Chagigah 6: Mesorah

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Rabbi Yishmael says: General statements were said at Sinai, i.e., Moses received general mitzvot at Sinai, including the Ten Commandments.

And the details of the mitzvot, e.g., the particulars of the sacrificial process, were said to Moses at a later time in the Tent of Meeting.

Rabbi Akiva says: Both general statements and the details of mitzvot were said at Sinai and later repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and reiterated a third time by Moses to the Jewish people in the plains of Moab, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy.

This idea of the mesorah and revelation at Sinai being a process rather than a singular event is explored by scholars from different denominations in our essay.

This bears on the authority of tradition in subsequent generations and the power of the poseik.

Chagigah 5: הַסְתָּרָה תּוֹךְ הַסְתָּרָה

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The Gemora continues to explain the verse about the troubles besetting Bnai Yisrael, which is followed by a verse in which Hashem says that His anger will burn on that day, and He will abandon them, and hide His face from them, letting them be consumed. Rav Bardela bar Tivyomi quotes Rav saying that anyone who doesn't experience a hiding of Hashem's face and being consumed is not part of Bnai Yisrael.

Finally, he cried when he reached the verse which says that Hash-m will punish the people with afflictions that cannot be remedied (Devarim 31:21), because the remedy for one problem intensifies another problem.

Perhaps Rebbi Yochanan was sensitive to these particular verses because of his personal experiences. The Gemara in Berachos (5b) relates that Rebbi Yochanan lost ten sons but did not despair. He accepted the tragedies as Yisurin Shel Ahavah.

These themes of justified vs unjustified suffering permeate the theme of our dad.

We explore the writings of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalmish Shapira, the Rebbe of Piaseczno, who composed "Esh Kodesh," an extraordinary collection of sermons, in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. This work is outstanding in its honesty, its power, and its religious and existential depths, especially considering the impossible and nightmarish circumstances of its writing.

Rebbe Nachman writes on the hiddenness of God using the same prooftext from Deut 321:21

Chagigah 4: Imbecile שׁוֹטֶה

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We mentioned that a deranged person does not have to appear in the Temple, as well as do any other mitzvah. Who is considered deranged? - One who goes alone at night to uninhabited places, sleeps in a cemetery, and tears his clothes for no reason. Do we need him to do all three?

Rav Huna and Rebbi Yochanan disagree about how many of these signs a person must display in order to be classified as a Shoteh.

Rav Huna says that one is not classified as a Shoteh until he performs all three strange actions. Rebbi Yochanan disagrees and says that a person has the status of a Shoteh even when he performs only one of the three actions.

We explore the notion of insanity, and the halachic dispensations thereof as well as the more recent implications of imbecility in western culture.

Chagigah 3: Hakhel

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A passage on our daf is quoted in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, expounds the pasuk (Devarim 31:12) which describes how every Jewish person – man, woman and child – is obligated to travel to Jerusalem once in seven years for the mitzvah of hakhel (assembly).

While the men and women come to learn and to listen, what is the purpose of bringing children?

Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria explains that it is so that extra reward can be given to those who bring them.

We bring a number of commentators who attempt to explain this unique halachah, including the radical teaching of the Mei hashiloach Reb Mordechai Leiner the Izhbitzer Rebbe.

Chagigah 2: Visual Exceptions

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One who is blind in one of his eyes is exempt from the mitzva of appearance, as it is stated:

יז שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, בַּשָּׁנָה--יֵרָאֶה, כָּל-זְכוּרְךָ, אֶל-פְּנֵי, הָאָדֹן יְהוָה.

17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Ex 23:17

“Three occasions in the year all your males will appear [yera’e] before the Lord God”

Since there are no vowels in the text, this can be read as: All your males will see [yireh] the Lord God. This teaches that in the same manner that one comes to see, so he comes to be seen: Just as the usual way to see is with both one’s eyes, so too the obligation to be seen applies only to one who comes with the sight of both his eyes. Therefore, one who is blind in one eye is not obligated in the mitzva of appearance in the Temple.

