Our Gemara on amud aleph observes that a desolate, abandoned home seems to deteriorate more rapidly, offering a squatter a rationale for how they benefit the owner. What causes an abandoned structure to become decrepit? The Gemara offers a concrete reason: the occupant makes small repairs on the spot, thereby mitigating larger damage. Consider a home with a small leak—if repaired, the damage is contained. However, if left unchecked, the leak can ruin other parts of the home, leading to mold and pest infestation. Yet, the Gemara presents another reason as well—there's a special demon that enters an abandoned home and destroys its gate.

What does this demon signify? As highlighted in other Psychology of the Daf posts, both spirituality and psychology focus on the soul, often referring to similar ideas from different perspectives.

Be’er Mayyim Chayyim (Shemos 1:19 and 31:15) explains that demons and destructive forces are drawn to wilderness and desolation because kelippos are attracted to emptiness and avoid civilization. (Kelippos, literally shells, represent aspects of the physical world far from God’s spiritual influence; empty husks.) Why? Because godliness involves creation, filling, and nurturing life. Constructiveness, civilization-building, and especially performing mitzvos—where the Torah for a Jew serves as the foundation for civilization—align with this notion. Rambam (Moreh 3:22) delves into the etymology and metaphysicality of Satan, rooted in deviating or veering off course from attachment to God (see Bamidbar 22:32). Reish Lakish tells us (Bava Basra 16a):

אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: הוּא שָׂטָן, הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, הוּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת

Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are one, that is, they are three aspects of the same essence.

Sin represents a deviation from this attachment, an entropic force in the physical world, prone to deteriorate without the divine life-giving, organizing force (see Psychology of the Daf, Bava Kama 4). Thus, empty spaces metaphorically attract the demonic due to their chaotic nature, contrary to the divine order.

Finally, Maharsha notes that this demon targets the gate, signifying that destruction commences there. Neglecting boundaries invites chaos and the demonic into one’s life.

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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