Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the "four winds" and their role in the physical and spiritual climate.
אֲמַר לְהוּ: הָכִי אָמַר רַב חָנָן בַּר רָבָא, אָמַר רַב: אַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת מְנַשְּׁבוֹת בְּכׇל יוֹם, וְרוּחַ צְפוֹנִית מְנַשֶּׁבֶת עִם כּוּלָּן; שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא כֵּן, אֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּים אֲפִילּוּ שָׁעָה אַחַת. וְרוּחַ דְּרוֹמִית קָשָׁה מִכּוּלָּן, וְאִלְמָלֵא בֶּן נֵץ מַעֲמִידָהּ, מַחְרֶבֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ מִפָּנֶיהָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "הֲמִבִּינָתְךָ יַאֲבֶר נֵץ יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו לְתֵימָן".
He said to them: This is what Rav Ḥanan bar Rava says that Rav says: Four winds blow each day, and the north wind blows together with each of the other three; as, if this were not so and the northern wind did not blow, then the world would not survive for even one hour. And the south wind is harsher than all of them, and were it not for the angel called Ben Netz, who stops it from blowing even harder, then it would destroy the entire world before it, as it is stated: "Does the hawk [netz] soar by your wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?" (Job 39:26).
But of course, such teachings are hard to take at face value and can be understood as allegorical. Sefer Sod Yesharim (Chol Hamoed Pesach 11) explains this based on a Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra Rabbah 9:6).
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי בִּנְיָמִין בַּר לֵוִי, לְפִי שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בִּזְּמַן שֶׁרוּחַ דְּרוֹמִית מְנַשֶּׁבֶת אֵין רוּחַ צְפוֹנִית מְנַשֶּׁבֶת, וּבִזְּמַן שֶׁרוּחַ צְפוֹנִית מְנַשֶּׁבֶת אֵין רוּחַ דְּרוֹמִית מְנַשֶּׁבֶת, אֲבָל לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲנִי מֵבִיא אַרְגֶּסְטֵס בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁמְשַׁמְשׁוֹת בּוֹ שְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹת.
The Midrash speaks of an ideal future where the winds (read as forces in the world) are able to work in complete harmony instead of in opposition. Such a state leads to the ideal messianic future. When our Gemara discusses these various winds, which seem in some way to cancel each other out, that is, they offer opposing forces which must be balance in this world, it's really a discussion about the limits of physicality. Rav Leiner explains that the experiences we have in this world bring certain spiritual powers and redemption, but because of the limits of our physical existence, they act against each other, defeating their full effect. The power for the resurrection of the dead lies in the various spiritual forces working in concert with each other, which requires an ideal utopian state. Everything we do in Torah observance is an effort to bring these forces down to us and eventually harmonize them. In a play on words, he interprets the classic rabbinic teaching found in Mishna Sanhedrin (10:1) with a Chassidic twist:
וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, הָאוֹמֵר אֵין תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְאֵין תּוֹרָה מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם, וְאֶפִּיקוֹרֶס
And these are the exceptions, the people who have no share in the World-to-Come, even when they fulfilled many mitzvos: One who says: "There is no resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah," and one who says: "The Torah did not originate from Heaven," and an apikoros, who treats Torah scholars and the Torah that they teach with contempt.
The literal meaning of the heresy is, "There is no resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah." Meaning to say, the person doesn't believe in the resurrection of the dead as a Torah principle. However, Rav Leiner asks, is it so terrible for somebody to believe in the resurrection of the dead but somehow not think that it is sourced in the Torah? Rather, Sod Yesharim says that it means to emphasize that one must believe that the power of resurrection itself comes FROM the Torah. That is, he must believe that the energy and the redemption will be derived spiritually through Torah channels. The heresy is to not believe the Torah can redeem and resurrect.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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