Bekhorot 11 - Mind The Gap

0:00College football is back. So, Hilton called to me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oho, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwink up call it 555 and 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day. Hey there and welcome back to take one the podcast that brings you just one spectacular page of Talmud. Each day, but today we're not going to bring you a page of Talmud with all the respect and many apologies to be called page 11. We're going to take a little break because instead of one page today, there are many pages that we could celebrate many pages of an amazing new book called Discovering the George holidays eight Talmudic readings which as the name implies does just that looks at eight important George holidays and gives brilliant, fascinating,

1:13Talmudic analyses and readings and kind of injects do meaning into it. It is my great, great honor to welcome to the podcast. My friend and teacher straight out of your Shiva University, Professor Ricky Hittery. Hello. Hi, L. So great to be here and I get to learn from you as well. Now tell me I've read the book. I absolutely loved it, but tell our readers who are now pausing the podcast briefly to go on Amazon or wherever they buy books to buy this book. What made you write this very particular curious and incredible approach to Moody approach to George holidays? So you and I know how fantastically rich and deep the Talmud is and I wanted to show that off by highlighting eight sugyat, eight sections of commentary about each of the Jewish holidays. And so I pick one sugyat that is particularly rich and juicy and do a deep dive to show that the details of the dialogue and stories and laws is actually something that is much more profound and the rabbis in their own idiom like to tell us and take us on philosophical journeys through the details of Jewish law.

2:30If you listen to this podcast, it is very likely that you enjoy Talmud at least a little bit. And if you want something that is both deeper and incredibly edifying and moving and dare I say entertaining to and that gives you a whole new perspective on these holidays. This is your book. Don't take my word for it. I'm going to ask you professor Hedori to treat us since we are now in a midst of Holha Moody's circus where in the midst of this great holiday, Zmanseem Ghateno, the time of our rejoicing. This is terrific, terrific chapter in the book about sugyat. Give us a taste. Okay, so I want to compare this chapter to the fresco of the Sistine Chapel, the creation of Adam. And if you think of the spotlight of that scene of the two arms reaching out and the two fingers almost touching, but if you look closely, there's a little gap between God's finger and Adam's finger.

3:30God is stretching forth as far as he can, but Adam is kind of leaning back lazily his hand, his limp. And I think Michelangelo's message is that God is eager to reach out and communicate to human beings, but human beings just need to exercise our own free will and do our part to reach out to God. And the question really is, is there can there be a contact communication and receiving of life between that gap between heaven and earth? The rabbis in this Tomwood section are asking the same question, but the rabbis of course would never tolerate painting God with a grave flowing beard or anything like that. The Tomwood exages want to offer a similar message in their own idiom regarding the details of Jewish law. So the question is, how short can the shortest Suka B? I just went to a friend's house to actually deliver him a copy of my book and he has off of his bedroom porch on the second floor, a tiny Suka.

4:32You can barely lie down in it. It's only four feet tall and he sleeps there. And so we were discussing this very question. Can it be three feet tall? Can it be two feet tall? And the Mishnah already says that the shortest Suka is ten to fachim, ten hand breaths, which is about 30 inches. Then the Tomwood, as his usual, comes and asks, what's the source? How do we know that? And it gives a very unusual answer. The truth is that standard partition all over Tomwood's law is ten hand breaths. But the Suga says, we compare it to the arc of the covenant, which is nine hand breaths tall. And the cover, the cover, the Kaporet, which holds the cherubs, that is one hand breath tall. And so nine plus one is ten hand breaths. And just like the arc of the covenant and its cover is ten hand breaths. So too, the shortest Suka is ten hand breaths. And we are left scratching our heads. What does the arc of the covenant have to do with a Suka?

5:37And then we realize that the Suka is meant to be a holy space. We should feel as if we're sitting in the holy of holies and the divine is hovering just above us. In fact, the words, which means the covering, the roof is also found regarding the cherubs that are Sukhichim, they are covering or hovering over protecting the arc of the covenant with their wings. So we are in a way in the place of the arc of the covenant, feeling God's protective wings above us. But then the Talmud goes a step further and goes deep into a philosophical question. And quotes a verse that says, the heavens belong to the Lord and the earth he gave over to man. And never the two shall meet. There's our two realms and God never came down below ten hand breaths and no human ever rose above ten hand breaths. And the Talmud asks, is that true? But didn't the divine presence descend below on Mount Sinai when it says the Lord came down on Mount Sinai? And it answers, no, he was still hovering above ten hand breaths. He didn't come all the way down, which sounds for posterists.

6:51Of course, this is philosophical language and using that ten hand breaths as an analogy for the spiritual philosophical boundary, the liminal space between heaven and earth. And how about God in the haftarah that we read on the first day of Sukhatt from Zichhaya? God will set his feet on the mount of olives? No, he didn't set his feet all the way down, it was above ten hand breaths. And next the Talmud tries to challenge the other way around. Didn't Moses ascend when it says he went up and ascended to God on Mount Sinai? It says, no, he was still below ten hand breaths. You can imagine trying to crouch down and not being able to lift his head up. But it means that, mystically, spiritually, he could not gain access to a certain realm. And even Elijah the prophet, when he went up in a whirlwind, still, the Talmud says, that was below ten hand breaths. And if we stop here, we'd be a little bit bereft and saddened that there's no possibility of breaking through a bridging the scape.

7:56But then the Talmud gives his final answer. Actually, there is just one time on Mount Sinai that the throne of glory actually extended one of its legs down below ten hand breaths and Moses was able to grab hold of it. And that gives us a little bit of hope that yes, there can be communication, there can be providence. And I think that's the symbolism of the Suka as we said in it. The Srak has to be shade. It is a barrier. And we have to remember we are mere human beings and God is above us. However, the Suka also has to have some small gaps. You have to be able to peer through and see some of the stars. And that's just a glimmer, a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of divine radiance that comes down into our lives. And so at this time when we leave the safety of our home, a lot of us feel the divine presence, especially when we have no other hope, no other protection. And so we leave our comfort, we go into the Suka and on the one hand, the covering, the Srak is a barrier to say we can never truly reach the divine realm. That is in fact the case.

9:06But Moses did that one time and we can peek through and feel God's presence in our lives even now. That is so moving, so beautiful, though I'm still wondering how a six foot five guy should fit in a 30 inch Suka. But that is a Suga for another day. Professor Ricky Hitory, the book, an amazing, amazing new book, discovering the Jewish holidays, eighth time with the greetings. Thank you so much for being our guest. Thank you, Leo, for everything that you do and everything that you teach all of us. Huxa Mayor. This has been Take One. If you enjoy the show and we hope that you do, you are really going to love the new-ish book by Liel called How the Tomahd can change your life. Surprisingly modern advice from a very old book. You can get it now at your favorite local or online bookstore. Please go rate and review Take One on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

10:09Take One is a tablet studio's production. The show is hosted by Liel LeBavits and produced by Josh Cross and Ellie Axelrod with Tall Allroy. You can email us at podcasts at tabletmag.com. I hope we have made your day a little bit more Tal Mutek. Music Online deal days are back at Ralph's. Don't miss your chance for extra savings when you shop pick up or delivery. You can save $30 on your first online order of $75 or more with your digital coupon. Plus enjoy unlimited free delivery by starting a boost free trial today. But hurry, these extra savings end October 20th. Restrictions apply, see site for details.

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