2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day.

The pagination is throwing me off, so I will continue to break it down in my titles.

I might also name today’s daf: When good intentioned people unwittingly reward bad behavior. As a mom, I, sadly, do this all the time – like yesterday when I drove home because my son forgot his book, only to learn when I dropped off the book that he also forgot his ipad . . . well, apparently I follow in the footsteps of the Sages. The Gemara discusses the process of uprooting diverse kinds (remember how you can’t cross pollinate certain crops?) and how, what the Sages initially did to prevent people from violating the rule did not work:

Rabbi Yehuda said: At first the agents of the court would uproot the diverse kinds of crops and cast them in front of the owners, and those owners would doubly rejoice. One reason for their happiness was that others were weeding their fields for them, and the other reason was that they would derive benefit from these diverse kinds, which they would feed to their animals.

That’s me! They saw that the farmer did not do what they were supposed to do and, thinking they were punishing them, did it for them! And so the violators had Sages working their fields for free and they still got to use the forbidden plants to feed their animals! So, the Sages change their tactics:

The baraita continues: When the number of transgressors who maintained diverse kinds in their fields increased, they would cast the uprooted crops onto the roads, so that passersby should trample on them and render them unfit for any use. Even so, the owners still rejoiced that those agents were weeding their fields.

Ah! Still didn’t work – because they are still inadvertantly rewarding bad behavior. What to do?

Therefore, the Sages instituted that the entire field should be declared ownerless, which would deter people from maintaining diverse kinds in their fields.

They took their field away!

This is a good plan and one I am instituting with my son. The net time I have to drive home to get materials he has forgotten, he loses – not his field, or his school supplies, but something he wants – electronics. I love today’s daf and truly relate. Often, when we see something needs to be done we want to step in, but that may only end up enabling the lazy person/violator. Don’t reward bad behavior by stepping in – you may only end up increasing the amount of that bad behavior.

Now to watch as my son packs his bookbag . . .

Welcome to the Jerusalem Talmud, a different Talmud than we have been reading. Two centers of Jewish learning studied and interpreted the Mishna for hundreds of years, Babylonia and Jerusalem. Up to this point we have been reading the Babylonian Talmud – when people say “Talmud” without a qualifier, they are referring to the Babylonian. Today we begin a book from the Jerusalem Talmud: Shekalim. So, we are going from Babylon to Jerusalem, and from a discussion about Passover ot one about Purim. The structure is also different as each daf will really be covering one halakhah.

On today’s daf we begin with a Mishna that says that in the month of Adar we collect the half shekel tax and repair all public roadways, cisterns and all public goods including remarking gravesights. We are also introduced to some new rabbis. One makes an observation that I am including as my gem of the day:

§ Rabbi Yehuda bar Pazi said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: Can we read the following verses and not be afraid? (When I read these sections of Torah I am ashamed of/scared for the character of our people.) When the Jewish people were asked to donate for good purposes, like of the construction of the Tabernacle, the verse states: “And they came, both men and women, as many as were willinghearted, and brought…an offering of gold to the Lord” (Exodus 35:22). what’s the problem? This indicates that only the generous among the people brought donations. On the other hand, when the Jews were asked to donate for the evil purpose of the Golden Calf, it states: “And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron” (Exodus 32:3).

So, when asked to do good, only some come forward, but when asked to do evil all come forward (which is not technically true as women and Levites refrained, but let’s follow his argument).

When they initiated for good, at Sinai, it states: “And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount” (Exodus 19:17). When it is for evil, the people took the initiative: “And you came near to me every one of you, and said: Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come” (Deuteronomy 1:22).

So, when it was time to venture out to receive Torah, Moses had to invite them. When it was time to venture out and send the spies, something God did not want, they went of their own accord.

Another example: For good, with regard to the song at the Red Sea after the Israelites were rescued from the Egyptians, it is stated: “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the Lord, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1). They did not start singing of their own accord, but merely followed Moses’ lead. Yet for evil, after the spies delivered their report upon their return from Eretz Yisrael, the verse states: “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1).

So, here we have two times when the whole community cried out. When it was for good (in thanksgiving for our freedom) they had to repeat the words after Moses. When it was for evil, the words flowed freely from their hearts.

Not looking good. Another rabbis adds fuel to the fire.

Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: “. . . but they rose early and corrupted all their doings” (Zephaniah 3:7), which indicates that every act of corruption that the Jews would perform, they would perform it early in the day. In contrast, only the vigilant arise early to fulfill mitzvot.

