Transcript

פרק ג משנה ג רבותי. רבי חנניה בן תרדיון אומר שנים שהיו יושבין ואין ביניהם דברי תורה הרי זה מושב לצים

Shene'emar ובמושב לצים לא ישב. That void makes this gathering, makes the companionship into one of those who scoff and scorn. Shene'emar ובמושב לצים לא ישב. The Rambam explains

ויסוד שמושב לצים נקרא כל מושב שאין מדברים בו במצוות התורה

hi missof hapassuk. How does one know what it is that constitutes the moshav leitzim? So the Rambam says no, continue, the sof hapassuk is

כי אם בתורת השם חפצו. כאילו אמר כיון שהיה חפצו בתורת השם לא ישב במושב לצים שאין בו תורת השם.

The antithesis of the moshav leitzim is a moshav in which there's torah which will inevitably be the case when you have someone of whom it's true that betoras Hashem cheftzo. Let's perhaps we'll comment on this mishna beli neder im yirtzeh Hashem in conjunction with we'll just skip ahead to the next mishna as well. Rabbi Shimon omer

שלשה שאכלו על שלחן אחד ולא אמרו עליו דברי תורה כאילו אכלו מזבחי מתים. שנאמר כי כל שלחנות מלאו קיא צואה

beli makom.

אבל שלשה שאכלו על שלחן אחד ואמרו עליו דברי תורה כאילו אכלו משלחנו של מקום ברוך הוא. שנאמר וידבר אלי זה השלחן שלפני השם.

The Rambam explains

זבחי מתים נקראת תקרובת עבודה זרה כמו שקרא הכתוב כפי שבארנו בפרק שלישי של עבודה זרה וקרא גם כן ישעיהו קיא צואה לבזיון לה.

I think the meforshim comment there in Yeshayahu that sometimes in lashon hakodesh you find two subjects in this case you find a compound subject without the vav hachibur. So even though it doesn't say ki vetzo'a, but ki and tzo'a, two different things, right? Ki is the vomit and the tzo'a is excrement.

וקודם לפני הפסוק הזה כפי שהוא קורא עבודה זרה עצמה גלולים ושיקוצים. וקודם לפני הפסוק הזה

says the Rambam פסוק המורה על ההסתסקות באכילה ושתיה ועזיבת התורה ותלמודה. Again, the Rambam says here too, Chazal are assuming were aware of the context that what generates this result of כי כל שלחנות מלאו קיא צואה is the preoccupation with achila ushsiya. and azivas haTorah, which which in the the previous pasuk the Navi has described. Ulephichach and consequently

נייו השולחנות כולם כאילו אין אוכלין עליהם אלא טינופים ולכלוכים,

right? Compound subject, right, we mentioned before ki and so, a compound subject. Klomar ma'achalei ha'elilim,

והוא אומר לפני הפסוק הזה וגם אלה ביין שגו ובשכר תעו כהן ונביא שגו בשכר נבלעו מן היין תעו מן השכר שגו בראה פקו פליליה פליליה כי כל שלחנות וכולו.

So, in Mishna Gimmel we find the thesis and antithesis of Toras Hashem and moshav leitzim, and here in Mishna Daled, the contrast in the Navi between hisaskus ba'achila ushtia as opposed to hisaskus bedivrei Torah. Itakein that these mishnayos, you know, the same point can be sort of should be associated on in whichever direction should be associated with a couple of remarkable passages in the Rambam. The first one that comes to mind in this specifically in conjunction with Mishna Gimmel, the Rambam at the end of Hilchos Tumas Tzara'as, it's פרק טז הלכה י. The Rambam begin, well, this is not how the Halacha begins, but he begins the part that we're looking at. The Rambam begins, again, we're in Tes-Zayin Yud here in Hilchos Tumas Tzara'as, the beginning

ועל ענין זהו מעשה בתורה. ועל ענין זהו מעשה בתורה ואומר השמר בנגע הצרעת,

right? The Torah admonishes us to stay away from lashon hara conversation.

השמר בנגע הצרעת זכור את אשר עשה ה אלקיך למרים בדרך.

