The Wisdom of Torah in Challenging Times

A Community Shavuot Learning Experience

Thursday, May 28, from 7:30 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Torah Study Text

Co-sponsored by:
Jewish Federation of Orange County, Temple Beth El of South Orange
County, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Congregation B’nai Israel, Temple
Beth Sholom, Temple Bat Yahm, Temple Beth Tikvah, Congregation Shir
Ha-Ma’alot, Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, Temple Beth David,
Temple Beth Emet, and Path with Heart.
 The Torah of Sheltering In Place
Shavuot 5780
Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

Isaiah 26:20
‫כ׳‬:‫ישעיהו כ״ו‬
Go, my people, enter your
chambers, And lock your doors ‫לֵ ֤� ַﬠ ִמּי֙ ֣בּ ֹא בַ חֲדָ ֶ ֔רי� וּֽ ְס ֥ ֹגר דלתיך‬
behind you. Hide but a little ‫ַט־רגַע ַﬠד־‬
֖ ֶ ‫] ְדּל ְָת�֖ [ בַּ ﬠ ֶ ֲ֑ד� ח ִ ֲ֥בי כִ ְמﬠ‬
moment, Until the indignation ‫יעבור־] ַיﬠֲבָ ר־[ ָ ֽזﬠַם׃‬
passes.

Psalms 1:3 ‫ג׳‬:‫תהילים א׳‬

He is like a tree planted beside ‫ְ ֽוהָ ָ֗יה כְּ ﬠֵץ֮ שָׁ ֪תוּל ַ ֽﬠל־ ַפּלְ ֫ ֵגי ָ ֥מיִ ם ֲא ֶ ֤שׁר‬
streams of water, which yields its
fruit in season, whose foliage never ‫פִּ ְרי֨ וֹ ׀ יִ ֬ ֵתּן בְּ ﬠִ ֗תּוֹ וְ ﬠָלֵ ֥הוּ ֽל ֹא־יִ ֑בּוֹל וְ ֖ ֹכל‬
fades, and whatever it produces ‫ֲשׂה יַצְ ִ ֽליחַ ׃‬
֣ ֶ ‫אֲ שֶׁ ר־ ַיﬠ‬
thrives.

Psalms 46:11 ‫י״א‬:‫תהילים מ״ו‬

(11) Be still and know that I am ...‫�הים‬
֑ ִ ‫)יא( הַ ְר ֣פּוּ וּ֭ ְדעוּ כִּ י־אָ נֹ ִ ֣כי ֱא‬
God.

"Let them go,* and know that I am God ..."

*put down your weapons/release them/loosen your grip/relax

the hifil verb root is ‫ר–פ–ה‬

Rabbi Richard N. Levy z"l in Songs Ascending: The Book of Psalms-A New
Translation with Textual and Spiritual Commentary

10:30 p.m.- The Torah of Sheltering in Place - Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

To Ponder:

• What have you "put down" during this pandemic?

• In what ways have you "loosened your grip"?

• Have you experienced stillness during this time - a ceasing - ? How has that
been for you?

• What has emerged from the stillness?

Bemidbar Rabbah 1:7 ‫ז׳‬:‫במדבר רבה א׳‬

"And God spoke to Moses in the
Sinai Wilderness" (Numbers 1:1). ‫וַיְ דַ בֵּ ר ה' אֶ ל משֶׁ ה בְּ ִמ ְדבַּ ר ִסינַי‬
Why the Sinai Wilderness? From ,‫ לָמָּ ה בְּ ִמ ְדבַּ ר ִסינַי‬,(‫ א‬,‫)במדבר א‬
here the sages taught that the ‫ִמכָּאן שָׁ נוּ ֲחכ ִָמים בִּ ְשׁלשָׁ ה ְדבָ ִרים‬
Torah was given through three .‫ וּבַ ִמּ ְדבָּ ר‬,‫ וּבַ מַּ יִ ם‬,‫ בָּ אֵ שׁ‬,‫תּוֹרה‬ ָ ַ‫נִ ְתּנָה ה‬
things: fire, water, and ‫ וְ הַ ר ִסינַי‬:(‫ יח‬,‫בָּ אֵ שׁ ִמנַּיִ ן )שמות יט‬
wilderness... "And God spoke to
Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" — ‫ שֶׁ ֶנּ ֱאמַ ר‬,‫ וּבַ מַּ יִ ם ִמנַּיִ ן‬.'‫ָﬠשַׁ ן כֻּלּוֹ וגו‬
Anyone who does not make ‫ גַּם שָׁ מַ יִ ם נָטָ פוּ גַּם‬:(‫ ד‬,‫)שופטים ה‬
themselves ownerless like the ‫ וּבַ ִמּ ְדבָּ ר ִמנַּיִ ן וַיְ דַ בֵּ ר‬.‫ﬠָבִ ים נ ְָטפוּ מָ יִ ם‬
wilderness cannot acquire the ‫ וְ לָמָּ ה נִ ְתּנָה‬,‫ה' אֶ ל משֶׁ ה בְּ ִמ ְדבַּ ר ִסינַי‬
wisdom and the Torah. Therefore ‫ אֶ לָּא מָ ה אֵ לּוּ‬,‫בִּ ְשׁלשָׁ ה ְדבָ ִרים הַ לָּלוּ‬
it says, "the Sinai Wilderness."
‫תוֹרה‬ ָ ‫חִ נָּם לְ כָל בָּ אֵ י הָ עוֹלָם כָּ� ִדּבְ ֵרי‬
‫ הוֹי‬:(‫ א‬,‫ שֶׁ ֶנּ ֱאמַ ר )ישעיה נה‬,‫חִ נָּם הֵ ם‬
‫ וַיְ דַ בֵּ ר‬,‫ דָּ בָ ר אַ חֵ ר‬,‫כָּל צָ מֵ א לְ כוּ לַמַּ יִ ם‬
‫ אֶ לָּא כָּל ִמי‬,‫ה' אֶ ל משֶׁ ה בְּ ִמ ְדבַּ ר ִסינַי‬
,‫ הֶ פְ קֵ ר‬,‫שֶׁ אֵ ינוֹ עוֹשֶׂ ה ﬠַצְ מוֹ כּ ִַמּ ְדבָּ ר‬
,‫תּוֹרה‬ ָ ַ‫אֵ ינוֹ יָכוֹל לִ קְ נוֹת אֶ ת הַ חָ כְ מָ ה וְ ה‬
.‫ בְּ ִמ ְדבַּ ר ִסינָי‬:‫לְ כָ� ֶנ ֱאמַ ר‬

10:30 p.m.- The Torah of Sheltering in Place - Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

To Ponder

• What have you learned during the "wilderness" of sheltering in place?

• What is your torah of this time?

• What is the story you will tell of sheltering in place?

Imagine

Imagine with me for a moment—

don’t worry, I’m not saying it’s real.
Imagine, if you can, that there has been
not a calamity, but a great awakening.
Pretend, just for a moment,
that we all so loved our threatened earth
that we stopped going on cruises,
limited international flights,
worked on cherishing the places
where we already are.
In this pretty fantasy, everyone who possibly can
stops commuting. Spends the extra time
with their kids or pets or garden.
We have the revelation that everyone
needs health care, sick leave, steady work.
It occurs to us that health care workers
are heroes. Also teachers.
Not to mention the artists of all kinds
who teach us resilience and joy.
Imagine, if you will,
that we turned to our neighbors
in mutual aid, trading eggs for milk,
checking in on those who are elderly
or alone. Imagine each of us
felt suddenly called to wonder
10:30 p.m.- The Torah of Sheltering in Place - Rabbi Jill Zimmerman
In this moment, what does the world
need from me? What are my gifts?
Yes, I know it’s just a fantasy.
The world could never change
so radically overnight.
But imagine.

