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- DAILY MITZVAH (Maimonides): Friday, April 9, 2010
- "TODAY'S DAY": Friday, April 9, 2010
- TODAY IN JUDAISM: Friday, April 9, 2010
- QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Separation in the Synagogue
- PARSHAH PICKS: When Moses "Consoled" Aaron, When Aaron Got Cold Feet, and more... (Shemini)
- AUDIO & VIDEO PICKS: Itche Kadoozy Passover Mini-Series - Part 2 (and more...)
- ETHICS OF OUR FATHERS: A Thing of Silence (Chapter 1)
- NEWS: Political Unrest Strikes Kyrgyzstan, Passover Celebrations Set Records, and more ...
| DAILY MITZVAH (Maimonides): Friday, April 9, 2010 Posted: 08 Apr 2010 09:45 PM PDT 
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| "TODAY'S DAY": Friday, April 9, 2010 Posted: 08 Apr 2010 09:33 PM PDT 
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| TODAY IN JUDAISM: Friday, April 9, 2010 Posted: 08 Apr 2010 09:07 PM PDT 
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| QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Separation in the Synagogue Posted: 08 Apr 2010 06:31 PM PDT 
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| PARSHAH PICKS: When Moses "Consoled" Aaron, When Aaron Got Cold Feet, and more... (Shemini) Posted: 08 Apr 2010 05:25 PM PDT 
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| AUDIO & VIDEO PICKS: Itche Kadoozy Passover Mini-Series - Part 2 (and more...) Posted: 08 Apr 2010 03:11 PM PDT 
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| ETHICS OF OUR FATHERS: A Thing of Silence (Chapter 1) Posted: 08 Apr 2010 10:13 AM PDT B"H
========================================= A Thing of Silence [Rabbon Gamliel's] son, Shimon, would say: All my life I have been raised among the wise, and I have found nothing better for the body than silence... * * * The Talmud goes even further, with the amazing statement: ``What is man's task in the world? To make himself as silent as the dumb.'' Obviously, one can think of many cases in which silence is advisable. But is there no greater virtue? And is this indeed the purpose of life? Essentially, the world is words---Divine words. ``G-d said: `Let there be light!' and there was light.'' ``G-d said: `May there be a firmament...' `May the waters gather...' `May the earth sprout forth...,' '' and our world, in all its infinite variety and complexity, came into being. And as chassidic teaching explains, these Divine utterances not only caused these creations to materialize; they were, and continue to be, the very stuff of their existence. What we experience as physical light is, in truth, G-d's articulation of His desire that there be light. Grass is our physical perception of the Divine words ``May the earth sprout forth greenery.'' And so on. Obviously, what emanated from G-d's ``mouth'' was not a ``voice'' in any human or physical sense. The Torah uses terms from our experience so that, by delving into their significance, we can learn something of how G-d relates to our existence. In our case, the Torah wishes to describe an existence which, on the one hand, is distinct from its source, yet on the other, is utterly dependent upon it and possesses no reality other than that dependence. This is the significance of the metaphor ``speech'' in regard to creation. When a person speaks, he creates something that extends beyond his own being. The thought that he had conceived, and which, up until now, has existed only within his mind, is now translated into words that depart his person to attain an existence distinct from his. Nevertheless, they are utterly dependent upon him for existence: the moment he ceases to speak, the entity we refer to as his ``speech'' no longer exists. In other words, their existence can only be defined in terms of his ongoing involvement to create them. So it is with the world. On the one hand, G-d desired that a world exist, that it constitute a reality which (at least in its own perception) is distinct from His. On the other hand, the world has no independent existence, possessing no reality other than G-d's constant involvement to create and sustain it. What model have we, in the human experience of reality, for such an entity? Speech. So what is the world? The closest we can come to answering this question in humanly comprehendible terms is to say: The world is G-d speaking. There is, however, a single exception to this model for the essential nature of all created things: the soul of man. Every single creation is described by the Torah as having come into being by a Divine utterance, except for the soul. The Zohar explains that the soul is not a divine word but a G-dly thought. Referring to the above interpretation of the metaphor of speech, this means that the soul is a creation which does not ``depart'' the all-pervading reality of G-d. A creation which not only senses its total dependence upon its source (as, deep down, does every creation), but