Berakhot 037

4:
The halakhah as defined in the reisha [first section] of our mishnah is now defunct. The reason for this about face is simple: since no one after the Tanna&#iuml;tic age can be expected to reach the assumed level of concentration achieved by those giants of spirituality, there is no valid reason left for assuming that an ordinary person's concentration during the recitation of the Shema would be any greater one one day and in one situation that in any other. Therefore the exemption granted to the blushing bridegroom has been in disuetude now for well over 1500 years.

5:

However, there is one curious relic of this ancient exemption. In religious circles a bridegroom does not give a speech at the Wedding Reception. Since – according to the ersatz mishnah at any rate – he is excused from Shema and Torah studies because "his mind is elsewhere", let him keep his mind elsewhere. If he does not say words of Torah let him not say words of any less import – let him not say anything at all!

6:
The Rabban Gamli'el of our mishnah is the Rabban Gamli'el we have already met. His refusal to avail himself of the exemption mentioned in the Reisha is brought by the mishnah in order to show that this was an exception. It seems that Rabban Gamli'el was an exceptional person in many ways! We shall see more of this before this chapter is over.

I have received the following request from Rémy Landau::

This idea is a bit far off the trail that we have been following concerning the Shema, but it popped up in one of your lessons. Would it be possible for you to try and explain the existence and purpose of the midrashim, many of which are so fantastic as to stretch credulity to its ultimate breaking points? I have enormous reservations concerning the literal interpretations of any midrash. And I very often am left to wonder whether or not we are looking at outright nonsense in these stories. In grappling with the midrashim we rarely find any indication of the scholarly analyses which could have contributed insights into the historical, societal, and scientific origins of these stories, and possibly also, what it was that might have been originally coded or intended by these stories. Unfortunately, I have found that some who choose to quote and expound on the midrashim do so merely for purposes of dogma. And it is that kind of literal interpretation which makes us enormous losers of our past scholarship, history, and heritage.

I respond:

Rémy is, of course, quite right that such a discussion would be way off our course, but I feel that the request is so valid that everyone would agree that it would be wrong to dismiss it. Therefore, starting tomorrow, at the end of each lesson I shall bring sequentially a translation of a dissertation on midrashim by Moses Maimonides [Rambam]. During and after this series of postings, please guide my explanations with your questions and comments on this matter.

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