RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: B'SHALOM MEANS DROP DEAD TO LIVING

 

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL: B'SHALOM MEANS DROP DEAD TO LIVING?

 

WHEN DO WE USE B'SHALOM, AND WHEN DO WE USE L'SHALOM?

 

B'SHALOM VS L'SHALOM

L'SHALOM V B'SHALOM

B'SHALOM VERSUS L'SHALOM

L'SHALOM VERSUS B'SHALOM

 

 

[SHALOM: AFTER 5 YEARS OF READING 'B'SHALOM' AT THE END OF THE SHUL'S PRESIDENT'S EMAILS, AND AFTER MORE THAN 5 RABBIS HAVE COME AND GONE, I (AS A CONGREGANT AND NOT THEIR RABBI, B'H) HAD TO BE A RABBI FOR THE PRESIDENT, FOR THE BELOW TEACHING MOMENT.]

SHALOM ___________:

 

HOPEFULLY ALL IS WELL AND YOU ARE GETTING READY FOR PESACH.

 

FOR SOME YEARS NOW, I'VE NOTICED THAT LETTERS ARE BEING SIGNED 'B'shalom.'

 

AND I KNOW YOU'RE INTENTIONS ARE GOOD.

 

I WAITED A FEW YEARS SINCE YOUR FAVORITE RABBI, THE WONDERFUL AND KIND, RABBI _____________ LEFT, TO SEE IF HE OR ANYONE WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO TEACH YOU.

 

PLEASE ALLOW ME TO DO SO, WITH ALL THE KINDNESS IN MY HEART.

 

FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T SCHOOLED, YOU'RE ENDING SEEMS TO SAY 'IN PEACE', AS IN 'I WISH YOU A GOOD DAY IN PEACE'.   

 

 

TO THOSE WHO DO KNOW, B'SHALOM IS WHAT WE SAY FOR THE DEAD, WHAT WE WISH FOR THE DEAD. 'REST IN PEACE'.

 

ONE OF MY STUDENTS BEGAN SIGNING HIS LETTERS WITH "B'SHALOM," WHICH MEANS "IN PEACE." IT APPEARED TO HIM TO BE A KIND WAY TO CLOSE AN EMAIL. 

 

I TOLD MY STUDENT THAT HE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. ACCORDING TO THE TALMUD, WHICH I KNEW, AS I WAS TAUGHT, THAT  "B'SHALOM" WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE USED IN REFERENCE TO THE DEAD.

"L'SHALOM," WHICH MEANS "TO PEACE," OR BETTER PUT , "TOWARDS PEACE," WAS THE PROPER PHRASE WHEN SPEAKING OR WRITING TO THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE.  HE SWITCHED TO 'L'SHALOM', AS IT WAS AN EASY THING TO DO.  

IN TIME, MY STUDENT  ASKED ME TO TEACH HIM THE LOGIC REGARDING THE USAGE OF 'TO PEACE' VERSUS 'IN PEACE.'  WHAT WERE THE RABBIS TRYING TO TEACH US IN THE TALMUD.

I RESPONDED TO MY STUDENT IN THIS WAY: SHALOM IS AN IDEAL THAT WE ARE AIMING FOR DURING OUR LIVES.   ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SERENITY IS UNREACHABLE HOWEVER 100% OF THE TIME.  

NONE OF US CAN REACH FULL ULTIMATE SHLEMA, WHOLENESS, INTEGRATION, SHALOM, SERENITY IN OUR LIVES, AS WE ALL HAVE EGO AND AN YETZER HARA, AN INCLINATION TO LISTEN TO OUR OWN WILLS AND WANTS. WHEN WE SLIP OFF THE SPIRITUAL PATH OF DOING G!D'S WILL, AND STRIVE TO DO OUR WILL, WE ULTIMATELY WILL STEP ON THE TOES OF OTHERS, EGO MEETING EGO, YETZER HARA MEETING YETZER HARA, AND WE WILL NOT BE IN PEACE, BUT IN CONFLICT.

THE BEST WE CAN DO, IS WORK TOWARDS INNER AND OUTER PEACE ONE DAY AT A TIME. PEACE IS THE GREATEST, MOST LOFTY GOAL IN JUDAISM. TALMUD BAVLI TRACTATE DEREK ERETZ ZUTA TEACHES US THAT 'GREAT IS PEACE.'

