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lethargic_manThe ritual of the beheading of the calf
One of the מצות [commandments] that has to be done in לשון הקודש [the Holy Tongue] is the beheading of the calf. This is the second-last item on the original list, but the Mishna switches the order and does the anointing of the priest for war first. Why does the Mishna do this? It's to flag it up as important.
The Mishna devotes almost an entire chapter to this ritual, in response to a socially emotive moment, when a dead body is found and no one knows the murderer.
Deuteronomy 21:1-21:12 דברים כא א–יב If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley: And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD. כי ימצא חלל באדמה אשר ה׳ אלהיך נתן לך לרשתה נפל בשדה לא נודע מי הכהו׃ ויצאו זקניך ושפטיך ומדדו אל הערים אשר סביבת החלל׃ והיה העיר הקרבה אל החלל ולקחו זקני העיר ההוא עגלת בקר אשר לא עבד בה אשר לא משכה בעל׃ והורדו זקני העיר ההוא את העגלה אל נחל איתן אשר לא יעבד בו ולא יזרע וערפו שם את העגלה בנחל׃ ונגשו הכהנים בני לוי כי בם בחר ה׳ אלהיך לשרתו ולברך בשם ה׳ ועל פיהם יהיה כל ריב וכל נגע׃ וכל זקני העיר ההוא הקרבים אל החלל ירחצו את ידיהם על העגלה הערופה בנחל׃ וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו׃ כפר לעמך ישראל אשר פדית ה׳ ואל תתן דם נקי בקרב עמך ישראל ונכפר להם הדם׃
Once again the phrase וענו ואמרו "they shall answer and say" turns up.
What is going on here? Why the focus on the cow? There is some similarity with the ritual of the red heifer (פרה אדמה). But why do we respond to the shedding of blood with the shedding of blood? Answer: because this is in response to an unknown murderer. If we knew who the murderer was, we would kill them! שפך דם האדם באדם דמו ישפך כי בצלם אלהים עשה את האדם׃ ("Whoever spills a man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.")
The calf is נקי—clean. This suggests a tie to the innocence of the victim. A moment ago we were identifying the calf with the murderer! Are we sublimating our need to kill the murderer, or reenacting the act of murder?
The first step to do here is measure to the nearest city. Why do we do this? We assume the murderer comes from the nearest city. Or the city has the responsibility for the murder. Most cities have walls and gates; outside of that it's a bit of a legal nomansland. To some extent this proclamation of innocence—"we didn't do this" is actually an admission of guilt.
There is a lot of fear and tension here, for the community who find the blood spilled in their back yard. They need to do something about it. קול דמי אחיך צעקים אלי מן האדמה׃ "The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Also see the concept in Deuteronomy of cities of refuge. Also, "The blood contaminates the land; the only way to purify it is with the blood of the spiller."
What if the murderer was later found; is he now off the hook? This ceremony was stopped when murders became prevalent (in the same way that the סוטה ritual [Sotah ritual] was stopped when adultery became common.)
What about the burial? From the moment the dead body is found, it's not mentioned again in the text!
Who are the elders who come and do the measuring? The Mishna explains they come all the way from Jerusalem. This is a long time to leave the body in the climate of Israel!
The rabbis discuss measuring the distance from the body. From whereabouts do we measure? There is a מחלקת [dispute] about whether to measure from the nose or the navel!
The Rambam says this is all a ruse or technique by which we are going to discover the murderer. It's a high profile event; officials from Jerusalem are going to be seen in the town; people are going to talk about it and maybe someone will remember something.
The Ramban is horrified that the Rambam is turning a מצוה [commandment/precept] into a means. There is a whole discussion as to what this is all about. We don't generally find this in the Talmud. We find discussion of the details; and it's left to the later commentators to figure out what it's about from the details.
Consider the washing of the hands. This is what we do in the cemetery nowadays (and is of course the origin of Pontius Pilate doing the same thing).
Note how unusual it is to slaughter the animal from behind, by breaking the neck rather than cutting it from in front. This is unique.