Lynn Ungar 3-20-20

Source Sheet created on Sefaria by Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

10:30 p.m.- The Torah of Sheltering in Place - Rabbi Jill Zimmerman

 ǒƜǩƎƝƽǓƴܸܸܸsƺƎdzܸܸܸ/Ǭۣܸܹ
ܸܸ:ƧͮƽǬƺܸܸܸBʹǬdzƽƝƎǍܸܸܸUƧǩǬǦƧƝdzƽͭƧǬܸܸܸǙǓܸܸܸ
ͮƎNjƧǓƽǓƴܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸ%ǙƣܸܸܸƽǓܸܸܸͭƧǩʹܸܸܸUǍƎƝƧܸܹܹ
XƊƘƘƹ‫̇ڗ<ڤڤڤ‬ǕƟ‫ڤڤڤ‬sƹƣƟƣǥ‫ڥڤ‬
ܹ
ܹ
bƺƧܸܸܸΟǩǬdzܸܸܸǦǩƽǓƝƽǦǍƧܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸƳƎƽdzƺܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸ%ǙƣܸܸܸƧͳƽǬdzǬܸܹ۫
ܹ
,Ƨܸܸͮ ܸ ƎǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸΟǩǬdzܸܸܸۤƎǓƣܸܸܸ,ƧܸܸܸƝǩƧƎdzƧƣܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܸܸdzƺƽǓƴǬܸܸܸۤƎƜǙͭƧܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸƜƧǍǙͮ‫ܹܸܜ‬
,ƽǬܸܸܸƝǩƧƎdzƽǙǓǬܸܸܸƎǩƧܸܸܸͮƽdzƺǙǶdzܸܸܸƧǓƣܸܹ۫
ܹ

ǍǍܸܸܸƜƧƴƎǓܸܸܸͮƽdzƺܸܸƎܸ ܸܸǬƽǓƴǍƧܸܸܸǦǙƽǓdzܸܸܸ‫ܸܸܜ‬dzƺƧܸܸܸǦǙƽǓdzܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸ[ǶǦƧǩǓƎǍܸܸܸsƽǬƣǙǒܸܸܸۤ,ǕLJƶǎƊƶٔ‫ڥڤ‬
ܹ
bƺƧܸܸǦ ܸ ǙͮƧǩܸܸܸǙƳܸܸdzܸ ƺƧܸܸܸǩƧƎdzǙǩܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǦǩƧǬƧǓdzܸܸܸƽǓܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܸܸ,ƽǬܸܸܸƝǩƧƎdzƽǙǓǬ‫ܹܸܜ‬
%Ǚƣ‫ܫ‬ǬܸܸܸͮƽǬƣǙǒܸܸܸǬǶΜǶǬƧǬܸܸܸƧͭƧǩʹdzƺƽǓƴܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸƧͳƽǬdzǬܸܹ۫
ܹ
bƺƽǬܸܸƽܸ Ǭܸܸdzܸ ƺƧܸܸǒ
ܸ ƧƎǓƽǓƴܸܸǙܸ ƳܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸͭ ƧǩǬƧۣܸܸܸ‫ܨ‬sƽǬƣǙǒܸܸܸƴƽͭƧǬܸܸܸǍƽƳƧܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸdzƺǙǬƧܸܸܸͮƺǙܸܸܸǦǙǬǬƧǬǬܸܸܸƽdz‫ܹܹܸܩ‬
܏ƝƝǍƧǬƽƎǬdzƧǬܸܸܸ‫ܹܸܐؿؾۣل‬
ܹ
ƧǍƽƧͭƧܸܸͮ ܸ ƽdzƺܸܸܸƝǙǒǦǍƧdzƧܸܸܸƳƎƽdzƺܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸ%ǙƣܸܸܸΟǍǍǬܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸǬǶǩǩǙǶǓƣǬܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣǬܸܹۤ
,Ƨܸܸƽܸ ǬܸܸƜ
ܸ ǙdzƺܸܸܸͮƽdzƺƽǓܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸƜƧʹǙǓƣܸܸܸdzƺƧǒܸܸܸƎǍǍ‫ܹܸ۫ۥ‬
ܹ
Xܸܸܸ۫BƧǓƎƝƺƧǒܸܸܸCƎƝƺǶǒܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸƺƧǩǓǙƜʹǍܸܹܹۤ
,ƊǏƶƊưǕǯ‫ڤڤڤ‬yƣǨƶƊǥǕǯ‫ڥڤ‬
ܹ
ܹ
۫۫۫sƺƧǩƧܸܸƝܸ ǙǶǍƣܸܸܸ/ܸƴܸ ǙܸܸܸƳǩǙǒܸܸܸyǙǶǩܸܸܸ[ǦƽǩƽdzܸܸܸǙǩܸܸܸͮƺƧǩƧܸܸܸƝǙǶǍƣܸܸܸ/ܸܸΠƧƧܸܸܸƳǩǙǒܸܸܸyǙǶǩܸܸܸUǩƧǬƧǓƝƧܸܹ۬
/Ƴܸܸܸ/ܸܸͮǙǶǍƣܸܸܸƎǬƝƧǓƣܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸƺƧƎͭƧǓܸܸܸۤyǙǶܸܸܸƎǩƧܸܸܸdzƺƧǩƧܸܹ۫

Ǔƣܸܸƽܸ Ƴܸܸ/ܸ ܸܸͮƧǩƧܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸǒƎNjƧܸܸܸǒʹܸܸܸƜƧƣܸܸܸƽǓܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƴǩƎͭƧܸܸܸyǙǶܸܸܸƎǩƧܸܸܸdzƺƧǩƧ‫ܹܸۥ‬
ͭƧǓܸܸƣ ܸ ƎǩNjǓƧǬǬܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǓǙdzܸܸܸƣƎǩNjǓƧǬǬܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸyǙǶܸܹ۫
bƺƧܸܸܸǓƽƴƺdzܸܸƽܸ ǬܸܸܸƎǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƣƎʹܸܸܸۤdzƺƧܸܸܸƣƎǩNjǓƧǬǬܸܸܸƎǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸǍƽƴƺdz‫ܹܸۥ‬
UǬƎǍǒǬܸܸܸ‫ܹܸؿؾܸܸܸۤمܜلܸܸܸۣنـؾ‬
ܹ
ܹ ܹ

