Welcome to NachDaily. Today we’re learning Iyov perek beis.

In this perek the Satan is given permission to further test Iyov, Iyov accepts his suffering, and his friends come to visit him.

These first two chapters really set the stage for the entire sefer. After this the primary discussion consists of Iyov’s conversations with his friends about his suffering. Why does God cause human suffering? God Himself testified that Iyov was a man of impeccable character, truly righteous. What strengthens the question is that we see that Hashem “allows” the Satan to convince Him to inflict pain and suffering upon Iyov. It’s really quite difficult to understand.

We will now see that even after Iyov passed his first tests, Hashem allowed the Satan to go even further. [We’re going to discuss more about the nature of the suffering, and suffering in general, in later perakim.]

The perek opens with when “one day” both the angels and the Satan again come in front of God. The Targum and others point out that this day was Yom Kippur. Hashem again asks the Satan, as He did on Rosh Hashanah, about his whereabouts. The Satan again replies that he was “roaming and traversing the earth.”

Hashem asked the Satan if he’d seen Iyov, because “there is no man like him on earth.” Iyov is a faultless and upright man who avoids sin. He passed his first tests with flying colors! The Ramban is quick to point out that Iyov had now risen to the level of someone who served Hashem out of love and not fear, which is a significantly higher level.

Verse 3 says something astounding. In the same sentence, Hashem tells the Satan “vat’siseini vo, l’val’o chinam! – You enticed me to devour him for no good reason!” This is incredible… it seems that Hashem told the Satan that he convinced Him to cause Iyov to suffer for no reason. Furthermore, the way the pessukim present themselves look as if Hashem was being convinced by the Satan to inflict harm upon Iyov.

On this the Gemarah Bava Basra 16a states that Rav Yochonan says if this passuk were not written, it would be impossible to say. Is God a person who can be incited?

The conversation continues with the Satan asking Hashem to further test Iyov, maintaining that he was able to pass his tests because they weren’t against him personally. It was just his property and children. Watch what will happen if “You extend Your hand against his bones and his flesh.”

Hashem granted permission to inflict Iyov with physical pain to test him further. But there was one caveat. The Satan was not allowed to actually kill him. Iyov was struck with severe boils on his entire body. – Some Meforshim go to great lengths to explain how bad this actually was.

As difficult as this is to understand, the Ramad Walli brings the following mashal: There was a person who loved sitting in a particular place which was extremely comfortable and had all the amenities that he enjoyed. One day, all the pleasures were suddenly switched to things that were harmful to him. Thorns pricked him, causing him anguish and grief. The man loved this place so much, however, that he didn’t move away from it.

So too, Iyov, a great Tzaddik on a very high level, was standing in a place of kedusha, holiness, filled with oros Elyonim, very high Divine lights. The Sitra Achra, aka Satan, took away all the Divine lights and surrounded him with boils. Nevertheless. Iyov’s love for Hashem wasn’t swayed. He stood firm in his love for God and did not move from that place.

In the second part of the perek, Iyov takes a potsherd and tries to scratch off his boils to gain some relief. His wife, who’s watching her husband suffer, asks him how he can still have Emunah in Hashem. She advises him to just curse God and die!

“You speak like an impious woman,” Iyov retorts.

In verse 10 Iyov continues, “Gam es hatov n’kabel mei’eis HaElokim, v’es hara lo n’kabel? Will we accept the good from God and not accept the bad?

The Malbim points out the word “gam, also.” This implies that Iyov still believed in Hashem’s hashkacha pratis, but felt that although once in a while something positive or good occurs, mostly bad things happen.

This leads to the end of the passuk: “B’chol zos lo chata Iyov b’sifasaim -In all this Iyov did not sin with his lips.” This signifies a turn in Iyov’s attitude towards life. He did not sin with his lips, but began to harbor malice and resentment in his heart.

In the last part of the chapter, after hearing about Iyov’s tremendous suffering, he’s visited by his 3 close friends who seek to console him. Their names were Eliphaz haTeimani, Vildad HaShuchi and Tzofar haNa’amasi. When they arrived at Iyov’s house, he wasn’t recognizable. Each one tore his clothing, threw dust on his head as a sign of mourning, and sat shiva for 7 days. No-one even dared to speak a word because they saw how much Iyov was suffering. At the end of the 7 days, Iyov opened his mouth and began to curse the day he was born.

One last point worth mentioning. Rav Shwab asks why the Satan didn’t kill Iyovs friends. He answers that without their support, Iyov would surely have died. The Satan had promised that he wouldn’t kill Iyov. From here we see how important it is to have a true friend.

Stay tuned to the next episode of NachDaily. The stage is now set for the next perek.

Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful day.