First, do no harm

Hi,

"One is more obligated to be careful not to harm others than to protect himself from harm."

(Tosafot, Bava Kama 23a וליחייב (the second one))

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Worry about relationships with people, first

Hi,

[The reference below to "hooves" refers to split hooves, a sign of a kosher animal. "Extending one's hooves" means to display a sign that one is 'kosher', or righteous. The text is talking about someone who becomes vegetarian out of sympathy for animals, but does not display similar sensitivity for human beings.]

"How absurd it would be, if while his impurity was in him he would extend his hooves and turn to this distant righteousness, being generous with animals as though he had already completed his accounts with human beings, created in the image set by G-d."

(Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace, Section 4)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Pressing a borrower to pay

Hi,

"One may not press a borrower to pay, if one knows that he does not have the means. Even appearing before him is prohibited, for he will be ashamed when he sees the creditor and he lacks the means to pay."

אסור לנגוש את הלוה לפרוע, כשיודע שאין לו. ואפילו להראות לו, אסור, מפני שהוא נכלם בראותו למלוה ואין ידו משגת לפרוע. 

(Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 97:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Rav Kook at Kinneret

Hi,

"In the course of [Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik's] stay in Eretz Yisrael in the summer of 1935, the Rav visited the secular kibbutz of Kinneret. His host proferred some fruit, which the Rav naturally but politely declined. Sensing the reason for the refusal to partake of the offering, the kibbutznik observed that he presumes that it was grounded in concerns about kashrut; whereupon he proceeded to inform his thunderstruck guest that the local kitchen was absolutely kosher. When asked for the cause of this anomaly, he narrated the following story. Rav Kook once spend a Shabbat at the kibbutz, and he of course brought his own food. He ate each se'udah with the group, including participation in the moza'ei Shabbat fireside kumsitz. Upon taking leave of his hosts, he thanked them graciously and concluded with a brief wish. 'I hope that next time I'll be able to eat together with you.' Sure enough, the haverim [members] voted to introduce kashrut in their public hadar okhel [dining hall]."

(Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, Varieties of Jewish Experience, pg. 135)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

48 Ways: #32 - Love others

Hi,

Pirkei Avot 6:5 teaches that Torah is acquired in 48 ways, which it lists for us. The thirty-second of the 48 is oheiv et habriyyot, to love others.


This item seems odd; why should love of others be a pre-requisite for success in Torah study? One could suggest that the student needs relationships with chavrutot, teachers and students in order to grow, but it is hard to include that within "love".


Perhaps the idea is that one who loves others will approach Torah in a special way, with a greater appreciation of its emphasis upon the needs of, and interactions of, humanity. One might imagine a misanthrope failing to understand, or relate to, the many mitzvot of social interaction, as well as the lives depicted in Tanach, and the anecdotes recorded biblically and rabbinically to teach us lessons. Only one who loves others, who is capable of embracing and seeking the welfare of other human beings will truly comprehend what is involved.


Have a great day,
Mordechai

Praying for others

Hi,

"Rabbah bar Chinina Sabba taught, citing Rav: One who can pray on behalf of another, and does not do so, is called a sinner, as the prophet Samuel said (Samuel I 12), 'It would be a disgrace for me to sin against Gd and refrain from praying on your behalf.'"

(Talmud, Berachot 12b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The hidden significance of getting along with others

Hi,

"Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was wont to say: If people are pleased with a certain person, that is a sign that Gd is pleased with that person, too."

(Pirkei Avot 3:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The righteousness of Abba Chilkiyah's wife

Hi,

"[They asked Abba Chilkiyah, after he and his wife prayed for rain, and the rain came:] Why did the rainclouds come from your wife's corner, instead of from your corner?

"[He replied:] Because my wife is found at home and she gives bread to the needy, so that the benefit is immediate; I give money, and the benefit is not immediate. Alternatively, because of zealots who were in our neighbourhood; I prayed that they die and she prayed that they repent. [And they repented.]"

(Talmud, Taanit 23b)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part III

Hi,

"Bar Kamtza told the governor (the Aramaic is "Caesar"; it is unclear what level of authority this was, though): The Jews are rebelling against you!

"The governor said: Who says?

"Bar Kamtza said: Send them a korban, and see whether they offer it up.

"The governor sent a 1/3-grown calf [or third-born, according to some commentators; this was supposed to be especially fine] with Bar Kamtza. En route, he blemished its lips, or some say its ears, in a spot which would be a blemish under our rules but not under Roman rules. [Commentators explain that this hinted to the stingy eye or harmful speech of the Jews of the time. Presumably it could also refer to the Sages who had angered Bar Kamtza by watching with their eyes and failing to speak up.]

"The sages thought to bring it [despite its blemish] to keep peace with the government, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that blemished animals may be brought as offerings!

