Thinking Talmudist Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Intro (Announcement)
You are listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Thinking Talmudist Podcast.

00:14 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back everybody to the Thinking Talmudist Podcast. It is so wonderful to be here and thank you, chef Ed, for the delicious lunch. It really is magnificent. All right, we are beginning a new piece of Talmud Tractate, sotah, folio 4b. In the middle of the page, the Talmud here was talking about washing our hands before eating bread, and now the Talmud is going to talk a little bit more about this.

00:45
Having mentioned Rabbi Vera's conversation about the mitzvah washing hands prior to eating bread, the Gemara segues into a broader discussion of this ritual. And this is what you know. We know the basic halacha, the basic conclusion of this Talmud, and that is that before eating bread, we wash our hands twice on our right, twice on our left, and we recite the blessing of Al-Nitilat Yadayim and we thank Hashem for that, for the bread that we have and for the food that he is giving us. But in washing our hands, there's many, many customs that are important giving us. But in washing our hands, there's many, many customs that are important for us to know and understand. We're also going to talk about why we wash our hands as well. So that's very, very important.

01:36
Amr Rav Zerikah, amar Rav Elias, rav Elazar Rav Zerikah said in the name of Rav Elazar Kolam Zalzim bin Atil Sidayim anyone who belittles the mitzvah of washing the hands will be uprooted from the world. That's pretty severe Uprooted from the world. Right Sages tell us that he deserves to die for violating the rabbinic precept. It's one of the seven laws that the rabbis instituted. So if anybody tells you, oh, the rabbis make up all these rules, there are only seven laws and all of those seven laws are based on biblical sources, meaning the kohanim, the priests in the Holy Temple, would wash their hands before doing their service. So we understand from there that washing hands before we do our service, eating food is a service.

02:27
By the way, some people may not understand that. They think that eating food is a pleasurable thing for us. That's true, it is pleasurable, but what is the main purpose behind eating? So that we can serve Hashem. So it's the service of Hashem and therefore our sages tell us that we need to wash our hands and take it very seriously.

02:53
Wash your hands before eating bread, twice on your right hand, twice on your left hand. Some people do three and three. That's fine. If your hands are very dirty, that's fine as well, but twice at least on each hand and then you recite the blessing of Al-Mateel.

03:08
So now the Gemara discusses a halachic aspect of this ritual. Amar Rabichia Bar-Ashi, amar Rav Rabichia Bar-Ashi said, in the name of Rav Mayim Rishonim when one washes his hand, what's called first waters, the ones before eating bread, the hand washing that precedes the meal tsarich sheyagbia, yadav lamala, he must lift his hands upward, like this. So you wash your hands twice on the right, twice on the left, you lift your hands up. Mayim achronim, however, the last waters, which is right before you recite the grace after Beals, that those, the hands, should be lowered down and with the fingertips pointing downward. Now I want to just share with you we're going to get into an entire discussion about this in the Talmud shortly. But why do we raise our hands?

04:07
So, for those of you who listen to the Jewish Inspiration podcast, we did recently an interview with the Gross family where the father a Reform rabbi, the daughter a conservative rabbi and the son an Orthodox, soon-to-be rabbi. Both of those, the children, and I interviewed them here in the magnificent Torch Studios and Studio A1B sorry, studio 1B and we discussed a very, very it was a very long conversation, a very beautiful conversation. I think it was 83 minutes. The podcast 83 minutes long, but it was very, very eye-opening, I think, for everyone. I got some really remarkable feedback, so thank you to all of you who listened. You can find it also on YouTube Music. We have our podcast there, on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts, etc. Etc.

05:10
But what I'm trying to say here is that we finished off with a halacha, and the halacha was that one should wash their hands exactly this piece of Talmud. And we said that we should lift up our hands exactly this piece of Talmud. And we said that we should lift up our hands. Now, one of the things that I added, I think, a very, very beautiful Kabbalistic concept, and that is why do we wash our hands before we eat.

05:35
Sages tell us. Hasidic masters teach us that bread is the result of our hard work. We work very hard, we earn money, we buy bread or we buy the ingredients to make the bread, and it's an entire process, and then we feel very, very good about our accomplishments that we made bread, that we succeeded in earning a living and being able to have something to eat. That can lead a person to arrogance. Sages tell us that what we do is we wash our hands. We wash away those thoughts of arrogance, we wash away that feeling of accomplishment, because we need to know that everything that we have accomplished is really the hand of Hashem that has succeeded our way. And this is very, very important for us to always remember and never, ever, ever forget that all of our success is a result of Hashem succeeding our way, not us being so wise and so bright and so incredibly talented. It's the gifts that Hashem has given us and that's what we wash away symbolically. Obviously, it's a halach, so we have to do it, even if we're not arrogant. But symbolically we're washing away our arrogance.

