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

Full of wonderful stories about David and Solomon. Amidst this we get this beautiful little line: A lamp is called ner and a person’s soul is also called ner, as it is written: “The spirit of man is the lamp [ner] of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). It is preferable that the lamp of flesh and blood, meaning an actual lamp, will be extinguished in favor of the lamp of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which is a person’s soul. Therefore, one is permitted to extinguish a flame for the sake of a sick person. (The text goes on to talk about how Kohelet and Proverbs almost didn’t make it into the canonized bible because the verses seem contradictory and need a ton of explanation.)

This is a gem because it reminds us that preserving life is more important than other mitzvot. It reminds us that the soul is more important than material goods. That our inner light is precious and needs to be nourished and cared for.

How are you keeping your inner light nourished? When might you need to put aside to fan the flame?

It was taught: Rabbi Yehuda said: One time we spent our Shabbat in the upper story of the house of Nit’za in Lod. And they brought us an eggshell, and we filled it with oil, and pierced it, and left it over the lamp (something the Gemara had just rules was forbidden). And Rabbi Tarfon and Elders were there and they did not say anything to us. (This is strange, if it was a ruling, they had an obligation to correct him, which is why he is telling the story.) The Rabbis said to him: Do you bring proof from there? Nit’za is different. They are vigilant. (While it’s prohibited for everyone else, since they are so “vigilant” in their observance they are permitted . . . )

Avin from Tzippori dragged a bench in an upper story, with marble floor, before Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Elazar. He said to him: If I remain silent and say nothing to you, as the members of the group of Elders were silent before Rabbi Yehuda, damage will result, So, he issued a decree on a marble-floored upper story due to a standard upper story with an earth floor. (One who drags a bench on an earth floor will create a furrow and so it is prohibited, they are extending the law to also say don’t drag benches on the second floor.)

Okay, why is this a gem? We see from the story what happens when people violate a rule, or do something wrong, and those around them don’t try say anything to stop or correct them. When we stay silent, we send the message that the behavior is okay. Rabbi Tarfon used an egg full of oil to extend how long his candle burned as it would drip oil into the candle to extend it’s life. The Elders said nothing, so he was surprised later to hear that what he did was wrong. Knowing this story, when Avin dragged a bench on the second floor, believing that it would be okay because it wouldn’t make a furrow (the reasoning behind saying it was not okay to drag a bench on the ground) Rabbi Yitzhak ben Elazar saw this and spoke out. He knew if he said nothing, not only was he allowing someone else to perform a violation, he was sending the message that this was perhaps permitted.

Now, dripping oil and dragging benches is hardly one of our major worries today. But this lesson, that we need to speak out and correct others, is something that still speaks to us. People sometimes do the wrong thing, and sometimes, like in our gemara today, it’s just because they don’t know. They need to be told. I know it’s hard to correct people. That’s why there is an art to doing it without embarrassing. But the Talmud is pushing us. I can think of a time when someone, who was mad at me, pointed out a repeated behavior of mine. When he mentioned it, I had no idea that I was doing anything wrong, that I was hurting anybody. I felt bad – but I was also mad that this person, who was supposed to be my friend, because he let me continue the behavior for so long without saying anything.

Think of your relative who uses words that are no longer considered P.C., perhaps if you spoke up they would be grateful. Think of the child who speaks disrespectfully to their parent, perhaps if you spoke up there would be more shalom bayit (peace in the home). Think of the person who says something without thinking, without realizing that what their saying might unintentionally hurt another person. If it were you, wouldn’t you want to know?

Today’s Gem: “Do you say [that the verse] excludes a night garment? Or is it only to exclude the garment of a blind person [who is unable to fulfill the verse ‘that you may look upon it’? When it says [in Deuteronomy] with which you cover yourself, the garment of a blind person is mentioned [as they, too, cover themselves].”

I love this text because the rabbis recognized the importance of including everyone possible with their language. They looked for a way to be able to read the text so that people with disability are included. (In fact, in Pesachim we see two blind rabbis leading the seder!)

We too should look for more ways to include people with disability. This virus and turning virtual has lead to some good – people who have mobility issues are able to participate in ways they hadn’t before.

I hope we continue to learn how to be more inclusive.

