avakesh

Pluses of a Daf Yomi shiur.

Why should anyone go to a Daf Yomi shiur? The Web provides on-demand shiurim of various kinds, convenience and electronic delivery. There is ArtScroll and now Koren to learn on your own. Why stress one self to come to a bricks and mortar building, the same time every day, whether you feel up to it at that time or not?

I asked this question of several of the participants in my Daf Yomi shiur. Several of them have attended other daf shiurim and others are fully capable of learning on their own with various aides. This is what they said are the advantages of a in-person shiur:

1.The magid shiuradjusts his level of presentation and style to the participants, which cannot be done in an on-line shiur. This is something that I experienced myself. When certain participantsare away, the focus and style of the shiur shift to accommodate the participants who remain.

 2.There is an opportunity to ask questions.

3.Peer-pressure and relationships within the class, which quickly strengthen with a daily attendance, especially in a small group, keep one attending and working more seriously.

4. The right maggid shiur, if he be erlich in middos, brilliant and a role model, has an influence beyond purely intellectual. He becomes someone who, by his personal example, raises the standard of the participants aspirations.

5. The group membership dose something similar. The example of others, who night after night, or day after day, give of their time and effort to learn, moves a person to appreciate and value his own involvement and motivates him to "shteig" far beyond what an on-line class can do.

Darshening semukhim

I apologize for not posting as frequently as in the past - having started to teach Daf Yomi, and other urgent matters knocked me off schedule and I have to figure out how to get back on track. In the meantime, here is a thought on Brochos 10a.

A certain Min said to R. Abbahu: It is written: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.  And it is also written, A mihtam of David when he fled from Saul in the cave. 

Which event happened first? Did not the event of Saul happen first? Then let him write it first?

He replied to him: For you who do not derive interpretations from juxtaposition, there is a difficulty, but for us who do derive interpretations from juxtaposition there is no difficulty. For R. Johanan said: How do we know from the Torah that juxtaposition counts? Because it says, They are joined  for ever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 

Why is the chapter of Absalom juxtaposed to the chapter of Gog and Magog?  So that if one should say to you, is it possible that a slave should rebel against his master,  you can reply to him: Is it possible that a son should rebel against his father? Yet this happened; and so this too [will happen].

How did R. Abbahu know that these heretics do not interpret juxtpositions and why would they not do so?

What is the significance of Slave, Son and Master?

Were there not many examples in the Torah of rebels aganst G-d, such as Pharaoh etc(Maharsho)?

Answer: R. Abbahu knew that the heretics do not learn from juxtposition because to them all of the Torah is an allegory prefiguring Jesus.

The method of interpretation by allegory is familiar to us from the writings of Philo and it was taken from him into the Christian method of interpretation. In their hands, allegory served to divest the Jewish Bible of its meaning and to ascribe to it whatever meaning served best their theological ends. In such an approach juxstpositions mean nothing. While it is true that an allegorical interpretation does not necessarily preclude a literal interpretation and; interpreters such as Origen of Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo maintained that the Bible is true on multiple levels at the same time, we must remember that the method of allegory was generated by Greek interpreters in order to bring their myths into concordance with philosophy and necessarily deny their literal meaning.  Jerome, the one of the "Hebrew Truth", was not a fan of allegory either.

Once you understand that the Min deliberately ignored juxtpositions, you also understand that when he spoke of the story of Abshalom, he would have trouble, for it must have sounded to him as statement of the rejection of Jesus by G-d and reaffirmation of the election of Israel. Jesus cried out on the cross:, My God why ahve you abandoned me?" David, who is supposed to be a prefiguration of Jesus, however, was not abandoned and neither was Israel. Here is the psalm:

 Psalm 3

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

¹ Lord, how many are my foes!
    How many rise up against me!
² Many are saying of me,
    “God will not deliver him. ”

³ But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
    my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
⁴ I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵ I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
⁶ I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

⁷ Arise, Lord!
    Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
    break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸ From the Lord comes deliverance. 
    May your blessing be on your people.

