The Talmud discusses an epic seven year drought and famine in the time of Elisha (II Kings 8:1).  This terrible punishment was the result of idolatry.  Our sages explain verses in the prophets on the topic of idolatry, including:

“For pass over the isles of the Kittim and see; and send to Kedar and observe carefully, and see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation exchanged its gods, although they are no gods? But My people has exchanged its glory for that which does not profit” (Jeremiah 2:10–11). 

The Gemara deciphers:  Kittites worship fire and Kedarites worship water, and even though they know that water extinguishes fire, nevertheless they have not exchanged their god.  Our sages point out God Himself acknowledges that these ancient idolaters were faithful to their ideologies, even though they knew their cults had inherent weaknesses.

By contrast, some ancient Jews would stray after idols which they knew to be powerless.  Often people went along with idolatry because the moral code of the idolaters also allowed illicit sexual relations that Judaism forbids, such as temple prostitutes.

The wisdom for you is to work at maintaining loyalty to your chosen value system, even though you know the weak points.  You have to know your own vulnerabilities and accept them.  Otherwise, other people will attack those weak points and cause you to devalue and reject your mission.

It helps to conduct a business analysis known as SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) on your own life and goals.  Before you decide what you want out of life, use your mind to address these factors, so you won’t be surprised down the road.

If you are dealing with a person who cannot acknowledge that there are questions or doubts about their own belief set, you know they are mindlessly following this dogma.  Real beliefs can be questioned and supported with evidence.

We bring a teaching that soft rains penetrate and reach seeds better than hard rains, and compare a young scholar to a sprouting seed.  The Talmud brings this advice:

Rav Ashi said: Any Torah scholar who is not as hard as iron, he is not a true Torah scholar, as it is stated: “And as a hammer that breaks rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29). 

Rabbi Abba said to Rav Ashi: You learned from that verse, we learned it from here, as it is written: “A land whose stones [avaneha] are iron” (Deuteronomy 8:9). Do not read this phrase as “whose stones [avaneha],” rather, read it as whose builders [boneha].

Builders here refers to sages who build and maintain the community.

Throughout Jewish history, men debated with one another over the meaning of the verses and intricacies of Jewish law, and the best arguments won.  If someone did not have the tenacity to defend his point of view, his name never made it into the Talmud or later books.

You have to be hard in the sense of thick-skinned to get your voice heard when there is criticism and competition. 

Rashi explains hard like iron means he is “kapdan”, which in this context translates as particular or exacting.  He knows what he wants and won’t take less than that.  This is a man with firm boundaries who will enforce them.

Keep in mind that Jewish scholars were not silent monks sequestered away from regular society.  They were community leaders, teachers, professionals and family men as well.  They had to deal with all kinds of people, including men who did not respect rabbinical authority and would be tempted to trample over their enactments.  The Rabbis had to maintain strict standards despite opposition.

Immediately after the above advice, Ravina adds:  Even so, one is required to teach himself to act gently, as it is stated: “And remove anger from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh” (Ecclesiastes 11:10).

You must be as hard as iron or stone, but also need a gentle disposition.  How can that be possible?

It may sound odd, but a man who maintains strong boundaries will find he has an easier time dealing with others calmly.  Since they are not walking all over him, he finds it possible to be easygoing and compassionate. 

When someone defies your personal standards, you simply must do what your principles require, such as removing your time and energy from this person.  However, you don’t need to be angry or offended, but can remain stoic while enforcing boundaries.  In this sense our sages were simultaneously hard and gentle.

The Talmud brings a teaching from “ben Betera”, literally the son of Betera, about when we perform a water libation on the holiday of Sukkot, but notes that it contradicts the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda ben Betera.

Rabbi Nahman bar Yitzhak explains that the statement from “ben Betera” was really made by Rabbi Yehoshua ben Betera, but before he was ordained, when he was only known by his father’s name.

This Talmudic passage teaches us a couple of vital bits of wisdom.  Back then men were known, and proudly called themselves, with the name of their father.  Conventional Jews still use their father’s name to call men to read from the Torah.

Today in mainstream society many men grow up without their father, or in a situation where the father cannot assert healthy authority over the family.  Modern media has denigrated the role of the father, making it hard for men to fill their natural and conventional role as the head of the household.

