Podcasts about aggadah

As our 'Getting to Know the Rishonim' series continues, we explore the towering figure of Rashi with Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel, one of the foremost scholars of medieval Jewish thought. French Jewry produced a remarkable corpus of Torah commentators—from Rashi to Rashbam, Bechor Shor, Rav Yosef Kara, and Hizkuni. What makes this school of biblical interpretation unique, and is there a common thread in their methodologies? We also examine the process by which Rashi's Torah commentary achieved a near-canonical status—how early did this happen, and why? One of the most debated aspects of Rashi's legacy is his relationship with Peshuto Shel Mikra. While Rashi famously states that his goal is to explain the simple meaning of the text, he frequently incorporates Aggadah. How should we understand his approach to peshat and his use of Midrash? Are peshat and aggadah fundamentally intertwined in his conception of biblical interpretation? Finally, we discuss whether the way Rashi is studied today aligns with how he originally intended his commentary to be understood. Join us for a fascinating deep dive into Rashi's methodology, influence, and lasting legacy.---• Bio: Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel is the E. Billi Ivry University Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Law at Yeshiva University, where he teaches and directs doctoral dissertations at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He researches the fields of medieval and early modern Jewish intellectual history and rabbinic literature. Rabbi Kanarfogel received his PhD from Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He is the author or editor of nine books and nearly 100 articles, and is a winner of the National Jewish Book Award, the Association for Jewish Studies' Jordan Schnitzer Book Prize, and the International Book Award sponsored by the Goldstein-Goren Center for Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.• Welcome to JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED: A PODCAST FOR THE PERPLEXED | Co-hosted by Benjy & Benzi | Thank you to...Super Patron: Jordan Karmily, Platinum Patron: Craig Gordon, Gold Patrons: Dovidchai Abramchayev, Lazer Cohen, Travis Krueger, Vasili Volkoff, Rod Ilian, Silver Patrons: Ellen Fleischer, Daniel Maksumov, Rabbi Pinny Rosenthal, Fred & Antonio, Jeffrey Wasserman, and Jacob Winston! Please SUBSCRIBE to this YouTube Channel and hit the BELL so you can get alerted whenever new clips get posted, thank you for your support!

Another daf of Aggadah - with debates between Rabban Gamliel and the Roman caesar - including his daughter - over various philosophical issues coming out of the Torah. Also, a significant inquiry into whether God rejoices in the downfall of the wicked.

21 Tishrei | Day 328 | Leap Year Aggadah and Halachah: A learning schedule for between Minchah and Maariv--Can you spare four minutes a day to gain deeper insight into yourself, your soul, your spiritual make-up, your personal purpose, and how to enjoy a meaningful relationship with G-d?If yes, Let's Talk Tanya. Tanya, the seminal work of Chabad Chasidism, is the personal owner's manual for the Jew who seeks to serve G-d and live a life suffused with holiness, purpose, and joy. Let's Talk Tanya is a daily series that attempts to translate the Tanya into resonant and relevant languageTanya is divided into daily portions. Following this regimen, one concludes the Tanya every year. Let's Talk Tanya, in 4 minutes on average, briefly reviews the day's segment, conveys its basic ideas, and zooms in on one large idea. To watch, listen, or subscribe to Let's Talk Tanya:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkTanya Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3uFNrie Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3BqG9TmGoogle Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3FMnvrsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/letstalktanya/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetsTalkTanyawww.letstalktanya.comTo donate or for dedication opportunities, please visit letstalktanya.com/donate or reach us at contact@letstalktanya.com Have Tanya questions?Submit questions for possible inclusion in a future Tanya Q&A Segment: letstalktanya@gmail.com__The full text of the daily Tanya is available at: www.Chabad.org/DailyTanya

Jesus didn't teach in parables because He couldn't figure out a better way to preach. These narrative form illustrations and stories have been used by rabbis for ages. The Jews called storytelling used to illustrate a message AGGADAH; it was creating word pictures to bring a deeper understanding of God and the world. Aggadah, to the Hebrews, were known as parables to the Greeks. Even a short statement by Jesus [“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin…” (Luke 12:27)] was considered Aggadah. WATCH FULL SERVICE ON YOUTUBE DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE

Maharal Netzach Yisroel Chapter 5 Part 8- Titus's Death & How To Understand Aggadah by Rabbi Avi Zakutinsky

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Join us for a captivating episode as we spotlight Rabbi Yitzhak Berdugo's important book, "Understanding Ḥazal," which offers an English translation of Rabbeinu Avraham Ben HaRambam's guide to deciphering the words of our Sages. This meticulously crafted guide, complete with an elegantly typeset Hebrew translation, is enriched with insights from Ḥakhamim throughout the generations. Discover why Rabbi Berdugo believes that now, more than ever, understanding the teachings of our Sages is crucial, particularly in the face of scrutiny from academia, atheists, and other skeptics. Reflecting on his personal journey to Torah observance, Rabbi Berdugo sheds light on the challenges confronting the current generation and how the classical Geonic-Sepharadi tradition can serve as a formidable defense against modern assaults on Judaism. In this enlightening conversation, we uncover the significance of properly grasping Aggadah and its potential role in elevating the next generation of Torah study.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/judaismdemystified/support

Dedicated in memory of Ariel Eliyahu A"H who was killed Al Kiddush Hashem on Simhat Torah defending Medinat Yisrael. He completed Shas by the age of 19 and began with Baba Kama.

PART TWO of this Yom Kippur 2023 sermon, in which I share the result of my personal and rabbi experiences of the last 15 years:  that the longer we live, the shorter our eulogy becomes; that life (like scripture) is a combination of halakhah (direct description of human behavior) and aggadah (our stories in which God is an invisible character); that the main point of Yom Kippur is to learn how to retell our stories so that the way God has been communicating to us through our experiences becomes center stage, with the intimation explicit, the aspiration articulated, the perpective holy, so we live wearing the garments of holiness, with the perspective of shrouds and Unetaneh Tokef, as God writes the books of Avinu Malkeinu from the way we are telling our stories.  

In this Yom Kippur 2023 sermon, I share the result of my personal and rabbi experiences of the last 15 years:  that the longer we live, the shorter our eulogy becomes; that life (like scripture) is a combination of halakhah (direct description of action and events) and aggadah (our stories in which God is an invisible character); that the main point of Yom Kippur is to learn how to retell our stories so that the way God has been communicating to us through our experiences becomes center stage, the intimations explicit, the aspirations articulated, the perpective holy, so we live wearing the garments of holiness, with the perspective of shrouds and Unetaneh Tokef, as God writes the books of Avinu Malkeinu from the way we are telling our stories.  

Spiritual initiates from every religion have existed, conveying their teachings through diverse scriptures, allegories, and symbols. The Jewish mystics were no different. However, their knowledge was codified in such a way as to provide accessibility and insight for those who were trained to read, interpret, and understand with an awakened consciousness. This lecture builds on Kabbalah: The Doctrine of Soul and Spirit, describing how five elements of Medieval Judaism can inform our understanding of initiatic life, specifically through Aggadah (narrative tradition), Halakah (Jewish law), Piyyut (liturgical prayer), Merkavah mysticism (the science for creating the soul), and The Sefer Yetzirah (a profound scripture of magical, initiatic import).

23 Tishrei | Day 300 Aggadah and Halachah: A learning schedule for between Minchah and Maariv -- Can you spare four minutes a day to gain deeper insight into yourself, your soul, your spiritual make-up, your personal purpose, and how to enjoy a meaningful relationship with G-d? If yes, Let's Talk Tanya. Tanya, the seminal work of Chabad Chasidism, is the personal owner's manual for the Jew who seeks to serve G-d and live a life suffused with holiness, purpose, and joy. Let's Talk Tanya is a daily series that attempts to translate the Tanya into resonant and relevant language Tanya is divided into daily portions. Following this regimen, one concludes the Tanya every year. Let's Talk Tanya, in 4 minutes on average, briefly reviews the day's segment, conveys its basic ideas, and zooms in on one large idea. To watch, listen, or subscribe to Let's Talk Tanya: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkTanya Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3uFNrie Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3BqG9Tm Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3FMnvrs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letstalktanya/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetsTalkTanya www.letstalktanya.com To donate or for dedication opportunities, please visit letstalktanya.com/donate or reach us at contact@letstalktanya.com Have Tanya questions? Submit questions for possible inclusion in a future Tanya Q&A Segment: letstalktanya@gmail.com __ The full text of the daily Tanya is available at: www.Chabad.org/DailyTanya

In this episode, we introduce our new series, "Stories of Sorrow, Lessons of Hope" with Mushky Steinmetz. This series will explore stories from the Gemara related to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and some of the messages the commentators take out of them. In this introductory episode, Mushky defines what Aggadah is and gives a general overview of how to understand Aggadah.

Purim | Midrash Esther and the Sinaitic Covenant, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom One of the types of Midr'shei Aggadah utilized by the composers of Midrashim is the "petichta" - (proem) which served as an introduction to the public reading of the text to which the Midrash attached. Among the more prolific and well-known פתיחתאות are those that preface מדרש איכה as well as those recorded by both the Midrash (Esther; introduction) and the Bavli (BT Megilat 11) that preceded the public reading of Esther. These proems consistently start with a verse from another part of Tanakh, artistically weaving its way, verse by verse, comment by comment, until it concludes with a direct quote from the object text. We look at how Midrash Esther uses the proem to answer a question about Vayikra - and comment on the salvation of Purim.

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There is a famous story brought down in the Gemara in Masechet Gittin that we learn on Tisha B'Av, that talks about Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai, who was smuggled out of the siege of Jerusalem to meet up with the general who eventually became the Ceasar, Vespasian . When Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai came to greet him, he said, “ Peace be upon you the Ceasar, peace be upon you the Ceasar.” In truth, at that point , Vespasian was no more than a Roman general. In the end , Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai said, “No, You are the Ce asar.” He had extrapolated on a pasuk where it said that the Bet HaMikdash would fall into the hands of a king , And therefore , if Vespasian was the one that was taking over, then must have been the king. S ure enough, a few moments later, a m essenger came from Rome with the news that Vespasian was now the king . But the E lder of N ovordok says that this was Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai's only hope of saving the people from dying of starvation. He was coming to negotiate. Surely he chose his words for this critical encounter carefully . Why would Rabbi Yohanan jeopardize his mission, and his life, by addressing the general as king in his very first sentence? Granted, he might be able to demonstrate, from a biblical source, that he was indeed the king, but what if Vespasian had not ac cepted that? Why take the risk? The Elder of Novordok answers that Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai possessed an u nwavering conviction that the Torah's reality was the only reality. And if the Torah said that he was the king, then he was the king ! Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai didn't follow what his physical eyes told him. He saw reality through the Torah. There are times when the T orah's p ers pective might contradict what seems to be the path to worldly success. It is not enough for us to feel that we must bow our heads in submission and forgo that success for the sake of the Torah. Rather, we must have the conviction that the Torah's perspective is the reality, and any apparent contradiction to that reality is an i llusion. Therefore, it's not that Rav Yochanan Ben Zachai was willing to endanger himself to promote the Torah's perspective . Rather, he called Vespasian the king because he realized that he really was the king. He didn't even feel the danger , because the Torah‘s perspective is the reality (This is a message from the Medregat HaAdam, in Cheshbon HaSedek, chapter 9) Rav Yehezkiel Abramsky would e motionally relate how , in his youth, he heard this from the E lder of N ovordok himself . He said, “ You will only be able to go through life according to Hashem's w i ll, if you know that only what is said in the Torah is real.” Rav Abramsky said that this was indeed how the Elder of Novordok lived his life. Only what was in the Torah was real (brought down in the Artscroll Tisha B'Av edition of En Yaakov, on the Aggadah of Gittin,page 18). This is a tremendous lesson in life. We can only look at things through the Torah's ga ze . The Chafetz Chaim would often asked, “ H ow do I know that the sun will come up tomorrow? Because it says in Bereshit that the day and night will not cease.” Everything that we look at has to be through the eyes of the Torah. This is a fundamental in our Bitachon . Our reliance on Hashem has to be clear, without a doubt, that Hashem's Will will come true, that He is in charge, and that He is in power. That is why we are calm and relaxed. The story of Nakdimon Ben Gurion is mentioned in the sugya of the Churban. He had enough money to supply wood for the entire Jewish people for 21 years . At one point during a drought, he borrowed from a wealthy goy, and agreed that he would pay him back during by a certain time. When the time came to pay back the loan, he did not have the money to cover it , but in the end H ashem made a miracle for him. He was completely unworried. He was calm and relaxed . He waited till the very last day , and he said, “ Hashem, show that You have people that You love.“ He was convinced ; he was solid. He had no questions , because he looked at th ings through the Torah's eyes . That is what we have to do. The more that we learn about Emunah and Bitachon, the stronger our reality will be. Take a reality check that you have the Torah's way of looking at things.

Anne here: Apologies for the late release, and in a new masekhet, no less! My phone seems to be the culprit. Obviously, I'm working to rectify. || A challenging daf... Strange in terms of Hilkhot Shabbat and unintended consequences - and the virgin bride. Specifically, breaking the hymen would be a epind on Shabbat, but why can't their first night be Saturday night? Why do "calculations" or planning get in the way? Some kinds of thinking and planning, even on teaching, are indeed acceptable on Shabbat. And yet... enough things block the shabbat marriage. What are the sages' intentions in exploring the unintended act in Shabbat - and the wedding? Also, a piece of Aggadah - acclaiming the righteous people for accomplishing even more than God, in creation. Including what people need to do to be righteous, and also why this passage is here in this dad's context.

Rabbi Bashevkin explains why stories of tzaddikim are inspiring and beneficial, especially for children. But is this ideal considering that the Torah seems to not hide or sugarcoat the mistakes of our ancestors, while actually making their failures integral to their narratives. If the Torah did not find it beneficial to gloss over the mistakes or flaws of our greatest heroes, why should we employ such thinking today? His answer may surprise you. He also discusses the controversial beliefs of Ishbitz Hassidut. Antinomianism is a very dangerous and paradoxical doctrine which seems to go against the most intuitive notions of free will and personal responsibility. Why didn't this fact negatively affect the Ishbitz community in terms of their approach to Judaism, as some might have expected it to, such as with the Sabbateans? We also talked about a polarizing idea among Orthodox Jews: Zionism. The approach that many Haredim have taken is to reject it as heresy, citing the Aggadah of "The 3 Oaths" as support for their argument. To counter that, religious zionists easily see the modern state of Israel as a clear fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Putting politics aside and just strictly focusing on the miraculous existence of Israel, is either side missing the point and can this divide ever be resolved? Lastly, being that the Rabbi wrote a book on sin, we asked him to give us his take on "separating the art from the artist", a recent example being the Chaim Walder case. We've noticed that some people were torn about what to do with his popular children's books after all the allegations of sexual abuse came to light. Our opinion is to dispose of these books, but we want to know where the line is. For example, one might make the case against singing Carlebach niggunim because his alleged inappropriate behavior, etc. Some might say "why not watch The Cosby Show for its lessons since the rest of the cast didn't deserve to be cancelled", or that Michael Jackson's or R.Kelly's music can still be enjoyed since the studio is a separate domain from domestic life. We asked what he thinks is the proper approach to this issue in general. 

