nakedness of women....and others, too (daf 24)

(i admit to being a bit lax about blogging lately. i'm learning the daf, just not writing about it. oh yeah, and not always on each day, but i'm doing it! but i couldn't let this one by without a blog:-)

Today's daf (berachot 24) contains some discussion of the appropriateness of reciting the bedtime Shema while naked in bed with another person (either your wife -- remember these were men talking -- or another man that you happened to be sharing the bed with....hmmm...). And then it goes on to discuss other aspects of "nakedness":

Rav Chisda said: The thigh of a woman is considered nakedness (ervah)...Shmuel said: the voice of a woman is considered nakedness (ervah), as it is stated: "for your voice is sweet and your countenance comely." Rav Sheishet said: The hair of a woman is considered nakedness.

Interesting. These "naked" things are pretty much the basis, I believe, for many of the concepts of modesty -- can't wear pants, can't sing in public, have to cover the hair....I wonder why it is that there isn't a similar discussion about that which is considered "nakedness" for MEN that might be distracting to WOMEN?

p.s. there's a small bit that I chuckled over. (is one allowed to chuckle over Talmud? well, I did.) If one is sleeping naked, but covered entirely by a cloak, and is able to stick his head out of the cloak, then he can recite the Shema, so his nakedness is overed. But, it says, how can this work: "his heart still sees his nakedness" -- and I had to giggle, because it made me think of the line: "I'm naked under my clothes!" -- which, I suppose, we all are, all the time. Just a thought.

exemptions to reciting Shema....(daf 20)

in today's daf, we learn that women (and slaves and minors) are exempt from reciting shema and wearing tefillin, because these are time-bound mitzvot that women couldn't necessarily be aksed to engage in.

rather than give you a whole opinion on this (being a woman with a watch, and all), i leave you this link to a very interesting entry in a blog:

http://onthefringe_jewishblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/nothing-to-help-us-pray-women-and.html (and I love her title...."on the fringe")

AND
women are still obligated to affix a mezuzah (so if a woman lives alone, she has to have one up on her house) and to say birkat hamazon after eating....so there are some things to which women are obligated. Some people say that the exemption for women doesn't mean that they can't do the things, but others say that if you're going to take on the responsiblity, then you need to go "whole hog" (ha ha) and take on all the responsibilities. My understanding is that this is the rationale of the Conservative movement when they agreed to ordain women -- they required that women "become men" in their obligations, i.e. they're required to lay tefillin, and all other obligations that are incumbent upon men; it's somewhat controversial that they couldn't just accept women as women and find a halachic way for women to fulfill the role of rabbi... where there's a will, there's a halachic way. But that's not how they saw it.

More tomorrow.

filling the barrels of our minds

So I'm starting to get slightly frustrated with Daf Yomi. I'm certainly not giving it up, but I'm feeling like I'm definitely not getting enough out of each day's learning. Then today, I found this story/parable online and it helped me see the purposes of what I'm doing....

A distraught man once came to the famous preacher, the Maggid of Dubno.

"What's the good of my Torah study?" he complained. "I study Torah every day, but quickly forget today what I studied yesterday!"

The Dubner Maggid responded with the following parable:

A king once assigned one of his subjects the task of pouring water into the royal barrels each day. But on one of his first days at work, the man noticed the barrels were cracked in the bottom, so that water dripped out, steadily, completely. Naturally, he stopped filling the barrels.

Six months later the king discovered that the barrels were dry inside. He grew enraged, threatening to severely punish the subject. Pleading for his life, the man explained that since the barrels were cracked, and couldn't hold the water, he saw no purpose in simply pouring in what would soon empty out of its own accord.

"Idiot!" roared the king. "Who told you I wanted the barrels filled? What I needed for you to do was to pour water on the inside where a growth had gathered on the inside of the wood..."

Gently smiling at the man who had come to speak with him, the Dubner Maggid offered, "Who says the sole purpose of Torah study is to fill our minds with vast stores of knowledge? The very process and the efforts involved may uplift our souls..."

Come, then, let us study Torah.