Mishna, Sotah 9:6 סוטה ט ו [Biblical quotation]
Did it ever occur to them to think that the local authorities were the murderers, that we have to drag them out of bed for this? Rather—and here the Mishna reformulates the Biblical declaration: "He did not come into our hands and we let him go; we did not see him and let him be."זקני אותה העיר רוחצין את ידיהן במים במקום עריפה של עגלה ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו׃ (דברים כא) ואומרים וכי על דעתנו עלתה שזקני בית דין שופכי דמים הן אלא שלא בא .<בלא לויה> ולא ראינוהו והנחנוהו <בלא מזון> לידינו ופטרנוהו כפר לעמך ישראל אשר פדית ה׳ ואל תתן דם והכהנים אומרים ונכפר להם הדם נקי בקרב עמך ישראל׃ לא היו צריכים לומר אלא רוח הקודש מבשרתן אימתי שתעשו ככה הדם מתכפר להם׃
Who are they talking about? Both Talmuds answer this, and answer it differently.
Palestinian Talmud, Sotah 43a:
רבנין דהכא פתרין קרייא בהורג׃ ורבנין דתמן פתרין קרייא בנהרג׃ רבנין דהכא פתרין קרייא בהורג שלא בא על ידינו ופטרנוהו ולא הרגנוהו ולא ראינוהו והנחנוהו ועימעמנו על דינו׃ ורבנין דתמן פתרין קרייא בנהרג לא בא על ידינו ופטרנוהו בלא הלוייה׃ ולא ראינוהו והנחנוהו בלא פרנסה׃ והזקנים רוחצין את ידיהן במים על מקום עריפתה של עגלה׃ ואומרים ידינו לא שפכו אתה דם הזה וגו׳׃ והכהנים אומרים כפר לעמך ישראל ורוח הקודש אומרת ונכפר להם הדם׃ שלשה מקריות נאמרו בענין אחד מה שאמר זה לא אמר זה ומה שאמר זה לא אמר זה׃
Note that this is Galilean Aramaic; it's not the same as Babylonian Aramaic! (E.g. רבנין rather than רבנן.)
The rabbis of here [Palestine] interpret this verse to be the murderer. But the rabbis of over there [Babylon] understand the object of the verse to be the victim.
The Palestinian approach places the spotlight on the authorities—something's wrong with the law and order forces that they have not caught the murderer. They have then to defend themselves by being dragged out to make their declaration.
In Babylon it's the same elders who get dragged out, but in a different light. They're saying they did not see the murderer and let him off.
The rabbis here solve the phrase: "We didn't catch the murderer and not catch and kill him. We didn't fudge any law cases." The rabbis of Babylon who are focusing on the victim interpret the verse: "We didn't see him without accompanying him [הלוייה]. We didn't let him go without פרנסה [support]."
From this perspective they've been called out as social services. Something's wrong with the social services and the structure of society. It's deeper than the law and courts system.
This distinction in how to deal with murders is universal, and applies as much today.
Now let's go to the Babylonian account (BT Sota 46b) firsthand. Note that the Jewish authorities in Babylon were actually more autonomous at this period.
זקני העיר רוחצין ידיהן כו׳: תנו רבנן וכל זקני העיר ההיא הקרובים אל החלל ירחצו את ידיהם על העגלה הערופה בנחל שאין תלמוד לומר הערופה ומה תלמוד לומר הערופה על מקום עריפתה של עגלה ואמרו ידינו לא שפכו את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו וכי על לבנו עלתה שבית דין שופכין דמים אלא לא בא לידינו ופטרנוהו בלא מזונות ולא ראינוהו והנחנוהו בלא לויה׃
The rabbis taught [...] Why are we dragging the elders out of bed for this? We didn't find someone and let them go without food, and we did not see someone and let them go without accompanying them.
The geography here becomes sociology. It shows there's an alternative life going on in the fringes of society, outside of the city walls. This is where violence is fomented and dead bodies are found. לוייה means accompaniment; if people are leaving the city they need protection, because they are vulnerable when they are alone.
(In Torah the cities are depicted as depraved places, but once you get to נ״ך [the books of the Bible after the Five Books of Moses], even as early as Joshua, things switch around and the countryside becomes depicted as dangerous and the city safe.)
Rashi says people not provided with מזונות and לוייה—the people portrayed above as potential victims—will fall into society's edge. He blurs the distinction between victim and murderer.
There is of course an irony that if people do not supply לוייה [accompaniment] in life, they will find themselves providing לוייה [a funeral] in death.