It is customary after a Torah learning session to recite "Rabbi Hananya Ben Akashya Omer…" followed by Kaddish Al Yisrael. This Kaddish recitation is especially significant, and in fact the Gemara comments that "the entire world stands" on the Kaddish recited after learning Aggadah. Our community also follows the custom of the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572) to recite half-Kaddish just before beginning Arbit. We recite the three Pesukim of "Hashem Seva-ot Imanu Misgab Lanu Elokeh Yaakob Selah," "Hashem Seva-ot Ashreh Adam Bote'ah Bach," "Hashem Hoshi'a Ha'melech Ya'anenu Be'yom Kor'enu," followed by half-Kaddish, after which we proceed to "Ve'hu Rahum" and "Barechu." Although many Ashkenazic communities do not follow this custom, our practice follows the teachings of the Arizal that the recitation of these verses and the half-Kaddish is part of the Tikkun (spiritual "rectification") that we seek to achieve through the Arbit service.The question arises as to the proper procedure to follow if a Torah learning session concludes immediately before Arbit. In many synagogues, a Shiur is delivered right before Arbit, and the question is whether the Kaddish Al Yisrael recited after the class can serve also as the introductory Kaddish before Arbit, or if two separate Kaddishim should be recited.The Kaf Ha'haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Israel, 1870-1939), while not addressing this question, notes (260:227) that the custom in Yeshivat Bet-El in Jerusalem was to read Shir Ha'shirim, followed by Kaddish, immediately before Arbit on Friday night, and they would begin Arbit with a second Kaddish. This would appear to provide a precedent for requiring two separate Kaddishim, rather than have a single Kaddish recitation serve two different purposes. Just as the Kaf Ha'haim requires separate Kaddishim for Shir Ha'shirim and for Arbit, seemingly, a congregation that completes a Shiur before Arbit should likewise recite one Kaddish for the learning and a second Kaddish to introduce Arbit.On the other hand, one could argue that on Friday night the Kaddishim serve special purposes related to the "Neshama Yetera" ("additional soul") that we receive through the Friday night service. If so, then we cannot necessarily draw any conclusions from the Kaf Ha'haim's comments with regard to the situation of a Torah class which concludes right before Arbit.Rav Rahamim Shayo (contemporary) discusses this issue in his Mehkereh Eretz, and he contends that each Kaddish serves a separate function, and thus two Kaddishim should be recited. He notes that this is, in fact, the custom in the Yeshiva where he studies, Yeshivat Nahar Shalom – to recite Kaddish Al Yisrael after the Shiur, followed by the three Pesukim of "Hashem Seva-ot" and half-Kaddish to begin Arbit. Rav Shayo relates that when this question was posed to Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998), he replied that a single Kaddish may be used for both purposes, but Rav Shayo understood this response to mean that a congregation may recite just one Kaddish, but can also recite two if it so chooses. Furthermore, Hacham Bension recommended bringing this question to Rav Mordechai Sharabi, Rosh Yeshiva of Nahar Shalom, where, as mentioned, two separate Kaddishim are recited.It turns out, then, that both options are perfectly acceptable, and a congregation can choose either to recite a single Kaddish or two separate Kaddishim in this case. It must be emphasized, however, that if they choose to recite just one Kaddish, they must still recite the three Pesukim of "Hashem Seva-ot Imanu…" and should not proceed directly to "Ve'hu Rahum" after Kaddish Al Yisrael.Summary: If a Torah class ends right before Arbit, and Kaddish Al Yisrael is recited (as is the custom), the congregation can choose either to recite an additional half-Kaddish before "Ve'hu Rahum" at the beginning of Arbit, or to skip that Kaddish, in light of the fact that Kaddish Al Yisrael had just been recited. Even in the latter case, however, they must ensure to recite "Hashem Seva-ot Imanu…"

We're rounding off this month's MVPs (most valuable podcasts) with a conversation about the Shmita year (if you haven't been commemorating it, don't worry! There's still time!). As we're In our current pandemic-, racism-, and climate-change-ravaged times, April and Tracie talk about the Shmita Year, or Sabbatical Year, which we just began at Rosh Hashanah. How does one live out the values of the Shmita year when most of us are no longer working as farmers in the fields? They discuss how we can use this particular moment to lean into its themes, reconnect with the Earth, and find greater balance in what we endeavor to control and what we allow to happen organically. Find April and Tracie's full bios and submit topic suggestions for the show at www.JewsTalkRacialJustice.comLearn more about Joyous Justice where April is the founding and fabulous (!) director, and Tracie is a senior partner.: https://joyousjustice.com/Support the work our Jewish Black & Cherokee woman-led vision for collective liberation here: https://joyousjustice.com/support-our-workLearn more about the Shmita year here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-is-shemita-the-sabbatical-year/Check out the 5 genders in the Talmud here: https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/gender-diversity-in-jewish-sacred-texts/Read more about Hayim Nahman Bialik here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hayim-nahman-bialik/The essay “Halacha and Aggadah” can be found in Revealment and Concealment: Five Essays.Check out Judaism Unbound's episode on the Shmita year here: https://www.judaismunbound.com/podcast/episode-287-shmita-projectListen to our episode on T'shuvah here: https://joyousjustice.com/blog/jews-talk-racial-justice-ep-53 Listen to our episode about Elul here:https://joyousjustice.com/blog/jews-talk-racial-justice-ep-49Learn more about Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife here: https://www.keshirahalev.com/aboutLearn more about Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen here: https://www.jewishtimes.com/tag/rabbi-elissa-sachs-kohen/

