Rabbi Tovia Singer: The Truth About Demons Will Shock You

You have to think Hashem every day that he created Satan and created demons. You thank Hashem for it. Nothing can go into rebellion against God. No angel, none. This all dualistic nonsense. It's very much It The idea that Satan is an independent agent is in the Christian Bible, for sure. Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls the devil the lord of this world, which is highly dualistic and would find itself well at home in Zoroastrianism, a ancient not as ancient as L'havdil uh Moshe Rabbeinu, but it's It's would find itself at home in Zoroastrianism, a dualistic religion of a god of light and darkness. Satan Satan is a blessing from Hakadosh Baruchu. He was created for the purpose of casting forth blandishments, seducing men away from God, so that virtue was possible. That's all. If there was no Satan in the world, you have to listen very carefully, you daughter of Hashem. You were created in the image of of God. You should know that. You're holy. You have a neshamah. You have a chelek Elokah mima'al mamash. It means the a divine spark resides in you. And therefore, if there was no Satan in the world, I'll talk about demons in a moment. You would never want to sin. Never. It would be stupid. It would be like walking into your kitchen and you see there's a fire. You have a stove. There's a fire. But you would never stick your hand in the fire because why? Can you? Theoretically, you can, of course, but you wouldn't. Why not? Because you understand the consequences. You You would be very careful, right? So, that's what the world would be like without Satan. We would immediately recognize good from evil, what is sweet from what is bitter, immediately. But, the problem is there would be no free will. And I quote Isaiah who says, "I had to create darkness and I created evil." Yesha'yahu Yesha'yahu Isaiah 45:7. Ani Hashem oiseh kol eleh. I, the Lord, created it all. Do you hear that? Isaiah 45:7. And you should know this is an attack on Zoroastrianism. What Where do I come off saying that? >> [snorts] >> Because this is the same chapter. Now, those of you who study with me know exactly what Isaiah 45 is very famous for, and that is we're introduced to Cyrus who doesn't know God's name. But, he got Isaiah says, nearly two centuries before Cyrus, that there's going to be a man, Cyrus, and he's God's anointed, and he's going to tell the Jews go back to Jerusalem, rebuild the temple. But, don't think this amazing person who's doing unbelievable things for the Jews is a perfect guy. He's not. And don't question me. That's a very big section of Isaiah 45 is don't question my ways. We see today very unusual people are doing amazing things in the world, and they come from places that we would never dream that God would use such people in order to bring about such a redemption or so to be a part and they're just people in a million years you wouldn't even a person like this should be involved in such a holy thing. Why is God using that? Don't question what I'm doing. >> [snorts] >> And Cyrus almost surely was a Zoroastrian. Okay? That's why it's there really. The reason why 45:7 is there. Hashem openly says in in in Deuteronomy 30, "Before you I place good and life, evil and I put it there." Hashem says it. So Satan was created in order to cast forth blandishments and he knows exactly how to test you of where you can overcome it and he's rooting for you in Jewish thought. He's he really there is a stream I should say there's a stream of thinking that he's really he knows what his job is, but he's hoping you'll pass the test. It's so crazy. It's so contradictory cuz on the one hand the people who subscribe to reform theology how do they excuse Calvinism, which is crazy that God chose before you were born for anything if you're going to go to heaven, go to hell, if you're going to be a Christian or not. So they argue that there's God has complete sovereignty. That's the If you go to any Calvinist and there are many of you watching me now who were Calvinists or who know your stuff. You know I'm not straw manning this. I'm steel manning this. So on the one hand one can mean they say God is sovereign, he can do what he wants. He's sovereign. Now if you're a theist, if you're a believer so it's very attractive that God is sovereign. Of course he's sovereign. He has to be um omniscient and omnipotent, all knowing and all powerful, of course. Immutable, of course. It's very attractive, but they're using an attractive word to really sell you something that's poison. So, that's why Satan was created. Satan was created so that you have free will. That's it. Now, this is not in the Christian Bible cuz the Christian Christianity really is seeking to synchronize idolatry, the the mystery religion. What What does that even mean? And it's it's it's all baked in dualism. It's all over the New Testament. It means that this world's really a bad place. I told you 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan is the lord of this world. Why would people find that attractive? Because this world is full of death and misery and suffering. I remember once I had an ailment, which the doctor was able to do one procedure and I was healed. And I asked the doctor, "What did people do 100 years ago?" I'll never forget it. And the doctor said to me, "They suffered." People What do they do in the 19th century? They didn't have [snorts] the technology Now, they they People lived miserably. Really. So, so that's what that's what Satan is. Satan is doing the work of Hashem. And Satan And And you By the way, Satan appears in Tanakh very rarely, very rarely. And that's valuable because we we have very specific instances where Satan appears, like in the Book of Job. Satan comes before God and he says, [snorts] "There's You know, he says, 'There's a man here who's He's a righteous man, for sure, but if maybe he wasn't so