R. Shimon’s opinion in this week’s daf that ritual slaughter that does result in edible food (because, for instance, the animal itself may not be eaten) is linked to a verse about Yosef and his brothers. This raises the question about learning law from the narrative part of the Torah. In this shiur, we will probe the varied relationships between the narrative (esp. Bereshit) parts of the Torah its legal parts (esp. Vayikra and Devarim).
Chullin 85
sources:
- חולין פה.
וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר רַבִּי מָנִי בַּר פַּטִּישׁ: גָּמַר מִ״טְּבוֹחַ טֶבַח וְהָכֵן״, מָה לְהַלָּן שְׁחִיטָה רְאוּיָה, אַף כָּאן שְׁחִיטָה רְאוּיָה.
The Gemara asks: And as for Rabbi Shimon, what is the reason he holds that an ineffective slaughter is not considered an act of slaughter? Rabbi Mani bar Pattish said: Rabbi Shimon derives his opinion from the verse: “Slaughter [tevo’aḥ] and prepare; for the men shall dine with me at noon” (Genesis 43:16).
- בראשית מג:טז
וַיַּ֨רְא יוֹסֵ֣ף אִתָּם֮ אֶת־בִּנְיָמִין֒ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לַֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־בֵּית֔וֹ הָבֵ֥א אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים הַבָּ֑יְתָה וּטְבֹ֤חַ טֶ֙בַח֙ וְהָכֵ֔ן כִּ֥י אִתִּ֛י יֹאכְל֥וּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים בַּֽצׇּהֳרָֽיִם׃
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, “Take those men into the house; slaughter and prepare an animal, for at noon they will dine—with me.”
Approach 1 – Distinct and sometimes Different
2. בראשית לב:לב-לג
לב וַיִּזְרַח-לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר אֶת-פְּנוּאֵל; וְהוּא צֹלֵעַ, עַל-יְרֵכוֹ לג עַל-כֵּן לֹא-יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה, אֲשֶׁר עַל-כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ, עַד, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה: כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף-יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, בְּגִיד הַנָּשֶׁה.
The sun rose for him as he passed Penuel and he was limping on his hip. Therefore the Children of Israel are not to eat the sciatic nerve on the hip-socket to this day, because he struck Jacob’s hip-socket, on the sciatic nerve.
3. חולין ז:ו – משנה
נוהג בטהורה ואינו נוהג בטמאה. ר’ יהודה אומר אף בטמאה. אמר ר’ יהודה והלא מבני יעקב נאסר גיד הנשה ועדיין בהמה טמאה מותרת להן? אמרו לו: בסיני נאמר אלא שנכתב במקומו.
The prohibition to consume the sciatic nerve of an animal applies only to kosher animals. R’ Yehudah said that the rule applies to even a non-kosher animal.
He explained: Was the sciatic nerve not already prohibited in Jacob’s time, before any animals were considered forbidden? They answered him: the prohibition of the sciatic nerve is actually from Sinai; it was merely inserted into the narrative to which it refers.
3. פירוש המשנה לרמב”ם מסכת חולין פרק ז משנה ו …ושים לבך לכלל הגדול הזה המובא במשנה זו והוא אמרם מסיני נאסר…שכל מה שאנו נזהרים ממנו או עושים אותו היום אין אנו עושים זאת אלא מפני צווי ה’ על ידי משה, לא מפני שה’ צוה בכך לנביאים שקדמוהו…אין אנו מלים בגלל שאברהם מל את עצמו ואנשי ביתו, אלא מפני שה’ צונו על ידי משה להמול כמו שמל אברהם עליו השלום, וכן גיד הנשה אין אנו נמשכים בו אחרי אסור יעקב אבינו אלא צווי משה רבינו…
And pay attention to the important ruling presented in this Mishna, namely that the sciatic nerve only became forbidden at Sinai…
we follow laws only because they were commanded by God through Moses, not because He commanded those laws through any prophets who lived prior to Moses…we do not circumcise because Abraham circumcised himself and the members of his household, but because God commanded us through Moses to be circumcised as Abraham circumcised. Likewise, in the case of the sciatic nerve – we are not following a prohibition given to Jacob our forefather, but rather we are following the command of Moses our Teacher…
4. רמב”ם הלכות מלכים ט:ג
וכן היה הדבר בכל העולם, עד אברהם נצטווה יתר על אלו במילה, והוא התפלל שחרית. ויצחק הפריש מעשר, והוסיף תפילה אחרת לפנות היום. ויעקוב הוסיף גיד הנשה, והתפלל ערבית. ובמצריים נצטווה עמרם במצוות יתרות, עד שבא משה רבנו ונשלמה תורה על ידו.