Reworked by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, CSW, (C) 1997

keep your mind on your shema!

Wow...those rabbis of the Talmud certainly had an understanding of the male mind (imho)...see:

(from the Mishnah...16a)
"a groom who marries a virgin is exempt from the recital of the Shema from the first night of his marriage (it was customary to marry on Wednesday) until the departure of the Sabbath if he did not yet perform the act of intercourse."

Why? Because he couldn't possibly recite the Shema with the proper kavanah (intention) until after he had bedded the girl....his mind would be completely distracted! Once he had sex with her, however, the exemption no longer applies (even if it's before Shabbat)...and if he hasn't had sex with her before the end of Shabbat (shame on him), his obligation returns anyway because by then he will be more comfortable in her presence (and therefore less likely to be distracted by her!)....

Interestingly enough, the rabbis later clarify this (in the Gemara) that it is because the groom is preoccupied with the carrying out of a mitzvah (commandment) -- the mitzvah of procreation -- that he is exempt. Other examples of ways to be preoccupied are brought up (like being on a sinking ship...go figure, maybe you'd be a bit distracted?) and rejected as rationale for reciting Shema because they don't involve another mitzvah (um, staying alive anyone?)...

And also, Rabban Gamliel recited Shema on his wedding night, we are taught, and his students questioned him on this behavior -- basically, he said that he is "above" being distracted. His poor wife!

-----

Side note: Today's Daf concludes with the "additional prayers" recited at the end of the Shemonah Esrei....a whole host of prayers offered by pious men....a little like a sampling so that we can then put our own prayers together, or if we like, adopt their prayers. Almost like a "how-to-speak a prayer" manual. Very useful for those who feel inadequate during that "silent meditation" period of the service.

mean what you say and say what you mean

R. Yose says that the Shema must be said audibly, and the Gemara asks why...and then answers that it is because the Shema says "Hear" and therefore it must be heard....and then the discussion continues whether or not one who says an inaudible Shema has fulfilled his obligation.

But to me, the question is on a deeper level. If we say something "to ourselves" are we really saying it at all? And if we say something as important as the Shema "inaudibly" and therefore "to ourselves" are we properly making a declaration of faith? And if we have the freedom, the luxury, the pleasure, of being able to loudly proclaim our Shema out loud, are we not giving up that freedom if we don't "say it loud, say it proud"?

And perhaps this theory continues to other things as well. How many of us have made "new year's resolutions" that we haven't really shared with anyone....and then really haven't kept them? Or begun a new diet but quietly, without sharing it with anyone....how long did it really last? There's something to be said for soliciting moral support, for sharing good or bad news, for being a part of a community that shares your ideals and beliefs....much like saying the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the National Anthem at a baseball game, perhaps saying the Shema is like making our public and communal statement....

prayer before business -- a good if missing concept

(we're up to Daf 14....sorry, I skipped a few days of blogging. But I didn't skip the learning, just the blogging...oh well.)

Rav Idi bar Avin says in the name of Rav Yitzchak bar Ashyan: It is forbidden
for a person to do personal business before he prays in the morning because it
is stated: Righteousness will precede him and he will set his footsteps on
the way.

You know, the concept of regular prayer is one of the most precious elements that has been lost in the Reform movement (and probably the Conservative movement as well). It is the rare Reform Jew who wakes up each morning and says Modeh Ani, let alone a full morning prayer service. Not to be critical of Reform Jews. But what an interesting concept, maybe I'll print them up -- morning prayer cards to paste on the mirror. That way, while brushing your teeth or washing your face, you have the reminder to at least begin your day with prayer. It's not too much to ask, is it?

If you think about it, how many times do we get up in the morning and think...ugh, another day. And that sets the tone for the whole day! Try and consider....prayer would bring righteousness before God....

hmmm....

(a little preachy today, sorry.)

welcome beruriah!

One of my favorite women in the Talmud (okay, so the list isn't that long, right? but humor me) is Beruriah, the wife of Rabbi Meir. She is considered to be a Torah scholar in her own right, and I love how, especially in the incident near the beginning of Daf 10, she is so able to put Meir in his place. She's not afraid to tell him that she is right and he is wrong!

