This quotation is from Rabbi Steinsaltz's commentary on the Tanya.
There is nothing straighter than a bent staircase, nothing blacker than a white kittel [a robe worn on ceremonial occasions such as Yom Kippur and the Passover Seder, and also for marriage and burial], and nothing more complete than a broken heart.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
What a Way to Get to Heaven! Avodah Zarah 10b
Here is a rare kind of Talmudic story, a tale of a noble Roman who interprets the Bible like a Rabbi. It also has a painful twist [pun intended.]
Who was Katiya Bar Shalom? A Caesar hated the Jews. This Caesar gathered the nobles of Rome, and asked them [to agree to slaughter the Jews through the following parable.] 'When one has gangrene one one's foot, should one cut off the foot and live, or leave the foot and suffer?' The nobles replied, 'Cut it off and live [i.e. kill them]!'
Katiya Bar Shalom argued with Caesar, saying 'First of all, you cannot kill all of the Jews, for their G-d stated (Zechariah 2:10) 'I have scattered you like the four winds.' Why does the statement say, 'like the four winds'? If it simply meant that G-d has scattered them in every direction, the statement should have read, 'I have scattered you to the four winds.' We can learn from this statement that just as the world cannot exist without the four winds, so too it cannot exist without the Jews. Furthermore, [if you kill the Jews] the world will consider your kingdom to be crippled.
Caesar replied to Katiya Bar Shalom, 'You have spoken well. However, anyone who bests the king in an argument must be executed!'
As they took Katiya Bar Shalom to his execution, a woman called out, 'Woe to the ship that departs without paying its taxes!' [Rashi explains this as saying, 'Woe to you Katiya Bar Shalom, for you are dying without having been circumcised, and thus excluded from sharing the World to Come with Israel.] Katiya Bar Shalom tore off his foreskin, and said, 'I leave all of my property to Rabbi Akiva and his disciples!'
... A heavenly voice proclaimed, 'Katiya Bar Shalom is accepted into the World to Come!' Rabbi Yehuda the Prince cried when he heard this story and said, 'Some people acquire their share in the World to Come in a single hour, while others acquire it over many years.'
Who was Katiya Bar Shalom? A Caesar hated the Jews. This Caesar gathered the nobles of Rome, and asked them [to agree to slaughter the Jews through the following parable.] 'When one has gangrene one one's foot, should one cut off the foot and live, or leave the foot and suffer?' The nobles replied, 'Cut it off and live [i.e. kill them]!'
Katiya Bar Shalom argued with Caesar, saying 'First of all, you cannot kill all of the Jews, for their G-d stated (Zechariah 2:10) 'I have scattered you like the four winds.' Why does the statement say, 'like the four winds'? If it simply meant that G-d has scattered them in every direction, the statement should have read, 'I have scattered you to the four winds.' We can learn from this statement that just as the world cannot exist without the four winds, so too it cannot exist without the Jews. Furthermore, [if you kill the Jews] the world will consider your kingdom to be crippled.
Caesar replied to Katiya Bar Shalom, 'You have spoken well. However, anyone who bests the king in an argument must be executed!'
As they took Katiya Bar Shalom to his execution, a woman called out, 'Woe to the ship that departs without paying its taxes!' [Rashi explains this as saying, 'Woe to you Katiya Bar Shalom, for you are dying without having been circumcised, and thus excluded from sharing the World to Come with Israel.] Katiya Bar Shalom tore off his foreskin, and said, 'I leave all of my property to Rabbi Akiva and his disciples!'
... A heavenly voice proclaimed, 'Katiya Bar Shalom is accepted into the World to Come!' Rabbi Yehuda the Prince cried when he heard this story and said, 'Some people acquire their share in the World to Come in a single hour, while others acquire it over many years.'
Why Do We Shake the Lulav? Sukkah 38a
During the holiday of Sukkot, which is coming up shortly, it is traditional to take a citron fruit called an etrog, along with three plants, and shake them. They are shaken in six directions - up, down, and the four points of the compass. The Gemara gives three reasons why we do this.
Rabbi Yochannan taught: We shake the lulav it horizontally [to praise [G-d], the One who possesses the four winds [East, West, North, and South] and vertically [to praise G-d], the One who possesses Heaven and Earth.
In Israel they taught thus: Rabbi Hama Bar Ukva said in the name of Rabbi Yossi, who taught in the name of Rabbi Hannina: We shake the lulav horizontally to prevent the harmful winds, and vertically to prevent the harmful dew...
Rav Acha Bar Yakov said when he would shake the lulav horizontally, 'This is a arrow in Satan's eyes!' However, it is not appropriate to follow Rav Acha's practice, for if you challenge Satan, Satan will challenge you.
Rabbi Yochannan taught: We shake the lulav it horizontally [to praise [G-d], the One who possesses the four winds [East, West, North, and South] and vertically [to praise G-d], the One who possesses Heaven and Earth.
In Israel they taught thus: Rabbi Hama Bar Ukva said in the name of Rabbi Yossi, who taught in the name of Rabbi Hannina: We shake the lulav horizontally to prevent the harmful winds, and vertically to prevent the harmful dew...
Rav Acha Bar Yakov said when he would shake the lulav horizontally, 'This is a arrow in Satan's eyes!' However, it is not appropriate to follow Rav Acha's practice, for if you challenge Satan, Satan will challenge you.
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