Theologically Provocative Sugyot from the Talmud - Lesson 6
Rosh Hashanah 17a-17b
Sources
חלק א
1. [ציטוט מן הברייתא]
ושנתנו חיתיתם בארץ חיים,
2. [מימרא - פירוש לברייתא]
אמר רב חסדא: זה פרנס המטיל אימה יתירהעל הצבור שלא לשם שמים.
3. [מימרא – פירוט]
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב: כל פרנס המטיל אימה יתירה על הצבור שלא לשם שמים
– אינו רואה בן תלמיד חכם,
שנאמר (איוב לז:כד) לכן יראוהו אנשים לא יראה כל חכמי לב.
חלק ב
1. [ציטוט מן הברייתא]
בית הלל אומרים: ורב חסד, מטה כלפי חסד.
2. [שאלה]
היכי עביד?
3. [תשובה]
רבי אליעזר אומר: כובשו,
שנאמר (מיכה ז:יט) ישוב ירחמנו יכבש עונתינו,
4. [תשובה אחרת]
רבי יוסי בר חנינא אמר: נושא,
שנאמר (מיכה ז:יח) נשא עון ועבר על פשע.
5. [ברייתא]
תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל: מעביר ראשון ראשון,וכן היא המדה.
6. [מימרא - פירוש ל”מעביר]
אמר רבא: ועון עצמו אינו נמחק, דאי איכא רובא עונות – מחשיב בהדייהו.
חלק ג
1. [מימרא]
(רבא אמר) +מסורת הש”ס:[אמר רבא]+: כל המעביר על מדותיו מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו,
שנאמר נשא עון ועבר על פשע,
למי נושא עון – למי שעובר על פשע.
2. [מעשה]
רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע חלש, על רב פפא לשיולי ביה. חזייה דחליש ליה עלמא,
אמר להו: צביתו ליה זוודתא.
לסוף איתפח, הוה מיכסיף רב פפא למיחזייה.
אמרו ליה: מאי חזית?
אמר (ליה) +מסורת הש”ס: [להו]+: אין,הכי הוה. ואמר להו הקדוש ברוך הוא: הואיל ולא מוקים במיליה – לא תקומו בהדיה,
שנאמר נשא עון ועבר על פשע, למי נושא עון- לעובר פשע.
3. [דרשה על המשך הפסוק]
(מיכה ז:יח) לשארית נחלתו,
אמר רבי אחא בר חנינא: אליה וקוץ בה; לשארית נחלתו – ולא לכל נחלתו,
למי שמשים עצמו כשירים.
חלק ד
1. [מימרא - סתירה בין שני פסוקים ופתירת הסתירה]
רב הונא רמי: כתיב (תהלים קמה:יז) צדיקה’ בכל דרכיו,
וכתיב (שם שם שם) וחסיד בכל מעשיו.
בתחלה – צדיק, ולבסוף – חסיד.
חלק ה
1. [מימרא - סתירה בין שני פסוקים ופתירת הסתירה]
רבי אלעזר רמי: כתיב (תהלים סב:יג) ולך ה’ חסד,
וכתיב (שם שם שם) כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו,
בתחלה – כי אתה תשלם כמעשהו, ולבסוף – ולךה’ חסד.
חלק ו
1. [מימרא - סתירה בין שני פסוקים ופתירת הסתירה]
אילפי, ואמרי לה אילפא, רמי:
כתיב (שמות לד:ו) ורב חסד,
וכתיב (שם שם שם) ואמת!
בתחלה – ואמת, ולבסוף – ורב חסד.
Part 1
1. [Quotation from the baraita]
"Who have spread their terror in the land of the living":
2. [Meimra- Interpretation of the baraita]
R. Hisda said: This is a communal leader who makes himself unduly feared by the community not for the sake of Heaven.
3. [Meimra - Further explication of the baraita]
Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Any communal leader who makes himself unduly feared by the community not for the sake of Heaven will never have a scholar for a son, as it says: Therefore if men fear him, he shall not see [among his sons] any wise of heart. (Job 37:24)
Part 2
1. [Quotation from the baraita]
Hillel say: "He that abounds in grace inclines [the scales] to grace".
2. [Shealah]
How does He do this?
3. [Teshuva]
R . Eliezer says: He presses down on [the scale of merit], as it says: He will again have compassion on us, he will quash our iniquities. (Micah 7:19)
4. [Another Teshuva]
R. Jose b. Hanina says: [He does so] by lifting [the scale of iniquities], as it says: Raising iniquity and passing by transgression. (Micah 7:18)
5. [Baraita]
In the school of R. Ishmael they taught [ina baraita]: He puts aside every first iniquity; and herein lies the attribute [of grace].
6. [Meimra - Interpretation of "setting aside the iniquities"]
Raba said: The iniquity itself is not obliterated, and if there is an excess of iniquities [God] reckons it with the others.
Part 3
1. [Meimra]
Said Raba: He who forgoes his right [to exact punishment] is forgiven all his iniquities, as it says: "Forgiving iniquity and passing by transgression." (Micah7:18)
Who is forgiven iniquity?
One who passes by transgression [against himself].
2. [Maaseh - a story]
R. Huna the son of R. Joshua was once ill. R. Papa went to inquire about him. He saw that he was very ill and said to those present: Make ready provisions for his [everlasting] journey.
Eventually, however, he [R. Huna] recovered, and R. Papa felt ashamed to see him.