06:49
And what do we do? We lift our hands. What do we do? We open up our fingers and what we do is we show Hashem look, I have nothing, me, I've accomplished nothing. I have a porous hand that everything can fall through. I possess nothing, which, by the way, another very interesting thing Someone comes into this world, the baby's born. You have a look at a little baby and their fists are clenched closed.

07:13
Our sages tell us, the Midrash says that the baby, when it's born, says I'm going to acquire, I'm going to attain everything, I'm going to possess everything. And then when someone dies, we know they leave with their hands open. I've accomplished nothing of what I set my goals on, and it's unfortunate if one leaves this world without accomplishing what we set out to accomplish, which is why people have a terrible fear of talking about death. It makes people very uncomfortable, but the truth is is that we should be very comfortable talking about death. It makes people very uncomfortable, but the truth is is that we should be very comfortable talking about death, Because if our life is focused on accomplishing what Hashem set forth for us in our life, then we should be very comfortable.

07:59
You know what? I was given talents, I was given abilities. I tried to use my talents and my abilities as great as I can. And now, hopefully, there won't be retribution for me falling short of my tasks, but if God forbid, I do fall short of my tasks. That could be problematic and a painful experience, but that's why we have repentance and a person can repent and it says that death itself is so painful that it itself is atonement for the sins that we have done in our lifetime. So Hashem is very merciful and Hashem loves us and Hashem wants us to succeed and therefore, every person should know that, yes, you have blessing in your life. That's awesome, that's fabulous. Use it to do good things. Okay.

08:53
So another teaching about the mitzvah of washing our hands. Amar Rabovo said oh sorry, did I skip something here? Oh, the Gemara office, supporter of Chiavar Abba's first ruling, which was that the water should be after you wash your hands. You should raise your hands up, and that's before eating. And after eating, before you recite the grace, after meals, you're supposed to do something which is called Mayim Aharonim, which is the after waters, and that should be with your hands facing down, the Taneh Namihach, and that should be with your hands facing down. It was also taught in a brisa. One who washes his hands needs to raise his hands upward Lest the water go past the wrist joint and then return to contaminate the hands, meaning if the hands over here are dirty. So then it's. You know, if you do like that, the waters may have gone there and then contaminate the hands. Another teaching about the mitzvah of washing hands Amar Abavo said Anyone who eats bread without drying his hands after washing them is regarded as though he's eaten contaminated bread. Why, why? Yomer Hashem koche yohlu b'nei Yisroel eslach mamtameh Hashem said thus will the children of Israel eat their bread contaminated among the nations where I will banish them. So we see that Hashem is guiding us here about washing our hands properly before eating bread.

10:41
The Gemara above expounded the verse for on account of a harlot, to the extent of a loaf of bread. What does that mean? This was wrote earlier. The Gemara now inquires about the conclusion of that verse and what is the meaning of? And a married woman a precious soul ensnares. And this, the Talmud here says this is a verse in Proverbs. It says for how is the soul precious if it can become involved in adultery? The Gemara now says Amr Rabbi Chia Bar Abba, amr Rabbi Yochanan. Rabbi Chia Bar Abba said, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, kol odam Shiesh Bo'gasos Ruach, listen to this.

11:30
Any person who possesses a haughtiness of spirit, the basof nichshal be'eshesis, will ultimately fall into the sin of cohabitating with a married woman. Just as humility is a sanctuary for holiness, arrogance is a sanctuary for holiness. Arrogance is a sanctuary for impurity, whose principal thrust is to entice a person to sexual immorality, as is indicated in the Sanhedrin. So the Gemara says humility is a great thing. Humility brings about holiness. Humility brings one to be uplifted. But arrogance does the opposite by way of inappropriate, immoral behaviors, and that's what the verse states Sh'namar v'eshesish nefesh yikarototzud. As for as a married woman, a precious soul ensneers.

