Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Musar for Shabbat 311:11

אמר להו רבי חנינא פוקו אמרו ליה לבר ליואי לא מזל יום גורם אלא מזל שעה גורם האי מאן דבחמה יהי גבר זיותן יהי אכיל מדיליה ושתי מדיליה ורזוהי גליין אם גניב לא מצלח האי מאן דבכוכב נוגה יהי גבר עתיר וזנאי יהי מ"ט משום דאיתיליד ביה נורא האי מאן דבכוכב יהי גבר נהיר וחכים משום דספרא דחמה הוא האי מאן דבלבנה יהי גבר סביל מרעין בנאי וסתיר סתיר ובנאי אכיל דלא דיליה ושתי דלא דיליה ורזוהי כסיין אם גנב מצלח האי מאן דבשבתאי יהי גבר מחשבתיה בטלין ואית דאמרי כל דמחשבין עליה בטלין האי מאן דבצדק יהי גבר צדקן אמר ר"נ בר יצחק וצדקן במצות האי מאן דבמאדים יהי גבר אשיד דמא א"ר אשי אי אומנא אי גנבא אי טבחא אי מוהלא אמר רבה אנא במאדים הואי אמר אביי מר נמי עניש וקטיל

will be a distinguished<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Or: bright, handsome. ');"><sup>28</sup></span> man: he will eat and drink of his own and his secrets will lie uncovered; if a thief, he will have no success. He who is born under Venus will be wealthy and unchaste [immoral]. What is the reason? Because fire was created therein.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' During the hours ruled over by Mercury. ');"><sup>29</sup></span> He who is born under Mercury will be of a retentive memory and wise. What is the reason? Because it [Mercury] is the sun's scribe. He who is born under the Moon will be a man to suffer evil, building and demolishing, demolishing and building. eating and drinking that which is not his and his secrets will remain hidden: if a thief, he will be successful.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Just like the moon, which waxes and wanes, has no light of its own but merely reflects the sun's light, and is in general dark. ');"><sup>30</sup></span>

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

Vayikra Rabbah 20,2 speaks about תפוח עקיבו של אדם הראשון מכהה גלגל חמה, "the protruding part of Adam's heel was capable of inflicting harm on the sun's orbit." Rabbi Shimon ben Menassyah concludes that if this was the effect of Adam's heel, what must have been the effect of his face! [The passage following is based on a discussion of the monthly, daily, or hourly "mazal" and its decisive influence on the fate of a person. It is presumed here that only the hour of birth is of importance but not the zodiac sign of the month, etc. Ed.] The Talmud Shabbat 156a states that if someone is born when the "mazal" of the sun serves, he is apt to be handsome, will be financially independent; on the other hand, whatever secrets he wants to keep will be revealed, i.e. if he steals he will not get away with it. If the sun has so much influence indirectly, how much more influence must it have directly! The expression חמה, sun, is equated with חכמה, wisdom. Our sages interpret the opening verse of our פרשה also to mean that he who makes יראת שמים his objective in life will wear חכמה as a crown on his head. This is what David meant in Psalm 111,10: "The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord; all who practice it gain sound understanding." By making humility one's slipper, wisdom will become one's crown.
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