September 10, 2019 · 00:00:00
Two Roads Diverged in Jewish Thought; Can We Synthesize Them?This women's class was presented on Tuesday Parshas Ki Seitzi, 10 Elul, 5779, September 10, 2019 at the Ohr Chaim Shul, Monsey, NY There is a strange Mishnah concerning a mitzvah in the portion of Ki Seitzei. “Someone who says, ‘Your mercy extends upon a nest of birds,’ is to be silenced… Someone who says Modim Modim twice, “Thank You G-d,” “Thank You G-d,” is to be silenced.” What is the juxtaposition between the two cases—the person who speaks of G-d’s compassion to the birds, and the person who says “Modim” twice. Why does the Mishnah pair them together in a single sentence and dictates us to silence them both equally? The class presents a fabulous interpretation by Rabbi Yosef Chayim (1835-1909), the Ben Ish Chai, chief Rabbi of Baghdad. There is another enigmatic Mishnah in Ethics of the Fathers: Rebbi would say: Which is the right path for a person to choose for himself? Whatever is beautiful for the one who does it, and is also perceived as beautiful by other people. Both the question and answer are deeply problematic. How can the Mishnah—the primary body of the Jewish oral transition and law—wonder “what is the right path for a person?” For this, we were given the Torah! What is more, the Mishnah emphasizes that the person ought to choose the right path. Is this the Jewish approach? Since when did the Mishn