12:25
And the Talmud explains the commentaries here, explains this verse speaks not of a soul that is objectively precious, but of one that is precious in a person's own mind, meaning he feels arrogant about himself. I am so great, I am, so special I am so I am, so I am so Everything about me, me, me, me, me, so special I am, so I am, so I am, so everything about me, me, me, me, me. Such a person who's arrogant will end up falling to the depths of these acts of immorality. The Talmud now continues the Gemara says the Gemara rejects this interpretation, so let me just explain here. According to this approach, the latter half of verse 26, again, this is chapter 6, verse 26 in Proverbs is a continuation of the first half as follows For on account of a harlot to the extent of a loaf of bread and a married woman who is a harlot as established in the first half of the verse, meaning she is another man's wife, a precious soul, a haughty person in sneers, that is, the haughty person pursues and seduces a licentious married woman to commit adultery with her right.

13:40
This person's arrogance does not allow him to consort him a common harlot whom just anyone can frequent. Rather, it drives him to seduce a married woman, particularly so that arrogance gets a person crazy. Arrogance is a source of terrible, terrible things. Now it's very interesting that the Talmud started with washing hands and now it goes straight to a man who is arrogant. What's the connection? We just mentioned the connection, the connection of a person feeling arrogant about his accomplishments that we have to wash away.

14:20
The Gemara rejects the interpretation of the verse on two accounts. Amar Rav Rav said, according to this interpretation, instead of the expression a precious soul, it should have said a haughty soul. Why does it say a precious soul, since, in actuality, the soul is not precious at all, particularly not this one. And further, since, according to your interpretation, the haughty soul is ensnearing the married woman, the verse should have said the haughty soul ensnears. The plain reading of and a married woman a precious soul ensnares indicates that it is the married woman who ensnares the precious soul, for a married woman appears at the beginning of the clause, which suggests that it is the subject of the verb ensnares, meaning. Why are you putting it on her? You should put it on him. He's the one who is the arrogant one. He's going to run after her, not that she's running after him.

15:30
So Rava offers his own interpretation of the verse Elo Amar Rava. Rava says Call Habo al-Ashasis anyone who cohabits with a married woman. Afilu lama Torah ksiv bo yikora him ipninim, even if he has studied a tremendous amount of Torah, about which it says that it is more precious than peninim, than pearls. It is more precious than a Kohen Gadol who enters the innermost sanctum of the Holy Temple, nevertheless enters the innermost sanctum of the Holy Temple, nevertheless, he titzudeno liddino shel Gehenna. She, the married adulteress, will ensnare him into the judgment of Gehenna of purgatory Meaning no one.

16:18
I just had this conversation yesterday with an individual, with an individual. We were talking about the protection that the Torah requires every single person to ensure that they remain holy and distant from someone who they're not married to. A man should not be alone with a woman if they are not married to one another. There's no excuse for it and there's no tolerance in the Torah for it.

16:55
The Torah says there's no one who's trusted when it comes to issues of sexual immorality. No one who's trusted when it comes to issues of sexual immorality. No one is trusted. No, the Pope, the big rabbi, the Kohen Gadol, right, nobody Got a beard. From here till Peerland, it doesn't make a difference. You are not trusted with a woman, you are not married to. That the Torah says, which is why every single door in the Torah center has windows Because there is no privacy. Sorry, there's no privacy. You want to meet with a rabbi? You can meet with a rabbi, that's fine, but there's no privacy. And it's specifically like that.

17:45
Because look at the news today, look at the news any day. You pick the day and you will find some actor, actress, politician, some, you know, some governor of the state of New York or a mayor of the city of New York. You just imagine the position and you will find a story about sexual inappropriateness. Why? Because they don't take the rules of the Talmud seriously. Talmud says that you're not trusted Me. You're accusing me. No, we're not accusing you of anything, but you're not trusted. And if a person understands that they're lacking all trust, then they will do everything they can to avoid being in a place in a situation of challenge or doubt or temptation.

18:43
You don't want to be in a place of doubt or temptation. Don't go to those places. You don't go to places where there's going to be, you know, temptation, which is why I told you I have committed, without promise, to never, ever, ever, step foot in Vegas. You know why? Because any place that calls itself Sin City, I don't want to be there. You know the other place that was called Sin City, sodom and Gomorrah. Look what happened to them. I don't want to be there. You know the other place that was called Sin City, sodom and Gomorrah. Look what happened to them. I don't want to be there. Does that mean that everybody who goes there is a sinner? No, does it mean anybody who lives there is a sinner? No, I know many great people who live there Rabbis. But for me, personally, I don't want to be in a place that's called a city of sin, sin city. I just don't want it.

