NUM163 See [[EXOD96]] Exodus 5:2 who SINAI1 293

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NUM172 Rabbi Yose said … Prepare yourself for the study of Torah, for it is not given to you as an inheritance… Pirkei Avot, Perek II, mishnah 17. Scripture states: "The Torah which Moses commanded us is the inheritance (morashah) of the community of Jacob." (Deuteronomy 33:4). And the Sages comment: "Do not read morashah but rather m'orasah, betrothed" (T.B. Pesahim 49b). ... Rabbi Yode may have in mind the same thought. The person who falls heir to an "inheritance" is apt to treat the estate he never built and the money he never worked for, in a rather offhand and flippant manner. An inheritance is yours to squander or spend as you like. It comes to you easily, and you may choose to let it go easily. A betrothal, however, is quite another matter. In Jewish law a betrothal is the first part of a binding marriage, and for the man it means a serious obligation to cherish, maintain, and provide for his bride. Our Sages wisely envisioned the people Israel as "betrothed" to the Torah. In our fast-progressing, forward-looking age it would mean little to appeal that the ways of Torah be kept because they are hoary with antiquity and represent "beautiful old customs and traditions." It is foolish to ask for loyalty to Judaism because it is our "civilization" that we have inherited from our grandfathers. My grandfather ate with a wooden spoon. Should I, therefore, eat with a wooden spoon? My grandfather traveled by horse and buggy. Must I go by the same form of transportation? I wear tzitzith not because my father or grandfather wore them, but because the Almighty, Creator of the world, has commanded me to do so [this verse]. Over 1,500 years ago the Sages realized this important truth: We must not and cannot regard thee Torah as an inheritance, but only (speaking symbolically) as a bride to whom we have plighted our troth in a solemn covenant of betrothal. And the covenant directly and personally binds the present generation, as it obligated the past generations.

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NUM182 Said he [Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai] to them: Go out and see which is the good way to which a man should cling. Rabbi Eliezer said, A good, kindly eye; Rabbi Joshua said, A good friend; Rabbi Yose said, A good neighbor; Rabbi Simeon said, One who foresees, reckons the outcome of things; Rabbi Elazar said, A good heart. Said he to them: I appreciate the words of Elazar ben Arach above all your statements, for in his words yours are included. Pirkei Avot, Perek II, mishnah 13-14. This seems to denote a spontaneous, open love for the good everywhere, and intuitive grasp of what is good in every situation, and a desire for it. This would appear to have a little to do with the reason or intelligence. As people say, "The heart has its reasons that reason does not know." (Blaise Pascal (1623- 1662), Pensées, iv, 277). If someone can cultivate within himself such an educated perception and appreciation of the good, then he has, indeed, the "master key." This is the "good way" to take in life, that includes within it all other ways. It is the "royal road" to spiritual achievement. The Five Books of Moses end with the letter lamed (Deuteronomy 34:12) and begin with the letter beth (Genesis 1:1). Put them together and you have the word lev, heart. This is indeed the most crucial organ of all. For Judaism the heart symbolizes the seat of freedom, the decision-making element in man. He who has a "good heart" has won all. He who has an "evil heart" has lost the innermost citadel. In commanding us to wear tzitzith, fringes, the Torah exhorts, "Do not go astray after your heart" [this verse]. The "heart" can be trained and educated through the mitzvoth to the point where it chooses good. "Above all diligence guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is the ruler, sending directions to the body to be acted on. "Then will you understand the reverence of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God..." says the wise Solomon, "when wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your spirit" (Proverbs 2:5, 10).

