D’var Torah: The Vision of Derekh through Hagigah 3b
The Derekh program is a new initiative of Congregation Beth Shalom. This project is meant to develop new programming, build community, and bring value to Beth Shalom members. Below, you will read, in tandem, a vision of the Derekh program and the text of a sugiyah (a single unit of Talmud) on page Hagigah 3b. Through the lens of the Talmud, we can see how Derekh can be both rooted in Tradition while permitting movement towards the future. We’ll be stepping in and out of this text to talk about Derekh, so stick with me!
(For those reading at home — the text that looks like this is the translation from the Talmud. This text — unbolded — is the Steinsaltz commentary to the text. All translations are from the Koren Talmud. Aramaic text below.)
Let’s get started!
The Gemara adds: And Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya also commenced his lecture and taught:
So, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya begins a lecture with the following verse from the book of Ecclesiastes, also known as Kohelet:
It is written: “The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; they are given from one shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11).
Got it? Of course, this verse is very confusing. Let’s break it down into four parts:
- The words of the wise are as goads (which are sticks to drive cattle)
- Nails that are well fastened (in the sense that they are hard to move)
- Those who write and whose writings are collected
- That it all comes from one shepherd
Ok, now the first part and the first question
Why are matters of Torah compared to a goad?
To tell you that just as this goad (the stick thing) directs the cow to her furrow to bring forth sustenance for life to the world, so too the words of Torah direct those who study them from the paths of death to the paths of life.
As we transition from the previous 100 years to the next 100 years, we must continue to push towards what gives us sustenance and life. This is: The Torah of Beth Shalom. The Derekh program is a part and a tool for us to accomplish that. Focusing on the things that give us vitality. It is about imagining our future.
However there is a big wrinkle.
The Gemara asks: If so, derive the following from that same analogy: [if we try and make this metaphor work further] Just as this goad is movable and not rigid, so too matters of Torah are movable in accordance with circumstance and are not permanent. Therefore, the verse states: “Nails,”which are permanent.
So the Talmud says, you might have thought that Torah is moveable and adaptable. Does that suggest, it can mean anything? Does it even have structure? The Talmud uses the image of the nail to say no, Torah has permanence and adaptability.
The construction the Talmud uses is, “Talmud lomar”, meaning “You might have thought, but in reality this is not the case”. Understanding this, this adaptability is also balanced with permanence.
We learn here two essential values, both informing the Derekh program, namely the importance of anchoring ourselves in the traditions that make Beth Shalom what it is, while also being flexible and adaptable to the needs of our community.
In the second paragraph, it asks a hard question:
The Gemara further asks: If so, one can explain as follows: Just as this nail is diminished in size and does not expand, as it wastes away over time, so too matters of Torah are gradually diminished and do not expand.
So, in English, the Talmud is saying, Nails suffer entropy and over time break down. Does this then mean, that Torah also suffers from entropy?! The answer is no, using the verse as proof.
Therefore, the verse states: “Well fastened [netuim].” Just as this plant [neti’a] flourishes and multiplies, so too matters of Torah flourish and multiply.
It is this word, netuim, from the root to plant, as in the green stuff outside changes our understanding. Unlike the nails, Torah is like a plant, it grows and multiplies, and creates an ecosystem. So too with Derekh, it is our vision that each of us has the opportunity to grow and flourish, and Beth Shalom is the place to do that.
Back in the Talmud:
“Those that are composed in collections [ba’alei asufot]”: These are Torah scholars who sit in many groups [asupot] and engage in Torah study. There are often debates among these groups, as some of these Sages render an object or person ritually impure and these render it pure; these prohibit an action and these permit it; these deem an item invalid and these deem it valid.
Here we describe small groups of those engaging with Torah. Part of the image of Derekh is that we will create lots of learning opportunities, in small groups and with diverse views. Just like these groups who have different opinions and different subject matters, Derekh is an opportunity for all of us to explore the subjects that are important to us.
It also means we won’t all agree, like the sages here in the Talmud, and that’s ok. We don’t all need the same thing.
However, it is my hope that the Derekh program can offer lots of different things, meeting many different needs.
So where does that leave us? There are so many conflicting visions of Torah!
The Talmud then asks our same question:
Lest a person say: Now, how can I study Torah when it contains so many different opinions?
The answer comes from our verse:
The verse states that they are all “given from one shepherd.” One God gave them; one leader, i.e., Moses, said them from the mouth of the Master of all creation, Blessed be God, as it is written: “And God spoke all these words” (Exodus 20:1)
While I’m not here to convince you of a theological statement, the verse tells us that the Torah come from one shepherd and one God. We live in one community with many faces and ways of being. But the important part, what matters most, is that we’re all in this together.
I am excited to be a part of this institution which has stood proudly for a century. I am here to work my hardest so that it can stand for another century.
The Derekh program is a tool, a way that we can bolster the things we love here and cannot live without while also exploring new ways to bring vitality.
Like the flexible goad and the stable nail, Derekh is a tool for adaptability to help Beth Shalom thrive in the new Jewish world we live in.
Like the plant, constantly growing and flourishing, Derekh can provide opportunities to help Beth Shalom members become the best people they can be.
Like the small groups of sages who discussed many different things with different answers, we’re not always going to agree. Derekh can help create spaces for lots of ways of exploring the Judaism and Torah of Beth Shalom, establishing many learning communities within us.
And finally, to recognize that we’re all here in service of the Divine, one community made up of many different people, with different needs, different histories, and yet, guided by our mutual desire to make Beth Shalom and each other, the best we can possibly be.
I am here to serve you, and in a moment, to serve your children, and I cannot wait for what we can accomplish together this year.
Aramaic Text:
Found here: www.sefaria.org/sheets/73818
And below:
ואף הוא פתח ודרש (קהלת יב, יא) דברי חכמים כדרבונות וכמסמרות נטועים בעלי אסופות נתנו מרועה אחד למה נמשלו דברי תורה לדרבן לומר לך מה דרבן זה מכוין את הפרה לתלמיה להוציא חיים לעולם אף דברי תורה מכוונין את לומדיהן מדרכי מיתה לדרכי חיים אי מה דרבן זה מטלטל אף דברי תורה מטלטלין ת”ל מסמרות
אי מה מסמר זה חסר ולא יתר אף דברי תורה חסירין ולא יתירין ת”ל נטועים מה נטיעה זו פרה ורבה אף דברי תורה פרין ורבין בעלי אסופות אלו תלמידי חכמים שיושבין אסופות אסופות ועוסקין בתורה הללו מטמאין והללו מטהרין הללו אוסרין והללו מתירין הללו פוסלין והללו מכשירין
שמא יאמר אדם היאך אני למד תורה מעתה תלמוד לומר כולם נתנו מרועה אחד אל אחד נתנן פרנס אחד אמרן מפי אדון כל המעשים ברוך הוא דכתיב (שמות כ, א) וידבר אלהים את כל הדברים האלה
