Lesson #8 - Content and Questions
Our studies, this week, are composed of a number of short sugiyot, most of which use as their jumping off point meimrot concerned with prayer and/or one's personal relationship with God.
Sources
חלק א
1. [עוד מימרא בשם רב]
ואמר רבה בר חיננא סבא משמיה דרב: כל שאפשר לו לבקש רחמים על חבירו ואינו מבקש – נקרא חוטא. שנאמר: (שמואל א’ יב:כג) גם אנכי חלילה לי מחטא לה’ מחדל להתפלל בעדכם.
2. [עוד מימרא]
אמר רבא: אם תלמיד חכם הוא צריך שיחלה עצמו עליו.
3. [שאלה]
מאי טעמא?
4. [תשובה]
אילימא משום דכתיב (שמואל א’ כב:ח) ואין חלה מכם עלי (ואין גולה) [וגולה] את אזני
5. [דחייה]
דילמא מלך שאני
6. [תשובה]
אלא, מהכא: (תהלים לה:יג) ואני בחלותם לבושי וגו’.
חלק ב
1. [עוד מימרא בשם רב]
ואמר רבה בר חיננא סבא משמיה דרב: כל העושה דבר עבירה ומתבייש בו – מוחלין לו על כל עונותיו, שנאמר: (יחזקאל טז:סג) למען תזכריו בשת ולא יהיה לך עוד פתחון פה מפני כלמתך בכפרי לך לכל אשר עשית נאם ה’ אלהים.
2. [דחיית הראיה]
דילמא צבור שאני?
3. [הוכחה אחרת]
אלא, מהכא: (שמואל א’ כח:טו) ויאמר שמואל אל שאול למה הרגזתני להעלות אתי, ויאמר שאול צר לי מאד ופלשתים נלחמים בי וה’ סר מעלי ולא ענני עוד גם ביד הנביאים גם בחלמות ואקראה לך להודיעני מה אעשה,
ואילו אורים ותומים לא קאמר – משום דקטליה לנוב עיר הכהנים.
ומנין דאחילו ליה מן שמיא
שנאמר (שמואל א’ כח:יט) ויאמר שמואל אלשאול (מחר) [ומחר] אתה ובניך עמי,
ואמר רבי יוחנן: עמי – במחיצתי.
4. [הוכחה אחרת]
ורבנן אמרי, מהכא: (שמואל ב’ כא:ו) והוקענום לה’ בגבעת שאול בחיר ה’,
יצתה בת קול ואמרה: בחיר ה’.
חלק ג
1. [מימרא]
אמר רבי אבהו בן זוטרתי אמר רבי יהודה בר זבידא: בקשו לקבוע פרשת בלק בקריאת שמע,
ומפני מה לא קבעוה – משום טורח צבור.
2. [שאלה]
מאי טעמא?
אילימא משום דכתיב בה: (במדבר כג:כב) אל מציאם ממצרים
לימא פרשת רבית ופרשת משקלות דכתיב בהן יציאת מצרים!
3. [תשובה]
אלא אמר רבי יוסי בר אבין: משום דכתיב בההאי קרא: (במדבר כד:ט) כרע שכב כארי וכלביא מי יקימנו.
4. [קושיא]
ולימא האי פסוקא ותו לא!
5. [תירוץ]
גמירי: כל פרשה דפסקה משה רבינו – פסקינן,דלא פסקה משה רבינו – לא פסקינן.
חלק ד
1. [שאלה]
פרשת ציצית מפני מה קבעוה?
2. [תשובה - מימרא]
אמר רבי יהודה בר חביבא: מפני שיש בה חמשה דברים: מצות ציצית, יציאת מצרים, עול מצות, ודעת מינים, הרהור עבירה, והרהור עבודה זרה.
3. [שאלה]
בשלמא הני תלת – מפרשן;
עול מצות – דכתיב: (במדבר טו ( וראיתם אתו וזכרתם את כל מצות ה’,
ציצית – דכתיב: ועשו להם ציצית וגו’,
יציאת מצרים – דכתיב: אשר הוצאתי וגומר,
אלא דעת מינים, הרהור עבירה, והרהור עבודה זרה מנלן?