one which does not even see itself as an ``entity'' distinct from its Creator. Alone in a verbose world, the soul of man is a thing of silence. And its mission in life is to impart this silence to the world about it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Introductory reading to Ethics of the Fathers: All Israel has a share in the World to Come, as is stated: ``And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever. They are the shoot of My planting, the work of My hands, in which I take pride.'' (Sanhedrin, 11:1) Chapter One 1. Moses received the Torah from [G-d at] Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] would always say these three things: Be cautious in judgment. Establish many pupils. And make a safety fence around the Torah. 2. Shimon the Righteous was among the last surviving members of the Great assembly. He would say: The world stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds of kindness. 3. 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. 4. Yossei the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah, and Yossei the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem, received the tradition from them. Yossei the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah would say: Let your home be a meeting place for the sages; dust yourself in the soil of their feet, and drink thirstily of their words. 5. Yossei the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem would say: Let your home be wide open, and let the poor be members of your household. And do not engage in excessive conversation with a woman. This is said even regarding one's own wife---how much more so regarding the wife of another. Hence, the sages said: One who excessively converses with a woman causes evil to himself, neglects the study of Torah, and, in the end, inherits purgatory. 6. Joshua the son of Perachia and Nitai the Arbelite received from them. Joshua the son of Perachia would say: Assume for yourself a master, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge every man to the side of merit. 7. Nitai the Arbelite would say: Distance yourself from a bad neighbor, do not cleave to a wicked person, and do not abandon belief in retribution. 8. Judah the son of Tabbai and Shimon the son of Shotach received from them. Judah the son of Tabbai would say: When sitting in judgement, do not act as a counselor-at-law. When the litigants stand before you, consider them both guilty; and when they leave your courtroom, having accepted the judgement, regard them as equally righteous. 9. Shimon the son of Shotach would say: Increasingly cross-examine the witnesses. Be careful with your words, lest they learn from them how to lie. 10. Shmaayah and Avtalyon received from them. Shmaayah would say: Love work, loath mastery, and avoid intimacy with the government. 11. Avtalyon would say: Scholars, be careful with your words. For you may be exiled to a place inhabited by evil elements [who will distort your words to suit their negative purposes]. The disciples who come after you will then drink of these evil waters and be destroyed, and the Name of Heaven will be desecrated. 12. Hillel and Shammai received from them. Hillel would say: Be of the disciples of Aaron---a lover of peace, a pursuer of peace, one who loves the creatures and draws them close to Torah. 13. He would also say: One who advances his name, destroys his name. One who does not increase, diminishes. One who does not learn is deserving of death. And one who make personal use of the crown of Torah shall perish. 14. He would also say: If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? 15. Shammai would say: Make your Torah study a permanent fixture of your life. Say little and do much. And receive every man with a pleasant countenance. 16. Rabban Gamliel would say: Assume for yourself a master; stay away from doubt; and do not accustom yourself to tithe by estimation. 17. His son, Shimon, would say: All my life I have been raised among the wise, and I have found nothing better for the body than silence. The essential thing is not study, but deed. And one who speaks excessively brings on sin. 18. Rabbi Shimon the son of Gamliel would say: On three things the world endures: law, truth and peace. As is stated, ``Truth, and a judgement of peace, you should administer at your [city] gates.'' Studied at the conclusion of each lesson of the Ethics: Rabbi Chananiah the son of Akashiah would say: G-d desired to merit the people of Israel; therefore, He gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundance. As is stated, ``G-d desired, for sake of his righteousness, that Torah be magnified and made glorious.'' 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| NEWS: Political Unrest Strikes Kyrgyzstan, Passover Celebrations Set Records, and more ... Posted: 08 Apr 2010 09:47 AM PDT 
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