The 10th sugia of our Av Mishna חגיגה begins on :ו and terminates on .ז. Talmudic common law stands upon bringing precedents, meaning – it requires a person, irregardless of the current generation, to make logical compare and contrast case studies. The Talmud exists as the sealed masoret of the Jewish people. But does learning the Talmud as common law limit itself to only bringing other cases present within the Talmudic literature itself?
This question has no simple answer. The prophets, beginning with Moshe our Teacher, command mussar. Halacha as found within the pages of the Talmud requires its accompanying Aggadita/T’NaCH, because the latter commands mussar. Therefore, as the learning of Gemara requires bringing precedents from other authoritative sources located from within the sealed masoret, so too the study of the T’Nach. Why?
No code, not the Talmud nor the T’NaCH, nothing possesses the power of perpetuity to encase the Oral Torah — anymore than can the Mishkan for all eternity contain the Shekina. HaShem does not compare to a genie trapped inside a bottle. Mussar can learn from all sources of nature, but the wise begin their mussar search with the T’NaCH.
The Baali Tosafot did not limit their comparative case study only to Talmudic sources. They however did not embrace the Tur collage of Reshon opinions. This commentator, for reasons previously communicated, respects the former and holds the latter in disdain.
Art theory or style has no one size fits all communism. Art reflects the environment wherein the artist lives. Prehistoric art painted on cave walls radically differs from art painted in medieval Europe – even though the times in both cases expressed primitive barbarism.
Both the Mishna and Gemara exist as the products of either partial and total g’lut. The Rump Sanhedrin which existed during Roman domination of Judea, by no known measure of comparison qualifies as an Independent Jewish State. Rather it served Roman interests to maintain this ‘lame duck‘ body till Caesar decided what he would do with the remaining Jewish rebel populations still remaining in ‘Palestine’.
Following the successive Jewish revolt disasters, wherein Titus destroyed Herod’s phooey Temple, and the later false messiah Bar Kokhba revolt; emperor Hadrian – having the nomen name of Aelius – changed the name of Jewish Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina. By decree, Jews could not live within the walls of that city.
By modern comparison, wannabe ‘Spice Girls’, the Arabs refer to Jerusalem as al-Quds. Had Arabs defeated the Jews in 1948, they would have thrown the remaining Jewish populations into the sea…at least until Britain and France restored the mandate of their imperialism over all of the Middle East, like as transpired following WW1.
The fly in the ointment of this pie in the sky stupidity, the United States. No western ally in Europe could sluff off President Truman like as did David Lloyd-George of Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France treated that inept reactionary progressive Woodrow Wilson. This Rodney Dangerfield progressive comedian, ‘never got any respect’. Not in the Capitals of Europe, nor among Republicans in general and Senate majority leader Henry Cabot Lodge in particular.
The exhausted German government trusted Wilson that the armistice would follow along the lines of his 14 points. But Wilson held little political sway over European leaders. The chances of Wilson imposing the stamp of his authority upon the Versailles Treaty – none. Clemenceau likewise ignored Ho Chi Minh. At Versailles, the French delegation refused to even consider his 8 point peace plan. The chutzpah of these colonial subjects … absurd. The idea that France would agree to surrender its Divine right to punish Germany, or abandon their colonial interests in Vietnam!
Following Wilson’s stroke, Edith, his second wife, and Dr. Grayson conspired to conceal his incapacity. During that time, Madam President Edith, likewise despised her husband’s principle favoring self determination. Like a bitch on a leash, the US chased after British imperialism, and invaded Russia. But neither the generals nor the soldiers possessed the heart to conquer Bolshevik Russia. For the first time, the American people, entangled in European imperial intrigues, lost a war fought upon foreign soil. So much for obeying the advice given by President Washington!
The sealing of the masoret has given Jews equality unto the revelation of HaShem for all eternity. Mussar applies equally to all generations. But the bedrock of our mussar faith begins with the T’NaCH – its our kabbala of prophetic mussar. Just as the study of Talmud stands by means of precedents, so too the learning of the T’NaCH. Torah learning begins with a blessing.
