RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUALITY: DEREK ERETZ: LYING FOR PEACE'S SAKE IS OKJewish Spiritual Renewal:Derek Eretz Zuta + Rabbah:Shabbat 6/2/12(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. I hope you had a spiritual Shavuot, making the Sinai Revelation personal to and for you.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!From 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 the last chapter of Talmud Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta, Chapter Ten verses 10: 6-8.CHAPTER X
THE CHAPTER ON PEACE
10:6: Adonijah the son of David was killed because he was quarrelsome, and it is permitted to support the accusation of a quarrelsome man, as Nathan the prophet did when Bath-Sheba accused Adoniah [I Kings, i. 14]: "I myself will come in after thee, and confirm thy words."10:7: And Rabbi said: All manner of lying is prohibited, except it be to make peace between one and his neighbor.10:8: Bar Kappara said: Great is Peace, as among the angels there is no animosity, no jealousy, no hatred, no commanding, no quarreling, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has made peace among them, as it is written [Job, xxv. 2]: "Dominion and dread are with him: he maketh peace in his high places." "Dominion" is the angel Michael and "Dread" is Gabriel, one of whom is of fire and the other one of water, and still they do not oppose each other, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has made peace between them."Let us begin with: ''10:6: Adonijah the son of David was killed because he was quarrelsome, and it is permitted to support the accusation of a quarrelsome man, as Nathan the prophet did when Bath-Sheba accused Adonijah [I Kings, i. 14]: "I myself will come in after thee, and confirm thy words." ''Adonijah was the fourth son of King David. When David was dying, Adonijah proclaimed himself King. The prophet Nathan and Bathsheba told David to proclaim his younger son Solomon as King. He fled, but Solomon offered him pardon if he behaved. Adonijah then tried a coup d'etat by attempting to marry one of King David's widows. This time Bathsheba pleaded for his life, but Solomon had him executed.The point of this verse, with some of the Talmud's occasional hyperbole, is that one who causes makloket, strife, the absence of peace, is worthy of death, even if he is a prince. For we 'commoners' when we cause strife or engage in it, we cause ourselves to have a living death. Medicine has taught us that living with stress and strife is fatal.Let us continue with a very important Talmudic lesson in Derek Eretz Zuta:''10:7: And Rabbi said: All manner of lying is prohibited, except it be to make peace between one and his neighbor.''Whenever in the Talmud we see the name ''Rabbi" without another name following it (e.g. Rabbi Yosef), the sages are referring to Rabbi Judah ha Nasi, (the head of the Rabbinic academy who died circa 200 CE). He was the redactor of the Mishna and the first to set it in writing.As kids we were all taught not to lie. We were taught it as one of the Ten Utterances (i.e. Ten Commandments). Dishonesty and deception are serious crimes in Jewish law. The Torah explicitly demands that one should "Distance himself from a false matter. "Thou shall not lie one to another" (Lev.19: 11). " Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel (Talmud Pirkei Avot 1:18) proclaims "the world endures on three things: justice, truth, and peace."There are, however, situations in which Jewish law permits or even demands that one engage in deception. We are told it is ok to lie, in fact suggested to lie, for the sake of peace. The TaNaK, Talmud and Midrash also have many instances of where lying is allowed to save someone's honor, to prevent death or injury, to safeguard property, to keep humble, etc.
My personal favorite is : Rabbi was delivering a lecture and the strong odor of garlic caused a disturbance. Rabbi said: "Let the person who has eaten the garlic, please leave." Rabbi Chiya arose and left; then all the disciples arose and left. It turned out that Rabbi Chiya had not eaten garlic, but left in order not to shame the true perpetrator. [Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 11a ]
There are Talmudic texts that deal with the issue of permissible lying. The next three verses are from Talmud Bavli Tractate Yevomot 65b.
1.Rabbi Ille'a said in the name of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon: It is permitted for a person to deviate from the truth in the interest of peace, as it says (Genesis 50: 16-17): "Your father [Jacob] commanded before his death, saying: So shall you say to Joseph, 'O Please forgive the offense of your brothers and their sin for they have treated you so wickedly.'"
2. Rabbi Nathan said it is a commandment to deviate from the truth in the interest of peace, as it says (I Samuel 16:2): "And Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.'"
3.At the Academy of Rabbi Yishmael it was taught: Great is the cause of peace, seeing that for its sake, even the Holy One, blessed be He, changed the truth, for at first it is written (Genesis 18:12), 'My lord i.e., husband Abraham] is old, while afterward it is written (18:13), "And I am old."
All 3 of the above tell us for the sake of peace, we can 'white lie.' Rabbi Nathan believes that it is a mitzvah (commandment) to lie if this will bring peace.
