Our Gemara from Amud Aleph to Beis discusses a son inheriting a debt from his father, the original lender. In certain cases, the father must swear to extract payment from the debtor’s children, while the son, inheriting the loan with less operational knowledge, is sometimes exempt. The Gemara uses the idiom: Yafeh Koach Haben Min Ha-Av—the son’s power exceeds the father’s.
This idiom transcends legality, reflecting what Carl Jung called an archetype. Recognizing archetypes enhances psychological stability, wisdom, and spiritual capacity, as we’ll explore.
Archetypes are universal behavioral or thought patterns, partly subjective yet empirically observable when viewed broadly. They reside in the collective unconscious or stem from universal or Godly values, shaped by instinctual frameworks or cosmic laws governing thought, feeling, and behavior.
In yesterday’s Psychology of the Daf (Shavuos 47), we noted how animals evoke emotions and traits. A fox seems sly, a snake cunning—not inherently, but their behavior suggests these qualities. Are human traits accidental, or do they reflect universal ideas like cunning or mercy, part of God’s wisdom? Mystics and religious thinkers affirm the latter. The Shalah (Toldos Odom:15) posits every Hebrew word, like geshem (rain), is a metaphor for spiritual realities—here, God’s sustenance flowing from higher to lower worlds, with rain as its physical form. The reality is some spiritual truth, our physical reality is just one brief shadow like projection of a small aspect of the broader, eternal spiritual truth.
The son surpassing the father is not just legal but a pattern where the son leverages the father’s gifts to excel beyond him. This echoes the metaphor “nannes al gabei anak” (a dwarf on a giants’ shoulders), used by Jewish scholars to explain later generations’ Torah innovations (see Chabadpedia: ננס על גבי ענק).
Chasam Sofer (Eikev 19) notes olives outrank grapes in the verse from Devarim (8:8) “Land of…” but wine surpasses olive oil, earning a unique blessing (Peri Hagafen vs. Peri Ha-etz). This reflects Yafeh Koach Haben Min Ha-Av: wine, the grape’s “son,” outshines its parent. He extends this to another archetype: pride leads to downfall. The moon, seeking superiority over the sun, shrank (Chullin 60b). Similarly, the olive’s hubris over the grape led to its “child” (oil) being subordinate to wine. Arrogant scholars risk children who diminish their legacy, warns Chasam Sofer.
Other archetypes abound if we observe. Why does greater risk yield greater reward universally—in finance, relationships, or spirituality? Why does the clever, who may be physically weak, defeat the brute, as David did Goliath, or small groups like the Chashmonaim or American revolutionaries triumphed? Why the “calm before the storm” in weather and society, or “darkest before dawn”? A candle burns brightest at its end, a dying person rallies, or hope emerges at despair’s peak? These patterns continually recur physically and metaphorically.
Recognizing archetypes aids prediction and acceptance. Knowing cravings peak before subsiding strengthens resolve. Understanding a child’s tantrum worsens before compliance bolsters patience. Accepting risk’s necessity in life and love doesn’t prevent suffering but frames achievement’s value.
Archetypes are God’s memos, revealing a designed world with purpose and justice, visible daily without need for prophecy.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com