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Series: Be'erot, Love & Relationship with God.   Synopsis:  Avraham's anavah is reflected in chesed, the path of love is knowing the unity.   Episode Transcript:   We began to explore last time an aspect of Avraham that is revealed when he speaks to G-d the first time. When he speaks to G-d at the moment when he is told that Sodom and Amora are going to be destroyed and he says, Anochi afar v'efer. From there, the Rabbis teach us that Avraham Avinu's great midah, his root trait, is anavah. Of course, in the revealed aspect of Avraham, he lives a life as the midah of chesed, and he becomes the expression par excellence of love of G-d. What we are looking at is his origin of love of G-d in this expression of his, which is his words to Hakadosh Baruch Hu which reveal a pnimi aspect of him, which is anochi afar v'efer, which is he is an anav. What I want to continue to explore is how that midah becomes reflected in the chesed of Avraham, and particularly in the way his path to love is one of knowing the unity as opposed to what we came to know of the path to love of David, which is a path to love by the joy of life. Because, for David, it was the effervescent and bubbling flow of the spring of life in its creativity and access to newness and to the excited realities that happen when that flow flows into the world. So his love of G-d came from that, as we saw in his love of G-d through his dancing. And he said about himself that he was a person of shiflut when he speaks to Michal. That aspect of love, which is David, I think is different than the aspect of love which is Avraham's. And that's what I want to talk about. In a sense, they are two paths that are different from each other. Because Avraham is the very beginning and David is the very end. Both of them are lovers of G-d at a different origin. We have seen so much along the way of how Yitzchak is the one who comes to love G-d by virtue of realizing the specific in the context of G-d's withdrawal and making space for. And Yaakov is the one who comes to love of G-d in the connection of him through the organismic unity of things in which all of the particulars and specifics are present, but there is a flow of life through them, as he loves his own life, loves that life which is the life of the world. The aspect of love which becomes reflected when G-d says, V'ahavta et Hashem Elokecha, when Moshe speaks and says, You shall love G-d, ki hu chayecha, for He is your life. That was the revelation of Yaakov. Then we followed through with Yisrael in the revelation of personhood and specific connection as the child of G-d and as the one who G-d has invested in, coming to his specific and particular revelation, and all of that then came to be revealed through David, in his ability to accept and live and create from whatever circumstance G-d sends his way. It's all a creative opportunity for expressing more life, more goodness, more presence of G-d, doesn't matter if it's negative or positive, whether it's suffering or it's a celebration. And to a very great extent, especially seeing in this day, which is the yartzeit of the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, so we are called to move to that midah which is becase of that declaration that Haman [imak sh'mo] made, which was since the goral fell out on Adar, for sure it's a good sign for him, because that's the month that Moshe died, but what he didn't know is that Jews raise a l'haim on a yartzeit, whatever G-d sends our way, besides getting into the soul's enlightenment on the day of the death, but just we take what G-d sends us in joyousness and that is the aspect of David, which comes at the end and which allows a new beginning that comes out of that end, the end, the malchut, is the beginning, the keter of the next world. And that's the way it is in all of life's experience. Whenever it seems like the end, and it's over, and it's suffering, and it's finished, actually become the birthing point for what is next, and what is the new realization and creative opportunity that G-d is sending us and that has to do with being attached to the maayan mitgaber, but when one passes through that gate and arrives at the place of simple and tamim, innocent acceptance and it's one thing to be actively involved in the creative movement, and it's another to be in simple acceptance. Because simple acceptance, as opposed to the act of creativity, moves one back into the reality of anavah, as we are going to see, and then the whole process begins again, because anavah is the word which is a characteristics that is representative of keter, the ability to be v'matel to be in abnegation before. And in that abnegation, to be in contact with all. It's very crucial to recognize that we're used to anavah having to do with how a person behaves, and saying that everything I have comes from G-d. But the truth of anavah is that it has to do with the ability to strip away all of the accoutrements and the small definitions of what my reality is and to simply be real and present to what my reality is. And that's why anavah, a word which has another expression of it, and that is of the ani, of being impoverished. And the reason for that is, the aniyut, being impoverished, in this world, in the physical world, is a negative reality, got no money, clothes, food, down in the dumps, is shockingly the highest madrega because the highest madrega is to be stripped into complete pshitut of reality in its greatest simplicity. Before all forms are. That level of unity is a level that Avraham Avinu accessed, and therefore was able to say about himself anochi afar v'efer, and that must be the starting point. A person who doesn't have the acceptance of that must always be caught up in the egoic forms and specifics and constantly be battling for his survival when those forms and specifics become threatened or challenged. So if someone doesn't honor you the way like to be honored, or if someone doesn't call you by your right name or title, so you get all bristly, because you're trying to protect these forms which, if you dig deep down enough, you consider to be your life. If they don't call me Rabbi, then they won't repect me. And if they don't respect me, then they won't listen to me, then (pretending to cry) I won't be able to be creative anymore. Then, if I were real about it, I would totally lose my composure and pretend, but if they wouldn't listen to me, then I wouldn't be creative, and if I wouldn't be creative anymore, then what would I be living for? I'd be dead! Those are voices of the egoic mind which have taken grasp in a way in which the only way we hold onto our sense of reality and presence is by holding onto these forms. That is the speaking of the nefesh behamit, which tells you—the animal soul, which tells you—you're a dead man if you lose all of those appellations, definitions, and names that you've been given. And as long as you are attached to that as that from which you live, then you can never be an anavah, one who truly embraces all of reality along with you on one equal level, whether it be a highly acclaimed Nobel Prize Laureate, or the lowest guy in the street who is a drunkard lying on the road. And only an anav is able to walk up to both of them with the same demeanor of, Here is existence, here is life that I am a part of, that I'm connected to. It's not something that I need to measure myself against, or establish myself as oppose to, or be concerned lest I become too much associated with, that I might lose the standing I have gained or achieved. That must be the starting point for any kind of a life now going to be able to live in unity with reality as it is and to get down to the point when David arrives. Without this as the starting point, so it's all a secondary kind of a battle, I accept it, I judge it, I take it or leave it, depending on whether it serves my false sense of what gives me life and reality.                 I was talking to someone who is in a conflict with his in-laws. So he's telling me that the conflict is supposedly religious issues. The in-laws are not religious, he is religious, they don't like the fact that he is religious, and they keep trying to compromise on his principles about whether they can drive the grandchildren around on Shabbat, take them to the beach, can they eat by them, so it's constantly an ongoing thing. And he feels himself being chipped away, compromise after compromise, what should he do? So I'm listening to him, he wants a piece of advice. What should he do? How much should he compromise, how much shouuld he hold onto? What should he do? So I'm listening to him telling me, They get angry and cold to me, and I know that they're angry at me, and I can't stand that they're angry at me, and I can't live with this, the way they're acting towards me. They have to stop doing that. They have to drop being so negative towards me, and I can't stand it. As I'm listening to him, of course, what's of greatest interest to me is not, of course, the great piece of advice that I'm going to or not give him, but his experience of his reality. About his in-laws being angry at him, and being cold towards him. He can't stand that. He can't live with that. I want to tell you, that as soon as you hear someone say something like that, so that's the place to visit with them. That's the place to visit. Were I to give him any advice, compromise on this, be strong on that, stand up on that, it won't make any difference because those people are in his life in order to bring up his nefesh behemit which is telling him, I can't live when people are angry with me, I can't live when people aren't happy with me or when people don't approve of me. As long as that is sitting there, whetever he will give in on, provide them with, ora attempt to appease them about, is sure to fail because they're being in his life for now to bring him into a clarity of, what is his life? What is his truth? Only when he is liberated from his belief of "I can only live when they approve of me" will he be able to offer them something from a place of truth within himself that they will indeed be able to live. And they will, and I'm one hundred per cent sure that when he gets to that clarity, then that kind of nagging, nawing behavior will end on that part. Because it's his clarity that is required on his part, and it is a matter of anavah. It's a matter of his accessing the truth of his being as, first of all, that which they and no one can take away from him. And his most primal and primary commitment to existence in life is, that when he touches that, so that all of the approval or disapproval, all of the anger or not anger will not be experienced in a way that if you keep moving down the ladder of, and if this happens, then, and if this happens, then, and if this happens, then, etc. I'm a dead man. The only way to undo that is either to look at the falsehood of it, and that's crucial, to look at the falsehoods of all those things, no, of course, not. As soon as he steps out of his egoic mind. But that won't be enough until he also—it's not so much surrender as it is join reality, as it is in its primary level of simple being. First of all I am a soul, divine, at one with life, at one with all of life, with all that is, everything else is secondary. That's the place of anavah and all creative activity begins from there, and if it doesn't, then it becomes driven, false, egotistical. That's why it's so important to me to begin to this midah and return to this midah. And it is this midah that Avraham Avinu holds as we saw from the Zohar, which is also called ever mah, the limb of what, the ability to stand in whatness. Coach mah, chochmah, the power of the what, which is pointed to the keter, which is pointed towards the crown, which stands at the juncture between nothingness and something. And is always cognizant of the transition into something from nothing in its most mysterious and wondrous aspect so it never becomes attached because it's always at the place between nothing and something. So this being of Avraham, very beautifully is manifested in the holdiay which is the holiday of Avraham. What I mean is each of the holidays has an aspect that it is a teaching of. And a forefather that it is a manifestation of. Sukkot is easy. Yaakov is the only one who lived in a place called Sukkot. Yitzchak, who is the man of gevurah and of the relationship of differentiation is knegged Shavuot, when we take our oath, at the end of the weeks, to be forever betrothed to G-d, forever married to Him, standing outside of Him, as the one who is commanded by the commander. That is Shavuot, Yitzchak, and in fact, the shofar that is heard there is the shoar of the ram of akeidha. Pesach is Avraham, and in fact, he is the only who mentions what is the primary manifestation of Pesach, which is matzah. When the angels come, he tells Sarah, go knead and make matzot. The Rabbis say, do you know why that was? Because when the angels came, when he was going to speak Anochi afar v'efer, it was Pesach. Because Avraham is that holiday, and for a simple reason. It is the pure beginning. Just as it is the pure beginning of us as a people, it is the pure beginning of us as a people through Avraham. It's what he is, and in fact, even specifically in Pesach, the specific feature of Pesach, which is his, is the matzah. Maror is the bitteness and gevurah and judgements of the living of the separateness which is Yitzchak. The lamb, the seh tamim which has to be brought, the simple lamb is Yaakov, who is a she psurah, it says about him Yisrael, always that's one of the representations, as opposed to Esav, who is coming to wolf him down, and the matzah is Avraham. And it's so perfect and beautiful, because matzah is called lechem oni, the impoverished bread, which despite all of the different interpreations I'm sure you've heard, its most simple reading is that it's the most simple, undressed and most primal bread, lechem oni. Any additive you add to matzah, whether it be oil, eggs, sugar, which is not the most basic being of bread, flour and water. Flour and water is all it takes to hold it together. Anything you add to that, it's no longer matzah. And in fact, in rabbinic Hebrew, matzah is simply another word for any unadulterated purity as used in various contexts having to do with hide that is used for right sifrei Torah, that it be "matzah." That is, that it has to be unadulterated, and there's gematriot around that. But the point is an unadulterated reality, and that is, indeed, the root of liberation. Liberation doesn't come when you add on the riches and wealth that you accumulate. You may be, so to speak, freer to do what you want to do in this world. To buy the things you want to buy, to go to the places you want to go to, to see the things you want to see. So it does acquire for you in this world of forms, the ability to acquire things. But obviously, and you all know, that the real liberty, the real freedom, cheirut, belongs to those who are identified with one thing and one thing only and that is life, being and the goodness of it in its utter simplicity. The amazing thing is that Pharoah, in seeking to destroy us, when he saw how much we were reproducing, attempted to destroy us by taking away from us the accoutrements of life, so to speak, by which I mean, he tried in taking away the men and killing the men, was seeking to kill off identity as it becomes revealed through names. At the beginning of the book of names is very painstakingly careful, after it lists the sons of Yaakov, to not list anyone's name. People are all anonymous. Even people who are mentioned, like Shifra and Puah, those aren't their names. They have other names. Those are actually words of what they would try to do. They would go, pu, pu, pu to the baby. And Shifra would be the one who would hold the baby and massage the baby into being a beautiful baby. But it was really Yocheved and Miriam, not their names. Even when the parents of Moshe get married, they do it anonymously. The man from the house of Levi goes and takes a daughter of Levi. The point is, the whole beginning there is the stripping down of names, and it becomes a nameless reality. Men are in names. That's why a married woman generally takes on her husband's name. Whether we like it or not, that's the way it works. The Chumash, for sure, the names come down through the men. The familial, because the male aspect of things is a kind of identity that comes through the specific. And he thinks that what he is going to do is to enslave them by getting rid of the men But the pasuk says the most amazing thing, it says, Kaasher yaanu oto. Kain yirbe, vkein yifrotz (34:18) The more he made them ani, literally it means the more he made them suffer, but literally it means the more he made them ani, so the more they became fruitful and multiplied. The darn thing didn't work. And the reason is because what he was doing was unwittingly actually bringing forth in the Jewish people their primal beginning, which is the at one-ness with life and their commitment to it. That's all. So the more he made them ani, the more he was creating the lechem oni, which would be their root to redemption.  The more he stripped away their specific identity, so the more he put them in contact with their ultimate and final humility. And as they rested in that, so there was no destroying them. He unwittingly liberated them by doing that which, in his thinking, would be that which would destroy them. This is what the Rabbis mean when they say that the women, the Tzidkaniot, were the source of the redemption. Because they would go out to their husbands in the field, and their husbands who were completely despairing of life, because what's the good of bringing life if it's just going to be destroyed and not go anywhere? Well, just have some of this fish, well they just drop their eggs and it goes where it goes. Just be fruitful and multiply, the ones who were created with blessing, the first blessing, to be fruitful and multiply. Simple. Just life, being. And Moshe is born out of that. That's the reality that produces Moshe, about whom it says that he was good. And the Rabbis said, oh, we've been there. That's the first light that He saw, and it was good. Just be. That's Moshe. He would be the one who manifests the true anavah which is his primary trait. He is the anav mi kol adam, the lechem oni, which came from the very man who was m'aneh otam, who impoverished them, stripped them down to their more basic being. That's what we're eating when we're eating the matzah. That's why it's the bread of liberation. Because it's the bread of impoverishment, the bread of that most primal beginning. It's like eating the light.                 