Prime Principles: Pirke Abot 1:4 The Bravery of Wisdom

On the pursuit of truth as the heart of Judaism....

Yose ben Yo’ezer of Tsereda and Yose ben Yohanan of Jerusalem

received [Torah] from them (Shimon HaTsadik and Antignos of Sokho).

Yose ben Yo’ezer of Tsereda says:

Let your house be a place of meeting for Hakhamim (Sages)

and cling to the dust of their feet

and drink their words with thirst.

Long before public school systems and literacy itself had become a ubiquitous part of human development, the nation of Israel ensured that their children were not only literate, but also encouraged to think.

In the very air of Jewish culture is the celebration of questioning, the openness to arguing through opposing ideas, and the love of innovative insights.

It was no wonder that, in 1898, Mark Twain was concerned about what it would mean to gather the Jewish people into a home of their own.

Speaking of concentration, Dr. Herzl has a clear insight into the value of that. Have you heard of his plan? He wishes to gather the Jews of the world together in Palestine, with a government of their own … I am not objecting; but if that concentration of the cunningest brains in the world were going to be made in a free country (bar Scotland), I think it would be politic to stop it. It will not be well to let the race find out its strength. If the horses knew theirs, we should not ride any more.

Exaggeration? perhaps, but there is at least some worth to the thought. Although it has been quoted ad nauseam and become cliché it is still true that while we constitute less than a fifth of a percent of the population of the world, Jews have won 22 percent of all Nobel prizes.

Study and learning is a cornerstone of our culture and it has been so for at least three-thousand years. We recite blessings to God upon seeing a substantial scholar both in Torah and secular disciplines.

Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the Universe, who has shared His wisdom with those who revere Him.

Blessed are You, God our Lord, King of the Universe, who has given of His wisdom to human beings.

We cherish questions more than answers. We know that it is with questions that we make precious discoveries and it is when we hold fast to answers that we stop learning.

One of the most brilliant talmudic minds of the 19^th century, Rabbi Akiva Eger, was among the foremost leaders of European Jewry. In his glosses on Rabbi Yosef Karo’s Shulhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law), he often raises problems that seem insurmountable yet, rarely offers solutions. He does not seem to be terribly bothered with the fact that he offers questions with no answers. Over and over he closes his powerful points with two simple letters: צ״ע - an abbreviation for: צריך עיון - ‘needs further study’.

We do not shy away from productive argument and discussion. Our whole canon of texts which distill the oral law-the Mishna and Talmud- is a compendium of disputes and dialectics.

The Threat of Being Wrong

The Jews have always striven for truth and a greater understanding of reality. However, by doing so we expose ourselves to huge threats, not the least of which, are those within ourselves. Questioning, argument, and new insights threaten the status quo. They inherently suggest that what we knew and accepted is incorrect which means that we were previously unaware of a reality and thus, unsafe. Doubt breeds insecurity.

When others suggest that we do not know, they are all but saying we are not secure. We are hard-wired to respond with defensiveness, and at times aggression, to such suggestions.

One of the great achievements of the Jewish people was not only the endeavours of studying and learning but also having the bravery to be wrong and maintain a strong commitment to discovery in spite of it. The greatest among us celebrate and welcome being corrected.

It is not fitting to blame a person for suggesting corrections to what I’ve written.

He is beloved to me for this is the work of God. (Rambam, End of Commentary on Mishna)

One way we worked on doing this was to build houses of study in which free thought and exploration was not only tolerated, but encouraged.

What is the meaning of the phrase “enemies in the gate” with regard to Torah study? Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says: Even a father and his son, or a rabbi and his student, who are engaged in Torah together in one gate become enemies with each other. But they do not leave there until they love each other, as it is stated in the verse discussing the places the Jewish people engaged in battle in the wilderness: “Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, Vahev in Suphah [beSufa], and the valleys of Arnon” (Numbers, 21:14). The word “vahev” is interpreted as related to the word for love, ahava. Additionally, do not read this as “in Suphah [beSufa]”; rather, read it as “at its end [besofa],” i.e., at the conclusion of their dispute they are beloved to each other. (Kiddushin, 30b)

We knew that in order to cultivate wisdom and new discoveries we needed to provide a safe haven for their proliferation. The bet midrash - house of study, the holiest domestic domain in the Jewish religion, became that safe haven. It is sacrosanct.