R. Yochanan quoting R. Meir: Anyone who does not accompany and be accompanied, it is as if he is spilling blood. For if the people of Jericho had accompanied Elisha, he never would have called upon the bears to attack the children. אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי מאיר כל שאינו מלוה ומתלוה כאילו שופך דמים שאילמלי ליווהו אנשי יריחו לאלישע לא גירה דובים לתינוקות
This refers to the following passage:
2 Kings 2:11-2:25 מלכים ב ב כה־מלכים ב ב יא And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. [...]
And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren [it's causing the women to miscarry]. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
He went up from there to Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, "Go up, baldy; go up, baldy!" And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
ויהי המה הלכים הלוך ודבר והנה רכב אש וסוסי אש ויפרדו בין ויעל אליהו בסערה השמים׃ ;שניהם ואלישע ראה והוא מצעק אבי אבי רכב ישראל ופרשיו ולא ראהו ויחזק בבגדיו ויקרעם לשנים קרעים׃ ;עוד וישב ויעמד על שפת הירדן׃ ;וירם את אדרת אליהו אשר נפלה מעליו ויקח את אדרת אליהו אשר נפלה מעליו ויכה את המים ויאמר איה אף הוא ויכה את המים ויחצו הנה והנה ויעבר אלישע׃ ;ה׳ אלהי אליהו ויראהו בני הנביאים אשר ביריחו מנגד ויאמרו נחה רוח אליהו ויבאו לקראתו וישתחוו לו ארצה׃ ;על אלישע
[...]
ויאמרו אנשי העיר אל אלישע הנה נא מושב העיר טוב כאשר אדני והמים רעים והארץ משכלת׃ ;ראה ויקחו אליו׃ ;ויאמר קחו לי צלחית חדשה ושימו שם מלח ויאמר כה אמר ה׳ רפאתי ;ויצא אל מוצא המים וישלך שם מלח למים האלה לא יהיה משם עוד מות ומשכלת׃ וירפו המים עד היום הזה כדבר אלישע אשר דבר׃
והוא עלה בדרך ונערים קטנים יצאו מן העיר ;ויעל משם בית אל ויתקלסו בו ויאמרו לו עלה קרח עלה קרח׃ ותצאנה שתים דבים מן ;ויפן אחריו ויראם ויקללם בשם ה׳ ומשם שב שמרון׃ ;היער ותבקענה מהם ארבעים ושני ילדים׃ וילך משם אל הר הכרמל
The Tenach is completely untroubled by this; it moves straight on without batting an eye; but the rabbis have a big problem with this. There is, the Talmud says, a responsibility not only to provide accompaniment but also to accept it. What is R. Meir trying to say? Elisha is in a very vulnerable situation, having just lost his mentor—literally, torn from him. The children's taunting him is the last straw for him. Had other people been with him, they might have defused the situation.
R. Meir is also implying that Elisha also carries a responsibility for this because quite likely they did offer accompaniment and he rejected it. Like Joseph embodying the acculturated Jew living in two worlds in the previous session, Elisha is the embodiment of someone who cannot accept לווי, companionship on his way. Elisha has a problem, and therefore is a problem. Can one be secure in oneself if one is completely alone?
מאי ונערים קטנים אמר רבי אלעזר שמנוערים מן המצות קטנים שהיו מקטני אמנה׃ תנא נערים היו ובזבזו עצמן כקטנים׃ מתקיף לה רב יוסף ודלמא על שם מקומן מי לא כתיב וארם יצאו גדודים וישבו מארץ ישראל נערה קטנה וקשיא לן נערה וקטנה ואמר רבי פדת קטנה דמן נעורן התם לא מפרש מקומה הכא מפורש מקומן׃ ויפן אחריו ויראם ויקללם בשם ה׳ מה ראה אמר רב ראה ממש כדתניא רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר כל מקום שנתנו חכמים עיניהם או מיתה או עוני ושמואל אמר ראה שכולן נתעברה בהן אמן ביום הכיפורים ורבי יצחק נפחא אמר בלורית ראה להן כאמוריים ורבי יוחנן אמר ראה שלא היתה בהן לחלוחית של מצוה׃ ודלמא בזרעייהו נה׳ הוה אמר רבי אלעזר לא בם ולא בזרעם עד סוף כל הדורות: ותצאנה שתים דובים מן היער ותבקענה מהם ארבעים ושני ילדים
The speaker now skips a section in which the rabbis work out what has
happened here. First they try to exonerate Elisha. They discuss the
significance of
The children aren't actually children. When they say "Go up
baldy" they're not making a statement about his hairline. Rather, they sold
bottled water. They were making a fortune and when Elisha sweetens the waters
they're livelihood is destroyed.
A cynic might say they're trying to get Elisha off the hook. But they're not, because the passage has already said there is a responsibility to be accompanied.
