Hamlet, William Shakespeare
To be, or not to be, that is the question...
ת"ר שתי שנים ומחצה נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה הללו אומרים נוח לו לאדם שלא נברא יותר משנברא והללו אומרים נוח לו לאדם שנברא יותר משלא נברא
נמנו וגמרו נוח לו לאדם שלא נברא יותר משנברא עכשיו שנברא יפשפש במעשיו ואמרי לה ימשמש במעשיו
The Sages taught: For two and a half years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These say: It would have been preferable had humans not been created than to have been created. And those said: It is preferable for humans to have been created than had he not been created.
They were counted and concluded: It would have been preferable had humans not been created than to have been created. Now that he has been created, he should examine his [past] actions. And some say: He should scrutinize his [future] actions.
Q. The redactor does not include any reasons for the argument - what reasons can you think for each side?
Q. Why did the redactor leave out arguments?
Q. How do you react to their answer? How would you answer?
Q. What are some of the lessons this text is coming to teach?
(ה) אמר רבי סימון: בשעה שבא הקב"ה לבראת את אדם הראשון, נעשו מלאכי השרת כיתים כיתים, וחבורות חבורות, מהם אומרים: אל יברא, ומהם אומרים: יברא, הדא הוא דכתיב (תהלים פה): חסד ואמת נפגשו צדק ושלום נשקו.
חסד אומר: יברא, שהוא גומל חסדים.
ואמת אומר: אל יברא, שכולו שקרים.
צדק אומר: יברא, שהוא עושה צדקות.
שלום אומר: אל יברא, דכוליה קטטה.
מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא? נטל אמת והשליכו לארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (דניאל ח): ותשלך אמת ארצה.
אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה: רבון העולמים! מה אתה מבזה תכסיס אלטיכסייה שלך? תעלה אמת מן הארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (תהלים פה): אמת מארץ תצמח.
רבנן אמרי לה בשם ר' חנינא בר אידי ורבי פנחס ורבי חלקיה בשם רבי סימון אמר: מאד הוא אדם, הדא הוא דכתיב: וירא אלהים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד, והנה טוב אדם. ר' הונא רבה של צפורין אמר: עד שמלאכי השרת מדיינין אלו עם אלו, ומתעסקין אלו עם אלו, בראו הקדוש ברוך הוא. אמר להן: מה אתם מדיינין, כבר נעשה אדם:
Rabbi Simon said: "When the time came for the Holy One Blessed Be God to create the first human being, the angels of (Divine) service broke up into opposing groups. Some among them say: 'Humans should be created.' Some among them say: 'Humans should not be created.' This is what is written: 'Kindness and truth met; righteousness and peace kissed.' (Psalms 85:11)
Kindness says: 'Let humans be created because they will bestow kindnesses.'
Truth says: "Let humans not be created because they are entirely (made of) lies.'
Righteousness says: 'Let humans be created because they will do righteous acts.'
And peace says; 'Let humans not be created because they are entirely dissension.'
What did the Holy One Blessed be God do? God took truth and flung him to the ground. Thus it is written: 'You will cast truth to the ground.' (Daniel 8:12)
The angels of (Divine) service said before the Holy One Blessed be God: 'Master of worlds! Why do You despise Your seal of truth? Let truth rise from the ground as it is written: 'Truth will grow from the earth.' (Psalms 85:12)
Rabbi Hunah the rabbi of Tzippori said: "While the angels of (Divine) service were arguing with one another and occupied with one another, the Holy One Blessed be God created the first human."
God said to them: "Why are you debating? The human is already created."
Q. Why are Kindness and Truth paired together, and Righteousness and Peace together? What is the relationship between them and each other?
Q. Why was Truth flung to the ground? (Why wasn't Peace flung to the ground as well?)
Q. Why does God create humankind while the angels were busy?
Q. How are the processes and outcomes different from these two texts?
PART 2 - TO BE A JEW
3. Babylonian Talmud - Relating to Others
עברית
שוב מעשה בנכרי אחד שבא לפני שמאי א"ל גיירני ע"מ שתלמדני כל התורה כולה כשאני עומד על רגל אחת דחפו באמת הבנין שבידו בא לפני הלל גייריה אמר לו דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד זו היא כל התורה כולה ואידך פירושה הוא זיל גמור.
Babylonian Talmud 31b
There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.
Q. What could 'on one foot' represent here?
Q. What do think were Shammai's reasons for driving the student away?
Q. Which of the four qualities Kindness, Righteousness, Truth, and Peace do Hillel and Shammai represent?
4. Rabbi Sacks - To be truthful
The Dignity of Difference, p. 64-65
Truth on earth is not, nor can be, the whole truth. It is limited, not comprehensive; particular, not universal. When two propositions conflict it is not necessarily because one is true the other false. It may be, and often is, that each represents a different perspective on reality, an alternative way of structuring order, no more and no less commensurable than a Shakespeare sonnet, a Michelangelo painting or a Schubert sonata. In heaven there is truth; on earth there are truths. Therefore, each culture
has something to contribute. Each person knows something no one else does. The sages said: 'Who is wise? One who learns from all men- '. The wisest is not one who knows himself wiser than others: he is one who knows all men have some share of the truth and is willing to learn from them, for none of us knows all the truth and each of us knows some of it.
Q. Rabbi Sacks says there can be multiple truths - so how do we decide whether to follow Hillel or Shammai?
Q. How can this text inform our reading of God 'throwing down truth' in source 2?
Q. What are the implications if none of us know all the truth?
Bonus Texts
שלש שנים נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה, הללו אומרים "הלכה כמותנו" והללו אומרים "הלכה כמותנו." יצאה בת קול ואמרה
"אלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים הן, והלכה כב"ה
." וכי מאחר שאלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים, מפני מה זכו ב"ה לקבוע הלכה כמותן? מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו ושונין דבריהן ודברי ב"שולא עוד אלא שמקדימין דברי ב"ש לדבריהן
For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha (law) is according to our position,' and the other said, 'The halakha is according to our position.'A heavenly voice spoke:"These and those are the words of the living God, and the halakha is according to the House of Hillel."A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halacha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? It is because the students of Hillel were kind and gracious. They taught their own ideas as well as the ideas from the students of Shammai. Furthermore, they even taught Shammai's opinions first.
(יז) כָּל מַחֲלוֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, אֵין סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. אֵיזוֹ הִיא מַחֲלוֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלוֹקֶת הִלֵּל וְשַׁמַּאי.
(17) Every argument that is [for the sake of] heaven's name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not [for the sake of] heaven's name -- it is not destined to endure. What [is an example of] an argument in the name of heaven? The argument of Hillel and Shammai.