In Pirkei Avot 1:12 we are told to be like Aaron and love and pursue peace. ''When two people had a dispute, Aaron ,the High Priest, went and sat near one of them and said to him: "My son, see what your friend is doing? He is beating his heart and tearing his clothing saying: "Woe is me. How can I lift up my eyes and look at my friend. I am ashamed of myself since I was the one who offended him." Aaron would sit with him until he removed the hatred from his heart. Aaron would then go and sit next to the other and say to him: "My son, see what your friend is doing? He is beating his heart and tearing his clothing saying: "Woe is me. How can I lift up my eyes and look at my friend. I am ashamed of myself since I was the one who offended him." Aaron would sit with him until he removed the hatred from his heart. When the two met, they would they hugged and kissed each other.'' [ Talmud Bavli Avot D'Rabbi Nathan 12: 3].
The point is of course, peace is so important among people and in organizations, that we can even lie to help preserve it.Let us end our class for today with: ''10:8: Bar Kappara said: Great is Peace, as among the angels there is no animosity, no jealousy, no hatred, no commanding, no quarreling, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has made peace among them, as it is written [Job, xxv. 2]: "Dominion and dread are with him: he maketh peace in his high places." "Dominion" is the angel Michael and "Dread" is Gabriel, one of whom is of fire and the other one of water, and still they do not oppose each other, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has made peace between them."Shimon bar Kappara was a student of Rabbi. He was a talented poet and storyteller, and it is said that at the wedding feast of Simeon, the son of Rabbi, he kept the guests captivated with fables until their food got cold.Our verse is teaching us that there is peace in heaven among God and his angels. Gabriel means ''God's strength (gavor),'', and Michael means "Who (mi) is like (cho) El (God). They have opposite tasks (dread and dominion) and opposite personalities (fire and water). Yet they work and live together in peace.This is why so many of our prayers, Kaddish, Beracot ha Mazon, the Amidah end with: ''Oseh shalom bim'romav, Hu ya'aseh shalom aleynu v'al kol Yisrael v'Imru Aymein . He who makes peace in High Places, He will make peace for us and for all Israel and let us say, Amen.(Job 25:2)'' Angels do not have free will. They are tasked by God. We humans do have free will and we are asking God to help us live as peacefully together as do the angels.
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'' (http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/index.html#Compendium2 ) .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 continue with Chapter Ten. Thank you for joining me.For those who want a d'var Torah on Parasha Naso from ''A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud'' please click on Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:ECO-JUDAISM: NASO; SHALOM NOT MACHLOCHET (pettiness) or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2011/05/rabbi-arthur-segaleco-judaism-naso.htmlShabbat Shalom:
Rabbi Arthur Segal_
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Jewish Renewal_
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If visiting SC's Low Country, contact us for a Shabbat meal, in our home by the sea, our beth yam.
Maker of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human comprehension!!
JEWISH WEDDINGS
JEWISH WEDDINGS OFFICIATED BY RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: TRADITIONAL, INTERFAITH, CO-OFFICIANT, DESTINATION
"One of the Joys of being a Rabbi," says Rabbi Arthur Segal," is working closely with the bride and groom and officiating at their wedding." He can do this with couples living near by or with couples having a destination wedding in the greater beautiful Hilton Head Island area.
Rabbi Arthur Segal helps develop a custom ceremony with the couple so that each word in the ceremony rings true to them. His ceremonies can range from the very traditional to what ever the couples desires. Rabbi opines that this is the couple's special day, and to treat each wedding as unique.
For those who are having an interfaith wedding, Rabbi takes special care to respect both traditions, again with total input from the couple. He will be pleased to co-officiate at weddings, using non-Trinitarian language.
Rabbi Arthur Segal also will do recommitment marriage ceremonies with the same care as he does weddings.
Rabbi will work closely with the wedding planer and/or caterer to make sure the wedding is seamless, and the bride and groom can totally enjoy themselves on their special day.
Rabbi Arthur Segal is available, and actually prefers, to be at the rehearsal, to ensure all is going smoothly, and to get to know the bridal party, and family, before the actual wedding day.
For those that wish to have a Ketubah, rabbi will work closely to make sure everyone's name has correct calligraphy on the document, in English and Hebrew, so the signing ceremony is flawless.
For a beautiful gallery of Ketubahs go to JudaicConnection.com (My couples receive a $15 shipping discount)
Rabbi Arthur Segal tries to limit his weddings to Hilton Head, SC, Bluffton, SC, Palmetto Bluff, SC, Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC, but has been known to make himself available elsewhere, even out of the USA. He will also conduct weddings and recommitment ceremonies on cruise ships.
In keeping with Jewish ethics, if the couple resides in Rabbi Arthur Segal's town, Rabbi will ask, unless there are some special circumstances, if the couple has first asked the local pulpit rabbi to officiate.
THE HANDBOOK TO JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: A PATH OF TRANSFORMATION FOR THE MODERN JEW
A SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL COMPENDIUM TO THE TORAH AND TALMUD
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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