A Stroll in the Garden and Talmud Torah
TALMUDICA AGGADA
By Rav Yitzchak Blau
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This weeks shiurim are dedicated by Carole S. Daman of Scarsdale in memory
of Tzvi Hersh ben David Arye zl Harlan Daman
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Shiur #06: A Stroll in
the Garden and Talmud Torah
This teaches you that the Divine presence does not
rest [on someone in a state of] sadness, laziness, levity, lightheadedness,
chatter, or idle words, but [only on someone who is experiencing] the joy of a
mitzva, as it says And now bring me a minstrel. And when the minstrel
played, the hand of God came upon him (Melakhim II 3:15). R. Yehuda said in the name of Rav:
And so too for a halakhic matter.
Is that so?
Did not R. Gidel say in the name of Rav: If any scholar sits before his
teacher and his lips are not dripping bitterness, they should be burned, as it
says: His lips are like lilies dripping with flowing myrrh (Shir Ha-shirim
5:13). Do not read it as flowing
myrrh, but as flowing bitterness (mar in Hebrew). Do not read it as lilies (shoshanim)
but as that study; (she-shonim).
There is no difficulty. One
source speaks of the teacher, and one of the student. Alternatively, both sources speak of
the teacher, but one speaks about before he begins the lesson, and the other
speaks about after he begins, just as Rabba began every lesson with, a joke and
the rabbis would laugh. After that, he
sat in awe and began the lesson (Shabbat 30b).
R. Gidel cites a remarkable interpretation from Rav which somehow
converts, His lips are like lilies dripping myrrh, into Lips that study drip
bitterness. This interpretation
contradicts R. Yehudas quote from Rav that joy promotes productive halakhic
study. What motivates the creative reading of Shir Ha-shirim, and why
associate Torah study with bitterness? Moreover,
how do we understand the Gemaras two methods of resolving the contradiction? Either the instructor is happy while
the students are bitter, or the teacher himself grows bitter over the course of
the lesson. Again, what generates
bitterness in the context of Torah learning?
Torah Temima attempts to account for the innovative interpretation. He points out that the structure of
the Hebrew phrase, His lips are like lilies, differs from the usual structure
of metaphors for parts of the body in the fifth chapter of Shir Ha-shirim,
in that the phrase leaves out the kaf ha-dimayon (the letter kaf
that indicates that one thing is like another).
If the intent of the phrase had been to make a comparison, it should have
read siftotav ke-shoshanim (His lips are like lilies) and not siftitav
shoshanim (His lips are lilies).
Furthermore, myrrh is not the kind of spice that drips, so we have good
reason to reinterpret the phrase notfot mor. Torah Temimas clever explanations
hardly render Ravs reading the simple interpretation; presumably,
non-exegetical factors motivated Ravs exposition on Torah study and bitterness.
One possible explanation for Ravs association of Torah study with
bitterness is that bitterness stems from fear of embarrassment, which is part of
almost any educational setting.
Students fear revealing their ignorance in front of peers or teachers. Schools
often become highly competitive environments in which a poor answer inspires
ridicule. From this perspective, it makes
sense that the students experience bitterness in a way that the instructors do
not. Teachers who know the
material and control the flow of discussion have less to fear. If this explanation is correct, we
can understand the Gemaras first answer, but still have difficulty
understanding the second answer, in which the teacher grows bitter after
starting the lesson.
Alternatively, the bitterness may be due to
the apprehension that goes along with reverence for the rebbe. Rav speaks about a student sitting in
front of his teacher. Sitting in front of someone one really admires generates
nervous tension, even if one does not fear punishment or embarrassment. Maharsha adopts this approach. This
approach, however, still does not explain why the teacher becomes bitter during
the course of his presentation.
R. Kook offers a beautiful interpretation of
this gemara in Ein Aya.
For him, bitterness refers to the arduous task of striving for wisdom and
insight. Attempting to plumb
the depths of Torah often brings frustration when insight proves elusive. Acquiring skills, a prerequisite for
the authentic pursuit of knowledge, depends upon drudgery and tedious work. Many
would prefer to skip the hard labor and just hear nicely laid out conclusions;
in a sense, they want to be consumers of Torah, but not producers. I once had a
student who would frequently ask me to relate a good vort (word of
Torah). He was bright enough to
appreciate a profound idea, but was uninterested in plowing through sources
himself or thinking extensively about how to solve a difficulty. R. Kook argues that such an approach
misses an essential component of Torah study.
Do not read it as lilies. Do not treat the Torah as a pleasant stroll
through a beautiful flower garden.
The deepest connection to Torah builds on laborious toil and ongoing effort
which includes moments of bitterness and frustration. Who experiences this bitterness? One
could say that the students, less knowledgeable by definition, struggle towards
comprehension, whereas the erudite teacher simply enjoys Torah, having worked
out the issues many years ago. Thus,
the first answer says that the student experiences bitterness, whereas the
teacher experiences the joy of mitzvot.
The second answer takes on profound meaning according to R. Kooks
reading. We have all encountered two
types of teachers. Some teachers
come with well organized, neatly packaged lectures that the finest students
comment or question cannot make a dent in.
Others find a way to incorporate the queries and insights of the students
into the discussion when appropriate.
In the second model, the teacher addresses points he did not anticipate
or plan for, and this requires hard work.
The complexity of Torah means that finished products do not exist, and
the material sometimes needs fresh thinking.
A teacher of this latter type enters the lesson feeling content about
having worked out the issues. As the
lesson progresses, a student raises an important point or the teacher himself
suddenly considers a new angle, and the worthwhile teacher realizes that more
work remains to be done. In that
sense, the teacher moves on to bitterness during the course of the lesson. Of course, this bitterness brings joy
as well. In R. Gidels reading, the
verse refers to mar over, passing bitterness. Complex thought causes moments of
aggravation; however, the process of developing an idea or solving a conceptual
dilemma ultimately is a source of happiness.
R. Kook accomplishes something quite unusual in his interpretation. Most interpretations of the form, do
not read it as x, such as do not read it as sons, but as builders (Berakhot
64a) focus only on the novel reading, but do not derive meaning from the
rejected reading. Here, R. Kook
makes use of the rejected reading as well. Read it as bitterness and do not
read it as lilies. Relate to Torah
as something demanding, not just as something pleasant.
This message should have particular resonance in our contemporary world. Many forces within education seem
dedicated to making the pursuit of knowledge easy. Students will read the Cliff notes
rather than Shakespeare, and the Idiots Guide to Philosophy in place of
David Hume or William James. Let us
candidly admit that the same phenomenon exists in the Torah world. A boon in Jewish publishing includes
numerous works translated into English as well as complex works summarized and
abridged in neat packages. It is
much easier to read Rambans Torah commentary in translation or to look at a
summary than to take on the difficult task of deciphering the original
unabridged text. Is it only a matter
of time before the Art Scroll Minchat Chinukh or Ketzot Ha-choshen
comes out? These English works make
a contribution in opening up Torah for many who could not access it otherwise;
nevertheless, those capable of more should strive for more. A dedicated student willing to go
through the bitterness of planting and cultivating will eventually experience a
far sweeter smelling rose garden, but there are no shortcuts.
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