So, if we are to believe our own Torah, we are a people who will come out in higher numbers, without needing an invitation, acting and speaking of our own free will – and will do so early and eagerly – when it comes to evil. Yet, when it comes to good we need to be invited, feel it in our hearts, and be told what to say and may not rush to fulfil the request.

Ouch.

So, why is this my gem? It reminds me that the Torah is a book about real people, not perfect people. It reminds me that sometimes going the right thing is not the easy thing. That sometimes we need to be invited, reminded, and even dragged along in doing justice and good. It also reminds me that, if we want to change and grow and do better, we need to have a realistic picture of ourselves and our community. If we think we’re perfect, or are busy pretending to be perfect, we can’t really see our growing edges.

Do all the rabbis agree with the above assessment of the Jewish people? No (see below), but I think we can still learn so much from noticing our faults, even if they embarrass us.

Rabbi Abba bar Aḥa said: You cannot discern the true nature of this people, as donations are requested for the Golden Calf and they give; and later, donations are requested for the Tabernacle, and they also give.

We did it! Last daf of Pesachim on the week of Passover!! Nice. Now we should know all we need to know for the Seder . . .

The last Mishna debates if one says a blessing over the Festival offering, if you also need to say a separate blessing over the Paschal lamb. Yishmael says that it depends on the order. If you do the festival first then he still needs to say the blessing for the Paschal lamb – but if he says the paschal blessing first, he does not need to say the blessing for the Festival. Rabbi Akiva disagrees and says you need to say both. What’s the law?

Enter Germara.

The Gemara compares this to another time when one might offer one blessing and then perhaps think that the priest can do the second blessing on your behalf – during a pidyon haben (a special ceremony for a first born child of a woman whose womb has never been opened before who is not of the Levite or Cohen tribes. This ceremony is performed on the 30th day of life).

Rabbi Simlai attended a redemption of the firstborn son. The celebrants raised a dilemma before him with regard to the blessings. First they noted that it is obvious that the blessing over the redemption of a firstborn son, which is: Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us over the redemption of the firstborn son, is certainly recited by the father of the son, as he is the one obligated to redeem his son. However, with regard to the second blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has given us life [sheheḥeyanu], sustained us, and brought us to this time, does the priest recite this blessing, or does the father of the son recite it?

So, Rabbi goes to a pidyon haBen, as a guest I presume. And is asked a question that he does not know the answer to (my fellow clergy might be able to relate). The father says the blessing of redeeming his child, but who says the shehekiyanu? the priest of the dad?

The Gemara gives arguments for both sides. It can be suggested that the priest recites the blessing, as he benefits as it’s a tradition to give the priest money in exchange for the baby boys service to the Temple and the blessing of sheheḥiyanu is generally recited by the one who receives the benefit. Or, perhaps the father of the son recites sheheḥeyanu, as he is the one who performs the mitzva.

Rabbi Simlai did not have an answer readily available, and he went to ask this question in the study hall. The scholars said to him that the father of the son recites the two blessings: Over the redemption of the son and sheheḥeyanu. The Gemara concludes: And the halakha is that the father of the son recites two blessings.

The verdict is in – the father says the two blessings. This is retroactive evidence that Akiva is right and that we need to say two blessings over the festival and the paschal lamb, no matter the order.

And, this is the end of the chapter!

A lesson from the daf – rabbis don’t always know the answer, and sometimes just want to be a guest, but once there is a question in their heads – they will go and find the answer from colleagues they trust. A bigger lesson – look for every opportunity to offer blessings. One is not enough. If someone does a favor for you, say thank you, and then say thank you the next time they do something. Look for every individual good, every single blessing, and give it it’s own due.

That being said, here is the blessing for finishing the tractate Pesachim:

We will return to you, Tractate Pesachim, and you will return to us; our mind is on you, Tractate Pesachim, and your mind is on us; we will not forget you, Tractate Pesachim, and you will not forget us – not in this world and not in the world to come.

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.

I grew up on Sesame street. It taught me so much. One song that I still find myself singing to myself from time to time is “Everyone Makes Mistakes So Why Can’t You.”

Anyone who spends a lot of time studying Torah knows this as well. Our “heros” in the Torah all make mistakes. And apparently, they know it. On today’s daf, a huge honor is to be bestowed – an ancestor is to say the blessing after the meal at a table for tzaddikim, righteous ones. But who is good enough, honorable enough, to be the one to say this blessing at a table full of righteous ancestors?

