Theologically Provocative Sugyot from the Talmud - Lesson 2
Rosh Hashanah 16a-16b
In the last lesson, we dealt with a sugya which tried to determine at what points in time during the year the world is judged. The Mishnah presented us with one picture and a baraita in the Talmud offered us anumber of other pictures of when God judges the world. We spent the remainder of our discussion, attempting to determine which Tanna (sage from the period of the Mishnah) might represent the opinion of the Mishnah. This week, we open with a focus on the last two opinions found in the baraita in Sugya 3 from last week:
– רבי יוסי אומר: אדם נידון בכל יום, שנאמר (איוב ז:יח) ותפקדנו לבקרים.
– רבי נתן אומר: אדם נידון בכל שעה, שנאמר (שם שם שם) לרגעים תבחננו.
– R. Jose says: Man is judged every day, as it says: And You (God) visit him every morning. (Job 7:18)
– R. Nathan says: Man is judged every moment, as it says: You (God) try him every moment. (Ibid.)
Sugya 1, this week, is trying to figure out the basis for Rabbi Jose's opinion. It is also a good lesson in precision when asking questions. Rav Hisda, an Amora, wants to know the basis for Rabbi Jose's opinion, but is preempted by the Talmud because the baraita brings a proof-verse for his opinion. This forces the Talmud to redefine Rav Hisda's question.
This is what happens in step 3.
Sources
סוגיא 1
1. [שאלה על הברייתא – מימרא]
אמר רב חסדא: מאי טעמיה דרבי יוסי?
2. [תשובה –תמיהה]
כדקאמר טעמיה, ותפקדנו לבקרים!
3. [פירוש השאלה]
אנן הכי קאמרינן: מאי טעמא לא אמר כרבי נתן?
בחינה עיוני בעלמא היא.
פקידה נמי עיוני בעלמא היא!
4. [תשובה של ר’ חסדא לשאלתו]
אלא אמר רב חסדא: טעמיה דרבי יוסי מהכא– (מלכים א ח:נט) לעשות משפט עבדו ומשפט עמו ישראל דבר יום ביומו.
סוגיא 2
1. [עוד מימרא של ר’ חסדא]
ואמר רב חסדא: מלך וצבור – מלך נכנס תחלה לדין,
שנאמר לעשות משפט עבדו ומשפט עמו ישראל.
2. [שאלה]
מאי טעמא?
3. [תשובה]
איבעית אימא: לאו אורח ארעא למיתב מלכא אבראי.
4. [תשובה אחרת]
ואיבעית אימא: מקמי דליפוש חרון אף.
סוגיא ג
1. [שאלה –מימרא]
אמר רב יוסף: כמאן מצלינן האידנא אקצירי ואמריעי?
2. [תשובה]
כמאן – כרבי יוסי.
3. [תשובה אחרת]
ואיבעית אימא: לעולם כרבנן,
וכדרבי יצחק. דאמר רבי יצחק: יפה צעקה לאדם,בין קודם גזר דין בין לאחר גזר דין.
סוגיא 4
1. [ברייתא]
תניא,
אמר רבי יהודה משום רבי עקיבא:
– מפני מה אמרה תורה הביאו עומר בפסח – מפני שהפסח זמן תבואה הוא.
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: הביאו לפני עומר בפסח, כדי שתתברך לכם תבואה שבשדות.
– ומפני מה אמרה תורה הביאו שתי הלחם בעצרת – מפני שעצרת זמן פירות האילן הוא,
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: הביאו לפני שתי הלחם בעצרת, כדי שיתברכו לכם פירות האילן.
– ומפני מה אמרה תורה נסכו מים בחג
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: נסכו לפני מים בחג,כדי שיתברכו לכם גשמי שנה,
– ואמרו לפני בראש השנה מלכיות זכרונות ושופרות.
מלכיות – כדי שתמליכוני עליכם,
זכרונות – כדי שיעלה זכרוניכם לפני לטובה,
ובמה
בשופר.
סוגיה 5
1. [מימרא בעניין השופר]
אמר רבי אבהו: למה תוקעין בשופר של איל?
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: תקעו לפני בשופר שלאיל, כדי שאזכור לכם עקידת יצחק בן אברהם, ומעלה אני עליכם כאילו עקדתם עצמכם לפני.
2. [עוד מימרא בעניין שופר – שאלה]
אמר רבי יצחק, למה תוקעין בראש השנה?
למה תוקעין?
רחמנא אמר תקעו!
– אלא: למה מריעין?
– מריעין?
– רחמנא אמר זכרון תרועה!