ראה נא בענינו, וריבה ריבנו, וגאלנו גאלה שלמה מהרה למען שמך, כי אל גואל חזק אתה: ברוך אתה ה’, גואל ישראל. ישעיה מט: ה – ו. ויאמר נקל מהיותך לי עבד להקים את שבטי יעקב, ונצירי ישראל להשיב, ונתתיך לאור גוים להיות ישועתי עד קצה הארץ.
What does this mussar command? Torah, the Goyim have never accepted. Therefore the Jews dwelling among the Goyim, herein the meaning of לאור גוים. The stories of the women of Lot, what mussar do they teach, viewed from the perspective of king Balak and his attempt to curse Israel? Ruth laying at the feet of Boaz in the night. The Book of Ruth teaches on the mensch code as expressed through the mitzva of יבמות – the opening Av Mishna of the Order of Women.
Two opposing Yatzir poles define the struggle of faith: the generation of the Wilderness stands opposite from the generation who conquered the nations within Canaan. Compare ישעיה ב:א-ד. The Yatzir tuma within Goyim serves as the standard wherein HaShem judges the Cohen nation. Can a man do t’shuva upon his tuma Yatzir? This question applies equally to all Man Kind. But the spirituality taught by all Goyim religions, fails to comprehend the spirit of the tuma Yatzir within the human heart. This tuma Yatzir lives within us, as a consequence of eating from the Tree of Good and Evil/Peace and War.
The pole ‘Art of Peace’ stands separate from its opposite pole ‘Art of War’. The pole ‘art of peace’ centers upon building trust among partners and allies. Whereas the latter tends to focus upon arts, science, and trade limited to Generals, Officers, and soldiers; the former leans upon dialogue and diplomacy, (organic) farming and ranching, and trade which rejects patronage monopolies that seek control of markets through Government intervention and bureaucratic regulation.
The pole ‘Art of Peace’ endeavors to expand the economic franchise to the common man, irrespective of race or gender. Giving citizens ‘their Share’ by building internal lines of alliance, transport of goods and materials from farms and ranches to cities. The tributary trade routes links rural and urban societies unto the main North African trade route.
The pole ‘Art of Peace’ works toward the goal of building good name reputations where people trade in confidence with one another. This strategy requires negotiations conducted through trusted judicial courts. The judges debate the fair price of goods and services. One judge takes the side of the merchandise vendor, an opposing judge takes the side of the consumer. The third neutral judge arbitrates between the price arguments made by these two opposing judges, and determines fair market values.
This Court compares to the cashiers at supermarkets. Transaction Courts require well organized and structured business trading, and establish ideal trading location centers. Like any serious endeavor, business requires passion. But the Achilles’ heel of passion – people lose their sense of objectivity.
Transaction Courts provide services of product knowledge and objectivity, market research, professional advice, good customer care, assist business novices, enhance communication skills of both buyer and seller, establish margins of profit, reduce business trading weariness.
The pole ‘Art of Peace’, Order – the outcome of transaction courts – essentially establishes the top priorities which start with the proper preparation and conditions of the trade route usage. The opposite pole ‘the Art of War’, Governments tend to prioritze armies and manufacture weapons. They tend to focus upon their generals. Whereas the opposing pole build up the “trivial”, through the mensch code it works to build up “common” subordinates.
General Robert E. Lee following the battle of Chancellorsville declared concerning “Stonewall” Jackson: He
has lost his left arm; but I have lost my right.’ After the death of Stonewall, Lee never tried any more of his complicated movements, nor attempted to turn the enemy out of position by wide detours.