Today’s gem is just a bit of drama, after all, don’t we need a good story/distraction from our own lives now and then? “A mother-in-law who hated her daughter-in-law said to her: Go adorn yourself with balsam oil. She went and adorned herself. When she came, her mother-in-law said to her: Go light the lamp. She went and lit the lamp. She caught fire and was burned.“

When ever I do premarital counseling with a couple, I remind them that even if they aren’t physically living with their future in-laws, they need to remember that they are marrying into a family. You never marry just the person you (hopefully) fell in love with – you marry their entire family. And even if your spouse isn’t close to their family – it’s still their family.

I read this and want to feel sorry for the daughter in law. But who is this woman who would spark so much rage in her mother-in-law?

The tosafot (medieval commentary) use this to demonstrate how mothers and daughters-in-law, by nature, do not get along, and how exceptional it is to see Naomi and Ruth who love one another. But I don’t by it.

I love my mother-in-law. I love to talk books with her. I respect her. I like her. I think we would be friends if we had cause to know one another outside of her son. As a rabbi, I see this all the time – women who love one another. Daughter and mother-in-law.

It’s a horrible stereotype. We need to look out for one another and love one another, after all, we (again, hopefully) already love the same man.

It burns when you are hurt by someone you consider family – but hopefully evil step-mothers and evil daughters-in-law are more characters than realitites.

Today’s gem: “the Sages taught: Who is wealthy? Anyone who gets pleasure from his wealth, that is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Tarfon says: anyone who has one hundred vineyards, and one hundred fields, and one hundred slaves working in them. Rabbi Akiva says: Anyone who has a wife whose actions are pleasant. Rabbi Yosei says: Anyone who has a bathroom close to his table.“

What makes you feel rich? Is it lavish vacations? Flashy items? (Meir) Is it acquisitions? Multiple homes? Success in business? (Tarfon) Is it love? Friendship? (Akiva) Is it a good meal and some privacy on the toilet? (Yosei)

Right now, if we can have these last two – people we love to connect with, even if it be virtual; and good food and some alone time in the bathroom (with TP!) – then we feel rich and blessed. Nothing like a pandmeic to help us get our priorities in order.

Those who have this are truly rich. Any day.

Today’s gem discusses a Torah law I am very proud and inspired by: “As it was taught in a Tosefta that Rabbi Shimon said: On account of four things the Torah said that one should leave pe’a at the end of his field: Due to robbing the poor, and due to causing the poor to be idle, and due to suspicion, and due to the verse from Lev. 23:22: “You shall not wholly reap the corner of your field.”

The mitzvah of Pe‘ah is the requirement to leave the corner of your field uncut and available for the poor to take. In our gem, Rabbi Shimon is saying that the pe’ah HAS to be a corner on the outer edge of the field for 4 reasons. The first is the most important, if you don’t leave it on the outer corner, you may end up robbing the poor. Jewish understanding of leaving the corners of your field for the poor, is that it’s not something you are “giving” to the poor – it’s something that already belongs to the poor. Therefore, if you don’t leave it for them to easily access, you are, in effect, stealing from them. The second reason given emphasizes this even more, that if the pe’ah isn’t easily accessible, you may cause the poor to be idle – don’t make people wait around to collect what is theirs! The third reason, suspicion, is that, were you to leave pe’ah in the center of your field, or in a place that is not easily visible – then others would walk by and think that you hadn’t’ done this mitzvah – their suspicion would be that you are stealing for the poor! The fourth reason is that it’s biblically mandated.

I love the progression 1) it’s not yours, 2) don’t waste people’s time 3) people are going to think you’re a bad person 4) because God said so. It’s like good parenting – you want your kids to do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. If they can’t get it, you appeal to the greater good. If that doesn’t work, you make them feel self conscious about being seen as a bad person. If that doesn’t work – because I said so (or God, depends on the child).

But what I really love is this mitzvah. I love that understanding that the tzedakah for the poor doesn’t even belong to us – that we are just giving back to others what’s already theirs. I love what this does to the psyche in terms of giving – it’s no longer a choice, we’re just a temporary holding place. And I love how this really captures how the world truly works. None of us are successful in a vacuum. The society that makes one able to have a successful harvest, or income, is the same society that allows some to not have enough. Therefor, if we are part of the society, we are obligated to give.

My husband and I tithe, another law that was built from biblical agricultural laws. And even thought we had a lot of expenses this past year that were somewhat unexpected – we didn’t reduce our tithing, even though it was tempting, because that money doesn’t belong to us.