19:33
And this, my dear friends, is such a fundamental principle. If our politicians which, by the way, I don't think we should ever look at our politicians as being a moral exemplar or the example of refined midos, of refined character, that's not who we look for to be our child's playgroup teacher and to teach them fine midos, good character traits, that we don't look for them. We look at the Torah to teach us that, yes, none of us are perfect. That's true, even the rabbis teaching Musser classes, myself included. I've said this about a thousand times here. I don't say it because I'm the authority. I'm saying it because I'm not the authority and I want to learn about perfecting midos. I'm not saying it to teach everyone else. This is what you should do. Be like me. No, I want to learn what the Torah teaches us about being a better person, how to be a better father, a better husband, a better member of our community, how to be a better individual and how to control our anger and how to overcome our arrogance. And how to overcome our arrogance and how to recognize that everything is really the hand of Hashem and we need, we deserve, to recognize that and be humble. Okay, so now the Talmud here is saying that terrible things will happen if a person it doesn't make a difference what their status is, but again, a person has to distance themselves from all type of temptation. Rabbi Chia Barabbah had understood a precious soul is referring to a haughty person.

21:27
The Gemara now turns to a discussion of the evil nature of arrogance. I'm Rabbi Yochanan Mishrom, rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai. Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai, kol Odom, sheyesh BoGasus Ruach Any person who possesses the haughtiness of spirit Hi'ilu Oved Avodazor is regarded as though he worships idols. Is regarded as though he worships idols. It says over here, everyone of haughty heart is an abomination to Hashem. It says. Elsewhere, regarding the graven images of idolatry, it says and you shall not bring an abomination to your house. We see, the abomination is written in both of these places. The common word abomination indicates an intimate relationship between the two sins. A haughty person considers himself especially deserving of God's blessing, but this is an idolatrous perspective. Indeed, god humbles the proud and elevates the downtrodden, all according to his providential designs.

22:40
Just by the way, who are the downtrodden? Who are the underdogs? Always, you know, yitzchak was the chosen one of Abraham. He had an older brother. Yitzchak was the under one of Abraham. He had an older brother. Yitzchak was the underdog. He had an older brother, yishmael. Jacob was the younger brother of Asaph. Asaph was the older. Jacob was the underdog. Hashem chose Jacob. Joseph was the younger brother of his big brothers. He was the underdog. The Jewish people were in Egypt. Who was the more powerful force? The Egyptian nation was the most powerful nation on earth. And what happens? The Jewish people come out on top why Hashem chooses the underdog. And this, my dear friends, is just a fundamental problem. People come out on top why Hashem chooses the underdog. And this, my dear friends, is just a fundamental problem. You'll see this throughout the Torah. If you look, you'll see this common theme Hashem picking the underdog. Always, hashem uplifts the downtrodden.

23:46
Second opinion Rabbi Yochanan diddei Amar. Rabbi Yochanan himself said, not in the name of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, but his own saying, ki ilu kafar be'ikar, that someone who is arrogant, any person who possesses haughtiness of spirit, is regarded as though he has denied the fundamental tenet of the existence of God. Why, why? What happens when one is arrogant? What happens when one is arrogant? What happens when one is arrogant is you attribute things exactly to yourself. It's all me, me, me, me. To anyone who is so clueless to be arrogant is pushing away, denying the fundamental tenets of the existence of God. Why? Because it's all me. I am the one who brings about success. And your heart will become haughty. The verse says and you will forget Hashem, your God. That is when your heart becomes haughty. I shall consider it a forgetting of Hashem. So, to our friends on YouTube.

24:58
Here we have some comments from Theophilus. He's asking about other gods. So we're talking about Judaism here and in our classes. Everyone is welcome to study Judaism. If you want to learn about Christianity, you're welcome to go elsewhere to learn about Christianity. Here we talk about what the Jewish sources teach us from the Torah that Hashem has given us about the wisdom of life and our hopeful connection every single day with our Creator.