The story goes like this: A group of hoodlums are annoying R. Meir. He prays that they might die. But his wife asks him how he can do this!? But instead she tells him that he should be praying for the end of their wickedness, that they should repent, not the end of their lives...and he does, and they do! (You go, girl!)

But the cool thing is that Beruriah herself cites Torah verses as her proof to Meir, rather than just scolding him. She is totally able to stand up for herself in a good Talmudic argument...a girl after my own heart. In 7 1/2 years of doing this (God willing we can stick it out!) I look forward to more encounters with Beruriah!!!

~~~~~

At the end of this daf, which explores more details on prayer specifically, we come into the next Mishnah, and thus the next line of discussion...what position is best for reciting the Shema? This is an interesting question, because just as I talked about a few days ago in an earlier blog entry -- there are debates about sitting/standing as one recites Shema in most Reform congregations today...do we go by Beit Shamai, who says to say the morning Shema while standing and the evening Shema while lying down....or by Beit Hillel, who says that one recites the Shema according to his or her "preferred manner"? (Hint: We always follow Beit Hillel!) So stay tuned for more on the Shema.....

returning to the question of shema time...

Our daf today returns to teh qeustion at hand, when may we recite the evening Shema, concludes its discussion (and there's some great stuff about Passover, of course, a digression -- welcome to the Talmud!!! Digression is its middle name) and moves on to the next Mishnah, a question: From when may we recite the Shema in the morning? (Vayehi erev, vayehi voker, tov me-od....there was evening, there was morning....and it was very good)

And I love the answer that the Mishnah gives:

From when there is daylight enough to distinguish between blue wool and white woold, or perhaps blue wool and green wool....and the Gemara gives other choices, between a wolf and a dog, a domestic donkey and a wild donkey (who's ever met a wild donkey???), or when one can see a friend four amot away and recognize him at that distance.

Basically -- the point of this is that it's not enough to say "when one rises", because without enough daylight to see, one can't really rouse oneself. (I agree, and living in the Midwest, this makes winter mornings a little tough!) but I like the final answer, that one can recognize a friend....we can't say our morning Shema until we've acknowledged another human being's presence first....that our whole connection to God, again, comes through a connection to another human being.

(What if you're color blind? You'd have to use the donkey example, surely:)

entering a shul through 2 doors

Rav Chisda said: A person should always enter through 2 doors in the synagogue.

The Gemara is "surprised" about this one, wondering what one should do if there aren't 2 doors to enter through, and edits his statement to be that Rav Chisda meant that one should enter into the synagogue the distance equal to the width of two doors and then pray.

Rashi interprets this that one shouldn't sit by the door, because he's positioning himself (or making it seem as though he's positioning himself) to make a quick exit.

Rashba interprets this to mean that one should wait a certain length of time before praying, that your mind needs a little time to settle in after coming into the synagogue.

Some explain that this is to distance a person in the midst of prayer from the distractions available outside the doors!

We decided that this had one of two meanings:
1. It's not enough just to "walk through the doors" of the synagogue, that's just a good place to start. Once you walk through the physical doors, then it's time to open the doors of yourself, and open yourself up to the Divine presence and the kavannah of the prayers....once you open one door, you have to work a little harder to get the second door open.

or/and

2. Many synagogues have two sets of doors, one for the "school wing" and one for the "synagogue." Perhaps Rav Chisda was saying that it's not enough to come to the synagogue just to pray or just to learn, but that one should walk through both doors on a regular basis. It's not enough to just pay dues, or just come to services occasionally, but one must walk through other doors in the synagogue as well....(this is my personal favorite explanation)


Each daf contains so many yummy tidbits of learning that I can't possibly share them all...or learn them all! But I look forward to continuing to discover them....my chevruta will be out of town for about a week, so I'm on my own with the next few dapim...

berachot daf 7...a brief note

there's great stuff in daf 7 (there's great stuff in all of them) but in the interests of time, i will point to this one today:

