Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Derek Eretz Zuta + Rabbah:Shabbat 02/19/11(aka Derech Eretz )The JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL class list is hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network a service of Hebrew College/YeshivaShalom my dear Chaverim, Talmidim, v' Rabbanim, friends, students and fellow rabbis:An oneg, joy-filled, Shabbat, Sabbath, this weekend, as well as a Purim Katan .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.For those new to the class, Baruch ha Ba! Welcome! You can access last week's class atFrom there you will find links to preceding classes in this new series (new as of Simcha Torah, the holiday of rejoicing over the giving and receiving of the Torah, circa 3300 years ago at Sinai, October 2, 2010).So, together we continue:TALMUD BAVLITRACTATE DEREKERETZ ZUTA(aka Derech Eretz)CHAPTER I.Talmud Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta Verse 1:6OK. As I wrote in our last classes, before I show you the next verse from Talmud Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta Chapter One, which is verse 6 and the last verse of this chapter, let me advise you that it is a long one, and on first read can be a confusing one for those not intimately familiar with Jewish History, or the entire TaNaK, as well as Midrash.I will guide you through it and it will open up some exciting doors for you, hopefully not an "Exit Door.'' ;-) . As we have done in other long verses in this class, we will parse it sentence by sentence, or in some cases, by phrases or even words. This is the last verse in Chapter One.''Love the Law, and respect it; love all creatures, and respect them.'' Subject your will to the will of others, as was done by Leah for Rachel and by David for Saul. But ignore your will, and even the will of others, for the will of Heaven, as we find by Jacob that he did not kiss Joseph (because he was engaged in prayer). Love doubtfulness (i.e., everything shall be doubtful to you until you convince yourself of it), and hate the expression: "And what of it?" (i.e., even of the most unimportant things you should not express yourself thus). Keep aloof from everything that may bring to sin, and from the abominable, and from what is equal to it, that you should not be suspected by others of transgression. Do not slander your neighbor, because he who does so has no remedy. Keep aloof from grumbling, for by grumbling you may come to growl at others, and it will be added to your transgressions. With seven patriarchs covenants were made, and they are: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Pinchas, and David--Abraham [Gen. xv. 18], Isaac [ibid. xvii. 21], Jacob [Lev. xxvi. 421, Moses [Ex. xxxiv. 271, Aaron [Numb. xviii. 19], Pinchas [ibid. xxv. 12], David [Ps. lxxxix. 41. Seven patriarchs are resting in glory, and worm and maggot do not affect their earthly remains, and they are: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Amram their father, and, according to others, also David, as it is written [ibid. xvi. 9]: "Therefore is rejoiced my heart,and my spirit is glad; also my flesh shall rest in safety." Nine entered the Garden of Eden when they were still alive, and they are: Enoch (Chanoch) the son of Jared, Elijah Messiah, Eliezer the bondsman of Abraham, Hirom the king of Zor, Ebed-melech the Cushi [Jer. xxxviii. 7], and Jabetz the son of R. Jehudah the Prince, Bothiah the daughter of Pharaoh and Serech the daughter of Ascher, and, according to others, also R. Jehoshua b. Levi.''Let us work only with the third sentence today. And let us start with the first half of this: ''Love doubtfulness (i.e., everything shall be doubtful to you until you convince yourself of it)... ''One of the greatest gifts God has given us, according to Rabbi Ibn Paquda, in his 950 year old text, "Duties of the Heart,'' is wisdom. God has given us sophisticated faculties of perception and intelligence. Wisdom is the life of mans' spirit and the light of our intellect. It leads us to be able to discern for ourselves.Paquda teaches us that even blind faith in the existence of God, is not Judaic. We must use our intelligence and wisdom, rationally, to come to the conclusion that God exists and of His Unity. It is our love of doubtfulness, if we take this doubt and use it to explore , that leads us to the truth. Note that the verse says "everything.''We were not meant to be spoon fed data, and opinions, by television pundits or newspaper editorials, today, nor by rabbinic sermons 950 years ago. We are to study, explore, ask why, and ask to be shown proof. Hence the love of doubtfulness leads us to emet, truth.The concept of gurus, or even rebbes giving us all the answers, is not Judaic. Our rabbis are to challenge us, to teach us how to study, to teach us to ask, and if we walk out of a class with them, being more confused than when we entered, all the better. Judaism was not meant to be a religion where we went to a Shabbat service once a week, or maybe even once a month, listen to a sermon, and accept it as truth. The love of doubtfulness leads us to the love of study.True dogma doesn't exist in pure Judaism. Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioner or believers. Our Talmudic rabbis disputed, doubted, diverged and disagreed on most everything. When the RambaM in 1166 Morocco wrote his creed for Judaism, listing 13 dogmata, his fellow rabbis rallied against this. These principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by Rabbi Hasdai Crescas and Rabbi Joseph Albo, and were effectively ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries.