He said to him, What did you see [in your illness]?
He replied, It was indeed as you thought, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them [the angels]: Because he does not insist upon his rights, do not stand against him, as it says: "Forgiving iniquity and passing by transgression." (Ibid.)
Who is forgiven iniquity?
He who passes by transgression.
3. [Drasha on the continuation of the verse]
[The verse continues]: "to the remnant of his heritage". (Ibid.)
R. Aha son of R. Hanina said: We have here a fat tail with a thorn in it, "for the remnant of his inheritance", but not for all his inheritance. [What it means is], for him who makes himself a mere remnant.
Part 4
1. [Meimra - a contradiction between two verses and the reconciliation]
R. Huna contrasted [two parts of the same verse].
It is written: "The Lord is righteous in all his ways" (Psalms 14517), and then it is written: "and gracious in all his works". (Ibid.)
[How is this]?
At first, righteous and at the end, gracious.
Part 5
1. [Meimra - contradiction between two verse and the reconciliation]
R. Eleazar [similarly] contrasted two texts.
It is written : "Also untoYou, O Lord, belongs mercy", (Psalms 62:13) and then it is written: "For You render to every man according to his work." (Ibid.)
[How is this]?
At first, "You render to every man according to his work", but at the end, "unto You, O Lord, belongs mercy".
Part 6
1. [Meimra - Contradiction between two verses and the reconciliation]
Ilfi (or, as some report, Ilfa) [similarly] contrasted two texts:
It is written: "abundant in goodness" (Exodus 34:6), and then it is written: "and in truth". (Ibid.)
[How is this]?
At first, "truth", and at the end, "abundant in goodness".
Guide Questions and Issues
Part 1
1. We begin this lesson where we left off last class. In the baraita that we quoted last class, we mentioned that among that who would not have an opportunity to repent were "those who spread their terror in the land of the living". As is the way of the sages, this sugya will attempt to concretize the identity of those who fall into this category.
2. Rav Hisda offers an example of what type of person might fall into this category.
a. What makes such a person's behavior so sinful?
3. This meimra offers a warning to such a communal leader. Since it was an expectation that a communal leader would be a sage.
a. What kind of warning is contained in this meimra? (Hint: The sages taught a principle called "midah k'negedmidah", "measure for measure". How does this punishment fit the crime?)
b. How is the verse from Job justification for this position?
Questions to Consider
1. What statement does this sugya make about the right qualities necessary for being a leader?
2. Why does Rav offer such a harsh punishment for a leader who strays from the proper qualities?
Part 2
1. We move onto Beit Hillel's opinion found in the baraita in last week's lesson. As a reminder, Beit Hillel noted that God is "rav hesed", "full of mercy". This divine quality, according to Beit Hillel, inclines God to "tip the scale" favorably for the "beinonim".
2. The sugya is interested in determining how exactly this works.
3-4. The sugya offers 2 alternative possibilities based on verses from the Tanach. Both are based on consecutive verses from Micah.
a. Look up these verses.Exactly what would these images look like?
b. How do these images illustrate Divine mercy?
4. How does the image in 4 differ from that in 3?
5. This baraita offers another image of how this Divine quality might work based on another verse.
a. How do you imagine this works?
b. How is this image differ from the other two?
6. Rava offers his suggestion as to how the image in the baraita might work.
How do you imagine this would work?
Questions to consider
1. How does Beit Hillel's worldview differ from the Beit Shamai's on the subject of the fate of the "beinonim"?
2. Can you make a case for the emphasis of each side in this debate?
Part 3
In this section we move from the realm of the Divine to the realm of how the Divine might serve as a paradigm for human behavior. The whole basis for the opinion of Beit Hillel assumes that God is merciful and that He will not carry out strict justice out of a sense of mercy. If this is an expected quality of God, the assumption is that human beings should behave in a similar fashion.
1. Rava bases this concept on his interpretation of a verse from the book of Micah (7:18). How is this idea teased out of this verse?
2. What is the purpose of this anecdote?
3. This step interprets the last part of the verse from Micah, utilizing an expression to explicate its meaning.
The express "fat tail with a thorn in it" refers to something good which has a catch. Here, God's mercy is a great thing but its application is not universal. To whom will it apply? To the "Shearit", "the remnant". Here Rabbi Aha makes a play on the word "shearit" which sounds similar to the word "shirayim", "leftovers" (from food). God will show mercy, then, to those who consider themselves like leftovers, namely, are without self-importance.
A Question to Consider
This sugya expresses a type of "imitation Dei", "imitation of God". Why are Divine and human mercy so important?
Part 4
We now a number of meimrot where a sage brings a seeming contradiction (stirah) in a Biblical verse and then goes about resolving it, creating a religious message in the process.
In the first case, Rav Huna brings a verse which indicated that God is both righteous (meaning, just) and merciful - two qualities which the sages saw as being opposites and contradictory.
He resolves the contradiction by noting that they are meant to be sequential, namely, once God realizes that if He rules through justice, the world will cease to exist so then He must apply mercy.
Question to Consider
How does this teaching of Rav come to emphasize the need for mercy in the world?
Part 5
This meimra of Rabbi Elazar follows the same pattern. Lookup the verse. What is the contradiction? What is the resolution? What is the message?
Part 6
Here is another example of the same pattern. Look up the verse. What is the signicance of truth in tis verse? What is the contradiction? How is the contradiction resolved?