And so it was (i.e., that there were 7 commandments) throughout the world, until Abraham was commanded another: circumcision, and he prayed the morning prayer. And Isaac tithed and added another prayer in the afternoon. And Jacob added the sciatic nerve and prayed evening prayers. And in Egypt, Amram was given other commandments, until Moses our teacher came and the Torah was completed through him.
Approach 2 – Varied
5. בראשית ט:ד
אַךְ־בָּשָׂ֕ר בְּנַפְשׁ֥וֹ דָמ֖וֹ לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃
You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it.
6. דברים יב:כג
רַ֣ק חֲזַ֗ק לְבִלְתִּי֙ אֲכֹ֣ל הַדָּ֔ם כִּ֥י הַדָּ֖ם ה֣וּא הַנָּ֑פֶשׁ וְלֹא־תֹאכַ֥ל הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ עִם־הַבָּשָֽׂר׃
But make sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh.
7. סנהדרין נט.
אמר ר’ יוסי בר’ חנינא כל מצוה שנאמרה לבני נח ונשנית בסיני לזה ולזה. נאמרה לבני נח ולא נשנית בסיני לישראל נאמרה ולא לבני נח.
R’ Yose the son of R’ Chanina states: Any commandment that was told to Noahides and repeated at Sinai was meant for both Jews and Noahides. But a commandment which was told to Noahides but not repeated at Sinai, was meant only for Israelites and not for Noahides.
8. ירושלמי מועד קטן ג:ה
מנין לאבל מן התורה ז’? “ויעש לאביו אבל שבעת ימים (בר’ נ:י).” ולמידין דבר קודם למתן תורה
Whence do we know about the biblical requirement for 7 days of mourning? The verse regarding Joseph’s mourning for his father reads: And he mourned for 7 days. And we may /may we derive law from pre-Sinaitic history.
9. בראשית כד:ס
ויברכו את רבקה ויאמרו לה אחותינו את היי לאלפי רבבה
תוספות כתובות ז.
“ויברכו את רבקה”- איכא למימר דהתם ברכת אירוסין
And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, You, our sister, shall bear multitudes.
And they blessed Rebecca: one might say that this was the blessing of betrothal (as we do today under the chuppah)
A Literary Approach: Law as Commentary
Law as Commentary: Sexual Practice
10. בראשית כ:י וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם: מָה רָאִיתָ, כִּי עָשִׂיתָ אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה.יא וַיֹּאמֶר, אַבְרָהָם, כִּי אָמַרְתִּי רַק אֵין-יִרְאַת אֱלֹקים, בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה; וַהֲרָגוּנִי, עַל-דְּבַר אִשְׁתִּי. יב וְגַם-אָמְנָה, אֲחֹתִי בַת-אָבִי הִוא–אַךְ, לֹא בַת-אִמִּי; וַתְּהִי-לִי, לְאִשָּׁה. יג וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר הִתְעוּ אֹתִי, אֱלֹקים מִבֵּית אָבִי, וָאֹמַר לָהּ, זֶה חַסְדֵּךְ אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשִׂי עִמָּדִי: אֶל כָּל-הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר נָבוֹא שָׁמָּה, אִמְרִי-לִי אָחִי הוּא.
Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him: ‘What hast thou done unto us? and wherein have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.’10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham: ‘What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?’ 11 And Abraham said: ‘Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12 And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her: This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me: He is my brother.’
11. ויקרא כ:יז וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר-יִקַּח אֶת-אֲחֹתוֹ בַּת-אָבִיו אוֹ בַת-אִמּוֹ וְרָאָה אֶת-עֶרְוָתָהּ וְהִיא-תִרְאֶה אֶת-עֶרְוָתוֹ, חֶסֶד הוּא–וְנִכְרְתוּ, לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי עַמָּם; עֶרְוַת אֲחֹתוֹ גִּלָּה, עֲוֹנוֹ יִשָּׂא.
Lev. 20:17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
Law as Commentary: Filial Piety
12. שמות כ: יא כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ, וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ–לְמַעַן, יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ. {ס}
Ex. 20:11 – Honor your father and your mother so that your days will be lengthened upon the ground that the Lord your God is giving you.
13. דברים ה:טו כַּבֵּד אֶת-אָבִיךָ וְאֶת-אִמֶּךָ, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ–לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכֻן יָמֶיךָ, וּלְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ. {ס}
Deut. 5:15 – Honor your father and mother as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that your days will increase, and it will be good for you, upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
14. בראשית מז: ז וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת-יַעֲקֹב אָבִיו, וַיַּעֲמִדֵהוּ לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה; וַיְבָרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, אֶת-פַּרְעֹה. ח וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה, אֶל-יַעֲקֹב: כַּמָּה, יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ. ט וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב, אֶל-פַּרְעֹה, יְמֵי שְׁנֵי מְגוּרַי, שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה: מְעַט וְרָעִים, הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי, וְלֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֶת-יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אֲבֹתַי, בִּימֵי מְגוּרֵיהֶם. י וַיְבָרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב, אֶת-פַּרְעֹה; וַיֵּצֵא, מִלִּפְנֵי פַרְעֹה. יא וַיּוֹשֵׁב יוֹסֵף, אֶת-אָבִיו וְאֶת-אֶחָיו, וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲחֻזָּה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ בְּאֶרֶץ רַעְמְסֵס–כַּאֲשֶׁר, צִוָּה פַרְעֹה.