There's a price you pay to stay there, and Moshe Rabbeinu pays a price. He gains the greatest access to what being is as it begins because it holds there so then he can see the forms that are created through G-d's will as they are realized in the worlds and knows the patterns and the right living that will most reflect the true patterns of life because he stands from that perspective and comes down from there. As the Arizal teaches, he is the yesod chochmah, he is the conduit who brings the wisdom, in the deep sense of wisdom that we spoke of; he knows the what-ness, as he declares, anachnu mah, down into the world. But he also pays a price in that, in that he can't really hold a marriage. He doesn't stay married, because he stays devoid of those particaulr forms. It's a painful price. But it's the one when the Rambam says is paid when G-d tells Moshe when he comes down from the mountain, Tell the people to go back to their tents. And Moshe Rabbeinu says, in the midrash, the Rambam brings it down, And me? Do I go back to the tent? And G-d says, Lo, atah poh imadi. No, you stay standing here with Me. And at that point he is no longer able to return to the tent which is the particulars and specific forms withon which people live. Each one of us in our own tent of reality as it's defined and bounded. But that great revelation, which he brought us, which comes from there and is brought down into the creation of Torah, came from the beginning of Pesach. And only from there can the Jewish people begin its travels. And only from there can we every year return to that reality which is the reality of perfect anavah of Avraham. Like we spoke last week, the pleasure of that place, it's hard to shake. The resting in that. And the task of moving beyond that and moving out into realization and specificity means, on a certain level, either giving up the oneg, which is the depiction of the feeling that's associated with that, passing that up or somehow knowing the path to carry that with into all the aspects of life that I'm living. Simcha, at the other end of the spectrum, which is where David, not Avraham, is, is exhuberant joyousness,  that's very much in life, that's David dancing up a storm, embodied completely in the bringing of the aron to the Beit Hamikdash, that G-d would be embodied, ki v'ychol, in this place in Jerusalem. But oneg is a very delicate bliss, a pleasure of just being in contact with the all. It's very dear and crucial, and produces as a root, all the other good midot, traits, that are lived from there. And so they almost begin from Avraham's anavah.                 And then, what this allows for, what happens most beautifully by virtue of that pleasure with Him is a great loving of the one who is Himself that ground of being. And this is the truth of Avraham ohavi, Avraham my lover, Avraham who is in his primary consciousness and primary being at one with that. It's at a certain level, it's reflected in a midrash which is told about Moshe, which, the Talmud says about Moshe, who is in a certain aspect a counterpart of Avraham, and kabbalistically so, if you know the midot, so you know that on the right side, Avraham's side, is chochmah, and beneath it is chesed, and beneath it is netzach. And Moshe comes out of chochmah and is ultimately revealed in netzach. He belongs to that right side, the side of the greatest expansiveness, in the touching of it all, in the non-specificity of a particular identity. The great bliss of that. The great liberating bliss which is that. So Moshe reflects this in a beautiful description which gives a picture of him. It's a story told by Rebbe Yehoshua Ben Levi, a master of Aggadah. B'sha'ah she yarad moshe m'lifnei hakadosh baruch hu. When Moshe went down from before G-d, so the Satan came and said before G-d, Ribbono shel Olam, where did the Torah go? Where's the Torah. So, G-d syas, well, I gave it to the earth. So he went to the earth and said, Where's Torah? So the earth of course said, Well, Only G-d knows. Elohim hevin darkah. So he went to the waters and the waters said, It is not with me. So he went to the depths. She said, It's not in me. As it says, Tehom amar lo bi hi. Ki yam amar eyn imadi. So he continues and he goes to avadom and mavet. He goes to desolation, nothingness and death. They say, listen carefully, Ozneinu shamanu shimah. We heard about it. As if he's getting closer. Chaza v'amar lifnei Hakadosh baruch hu, so he went back to G-d and he said, Ribbono shel Olam, I've sought everywhere in all the land and I did not find it. So G-d says, Go to ben amram. That's Moshe. Halach etzel Moshe. Amar lo: Torah she natan hakadosh baruch hu, the Torah that G-d gave you, where is it? Amar lo, B'chi ma ani, she natan li ha kadosh baruch hu ha torah. What am I that G-d should give me Torah? It's a beautiful double meaning. What am I that G-d should give me Torah. Of course, the Satan understood that as what am I that G-d should give me Torah? But it also is likely, I believe, that Rebbe Yehoshua may be saying, it's also a statement. What am I that G-d should give me Torah—as he declares about himself. And this is why, by the way, avadon and mavat had heard about her. Yam hadn't, yabashah hadn't, tehom hadn't, but avadom? Avadom knows Torah, because the depth of Torah is expression of being as it is. And it is, at its root, the desolation of non-specificity. It's death. So death knows Torah, because it's prior to the forms in its origin. So she's heard about it. So then he goes to Moshe and he says, Mah ani, that Torah should be given to me. So Satan, who doesn't know about mah, who stands in the opposite end of the spectrum of the yetzer harah, that insists on particular forms as ultimate expression and ultimate being, doesn't really get what Moshe's saying, and so he goes back to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so amar lo hakadosh baruch hu, I mean, the story isn't told that he goes back to Hakadosh Baruch Hu; Hakadosh Baruch Hu immediately responds to this. Amar lo hakadosh baruch hu l'moshe: Moshe. Badai atah. Moshe, you're a prankster. Meaning, you're like a faker. Amar l'fanav, ribono shel olam, chamud u'gnuza yesh lecha. Please, You have the most darling hidden beauty that is with You, she atah mishtasheah bchol yom. That you play with, take pleasure in every day in a sha'ashua, in a child-like playing. Meaning that it's not purposefully-oriented, it's just the pleasure of it. Ani achzik tovah l'atzmi? I'm going to take the tov, that good, as if It's mine, as if it's by me? It's not by me, it's in pleasure, in the underlying primal being which is pleasure. How would I say that is something own and (sic) (52:57) by me when the Satan came to me it was exactly right but the beauty of it was that he was joking. He made like a game out of it. But that's exactly the consciousness, the game, the play. Amar lo hakadosh baruch hu l'moshe: hoilu ata ta latzmecha, Because you made yourself small, Tikareh et shimcha, It's going to be called by your name. And so all of the prohecies that were ever given that end in Malachi, chapter three, end in Zichru Torat Moshe avdi. Remember the Torah of Moshe my servant, it's called by his name. But it's only called by his name because he gave up his name. You can only be called by the name of one whose very name simply means that he was pulled out of the waters. He was pulled out of the simplest, and the most undefined and unformed realness which becomes manifest in this wrold in the waters. That's Moshe.                 But Moshe is the same reality where the expressed and manifest reality which Avraham began as the ever mah. And so, when he's told by the Satan, I heard it's by you, he said, bchi mah ani she yiten li Torah. It's that particular aspect of Avraham which becomes revealed to him through his anavah, which is actually the root of his ability to be the one who would conduit (sic) this most primal impriture of what reality is into life as he does.                 So Avraham's so-to-speak preparation for being able to say Anochi afar v'efer was in telling Sarah, Quick, make up some matzot. It's the time of matzot, it's the time of being in the simple being, and from there to derive the commitment to life, which is the life of Avraham and the love of all, which is what the love of G-d from that reality is. Because you can't love G-d without loving all. How would you love G-d without loving all, if your consciousness is not of a G-d who is other, but rather one within Whom you are and all is not only embedded, but is actually simply the formation into forms of. There would be no possible way that the distinction would happen such that you would then distinguish between lowly people and highly (sic) people, between people of status in stature and name, and those who were down in the dumps, and even though, of course, we're called upon coming into this world, being here and relating to and dealing with and living out all that life gives us in all of its different aspects—the will of G-d is such that we should live all of that. When we are able to continue drawing from that reality of mah, then all of the worlds that then unfold from there, become worlds rooted in pleasure, shaashua, rooted in the enjoyment of the playing with, that is G-d's pleasure in Torah, and then become the life that Avraham expresses which is a life of love of all and of life itself.                 If I could share a beautiful juxtaposition of two mishnayot in the fourth chapter I mentioned last time. One is Rebbe Yaditas, ish Yavneh, who says, in Misha four, Meod meod havesh fal ruach. Be of a very lowly and humbly spirit, She tikra enosh rimah.  And we described last time how the Rambam actually gave us a picture of a man who urinated on him. And the reason for that is not chas v'shalom because we Jews love denigration for the suffering that it brings. But because that denigration put him in contact with what it is to be stripped of all the appelations, to return to just being matzah. That's what the depth of anavah is. So meod meod havesh fal ruach. But this mishnah follows another one which is that one which says, Al tihi baz l'chol adam v'al timaflid lchol davar, Never despise any human being and never push away any object. She ein lecha adam she ein lo sha'ah. For there is no man who doesn't have his hour. V'ein davar she ein lo hamakom. And there is no thing which does not have its place. And in a sense this is an instruction for a path. And it's really true, and I'm going to say it in it's most simplest way. There is no human being who doesn't have his moment, because there is nothing in this world whose manifest reality is not a manifestation of reality. So there is no one who will not have a moment in which he is fully realized. To push anyone away and to despise anyone is to despise that truth of his rootedness in being. But there is something else which speaks very strongly to me and I know it to be true: There is no  person who, if you don't give him an hour, will not become someone who you're not baz. Their real hour, not an hour in which he is arguing egoically. But to spend time with a person and to uncover their deepest aspirations, to give him a focus, and the time, in shiflut ruach, from yourself. There is no person who, in that hour, will not show you something of the beauty of the being that speaks through them.  Of course, there are some bad people out there; some of them take more than an hour, or at least you need to know how, but in a loving an shafel way, in this shiflus and anavah, so then it will bring out the level of the beauty and perfection of being that rests in them too. And so these two mishnayot come together beautifully, because lest you think that Meod meod havesh fal ruach means ignore the forms, forget about them they don't matter, then let me tell you something: Never despise a person, because he has surely his moment, his special reflection and special revelation. Having one will not allow you to let go of the other. But as we've seen, that's farther down the line. But the starting point has to be in that kind of a unity, which is the consciousness of Avraham, then all of the particular forms which derive from that come with all of the beauty and glory which they deserve with the honor and the reverence which they arouse which are the midot that come after that, the reverence being Yitzchak, and the beauty being Yaakov, which is what makes things beautiful when you see how all of being becomes reflected and expressed through this particaulr part of the organismic whole. And then finally the glory of each human being which is in their reflection of their joyous expression and their creativity which is their gift that we're all invited to express and live and take, which is David through Yehudah and Leah.                 You know, Avraham sent his gifts to the east. On a certain level, I understand why they took them.   The Brahmans, the reflection of Avraham, it's the nirvanic consciousness of a pure being. But you know what Rashi says about them? He gave them names of impurity, shemot tum'ah. That's what it is for us, to be rooted there is the root of life. But to stay there is the nail of death. Avraham without Yitzcahk, without yirah, becomes the avadon and the mavet, I've heard about the Torah, but I've never lived its embodied life. It's in the experience of G-d's turning to make space, that there should be other. It's in the contacting G-d's own, so to speak, al korch'cha atah chai. By force you shall live, that His will that there should be an other at the beginning of a real life of love of other is made possible. We'll stop here (and just stay here for a few hours, too!)                 (If the brothers in the east, their connection is through Avraham without fear of Hashem. Why is fear of Hashem necessary, because they live well, all of those Eastern philophies, I used to be very interested in those; you do create life, you can get married, have children, you can have amazing moments of fulfillment, you can do service for others.) I don't know a lot about Eastern religions or practices. I just have a sense from the little access to this that I have that the perception that there is a level of life which is a game, really a sha'ashuah, derives from holding that consciousness without that reverence and respect for the realness of the creative world. And this I believe is our primary difference. It's a big difference. Because our knowing of life is of willful creation that G-d wanted this here, that it's not some sort of unfolded derivative, but it's a willful creation. So though we know that on a level it's an illusion in the sense that the primal realness is the oneness of all being, nevertheless, that illusion is willed in love. That-is-so-marvelous. Because it means that everything that we live, see and know, is sent to us by the One Who in love chose to create a consciousness that would see all of this as separate, different and happening and becoming and making the space for you.                 I once had a conversation with someone who is deep in Buddhism. Maybe I'm missing something, but we were taking a walk in a very beautiful place and I said, just tell me something—Why is all this beautiful? What is that for you? And what it is for me, it's tiferet, in the sense that after there's the withdrawal, so after, there's a creative consciousness which finds beauty and connectedness, which is what beauty does, in the sense of the attractiveness and loveliness of all that is. So again, I don't know what lies they live. But I think I have a sense of something of the perspective. Though there is much speaking of compassion there, real compassion? Not from, of oh, nebuch, you're missing the point. But real compassion in the sense that this is something birthed, rachamim in our language, we spoke of this when we talked of Yaakov, that real compassion comes from exactly the kind of thing that Azai said. That everything has its place that is willed and desired by a loving Creator. Rooted in the simplicity of being. But it's here, meant to be here. This is something this time of year with Amalek, who is saying, well, all you're seeing is just a product of your mind. Here, let me just give you just a little bit of wine, and see if you'll still see things the way you're used to. (Sounding drunk) Here, we'll just get you into the right state, you wouldn't see anything at all. So what the heck do you think you're looking at? Do you think that's real? It's all mikreh, by-products of a lower consciousness. Mikreh, meaning it's chance, in the sense, it's just by-products of a lower consciousness that doesn't really see the truth. That's Amalek. He says to you, who have been spit out by the cloud. You see now? All the things you think about as being real are not. (It's true but it's also not true.) It's true in that it's all simple being. It's not true in that G-d has chosen that it should be seen this way and lived this way as an act of love that should allow for love in a relationship. The important point is olam chesed yibanah, he created it out of love. That's the transition point which happens when Avraham then comes into that realization at the moment his son is going to be taken away from him at the akeidah. That he's told, You're going to lose your only son. Then he realizes the lovingness from G-d in having given him an only son, someone specific and particular, and that's real and it's meant to be real. That's his awakening from the loving of the specific. That's Yitzchak, who is the man of awe and reverence. Do you feel like I answered you? (We were just talking about Moshe, at the cost of the seeing the true reflection of the  pattern, of the what-ness. That he couldn't keep a marriage because he couldn't hold onto the form because he was paying the price of being a conduit. So my question is, Why is Moshe the one who gets mad? He gets upset. It seems that being the conduit, seeing the real form and pattern, and we know that being angry is something we shouldn't do, so why did he get mad?) I don't think I could explain why he got mad, but he did. (Laughing). He was human. And it was a falling. And in that falling, so he (What do we learn from that?)  I've been there and talked about that, last Purim we were very deep in that as Patience and Anger on Purim. I'll send you a link but I'm just not there right now.