In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will prepare a feast for the righteous on the day that He extends [sheyigmol] His mercy to the descendants of Isaac. After they eat and drink, the celebrants will give Abraham our father a cup of blessing to recite the blessing, as he is the first of our forefathers. So, is Abraham going to take the honor?

And Abraham will say to them: I will not recite the blessing, as I am blemished, for the wicked Ishmael came from me. Abraham will say to Isaac: Take the cup and recite the blessing. Isaac will say to them: I will not recite the blessing, as the wicked Esau came from me. Isaac will say to Jacob: Take the cup and recite the blessing. Jacob will say to them: I will not recite the blessing, as I married two sisters, Rachel and Leah, in their lifetimes, and in the future the Torah forbade them to me.

Oh no! None of the patriarchs feel they are good enough for this honor! Who will step forward?

Jacob will say to Moses: Take the cup and recite the blessing. Moses will say to them: I will not recite the blessing, as I did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael, neither in my life nor in my death. Moses will say to Joshua: Take the cup and recite the blessing. Joshua will say to them: I will not recite the blessing, as I did not merit to have a son.

Will no one step up? Does everyone only see their imperfections?

Joshua will say to David: Take the cup and recite the blessing. David will say to them: I will recite the blessing, and it is fitting for me to recite the blessing, as it is stated: “I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalms 116:13).

LOVE THIS!! David is the most obviously flawed of them all. David had blood on his hands and so God said he could not build the Temple; David is an adulterer . . . who has an innocent man killed – so you might think he would feel that, after hearing everyone else “pass” on this honor, that he would as well, but David does not mention this. He does the opposite of politely demure – he says, “It is fitting for me to recite the blessing.”

Everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone learns from them, even fewer grow from them, and even fewer learn how to let go of them.

It looks like the other leaders of our people are more humble, but humility is a balance of knowing when to lean back, and when to lean in. The mantra from Mussar Master Alan Morinis is, “No more than my place, no less than my space.” David is seeing leader after leader shrink from the honor, and so he steps in, he takes his place.

May we all learn from him. May we be aware of our imperfections, grow from them, and move on from them and not let fear of them hold us back from living into greatness.

Is it sad that, even growing up as an engaged Jewish kid, the first time I heard of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego was in a Beastie Boys song? The Book of Daniel, while part of the Hebrew bible, is not one that we regularly studied – but as an early teen, I learned of their stint in the fiery furnace from one of my favorite hip-hop groups (and I was always proud that the Beastie Boys were Jewish).

Here’s the story, according to the summary on Wikipedia (and I approve):

King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in the plain of Dura and commanded that all his officials bow down before it. All who failed to do so would be thrown into a blazing furnace. Certain officials informed the king that the three Jewish youths Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who bore the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and whom the king had appointed to high office in Babylon, were refusing to worship the golden statue. The three were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, where they informed the king that God would be with them. Nebuchadnezzar commanded that they be thrown into the fiery furnace, heated seven times hotter than normal, but when the king looked he saw four figures walking unharmed in the flames, the fourth “like a son of God.” Seeing this, Nebuchadnezzar brought the youths out of the flames and promoted them to high office, decreeing that anyone who spoke against God should be torn limb from limb.

Now, Christians and Jews interpret this 4th presence quite differently. We get a taste of how Jews interpret the 4th figure in the furnace from today’s daf:

When the evil Nimrod threw our father, Abraham, into the fiery furnace, Gabriel said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, I will descend and cool the furnace, and I will thereby save the righteous Abraham from the fiery furnace. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: I am unique in my world and Abraham is still unique in his world. It is fitting for the unique to save the unique. Therefore, God Himself went down and saved him. And as the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not withhold reward from any creature who sought to perform a good deed, He said to Gabriel: You will merit the rescue of three of his descendants under similar circumstances.

Rabbi Shimon HaShiloni taught: When the evil Nebuchadnezzar threw Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace, Yurkamo, the ministering angel of hail, stood before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him: Master of the Universe, I will go down and cool the fiery furnace, and I will save these righteous ones from the fiery furnace. Gabriel said to him: The strength of the Holy One, Blessed be He, will not be evident in this manner, as you are the minister of hail, and everyone knows that water extinguishes fire. Your action would not be regarded as a great miracle. Rather, I, the ministering angel of fire, will descend, and I will cool the furnace from within, and I will burn it from the outside, to consume those who threw the three righteous men into the furnace; and I will thereby perform a miracle within a miracle. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Descend. At that time Gabriel began praising God and recited: “And the truth of the Lord endures forever” (Psalms 117:2), as God fulfilled His promise to him from more than a thousand years earlier.

