Hello Everyone,
In yesterday’s shiur on עין איה we saw how Rav Kook finds meaning in apparently trivial details in stories of the Talmud.
Here is the passage that we studied:
תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף עז עמוד ב
רבי זירא אשכח לרב יהודה דהוה קאי אפיתחא דבי חמוה וחזייה דהוה בדיחא דעתיה ואי בעי מיניה כל חללי עלמא הוה אמר ליה אמר ליה מאי טעמא עיזי מסגן ברישא והדר אימרי אמר ליה כברייתו של עולם דברישא חשוכא והדר נהורא מאי טעמא הני מכסיין והני מגליין הני דמכסינן מינייהו מכסיין והני דלא מכסינן מינייהו מגליין מאי טעמא גמלא זוטר גנובתיה משום דאכל כיסי
Here is the Soncino[1] translation of this story:
- Zera met Rab Judah standing by the door of his father-in-law’s house and saw that he was in a cheerful mood, and if he would ask him all the secrets of the universe he would disclose [them] to him. He [accordingly] asked him: Why do goats march at the head [of the flock], and then sheep? — Said he to him: It is as the world’s creation, darkness preceding and then light.21 Why are the latter covered, while the former are uncovered?22 — Those with whose [material] we cover ourselves are themselves covered, whilst those wherewith we do not cover ourselves are uncovered. Why is a camel’s tail short? — Because it eats thorns.23
There are so many odd things in this story that we don’t even know where to begin? If Rav Yehudah could any question about the secrets of the universe why did Rabbi Zera ask about the tail of the camel? Why does the Talmud tell us that Rav Yehudah was standing by the door to his father-in-law’s home?
The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim and in other writings as well says that we must realize that both the prophets and the sages spoke in riddles and parables. If we don’t understand the riddle, if the story seems fantastical or even nonsensical that is due to our failure to understand the story. Rav Kook had a special ability to demonstrate the wisdom in a story as odd as the one we saw yesterday.
Rav Kook explains the story as follows. Rav Yehudah had gained enormous wisdom in the Torah. It was as if he was wedded to the Torah. The wisdom that he gained brought him great joy. Why does the story emphasize that Rav Yehudah was standing by his father-in-law’s doorway? Because in this allegory, the father-in-law is, to quote Rav Kook:
האב המקורי לכל השפע הרוחני המשתלשל ויורד עד מעמקי העולם המעשי
It may be that Rav Kook wrote this thinking about the famous passage from Proverbs-אשת חיל. Many commentators say that אשת חיל is a parable about the Torah. If someone is wedded to the Torah, if the Torah is a bride then Hashem is, figuratively the father-in-law. Rav Yehudah was positioned to perceive even greater wonders than what he had already perceived.
The story says that Rav Yehudah was prepared to answer any question put to him about the universe. He was ready to answer questions- but he would not speak on his own. He would answer questions because he had the understanding necessary to explain everything. But he would no longer speak about mundane thing on his own because his interests were of a purely spiritual nature.
So what was Rabbi Zera really asking? He certainly was not interested in sheep and camels. Rav Kook explains his question as follows. Our ancestors were shepherds. This is true of the patriarchs as well as Moshe Rabbeinu and King David in his youth. Shepherds have time to think. The great thinkers all begin their studies with unformed thoughts and over time they clarify their thoughts and eventually develop into mature teachers of wisdom. But this maturation takes time. Rabbi Zera asked Rav Yehuda who had achieved great heights in the knowledge of Torah what is the role of the goats which precede the sheep? What is the value of the early stages of study? Why can’t we immediately grasp the most profound aspects of the Torah?
Rav Yehuda replied that development as a scholar necessarily takes time. The early thoughts are the foundations of the concepts to come. In the Creation the dark preceded the creation of light. In scholarship early ideas lead to later ideas. The dark goats must come before the white sheep.
This is the lesson of the story of Rav Yehuda and Rav Zera. This is how Rav Kook saw the lesson hidden in the riddle.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the shiur.
Stuart Fischman