|
If you want to write a great book, it’s great if you can start with a memorable opening line. Take, for example, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Dickens, Tale of Two Cities) or “Call me Ishmael” (Melville, Moby Dick) or how about “All happy families are alike; unhappy families are each unhappy in their own way” (Tolstoy, Anna Karenina).
Well, what about the Talmud? How does it start? It may surprise you that it starts with a discussion of the proper time for the recitation of the evening Shema – a rather practical topic compared to, say, the laws of damages in Bava Kamma. So here’s how the Babylonian Talmud opens its 2,711 double sided folio pages:
From what time does one recite Shema in the evening? From the time when the priests enter to partake of their teruma (priestly offerings). Until when does the time for the recitation of the evening Shema extend? Until the end of the first watch. (opinions on this vary, but roughly until 10:30 PM). That is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. The Rabbis say: The time for the recitation of the evening Shema is until midnight. Rabban Gamliel says: One may recite Shema until dawn. (Brachot 2a)
What is the Biblical source of this ruling? There are in fact several, but one is found in the opening verse of this week’s reading, portion Tzav. There we read, “Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering: The burnt offering itself shall remain where it is burned upon the altar all night until morning, while the fire on the altar is kept going on it.” (Leviticus 6:2). That is, the ritual offerings were eaten at night, presumably from nightfall until morning.
Now, why were there other opinions limiting the time of consumption? We read the answer in the continuation of our opening passage:
If technically the sacrifice could be eaten until dawn, why did the Sages say that they may be eaten only until midnight? This is in order to distance a person from transgression, as if one believes that he has until dawn to perform the mitzva, he might be negligent and postpone it until the opportunity to perform the mitzva has passed.
In other words, we are not only to observe the law, but to put a proverbial “fence” around it. On Shabbat, when writing is forbidden, we don’t even pick up a pencil or pen, lest we inadvertently forget about the prohibition.
With the Temple’s destruction in 70 CE, the sacrifices would permanently cease. And yet, the Talmudic sages took certain aspects of the sacrificial system and applied them to areas which were – and continue to be – relevant in our lives. What prayer is more central to Judaism, after all, than the Shema?
I’m not a literary critic, but for my money, the Talmud has the best book opening since we all read Tale of Two Cities in high school.
- Rabbi Scott Hoffman
| 
