אנשי כנסת הגדולה אמרו שלושה דברים. Hevu matunim badin v'haamidu talmidim harbe vaasu syag latora. Let's look a little bit at vaasu syag latora. Rashi: asu mishmeres l'mishmarta כדי שלא יבוא לידי איסור של תורה. And generally that's the way we translate syag as ומרחיק את האדם מן העבירה. Absent the syag, so a person can sort of go right up to the the line which separates reshus or even even mitzvah from aveira. And when the chachamim make a syag, it's ומרחיק את האדם מן העבירה. A friend zikhrono l'vracha pointed out that you also find again primarily syag again does appear with this meaning, but you also find syag used differently in a different sense. If you take a look in Hilchos De'os in perek bais, halachos daled v'hei. De'os perek bais halachos daled v'hei. Take a look. So halacha daled is לעולם ירבה אדם בשתיקה ולא ידבר אלא או בדבר חכמה או בדברים שצריך להם לחיי גופו. אמרו על רב תלמיד רבינו הקדוש שלא שח שיחה בטלה כל ימיו וזהו שיחת רוב כל אדם. ואפילו בצרכי הגוף לא ירבה אדם דברים ועל זה ציוו חכמים ואמרו כל המרבה דברים מביא חטא ואמרו לא מצאתי לגוף טוב אלא שתיקה. וכן בדברי תורה ובדברי חכמה יהיו דברי החכם מעטים ועניניהם מרובים והוא שציוו חכמים ואמרו לעולם ישנה אדם לתלמידו דרך קצרה אבל אם היו הדברים מרובים והעניין מועט
harei zu sichlus v'al ze ne'emar כי בא החלום ברוב ענין וקול כסיל ברוב דברים. Halacha hei: syag lachochma shtika. לפיכך לא ימהר להשיב ולא ירבה לדבר וילמד לתלמידים בשובה ונחת בלא צעקה ובלא אריכות לשון הוא ששלמה אמר דברי חכמים בנחת נשמעים.
So why did the why does the Rambam in halacha hei seemingly is continuing on the theme of miut devarim even to the point of even to the point of shtika, but that's been the theme, that's been the focus since halacha daled. So why does the Rambam need a new introduction? And the impression you get in halacha hei is that the Rambam is introducing a new topic. We wouldn't have known from halacha hei that he had been speaking about this in halacha daled. Sounds like a new topic. Syag lachochma shtika. No, that's what the Rambam said in halacha daled. Kol hamarbe devarim... The other thing that's strange is that the introduction to Halacha He is syag l'chochmah shtikah. But then there's a continuum from לא ימהר להשיב ולא ירבה לדבר to ילמד לתלמידים בשוב ונחת ולא בצעקה ולא בגיעת ראש. So the shuv v'nachas and lo b'tze'akah has nothing to do with modulating the tone, what the decibel level of the divrei torah are is not really under the rubric of shtikah. Whether you whisper five words or whether you yell five words or whether you... it's the same same five words, no? So the pshat is that in Halacha Daled the Rambam is talking about shtikah again, sort of ironically in the sense that we generally associate with a syag. Dehinu if a person talks too much, then eventually he's going to say things that he shouldn't say, and כל המרבה בדברים מביא חטא. And eventually, even if a person has something of substance to say, if he draws it out too much, the antithesis of what Chazal said לעולם ישנה אדם לתלמידו דרך קצרה, so then to the degree that he does draw it out, he's adulterating the substance and the content of what he said to the point that divrei chochmah become intermingled with sichlus. So Halacha Daled is, again, shtikah, mi'ut dibur, again, in sort of let's call it the classical sense of a syag that it's מרחיק את האדם מן העבירה. Again, and that's most clearly and emphatically stated in כל המרבה בדברים מביא חטא. Halacha He is very interesting, right? Syag l'chochmah shtikah, the Rambam is here he's talking about... this is what my father zichrono livracha pointed out... that the Rambam's talking about a syag here not which is being מרחיק את האדם מן העבירה, but which is facilitating the best, most effective use of dibur, right? Not in the sense of avoiding ich veis loshon hora, avoiding ona'as dvarim v'chulu v'chulu... no, that's Halacha Daled, כל המרבה בדברים מביא חטא. Halacha He is that if a person wants to be able to employ the faculty of speech most effectively, the way to do that is initially to be shosek. Because if one will measure one's words so that they're targeted, so then one will accomplish with speech what otherwise he can't. And that explains something else. A, it explains the question that we initially posed: why does the Rambam have a new heading for Halacha He when seemingly it's continuing on the same topic as Halacha Daled? It isn't. And B, it also explains something else, right? The Rambam the introduction to Halacha He is syag l'chochmah shtikah. But then the Rambam says in one breath, okay, so lo yemaher l'hashev means initially he's being shosek. V'lo yarbeh l'daber means and even when he's speaking he's balancing it with shtikah. But then... וילמד לתלמידים בשובה ונחת ולא צעקה so all of that doesn't have anything to do with shtika but it has to do with effective speech