So, who was that figure in the fiery furnace? The angel Gabriel. Why is the Gemara talking about this? It is explaining where verses of Hallel come from. And one source are these three almost martyrs of Beastie Boy fame: ard us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever, halleluya” (Psalms 117). Hananiah recited: “Praise the Lord, all you nations,” for the overt miracle performed for them before the nations. Mishael recited: “Laud Him all you peoples.” Azariah recited: “For His mercy is great toward us.” They all recited together: “And the truth of the Lord endures forever, halleluya.” And that 4th being that was with them added to Hallal as well: And some say that the angel Gabriel recited: “And the truth of the Lord endures forever.”

While I am not proud that I learned of these three from a hip-hop song, I do find it fitting that a song taught me about these 3 who in turn offer lyrics to songs of praise that we sing today.

There is something to habit. How many times have I not wanted to workout, but made myself, and them was so grateful I did! The same can happen in regular prayer. Most of us don’t wake up and want to pray (barring either something really bad or really good happening as a catalyst) – and yet we are supposed to pray daily . . . three times daily. Why? Do we really expect to have a meaningful experience if we are constantly praying?

Well, perhaps when we pray so often, we don’t encounter the Divine each and every time. However, it happens sometimes. And here’s the thing, when we don’t pray, we don’t give ourselves the opportunity for encounter. I know I know – rabbi, sometimes things in life move us to pray – sometimes I see something, or someone and I feel God’s presence. Yes. Me too. Yet, why wait for God to come to us? Can’t we come to God?

I was thinking about this as I read this passage on today’s daf:

If a psalm begins: Of David a psalm, this teaches that the Divine Presence rested upon him first and afterward he recited the song. However, if a psalm opens with: A psalm of David, this teaches that he first recited the song, and afterward the Divine Presence rested upon him.

Sometimes God came to David – he was so moved by the Divine encounter, that he would sing and write psalms that we continue to sing today. And, sometimes David went to God. He was notorious for being a bad sleeper. He also was lonely (and that got him into trouble – Bathsheba anyone?). So, he would go to God. He would poor out his heart, sing, pray – and sometimes the Divine would come to him.

Let’s try and meet God halfway and go to God sometimes instead of always waiting for God to come to us.

Fabulous day for a daf! So much of what we know and love from the Seder is on today’s page. We get our teaching that we have to explain pesach, matzah, and marror. That we should lift items as we explain them (but not the shankbone post destruction of the Temple). The four questions. One of my favorite lines – b’chol dor vador chayav adam lirote et atzmo kieluhu yatza mi mistrayim – in every generation we are obligated to see ourselves as having been freed from Egypt. Yet, most of these crucial and familiar items are from the Mishnah, so let me give you a gem from the Gemara:

It was taught in the mishna that the father begins his answer with disgrace and concludes with glory. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the term: With disgrace? Rav said that one should begin by saying: At first our forefathers were idol worshippers, before concluding with words of glory. And Shmuel said: The disgrace with which one should begin his answer is: We were slaves.

So, this begs the question, why start at a low? Why not start with a high? a Yes!!! Hallel? Praise?

Rosh Beit Midrash at Hadar, Dena Weiss, teaches, “The requirement to tell the story in this manner, moving from the negative and going to the positive, serves another function. Telling the story from the difficult beginning accentuates the complexity of growth, healing, and success. All redemptive processes leave their scars. The struggle is not forgotten even once the victory has been obtained. The costs are still real, and the trials at the outset are an inextricable part of the joyful conclusion. There is no freedom without the slavery that precedes it. The praise at the end of the story derives its reality and its relevance from our awareness of where the story began.”

In a word: empathy. We remember, even as we enjoy our freedom and a beautiful meal, that there was a time when we weren’t free. That there are plenty Jews (and humans) who are food insecure.

Each of us has messed up in our lives (idol worshippers). Each of us have been the victim of something in our lives (slaves). We never fully move past these moments. Hopefully we grow and heal from them, but the scars they leave behind remain. We can be ashamed of those scars and not want to share them, or we can let them be part of our story and create within us a place of empathy.

What kind of a people takes pride in having been slaves? The kind that understands that all human life has worth, and no matter what other humans do to us, they cannot erase the image of God within us.

Our history still marks us, shapes us, and – if we let it – pushes us to make ourselves and our world a better place.

The Hillel Sandwich, a haroset and marror combo on matza – how did this thing come to be a thing? Enter today’s daf – and something I had never considered – that this Hillel may not be the Hillel of Hillel and Shammai fame . .

