The Talmud mentions that a great man died on the day they were debating about the crimson ribbon that was tied onto the Yom Kippur goats.  Our sages made a reminder by saying that his death (long after the days of the Temple) atoned for his generation like the Yom Kippur goats.

Rashi here explains that the death of a ‘tzadik’, a righteous man, brings atonement.

Judaism does not believe that one man can die and achieve forgiveness for other men.  We all have free will, make our own mistakes, and need out own correction.

So how can it be that a righteous mans death brings atonement for others?

Rav Cook ztl said people don’t realize the level of a righteous man until he passes, as he does not publicize his deeds.  Stories comes out after his death and people come to appreciate the full picture of his piety.  Then people will, God willing, emulate him, which brings forgiveness.

On another level, our sages teach that a pot belonging to partners does not boil or get too cold.  When someone else is around to do the job, we naturally try to avoid taking responsibility.

when a great man is in the world, we assume he will take care of world problems.  When he passes, we feel the void and are motivated to step up and get involved.

On a practical level, when you see a man who is leading your group or organization (or taking care of it behind the scenes), try to become his apprentice.  Learn from him how to keep things working.

Often entities that have one central figure running things collapse when that man is no longer available.  If you can build the expertise to fill his shoes or at least he his assistant, you become invaluable to the organization.

The Talmud compares the goats of Yom Kippur, which were chosen by lottery, to an offering of a pair of birds, where one bird is an elevation offering and the other a sin offering.  The identity of each bird can only be set at the time of their purchase or when the priest brings them as offerings.  This is unlike the pair of goats which cannot be set at those times, only via the lottery.

This reminds us that when we purchase something we should have a specific purpose in mind.  This sounds obvious, but as my own rabbi says: “modern culture pushes us to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like”. 

Consumer culture indoctrinates us to spend more than we need to, so other people can make more profit.  Before you make a purchase, evaluate exactly why you need this item, and how you will use it.

It is often a much better investment to spend your money on gaining knowledge and experiences.  Spend on education, books, travel, dance lessons, music lessons, gym and martial arts memberships.  Invest in yourself, not in stuff.

The bird offerings are used to fulfill certain obligations when a person cannot afford animal offerings (Leviticus 5:7, 12:8 and 14:21).  These are the only times the Bible changes a man’s required expenditures based on his wealth.  All other financial obligations are a set percentage – a flat tax. 

The tithes are 10%, Trumah is not set in the Bible but Rabbinically established at 2%.  In the Biblical “tax” regime, a man would be giving about 15% of his crops, and 10% of his animals, as the second tithe belongs to the owner to use in Jerusalem, and the tithe to the poor is given two years out of every seven.  

When the ancient Jews established a monarchy, the king was also able levy taxes on the people at a 10% rate (I Samuel 8:15-17).   Samuel the prophet tells the people this is exorbitant and akin to slavery.  The total tax rate was then about 24% on crops and 19% on animals…

The big picture here is that in the Biblical worldview, a man who generates more money is getting a blessing from above, and is not to be punished by paying a larger percentage of his wealth in taxes.  We do not believe that when a makes more should pay more of his earnings to the state to redistribute his money.  In the Jewish view, when a man earns more he is not taking a bigger slice of the pie and leaving less for others, it is that God has made a bigger pie.

Money comes from God, and wealth gives a man an opportunity to give more charity and help build up his community, and invest in growing his business ventures for the benefit of everyone.  When the state instead takes more money for its own purpose, that deprives men of their ability to choose where to allot their wealth.

We see that the Bible only changes your obligation for three specific offerings, as a leniency for poorer citizens.  The Bible never says that a wealthy man pays more tithes or taxes.  A man with 10 new animals that year gives one as the tithe, and a man with 10,000 gives 1000.  

When you build yourself up into a stronger, smarter, and wiser man, and start earning more money, or seeing more success in life, this is an opportunity to reflect.  Should you feel that your success is taking away from other men?  That is a popular message in modern society – but it is the opposite of the Bible’s wisdom.