4. [תשובה]
-דתניא: אחרי לבבכם – זו מינות,
וכן הוא אומר: (תהלים יד:א) אמר נבל בלבו אין אלהים,
אחרי עיניכם – זה הרהור עבירה,
שנאמר: (שופטים יד:ג) ויאמר שמשון אל אביו אותה קח לי כי היא ישרה בעיני,
אתם זונים – זה הרהור עבודה זרה,
וכן הוא אומר: (שופטים ח:לג) ויזנו אחרי הבעלים.
Part 1
1. [Another Meimra in the name of Rav]
Raba b. Hinena the elder said further in the name of Rab: If one is in a position to pray on behalf of his fellow and does not do so, he is called a sinner, as it says, "Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." (1 Samuel 12:23)
2. [Another Meimra]
Raba said: If [his fellow] is a scholar, he must pray for him even to the point of making himself ill.
3. [Shealah]
What is the ground for this?
4. [Teshuva]
Shall I say, because it is written, "There is none of you that is sick for me or discloseth unto me?" (1 Samuel 23:8)
5. [Rejection of Teshuva]
Perhaps the case of a king is different.
6. [Teshuva]
It is in fact derived from here: "But as for me,when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I afflicted my soul with fasting." (Psalm 35:13)
Part 2
1. [Another Meimra in the name of Rav]
Raba b. Hinena the elder further said in the name of Rab: If one commits a sin and is ashamed of it, all his sins are forgiven him, as it says, "That you may remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth anymore, because of your shame; when I have forgiven you all that you have done, said the Lord God." (Ezekiel 16:63)
2. [Rejection of proof]
Perhaps with a whole congregation the case is different?
3. [Another proof]
Rather [we derive it] from here: "And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disquieted me to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and does not answer me, neither by prophets nor by dreams; therefore I called you that you might make known to me what I shall do." (1 Samuel 28:15) But he does not mention the Urim and Thummim because he had killed all [the people of] Nob, the city of the priests. And how do we know that Heaven had forgiven him? Because it says, "And Samuel said, Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me" (1 Samuel 28:19), and R. Johanan said: ‘With me' means, in my compartment [in Paradise].
4. [Another Proof]
The Rabbis say [we learn it] from here: "We will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord." (2 Samuel 21:6) A divine voice came forth and proclaimed: The chosen of the Lord.
Part 3
1. [Meimra]
R. Abbahu b. Zutrathi said in the name of R. Judahb. Zebida: They wanted to include the section of Balak in the Shema’, but they did not do so because it would have meant too great a burden for the congregation.
2. [Shealah]
Why [did they want to insert it]? Because it contains the words, "God who brought them forth out of Egypt." (Numbers 23:22) Then let us say the section of usury or of weights in which the going forth from Egypt is mentioned?
3. [Teshuva]
Rather, said R. Jose b. Abin, [the reason is] because it contains the verse, "He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?" (Numbers 24:9)
4. [Kushiya]
Let us then say this one verse and no more?
5. [Teirutz]
We have a tradition that every section which our master, Moses, has divided off we may divide off, but that which our master, Moses, has not divided off, we may not divide off.
Part 4
1. [Shealah]
Why did they include the section of fringes?
2. [Teshuva - Meimra]
R. Judah b. Habiba said: Because it makes reference to five things: the precept of fringes, the exodus from Egypt, the yoke of the commandments, [a warning against] the opinions of the Minim, and the hankering after sexual immorality and the hankering after idolatry.
3. [Shealah]
The first three we grant you are obvious: the yoke of the commandments, as it is written: "That ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord" (Numbers 15:39); the fringes, as it is written: "That they make for themselves fringes (Ibid. 38); the exodus from Egypt, as it is written: "Who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Ibid. 41). But where do we find [warnings against] the opinions of the heretics, and the hankering after immorality and idolatry?
4. [Teshuva]
– It has been taught: "After your own heart" (Ibid. 39): this refers to heresy; and so it says, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God". (Psalms 14:1)
– "After your own eyes" (Numbers 15:39): this refers to the hankering after immorality; and so it says, "And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is pleasing in my eyes". (Judges 14:3) – "After which ye use to go astray" (Numbers 15:39): this refers to the hankering after idolatry; and so it says, "And they went astray afterthe Baalim". (Judges 8:33)
Guide Questions and Issues
Part 1
This first sugya concerns a meimra in the name of Rav which asserts an obligation to pray for acquaintances in need of prayer.