We also see that in ancient times even a scholar was not considered significant in his own right until he had accomplished something for himself.  He had to step out of his father’s shadow and stand on his own two feet before he was called by his own name, not just his father’s name.

Welcome to our study of the tractate of Taanit in the Talmud.  Taanit meaning fast as in refraining from eating.  We will learn about the fast days that Jews still observe to this day as well as fasts carried out in ancient times as a response to a lack of rain.

Taanit begins with a Mishnah asking when in the year we begin mentioning God’s power of bringing rain.

The Gemara wonders what the teacher of this Mishnah was dealing with that led him to ask this question, and suggests that the teacher was referring to a teaching in tractate Brakhot (blessings) which says that we mention the power of rain in our daily prayers.

Our sages then wonder why this teacher did not ask his question earlier.  At our fast Daf Yomi pace we learned Brakhot almost two years ago.  Our ancient sages did not learn Gemara one Daf a day, as there was no printed Gemara back then.  They discussed and analyzed scripture and Jewish traditions face to face in the study hall.  Those discussions are what we now have recorded in the written Talmud.

However, they did discuss one area of law at a time, and bring out all the relevant questions and teachings.  So it would be odd to save this question until long after they had learned Brakhot.

Therefore the Gemara suggests that the teacher of our Mishnah was referring to a more recent teaching in Rosh Hashanah about the different days of judgment (less than 3 weeks ago at our modern speed): “and on the festival of Sukkot we are judged concerning water.”

Therefore the author of the Mishnah asks from when we mention rain in our prayers.

The wisdom here is to ask questions on topic, and do not wait until your class or teacher has moved on and then bring up old material.  If you need to know something about the subject matter, get the question out there now and work it out.

We also see that we can infer what a person was thinking about based on their questions.  This is a very useful piece of wisdom if you are talking with someone you just met and they are asking you questions.  From their own questions you can deduce what they want to know about you, which hints to their motivation in the interaction.

For instance, if someone wants to know what you do for a living, they may be using that to figure out how much money you earn and your status.  If someone asks about your family, they may value family.

In Jewish wisdom questions are valuable, and we encourage asking questions on topic, and bringing comparisons from a similar area of law to better understand the current subject.  Much of the content of the Talmud, the primary text of Jewish oral law, is questions and questions about those questions, leading to clarity.

Mazal Tov on completing learning through the tractate of Rosh Hashanah.  Our final Daf continues discussing prayers, bringing this advice:

Rabbi Elazar said: A person should always arrange his prayer in his mind and only then pray.

Arranging prayer means thinking about what to say before you begin.  The Gemara debates if this only applies to holiday prayers or even daily prayers.  The word for prayer “yitpalel” is actually based on the world for judicial evaluation; judges are “Pelilim”.

To make prayer useful and effective, a man must judge himself, through realizing what is going well in his life so he can offer thanks, determining what he needs to ask for, and asking for help in areas he is weak.  Jewish prayer is not merely rote, a man needs to give intellectual consideration to how his life is going and how it could improve.

We might have assumed that praying is merely emotional, but in truth a man is expected to be rational and logical first in order to properly pray.  Self judgment requires intellectual analysis about your true situation and your goals, so you can plan to achieve your goals in the best possible way.

Today they Talmud notes that Rabbi Abba came back from the ocean and clarified the scope of an earlier dispute.  Sometimes a man needs some time and space alone in order to figure things out.  When you are in the thick of it and busy with the details it can be hard to see the big picture.  Going out to be in nature can help clear your mind to function better.

This is why Pharoah in ancient Egypt gave the Jews more work, to prevent them from thinking about their desire to be free to serve God (Exodus 5:17).  Even without vicious taskmasters, it is human nature to get involved in our work and fail to see that we are not making progress towards out long term goals.

This insight from Rosh Hashanah and prayers generally teaches us that we should stop and rationally consider our situations, and how to optimize your efforts to reach our desired goals.  One of the greatest opportunities in life is to use our minds to improve ourselves and accomplish more.  May we be blessed with the ability to use our minds to truly thrive.

We have one more Daf of Rosh Hashanah, and are discussing the interface between the prayer service and the shofar blowing.  Public prayers are a vital part of Jewish observance, especially on Shabbat and holidays, and certainly on the day of judgement itself.  The prayers and readings from the Torah scroll last for hours, while the shofar sounds during the prayers add up to just a few minutes.

