Avot130
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BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI
of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel
RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP
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Today's shiur is dedicated by Dr. Robert E. Braitman in honour of his recent installation as International President of the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. Mazzal Tov!
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TRACTATE AVOT, CHAPTER TWO, MISHNAH NINE (recap):
Rabban Yoĥanan ben-Zakkai had five students, namely: Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Hyrkanos, Rabbi Yehoshu'a ben-Ĥananyah, Rabbi Yosé ha-Kohen, Rabbi Shim'on ben-Netan'el, And Rabbi El'azar ben-Arakh. He would enumerate their virtues [thus]: Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Hyrkanos is a cemented cistern that never loses a drop. Rabbi Yehoshu'a ben-Ĥananyah – happy she who gave him birth! Rabbi Yosé ha-Kohen is pious. Rabbi Shim'on ben-Netan'el is sin-fearing. Rabbi El'azar ben-Arakh is an ever renewing source. He would say that if all the sages of Israel were on one side of the scales and Eli'ezer ben-Hyrkanos on the other he would outweigh them all. [However,] Abba Sha'ul quotes him as saying that if all the sages of Israel were on one side of the scales – including Rabbi Eli'ezer ben-Hyrkanos – and Rabbi El'azar ben-Arakh were on the other he would outweigh them all.
EXPLANATIONS (continued):
22:
Rabbi Yehoshu'a is one of the few great sages about whom we have some information as to his physical features. It seems that his gentle and amiable personality dwelt inside an ugly and repellant body. This clearly made no difference for the sages, but it was noted by others who lacked a great deal in tact. On one occasion he was part of a delegation of sages sent from Eretz-Israel to Italy on a diplomatic mission which included negotiations with the Roman Emperor, Hadrian. Clearly, the party was also entertained privately by the emperor because something that Rabbi Yehoshu'a said really impressed the emperor's daughter. The incident is recounted in the Gemara [Ta'anit 7a]:
The Emperor's daughter said to Rabbi Yehoshu'a: "Alas, glorious wisdom in such an ugly vessel." He said to her in reply: "Does your father put wine in earthenware vessels?" She said to him: "What else should he put them in?" He said to her: "You who are important should put the wine in vessels of gold and silver." She went and said this to her father, who put the wine in vessels of gold and silver, and the wine turned sour. He said to his daughter: "Who advised you to do this?" She replied: "Rabbi Yehoshu'a ben-Ĥananyah." They called him and the Emperor said to him: "Why did you say this to her?" Rabbi Yehoshu'a responded: "Just as she said to me I said to her." The Emperor responded: "But surely there are handsome people that are learned?' Rabbi Yehoshu'a said: "If they had been ugly, they would have learned more!"
23:
This also teaches that Rabbi Yehoshu'a reached a ripe old age. He must have been born some time before the year 40 CE. We must make this assumption because he himself recounts several reminiscences from the time when, as a Levite, he sang in the Levitical choir in the Bet Mikdash. Levites only began their service at the age of 30; since the Bet Mikdash was destroyed in the year 70 CE he must have been born before the year 40 CE. Hadrian became emperor in the year 117 CE, by which time Rabbi Yehoshu'a must have been approaching the end of his ninth decade! To be continued. DISCUSSION:
In Avot 124 we had occasion to mention the very last ceremony of the Red Heifer. Alan Marcus writes:
I've always found one aspect of the red heifer ceremony very troubling: How can a ritual designed to purify someone serve its intended purpose if the impurity "removed" through that ritual is transferred to the officiating Kohen? As I understand it, that "transfer" makes the Kohen ritually impure, thus necessitating that the Kohen himself be purified, presumably through the same ritual. Assuming that the Kohen who administered to the first officiating Kohen will also become ritually impure, and that all subsequent Kohanim who administer to those who have become ritually impure through this "transfer" will, in turn, become ritually impure, it seems to me that the entire priesthood, including the Kohen Gadol, could become ritually impure simply by performing this ritual. Is this an overstatement or a misunderstanding of the ritual itself? I respond: I am no expert of such recondite matters, but it seems to me that it was only a person who had been in contact with a corpse who needed the purification of the ashes and water of the Red Heifer. The officiating priest contracted a kind of secondary impurity, which could be removed by bathing in a mikveh. (We learned about primary and secondary impurities when we studied Tractate Yadayyim.) However, a cognate issue is raised by Marc Auslander, who writes: In reading the portion on the Red Heifer it appeared that the purification procedure required an already pure individual at several steps. If I understand correctly, I don't see how those who are trying to find a Red Heifer now plan to "purify" anyone. I must be missing something. I respond: No, you are missing nothing! Even assuming, rather rashly, that we could identify a person who is a direct and unquestioned descendant of Aaron (I believe this could possibly be done by DNA testing) such a priest would be ritually impure, and the only way he could become ritually pure is through the ashes and water of the Red Heifer … which can only be slaughtered by a priest who is ritually pure. Catch 22. The pious will no doubt tell us that we await the coming of the prophet Elijah who will solve this conundrum for us!
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