which is what syag lachochma shtika is about. And that's why it's one sentence. It's not a, lo yibahel lehashiv lo yarbeh ledaber ויש לו ללמד לתלמידים בשובה ונחת as a second eitza tova. No, it's the same. syag lachochma shtika means how to speak effectively so that a, lo yibahel lehashiv lo yarbeh ledaber so that his words will be measured and weighed. And b, it's not only the choice of words but it's also how the words are expressed. וילמד לתלמידים בשובה ונחת that also is a critical element in terms of speaking effectively. It's not, I mean, the he'ara here in halacha hey is just so compelling that what we're about to say is not a kasha but it's just interesting. This notwithstanding, you know, the Rambam in Al Hamishnah on asu syag latorah, so you would have expected after all this, right, that the maka hapatish is that the Rambam will say asu syag latorah differently than Rashi, different than Rabbeinu Yona. But it's a little anticlimactic. The Rambam says on asu syag latorah, ורצונו לומר הגזירות והתקנות אשר ירחיקו האדם מן העבירות. So again, it's not not only is it not a potential tshuvah, it's not even a kasha. It's clear again that the pshat in halacha hey is as we just discussed that syag there is not marchik min ha'aveira but but it's allowing, it's being machshir, it's facilitating a a maximal and optimal use. But the Rambam apparently understands, which is not difficult, that what Anshei Knesses Hagedola were talking about in terms of the directive that they were giving to their talmidim was syag in its more common use, its more widespread meaning of להרחיק את האדם מן העבירה. Again, you could leave it there and and you wouldn't have a sleepless night tonight. But itachen that the pshat is as follows. The the Meiri comments and and this aligns with what what we know from is that most gezeros that we have derabanan are from Anshei Knesseth Hagdolah and afterwards. Not all of them. We know from the Gemara in Shabbos that that there was already an issur muktza biyemei Shlomo Hamelech when the Aggadetos in Bameh Madlikin when Dovid Hamelech dies in Shabbos that there's already an issur of tiltul muktza בימי בימי דוד ושלמה so it's not as if there were no nothing beforehand. But the Anshei Knesseth Hagdolah saw a need. Maybe it was because of Yeridas Hadoros, whatever it is, but the Meiri says that that this authority and mandate which the Torah gives the Chachmei Hamasorah to be gozer gezeros, that that it's time to to use it. And the Meiri says they were reacting to the widespread intermarriage that the Navi tells us about in Ezra Nechemya. Ezra Nechemya also tells us about the chillul Shabbos that that was happening. And so historically there was a focus and and by definition intensification in terms of derabanan's להרחיק את האדם מן העבירה. Yitachen that's and that's where the Anshei Knesseth Hagdolah come to that they weren't, at least in terms of this exhortation, this this directive, they they weren't just emphasizing something which which is perennial but they were saying no we we need to to show initiative here. Yitachen and again and historically we know that even in terms of not just in gezeros, even in terms of in other areas as well, the derabanans go to go date back to Anshei Knesseth Hagdolah. Yitachen that siyag in the sense of siyag lachochma shtika as it were is a type of kiyum d'oraisa. It's it's not it's not something that the need for and the reason to be doing it was nis'chadesh at at some point. Maybe in the earlier doros so maybe they didn't need a harchaka to layn krias shema before chatzos. Maybe they they didn't they didn't need that. And maybe in earlier doros קדשים נאכלים ליום ולילה they didn't need a harchaka. But in the sense of siyag lachochma shtika, so to the degree that again that it's not להרחיק את האדם מן העבירה, it's lehachsher hamitzvah, it's it's it's lehagdil, to to to maximize, to do things in an optimal way, so so there was nothing that was nis'chadesh בימי אנשי כנסת הגדולה. And that's why the Rambam hagam that siyag does have this siyag also appears in in the sense of again either way it's constriction, but constriction not to deter but to to maximize and to facilitate, but that was always the case. That's nothing which is being nis'chadesh בימי אנשי כנסת הגדולה. That's not something which which is triggered by what we learn in Sfarim of Ezra v'Nechemya. Two things the Meiri has as a pshat in ve'asu siyag latorah. First he begins with the the widespread havana again of להרחיק את האדם מן העבירה and Torah in that sense means mitzvos HaTorah. Then the Meiri has a has a remarkable pshat. Let me see if someone has maybe have the Meiri on on this mishna on ve'asu siyag latorah. Veyomar li, says the Meiri, b'beur zeh שהוא הזהיר להיות כל אדם שומר פתחי פיו לעשות להם בל יכבד השומע בהם.