On the other hand, he would relate to Psalms about Saul better both because it echoes some of his beliefs and becasue it ends with the praise of the nations and not Israel..

Psalm 57

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.

¹ Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
    for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
    until the disaster has passed.

² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God, who vindicates me.
³ He sends from heaven and saves me,
    rebuking those who hotly pursue me—^[c]
    God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.

⁴ I am in the midst of lions;
    I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶ They spread a net for my feet —
    I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
    but they have fallen into it themselves.

⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth.

 

Therefore, Min asks: "Why is not this psalm at the beginning of the book of Psalms"

R. Abbahu answered that the Min's preferred Pslams is connected to the psalm 2 that speaks of the rebellion of Gog and Magog and Israel's eventual justification over the rebellious nations of the World.

Min counters that it is impossible the his fellow believers are wrong. His argument is found in Nitsachon Vetus. It is that Chrisitans are more religious than the Jews and sacrifice more. Christian monks abandon pleasures of the world and of society, do not marry and devot themselves wholly to religion. Jews do not do so, so how could Christians be wrong?

R. Abbahu's response is about Jesus himself. Pslam 3 tels us that even a son can betray his father, for Absalom betrayed David. The founder of Cristianity was a Son who rebelled against his Father and he is prefigured in the person of Absalom. Yes, sometimes Jesus is prefigured in the Bible but not in the complimentary way that Christians believe him to be. It is similar to the argument of Nitsachon Vetus that Jesus is referred to in the verse :When your brother, the son of your mother, incites you saying, let us go and worship other gods (Devarim 13:6)". Just as it is possible to be well meaning and even sacrifice oneself but still be mistaken, so it is possible for the nations to attack Israel in the name of their religions, but still be wrong.

 

 

 

Brief Pesicha to Brochos

Why does the very first Mishnah in the Talmud start with the mitzvah of reading the Shema?

Two very different answers are given by the Vilna Gaon and the Riaz(on the Rif). The Gro (Shnos Eliyahu) says that the reason is because the very first mitzvah that an individual encounters after he turns bar mitzvah is the mitzvah of reading Shema. A boy who reaches the age of 13 at his first day after bar mitzvah is obligated in the Shema as soon as the night falls.. The Riaz, on the other hand, points out that Unity of Hashem is the foundation of Judaism and of all mitzvos. He explains that Shas begins with Keri'as Shema because Shema is the acceptance of the total dominion of Hashem and the expression of one's fear of Him. "Reishis Chachmah Yir'as Hashem" -- "the fear of G-d is the beginning of wisdom" (Tehilim 111:10), and therefore it is appropriate to begin one's quest for wisdom in Torah by learning about Shema, the expression of the fear of G-d. "If a person's fear of G-d precedes his wisdom, his wisdom will endure" (Avos 3:9).That is why the very first Mishnah in Shas opens up with the mitzvah of reading the Shema.

This two very different approaches remind me of the classic story.

A chasid and a non-chasid where learning the story of Rabbi Yonasan ben Uziel in Sukka 20. After speaking out the passage that informs us how birds that flew over the head of Rabbi Yonasan were burnt, both fell silent, contemplating.

"What are you thinking ?", asked one of another.

The chasid said:" I am in or of the holiness of the great Rabbi Yonasan. And you?"

" I was trying to figure out whether R Yonasan would be liable for damages if the birds were privately owned".

Humorous, but in many ways also reflective of two different approaches to learning, that of Nefesh Hachaim versus Baal Shem Tov.

Rav Zevin in his Sipurei Chassidim records for us a classic Story of R. Zusha. When the students of the Maggid wanted to set up a group chavrusa to learn Shas, they had some concerns about including R. Zushya. He prevailed upon them to accept him. What happened? As soon as they read the first words of the first Mishnah in Brochos, he was overwhelmed with enthusiasm and disturbed their learning. He jumped up on the table, gesticulating wildly, repeating over and over, "Meimesay korin es Shema. From Fear of Hashem (Meimas Ka...) Is how you read the Shema." They had to ask him not to attend.

