We continue with our exploration into the Talmudic Tractates of Derek Eretz Zuta and Rabbah. (aka Derech Eretz Zuta, aka Derech Eretz Rabbah). I hope you all had a deLIGHTful Chanukah and for those in the USA, a Thanksgiving with an attitude of gratitude.
For those new to the class, Baruch ha Ba! Welcome! You can access last week's class at
From there you will find links to preceding classes in this new series (new as of Simcha Torah 2010). Remember that Derek Eretz is not about ritual. It is about how we are to treat one another.
TALMUD BAVLI TRACTATE DEREK
ERETZ ZUTA.
(aka Derech Eretz)
CHAPTER I.
1. The qualities of the sages are: Modesty, meekness, eagerness, courage, bearing wrongs done to them,and being endeared to every one; submission to the members of their household, fear of sin, and judging every one according to his deeds.
In our last classes, we discussed Modesty , Humility, Meekness, Eagerness , Courage , Bearing Wrongs Done To Us , Being Endeared to Every One , Submission to the Members of their Household and Fear of Sin. Today I invite you to explore with me the middah, trait, of judging every one according to his deeds.
And with this class we finish the first verse of Derek Eretz Zuta.
While our Talmud and other texts advise us not to judge others at all, we need to remember that our sages, as rabbis, had duties that we would find uncommon in today's modern world. They were not congregational rabbis, nor did they appear on the bimah , pulpit, often. Lay leaders lead services and gave d'vrai Torah. Rabbis gave d'vrai Torah on two Shabbatot a year...Shabbat ha Gadol right before Pesach, and Shabbat Shuvah, between Rosh ha Shana and Yom Kippur. With irony and some sadness, I write that Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return, because of the social hubbub placed on Rosh ha Shana and Yom Kippur,at many synagogues the attendance is sparse, having we rabbis call this the ''Shabbat of No-Return.''
So one of the duties of traditional rabbis was to serve on a Beth Din, a rabbinical court. And while many times these courts ruled on maters of halacha, Jewish Law, or approved conversions or gettim (divorces), they often time decided on maters of business law or even criminality.
It is in this aspect that the sages were taught to judge only on one's deeds, the actual facts in the case, and not on the reputation, or past deeds of the defendant. In Pirkei Avot the rabbis are taught to not separate themselves from the community when serving as judges. They had to know what was happening outside of their Talmudic Academies. If a person was brought before them for stealing a loaf of bread, and they were aware that the local economy was bad, they may rule leniently.
But for the sake of our discussion of derek eretz, how we are to treat our fellows today, I would rather focus on the Talmud's teaching of ''never judging another until we can stand in his place.'' And since it is impossible to stand in another's place, knowing all of his history, his problems, his loves, his deepest thoughts, we are best not to judge another. Many times we are forced to discern. We see that someone is a horrid gossip. We don't judge. We know that gossips have low self esteem and need to put down others to make themselves look better. But we discern, as the Talmud teaches, to stay about from a neighbor with bad character traits.
When we judge, when we are cliquish, in fact we are denying God, and worse, playing God.
''In a life with God, we will no longer feel envy or the need to vie for power. We will not see our fellows as obstacles and our friends will truly be our friends. "Envy, lust and pursuit of acclaim remove a person from the world." (Pirkei Avot 4:28). "A vain person seeks to compensate for his feelings of lack, by thinking himself superior to people whom he can consider to be beneath him." (Rabbeinu Yonah al HaTorah, p. 156).
Living in Jewish Spiritual Renewal with Derek Eretz allows us to accept all that exists in God's world. Acceptance doesn't mean we should be a doormat letting people walk all over us. It means that we will no longer feel compelled to react or respond to everything that happens to us. We will find the ability to laugh and say, "Your will, not mine, God." This becomes especially significant when we experience setbacks or other negative occurrences in our lives.