25:35
So a third opinion Rabbi Chama Barchanina. Rabbi Chama Barchanina says A haughty person is regarded as though he has cohabitated with all the forbidden relationships. Why it is written here, with all the forbidden relationships? Why it is written here that everyone of haughty heart is an abomination to Hashem. It is written there regarding the forbidden relationships For all these abominations the inhabitants of the land who were before you committed. The common word abomination indicates an intimate relationship between the two sins and therefore that is another link between a haughty person and the sin that is really coming on to a person, sadly, who has arrogance and haughtiness. A fourth opinion Ula Amar Ula says A haughty person is regarded as though he constructed an altar of idolatry.

26:43
An altar of idolatry. What does that mean? Shem Nehmer, as the verse states Nehemiah. As the verse states Chidlu lochem min ha'odam asher neshama be'apo. Desist from the man who has breath in his nostrils, ki bameh nechshav hu. For with what bameh is he deemed worthy? With what is he considered worthy? Al tikri bameh? Don't call it bameh with what, but rather change the vowels to el-a-ba-ma. Rather an alter in accordance with its spelling, and you read it differently, which allows for a different vocalization. So it is as if one has served idolatry.

27:33
Being arrogant is like idolatry, so let's understand for a second why. What is arrogance? Again, arrogance means that I don't understand the basics, and the basics is that all of my potential, all of my success comes from the Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. God has given me all my capabilities. God has given me all of my talents, all of my skills, all of my wisdom, all of my potential. Everything was given to us by the Almighty. A person who realizes this is humble. A person who's humble recognizes not me I'm here as a vessel to bring God's will into the world but someone who's arrogant defies that entire perspective, and what they do is they say it's all me, not the Almighty.

28:28
So who are you serving as idol? Yourself, everything that you have you attribute to your own. Doing so, you're idolizing your own, doing your own accomplishments by your own hands. It's me, me, me, very important.

28:46
A person needs to let go. A person needs to let go and say it's not me, it's all the hand of Hashem, everything I have is from Hashem, I attribute it to the creator of heaven and earth and it's all his and whatever he wants, which. What does this do? Because what happens when someone is arrogant, when they feel, look, all of my success is my doing so, if someone disrespects me, you know what you're doing, you're tearing down my world. The person gets very angry. How can you disrespect me? Right, because I've accomplished all these things. But what happens if you flip the, if you flip the script and you realize that it's not you? Now someone can say something to you and you're not going to get irritated. Why not? Because everything is from Hashem anyway, even the harsh words that they might be telling you. Is Hashem sending it through them as a message to me?

29:47
It's like a bright young man in our class once asked about anti-Semitism in the workplace. How should I respond? What should I do? I said anti-Semitism is God sending the nations of the world to remind us that we need to be an example. We need to be an example to show the nations of the world what it means to be God's people. I think I've shared with you in the past.

30:17
I was once walking in one of the super stores known as Costco and an elderly man stops me and he says to me you're Jewish, right? I said yes. He says are those tzitzit, the fringes that we have off the edge of our four-cornered garments? I said indeed. He says can I touch them? I said sure, go right ahead. He holds on to them and looks at me, in my eyes, and he says to me do you realize the responsibility that you have as being among the chosen nation, chosen people? He says we, the Gentiles, the nations of the world, we look to the Jews to show us an example of what it means to be God's people. You have a big responsibility. It's like wow, how profound. I never thought about it in that perspective. But that's the truth. And the people who don't know how to express it that eloquently express it with hate, with what we call anti-Semitic acts, but what they're trying to say is the same exact thing. You have a responsibility as a Jewish person. We have a responsibility to ensure that we act in a proper way. You know, I'll give you an example of how that is the joke goes. By the way the joke goes if you want to see Jews run a marathon, throw a penny down the road right, they run after right. Throw a penny down the road right, they run after right. So this is a true story.

31:54
There was a great rabbi who lived in New York, rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky, and he once went to the bank to withdraw some cash and the woman who was taking care of him had heard that everyone's saying oh, this very dignified, holy rabbi. So when she he has to, let's say I don't know what, the exact number was $100. So she, instead of giving him $100, she put in an extra bill in there, dollar bill or $5 bill. She put in an extra bill, put it in the envelope and gave it to him, goes home, he counts the money and he sees that the bank gave him more money than he had asked. He goes back to the bank. He says I'm sorry, but I think you made a mistake. She said now I see what a great person is, because I don't know about you, but most of the people I know, maybe even me. If I had such a mistake, I'd be like whoa mistake. I don't know about you, but most of the people I know, maybe even me, if I had such a mistake, I'd be like whoa mistake. I don't know. Should I bring it back? Should I not bring it back? You'll never know.