wealthy and so successful both in his personal life and in his financial life, he might curse you.'" >> [snorts] >> And God said to Satan, "Okay, this is what you can do. This is what you can't do." And Satan does exactly what God tells him to. Does that sound like an angel in rebellion? How foolish. How silly. But in in the ancient world, people just didn't understand cuz they didn't Yeah, they people died of their teeth cuz they didn't they didn't understand microbiology and all the infections. People died young for they didn't understand what was going on. So, of course you Now, what are demons? [snorts] I can't This is what you need to know, okay? And I'm not saying that in some sort of thing is cuz this is the metaphysical world, okay? So, we have to I'm going to I want to make this very simple. But I and I do not want to um convey that I understand the metaphysical way world that I I don't. But I do. And so do you. Listen. There's holiness in this world. People when you look at a person's face, you look in some way you're looking at a reflection of Hashem. Every person's created in the image of God. If you look at a a cat, a mouse, a rabbit, not there. And that's why no animal ever believed in God. And if you can talk to a dog, he and you try to explain to him there's a God, he wouldn't even know what you're talking about. He's not created in the image of God. I know you know your dog is different, but that's how it goes. There are moreover and this is where I want you to listen very carefully. There are tremendous sparks of kedusha of holiness in the world. And you in your life at a certain moment at a certain time encountered it, felt that numinous experience of the presence of Hashem. So, there are sparks of holiness in this world. This whole world was created by Kodesh Baruch Hu because out of a an act of complete love. So, imagine [snorts] this world is full of sparks of kedusha, of holiness. Now, you may say that's great, but there's a problem. What's the problem? Bechirah Chofshit, free will. My mom always said, you Free will is only possible, loving Hashem is possible, or change I want to change that word possible to attainable if you could also reject a relationship with God. Do you follow? If the world only had sparks of holiness, See, we are entering the metaphysical way, but you're watching this. You know what I'm talking about. The weirdness at the hand of God is here. Now, I confess to I live in Yerushalayim. Very holy place. >> [snorts] >> You go to the grocery store, you feel I mean, I I I live where the prophets preached and wrote most of the Tanakh. It's a very holy place. Jerusalem [snorts] has really no natural resources, no oceans, nothing. People come here from all over the world. In the middle of a war, they're here. You can't get a flight to Israel. Can't. The a lot of them packed a plane and they can't right now. You now understand where this is going cuz it's related to the same question. What would happen if there was only sparks of kedusha, of holiness in the world? Whatever that means. Cuz this is the this is the metaphysical. But, let's say that was it. That would be a problem. What's the problem? By now you should know. And that is that we would lose our free will or our free will be injured. So, just as there are sparks or forces of holiness all about us, there must be something to offset that. >> [snorts] >> Just like the air we breathe is a very delicate balance of [snorts] oxygen, 21% about there, nitrogen about 78% and other sorted gases out there. And it's a very perfect balance. Everything's on a knife's edge. It's just like the the the powerful um positive forces, negative forces, it's on a knife's edge. So, in the spiritual world, too, there has to be a perfect perfect balance of not just um forces that pull, but also a a very weak force in the world that pushes away. It's really mind-blowing. I'm not a physicist, but from what physicists tell me, that if if these forces in the world would be changed even what the world universe couldn't exist. The same way as the spiritual world, that if there was too much sparks of kedusha without We call them demons, you call whatever you want, but they're negative dark forces in the world that are designed exactly perfectly for your good. That you can overcome it. How could you overcome it? Turn to the Torah. Turn to Hashem. Don't ever ever ask for doctrine and the truth through prayer. Never do that. You'll wind up in problems. Tanakh is doctrine, but you pray for wisdom. You pray for closer relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. So, I can't tell you what a demon is, but whatever it is, it is there is present in the world so to offset the holiness in the world so that you have complete free will and as such if you turn that Kodesh Baruch and love him and reject these other forces so then you are virtuous then you are a tzaddik then you are a person that has attained the great levels that Noach was able to attain in his lifetime in his wicked generation Avraham Avinu was alone in the world so that's what that's what Satan is and demons are Baruch Hashem thank God for Satan and for demons what because without that there will be no virtue in the world and Hashem promises you I I created it's all from me and he dove I don't think I ever said this on air he deliberately sticks this in Isaiah 45 verse 7 why because the chapter originated with introducing us to Cyrus who almost surely was a Zoroastrian which is a oil ancient Persian religion which is still around they claim now I know I'm going to get hate letters on this but there will be Zoroastrians who are going to write to me and say we're really monotheism forget that it's a real real dualism and that's a direct swipe at it anyways God bless you have a happy healthy new year if you enjoyed this program please like and subscribe >> Adon Olam >> [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing]