For the source text click/tap here: Pesachim 87
To download, click/tap here: PDF
Our new Perek begins with pesukim from the book of Hosea, which leads to a discussion about the place of the Jewish people in the Diaspora.
One of the comments is made by Rabbi Oshaya, who teaches that God was being generous with the Jewish people when he dispersed them among the nations of the world, since their distribution around the world guarantees that they cannot all be threatened together.
Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, exiled Israel among the nations only so that converts would join them.
This leads us to a meditation on the meaning of exile and the notion of dual loyalties as recently as statements made by the former president about Jewish democrats.