The Gemara contrasts our obligation to blow or hear the shofar to our requirement to pray, and makes a surprising ruling.  If you did not know the prayer service (prayer books were very rare back then) and had the choice between going to participate in communal prayers with an expert, or going to hear the shofar, then you must go to the shofar.  This is even when you could surely make the prayer service but there is doubt if you could hear the shofar.

This is because the shofar is a Biblical commandment (Leviticus 23:24), while prayer in a specific format is a rabbinical requirement.  While there is a Biblical concept of prayer, prayer is called service in the heart, and technically we can accomplish this using our own words whispered privately or even via thoughts directed to God.

Shofar is loud, public, and intense.  To fulfill the commandment, we use the shofar to make a various sounds, including a wailing or moaning sound.  This is learned on Daf 33 from the cries of the mother of Sisera (though some say this should read our mother Sarah).

Sisera was a Canaanite general who mercilessly attacked the ancient Jews in the time of the judges, when Israel was a confederation of related tribes, prior to King David and the Temple.  The Jews eventually were able to unite and fight back, capable led by Devorah the prophetess and Barak, and drive out the invaders (Judges 4-5).

On the day of battle, Sisera’s mother was waiting anxiously for his chariot to return victorious, and her friends consoled her by repeating her own hopes and fantasies that he was busy dividing the Jewish loot and women, “a womb or two for each of his men”.

Finally she realized Sisera was not coming home, and wailed (Judges 5:28).  Her rationalizations had been lies.  When she finally broke down sobbing, her false narrative, reinforced by her friends, was shattered.

It is human nature to build up elaborate justifications, both internally and as excuses offered to others, to explain why we did not accomplish what we should have.  Men tend to build intricate palaces of rationalizations for why their lives are not going how they had imagined.  This can help you to tolerate difficult situations, but is not the way to achieve long term success.

On Rosh Hashanah, hearing the screaming wail of the shofar during our prayers, our illusions are shattered.  We are face to face with the day of judgment, praying for another year and another chance to the One who knows that all of our excuses about the past year are lies.  Many false dreams are discarded on the Jewish new year, leaving space to build something new.

The ability to break through your rationalizations and realize the truth of your personal situation is necessary to start working on improving your life.  The shofar of Rosh Hashanah helps us to break down the barriers around our hearts.  The prayers give us the awareness that our Father in heaven wants us to thrive and make the upcoming year the best that we can.

Our sages examine a Mishnah which states that we need not prevent children from blowing a shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and could even encourage them to practice.  The Gemara notes that this teaching implies that we might discourage women from blowing a shofar, but cites another tradition teaching that we do not prevent women or children from sounding the shofar.

Rashi comments that the first opinion holds that women are entirely exempt from time dependent positive commandments (Mitzvot aseh sh’hazman grama), so we would discourage them from performing the commandment.

Women are indeed required to observe all commandments that are in the negative, “thou shalt not…”, for example to refrain from eaten leavened items during Passover.  We learn this from “A man or woman, when they commit any of the sins of men, to commit a trespass against the Lord, and that soul shall be guilty” (Numbers 5:6).  Men and women have equal agency in Jewish law, both are responsible and liable to be punished for their decisions.

The Bible exempts women from positive commands, “thou shall…”, that are done at a specific time (though there are exceptions such as eating Matzah on Passover).  Women are not exempted because they are not intrinsically able to do these actions, but because they are responsible for the entire household.  A woman may be busy with her children or the fire at that moment it is time to do the mitzvah.  It would not be fair or efficient to ask her to stop her important work.

God Himself understands and accounts for the old saying “a woman’s work is never done”.  Men are expected to ignore whatever is going on in their lives to perform Divine commands.  Women on the other hand are already doing God’s will through building a healthy home and family and should not be required to interrupt.

In addition, women tend to work with primarily with other people while men usually work with physical things, tools, and animals.  A man can drop his tools or tie up his horses and go focus on what God requires.  You cannot ask a woman to drop her children, they won’t leave her alone.

The Gemara implies women could voluntarily perform a Mitzvah, and Tosafot here explains that there are sources in many areas of the Talmud for women being allowed to perform a commandment, even when they are not required.

Jewish law rules that women can indeed perform a time bound commandment even though they are not obligated. Ashkenazi (European origin) women also recite the blessing before the commandment (see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 589:6). 

