That which is hateful...But how do we do that which is good?

ByAJWS Staff

AJWS On1Foot

Numbers 27:1-11

וַתִּקְרַבְנָה בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד בֶּן חֵפֶר בֶּן גִּלְעָד בֶּן מָכִיר בֶּן מְנַשֶּׁה לְמִשְׁפְּחֹת מְנַשֶּׁה בֶן יוֹסֵף וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֹתָיו מַחְלָה נֹעָה וְחָגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְתִרְצָה: וַתַּעֲמֹדְנָה לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְלִפְנֵי אֶלְעָזָר הַכֹּהֵן וְלִפְנֵי הַנְּשִׂיאִם וְכָל הָעֵדָה פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר: אָבִינוּ מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר וְהוּא לֹא הָיָה בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל ה' בַּעֲדַת קֹרַח כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת וּבָנִים לֹא הָיוּ לוֹ: לָמָּה יִגָּרַע שֵׁם אָבִינוּ מִתּוֹךְ מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ כִּי אֵין לוֹ בֵּן תְּנָה לָּנוּ אֲחֻזָּה בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵי אָבִינוּ: וַיַּקְרֵב מֹשֶׁה אֶת מִשְׁפָּטָן לִפְנֵי ה': וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: כֵּן בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד דֹּבְרֹת נָתֹן תִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲחֻזַּת נַחֲלָה בְּתוֹךְ אֲחֵי אֲבִיהֶם וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ אֶת נַחֲלַת אֲבִיהֶן לָהֶן: וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר אִישׁ כִּי יָמוּת וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּם אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ לְבִתּוֹ: וְאִם אֵין לוֹ בַּת וּנְתַתֶּם אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ לְאֶחָיו: וְאִם אֵין לוֹ אַחִים וּנְתַתֶּם אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ לַאֲחֵי אָבִיו: וְאִם אֵין אַחִים לְאָבִיו וּנְתַתֶּם אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ לִשְׁאֵרוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ וְיָרַשׁ אֹתָהּ וְהָיְתָה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְחֻקַּת מִשְׁפָּט כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה:

Numbers.27.1-11

The daughters of Zelophehad, of Manassite family -- son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph -- came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they said, "Our father died in the wilderness. He was not one of the faction, Korah's faction, which banded together against God, but died for his own sin; and he has left no sons. Let not our father's name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father's kinsmen!" Moses brought their case before God. And God said to Moses, "The plea of Zelophehad's daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father's kinsmen; transfer their father's share to them. Further, speak to the Israelite people as follows: 'If a man dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his property to his daughter. If he has no daughter, you shall assign his property to his brothers. If he has no brothers, you shall assign his property to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, you shall assign his property to his nearest relative in his own clan, and he shall inherit it.' This shall be the law of procedure for the Israelites, in accordance with God's command to Moses." [JPS translation]

Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 40a

נדרים מ׳ א:א׳

מעשה בתלמיד אחד מתלמידי ר' עקיבא שחלה ולא נכנסו חכמים לבקרו. ונחנס ר' עקיבא לבקרו, ובשביל שכיבכדו וריבצו לפניו חיה. א"ל: רבי, חייתי.

Nedarim 40a:1

It happened that one of R. Akiva’s pupils became ill, and the Rabbis did not come to visit him. But R. Akiva did visit him, and because R. Akiva swept and sprinkled the floor before him, he lived. The sick man said to him: “Master, you have given me new life!” [CAJE translation]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Why didn’t the sick student’s rabbis visit him?
2. What compelled Rabbi Akiva to go see him?
3. How did Rabbi Akiva give him “new life”?

Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 11a

בבא בתרא י״א א:ב׳

תניא: אמרו עליו על בנימין הצדיק שהיה ממונה על קופה של צדקה, פעם אחת באתה אשה לפניו בשני בצורת, אמרה לו: רבי, פרנסני! אמר לה: העבודה, שאין בקופה של צדקה כלום! אמרה לו: רבי, אם אין אתה מפרנסני, הרי אשה ושבעה בניה מתים! עמד ופרנסה משלו.

