Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 4

Who guards the guardians?

First we note that the idea of establishing many students is a Hillel, not a Shammai, pedagogical approach. Next we examine the concept of siyag (fence, boundry) in the historical context of the 2nd century CE's various Jewish factions. We note the source for this idea seems to be Vayikra 18:30 (see Yevamot 21a) which itself is a rabbinic derivation.

The idea of siyag was a point of contention between the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Dead Sea Sect, the Christians and many others. Next time we will see how critical it is to determining which which disagreements are tolerated and which are not, within the Rabbinic (Pharisaic) Judaism of Rebbi's world.

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Yechezkel Chapter 2: Eating Woe

In this chapter the prophet recovers from the overwhelming theophany of the previous chapter and is endowed with a mission whose chances for success appear bleak. We wonder why it was necessary for Ezekiel to perform this bizarre symbolic act of eating and offer an explanation tied to the first chapter of Daniel and the fruit of the tree of good and evil (please see the relevant previous recordings for more details).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 3

What was received at Sinai?

We return to the question of why the first Mishnah omits a mention of God as the giver of the Torah and instead focuses on the fact that the Torah was received from Sinai. We contrast this with Avot d'Rebbi Natan which does include Hashem in the process.

To explain this surprising composition we note another phrase that is described as 'from Sinai' - Halakha l'Moshe miSinai, and investigate how this concept can shed light on the intention of the Mishna to offer the broadest possible understanding of what exactly was transmitted as part of the 'oral' Torah.

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Excursus on Maaseh Merkava - Theophany? Mystical Experience? Mind Palace?

We take a deep dive into the meaning of Ezekiel's vision of the divine transport, arguing what was envisioned was not in fact a chariot at all. We discuss some of the history related to mystical approaches to Yechezkel's prophecy and offer an alternative understanding of the vehicle in question based on the description of the lavers in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple).

We also offer a sustained comparison between the language and motifs of the revelation in chapter 1 with very similar language used to describe elements of the flood in the story of Noah. We offer a theory as to why these textual hints are embedded in our story.

More on the omniwheel (and the notion of Ezekiel seeing a UFO) can be found here. A brief animation of the omniwheel in use by the lavers of the Bayit is viewable here

Lastly, here is a relief that is roughly contemporaneous to the time of Yechezkel showing a royal chariot

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 2

What is Mesorah?

In this episode we discuss the historical context for the composition of the Mishnah. We then uncover perhaps the most profound lesson of Avot, that part of the Torah sh'Baal Peh are the new insights and innovations, not from Sinai, but created by those who are the conduit of the mesorah from one generation to the next. Those 'Avot' don't just transmit the oral Torah, they contribute to it. We see this from the first Mishna which itself was clearly not said at Sinai, and we see it from the fact that the innovative statements of Avot are (largely) not sourced in Torah verses, nor are they even Rabbinically required (one has not violated halacha or sinned if s/he has not made their house a meeting place for the Sages (1:4) for instance.

Lastly, we point out that the intended audience for Avot is not the average layperson. This is also seen from the first mishnah where the statements of the Men of the Great Assembly are addressed not to the average joe, but their colleagues, other Avot.

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The Work of the Divine Chariot

Welcome to Sefer Yechezkel, this week we introduce the book, provide some historical background and explain why we are learning this first chapter, known as Maaseh Merkava (full disclosure, no secrets were uncovered).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 1

What is Mishnah?

Where did it come from, what is its purpose, and who wrote it?

In this introductory shiur we try to look at as a stand alone work and understand it on its own terms. We challenge some of the basic assumptions about Mishnah which may have been picked up in grade school, and begin to build an argument for the geopolitical motivations for compiling and canonizing this body of work.

Finally we begin to study the first Mishnah in (Pirkei) Avot and begin to wonder about the phrasing of the chain of tradition.

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Prosthetics, Energy Healing and Psychedelics in Halacha

Each week I try to share some interesting or uncommon questions across a range of topics on various whatsapp groups, reddit threads, Facebook groups and the like.

If you have answers to any of these questions please feel free to leave a comment or reply to me on x.com/isaacson

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Part One: A Palace in Time

Audiobook

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

The Sabbath: Its Meaning for the Modern Man

Prologue: The Architecture of Time

Audiobook

In lieu of a shiur, here is a preview of coming attractions. We have 2 series in the works. The first, which I’m calling paterfamilias, is an exciting look at the mishna called Avot.We will be guided by Rabbi Binny Lau’s work the sages, as well as modern scholarship on the poetics and historical context necessary for reading of Mishna.

The second series in an in depth look at Sefer Yechezkel, the book of Ezekiel. This bold and enigmatic prophet has many tantalizing visions and a message that I think resonates asmuch today as it did 2,600 years ago.

Episode 51: The Finale of Sefer Shmuel

In this episode we discuss why David retains the kingship and why Shaul didn’t. We uncover the depths of the concept of repentance and the necessity of suffering as a way to deconstruct the sinner.

Finally we compare David's character arc to that of Eli and find that while David was both a king and a judge at one point, after his sin with Batsheva and Uriah his faculty of judgement became corrupted. It was not until his son was able to judge between the two prostitutes that David's critical errors in judgement could be reversed.

All this and more.

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If you would like copies of the shiur notes please message me.