The rabbis taught Elisha had three bouts of illness. The first time was when he set the bears onto the children. The second time was when he pushed Gehazi away with two hands. The third time was the illness he died of, as is written, "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died." (2 Kings 13:14) תנו רבנן שלשה חלאין חלה אלישע אחד שגירה דובים בתינוקות ואחד שדחפו לגחזי בשתי ידים ואחד שמת בו שנאמר ואלישע חלה את חליו אשר ימות בו
The second incident refers to the incident in 2 Kings 5 in which, having cured Naaman, captain of the Syrian army, of leprosy, Elisha refused to take payment and sent him away; but Gehazi, Elisha's servant, took it upon himself to follow after and take payment for himself.
He went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
And Gehazi is left a leper permanently.
The rabbis taught: When chastising someone you have to push them away with your left hand whilst pulling them back with your left; not like Elisha pushed away Gehazi with both hands, and not like Yehoshua ben Perachya pushed away Jesus the Nazarene* with both hands. תנו רבנן לעולם תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת לא כאלישע שדחפו לגחזי בשתי ידיו ולא כיהושע בן פרחיה שדחפו לישו הנוצרי בשתי ידיו׃
* "One of his students" in expurgated versions of the Talmud.
This refers to the following incident (Sotah 47a [unexpurgated] [though I took my text from Sanhedrin 107b, whence I'd already tracked it down—maybe it's in two places]):
What of R. Joshua b. Perahyah? When King Yannai slew our rabbis, R. Joshua b. Perahyah (and Jesus) fled to Alexandria of Egypt. On the resumption of peace, Shimon ben Shetach sent to him, "From me, (Jerusalem) the holy city, to thee, Alexandria of Egypt (my sister). My husband dwelleth within thee and I am desolate." He arose, went, and found himself in a certain inn, where great honour was shown him. "How beautiful is this akhsania*!" Thereupon (Jesus) observed, "Rabbi, her eyes are narrow." "Wretch," he rebuked him, "dost thou thus engage thyself?" He sounded four hundred trumpets and excommunicated him. He (Jesus) came before him many times pleading, "Receive me!" He (Jesus) came before him many times pleading, "Receive me!" But he would pay no heed to him. One day he (R. Joshua) was reciting the Shema when Jesus came before him. He intended to receive him and made a sign to him. He (Jesus) thinking that it was to repel him, went, put up a brick, and worshipped it. "Repent," said he (R. Joshua) to him. He replied, "I have thus learned from thee: He who sins and causes others to sin is not afforded the means of repentance." And a Master has said, "Jesus the Nazarene practised magic and led Israel astray." יהושע בן פרחיה מאי הוא כדקטלינהו ינאי מלכא לרבנן אזל יהושע בן פרחיה ויש״ו לאלכסנדריא של מצרים כי הוה שלמא שלח לי׳ שמעון בן שטח מני ירושלים עיר הקודש ליכי אלכסנדרי׳ של מצרים אחותי בעלי שרוי בתוכך ואנכי יושבת שוממה קם אתא ואתרמי לי׳ ההוא אושפיזא עבדו לי׳ יקרא טובא אמר כמה יפה אכסניא זו אמר לי׳ רבי עיניה טרוטות אמר לי׳ רשע בכך אתה עוסק אפיק ארבע מאה שיפורי ושמתיה אתא לקמיה כמה זמנין אמר לי׳ קבלן לא הוי קא משגח ביה יומא חד הוה קא קרי קריאת שמע אתא לקמיה סבר לקבולי אחוי לי׳ בידיה הוא סבר מידחא דחי לי׳ אזל זקף לבינתא והשתחוה לה אמר ליה הדר בך אמר ליה כך מקובלני ממך כל החוטא ומחטיא את הרבים אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה ואמר מר יש״ו כישף והסית והדיח את ישראל׃
* The word denotes both inn and innkeeper. R. Yehoshua used it in the first sense; the answer assumes the second to be meant.
[Even though the story is apocryphal—and is set a century before the time of Jesus of Nazareth one can still argue allegorically:] How much shedding of blood could have been avoided if R. Yehoshua had not so driven Jesus away!
Finally:
If you do find yourself on the way, busy yourself with the words of Torah [because the Torah can be a companion for you]. [The Talmud brings a quote, which I'd provide if I could work out exactly where this is.]
I.e. you can accompany yourself from your own inner resources, and keep you from the abyss of solitude which is so dangerous.
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-08 01:30 pm (UTC)"OK, your relative's been murdered and we can't find the culprit - we'll pay you off with a big slab of meat. Now please don't come here with all your friends and beat us up."
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Date: 2007-01-08 01:51 pm (UTC)