Being Careful with One’s Possesions Sotah 12a

The Gemara asks how come Miriam placed Moses in the Nile in a basket made from a relatively cheap material called Gomeh?  Why did she not use a stronger material to make the basket for little baby Moses? One of the answers of the Gemara is that the righteous are careful not to waste any of their possesions and that Gomeh was sufficiently strong material for the basket that was needed. The Gemara explains that the reason the righteous are very careful with their possesions because they are careful not to use anything that may have been stolen.

Will G-D ever bring another flood upon the world? Sotah 11A

 Pharaoh said to the Egyptians “let us punish the Jews with water by throwing them into the Nile”.   G-D earlier promised that after the mabul he will never bring another flood on to the whole world (and therefore G-D won’t punish the Egyptians with water (a flood) as retribution for harming the Jews).  The Egyptians and Pharaoh mistakenly assumed that when G-D promised not to bring another flood upon the whole world, even a single country would not be totally flooded.

This was not the meaning of G-D’s words, however, and as we have unfortunately seen, it is possible that one or even several countries can suffer major floods, just as the Egyptians were drowned in the Dead Sea in retribution for throwing the Jewish children into the Nile.  One of the dire warnings of global warming is the threat of floods for coastal nations –  according to the Torah it can happen.  

 

Wealth & Beauty -Nedarim 66a

Wealth & Beauty: Nedarim 66a

 Many of us have a false Hollywood image of the beautiful peasant, native or country girl.  Anyone who has actually met these people in person (or seen pictures of them)  will see that often these women are usually quite homely looking.  Perhaps part of the reason for this homeliness has to do with the correlation between physical beauty and affluence.

The Mishna tells a story about a man who lived in the area of Judea  who was betrothed to his niece in the Galilee,   when he arrived in the Galilee and  saw how homely she was he took an oath that he would not marry her. When Rabbi Yishmael heard about this poor girls situation he brought her into his home, fed and clothed her and replaced her broken false tooth with a new golden tooth. Later Rabbi Yishmael brought the groom to see his niece once again and he said to him. “From this one you swore (not to marry)? The groom replied that he did not take a vow from such a pretty woman and Rabbi Yishamel was able to annul the grooms vow. At that time rabbi Yishamael cried and said “The daughters of Israel are pleasant but it is poverty that causes them to appear homely.”

“יופי ושפע” נדרים סו. 

לאלו מאתנו שגדלו מול מסך  הטלוויזיה והסרטים או מספרי מסעות למיניהם יש תמונה דמיונית של היופי של נשים מהכפרים הפשוטים ומשבטים מרוחקים. לאלו מאתנו שנפגשו עם הנשים מהמקומות האלו אנחנו קצת מתאכזבים מחוסר היופי של הנשים (וגם הגברים)  במקומות אלו. מדוע המצב הוא כך יכול להיות שזה איך שהוא קשור לקורלציה  בין עושר ויופי פיזי. 

המשנה מספרת על אדם מאזור יהודה שהיה אמור להתחתן עם בת אחותו בגליל. כשהוא הגיעה לגליל הוא ראה שהיא כעורה ונדר שלא יתחתן אתה . היא נפגעה מאוד מהמצב המביש וכששמע רבי ישמעאל על מה שקרה הוא הכניס אותה לביתו והאכיל אותה והלביש אותה והחליף את השן התותבת שלה שלא הייתה עשויה במידה מתאמת לשן חדשה  של זהב. רבי ישמעאל קרא לחתן והראה לו את הכלה ושאל אותו “האם מזו נדרת שלא תתחתן?” אמר לו החתן “לא!” רבי ישמעאל מצא פתח לנדר שלו והתיר לו להינשא לכלה “היפה”. באותו שעה  בכה רבי ישמעאל  ואמר “בנות ישראל נאות הן, אלא שהעניות מנוולתן.”