R. Yochanan said in the name of R. Shimon ben Yochai: From the day the Holy One, Blessed be God, created the world, there was no person who offered thanks to the Holy One, Blessed be God, until Leah came and thanked God, as it is stated(regarding the birth of her fourth son, Judah): This time, let me thank God.

Rashi explains that this is because Leah knew that Jacob was going to have 12 sons by 4 wives, hence she imagined 3 apiece. When she gave birth to her 4th son, she knew this was special, and thanked God for the "extra" share that she was getting. Certainly there were others who thanked God for things they'd received before Leah came along, but the Gemara notes her as the first to be thankful for something beyond what he/she deserves....(and leave it to a woman to be the one most grateful for the extras....)

What blessings do we receive that are beyond what we deserve? I think there are many....

welcoming the Divine presence

"And how do you know that even if one man (or woman) sits and studies the Torah the Divine Presence is with him? For it is said: In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee and bless thee. Now, since [the
Divine presence is] even with one man, why is it necessary to mention two? — The words of two are written down in the book of remembrance, the words of one are not written down in the book of remembrance. Since this is the case with two, why mention three? — I might think [the dispensing of] justice is only for making peace, and the Divine Presence does not come [to participate]. Therefore he teaches us that justice also is Torah. Since it is the case with three, why mention ten? — To [a gathering of] ten the Divine Presence comes first, to three, it comes only after they sit down."

We come to the presence of God even on our own, the Gemara reminds us, but we come best to the presence of God when we interact with another, and share the words of Torah. Truly, God is in the space between us, in the moments that we interact with others, when we say, as the Buddhists do, "Namaste -- The image of God in me sees the image of God in you." -- When our Godly sparks come together to create the study of Torah, the presence of God dwells there.

----

R. Chelbo said in the name of Rav Huna: One who is leaving the synagogue should not take long strides....and Abaye said, with regard to going into the synagogue, it is a mitzvah to run! and R. Zeira said that the main reward from attending a Torah lecture is for running to hear it.

This is what I love about Judaism. Seriously -- that we are not only instructed to do good things, but to be excited about them, to do them with joy....to make the mitzvah a part of us and love it and enjoy it and make it ours....and I must say that I love the way the Gemara works, because immediately after R. Zeira's statement about the main reward for attending a Torah lecture comes a listing of all the "main rewards" from things like having a halachic discussion, visiting the house of a mourner, fasting, delivering a eulogy, and attending a wedding....a little bit of a reminder of why all these things are important and what is the "best" thing to get from them. Going to a wedding, Rav Ashi teaches, isn't about the food (although I'm a sucker for good wedding cake) but the reward comes in the words that one says to the couple that bring them joy. Truly, that is the purpose and joy of attending a wedding.

It's a good thing.

tremble and sin not....

if one is a Torah scholar, he does not need to repeat the Shema before going to sleep....Rashi tells us this is because he is always reviewing what he has learned and therefore the thoughts occupying his mind are sufficient to protect him from the propensity for sinning....but there are other commentators who say that in this day and age, there are no Torah scholars of the caliber that one can claim that his/her mind is so constantly occupied with Torah...so this leniency isn't relevant today! My question is this: when were there ever Torah scholars so concerned with study that they couldn't change their focus to look at their beautiful wife lying in bed next to them!? I know that even the greatest scholars had kids....so they must have gotten involved in something other than Torah thoughts. I bet this exemption never really applied to anyone.

And with this in mind, the text goes on to discuss all the reasons one might neglect his or her study of Torah, one of them being the "afflictions of love"! So I'm not so far off from how the rabbis think....

perhaps more later.

ah....Moses *did* know...

So Moses did know when midnight was, he was just afraid that the Egyptians would miscalculate and then call him a liar if the plagues came at a different time than they calculated. Moses took care, perhaps, the Talmud suggests, based on a teaching in Tractate Derech Eretz..."For the master said: Teach your tongue to say, 'I do not know' lest you be caught in a falsehood." (translation courtesy of the Schottenstein text)

