Emuna/7/Trustworthiness1
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Tikki • Project Currici Draft. February 2014 Emuna/7/TrUStWOrthineSS1 While Emunah is usually translated as faith, in this session we focus on its related meaning - Trustworthiness. Emunah shares a Hebrew root with Oman, an artisan - someone who can be trusted or relied upon to produce a quality product. Emunah is that quality of reliability that we engender in others through our sustained honesty and consideration. A person or institution that acts with Emuno/i/trustworthiness is one in which you can have faith. Emunah as Fundamental to Life -Talmud Bavli Shabbat 31a and Tosafot The prophet lsaiah(33:6) describes some of the positive attributes of the Jewish people as follows: "Faithfulness to Your charge was [her] wealth, wisdom and devotion [her] triumph, reverence for God - that was her treasure." The word used for "Faithfulness" is "Emunah." The rabbis of the Talmud relate each phrase in Isaiah's passage to one of the six sections of the Mishnah, the 3rd century encyclopedia of Jewish law. The word 'faithfulness/EmL/nar?' in the verse refers to the section of Mishnah, "Seeds," that deals with agriculture. (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 31a) The Tosafot, 13th centuryTalmud commentators, explore the relationship between the term "Emunah" and agriculture: The farmer who sows seeds places his faith in the Lifegiver of All the Worlds, for he trusts that God will provide all that is needed for his crops to grow. Ifthe farmer didn't trust at some level that the seeds would grow in the ground s/he would probably not go to the effort to hoe and plow and do all the work needed to produce crops. Community building and education is very much the same - Rabbis and educators invest a tremendous amount of energy creating community and preparing classes and giving of themselves to people of all ages based on a trust that people can connect, learn and grow. Without this basic trust, the work of community building and education would feel too hopeless and hard since the results are not immediate. What do you need to rely on, or have trust in, tofunction well in your work, in your community or at home? Emunah in Relationships -Talmud Bavli Shabbat 31a Communities, organizations and societies are built on trust. How do people know if they can trust one another? Heroic, dramatic gestures like saving someone from a fire may generate gratitude, but trust comes from the many daily, small transactions done repeatedly over time. Transactions such as arriving on time for an appointment or meeting deadlines reliably over time build trust. The Talmud says explicitly that this type of trustworthiness is one of the most important things we can do in this world: 1Many ofthe ideasabout Emunah inthis session are adapted from Bridging the Gap, pgs. 408-424, Rabbi Avi Fertig r ii m rag t m • * m 1 Tikkun Middot Project Curriculum Draft. February 2014 Rava said: After death, when a person is brought to account for his life, [the first thing the Heavenly tribunal] says to him is: Did you conduct your business in a trustworthy way {nasata v'natata b'emunah)? Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 31a The other items on Rava's list include setting aside fixed times to study Torah, engaging in raising the next generation, and hoping for salvation. These seem like much more spiritual and exalted activities than buying and selling. This is Rava's point ~ the quality of our character is determined more by how we manage the daily temptations of cutting corners and cheating in our dealings with other people than our lofty aspirations in ultimate matters like salvation. Do not be fooled that "business" here just means profit-making. The Hebrew "Masah U'Matan" can refer to any give and take, any negotiation, from whose turn is it to make dinner to organizing a mitzvah day at the synagogue. What type oftransactions do we do in a synagogue orfamily environment that rely on Emunah - transacting in a trustworthy manner? In what ways are you challenged transacting with trustworthiness? Creating Solid Ground - Numbers 12:7 and Commentary When describing the difference between Aaron and Miriam and their brother Moses, God describes the greatest prophet as "Ne'eman," "Trustworthy." In trying to explain the meaning of trustworthiness, the 12th century commentator, Rashbam, employs a potent metaphor based on a verse from Isaiah: "Not so with My servant Moses; he is trusted [ne'eman) throughout My household." (Numbers 12:7) Ne'eman [in the above verse] means steadfast and rooted every moment of the day. As the verse in Isaiah 22:23 says: "I will affix him as a peg in a secure place - b'makom ne'eman." The peg stuck in strong