Without study, we truly cannot stand for something. And when we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything. So much of what we think is fact, vis a vis Judaism, or Jewish history, is misinformation. And yet we make our choices, even write checks for causes, based on false data.
It has been quipped that most people would rather die than think, and most unfortunately do.
According to R' Meir, when one studies Torah for its own sake (Torah Lishma - תורה לשמה) the creation of entire world is worthwhile for him alone, and he brings joy to God ( Talmud Bavli Tractate Pirkei Avot 6:1). Just as the child must satisfy its hunger day by day, so must the grown man busy himself with the Torah each hour (Talmud Yerushalmi Tractate Beracoth ch. 9). A single day devoted to the Torah outweighs 1,000 sacrifices (Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 30a; and Tractate Menachot 100a). According to R' Meir, a Gentile who studies the Torah/Bible, is as great as the High Priest (Talmud Bavli Tractate Avodah Zarah 3a).
All of these comments about studying Torah can be applied to studying today's politics, science, ethics, etc. We are taught the fable of the Fish and the Fox, in which the latter seeks to entice the former to dry land. The lesson is that Israel cannot live without Torah, as fish cannot live without being in the ocean ( Talmud Bavli Tractate Berachot 61b). A democracy cannot flourish if its citizens are not well informed by their own intellectual pursuits, and instead are given so-called facts intravenously by being plugged into entertainment-news channels.
So we are to love doubtfulness as this leads us to truth and undoubting.
The second and last part of the sentence, and today's class is : ''and hate the expression: "And what of it?" (i.e., even of the most unimportant things you should not express yourself thus). ''
Now this was written circa 2000 plus years ago. How often do we hear folks today respond to other's issues with ''too much information,'' or ''so what,'' or ''whatever''? In fact all of these expressions translate to ''I don't care,'' or ''I don't have time for you.''
We are advised in Derek Eretz that we should ''hate'' these expressions, because even what seems unimportant to us, may be quite important to another person.In Hebrew the word for mute (elem) and violence ( alimut) have the same root. When we do not give ear to our friends concerns, when we mute them, we lead them to frustration and potential violence. How many times have we heard of or witnessed suicides, or attempts of such, with notes written stating that no one would listen to the suicidal person.Active listening is an act of ahavath chesed, loving kindness. Telling someone ''And what of it?'' or ''Whatever'' trivializes their concerns and separates them from us.Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what he hears. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding.
When interacting, people often are not listening attentively. They may be distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or disagreements). Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing attention on the speaker. Suspending one's own frame of reference, suspending judgment and avoiding other internal mental activities are important to fully attend to the speaker.
While it was Dr. Thomas Gordon (1918 -2002) who popularized the term ''active listening,'' the ancient sages of Talmudic Judaism taught it and practiced it. It is yet another way of loving our fellows as ourselves.
Next week, Baruch ha Shem, we will continue with more of verse 6:1 of Derek Eretz Zuta.
We discuss the aspects of this verse of Derek Eretz Zuta about not taking what is told to us, or what we read for fact, but to investigate it for ourselves, as well as not belittling someone's concerns, throughout 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 leading a life where you check facts for yourself and not just take at face value what you see on TV or read in the papers, or hear from your friends?? How has learning to take your friends concerns, no matter how small they may seem to us, seriously ? How has understanding the spiritual and ethical teaching of Judaism helped you live a happier life?
Next class, Baruch ha Shem, we will continue with Derek Eretz Zuta, continuing with more of the 6th verse of Chapter One. Thank you for joining me.
For those who want a d'var Torah on Parasha Ki Tisa from A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud or http://www.jewishspiritualrenewal.net/index.html#Compendium2 please click on: Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:KI TISA:GOLDEN CALF: or http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com/2009/03/rabbi-arthur-segaljewish-spiritual_06.html
Shalom:
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: DEREK ERETZ ZUTA: LOVE DOUBTFULNESS
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: DEREK ERETZ ZUTA: LOVE DOUBTFULNESS
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