For example, if the service is lousy at a restaurant, or the TSA agent at airport security confiscates your "lethal'' tube of toothpaste, we will recognize these events for what they are, minor inconveniences having no real impact on our lives and our futures. More importantly, we will recognize and accept that these little occurrences are not deliberate attempts to offend us. Rather, they are most likely the manifestation of minor negative events beyond the control of those to whom they happen.
Take the restaurant example; think about the waiter, the chef, the manager and everybody else involved with the establishment's operation. None of them wants to get our order wrong or bring it to the table late. It is in their best interest to provide the best possible service, but mistakes happen and sometimes things go wrong. I have learned that by doing God's will and being peaceful in such situations, the restaurant owner, being a Godful person in the moment at least, will more often than not offer a discount, a complimentary meal, an apology, or some other compensation for my troubles. The old me would get angry, and I would "play God," chastising the staff and rancorously complaining to management. What was the typical result of such egotistical behavior? It surely meant an unpleasant meal, an irritable bowel, and my name on the resentment list of the restaurant owner and staff.
Acceptance means learning to go with the flow and staying in Shalom, even when everything around us seems to be helter-skelter. Acceptance means staying calm, trusting God, and doing what needs to be done without emotional drama. Acceptance means understanding that God is Adon Olam – Master of the Universe. Even in the most liberal synagogues we sing Adon Olam at every service. Our challenge is to accept it.
"V'hu Eli, v'chai go'ali, v'tzur chevli b'et tzarah. V'hu nisi umanot li, m'nat kosi b'yom ekra."
"And He is my God, my living God. To Him I flee in time of grief, and He is my miracle and my refuge Who answers the day I shall call."
In a spiritual life we are at peace with our fellows, loving them and seeing past their defects. This is possible in a spiritual life for a number of reasons. First,we will recognize our own defects. Second, we will recognize that every person is made in God's image. The Talmud teaches that unlike a coin press, which makes each coin identical, God makes each one of us different as He is infinite (Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 4:5). Thirdly, the best way to please a parent is to be kind to his children. Fourth, the Talmud teaches that anyone who says they love God Whom they cannot see, but does not love a human, who is made in the image of God, is a liar and a hypocrite. Finally, we are commanded to love our fellow.
Again, the commandments were not given to us for God's sake, but for our sake. Loving our fellows is a much better way to live than is hating and holding grudges.
There are three main reasons one needs to learn to overlook the defects of one's fellows. First, the Talmud, and perhaps psychiatrists, will tell one that one is "projecting" when criticizing and finding fault with others. That is, we see our own defects in others (Talmud Bavli Tractate Kiddushin 70a). Secondly, criticism of others is an exhibition of one's own low self-esteem, a futile attempt to feel better by picking on somebody else. Most importantly, the Mishna teaches that a wise man can learn from everyone (Pirkei Avot 4:1). Does this mean that everyone is a rabbi, a teacher or a professor? It does not. But it does mean that a person who has not learned what we are learning now is our teacher. By observing that person's defects, we learn what not to do, and we learn to love that person despite the defects.
Living a life with God and being in a spiritual mind set allows us to let go and let God take over. It sets us free. We will know that the only things over which we have any control are our own thoughts and actions – our will. Everything else is out of our control. It is a delusion to think that we can manipulate or control anything else.
By living a spiritual life, and not judging others, which relieves us of the burdens of self and ego, and by aligning our will with God's will, we will find that we are living a life full of God's help, power, love and shalom. His simple way of living, without judging others, or holding resentments, will make us happy, joyous and free.
We discuss exactly how to truly learn to not judge others, but if we must, to always judge favorably, with chesed [kindness], through out the majority of chapters in The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal: A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew as well as in most chapters of A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud .
What are your ideas about not judging others ? How does living being at peace in your mind with others play a role in your spiritual life? How have you worked on keeping yourself from being judgmental of others?
Next class, Baruch ha Shem, we will continue with Derek Eretz Zuta, with the second verse.
For those who want a d'var Torah on Parasha Vayiechi from .
Shabbat Shalom :
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!
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