6215-1.indd 1 03/21/2017 11:51:51 AM Thank you to Mordechai Finley and David Holzel for the use of their essays.

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6215-1.indd 2 03/21/2017 11:51:51 AM Table of Contents

The Introduction: ...... 4 Simhat Beit ha-Sho’eyvah...... 5 Yetzer ha-Ra ...... 7 Temple Postcards...... 8 Hevruta Texts on the Yetzer ha-Ra...... 9 5 1. -4: The Water-drawing Ritual ...... 14 Gemara . 51b—53b...... 18 The Prologue: The Alexandria Temple...... 18 Act 1: Sourcing the Yetzer ha-Ra ...... 23 Intermission: A Guided Tour of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle)...... 33 Mishkan: Making a Dwelling Place for God, Rabbi Mordecai Finley . . . . .34 Act 2: The Image of Evil ...... 38 Epilogue: Back to the Temple ...... 45 Sum of His Parts: A Good Word about the Evil Inclination, David Hozel . . . .54

6215-1.indd 3 03/21/2017 11:51:52 AM The Introduction Sukkot

This text comes from the fi fth chapter of the tractate Sukkah . It is the book of the that is specifi cally devoted to talking about the holiday of Sukkot, though, as in all Talmudic tractates, many other topics are covered . It comes from the “Order” of the Talmud known as “Mo’ed” (Seasons), which deals with . Talmud pages have two sides, “a” and “b .” This is because they were originally printed one side per page at a time and then hand sewn together in order . This text starts on page 51a and goes through 53b .

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6215-1.indd 4 03/21/2017 11:51:53 AM Simhat Beit ha-Sho’eyvah This passage begins in the Temple, where we witness a special Sukkot celebration called  . Simhat Beit ha-Sho’eyvah, a .k .a “The Water-drawing Ceremony” or literally, “The Joy of the House of Drawing .” In the Talmud, tractate Sukkah, a little bit before the Mishnah we will be studying, we get a description of the water-drawing ceremony . Here is what we learn: Sukkah 4.9

Mishnah: How was the water libation performed? A golden flask that held three logs of water was filled from the Shiloah/Siloam pool. When they arrived at the Water Gate, they sounded a teki’ah [long blast], a teru’ah [vibrating note] and again a teki’ah [long blast]. Then the priest went up the ramp to the altar and turned to his left where there were two silver bowls.

Jewish Encyclopedia: Hezekiah made sure that

Jerusalem had water in case of /corbis

a siege. The only natural spring PieGel s of real value is the Gihon on the ed © t © southeastern side in the Kidron Washing in Valley. Hezekiah cut off the fl ow of water to the north and the Pool of Siloam had a conduit excavated through the rock, thus leading the

water within the city limits to the Siloam Pool (ii Chron. 32.30; ii

Kings 20.20). This Siloam conduit, which was discovered in 1880, is 1,757 feet in length.

Mishnah: Rabbi Yehudah said: 1RABBI YEHUDAH (BAR ILAI). When Rabbi Yehudah is used Rabbi Yehudah1: They were made of plaster but looked silver because they in the Mishnah or the Talmud had been darkened by the wine. without a ben or a bar somebody, it is Rabbi Yehudah Bar Ilai. His main teachers were Rabbi Mishnah: They had two spouts. One was wide and the other Tarfon, Rabbi Akiva, and Rabban narrow so that both could be emptied together. The one on Gamliel. Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Shimon, and Elazar the west was for water and the one on the east for wine. If ben Shamua were ordained by one poured the flagon of water into the bowl for wine, or Rabbi Yehudah ben Bava during the Hadrianic persecutions. Rabbi that of wine into that for water, it was still acceptable… Yehudah ben Bava was put to death for violating the law against ordination. 5

6215-1.indd 5 03/21/2017 11:51:55 AM Rashi2: Both libations, the water and the wine, were poured into their 2RASHI. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki. 1040–1105. French respective bowls at the same time. Then the libations flowed biblical and Talmudic through the spouts, landing on top of the altar. They ran through a Commentator. Rashi is “the” commentator on the Bible hole on top of the altar into a very deep cavity called the shitin. and on the Talmud. He received his early Talmudic Gris: Next the Mishnah tells us about a change in the ceremony that was training in his native Troyes, France, before traveling to made because the ceremony once went wrong. Mainz and Worms (Germany) and returned to Troyes at the Mishnah: To the Kohein (Priest) who performed the water-libation they age of twenty-five as one of the leading Talmudists of his used to say, “Raise your hand,” for on a certain occasion a day. He taught and wrote certain man poured out the water over his feet, and all the while earning his livelihood as a wine merchant. Rashi spent people pelted him with their etrogim. most of his life on his Talmud commentary. Rashi gathered Rashi: It once happened that the Kohein who performed the ceremony was around him a number of key students and studied with a Sadducee (and not a Pharisee). The Sadducees deny the water- them daily. His commentaries grew out of these regular drawing ceremony because it is only described in the Oral Law study sessions and provide and not written down in the Torah. He intentionally poured the the foundation on which most other Jewish commentary is water out on the ground, avoiding the bowl, and therefore did not based. He marked the trail perform the ceremony. others follow through this material. His later years were marred by the excruciating After that the Kohein was made to raise his hands so that all could suffering of the Jews during see where the water and wine went. the First Crusade in 1096, when many important Jewish 3 communities were destroyed. Josephus : The Kohein who spilled out the water was the King, Alexander 3FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. b. Yannai, an evil descendent of Yehudah Maccabee (Antiquities 37–100. As a young man he 13.13.5). passed through the schools of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. At the age The Gemara: Sukkah 48b of nineteen he attached himself to the Pharisees. He was assigned the defense Amora 1: Where in the Torah do we find the root of this ceremony? of Galilee by the . Yotapata was besieged by Amora 2: It comes from Isaiah 12.3: Vespasian, and after a siege of forty-seven days the fortifications were razed to the    . ground. Josephus escaped by persuading his companions Torah: With joy shall you draw waters from the wells of salvation. to kill each other after drawing lots. He arranged to Eliyahu Ki-tov4: The waters of Siloam are called the “wells of salvation,” since the be the last and surrendered to the Romans. Josephus kings of the House of David were anointed over the Shiloam, and then told Vespasian that he through them came salvation to Israel. would become emperor. When Vespasian gave him his freedom he adopted But there was more to it than the drawing of water. Whoever saw Vespasian’s family name, the joy that accompanied the pouring of the water drew happiness “Flavius.” Josephus became a historian, the Greek historian for the soul and salvation from the task (The Book of Our Herritage p. 178). of the Jews. 4ELIYAHU KI-TOV. Modern Israeli rabbi who wrote The Book of Our Herritage, a collection of Hasidic material on the holidays. 6

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