Abba Yossi
Encyclopedia
Abba Yossi appears in a Leviticus Rabba (one of the Midrash
im of Judaism
) around the fourth century, in both Hebrew and Aramaic and in several sources.
Abba Yossi was at a spring
in Zeitur, which appears to be in Galilee
, when a female spirit appears to him and reveals to him that now, after her years of peace and service, there is a male spirit who is demanding her attentions and trying to drive her away from her spring. The Abba asks what he can do and the spirit tells him to bring the townspeople and any iron tools that they can find. They are to wait for a disturbance on the water and then they must beat the water and shout "Our Triumph, Our Triumph" (also translated as "We Win"). He gathers them up and they banish the evil spirit.
It was a difficult time, and the lesson they brought away from this parable
was that the spirits were created to not need help, and even they are asking for help, so it is no weakness for man to need assistance in these times.
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
im of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
) around the fourth century, in both Hebrew and Aramaic and in several sources.
Abba Yossi was at a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
in Zeitur, which appears to be in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, when a female spirit appears to him and reveals to him that now, after her years of peace and service, there is a male spirit who is demanding her attentions and trying to drive her away from her spring. The Abba asks what he can do and the spirit tells him to bring the townspeople and any iron tools that they can find. They are to wait for a disturbance on the water and then they must beat the water and shout "Our Triumph, Our Triumph" (also translated as "We Win"). He gathers them up and they banish the evil spirit.
It was a difficult time, and the lesson they brought away from this parable
Parable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
was that the spirits were created to not need help, and even they are asking for help, so it is no weakness for man to need assistance in these times.
External links and references
- Pardes Rimonim: A Manual for the Jewish Family By Moshe David Tendler, 1988, ISBN 0-88125-144-5
- biu.ac.il Article