DOCSLIB.ORG

Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 84A SUPPLEMENTAL READING

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 84A SUPPLEMENTAL READING Title Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzia 84a SUPPLEMENTAL READING wwwwww.theglobalday.theglobalday.theglobalday.com.com.com The Gemara relates: One day, Rabbi YoĥananP was bathing in the י ֹו מָ א חַ ד רֲָור ָא ָ ףחֵ י ַ ה י ִ בּ י ֹו חָ נָ ן P ,Jordan River. Reish Lakish saw him and jumped into the Jordan ְבּ ַי ְ הדְּ נָ א . חַ זְ ֵי י ּר ֵ הי שׁ ָל ִ י שׁ ּ ו שׁ ְ ַו וה pursuing him. At that time, Reish Lakish was the leader of a band לְ ַי ְ ה ְ דּ ָ נ א אַ ַבּ ְתֵהי ּר . אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד חֵ י לָ ךְ of marauders. Rabbi Yoĥanan said to Reish Lakish: Your strength is fit for Torah study. Reish Lakish said to him: Your beauty is fit לְ אֹו ַ ה ְ י י תָ א ! אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד שׁ ּו ְ׳ ָ ה ְך ְ ל ָ נ שׁ ֵ י ! for women. Rabbi Yoĥanan said to him: If you return to the pursuit אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד אִ י רְָדה ְַּת בָּ ךְ – ָי ֵ רי בְ נָ א לָ ךְ -of Torah, I will give you my sister in marriage, who is more beauti ח א ֲ ֹו ִ ת י , ְ ּ ד שׁ ַ ִּ׳י ָ הא מִ י ּנָאי. ַ ֵ בּ י ל עֲ לֵ י ּר. .ful than I am. Reish Lakish accepted upon himself to study Torah ָ בּ עֵ י לְ מֶ ירֱַדה לַאֲ תוּיֵי מָ אנֵי ּר – וְלָא Subsequently, Reish Lakish wanted to jump back out of the river to מָ צֵ י ָר דַ ה. bring back his clothes, but he was unable to return, as he had lost his physical strength as soon as he accepted the responsibility to study Torah upon himself. ,Rabbi Yoĥanan taught Reish Lakish Bible, and taught him Mishna ַא ְ ִ היֵי ּר ְ אַ ו תְ נ ִ ֵּי י ּר , וְ שׁ ַ וְ יֵי ּר ּג ְַבהָא ַ ה ָ בּ א . and turned him into a great man. Eventually, Reish Lakish became י ֹו מָ א חַ ד ָ רווּ ִמ ּ׳ַלְגִי בֵּי ְמִד ָ השׁ ָ אד one of the outstanding Torah scholars of his generation. One day ַר ּ ַ ףיִיס ְו ַר ַּ ף ִ ּכין ְו ַר ּ גְ ִ ׳ י ֹו ן ְו ָרה ֹו מַ ח ּ ו מַ ּגַל PERSONALITIES the Sages of the study hall were engaging in a dispute concerning -the following baraita: With regard to the sword, the knife, the dag ָ י ד ּ ו מַ ּגַל ָ צִ יה מֵ אֵ י מָ תַ י מְ ַ ְ בּ לִ י ן Rabbi Yoĥanan bar Nappaĥa L : ַ ה י ִ בּ י ֹו חָ נָ ן – Rabbi Yoĥanan ,ger [vehapigyon], the spear, a hand sickle, and a harvest sickle ט ּו מְ ָאר ? מִ ׁ ְּ שעַ ת ְּג מַ ה מְ לַ א כְ ָּ תן. was one of the greatest amora’im, whose statements are H fundamental components of both the Babylonian Talmud from when are they susceptible to ritual impurity? The baraita and the Jerusalem Talmud. He resided in Tiberias and lived answers: It is from the time of the completion of their manufacture, to an advanced age. Rabbi Yoĥanan was orphaned at a which is the halakha with regard to metal vessels in general. young age, and although his family apparently owned con- -These Sages inquired: And when is the completion of their manu ּ ו מֵ אֵ י מָ תַ י ְּג מַ ה מְ לַ א כְ ָּ תן? ַ ה י ִ בּ י ֹו חָ נָ ן siderable property, he spent virtually all of his resources in his devotion to the study of Torah, eventually becoming facture? Rabbi Yoĥanan says: It is from when one firesthese items ֵאֹומהד מִ ֶ ּׁ שּיְ ָצְה ֵ ׳ם ַבּ ִ ּכ ְ ב שׁ ָ ן . ֵהי שׁ ָל ִ י שׁ impoverished. In his youth he had the privilege of studying in the furnace. Reish Lakish said: It is from when one scours them אָ ַמהד מִ ֶ ּ ׁ שּיְ צַ חְ צְ חֵ ן ַבּ ּ ַ מ ִ י ם . אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד under Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishna, but most of his Torah study was accomplished under Rabbi in water, after they have been fired in the furnace. Rabbi Yoĥanan N ִל ְ ףטָ ָאר ְבּ ִלףְ טִ ּי ּ ו תֵ י ּר יָדַ ע! אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד Yehuda HaNasi’s students: Ĥizkiyya ben Ĥiyya, Rabbi Oshaya, said to Reish Lakish: A bandit knows about his banditry, i.e., you .are an expert in weaponry because you were a bandit in your youth ּו מַ א י ַא ֲ רנַ ּ ְת לִ י ? ָ רתָ ם ַ ה ִ בּ י ָ ה ּו לִ י , Rabbi Ĥanina, and Rabbi Yannai, who lavished praise upon Reish Lakish said to Rabbi Yoĥanan: What benefit did you provide ָ רכָ א ַ ה ִ בּ י ָ הוּ לִ י. אֲ ַמה לֵ י ּרד ַא ֲ רנַ א י ,him. In time, he became the head of the yeshiva in Tiberias at which point his fame and influence increased greatly. For me by bringing me close to Torah? There, among the bandits, they לָ ךְ דְּ ַא ְ ְ הבִ י נָ ךְ ּ ַ תחַ ת ּכ ְַנ׳ֵי ר ׁ ְּ ַשכִ י ָנר. a long time Rabbi Yoĥanan was the leading rabbinic scholar called me: Leader of the bandits, and here, too, they call me: in the Jewish world, not only in Eretz Yisrael but in Babylonia Leader of the bandits. Rabbi Yoĥanan said to him: I provided ben- as well, where he was respected by the Babylonian Sages. Many of them emigrated to Eretz Yisrael in order to become efit to you, as I brought you close to God, under the wings of the his students. Divine Presence. As a result of the quarrel, Rabbi Yoĥanan was offended, which in ֲ ח ַ ל שׁ ַ ּ ד ְ ע ֵּתי ּר ְדּ ַ ה י ִ בּ י ֹו חָ נָ ן , חֲ לַ שׁ ֵ הי שׁ Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, often : ֵ הי שׁ ָל ִ י שׁ – Reish Lakish referred to as Reish Lakish, was among the greatest turn affectedReish Lakish, who fell ill. Rabbi Yoĥanan’s sister, who ָל ִ י שׁ . אֲ תַ א י אַ חְ ֵּתי ּר ָ א ָ בּ כְ יָ א , -amora’im in Eretz Yisrael. He was the friend and brother was Reish Lakish’s wife, came crying to Rabbi Yoĥanan, begging אֲ ַמָהר לֵ י ּרד עֲ ֵשׂ ר בִּשְׁבִ יל בָּנַי! אֲ ַמה in-law of Rabbi Yoĥanan. Reish Lakish led an extraordinary that he pray for Reish Lakish’s recovery. She said to him: Do this for ָלרד ״ עָ זְ ָב ר יְתֹמֶיךָאֲנִי ֶאֲחַּיר״. life. He studied Torah at a young age, but subsequently sold himself to a Roman circus as a gladiator, perhaps due to ּ the sake of my children, so that they should have a father. Rabbi Yoĥanan said to her the verse: “Leave your fatherless children, I עֲ ֵשׂ ר בִּשְׁבִיל אַלְמְנוּתִי! אֲ ַמה ָל ּרד dire financial straits. Many stories in the Talmud attest to his will rear them” (Jeremiah 49:11), i.e., I will take care of them. She ״וְאַ לְמְנֹותֶ יךָ עָלַ י ּ ִ תבְ טָ ח ּ ו ״ . great strength. Some time later, in the wake of an encounter with Rabbi Yoĥanan, as described here, he resumed his said to him: Do so for the sake of my widowhood. He said to her Torah study, first as a student of Rabbi Yoĥanan, then as a the rest of the verse: “And let your widows trust in Me.” colleague. He married Rabbi Yoĥanan’s sister. Many