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Session Four
Jewish Chess: Talmud
TEXTS: Part II
This is the same selection of Talmud with nothing added except
things that you would know,
looking at the text, if you had already been studying Talmud for
a long time.
Explanatory notes appear in [square brackets]; background information can be seen in both right and left margins.
A lot of this knowledge has to do with key words or technical
terms. For example: when you begin Talmud study, you think that
the word "what?" (in Aramaic: "mai") really means "what?". As
you learn more, you find out that it often means "what is the
halakhah in this case?" (But not always! It can also just mean
"what?") In Text 1, these key words were translated literally;
here their real, technical meaning is provided.
The key words also provide punctuation. Punctuation marks are
a fairly recent invention; most ancient texts use words instead.
For example, there are no quotation marks in the Hebrew Bible,
but the key word "leimor" ("saying") is used in the same way.
This is why literal translations of the Torah often use the phrase:
God spoke to Moses, saying...
-- which is equivalent to
God said to Moses, "....."
Print out this page because it is hard enough to understand on
paper; to try to look at them on screen and think them through
is even more difficult. MISHNAH [the authoritative compilation of oral traditions of halakhah
(Jewish law) by Rabbi Judah the Prince, Israel, around the year
225]: Your own lost object and your father's lost object -- your own
lost object takes precedence. Your father and your teacher were carrying a burden -- put down
your teacher's and afterwards put down your father's. Your father and your teacher are in captivity -- redeem your teacher
and afterwards redeem your father. But if your father is a person
of wisdom, redeem your father and afterwards redeem your teacher.
* variant reading: a person of wisdom equal to your teacher * Rav Yehudah: Late 3rd century, Babylon Rav: Early 3rd century, Babylon; very important. his name was
Abba Arikha, but he is just called Rav, "THE Rabbi." Rabbi Meir: 2nd century, Israel Rabbi Yosé: 2nd century, Israel Rava: Early 4th century, Babylon Shmuel: Early 3rd century, Bablyon; colleague of Rav Ulla: Late 3rd century, Israel Rav Chisda: Flourished late 3rd century, Babylon Rav Huna: Flourished early 3rd century, Babylon Rabbi Yochanan: Late 3rd century, Israel, very important Rav Sheshet: Early 4rth century, Babylon GEMARA [Discussion of the Mishnah compiled in Babylon (Iraq) possibly
around the year 600, based on centuries of discussions in Israel
and Babylon]: From where are these things [i.e. where in the Bible- as interpreted
by the rabbis- is there proof or support for this statement]? Rav Yehudah* said that *Rav** said: Scripture (Deuteronomy 15:4)
says "only there shall be no poor with you" (bekha) --Yours (shelkah)
comes before anyone's. Rav Yehudah also said that Rav said: Whoever fulfills this for
himself ultimately comes to this. [The Mishnah said]: "Your father and your teacher were carrying
a burden etc." Our sages taught (tanu rabbanan) -- [this introduces a 'Baraita'
-- a tradition from around the time of the Mishnah]: [At this point the language changes from Hebrew to Aramaic --
signalling that the Baraita is over and we are now looking at
later discussions of it.] Rava said: Like Rav Sechorah, who explained to me [a term elsewhere
in the Mishnah], 'zuhama listron.' [The language changes back from Hebrew to Aramaic, signalling
the end of the quotation.] Rav Chisda asked a question of Rav Huna: A disciple whose teacher
needs him -- what is the halakah? [At this point the commentators disagree about the punctuation]: you need me for forty years they were angry with each other and
did not visit each other Rav Chisda fasted forty times because Rav Huna had felt insulted. It was said [(I-tamar) -- this introduces a dispute between amoraim
-- the rabbis after the time of the Mishnah] But did Rabbi Yochanan say this? Surely Rabbi Yochanan stated
[the general rule that] the halakhah is in accordance with an
anonymous Mishnah. And we have learned [in the Mishnah under discussion]
'your teacher who taught you wisdom.' What is 'wisdom?' -- Most of your wisdom. **Rav is the title of Babylonion rabbis after the time of the
Mishnah. "Rabbi" is the title of Israeli rabbis both before and
after the Mishnah. A baraita can be thought of as a Mishnah (i.e. an oral tradition)
that wasn't included in Rabbi Judah's official compilation (see
above). This text is still missing some punctuation and other useful information,
but it should be much easier to understand than Text 1. The exercise
is to reread the above text and try to follow the argument. You
may want to print it out. Who is saying what? What is a question
and what is an answer? What connects one point with another?
Warning: To get the real experience of Talmud study, don't get caught up in the ideas of the text, how you feel about what it's saying and whether
you agree or disagree. The task is to follow the threads of the
argument and understand, in a straightforward way, what is being
said. The next page will include Rashi, the major commentary on the Talmud along with some other commentators!
Your own lost object and your teacher's lost object -- your own
takes precedence.
Your father's lost object and your teacher's lost object -- your
teacher's takes precedence, because your father brought you into
this world but your teacher who taught you wisdom brings you into
the life of the world to come. But if your father is a person
of wisdom [chakam -- usually means a Talmudic scholar]* your father's
takes precedence
"Your teacher" in the Mishnah means your teacher who taught you
wisdom, but not your teacher who taught you Bible or Mishnah;
so says Rabbi Meir.
Rabbi Yehudah says: Anyone from whom most of your wisdom comes.
Rabbi Yosé says: Even a person who enlightened your eyes about
only one Mishnah is your teacher.
Shmuel tore his garment [in mourning for the death of] a rabbi
who explained to him[ a phrase elsewhere in the Mishnah]: 'one
goes down to the armpit and one opens directly.'
Ulla said [in Hebrew]: The disciples of the wise [this terms usually
menas Talmudic scholars, where disciplies or teachers] in Babylon
stand up [to give each other honour] one before the other and
they tear their garments [in mourning] one for the other; but
on the subject of returning a lost object to one's teacher, first,
instead of one's father's first, they do not return first except
to one's foremost teacher."
He answered: Chisda, Chisda I do not need you.
Rav Huna fasted forty times because he had suspected Rav Chisda.
Rav Yitzchak son of Yosef: 'Rabbi Yochanan said: The halakhah
is in accordance with Rabbi Yehudah.'
Rav Acha son of Rav Huna: 'Rav Sheshet said: The halakhah is in
accordance with Rabbi Yosé.'
DISCUSSION
This is a very hard way to study! It is why many Talmud teachers
prefer to lead a discussion about the themes of a text and how
people feel about them -- which is fun to do but does not give
a taste of what it is really like to figure out a page of Talmud.
Real Talmud study is not unemotional -- it can be passionate --
but your emotions and your ideas are not the focus; the focus
is on figuring out the text.
Good luck!
(c) Justin Lewis, instructor
course offered through the department of Interactive Technology
@Kolel