"The sages thought to kill Bar Kamtza to prevent him from informing the governor that they had not brought the offering, but Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus said: People will say that one who blemishes an offering is killed!

"Rabbi Yochanan said: The patience [or, according to some, humility] of Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus destroyed our house, burned our sanctum and exiled us from our land! [In the version of this story in Eichah Rabbah, Rabbi Zecharyah ben Avkulus was the head of the Sages at the party, and he did not prevent Bar Kamtza's ejection. He was humble/patient at the party, but when it came to this legal decision he spoke up.]

"The governor sent Neron Caesar against Jerusalem."

(Talmud, Gittin 56a)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part II

Hi,

Continuing the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza from yesterday:

"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for half of your feast!

"The host said: No.

"Bar Kamtza said: I will pay for your entire feast!

"The host said: No. He grabbed Bar Kamtza by the hand, picked him up and removed him. [Worth noting - He delegated invitations of friends to a servant, but handled the eviction of his enemy himself.]

"Bar Kamtza said: Since the Sages were sitting there and they did not protest, I see that this treatment is appropriate in their eyes! I will spread a harmful rumor about them to the palace."

(to be continued)

(Talmud, Gittin 56a)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Part I

Hi,

"Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, Jerusalem was destroyed.

"There was a man whose friend was Kamtza, and whose enemy was Bar Kamtza. [Some suggest these were father and son.] The man made a feast, and told his servant, 'Go bring me Kamtza.' The servant went and brought Bar Kamtza.

"The man came and saw Bar Kamtza sitting at the feast, and said to him, 'You are my enemy – what do you want here? Get up and leave!'

"Bar Kamtza said: Since I have come, leave me, and I will pay you for whatever I eat and drink.

"The man said: No."

To be continued…

(Talmud, Gittin 55b-56a)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

The limits of good intentions

Hi,

"Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz (Sichot Mussar 5732 #2) observes that the Talmud (Bava Batra 16a) is offering no mitigation of Peninah's guilt. Rather, it is expressing that when dealing with the genuine pain of other individuals, good intentions are no defense; the end result is just as anguishing. As he puts it, if one places a person's arm in an oven, even if one means well, it is no less burnt."

(Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, The Right and the Good, pg. xxi)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Are you Aggressor or Victim?

Hi,

"Among a person's ethical obligations is to work to plant in his heart this great principle: That in every confrontation, he weigh upon the halachic scale who is the pursuer and who is the pursued.

"Study of ethics engenders love and mercy for the pursued, and bitter rage against the pursuer. How terrible is the obstacle, how great is the trap, to be among those who switch the pursuer for the pursued and the pursued for the pursuer!

"Knowledge of the truth can come only through the writings of the authorities, as transmitted to us by the pillars of the world, our masters of blessed memory."

(Chazon Ish, Emunah uBitachon 3:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Michah's Three Principles of Judaism

Hi,

Michah 6:8 instructs us that Gd expects of us to, “Practice justice, love generosity and walk privately with Gd.”

On this Rav Yaakov Ettlinger commented:
“Michah specified three actitvities, representing three types of mitzvot: Between Man and Gd, between Man and Other, and between Man and Self.

“Between Man and Self – Practice justice, meaning to weigh all of one’s deeds to ensure that they are just, and he has no corruption in his hand.

“Between Man and Other – Love generosity, meaning providing acts of generosity between himself and another.

“Between Man and his Creator – Walk privately.”

(Aruch l’Ner to Makkot 24a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Say Hello!

Hi,

"One who knows that another person normally greets him is obligated to precede the other in greeting, as it is written (Tehillim 34), 'Seek peace and pursue it.' And one who is greeted and does not reciprocate is called a thief, as it is written..."

(Talmud, Berachot 6b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Torah study or Human relations?

Hi,

"We do not nullify Torah study for a deceased person or for a bride.

"Abba Shaul said: Actions precede study! And so R’ Yehudah practiced: When he saw a deceased person or a bride being escorted, he turned to his students and said, “Actions precede study.”"

(Masechet Semachot 11:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Three unforgiveable sins

Hi,

"All who descend to Gehennom [Hell] also ascend, except three: One who lives with another’s wife, one who embarrasses another in public, and one who creates a negative nickname for another."

(Talmud, Bava Metzia 58b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The importance of social halachah

Hi,

"The day-to-day interactions between people, the treatment of one another in mundane conversation, in walking in the street, in traveling on a bus, or waiting in line to be served in a store, are no less the home of halakhah than are the activities of the synagogue or the kitchen, the study hall or the hospital bed."

(Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, The Right and the Good, pg. xii)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Taking credit by undermining others

Hi,

"How do we know that if a student sees his mentor erring in judgment, he should not say, 'I'll wait until he finishes, and then I will contradict him and present it on my own so that it will be known as my verdict?'

"It is written: 'You shall distance yourself from falsehood.'"

(Talmud, Shevuot 31a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai