Mimatai korim shema b’arvit…[I]
Sof ma’ase[1]…
The Mishnah was packaged to ensure the survival of key structures within the oral tradition, which although requiring great losses of wisdom, was deemed necessary for the great journey ahead. The terrible voyage had not yet hinted the breadth of its passages, nor depths, nor sense of lost horizons.
The Mishnah begins with a question, but the purpose of it is arriving at the far port.
The Talmud too was a contraction in information[2], designed to secure precious cargoes. Combining what else was thought necessary. In that sense, the Talmud doesn’t only elucidate and demonstrate, it highlights values and recommends strategies.
The first question, the Talmud approaches thus: Why do you begin with the night? Answering, because it says night first (b’shachbecha and then uv’kumecha). And then saying, and if you want, you could answer, because in creation the evening is mentioned first (vayehi erev and then vayehi boker).
To unpack the impossible memory unwritable of a mountain on a fire, first, ask questions. Don’t just ask to understand, ask to prioritize. Everything is possible. Presume nothing, because our task requires us to know the divisions between right versus wrong, not just right versus things that include both right and wrong. Hamavdil ben kodesh… and this is alluded to later.
To interrogate the past, first, presume genius[3]. To interrogate a genius, first look at the context that bore them. Because it is our task to tie meanings as close to their source, not losing the particular in abstractions until inventing splintering kingdoms that prove arrogance but not value.
To interrogate the genius, one can also ask, How would the Creator have done so, because if one is satisfied that a parallel is found, this is good too[4].
The Mishnah uses the need to be satisfied with answers to send the people out into the darkness. To question[5] when not satisfied is a virtue until one must be satisfied, and then that is a virtue. The Talmud elsewhere teaches that The Jewish people are so proud that even when enslaved, they like to show each other how clever they can be, doubting and challenging everything in their thoughts, if not in speech. The story ends with the slaves freed, their former master serving them food and dancing before them, singing, How wonderful that such a people could exist.
M’sha’a sh’hacohanim nechnasim… ad sof shmira rishona.
The Talmud asks for the description of a characteristic to be given precise or clear description[6].
The Talmud asks for the significance of choice of allusion and imagery.
When given sources to explain allusion, the Talmud makes sure it understands the way the allusions are being read (nb. The use does not appear to me to depend on its comprehension, insofar as a logic of choice, but may depend for comprehending the ethos of the genius of the selection, i.e. may help understand why termua was used to describe this time point).
In dissecting the source, the Talmud explains concepts that are halos to the core (i.e. sunset and purity, vs night shema and cohanim). And this illustrates another great plane of wisdom in these texts: editing. Ever tangential question, and the train of thought progresses in a manner that feels haphazard when close to the line, but stepping back, reveal unexpected spaces for elegance, and intellectual aesthetics that would be thought coincidental if they were not ubiquitous.
I do not prove, just imagine, that the ideas relating to the meaning of sun and sunset in time, is part of a series of non-pointed explanation of time points (e.g. midnight and David transitioning from Torah to praise) which form a class to be thought on. These can inform the significance (incl. Kavana) of the shema at these times (e.g. say as soon after sunset, so as to join the crying Creator who wishes the destruction did not occur but is proud that He is still promised loyalty).
In regards to the use of reading non-specific or containers for meaning which are produced by sourcing imagery and other concepts, one might: (1) seek clarity and specific terms that are analogous, (2) seek meaning of sources, which may or may not serve to enlighten other strands of meaning, and (3) seek reason for benefit of that illustration.
If the Mishnah had said, From the time that the stars come out in the evening, we would not have learned about sunsets nor the mechanisms for purity for Termua, and we would never have wondered why Teruma was linked to evening shema (nb. Not discussed in Talmud). This is suggestive[7].
There are always questions unasked. Why tell me about the end-point of shema, despite not being explicitly asked? And I wonder, because in teaching another, one must ensure to include provisions to protect from leading to new wrong[8].
[Many teachings follow regarding limits of confidence when using sources and how to study them, esp as ambiguities in braitas.]