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In our current pandemic-, racism-, and climate-change-ravaged times, April and Tracie talk about the Shmita Year, or Sabbatical Year, which we just began at Rosh Hashanah. How does one live out the values of the Shmita year when most of us are no longer working as farmers in the fields? They discuss how we can use this particular moment to lean into its themes, reconnect with the Earth, and find greater balance in what we endeavor to control and what we allow to happen organically. Learn more about the Shmita year here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-is-shemita-the-sabbatical-year/Check out  the 5 genders in the Talmud here: https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/gender-diversity-in-jewish-sacred-texts/Read more about Hayim Nahman Bialik here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hayim-nahman-bialik/The essay “Halacha and Aggadah” can be found in Revealment and Concealment: Five Essays.Check out Judaism Unbound's episode on the Shmita year here: https://www.judaismunbound.com/podcast/episode-287-shmita-projectListen to our episode on Teshuvah here: https://joyousjustice.com/blog/jews-talk-racial-justice-ep-53 Listen to our episode about Elul here: https://joyousjustice.com/blog/jews-talk-racial-justice-ep-49Learn more about Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife here: https://www.keshirahalev.com/aboutLearn more about Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen here: https://www.jewishtimes.com/tag/rabbi-elissa-sachs-kohen/

parshat nitzavim (deuteronomy 30) Join Geoffrey Stern, Rabbi Adam Mintz and Theatre Director and Professor Michael Posnik in a live recording of Madlik Clubhouse as they explore the verse in Deuteronomy 30 that proclaims that the Torah is not in Heaven. We explore it in context and in the agada. We take a literary journey into the iconic story of the oven of akhnai. Sefaria source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/345182 Transcript: Geoffrey Stern  00:00 This week's parsha is nitzavim and you are listening to Madlik weekly disruptive Torah. And by disruptive, we mean Torah that hopefully makes you think about the Torah slightly differently, from a new angle, with a fresh pair of lenses, revisit old friends, as I often do, or meet new characters, new stories and react to them in a fresh way. And we record this clubhouse, and we post it as a podcast on all of your favorite podcasting platforms. So if you miss it, or if you want to share it with somebody, if you want to give us a few stars and a nice review, go check out Madlik. And so we want to get started, this is actually a very special week, because it's the last Shabbat, the last week of the year. So we have to finish dramatically. And today, I'd like to say this is the dramatic version of Madlik because we are going to be discussing a story in the Agadda, which is the material, I think I know it's been made into a play. But who knows, it could be even a movie coming to a theater near you, because it has so many turns to it. And so many different characters with character flaws and a storyline that is engaging. So, let us begin, we are reading from Deuteronomy 30. And the Torah says, speaking about the Torah, it says "It is not in the heavens that you should say, who amongst us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us that we may observe it. Neither is it beyond the sea that you should save Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us that we may observe it." So it seems to be a pretty straightforward sense of the Torah is here. You don't have to go far. What do you think Rabbi is the straightforward meaning of "Lo Bashamayim Hi",  that the Torah our teaching our tradition is not in heaven, and it's not on the other side of the sea,   Adam Mintz  02:36 Firs tof all Geoffrey, thank you so much. It's a great parsha to end the year with. I think what it means is that the best excuse you can give his Torah is too hard observance is  too hard tradition are too hard. Tradition is for the Super religious, for the people who can appreciate all of this. The answer is absolutely not. It's not in heaven. It's not far away. It's in our hearts and inside our mouths, it's up to us. It's right there. For us. It's the word I like to use in this portion is it's accessible. And we have to remember the Torah is accessible. If Torah is accessible, then we can we can reach it also.   Geoffrey Stern  03:21  I agree with you totally. And I would read translate the phrase "Lo Bashamayim hi"  that it is not in heave as it's not in the sky. In other words, I think if you look at the two verses together, one says it's not up in the sky. And the other says it's not beyond the sea. It's very temporal. It's saying you don't have to go look anywhere else. You don't have to go on a trip, you don't have to go on an experience. You don't have to go find yourself a yogi. And I think in the Devarim Raba, it gives a bunch of explanations, but one says "it is not in heaven". They said to Moses, our teacher, but hey, you said to us it's not in heaven. It's not in the other side of the sea. But where is it? He said to them in the place that is close in your mouths in your hearts to do it. It is not far from you. It is close to you all."  And I think that's exactly what you were saying. It's almost to say, you know, people searched the whole world to find something only to find. They had it all along.  I think that even looking at it and thinking of heaven in terms of a sense of heaven and hell or heaven as the abode of God. The truth is if you look up this word in the five books of Moses, it typically means sky. So, so that we are going to launch a journey that began In the Talmud, where all of a sudden, this simple verse of saying, hey, it's not a pie in the sky, it's not up in the sky, it's right in your own hand, transformed and became something very dramatic. And I think it's a great example of what we were talking about in past weeks, how everything in the Torah, whether it's the activities that we're commanded to do, or the texts that we read, can take on a life of their own and be different things to different people as we move forward. So there is a famous story. And it is considered, I think, one of the most favorite stories and one of the most famous stories in the Aggadah, which is the the tradition of allegory and of myth and of  stories in the Talmud, as opposed to strict laws. And it's known by the name of the oven that is the the subject matter. Its in Baba Mitziah 59b And it starts by talking about rabbis discussing a particular oven that was formed in the shape of a snake, you got to kind of think of yourself as forming a playdough snake and then making it into an oven. So there are lines or spaces in between, and the rabbi's are discussing something very technical as to whether it is kosher, or if it's "tahor", if it was pure or impure, and we don't need to get into the details. But we do need to know  that one of the rabbi's whose name was Rabbi Eliezer he said to them that he believed that it was kosher. And the rest of the rabbi's said, No, we think it's impure. And so on that day, Rabbi Eliezer, who believed it was kosher gave all the possible answers in the world and the rabbi's did not accept his explanation. So this is one Rabbi named Rabbi Eliezer. He has a against a bunch of rabbis. And then he went on to say if the law is like me, he says, Let the carob tree prove it. And sure enough, a miracle happened and the carob tree was uprooted from its place 100 cubics. Some people save even 400 cubits. And the rabbi's answered him and said one does not say bring a proof from a carob tree. So Rabbi Eliezer said to them, if the Halacha is in accordance with me, let this stream prove it .... the aqueduct prove it. And all of a sudden, the water on the aqueduct started moving in the opposite direction. And they said to him, one does not cite a proof from a stream.  Rabbi Eliezer started to get blue in the face, and he says if the halacha is in accordance with my opinion, let the walls of the study hall prove it. And sure enough, the walls of the study hall leaned inward and began to fall. Rabbi Yehoshua scolded the walls and said to him, if Torah scholars are discussing Torah with each other. What does it mean to you? What is your involvement? So the walls did actually not fall out of deference to Rabbi Yehoshua, but they didn't straighten up in deference to Rabbi Eliezer until today, they still remain leaning. Finally, Rabbi Eliezer came to the end of this thread, and he says, if the halacha is like me, if the law is with me, let heaven prove it. And a divine voice a "bat Kol", came down from heaven and said, Why are you arguing with Rabbi Eliezer, the halaqa is always according to him. At this point, Rabbi Yehoshua stood on his feet and said, "Torah Lo Bashamayim hi", the Torah is not in heaven. What is the relevance of the phrase "it is not in heaven"? He said, since the Torah was already given at Mount Sinai, we do not regard a "Bat Kol"  a divine voice. And it says "Acharei Lerabim Lehatot", we go after the majority.... This is kind of like a Beatle song. There are many stops here. We could definitely stop here. But I'm going to go One more little insight before I stopped for our first discussion. The Gemora says Rabbi Nathan, one of the rabbis who had been arguing against Rabbi Eliezer happened to meet Elijah the Prophet on the street. And he said to him Elijah what was God doing when this discussion was happening? and Elijah the prophet said he smiled, and he said, "My children have defeated me. My children have defeated ME."Nitzchuni Bonai, Nitchuni Bonai". What a story and we're not even halfway through. Rabbi, Michael Posnik...., what do you think of this story?   Adam Mintz  10:18 So I, Geoffrey I'm also interested by the last line that you added, "my children have defeated me"? Is that good or bad? I mean, are we supposed defeat God? Or is that a criticism? What's the end piece? But I'm gonna turn it over to Michael, because Michael is gonna give us a dramatic insight into the story.   Michael Posnik  10:41 Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's the only place in all of our literature where God smiles or laughs.   Geoffrey Stern  10:54 I hope that's not true. But   Adam Mintz  10:56 I don't think that's true. But you know what, but it's good anyway, even if it's not true it's a good insight.   Michael Posnik  11:03 if there's another one, then that would be nice to see that but so you asked if it was good or bad. Gods smiled or laughed. And I think he understood the picture and that he couldn't do anything about this. He gave the Torah and people have to address it according to their their needs. There's also a question here. I understand the oven as being really about the community and Rabbi Eliezer, because there seems to be a question about one of the stones or part of the oven was repaired. And because of the repair, the question was whether the odd stone or the odd stones that have been repaired, made that made the oven unclean, or unable to use it to kasher anything. And this to me, I read about as this community there are people in the community who are like the odd stones. Are are they to be counted in the minyan (quorum of 10 Jews), or not to be counted in the minyan and if they behave differently if they react differently? If they were kind of exiled. And the story unfortunately plays itself out. That Rabbi Akiva comes to Rabbi Eliezer who's now excommunicated, becomes into Herem, so he's out of the community, the community tosses him out.   Geoffrey Stern  12:42 Well, let's not jump ahead too much. We don't want to give away the surprise ending!   Michael Posnik  12:47 Well the surprise ending is a sad surprise. So those are just some thoughts that I think it is our responsibility to address the questions that come up in the Torah. I also wonder about the rabbi's need for power to hold the community together. And Rabbi Eliezer seems to be in the way to a kind of unified view in the community. These are massive questions that we're constantly dealing with, do we really go with the majority? Or is the minority view acceptable? This is today, this is in our world as well. So just some thoughts. nothing terribly dramatic, but just some thoughts.   Geoffrey Stern  13:31 Let me let me focus a little bit you mentioned about God smiling, let's let's take a second to look at some of the words that are used here. The word for smile is "Chiyuch". And inside of that, I believe is is Chai, which is life, and certainly humor. And this has a lot of irony in the story. It has a lot of tragedy, and God is all there in the drama and in the smile. The other word that I love here is "nitzchuni Bonai" , which is typically translated as having "defeated me, "netzach" can be to to be victorious, but as Rabbi Riskin pointed out, "Netchak", can also mean eternal "netzach Yisrael" and so Rabbi Riskin translates this as my children have defeated me, "my children have eternalized me." And before I open that up to discussion, remember when Rabbi Eliezer asked the walls of the Beit midrash" to prove him right? If you remember that was the only instance where the rabbi's jumped in and said to the walls of the Beit Midrash of the study hall. Don't listen to him Don't go all the way because we are engaged in the discussion of Torah the word that they used is "Amar Lehem Talmidei Chachamim nitzachim ze et zeh", that we are discussing, we are battling over Torah one with with the other. Again, the word netzach. Here. So I think, at the most basic part of the story, as we kind of pause, right here is yes, you have all of those elements that you described, Michael, you have the question of the individual, you have a question of the authority of the community, you have the question of, are we looking for truth? Or are we looking for compromise. But certainly, the reason a story like this lives forever, is because God is smiling, and we are doing what he wants us to do. And ultimately, that might be why the Torah is no longer in heaven. It's kind of like a father or mother who teaches their child something, and then has the Glee of watching their child take it somewhere that maybe they hadn't even thought of.   Adam Mintz  15:58 There's a lot there. You just said, I love the idea, Rabbi Riskin's famous idea that has been saying for many years, that my children have eternalized me, that arguing with the God is good, that shows that we're alive, that shows that we're thinking it's such an amazing idea, isn't it? "Nitzchuni Bonai..  they've defeated me, but they eternalize me by defeating ....it's the same word.   Geoffrey Stern  16:27 Absolutely. So we could stay here for the rest of the day. And I actually always thought that the story, as I just told it, was the key to the amazement and the beauty of this story, but it goes on. So now the rabbi's said, Okay, what do we need to do against Rabbi Eliezer, so the first thing that they they did is they put all the ritually pure items that Rabbi Eliezer said, were pure, and they burn them in a fire. And I know all of the images that that brings up amongst us. And then they said, Let's reach a consensus. And let's ostrocize him and lets put him in herem, the word that they use to put him in herem is kind of interesting. And it's one that a play that Michael was involved picked up on, instead of they say cursing, they say blessing, but it's understood that they just didn't want to utter the words of Herem of ostrasizng a Jew. So they they basically ostracize him. And then they have to figure out how we going to convey the message to him that he is ostracized. And so now we have another giant of the Torah raise his hand. And Rabbi Akiva says, I am his beloved disciple, I will go lets an insanely person go and inform him in a callous and offensive manner. And he would thereby destroy the entire world. They're going to excommunicate someone who can move carob trees and water in different directions. So what did Rabi Akiva do? He wrapped himself in black, he sat for cubics away from Rabbi Eliezer as you would sit from someone who is excommunicated, and the details are all there, I invite you all to go read them. And it goes dramatically. He rent his garments. He removed his shoes. Rabbi Eliezer said What happened? Who died, he started to cry, he shedded tears. And all of a sudden things in the world started to get afflicted and destroyed just because Rabbi Eliezer himself started to cry. And then the anger was great that day. And he finally realized that he was being excommunicated. You could not sugarcoat this message. And then the story goes on to Rabbi Gamaliel, who was the head of the Sanhedrin and was involved with this decision. And like the prophet Jonah, he's on a boat, and the water, the water is raging, and the boats about to sink. And he says to himself, he says to God, it seems to me that this is only for the sake of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hercanus This must be for what happened to him and he stood on his feet and he said Master of the Universe. It is revealed and known before you that neither was it for my honor that I acted in ostracizing him, nor was it for the honor of the house of my father, rather for your honor, so that disputes will not proliferate in Israel, and as a response to sea calmed from its raising, and Ima Shalom, we get a woman in the story. This is the wife of Rabbi Eliezer.  She knows that if Rabbi Eliezer ever put his head down on his arm and says the Tachanun Prayer where he cries out to God for that which has befallen him the world will be destroyed. And so she makes it her mission never to let him say the Tachnun prayer because, guess what her brother is Rabbi Gamliel. And sure enough she's  successful until one day, maybe it was because she thought it was Rosh Chodesh the new moon when you don't say Tachnun, maybe it was because a poor ani came to the door, but her attention was swayed, he said Tachnun. And the next thing we know a shofar blew announcing the death of Rabbi Gamliel. And the story ends and she says, Why did this happen? EMA shalom said, this is the tradition that I received from the house of my father, all the gates of heaven are locked, except for the gates of 'Ona'at Devarim' verbal mistreatment. And that is the end of this story. And as far as I can tell, the only pragmatist the only player in this story that is guiltless is possibly the walls of the Beit Midrash that compromised and didn't fall down. But every everybody else is so much to blame. What are your thoughts?   Michael Posnik  21:27 Geoffrey? It is truly a dramatic story. Because at the moment when God smiles or laughs, there's a lightness to the whole thing. And there's a sense of winning as it were, there's a sense of completion in the community. But that laughter turns to tremendous tragedy and grief and the death of the prince of the Sanhedrin and the murder, through Tachanun...  through prayer. It is a devastating tale. And I know the translation at the very end, which he says through the one who has been verbally abused. I know there are many other translations... I read one that said that all the gates are closed except the gates for the broken heart. And this story, I think, is a broken heart. It's not about an oven. I mean, it's about an oven, which is somewhat ironic and strange. But there's broken hearts all the way through this. And those rabbis who won the day as it were over God, they grieve. I think that oven was probably never used to get it's it's quite a powerful, dramatic story. I always think that the comic mask and the dramatic mask tied together with one string. It's not two separate masks. It's one and this story's really indicative of it. The last thing I want to say is Rabbi Akiva having to do that work. It's so close to the holiday now. It's so close to Rosh Hashanna, when we all must go and do work. That's difficult to do on ourselves and forgiveness, things like that with other people. So it's very moving moment. Rabbi Akiva going in black, and having to having to give this message. Geoffrey, you read very dramatically, I have to say I would cast you in a minute.   Geoffrey Stern  23:39 Was was this play ever performed? I know you sent me a script from a Daniel (Danny) Horowitz,. It's called a page of Talmud... was it ever performed?   Michael Posnik  23:48 It was performed when Donny wrote it in Tel Aviv sometime in the 80s. I produced it at the 92nd Street y with the Talking Band. And it was done. About a year ago, maybe a year and a half ago. Yoni Oppenheim produced it downtown in the theater with a company of people. They did that one and Donny Horowitz also wrote the story of Kamtza bar Kamtza", which is also not a happy story. Needless to say but very powerful. Yeah, it was produced, and maybe other places too. I don't know.   Geoffrey Stern  24:28 Amazing   Adam Mintz  24:31 it is amazing. Michael, I want to just go back to your idea of putting together the comic with the dramatic. Is it an interesting interlude. The God is smiling, even though it's such a tragedy. Aren't you struck by that?   Michael Posnik  24:49 That's why I went into the theater. Because ou never can resolve that. And the theater and all poetry and really good art does not let you resolve things like we try to do in real life? Like we tried to win the day with a halacha or whatever like the rabbi's. The world is resolvable. And so we are bound to live in, in the midst, in between those two amazing powers, we have to come out whole in some way. Well, that's our job.   Geoffrey Stern  25:23 But to me, it's the question of when does that occur in this story, it occurs right before they break back to the present and start burning Reb eliezer's stuff, and before they excommunicate him, where he smiles, it's rather an amazing place. Because if you recall, they said two arguments. One is that the Torah is not in heaven. And 2, that we go Acharei L'Rabim L'hatot. that we go after the majority. And that's amazing. Because if you look at Exodus 23, which is what they quote, Exodus 23 says, You shall neither side with the mighty to do wrong, "Lo acharei l'rabim" . And if you look at Rashi, on that, he says they are Halachik interpretations of the sages that go against the wording of the text. Athis is the part of the story that I think most people take away, and they don't get into the Sturm und Drang afterwards, that he was smiling, because his children had taken the text in a direction, either not meant, not intended, or even in a whole new directiion. And if it had ended there, maybe it would have been a nice story. But I think the challenge becomes when they therefore want to burn his vessels, or in his books, quiet him and stop him. And you know, the good of the, the whole, for that sake, that becomes a little dangerous. And Michael, you shared a text with me, which is absolutely unbelievable. It's from the Brothers Karamazov. And it's chapter five, the Grand Inquisitor, and there it talks about a regular day in Spain, where the Grand Inquisitor was killing some Jews burning them at the stake. And then all of a sudden, people look to the church and there's an infant that had died, and a holy person comes and brings that child back to life. And then Grand Inquisitor knows who it is. So he locks him up in jail. And literally, it's a similar parallel story to ours where the Grand Inquisitor says, I know you are Jesus the Lord. And you can't come back, you can come and change the rules because we don't need you. For 1500 years we clerics have been changing the rules because man cannot live with the freedom that you gave. So it's fascinating in terms of those who are supposed to be listening to the words of the Spirit can change it, and that can be good, but then they can silence it. And that is bad.   Michael Posnik  28:12 It's very interesting question also about the supernatural. All of the proofs that Rabbi Eliezer brings are supernatural and miraculous. And when the people asked Jesus to jump off the top of the synagogue, he refused, as he said, I don't want your faith to be in the supernatural. I want you to have faith because you have faith not because of something amazing... carob tree, or the water or the walls, or even a bat Kol. He wants people to believe so it's a very interesting conversation about how the super and how we live with quote the supernatural. And is there such a thing? And why do we keep longing for it? So the church, the Grand Inquisitor says, Yeah, we have them in the palm of our hand, you could have to but you didn't know you wanted them to be. You wanted them to be real mechen And not believe in something because of some kind of miraculous. Miracles aren't the whole thing. So in that sense, the rabbis saw one thing with the rabbis burning the stuff the burning the stuff is, is like the extra 500 people that were killed at the end of the Purim. Megillah.   Adam Mintz  29:30 Wow, Michael, there's a lot of stuff here that you're that you're pulling together. I think, Geoffrey, I appreciate that you brought Michael in because I think you're right. You really have to catch the dramatic moment. There's the religious moment. But there's the dramatic moment in this story. And it could it be that the dramatic moment is even more powerful than the religious moment.   Geoffrey Stern  29:52 So I totally agree. We only have a few more minutes, and I can't but ignore the parallels to The High Holidays that are coming upon us this sense of on'ah devarim you're right Michael It doesn't say onah devarim  it doesn't say, depriving somebody throughwords it just says on the app. And those of you sensitive to the language know that on Yom Kippur, the key is onitem et naphshechem.. that we should make ourselves kind of suffer. So there is a balance here that the worst thing that one can do is use the same words and if Rosh Hashannah and  Yom Kippur are about anything they're  words, they can save, but they can also they can also hurt. The real takeaway for me is, I always thought of this story from where we started and where we ended, and I never asked myself why was the story told? And maybe that's because in the Vilma Talmud, this literally forms on one page. But if you turn the folio and see how this all began, the rabbi's were discussing this sense of humiliating somebody, they said on the previous folio, it is preferable for a person to engage in sex with a woman who is possibly married, then humiliate somebody else in public "yalbim pnei haveru b'rabim. Then it goes on to say that Rav Hisda says all the gates of heaven are to be locked except for the gates of prayer for victims of verbal mistreatment. And then it goes on to say that apropos of this statement, we learned a story about a tanor (an oven) about Rabbi eliezer. So it isn't about where the Torah comes from. It's not about how we can change the Torah as much as we love that kind of stuff on Madlik. It's not about anything except what they did to Rabbi Eliezer.  About how after God smiled, they didn't know how to end the joke, and they had to become in the name of unity. They ostracized somebody, and as we head into the holidays, we have to know that yes, neilah is coming and the gates of prayer will be closed, but there's only one thing that can pierce those gates, and that is the cries of somebody who has been hurt and what that means is on the other side, that with words, we can provide solace and we can provide uplifting thoughts and support and maybe that will open up the gates too but this is an amazing pre Rosh Hashannah Pre yom kippur story, I believe.   Adam Mintz  32:46 Amazing. Geoffrey, thank you so much. Thank you, Michael, for your insights today. Shabbat Shalom, everybody we say Shana Tova, when we see you next year, we'll be in 5782. But the Torah continues, we're coming to the end everybody. Join us as Vayelech next week. A short portion, but short and sweet and it's a wonderful portion Geoffrey Shabbat Shalom and shana tovah to everybody.   Geoffrey Stern  33:10 Shanah Tova to you all.

