Currently Browsing: Torah
May 9, 2006
Posted on May 9, 2006 in Judaism, Pirkei Avot, Torah | 0 comments
Joshua the son of Perachia and Nitai the Arbelite received from them. Joshua the son of Perachia would say: Provide yourself with a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge every man on the scale of merit.
This has to be one of my favorite sayings from Pirkei Avot. These three things are three areas in which I would imagine most people fall short (with my name being at the top of the list). Let’s touch on these briefly.
Provide yourself with a teacher
Being nearly two thousand years removed from the faith of Yeshua and his talmidim (disciples), we honestly do not have an idea of what it means to be a disciple or student. In modern times, a student is a single person in a sea of classmates; a teacher is a distant authoritarian to guide you through a textbook. We just don’t have the concept of a student-teacher relationship like in the Biblical period. During these times, especially within the Jewish cutlure, a rabbi would take on a few students and spend a great deal of time with them. He would pour into them his great wealth of knowledge. From those students there would be those who would excel and shine a little brighter than the rest. Like the fat from milk, the cream would rise to the top—not to dominate, but to be proven as a candidate to take the mantel from the rabbi and pass it to the next generation. From there the student-teacher relationship was further bonded, and all that the rabbi could pour out was lapped up by his student.
We have massive gaps in the wisdom of one generation to the next. We have arrogance and pride as the chasm between the younger and the older. We are “wise in our own eyes” according to Scripture, in that we literally believe we cannot be taught. We are self-made, self-taught, and self-destructive. We need the counsel and instruction of our elders, specifically a teacher who is wise in the ways of Adonai that can pour into us the wisdom that only comes through experience—not theory.
Yeshua gives us a great example of this student-teacher relationship. He has literally thousands of disciples, but he has only twelve that he is with day in and day out. Within those twelve, he has three with whom he is closest. He revealed his soul to these three only. He took them to the mountain of Transfiguration (Matthew 17) where his mission was sanctioned by his Father in the presence of these three witnesses. They were close enough to Yeshua to share in his most wonderful and most painful experiences of life.
Acquire for yourself a friend
In the west, we truly do not have an understanding of camaraderie. We are a lonely people, an isolated people. We have a shallow definition of friendship, and are threatened by the thought of needing another person—especially that of the same sex. We take pride in the fact that we don’t ‘need’ anyone. We are an island to our own. But Scripture teaches us that “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). You see, without others, we cannot be sharp. We can never be the scalpel in the hand of HASHEM. We will always be the butterknife in the wound. Without others who are close enough to us to smooth out our roughness, we will always be “rough around the edges.” We will always be abrasive with those to whom we come in contact. We will always be the “diamond in the rough”, so to speak—never being polished to our potential radiance and beauty.
If I didn’t have others in my life, I would be a Scripture-sniper. What do I mean by that? I mean, I would be using the Scriptures to knock off people left and right, without ever a care for them, and without them really ever seeing me (for who I am). I would destroy them with my doctrine, rather than encourage their spiritual metamorphosis with my love. The old adage is definitely true that people “don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
By ignoring the command to “acquire for yourself a friend” as a study partner and a true confidant, we not only deprive others from what we have to offer, but deprive ourselves from our full potential.
Judge every man on the scale of merit
And lastly, we have the statement that ties these two together. We are to “judge all men (yes, women as well) on the scale of merit.” But what does this mean? I understand it to mean something similar to what Yeshua said in his sermon on the Mount:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
(Matthew 7:1-6, NIV)
In this passage, we hear Yeshua admonishing his disciples on the subject of judgement & correction. Too often we hear “Do not judge!” But we don’t understand the application. We must realize that not only are we supposed to judge (1 Corinthians 5 is a good example of this), but we must do so accurately and for the benefit of the other person. When Yeshuah instructs us not to judge, he is not telling us that we shouldn’t discern that the deeds of others are either righteous or wicked, but rather that we should not be quick to jump to conclusions to condemn the person without a fair and thorough investigation. This is why he tells us “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” If we are quick to condemn others, we will quickly be condemned. If we judge people with fairness and optimism, the same will be shown to us. This is why we must first “remove the plank” in our own eye (i.e. make sure we don’t have four fingers pointing back at us in the same area of sin!) before we come to our brother in correction.
