WEEKLY DAFootnotes #43
Bava Batra 58-64; Issue #43
7-13 Sivan, 5762 / May 18-24, 2002
|
Sponsored by Kof-K
|
||
THE TRIPLE CORD
Two neighbors had an arrangement by which the water from the roof drain pipe of one poured into the yard of the other. When the roof owner decided to close up the drain pipe the yard owner protested that just as his neighbor had acquired the right to have his drainage fall into his yard so too did he acquire the right to receive the rain water coming that way.
Three sages were consulted in succession for their opinion as to whether the yard owner had the right to prevent the roof owner from closing his pipe. The fact that two of them ruled that he can protest is presented against the background of the connection between these three sages. They were Rabbi Bisa, his son Rabbi Choma and his grandson Rabbi Oshiya. Commenting on this remarkable chain of Torah scholars, the Sage Rami bar Chama applied the words of King Solomon, "A triple cord will not readily come apart" (Kohelet 4:12)
Rashbam refers us to a similar gemara (Bava Metzia 85a) which interprets the passage (Yeshaya 59:2). "They (the words of Torah) shall not depart from your mouth, nor the mouth of your son, nor the mouth of your son's son, says Hashem, from now and forever," as a Divine guarantee that if there are three successive generations of Torah scholars the Torah will forever remain in the family.
Tosafot, however, notes that there were many sages whose fathers and grandfathers were Torah scholars and the guarantee of a "triple cord" was not applied to them. This leads Tosefot to the conclusion that this applies only to a situation in which all three generations have the opportunity of seeing and interacting with each other.
Bava Batra 59a
THE GOOD TENTS
How did the words of a cursing heathen prophet get into our Siddur (prayer book)?
Jews traditionally begin their shacharit morning prayers with the words of Bila'am:
"How good are your tents, Yaakov, your dwelling places, Israel." (Bamidbar 24:5)Bila'am, who had a record of success in weakening nations with his curse, had been hired by Balak, King of Moab, to curse the Israelites whom he saw as a threat to his country. This evil prophet had a long list of curses prepared but Hashem forced him into transforming them into blessings.
One of the curses he intended to invoke, say our Sages (Mesechta Sanhedrin 105b), was that the Jews should not have houses of prayer and study. The blessing that came forth instead was that their "tents" - the places where they would pray and study - would be so sacred as to even evoke the admiration of their enemies.
This explains why the praise of our synagogue unwillingly pronounced by Bila'am is said by the Jew when he enters his synagogue in the morning to pray. In our gemara, however, the "tents" of Bila'am's blessing are defined as Jewish homes. The intention to curse the Jewish people was transformed when "Bila'am lifted his eyes and saw Israel camped in the order of their tribes, and a Divine spirit came over him" (ibid. 24:2). What he saw, says Rabbi Yochanan, was that the opening to their tents did not face one another so that each household could enjoy the dignity of privacy. Such a nation, he reluctantly exclaimed, deserves to have the Divine Presence in its midst - "How good are your tents..."
Bava Batra 60a
The Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE) of Ohr Somayach offers summer and winter programs in Israel that attract hundreds of university students from around the world for 3 to 8 weeks of study and touring.
Copyright © 2002 Ohr Somayach International.
Send us feedback. Dedication opportunities are available for Weekly DAFootnotes. Please contact us for details.