Harei hu omer, in effect, this is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu says in in that pasuk in in Ki Seitzei. Hisbonenu, reflect, מה אירע למרים הנביאה שדברה באחיה. She spoke against her brother. Right, sometimes the beis in conjunction with dibbur means to speak against, right? כי דברנו בה ובך. וזקנה שהיא גדולה ממנו בשנים. She's his oldest sister vegidla'asoo al birkeiha. Miriam hanevi'ah was responsible for raising Moshe Rabbeinu. וסיכנה בעצמה להצילו מן הים, and she endangered her own life to save Moshe Rabbeinu as an infant. And what's more, והיא לא דברה בגנותו. It wasn't Miriam's intent to disparage Moshe Rabbeinu. Ella ta'as, she erred,

שהשוות אותו לשאר נביאים. והוא לא היה מקפיד על כל אלה הדברים.

So mitzida, she her kavana was good, her kavana... He had no grievance

והוא לא היה מקפיד על כל אלה הדברים שנאמר והאיש משה עניו מאד ואף על פי כן מיד נענשה בצרעת.

So just parenthetically, this is not why we're looking at this Rambam now, but parenthetically is a tremendous chiddush here in the Rambam. It's a mokom he'ara when you learn the Sefer Chofetz Chaim. You have to keep this he'ara in mind. If you take a look in Perek Zayin of Hilchos De'os, the Rambam defines lashon hara as follows. Zayin Beis. יש עון גדול מזה והוא בכלל עד מאד meaning far worse than rechilus but subsumed within the same lav of

לא תלך רכיל בעמיך והוא בכלל לאו זה והוא לשון הרע.

Notice this phrase rabosai: והוא המספר בגנות חבירו. Right, one who speaks disparagingly about a fellow Jew. אף על פי שאמר אמת even though it's true, even though it's true. So juxtapose these two lines rabosai. The definition of lashon hara is hamisaper begnus chaveiro. Miriam mitzido היא לא דברה בגנותו. What does it mean היא לא דברה בגנותו? Yes she did. She was being critical of Moshe Rabbeinu. The answer is no. Ledaber begnus means it reflects intent. It reflects context. It doesn't just mean whether factually what's presented is critical or complimentary. It means what's accomplished by airing it. If what's accomplished is nothing or nothing legitimate, so then that's disparaging speech and that's considered hamisaper begnus chaveiro. If it seeks to accomplish something noble, Miriam thinks that Moshe Rabbeinu is acting inappropriately and is taking counsel with Aharon HaKohen as to what they can do about it. So then that's not gnus, then the same fact is not doesn't constitute disparaging speech. According to the Rambam Miriam did not speak lashon hara. Chayei, so how is this how is the Torah then invoke this as a lesson ledorei doros in terms of avoiding lashon hara? No so the kal vachomer part of the kal vachomer is not just look and see when Miriam spoke lashon hara, so her all her incredible zechuyos didn't help her. No the kal vachomer goes much further than that. Miriam only spoke what appeared to be lashon hara, what superficially seemed to be lashon hara, ואף על פי כן Hakadosh Baruch Hu was makpid with her, right? היא לא דברה בגנותו. She wasn't looking to disparage Moshe Rabbeinu. Lashon hara means disparaging speech. It means when there's no nothing positive which is prompting the negative content. When there's nothing positive which justifies the negative content, so then that's disparaging and that's considered hamisaper begnus chaveiro. When there's positive goal which inevitably involves sharing negative information, that's not disparaging. And that was the case with Miriam.

היא לא דברה בגנותו אלא טעות שהשוותה אותו לשאר הנביאים קל וחומר לאדם הרשע הטפש שמרבה לדבר גדולות ונפלאות.