The mensch code endeavors to sanctify a dedication of the tohor Yatzir unto HaShem. This code trusts – that in war – HaShem fights the Gods whom alien armies worship. This concept of faith stands upon Moshe’s redemption of slaves from the crocodile of Egypt. Moshe cut the Sea of Reeds “trade route” which resulted in the destruction of the army of Par’o. The prophet Yehoshua likewise cut the brit of Gilgal; prior to initiating the wars of invasion against multiple kingdoms within Canaan.
Knowledge of the art of war, also called: military science, from my experience fails to address intangibles. The German High Command prior to WW1 made a ‘group think’ error. Blind assumptions of maxims, the expectation that good results will necessarily follow, the German High Command believed that the people of Belgium would offer little or no resistance; they likewise erred over the propaganda present which Germany gave to the Allies by invading neutral Belgium. They based their marching time tables upon the capabilities of professional soldiers, rather than drafted conscript soldiers marching in brand new boots and unaccustomed to cold food eat’n out of a tins.
The ‘Art of War’ most essentially develops skills wherein officers know as a bare minimum the middot of powers and limitations. The conflicting interests at stake among both national leaders but international allies. But during war, action surpasses thought. Meaning, that an officer needs to know, like a meditation, how well his band of brothers, soldiers under his command, work together. When soldiers bully and ostracize their peers, the officer in command loses both respect and authority.
The ‘Art of War’ rests upon soldiers obeying commands because of their awe for their commanders, and not because they have a bayonet pointed at their backs. Professional soldiers well know the harsh, brutal life, death and agony realities of war. Officers build their team partners by inspiring their soldiers to love their brothers; a tuma set of leaders, by contrast, they treat soldiers under their command as cannon fodder. Its the life of common soldier which often holds within his hands the scales of victory or defeat.
An Army stands upon the foundation of its lowest common denominator, and not only upon the genius of its generals. Tohor generals, when planning a campaign, weigh the interests of their soldiers as one of their first priorities in war. A general orders an attack, when this action saves the lives of his soldiers and contributes to crush the will of the enemy to continue hostilities. Officers compare to a sharp razor, either they humiliate the dignity of their men with a 1000 disciplinary nick scratches, or their leadership results in the shechita of the enemy.
Soldiers who despise or distrust their commanders do not fight with gusto and zest. The first priority of an Officer, he does not order his soldiers to fight in a campaign, when he can not guarantee the necessary supplies needed for war – starting with water, food, and clothing. War between nations explodes when one nation attacks, destroys, possibly even threatens another nation’s domestic or international vital supplies. Moshe did not attack Esau nor Mo’av because neither nation sought to humiliate of dignity of the poor, tired, and weak within Israel.
Stateless Arab refugee populations which attack internal avenues of travel within Israel, soldiers need to remove these populations to different locations within Israel. The Indian removal policy of President Andrew Jackson, the result of bitter conflicts between Indians and settler populations. Indians did not elect Jackson as their President, stateless refugee populations have no rights. Arab governments that condemn such a policy, Israel welcomes them to repatriate their Arab refugee populations.
Generals bear the responsibility of judging the strategic or tactical advantages enjoyed by the enemy and developing a counter strategy which negates this favorable prejudice. The Russian ‘Hugging tactic’ negated the German advantages of mobility; loss of Blitzkrieg restricted the Germans utilizing their air-armor-infantry – combined arms – in the Volga campaign. This ‘Hugging tactic’, severely hampered the Luftwaffe from supporting ground operations. Debris-strewn streets functioned something like tank traps, they restricted the ability of armor to support infantry operations.
Locked within the prison of Stalingrad, primed a counter attack opportunity. The Russians built up their forces and eventually encircled the German Sixth Army. Just as Goering failed to destroy the trapped British army at Dunkirk, like incompetence – his luftwaffe lacked the capabilities to supply General Paulus surrounded army at Stalingrad.
The arrogance of Nazi leadership, like a snake eating its tail, time and again the Nazi leader, together with his generals peed upon themselves. They committed the exact same military blunders, with their tails stuck between their legs. In the Mein Kampf Bible, Hitler condemned Germany’s defeat in 1918 – to the war fought on two fronts.