We explore the notion of being seen by the divine and considering the need for binocular vision. What does recent research reveal and what are the spiritual insights regarding depth perception.

Moed Katan 29: Hadran

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Moed Katan 28: טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל-בֵּית-אֵבֶל.

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It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say with regard to the verse:

ב טוֹב לָלֶכֶת אֶל-בֵּית-אֵבֶל, מִלֶּכֶת אֶל-בֵּית מִשְׁתֶּה--בַּאֲשֶׁר, הוּא סוֹף כָּל-הָאָדָם; וְהַחַי, יִתֵּן אֶל-לִבּוֹ.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart.

Eccl 7:2

“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart”

What should the living lay to his heart? Matters relating to death. And these matters are as follows: He that eulogizes will be eulogized by others. He that buries others will be buried by others. He that loads many words of praise and tribute into the eulogies that he delivers for others will be similarly treated by others. He that raises his voice in weeping over others will have others raise their voices over him.

We explore the ironic mixture of fatalism and resistance in Kohelet through the lens of modern poets including Yehudah Amichai.

Moed Katan 27: אִי אַתֶּם רַחְמָנִים בּוֹ יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנִּי Grief and Belief

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It is written [Yirmiyah 22:10]: Do not cry for the dead, neither shall you shake your head for him. Do not cry for the dead means that one should not cry excessively, and do not shake your head means beyond measure.

The Gemora explains how this is applied: Three days for weeping and seven for lamenting and thirty to refrain from pressing clothes and cutting hair. From that point and on, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: You are not more compassionate towards him than I.

We explore the notion of excessive mourning and the limits of grief from an archetypal perspective.

I was 17 when I first heard Jaqueline Du Pre play the Elgar Cello Concerto (the saddest piece of music), and weeped.

She died when I was 37 and I weeped again.

As a neurologist I realized how much she suffered with MS and how it robbed her of her divine gift, slowly agonizingly…

Yet our daf admonishes us to not mourn excessively, for אִי אַתֶּם רַחְמָנִים בּוֹ יוֹתֵר מִמֶּנִּי……

I am left only with questions, is human rachmonus different to divine?

Moed Katan 26: The Poetics of Grief

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Our Daf brings a passage in II Shmuel (1:11-12) that describes King David’s reaction to the news that King Saul and his son Yehonatan had been killed and that the army of the Jewish people had been defeated.

From the fact that David and his men tore their clothes, mourned and fasted, the Sages deduce that one is obligated in keriya (tearing one’s clothes) over the Nasi (King Saul), the Av Bet Din (Yehonatan), and news of tragedy (the Jewish people who lost the war).

We explore the scene where the Amaleki brings the news of Saul’s death and compare the discrepancies with the same narrative in the last chapter of I Samuel….how does the reader use them to uncover tensions in the set about what occurred and David’s ambivalence.

What does the lament tell us about the character of King David and how might that compare to the kings of England portrayed in Shakespeare's’ historical plays?

Moed Katan 25: Kiss of Death

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The mishna teaches that only the relatives of the deceased rend their clothes. The Gemara asks: And is this the case even if the deceased was a Torah Sage? But isn’t it taught otherwise in a baraita: When a Torah scholar dies, everyone is his relative.

We review the idea of the misas neshika... the kiss of death reserved for the righteous.. and cite a hesped for the Rov that evoked such memories.

Having discussed our daf’s minhagim on the death of a teacher and a Rebbe at the “moment of death” when one tears kriah, and having discussed the “kiss” the misas neshika in the bible and in midrash/Zohar, we now turn to the most infamous kiss of all… the betrayal by Judas Iscariot and how that fateful kiss has informed antisemitic tropes from the Church to Hitler for a millennium….

Moed Katan 24: Infant Loss

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The traditions associated with the burial and mourning of a baby who died less than 30 days after birth differ from normal customs. Specifically, the Gemara teaches that such a child is carried to the cemetery in a woman’s arms, rather than in a coffin, and the statements of consolation are not uttered, neither in the cemetery nor in the home.