halakhic disputes are recorded between Reish Ultimately, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Reish Lakish, died. Rabbi נָ ח ַנ׳ְשֵׁ י ּר ְדּ בּ ַ ה י ִ ִ שׁ ע מְ ֹו ן ֶבּ ן ָל ִ י שׁ , Lakish and Rabbi Yoĥanan concerning central issues in Yoĥanan was sorely pained over losing him. The Rabbis said: Who ַורֲָור ָ א מִ צְ טַ ֵעה בּ ַ ה י ִ י ֹו חָ נָ ן ַבּ ְתֵהי ּר the Talmud. His objective was not to disagree with Rabbi Yoĥanan but rather to help him sharpen his opinion will go to calm Rabbi Yoĥanan’s mind and comfort him over his P טוּבָ א. אֲ ַמהוּ ַ ה ָ בּ נַןד מַ אן לֵ יזִ יל לִ יתְ בֵ י ּר through debate. Rabbi Yoĥanan referred to Reish Lakish loss? They said:Let Rabbi Elazar ben Pedat go, as his statements are sharp, i.e., he is clever and will be able to serve as a substitute לְ דַ עְ ֵּתי ּר ? נֵ י זִ י ל ַ ה ִבּ י אֶ לְ עָ ָזה ֶבּ ן ּ ְ ׳דָ ת , .with great respect, often saying: My peer disagrees with me .for Reish Lakish דִּ מְ חַ דְּ דִ י ן שׁ ְ מַ עְ ּ ָ תתֵ י ּר. Reish Lakish was well known for his strict piety, to the extent that anyone with whom he was seen conversing in public was said to be able to borrow money without guarantors, as HALAKHA Reish Lakish associated only with people beyond reproach.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Torah in Triclinia: the Rabbinic Banquet and the Significance of Architecture
    Theological Studies Faculty Works Theological Studies 2012 Torah in triclinia: the Rabbinic Banquet and the Significance of Architecture Gil P. Klein Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/theo_fac Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Klein, Gil P. "Torah in Triclinia: The Rabbinic Banquet and the Significance of Architecture." Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 102 no. 3, 2012, p. 325-370. doi:10.1353/jqr.2012.0024. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theological Studies Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. T HE J EWISH Q UARTERLY R EVIEW, Vol. 102, No. 3 (Summer 2012) 325–370 Torah in Triclinia: The Rabbinic Banquet and the Significance of Architecture GIL P. KLEIN INASATIRICALMOMENTin Plato’s Symposium (175a), Socrates, who ARTICLES is expected at the banquet, disappears, only to be found lost in thought on the porch of a neighboring house. Similarly, in the Palestinian Talmud (yBer 5.1, 9a), Resh Lakish appears so immersed in thought about the Torah that he unintentionally crosses the city’s Sabbath boundary. This shared trope of the wise man whose introspection leads to spatial disori- entation is not surprising.1 Different as the Platonic philosopher may be
    [Show full text]
  • The Laws of Shabbat
    Shabbat: The Jewish Day of Rest, Rules & Cholent Meaningful Jewish Living January 9, 2020 Rabbi Elie Weinstock I) The beauty of Shabbat & its essential function 1. Ramban (Nachmanides) – Shemot 20:8 It is a mitzvah to constantly remember Shabbat each and every day so that we do not forget it nor mix it up with any other day. Through its remembrance we shall always be conscious of the act of Creation, at all times, and acknowledge that the world has a Creator . This is a central foundation in belief in God. 2. The Shabbat, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, NCSY, NY, 1974, p. 12 a – (אומן) It comes from the same root as uman .