ground will not easily fall. (Rashbam's commentary on the Bookof Numbers) To be trustworthy/ne'emoA? is to be "strong ground" that can hold a tent peg secure. Strong ground does not always mean completely solid ground. Atent peg needs dirt that is flexible and a little loose to be able to enter. It also needs dirt that is not completely dry so it will grip the peg. Letyour mind explore this metaphor to see what is at stake in developing this middah of Emuno/i/trustworthiness, especially for people who lead others. In what ways are yoursynagogue, workplaceorfamily impacted by the degree to which individuals are Ne'eman - rooted and steadfast? In what ways are leaders and parents responsiblefor creating "strongground?" How does this relate to building trust? What are some ways you do and don't create a Makom Ne'eman, a secure place, for your community, co-workers orfamily members? How do you know? What is one thing you could do to create this "strong ground"for the people you work, pray, and/or live with? . ™ mmM .Jk &$mk Tikkun Middot Project Curric. Draft. February 2014 The Root of Emunah Most Hebrew words are based on a three letter root system. The root contains important information about the meaning of the word. Thus, Emunah nDiQN is based on the root A. M. N. ,|.XJ.N Alef- Mem - Nun. There is an element of Emunah that means being faithful to what you know, carrying out in action that you know is right. Alef - H represents thought, beginnings (it is the first letter) and new ideas. It is pronounced silently. Mem - n - represents action. Mem isthe 14th letter of the Hebrew alphabet and in Hebrew letter numerology is equal to the word Yad hand [Yad = Yud (10) + Daled (4) = 14]. The hands are the tools of the physical world and they bring thought, represented by the Yud, into the physical world. Nun - I- is related to faithfulness Emunah. When Nun is the last letter in a word it is extended downward longer than the other letters and is called a final Nun, Nun sofit. The Nun sofit represents remaining faithful to an idea and extending the idea regularly into the word. How do these three elements - thought, action and remainingfaithful to an idea - connect to trustworthiness in your synagogue, work or home life? k_ W: - .-V wJSk Ms.. - m ..•_. W . J% Tikkun Middot Project Curriculum Draft. February 2014 Learn the Sources - Emunaft/Trustworthiness While Emunah is usually translated as faith, in this session we focus on its related meaning - Trustworthiness. Emunah shares a Hebrew root with Oman, an artisan, someone who can be trusted or relied upon to produce a quality product. Emunah is that quality ofreliability that we engender in others through our sustained honesty and consideration. A person or institution that acts with Emunah/trustworthiness is one in which you can havefaith. Emunah as Fundamental to Life -Talmud Bavli Shabbat 31a and Tosafot The prophet lsaiah(33:6) describes some of the good attributes of the Jewish people as follows: :ii*iNt wn• mlvt: tint-:• mni-tt nnDn-it n)ntf>I mti* v wn»••••• mum- vi nmitt: And he shall be the stability of your times, a store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure. The word used for "stability" is "Emunah." Stability can be understood as a manifestation of trustworthiness. Trustworthiness adds to stability. The rabbis of the Talmud relate each phrase in Isaiah's passage to one of the six sections of the Mishnah, the 3rd century encyclopedia of Jewish legal theory. •no nt rnyiw onw ttd nr pn ivin ttd nr ynv tpyir ttd dt tbion mnriD ttd nr ny-n xmnp ttd nt nnDn ypm "Emunah" refers to the section of Mishnah, "Seeds", that deals with agriculture. "Your times/Eitecha" refers to the section of Mishnah dealing with the holidays. "Store/Chosen" to the section of the Mishnah dealing with issues of marriage and divorce. "Salvation/Keshu'ot" refers to the section of the Mishnah dealing with civil law. "Wisdom/Chochmah" refers to the section of the Mishnah dealing with the Temple and sacrifices. "Knowledge/Do'ot" refers to the section of the Mishnah dealing with ritual purity. (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 31a) The 13th centuryTalmud commentators, Tosafot, want to understand the relationship between the term "Emunah" and agriculture: :Viin D'n^nyn >m pnNnw »obunn>a unan - tpynt ttd dt nnoN The Jerusalem Talmud explains that [the farmer who sows seeds] places his faith in the Lifegiver of the Worlds. In what exactly is the farmer relying on from God? Why do you think Tosafotand the Jerusalem Talmud use the term "Lifegiver ofthe worlds" as a namefor God here? What do you need to rely on, or have trust in, to function well in your work, in your community or at home? 8 4 T 1 Tikkun Middot Project Curria Draft.