On June 20th, 2022, dozens of charedi extremists disrupted three bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies at the egalitarian plaza of the Western Wall , shouting over the services, calling the worshipers “Nazis,” “Christians” and “animals,” blowing whistles and ripping up prayer books, according to eyewitnesses. In one particular video posted on Twitter, when one of the boys is asked if he knew that the siddur he was destroying contained the name of God, he responded with a defense from a source in the Talmud. Below is the source alluded to in the video.
מַתְנִי׳ וְאֵין לוֹקְחִין סְפָרִים תְּפִילִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת מִן הַגּוֹיִם יוֹתֵר עַל כְּדֵי דְמֵיהֶן מִפְּנֵי תִּיקּוּן הָעוֹלָם.
MISHNA:And Torah scrolls, phylacteries, or mezuzot are not purchased from the gentiles when they acquire these objects, if they request more than their actual monetary value, for the betterment of the world, so as not to cause an increase in the theft of sacred Jewish ritual objects in order to sell them for large sums of money.
אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן נָקְטִינַן סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁכְּתָבוֹ מִין יִשָּׂרֵף כְּתָבוֹ גּוֹי יִגָּנֵז נִמְצָא בְּיַד מִין יִגָּנֵז נִמְצָא בְּיַד גּוֹי אָמְרִי לַהּ יִגָּנֵז וְאָמְרִי לַהּ קוֹרִין בּוֹ
Rav Naḥman says: We have a tradition that a Torah scroll that was written by a heretic should be burned; a Torah scroll written by a gentile should be interred; a Torah scroll found in the possession of a heretic, and it is not clear who wrote it, should be interred. With regard to a Torah scroll found in the possession of a gentile, some say it should be interred and some say that one may read from it.
סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁכְּתָבוֹ גּוֹי תָּנֵי חֲדָא יִשָּׂרֵף וְתַנְיָא אִידַּךְ יִגָּנֵז וְתַנְיָא אִידַּךְ קוֹרִין בּוֹ
The Gemara asks: With regard to a Torah scroll that was written by a gentile, it is taught in onebaraita: It should be burned, and it is taught in anotherbaraita: It should be interred, and it is taught in anotherbaraita: One may read from it. There is a three-fold contradiction concerning the halakha of a Torah scroll written by a gentile.
לָא קַשְׁיָא הָא דְּתַנְיָא יִשָּׂרֵף רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר הִיא דְּאָמַר סְתָם מַחְשֶׁבֶת גּוֹי לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה
The Gemara explains: This is not difficult: That which is taught in a baraita, that it should be burned, is the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who says: The unspecified intentions of a gentile are for idol worship, and therefore everything he wrote is assumed to be written for the sake of idolatrous worship and must be burned.
Iggeret HaRamban is a letter that the Ramban (1194–1270) wrote to his son. The letter admonishes his son to live a humble and modest life. At the conclusion of the letter, he instructs his son to read the letter at least once a week and to incorporate the teachings into his life.
(א) "שְׁמַע בְּנִי מוּסַר אָבִיךָ, וְאַל תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ" (משלי א ח).
(ב) תִּתְנַהֵג תָּמִיד לְדַבֵּר כָּל דְּבָרֶיךָ בְּנַחַת, לְכָל אָדָם וּבְכָל עֵת, וּבַזֶּה תִּנָּצֵל מִן הַכַּעַס, שֶׁהִיא מִדָּה רָעָה לְהַחְטִיא בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ ז"ל (נדרים כב ע"א): כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס – כָּל מִינֵי גֵיהִנּוֹם שׁוֹלְטִים בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת יא י): "וְהָסֵר כַּעַס מִלִּבֶּךָ, וְהַעֲבֵר רָעָה מִבְּשָׂרֶךָ". וְאֵין "רָעָה" אֶלָּא גֵיהִנּוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז ד): "וְגַם רָשָׁע לְיוֹם רָעָה".
(ג) וְכַאֲשֶׁר תִּנָּצֵל מִן הַכַּעַס, תַּעֲלֶה עַל לִבְּךָ מִדַּת הָעֲנָוָה, שֶׁהִיא מִדָּה טוֹבָה מִכָּל מִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי כב ד): "עֵקֶב עֲנָוָה, יִרְאַת יהוה".
(1) "Listen, my son, to the thought of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother." (Proverbs 1:8)
(2) Accustom yourself to always speak all of your words calmly, to every man and at every time. In doing so you will prevent your anger from flaring, which is a bad attribute in a man which may cause him to sin. And accordingly said our Rabbis, may their memories be a blessing: (Nedarim 22a) "Anyone who gets angry - all of Gehinnom holds sway over him, as it says: (Kohelet 11:10) 'And remove the anger from your heart, and take away the bad from your flesh', and 'bad' can only mean Gehinnom, as it says (Proverbs 16:4): 'And the sinner, he too, will have his day of bad'."
(3) When you will have freed yourself from anger, the quality of humility will enter your heart which is the best of all good traits, as is written (Mishlei 22:4), "The return for humility is fear of G-d."