(אמונה) The Hebrew word for faith is emunah craftsman. Faith cannot be separated from action. But, by what act in particular do we demonstrate our belief in God as Creator? The one ritual act that does this is the observance of the Shabbat. II) Zachor v’shamor – Remember and Safeguard – Two sides of the same coin שמות כ:ח - זָכֹוראֶ ת יֹום הַשַבָתלְקַדְ ׁשֹו... Exodus 20:8 Remember the day of Shabbat to make it holy. Deuteronomy 5:12 דברים ה:יב - ׁשָמֹוראֶ ת יֹום הַשַבָתלְקַדְ ׁשֹו... Safeguard the day of Shabbat to make it holy. III) The Soul of the Day 1. Talmud Beitzah 16a Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, “The Holy One, Blessed be He, gave man an additional soul on the eve of Shabbat, and at the end of Shabbat He takes it back.” 2 Rashi “An additional soul” – a greater ability for rest and joy, and the added capacity to eat and drink more.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There an Authentic Triennial Cycle of Torah Readings? RABBI LIONEL E
    Is there an Authentic Triennial Cycle of Torah Readings? RABBI LIONEL E. MOSES This paper is an appendix to the paper "Annual and Triennial Systems For Reading The Torah" by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, and was approved together with it on April 29, 1987 by a vote of seven in favor, four opposed, and two abstaining. Members voting in favor: Rabbis Isidoro Aizenberg, Ben Zion Bergman, Elliot N. Dorff, Richard L. Eisenberg, Mayer E. Rabinowitz, Seymour Siegel and Gordon Tucker. Members voting in opposition: Rabbis David H. Lincoln, Lionel E. Moses, Joel Roth and Steven Saltzman. Members abstaining: Rabbis David M. Feldman and George Pollak. Abstract In light of questions addressed to the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards from as early as 1961 and the preliminary answers given to these queries by the committee (Section I), this paper endeavors to review the sources (Section II), both talmudic and post-talmudic (Section Ila) and manuscript lists of sedarim (Section lib) to set the triennial cycle in its historical perspective. Section III of the paper establishes a list of seven halakhic parameters, based on Mishnah and Tosefta,for the reading of the Torah. The parameters are limited to these two authentically Palestinian sources because all data for a triennial cycle is Palestinian in origin and predates even the earliest post-Geonic law codices. It would thus be unfair, to say nothing of impossible, to try to fit a Palestinian triennial reading cycle to halakhic parameters which were both later in origin and developed outside its geographical sphere of influence. Finally in Section IV, six questions are asked regarding the institution of a triennial cycle in our day and in a short postscript, several desiderata are listed in order to put such a cycle into practice today.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: a REDACTION HISTORY and GENESIS 1: 26-27 in the EXEGETICAL CONTEXT of FORMATIVE JUDAISM by GUDRUN EL
    THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: A REDACTION HISTORY AND GENESIS 1: 26-27 IN THE EXEGETICAL CONTEXT OF FORMATIVE JUDAISM by GUDRUN ELISABETH LIER THESIS Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR LITTERARUM ET PHILOSOPHIAE in SEMITIC LANGUAGES AND CULTURES in the FACULTY OF HUMANITIES at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG PROMOTER: PROF. J.F. JANSE VAN RENSBURG APRIL 2008 ABSTRACT THE PENTATEUCHAL TARGUMS: A REDACTION HISTORY AND GENESIS 1: 26-27 IN THE EXEGETICAL CONTEXT OF FORMATIVE JUDAISM This thesis combines Targum studies with Judaic studies. First, secondary sources were examined and independent research was done to ascertain the historical process that took place in the compilation of extant Pentateuchal Targums (Fragment Targum [Recension P, MS Paris 110], Neofiti 1, Onqelos and Pseudo-Jonathan). Second, a framework for evaluating Jewish exegetical practices within the age of formative Judaism was established with the scrutiny of midrashic texts on Genesis 1: 26-27. Third, individual targumic renderings of Genesis 1: 26-27 were compared with the Hebrew Masoretic text and each other and then juxtaposed with midrashic literature dating from the age of formative Judaism. Last, the outcome of the second and third step was correlated with findings regarding the historical process that took place in the compilation of the Targums, as established in step one. The findings of the summative stage were also juxtaposed with the linguistic characterizations of the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project (CAL) of Michael Sokoloff and his colleagues. The thesis can report the following findings: (1) Within the age of formative Judaism pharisaic sages and priest sages assimilated into a new group of Jewish leadership known as ‘rabbis’.
    [Show full text]
  • Humor in Talmud and Midrash
    Tue 14, 21, 28 Apr 2015 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia Adult Learning Institute Jewish Humor Through the Sages Contents Introduction Warning Humor in Tanach Humor in Talmud and Midrash Desire for accuracy Humor in the phrasing The A-Fortiori argument Stories of the rabbis Not for ladies The Jewish Sherlock Holmes Checks and balances Trying to fault the Torah Fervor Dreams Lying How many infractions? Conclusion Introduction -Not general presentation on Jewish humor: Just humor in Tanach, Talmud, Midrash, and other ancient Jewish sources. -Far from exhaustive. -Tanach mentions “laughter” 50 times (root: tz-cho-q) [excluding Yitzhaq] -Talmud: Records teachings of more than 1,000 rabbis spanning 7 centuries (2nd BCE to 5th CE). Basis of all Jewish law. -Savoraim improved style in 6th-7th centuries CE. -Rabbis dream up hypothetical situations that are strange, farfetched, improbable, or even impossible. -To illustrate legal issues, entertain to make study less boring, and sharpen the mind with brainteasers. 1 -Going to extremes helps to understand difficult concepts. (E.g., Einstein's “thought experiments”.) -Some commentators say humor is not intentional: -Maybe sometimes, but one cannot avoid the feeling it is. -Reason for humor not always clear. -Rabbah (4th century CE) always began his lectures with a joke: Before he began his lecture to the scholars, [Rabbah] used to say something funny, and the scholars were cheered. After that, he sat in awe and began the lecture. [Shabbat 30b] -Laughing and entertaining are important. Talmud: -Rabbi Beroka Hoza'ah often went to the marketplace at Be Lapat, where [the prophet] Elijah often appeared to him.
