Torah Study Blog

In a first for Temple Israel, but following social distancing guidelines, Torah Study was held via Zoom today. Rabbi Janet Roberts was our guest-leader and she pointed out to us that, although this is a novel virus, we are not in a novel place for Jews.

We can imagine that the Bible character Noah felt like the world was coming to an end when he boarded the ark with just his closest family members (and a number of animals). And the ancient Jews who experienced the Babylonian invasion must have felt the world was coming to an end when their Temple, their main place of worship, was cataclysmically destroyed. However, the world did not end, and Judaism continues today.

When we attend Torah Study, it is not limited to Bible stories. “Torah” in this instance means all of Jewish history and tradition. Rabbi Roberts shared with us a story from the Babylonian Talmud. The setting is after the 2nd Temple had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE and the ancient Israelites were living under Roman occupation.

A man named Rabbi Shimon was overheard to have denigrated Roman rule. His words were relayed to the Roman authorities, who decided Shimon should be killed for his impudence. Shimon and his son fled and hid in a cave. During their time in the cave they studied the Torah - a lot! After 13 years of living in the cave and studying Torah, the decree against them was annulled and they were able to come forth from their hiding place. As an incredible bonus due of their prodigious study, they have gained an impressive power of laser eyes - with just a look from their eyes, they are able to set things on fire.

When Shimon and his son left the cave and reentered society, they were appalled to see that business was continuing as usual. While they were studying Torah, other people were out plowing and otherwise tending to everyday business. Shimon and his son use their laser eyes to burn everyone tending to the mundane, as opposed to spending their time in study.

God reprimanded Shimon and his son for their zealotry. While food for the soul is important (Torah study), food for the body is also important. Shimon realized that, perhaps, his job should have been to establish something, not just be a destroyer. Shimon identified a location that had been declared ritually impure and he purified the area, making it a place that priests would be able to live in.

But, in a final act of retribution, Shimon came across the person who ratted him out to the authorities at the beginning of the story and “set his eyes upon him and turned him in to a heap of bones.”

Like most biblical stories, this story can be looked at from many directions. Rabbi Roberts mentioned that she does not think that Shimon is a mensch, and he has not achieved a balance in life. Although his zealotry may have attenuated later in life, it has still not gone away.

But this story was preserved by the Rabbis, who believe that Torah Study was the most important thing. Rabbi Roberts believes that we all need to find a balance in life. The crisis our country, and the world, is facing right now forces us to pause and think about life. Hopefully we can use this opportunity to reset priorities and understand what is important in the world.

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misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Roberts taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter