Menachot 83, 84, and 85 - The Secrets of the Humble Farmer

Hey there and welcome back to take one the podcast that brings you just one historical

page of Talmud each day and on today's page it's been a hot 84 and 85 we come across

a really really great story of a non-Jewish agent who is sent to purchase oil that turns

out to be a really instructive tale not just for people interested in the Talmud but also

for people interested in American history and the presidency you know where this is going

right as we are all scattered around the world for our respective passive vacations I just

knew reading this passage that are very own president to Shirov Dr. Tevi Troy would have a lot

to say about this incident and so Dr. Troy president to Shirov over to you.

Leo it's such a pleasure to be here with you to talk about my two favorite subjects presidents

and Gamara Manahas 85 B tells the story of a non-Jewish agent who is sent to purchase oil the agent

is sent to multiple different towns until he's finally directed to go to Gush Halaf there he finds

a simple farmer who slowly finishes up his work ties his tools goes back washes his hands,

soaks his feet and sits for a meal the agent is frustrated thinking these Jews have made a mockery

of me but it turns out that he was indeed sent to the right place this modest farmer is able to

sell the agent even more oil than he has money for and then the farmer goes back with the agent

to where the money is to bring the additional oil now of course as with me this leads to some

thoughts about presidents and the modesty of the wealthy farmer reminds me of presidents who have

displayed modesty in order to improve their appeal to the American people one thinks of Dwight

Eisenhower and his hidden hand presidency Eisenhower was intentionally unassuming in his public

appearances but according to the political scientist Fred Greenstein's theory Ike was really

running things far more strategically behind the scenes similarly Ronald Reagan would read

serious works of non-fiction but when his press aide Marlon Fitzwater suggested letting the

American people know that Reagan read serious works in addition to Louis Lamore novels Reagan said

no Marlon I don't think we need to do that and then there is the Harvard and Yale educated George

W. Bush who put on a cowboy persona after losing a congressional race in 1978 in which he George

W. Bush was portrayed as a pointy headed Ivy League educated East Coast intellectual if you can

believe that Bush declared after that loss that he would never be out countryed again and he wasn't

even though Bush was widely read in Whipsmart the boots and hats wearing cowboy persona

Bush presented to the American people allowed him to win two terms as governor and then two terms

as president but at a cost which was constantly derided as being dumber than he actually was

now of course as in all things there is a lesson a lesson here is that modesty is a great virtue

in politics but you don't want to take it too far as gold and meteor one said don't be so modest

you're not that great

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