHWH, ‘that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers ..etc. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Eternal, I will put my Law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it.

This is a reference to the annulment of the evil instinct (yetzer ra) and to the natural performance by the heart of its proper function. Therefore Jeremiah said further, and I will be their Elohim, and they shall be My People; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying: ‘Know YHWH; ‘for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.’

Now, it is known that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth and it is necessary to instruct them, but at that time it will not be necessary to instruct them [to avoid evil] for their evil instinct (yetzer ra) will then be completely abolished. And so it is declared by Ezekiel, ‘A new heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will cause you to walk in My statutes.’ ” (Ezekiel 36:26)

The new heart alludes to man’s nature, and the [new] spirit to the desire and will. It is this which our Rabbis have said : “And the years draw nigh, when you shall say: I have no pleasure in them; these are the days of the Messiah, as they will offer opportunity neither for merit nor for guilt,” for in the days of the Messiah there will be no [evil] desire in man but he will naturally perform the proper deeds and therefore there will be neither merit nor guilt in them, for merit and guilt are dependent upon desire.”

Nahmanides makes some very insightful comments to these verses. To begin with, he points out that the Jewish tradition is that the Serpent did not lie in saying “you shall be as elohim” for we read later in Psalm 82:6 “you are elohim”. (This does not mean that the Serpent was not deceptive, he was deceptive in questioning the word of YHWH “Did Elohim really say?” and in saying “you shall not die”. But his statement “you shall be as elohim” was not a lie, as attested to in Psalm 82:6.)

It seems that the Fall of Adam was absolutely essential for our sanctification. Can good be derived from the Yetzer Ra? The Midrash Rabbah gives a surprising answer:

Nachman said, In the name of Rabbi Shmu’el: ‘and behold it was very good’ (Gen. 1:31) refers to the yetzer ra [evil inclination]. But can the yetzer ra be ‘very good?’ Amazingly enough, yes—were it not for the yetzer ra no man would build a house, take a wife and father children, or engage in business; as Solomon said, ‘I considered all labor and excellence in work and concluded that it comes from a man’s rivalry with his neighbor’ (Eccles. 4:4)”

(Gen. Rabbah 9:7).

This brings us also to Proverbs 14:34 which reads in the KJV: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov. 14:34 KJV)

צְדָקָ֥ה תְרֹֽומֵֽם־ גֹּ֑וי וְחֶ֖סֶד לְאֻמִּ֣ים חַטָּֽאת׃

The Hebrew word חסד (Strong’s 2617( can mean “reproach” but can also mean “loving kindness” so that the sages understood this to verse to mean: “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but the kindness of the nations is sin.”

The Talmud quotes this verse as follows:

Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai said to his disciples: My sons, what is the meaning of the verse, Righteousness exalteth a nation, but the kindness of the nations is sin? (Prov. 14:34) R. Eliezer answered and said: ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation:’ this refers to Israel of whom it is written, Who is like thy people Israel one nation in the earth? (2Sam 7:23) But ‘the kindness of the peoples is sin’: all the charity and kindness done by the heathen is counted to them as sin, because they only do it to magnify themselves”

(b.Babba Batra 10b)

And the Tanya cites this portion of Talmud saying:

…all the good that the nations do, is done from selfish motives. So the Gemara comments on the verse, “The kindness of the nations is sin,”— that all the charity and kindness done by the nations of the world is only for their own self-glorification, and so on.

(Tanya; Likutei Amarim 1)

This traditional Jewish understanding of Proverbs 14:34 is telling us that the heathen nations do in fact perform acts of loving kindness, but they do so with selfish motives. In other words they perform acts of kindness, motivated by the yetzer ra (evil inclination).

So there are certainly ways that good can result from the Yetzer Ra, giving meaning to Yeshua’s statement that a Kingdom cannot stand against itself. (Mark 3:23–27; Matthew 12:25–29; Luke 11:17–22)

In fact, had it not been for the Fall of Adam, you and I would never have been born, as is pointed out in the Zohar:

For indeed, if Adam had brought offspring with him out of the Garden of Eden, these would never have been destroyed, the light of the moon would never have been darkened, and all would have lived for ever; and not even the angels would have equalled them in illumination and wisdom, as we read, “In the image of God he created him” (Gen. I, 27). But since, through his sin, he left the Garden by himself and bore offspring outside it, these did not endure in the world, and this ideal was, therefore, not realised.’ Said R. Hizkiah: ‘How could they have begotten children there, seeing that, had the evil inclination not enticed him to sin, Adam would have dwelt for ever in the world by himself and would not have begotten children?

