HartmanSummer@Home Great Books: Enlightenment—A Parable Yehuda Kurtzer June 29 – July 2, 2020 1. Mishna Hagigah 1:1 1 2. Mishna Hagigah 2:1 1 3. Mishna Megillah 4:9-10 4 4. Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 11b-14b 5 5. Jerusalem Talmud Hagigah 2:1 16 6. Tosefta Hagigah 2:3-7 16 7. Bereishit Rabbah 19:3 17 8. Ruth Rabbah 6:4 / Kohelet Rabbah 7:8 18 9. Mishnah Avot 4:20 18 The Shalom Hartman Institute is a leading center of Jewish thought and education, serving Israel and North America. Our mission is to strengthen Jewish peoplehood, identity, and pluralism; to enhance the Jewish and democratic character of Israel; and to ensure that Judaism is a compelling force for good in the 21st century. Share what you’re learning this summer! #hartmansummer @SHI_america shalomhartmaninstitute hartmaninstitute 475 Riverside Dr., Suite 1450 New York, NY 10115 212-268-0300 [email protected] | shalomhartman.org 1. Mishna Hagigah 1:1 All are obligated in seeing [the Temple Mount], except for a deaf mute, an incompetent, or a minor; an intersexual, an androgyne; women, unfreed slaves; a lame person, a blind person, or a sick person; or an old person who cannot stand upon his feet. Who is a minor? Anyone who cannot ride on his father's shoulders and go up from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount, according to the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel say: Anyone who cannot hold his father's hand and go up from Jerusalem to the Temple Mount, for it says, "Three regalim" (Exodus 23:14). 2. Mishna Hagigah 2:1 The laws of sexual morality are not to be studied in groups of three, nor the story of creation in a group of two, nor the account of "The chariot," alone - that is, unless he is wise and comprehending on his own. Anyone who looks at these four things, it is better for him that he not been born: What is above, what is below, what is in front, what is behind. And anyone who is not sympathetic to the respect of his creator, it is better for that he not have been born. 1 3. Mishna Megillah 4:9-10 ט מ ת נ י ׳ הָ א וֹ מֵ ר " ְיָבְרכוּ� טִוֹבים " – ֲהֵרי זוֶֹדֶּר� ַהִמּינוּת, " עַל קַ ן צִ פּוֹר יַגִּיעוּ ַר חֲמֶ י�" וְ " עַ ל ט וֹ ב ִ י ָ זּ ֵ כ ר ְשׁ מֶ �", "מִוֹדים מִוֹדים" – ְמַשְׁתִּקין אוֹתוֹ. ַהְמַכֶנּה ָבֲעָרי וֹת – ְמַשְׁתִּקין אוֹתוֹ, הָאוֹמֵר: " ִוּמַזְּרֲע� לֹא ִתֵתּן ְלַהֲעִביר ַלֹמֶּל�" (ויקרא יח:כא) = ִֹלא ֵ ְַָתְן ָתּלאעבְּרא ְבּאַָריוּמתָא – ְמַשְׁתִּקין אוֹתוֹ ְִבִנזיפָה . י מ ת נ י' ַמֲעֵשׂהְראֵוּב ן ִנְָקראְ ולֹא ִמַתְּ רגֵּם, ַ ֲֵמעשׂהָ תמָר ִנְקָרא וִּמ ְַתּרגֵּם, מַ עֲשֵׂ ה עֵגֶל הָ ִר אשׁוֹן ִנְקָרא וִּמ ְַתּרגֵּם, וְהַשֵּׁנִי ִנְקָרא ְולֹא ִמַתְּרֵגּם. ִבְּרַכּת ֹכֲּהִנים , מַ ֲע שֵׂ ה דָּ וִ ד ְוַאְמנוֹן – (ל ֹא) ִ נ ְק ָר ִא י ן ְולֹא ִמְַתְּרגִּמין. ֵאין ְַמפִִטירין ַבְֶּמּרָכּבָהְִַ, וְרי בּיהָוּדה ִַמיתַּר. ִרי בֱּ ִֶאֶילעזר אוֹמֵר: אֵ ין מַ פְ ִט י ִר ין בְּ "הוַֹדע ֶאת ְירוָּשַׁליִם" (יחזקאל טז:ב). 9 One who says, "The good shall bless you," this is the way of minut. "Unto the bird's nest your mercy extends," and "For the good may your name be remembered," and "Modim, Modim,"they silence him. One who euphemizes the laws of forbidden sexual relationships, they silence him. One who says, "You shall not give any of your offspring to sacrifice them to Molech," (Leviticus 18:21) "You shall not give any of your offspring to cross over to Gentileness," they silence him sharply. 10 The story of Reuven is read and not translated. The story of Tamar, read and translated. The episode of the first calf is read and translated; the second is read but not translated. The priestly blessing, the episode of David and Amnon are (not) read and not translated. We do not read the haftara of "The chariot," but Rabbi Judah permits it. Rabbi Eliezer says: We do not read the haftara of "Notify Jerusalem" (Ezekiel 16:2). 4 4. Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 11b-14b Our rabbis taught: There was an episode involving Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, who was riding on a donkey and traveling on a road, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach was guiding the donkey behind him. He said to him, "Rebbe, teaching me something of the chariot." He said to him, "Did I not teach all, ‘nor the account of the chariot alone’ - that is unless he is wise and comprehending on his own?" He said to him, "Rebbe, allow me to say something before you that you taught me." He said to him, "Say it." Immediately he descended from the donkey and wrapped himself and sat on the stone underneath the olive tree. He said to him, "Rebbe, why did you get down from the donkey?" He said to him, "Is it possible that you should be expounding on the account of the chariot, with the divine presence among us and the accompanying angels leading us, and I sitting atop the donkey?" Immediately Rabbi Elazar ben Arach began expounding on the Chariot. And a fire came down from the skies and surrounding all the trees in the field. They all began to sing. What song did they sing? "Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps ... fruit trees and all cedars" (Psalms 148:7-9). An angel answered from the fire saying, "Yes, Yes, this is the chariot." Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai stood and kissed him on his forehead, and said: "Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who gave a son to our forefather Abraham who knows how to comprehend and examine and expound the episode of the chariot. There are those that expound nicely but do not fulfill nicely, those that fulfill nicely but don't expound nicely; you both expound and fulfill nicely. Joy to you Abraham our forefather, that Elazar b. Arach came from your loins." And when these matters were recounted before R. Joshua, he was walking with R. Yose HaKohen on a road, and they said: "Let us also expound the episode of the chariot." R. Joshua began expounded, and it so happened to be the period of Tammuz. The clouds knotted together in the heavens and there appeared a kind of rainbow in the cloud, and the ministering angels were gathering and coming to listen, like people who gather and come to see the rejoicing of a bride and groom. R. Yose HaKohen went and recounted what happened to R. Yohanan b. Zakkai, and he said: "Joy to you and joy to your progeny, happy are my eyes that saw this. And lo I and you were reclining together in my dream on Mount Sinai, and a bat kol was sounded to us from the heavens: "come up here, come up here! Giant halls and pleasant mats are laid out for you, you and your students and your students' students are invited to the third level!" 5 Is this so? Is it not taught: Rabbi Yose said in the name of R. Yehuda: There were three who thus lectured: Rabbi Joshua lectured on these matters before R. Yohanan ben Zakkai; Rabbi Akiva lectured on these matters before R. Joshua; and Hananiah ben Hakinai lectured on these matters before Rabbi Akiva; and lo, R. Elazar ben Arach is not included! Those that lectured and it was lectured before then are included. But Hananiah ben Hakinai is included, and none lectured before him! For he lectured before someone who indeed had lectured before. The Rabbis taught: Four entered the "Orchard" (pardes) and these are they: ben Azzai, and ben Zoma, The Other (acher) and Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva said to them: "When you arrive at the pure marble stones, don't say, 'Water! Water!', for it is written: 'A speaker of lies shall not abide before my eyes (Psalms 101:7.)"' Ben Azzai glimpsed and died; about him it is written: "Precious in the eyes of God is the death of his saints (Psalms 116:15.)" Ben Zoma glimpsed and was affected; and about him it is written, "You have found honey- eat your fill, lest you overeat and vomit." The Other cut the roots. Rabbi Akiva departed in peace. They asked ben Zoma: "What is [the law] with respect to neutering a dog?" He said to them "such you shall not do within your land" (Leviticus 22:24) - to all that are in your land this you should not do ... " The Rabbis taught: It so happened Rabbi Joshua son of Hanina was standing on a step on the Temple Mount, and Ben Zoma saw him and did not arise before him. He said to him: "Wherefrom and whereto, Ben Zoma?" He said to him: "I was watching between the upper waters and the lower waters, and nothing separates them save for three fingerbreadths, as it is written, "The ruach elohim is hovering above the waters" - like a dove who hovers over her children without touching them." Rabbi Joshua said to his students, "Apparently Ben Zoma is still outside." ... "The Other cut the roots," and about him it is written "Let not your mouth bring sin upon your flesh (Eccl. 5:5)." And what was it? He saw that Metatron was given permission to sit and write down the merits of Israel. He said: "We learned that in heaven there is no sitting, and no competition, and no necks, and no exhaustion - perhaps (heaven forbid) there are two powers." They removed Metatron from his place and beat him with sixty pillars of fire.