Monday, November 21, 2011

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: SLOW TO ANGER, EASY TO APPEASE :MUSSAR

 
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH RENEWAL: SLOW TO ANGER, EASY TO APPEASE : MUSSAR
 
Jewish  Spiritual  Renewal:
  
  Derek  Eretz Zuta + Rabbah:
  
 Shabbat  12/03/11 
 
 (aka  Derech  Eretz )
  
 
  
Shalom  my dear Chaverim, Talmidim, v' Rabbanim, friends, students and fellow rabbis: 
  
An oneg, joy-filled, Shabbat this coming weekend to all. And again a happy Rosh Chodesh Kislev.  
  
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 at   Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: LET YOUR YES BE YES, YOUR NO BE NO
  
From  here you will find links to preceding classes in this series. So, together we continue:
  
 TALMUD  BAVLI
  
 TRACTATE 
  
 DEREk ERETZ  ZUTA
  
 (aka  Derech  Eretz)
  
Today we will continue with CHAPTER 5 of  Talmud  Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta Verses  5:3-4.
 
''One has always to know with whom he is sitting, near whom he is standing, with whom he is eating, with whom he is conversing, for whom he signs contracts and notes of debt. By four things the scholar is recognized: his pocket, his goblet, his anger, and his dress; and, some say, even his talk. ''
 
Our first verse is telling us to ''know'' about everyone with whom we are having any relationship, from the most casual, to even financial.
 
What does it mean to know someone? Certainly this ''know'' in the Talmud is not the same as ''to know'' in the Biblical sense. Further, we are not to judge others. So this ''knowing'' is derived from our watching, and listening, so that we may discern wisely the important middot, character traits, those with whom we are doing business , or even those with whom we are ''hanging on the corner,'' have or do not have.
 
Now we can all agree that we must know about those with whom we are entering into financial dealings. This is especially true of our business partners and those to whom we lend money. Ask any business attorney and they will tell you that a bad business partner, ending in a break-up of a business, is worse than having a bad spouse and the divorce that ensues.
 
All of us have read about the 'charming', 'nice' Mr Madoff, and the clients that he hoodwinked. We all need to learn that being charming or being nice does not mean the person has the character traits of being just, honest and righteous.
 
So we are to pick our friends and acquaintances wisely. This prevents us from getting harmed, even from people with whom we casually sit, stand, eat and/or converse.
 
This is not to teach us to be snobbish or alone in this world. It is just there are those we can trust with intimate details of our lives, and our money, and those with whom we are best off talking about the weather. '' Distance yourself from a bad neighbor, do not cleave to a wicked person'' (Talmud Bavli Tractate Pirkei Avot 1:7) 
 
The spiritual lesson of this verse is to discern the level of spirituality those with whom we come in contact are on. If we discover someone is lacking while we are sitting, standing, eating or conversing with them, it may be a good time, (and I say 'may'), to try to help increase that Divine spark that is found in all of us.
 
This leads us to our second and last verse today from Talmud Bavli Tractate Derek Eretz Zuta Chapter 5:4. "By four things the scholar is recognized: his pocket, his goblet, his anger, and his dress; and, some say, even his talk.'' In a sense this is the converse of 5:3.
 
While we need to discern about others to avoid getting hurt, others knowing that we are rabbis WILL judge us. We must not, as many clergy do, flaunt our money. Most folks, as cynical  today as they were in Hebraic Temple times, will assume we have gained money unethically. This is why when the Priests entered the Temple to collect  tithes, their clothes had no pockets. No one could accuse them of misappropriating funds.[ Talmud Bavli Tractate Shekelim  3:2]
 
We rabbis, except for Purim, just cannot get drunk and make a fool of ourselves. We need to dress appropriately, and we have to be careful with the words that we use. We certainly cannot engage in lashon ha ra, gossip and slander. We need to practice what we teach.
 