You wouldn't want to give the wrong information and then have people go around thinking you were misinforming them! It would seriously hurt your reputation, and Moses was a guy with a reputation. For us, I think this lesson is very good. It's better to offer to try our best than to make promises we can't possibly keep....

----

There are rewards for prayer, well....rewards in the World To Come....and today's Daf spends some time talking about these. It brings into play the Ashrei, psalm 145, which is a psalm that is an alphabetical acrostic. It is missing a sentence for the letter nun, though. We say this psalm regularly for 2 reasons: 1) its alphabetical nature and 2) because it contains a beautiful line:

פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת־יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל־חַי רָצֽוֹן

You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

This verse, some say, speaks to the infinte capacity of God's bounty...and thus it is the rationale for saying Ashrei three times a day (twice in Shacharit and once at Mincha). Why, though, couldn't we just say this line, or perhaps another psalm with a similar line (Psalm 136, the Gemara's example) -- because of both features (the alphabet and the nice line).

Then the Gemara goes on to explain why there is no verse starting with nun in the psalm. It is a very convoluted argument, referring to a specific verse that contains the letter nun as its beginning letter that refers to the downfall of Israel without a subsequent reminder that Israel will rise again. But frankly, there are lots of good verses that start with nun, is it fair to let the whole deal be wrecked by one "bad apple" of a verse???

I think that the nun is left out to demonstrate the imperfection of even the Divinely inspired words of King David (psalms)...that if even David could make an error, leave out a letter, and he had the clear inspiration of God as he composed these words, then how much the more so are we imperfect, and must continue to work towards the true fulfillment of our creation in God's image!? And that the world itself is imperfect, it is missing its nun, so to speak, and it is our job, and therefore our reminder as we say Ashrei each day, that we have a responsibility to work towards a repair of this nun-less world of ours....

And that's the daf for today! Shabbat Shalom!

nursing moms and king david

The debate over the number of watches in a night (which would lend itself to a concern for the latest time for the nighttime Shema, hence the relevance) indicates, according to Gemara, that the nursing of an infant is the signifying mark of the end of the third watch. This is followed by a small amendment that the woman speaks to her husband, and thus the night is ended and it's time to get out of bed.

While this perhaps isn't the most important bit of today's Daf (I'm fascinated by the discussion of King David's nocturnal davening....more on that in a minute), I think it's interesting that these men of the Talmud use the nursing of a baby as indication of the end of the night. As a mom, I can tell you for sure that the nursing doesn't just take place in the morning!!! I do understand, however, that one commentator (Ben Yehoyadah, I believe) addresses this (yay, someone is aware of what moms go through in the middle of the night!) and indicates that a woman only sleepily nurses her baby in the middle of the night, but this particular nursing is done while more awake, and she speaks to her husband. (Also because she is tired of being alone at night and it seems to be reasonable that dh should get up with her finally.)

But however you look at it, it's clear that even though the rabbis of the Talmud were busy men, they had kids at home and had wives who got up to nurse them. And I think that's worth acknowledging!

On to King David...

I have always loved the idea that King David stayed up til all hours of the night singing praises to God. But what I love more is the idea of his harp that helped him to wake up at midnight (just in case he had fallen asleep)...certainly an indication that if David needed help to get up and praise God, how much more do we need to remind ourselves to get up and praise God too...and that reminders are okay. It's alright to tape a little note to the mirror to remind us to say Modeh Ani or, as I read once, someone who painted Shema in his shower so he would remember to say it daily....these reminders are okay. We're not perfect, and neither was King David.

I also like the reminder that even kings take advice...as the Gemara relates the story of King David being greeted by the sages of Israel each morning. And they started, perhaps each day, by reminding him of the physical needs of his people. In some ways, they "brought him down" from his lofty, prayer-filled night, into the realm of the real, the realm of the human needs that present themselves to every leader and to each of us....it's important to praise God, it's important to engage in study...and then it's important to go out and do something about it!