    [Show full text]
  • Forsaken HBI Series on Jewish Women
    Forsaken HBI Series on Jewish Women Shulamit Reinharz, General Editor Sylvia Barack Fishman, Associate Editor Th e HBI Series on Jewish Women, created by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, publishes a wide range of books by and about Jewish women in diverse contexts and time periods. Of interest to scholars and the educated public, the HBI Series on Jewish Women fi lls major gaps in Jewish tudiesS and in Women and Gender Studies as well as their intersection. Th e HBI Series on Jewish Women is supported by a generous gift from Dr. Laura S. Schor. For the complete list of books that are available in this series, please see www.upne.com Sharon Faye Koren, Forsaken: Th e Menstruant in Medieval Jewish Mysticism Sonja M. Hedgepeth and Rochelle G. Saidel, editors, Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Holocaust Julia R. Lieberman, editor, Sephardi Family Life in the Early Modern Diaspora Derek Rubin, editor, Promised Lands: New Jewish American Fiction on Longing and Belonging Carol K. Ingall, editor, Th e Women Who Reconstructed American Jewish Education: 1910–1965 Gaby Brimmer and Elena Poniatowska, Gaby Brimmer: An Autobiography in Th ree Voices Harriet Hartman and Moshe Hartman, Gender and American Jews: Patt erns in Work, Education, and Family in Contemporary Life Dvora E. Weisberg, Levirate Marriage and the Family in Ancient Judaism Ellen M. Umansky and Dianne Ashton, editors, Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Spirituality: A Sourcebook Carole S. Kessner, Marie Syrkin: Values Beyond the Self Ruth Kark, Margalit Shilo, and Galit Hasan-Rokem,
    [Show full text]
  • The Ten Sefirot Shobbof, Israel, and Shekhinoh
    \/ WISDOM Primordial Point Beginning POWER LOVE Din Gedullah (fudgment) (Greatness) Rigor, Red Grace, White Fire, Left Arm Water, Right Arm Isaac Abraham BEAUTY Rahamim (Compassion) Blessed Holy One Heaven, Sun Harmony, King Green, Torso Iacob, Moses SPLENDOR ENDURANCE Prophecy Prophecy Left Leg Right Leg FOIINDATTON Tsaddiq (Righteous One) Yesod Covenant Phallus Joseph ll KINGDOM Shekhinah (Presence) Assembly of Israel Earth, Moon Queen Apple Orchard /\ King David, Rachel The Ten Sefirot Shobbof, Israel, and Shekhinoh )),t .lf .ll!,nu ,),tr Jf ur )>) o;n)tyn l.t:-t Nti.t Jl-u Vfipn )19) InU n-tDN ,)nt) ,..1 ))I (1 )Xtvlr llnyu, ')1)ft .'l))1 'll N)n )Xtur 1o)t N)n'lt''ll vfipn n) rnN .N;DIN ))r Jt.l)N ll N)n )xtur r9)l ;1av, )r'rlrNu lrln t-lfr Ntn Jnt ut^rpn on) -tDN )))D ''ln ))o) t.(n ,) xlElr) lvlp) t1lv/n ol) IN 11)l ,7;11 1) Rabbi Shim'on son of Yohai taught, "shobbot said to the blessed Holy One, 'Master of the Universe! Everyone else has a partner, but I have no one! [Sunday has Monday, T\resday has wednesday, Thursday has Friday.]' "The blessed Holy one replied, 'The Assembly of Israel is your partner.' "And when Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, the blessed Holy One said to them, 'Remember what I said to shobbof: "The Assembly of Israel is your partner." Rememberthe Sabbathdag rtulp) (le-qoddesho), to sanctifg it-to marry it (Exodus 20:8)."'z [Rabbi Shim'on is playing on ]rgr'1117 (qiddushin), "marriage."] 3.olnN .lJn) rlvln n-ln!, - rlvrn rN t-'tn!, )xttyrurn (z 2) More than Israel has kept Shobbof, Shobbot has kept Israel.+ )l'] .n))Dn rlu ,rN'rP) Ns)] 'tN'n : lDN ,NrnvJ 'Dym N))!N )Np] cl\ry)n N)))n )l-'l (3 5.n)l )N'll n)f )N.p :..tDN) fiaV )>yD it))ND grrl) r11r 3) Rabbi Hanina would wrap himself [in a garment] and stand at sunset on Sabbath eve and exclaim, "Come, let us go out to greet Sabbath the eueen!" Rabbi Yannai would put on his [special] clothes on Sabbath eve and exclaim, "Come, O bride! Come, O bride!"0 1 .n ,N, nl't n'rlrN'll '2 Bereshit Rabbah ll:8.