32:59
The truth is that that's the way a person who is godly should act, a person who realizes I'm an example for the world. What does it mean to be the chosen people? We don't have seven Noahide laws. We have 613 laws. We're held to a higher standard and we have to live that way. Not only think that way, not only believe that way. We have to act that way. Not only think that way, not only believe that way. We have to act that way. We need to be an example. So when nations of the world look at us, they say this is how Hashem's people should act. You wonder? You go someplace and people are like make a comment to you a slur. I knew. I grew up in Brooklyn, I got it my whole childhood Filthy Jew throwing off my yarmulke when they pass by me in the street. I've gotten all that. We have to strengthen ourselves. Our responsibility is to be bigger and to be better and to be an example for the nations, because they're desperately looking for us to be that example. And when we shrug it off and we don't take that responsibility carefully, that's when we are off course and the nations of the world will be right there to slap us right back into our place.

34:31
In its discussion of the evil nature of arrogance, the Gemara twice quoted Proverbs 16, verse 5. Everyone of haughty heart is an abomination to Hashem. The Gemara now inquires about the conclusion of that verse. What is the conclusion of the verse? It says conclusion of that verse. What is the conclusion of the verse? It says. What is the meaning of the end of the verse that says hand to hand? He will not be spared. The Gemara answers Rav said.

35:03
It teaches that Afilu hiknohu la'kodesh boruchu shomayim va'oritzka avrom avinu, telling us that anyone who cohabits with a married woman, even if he is ascribed possession of heaven and earth to the Holy One, blessed is he, as did our patriarch Abraham, as the verse states. It says concerning Abraham, I lift up my hand to Hashem, god, the Most High Maker of heaven and earth. Still, he will not be. Spirit from medina shel Gehenem, he will not be spared from the judgment of Gehenem of purgatory.

35:58
Now why do we call it purgatory, not hell? So Jews don't believe in hell, jews believe in purgatory. Hell is eternal damnation. The other religions have selected that verbiage because if you're not going to be frightened, you're not going to submit yourself. Judaism doesn't believe in that.

36:18
Judaism believes in a temporary state of let's call it power washing, cleaning up our soul from the sins that we have performed in this world. It's a temporary state, which is why we know that when someone passes, a special prayer of Kaddish is recited. For how long? 11 months. Why? Because that's the length of the longest period of time it would take for the soul to be cleansed from the blemishes of this world. That's how long it would take. It's not a permanent state. Eternal damnation no, that's not the Jewish people. We don't believe in that. We believe it's a temporary state. It's purgatory. It's a temporary state of cleansing that a soul could experience, should there be any blemishes. Hopefully there isn't and hopefully we live our lives the way the Almighty wants us to, and hopefully we if we didn't repent, even if it's a minute before our death. That repentance is extremely valuable in cleansing the soul.

37:31
The Gemara, objects to Rav's interpretation. This explanation was difficult for the students of Rav Shiloh's academy to understand for the following reason According to this interpretation, if the allusion at the end of the Proverbs verse is to Abraham, then instead of the expression hand to hand, he will not be speared. Yadi mi boyele. The verse should have stated my hand, for Abraham had said my hand right. He said my hand. I lift up my hand to Hashem, god, the Most High Maker of heaven and earth. So, elo. They therefore suggest a different interpretation. Elo, amri, the Be'er. Rabbi Shiloh, rather the students of Rabbi Shiloh's academy said that the verse teaches as follows Afilu kibel, torah kemoshe Rabbeinu. That the verse teaches as follows If one exhibits a haughtiness of spirit, even if he was worthy to have received the Torah, like Moses on Mount Sinai concerning whom, moses, it is written for his right hand, a fiery law for them he will not be speared from the judgment of Gehenna. Why? Because even if you're so righteous, but if you possess arrogance, it's a fatal flaw. This interpretation as well is rejected. The student's explanation was difficult for Abiyochanan to accept. Why? For the following reason According to this interpretation, if the allusion at the end of the Proverbs verse is to Moses. Instead of the expression hand to hand, yod mi, yod mi barley it should have said hand from hand, but it says hand to hand. What is that? For the reference is to the one who has received the Torah. Rabbi Yochanan therefore proposes yet another reading of the verse Elo Amar, rabbi Yochanan, rabbi Yochan, another reading of the verse Elo Amar, rabbi Yochanan. Rather, rabbi Yochanan said.

