RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: DEREKH ERETZ: DON'T QUARREL: MAKE PEACE
Jewish Spiritual Renewal:Derek Eretz Zuta + Rabbah:Shabbat 5/12/12(aka Derech Eretz, Derekh Eretz )Shalom my dear Chaverim, Talmidim, v' Rabbanim, friends, students and fellow rabbis:An oneg, joy-filled, Shabbat this coming weekend to all.We continue with our exploration into the Talmudic Tractates of Derek Eretz Zuta and Rabbah. (aka Derech Eretz Zuta, aka Derech Eretz Rabbah. As was mentioned, zuta is Aramaic for 'small', and rabbah is 'large').Remember that Derek Eretz is not about Jewish ritual. It is about how we are to treat one another and what traits of character, middot, we are to try to develop. The lessons are universal and ecumenical. The development of character traits and Jewish spiritual renewal transformation is called Mussar.For those new to the class Baruch ha Ba! Welcome!You can access last week's class atRabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: DEREK ERETZ: HONORING,HELPING POORorFrom here you will find links to preceding classes in this series. So, together we continue:TALMUD BAVLITRACTATEDEREk ERETZ ZUTA(aka Derech Eretz, Derekh Eretz)Today we will continue with and conclude CHAPTER 9 of Talmud Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta Verses 9:10-12.CHAPTER IX.
''9:10: If others quarrel with thee, whether in a house of learning or at an ordinary meeting-place, do not leave until peace is restored, and they shall praise thee in thy absence as Pinchas b. Elazar. Great is peace, that even when it reigns among idolaters nothing can be done to them, as it is written [Hosea, iv. 17]: "Ephraimis bound (bound together) to idols; let him alone." But if they quarrel among themselves, it is said of them [ibid. X. 2]: "Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt." Hence that house in which there is strife will be destroyed, and the sages say that even a prayer-house in which there is strife will be demolished.9:11:The same is it with two chiefs of the court who live in one town and quarrel with each other, they will finally die. Abba Saul said: Strife between courts is a destruction of the world.9:12: Abba Issi b. Johanan said in the name of Samuel the Little: This world resembles the eyeball of a man. The white is the ocean that surrounds the whole land; the black is the world; the circle in the black is Jerusalem, and the image (the pupil) in the circle is the Temple, which will be rebuilt in the near future. Amen.''Let us start today's lesson with:''9:10: If others quarrel with thee, whether in a house of learning or at an ordinary meeting-place, do not leave until peace is restored, and they shall praise thee in thy absence as Pinchas b. Elazar. Great is peace, that even when it reigns among idolaters nothing can be done to them, as it is written [Hosea, iv. 17]: "Ephraim is bound (bound together) to idols; let him alone." But if they quarrel among themselves, it is said of them [ibid. X. 2]: "Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt." Hence that house in which there is strife will be destroyed, and the sages say that even a prayer-house in which there is strife will be demolished. ''These last verses of Chapter 9 are a prelude to all of Chapter 10, which is called not by its numerical name, but by its subject: "The Chapter on Peace.'' So great is peace in Judaism that this upcoming chapter has many sages considering it a Tractate of Talmud by itself.So let us see what we can learn today and apply it to our lives. The Torah tells us not to be like Korach, a quarrelsome (to say the least) man. But again, the sages knowing human nature are telling us that if we have a quarrel in a synagogue, or any meeting place (today's board rooms of organizations or businesses), that if we do quarrel, to make sure, before we leave, that the quarrel is put to rest and peace among all is restored.The sages know how anger, as we discussed earlier in chapter 9, can lead us to all kinds of untoward behaviors. The sages know how grudge holding tears us apart. The don't want any of us leaving a place where we have human encounters with ill will. On a spiritual level every act of non-chesed re-husks those Divine sparks of lights that acts of chesed unhusked. On a psychological level, when we have unresolved quarrels with others, we loose sleep, and replay and rewrite the situation in our heads over and over and lose sleep and worse.When we look back on our lives, was any quarrel really worth what we thought at the time was so important? Ninety-nine percent of the things we argue about with others are: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says King Solomon . "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." [Eccl: 1:2].What I find interesting is Derek Eretz says one who ends these quarrels and brings about peace will be praised as Pinchas. Pinchas stuck his spear into a Hebrew. Zimri, as he was fornicating with a Midianite woman, Cozbi, not publicly, but in Zimri's tent. The Torah rewards him with having his line be the Cohanim Gadol, the head priests. (Pinchas was one of the many grandsons of Aaron). The Talmud doesn't speak very kindly of Pinchas as he killed this Hebrew without the benefit of a trial. The sages, trying to apologize for the actions of Pinchas, said that he know of an oral law that was only taught to him by Moses: "He who has sexual relations with a heathen may be attacked by zealous people." [Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 82a]. This troubled the sages so they amended it by saying the couple could fight back and if they killed the zealots, they were not guilty of murder.Let us continue with: ''Great is peace, that even when it reigns among idolaters nothing can be done to them, as it is written [Hosea, iv. 17]: "Ephraim is bound (bound together) to idols; let him alone." But if they quarrel among themselves, it is said of them [ibid. X. 2]: "Their heart is divided; now shall they bear their guilt." Hence that house in which there is strife will be destroyed, and the sages say that even a prayer-house in which