אלא: למה תוקעין ומריעין כשהן יושבין, ותוקעין ומריעין כשהן עומדין?
3. [תשובה]
כדי לערבב השטן.
4. [עוד מימרא]
ואמר רבי יצחק: כל שנה שאין תוקעין לה בתחלתה- מריעין לה בסופה.
5. [שאלה]
מאי טעמא
6. [תשובה]
דלא איערבב שטן.
Sugya 1
1. [Shealah on the baraita - Meimra]
R. Hisda said: What is the reason of R. Jose?
2. [Teshuva - astonishment]
[How can you ask this?] Surely it is as he has stated,[viz., the text], And thou dost visit him every morning!
3. [Delineation of the Shealah]
What we mean is this: What is his reason for not taking thesame view as R. Nathan? "Trying" merely means scrutinizing. But "visiting" also merely means scrutinizing?
4. [Rav Hisda's answer to the Shealah]
Rather, said R. Hisda, R. Jose’s reason is to be found in this text: "To do the judgment of his servant and the judgment of his people Israel, as every day shall require." (1 Kings 8:59)
Sugya 2
1. [Another meimra in the name of Rav Hisda]
R. Hisda further said: If a king and a people present themselves together, the king stands his trial first, as it says, "To do the judgment of his servant and the judgment of his people Israel."
2. [Shealah]
What is the reason?
3. [Teshuva]
If you like, I can say, because it is not proper that a king should remain outside,
4. [Alternative Teshuva]
or if you like I can say, [so that he may be judged] before the [divine] anger waxes hot.
Sugya 3
1. [Shealah of an Amora]
R. Joseph said: Whose authority do we follow nowadays in praying [daily] for the sick and for the ailing?
2. [Teshuva]
Whose authority? That of R. Jose.
3. [Alternative Teshuva]
Or if you like I can say that it is after all that of the Rabbis, like that of R. Isaac. For R. Isaac said: Supplication (literally: crying out) is good for a man whether before the sentence is pronounced or after it is pronounced.
Sugya 4
1. [Baraita]
It has been taught: R. Judah said in the name of R. Akiba: – Why did the Torah enjoin onus to offer an Omer (barley flour offering) on Passover? Because Passover is the season that grain is in the fields. [Therefore] the Holy One, blessed be He said: Bring before Me an "Omer" on Passover so that the grain in the fields may be blessed.
– Why did the Torah enjoin usto bring two loaves on Shavuot? Because Shavuot is the season for fruit of the tree. [Therefore] the Holy One, blessed be He said: Bring before Me two loaves on Shavuot so that the fruit of trees may be blessed for you.
– Why did the Torah enjoin us to pour out water on Sukkot? The Holy One, blessed be He said: Pour out water before Me on Sukkot so that year's rains may be blessed for you.
– Recite before Me on New Year [texts making mention of] kingship, remembrance, and the shofar. Kingship, so that you may proclaim Me king over you; Remembrance, so that your remembrance may rise before Me for [your] good; And through what? Through the shofar.
Sugya 5
1. [Meimra regarding shofar]
R. Abbahu said: Why do we blow on a ram’s horn? The Holy One blessed be He said: Sound before Me a ram’s horn so that I may remember on your behalf the binding of Isaac the son of Abraham, and account it to you as if you had bound yourselves before Me.
2. [Another meimra regarding the shofar Shealah]
R. Isaac said: Why do we sound the horn on New Year?
[You ask], why do we sound?
The All-Merciful has told us to sound!
What he means is, why do we sound a teru’ah?
[You ask] why do we sound a teru’ah?
The All-Merciful has proclaimed a memorial of teru’ah!
What he means is, why do we sound a teki’ah and teru’ah sitting and then again sound a teki’ah and teru’ah standing?
3. [Teshuva]
It is so as to confuse the Accuser (Satan).
4. [Meimra]
R. Isaac further said: If the shofar is not sounded at the beginning of the year, evil will befall at the end of it.
5. [Shealah]
Why so?
6. [Teshuva]
Because the Accuser (Satan) has not been confused.
Guide Questions and Issues
1. How does step 3 transform Rav Hisda's question?
2. How does this step dismiss the proof-verse from Job which is the basis for the proof for the opinion of Rabbi Jose and Rabbi Nathan?
In step 4, Rav Hisda offers an alternative proof-verse for Rabbi Jose's opinion.
Look it up in the book of Kings.