11:00 p.m. - Embracing What Is: Jewish Mystical Perspectives on Awakening to God in Every Place - Rabbi K’vod Wieder
 %ǙƣܸܸܸƽǬܸܸdzܸ ƺƧܸܸǦ
ܸ ǍƎƝƧܸܸǙܸ ƳܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣܸܸܸۤƜǶdzܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǓǙdzܸܸܸ,ƽǬܸܸܸǦǍƎƝƧܸܹܹ۫
BƹƟǥƊǨƶ‫ڤڤڤ‬ƣǥƣǨƶƹǯ‫ڤڤڤ‬XƊƘƘƊƶ‫ڥڥڤֹֻּٌڤڤڤ‬
ܹ
ܹ
ܹ
CǙdzƺƽǓƴܸܸǦ ܸ ƧǩǬƽǬdzǬܸܸܸǶǓǍƧǬǬܸܸܸ%Ǚƣܸܸۤǒ ܸ Ǝʹܸܸܸ,ƧܸܸܸƜƧܸܸܸƜǍƧǬǬƧƣܸܸܸۤͭƽͭƽΟƧǬܸܸܸƽdzܸܸܸ۫/ǓܸܸܸƧͭƧǩʹܸܸܸdzƺƽǓƴܸܸܸdzƺƧǩƧܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܹ
ƧͳǦƎǓǬƽͭƧǓƧǬǬܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸǩƧƎdzǙǩܸܸۤƎܸ Ǔƣܸܸdzܸ ƺƎdzܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸǒƧƎǓƽǓƴܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸ,ƽǬܸܸܸƝǙǓdzǩƎƝdzƽǓƴܸܸܸ,ƽǬܸܸܸ[ƺƧNjƺƽǓƎƺܸܹ
‫ܸܸܜ‬dzܸ ƺƎdzܸܸܸ,Ƨܸܸƣ
ܸ ͮƧǍǍǬܸܸܸƽǓܸܸdzܸ ƺƧܸܸǍܸ ǙͮƧǩܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣǬ‫ۥ‬bƺƧܸܸܸƝǙǓƝǩƧdzƧܸܸܸǦƺʹǬƽƝƎǍܸܸܸƎǬǦƧƝdzܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸƧͭƧǩʹܸܸܸdzƺƽǓƴܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǙǓǍʹܸܹ
dzƺƧܸܸܸͭƧǬǬƧǍܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƜǙǶǓƣƎǩʹܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸǍƽǒƽdzǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸͭƽǬƽǙǓܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸdzƎǬdzƧܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸǙƣǙǩܸܸܸ۫
ǓƣܸܸܸdzƺƽǬܸܹ
ǬǦƽǩƽdzǶƎǍƽdzʹܸܸƽܸ ǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸͭƽdzƎǍƽdzʹܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸǩƧƎdzǙǩܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸƣǩƎͮǓܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܸܸƝǙǓΟǓƧƣܸܸܸƜʹܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƝǙǩǦǙǩƧƎǍܸܹ۫
Xܸܸܸ۫BƧǓƎƝƺƧǒܸܸܸBƧǓƣƧǍܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸqƽdzƧƜǬNjܸܸۤU ܸ ǥƹ‫ڤڤڤ‬,Ɗ‫ڗ‬Ɗǥƣǯ̓‫ڥڤַַڤڤڤ‬
ܹ
ܹ
ܹ
$ǙǩܸܸܸƽǓܸܸܸƧͭƧǩʹܸܸܸƜƧƽǓƴܸܸܸƽdzܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƣƽͭƽǓƽdzʹܸܸdzܸ ƺƎdzܸܸܸƎǓƽǒƎdzƧǬܸܸܸƽdz‫ۥ‬/ƳܸܸܸƎܸܸǦƧǩǬǙǓܸܸܸͮƽǬƺƧǬܸܸܸdzǙܸܸܸǦǩƧǦƎǩƧܸܹ
ƺƽǒǬƧǍƳܸܸƳܸ ǙǩܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƣƽͭƽǓƧܸܸܸƧΜǶǬƽǙǓܸܸܸdzƺƧǓܸܸܸƽdzܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǒǙǬdzܸܸܸƽǒǦǙǩdzƎǓdzܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸƺƧܸܸܸǶǓƣƧǩǬdzƎǓƣܸܸܸƎǓƣܸܹ
dzƺǙǩǙǶƴƺǍʹܸܸƝܸ ǙǓǬƽƣƧǩܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸdzܸ ƺƧǩƧܸܸƽܸ ǬܸܸܸǓǙdzƺƽǓƴܸܸܸƽǓܸܸܸƺƽǒܸܸܸƜƧǬƽƣƧǬܸܸܸdzƺƧܸܸܸƣƽͭƽǓƽdzʹܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸƎǓƽǒƎdzƧǬܸܸܸƺƽǒܸܹۤ
ƎǓƣܸܸܸdzƺƎdzܸܸܸͮƽdzƺǙǶdzܸܸܸdzƺƽǬܸܸƺ ܸ Ƨܸܸƽܸ ǬܸܸܸƎǬܸܸܸǓǙdzƺƽǓƴܸܸܸۤƎǓƣܸܸܸƺƧܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǦǩƧǦƎǩƧƣܸܸܸƳǙǩܸܸƣ ܸ ƽͭƽǓƧܸܸܸƽǓǬǦƽǩƎdzƽǙǓܸܹ۫
BƎƴƴƽƣܸܸܸǙƳܸܸܸBƧ͹ǩƽdzƝƺܸܸܸۤBƊưưƹƟ‫ڤڤڤ‬ƣ̇ƊǥƊ̇‫ڗ=ڤڤڤ‬yƊƊLJǕ̇‫ڥڤִֺּڤڤڤ‬
‫ڥ‬
‫ڥ‬
BƣƣǎƊljƣƶ‫<ڤڤ‬ ‫ ڤ‬Ǖlj‫
ڤڤڤ‬ljǎƣƣǏ‫ڥڤ‬
yǙǶܸܸܸΟǍǍܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣǬܸܹ
q‫ڗ‬ǨǕ̇ƣ̇‫<ڤڤڤ‬Ǖlj‫
ڤڤ‬ ‫ ڤ‬ljǎƣƣǏ‫ڥڤ‬

Ǔƣܸܸy ܸ ǙǶܸܸܸǬǶǩǩǙǶǓƣܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܸܸͮǙǩǍƣǬܸܹ
e‫ڗ‬ǎƣƣƘƊljƊƟƣLJƙƶƊ‫ڤڤ‬Ɗ ‫̎ ڤ‬Ǐ‫ڤڤڤ‬ǨƶDzǎ‫ڤڤ‬ǎ ‫ ڤ‬ƣǯ̓ƹDzǯ‫ڤڤڤ‬LJljƊlj‫ڥڤ‬

ǓƣܸܸܸͮƽdzƺǙǶdzܸܸܸyǙǶܸܸܸۤdzƺƧǩƧܸܸܸƽǬܸܸܸǓǙܸܸܸǩƧƎǍƽdzʹܸܸܸƎdzܸܸܸƎǍǍܸܹ۫
ܹ
ܹ
ܹ

11:00 p.m. - Embracing What Is: Jewish Mystical Perspectives on Awakening to God in Every Place - Rabbi K’vod Wieder
 Challenge and Healing: Community Shavuot Learning Experience
Rabbi Sarah DePaolo – Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot

