Tag Archives: Eruvin (Tractate)

Will Jewish Law Follow Beit Shammai?

In this fifth week between Pesach and Shavuot, it is customary to read the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot. We read that “Every dispute that is for the sake of Heaven, will in the end endure; But one that is not for the sake of Heaven, will not endure.” (5:17) And then we are given an example of a dispute that was “for the sake of Heaven”, that of Hillel and Shammai. Recall that Hillel and Shammai were the leaders of the two main schools of Jewish learning roughly 2000 years ago in Judea. Hillel was president of the Sanhedrin, while Shammai was the deputy. Hillel passed away around the year 10 CE, and Shammai some time after that.

The Talmud (Eruvin 13b) states that the schools of Hillel and Shammai debated for 3 years about whose interpretation of Jewish law is correct, until a Bat Kol, a Divine Voice, resonated from Heaven to declare that the halakhah should follow Beit Hillel. The Bat Kol acknowledged that both interpretations are “words of the living God” or, more accurately, “the living Word of God”, but the scholars of Hillel’s school won. The Talmud explains why: “Because they were agreeable and forbearing, and would teach both their own statements and the statements of Beit Shammai.” And so, halakhah has generally followed Hillel ever since. That said, some things did come from Beit Shammai, most notably the 18 Decrees that include pat israel, gevinat akum, and by extension, chalav israel. Today, it is often repeated that in the forthcoming Messianic Age, the halakhah will switch to follow Beit Shammai entirely. Where did this idea come from, and does it have any validity? Continue reading →

Music on Shabbat and in the Temple

This week we begin reading the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, called “Leviticus” in English because it mainly focuses on priestly laws and Temple services—facilitated by the tribe of Levi. We know that only a specific clan within the tribe of Levi, the descendants of Aaron, were the kohanim directly responsible for the offerings and rituals. The rest of the tribe of Levi had other tasks, including overseeing the refugee cities across the Holy Land, educational roles, supporting the kohanim, and serving as singers and musicians in the Temple. That last role was so significant that our Sages state a sacrifice that was brought without musical accompaniment was not valid!

“The Levitical Choir” in the Temple, with harps, lyres, trumpets, flutes, and cymbals. (Credit: Temple Institute)

The Sages devote several pages to these matters in the little-known tractate Arakhin. The Mishnah (2:3) begins by describing the use of trumpets, lyres, and flutes in the Temple. It concludes by providing several opinions as to who were the main musicians, whether they were slaves, Israelites from the family of Pegarim and Tzippara or, of course, the Levites.  The Talmud (10a) then goes into a discussion about which special days require recitation of Hallel, and suggests that in ancient times Hallel was musically accompanied by a flute, halil. The proof is Isaiah 30:29, which states: “For you shall be singing as on a night when a festival is hallowed; there shall be rejoicing as when they march with flutes, to come to the Mountain of God, to the Rock of Israel.” This teaches both that we must sing to God on a holiday (“when a festival is hallowed”)—as we indeed do through Hallel—and that it should be accompanied by flutes! Continue reading →

Feminism & the Curses of Eve (Video)

What were the 39 curses decreed upon Adam, Eve, and the Serpent following the Forbidden Fruit in the Garden of Eden? What do the “curses of Eve” have to do with the status of women throughout history, and the feminist movement in modern times? And might certain aspects of feminism be part of a larger global transition prophesied long ago in the Tanakh and other ancient Jewish sources?

For a written summary and more information, see ‘Reversing the Curses of Eden’ in Garments of Light, Volume Two. (See also ‘Do Men Have More Mitzvot Than Women?’ in the same book.)

For a brief bio of Sarah Schenirer, see here.

For the class on ‘Soulmates in Judaism’, see here.