And how I was saying talking about teshuva and a person's yirah, something like that. That a person should be shomer pitchai piv, בל יכבד השומע בהם. When a person speaks, he shouldn't do so in a way that he talks so much that it's onerous for the audience. V'chol shekein, says the Meiri, keshemedaber b'divrei Torah. So now asu seyag laTorah, according to this havana, Torah doesn't mean mitzvos haTorah but it means divrei Torah. כל שכן כשמדבר בדברי תורה שלא ידבר בהם. Listen to this remarkable sentence here: אלא בזמן הראוי בשיעור הראוי ובמקום הראוי לו ובדברים הראויים לו אם מצדו אם מצד השומע.
So again syag in the sense of, again, a fence, it limits, it constricts. But here what it means is that when a person is teaching divrei Torah, when he's speaking divrei Torah, so he has to choose his moments. He has to choose his moments, the same the same topic, the same ha'ara, the same shiur, if it's said at the right time at the opportune moment, it hits home, it makes an impression, it makes more than an impression. But if it's not zman hara'uy, the people are not ready to hear it. Bashior hara'uy, again, how much is said. B'makom hara'uy, the same the same shiur at the same time with the same measured words, so in one in one place, to one in one locale in one context it's appropriate and another it isn't. ובדברים הראויים לו אם מצדו אם מצד השומע. So a person can give a tremendous shmuze, a class, I don't know whatever the topic is, but if it's not really befitting for him to say it, so maybe it's taka the zman hara'uy, maybe it's the makom hara'uy, but it has to be בדברים הראויים לו אם מצדו אם מצד השומע. So the Meiri is saying, I don't know that he intends it as such, but is very similar to the Rambam's seyag l'chochmah shtikah in the sense that asu seyag laTorah means that in order for the divrei Torah to be effectively transmitted, so a person has to constrict. He has to make sure it's the zman hara'uy, he has to make sure that it's the bashior hara'uy in terms of how much he talks about it. It has to be b'makom hara'uy and it has to be bidvarim hara'uyim both mitzad the person speaking as well as mitzad hashome'a. Hevei messun b'din. Let's back to Hevei messun b'din. What does Rabbeinu Yonah say? למתון הוראות ולפוסקן הוראות ולפוסקן את הדין אמרו. So the gemara that the lashon is messun b'din, it's not exclusively to beis din. It's any hora'ah. Hora'as issur v'heter is the same. Not lav davka that it's a dinei mammonus and a din that appears before beis din, but it's limton hora'os in general. And and what is what what what do the anshei kneses hagedolah say? ולבל ישמחו במחשבה ראשונה. The mori hora'ah, the dayanim shouldn't rely on their initial analysis, their initial take. Ach behamtana gedolah. Excuse me. The mori hora'ah, the dayanim shouldn't rely on their initial analysis, their initial take. Ach behamtana gedolah, right messun is lashon hamten, to wait. אך בהמתנה גדולה ובעיון הדק ולבל יטו שיקול הדעת כי האדם הממהר להורות נקרא פושע.