The spiritual lesson here is that what is right for rabbis, is really right for all of us. All of us need to be aware of the concept that we discussed in an earlier class, ma'arit ayin, of what looks good to the eye. By behaving poorly, when people know that we are rabbis, we put a stumbling block before the blind (Lifne Iver).  We allow the uninformed to think that our poor behavior is allowed.
 
Let us talk about anger, that I saved for the last trait  that was mentioned.  We are all human and some days, something will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Proverbs 16:32 reads, "Better one who is slow to anger than one with might, one who rules his spirit than the captor of a city."

Pirkei Avot 5:11 teaches: '' There are four types of temperaments. One who is easily angered and easily appeased--his virtue cancels his flaw. One whom it is difficult to anger and difficult to appease--his flaw cancels his virtue. One whom it is difficult to anger and is easily appeased, is a righteous person. One who is easily angered and is difficult to appease, is wicked.'' So note how even the righteous person, who is difficult to make angry, still at some point will get angry. But we most learn how to be quickly appeased and make amends.

Allow me to leave you with a story of anger and Rabbi Hillel (c 100 BCE) from the Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 31a:

 ''It once happened that two men made a wager with each other, saying,' He who goes and makes Hillel angry shall receive four hundred zuz.'

Said one, 'I will go and incense him.'

That day was the Sabbath eve, and Hillel was washing his head. He went, passed by the door of his house, and called out, 'Is Hillel here, is Hillel here?' {Rabbi Segal's note: There was no use the title "Rabbi.''} 

Thereupon Hillel robed and went out to him, saying, 'My son, what do you require?' 'I have a question to ask,' said he. 'Ask, my son,' he prompted. Thereupon he asked: 'Why are the heads of the Babylonians round?{ Rabbi Segal's note: R' Hillel was a Babylonia}.

 'My son, you have asked a great question,' replied he: 'because they have no skillful midwives.'

He departed, tarried a while, returned, and called out, 'Is Hillel here; is Hillel here?' He robed and went out to him, saying, 'My son, what do you require?' 'I have a question to ask,' said he. 'Ask, my son,' he prompted. Thereupon he asked: 'Why are the eyes of the Palmyreans  bleared?'

 'My son, you have asked a great question, replied he: 'because they live in sandy places.'

He departed, tarried a while, returned, and called out, 'Is Hillel here; is Hillel here?' He robed and went out to him, saying, 'My son, what do you require?' 'I have a question to ask,' said he. 'Ask, my son,' he prompted. He asked, 'Why are the feet of the Africans  wide?'

 'My son, you have asked a great question,' said he; 'because they live in watery marshes.' {Rabbi Segal's comment: They need wide feet, like ducks, because of the marshes.}

 'I have many questions to ask,' said he, 'but fear that you may become angry.' Thereupon he robed, sat before him and said, 'Ask all the questions you have to ask.'

 'Are you the Hillel who is called the nasi [head Rabbi]  of Israel?' 'Yes,' he replied. 'If that is you,' he retorted, 'may there not be many like you in Israel!'

 'Why, my son?' queried Hillel.

'Because I have lost four hundred zuz through you,' complained he.

'Be careful of your moods,' he answered. 'I, Hillel, am worth it that you should lose four hundred zuz and yet  even another four hundred zuz through me, so yet that I, Hillel, shall not lose my temper.'

We discuss these middot, character traits, especially anger, 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 getting angry and being discerning  with whom you spend your time?  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 Derek Eretz Zuta, Chapter FIVE. Thank you for joining me.
 
For those who want a d'var Torah on Parashot Vayeitzei from '''A  Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and  Talmud ''

 

 

Shabbat Shalom:

Rabbi Arthur Segal_

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Maker  of Shalom (Oseh Shalom) help make us deserving of Shalom beyond all human  comprehension!

purim2

drunk rabbis, on Purim.
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Posted by Rabbi Arthur Segal at 10:36 AM