Parashat B’Chukotai: Leviticus 26:23-26

‫ם־בּ ֔ ֵאלֶּה ֥ל ֹא ִתוּ ְָס ֖רוּ ִ ֑לי ַו ֲהלַכְ ֶ ֥תּם ﬠִ ִ ֖מּי ֶ ֽק ִרי׃‬ְ ‫וְ ִ֨א‬
And if these things fail to discipline you for Me, and you remain hostile to Me,
‫יכם׃‬ ֽ ֶ ֵ‫ַם־אנִ י ֶ ֖שׁבַ ע ﬠַל־חַ טּ ֹאת‬
ָ ֔ ‫ֵיתי אֶ ְתכֶם֙ גּ‬ ֤ ִ ‫ף־אֲנ֛י ﬠִ מָּ כֶ ֖ם ְבּ ֶ ֑ק ִרי וְ ִהכּ‬
ִ ַ‫וְ הָ לַכְ ִ ֧תּי א‬
I too will remain hostile to you: I in turn will smite you sevenfold for your sins.
‫ַד־אוֹיֽב׃‬
ֵ ‫ם־בּ ִ ֔רית וְ נֶאֱ סַ פְ ֶ ֖תּם אֶ ל־ﬠָ ֵריכֶ ֑ם וְ ִשׁ ַלּ ְ֤ח ִתּי ֶ֙דבֶ ר֙ ְבּ ֣תוֹכְ ֶ֔כם וְ נִ תַּ ֶ ֖תּם ְבּי‬ ְ ַ‫אתי ֲﬠלֵי ֶ֜כם חֶ֗ ֶרב נֹ ֙ ֶקמֶ ת֙ נְ ק‬ ִ ֨ ֵ‫וְ הֵ ב‬
I will bring a sword against you to wreak vengeance for the covenant; and if you withdraw into
your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into enemy hands.
(‫ְבּ ִשׁ ְב ִ ֣רי ָלכֶם֮ מַ טֵּ ה־לֶחֶ ֒ם ֠ ְואָ פוּ ֶﬠ֣שֶׂ ר נ ִ ָ֤שׁים ל ְַח ְמכֶם֙ ְבּתַ נּ֣ וּר אֶ חָ֔ ד וְ הֵ ִ ֥שׁיבוּ ל ְַח ְמכֶ ֖ם בַּ ִמּ ְשׁ ָ ֑קל וַאֲ כַלְ ֶ ֖תּם וְ ֥ל ֹא ִת ְשׂ ָ ֽבּעוּ׃ )ס‬
When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven; they shall
dole out your bread by weight, and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied.

Parashat Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 28:15-18

‫ﬠָל֛י� כָּל־‬
ֶ ‫וּב֧אוּ‬
ָ ‫ָל־מצְ וֹ ָ ֣תיו וְ חֻקֹּ תָ֔ יו אֲ ֶ ֛שׁר אָ נֹ ִ ֥כי ְמצַ וְּ �֖ הַ יּ֑ וֹם‬
ִ ‫ם־ל ֹא ִת ְשׁמַ ע֙ ְבּקוֹ ֙ל יְ הוָ ֣ה אֱ�הֶ֔ י� לִ ְשׁמֹ֤ ר ַלﬠֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶ ת־כּ‬ ֤ ‫וְ הָ ָ֗יה ִא‬
‫הַ קְּ לָל֥ וֹת הָ ֵ ֖אלֶּה וְ ִה ִשּׂיגֽ וּ�׃‬
But if you do not obey the LORD your God to observe faithfully all His commandments and laws
which I enjoin upon you this day, all these curses shall come upon you and take effect:
‫אָ ֥רוּר אַ ָ ֖תּה בָּ ִ ֑ﬠיר וְ אָ ֥רוּר אַ ָ ֖תּה בַּ שָּׂ ֶ ֽדה׃‬
Cursed shall you be in the city and cursed shall you be in the country.
‫וּמ ְשׁאַ ְר ֶ ֽתּ�׃‬ִ ֖�ֲ‫אָ ֥רוּר טַ נְ א‬
Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
‫ֹאנ �׃‬
ֽ ֶ ‫י־ב ְטנְ �֖ וּפְ ִ ֣רי אַ ְדמָ ֶ ֑ת� ְשׁגַ ֥ר אֲ ל ֶָפ֖י� וְ ﬠַ ְשׁ ְתּ ֥רוֹת צ‬
ִ ‫אָ ֥רוּר פְּ ִ ֽר‬
Cursed shall be the issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, the calving of your herd
and the lambing of your flock.
Talmud Bavli Megillah 25a 1
‫מתני׳ מעשה ראובן נקרא ולא מתרגם מעשה תמר נקרא ומתרגם מעשה עגל הראשון נקרא ומתרגם והשני נקרא ולא‬
‫מתרגם ברכת כהנים מעשה דוד ואמנון נקראין ולא מתרגמין‬
MISHNA: The incident of Reuben, about which it says: “And Reuben went and lay with Bilhah,
his father’s concubine” (Genesis 35:22), is read from the Torah in public but not translated. The
incident of Tamar (Genesis 38) is read in public and also translated. The first report of the
incident of the Golden Calf, i.e., the Torah’s account of the incident itself (Exodus 32), is read
and translated, but the second narrative, i.e., Aaron’s report to Moses of what had taken place
(Exodus 32) is read but not translated. The verses constituting the Priestly Benediction
(Numbers 6:24–26) and the incident of David and Amnon (II Samuel 13) are read, but not
translated.
: ‫ ב )בהודע את ירושלם‬,‫אין מפטירין במרכבה ורבי יהודה מתיר ר' אליעזר אומר אין מפטירין( יחזקאל טז‬
One may not conclude the Torah reading with the account of the Divine Chariot (Ezekiel 1), so
as not to publicize that which was meant to remain hidden. Rabbi Yehuda permits it. Rabbi
Eliezer says: One may not conclude with the section from the Prophets beginning with: “Make
known to Jerusalem her abominations” (Ezekiel 16:2), because it speaks derogatively of the
Jewish people.

1
Hebrew and Aramaic Text and English Translation from safaria.org

11:30 p.m. - When Torah Challenges Us: Finding Healing in Difficult Texts - Rabbi Sarah DePaolo
 :‫גמ׳ תנו רבנן יש נקרין ומתרגמין ויש נקרין ולא מתרגמין ויש לא נקרין ולא מתרגמין אלו נקרין ומתרגמין‬
GEMARA: The Sages taught in the Tosefta (3:31): There are portions of the Bible that are read
and translated; there are portions that are read but not translated; and there are portions
that are neither read nor translated.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, Sh’monah K’vatzim 1

Within all the many rebukes in the holy books—even though through their teaching a person
can find themselves becoming really miserable—inside them is hidden and concealed the light
of life and salvation, a great kindness and courage of heart. And it is precisely from the depth of
the falling that one comes to the depth of rising… and from the emptiness of Torah that is
inside, one will come to love of Torah, and one will be empowered by its greatness and its
beauty. And the disconnection of desire, from this higher perspective, can bring everything to
goodness. And one would become wise and understand that the situation of the broken world
is also for good and for blessing, and God made the world to give life, and the end of everything
will be for a complete tikkun [fixing].

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Chumash

Both of them [Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim] rise from the same soil, both are watered by the
same rain and dew. The same air passes over them both: the same pollen is blown over them
both. Yet Mount [Ebal] remains starkly barren, while Gerizim is covered with lush vegetation to
its very top. In the same way, blessing and curse are not dependent on external circumstances,
but on our inner receptivity to one or the other, on our attitude, toward that which brings
blessing. When we cross the Yarden and take our first steps on the soil of the Law that
sanctifies us, the sight of these two mountains teaches us that we ourselves by our own moral
conduct, decide whether we are headed for Mount Gerizim or Mount Eival.