This is the point of our mishnah. To judge a person “on the scale of merit” means that we judge with love, just as the Apostle Paul reminds us:
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:6,7)
If we truly love a person, we will not delight in knowing they have done evil, nor will we assume the worst regarding them. We will protect them and their integrity by not listening to gossip without getting the facts directly from the one accused. We will trust that Hashem is doing a work in their lives, rather than forsaking them at a moment’s notice. We will realize that we are all growing, maturing, learning and that somehow this circumstance is possibly a misunderstanding of the facts. We will persevere in loving the accused (even if it is ’tough love’ that has to distance them for a season) through their accusation until their restoration.
Lastly, I have never heard the last section of Yeshua’s teaching on judging (regarding dogs, pearls and pigs) associated with the previous two sections. It has always been taught as a separate thought or idea. However, as I was looking at this, it seemed clear that this was indeed a continuation of the instructions regarding judgement. In the same way we must be cautious to accuse someone of wrong doing, we must also be cautious of bringing a word of correction to someone who is not ready to receive it. Proverbs tell us:
Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. (Proverbs 9:7-8, NIV)
If the person truly has a heart for Hashem, your (gentle)rebuke will only draw him to t’shuva (repentance). If he is bent on going his own way, your rebuke will only receive criticism. Proverbs puts this another way by saying,
“Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom” (Proverbs 17:16)
Isn’t this exactly what Yeshua is saying? This is indeed casting our pearls before swine. Therefore, let us judge all men in love, and use wisdom in our correction.
May 1, 2006
Posted on May 1, 2006 in Judaism, Pirkei Avot, Torah | 0 comments
Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He would say: Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not for the sake of reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.
Although we know that everything we do for Hashem should be not for the sake of reward (i.e. “heaven”, unlike popular theology teaches us), but for the sake of our love for Hashem alone—many doctrines are formed around the antithesis of this statement. Preachers are peddling either “tickets to eternity” or “fire insurance”. They leave out the part about a covenantal relationship with the Creator & King of the Universe. Their doctrine only is concerned about one thing: where a person will spend eternity—in the blissful euphoria of a heavenly realm, or the burning pits of hell. I’m afraid neither of these is what salvation is all about. Salvation, in its purist sense, is about having Hashem as your ally in the battles of life, your friend in times of trouble. It’s about not having Him as your enemy, because there is no defense against His wrath. It’s about living in covenantal relationship with the Almighty, and having no regrets when He says “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Salvation is now. Salvation is a process (of self-transformation). Salvation is not necessarily a destination.
I don’t have time to elaborate on this much, but this is also a classic example of how something can be said, misunderstood, and entirely new doctrines formed around the misunderstanding. It is taught that after Antignos made this statement, his disciples after him began to teach that since we do not serve Hashem for reward, there must not be a reward, and thus began to teach that there was no resurrection. This is traditionally how the heretical sects of the Sadducees and Beothusians got started. This is why it is so important that those of us who are teachers are teaching as much truth as possible, and making sure we are understood properly. We will touch on this more in Mishnah 11.
Apr 25, 2006
Posted on Apr 25, 2006 in Judaism, Pirkei Avot, Torah | 0 comments
Simon the Just was of the remnants of the Great Assembly. He used to say: On three things the world stands: on the Torah (תורה), on the (Temple?) Service (עבודה), and on Deeds of Loving-Kindness (גמילות חסדים).
I’ve read these words many times over the last few years, and each time I read them something new comes to mind. Most recently, my thoughts were turned to the words of the Master when he was asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” His answer actually included three commandments:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ‘There is no commandment greater than these.”
From my perspective, this has the same melody as “On three things the world stands…” We have the same basic components. Let’s examine them.
On the Torah / Shema Israel
Although these phrases don’t sound anything alike, they both put forth the same premise: the Torah and the principles contained therein are the foundations of everything. How else would we know about the monotheistic pillar of our faith that there is only one God? It is through the Torah. Shema Israel! We must hear the Torah in order to be obedient to the voice of Hashem. Devarim 5:1 tells us:
Hear1, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn2 them and be sure to follow3 them.
We must first 1) hear Torah (i.e. study) in order to 2) learn the ways of Hashem, and thus 3) follow them. But from there, what are we required?