The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 24

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty four

Episode 50: The Better Angels of Our Nature

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet we read David’s swan song and pointed out the similarities to Chana’s song. We also met David’s mighty men and closed the previous chapter by both awkwardly omitting Yoav and pointing out that the final warrior is intentionally listed as Uriah HaHittie.

In this, our final chapter and penultimate shiur, we are presented with another of David’s tribulations. With Hashem angry for an undisclosed reason, David is prompted to sin by conducting a census. From there David is given a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ of punishments, itself a hidden test. David seems to select correctly but cannot avoid a massive toll on the people. Yet in an effort to stop the carnage he is brought to the precipice of his dream of beginning the building of the temple.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 22 & 23

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters twenty two and twenty three

Episode 49: David's Swan Songs

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet, we began the coda of the book with two perplexing stories. The first was David’s acquiescing to the killing of nearly the entire remaining family of Shaul by the Give’onim in order to end a 3 year famine. The second was David’s near death experience with one Ishbi B’nob, where he is saved by Avishai. That encounter spelled the end of David’s military career and it seems it precipitated the Batsheva incident. 

These chapters contain a poem which concludes with a victory song. There is some clear artistry in that songs begin and end the book, with the song of Chana being mirrored here. Chapter 22 is identical or nearly identical to Psalms 18 which was written when David was saved from Shaul and perhaps other enemies.

The next chapter contains another song and the exploits of David's mighty heroes. Many of the names of the warriors are interpreted midrashically.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 21

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty one

Episode 48: Polydactyly

Previously on the book of Shmuel part Bet: We saw the secret life of Amasa who we proposed was in fact the inside man propelling the rebellion of Sheva ben Bichri. We noted That Yoav seemed to be hunting Amasa and explained the poor handling of Amasa’s corpse as part of the fallout of the ongoing war. I know we mentioned the gemara about the halachic question as to whether or not Sheva should have been handed over to Yoav, but we didn’t quite touch on the fact that even if they were allowed to hand Sheva over, who says they could kill him? Meaning even if he was a mored b’malchut, doesn’t he get his day in court in front of David? The only answer I can come up with is that this is a proof that anyone can kill a mored b’malchut at the kings behest. 

In this chapter we begin the coda of sefer shmuel by pivoting back in time. David is dealing with a famine that is one again tied to Gibe’on, a place and a people which has outsized impact on our book as a whole. Perhaps now we can see why Shimi ben Gera was so livid at David, David had essentially wiped out nearly the entire remaining family of Shaul, even after he had made an oath to preserve them!

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 20

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter twenty

Episode 47: The Secret Life of Amasa

Previously we saw the return of the king, where David meets again with many of the cast of characters he encountered when he had to flee before Avshalom. We spoke about his misjudgement with Mephiboshet and Tzibah and at the end we saw that David’s efforts to reunite the nation, by appointing Amasa as the head of his army, were insufficient to prevent the beginnings of internal strife. The tribes are once again acting tribal, with bickering over who gets to be closer to the king being an example of the simmering unrest that will erupt into another rebellion in this chapter.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 19

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter nineteen

Episode 46: The Return of the King

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - We saw what was referred to in Shir HaShirim 7:6 as מֶלֶךְ אָסוּר בָּרְהָטִים the king held captive in the hairlocks. David’s army, and the battle location was too much for Avshalom’s troops. Yoav callously put an end to Avshalom and then in the beginning of chapter 19 we saw a broken king mourning the death of yet another child. 

The rest of the chapter will remind you, if you are a Tolkein fan, and if you are not we need to speak to remedy that, of the Gray Heavens, or in Joseph Campbell language, the concluding return of the Hero’s journey, where he meets upon his return the same cast of characters he met on his way out.

But first we take a brief excursus to note the many thematic and textual parallels between Saul's son Jonathan, and David's son Absalom.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapter 18

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapter eighteen

Episode 45: One Tin Soldier

Previously on the book of Shmuel part bet - David was able to successfully flee Jerusalem thanks in no small part to the spy network he put in place and the chicanery of Chushai. Achitofel, seeing the writing on the wall, kills himself as Avshalom pursues David in the transjordan region. 

In this chapter the battle will be met in earnest, and a tragedy, perhaps avoidable, will ensue. The first half of our story is the battle, the second is the aftermath. None of it is good. We continue to live in a world post the sin with Batsheva and as David continues to receive his comeuppance the question that continues to dangle over our heads is, why exactly is he still king.

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The (Second) Book of Samuel: chapters 16 & 17

Welcome to 2 Samuel, Shmuel part Bet, chapters sixteen and seventeen

Episode 44: Ramble On

Previously we saw the beginning of Avshalom’s rebellion which happened in stages, all while David sat on his hands. Then we saw David’s reaction, which was to neither confirm nor deny the new king, but rather to leave the scene. In his travels he meets a number of supporters and establishes his network of spies. This will come in handy in the upcoming chapters as those men go to work disrupting Avshalom’s counselors and informing David of what is to come.

In these chapters we meet 2 additional people who met David on his way, who were from Binyamin, Ziba who is clearly on David’s side but perhaps with dubious motives, while Shimi is clearly against David, though perhaps for purer motives, especially given that David had several other members of Shaul’s family killed (we kinda foreshadowed this previously, don’t worry, we’ll see more about that at the end of the book). In the meantime there is descension in the ranks of Avshalom as Achitofel’s first suggestion was accepted but his latter was foiled by Hushai. This leads to Achitofel’s demise by his own hand, and David’s successful escape with the help of his spy network.