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NUM184 Wisdom and reason will serve any master with equal loyalty. It is the person's character and will that must provide the core of values within which each reason will operate. We know from Scripture and tradition how Solomon erred in his thinking about the law of the Torah which forbids a king to possess many wives (Deuteronomy 17:17). Since the Torah gives a reason for the prohibition, Solomon was confident that for him, with his superior wisdom, the reason did not apply: he could surely withstand or overcome the consequences foretold. Yet Solomon's wisdom did not stand by him in this instance. The evil results which the Torah predicted, befell him in full. "Fear of sin" had not come first, and wisdom went astray. This is the essential purpose of the mitzvah of tzitzith (fringes on the corners of four-corner requirements): to keep us mindful of our obligation to the Almighty, and reinforce in us an awareness of His meaningful presence. In commanding us to observe this precept of tzitzith, the Torah gives as the reason, "That you may not turn astray after your hearts and after your eyes which lead you to go astray" [this verse]. The eye reports what it sees, and the heart responds with desire. Unless "fear of God" acts as a break, the entire intellect, the entire capacity for rational explanation and justification will be used to "prove" that the desired object is good for you, good for your health, in step with the rest of humanity, and so forth. It is at this point that we need tzitzith. For the Sages tell us: "The thread of blue [Hebrew, t'cheleth--no longer included in our ritual fringes today, since we are uncertain of the proper dye to use. The statement is found in T.B. Hullin 89a; T.Y. Berakoth I, 2; Midrash T'hillim XC, 18; Zohar I, 121a; III, 175a and 301a] in the tzitzith reminds us of the ocean, the ocean reminds us of the heavens, and the heavens remind us of God." If we can develop within us a reverence of the Lord, a sense of awe before His presence we will be able to control our hearts and our minds, rather than have them control us.

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NUM205 Nittai of Arbela said: Keep far distant from a bad neighbor; do not associate with a wicked man;… Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 7. Joshua ben P'rahyah cautioned us to think twice before judging someone to be bad. Now Nittai of Arbela examines a more realistic aspect of the situation. In life we will encounter people who are bad, unquestionably bad, bad beyond a shadow of a doubt. When you discover that your neighbor is wicked, keep far away from him. The effect of evil association is often fatal. What the Mishnah is rejecting is the naïve idealism which refuses to believe that there are really bad people, and the naïve optimism that even if some are momentarily wicked, we can soon improve them. When the proximity of evil affects you directly in your personal, emotional life, then discretion is the better policy: put a distance between yourself and your evil neighbor. The sacrifice may be great. The Talmud knows we need "either fellowship or death" (T.B. Ta'anith 23a). Man is a social being who cannot get along without friends, without society and good fellowship. Yet the price could be too high to pay, even for fellowship, for it may require an unprincipled life, and existence without Torah. Better no friends at all than to associate with the wicked. Indeed, we are clearly warned: "Do not associate with the wicked even to learn Torah" (Avoth d'Rabbi Nathan, A9). Judaism was always very sensitive to the powerful influence of environment. As the Midrash explains, when Korah organized his rebellious campaign against Moses, Dothan and Abiram joined him [this and following verses] because they were his neighbors: the Tribe of Reuben camped near the Levite branch of Korah's grandfather Kohath. And the Midrash sums it up tersely: "Woe betides the wicked, and woe his neighbor; [but] good attends the tzaddik, the righteous, and good attends his neighbor" (Midrash Tanhuma, Korah 4, ed. Buber 8). In other passages the Midrash declares that Lot was saved from Sodom because he was related to Abraham--"fortunate are the righteous, and fortunate are those who are attached to them" (Midrash Tanhuma, Vayyera 9); conversely, 250 perished with Korah only because they joined him (Numbers 16:2, 17, 35): "Woe betides the wicked, and woe those who attach to them" (Midrash Tanhuma cited in Yalkut Shim'oni II, §§ 291, 550). Man is a highly imitative creature. He absorbs from his environment the values and behavior patterns of those about him, and in his ways he tends to conform to them. ... Purity travels with greater ease then sanctity. It is much more difficult to transmit k'dushah [holiness-AJL]than tum'ah [impurity-AJL]. If you associate with the wicked, the chances of their defiling you are greater than the possibility of your reforming them.