Now is a time to give if you can. There are a lot of hungry and a lot of poor. Leave your pe’ah if you can.

Today’s gem. “Rav Yehuda said that Rav Asi said that Rav said: It is prohibited to count money opposite a Hanukkah light.“

I wanted to find out what this is all about. The basic gist I gathered is that Chanukah provided both spiritual and financial benefits to the Jewish people. Rav Assi is emphasizing, with this law, that the celebration of Chanukah is not for the “money” — financial benefits derived through the miracle — but primarily for the spiritual benefit — that the Greeks were no longer able to restrict the Jews in matters of Torah and mitzvot.

It’s interesting to think about this law in terms of the way we celebrate Chanukah today, by literally playing dreidel with gold coins by the Chanukiah. And, if you argue it’s just chocolate and a kids game – how about the gifts? The argument is that the holiday should not be one about materialism, and what do we do? In America (not as much in other countries) we try and have the holiday compete with Christmas. 8 days of presents. That was my brag to my Christian friends as a child. But isn’t the miracle enough of a brag? That a tiny people were able to fight back a huge empire? That we tried even though it seemed futile? That we almost let the light go out – the light of the Jewish people- but didn’t? That we didn’t think we had enough (oil/men/power) but we tried and a miracle happened?

I think this is a subtle reminder to remember what the holiday is really about. To put the spiritual over the material.

Today’s daf had a lot of little things I loved. I’ll share just three.

1) That when the priests clothes and belts got tattered and old, they would unravel them and use the thread for candle wicks. The beauty of upcycling, of making light and something holy out of something that today we would trash . . .

2) This moment: “The Sages said this halakha before Abaye in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya and he did not accept it. When Ravin came the Sages said this halakha before Abaye in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan, and he accepted it. Then Abaye said regretfully: Had I merited, I would have learned this halakha from the outset.” Am I the only who is yelling – this is me!! You say something, suggest it again and again, and the boss/partner/spouse/friend doesn’t accept it. But then, someone else comes along – SAYS THE EXACT SAME THING and the person you were trying to convince is like, “Oh, I wished I had thought of that earlier!” AH!!!! Rabbi Yirmeya, I feel your pain brother.

3) The disagreement between Hillel and Shammai about how to light the Chanukiah. Shammai says we should start by lighting 8 lights and then count down. Hillel says we should start with one and then increase by one light every night. Hillel wins because “in matters of sanctity, one does not downgrade.”

May our holiness, our light, always increase.

The gem today comes from my colleague Rabbi Jessica Barolsky:

Shabbat 20b: “Ravin and Abaye were sitting before Rabbana Nechemya, brother of the Exilarch. Ravin saw that he was wearing [a specific type of silk]. He said to Abaye: this is the [a different words for silk] that we learned! Abaye said to him: we call it [yet another words for silk].

Even when we have different words for things, we can/should/must strive to understand one another.

And also, the rabbis were excited to see things talked about in their lessons in real life, just like we are.

Today’s gem is found in a conversation in the Talmud about how much time before Shabbat you need to give your clothing to a launderer to insure they will have enough time to finish the job before sundown on the 6th day.

I love this discussion, because it recognizes that everyone, Jew or gentile, person with wealth or person without, deserves a day of rest. The Talmud is very careful to make sure to give guidelines to prevent us from accidentally setting up another person to violate Shabbat – even if it’s not their Shabbas!

It really reflects the biblical line from Numbers 15:16,  “One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”

I am thinking about this line in particular today, because today is usually the day when my cleaning lady, Marta, comes to clean my home. This is usually my favorite day of the week. It’s the one day I walk into my home and it’s clean and fresh and I had nothing to do with getting it that way.

However, because we are trying to stay safe and healthy, and because we want Marta to also stay safe and healthy, we are no longer having her in our home. We are continuing to pay her, as she relies on this income to help feed and provide for her family; but we realize that we need to follow one standard, for ourselves and for her.

Just like the Talmud outlines that we should not behave in a way that might cause a launderer to work on Shabbat, no matter how that person feels about working on Shabbat – we should also not behave in a way that might cause another person to put their health in danger, even if they’re comfortable with going into another person’s home.

I miss a lot of people. Marta, I am missing you in particular today.