Rabbi Lauren Werber, “On the Other Hand,” from ReformJudaism.org

Rabbi Saperstein offers two understandings of the lengthy list of curses in Ki Tavo: One employs
fear to compel religious observance and the other places a vengeful God behind the myriad
tragedies we have faced. What if we have a third option, one that removes fear of God from
the curses and distances God from injustice? What if these curses are not a warning from God,
but rather an account of the plagues we create for ourselves when we act immorally? … Too
often, we are cursing ourselves and people throughout the world. We are, in many ways,
creating the world about which Ki Tavo warns us. But there is hope. If we can create curses, we
can also produce blessings. We can look to the 14 verses preceding the curses and create a
world of blessing for all. This is the challenge of Ki Tavo. May we accept the task and build a
better world.

1
Translation from Melanie Landau, adapted by NeoHasid.org

11:30 p.m. - When Torah Challenges Us: Finding Healing in Difficult Texts - Rabbi Sarah DePaolo
 Psalm 23 ‫ְתּ ִהלִּים‬
.‫א ִמזְ מוֹר לְדָ וִ ד‬ 1 A Psalm of David. Adonai is my
shepherd; I shall not lack.
.‫ ל ֹא ֶא ְחסָ ר‬,‫יְהוָה רֹעִ י‬
;‫ב בִּ נְאוֹת דֶּ שֶׁ א י ְַרבִּ יצֵ נִי‬ 2 In grassy pastures, [God] lets me lie
down; alongside tranquil waters leads
.‫עַ ל מֵ י ְמנֻחוֹת ְינַהֲ ֵלנִי‬ me.

;‫ג נַפְ ִשׁי יְשׁוֹבֵ ב‬ 3 My spirit, [God] revives;

guiding me on pathways of justice for
.‫ַינְחֵ נִי בְ מַ עְ גְּ לֵי צֶ דֶ ק לְמַ עַ ן ְשׁמוֹ‬ the sake of the [Divine] name.

,‫ד גַּם כִּ י ֵאלֵ� בְּ גֵיא צַ לְמָ וֶת‬ 4 Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will
;‫ל ֹא ִא ָירא ָרע כִּ י ַא ָתּה עִ מָּ ִדי‬ fear no harm for You are with me;
.‫ הֵ מָּ ה ְינַחֲ מֻ נִי‬,�‫וּמ ְשׁעַ נ ְֶתּ‬
ִ �‫ִשׁבְ ְט‬ Your rod and Your staff, they comfort
me.

;‫ה ַתּ ֲערֹ� ְל ָפנַי שֻׁ לְחָ ן ֶנגֶד צ ְֹר ָרי‬ 5 You prepare a table for me in the
presence of my enemies;
;‫ֹאשׁי‬ִ ‫ִדּשַּׁ נ ְָתּ בַ שֶּׁ מֶ ן ר‬ You luxuriate my head with oil; my
.‫כּוֹסי ְר ָויָה‬
ִ cup overflows.

‫ו ַא� טוֹב וָחֶ סֶ ד י ְִר ְדּפוּנִי‬ 6 Only goodness and kindness shall
pursue me all the days of my life
‫כָּל יְמֵ י חַ יָּי‬ and I shall find Sabbath in the House
.‫וְ שַׁ בְ ִתּי בְּ בֵ ית יְהוָה ְלא ֶֹר� י ִָמים‬ of Adonai for unending days.

8:30 p.m. - The Lord is My Shepherd... A Close Reading of Psalm 23 in a Time of Covid. - Rabbi Elie Spitz
 How Has the Evolution of 'Community' Changed the Way We Look at Judaism?
Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn, 12:00-12:30 am

History Technology Family Geography ______________

Your factor

Historical Broad Strokes

Ancient Israelite religion represents the period from Avram following God’s instructions through
587 BCE. “Judaism” stems from the Tribe of Judah that became a kingdom when the
United Kingdom of Israel broke up (1020 to about 930 BCE) after the northern tribes refused to
accept Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, as their king (Kings I&II). The Kingdom of Judah was
destroyed by the Babylonians with the destruction of the First Temple in 587/586 BCE. The
intelligentsia of the region were exiled to Babylon, starting the evolution into Judaism as a
religion.

In 541 BCE the first Jews returned under an edict issued by Cyrus King of Persia and began to
rebuild Jerusalem. By 515 BCE the reinstated Jewish residents had completed building
the Second Temple, returning to the priestly practices of korbanot – burnt offerings to God.
Levites sang as they assisted the Kohanim (priests); many of their “songs” became psalms.

The sects of Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots and early Christianity were formed during
this period. The Second Temple period continued for six centuries, with Jews living under
Persian, Greek, and Roman empires until the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in
70 CE. It is during the following centuries that Judaism developed a number of characteristics
that define Jewish religious experience to this day—engagement with the Bible, prayer, the
development of the synagogue and the notion of Judaism itself as a voluntary religious identity
within diverse cultures and practices.

Rabbinic Judaism evolved from the Pharisees, derived from the Hebrew perushim, “separate,”
possibly because they remained separate from almost all aspects of Hellenistic culture and were
primarily Near Eastern in culture. They accepted the “traditions of the fathers” as their historical
Judaism, emphasizing the laws of purity, tithing, and Shabbat. The majority of the Jews at that
time were called am ha’aretz, “the people of the land.” This group was primarily rural and lower
economic class. Their faith was probably a simplified version of the teachings of the Bible, and
they most likely observed Shabbat and kashrut.

From this description, how do we define religion?

How do we define community?

The development of Rabbinic literature – Mishna, Gemara (the combination of the two being
Talmud), responsa, commentaries, Shulkhan Arukh… defined “Oral Law” or halakhah,”
established a system of practice for Judaism. While the statements within this literature appear to
be definitive, the rabbis understood that there is fluidity within halakhah, both in interpretation
and application.

12:00 a.m. - How Has the Evolution of ‘Community’ Changed the Way We Look at Judaism? - Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn
 How does our definition of religion or community change?

In the beginning of the 19th century, the Reform Movement began. Orthodoxy began
immediately as a reaction to the Reformers. The Conservative Movement began in the beginning
of the 20th century and Reconstructionist Judaism was established by mid-20th century. Each has
a different theological approach to Judaism.

How does our definition of religion or community change?

Here is an additional resource for defining “community”:

In 2017, What Does 'Community' Mean?

By Megan Garber The Atlantic, July 3, 2017

For much of the 20th century, if you asked someone to define “community,” they’d very likely
give you an answer that involved a physical location. One’s community derived from one’s
place—one’s literal place—in the world: one’s school, one’s neighborhood, one’s town. In the
21st century, though, that primary notion of “community” has changed. The word as used today
tends to involve something at once farther from and more intimate than one’s home: one’s
identity. “A body of people or things viewed collectively,” the Oxford English Dictionary sums
it up. Community, in this sense, is not merely something that one fits into; it is also something
one chooses for oneself, through a process of self-discovery. It is based on shared circumstances,
certainly, but offers a transcendent kind of togetherness. It is active rather than passive. The
LGBTQ community. The Latino community. The intelligence community. The journalism
community.

For Bill Bishop, the author of The Big Sort:Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is
Tearing Us Apart, that semantic shift speaks to a much broader transformation in American life.
It speaks to the rise of the individual as a guiding force in culture; it speaks as well to the
declining power of institutions to offer that guidance. As Bishop told a group at the Aspen Ideas
Festival, co-sponsored by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic: “It used to be that people were
born as part of a community, and had to find their place as individuals. Now people are born as
individuals, and have to find their community.”