[1] This Book starts with the night shema, and ends with a medley of concerns, including how to bless bad occurrences, whether one should bless the Creator referring to all worlds, and whether one may use a divine name in blessing another human being. What follows is creative, and I don’t know if misleading. We can understand the particular primary of the night shema, since it will lead to use thanking the passage of a bad time, eventually the unity of worlds, and the knowing of the divine’s majesty that each of us is presenting to the other, and that each other is presenting. Intended only as an illustration of a line of investigation.
[2] It is expected that everything that is original to Judaism that is found in the Talmud can be derived from Mishna. But the Mishna contains far more things that the Talmud.
[3] And the Talmud demonstrates how even this assumption can end in disagreement or nothing concluded (throughout its texts). i.e. this is not grounds for a dogma.
[4] What does this mean practically? E.g. in Mishna Shabat: Why did they start the encoding of the laws of Shabat with private/public domains? Or why did they use the characters of the poor and the rich to illustrate? Etc. I do not know. And I could start by looking where these laws are alluded in Chumash. I could also seek allegories of poverty/wealth in Tanach (e.g. Mishlei). And I could eventually give up, or use other avenues. Nb. First question is better per judgment of asking about set of ostensibly equal members. In any case, this is just for illustration.
[5] Why does the Talmud begin asking about the time specified in the Mishna? I look for a reason in its source (as Talmud teaches), namely the first line of Mishna, and assume that the Talmud chose time due to genius (as Talmud teaches). Thus m’matai is different to, for example, asking about which tefilla. Thereafter look for what proves this. Suggest answer, because evening-morning is the modalities of a single thing, whereas there is no indication of what is the set of things that should be asked in the set that includes “shema”. Then, see if can disprove. If satisfied, it is enough, because our goal is satisfaction. And thus learn a lesson, that even a silly question such as mine here can be useful for testing our approach in the Oral writings. And more (if imagined a true answer) shows the depth of information contained in the Talmud, which is contained in the Mishna; by asking m’matai, it was possible to learn how to ask questions about choices within sets. Which is to say, only to wonder at information density of that which is unwritable (in general, in all cultures, i.e. their meta-paradigm for contextualizing) here made written.
[6] I thought this was a principle, but don’t know if I had read it written in similar words. I think it is similar to Avot 1.9 Shimon ben Shatach who taught the importance of knowing that words can’t be twisted by those who would be expected to do so, and he was talking about defendants, so I don’t know if what I capture any of his sense.
[7] Cohanim purify in water, and purity occurs at a transition between one day and next. The word for a sun setting is used to learn regarding the purifying. Termua consumption is by those whose life purpose is priestly service, its reception is part of the chain linking Shabat and Korbanot, and part of the system of diffusion of material society into divine channels (that include termua). The setting of the sun also initiates a time of great spiritual power (whose significance for mourning is historical, not metaphysical) when the transmission between the known and the heavenly is more porous. This: I skip all argument, and add other things not mentioned yet: The exile was a great darkness lying before them. The Rabbi’s said this, We know that this is the mode of this world’s purification, and we are the priestly people, we will announce our determination as soon as we can. Now. We do so because it is our earliest opportunity, even though we are devoting ourselves to a darkness not yet imaginable (later explained in study of shmira rishona, chatzot, amud hashachar) we define our religion with this stake. And later they add, and we will continue this until we realize we don’t know how much longer it will become darker. But others were more lenient for those who had not yet announced their faith, no, until it becomes darkest, while there is no sign of it becoming lighter, and others more so, no, even as the new light dawns we will claim Shma. And thus the allusions of shmirot (cf. Aica and later Talmud for more on time-points’ allusions) that the extension in time is both a leniency to the task placed upon us, but also to what we call this, We will have arrived whether we say Shma now or in the seconds before light, so long as free-will still gives our promise any meaning. And this relates to the circular echoing of time in Judaism, every day, and year, and age, and world, and all. And also of the large ayin and daled that allude to each person’s microcosm-nature that links at different layers, and separations (of nationhood and history), and to the great crossing through the oceans of the four worlds, to which we are a witness. Nb. Connection to end of exile is taught by the end of this Perek.
[8] Avot 1.1 Fence for Torah, since otherwise they lead one to an unfenced roof, but don’t tell them of the danger.
[I] From the first tractate of the first chapter of the Mishna of Brachot. See the Mishanah, in Hebrew, Here.