Bava Batra 11a:2

A story is told of Binyamin HaTzaddik, who was the supervisor of his community’s Tzedakah fund. Once, when there was a shortage of food, a woman came to him and said, “Rabbi, feed me!” He replied, “I swear that there is no more money left in the Tzedakah fund.” She said, “If you do not feed me, a woman and her seven children will die.” So he fed her from his own money. [Translation by Danny Siegel]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. What does this text imply about the responsibilities of the administrator of a Tzedakah fund? What does it imply about any other individual's responsibilities? Where are the limits of these responsibilities?
2. How do you think Binyamin HaTzaddik would have reacted had the petitioner asked for money for something other than food? If the petitioner had been only one person? If the petitioner had been male?
3. How does Binyamin's name relate to his position? To his actions in this story?

Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metzia 62a

בבא מציעא ס״ב א:ב׳

שנים שהיו מהלכין בדרך, וביד אחד מהן קיתון של מים, אם שותין שניהם - מתים, ואם שותה אחד מהן - מגיע לישוב. דרש בן פטורא: מוטב שישתו שניהם וימותו, ואל יראה אחד מהם במיתתו של חבירו. עד שבא רבי עקיבא ולימד: וחי אחיך עמך - חייך קודמים לחיי חבירך

Bava Metzia 62a:2

Two people were traveling, and [only] one of them had a canteen of water.[There was only enough water so that] if both of them drank they would both die, but if one of them drank [only] that person would make it back to an inhabited area [and live].Ben Petura publicly taught:'Better both should drink and die than that one see their friend's death,' until Rabbi Akiva came and taught: 'Your fellow should live with you' (Leviticus 25:36) - your life takes precedence over the life of your friend's. [Translation Rav Eliezer Kwass. Edited for gender neutrality]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Do you agree with Rabbi Akiva? Why?
2. Why does this text specify that the two people are friends? How does this affect our understanding of the text?

Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 127b

שבת קכ״ז ב:ב׳

תנו רבנן: הדן חבירו לכף זכות דנין אותו לזכות.

Shabbat 127b:2

Our rabbis taught: One who judges others favorably, they themselves are judged favorably. [Translation by Areyvut. Edited for gender neutrality]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean to judge someone favorably? What does this process entail?
2. Do you judge others favorably? Do we as a community judge others favorably? How would our society be different if we did?

Babylonian Talmud Berachot 17a

מרגלא בפומיה דאביי: לעולם יהא אדם ערום ביראה, +משלי ט"ו+ מענה רך משיב חמה ומרבה שלום עם אחיו ועם קרוביו ועם כל אדם, ואפילו עם נכרי בשוק, כדי שיהא אהוב למעלה ונחמד למטה, ויהא מקובל על הבריות. אמרו עליו על רבן יוחנן בן זכאי שלא הקדימו אדם שלום מעולם ואפילו נכרי בשוק.

Berakhot.17a

A favorite saying of Abaye was: One should always be subtle in the fear of heaven. A soft answer turns away wrath, and one should always strive to be on the best terms with one's relatives and with all people and even with the heathen in the street, in order that that person may be beloved above and well-liked below and be acceptable to their fellow creatures. It was related of R. Johanan b. Zakkai that no one ever gave him greeting first, even a heathen in the street. [Soncino translation. Edited for gender neutrality and clarity]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. Why should we always try to have peace between ourselves and others according to this text?
2. Why does God care how we treat others? What does this reflect about us?
3. Who are the people that we are least likely to greet today? How can we strive to be more like R. Johanan b. Zakkai?

Midrash Tehillim 17:8

מדרש תהילים י״ז:ז׳

אמר ר' יהושע בן לוי בשעה שאדם הולך בדרך, איקוניא של מלאכים מהלכין לפניו, ומכריזין ואומרים תנו מקום לאיקוניא של הקב"ה.

Midrash Tehillim 17:7

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says that when a person walks on the road, they are preceded by a company of angels who proclaim: "Make way for the image of the Holy Blessed One!" [AJWS translation]

Suggested Discussion Questions

1. What are the values communicated by this text?
2. What are the implications of our actions if we take seriously that every human being is the image of the Holy Blessed One?