That mentally challenged megalomaniac assumed that Germany had already defeated England. Therefore he ordered the invasion of Russia. The pussy whipped German High Command bowed and scraped liked a cowed nigger before its enraged master. Not a single German general resigned his command to protest the interests of his troops.
During President Trump’s – clean the swamp campaign – several generals have resigned their command to protest against restoration of our Republic by dismantling Pax Americana. These status quo generals oppose the effort to end the post war – America as the world cop on the beat. Reduce Pentagon corruption and bloated Defense budgets? Not on my watch!
Contrast the Western Allies Berlin airlift (26 June 1948 – 30 September 1949). General Lucius D. Clay, in charge of the U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany, summed up the reasons for not retreating in a cable to Washington, D.C. on 13 June 1948: “There is no practicability in maintaining our position in Berlin and it must not be evaluated on that basis…. We are convinced that our remaining in Berlin is essential to our prestige in Germany and in Europe. Whether for good or bad, it has become a symbol of the American intent.” [ Airbridge to Berlin, “Background on Conflict” chapter 11].
Aircrews from the United States, the Royal Air Force, the Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African Air Forces together with French commercial planes, flew over 200,000 sorties. By termination of that airlift, they had doubled their original estimated goals; a peak achievement: a daily delivery totaling an amazing 12,941 tons. This air lift delivered more coal and cargo than previously transported into the city by rail! Forcing Stalin to concede defeat, even though militarily, the Red Army far outnumbered the Allies – especially in isolated Berlin.
Both poles stand upon the commandment ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. The Art of War seeks to build patriotism through the נמשל: to hate, detest, and despise the tuma enemy abomination. Evil leadership: if certain specific government leaders pursue after and embrace foreign customs and cultures, then these kapo like Jue donkeys sow doubt and confusion within the hearts of alliance brit folk. The Cohen nation, a tiny minute people. Mass popular pursuance, which clings unto the tuma Yatzir, brings all the Torah curses upon us – כרת.
The famous disputes between Hillel and Shammai teach the משל\נמשל pole within the tohor Yatzir.
בש”א הראייה שתי כסף והחגיגה מעה כסף. ובה”א הראייה מעה כסף והגיגה שתי כסף.
Something like נעשה ונשמע at Sinai.
דתנן פרק תשיעי שבת: מנין לפולטת שכבת זרע ביום השלישי שהיא טמאה? שנאמר (שמות יט) היו נכונים לשלשת ימים. דף פח. ת”ש דתניא בסדר עולם ניסן שבו יצאו ישראל ממצרים בארבעה עשר שחטו פסחיהן בחמשה עשר יצאו ואותו היום ע”ש היה. ומדריש ירחא דניסן ערב שבת. ריש ירחא דאייר חד בשבא. וסיון בתרי בשבא. קשיא לר’יוסי אמר לך ר’ יוסי הא מני רבנן היא. עיין שם.
The mensch code learns from preparations made to accept the Torah at Sinai. This foundation learns from shabbot. To keep shabbot likewise requires making prior preparations. Belief systems, popular in avoda zara recognize no need to make prior preparations. The whole point of acceptance of the Torah at Sinai, this great event for ever separated the Cohen nation from the Goyim, specifically distinguishing between tohor and tuma.
War contrasts with peace. The regel and yom tov – both center on respecting the dignity of our people. If we abhor and despise the poor among our people, how do we differ from the enemy invader who detests and despises the people within the country that foreign army invades? The measure wherein the people within a living generation confront Amalek corresponds to the measure that HaShem makes war against the Gods worshiped by enemy countries during a war.