Parshat Ki Teitzei - When was the last time you listened to the lyrics, poetry and sounds of the mitzvot? Join Geoffrey Stern, Rabbi Adam Mintz and special guest poet, Haim Nachman Bialik in a live recording of our weekly disruptive Torah on Clubhouse.  We are told that there never was nor never will be a case of the Biblical Rebellious Son and that we are simply to be rewarded for its study. We explore how all of the commandments provide similar rewards for those willing to listen to their lyrical nature. Sefaria Source Sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/342083 Transcript: Geoffrey Stern  Madlik is weekly disruptive Torah on clubhouse. But we record every week. And we then publish as a podcast. And we're available on all of the major podcast platforms. And you are welcome to give us a few stars and give us a review. And this week, I want to thank our faithful listener Bob, for doing just that giving us some stars, five stars, you can't get better than that, and a beautiful review. So thank you, Bob. And I invite all of you even if you've been on the clubhouse, to check out Madlik on your favorite podcast platform, and give us a review and a few stars and thank you for that. So this week, the name of the Parsha is Ki Teitzei  and as Rabbi Adam said in the introduction, it has more commandments more Halachot and mitzvot than any other parsha. And I am only going to focus on one Halacha and it might be considered the most unique Halacha in the Torah and before I tell you why it's unique. Let me read it to you. It's called Ben sorer u'morer otherwise known as the Rebellious Son, and it goes as follows in Deuteronomy 21. "If a man has a wayward and defiant son, who does not heed his father or mother and does not obey them, even after they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his town at the public place of his community. They shall say to the elders of his town, this son of ours is disloyal and defiant. He does not heed us. He is a glutton and a drunkard, thereupon the men of his town shall stone him to death. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst, all Israel will hear and be afraid." Boy, that's a powerful one, especially this week when we are reading about the Taliban. It certainly brings parallel to a very fundamentalist strict notion of the law and how one keeps people observant. So why is this unique? It's unique because the Talmud in Sanhedrin says that there has never been, and there will never be a ben sorer u'morer; a rebellious son, it was given to us this halacha, this law, this practical injunction was given to us so that we made "darosh umekabel schar" we may expound and receive reward. So first of all, Rabbi, is this a mainstream opinion? Or is this a unique opinion? And what's at issue here?   Adam Mintz  So, first of all, it's a great topic. I mean, there's nothing like ben sorer u'morer. The idea that you have a wayward son, and that you put him to death, actually, before he commits any crime, because better he should die innocent than die guilty. That the first point which is amazing. But the second point is that it never happened. And the reason we studied isDrosh vekabel schar, which really I would translate to mean, let's learn a lesson from it. What lessons can you learn from how you handle a rebellious son? But it happens to be Geoffrey that if you go on in that Gemora, the opinion of Robbie Yochanan, who was a rabbi who lived in Israel in Tiberius, around the year 400, he says, quote, "ani rei'iti" I saw a wayward son in my life, "veyashavti al kivro". And I sat on his grave, meaning it did happen. And he was punished. So actually, there were two opinions. I don't know which opinion is more prevalent. But there were two opinions. One opinion is it never happened.... And one opinion is yes it happened, and I saw it with my own eyes, and I sat on his grave. And I thought we were going to talk about what are those two opinions.  They're so different in their views? One opinion is that it never happened. The other opinion is I saw it and I sat on his grave, how do you come two such different opinions?   Geoffrey Stern  Well, and that also begs the question of what does it mean to "sit on his grave"? Did he sit on his grave and cry? So the question then becomes this that we say, "never happened and never will happen? Is that descriptive or is it prescriptive? Is it to say it never should happen. And it reminds me of the Mishnah actually in Makkot that literally talks about the death penalty in general. And you know, those of you who have read the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible know that it is full of Mot Yamut "Die you shall certainly die". But this is what the Mishnah says in Sanhedrin. "It says the Sanhedrin that executes someone once in seven years, is characterized as a destructive tribunal. Rabbi Eliezer b. Azaria says, once in 70 years, Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiva say, if we had been members of the Sanhedrin, we would have conducted trials in a manner whereby no person would have ever been executed." So here too I don't know whether the Talmud that you quote, which is beautiful, about the rabbi who said he actually saw a ben sorer u'morer whether that is distinct from or an agreement with, because of the fact that he sat on his grave. And at least in my mind, I think he cried.   Adam Mintz  Good. I liked that a lot. Now, of course, the question of whether or not they ever actually carried out the death penalty is the same debate that we have in 2021. whether or not we're in favor of death penalties. And basically, what the rabbis say is that we don't want to actually carry out the death penalty. But we want you to think that if you violate Shabbat, you deserve to get the death penalty, we're not going to kill you. Because that's not what we do, because that is counterproductive to kill you. We want to try to rehabilitate you. But the idea is that we have the death penalty on the books. And maybe that's what Rabbi Yohanan says, I saw, I sat on his grave, I cried. It really happened. Or maybe it didn't really happen. The point is that we need to know that we need to rehabilitate those kinds of children.   Geoffrey Stern  So so far, we've really discussed, I would say, black and white, life or death. But in this parsha that you so aptly said, contains so many laws, many of the laws refer to personal status. And the one word that I think, puts shudders down, anyone who follows Jewish laws of identity is the word bastard or Mamzir. And that occurs in Deuteronomy 23. And basically, it says that someone who is a Mamzir, and that we'll describe in a second, cannot enter into the congregation, even to the 10th generation. And it is as close to a social death sentence as you can get. And just as you brought up the death penalty is something that reflects on a current discussion, it's a very heated area of debate, even till today, in Israel, this law of status where a child is born, and maybe the parents didn't get a proper divorce and had a child and the child is then called a Mamzir. Again, it is something that there are many, many people that look at and say, well, it's a law, it's on the books, and it has to be enforced. And of course, like anything that relates to power, there's the potential for it to be misused. And in the in the source papers that I shared with you, Rabbi, I had heard many years back and I think it was in a lecture by Rabbi Riskin, the colloquialism or the phrase Ain Mamzerim B'Yisrael"  that there are no bastards in Israel. And what was meant by that was that any Rabbi worth his or her salt would find a way, some way, any way to make sure that this law was really in the same category as the rebellious son in the sense that it might be on the books, but it never was put into practice. Have you heard this notion of "Eyn Mazmzerim B'Yisrael" and even if you haven't, does that resonate with you in terms of Jewish learning?   Adam Mintz  Geoffrey, that I heard that phrase "Eyn Mazmzerim B'Yisrael" from the same source you did: Rabbi Riskin and when you asked me earlier this week, to find the source, so I was able to do something that we weren't able to do in the early Rabbi Riskin days. And that is I googled it to see where'd Rabbi Riskin come up with it. And, you know, he's very creative and very good Rabbi Riskin, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I think that the explanation that you gave is really right on the mark, what Rabbi Riskin was telling us  "Eyn Mazmzerim B'Yisrael" It's not a comment about sexual relations between man and woman and whether they got divorced or whether they didn't get divorced, or all of that. Nothing to do with any of that. What it has to do with is about the rabbis, Are the rabbis willing to be creative and courageous enough to always find a way to get people not to be called Mamzerim. I think that's a very, very important voice. And what Rabbi Riskin was saying was exactly like you said, if you're worth your salt, you can figure out how not to have someone be a Mamzer. And that's exactly the same idea. As if you're worth your salt, you're going to make sure that there's no such thing as a Ben Sorer u'morer and maybe Geoffrey, that even follows to the other opinion. "I saw a Ben Sorer u'morer" , and I sat on his grave, and I cried because I wasn't able or the rabbi's weren't able to get him out of that status. And that's a tragedy, because "Eyn Mazmzerim B'Yisrael", the rabbi's need to have the ability, the creativity, the courage to get these people out of that situation.   Geoffrey Stern  And I would like to interject a personal story an account that I have that puts some meat on this concept of if you are worth your salt. I have a friend a roommate from yeshiva came from a town. Norwich Connecticut, his father was the Orthodox Rabbi there. And about 15 years ago, he was living in Israel, he came to see me and I said, Well, what are you up to? He says, Well, I'm going to Norwich, Connecticut. And I'm going to make a marriage improper to disallow a marriage. And he explained to me, and this is just I think, interesting. So we can all understand how these things work. A student showed up to the yeshiva, and his parents had been remarried. And his mother's first marriage was in Norwich, Connecticut. And he had not gotten an orthodox divorce. So my friend Shmuel was going back to his hometown, and he found people who knew one of the witnesses for that first wedding. And he wanted to invalidate the marriage by invalidating the witness... And he would ask, Well, did he ever gamble? Did you ever see him playing cards, and he would find some way that would make the first marriage nullified. And again, you have to do what you have to do. And the Halacha is something that can be and seem very splitting of hairs, full of minutia and technical, but in a sense, what he was doing was full of humanity. And the challenge, of course, is there aren't enough rabbis who have the learning, who are dedicated to doing it for not only a student that shows up at the Yeshiva, but for any Jew. And that's and that's really the challenge.   Adam Mintz  Well, Rabbi Riskin would love that story. Because"Eyn Mazmzerim B'Yisrael", your friend had the courage to make sure that this child was not going to be called a Mamzir.   Geoffrey Stern  We could spend probably the rest of the half hour just talking about how maybe Judaism, or laws that seem more rigid or dated or even Taliban-like, have been nullified and changed. And that would be a perfectly good use of our time. But I want to take the discussion in a totally different direction. Because I am intrigued by the fact that the rabbis said that this Halacha of the rebellious son was there only for us to discuss and learn. And it seems to me that there's an aspect of what some consider the dry halakhah or the daily practice of the Jew, that we all need to listen to, that it is a language in and of itself, looking at the Halacha at Jewish observance, as a language more than even a religion or a code. And every Shabbat when I say my prayers, there's one verse that I say after the Shema, that I think of in this regard, and it says Ashrei Ha'Ish Shyishma l'mitzvotecha"  "Happy is the person who listens to the commandments". And what I want to do for the balance is to explore not only capital punishment and not only questions of status and these earth-shattering laws, but potentially how every one of the Jewish traditions and customs can be looked at in a whole new way. And we're given a license by this kind of takeaway, throwaway comment of the rabbi's to look at the whole corpus of Jewish observance as a lyric as a language as something that we can smile to, dance to, struggle with, but interact with in the way that we do maybe with a poem.   Adam Mintz  Okay, great.   Geoffrey Stern  So I'm inviting a third player to our to our panel today. Unfortunately, he's not alive, but his name is Haim Nachman Bialik. And he was considered the national poet of Israel. He actually made Aliyah, lived in Israel, but he died in the 20s before the state. But what you might not know about him is that he started as a very observant Jew, he went to the Yeshiva in Velozhin. And he actually went there. So his grandfather would think that he was studying and then he went, and he became the great poet that he was. And he saw in the paper that they closed the Yeshiva in Velozhin, and so he had to rush home because he knew his grandfather would know that he wasn't at the Yeshiva so to speak. But he in his later days, when he was no longer observant, wrote a three-volume tome on the Aggadah. And the Aggadah is the legends of the Jews. The Aggadah is always contrasted to the halakhah. There's the law and there's the fable, there's the practice, and there's the narrative and the stories. So you would expect that someone like him, would really be a major fan of the legends of the Jews, and not so much for the Halacha. But he has an article that he wrote called the Halacha and Aggadah, and in the source feet, if you if you go to the podcast when it issues early in the week, you'll see the source sheet there. I have the full text in both English and Hebrew, and it's worth reading. It's very lyrical, but in it, he actually makes an argument that the Halacha is as much a song, a poem a lyric as anything else. So with your permission, I'm going to read a little bit and then I welcome all of us to to kind of discuss, he says "halakhah and Aggadah the law and the legends are two things which are really one two sides of a single shield. The relation between them is like that of speech to thought and emotion or the action and sensible form to speech. Halacha is the crystallization the ultimate and inevitable quintessence of the Aggadah legend. The legend is the content of Halacha. The legend is the plaintive voice of the heart's yearning as it wings its way to its Haven, Halacha is the resting place where for a moment the yearning is satisfied and stilled. As a dream seeks its fulfillment in interpretation, as will in action as thought in speech as fruit. So Aggadah in Halacha. But in the heart of the ruit, there lies hidden the seed from which a new flower will grow. The Halacha which is sublimated into a symbol and much Halacha there is, as we shall find becomes the mother of a new Aggadah, a new legend, which may be like it or unlike it, a living and healthy law is a legend that has been or will be. And the reverse is true. Also, the two are one in their beginning and their end." So it's really so lyrical. And I had to read it in his words because he is a poet. But here was a man who literally and we'll see he gives some concrete examples of how he saw the song in the minutiae of the law. Does this resonate with any of you in terms of the music in Jewish custom and activity?   Adam Mintz  I think what he's telling you is that Halacha means the way we live. The minute you describe the way we live, all of a sudden, that's a legend. All of a sudden, that's a story. That's the tradition. Everything in this week's parsha...  all these 77 laws are part of the way we live. If it's the way we live, it's a legend. This week's parsha tells us if you get divorced, you have to write a get (divorce document) if you get married, you go through the formalities of a marriage ceremony of a Chuppah? Those aren't laws, those are legends. So it's the stories, how many stories have come out of those two laws? And he can't distinguish between the two? Is it a law? Is it a legend? Is it a legend? And is it a law. And the truth of the matter is that the law leads to the legend. And then the legend leads right back to the law. I feel exactly what he says.   Geoffrey Stern  So I was thinking of this, when a week or two ago, we discussed vegetarianism. And this whole concept of eating meat Basar Ta'aiva" (meat of desire), only on special occasions. And again I was struggling with the fact that so much in the Bible seems to lean towards vegetarianism. And I was wondering, where does it bear itself out? Where does it come through? And then I started thinking of all the laws that I've studied whether it's for Hanukkah, whether it's for Shabbat, of if you have limited resources, what do you spend it on? If it's on Shabbat? Do you use the money that you have for the candle for the wine for the meat? And it seemed to me that again, this was looking at the life of the Jew. And you really understood then, in ways that you and I never could, what Baser Ta'aiva"  what the meat of desire... that moment of when every pintela Jew, every poor little peasant could feel something and it was that treat, not a part of everyday life. So to me that was an example of where the minutiae of the Halacha that might be dealing with something very monotone and trivial, actually bore within it, a whole weltanschauung of the Jewish people and their relationship, to poverty, to spirit to a little treat once in a while. And to me, it was the answer. I really felt that in my heart that no, our tradition has spoken about the place of eating meat at special times at Holy times. And it's spoken loud and clear, even if I don't find one piece of prose, or one piece of narrative that directly touches upon it.   Adam Mintz  I think that's a beautiful example. I mean, I think right off the mark, poetry and prose, narrative and law. What he's saying is, those are just words, really, they merge into one entity, and that's really Jewish life.   Geoffrey Stern  So I'll give one more example that he brings. And he talks about a law of carrying on Shabbat... you're not allowed to carry in a public domain. And it says, a man may not go out on the Shabbat with a sword or a bow or a shield or a club or a spear. Rab Eliezer says, they are ornaments, and therefore may be worn. But the sages say they are only a disgrace, as it is said, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Here we have, and this is Bialik. Here we have ideas about beauty and ugliness in dress-and whence are they taken? From the words of the sweet singer and the great seer. And in what connection? In connection with carrying on the Sabbath. So again, what he's saying is that in these minutia, if we listen to the commandments, .... and let's not neglect to say that there's no question that Judaism is an orthopraxy it's correct practice more than an orthodoxy correct belief. And so much of what we do is dictated by how we do it and what we do but in that seems to me to be just a beautiful song. And I think that's the flip side of saying that some laws are just written on the book. They're just for us to study. And actually, isn't that what we do on Madlik?   Adam Mintz  That's right. I mean, it's hard, though, Geoffrey to know how you distinguish between the different kinds of laws?   Geoffrey Stern  Well, absolutely. But I would argue that really, we should not relegate this to different laws, but that every law has this element within it. And that's, I think, what my big takeaway is. Bialik goes on to say, he says, "not all laws, Halachot are equal or are the same and unproductive. Another bears fruit and fruit that reproduces itself. one is like an empty vessel that is put away in a corner till it is wanted. Another is like a vessel that is uninterrupted use, always being emptied and filled again with something new." So I think what we do is we look through our narrative to find practices that have fallen into disuse, or misunderstood or taken in one direction. And we have the license to take it in a totally new direction. Lately, I've been very stiff. And I've been doing a lot of yoga. You know, many of the yoga teachers give you a thought to think about and give you a practice to aim for. And I just thought wouldn't it be magnificent to combine yoga and Tefilla, I want to call it yogafilla. The idea is to take the bowing that we do already in the tefilla. It's there, ... When we are thankful we say "modeem anachnu Lach" and we bend our knees and our knees are "berchayim", which is the same word for "bracha" to bless. So I'm just saying this is kind of little things that have come up in my past week, where I look at the Halacha, I look at the practice at the minhag. And I'm saying these are vessels that might have been emptied. But they're there for us to fill up.   Adam Mintz  I think that's right, first of all, tell you that I think there's a synagogue on the west side, Romamu where they have yoga on Saturday morning, followed by tefilla, so come to the west side. And you can do yoga and tefilla.  But the idea is really exactly right. And I think that's the idea that the law, what you sometimes think of ..... you needed to relax. So you're doing yoga. And what Bialik would say is no follow the Halacha. Because even though the Halacha feels rigid, but actually the Halacha gives us the ability to play out that narrative, and to live our lives in a special way. Jessica, you asked to come up?   Jessica  Oh, I just wanted to quickly say that the Cantor from Romamu is here on Fire Island. And she's amazing. So that's all thanks. I   Adam Mintz  Send her our regards and tell her she got a shout out on Madlik this afternoon.   Jessica  I will do that. Thank you.   Adam Mintz  So Geoffrey, the ability and the choice of Bialik's poem this week, when the Parsha  is so filled with laws. I think it's so special, and really gives us something to think about. We started today with ben sorer u'morer and whether or not that really happened. And we go from there to the question about generally, about what the role is of law within the halakhic system. And Bialik really gives us kind of a poetic view of what law is all about. And I think we can use that in ben sorer u'morer, and we can use it in so many other places.   Geoffrey Stern  I totally agree. And if you haven't sensed from the tone of my voice, I discovered Bialik recently, but it's so personal with me. He has a poem that he calls "Before the Book Closet". And it was written while the secular Jew was spending three years aggregating all of the Aggadot and it's coming back to the Beit Midrash, to the study hall. And he says "Do you still know me? I am so and so. Only you alone knew my youth. You were my garden, I learned to hide in your scrolls." And then at the end of the poem, he says, "and now after the change of time, so my wheel of life has brought me back and stood me once again before you hiders of the closet, and once more my hand turns among your scrolls and my eye gropes tired among verses." And so with me, I studied Torah in my youth. And when I study Torah at this stage in my life, it is revisiting my youth and I am trying to see if I have that relationship. But I would argue that all of us studied our texts when we were young. And we need to find ourselves and to see if we are recognized once again in those texts. And that is, I think, the invitation that the rabbi's give us about the ben sorer u'morer.. . And the last thing that I will say is, you know, Bialik, was a rebellious son. He was told by the head of the Velozhin Yeshiva as he left, just don't write anything bad about us. But the truth is, we are all also rebellious sons, even though the rebellious son doesn't exist and if we aren't, maybe we should be, but we have to rediscover ourselves and rediscover the mystery and the magic of our ancient texts. And with that, I bid you all Shabbat Shalom.   Adam Mintz  Shabbat Shalom, Geoffrey. That was an amazing discussion today and Bialik was beautiful as he always is, and  ben sorer u'morer. Shabbat Shalom to everybody. Enjoy and we look forward to seeing everybody next week. Be well, Shabbat Shalom,   Geoffrey Stern  Shabbat Shalom.

