Hello Everyone,
In yesterday’s shiur on עין איה we studied one of the most widely discussed suggyaot in the Gemarah.
This what the Gemarah says:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף עה עמוד א
אמר רבי שמעון בן פזי אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי משום בר קפרא כל היודע לחשב בתקופות ומזלות ואינו חושב עליו הכתוב אומר ואת פעל ה’ לא יביטו ומעשה ידיו לא ראו
אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר רבי יוחנן מנין שמצוה על האדם לחשב תקופות ומזלות שנאמר ושמרתם ועשיתם כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים איזו חכמה ובינה שהיא לעיני העמים הוי אומר זה חישוב תקופות ומזלות
The first statement ( said in the name of בר קפרא) says that whoever is capable of performing astronomical calculations is being obdurate in his refusal to appreciate the wonders of Hashem’s creation. The second statement (in the name of Rabbi Yochanan) goes further and says that there is a mitzvah to perform these calculations and Rabbi Yochanan gives an intriguing source for this mitzvah:
דברים פרק ד פסוק ו
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם כִּי הִוא חָכְמַתְכֶם וּבִינַתְכֶם לְעֵינֵי הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְעוּן אֵת כָּל הַחֻקִּים הָאֵלֶּה וְאָמְרוּ רַק עַם חָכָם וְנָבוֹן הַגּוֹי הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה:
The simple meaning of the pasuk is summed up by Rav Shimshon Rephael Hirsch in his commentary. The nations of the world will admire us as being a “wise and intelligent”[1] nation when we observe and fulfill the Torah.[2] Rav Hirsch says that other nations excel by developing their particular sciences and arts. What is unique to the Jews is that we can perfect the science and art[3] of life. Our observance of the Torah will lead us to build a society which the nations of the world will admire.
This commentary of Rav Shimshon rephael Hiorsch seems to me in my humble opinion to be what the pasuk means. Why then did Rabbi Yochanan say that this pasuk refers specifically to the execution of astronomical calculations?
The ר”ן in his commentary to the suggyah in masechet Shabbat provides an explanation. The statements of Bar Kappara and Rabbi Yochanan come at the end of the suggyah. The suggyah opens with an attack on those who seek knowledge from pagans and sectarians:[4]
תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף עה עמוד א
והלומד דבר אחד מן המגוש חייב מיתה והיודע לחשב תקופות ומזלות ואינו חושב אסור לספר הימנו ….דאמר רב זוטרא בר טוביה אמר רב הלומד דבר אחד מן המגוש חייב מיתה
Pagans see the celestial bodies as being able to influence events on earth. Astronomical calculations that demonstrate the predictability of the motion of the planets show that far from being autonomous beings, the planets are subject to a set of rules that govern their behavior.
חידושי הר”ן (מיוחס לו) מסכת שבת דף עה עמוד א
והיודע לחשוב בתקופות ומזלות וכו’. פי’ רבי’ יהונתן ז”ל לפי שהוא חכמה מפוארה ומכיר גדולות קונו שתקנם כרצונו ואין בהם כח לשנות מה שגזר עליהם ולא להיטיב ולהרע אלא ברצון הבור’ שדן בהם בריותיו כחפצו ויכיר טעות המשתחוים לשמש ולירח שטועים בהם ואומרים שמריעים ומטיבים וידע להשיב את אפיקורוס ואת המגוש ע”כ:
When a person knows how to make these calculations he can refute pagans and so demonstrate the wisdom of the Torah.[5]
I mentioned that this suggyah is much discussed. The reason for this is that it is often bandied about when people debate the place of secular studies in a Jewish curriculum. On the one hand it is clear that to perform the calculations described by Bar Kappara and Rabbi Yochanan a person needs a thorough education in mathematics, physics and astronomy. Since neither Bar Kappara nor rabbi Yochanan would ever condone ביטול תורה it would seem that there is a place for these subjects in a yeshiva’s program of study. The debate about this suggyah in the context of the larger debate regarding the proper course of study for a yeshiva is interesting, but this was not the object of yesterday’s shiur.
The actual subject of yesterday’s shiur was Rav Kook’s explanation of the suggyah. Why is it so important to perform astronomical calculations? Rav Kook explains that there are two types of people. Some people find inspiration by observing the wonders of creation. Other people find inspiration within themselves. Each person must cultivate spirituality based on their particular tendency. That is why the Gemarah first says that the study of astronomy is essential for “.היודע ” Those people who have a gift for studying nature must develop that gift since that is their path to come to an appreciation of Hashem. Their souls are nourished by the knowledge that they acquire. Should these people ignore the study of nature their souls will simply wither away.
The study of nature is not essential for those people who can find Hashem through introspection. Their spiritual growth is “outward”- first they look into themselves and this leads them to see Hashem in the world. For the first group the study of nature leads them to develop their own internal spirituality.
People, Rav Kook says, can find Hashem in different ways and the same is true for nations. The nations of the world are “outwardly” directed. They first study nature, they discover its laws and its beauty. The Jews as a people are “inwardly” directed. We develop our spirituality and through our realization of Hashem’s grandeur we come to appreciate his creation.
However if the Jewish people will never explore the natural sciences our spiritual insights will never shed light on the world as a whole. That is why Rabbi Yochanan says it is absolutely a mitzvah to study astronomy and the sciences.[6] It is only by seeing the world through the light of the Torah that we can bring this wisdom to humanity.
This is a summary of the shiur. Thanks to everyone who participated in it.
Stuart Fischman
[1] The translation is my own.
[2] See footnote number 1.
[3] In the Hebrew translation from the original German the phrase used in the commentary is “.המדע והאמנות החיים”
[4] The Gemarah has a short discussion regarding the precise definition of “.מגוש”
[5] A profound knowledge of astronomy was a necessity in the times of the Sanhedrin. When the calendar was based on the testimony of witnesses the judges of the Sanhedrin had to know when the new moon could be anticipated and where it would appear in the evening sky. With this knowledge they could examine the witnesses who came to the court to say that they saw the new moon. Astronomical data and calculations form the bulk of the Rambam’s .הלכות קידוש החודש
[6] Rav Kook specifically writes “. חישוב תקופות ומזלות וכל הדומה לו”