Freshmen versus seniors

Freshman: Is never in bed past noon.

Senior: Is never out of bed before noon.

Freshman: Memorizes the course material to get a good grade.

Senior: Memorizes the professor’s habits to get a good grade.

Freshman: Shows up at a morning exam clean, perky, and fed.

Senior: Shows up at a morning exam in sweats with a cap on and a box of pop tarts in hand.

Freshman: Looks forward to first classes of the year.

Senior: Looks forward to first beer garden of the year.

Freshman: Goes on grocery-shopping trip with Mom before moving onto campus.

Senior: Has a beer with Dad before moving into group house.

***

Behar: Quality versus Quantity

 The portions of Behar and Bechukosai are often read together in the same week, as if they’re a single parsha.[1] This raises a question: is there a common denominator that thematically unites these two portions? Another question in Behar comes to mind. In verse nine, the word , shvi’i, is missing a letter Yud. There should be a Yud immediately following the letter Beis.What does this suggest?

Each year, we read these two portions some time between Passover and Shavuos, when it is also customary to read the chapters of Mishnah called Ethics of Our Fathers. Therefore, we can look into these chapters for help in answering the above questions.

TALENTED STUDENTS
The Mishnah says that Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai had five especially talented students. One of them was Rabbi Eliezer Ben Hyrkanos, and he was like a cemented cistern that never lost a drop of Torah knowledge. Another one was Rabbi Elazar Ben Arach, who was like a spring flowing stronger and stronger.[2]

The Mishna continues, He (Rabbi Yochanan) would say, “If all the sages of Israel were put in a pan on one side of the scale and Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrkanos were put on the other side, he would outweigh them all.”[3]

Abba Shaul then quotes Rabbi Yochanan as saying, “If all the sages of Israel were put in a pan on one side of the scale, including Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrkanos, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach were put on the other side, he would outweigh them all.”

Is this not a contradiction? Elazar ben Arach is certainly one of all the sages of Israel who is out-weighed by Eliezer ben Hyrkanos on the first scale. In the second scale, however, Elazar ben Arach alone out-weighs all the other sages, including Eliezer ben Hyrkanos.

SINAI VERSUS OKER HARIM
Rabbi Ovadia Bartenura [4] says that these two statements of Rabbi Yochanan are not in fact contradictory. Rather, the two scholars were uniquely talented in different fields. Rabbi Eliezer had encyclopedic knowledge. In that arena, he outweighed everyone. Rabbi Elazar was a profound thinker who presented innovative interpretations and found new solutions to ancient problems. In this area, he outweighed everyone. We could say that Rabbi Eliezer represents quantity, and Rabbi Elazar represents quality.

Furthermore, the methodology of Rabbi Eliezer can be classified as sinai, alluding to the location upon which the entire Torah, written and oral, was given. Rabbi Elazar’s methodology is called oker harim, uprooter of mountains, referring to the use of logic to uproot ideas and implant deeper and stronger explanations.[5]

These two methodologies are also hinted in the sages’ names. The name Eliezer, has a letter Yud, while Elazar, does not. Yud alludes to the attribute of chochma, the seminal drop of wisdom prior to being developed into binah. All this suggests that Rabbi Elazars path is not of chochmah, but of binah. Binah corresponds to profound understandings of Torah developed from the raw material provided by chochmah.[6]

CHOCHMAH VERSUS BINAH
This, then, is a unifying theme, and the difference, between Behar and Bechokosai. Behar means ‘on the mountain’. This name alludes to Torah study in the style of Rabbi Elazar, who built mountains of Torah thought, and then uprooted them with the logical approaches that he developed, only to build new mountains that were deeper and larger.

The portion of Behar also speaks of Yovel, the Jubilee of the fifty-year cycle. The number fifty alludes to the fifty gates of binah, quality of understanding. Now we can answer our second question–why in this portion does the word shvi’i lack a Yud? When one is on the mountain of binah, the Yud of chochmah, the prerequisite ‘quantity’ of wisdom, has already been attained.

The portion of Bechukosai alludes to chochma, the encyclopedic knowledge needed in order to serve G-d. This is underscored in the very first passage of the parsha, as it states, “If you will follow bechukosai (My decrees), and you will observe my commandments…” Rashi says that bechukosai means, ‘You shall toil in Torah.’ Therefore we could read the verse, ‘If you toil in the chochmah of Torah, you will (have the quantity of knowledge that will enable you to properly) observe My commandments.’

Given these answers, one may still ask why Behar is first and Bechukosai second. Binah ought to follow chochmah.

FIRST AND SECOND
With this sequence of portions, the Torah is telling us that Behar, the path of binah, comes first; it outweighs all other paths. However, the path of chochmah is more essential in its own way. Everyone, man, woman, or child, needs to know as much Torah as possible in order to fulfill their quota of mitzvos and make a dwelling place for G-d in this world.

May we soon see the fulfillment of the prophecy written in the portion of Bechukosai, I will remove evil animals from among you,[7] as the wolf and the lamb dwell together, in the Complete Redemption.

STORY[8]

An enquiry was sent up to the scholars in the Holy Land. Who of these should take precedence for the leadership of the Torah academy? Should it be Rabbi Yosef, who is sinai and has all the Mishnah and laws of Torah memorized and organized in an orderly fashion as it was given on Mount Sinai? Or should it be Rabah, who was oker harim and has the ability to compare and analyze the laws of Torah with astute profundity.[9]

The scholars replied: ‘A well-read scholar is to take precedence,’ for the Master said, ‘All are dependent on the owner of the wheat.’ In other words, the staple foods, i.e., the laws of Torah are the foundation of every community.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Joseph, did not accept the position. Rabbah was head for twenty-two years, and only after his passing did Rabbi Joseph take up the office.

ACTION: Study a mishnah from Ethics of our Fathers. The first time you go over it, acquire its quantity, taking it in on an informational level. Then review the mishnah according to its quality, understanding its deeper ramifications.

FOOTNOTES
[1] In the current year, 2008/5768, each Torah portion has its own week. This is due to the fact that it’s a Jewish leap year, which contains an extra month of Adar.
[2] Ethics of Our Fathers, Chapter 2, Mishnah 9 (Mishnah 10 in some versions)
[3] ibid., (Mishna 11 in some versions)
[4] Died circa 1500 CE
[5] Both of these great scholars surely possessed both of traits quantity and quality. The prime purpose of Rabbi Eliezer’s career was to preserve the quantity of knowledge, and transmit to the people the 613 Commandments and Seven Noahide Laws. Nevertheless, in order to rule on specific cases, one must grind one mountain against another mountain in order to find a conclusion. This process requires the trait of binah, or quality of knowledge. The prime purpose of Rabbi Elazar’s career was to delve into the quality, the deeper meanings of the Torah, and yet he could not do so without first grasping the realm of quantity, the myriad Commandments and laws of Torah and their practical applications. (For more on this topic, see Sichas, Kodesh 5741, Yud Shvat).
[6] From Be’urim L’Perkie Avos on above mishna.
[7] Leviticus 26:6.
[8] Tractate Horayos, p. 14A. Also see Rashi’s commentary.
[9] For more on this topic, see Likutei Sichos, Vol. 12, p. 122+.