How much more so for resha'im and tipshim who are speaking lashon hara, they don't have any noble goals in mind, and when they air negative information they are just being disparaging. לפיכך ראוי למי שרוצה לכוין אורחותיו, a person... A person wants to direct his path in life the way it should be so it’s the appropriate thing, the necessary thing is להתרחק מישיבתם ומלדבר עמהם. A person should not be part of such company כדי שלא ייתפס ברשת רשעים וסכלותם, so that he won't be ensnared in this net of the reshaim and their foolishness. Now here comes the part which is especially germane to us rabosai. וזהו דרך ישיבת הלצים הרשעים, right? Leitzim, right? We're learning in our mishnah about moshav leitzim. So the Rambam says this is the life path of leitzim ha’reshaim. Leitzanus, as it were, inevitably results in rishus. בתחילה מרבים בדברי הבאי. So initially when leitzim talk, they're just talking about shtuyos. They're talking about nonsense. What they discuss is totally empty, totally devoid of any meaning or content. She'ne'emar, it's a posuk in Koheles, וקול כסיל ברוב דברים. If you hear a lot of chatter without any content, so then that’s an indication that you’re hearing the voice of a fool. U’mitoch kach, from that context of emptiness, from that hollow, meaningless existence, באים לספר בגנות הצדיקים. So the way things deteriorate is that they then speak disparagingly against tzaddikim. What’s the cause and effect here? What’s the progression? Again, it begins, in quotation marks, innocently enough, but obviously not. It begins innocently enough, just devarim betelim, shoot the breeze. Begins with devarim betelim. But if all of life in one’s experience, because that’s the way one makes it, that’s the way one casts and frames it, is devoid of anything meaningful, so a person inevitably becomes cynical. There’s nothing to be respectful of if all a person focuses on in life is divrei havai. If a person focuses on divrei havai, so inevitably he becomes cynical. Then that cynicism will surface in areas where obviously the cynicism is uncalled for. U’mitoch kach, the leitzanus, that cynicism, the cynicism of scoffing, באים לספר בגנות צדיקים, u’mitoch kach, and then rachmana litzlan it escalates further, יהיה להם הרגל לדבר בנביאים ולתת דופי בדבריהם. Cynicism doesn't remain compartmentalized. I'm not going to be a cynic about ich veis my next-door neighbor to my right and not about my next-door neighbor to my left. If I become cynical, I’m going to be cynical. And therefore the cynicism will engulf not only tzaddikim, but give it some time, and rachmana litzlan it extends to nevi’im as well. ומתוך כך להם יהיה להם הרגל, it will become habitual, not just amol, not just as an aberration, but it will become... Again disparage the words of the nevi'im,

כענין שנאמר ויהיו מלעיבים במלאכי האלהים ובוזים דבריו ומתעתעים בנביאיו,

and ultimately this is so extraordinary. This began with Divrei Havai. This progression that the Rambam is describing began with tailgating on a Sunday. That's how the progression began. ומתוך כך באים לדבר באלוהים וכופרים בעיקר. Why? Because the natural, almost inexorable progression, it results in kefira because emunah is the antithesis of skepticism and cynicism. A person who's determined to be cynical and skeptical, that's just his mode of being, his mindset, so he's not going to be able to sustain the truth of emunah. So the antithesis of Torah, of emunah here, is the leitzanus. The driving force in what the Rambam depicts here for us is the leitzanus. זהו דרך ישיבת הלצים הרשעים. Okay, that's one association with our mishnah, again, which contrasts the moshav leitzim where there's a lack of substantive content, i.e., divrei Torah, with divrei Torah. The other passages in the Rambam which also should be associated, mentioned in association with these mishnayos, the famous Rambam in פרק ג' הלכות תשובה where the Rambam talks about mitzvas shofar. So the Rambam writes in Gimmel Daled here in Hilchos Teshuvah that אף על פי שתקיעת שופר בראש השנה גזירת הכתוב. A person never ultimately knows the reason for a mitzvah. The most we can say is we can interpret what this mitzvah helps us achieve, in which direction this mitzvah is pushing us, towards what end or goal this mitzvah is propelling us.

רמז יש בו כלומר עורו ישנים משנתכם והקיצו נרדמים מתרדמתכם וחפשו במעשיכם וחזרו בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם. אלו השוכחים את האמת בהבלי הזמן ושוגים כל שנותם,

excuse me,

בהבל וריק אשר לא יועיל ולא יציל. הביטו לנפשותיכם והיטיבו דרכיכם ומעלליכם ויעזוב כל אחד מכם דרכו הרעה ומחשבתו אשר לא טובה.