One may convert a synagogue into a house of study but one may not convert a house of study into a synagogue. For the sanctity of a house of study is greater than that of a synagogue and we increase sanctity rather than decrease. (Rambam, Tefila, 11:14)

Yose ben Yo’ezer teaches us that our very homes should be designated as places that sages can gather in conclave and share in thought and study.

He calls it a בית ועד - a place designated for it. The Rambam explains this mishna saying that one’s home should be so welcoming to the sages that it should be understood as a safe and conducive place for them to gather and discuss.

If one Hakham (sage) says to another ‘Where can I meet you if I wish to speak with you? He will respond in so and so’s house. (Rambam, Commentary on Abot)

In order for a person to be open to discovery, one must be around wisdom, intelligent thought, and dialogue. He must be immersed in an environment that encourages challenging questions and experiments. It is not easy for us to live in such environments, because in all likelihood our own thinking will come under fire. Yose ben Yo’ezer says to us, if you wish to live your best life, be brave and open your home to it. The presence of true sages may be uncomfortable — but it keeps us honest, genuine and self-examining.

Yose ben Yo’ezer teaches us to make our homes into centres for thought within which sages can comfortably reside, so that when they must raise issues that would otherwise make people upset and uncomfortable, they know that in your house they find an embracing refuge.

Why Do We Study?

But it is important to know that we did not do all of this because we valued the intellectual over the physical. Or that we saw intelligence as a virtue on its own. We did it for only one reason: to know God.

A person must direct his heart and the totality of his behaviour to one goal, becoming aware of God, blessed be He.

The [way] one rests, rises, and speaks should all be directed to this end. (Rambam, De’ot, 3:2)

And while we say blessings over sages, and we hold study higher in some regards than prayer, and we are to build schools before we build synagogues, we do not love scholarship for its own sake. The amount of learning is relatively unimportant to us. It is what is in our hearts that matters.

Lest you say: I engage in Torah study a lot, while my fellow only engages in Torah study a little, so I am better than he, it has already been taught: One who brings a substantial sacrifice and one who brings a meagre sacrifice have equal merit, as long as he directs his heart towards Heaven. (Berakhot, 17a)

In its origins, study for us is a means to come to know the One who created it all. Through His deeds and expressions we come to know Him.

‘Cling to the Dust of Their Feet’

For this reason, the mechanism of study is fundamentally based on relationship rather than academics. The only commandment regarding study in Torah is that a parent should teach the child.

Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day.

Impress them upon your children. (Deut. 6:6-7)

Teachers of Torah must become surrogate parents and the relationship must become personal.

To your sons: These are your disciples. And thus do you find in all places, that disciples are called ‘sons,’ as it is written:

‘And the sons of the prophets came forth.’ (II Kings, 2:3)

Now were they the sons of the prophets? Were they not disciples? This shows that disciples were called "sons."

Only in extenuating circumstances should there be academic learning outside of this dynamic.

Two students who help each other [without a teacher] to understand a law, the Holy One loves them.

Says Raba: This is only if they already know the ‘shape of the matter’ (Its overall framework) (Shabbat, 63a)

Through these bonds the search for knowledge becomes a personal and mutually shared quest for truth and thus, life. There is love in such relationships and through that love we see God as the ultimate sharer of existence. The act of learning moves beyond study and emerges into intimate participation with the Holy One through studying His world and His commandments.

Because it is personal and intimate, to us the sage cannot simply be wise, he must also be a refined person of great integrity so that he can properly share and engage with others in ways that are not selfish, self-serving and abusive.