    [Show full text]
  • The-Law-Of-The-Land-Is-The-Law (Shavuot)
    Sat 19 May 2018 / 5 Sivan 5778 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Tikkun Lel Shavuot study session The Law of the Land is the Law Introduction 3,500 years ago, on the first Shavuot, the Jews received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Then they lived for 1,000 years in the Land of Israel, masters of their own destiny, under the laws of the Torah. Then they were defeated and exiled to Babylon. What to do in a foreign land? The prophet Jeremiah told them in a letter: And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace shall you have peace. [Jeremiah 29:7] They came back 70 years later and rebuilt the Temple, and for some 500 years they continued to live in the Land, but under foreign domination. Nevertheless, the Mishna told them: Pray for the welfare of the government, because without the fear of the government, each man would swallow up his neighbor alive. [Avot 3:2] Law and order are needed even if from malevolent and oppressive rulers. (Prayers for the government are the norm in Jewish services. In Egypt, we prayed for Nasser, in the presence of the official spy who came to services! And when the rabbi concluded with "HaNasi Gamal Abdel Nasser", everyone lustily responded "Amen!!") Nevertheless, the occupiers allowed us to rule ourselves according to Jewish law. But after the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 CE, the Romans expelled most Jews from the land and the Diaspora began.
    [Show full text]
  • OVEN of AKHNAI One of the Most Celebrated Talmudic Parables Begins with a Re­ Markably Dry Legal Issue Debated Among a Group of Rabbis
    Georgetown University Law Center Scholarship @ GEORGETOWN LAW 2004 The Coiled Serpent of Argument: Reason, Authority, and Law in a Talmudic Tale David Luban Georgetown University Law Center, [email protected] This paper can be downloaded free of charge from: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/151 79 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 1253-1288 (2004) This open-access article is brought to you by the Georgetown Law Library. Posted with permission of the author. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub Part of the Legal History Commons GEORGETOWN LAW Faculty Publications January 2010 The Coiled Serpent of Argument: Reason, Authority, and Law in a Talmudic Tale 79 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 1253-1288 (2004) David Luban Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center [email protected] This paper can be downloaded without charge from: Scholarly Commons: http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/151/ Posted with permission of the author THE COILED SERPENT OF ARGUMENT: REASON, AUTHORITY, AND LAW IN A TALMUDIC TALE DAVID LUBAN* I. THE OVEN OF AKHNAI One of the most celebrated Talmudic parables begins with a re­ markably dry legal issue debated among a group of rabbis. A modern reader should think of the rabbis as a collegial court, very much like a secular appellate court, because the purpose of their debate is to gen­ erate edicts that will bind the community. The issue under debate concerns the ritual cleanliness of a baked earthenware stove, sliced horizontally into rings and cemented back together with unbaked mortar. Do the laws of purity that apply to uncut stoves apply to this one as well? This stove is the so-called "oven of Akhnai" (oven of serpents).
    [Show full text]
  • The Death of Rabbi Eliezer: Bavli Sanhedrin 68A
    chapter 12 The Death of Rabbi Eliezer: Bavli Sanhedrin 68a Jeffrey L. Rubenstein It is most fitting that a volume in honor of Rabbi Joel Roth includes the study of a story about masters and disciples. Rabbi Roth has been the consummate teacher and rabbinic master at the Jewish Theological Seminary for decades. He taught me Talmud during my first year of study at JTS, and it is from Rabbi Roth that I learned many of the skills necessary for scholarship of rabbinic lit- erature. To be counted among his disciples is a great honor. The story of the death of R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanos in b. Sanh. 68a provides an instructive case of the literary artistry, cultural world, and compositional tech- niques of the late Bavli storytellers. The content addresses a tension between the merit of Torah and the punishment due to dissidents, and also grapples with issues of master-disciple relationships and the transmission of tradition through the generations. Comparison with an earlier version of the account in y. Šabb. 2:5, 5b provides a fascinating example of the methods of the Bavli’s reworking of earlier sources to create new narratives. The story has received considerable scholarly attention: apart from the older biographical-historical oriented scholarship, there are detailed literary analyses by Alon Goshen- Gottstein1 and Devora Steinmetz,2 and studies by Yonah Fraenkel, Daniel Boya- rin, Ruth Calderon, Shamma Friedman, Joshua Levinson, and others.3 Jacob 1 Alon Goshen-Gottstein, “A Lonely Sage on His Death-Bed: The Story of Rabbi Eli’ezer (San- hedrin 68a), an Ideological Analysis” [in Hebrew], in Mehkarim batalmud uvamidrash: Sefer zikkaron letirzah lifshitz, ed.