That change is on display, he said, in many facets of American culture, political and
otherwise. Marriage, Bishop noted, is today commonly conceived less as a semi-self-sacrificial
commitment—forsaking all others—and more as a means to deeper personal fulfillment.
Journalism today is more and more commonly rendered in the first person, explicitly or
implicitly, because the personal voice strikes many readers as more trustworthy than the
institutional. In business, often, the willingness to break rules (“radical creativity”) is valued
much more highly than the ability to fit in.

“I’m not saying any of these are good or bad,” Bishop noted. “It’s just a switch in how we’re
living in the world.” And that switch is perhaps most obvious in electoral politics, which, Bishop
argued, has become “less about issues now than it is about asserting one’s identity.”

12:00 a.m. - How Has the Evolution of ‘Community’ Changed the Way We Look at Judaism? - Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn
 You could also argue that the issues are entirely about identity, and vice versa. What’s clear,
however, is that the notion of “identity” itself—the word skyrocketed in usage starting in the
second half of the 20th century—is changing our understanding of “community.” What is also
clear is that identity, as a concept, is becoming solidified in American culture.

That’s in part a response to our changing communications technologies, Bishop pointed out. For
one thing, Facebook and Tumblr and Twitter and Snapchat and their many fellow services
emphasizes identity through a combination of consumption and performance: On Facebook, for
example, one’s favorite music and one’s favorite news sites and the memes and jokes one shares
suggest, in the aggregate, not just what they like, but who they are. For another thing, social
media services, as information-sharing platforms, elide the gatekeeping function that traditional
media once played. Friends trump faceless organizations. Familiarity trumps expertise. The
digital world has both allowed for and ratified a culture of extreme individualism. As far as
information goes, as Bishop put it: “I get to decide what’s true or not.”

What will that situation mean for the country, as a collection not just of individuals, but also of
communities? There’s reason, in one way, for pessimism. Alain Ehrenberg, in The Weariness of
the Self, notes how psychologically exhausting it can be to be so constantly self-reliant. (As
Bishop put it, “we’re not capable of doing that kind of self-construction every day.”) So identity
construction, Ehrenberg argues, is at the root of things like depression, drug use, and even
suicide. Defined that way, “identity” as a concept might, paradoxically, prove a challenge to
American individuals.

And yet—here is the optimistic take—identity is also politically empowering. “Community,” in

the transcendent sense of the word, is empowering. The culture of individualism Bishop argues
for may bring Bowling Alone-style sacrifices of social capital in physical communities; it can
also bring with it, however, a different kind of social capital: one in which the individual person,
rather than the group, is primary. One in which the very thing the founders wanted for the
country they envisioned—a people who were united not just by mutable circumstance, but also
by shared values—is realized. “Community,” after all, the OED notes, is rooted in the Middle
French communité. The word may have come to suggest a “body of people who live in the same
place,” but, initially, it meant something much simpler and much more powerful: “joint
ownership.”

12:00 a.m. - How Has the Evolution of ‘Community’ Changed the Way We Look at Judaism? - Rabbi Joe Mendelsohn
 1

Safer at Home:
Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis
Ketubot 62b-63a
Rabbi Peter Levi

Rabbinic word for wife = Bayit [literally: “home”]

Study place for Torah is also a Bayit—Beit Midrash
The Holy Temple—HaBayit
The Love Story

Rabbi Akiva was the shepherd of ben Kalba Savua, one of the wealthy residents of Jerusalem.
The daughter of Ben Kalba Savua saw that he was humble and refined. She said to him: If I
betroth myself to you, will you go to the study hall to learn Torah? He said to her: Yes. She
became betrothed to him privately and sent him off to study. Her father heard this and
became angry. He removed her from his house and took a vow prohibiting her from benefiting
from his property. Rabbi Akiva went and sat for twelve years in the study hall. When he
came back to his house he brought twelve thousand students with him, and as he approached
he heard an old man saying to his wife: For how long will you lead the life of a widow of a
living man, living alone while your husband is in another place? She said to him: If he would
listen to me, he would sit and study for another twelve years. When Rabbi Akiva heard this he
said: I have permission to do this. He went back and sat for another twelve years in the
study hall. When he came back he brought twenty-four thousand students with him. His
wife heard and went out toward him to greet him. Her neighbors said: Borrow some clothes
and wear them, as your current apparel is not appropriate to meet an important person. She said
to them: “A righteous man understands the life of his beast” (Proverbs 12:10). When she
came to him she fell on her face and kissed his feet. His attendants pushed her away as they
did not know who she was, and he said to them: Leave her alone, as my Torah knowledge and
yours is actually hers.

In the meantime her father heard that a great man came to the town. He said: I will go to
him. Maybe he will nullify my vow and I will be able to support my daughter. He came to him
to ask about nullifying his vow, and Rabbi Akiva said to him: Did you vow thinking that this
Akiva would become a great man? He said to him: If I had believed he would know even one
chapter or even one halakha I would not have been so harsh. He said to him: I am he. Ben
Kalba Savua fell on his face and kissed his feet and gave him half of his money. The Gemara
relates: Rabbi Akiva’s daughter did the same thing for ben Azzai, who was also a simple
person, and she caused him to learn Torah in a similar way, by betrothing herself to him and
sending him off to study. This explains the folk saying that people say: The ewe follows the
ewe; the daughter’s actions are the same as her mother’s.

Question: How does this story reconcile the tension between obligation to (love of) Torah
and obligation to (love of) wife?

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi
 2
‫ר"ע רעיא דבן כלבא שבוע הוה חזיתיה ברתיה דהוה צניע ומעלי אמרה ליה אי מקדשנא לך אזלת לבי רב אמר‬
‫לה אין איקדשא ליה בצינעה ושדרתיה שמע אבוה אפקה מביתיה אדרה הנאה מנכסיה אזיל יתיב תרי סרי שנין‬
‫בבי רב כי אתא אייתי בהדיה תרי סרי אלפי תלמידי שמעיה לההוא סבא דקאמר לה עד כמה‬
‫קא מדברת אלמנות חיים אמרה ליה אי לדידי ציית יתיב תרי סרי שני אחריני אמר ברשות קא‬
‫עבידנא הדר אזיל ויתיב תרי סרי שני אחריני בבי רב כי אתא אייתי בהדיה עשרין וארבעה‬
‫אלפי תלמידי שמעה דביתהו הות קא נפקא לאפיה אמרו לה שיבבתא שאילי מאני לבוש‬
‫ י אמרו לה שיבבתא שאילי מאני לבוש ואיכסאי אמרה להו‬,‫ואיכסאי אמרה להו משלי יב‬
‫שמע אבוה דאתא גברא רבה למתא אמר איזיל לגביה אפשר דמפר נדראי אתא לגביה א"ל אדעתא‬
‫דגברא רבה מי נדרת א"ל אפילו פרק אחד ואפי' הלכה אחת אמר ליה אנא הוא נפל על אפיה ונשקיה‬
‫על כרעיה ויהיב ליה פלגא ממוניה ברתיה דר"ע עבדא ליה לבן עזאי הכי והיינו דאמרי אינשי רחילא‬
‫בתר רחילא אזלא כעובדי אמה כך עובדי ברתא‬