 

We have started a discussion about drawing lots on the two Yom Kippur goats.  One goat was offered in the Temple, the other was the “scapegoat” thrown off a cliff to “Azazel”.

Today we debate if drawing the lots and placing them onto the goats were necessary steps to determine which goat was which.  This matters because it was a good omen for the High Priest to draw the Temple lot in his right hand and the Azazel lot in his left.  If their identity is not yet assigned, the Priest can swap hands and show the people a positive sign.

Two deep lessons here. First, your destiny is not assigned.  You are not a goat, you have free will and can change your fate.  If you feel like your life is going to Azazel, change course.

Second, people are looking for good signs.  Some, especially women, place more credence on supernatural omens and vibes.  They may overlook facts and intellectual inquiry when something evokes good emotions, “feels before reals”.

You can use this knowledge to impact others by displaying positive signs.  This is not merely omens and the like, but even having a glowing smile on your face signifies your attitude and impacts how others respond to you.

The Talmud brings an amazing statement (which begins on the bottom of yesterday’s page):

Reish Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse: “If it concerns the scorners, He scorns them, but to the humble He gives grace” (Proverbs 3:34)?
If one comes to impurify himself, they open the door for him to do as he pleases.  If one comes to purify himself, they assist him. In the school of Rabbi Yishmael it was taught with regard to this verse: This is comparable to the case of a man who was selling both crude naphtha, whose odor is vile, and balsam, whose fragrance is pleasant.

When a customer comes to measure and purchase naphtha, the merchant says to him: Measure it for yourself.  When one who comes to measure and purchase balsam, he says to him: Wait for me until I can measure it with you, so that you and I will both be perfumed. (With regard to sin God merely provides the opening, whereas with regard to improvement, God assists the man).

This Gemara touches on the tension between free will and predestination.  If a man is thinking about ruining his own life, God will open the door.  The man is the one who decides to walk through.  He cannot blame Heaven for letting him destroy himself.

However, a man who wants to improve is helped from Above.  Once he makes the decision and starts putting in the effort, God pushes him along.  He cannot take full credit for his achievements, only for his motivation.

For men who may not believe in the supernatural, you need to be aware that modern research shows us that the actions a person is involved with – and even the thoughts he thinks – actively rewire his brain. You get good at doing what you do, and best at doing what you do the most.

We see this in addiction, where opening the door can lead to lifelong problems as the addict’s brain was literally rewired to value the drug, food, or behavior.  Or a man who was a couch potato but started lifting will also tell you that once he got used to exercise (the endorphins in his brain), it became a necessary facet of his lifestyle.

This is a powerful and useful concept.  Be aware of what you choose to do.  Also notice that you will gain from being near other men who are working on self-improvement, as the merchant gains by measuring balsam.

Naturally, men are driven to build a good reputation.  Millions of Jews know about Nicanor, who lived about 2400 years ago.  Today the Talmud also mentions that one priest would snatch showbread from his fellows, and was called snatcher until the day of his death.  His name is never mentioned.

Consider how others will remember you when you are no longer here.  This can be a profound motivator for working on your mission.

The Talmud brings the amazing story of Nicanor:

Nicanor, miracles were performed to his doors. The Sages taught: What miracles occurred for his doors? They said: When Nicanor went to bring doors for Temple from Alexandria in Egypt, on his return voyage, a storm arose in the sea to drown him. The sailors took one of the doors and cast it into the sea (to lighten the ship). And still the sea did not rest from its rage.

They sought to cast the other door in, but Nicanor stood and embraced it and said to them: Cast me overboard with it! Immediately, the sea rested from its rage.

Nicanor regretted allowing them to throw the first door into the sea.  When they arrived at the port of Akko (Jafo in Yerushalmi), the first door was poking out under the sides of the ship. And some say a sea creature swallowed it and then spewed it onto the land.

