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

Avodah Zarah 24

Today’s Torah reading was parshat Balak, where Bilam is hired to curse the Israelites and on his way his donkey opens up her mouth and speaks, saying an angel of the Lord is in their path. This makes today’s gem a little less surprising . . .

The Gemara further analyzes the episode involving the cows sent by the Philistines. The verse states: “And the cattle took the straight [vayyisharna] way, on the way to Beit Shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went” (I Samuel 6:12). The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the word vayyisharna? Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Meir: It means that they recited a song [shira]. And Rav Zutra bar Toviyya says that Rav says: It means that they straightened [yishru] their faces so that they were opposite the Ark and recited a song.

Okay, let’s unpack what’s happening. This little gem is a midrash based on the Bible’s telling of how the Ark of The Covenant was returned to the Israelites. The Philistines brought the Ark which was pulled by cows as they headed towards Bet Shemesh where they returned it to the Israelites. The word “vayisharnah” literally means went straight but they’re playing on it’s similarity to shir – sing. So the rabbis take it to mean that the cows sang on their way to Bet Shemesh.

What did they sing? They debate that next.

What a wonderful fit with our Torah reading. And what a wonderful thought – that animals sing, we just might not understand their lyrics.

Avodah Zarah 23

I remember being in elementary school and hearing people joke about “dropping the soap in prison.” Rape in incarceration is so known, even though it’s so underreported. Today’s daf kinda broke my heart. The daf had been discussing how a woman should not be secluded with certain people for fear that they might have sex. Then the daf quickly pivots to this:

We learned in the mishna: A woman may not seclude herself with them because they are suspected of engaging in forbidden sexual intercourse. And one can raise a contradiction from another mishna (Ketubot 26b): With regard to a woman who was imprisoned by gentiles, if she was imprisoned due to monetary matters she is permitted to her husband even if he is a priest, as there is no concern that she was raped. If she was imprisoned due to a capital offense she is forbidden to her husband if he is a priest, as the captors would not restrain themselves from raping her. The first clause of the mishna in Ketubot rules that a woman who was imprisoned in seclusion with gentiles is not assumed to have engaged in intercourse with them. This apparently contradicts the statement of the mishna here, which rules that a woman may not seclude herself with gentiles.

Ugh! Rape was so common they assume that she must have been raped by her jailers. This is such a horrific problem. Still.

If you want to make yourself sad. Read some articles. Even this Wikipedia page.

We will not have true justice until our justice system is run justly.

Avodah Zarah 22

Takes one to know one!

That’s my gem, a fancy old school way of saying that:

Rabba said: This is in accordance with the adage that people say: Just as the stylus etches script upon marble, a sinner knows his fellow sinner, i.e., a transgressor is acutely aware of others who act in the same manner.

(By the way, the whole daf was about bestiality. Now “takes one to know one” takes on a new meaning.)

Avodah Zarah 21

Do kids in college need to hang a mezuzah on their dorm room doors? We get the answer on the daf.

Rav Mesharshiyya says in response: Affixing a mezuza is the obligation of the resident, rather than an obligation that applies to the house. Therefore, if no Jew lives in a house, it is not subject to the mitzva of mezuza.

The obligation to hang a mezuzah is incumbent on the Jewish occupant. If you buy or own a home/apartment, the obligation is immediate. If you’re renting (or crashing), you become obligated after 30 days. In a case like a dorm room, when you know you will be there for the entire school year, it would be your obligation to hang it as soon as possible. (But, if you’re spending a few weeks on a get away, you’re not obligated unless you stay a whole month!)

Now, we just need to make sure that mezuzah won’t damage the wall – and that the college campus does all it can to protect it’s Jewish students.

Avodah Zarah 20

A really beautiful gem today, that reminds me of Chad Gadya, There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly, and The Greengrass Grows All Around as well as th emore modern classic book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. But, it’s about virtue.

Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir would say: Torah study leads to care in the performance of mitzvot. Care in the performance of mitzvot leads to diligence in their observance. Diligence leads to cleanliness of the soul. Cleanliness of the soul leads to abstention from all evil. Abstention from evil leads to purity and the elimination of all base desires. Purity leads to piety. Piety leads to humility. Humility leads to fear of sin. Fear of sin leads to holiness. Holiness leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead.

You see what I’m saying? But now, we must debate which virtue listed is the most important of them all . . .

And piety is greater than all of them, as it is stated: “Then You did speak in a vision to Your pious ones” (Psalms 89:20).
And this statement disagrees with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Humility is greater than all of them, as it is stated: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the humble” (Isaiah 61:1). Since the pious is not stated, but rather “the humble,” you learn that humility is greater than all of them.

That’s right, humility is the greatest of all. This is very true. In Mussar work – Jewish spiritual growth work, we always start with humility. If you are not humble, you cannot see your own faults or be open to change. I do think our world would be a much better place if we all aspired to more humility instead of centering in the self. More humility would lead to listening and relating, to working together for a good greater than ours alone.
That’s just my humble opinion . . .