there is strife will be demolished. ''God would rather us ignore him, even worship idols, and be at peace with one another, than to worship him and be at odds with one another. Peace is more important in Judaism, perhaps not as much in Hebraism, than worship or even belief in God. So it comes as no surprise that the sages tell us that homes and even synagogues where there is strife, makloket, will be destroyed. This isn't a divine punishment. This just what happens when people behave poorly to one another in any organization, including families. It is ironic that most break-away congregations have the word "Shalom" in their name. All one needs, it is quipped, to start a new synagogue is a quarrel, resentment, and a mezuzah.Let us continue with: 9:11:The same is it with two chiefs of the court who live in one town and quarrel with each other, they will finally die. Abba Saul said: Strife between courts is a destruction of the world. ''In Talmudic times Jewish courts, most of them made up of 3 judges, i.e. rabbis, were used constantly to make decisions on halakah,[Jewish law], as well as with legal cases involving monetary disputes. In the same town, at the least, halakah and minhag (custom), had to be consistent. Inconsistency would have people 'judge shopping' and would cause strife and confusion. The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin tries to work out the different opinions of different rabbinic judges, to bring about one 'law' for all. When two rabbis disagree, especially when they are deceased and cannot be quizzed, the present rabbis try to find some exceptionality to prove that they really did agree.Let us look at this thru modern eyes vis a vis Judaism. Except for conversions, divorces, etc., the use of a 3 person court is rare, aside from those existing in Orthodox communities. So let us read the passage of telling us how awful it is when two rabbis in the same town, or two congregations, in the same town, quarrel and don't get along.Derek Eretz tells us this destroys the world, the Jewish community in the town. The holiday of Lag B'Omer reminds us of a plague that struck 24,000 rabbis circa 100 CE because they argued with each other, and didn't respect one another. Shalom in the Jewish community is much more important than Rabbis arguing over 'who is a Jew', or if institutional ordination is better than traditional one-on-one semikah.Let us end today's class as well as chapter 9 with: 9:12: Abba Issi b. Johanan said in the name of Samuel the Little: This world resembles the eyeball of a man. The white is the ocean that surrounds the whole land; the black is the world; the circle in the black is Jerusalem, and the image (the pupil) in the circle is the Temple, which will be rebuilt in the near future. Amen.''Any honest reading of the TaNaK shows us that Jerusalem was not a city of pure shalom, nor was the Temple a place of pure shalom. Humans resided and worked in both and humans are not saints. Kings fought kings, princes fought princes, priests fought rabbis and with each other.Tractate Kiddushin 70B states "if you see a Kohan who is arrogant, be assured that his lineage is genuine." Hoshea 4:04 writes "your nation is argumentative like a Kohan." Tractate Bava Batra 160B teaches that "Kohanim are bad-tempered." The Maharal says that they think that the "fire of holiness" is in them and their blood "boils." The Talmud records how Kohanim would kill each other in the Temple courtyard while arguing over who would perform the Temple services. Certain services yielded better cuts of sacrificed meats.But for the Rabbis of the Talmud, in the first Babylonian Diaspora , in the Second Roman Diaspora, and in the times in between in an occupied Judea, and in a Judea under the anti-Rabbinic rule of the Hashmonean Hebraists, Jerusalem and the Temple were fantasized as the center of the universe, the center of God's eye, and a place, if all laws were followed, all people would live in peace.The Temple had 70 sacrifices, one for each of the known nations. The Talmud says if Rome understood this, that the priests were asking God to protect the Romans, and the world, the Romans would have never destroyed the Temple. What we are speaking of here is spiritual Zionism which is part of Judaism. The Zion to which they refer, to which they wish to go, is the Jewish Messianic led Jerusalem. This is a true city, a nation, a world in shalom.The Messianic Temple (# 3 in Jerusalem, # 5 in the history of Hebraism....we forget the Leontopolis and the Elephantine Temples) is one devoid of animal sacrifices, and the only grain sacrifices left are those for Gomal , thanking God for restoring us from an illness, or voyage, etc.This chapter 9 ends on this note of a world, not just a synagogue, at peace to bring us into the final chapter of Derek Eretz Zuta, Chapter 10, The Chapter on Peace.We discuss the middah, character trait, of living in shalom, throughout the majority of chapters in ''The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew''(http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/ ) as well as in most chapters of ''A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud''What are your ideas about living in peace? How has learning Talmud's Derek Eretz helped you in your interpersonal relationships? How has understanding the spiritual and ethical teachings of Judaism helped you live a more joyous life?Next class, Baruch ha Shem, we will begin Chapter Ten. Thank you for joining me.For those who want a d'var Torah on Parasha Emor from '''A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud'' please click on Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:EMOR:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CHILLUL HA SHEM orShabbat Shalom:
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THE PATH AND WISDOM FOR LIVING AT PEACE WITH OTHERS: A MODERN COMMENTARY ON TALMUD TRACTATES DEREK ERETZ ZUTA AND RABBAH: VOL. 1
LOVE PEACE AND PURSUE PEACE: A MODERN COMMENTARY ON TALMUD TRACTATES DEREK ERETZ ZUTA AND RABBAH: VOL. 2
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