1. Rav asserts an obligation to pray for acquaintances in need of mercy. Anyone who refrains from doing so is a sinner.
As a proof text, he quotes from the prophet, Samuel's closing address. Look up the verse in its biblical context. What is its message? How is it used in the context of Rav's statement?
2. This meimra asserts an even greater obligation to pray for the well-being of sages in need of mercy.
3. The Talmud searches for a basis for this greater obligation.
4. In this step, the Talmud tests a verse to see if it can be used as a proof for Rava's teaching. Note here the use of the word "אילימא". This word is an indicator that this answer will ultimately be rejected.
The verse discussed here comes from the story of King Saul and the priests of Nob. Read the story (1 Samuel 22:6-19) What does the verse used by the Talmud mean in its own context? How does the Talmud use it?
5. The Talmud rejects the use of this verse. On what grounds? (In Talmudese, this kind of rejection is called a "חילוק" a distinction.) What distinction is being made here?
6. The Talmud chooses another verse as the proof text. What is the original context of the verse in Psalms? Why was this verse chosen? Is it a better choice? [A piece of rabbinic lore. This prayer of David on behalf of his enemies, according to the sages, was for two of David's generals: Doeg and Ahitophel, both of whom betrayed him. According to rabbinic legend, both of them were big Talmidei Hachamim, sages, even though they were also sinners.)
Part 2
1. This sugya is also founded on a meimra in the name of Rav. In this teaching, Rav makes a hyperbolic statement about the efficacy of teshuva - repentance, basing his statement on a verse from Ezekiel.
Look up the verse from Ezekiel. Again, whatis its meaning in context? What is its message? Does that message apply here inthis sugya?
2. Another "hiluk"! Why does the Talmud reject the use of the Ezekiel verse as proof of Rav's message?
3. The Talmud takes a number of verses from the story of King Saul's conversation with the prophet, Samuel's ghost as proof instead of the verse from Ezekiel. Again, read these verses in their biblical context. What is it talking about there? How is it applied here? Is this a better proof than the Ezekiel verse? Why do you think it was chosen over the Ezekiel verse?
4. Here, too, the Talmud opts to bring another proof. This one seems to me the most obscure of all. This verse describes Saul's ignoble end at the hands of the Gibeonites. How do the sages turn this verse around to make it a worthy proof verse?
Part 3
1. Here we have another meimra.This one tells us that the sages thought of including the story of Balaam and Balak in the recitation of the Shma. This strikes us as strange but the meimra also gives us the reason why they did not include it, namely, it be a bother to the congregation because of its length. (This reason will make shul goers everywhere happy and will serve as ammunition for those that think the rabbi's sermon is too long.)
2. The Talmud now wants to examine what might make Parshat Balak of such consequence that the sages might want to include it in the Shma.
The Talmud raises the possibility that it might be included because it alludes to the redemption from Egypt but quickly rejects this by noting that this does not distinguish it from any number ofother passages in the Torah.
3. Another try! I bet younever would have thought of this verse. Look it up. What is it talking about in context? And how might it serve as a reason for including Parshat Balak in the Shma?
4. Great now that that is resolved, why not include it in an attenuated form?
5. The Talmud resolves the kushiya by quoting a law that we do not read sections of the Torah if they were not designated as such by Moses. This principle is not clear and its use is not explicit but it works here to explain a practice which probably was already not a part of the liturgy.
Part 4
1. We open with the question wehave all been waiting for – namely, why do recite the last paragraph of the Shma which deals with tzitzit.
2. In this meimra - teshuva,we are given a list of good reasons. Any counters in the audience. How many reasons are given? How many were supposed to be given? A prize for the best explanation of the discrepancy.
3. In this shealah, the Talmud outlines proof verses from the paragraph on tzitzit, for three of the more obvious reasons on the list but then asks for proofs for some of the less obvious reasons.
4. As an teshuva, the Talmud brings a baraita which includes proof for the remainder of the reasons.
What seems clear from this over-abundant list is that the mention of the redemption from Egypt seemed insufficient for some and that the sages felt compelled to "go the extra yard" to provide a rationale for including this paragraph in the Shma.