 

 

A Statement that causes indirect damages. Nedarim 49 a

The gemara states that the heart of the flax plant when cooked has medicinal properties for sick people, and this information should not be told to an Am Haaretz (a commoner).  Rabeinu Nissim 13 the century commentator says because if the Amei Haaretz find this out they will uproot the young flax plant to use it as medicine. From here we see that to cause damages even through speech and indirectly is wrong because the Amei Haaretz will pick this plant in other people’s fields. (Meiri)  

Who owns public property? (Nedarim 48 a)

The Mishna states that if two people made a vow to not derive any benefit from one another they are none-the-less permitted to benefit from the temple and from wells which were dug by  pilgrims by paths  on the way to the temple because these don’t belong to any one. They are hefker-ownerless. However  they can not benefit from the city bath house , shul or sefer torah because these are all owned jointly by all members of the community.  We can see from here that nature is not ownerless or  hefker however our public municipal roads and buildings according to the gemara are jointly owned by all members of the community.

Can One Receive Payment for giving a Lecture on the Topic of Judaism and the Environment? (Nedarim 37 a)

My assumption is that a lecture on the topic of Judaism and the environment is based primarily but not necessarily exclusively on biblical, midrashic and halachic sources and therefore a Jewish environmental teaching is similar in status to all other torah teachings.

The Gemara in Nedarim 37a explains that one is not allowed to receive payment for teaching torah to others. The source for this halacha comes from Moshe Rabeinu who said to the Jewish people in the desert (Devarim 4:14) “ And me he (G-D) commanded at that time (at mount Sinai) to teach you laws and statutes”

The Gemara explains Moshe Rabeinu words to mean – Just as I taught you (at Sinai)   gratuitously so should you teach others (  torah ) gratuitously.It is important to note that the Gemara says that for teaching Tanach (bible)  one can receive payment for one of two reasons:

a. According to Rav because the Tanach is often taught to young children  the teacher is taking payment for watching the children and not for teaching them torah.

b. Rav Yochanan says that for teaching Tanach one can  receive payment because he not only teaches them the words of the Tanach he also teaches them the melody in which it should be read and for teaching the melody one can receive payment.

However according to the gemara in Nedarim 37a no payment can be received for teaching midrash, halacha or any sort of explanation of the psukim of Tanach. Most Jewish environmental teachings involve discussions of Midrash and Halacha and therefore according to the gemara one should not receive payment for teaching a lecture on the topic of Judaism and the environment. This opinion is similar to a mishna in Pirkei Avot 4:5 that says “that one is not allowed to make the torah like a shovel to dig with” Rashi explains that that means to take payment for teaching others torah. The mishna continues by saying that “whoever benefits (monetarily) from torah takes away his own life.”  

Later Halachic authorities differ as to the issue of receiving payment for teaching torah. The Rambam (Maimonides) , who earlier in his life was supported by his brother but later earned his livelihood from practicing medicine, wrote very harshly about those who receive payment for teaching torah.  However, the Tosfoth writes (Bechorot 29) that it is acceptable practice to receive payment for teaching torah because one is receiving payment not for teaching but rather for the fact that while one is teaching torah to others he needs to stop working and therefore he is taking payment for his opportunity loss of not working. The Kessef Mishna disagrees with the Rambam and says that we have seen all of the sages of Israel receiving payment for teaching torah and that if they would not receive payment there would be less sages and the torah maybe forgotten. 

The Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserlish Yoreh deah) ( 246:11) says that he who can support himself from other sources and continue to learn and teach Torah it is a midat Chassidut (a trait of righteousness ) not to take payment for  teaching torah.

In summary according to the gemara one is prohibited for receiving money for teaching torah (other than Tanach).  According to most later opinions one is permitted though according to the Rama it is best to teach torah including topics of Judaism and the Environment gratuitously. 

May Hashem grant us parnassah beshefa so that we not have to rely on legal loopholes and may our sustenance come directly from him and not from the hands of men.       

The Ascetic Lifestyle

Nedarim 9 -10

Does Judaism encourage living an Ascetic lifestyle? The answer can be found in the gemara of Nedarim 9-10.

The Gemara in Nedarim brings two statements that will help us to understand when living an ascetic lifestyle is encouraged or discouraged.