Amalek crushed the weak, sick, and destitute; he despise the dirty stinking stranger and haggler – who pleads for aid, assistance, and loans. The eternal war of HaShem against Amalek serves as mussar whose נמשל warns against – the tuma Yatzir within the heart of our People, for all generations throughout all eternity. King Shaul lost the kingdom because he rebelled and caused the tuma Yatzir to prevail within his heart. Man judges his peers through external appearances, but HaShem judges which Yatzir dominates the heart.
Just as shabbot comes once a week and requires preparations, so too and how much more so to guard against the tuma Yatzir likewise requires preparations. The faith of the Cohen nation: Israel prepare to meet HaShem. Derech Eretz precedes the revelation of the Torah at Sinai.
How can a man work and mature his middot if that man lacks the skills required to discern between tohor middot? A Cohen who fails to focus upon tohor awareness and thoughts, might dedicate his avodat HaShem services during a rage of anger – כרת. Tohor middot share no common denominator with a race which determines who reaches first to the altar. The mitzva of mezuza, it serves to warn brit Man to dedicate his tohor middot prior to entering unto his house. How does a Man plant the seeds of joy within the hearts of his family?
This basic question most essentially defines the נמשל inference learned from this
Hillel and Shammai dispute. To do avodat HaShem with joy, most essentially defines the mussar commanded by all the Prophets. The famous halachic codes codified during the bitter g’lut of medieval barbarism fail to “stick” this question to each and every halacha; comparable to king Shaul dedicating korbanot while keeping the king of Amalek still alive.
דף ו: ור’ עקיבא אומר, כללות ופרטים נאמרו בסיני, נשנו באהל מועד, ונשתלשי בערבות מואב.
The difference between the name Avram and Avraham – brit mela. Consider the prophetic mussar rebuke: ישעיה כח:ה – ל:יח. Through the mensch code brit man endures wars conducted between Goyim and waits in confidence for the birth of Yitzak: meaning the planting and harvesting the different and multiple “species” types which distinguish the Jewish people within our homelands.
This sugia addresses the complexities of mitzvot observance. It contrasts with the mussar commanded by ישעיה who, according to this interpretation, refers to mitzvot observance to something alike to keeping halacha as codified within the tuma codes.
את מי יורה דעה? ואת מי יבין שמועה? גמולי מחלב, עתיקי משדים? כי צו לצו צו לצו קו לקו קו ללקו זעיר שם זעיר שם וכו’.
The name יורה דעה, one of the names of the 4 Orders of the Arba’ah Turim Ve’Shulchan Aruch! This commentary learns the mussar given by the prophet as a harsh bitter rebuke. The Arba’ah Turim Ve’Shulchan Aruch transform the contempt within this mussar, and change it unto some perverted badge of honor; comparable to gay pride parades – whose marchers possess no shame, but with inflated balloon like pride, they march down the streets of Jerusalem! These codes embrace and hold in the highest esteem the exact error which the prophet, in the Name of HaShem, condemns.
The Torah never commanded from Israel korbanot. Rather the Torah teaches, it commands mussar. The sh’itta by which Moshe and all the prophets instruct: משל\נמשל. Confusing the משל with its inferential נמשל, directly compares to Jews who demand equal rights for sexual perverts. The Torah brit stands upon the commitment of dedication among our people – not to do acts of theft, oppression [false witness], ערוה, or tuma courts among our people. These 4 Orders define the brit faith alliance of trust commanded by all Torah and NaCH prophets. Tuma Judges directly learn from tuma Cohonim dedicating blemished korbonot upon the defiled altar of HaShem – כרת.
דף ו: דתניא ר’ יוסי הגלילי אומר: שלש מצות נצטווישראל בעלותם לרגל ראייה, וחגיגה, ושמחה. יש בראייה שאין בשתיהן. ויש בחגיגה שאין בשתיהן. יש בשמחה שאין בשתיהן. יש בראייה שאין בשתיהן, שהראייה עולה כולה לגבוה, מה שאין כן בשתיהן. יש בחגיגה מה שאין בשתיהן. שחגיגה ישנה לפני הדיבור, מה שאין בשתיהן. יש בשמחה מה שאין בשתיהן, שהשמחה נוהגת באנשים ובנשים, מה שאין בשתיהן.