A famous footnote in the story of Isaac's miraculous birth, little else is known about the Egyptian slave girl, Hagar. Hagar was given Abram and his wife, Sarai, and later forced to bear his child when Sarai could not produce the heir that God had promised. Hagar was then labeled as "contemptuous" by her mistress, and after being treated harshly by her, fled from her masters into the wilderness, possibly fearing her unborn baby's life. It was in her wanderings that Hagar had a life-changing encounter at a well, where the promise of the covenant was revealed to her and where she - a foreigner, woman, salve - became the only one in all sacred texts to name God. "Hagar" cover art by Sarah Beth Baca, https://www.sarahbethart.com/ "The Well (abridged)" by Rachel Held Evans, http://wildwoodmennonite.org/images/Sermons/2019-03-10_The_Well_Hagar_Monologue.pdf "Hagar: Midrash and Aggadah" https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/hagar-midrash-and-aggadah

For Business Inquiries: RachAllene@gmail.com Favorite Sources + Recommended Reading Scripture References: Joshua 2-5 Matthew 1 Hebrews 11 James 2 Outside Sources: Outside refers to “outside of Scripture” and does not necessarily advise of any Christian/non-Christian bias in the source. To read up on the Midrash and Aggadah version of events, and some traditional rabbinic tales,Continue reading "S1E11: Rahab Part 2 (ft. Hannah Horn)"

The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more different: whereas in the Halachic portions the objective of the authors was to reveal their true meaning, in […]

The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more different: whereas in the Halachic portions the objective of the authors was to reveal their true meaning, in […]

ggadeta: Berachot 2a - Rabbi Yosef Chaim's Reading of the Mishna (Part 1) - Class 21 Class highlights: We begin reading the Mishnah through the lens of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, author of the Ben Ish Chai, using his book Ben Yehoyada; a reminder that no discipline or school of thought is off limits for us when attempting to study Aggadah; accepting truth from everyone and everywhere; touching lightly on the dismissive attitude towards Kabbalah; creating a whole new Mishna over and over until we exhaust all avenues of Aggadah; and more! (11/12/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Berachot 2a - Exploring the Name of the Masechet - Class 20 Class highlights: Exploring the name of this Masechet, Berachot; shifting from a standard reading to a non-standard reading of the text; a reminder that no discipline or school of thought is off limits for us when attempting to study Aggadah; the proper weight to accord of Gematria; on stupid Jews and a stupid god; and more! (11/5/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

The Daf Yomi from a Psychological Perspective For Mareh Mekomos Click Below רַב חִסְדָּא וְרַב שֵׁשֶׁת כִּי פָּגְעִי בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי — רַב חִסְדָּא מִרַתְעָן שִׂיפְווֹתֵיהּ מִמַּתְנְיָיתָא דְּרַב שֵׁשֶׁת, וְרַב שֵׁשֶׁת מִרְתַע כּוּלֵּיהּ גּוּפֵיהּ מִפִּלְפּוּלֵיהּ דְּרַב חִסְדָּא. The Gemara relates that when Rav Ḥisda and Rav Sheshet would meet each other, Rav Ḥisda's lips would tremble from the teachings of Rav Sheshet. Rav Sheshet's fluency and expertise were such that Rav Ḥisda would be filled with awe in his presence. For his part, Rav Sheshet's entire body would shake from Rav Ḥisda's sharpness, i.e., from his brilliant, analytical mind. Rav Sheshes was blind so his main method of study was obviously oral and through review. This is why Rav Chisda was so afraid of his expertise in beraisos and mishnayos. More interesting lessons can be found in the Pesach Enayim's peshat on Bava Kama 30a ת"ר חסידים הראשונים היו מצניעים קוצותיהם וזכוכיותיהם בתוך שדותיהן ומעמיקים להן ג' טפחים כדי שלא יעכב המחרישה The Sages taught: The early pious people would conceal their thorns and their pieces of glass in their fields, and would dig to the depth of at least three handbreadths in order to bury them, so that they would not obstruct the plow. רב ששת שדי להו בנורא רבא שדי להו בדגלת The Gemara relates: Rav Sheshet would toss his thorns into fire, so they would not cause damage to others. Rava would toss them into the Tigris [Diglat] River. Pesach Eynayim ibid: ת"ר חסידים הראשונים היו מצניעים קוצותיהם וזכוכיותיהם וכו'. אפשר לרמוז במאמר זה דרך רמז כי הן האדם זמנין דבטל מהתורה לפום צערא בבא אליו דואג היש משכיל על כן יאמרו תורתו של דוא"ג אינו אלא מן השפה ולחוץ כי לבו בל עמו ויהי הצע"ר לסגו"ר לבו. ועוד נודע דאם יש באדם מעלות המדות ומושב"ח ועומ"ד את עולותי"ו ואת שלמי"ו יזוח לבו עליו. וידוע כי שדה כינוי לתלמוד כמו שפירשו רז"ל בכמה מקומות שדרשו שדה על התלמוד. ואפשר שזהו הרמז חסידים הראשונים היו מצניעין קוצותיהם פירוש צעריהם ודאגות שהם כקוצין. וגם זכוכיותיהם פירוש שבחיהם שמאירים ומזהירים כזכוכית לבנה אשר שתים הנה חבילי טרדי"ן לבלבל דעתו מעבודת ה'. ברם הני חסידי קמאי היו מצניעין מחשבותם אלו בתוך שדותיהם שהיו עוסקים בתלמוד הנקרא שדה בכל כחם. ומעמיקים להם ג' טפחים כנגד הרהור ומחשבה הפחותה מהרהור ורעותא דלבא הקלה מהכל המה בצדקתם עבדו להן זרזי"ם להעמיק ולפנות מחשבות אלו מצער או שבח כדי שלא יעכב המחרישה כלומר שמחשבה בצער או בשבח מועלת ומעכבת המחרישה פירוש עומק העיון בשדה אשר ברכו ה' הוא התלמוד והם מצניעין אותם כדי שלא יעכב המחרישה עיון הקדוש שדרכו לחרוש בשדה התלמוד: רב ששת שדי להו בנורא. כלומר שיש תקון לאשר בנקל לא יוכל לפנות לבו ממחשבות אלו בעצה אחת והיא לשנות אופן תלמודו שאם עיקר למודו שהוא רגיל בו הוא למהדר אתלמודיה בלי פלפול בבא אליו מחשבות אלו יכנס בפלפול עמוק וממילא בטלי להו המחשבות. ואם הרגלו הוא יום יום בעומק העיון ופלפל"א אריכתא. זה יעצור המחשבה בלמוד אגדה המושכת הלב כמים ויתבטלו המחשבות אשר בשנותו את טעמו לסדר לימוד חדש חדת היא ליה נותן לבו בדבר החדש ומתבטלין המחשבות. ואפשר שזה רמז רב ששת שדי להו בנורא דרב ששת היה סגי נהור ורוב לימודו למהדר תלמודיה והיה סיני וכמ"ש רב חסדא מרתע כוליה גופיה ממתניתיה דרב ששת ורב ששת מרתע כוליה גופיה מפלפוליה דרב חסדא וכיון דרב ששת היה סיני והרגלו לחזור משנתו להכי שדי להו למחשבות אלו בנורא כלומר בעיון עמוק נמשל לאש כמ"ש נהירנא כי הוו נפקי זקוקים דנורא מפומיה דרבי וכן רב ששת עייל נפשיה בעיון עמוק לבטל מחשבות חיצוניות וזה רמז באומרו רב ששת שדי להו בנורא. כל קבל דנא רבא שהיה רוב עסקו בפלפול וכמ"ש הויות דאביי ורבא ואמרו פ"ב דבתרא בישרא שמינא בי רבא ע"ש ובפירש"י שדי להו בדגלת רמז לאגדה הנמשלת לנהר מים המרחבת לבו של אדם שלא כהרגלו למען יתבטלו המחשבות The Pesach Enayim is saying that the Gemara in Bava Kama is a metaphor referring to distractions that come up when trying to study. The thorns were disturbing and depressing thoughts, while the pieces of glass were arrogant thoughts. The first line of the device is try to bury them deep within the "field of Talmud study". However, is that effort was not successful, Rav Sheshes proposed that one simply burn the “thorns”, representing changing the mode of study in order to be more easily motivated and not distracted. Thus, Rav Sheshes, Who was blind and necessarily did much of his learning through repetition and memorization, when he could not concentrate, would go deep into analysis because that would be a change in mode of study and therefore be motivating by its newness and Novelty. On the other hand, Pesach Enayim Recommends for someone whose normal mode of study is deep analysis, that he changes mode to something lighter such as studying Aggadah. This is represented by what Rava says about throwing the Thorns into the river. The river represents Broad and wavy and engaging aggadah. As I've mentioned in other discussions about the Daf, it is important to recognize that the rabbis were realistic about human limitations and if a person is having difficulty studying and concentrating, it is perfectly reasonable to change topics and mode of study. Being overly perfectionistic and exacting is a poor strategy at times.

The Daf from a Psychological Perspective For Mareh Mekomos Click Below וּמִי אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר הָכִי? וְהָתַנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: עוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן — פִּיתְחוֹ כִּמְלוֹאוֹ! The Gemara raises a difficulty with the aforementioned baraita: Did Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar really say this? Wasn't it taught in another baraita pertaining to the laws of ritual impurity that Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Og, king of the Bashan, or any similar giant, requires an opening as big as his full size? If a person dies in a house and it is not clear how his corpse will be removed, all of the openings in the house are considered ritually impure, as the corpse might be carried out through any one of them. If the corpse can fit through some of the openings but not through others, only the larger openings are ritually impure. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says that in the case of a giant the size of Og, king of the Bashan, one opening can only prevent the others from contracting impurity the others if it is large enough for Og's corpse to fit through. This indicates that the law is determined by the measure of each particular person and not by some general measure. Let's discuss Og the Giant. How giant can a human actually be? דברים ג:יא כִּ֣י רַק־ע֞וֹג מֶ֣לֶךְ הַבָּשָׁ֗ן נִשְׁאַר֮ מִיֶּ֣תֶר הָרְפָאִים֒ הִנֵּ֤ה עַרְשׂוֹ֙ עֶ֣רֶשׂ בַּרְזֶ֔ל הֲלֹ֣ה הִ֔וא בְּרַבַּ֖ת בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֑וֹן תֵּ֧שַׁע אַמּ֣וֹת אָרְכָּ֗הּ וְאַרְבַּ֥ע אַמּ֛וֹת רָחְבָּ֖הּ בְּאַמַּת־אִֽישׁ׃ Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaim. His bedstead, an iron bedstead, is now in Rabbah of the Ammonites; it is nine cubits long and four cubits wide, by the standard cubit! רש״י באמת איש. בְּאַמַּת עוֹג: באמת איש AFTER THE CUBIT OF A MAN — i.e. after the cubit of Og. ברכות נד, ב מֹשֶׁה כַּמָּה הֲוָה — עֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת, שְׁקֵיל נַרְגָּא בַּר עֲשַׂר אַמִּין, שְׁוַור עֲשַׂר אַמִּין, וּמַחְיֵיהּ בְּקַרְסוּלֵּיהּ וְקַטְלֵיהּ. The story concludes: How tall was Moses? He was ten cubits tall. He took an axe ten cubits long, jumped up ten cubits, and struck Og in the ankle and killed him. If we learn that Gemara literally, it was 30 cubit just to hit Og's ankle!! That is a giant man indeed. There is a mathematical problem with Og being a giant. It is known as the Square Cube Law (Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square%E2%80%93cube_law) , which describes the relationship between the volume and the surface area as a shape's size increases or decreases. It was first described in 1638 by Galileo Galilei in his Two New Sciences as the ratio of two volumes is greater than the ratio of their surfaces. If an animal were isometrically scaled up by a considerable amount, its relative muscular strength would be severely reduced, since the cross section of its muscles would increase by the square of the scaling factor while its mass would increase by the cube of the scaling factor. As a result of this, cardiovascular and respiratory functions would be severely burdened. As stated by J. B. S. Haldane, large animals do not look like small animals: an elephant cannot be mistaken for a mouse scaled up in size. This is due to allometric scaling: the bones of an elephant are necessarily proportionately much larger than the bones of a mouse, because they must carry proportionately higher weight. Haldane illustrates this in his seminal 1928 essay On Being the Right Size in referring to allegorical giants: "...consider a man 60 feet high...These monsters...weighed 1000 times as much... Every square inch of a giant bone had to support 10 times the weight borne by a square inch of human bone. As the average human thigh-bone breaks under about 10 times the human weight...The giant creatures seen in monster movies (e.g., Godzilla, King Kong, and Them!) are also unrealistic, given that their sheer size would force them to collapse. In other words, Og simply could not have existed if he was as a true giant as in 50 feet tall, unless he had the feet and body of an elephant. אבן עזרא באמת איש. באמת כל אדם והנה הוא כפול ולא יתכן להיות באמתו כי מה בא הכתוב ללמד ועוד שלא יהיה בצלם אדם כלל: What does Ibn Ezra mean when he says “he won't be shaped like a human?” It would seem Ibn Ezra understood the mathematics of this. Ramban largely agrees with Ibn Ezra (with slight variation) but Onkelos is in accordance with Rashi Most interesting is Abravanel's quote from Midrash Rabbah that Og was hideous because he was width was half his height. The Midrash seems to understand the mathematics as well. (I cannot find this Midrash that he quotes.) How and when to take aggados literally? Some good primary sources include the Rambam's introduction to his commentary on Mishna, as well as his introduction to the Guide for the Perplexed. Another excellent discussion can be found in the Ramchal's introduction to Aggadah which is printed in the beginning of many editions of the Ein Yaakov.