On the Service / And You Shall Love the Lord Your God
As is commonly known, there are two categories into which all of the commandments fall. There are commandments that have their root in the relationship between the Almighty and mankind (what we might term as our “vertical” relationship), and then those which have their root in the relationship of mankind with mankind (what we might term as our “horizontal” relationship). Both of these statements deal with our “horizontal” relationship. The world cannot stand without its connection to the Almighty.
In Simon the Just’s comment, he merely names avodah (service) as the second item on which the world “stands”. But what is our “service” to Hashem?
Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? (Devarim 10:12-13)
And again in the Apostolic Scriptures we have this instruction:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. (Romans 12:1)
We are not only to say we love Hashem, or even feel we love Him. We are to love Him with our entire lives, which is displayed by our avodah–service (i.e…works… doh!).
On Acts of Loving-Kindness /
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
This is the third principle in both accounts: To love and serve others. When we invest our time and our stuff into others, rather than ourselves we will find that Hashem is glorified, we are changed, and others are blessed. How is your world holding up?
Apr 19, 2006
Posted on Apr 19, 2006 in Judaism, Pirkei Avot, Torah | 0 comments
Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgement; and raise up many disciples, and make a fence for the Torah.
During the time from Pesach to Shavuot it is traditional to study a chapter a week from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), a portion of the Mishnah which focuses on ethical conduct and practical steps for living. As we have been re-studying this as a family this week, it has been interesting to see all of the connections and parallels to teachings from the Apostolic Scriptures. In the next few posts I’ll be sharing some basic insights into these mishnayot. Let’s begin with the very first one.
Moses received the Torah from Sinai, and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly.
Many times this is used to try and authoritatively prove the divine origin of the Oral Law. However, if we examine the text itself, this is not the point of the text. The purpose of the text is to show how the teachings of the Torah were transmitted from Moses down through the ages, where people were entrusted to learn and teach Torah. And then from these different people in this long line we have sayings that provide methods of living out the Torah, and protect oneself from being ensnared by sin. The first of which is:
Be deliberate in judgement; and raise up many disciples, and make a fence for the Torah.
“Be deliberate in judgement” – In every matter we must be diligent in seeking truth. In judging any situation we must be sure to receive all of the information necessary to make an educated decision. This is especially important when others are involved. We must not discount information that others may bring into the picture in order that we may make an honest, rather than a biased decision. (After reading this article, we might just want to revisit our judgements against the Pharisees as a whole.)
Raise up many disciples – Isn’t this also what Yeshua taught us to do, saying
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
In order to accomplish this we need to know what it means to make disciples. But in order to make disciples, we must ask the question of “what is a disciple?” In the time of Yeshua, a disciple (or talmidim) was someone who first had a teacher (or rabbi). He had someone from which to learn. He wasn’t just a renegade trying to interpret the Scriptures on his own, by his own means. He had a person who was trained in the Scriptures to guide him through his studies, keeping him from the pitfalls of shallow understandings, going beyond (but not neglecting) the mere literal interpretation of the text, to the fuller, richer meanings. A classic example of this is Yeshua’s mini-discourse on the laws of Torah from the context of what many call the “Sermon on the Mount.” In this teaching he puts forth a literal interpretation of a passage, and then puts forth a more rich, deeper understanding of it. And, if we do our homework, we find that his “deeper” understandings of these passages are actually common teaching among the rabbis of his time. Yeshua was not teaching anything new, but teaching them “with authority,” declaring his halachah as binding (Matthew 7:24-27). These are the types of things that would be passed from teacher to disciple, in order that they would not be lost along the way. Unfortunately, many in Yeshua’s day (and many in our day) had lost these deeper understandings because they did not have a teacher.
Although some will argue the point, I sincerely believe that even Yeshua had this mentoring relationship with a teacher. Many believe that since he was the son of the Almighty, his wisdom was simply imparted unto him. However, I believe we see a glimpse into his early years when he visits the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) during one of the feasts. During this time he is engaged with the rabbis in Torah discussion, and they are amazed at his grasp of the Scriptures. Although his mentorship is not recorded, the great sage Hillel lived during the days of Yeshua, and if we look at the positions of Yeshua on the various matters of Torah, he agrees with Hillel in all but two: Divorce and the Prosbul (which we will have to leave for another discussion). This at least gives the indication that Yeshua could have belonged to the school of Hillel, whether by direct tutelage or extension. We will discuss this more in a future mishnah.