39:53
The verse teaches as follows and now we're turning to 5a in Tractate Sotah Afilu asot tzedakah basaser, that if one possesses a haughty spirit, then even if he performs charitable acts in secret which is the highest level of charity, not putting it on the front page of the newspaper that you gave a million dollars to some cause it's secret. What does secret giving mean? That the giver doesn't know who the recipient is and the recipient doesn't know who the giver is. Doesn't know who the recipient is and the recipient doesn't know who the giver is. D'chsiv maten b'seisir y'chav he'af, about which it is written a gift in secret overturns anger. Lo y'nakim edina shel Gehenem. Still, he will not be spared the judgment of Gehenem. I want to talk a little bit about what this means. When we refer to the giving of tzedakah, that is secretive tzedakah. How does that work? How does the recipient not know who the giver is and how does the giver not know who the recipient is?

41:00
So my great aunt her maiden name was Bamberger and people used to call her Bambi and she was the head midwife in Shari Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem and she delivered thousands, tens of thousands of babies. I think the final number at the time of her retirement was, I think, in the 50,000 babies range. You ask how. Fortunately she does not have any of her own children and for 50 years she was delivering babies, mostly on night shift, in Jerusalem. And you know there are many, many babies being born in Jerusalem, a very religious city, and you have many, many big families, jews and non-Jews, and Arabs as well. So she delivered.

41:48
I remember when my mom, she delivered me when I was born and she delivered my son when he was born. And my mom was delivering for one of my siblings in New York and you know she, this Bambi, was visiting at the time and my mother said why don't you come with me? I'm going to, I feel like I'm about to deliver, come with me to the hospital, deliver my baby. So he goes into the labor and delivery room and this young doctor that my mother had, you know, probably delivered a hundred babies and he's like a little bit arrogant, you should learn our Talmud here. And my mother says, do you mind, I brought the midwife here. She says to her like very arrogant, like, oh, how many babies did you deliver? She at the time was, I think, at 40,000 or something. Like, oh, okay, please, you know, teach me a thing or two, but I want to tell you something amazing about her.

42:47
So two things. First is I remember when she was delivering my son, my oldest son, and she's a legend, a legend. There's nobody in Israel who delivered as many babies as she did and she was world renowned. I mean, everybody in that industry was like wow, bambi, the great saintly woman who delivered so many thousands of babies. But I remember when she was there. So most hospitals have a university attached to it where they teach and they train young students.

43:26
So this young student who was on call on that shift had no idea who Bambi was. Bambi was already retiring but she came in to deliver our baby and this young student had no idea who this woman was, had no idea that she was talking to the great legend and she was telling her something about the technique. No, we learned that you should do like this and you should do like that or whatever. And I was standing right there and I saw the humility that this special woman, who delivered tens of thousands of babies, probably delivered.

44:01
This student herself was listening to her every word like it was gold, with such incredible humility. Maybe there's something she can learn, maybe there's a new procedure, maybe there's a new technique that she had never thought of and never seen before. And she accepted. She stood there with humility, listening. I bet you that young student walked out of the labor and delivery room and went to the charging you know, the nurse, nurses area and she says so whatever, that lady in there and they're like that lady in there, that's Bambi, and she probably fainted. I bet how she spoke, you know, to her, you know, with such a. You know. This is what we learned and the truth is that a person needs to have that humility, so that's just an amazing thing.

44:47
But, as being a head midwife, she got to speak to many, many uh women after childbirth and she noticed that there were some who'd be, uh, in a very, very emotional state, uh, beyond the normal, uh, of the emotional state that a woman is in and um, uh. And what happened was is that she would talk to them and she'd find out that this woman is in a very, very poor family and doesn't know how she's going to have food for the baby called Matan Beseiter Bambi, which is the, I would say, the charitable acts of giving secretly. And what she did was she raised millions and millions and millions of dollars over the years from people who would donate to her charity and she would distribute it anonymously to these poor families and the giver had no idea who they were giving it to and the recipient had no idea where it was coming from. The highest form of charity is when the giver doesn't know who the recipient is and the recipient doesn't know who the giver is. And that's a very, very high level. Even someone at such a high level, still, if they have arrogance, it is a very, very challenging trait, trait that even someone who gives charity in such a way, at the highest level, still we can have judgment for that arrogance.

46:39
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