Sefardi women can perform the Mitzvot in question but do not make a blessing.  Some explain that a woman saying the blessing, which states “Blessed are You…who commanded us to…” would appear to be lying, as she is not actually required to do this act.  It is important to distinguish between what you are obligated to do and what is voluntary.

It is inspiring that our women are zealous to perform the “optional” commandments like hearing the shofar, showing their love for God’s will. For more details see Women and Mitzvot in Judaism

 

This contrast in obligation gives us insight into our psychological nature for both men and women.  Rav Yosef, who was blind, used to say that he would throw a party for anyone who could prove the law was that a blind man was not obligated in the time bound commandments.  His assumption was that it was better to not be required to do something but to do it voluntarily anyway.

However, the sages told him that in fact it is a higher level to be required to act and to act accordingly.  Rav Yosef began to say that he would throw a party for anyone who could prove the law was that a blind man was indeed obligated in the time bound commandments

When we must get certain tasks done for your mission, we often feel a serious temptation to put them off.  It is often easier to do extra things that are a distraction or work toward someone else’s mission.  Being obligated to do something creates internal resistance.

Volunteering makes us feel good, as if we are going above and beyond.  This is often true, but sometimes accomplishing something extra takes away from our actual obligations. 

Jewish wisdom does not discourage anyone from volunteering, but reminds us that we first must finish what is actually required of us.  We are also try to remember what is an actual Biblical commandment, versus a Rabbinical enactment versus a custom.

The Talmud discusses the order of prayers and shofar soundings on Rosh Hashanah, explaining how we recite verses mentioning God’s Kingship, His remembering people for good, and verses related to blowing the shofar.  The Mishnah notes that we do not recite verses dealing with punishment.

The Gemara expands this to include verses of anger, such as “As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be King over you” (Ezekiel 20:33).  Although we do not use this verse on Rosh Hashanah, Rav Nahman comments: any anger like this, let the Holy One, blessed be He, express that anger upon us and let Him redeem us.

Rav Nahman’s point is that when God expresses intense anger to the Jewish people, they will get the message, return to the proper path and become worthy of redemption and salvation.  Anger, which we assume to be a destructive emotion, can be employed towards a constructive goal.

Naturally, we know that God has no body, no form, no semblance of anything physical.  God transcends space and time.  The Bible and our sages employ language that depicts God as having physicality or emotionality when we humans cannot readily comprehend the message without this anthropomorphism.

When the Bible says “God angered”, don’t think it means He became angry like we do.  God is eternal and unchanging and does not experience emotions.  This language means God displayed “anger” to inform humans to change their course of action for their own good.

God employs anger as a tool to help mankind work on self improvement.  God expresses anger or disappointment like a father who loves his child but knows that the boy needs some discipline in order to grow up into the best man he could be.

Divine anger is not just seen in disaster and calamity.  Our sages comment that if you reached your hand in your pocket to get a three coins, and only got ahold of two, this is a sign that you deserved some suffering (Arachin 16b).

When you actively look for subtle hints that things are not going well for you, you can change your course before greater problems show up.  If you feel depressed, anxious, or frustrated this is actually a message to stop and reevaluate yourself.  Something is obviously bothering you.  Instead of just suffering through the feelings, use your intellect to figure out what is going wrong and how to improve it.

We are commanded to act like God (Deut 13:4) and therefore should only use anger for positive goals.  If someone is not living up to your standards, displaying external anger while remaining completely calm can be effective.  Remember that you should not become angry, but merely employ it as an act.

The famous book The Path of the Just (Mesilat Yesharim) by Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in chapter 11 discusses anger in depth based on ancient Jewish sources.  He advises that a man must guide his students and children not out of anger but to get them on the straight path, and while he may need to display anger on his face, he must never have anger in his heart.

However, human beings have limitations.  Without decades of serious work on anger, it is a very dangerous tool to use.  Most people, most of the time, do become truly angry, inside and out.  It may be preferable to simply avoid the person who is overstepping your boundaries rather than take them to task and lose your composure.

When you experience anger from other people, this can be a sign that you need to change but also indicate that the other party has their own problems to work on.  Being the target of human anger should indeed make you reevaluate your own behavior, and consider your own contribution to this conflict.  However, it should also open your eyes to the possibility that your relationship with this angry person is no longer constructive.