Our Gemara speculates that the Tribe of Levi remained tohor after the spies spoke l’shon ha’ra against the land. This commentator opposes this interpretation. The decree of g’lut brought the din of tuma upon the entire generation including Moshe the prophet himself. For 40 years the Shekina departed from Moshe. Our people compare to a small boat sailing across an ocean. Come a hurricane storm, all the lives on that boat become threatened.
Furthermore, Levi shared communial tents with tuma Israel. In cases of doubt our sages asked concerning a suspect bird, unto which birds did it flock with? There in that case the sage ruled that the suspect bird as tuma, due to the tuma status of its friends and associates.
How to learn the mussar commandment of עמוס ה?
הזבחים ומנחה הגשתם לי במדבר ארבעים שנה בית ישראל?
This question the prophet answers in the closing p’sukim within that sugia. No. Israel can not offer korbanot, much less observe mitzvot in tuma g’lut. The G’lut נמשל learns to a person who goes to the mikveh while holding a dead rat. The ashes of the Red Hefer has no power to turn the tuma of a dead person unto tohora. The נמשל inference learned from the g’lut משל – tuma/death.
Chag ט’ באב functions as the private in the “army” of חגיגה. Observance of ט’ באב within Israel should sharply contrast with remembering that same mitzva in g’lut. The latter emphasizes sorrow and sadness, Jews do not place tefillen during שחרית. Observance of this chag within the borders of the Jewish state, this mitzva compares to the joys expressed during Purim. In both cases Israel achieved t’shuva. The Wilderness generation in the 40th year dug their graves. In the morning, they rose up from those same graves! These gere tzeddek, new creations, they did not thereafter dance, sing, and shout for joy?
Avodat HaShem – that’s the mensch code. Construction of a building made from wood and stone does not cause g’lut Israel to do t’shuva. The gross error of g’lut, Jews mourn the destruction of Herod’s tuma phooey Temple. The prophet Shmu’el anointed David as king based upon the precedent wherein HaShem rejected Shaul as king. But Jews in g’lut can not keep mitzvot. Shmu’el anointed David as moshiach for him to sanctify both himself and Israel to keep the commandments of Moshe the prophet.
Such a moshiach has no power to redeem Israel from g’lut. Only t’shuva wherein our people cling to the mensch code by learning the logic of Oral Torah middot has the power to transform our assimilated people back unto the Cohen nation. The redemption of the Jewish people does not depend upon the son of Jesse. Rather the geula of the Jewish people from g’lut rests upon the t’shuva made by the common man.
The next closing sugia of our Av Mishna חגיגה
דף ד: אמר מרכל זכורך לרבות את הקטנים. והתנן: חוץ מחרש שוטה וקטן. אמר אביי, לא קשיא. כאן בקטן שהגיע לחינוך. כאן בקטן שלא הגיע לחינוך. קטן שהגיע לחינוך דרבנן היא. אין ה”נ וקרא אסמכתא בעלמא. אלא קרא למאי אתא לכדאחרים? דתניא אחרים אומרים המקמץ והמצרף נחשת והבורסי – פטורין מן הראייה. משום שנאמר (שמות כג) כל זכורך. מי שיכול לעלות עם כל זכורך יצאו אלו שאינן ראיין לעלות עם כל זכורך.
What mussar does this closing sugia of our Mishna come to teach? It compares Jews living in g’lut to that of the scraper, the copper-smith and the tanner. The chag of ט’ באב commemorates the loss of our national dignity, wherein Jerusalem became a tributary of foreign empires. The mensch code applies equally to all Jewish people. Either we accept the burden to raise and uplift the dignity of our people or we behave like uneducated children and choose to kiss the calves of g’lut.
Herein concludes the second of the 6 Orders of the Mishna.
Conflict Resolution 