So be-kitzur, the kol shofar is a call to teshuvah. חפשו במעשיכם וחזרו בתשובה. So the blast of the shofar is a call to teshuvah. So to whom is that call addressed? So the answer is obvious, right? To whom does one address a call for teshuvah? To people who are sinners, right? So חפשו במעשיכם וחזרו בתשובה וזכרו בוראכם, אלו, so the Rambam should now continue, hachotim machmas, I don't know, ta'avosayhem, machmas yitzrom hara. But that's not how the Rambam continues. I heard this he'arah from my father, zichrono livrachah. The Rambam continues, אלו השוכחים את האמת בהבלי הזמן ושוגים. shogim, they they’re immersed, they’re wallowing in kol shnasam, the entire year since last Rosh Hashanah.

שוגים כל שנתם בהבל וריק אשר לא יועיל ולא יציל.

They’re preoccupied with vanities and futility which which again do nothing and yield nothing for the person. So this is amazing. So the Rambam defines, he hits on something extraordinary. The Rambam defines and describes the call to Teshuva as being addressed not to people who the root cause of their station in life is preoccupation with cheit. No, the root cause is their preoccupation with hevel varik, leitzanus, the same thing as in Hilchos Tum'as Tzara'as. Okay, it then spills over to darko hara. I mean, it inevitably progresses and unfolds that way. But it begins just with the vacuity, it begins with the emptiness, it begins with the nonsense on that’s what fills all their time. That’s their preoccupation. We’re not talking about someone who’s relaxing for five minutes, no, it’s it’s a preoccupation, it’s a focus. So again in mishna dalet we saw the Rambam explains the pesukim in Yeshayahu explain that there is hisaskus bachila ushtiya and then memila there’s azivas hatorah because the antithesis of Torah is not just cheit. The antithesis of Torah is emptiness. Is emptiness. Okay, then memila once rachmana litzlan if a person becomes rooted in that, so there’s going to be cheit. There’s going to be cheit. There’ll have he’ll be able to check off a lot of the boxes of the al cheits, but the root cause is the emptiness, is the involvement with the gashmius of olam hazeh as an end unto itself, as its own preoccupation, as its own focus without any accompanying transcendent or spiritual goal or purpose. You have it again in the Rambam in perek tes of Hilchos Teshuva has the same idea. Perek tes halacha aleph when the Rambam explains the role of the consequences in olam hazeh as depicted in the Tochachah given the fact that שכר בהאי עלמא ליכא. So the Rambam says

הקדוש ברוך הוא נתן לנו תורה זו עץ חיים וכל העושה כל הכתוב בה ויודעו דעה גמורה זוכה בה לחיי העולם הבא.

Skipping a line:

והבטיחנו בתורה שאם נעשה אותה בשמחה ובטובת נפש ונהגה בחכמתה,

Hakadosh Baruch Hu guarantees us if we fulfill the Torah, if we immerse ourselves in chochmas hatorah,

שיסיר ממנו כל הדברים המונעים אותנו מלעשותה כגון חולי ומלחמה ורעב וכיוצא בהן.

And on the contrary,

וישפיע לנו כל הטובות המחזקות את ידינו לעשות את התורה.

And on the contrary, he’ll he’ll grant us the support system needed to fulfill it.

כגון שובע ושלום ורוב כסף וזהב כדי שלא נעסוק כל ימינו בדברים שהגוף צריך להן.

But the converse is also true, rachmana litzlan. V'chein hodianu b'Torah. Again, so it's this point and counterpoint. The point is if we fulfill Torah, we learn Torah, so then Hakadosh Baruch Hu provides a support system and removes impediments. And now here comes the counterpoint to doing mitzvos and learning Torah. The counterpoint to doing mitzvos and learning Torah, again, this is extraordinary. וכן הודיענו בתורה שאם נעזוב התורה מדעתנו, so now should come v'necheta? No. ונעסוק בהבלי הזמן. And we preoccupy ourselves with nonsense. כי עניין שנאמר וישמן ישורון ויבעט, so then on the contrast, so then Hakadosh Baruch Hu removes the support system and reinstates, or doesn't reinstate, and puts into place impediments. That's pshat now our mishna that a person should recognize what the consequences are, what momentum is generated by a lifestyle of leitzanus. It's not just sort of that those times are not being utilized, but it becomes a very powerful negative force. Maybe just to finish here mishna gimel.