Every man whose traits are intermediate and equally balanced can be called a ‘wise man.’ (Rambam, De’ot, 1:4)

Just as the wise man is recognised through his wisdom and his temperaments and in these, he stands apart from the rest of the people, so, too, he should be recognised through his actions - in his eating, drinking, intimate relations, in relieving himself, in his speech, manner of walking and dress, in the management of his finances, and in his business dealings. All of these actions should be exceptionally becoming and befitting. (ibid, 5:1)

Thus the questions, arguments, innovations, insights and challenges to old and accepted answers are not personal grandstands of arrogance, but loving explorations into the abundant surprises in God’s universe.

Relationship with true hakhamim is of the utmost value to us. So we will engage in ways that can make us part of their lives. At first we engage in ways that not only avoid intruding on personal boundaries, but we also serve and support the Hakham with whom we hope to foster a relationship.

All the services which a servant performs for his master should be performed by a student for his teacher…

Whoever prevents his student from serving him withholds kindness from him and takes away his fear of heaven.

(Rambam, Talmud Torah, 5:8)

But as the relationship grows, and there is trust and mutual discovery, love grows and sharing permeates the bonds of the endeavour.

One’s foremost teacher may, if he desires, forgo his honour with regard to any or all of the above matters

to any or all his students. (ibid., 11)

Being the dust of their feet is not meant to degrade or demean. It is practical and real and it recognises the reality of master and apprentice and that to truly learn one must acknowledge what one does not know. One must sit at the feet of those who do, so that we may follow in their path and learn from the context of their lives by listening, absorbing and questioning them. By building relationships with them — observing their behaviours, following their attributes and being able to access their thoughts and insights — we engage in a mutual bond that is entirely dedicated to loving God and the world He created. Love permeates the relationship.

The verse states: ‘To love the Lord your God, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave to Him’ (Deut. 30:20).

But is it possible for a person to cleave to the Divine Presence?

Rather, anyone who marries his daughter to a Torah scholar,

and one who conducts business on behalf of Torah scholars,

and one who utilizes his wealth to benefit Torah scholars with his property,

the verse ascribes him credit as though he is cleaving to the Divine Presence. (Ketubot, 111b)

‘Drink Their Words With Thirst’

Every new insight in this endeavour is a discovery of the ever developing creation of the universe.

In His goodness [He] continually renews the works of creation, day after day. (Siddur)

And while we may be filled with knowledge, any new point and innovative idea — every hidush — is like another breath of air to us. The Talmud relates it to fish and water.

Just as the fish live in water rise to the surface of the sea ‘thirstily’ when it rains to meet the raindrops as though they’ve never seen water, so too Israel, grow in the ‘waters’ of Torah when they hear any new insight of Torah they receive it with thirst! (Bemidbar Rabba, 5:97)

This commitment to innovation is an essential aspect to our covenant. We never tire of the search because behind every question is a quest for becoming more familiar and intimate with reality and, therefore, God.

Drinking with thirst means that we take it in as though our welfare and health depends on it. When we are thirsty we cannot afford to miss a drink of water or we will risk dehydration. When we lack wisdom we cannot afford to miss a lecture, or even an insight that relates to, and broadens — even slightly — the framework of life and truth.

We drink with thirst and learn with desire.

Today, much of the origins of our early endeavours to learning manifest in a faint echo of the original. We either engage in study because we enjoy the rigour of the thought, or we seek amassing information for our own personal gain, or we study because we believe that becoming great scholars is somehow a high value in Torah. It may be part of the endeavour, but it is not the goal.

There is one ultimate value in Torah that all the others support and that is simply — knowing God:

Thus said the Lord:

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom;

Let not the strong man glory in his strength;

Let not the rich man glory in his riches.

But only in this should one glory: In his understanding and knowledge of Me. (Jer., 9:23)

Everything else is either a direct act of such knowledge or a supporting act in order to achieve it. There is no other goal of Judaism, Israel and Torah and there never has been. All else is either a distraction, or a misconception.

Yose ben Yo’ezer teaches us to search for those who have toiled to gain knowledge and who have refined their own character so that we can sit by their feet and drink with thirst their precious words and teachings. In doing so, we open ourselves to bonding with God and walking in His benevolent and loving light.