Ketubot 61b Mishnah If a man forbade himself by vow to have intercourse with his
wife: the Academy of Shammai ruled: she must consent to the deprivation for two weeks;
the Academy Hillel ruled: only for one week. Students may go away to study the Torah,
without the permission of their wives for a period of thirty days; laborers [only for] one
week. The times for conjugal duty prescribed in the Torah* are: for men of independence,
every day; for laborers, twice a week; for donkey-drivers, once a week; for camel-drivers,
once in thirty days; for sailors, once in six months. These are the rulings of Rabbi Eliezer.
*Ex. 21:10 If he takes for himself another wife; her food, her garment, and her duty of
marriage [], shall he not diminish.
‫מתני׳ המדיר את אשתו מתשמיש המטה ב"ש אומרים שתי שבתות בית הלל אומרים שבת אחת‬
‫התלמידים יוצאין לתלמוד תורה שלא ברשות שלשים יום הפועלים שבת אחת העונה האמורה‬
‫בתורה הטיילין בכל יום הפועלים שתים בשבת החמרים אחת בשבת הגמלים אחת לשלשים יום‬
‫הספנים אחת לששה חדשים דברי רבי אליעזר‬:

‫אמר רב ברונא אמר רב הלכה כר"א אמר רב אדא בר אהבה אמר רב זו דברי ר' אליעזר אבל חכמים‬
‫אומרים התלמידים יוצאין לת"ת ב' וג' שנים שלא ברשות אמר רבא סמכו רבנן אדרב אדא בר אהבה‬
‫ועבדי עובדא בנפשייהו‬

Ketubot 62b-63a Gemara: Comment A [an discourse on Jewish law] Rav Berona said
that Rav said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer. Rav Adda bar
Ahava said that Rav said: This is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer, but the Rabbis say:
Students may leave their homes to study Torah for as long as two or three years without
permission from their wives. Rava said: The Sages relied on Rabbi Adda bar Ahava’s
opinion and performed an action like this themselves, but the results were sometimes fatal.

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi
 3
‫כי הא דרב רחומי הוה שכיח קמיה דרבא במחוזא הוה רגיל דהוה אתי לביתיה כל מעלי יומא דכיפורי‬
‫יומא חד משכתיה שמעתא הוה מסכיא דביתהו השתא אתי השתא אתי לא אתא חלש דעתה אחית‬
‫דמעתא מעינה הוה יתיב באיגרא אפחית איגרא מתותיה ונח נפשיה‬
Story #1 This is as it is related about Rav Reḥumi, who would commonly study before Rava
in Meḥoza: He was accustomed to come back to his home every year on the eve of Yom
Kippur. One day he was particularly engrossed in the halakha he was studying, and so he
remained in the study hall and did not go home. His wife was expecting him that day and
continually said to herself: Now he is coming, now he is coming. But in the end, he did not
come. She was distressed by this and a tear fell from her eye. At that exact moment, Rav
Reḥumi was sitting on the roof. The roof collapsed under him and he died. [lit. soul returned
to its eternal rest]

(‫ ג‬,‫עונה של תלמידי חכמים אימת אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל מע"ש לע"ש )תהלים א‬
‫אשר פריו יתן בעתו אמר רב יהודה ואיתימא רב הונא ואיתימא רב נחמן זה המשמש מטתו מע"ש לע"ש‬
Comment B When is the ideal time for Torah scholars to fulfill their conjugal obligations?
Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The appropriate time for them is from Shabbat eve to
Shabbat eve, i.e., on Friday nights. Similarly, it is stated with regard to the verse “that brings
forth its fruit in its season” (Psalms 1:3): Rav Yehuda said, and some say that it was Rav
Huna, and some say that it was Rav Naḥman: This is referring to one who engages in marital
relations, bringing forth his fruit, from Shabbat eve to Shabbat eve.

‫יהודה בריה דר' חייא חתניה דר' ינאי הוה אזיל ויתיב בבי רב וכל בי שמשי הוה אתי לביתיה וכי הוה אתי הוה קא חזי‬
‫קמיה עמודא דנורא יומא חד משכתיה שמעתא כיון דלא חזי ההוא סימנא אמר להו רבי ינאי כפו מטתו שאילמלי יהודה‬
‫ ה(כשגגה שיוצא מלפני השליט ונח נפשיה‬,‫קיים לא ביטל עונתו הואי )קהלת י‬

Story #2 It is related further that Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya and son-in-law of Rabbi
Yannai, would go and sit in the study hall, and every Shabbat eve at twilight he would come
to his house. When he would come, Rabbi Yannai would see a pillar of fire preceding him
due to his sanctity. One day he was engrossed in the halakha he was studying, and he stayed in
the study hall and did not return home. When Rabbi Yannai did not see that sign preceding
him, he said to the family: Turn his bed over, as one does at times of mourning, since he must
have died, reasoning that if Yehuda were alive he would not have missed his set interval for
conjugal relations and would certainly have come home. What he said became “like an error
that proceeds from a ruler” (Ecclesiastes 10:5), and Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya, died.

‫רבי איעסק ליה לבריה בי רבי חייא כי מטא למיכתב כתובה נח נפשה דרביתא אמר רבי ח"ו פסולא‬
‫איכא יתיבו ועיינו במשפחות רבי אתי משפטיה בן אביטל ורבי חייא אתי משמעי אחי דוד‬
Story #3a It is related further that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi arranged for his son to marry a
daughter of the household of Rabbi Ḥiyya. When he came to write the marriage contract,
the girl died. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: Is there, Heaven forbid, some disqualification in
these families, as it appears that God prevented this match from taking place? They sat and
looked into the families’ ancestry and found that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was descended from
Shefatya ben Avital, the wife of David, whereas Rabbi Ḥiyya was descended from Shimi,
David’s brother. As the latter was not a descendent of the anointed king's family it was not
proper for his daughter to be united in marriage with one who was.

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi
 4
‫אזיל איעסק ליה לבריה בי ר' יוסי בן זימרא פסקו ליה תרתי סרי שנין למיזל בבי רב אחלפוה קמיה‬
‫אמר להו ניהוו שית שנין אחלפוה קמיה אמר להו איכניס והדר איזיל הוה קא מכסיף מאבוה א"ל בני‬
‫דעת קונך יש בך‬
Story #3b He went and arranged for his son to marry a daughter of the household of Rabbi
Yosei ben Zimra. They agreed for him that they would support him for twelve years to go to
study in the study hall. It was assumed that he would first go to study and afterward get
married. They passed the girl in front of the groom and when he saw her he said: Let it be just
six years. They passed her in front of him again and he said to them: I will marry her now
and then go to study. He was then ashamed to see his father, as he thought he would
reprimand him because when he saw the girl he desired her and could not wait. His father
placated him and said to him: My son, you have your Maker’s perception, meaning you acted
the same way that God does.

‫ ח( ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם‬,‫ יז( תביאמו ותטעמו ולבסוף כתיב )שמות כה‬,‫מעיקרא כתיב )שמות טו‬
The proof for this is that initially it is written: “You bring them and plant them in the
mountain of Your inheritance, the place that You, O Lord, have made for You to dwell in”
(Exodus 15:17), which indicates that God’s original intention was to build a Temple for the
Jewish people after they had entered Eretz Yisrael. And ultimately it is written: “And let them
make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8), i.e., even while they
were still in the desert, which indicates that due to their closeness to God, they enjoyed greater
affection and God therefore advanced what would originally have come later.

