Shabat 129a: Not endorsed by the Red Cross

The Rabbis of the Talmud used bloodletting for medical reasons.  Some were big believers in drinking wine after such a procedure:

After bloodletting... Rav Yosef would drink wine until the smell came out of his ears....

All forms of trickery are forbidden, save for the following case.  If one underwent bloodletting and cannot afford wine for recovery, he should take worn out coins, and come and go among the stores up to the point he has consumed a revi'it (Talumdic measure - a cup more or less) of wine.

Rashi explains that it was customary for wine sellers to give customers a taste of wine before buying.  One should go to a wine shop, pretend to be about to buy, take a taste, then offer to pay with a worn out coin.  After the wine shop owner refuses to accept such a coin as payment, one should continue on to the next wine shop, and repeat until the tastes sum up to the measure of wine required to heal from the bloodletting.  

Megilla 25a. One can always put on or take off sweater!

It's been way too long since I posted.  I plead a couple of circumstances - I've been pretty busy plus I haven't come across many sources that have left me feeling inspired to write here.  But it feels good to be back.  I would have been learning Megila tonight with my study partner A. but he is sick.  This is dedicated to a quick and rapid healing for him!

The Gemara states a famous line on the top of the page:  'All is in Heaven's power, except for awe of Heaven.'  It always gives me a little shiver when I read something famous in context.  Tosafot, medieval commentators, have an interesting take on it:

This is a difficult statement, as it written on Page 30a of Tractate Ketubot: 'All is in Heaven's power, except for heat and cold.'  (The unspoken question is: Which is it that is under our control:  awe or heat/cold?)  It appears that the statement in Megilla relates to a person's inheritance, if they will be wise or dumb, rich or poor, strong or weak.   All of these things are decreed, as it is written (Jeremiah, 9) 'The rich person should not take pride in his riches, nor the mighty in his might, but only about this should one brag:  to brag of wisdom and knowing Me' (that is, knowing G-d).   In Ketubot, the statement relates to a person's future situation, things that occur after they are born, for all such circumstances are also under Heaven's control, save for heat and cold.  

There is no contradiction between this statement and Scripture's statement (Psalms 147), 'Who can withstand His cold?' for this refers to G-d sending forth all his cold at once, as it says at the beginning of the psalm, 'He sends forth his cold like crumbs of bread.'  [OK I have to admit I didn't totally get that last paragraph...]   One also need not be troubled by the statement (Psalms 19)  'There is no shelter from His heat,' for Psalms here speaks of travelers, while a person at home can always find shelter from heat.

Out of Order: Shabat 166a-b

This blog entry is dedicated to the complete healing of Rabbi Hanan Feld of Berkeley, CA.  Rabbi Feld is an amazing inspirational teacher and gentle mensch.  

A rabbinic tradition holds that the Torah, usually thought of as the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, is actually seven books.  Numbers is divided into three sections.  One small section, composed of just 85 words, is considered a book in itself.  Numbers 10:35-36 is familiar to regular synagogue goers for its prominent location in the Torah service:  'When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Advance, O L-rd!  May your enemies be scattered, and may your foes flee before you.  When it halted, Moses would say, 'Return, oh L-rd, you who are Israel's myriads of thousands.'  (JPS translation).  This is discussed below:

Our Rabbis taught: 'When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say...'  The Holy One, praised be G-d, put signs (specifically upside down letter nuns)  above and below this section, to tell you that this is not its proper place.  

Rebbe says, this is not the reason (for the symbols), but rather it is an indication that the section is considered a book of the Torah on its own.   This  is in accordance with the intepetation of Rabbi Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Yochanan of this verse  " [Wisdom has build her house] she has hewn her seven pillars."  (Proverbs 9:1)  These are the seven books of the Torah.  [Numbers is thus three books - everything up to Numbers 10:35-36, the section itself, and everything in Numbers after this section.  Add the other four books of the Torah, and this equals seven books.]  This opinion [about Proverbs 9:1) is in accordance with Rebbe.

Who disagrees with Rebbe?  Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, as it is taught, 'Rabban Gamliel says, in the time to come, this section (Numbers 2-:35-36) will be uprooted from here and written in its proper place.  Why was it moved?  To provide a break between one divine punishment for sin and another.  What is the second punishment?  'The nation was complaining...'  [Numbers 11:1: a section where the Israelites complain about the manna they have been eating, and anger G-d, resulting in a plague.]  What is the first punishment?  'They marched from the mountain of the L-rd...' Rabbi Hama bar Hannina said, They [The Israelites] turned away from G-d. [Numbers 10:33.  Rabbi Hama bar Hannina interprets this unusual name for Sinai as a spiritual turning away from G-d, which presumably had bad consequences.]  What is the proper place for this section?  Rav Ashi says, in the flags [a section at the beginning of Numbers describing the configuration of the Israelite camp.]

 

Shabat 108a: This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship...

Rav and Shmuel are two of the most famous sages of the Gemara.  The Talmud is full of their disputes.  Below is the story of how they met.

Shmuel and Karna (a friend of his) were sitting by the bank of the Malka river.  They saw the water was cloudy and full of waves.  Shmuel said to Karna, 'There is a great man coming from Eretz Israel.  He is in digestive distress, and the waves are rising up to meet him.  Go and test his knowledge.'