Avodah Zarah 19

When I was in school, I found that any book I was assigned to read I did not like, but any book I chose myself, I loved. I have even gone back and re-read some of those old assigned books and loved them. All to say, I learn better if it’s what I want to learn. So, here is our gem:

“But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord” (Psalms 1:2). Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: A person can learn Torah only from a place in the Torah that his heart desires, as it is stated: But his delight is in the Torah of the Lord, i.e., his delight is in the part of the Torah that he wishes to study.

We learn when it’s something we want to learn about and when we are ready to learn it. This may be the most profound teaching yet.

Avodah Zarah 18

It’s not often that the entire daf is dripping gems, but this one is. I want to encourage you to read it in full. It has the martyrdom of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon who is burned by the Roman’s wrapped in the Torah. He sees the letters dancing. The daf ends with Rabbi Meir either pretending to embrace a prostitute or pretending to eat unkosher food to hide his identity from the Romans! But my gem is a horrific text in the center of the daf.

The Gemara relates: Berurya, the wife of Rabbi Meir, was a daughter of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon. (Who was just martyred wrapped in the Torah. He is not the only one in the family to be cruelly victimized. His daughter, Berurya’s sister, is forced into prostitution.) She said to Rabbi Meir: It is a disrespectful matter for me that my sister is sitting in a brothel; you must do something to save her. Rabbi Meir took a vessel [tarkeva] full of dinars and went. He said to himself: If no transgression was committed with her, a miracle will be performed for her; if she committed a transgression, no miracle will be performed for her.

Pause. Already, horrible text. First, that the punishement of the rabbis daughter was for her to be forced into sex work. Of course, her sister would want her out. But here, with Rabbi Meir, we get a strange situation. It seems that he only wants to save her if she has somehow had a miracle happen and remained pure despite her subjugation.

Rabbi Meir went and dressed as a Roman knight, and said to her: Accede to my wishes, i.e., engage in intercourse with me. She said to him: I am menstruating [dashtana] and cannot. He said to her: I will wait. She said to him: There are many women in the brothel, and there are many women here who are more beautiful than I. He said to himself: I can conclude from her responses that she did not commit a transgression, as she presumably said this to all who come.

So, if she wouldn’t sleep with him, she must have stayed chaste. She has now proven herself worthy of being saved.

Rabbi Meir went over to her guard, and said to him: Give her to me. The guard said to him: I fear that if I do so, I will be punished by the government. Rabbi Meir said to him: Take this vessel full of dinars; give half to the government as a bribe, and half will be for you. (This will later lead to why Rabbi Meir is being hunted by the Romans . . .)

It’s so disturbing! And yet this text is still so powerful and pertinent. No one should ever be forced to perform sex-work or do anything sexual against their will. And no one should judge someone who is forced into doing something against their will – or deem anyone un-worthy of saving.

Avodah Zarah 17

A deadly fart.

How could I not pick this as my gem? (So, I will just throw in what would have otherwise been my gem: You will be saved because you engaged in Torah study and in acts of charity, and I engaged in Torah study alone. Gem: Don’t just study, live it!)

On our daf today, the famous prostitute visiting rabbi, Rabbi Elazar ben Durdayya, catches a whiff of the effects of his crappy behavior.

They said about Rabbi Elazar ben Durdayya that he was so promiscuous that he did not leave one prostitute in the world with whom he did not engage in sexual intercourse. Once, he heard that there was one prostitute in one of the cities overseas who would take a purse full of dinars as her payment. He took a purse full of dinars and went and crossed seven rivers to reach her. When they were engaged in the matters to which they were accustomed, read: sex, she passed wind and said: Just as this passed wind will not return to its place, so too Elazar ben Durdayya will not be accepted in repentance, even if he were to try to repent. . . .

A farting oracle! You have to laugh. And yet, there is more to learn. The Gemara talks about him asking the mountains, the rivers, the sun, moon, and stars all to plead his case so his repentance will be accepted. But none will plea his case.

Elazar ben Durdayya said: Clearly the matter depends on nothing other than myself. He placed his head between his knees and cried loudly until his soul left his body. A Divine Voice emerged and said: Rabbi Elazar ben Durdayya is destined for life in the World-to-Come. The Gemara explains the difficulty presented by this story: And here Elazar ben Durdayya was guilty of the sin of forbidden sexual intercourse, and yet he died once he repented. The Gemara answers: There too, since he was attached so strongly to the sin, to an extent that transcended the physical temptation he felt, it is similar to heresy, as it had become like a form of idol worship for him.

We see true heart-breaking repentance, and the comparison to sex addiction to idolatry. how fascinating and true. When addiction rules our lives we are worshipping the subject of our addiction, allowing it to control us, instead of God and Torah. Btu it doesn’t end here.

When Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi heard this story of Elazar ben Durdayya, he wept and said: There is one who acquires his share in the World-to-Come only after many years of toil, and there is one who acquires his share in the World-to-Come in one moment. And Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi further says: Not only are penitents accepted, but they are even called: Rabbi, as the Divine Voice referred to Elazar ben Durdayya as Rabbi Elazar ben Durdayya.