Ultimately, a disciple was a miniature copy of his rabbi. He was the recipient of all that the rabbi had learned, and should be nearly a carbon copy of his rabbi. He should have an ability to render judgements and decisions on matters of Torah with the same precision (or better) of his rabbi. His life should model that of his teacher in nearly every manner. And for his true discipleship to be “complete,” he must take on his own disciples and pass down the wealth of wisdom he received. Because when the river is dammed, the water becomes stagnant.
Make a fence for the Torah – This is the statement that raises the blood pressure of all Christians, and causes heart failure in most Kara’ites (the self-proclaimed “modern day Sadducees”). For anyone who has a negative outlook on the Pharisees as a whole (because of either tradition, or a one-sided reading of Scripture) this causes real problems. “The problem with fences,” they say, “is that not only do they keep some people in, but they keep others out.” This is definitely true, and with this we need to exercise caution. However, just as the old adage goes, we don’t need to “throw the baby out with the bath water.” While some fences are built to the extreme (you don’t need a 20 ft fence to keep your dogs in the yard… unless you have my dogs…), a properly built fence keeps in the children and pets, keeps out the unwanted solicitors, and maintains a healthy relationship with the neighbors. It’s the same with Torah. The fence must be built properly in order to merit it’s usefulness.
We see this modeled by Yeshua, again, in the Sermon on the Mount. In his series of “you have heard it said…but I say…” he models the institution of making fences around Torah. The letter of Torah says, “Do not commit adultery.” The spirit of the Torah says, “Do not look at a woman lustfully.” In making this declaration, Yeshua is making a fence around Torah to ensure that his disciples do not violate Torah by merely obeying the literal understanding of the commandments.
Apr 15, 2006
Posted on Apr 15, 2006 in Judaism, Talmud, Torah | 0 comments
A few people have been asking about where to read the account of Akhnai’s Oven (which can also be “Aknai’s Oven”). This is the link to the source of this text.
Here is the text of the argument:
We learnt elsewhere: If he cut it into separate tiles, placing sand between each tile: R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean; and this was the oven of ‘Aknai. Why [the oven of] ‘Aknai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel’s name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!’ Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. ‘No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,’ they retorted. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!’ Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — ‘No proof can be brought from a stream of water,’ they rejoined. Again he urged: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,’ whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying: ‘When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have ye to interfere?’ Hence they did not fall, in honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: ‘If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!’ Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: ‘Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!’ But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: ‘It is not in heaven.’ What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.
Another source for this text (with a slight variation) can be found at this link. Be sure to scroll down to the page 140 marker.
Both Avi ben Mordechai and his inspiration Daniel Gruber use this passage in order to try and cast reproach upon rabbinical authority. The claim is made that the rabbis are actually in opposition to the Written Word of God, and will not listen to Hashem even if they hear from Heaven itself. For some time I was swayed into this line of thinking, until challenged to examine the context of this argument firsthand. Upon a cursory exmination, it appears that I have been duped.
In short, this argument is a classic example of how the rabbis upheld Scripture in a case where a person wanted to try and outwit Scriptural authority through clever devisiveness. R. Eleazer, siding with Akhnai (apparently the owner of the oven, or a nickname for such, meaning “snake” in Aramaic), is the classic representation of the false prophet warned against in Deuteronomy 13. R. Eleazer rules that the clay oven (Read the Biblical laws associated with the contamination of earthen vessels, including ovens), which has been “broken” via being cut apart and mortared back together is oblivious to contamination from contact of a dead animal. First, both Akhnai and R. Eleazer in this scenario are intentionally working to find a loophole around the Biblical ordinance for contamination, and immediately shows a rebellious nature towards the commandments of Hashem.
Second, the halachah of R. Eleazer actually is working to “abolish the Torah” in the same way that many within Christianity are doing today, and have been doing throughout the centuries. Rather than using the written Word of Hashem as the plumbline by which all things are aligned, they follow charismatic leaders with whom are signs and wonders.
Opposite of what we have been lead to believe, the case of Akhnai’s Oven actually is one in which the rabbis are upholding the Written Word of God over the opinions of man, even when backed by signs and wonders.
You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
(Devarim / Deuteronomy 13:3)