In the first instance Rebbi Shimon Hatzaddik meets a shepherd with beautiful eyes and lovely curls who has become a nazurite. Rebbi Shimon Hatzaddik asks him why he has become a nazirite since he will eventually need to cut off his beautiful hair. The shepherd replies that he was once drawing water from a well and he saw how beautiful he looked and his evil inclination made him haughty and subsequently enticed him to sin. At that point swore that he will become a nazurite. Rebbi Shimon Hatzzadik kissed the sheperd on his head and said “may there be many more like you in Israel”.

This nazirite’s vows were considered positive because he was using the vows as a tool to prevent him from sinning. Because of his moral weakness he needed to follow an ascetic lifestyle to prevent himself from sinning

In the second instance brought in the Gemara Rebbi Elazar Hakkapar Brebie says that “all nazirites are considered sinners because they refrain from drinking wine”. Why is refraining from drunking wine a sin ?

The answer is because Hashem created the physical world for us to enjoy. If one unnecessarily limits the potential pleasure that he can receive from the world and from the creator he is acting incorrectly. The world was created for our pleasure.

What we can learn from the nazirite is that part of our Avodat Hashem is to learn to partake of the physical pleasures of this world in moderation.

האם הנזירות או פרישות מתענוגי העולם הם חיובים או שלילים לפי היהדות?

במסכת נדרים בעמודים ט-י ישנם שני מקרים שדרכם ניתן לבחון את הגישה היהודית.

במקרה הראשון מתואר נזיר עם רצון חיובי שנזירותו מתקבלת בעין יפה ע”י החכמים. מסופר שרבי שמעון הצדיק שראה אדם יפה עיניים ותלתלים מסודרות שנדר נזירות ואמר לו רבי שמעון הצדיק מדוע קבלת על עצמך נזירות שבגללה תצטרך לגלח את שערותיך? השיב לו אותו נזיר שרועה הוא וכשהלך למלאות מים מן המעיין ראה את דמותו היפה נתגאה ויצרו ניסה להטרידו מן העולם ולכן נשבעה לגלח את שערותיו. אמר רבי שמעון מיד עמדתי ונשקתי את אותו נזיר על ראשו ואמרתי לו ירבו כמותך בישראל
נזיר זה נחשב חיובי כיון שנזירותו באה רק ע”מ לבלום אותו מהידרדרות מוסרית שתבוא עליו בגלל התגאותו במראו החיצוני.

במקרה השני אנחנו רואים ביקורת על כל הנזירים שמרחיקים את עצמם מהנאה גשמית
ר’ אלעזר הקפר ברבי אומר “וכפר עליו מאשר חטא על הנפש” וכי באיזה נפש חטא זה(הנזיר)? אלא שציער את עצמו מן היין…
הנזיר שנמנע מלהנות מיין נחשב חוטא. מדוע? כיון שהקב”ה ברא את עולמו כדי שבריאותיו ייהנו ממנו.
לאדם הנורמטיבי שלא מרגיש מותקף ע”י יצרו אין סיבה מוצדקת לנזור מתענוגי העולם. הקב”ה ברא את העולם כדי שנלמד ליהנות ממנו במינון הנכון.

Daf Yomi – Environmental Responsibility in the Talmud

On Shabbat, thousands of Jews through out the world who learn Daf Yomi (a system of studying one page a day of the Talmud, completing the whole Talmud in seven years) learned an amazing Jewish environmental teaching in the tractate of Ketubot (Page 112a).
According to Rashi, the Gemara says that Rebi Chanina was so enamored with the land of Israel that he used to physically repair and maintain the roads in Israel. Rebbi Chanina was fearful that even the roads of the Holy Land should not be thought of as being of inferior quality. Let’s think what we can do today to maintain the beauty of Israel.

יהדות וסביבה בדף היומי:אתמול אלפי יהודים הלומדים דף יומי למדו בסוף מסכת כתובות על הפעילות של רבי חנינא שהיה מתקן את הדרכים של ארץ ישראל כיון שלא רצה שיצא שם רע הל הדרכים של הארץ.בואו ונחשוב מה אנחו יכולים לעשות היום על מנת שלא יצא שם רע על ארץ ישראל היפה שלנו.