‫אזיל יתיב תרתי סרי שני בבי רב עד דאתא איעקרא דביתהו אמר רבי היכי נעביד נגרשה יאמרו ענייה‬
‫זו לשוא שימרה נינסיב איתתא אחריתי יאמרו זו אשתו וזו זונתו בעי עלה רחמי ואיתסיאת‬:
After his wedding he went and sat for twelve years in the study hall. By the time he came
back his wife had become infertile, as a consequence of spending many years without her
husband. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: What should we do? If he will divorce her, people will
say: This poor woman waited and hoped for naught. If he will marry another woman to
beget children, people will say: This one, who bears him children, is his wife and that one, who
lives with him, is his mistress. Therefore, her husband pleaded with God to have mercy on her
and she was cured.

‫רבי חנניה בן חכינאי הוה קאזיל לבי רב בשילהי הלוליה דר"ש בן יוחאי א"ל איעכב לי עד דאתי בהדך לא איעכבא ליה‬
‫אזל יתיב תרי סרי שני בבי רב עד דאתי אישתנו שבילי דמתא ולא ידע למיזל לביתיה‬

Story #4 Rabbi Ḥananya ben Ḥakhinai went to the study hall at the end of Rabbi Shimon
ben Yoḥai’s wedding feast. Rabbi Shimon said to him: Wait for me until I can come with
you, after my days of celebration are over. However, since he wanted to learn Torah, he did not
wait and went and sat for twelve years in the study hall. By the time he came back, all the
paths of his city had changed and he did not know how to go to his home.

‫אזל יתיב אגודא דנהרא שמע לההיא רביתא דהוו קרו לה בת חכינאי בת חכינאי מלי קולתך ותא ניזיל‬
‫אמר ש"מ האי רביתא דידן אזל בתרה הוה יתיבא דביתהו קא נהלה קמחא דל עינה חזיתיה סוי לבה‬
‫פרח רוחה אמר לפניו רבש"ע ענייה זו זה שכרה בעא רחמי עלה וחייה‬
He went and sat on the bank of the river and heard people calling to a certain girl:
Daughter of Ḥakhinai, daughter of Ḥakhinai, fill your pitcher and come up. He said: I can

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi
 5
conclude from this that this is our daughter, meaning his own daughter, whom he had not
recognized after so many years. He followed her to his house. His wife was sitting and sifting
flour. She lifted her eyes up, saw him and recognized him, and her heart fluttered with
agitation and she passed away from the emotional stress. Rabbi Ḥananya said before God:
Master of the universe, is this the reward of this poor woman? He pleaded for mercy for
her and she lived.

‫רבי חמא בר ביסא אזיל יתיב תרי סרי שני בבי מדרשא כי אתא אמר לא איעביד כדעביד בן חכינאי‬
‫עייל יתיב במדרשא שלח לביתיה אתא ר' אושעיא בריה יתיב קמיה הוה קא משאיל ליה שמעתא חזא‬
‫דקא מתחדדי שמעתיה חלש דעתיה אמר אי הואי הכא הוה לי זרע כי האי‬
Story #5 Rabbi Ḥama bar Bisa went and sat for twelve years in the study hall. When he
came back to his house, he said: I will not do what the son of Ḥakhinai, who came home
suddenly with tragic consequences for his wife, did. He went and sat in the study hall in his
hometown, and sent a message to his house that he had arrived. While he was sitting there his
son Rabbi Oshaya, whom he did not recognize, came and sat before him. Rabbi Oshaya asked
him questions about halakha, and Rabbi Ḥama saw that the halakhot of Rabbi Oshaya were
incisive, i.e., he was very sharp. Rabbi Ḥama was distressed and said: If I had been here and
had taught my son I would have had a child like this.

‫על לביתיה על בריה קם קמיה הוא סבר למשאליה שמעתתא קא בעי אמרה ליה דביתהו מי איכא אבא דקאים מקמי‬
‫ יב( החוט המשולש לא במהרה ינתק זה ר' אושעיא בנו של רבי חמא בר ביסא‬,‫ברא קרי עליה רמי בר חמא )קהלת ד‬

Rabbi Ḥama went in to his house and his son went in with him. Rabbi Ḥama then stood up
before him to honor a Torah scholar, since he thought that he wanted to ask him a matter of
halakha. His wife said to him: Is there a father who stands up before his son? The Gemara
comments: Rami bar Ḥama read the verse about him: “A threefold cord is not quickly
broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). This is referring to Rabbi Oshaya, son of Rabbi Ḥama bar Bisa,
as he represented the third generation of Torah scholars in his family.

Story #6 Rabbi Akiva & Rachel’s Love Story

‫רב יוסף בריה דרבא שדריה אבוהי לבי רב לקמיה דרב יוסף פסקו ליה שית שני כי הוה תלת שני מטא‬
‫מעלי יומא דכפורי אמר איזיל ואיחזינהו לאינשי ביתי שמע אבוהי שקל מנא ונפק לאפיה אמר ליה‬
‫זונתך נזכרת איכא דאמרי אמר ליה יונתך נזכרת איטרוד לא מר איפסיק ולא מר איפסיק‬:
Story #7 On the same subject it is related: Rav Yosef, son of Rava, was sent by his father to
the study hall to learn before the great Sage Rav Yosef. They agreed that he should sit for six
years in the study hall. When three years had passed, the eve of Yom Kippur arrived and he
said: I will go and see the members of my household, meaning his wife. His father heard and
took a weapon, as if he were going to war, and went to meet him. According to one version he
said to him: Did you remember your mistress, as you are abandoning your studies to see a
woman? There are those who say that he said to him: Did you remember your dove? Since
both father and son were involved in an argument, they were preoccupied and this Master did
not eat the cessation meal before Yom Kippur and that Master also did not eat the cessation
meal that day.

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi
 6

Hermeneutics of Suspicion:
a method of interpretation which assumes that the literal or surface-level
meaning of a text is an effort to conceal the political interests which are
served by the text. The purpose of interpretation is to strip off the
concealment, unmasking those interests.

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy 11:10 But the son of Amram from the day
Thou didst reveal Thyself unto him at the Bush has had no marital relations with
his wife,’ as it is said, And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the
Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman
(Num. 12:1).

Yevamoth 62a ‘He separated himself from his wife’; what exposition did he
make?— He said, ‘If to the Israelites, with whom the Shechinah spoke only for a
while and for whom a definite time was fixed, the Torah nevertheless said, Come
not near a woman,[Ex 19:15] how much more so to me, who am liable to be
spoken to at any moment and for whom no definite time has been fixed’. And his
view coincided with that of the Omnipresent; for it is said, Go say to them: Return
ye to your tents; but as for thee, stand thou here by Me. [Deut. 5:27]

Sifre And Miriam and Aaron spoke with regard to the Ethiopian woman: and
indeed, how did Miriam know that Moses had withdrawn from sexual intercourse?
She saw that Tzipoporah no longer adorned herself with women’s ornaments. She
said to her, “What is the matter with you? Why do you not adorn yourself with
women’s ornaments?” She said, “Your brother does not care about the matter.”
And this is how Miriam knew. And she spoke to her brother [Aaron], and the two
of them spoke against him.
Rabbi Nathan said Miriam was at the side of Tzippporah, at the time, when it
says “And the youth ran….and said Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp
“[Num 11:28]. When she heard, she said, “Woe to the wives of these!” And this is
how Miriam knew. And she spoke to Aaron, and the two of them spoke against
him.

12:30 a.m. - Sheltering at Home: Exploring the Wisdom and Tension from the Rabbis – Rabbi Peter Levi