These differences stem from the possibility that a child who perishes after less than one month is considered a stillborn.

We explore the particular halachos of fetal and newborn deaths then move on to how grief differs between fathers and mothers.

We review the neurobiology of grief and the functional anatomy that subtends this most excruciating loss imaginable.

Moed Katan 23: Condolences

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Our daf focuses on mourning and Shabbat. Are we allowed to mourn on Shabbat, or does the

'delight' of Shabbat override our right to mourn? Which mitzvot must we continue to observe on Shabbat? Are we asked to observe all or none?

And what difference might it make whether we are observing in private or in public? Does it matter how the community might understand our experience of mourning?

We explore the minhag of comforting after lecha Dodi on Shabbat and it complexities as well as the notion of Nichum Aveilim be'halacha and emotionally.

We examine other letters of comfort in antiquity to compare.

Moed Katan 22: Revealing the Heart of Grief

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The rabbis share various halachot of mourning, each time noting how much more pronounced our practice should be when mourning our parents. Some examples include wearing one's garment with one shoulder showing (men only) and avoiding social gatherings.

The example of rending one's clothing is detailed and very telling. It notes the differences between men and women in rending clothing; women cannot show the skin of their chests, and so they rend an inner garment and turn it around. The outer garment is also torn - by hand, and irreparably, if done for a parent. It seems that people layered their clothing and revealed the heart of grief if males and did not if females for tzenius reasons.

We explore ancient grief practices and clothing as well as modern responses to the grief following the pandemic.

Moed Katan 21: The Joy of Torah and Aveilus

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One is prohibited from learning Torah while in mourning because it is a source of joy

(Our daf Mo’ed Katan 21a and Rashi s.v. “v-assur”).

Yet, R’ Soloveitchik asserts that the learning of Torah on Tish’ah be-Av in order to appreciate and consequences of the events on that day, is a fulfillment of mourning:

While the study of Torah is prohibited on Tish’ah be-Av, the study of the events that happened on Tish’ah be-Av is not only permitted but is, in itself, a fulfillment of avelut (mourning).

Understanding what Tish’ah be-Av means – a retrospective reexperiencing and reliving of the events it commemorates, appreciating its meaning in Jewish history and particularly the consequences and results of the catastrophe that struck us so many years ago that it commemorates – is identical to kiyyum avelut (a fulfillment of mourning).

On Tish’ah be-Av avelut means to understand what happened, and that understanding or intellectual analysis is to be achieved… in the light of both Torah she-bi-khtav and Torah she-be-al peh, the Written and Oral Law. These are our only frames of reference…

We explore notions of Torah joy, learning, aveilus and the niggun of Torah joy...

Moed Katan 20: Keryah

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The Gemara asks: Upon receiving a belated report of a close relative’s passing, does one rend his garment or does he not rend it?

Rabbi Mani said: He does not rend it, whereas Rabbi Ḥanina said: He does rend it.

Rabbi Mani said to Rabbi Ḥanina: Granted, it makes sense that according to my position this is consistent, as I say that he does not rend his garment, and this is because there is no seven-day period of mourning.

We examine the halachos of keryah and especially regarding the customs when coming to the Kotel.

We also explore expressions of grief through rending clothes in the bible, and Jastrow's classical article on ancient near eastern mourning practices,

and psychologically as part of the stages of grief.

Moed Katan 19: God's Tefillin

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Although the Mishna’s concern is whether a person is allowed to write tefillin or mezuzot on Hol HaMoed (we follow the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda who permits a sofer(scribe) to write for himself, but not for reasons of business), the issue that is raised by the rishonim is one that is not discussed by the Talmud at all. Is a person obligated in the commandment of tefillin during this holiday period?

We explore the diversity of opinion that cut across the spectrum of Ashkenazi/Sefardi, Chassidish/Mitnaged and Modern Minhag Erezt Yisrael.

We then review the anthropomorphism of Hashem wearing tefillin Himself (kivyachol) and what that implies...

and the dazzling vort from Reb Zisha (at the very end)...