Gen. 47:7 And Joseph brought Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob: How long have you lived? 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh: The length of my wandering has been 130 years – my years of life have been short and bad, and they have not reached the ages of my ancestors in their wanderings.10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left Pharaoh’s presences. 12 And Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a plot in the land of Egypt in the best of the land of the region of Ramses, as Pharaoh had ordered.
III. Law as Commentary: Competition at Home
15. בראשית כט:ל-לג
ל וַיָּבֹא גַּם אֶל-רָחֵל, וַיֶּאֱהַב גַּם-אֶת-רָחֵל מִלֵּאָה; וַיַּעֲבֹד עִמּוֹ, עוֹד שֶׁבַע-שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת. לא וַיַּרְא יְקוָק כִּי-שְׂנוּאָה לֵאָה, וַיִּפְתַּח אֶת-רַחְמָהּ; וְרָחֵל, עֲקָרָה. לב וַתַּהַר לֵאָה וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן, וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ רְאוּבֵן: כִּי אָמְרָה, כִּי-רָאָה יְקוָק בְּעָנְיִי–כִּי עַתָּה, יֶאֱהָבַנִי אִישִׁי. לג וַתַּהַר עוֹד, וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן, וַתֹּאמֶר כִּי-שָׁמַע יְקוָק כִּי-שְׂנוּאָה אָנֹכִי, וַיִּתֶּן-לִי גַּם-אֶת-זֶה; וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ, שִׁמְעוֹן.
And he married Rachel and loved her more than he loved Leah, and he continued to work for Lavan for 7 more years. And God saw that Leah was despised, and He opened her womb, and Rachel remained barren. And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son: and she called him “Reu’ven” , for she said, “For God has seen (ראה) my poverty, for now my husband will love me.” And she conceived and birthed another son, and she said, “For God has heard(שמע) that I am despised, and He has given me this one as well; and she called him “Shim’on.”
16. בראשית מט:ג
ג רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹרִי אַתָּה, כֹּחִי וְרֵאשִׁית אוֹנִי…
Reuven, you are my firstborn, my strength and the first of my strength…
17. דברים כא:טו-יז
טו כִּי-תִהְיֶיןָ לְאִישׁ שְׁתֵּי נָשִׁים, הָאַחַת אֲהוּבָה וְהָאַחַת שְׂנוּאָה, וְיָלְדוּ-לוֹ בָנִים, הָאֲהוּבָה וְהַשְּׂנוּאָה; וְהָיָה הַבֵּן הַבְּכֹר, לַשְּׂנִיאָה. טז וְהָיָה, בְּיוֹם הַנְחִילוֹ אֶת-בָּנָיו, אֵת אֲשֶׁר-יִהְיֶה, לוֹ–לֹא יוּכַל, לְבַכֵּר אֶת-בֶּן-הָאֲהוּבָה, עַל-פְּנֵי בֶן-הַשְּׂנוּאָה, הַבְּכֹר. יז כִּי אֶת-הַבְּכֹר בֶּן-הַשְּׂנוּאָה יַכִּיר, לָתֶת לוֹ פִּי שְׁנַיִם, בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר-יִמָּצֵא, לוֹ: כִּי-הוּא רֵאשִׁית אֹנוֹ, לוֹ מִשְׁפַּט הַבְּכֹרָה.
If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other despised, and both the beloved and despised have borne him sons, but the first born is the son of the despised 16wife — when he leaves his inheritance to his sons he may not prefer the son of the beloved wife over the elder son of the despised wife. He must acknowledge the first born son of the despised wife and give him the double portion. For he is the first of his strength and to him is the birthright due.
What is the Goal?
18. Erich Auerbach, “Odysseus’ Scar,” Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature, trans. Willard R. Trask. Princeton, 1953, repr. 1974, chapter 1. Far from seeking, like Homer, merely to make us forget our own reality for a few hours, it seeks to overcome our reality: we are to fit our own life into its world, feel ourselves to be elements in its structure of universal history.
19. Robert Cover, Nomos and Narrative, 22-23:
To inhabit the biblical normative world is to understand, first, that the rule of succession can be overturned; second, that it takes a conviction of divine destiny to overturn it; and third, that divine destiny is likely to manifest itself precisely in overturning this specific rule…