1. What is its original meaning there?
2. How is it being used by Rav Hisda?
Questions to consider
1. What is the nature ofauthority for justifying Rabbi Jose's opinion?
2. What is the manner for proving or disproving the voracity of his opinion?
3. What makes Rav Hisda's proof-verse better?
Sugya 2
And now for something completely different! Sort of! Up until this point, we have been dealing with the subject of divine judgment. Now, our subject changes. But it changes in an organic sort of way.Our previous sugya centered on a teaching of Rav Hisda. This next teaching is also in his name. It is also tangentially related to the previous sugya since its focus is on the proof-verse found in the previous sugya, offering another halachic teaching that can be derived from this verse.
1. Rav Hisda learns a rule of judicial procedure from this verse. What is it and how does he learn it out from the verse?
2. Interestingly, despite the fact that Rav Hisda learns his law from a Biblical verse, the Talmud seems inclined to determine reasonable explanations for this procedure.
3. The answers in steps 3 and 4 are quite different. Characterize the difference.
Questions to Consider
1. Sugya 1 offered one sort of proof. Sugya 2 offers an alternative sort of proof for a practice. How would you characterize the difference between these two types of proof?
2. Define the literary relationship between sugya 1 and sugya 2.
Sugya 3
The last sugya dealt with legal procedure. This sugya moves back to a religious subject related to the baraita found in Sugya 3 from last week.
We pray every day. In our prayers, we likely include personal supplications concerning our individual needs and concerns. Rav Joseph essentially asks: How do our prayers fit into the rubric found in that baraita. According to whose understanding in the above baraita, can we make sense of our daily prayers?
The Talmud offers two possibilities: 1. According to Rabbi Jose; 2. According to Rabanan.
1. Rabbi Jose's opinion is that judgment occurs every day. How is that an appropriate answer to Rav Joseph's question?
2. The Talmud opines in step 3 that Rav Joseph can also be explained according to the other opinions in the baraita. Remember, the problem. For all of the other opinions, judgment occurs on specific occasions, in particular, Rosh Hashanah. How then can there be room for praying for needs on a daily basis. In order to do this, the Talmud introduces the opinion of Rabbi Isaac.
a. What is Rabbi Isaac's world view?
b. How does his opinion allow us to answer Rav Joseph's question according to the other sages in that baraita?
c. How does his explanation make personal prayer possible?
Questions to Consider
1. The Rishonim raise a very interesting question on this sugya. If one accepts the first answer of the Talmud, namely, that daily prayer and supplications can only be explained according to Rabbi Jose and Rabbi Nathan but not according to the other sages, how can we explain why these "other" sages advocated daily prayer? Can you come up with a possible solution to this riddle? (Best answer gets a falafel lunch on their next visit to the yeshiva.)
Sugya 4
This baraita constitutes a whole sugya. In this baraita, each of the festivals is tied to an agricultural season and a mitzvah associated with that season. Similarly, Rosh Hashanah is associated with specific prayers and rituals.
1. What is the religious purpose of the mitzvoth associated with each holiday according to this baraita?
2. Regarding Rosh Hashanah,the three special sections of the Musaf prayers are mentioned as well as their association with the sounding of the Shofar. For each (except for Shofrot), the purpose of the recitation is cited. These themes are central to the meaning of Rosh Hashanah. Here, too, what is the purpose of the human performance of these acts?
A Question to Consider
1. Acts that influence God's actions are called theurgic acts. Are the acts described in this baraita theurgic?
Sugya 5
Sugya 4 ended on the subject of the shofar. This sugya takesup that theme. It opens with a meimra in the name of Rabbi Abahu, a prominent Eretz Yisrael Amora who live in Caesarea.
1.
a. What is the purpose of using a ram's horn according to Rabbi Abahu? He cites two reasons: One aimed at the people and one aimed at God.
b. What is the religious significance of the second reason that he cites.
2. In Rabbi Isaac's meimra, he asks why we sound the shofar on Rosh Hashana and then opens a dialogue on the subject.
a. What is the reason cited for making the particular sounds? Does he cite reason or authority?
b. Since the answer to why wemake particular sounds is deemed obvious, his question is modified. He now asks why we sound shofar both sitting and standing.
(This calls for an explanation since we stand for both sets. Originally,it was the practice to stand only of the sounding during the Amida (or the repetition) but not for those sounded right after the Torah service.)
3. The Talmud cites as the rationale for sounding the shofar twice "confounding the Satan". Satan is not the devil. He is the "prosecuting attorney". What is the purpose of "confounding" him?
4-6. This meimra of Rabbi Isaac is even more provocative. He argues that the very sounding of the shofar has as its purpose "confounding" the Satan!
a. What do you think of his rationale for the mitzvah?
b. How does it compare with other justifications for this mitzvah which we have seen earlier in this week's studies?