Not only is Elazar ben Durdayya forgiven for his life of sin, he is even called rabbi. That is the power of repentance. This is the true gem – it is never to late for true, life changing, repentance. (And there may be such a thing as a fart being silent but deadly.)

Avodah Zarah 16 (and some 17)

While the entire daf is interesting today as it primarily discusses arms sales and mentions that the Persians are an exception to the rule of not selling to gentiles because the “Persians protect the Jews” (pause for the Irony of Iran – that’s Persia – being. friend for the Jews when Iran is trying to destroy and demonize both the Jewish state and Jews all together), by far the most interesting piece on the daf is how it ends: with a story that includes Jesus.

The Sages taught: When Rabbi Eliezer was arrested and charged with heresy by the authorities, they brought him up to a tribunal to be judged. A certain judicial officer [hegemon] said to him: Why should an elder like you engage in these frivolous matters of heresy?

Rabbi Eliezer said to him: The Judge is trusted by me to rule correctly. That officer thought that Rabbi Eliezer was speaking about him; but in fact he said this only in reference to his Father in Heaven. Rabbi Eliezer meant that he accepted God’s judgment, i.e., if he was charged he must have sinned to God in some manner. The officer said to him: Since you put your trust in me, you are acquitted [dimos]; you are exempt.

Already a fascinating story. Rabbi Eliezer, accused of heresy, finds a way of saying the right thing to the governor without actually betraying Judaism! But what did he do that resulted in an accusation of heresy?

When Rabbi Eliezer came home, his students entered to console him for being accused of heresy, which he took as a sign of sin, and he did not accept their words of consolation.

He didn’t believe he had done anything heretical.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: My teacher, allow me to say one matter from all of that which you taught me. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Speak. Rabbi Akiva said to him: My teacher, perhaps some statement of heresy came before you and you derived pleasure from it, and because of this you were held responsible by Heaven.

Maybe you heard something and laughed at it?

Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Akiva, you are right, as you have reminded me that once I was walking in the upper marketplace of Tzippori, and I found a man who was one of the students of Jesus the Nazarene, and his name was Ya’akov of Kefar Sekhanya. He said to me: It is written in your Torah: “You shall not bring the payment to a prostitute, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 23:19). What is the halakha: Is it permitted to make from the payment to a prostitute for services rendered a bathroom for a High Priest in the Temple? And I said nothing to him in response.

Here it comes:

He said to me: Jesus the Nazarene taught me the following: It is permitted, as derived from the verse: “For of the payment to a prostitute she has gathered them, and to the payment to a prostitute they shall return” (Micah 1:7). Since the coins came from a place of filth, let them go to a place of filth and be used to build a bathroom. And I derived pleasure from the statement, and due to this, I was arrested for heresy by the authorities . . .

So much to unpack! Rabbi Eliezer remembers a conversation with a student of Jesus – yes, that Jesus. Already we pause just to note that one of the greatest rabbis of his day (or any day really) was curious to hear what Jesus taught about a halakhah. Even more intriguing is that this seems to be a jab at Jesus and Christianity as it’s associating Jesus with a prostitute and a toilet. It’s also interesting to see that Jesus teaches in a typical rabbinic style, if not the typical rabbinic conclusion. Rabbi Eliezer was born int he year 80 CE, so he would have been part of the generation to see the early iteration of the Christian sect, which would have still considered themselves to basically be Jewish. The prophet Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute by God so that he would understand what it’s like for God to be married to the Jewish people who are constantly unfaithful. Any sect of Judaism that was not rabbinic was seen as heretical – and therefor, akin to prostitution. So this whole scene may be a comment on both Christianity as heresy and Rabbi Eliezer’s mingling with followers of Jesus as heretical as well . . .

Avodah Zarah 15

There is a lot of debate around guns and gun laws. On our daf today, we see that no one who might use weapons to threaten others, or entertain themselves (this is on tomorrow’s daf), should have access to deadly weapons.

One may not sell weapons to gentiles or the auxiliary equipment of weapons, and one may not sharpen weapons for them. And one may not sell them stocks used for fastening the feet of prisoners, or iron neck chains [kolarin], or foot chains, or iron chains.

We aren’t just prohibited from selling to gentiles, but to those who might sell to gentiles:

But doesn’t Rav Naḥman say explicitly that Rabba bar Avuh says: Just as the Sages said that it is prohibited to sell to a gentile, so too it is prohibited to sell to a Jew who is suspected of selling to a gentile? When Rabba heard this and realized that Abaye was correct, he ran three parasangs after the buyer who purchased his donkey to revoke the sale, as the Jew was suspected of selling to gentiles; and some say that he ran one parasang through sand. But he did not succeed in overtaking him.

Running after the person he sold to! Ugh, this makes me think of how our government has paid to arm rebel groups that eventually use those weapons against allies, or us.

But it’s not just gentiles:

Rav Dimi bar Abba says: Just as it is prohibited to sell to a gentile, it is prohibited to sell to an armed bandit who is a Jew.

The lesson here is that no one who poses a threat should have access to deadly weapons. Take this argument to our political leaders who continue to weaken laws that protect society by ensuring those with mental illness and histories of violence don’t get access to guns!