Personal Worth

Tana Devei Eliyahu (Seder Rabba 9:1) asks how it is Devorah came to be shofetes and nevi’ah. Wasn’t Pinechas alive in those days?

It answers:

מעיד אני עלי את השמים ואת הארץ בין ישראל בין עכו”ם בין איש בין אשה בין עבד ובין שפחה הכל לפי המעשה שהוא עושה כך רוח הקודש שורה עליו

I give testimony of heaven and earth that whether Jew or gentile, whether man or woman, whether male slave or  handmaiden, the entire thing is that according to the actions with the person performs so does Ruach haQodesh rest upon him.

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  1. barzilai says:

    Always bothered me that Paul plagiarized this maimar Chazal in Galatians 3:28

  2. micha says:

    Paul was before R’ Anan; it could be the letter to the Galacians came first.

    Paul borrowed from the Shelo Asani berakhos. (And that could have been Eliyahu’s reference here too.) We understand these berakhos as thanking Hashem for having more mitzvos than people in the other category. Paul’s letter is all about how such distinctions are due to being under the “curse” of the Law, and under Yeish”u, all are equal.

    Here we are apparently contrasting the glory of being a metzuveh with the more real worth that comes from being an oseh.

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