Pt2 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)
This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here. The outline of the series can be found there.
[Sermon #1 - R' Yehuda;] Part 2: Torah scholars who travel long distances in pursuit of Torah are deserving of honor (Exodus 33:7)
Drawing from Exodus 33:7, R' Yehuda argued that if the Ark of the Covenant (ארון ה׳), only twelve mil outside the camp,1 required people to go seek it, then Torah scholars2 who travel long distances in pursuit of Torah are certainly called “seekers of God“ (and deserving of honor).
״ומשה יקח את האהל
ונטה לו מחוץ למחנה״.
והלא דברים קל וחומר:
ומה ארון ה׳
שלא היה מרוחק אלא שנים עשר מיל
אמרה תורה:
״והיה כל מבקש ה׳
יצא אל אהל מועד״ —
תלמידי חכמים
שהולכים מעיר לעיר, וממדינה למדינה, ללמוד תורה,
על אחת כמה וכמה.
It is stated: “Now Moses used to take the tent
and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; and he called it the Tent of Meeting. And it came to pass, that every seeker of God went out unto the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7).
He said: Isn’t this an a fortiori inference?:
Just as the Torah says of the ark of God,
which was only twelve mil from the camp:
“Every seeker of God
went out unto the Tent of Meeting”;
all the more so
should Torah scholars,
who wander great distances and go from city to city and country to country to study Torah, be called seekers of God.
[...]
[Sermon #1 - R' Yehuda;] Part 3 (Berakhot 63b section 10; Deuteronomy 27:9)
ועוד פתח רבי יהודה בכבוד תורה, ודרש:
״הסכת ושמע ישראל
היום הזה נהיית לעם״,
[...]
And R' Yehuda again began to speak in honor of Torah and taught:
When Moses took leave of Israel on his last day in this world, he said: “Keep silence [hasket] and hear, Israel;
this day you have become a people unto the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 27:9).
[...]
Sermon #2 - R' Neḥemya on Honoring Hosts (Berakhot 63b section 21; 1 Samuel 15:6)
R' Neḥemya praised hosts by citing 1 Samuel 15:6, which describes how Saul spared the Kenites—not wiping them out with Amalek—because their ancestor Jethro had shown kindness to Israel.
He inferred that if Jethro was rewarded despite aiding only for his own benefit, then those who sincerely support Torah scholars will certainly be rewarded.
פתח רבי נחמיה בכבוד אכסניא, ודרש:
מאי דכתיב:
״ויאמר שאול אל הקיני:
לכו סרו רדו מתוך עמלקי
פן אוספך עמו
ואתה עשיתה חסד עם כל בני ישראל״?
והלא דברים קל וחומר:
ומה יתרו
שלא קרב את משה אלא לכבוד עצמו —
כך,
המארח תלמיד חכם בתוך ביתו,
ומאכילו ומשקהו ומהנהו מנכסיו —
על אחת כמה וכמה.
The Gemara returns to the homilies offered by the Sages in the vineyard of Yavne.
R' Neḥemya began to speak in honor of the hosts and taught:
What is the meaning of that which is written:
“And Saul said unto the Kenites:
Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites
lest I destroy you with them,
for you showed kindness to all the Children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt” (I Samuel 15:6)?
Isn’t this an a fortiori inference:
Just as Jethro, the forbearer of the Kenite tribe,
who only befriended Moses for his own honor,
is treated in this way and rewarded that his merit would protect his descendants;
all the more so should
one who hosts a Torah scholar in his home,
providing him with food and drink and availing him of his possessions, be rewarded with that protection.
Sermon #3 - R' Yosei on the Virtue of Hospitality (Berakhot 63b section 22; Deuteronomy 23:8, Genesis 47:6)
R' Yosei expounded on Deuteronomy 23:8, where Israel is commanded not to abhor Edomites or Egyptians, the latter because they once hosted them.
If Egypt, which had hosted Israel out of self-interest—as can be inferred from Pharaoh’s statement to Joseph in Genesis 47:6 (when Joseph was made Vizier of Egypt)—merited this recognition, then those who provide for Torah scholars selflessly are certainly deserving.
