We must now pay particular attention to the last sentence of this quotation. Rav Sheshet, a prominent Babylonian Amora, would continue his personal studies while the Torah was being read publicly. The prime study material of the AmoraÏm was the Mishnah. Thus Rav Sheshet seems to think that while the 'ordinary man in the street' is listening to God's law at a level appropriate to him, he – Rav Sheshet, a proficient Amora – must study God's law at a level appropriate to him:
we to ours and they to theirs. (This seems to be the intention of Rashi in his comment in the Talmud on the behaviour of Rav Sheshet.)
2:
However, this behaviour of Rav Sheshet seems to be in direct opposition to a different ruling of the Gemara [Sotah 39a]:
Clearly, the intention here is to indicate that while the Torah is being read one must give the reading one's complete attention – something that Rav Sheshet clearly and demonstrably is not doing! In their commentary on the passage in
Berakhot the Tosafists try valiantly to reconcile the two passages. They suggest that the prohibition mentioned in
Sotah is only about chatting/studying out loud, because this would destroy the concentration of those listening to the Torah reading (who did not have Ĥumashim available to follow the reading, as we do today). Rav Sheshet, of course, was doing his alternative study quietly, in such a manner as would not disturb the others present. Other authorities have given different explanations as to why the behaviour of Rav Sheshet in
Berakhot is not violating what is laid down in
Sotah:
- if there are ten other people listening to the reading it is permitted not to concentrate – Rif;
- if, like Rav Sheshet, one's sole occupation is study of Torah one does not have to interrupt one's studies – Halakhot Gedolot;
- if one started alternative study before they started reading from the Torah it is permitted to continue – Rabbenu Yonah.
3:
Clearly, Karo is not happy with these 'excuses', but he cannot ignore them. That is why paragraph 2 of Section 146 is so convoluted. Karo states his preferred view succinctly: "once the reader has started to read from the Torah scroll it is forbidden to chat", and he even prohibits certain 'interruptions' that one might have thought would have been permitted interruptions: between honorees, for example. (Commentators on the Shulĥan Arukh even prohibit one to state a halakhah in order to prevent a violation if the result can be obtained by signs!)
4:
Clearly, the requirement to pay full attention to the Torah reading was problematic for some people and all sorts of excuses were proposed that would exclude some specific situation from the general prohibition. A prominent halakhic authority in Spanish Jewry in the middle ages, Rabbi Shelomo ben-Adret, was asked whether one could be excused from listening to the Torah reading if one had already completed the duty of reviewing the whole parashah "twice scripture and once translation". His response was that nevertheless such a person must pay full attention to the Torah reading. (The questioner was referring to a duty to prepare for the Torah reading during the preceeding week by going through the whole parashah at least twice and a third time in the Aramaic translation that was the subject of Section 145. Nowadays it seems that this preparatory study is now "more honoured in the breach than the observance".)
5:
All these alternative 'excuses' Karo brings in paragraph 2 as "some authorities". Needless to say, in a modern Conservative congregation it is highly unlikely that anyone present – even the rabbi! – would justifiably fall into the categories indicated in these 'excuses' and therefore all should give the Torah reading their utmost attention. It seems to me that nowadays when in most congregations there is a substantial break "between honorees" when blessings and prayers are recited, it would not be inappropriate to speak "between honorees". (For the sake of completion let us not in passing that "nowadays no one falls into the category of 'someone for whom Torah study is his sole occupation'" – Rabbi Eliahu Shapira of Prague, author of Eli'ah Rabba, who died in 1712.)
6:
During the month of Adar every year certain extra passages are read from a second scroll as maftir on four occasions: on the Shabbat before or on Rosh Ĥodesh Adar we read Parashat Shekalim; on the Shabbat which precedes Purim we read Parashat Zakhor; on the penultimate Shabbat of Adar we read Parashat Parah; and on the Shabbat before or on Rosh Ĥodesh Nisan we read Parashat Ha-Ĥodesh. These will be fully explained in our next shiur.
To be continued.