For Nicanor, his mission was getting these massive copper doors built to honor the holy Temple in Jerusalem.  He decided that he was ready to die for this personal goal, and he regretted not being able to stop the sailors when they threw the first door in.  Perhaps he didn’t realize yet how important this mission was to him.

You need to decide what it is you are willing to go overboard for.  For millennia, Jews would do anything to avoid desecrating the Sabbath.  A modern man needs to decide what the key components of his life is.  The practical test is are you willing to risk death to pull off this mission?

We see that God sent a storm to Nicanor to test his resolve.  If you pay attention, you will find that your dedication your own mission will be tested again and again.

The Talmud brings a Mishnah listing some donations made to the Temple, including the box used to draw lots for the goats of Yom Kippur.  The Mishnah notes:

King Munbaz donated to make the handles of all the Yom Kippur vessels of gold. Queen Helene, his mother, fashioned a gold chandelier above the entrance of the Sanctuary. She also fashioned a golden tablet on which the Torah portion of Sotah was written.

Our commentaries debate if these people were from the Hasmonean dynasty, or were actually royalty from a foreign kingdom that converted to Judaism.  Munbaz is not a Jewish name, and Helene is a Greek name.  Some explain that they were the royal family of a kingdom in Ashur, Assyria.

This gold tablet with the portion of Sotah was used for the priests to remember the verses explaining the ritual used to test a suspected wayward wife.  These verses were written down and then dissolved into the potion which the potential adulteress had to drink to prove her innocence – or die from if she was guilty.  We have explained the importance of the Sotah ritual on marriage, and how it reflects a man’s insistence on knowing the provenance of his offspring.

It is interesting that a queen, likely the most rich and powerful woman in the land, put her wealth and effort into discouraging adultery.  Perhaps she was aware that as the leading woman, she had the responsibility to encourage proper behavior among all her female subjects.

According to those who say queen Helene was actually a foreign queen who converted to Judaism, her donation may reflect that she chose to convert based on the emphasis the Jews placed on marital fidelity.  Perhaps witnessing the Sotah ritual and seeing the profound societal effect it had on ancient Jews inspired her to join the faith.

When a specific person or group is an outlier compared to what passes for morality among others, this can draw positive attention and inspiration.

The Talmud also notes that the Priests involved in the first offering of the day would recite the Shema before dawn. This is not the proper time, but they could be too busy to recite at the correct time due to their obligations.

The wisdom is to take care of your needs when you can. It is not ideal to lift early in the morning (your muscles are colder) but if you are going to be preoccupied the rest of the day, get up and lift.  Get your stuff done when you can.

The Talmud continues explaining the order of services on Yom Kippur.  Before the High Priest would slaughter the bull , they would position the animal facing South, then turn his head West, towards the Temple building.

The Gemara asks why not just turn the whole animal towards the Temple, and answers that the rear of the bull would be facing the holy altar.  If it would discharge waste after being slaughtered, that would be disrespectful to the altar.

There is a valuable lesson: if you can’t turn entirely in a new direction, turn your head.  Meaning, put your attention and thoughts to your desired goals.  When you put your mind to your mission, then even if you cannot yet start in that direction, you are already prepared to go when the situation allows.

The Talmud cites an amazing teaching of our Sages about a poor person, a wealthy person, and a wicked person who come to face judgment before the Heavenly court.  The court asks why they did not engage in learning Torah (wisdom).

To the wicked (due to forbidden sexual relations), they say to him: Why did you not engage in Torah? He said: I was handsome and preoccupied with my evil inclination (spending time with women), they say to him: Were you any more handsome than Joseph?

They said about Joseph the righteous: Each and every day, the wife of Potiphar tried to seduce him with words.  The clothes that she wore to entice him in the morning, she did not wear to entice him in the evening. The clothes that she wore to entice him in the evening, she did not wear to entice him the next morning.

She said to him: Submit to me and have relations with me.
He said to her: No.
She said to him: I will incarcerate you in prison. He said to her: “God releases prisoners” (Psalms 146:7).
She said to him: I will cause you to be bent over (lose his position or from beatings).
He said: “God straightens those who are bent over” (Psalms 146:8).
She said I will blind your eyes.
He said to her “God opens the eyes of the blind” (Psalms 146:8).
She gave him a thousand talents of silver to submit to her, “to lie with her and be with her” (Genesis 39:10), and he refused.

Joseph was on a very high level of righteousness, and on the end he was barely able to escape these inducements to adultery.

Modern men will also notice that his resistance seems in inflame Mrs. Potiphar’s desire even more.  She was used to having the upper hand- the ancient Egyptians had open marriages and would routinely rape their slaves- but he was refusing her.  Playing hard to get works, though Joseph was not playing.

When a man is not interested in sex, women may find him more interesting.  After all, a typical man wants her for intimacy, but this man does not.  It implies that he has an abundance of options already, or something more important going on in this life.  That makes him more valuable in her eyes.

The heavenly court is giving a surprising message to this sinner.  If he had learned wisdom from the Bible, he would not have needed to invest so much time an energy to gain access to women.  He would have known to build himself into a higher value man, and have women chasing him instead of the other way around.

Of course, if he was learning seriously, he also should have found permitted outlets for his lust.  The interesting detail here is that he is guilty of letting his lust overrun his intellect, when he should have learned and applied wisdom to properly satisfy his physical lust.

לדעתי זה סוד במאמר חזל: בראתי יצר הרע בראתי תורה תבלין

משמע שיצה”ר עיקר המאכל ותורה תפל, אבל בלא תורה חסר טעם

The Talmud, continuing on the order of Yom Kippur, explains that the High Priest needed to immerse in a ritual bath (mikveh) before changing clothing.  The mikveh was from cold spring water, and if the priest was old or frail, they would warm it to take off the chill.  This was done by adding hot water or dropping in heated bars of metal.

The Gemara wonders how they could use metal, since quenching hot metal in cold water hardens the metal.  This is finishing the metal item, one of the forbidden labors on Sabbath, and the Sabbath restrictions also apply on Yom Kippur.  Our sages debate and resolve this issue by concluding that this type of quenching was only forbidden rabbinically, so it could be done inside the Temple, where Biblical restrictions apply but rabbinic ones do not.

Tosafot (early medieval comments to the Talmud) explains that there is a distinction in quenching: quenching a shaped metal utensil is indeed a Biblical prohibition, but an unfinished bar of raw material is not, since this is not the finishing stage.  You still need to shape the raw material into something useful before the final quenching.

This brings us to an interesting observation about life:
Many men may assume that they are already a finished product, and perhaps that have valid reasons. Maybe they have started a successful business, or married and had children, or reached a goal at the gym.  But this is a dangerous assumption.  When you think you have it made, it becomes much more difficult to remake yourself as the situation changes.  These men may not see a danger coming or realize their weaknesses until tested, and then it is too late.

Instead, view yourself as a raw material, that requires more work, more quenching, and more development.  Don’t ever rest on your laurels, keep striving and becoming.  Difficult tests, like metal being heated, are another opportunity to become stronger and become a new shape in response to your current needs.

Yesterday we compared the garments of the High Priest, and concluded that both the white and golden vestments were equally important for different reasons.

Today the Talmud discusses the order of operations int he Temple, including feeding the pyres on the large altar.  The Gemara debates if the large pyre used to consume limbs of offerings came before the small pyre used to make coals to burn incense on the small inner altar.

We conclude that the large pyre is more powerful since it is constantly involved in service, while the small pyre is used just once a day.  This outcome is not the same as yesterday’s comparison of the garments, there the white clothing is worn into the inner sanctum, a higher level, and the golden clothing is not used constantly.

The wisdom here is to keep your own fire going all the time.  Keep working on yourself and your personal mission. Don’t just put in the effort once a week or even once a day.  Be constantly striving and putting in energy consistently.