Following yesterday’s Daf which mentions that the Levites would sing in the Temple each day, the Gemara explains why each song was chosen for that day:

On the fifth day of the week the Levites would recite the psalm beginning: “Sing aloud to God our strength” (Psalm 81), because on the fifth day of Creation He created birds and fish to praise His name.

How do birds and fish cause praise to God?  Rashi explains that when a man sees birds different from one another, he gives praise to the One who created them all.  Avot D’Rabbi Natan 1:8 notes that seeing the colors and varieties of birds inspires people.

This is more than just birdwatching to identify the different species.  A man who pays attention sees that even birds of the same species have unique traits and personalities. 

All the more so for human beings.  Each of us is a distinct individual with specific abilities and purpose.  Every single person has a unique role in the world that only he or she can fill.  When you begin to see the incredible diversity of humanity, with every single person having their own thoughts, hopes, and desires, you cannot help but be inspired and energized.

When we appreciate how God created each person “in His image” and yet made us with endless individual variation, this helps us to realize that God Himself is truly infinite.

The Gemara brings a frightening teaching that the Divine Presence (Shechinah) moved itself farther and farther away from the people as they turned to sin toward the end of the first Temple era.  In reality the people were moving their hearts away from God.  God reluctantly began to remove His Divine blessings and inspiration for prophecy, to give the people a wake up call.

We know that God is omnipresent, and will always accept our sincere return, no matter where we are.  However, God is described in scripture in a manner that allows human beings to understand His intent.  When people begin to become disaffected, it is much easier to reconcile at the start of this process.  Once separated by time and distance, it becomes very hard for estranged people to reconnect.

A man who continues thinking about a person who is long gone from his life is wasting his time.  Your energies are better spent investing into a new relationship, and on building yourself into the man you want to become.  While God can always reconnect to anyone who returns, no matter how long lost, people do not have the feature.

Likewise, you should be wary if someone from your distant past is suddenly trying to attract your time and attention.  While there are exceptions, it is not typical for such situations to work out.  They may have ulterior motives.

We study a Mishnah teaching that originally the court would accept witnesses for the entire 30th day of the month, when the new moon was expected.  However, once the witnesses came very late in the day, after the afternoon offering had already been brought (this event was the impetus to set Rosh Hashanah as a two day holiday). 

Because the court had not proclaimed it to be Rosh Hashanah yet, the Levites erred in the song they are supposed to sing after that offering.  The Gemara debates what this error was, either they sang the wrong song, or out of doubt they did not sing any song.

Rabbi Zeira cites a teaching that in response to this event the sages decreed that they would not accept witnesses unless there was still time to bring the entire afternoon offering, and recite the song without error.  This implies that they had sung the wrong song, not skipped the song.

The Gemara rejects this logic with the phrase:  since they did not say any song at all, there is no error greater than this.  Rabbi Zeira assumed “mistake” only implied making a wrong choice.  We see from here that making no choice at all can be an even graver mistake.

When there are doubts it becomes very tempting to avoid actions or decisions.  After all, you might get it wrong, so inactivity is the only truly safe choice.  There are times in Jewish law where we do advise a man to sit and avoid risking a problem through a doubtful action.

However, there are many situations that require a decision or an action, in which avoiding your obligation might feel safe but is in fact an error and a failure.  The Levites were there to sing in the Temple, that was their job.  The Gemara faults them for the possibility they stayed passive and avoided singing out of doubt.

A modern man may not be in such a position of responsibility, but the same wisdom applies.  When you avoid making a choice, that itself is a choice and a missed opportunity.  Often taking what you had thought was the easy way out through inaction creates greater problems down the road.

If you have a problem being decisive, write down the pros and cons.  If you are stuck you can even flip a coin – just decide in advance that you will follow through.

Many times men could talk to a stranger, but begin to feel a nagging doubt that it is safer to avoid any contact with someone new.  While I cannot guarantee it, most people are not going to insult or beat you just for saying hello and striking up a conversation.  You may even make a connection that lasts years and brings mutual benefit, but you will never know without taking action and approaching.

If this sounds hard you can make a game of it.  The easy level is to ask five people what time it is every day (leave your watch at home).  The harder level is to ask strangers for advice about a specific situation or task you need to do.  This can lead to interesting conversations and you might even get good advice.

Working through the anxiety surrounding making decisions and approaching new people helps you to become a confident, capable man.