TRUE 100% PEACE IS ONLY OBTAINED IN DEATH. WHILE ALIVE, WE LEARN TO GROW IN PEACE, A BIT MORE EACH DAY, VIA JEWISH SPIRITUALITY. 

SO THE SAGES IN TALMUD BAVLI TRACTATE BERACHOT DAF 64A [SEE BELOW FOR ACTUAL TEXT]  AND IN TRACTATE MOED KATAN 29A  HAVE RABBI AVIN HA LEVI SAYING '' WHEN YOU TAKE LEAVE OF A FRIEND, DO NOT SAY ''B'SHALOM'', BUT RATHER SAY ''L'SHALOM.''  THIS IS WHAT YITRO SAID TO MOSES IN  EXODUS 4:18, AND MOSES WENT ON TO SUCCESS AND A LONG LIFE.

KING DAVID, SAID GOODBYE TO HIS SON ABSALOM BY SAYING 'B'SHALOM' [ 2 SAMUEL 15:9] AND ABSALOM GOT INTO A RIDING ACCIDENT, AND GOT ACCIDENTALLY HANGED ON A TREE LIMB.

 RABBI AVIN FURTHER SAYS:''WHEN YOU TAKE LEAVE OF THE DECEASED AT THE GRAVESIDE, DO NOT SAY ''L'SHALOM'', BUT RATHER ''B'SHALOM.'' [GEN. 15:15]. 

FURTHER THE MIDRASH GENESIS RABBAH TEACHES THAT WHEN JOSEPH'S BROTHERS SELL HIM INTO SLAVERY, AS THEY WERE SICK OF HIS BEHAVIORS, THEY WISH HIM ''LECH B'SHALOM'', GO IN PEACE. THEY WERE HOPING NEVER TO SEE HIM ALIVE AGAIN. IN EFFECT, BY SAYING 'B'SHALOM', THEY WERE SAYING IN TODAY'S SAD PARLANCE, ''DROP DEAD''.

THE VILNA GA'ON   POINTS OUT THAT THE MIDRASH'S TEACHING IS BASED ON  THE VERSE THAT DESCRIBES THE BROTHERS' ENMITY TOWARDS YOSEF: "AND THEY HATED HIM, AND THEY COULD NOT SPEAK WITH HIM PEACEFULLY (L'SHALOM)" (GEN. 37:4).

 

OUT OF THEIR CONTEMPT FOR YOSEF THEY COULD NOT BRING THEMSELVES TO BLESS YOSEF WITH THE WORD "L'SHALOM" AS ONE SPEAKS TO THE LIVING, BUT RATHER THEY PREFERRED TO TREAT HIM LIKE A DEAD PERSON, AND WISHED HIM 'B'SHALOM' INSTEAD. 

TO SOME WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF JUDAISM, IT MAY APPEAR THAT THE SAGES, AND ME, RABBIS OF ALL SECTS (INCLUDING REFORM), ARE MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF A 'LAMED' VERSUS A 'BEIT'.  THE GOAL IN LIFE IS NOT TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION, BUT TO MOVE TOWARDS IT. AS RABBI TARFON, IN THE MISHNA PIRKEI AVOT 2:16, SAID, ''OUR GOAL IS NOT TO COMPLETE THE TASK, BUT NOT TO AVOID IT, EITHER.''

I PRAY TERRY THAT YOU ACCEPT THIS BIT OF TEACHING WITH THE LOVE AND L'SHALOM THAT I, AND MY REBBE'S WHO  TAUGHT IT TO ME, MEAN IT TO BE. AS I SAID, I WAITED PATIENTLY FOR YOUR PERSONAL RABBI WHO TAUGHT YOU FOR CONVERSION TO INFORM YOU, AND THE MYRIAD OF RABBIS THAT HAVE BEEN GRACING ______________'S BIMAH TO TEACH YOU AS WELL.

 OUT OF AHAVATH ISRAEL, LOVE FOR MY FELLOW JEW, AND FROM THE MITZVAH OF GENTLY INSTRUCTING SOMEONE WHEN THEY ARE IN ERROR, [LEV. 19:17], AND MUCH PRAYER, I FELT FINALLY I SHOULD WRITE TO YOU.

L'SHALOM UVRACHA V'AHAVAH V CHAG SAMEACH PESACH!

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL

 

MOED KATAN 29A

BERACHOT 64A

 

RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL

REBBETZIN ELLEN SEGAL
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