איוב, פרק ב׳, פסוק ו׳

In a dramatic heavenly exchange, God grants Satan almost total control over Job's physical body, yet imposes a strict and paradoxical boundary. Satan receives full permission to strike Job and inflict as much physical torment as he desires [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, this vast power comes with a severe restriction: Satan must actively keep Job alive, ensuring that the sheer intensity of the pain does not cause his soul to depart.

This command presents a profound difficulty, as God does not simply forbid Satan from taking Job's life; He demands that Satan actively protect it [אלשיך]. Commentators compare this impossible demand to ordering someone to shatter a barrel full of wine while ensuring that not a single drop spills out [רש״י, מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. To carry out this task, Satan must unleash massive destructive force against Job's physical form. At the exact same time, he must apply an enormous counter-force to sustain Job's life, constantly balancing total ruin with survival [מלבי״ם].

Ultimately, this contradictory mission serves as a punishment for Satan himself, holding him accountable for urging God to harm Job. The effort required to destroy a body while forcefully trapping its life inside is so great that Satan's own distress in fulfilling the task actually exceeds the agony experienced by Job [רש״י, אלשיך].

Another perspective questions why God needs to mention the soul at all, given that Satan only asked to strike Job's flesh and bone. The initial permission granted to Satan is so sweeping that it could easily be mistaken for absolute control over Job's entire being. Therefore, God must explicitly remove the soul from Satan's grasp. This exclusion carries a deep philosophical truth, drawing a sharp line between the material and the spiritual. While the physical body is vulnerable to harm and destruction, the eternal soul remains entirely untouchable, forever beyond Satan's power to influence or destroy [תקות אנוש].