ברכת תלמוד תורה
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה:
Blessing for Torah Study
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your mitzvot and commanded us to immerse ourselves in words of Torah.
And Rav Yehuda said: There are three matters which, when one who prolongs their duration, they extend a person’s days and years. They are: One who prolongs their prayer, one who prolongs their mealtime at the table, and one who prolongs their time in the bathroom.
Questions:
What questions does this text bring up for you? What is your initial reaction?
1. What does it mean to prolong מאריך? Can time be lengthened? Can our days be lengthened?
2. Do these three things really prolong our life? Do you agree with Rav. Yehuda?
3. What is it about these three activities that lengthens our lives?
4. Prayer makes sense, dining a little bit, but bathroom? What's up with that, Talmud?
5. In what activities do you extend your time?
6. (Take-away question) How would you fill in the blank: One who prolongs their time _______, extends their days and years?
Notes:
Rashi notes: on "table" so that a person can give to the poor and "bathroom" for a person's health
Kashyot are brought about for prayer (supplication vs. increasing efficacy) and bathroom (health); reason for table is primarily to give to the poor (though we might think family bonding)
Why I picked this text/why it's compelling to me: it's funny, it's different, it's surprising. It stuck with me when I first heard it. I see the three things as metonymous for relationship with God, with others, and with self. The discussion is interesting, too, and there are some kashyot -- it depends on what we are doing in our extended time in these activities. This text demonstrates to me that Jewish teaching is of the world not alienated from it (Rosenzweig, Buber, Arna Fisher). This text is concerned with the day to day and finding meaning in the mundane (like art out of trash). Also, it brings up a valuable and profound existential question: where do I/we spend our time? What is the most valuable use of our time?
Timeline
Prep: make sure I can screen share
5 s Breath and eye contact
15 s Recite blessing (Shirah)
2-3 min Madlib
30 s Share screen and Read the orig. text (call on someone, Hebrew and/or English)
1.5 min My take
10 s Take-away question: How would you fill in the blank: One who prolongs their time _______, extends their days and years?
Music: circle game, both sides now, U2 stuck in a moment, teach your children, and the youth shall dream dreams, Beautiful boy
Follow up:
use for tefilah! (word cloud?)
“reveling in the present”
Funny idea: mixing proverbs by Shirah and Ben
Use as prompt for understanding text: how would Koheleth etc. answer this?