Ravina said: Rav Mesharshiya, son of Rav Natan, said to me that Hillel said as follows, citing tradition: A person should not wrap matza and bitter herbs together and eat them. Why not? because today, after the destruction of the Temple, the obligation to eat matza is by Torah law, and the obligation to eat bitter herbs without the Paschal lamb applies by rabbinic law. What’s happening here? We have laws that are explicit in the Torah, and laws that rabbis have derived. Any law from the Torah is considered to take precedent over rabbinic laws. And if one were to wrap them together, the bitter herbs, whose obligation applies by rabbinic law, would come and nullify the matza, whose obligation applies by Torah law.

Why can’t they be eaten together? Well, have you ever tasted matzah? Not the most flavorful food in the world. But marror – wow! packed with flavor. If we eat them together we won’t taste the matza – and that’s a biblical law! But now we have new question about if a rabbinic law done in tandem with a biblical law can cancel your fulfilling the law with intention.

The Gemara asks: Who is the tanna that you heard say that mitzvot do not nullify each other? It is Hillel. . .

So, now we should be confused. Hillel said that we cannot put them together, but then when they ask who taught you can – it’s Hillel? What’s happening here . . .

Ran – the first Hillel cited was an Amora (4th generation), and a Nasi! It’s possible that this Hillel is the son of Rabbi Yehudah haNasi, the Hillel who established the fixed calendar still used today, but this is NOT Hillel the tana who we know and love.

So, later, who disagrees with this Hillel? Hillel the Elder! The Tanna! Our beloved Hillel who is always debating with Shammai (or their schools debate). A Nasi who lived in the time of the Beit haMikdash, the Holy Temple – 100 years before the destruction of the Temple. (From Sefaria: Hillel was one of the most influential and prolific of the early teachers. Coming from Babylon to learn with Avtalyon and Shemaya, he soon became famous for his scholarship and his patient and tolerant manner. Bolstered by his Davidic lineage, he served as Nasi during part of Herod’s reign.) They said about Hillel that he would wrap matza and bitter herbs together and eat them, as it is stated: “They shall eat it with matzot and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11), which indicates that these two foods should be consumed together.

This is so confusing. The Sages continue to argue – but we do get instructions. So, what do we do? How do we eat?

Now that the halakha was stated neither in accordance with the opinion of Hillel nor in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, one recites the blessing: Commanded us over eating matza, and eats matza to fulfill his obligation. And then he recites the blessing: Commanded us over eating bitter herbs, and eats the lettuce as bitter herbs. And then he eats matza and lettuce together without a blessing in remembrance of the Temple, in the manner of Hillel in the days of the Temple, who ate matza and bitter herbs together with the Paschal lamb.

And that’s what we do. But the gem? While you may suggest we should give kids original names, I would suggest that the Hillel sandwich, or Korech, is the gem. It puts bitter and sweet together – this reminds us that redemption and bitterness go hand in hand. Having known sadness, our joy can be that much sweeter.

So, today’s daf finally gets into the Seder itself and discusses both the karpas, the chazeret and charozet. But forgive me, because before it gets there, it gives us some more words of wisdom that are so cleverly done – butyou have to hear the Hebrew to get the gems:

(Rabah bar bar Chanah): Eat Batzel (onions), and you will sit b’Tzel (in the shade) of your house. Meaning if you eat simply and don’t spend all your money on fancy fleeting things, you will have money for shelter. So, eat unions. . . but do not eat expensive geese and chickens, as your heart will pursue you, meaning if you eat expensive things, you will you will develop a taste for expensive things.

פְּחוֹת מִמֵּיכְלָךְ וּמִמִּשְׁתְּיָךְ, וְתוֹסֵיף עַל דֵּירְתָךְ (p’chot memeychlach u’mimishtach, v’tosef al deirtach) Decrease your eating and drinking, and spend more on your house.(Had to put the Hebrew so you can see the rhyme.) This means it’s better to think about long term investments.

When Ulla came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said that they say the following proverb in the west, Eretz Yisrael: One who eats a fat tail [alita] must hide in the attic [aliyata] from creditors who think he is wealthy. One who eats vegetables [kakulei] can lie down in the city’s garbage [kiklei] where everyone goes – no need to hide!

These cute turns of phrase are cleaver in their sound and they are also good advice in that each reminds us to think about the long term. Our society is one that often sacrifices tomorrow and the future for the joy of today. One only needs to look to what we are doing to our environment to know this is true. So, save for the future, both money and resources – even if it means living a little more humbly.

Another gem? Rhymes and word play help a message to stay.