A person who paskens quickly is poshea. ואף על פי שחשב לומר האמת אין זה שוגג. How can you say that a person's poshea when he honestly, genuinely thinks he's saying the the truth? Says the Rabbeinu Yonah, no, in this instance he can, you can indict him for that. ואף על פי שחשב לומר האמת אין זה שוגג אף קרוב למזיד הוא אשר לא נתן בלבבו לאמור לבב הנמהרים לא יבין לדעת.
Because a person should know that when you judge things, when you reach conclusions very quickly, a person, everyone is prone to error. כי הטעות בכל אדם מצוי הוא. Even someone who's a big talmid chacham and even someone who's exceedingly bright, no, כי הטעות בכל אדם מצוי הוא. וזהו שאמרו רבותינו ז"ל
Hevei zahir b'talmud ששגגת תלמוד עולה זדון. So ששגגת תלמוד עולה זדון doesn't only mean if a person never learned in the first place, that that it's olah zadon, there's an element of zadon because I should have known the halacha, I should have known this is assur. No, ששגגת תלמוד עולה זדון means even if the shggah is that in the the the question that arose, a person was too hasty to reach a conclusion, that's also bibhinas shiggas talmud. ועל עניין זה אמר שלמה עליו השלום ראית איש חכם בעיניו תקווה לכסיל ממנו.
A fool is gonna do better than a person who's a chacham be'einav. Uchemo she'amru chazal, Hevei zahir b'talmud, the הגס לבו בהוראה, later in Avos, הגס לבו בהוראה שוטה רשע וגס רוח. So oy va'avoy, Rabbeinu Yonah is saying הגס לבו בהוראה doesn't refer only to someone who's unqualified and is a hedyot hakofetz b'rosh and undertakes the pasken. No, הגס לבו בהוראה is someone who's qualified to pasken but gas libo in the sense that he becomes so comfortable with rendering hora'ah that he does so too quickly. ולכן האדם המורה יש לו לישא וליתן בדבר ולהחמיץ המחשבה. והשהותה כעניין שאמרו מחמיצין את הדין שעל ידי חימוץ והמתנה מוסיף סברא על סברתו ופלפול על פלפולו עד שידין דין אמת לאמיתו
ki bemachshavah hasheniah יראה לומר מה שלא ראה בראשונה. And it's clear, I mean, Rabbeinu Yonah himself basically will say it towards the end, although the context of what the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah said is hevei mesunim badin in terms of hora'ah, but it certainly hora'ah here is just basically applied Talmud Torah, but it's really guidelines for how a person learns. And if we've ever been mesunim in Talmud in our learning, so you know from experience, the first time you make a leining, you see so much in the Gemara. The second time you make the leining, so you see more. You see a question that entirely eluded one the first time. Bemachshavah sheniah a person sees more than he sees bemachshavah rishonah. And the vort that Rabbeinu Yonah is saying is like this. So we could think that that's true for us, right? But is it really true that what we missed the first and second times around, that the Rav Chaim missed the first time around? So the answer is, right, of course he didn't miss that the first time around. But in terms of what Rav Chaim's capable of seeing, even he doesn't see everything the first time around. So ein hachi nami, our instinct is correct that it doesn't apply to gedolei olam in terms of what it is that the person will miss bemachshavah rishonah and see bemachshavah sheniah, but the yesod applies to everyone. However many times the Vilna Gaon went through Shas, he saw things. He saw things, albeit on his level, not the things that we miss the first and second times around. But for the Vilna Gaon, he saw things, he saw new things when he went the third, the fourth, the fifth time around. So mimaila, the hevei mesunim badin is for everyone. It's not just for us. Again, what it is that people will see, so that will reflect the madreigah. But be'emes, what the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah said is in Talmud Torah. That's what the והטעם על שאמר הוי מתונים בדין כדי להזהר יותר על הדין ומשפט
only because din, על הדין ועל המשפט, the world rests on it, so we're emphasizing that. But be'emes it's all hora'os and be'emes it's all Talmud Torah. It's all Talmud Torah. Okay, well we'll maybe start the next Mishnah next week for now.