Ever doze off in class? I remember sitting in AP English one day and just not being able to hold my eyes open. But I could still hear everything that was being said, and when the teacher called my name – I heard it, I was still awake, but not awake.
Well, the rabbis know this feeling as well, especially when it comes to the late stages of the Seder, after a few glasses of wine and a large meal – it’s apparently not a rare thing to doze-off.
GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that Rabbi Yosei says: If they dozed they may eat from the Paschal lamb, but if they fell asleep they may not eat from it. The Gemara asks: What are the circumstances of dozing? Rav Ashi said: One is asleep but not asleep, awake but not awake, when, if they call him, he will answer, but he is unable to provide a reasonable answer. And when they later inform him of what happened, he remembers it.
Certainly different from being completely asleep. But, ifyou want an example, the Talmud does not disappoint:
Abaye was sitting before Rabba, and he saw that Rabba was dozing off. He said to him: Is the Master sleeping? Rabba said to him: I am dozing, and we learned in the mishna: If they dozed, they may eat from the Paschal lamb, but if they fell fast asleep they may not eat from it.
So, he is dozing off but when called on has the wherewithal to quote Mishnah. Not bad. I don’t think I did as well in my English class, nor did I have as good an excuse!
Saturday is night 1 of Passover. May it be stimulating enough, and short enough, that you don’t fall completely asleep at the table.
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 