פתח רבי יוסי בכבוד אכסניא, ודרש:
״לא תתעב אדמי, כי אחיך הוא
לא תתעב מצרי, כי גר היית בארצו״,
והלא דברים קל וחומר:
ומה מצריים
שלא קרבו את ישראל אלא לצורך עצמן,
שנאמר:
״ואם ידעת ויש בם אנשי חיל
ושמתם שרי מקנה על אשר לי״ —
כך,
המארח תלמיד חכם בתוך ביתו
ומאכילו ומשקהו ומהנהו מנכסיו —
על אחת כמה וכמה.
R’ Yosei began to speak in honor of the hosts, and taught:
It is said:
“You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother;
you shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land” (Deuteronomy 23:8).
Isn’t this an a fortiori inference:
Just as the Egyptians,
who only befriended Israel, even when they hosted them, for their own benefit, as Pharaoh said to Joseph,
as it is stated:
“And if you know any able men among them,
then make them rulers over my cattle” (Genesis 47:6),
are treated this way,
all the more so should
one who hosts a Torah scholar in his home,
providing him with food and drink and availing him of his possessions without concern for personal gain, be treated this way.
Sermon #4 - R' Eliezer ben Yosei on the Blessings of Hosting Torah Scholars (Berakhot 63b section 23; II Samuel 6:12)
R' Eliezer ben Yosei cited II Samuel 6:12, where David is told that God blessed Oved-Edom for housing the Ark.
If hosting the Ark, which didn’t require food or drink from Oved-Edom, simply requiring being “swept (כבד) and sprinkled with water (רבץ)“, yet it brought him blessings, then hosting and feeding Torah scholars should certainly bring blessings.
פתח רבי אליעזר בנו של רבי יוסי הגלילי בכבוד אכסניא, ודרש:
״ויברך ה׳ את עבד אדם הגתי
בעבור ארון האלהים״,
והלא דברים קל וחומר:
ומה ארון
שלא אכל ושתה,
אלא כבד ורבץ לפניו —
כך,
המארח תלמיד חכם בתוך ביתו,
ומאכילו ומשקהו ומהנהו מנכסיו —
על אחת כמה וכמה.
R' Eliezer, son of R' Yosei HaGelili, began to speak in honor of the hosts, and taught:
It is stated:
“The Lord has blessed the house of Oved-edom…
because of the ark of God” (II Samuel 6:12).
Isn’t this an a fortiori inference:
Just as in reward for honoring the ark,
which neither ate nor drank,
but before which Oved-edom simply swept and sprinkled water to settle the dust,
he was treated this way and merited a blessing,
all the more so should
one who hosts a Torah scholar in his home,
providing him with food and drink and availing him of his possessions without concern for his personal gain, be rewarded with such a blessing.
Appendix 3: Patience and Destiny in Leadership: Rabba and Rav Yosef (Berakhot 64a)
Forcing Fate vs. Yielding to Destiny
R' Avin HaLevi (רבי אבין הלוי) states the following aphorism:
If “One forces the moment” (דוחק את השעה - i.e. one who forces an undeserved opportunity)--
Then: “[the] moment forces him” (שעה דוחקתו - i.e. he will ultimately be pushed aside, by fate)
In contrast:
If “one yields to the moment” (נדחה מפני השעה) —
Then “[the] moment yields to him” (שעה נדחת מפניו - i.e. he will eventually be accommodated by fate/destiny).
אמר רבי אבין הלוי:
כל הדוחק את השעה — שעה דוחקתו.
וכל הנדחה מפני השעה — שעה נדחת מפניו.
R' Avin HaLevi said:
If one forces the moment and attempts to take advantage of an undeserved opportunity, the moment forces him and he is pushed aside.
If one yields to the moment and relinquishes an opportunity that presents itself, the moment yields to him.
Rabba and Rav Yosef's Intellectual Qualities: knowledge of sources vs. analytical skills
The previous aphorism (Forcing Fate vs. Yielding to Destiny) is illustrated by the example of Rav Yosef and Rabba:
Rav Yosef was known as “Sinai” (referencing Mount Sinai, where the Torah was given, i.e. erudite and knowledgeable).