אבל שנים שיושבים ועוסקים בתורה שכינה עמהן שנאמר אז נדברו יראי ה' איש אל רעהו ויקשב ה' וישמע ומניין לאחד שיושב ודורש כאילו קיים את התורה שנאמר ישב בדד וידום כי נטל עליו.

The Rambam.

ופירוש וידום מן הדיבור בדממה מן אמרו דממה דקה ומזה פירש התרגום וידום אהרן ושבח אהרן.

So we commented on this last week and remember that the Rambam here teitches v'yidom not to be silent but to speak quietly. Ki natal alav. So yeishev badad v'yidom, the person is speaking quietly, meaning v'yidom sometimes means to be silent but sometimes v'yidom as in lecha dumiya tehilla means silence is praise to You Hakadosh Baruch Hu. But then mimailei by extension it also means whenever a person is inaudible to others, we also describe it as v'yidom. A person can be inaudible to others because he's speaking very softly or he can be inaudible to others because he's alone. A person can be speaking in a normal tone of voice. He can be learning in a tone of voice that's more mesugal to his remembering Chazal say and אף על פי כן we would describe it as yidom because he's alone, right? Yeishev badad, the person's alone and mimailei v'yidom and mimailei when his speech of divrei Torah will be described as yidom as speaking softly, again, in the sense that we're not, it doesn't depend upon decibel level but it depends upon whether it's audible to anyone. And the this idea that v'yidom doesn't only mean to be actually silent but it just means not to be audible to others, you see from the fact that the Targum teitches v'yidom not that Aharon was quiet but no Aharon was saying the baruch dayan emes.

וראייתו על שהוא כמי שנטל עליו את כל התורה מן אמרו נטל עליו כאילו כל מתן תורה עליו בלבד.

And a little bit more mishna hei.

חנניה בן חכינאי אומר הניעור בלילה והמהלך בדרך יחידי והמפנה לבו לבטלה הרי זה מתחייב בנפשו.

So what does the Rambam say?

אומר הניעור בלילה לבטלה ומי שמתבודד בפני עצמו גם כן לא לאיזו תכלית אלא לבטלה וכן המפנה לבו מדרכי עולם לא להשיג אמיתות אלא לבטלה.

So first of all just in terms of the simple pshat in the mishna, so the Rambam learns pshat that levatala is describing all three, right? It's not just attached as a modifier to hamafneh libo, but it's all three. It's haneior balayla levatala, it's המהלך בדרך יחידי לבטלה, and hamafneh libo levatala. That's clearly how the Rambam understands our mishna. What is it that these three things have in common? A person stays up late at night, or a person makes a point of being alone and in a context where that's not the natural thing to do. Ordinarily a person is yotzei laderech, so it's prudent to be yotzei laderech with others. Or a person sort of turns his back on olam hazeh-dike routines that people have. So what's the common denominator here? So lekhora the common denominator is as follows. Each of these hanhagas is appropriate even then obviously be-mida uve-mishkal. But each of these hanhagas is appropriate davka for the sake of avodas Hashem. Chazal tell us that night was created either for sleep or for learning. To be misboded baderech, על כל דרכים בחזקת סכנה, the norm is a person's habit should be to travel in a group, not to try to be a lone traveler. Okay, even here obviously the question is when for avodas Hashem lav davka that's always appropriate for avodas Hashem. But if it's ever appropriate, it's only appropriate as a hanhaga when it's appropriate, which is not all the time, it's only appropriate as a hanhaga in avodas Hashem. And the same thing with hamafneh libo levatala, when a person tries to extricate himself to a degree midarkei olam hazeh. So to a degree that is appropriate, again be-mida uve-mishkal, a person has אל תהי צדיק הרבה, a person has to know to what degree. But to a degree that is appropriate but davka, davka as a hanhaga in avodas Hashem. Otherwise it's wrong. To stay up until two in the morning with devarim beteilim, it's not just bittul, but it's wrong mitzad the hanhaga of being neior balayla. To be mahaleich baderech yechidi not for purpose of avodas Hashem is inherently wrong. And it's that sort of distortion of these tzuros ha-avoda which is responsible for the הרי זה מתחייב בנפשו. Okay maybe we'll stop here and we'll next week אם ירצה השם בלי נדר pick up in the middle of the mishna. Okay rabosai, hope you have a good productive day, be well, be safe.