(Zohar 1:60b-61a)

Perhaps the most important good thing (apart from our existence) that man derives from the Yetzer Ra is sanctification. This is explained very well by the Rebbe Zalman in the Tanya:

This is also what the Rabbis meant, “If a man consecrates himself in a small measure down below, he is sanctified much more from above,” (b.Yoma 39a; b.Shabbat 10a) apart from his having fulfilled the positive commandment of the Torah, “Sanctify yourselves, and be ye holy” (Lev. 20:7) by dedicating himself [through abstemiousness] in permissible things. The meaning of “Sanctify yourselves” is “You shall make yourselves holy,” that is to say, although in truth one is not holy and separated from the sitra achra, for it is at its strength and might, as at its birth, in the left part, yet one subdues his evil impulse and sanctifies himself— then “Shall ye be holy,” that is to say, in the end one will be truly holy and separated from the sitra achra, by virtue of being sanctified in a great measure from above, and being helped to expel it from his heart little by little.

(Tanya I, 27)

Man has to have freewill and to be tested by the Yetzer Ra in order to be sanctified, and thus to subdue the Yetzer Ra (evil inclination/impulse).

In order to subdue the Yetzer Ra, it was necessary for us to be burdened with bodies of flesh, which could be tempted by the Yetzer Ra. This is why both Philo of Alexandria and Paul associate the Yetzer Ra with “the flesh”:

… There are two several parts of which we consist, the soul and the body; now the body is made of earth, but the soul consists of air, being a fragment of the Divinity, for “God breathed into man’s face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7) It is therefore quite consistent with reason to say that the body which was fashioned out of the earth has nourishment which the earth gives forth akin to the matter of which it is composed; but the soul, inasmuch as it is a portion of the ethereal nature, is supported by nourishment which is ethereal and divine, for it is nourished on knowledge, and not on meat or drink, which the body requires.

(Allegorical Interpretation, III, 161)

He does well here to attribute the flow of blood to the mass of flesh, combining two things appropriate to one another; but the essence of the mind he has not made to depend on any created thing, but has represented it as breathed into man by God from above. For, says Moses, “The Creator of the universe breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul,” (Gen. 2:7) who also, it is recorded, was fashioned after the image of the Creator.

(Who is the Heir of Divine Things? 56)

For among created things, the heaven is holy in the world, in accordance with which body, the imperishable and indestructible natures revolve; and in man the mind is holy, being a sort of fragment of the Deity, and especially according to the statement of Moses, who says, “God breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living Soul.”(Gen. 2:7).

(On Dreams 1, 34)

Paul also writes of this conflict within. Paul similarly characterizes this as a conflict between the “spirit” or “inner man” and the “flesh” or “outer man.”:

14 For we know that the Torah is of the spirit,
but I am of the flesh and I am sold to sin.
22 For I rejoice in the Torah of Eloah in the inward son of man.
(Romans 7:14, 22 HRV)

Because of this, we are not weary, for even if our
outer man is corrupted, yet that which [is] inside
is renewed day by day.
(2Cor. 4:16 HRV)

for the flesh desires a thing which is opposed to
the Spirit and the Spirit desires a thing that is
opposed to the flesh and the two of these are
opposed to each other, that you do not do the thing
which you desire.
(Gal. 5:17 HRV)

Without a body of flesh, the Yetzer Ra would have no hold on us, and we could not overcome it’s temptations.

The Zohar well illustrates this process of sanctification, and of overcoming the Yetzer Ra very well, in the Parable of the Harlot:

But, indeed, the “evil inclination” also does through this the will of its Lord. It is as if a king had an only son whom he dearly loved, and just for that cause he warned him not to be enticed by bad women, saying that anyone defiled might not enter his palace. The son promised his father to do his will in love. Outside the palace, however, there lived a beautiful harlot. After a while the King thought: “I will see how far my son is devoted to me.” So he sent to the woman and commanded her, saying: “Entice my son, for I wish to test his obedience to my will.” So she used every blandishment to lure him into her embraces. But the son, being good, obeyed the commandment of his father. He refused her allurements and thrust her from him. Then did the father rejoice exceedingly, and, bringing him in to the innermost chamber of the palace, bestowed upon him gifts from his best treasures, and showed him every honour. And who was the cause of all this joy? The harlot! Is she to be praised or blamed for it? To be praised, surely, on all accounts, for on the one hand she fulfilled the king’s command and carried out his plans for him, and on the other hand she caused the son to receive all the good gifts and deepened the king’s love to his son. Therefore it is written, “And the Lord saw all that he had made, and behold it was very good”, where the word “very” refers to the angel of death (i.e. the evil inclination). Similarly, if it were not for this Accuser, the righteous would not possess the supernal treasures in the world to come. Happy, therefore, are they who, coming into conflict with the Tempter, prevail against him, for through him will they attain bliss, and all the good and desirable possessions of the world to come; concerning which it is written: “What eye hath not seen… he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isa. LXIV, 3).

(Zohar 2:163a)

We are fragments of Elohim in a process of sanctification which requires us to be burdened with bodies of flesh, in order to overcome the Yetzer Ra (evil inclination) thru the exercise of our free will and elevate the sparks which are our Nefesh Elohit (Divine Souls).

Donations in December were very low, leaving us behind in January. In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!

In these uncertain times, we need your support more than ever. The time is short, and there is much work to be done. As you might imagine, donations are low. If you can, please donate. This is no time to pull back from the great work in front of us!

As you know we have been digging ourselves out of a budget shortfall. As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.