Crush Its Head

How shall we overcome the satan and the primordial serpent?

After nearly six millennia of obscurity, the nachash hakadmoni (primordial serpent) has reared its ugly head once more.

How will humanity survive its venomous fangs, web of lies, toxic enmity, and incessant onslaught of deadly poisons?

The answer is right there in Genesis 3:15: "הוא ישופך ראש — he [the son of Eve] will crush your head.”

It's time we crush its head.

Reject its narrative in its entirety. Stop complying. Do not fear it. Don’t run or hide. Defy it. Crush the very source of its power: fear, falsehood, rejection of our Creator.

Accomplish this by fearlessly stating the unambiguous truth, acknowledging our One Creator as the sole Authority of heaven and earth. Stay steadfast to His commandments.

* * *

Nachash (serpent — נחש) has the numerical value of 358. Nachash plus one (358+1) equals 359, the numerical value of satan (שטן), the adversary angel.

Why? Perhaps this hints that the angelic satan acknowledges the One Creator, while his earthly manifestation, the primordial serpent, does not.

The satan (literally “adversary”) is an adversary to humanity but not to his Creator. This angel’s adversity to us is actually in service of his Creator.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no war between God and satan.

An angel doesn't fight with God. Instead, satan beguiles humans to fight with God.

Nevertheless, our sages taught that the satan (i.e. evil inclination) will be slaughtered by God in the End of Days [Sukkah 52a].

And now, after 5782 years, satan is verily in his death throes, so he's on overdrive.

In actuality, the satan wants you to reject his venomous advances.

The true inner purpose of satan is to vindicate humanity by leaving us no option but to summon our indomitable bond with our Divine Creator and overcome all satanic adversity, transforming darkness to light and suffusing the world with G-dly wisdom "as water fills the ocean bed."

At that point, שטן loses one, reverts to "נחש" (the primordial serpent), which gets transformed to "משיח" (God's anointed king who redeems Israel and humanity in the End of Days), which is why these two latter words share the same numerical value, 358.

May it be speedily in our days. Amen.