Moed Katan 18: Baashert

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One may betroth a woman on the intermediate days of a Festival, but he may not marry her, nor may he make a betrothal feast, nor may he perform levirate marriage, because that would be a joyous occasion for him, and one may not mix the joy of a wedding with the joy of the Festival.

Shmuel said that we are concerned that perhaps another man will come and betroth the woman first? But didn’t Rav Yehuda say that Shmuel said:

Every day a Divine Voice issues forth and says: The daughter of so-and-so is destined to be the wife of so-and-so; the field of so-and-so will belong to so-and-so? If this is the case, why should one be concerned lest another betroth her first? It is predestined that he will marry his designated mate.

We explore the debate between Rav and Shmuel then review the notion of basheert as the problems couples face today,

Are arranged marriages more successful? What is the nature of romantic love from a neurological perspective?

Moed Katan 17: The Maid who was a Rebbe (Ludmir)

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We explore the notion of:

A Torah scholar may execute judgment for himself with regard to a matter about which he is certain, and this included Reb yehuda hanassi's maid!

The Gemara asks: What is the story mentioned by Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani involving the maidservant in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi? It was related that the maidservant in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s house saw a certain man who was striking his adult son. She said: Let that man be excommunicated, due to the fact that he has transgressed the injunction:

“You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind” as it is taught in a baraita that the verse states: “You shall not place a stumbling block before the blind,” and the verse speaks here of one who strikes his adult son, as the son is likely to become angry and strike his father back, thereby transgressing the severe prohibition against hitting one’s parent.

Rebbi’s maid was known to be a woman of unique intelligence and was truly God-fearing, to the extent that it was difficult to find someone with her qualities who could lift the ban. It should be noted that we find “the maid of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi” mentioned in other contexts in the Gemara.

In one case she is quoted offering interpretations to difficult words whose meaning escaped the Sages, explaining that these were words that she was familiar with from listening to the conversation in the home of her master.

We review her mentions in Talmud then present another maid who was a Rebbe in her own right....the Maidl from Ludmir.

Moed Katan 16: The Last Hour

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The first two kings of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel were both plagued by actions so severe that they brought censure by God and His prophets. In King Saul’s case (see I Shmuel, chapter 15), the war against Amalek – where he allowed King Agag to live and did not destroy the animals of the Amalek nation, as commanded – led to Shmu’el’s rebuke, Saul’s admission of fault (see ibid:24), and the loss of his kingdom. In the case of his successor, King David (see 2 Shmuel, chapter 11), the incident with Bat-Sheva leads to Natan’s parable of the rich man who steals a poor man’s sheep, David’s admission of fault (see ibid 12:13) and a series of family tragedies.

On our daf Zutra bar Toviyya was once reading the portion of the Bible before Rav Yehuda. When he reached the verse: “Now these are the last words of David” (II Samuel 23:1), Zutra bar Toviyya said to Rav Yehuda: If it is written that these are the last of David’s words, by inference there are first words as well.

We explore the difference between the Tanach's portrayal of King David's character with the Midrashic, and possible reasons for the difference.

Moed Katan 15: Rabbinic Authority and Nidui

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Our Daf begins with a series of questions regarding the leper and the ostracized (excommunicated) for instance The Gemara asks whether a Menudeh (one who has been placed in Niduy, or excommunication) is permitted to be with his wife.

What is the Gemara's question? The Gemara earlier clearly states that no one may go within four Amos of a Menudeh, and this prohibition applies to his wife as well.

We learn that there are three stages of banishment from the community. The first is ostracism, or menudeh. It is a warning. The second is an intermediary stage called, according to the Ra'avad, shamta. The most serious stage is excommunication, or mucharah. The seriousness of banishment is obvious; without community, one cannot survive in the times of the Talmud.

We explore the status of nidui vs cherem then discuss some examples of the most infamous case of cherem, that of Baruch Spinoza, and follow it with the Gra's cherem on the Hassidim.

All the while we struggle between notions of rabbinic authority and personal religious freedom.