And that's today's daf. Hooray. Two down...many more to go. So far, so good.

one down, 2710 to go.... day 1 of the Daf Yomi cycle

Berachot, Daf 2....

Why does Masechet Berachot, the first Masechta of Shas, begin with a discussion of the Mitzvah of Kriat Shema?

What a great question, and so pertinent to the Reform movement's re-emphasizing of the tefillah arrangement. How do I mean? As a child, I vividly recall the importance and emphasis placed on Shema as truly the central piece of our service. I remember the dramatic way in which the Rabbi would introduce it...(and many still do today) "the WATCHWORD of our Faith" and its musical tone (well, the Sulzer, which many consider to be mi Sinai) is majestic and regal. It is the first prayer we teach our children, it is the statement of our beliefs, it is central to who we are as Jews. (This last sentence is largely true for all Jews, not just Reform Jews!)

But as I grew older and studied the siddur, I was taught that the Amidah, is, in fact, the most central part of our service -- not the Shema! And I remember my first encounter with a service where the Shema was said sitting down, (in Classical Reform and most Reform, the Shema is said standing)...and being very uncomfortable with this de-emphasis of a prayer that I had been trained was the Most Important!

So in some ways, the beginning of the Talmud puts the Shema smack dab where it has always been in my consciousness -- right at the beginning and in prime mode.

But that said, on to today's Daf....which is, in fact, all about Shema. Particularly the time that it may be said at night. And the importance of getting it right, which is in many ways what the Talmud is all about....which in the end is basically after the stars come out. (Notice how they never worry about a cloudy night...)

The words are not the problem. It is feeling like we're actually addressing the text and participating in a conversation, rather than reading the words. Hopefully it will come.

A shehecheyanu moment!

p.s. the whole thing is beshert. The Schottenstein edition arrived today. Seems like God has a message for me...

a big day for the Jews....

So...today is a big day for Jews world wide, as today was the Siyum of the 11th Daf Yomi Cycle....
(see: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/546701.html)

and this provides the answer to "why a blog?"

I have been truly inspired by the concept of the siyum, by the concept of klal yisrael that I think is intrinsic in the idea of Jews all over the world literally being "on the same page."

And I want to do it too. I want to be on the same page. I want to feel that sense of being a part of something larger. I want to embark on the challenge of a seven and a half year commitment! (August 2, 2012 is the end date for the 12th cycle of the Daf Yomi...that's a long way off, hey?)

So here we go. I...along with a marvelous chevruta partner (am going to keep this relatively anonymous....hamevin yavin!)...will begin tomorrow with our study of Daf Yomi.

Traditionally, one embarks on this process by attending a shiur (class). We will not do that, mostly because we are a mixed gender couple studying (it's hard to find a women's class....anyone out there????), and also because we have very tricky schedules. But I am really hoping that this endeavor will fit in, or perhaps...we will MAKE it fit in. That is what I'm hoping.

So, why a blog? Well, because I'm nuts. Okay, just kidding.

But I feel like if I'm logging or documenting what we study, how we do it, what we learn, that perhaps there will be greater incentive to keep at it. I can't fake it if I'm trying to post about it.

Plus, how many liberal (read: Reform) women (or men for that matter) out there have done this? So I hope that this can in some small way serve as inspiration to someone else...anyone else...out there. I hope that this is a chance, in a small way, to remind Reform (and Conservative, and Orthodox, and Reconstructionist and Haredi and everyone else) that we are all a part of Klal Yisrael. And that even though it's not typical for Reform Jews to engage in daily Talmud study...there's no good reason why not.

I must admit -- I'm nervous. It's a big commitment, and even tomorrow, I'm not sure when my chevruta and I are going to get together! (10pm seems to be the likely time. We'll see how it goes!)

But we will have at our disposal (well, in the next week or so) the Schottenstein Talmud, and that will help us. And we will have at our disposal the vast array of information online...and we have the phone numbers of scholars in our cellphones! So hopefully there will be no bloodshed....

So, I invite you to stay tuned, to keep watch, and to stand witness (I think I need the incentive!) to this new endeavor....