    [Show full text]
  • SHEMOT Hebrew Book of Exodus
    EŷNjƮèŃðŇĀŘôŘųƀŶɈ þŗƱĘƫŸǯð ɕɌɈɖɔ 2 ëAņŖŠŸŶ ëŸǬă ųǫĈŖŠŸ ëģǖþƭ Ŧǐë Ĉîė ƻûų ûŸǰĈŘɈ ŃûǘŦŵŖŠŸ ŃINjĔĘ ƐĐĘřĘ ŃǯřŠ ǯŖŠŸ ƐńĐ ĘĀ ŖîĨ ĀĘǮŶŠŸŸ EŶģĐņëŸɅ 3 We present our many thanks to Our God-Father and to Our King of Kings, to His Imperial Majesty, HAILE SELLASSIE I’s Kingdome in the Glorious name of Iyesus Kristos, Our Saviour – Our Lord of Lords. AMEN AND AMEN. 4 THE BIBLE SOCIETY OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY (BSHIM) PUBLISHED BY: H.H. RAS IADONIS TAFARI, & H.H. WOIZERO TEHETENA GIRMA-ASFAW OF THE LION OF JUDAH SOCIETY (LOJS) IMPERIAL PUBLISHERS TO THE H.I.M. UNIVERSITIES,COLLEGES & CHRISTIAN [TEWAHEDO]CHURCHES 1991-2011 BSHIM-LOJ 5 ©2011 by LION OF JUDAH SOCIETY PUBLISHERS & IYOBELYU [JUBILEE]PRINTING PRESS ISBN All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publishers’. Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of the LOJS PUBLISHERS, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: “From Shemot Hebrew Book of the Exodus: Torah Portion, introduction & compilation by Ras Iadonis Tafari,’ re-published and new printing by the Lion of Judah Society. Used by permission.” All English-language scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James Version of the 1611 A.D. Holy Bible [KJV]. All Amharic-language scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken the Emperor’s Bible, the 1961/2 A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Daf Ditty Yoma 40: Controversies Over the Temple Rites
    Daf Ditty Yoma 40: Controversies over the Temple rites Come and hear another challenge to Rabbi Yannai’s opinion, as presented in the second version of the dispute, which maintains that both Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya hold that drawing of the lots is indispensable. A baraita teaches: It is a mitzva for the High Priest to draw the lots and 1 to confess upon the goat to be sent to Azazel. If he did not draw the lots or did not confess, the service is still valid. This baraita also appears to say that the drawing of the lots is not indispensable, in contradiction to Rabbi Yannai’s opinion. And if you say: So too, the baraita should be emended to say it is a mitzva to place the lots on the goats, this is problematic. How will you then say, i.e., explain, the latter clause of that baraita, which teaches: Rabbi Shimon says: If he does not draw the lots, it is valid. If he does not confess, it is invalid? The Gemara clarifies the challenge from the latter clause: In this baraita, what is the meaning of: He did not draw the lots? If we say it means he did not place the lots on the goats, then by inference Rabbi Shimon holds that while the placing is not indispensable, the drawing of the lots is indispensable. But this is incorrect, since wasn’t it taught in a baraita: If, following the designation of the goats, one of them died, a new goat is brought to be the counterpart of the surviving goat and is designated without drawing lots; this is the statement of Rabbi Shimon.
    [Show full text]