Of course, this two different approaches to learning, one focused on Torah and the other focused on dveykus thtough Torah go further back in history than the Vilna Gaon and Baal Shem Tov. Rashi in Sukkah says that the birds were burnt because of the holiness of RabbiYonasan ben Uziel. Tosafos says that is was because angels came to listen to his Torah.

 

Daf Yomi Pitfalls and How to Fix Them

Daf Yomi has become a very popular limmud in our world. The reasons for this are many. Daf Yomi demands and connotes discipline. It is something of which a learner can be proud in his own mind and in front of his family and community. There is an mistique to learning and completing Shas; it defines a person.

At the same time, it is widely acknowledged that it is difficult to gain much from Daf Yomi as if is usually learned. How many times does one see the Magid Shiur droning in front of a table of seriously distracted and tired students, who barely manage to stay engaged. This one just looked in Rashi hoping to understand what is being said and he lost his place. He frantically attempts to locate where he was as the lines run away from him. Another one had a hard day at work and his mind keeps drifting away. Yet another learner has already given up and is learning on his own without following the maggid shiur. Still another one is looking at the clock wondering when the torture, at least for this unsuccessful evening, will end.

Mark Twain once said: " It is easy to stop smoking; I did it many times". Well, I started Daf Yomi many times! The unfortunate truth is that most of those who begin Daf Yomi with high expectations, soon drop out. R. Meir Shapiro used to explain that the famous saying, "Bo Shabbos Bo Menucha", refers to those who start Daf Yomi with Brochos and are gone by Shabbos. Why does this happen? Because it is very difficult to succeed with Daf Yomi as it is usually learned these days. Why? Because the learning is unfocused and has no goals.

I think we can all agree that the amount of material in every daf is too great to retain for an investment of one hour a day. When people can't remember, where each page becomes like another page, when a page from three weeks ago looks as if one had never seen it, frustration sets in. If this too much to expect people to keep on giving time and effort, to tear away time from family and other interests, daily, nightly, without experiencing success.

To succeed, to retain, to carry something out of every daf, one must set a goal and employ methodology. That great Talmudist, Yogi Berra once said: " if you don't know where you going, you sure to get there". Therefore, I would suggest that one of  the following goals be maintained:

1. Focus on the structure of the sugya. What is the question, what are the three or four Aromaic opinions, what is the conclusion? Understand these, focus on them, and review them. Whatever you retain from the rest is icing on the cake.

2. Focus on the background material and on what the sugya brings to expand it. Pay special attention to Rashis that explain the background and supplement it with a brief review of other related sygyas. Know where these sugyas are, which means- pay attention to Mesores Hashas. Aim to understand definitions and terms so well that you can explain them to others and learn where parallel sugyos and concepts are located in Shas. The focus is broadening your understanding and gaining clarity and bekiyos in Torah in general.

3.Focus on the major views of the Rishonim - what Rashi, Tosafos and Rambam sugya and how the Poskim decide. Your goal is to have a broad and general overview of the halachic discourse without getting bogged down in the specifics of it. This makes a virtue out of the difficulty of encompassing the subject and enables you to carry something that is useful out of it.

There are, of course, many other possible ways to focus, to put aside the extraneous, and to ensure that you end up with a finite but the real body of knowledge. In the setting of a lecture, this can only happen if the teacher is also focused on the specific approach to so get an specific goals to accomplish. If the teacehr is unfocused, the student has no hope. The way we hope to learn Daf Yomi is to project the ArtScroll application (see the top of the page) and utilize its ability to highlight and separate to improve retention. However you study, a focused approache to the sygya and a set of well defined goals around which the teaching is organized is the key and will remain central to success.