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NUM215 See [[NUM205]] Numbers 16:1 betook SINAI1 65-66

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NUM222 See [[NUM205]] Numbers 16:1 betook SINAI1 65-66

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NUM238 See [[LEV25]] Leviticus 2:13 salt SINAI1 297

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NUM275 Rabbi [Judah HaNasi, who codified the Mishnah] said: Which is the right course that a man should choose for himself?… Reckon the loss that a mitzvah entails, against its reward; and the benefit gained from a sin, against the loss it brings. Contemplate three things and you will not come into the hands, the clutches of sin: Know what is above you: an eye sees, and ear hears, and all your deeds are written, recorded in a Book. Pirkei Avot, Perek II, mishnah 1. The first obstacle that the evil inclination throws in the path of a person on his way to perform a mitzvah is the thought of what it has to cost. "Think of the time, the effort, the money. How could you!" Rabbi Judah HaNasi's answer is: We cannot deny that observing mitzvoth does involve an initial cost. But weigh this against the gain beyond price, the infinite reward that will surely come. When tempted by a transgression, on the other hand, you have an initial gain. This, too, cannot be denied. There is an immediate pleasure. People use the expression, "ugly as sin." Sin is ugly, but only after the fact. Before it is done, it is quite attractive and tempting. If it were not, people would not sin. True, says Rabbi Judah HaNasi, it tempts you; it offers you some immediate benefit, some ready profit. But weigh the momentary gain against the infinite loss, the irreparable harm that it brings. And Rabbi Judah HaNasi is not alone in this wise approach. "Said Rabbi Yohanan: What is the sense of the verse, 'Therefore the mosh'lim (JPS translates, "they that speak in parables"; RSV, "the ballad singers.") say: Come to heshbon' [this verse]? 'The mosh'lim means the rulers--those who rule and control their passions.' Come to heshbon': [they say] Come and let us make a heshbon, a reckoning of the world: the loss that a mitzvah entails, against its reward; the profit from a transgression, against the loss it brings" (T.B. Baba Bathra 78b). To control the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, this is the key: make a heshbon, a reckoning of what you gain and what you lose by everything, good or bad, that you do. For a mitzvah the cost, the loss is temporary; the reward is everlasting. For an averah, a transgression, the pleasure and the gain are transient; the harm, though it may not come at once, is devastating and permanent. In any system of accounting, what is important is the final figure in the last column. Of what avail is it to show a profit in the beginning but then have a deficit in red ink at the end? A series of pleasures is a perishing series. Good times leave nothing in their wake except a feeling of emptiness. The experience of many pleasures amounts to nothing of permanent value. Transgressions end with loss; that spells their true significance. On the other hand, mitzvoth end with gain; this is the reality. Make a heshbon, and you will become the "ruler of your spirit."

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NUM319 Hillel and Shammai received the tradition from them [Sh'mayah and Avtalyon]. Hillel said: Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and drawing them near to the Torah. Pirkei Avot, Perek I, mishnah 12. We translate the Mishnah's words rodef shalom as "pursuing peace." But the verb rodef is often understood to denote pursuing with intent to destroy; in other words, persecution. In this vein, then, the passage would mean, "Love peace and persecute peace." Yet this is not at all paradoxical. Often times those who love peace may, for the sake of the Torah, have to be the ones who temporarily disrupt the peace. When one of the leaders of Israel defied Moses and publicly desecrated the name of God by committing gross immorality, Pinchas, a grandson of Aaron, was jealous for the Lord and destroyed the evildoers. He certainly did not uphold peace in its conventional sense. He committed violence and bloodshed. Pinchas did not hesitate to disrupt the "peace" of compromise and appeasement. He refused to be tolerant of evil. Yet the Almighty's award to Pinchas was "Behold, I give him My covenant of peace" [this verse]. Without any hesitation Pinchas destroyed an unreal superficial peace to achieve a genuine peace: a harmonious relationship between God and Israel. This was "a war to end war." We find such occasions in life and in history. We must pray to the Almighty to give us the wisdom to recognize and judge these occasions correctly!

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