Aggadeta: Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg - The Two Great Streams of Judaism - Class 16 Class highlights: Brief biographical sketch of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg; a heart-wrenching letter; exploring a Talmudic passage from Bava Kama (60b); two different bodies of water; the ships of life sail freely in the wide and consistent waters of Halachah; the rocky and treacherous waters of the Aggadah; the correlation to two different types of souls found among those who study Torah; parables of a young wife and an elderly wife; it is impossible to force the ancient wisdom of Halachah on the young and energetic spirit of Aggadah; the need to be exposed to both sides of the same coin which is "Torat Yisrael"; and more! (8/27/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Class highlights: Reviewing the general attitude of our Chachamim towards Midrash and Aggadah; picking and choosing Midrashim; do we have the right to interpret the rationale behind the Mitzvot and therefore change Halachah in accordance with that interpretation?; the majority of the stories of Torah are Aggadah which are a means of enabling us to accept the Halachic side of Torah; a teacher has an obligation to teach the students the reason for everything they say; and more! (8/20/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Chaim David Halevy - Fusion of Halachah and Aggadah (Part 2) - Class 14 Class highlights: A unique story told by Professor Mirsky about Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook; the locked door between Halachah and Aggadah; two disciplines which are united in their roots but completely separate in their branches; the difference between Maran who lived in Israel and the Bach who did not; the goal in writing Mekor Chaim; softening the rigidity of Halachah with the gentleness of Aggadah; drawing inspiration from the Rambam's heartwarming style of writing; the broader definition of the discipline called "Aggadah"; drawing those who usually fear Halachah into it's loving embrace through the warmth of Aggadah; the true face of Jewish outreach organizations and their danger when they function as missionaries; repairing the world of Halachah which has been damaged by those who divorced it from its spiritual core; what really was the common denominator among Chachame Sepharad?; validate the genuine struggle Jews have had with Judaism instead of seducing them with insulting and childish gimmicks; more! (7/23/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

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Aggadeta: Rabbi Chaim David Halevy - Fusion of Halachah and Aggadah (Part 1) - Class 13 Class highlights: Brief biography of Rabbi Chaim David Halevy; the charted waters of Halachah and the uncharted waters of Aggadah; the necessity to complement Halachah with Aggadah and the danger of mixing the two; attempting to be faithful messengers of the beautiful Torah without allowing our personal shortcomings to blemish it's message; explaining the phases of Exile and Redemption in Jewish history; the danger of a "threatening Judaism"; using Aggadah to restoring the splendor of Halachah and rejuvenating the spirit of the Jewish people; and more! (7/2/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel - Twin Sisters: Aggadah and Halachah (Part 2) - Class 12 Class highlights: Our rabbis cursed preachers who used Aggadah to show off; those who reveal the secrets of creation to disparage their Creator; Torah is supposed to give us a wondrous name among the nations, though the way some teach Aggadeta accomplishes the exact opposite; the importance of verifying Halachic concepts with those not yet tainted by incorrect Jewish opinions; the Geonim teach that we must learn how to accept certain Aggadot while rejecting others; explaining to the King of Kuzar why our Chachamim intentionally recorded unusual teachings of Aggadah; and more! (6/25/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel - Twin Sisters: Aggadah and Halachah (Part 1) - Class 11 Class highlights: Meeting the twin sisters - Halchah and Aggadah, both rivers which flow from the same source of life; dangerous types of Halachah; nonsensical interpretations of Aggadah; cases of rabbinic peer-review on matters of Aggadah; Rabbi Peretz's advice not to teach anything you are not immersed in; Tzlach's teaching that not all Aggadot are created equally; and more! (6/18/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook's Introduction (Part 2) - Class 10 Class highlights: The damage of being forced to rebel against one's unique spiritual personality; supporting those who author works dealing with the “duties of the heart”; the mistaken mentality that study of Aggadah will cause one to neglect Halachah; finding inspiration in the writings of all camps of Chachamim despite the fundamental differences between them; and more! (6/11/2020) — This video refers to a previous class from our Rambam series: Agreeing To Disagree: Sepharadic Chachamim and Their Ideology of Inclusiveness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiVqgRQL-Y (https://youtu.be/KEiVqgRQL-Y) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! Find the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSBPO7gV7lgbSACoV8UaBeczJhDL5YHZq (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...) — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook's Introduction (Part 1) - Class 9 Class highlights: The danger of quoting certain rabbis; the need to strengthen the study of Aggadah which is the Torah of ethics, faith, and spirituality; the need to encourage Torah scholars to study the “duties of the heart” as seriously as they study Halachah; utilizing this area of Torah to satisfy the young generation's thirst for knowledge from within Judaism without forcing it to foreign faiths and philosophies; the crime of Kiruv; and more! (5/21/2020) — This video refers to a previous class from our Rambam series: Agreeing To Disagree: Sepharadic Chachamim and Their Ideology of Inclusiveness

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel's Introduction (Two Chapters on Aggadah in Michmene Uziel) - Class 8 Class highlights: Aggadah as the “Divine song of the Nation of Israel”; unlocking the secrets of life encrypted and hidden in the words of Chazal; extracting our Rabbis' defenses of Judaism from the critiques foreign faiths and philosophies; shifting perspectives to understand Midrashim in the sophisticate way our Sages did; and more! (5/14/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel's Introduction (Introduction to Michmene Uziel) - Class 7 Class highlights: A response to critics of Judaism; silver-plated apples - the hidden and revealed teachings througg the lense of the Rambam; those who wish to damage the Torah by using Rabbinic texts; unlocking the secrets of life encrypted and hidden in the words of Chazal; meeting the twin sisters - Halchah and Aggadah; and more! (5/7/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Midrash Aggadah On The Final Judgment.MP3 by Rabbi Joshua Maroof

Aggadeta: Rabbenu Avraham Ben HaRambam's Introduction (Part 1) - Class 4 Class highlights: Rambam's hesitation to explain Aggadah; don't accept something just because of the one who said it; the need for critical thinking when learning Torah; your Rebbe or your idol?; medical and scientific knowledge of Chazal; don't throw Aristotle out with the bath water; and more! (3/19/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

ggadeta: Rambam's Introduction (Part 1) - Class 2 Class highlights: The need for Aggadah to be cryptic; judging rabbinic texts favorably; secrets of wisdom; anguish of the ignorant; humility and prayer for intellectual enlightenment; and more! (3/5/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadeta: Historical Introduction - Class 1 Class highlights: Defining Aggadah by not defining it; history of En Yaakov; life of Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habib; lessons in humility; expulsion from Spain; the unpaved road of Aggadah and the need for imagination; and more! (2/27/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email info@shiviti.org if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not join the Classroom out of curiosity as inactive members will be removed. — Rabbi Yonatan Halevy's official YouTube channel! Subscribe for the newest audio and video coming out of Shiviti/Kehillat Shaar HaShamayim!

Aggadah of Maariv Reshut or Chova- comments of Rav Kook: why talmidei chachamim are called ba'alei treisin, the role of a communal leader, the admissions policy of Rabbi Elazar vs Rabban Gamliel, the importance of a being part of a good environment

Hello and welcome to season 2 episode 49 of The Berean Manifesto, brought to you by The Ekklesian House.  This is Pastor Bill and over the next 10 minutes or so we are going to be continuing our series looking at Jesus In The Old Testament.  If you missed the last episode we kicked off this series looking at Jesus' claim recorded in John 8:56 that Abraham had seen the day of Jesus and rejoiced in it tracing that moment back to Genesis 22 where Abraham is stopped by none other than Jesus from sacrificing Isaac his only legitimate son.  Which paints a telling picture of what Christ's role is in the grand scheme of things.   In this, the second entry of this series we are going to look at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, [1] Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, [2] and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. [3] They all ate the same spiritual food, [4] and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.”  That spiritual food was manna, a very much physical, tangible thing which interestingly enough the name of which literally means: H4478 מָן mân mawn From H4100; literally a whatness (so to speak), that is, manna (so called from the question about it): - manna. Or, “What is it?”  So since that spiritual food was a physical tangible thing, we're going to talk about that water and the Rock it came out of that was Christ, because it seems this too is a physical thing.   In Isaiah 48:21 Isaiah talks about this rock too, it says, “[21] They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow from the rock for them; he split the rock, and water gushed out.”  Twice the Bible records in the Journey of The Israelites through the desert Moses striking a rock to get water for the Israelites. Let's read them. Exodus 17:4-7, “[4] Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” [5] The LORD answered Moses, "Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. [6] I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink." Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?””  Which, honestly, that's kind of a silly question. They're literally being led by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night and they're asking, “Is the Lord among us?” and now also Numbers 20:9-13, “[9] So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence just as he had commanded him. [10] Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" [11] Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. [12] But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them." [13] These are the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and he demonstrated his holiness to them.” So which rock is it that is Christ?  What if I told you they are actually the same rock even though if you track their progress through the desert you'll see these two events happened at different locations.  What did Isaiah and Paul say? Isaiah said they didn't go thirsty during their time in the desert. For forty years they wandered a desert and didn't go thirsty. And Paul said that the rock they drank from followed them.  Now before you shut me down on this next part, keep in mind that you believe that the Red Sea was parted by an East wind creating a dry path for the Israelites to cross with the water rushing back into place when the Egyptians tried to cross while chasing the Israelites.  You also believe that a pillar of fire led the Israelites by night and a pillar of cloud led them by the day. None of which sounds logical.   There are these commentaries written by Jewish rabbis combining the oral tradition of the stories surrounding the Torah with the deeper interpretations of each letter, word, and phrase that falls between the lines to the untrained eye.  These commentaries are called midrash, and there are two different kinds: midrash aggadah, and midrash halachah. Aggadah deals with narratives, ethics, and theology, while halachah deals with law and religious practice.   One midrash aggadah tells the story of Miriam's Well.  According to the story when the people moved on from Horeb the streams they had been drinking that were coming from rock that Moses struck dried up.  Then the rock itself that had been providing them with water flipped up on one side being shaped like a sieve and followed the Israelites rolling through the desert.  When they would set up camp in a new location the rock would bury itself a short distance outside the camp.   Miriam would then lead the elders to the location the rock was buried and they would sing, “Rise up, O well,” and the rock would rise up to the surface and begin producing streams of water again.  This would continue every time they moved to a new location. The rock would up and follow them, bury itself, Miriam would lead them to where the rock was and the elders would summon it forth with their song.   This continued, at least until Miriam died, at which point the rock stopped giving them water.  This is where we find ourselves at Numbers 20 with the people freaking out and throwing a fit that there's nothing pleasant to eat and now they don't have water anymore either.  This makes Moses angry and despite God telling him to speak to the rock to get the water flowing again, Moses hits the rock twice, the water does in fact start gushing, after which God informs Moses that he will not be allowed to lead the people into the promised land they've been traveling towards for forty years because of his distrust of God.   Paul says Jesus was that rock, this source of abundant streams of life giving water that followed the Israelites through the desert. This rock that poured forth the blessings of God for His people.  And when Jesus came in the flesh, instead of speaking life into His ministry, the leaders of the people struck the rock again. But the life-giving, abundant waters sprung forth anyway.    This is Pastor Bill saying, “Until next time…”

Halakhah & Aggadah by Rabbi Avi Harari

Shmuel Rosner and Gila Vachman discuss the Ruth scroll and its meaning. Dr. Gila Vachman studied at the Hebrew University where she received a BA in Talmud and Hebrew literature, an MA in Midrash and Aggadah as well as a PhD. She is a lecturer in Midrash and Aggadah at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and the Hebrew University. Recently she published the book "The Ruth Scroll - A New Israeli Commentary."  Follow Shmuel Rosner on Twitter.

What is most important for the Torah Observant Believer in Yeshua Messiah to first work out in their lives? And How did Paul portray this in his writings and teachings. We discuss in this 5th installment of the Paul and Hebrew Roots series. Welcome.

In this 4th installment of the Paul and Hebrew Roots series, we discuss further the concept of halakhah--walking out or in our Faith, and then introduce the concept of aggadah--the inward-heart part of living out our Faith. Shalom and Welcome.

In this Faith episode, Craig and I talk on Exodus 2: 1-9, the story of baby Moses, which parallels baby Jesus (also to give some love to the jewish folks). Themes: a rich woman and a poor woman share compassion for a child. Also, the disobedience of a bad law (Exodus 1:16 - to kill all Hebrew boys) - the lesson is that, no matter our social status, we recognize what is good and bad and we can work together to do good for each other. We also use an Aggadah (a Hebrew Mishnah or story) about how baby Moses grabbed the crown of the Pharaoh and how an angel saved him from death by having him grab a hot coal instead of the crown. You can learn more about Mishnah and the Aggadah here (https://www.gotquestions.org/mishnah-midrash.html) We also talk about the horrible story of the 7 year old who died in a US Customs detainment center - all part of Trump's Zero Tolerance policy on illegal immigrants (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/seven-old-guatemalan-girl-dies-us-custody-report-074739392.html). All we have are each other - just as it was with the Queen of Egypt and the Hebrew slave women, it's the same now. The only way we can protect each other is by being there for each other.

Today's story can be found in Gittin 55b-56a (https://www.sefaria.org/Gittin.56a?lang=en)     Music: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Living_With_Trauma/Lee_Rosevere_-_Living_With_Trauma_-_02_This_Is_Difficult_For_Me Changed from the original. Attribution Non-Commercial, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Living_With_Trauma/Lee_Rosevere_-_Living_With_Trauma_-_10_Transitioning Changed from the original. Attribution Non-Commercial, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode http://freemusicarchive.org/music/tzara/degrowth/02_interlude Changed from the original. Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/legalcode Did I say "Stay tuned" and "Hi" as a reference to NightVale? Ha! If you believe that, you probably believe in mountains too.

A d'var Torah that deals with Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 as honestly as I can, which is to say, offers no solution. I discuss Gordon Tucker's teshuvah at length.

Teaching Halachah Teaching halachah , whether it's at the Shabbat table with one's family, a teacher in the classroom, or a Rabbi with his congregants, is generally quite challenging. Many people enjoy studying Humash, Mussar and Aggadah (stories and teachings in the Midrash), but few people become excited over the story of Halachah . Rabbenu Yosef Haim of Baghdad (1835-1909), more commonly known as the Ben Ish Hai, the name of his most famous and most popular work, tells us how he sought to overcome this problem. The work Ben Ish Hai is a compendium of weekly lectures which Rabbenu Yosef Haim delivered each week over the course of two years in his synagogue in Baghdad. He delivered weekly lectures for much more than just two years – lectures which went on for two hours and which were attended by many hundreds of men, women and children – but he chose the lectures of a certain two-year period for publication in this work. The work Ben Ish Hai is unique in that it consists of halachic material, each section of which is introduced with a discussion of Aggadah related to that week's parashah. Ingeniously, the Ben Ish Hai blends the halachic discussion into the section of Aggadah , finding a point of connection between the parashah and a practically relevant area of Halachah . In his introduction to this work, the Ben Ish Hai explains why he followed this system. He cites the Gemara's comment in Masechet Sanhedrin (38) that when Rabbi Meir lectured, he would spend one-third of the lecture discussing Halachah , another third talking about topics in Aggadah , and the other third telling משלים (stories). The reason, the Ben Ish Hai explains, is because בהלכות בלבד אין לב המון העם נמשך אחריהם – laymen are not generally drawn to words of Halachah . They generally find Aggadah and stories more interesting, and are less likely to pay close attention to la halachic discourses. Therefore, Rabbi Meir would incorporate Aggadah and stories into his lectures, thereby keeping the people's interest and attention so that they would learn and absorb the halachot he taught. The Ben Ish Hai proceeds to cite the story told in Masechet Sotah (40) of two Sages, Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, who went to a certain place and delivered lectures. Rabbi Hiyya spoke about halachic matters, and he drew a much smaller crowd than Rabb Abahu, who lectured on Aggadah . Rabbi Hiyya felt dismayed over the low turnout to his lecture, and Rabbi Abahu consoled him by drawing a comparison to two merchants who came to a city, one peddling diamonds and the other cheap trinkets. The vast majority of the townspeople could not afford diamonds, and thus they naturally flocked to the second merchant. Similarly, masses will flock to hear a lecture on Aggadah , and only a few scholarly individuals will go hear complex halachic discourses. Rabbi Hiyya was selling “diamonds,” so-to-speak, teaching high-level, complex material, and so naturally, only those who could “afford” and understand such advanced material attended his lecture. Therefore, the Ben Ish Hai writes, a lecturer who wishes to teach Halachah to the masses must do so by incorporating halachic material in his talks on Mussar and Aggadah , and only in this way will he draw the people's interest. Rather than teaching Halachah on its own, the Rabbi should try blending Halachah with lighter material so he can keep the audience's attention. Every parent is a teacher. The Torah explicitly commands, ושננתם לבניך – that we must teach our children Torah. In order to fulfill this obligation effectively, we are well-advised to follow the Ben Ish Hai's pedagogical approach. Pulling out a halachic text and reading it at the Shabbat table, even for just several minutes, is not likely to keep most children's attention or arouse their enthusiasm. We need to try, to whatever extent possible, to incorporate halachic instruction within a context that will draw the children's interest, such as through intriguing stories. At the Pesach seder , for example, Halachah requires parents to do certain unusual things כדי שישאלו התינוקות – in order to pique the children's interest so they ask questions and get involved. Every Shabbat, too, parents should try to use their imagination and creativity to find a way to teach Halachah in a way that arouses interest. Just as medicine sometimes needs a sugar coating for children to be willing to take it, somewhat similarly, dry, complex halachic material needs to be “sugarcoated” with light, interesting subject matter in order for children to “ingest” it. The more we are able to teach Halachah in a fun and enjoyable way, the more successful we will be in conveying the material and leading our children towards a lifetime of halachic observance.