In contrast, Rabba was described as one who “uproots mountains” (עוקר הרים - i.e. sharp and analytical).3
מדרבה ורב יוסף.
דרב יוסף -- סיני
ורבה -- עוקר הרים
This may be derived from an incident involving Rabba and Rav Yosef,
as Rav Yosef was Sinai, extremely erudite,
and Rabba was one who uproots mountains, extremely sharp.
The Academy Leadership Question and The Ruling of the Sages of Eretz Yisrael
“The moment (שעתא) arrived when they were needed“ (i.e. a new head of the academy was needed), the Sages of Eretz Yisrael were consulted on whether knowledge (Sinai) or analytical sharpness (uprooting mountains) was preferable.
They ruled that Sinai (knowledge) takes precedence, as "everyone needs the owner of the wheat" (i.e., the one expert in sources).
אצטריכא להו שעתא.
שלחו להתם:
סיני ועוקר הרים,
איזה מהם קודם?
שלחו להו:
סיני קודם,
שהכל צריכין למרי חטיא.
The moment arrived when they were needed; one of them was to be chosen as head of the yeshiva.
They sent the following question there, to the Sages of Eretz Yisrael:
Which takes precedence,
Sinai or one who uproots mountains?
They sent to them in response:
Sinai takes precedence,
for everyone needs the owner of the wheat, one who is expert in the sources.
Rav Yosef’s Deference Due to Astrologers’ Dire Prediction; Rabba’s Leadership; Rav Yosef’s Later Appointment; Rav Yosef’s Humility
Despite being chosen, Rav Yosef declined the position because astrologers4 predicted he would lead for only two years.
Rabba therefore became head of the yeshiva instead, and ended up serving for 22 years.5
After Rabba’s death, Rav Yosef finally became the head of the yeshiva, serving for 2.5 years, fulfilling his destined role.
Throughout Rabba’s tenure, Rav Yosef refrained from any display of authority, even going himself to seek out a bloodletter (אומנא) rather than summoning one to his home.
אף על פי כן, לא קבל עליו רב יוסף,
דאמרי ליה כלדאי: מלכת תרתין שנין.
מלך רבה עשרין ותרתין שנין,
מלך רב יוסף תרתין שנין ופלגא.
כל הנך שני דמלך רבה, אפילו אומנא לביתיה לא קרא.
Nevertheless, Rav Yosef did not accept the appointment,
as the Chaldean astrologers told him: You will preside as head of the yeshiva for two years.
Rabba presided as head of the yeshiva for twenty-two years.
After he died, Rav Yosef presided for two and a half years. Though he did not take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself, he ultimately fulfilled that for which he was destined.
The Gemara relates that all those years that Rabba presided, Rav Yosef did not even call a bloodletter to his home. Rav Yosef did not assume even the slightest air of authority, and would go to seek out the bloodletter rather than call upon the bloodletter to accommodate him.
In the Tabernacle in the wilderness, after the Exodus.
תלמידי חכמים - Talmid Chakham.
See Hebrew Wikipedia, סיני ועוקר הרים, my translation:
"Sinai" and "Uprooter of Mountains" are two categories of Torah scholars. A Sinai refers to a scholar who excels in encyclopedic knowledge, while an Uprooter of Mountains is a scholar known for sharp analytical reasoning. The Talmud discusses which of the two is superior.
A Sinai is someone deeply familiar with halakhic sources, such as the Mishnah and Baraita, as they were transmitted from Mount Sinai: "One for whom the Mishnah and Baraita are arranged in his memory as they were given at Mount Sinai."
In contrast, an Uprooter of Mountains is a scholar of exceptional intellectual acuity and skill in intricate Talmudic analysis: "One who is sharp and incisive in Torah study, even if the Mishnah and Baraita are not as systematically arranged in his knowledge."
The sources debate the relative importance of these two qualities.
כלדאי - literally: Chaldeans. See my extended note on this term in my piece “Stars, Serpents, and Salvation: Three Talmudic Tales of Astrological Fate and Divine Intervention (Shabbat 156b)“. And see there for citations of my other discussions of Talmudic astrology.