[Karna finds this great man, Rav, and asks him some questions about biblical exegesis.  After his last question, Karna asks for a clarification that betrays the fact that Karna himself is knowledgeable, and was testing Rav.]  Rav asked Karna, 'What is your name?'  Karna said, 'Karna.'  Rav said, 'May it be [G-d's] will that there be a thorn [which sounds like 'Karna'] in your eye.'  [Our sages explain that Rav was mad because he was tricked into being tested.]  Finally, Shmuel invited Rav into his home and fed him barley bread, fish mash, and beer, but didn't tell Rav  where the bathroom was, in order that Rav's insides should be purged [of the source of digestive distress.  Shmuel was a doctor. ]  Rav [not knowing that this was meant to cure him], cursed and said, 'Whoever caused me this distress will not be survived by his own sons.'  And so it came to pass.  

Ouch! Arf! Shabat 106a

Warning: This is a 'gross' post.  Read on with caution.

All [actions that cause] spoilings [i.e. destructive work rather than productive work]  are exempt [meaning forbidden on the sabbath but there is no punishment associated with them.]  Rabbi Abahu taught in front of Rebbe Yochanan, 'All spoilings are exempt, except for causing wounds and burning.'  Rabbe Yochanan replied, 'If you are going to teach that, go outside.  Causing wounds and spoiling are not different'.  [That is, you are wrong and can't teach that in here!]  An alternative explanation is that causing a wound is different when it for the purpose of feeding [the blood] to one's dog....

So I guess before dog biscuits they used blood as a canine snack.  

Talmudic Acronyms: Shabata 105a

After a (mostly chag-induced) month long break, the Nailed Shoe is back!

In the Talmud, acronyms are called 'notricons.'  There are three different traditions about the notricon interpretation of the word 'Anoci' (aleph nun cuf yud) at the beginning of the Ten Commandments.  Rebbe Yochanan teaches that it means 'Ana nafshi cativat yahevit', or 'I myself wrote and gave.'  The sages teach, 'Amira Ne'mana Cativa Yahiva' or 'A pleasant utterance I wrote and gave.'  Others reverse the order of the letters and teach, 'Y'heva cativa ne'emanim ameria' or 'It was  given written, it's sayings are faithful.'  (the translations were tricky so I'm using those at www.dafyomi.co.il)

These are fun but strange.  I like the first one - it emphasizes the personal (as it were) nature of G-d's gift of the Torah.  

There is a famous statement on 104b.  Why are the letters for 'truth' (Aleph-Mem-Tav) spread very far apart - the first, middle, and last letter of the aleph-bet, while the letters for falsehood (Shin-Kuf-Resh) are all next to each other?  It is because truth is rare while falsehood is common.   When I read it, my mind went to recent reflections on how easy it is for perceptions to jump to falsehood, while perceiving the truth can take a lot of work and discipline.  

My birthday post: Netivot Shalom, Tshuvah 3:3

Here's a lovely bit from the Netivot Shalom on the Shofar and divine mercy.  It's my reverse birthday gift to all of you.  Wishing you an easy meaningful fast and gemar tov chatimah (a complete sealing for a good new year.)  

If a person has a a small bit of evil within them... that he isn't able to remove this evil root from within him, whether it be matters of lusts, that his eyes are too free or his mouth is too free or anything similar, or that he has a bad character trait that devours him, whether it be jealousy, pride, anger, or over excitement or anything similar, then this flows through him like a serpent's poison, and is a (Deuteronomy 29:17, JPS translation) 'Stock sprouting poison weed and wormwood.'  (Hebrew is shoresh poreh rosh v'lanah).  As the Beit Avraham says, the best counsel in this situation is evoked by the fact that an acronym for SHoreh Poreh Rosh is SHoFaR.  By means of the shofar one is able to succeed in uprooting whatever evil sprouts within him.  

There are two means for uprooting evil within oneself.  One is a 'mighty hand', as it is written, (Exodus 13) 'For with a mighty hand I brought you out of Egypt.'  A Jew accepts upon himself with complete devotion that the same situations will come upon him and he will not repeat them.  The other method is by asking for mercy and imploring the Holy One Praised be G-d at an appropriate time of favor; these methods relate to the blowing of the shofar.  The tekiahs (one kind of shofar note) at the beginning and the end instruct us about firm decisions, as our sages say (Isaiah 23:25) 'The peg fixed in a firm place (HaTekoah) will give way.'  [Simon's note - this is self transformation through discipline.  The hebrew for 'firmly set' is like the word for Tekiah.]  Teruahs (another kind of shofar note) are (Rosh HaShanah 33b) 'Cries and wailing,' requests for mercy to uproot the evil that sprouts within us.  

These kinds of prayers are ready-made for acceptance by G-d.  Prayers made throughout the year all have adversaries above.   However, shofar notes are simple deep voices that encompass all prayer and outcries to his Father in heaven.  Angels and seraphs can't understand the meaning of this sound, they are comprehended only by G-d who examines the heart.  As the Me'or v'Shemesh wrote, in the oppression in Egypt terms like 'cry' and 'agony' were used, simple voices without words, that no adversary can delay.  Thus those voices (the cries of our ancestors in Egypt) split great mountains and went directly to the Lord of Hosts.