| Sep 08, 2010 / 29 Elul 5770 | Kol Shalom, Rockville, MD deb@kolshalom.com 301-493-8198 |
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CyberTorah Lesson 113 Kol Shalom Cyber Torah
Lesson 113 December 21, 2009
TRACTATE AVOT, CHAPTER THREE, MISHNAH FIVE:
Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai says: one who stays awake at night, who travels alone and who empties his thoughts to no purpose - such a person is endangering his soul.
The author of our present mishnah is Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai. (In some versions his name is given as Hananya ben-Hakhinai, but these are just variations on the same name.) Before we examine his teaching in our present mishnah let me review what is known about his background. Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai was a student of Rabbi Akiva, a contemporary of Rabbi Shimon bar-Yohai. In many ways Rabbi Shimon bar-Yohai can be considered to be extreme in his views and in his behavior; but Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai was certainly the more extreme of the two. Apparently, he studied with Rabbi Akiva not only halakhah but also the mystical tradition that was taking hold in the circles of the sages at that time. There is a mishnah [Ketubot 5:6] which seeks to define to what extent a woman may require the sexual attentions of her husband. (one of the rights that the Torah [Exodus 21:10] accords the married woman is onah, regular sex. Since this is a right, the sages needed to define the parameters of this right.) The mishnah in question seeks to define how long a husband may absent himself from his wife's company (assuming that he is healthy etc) thus depriving her temporarily of the right of onah. One who deprives his wife of sexual intercourse: Bet Shammai say two weeks, Bet Hillel say one week. Students may go off to study Torah without [the spouse's] permission for thirty days... What is required by onah as stipulated by the Torah? - Self-employed - daily; manual laborers - twice a week; ass-drivers - once a week; camel-drivers - once a month; sailors - once in six months...
Here the mishnah makes it quite clear that students who were away from home studying Torah with their chosen teacher were required to return home at least once a month.
The midrash [Vayyikra Rabbah 21:8] relates the following: Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai and Rabbi Shimon ben-Yohai went to study Torah with Rabbi Akiva in Bnei Brak. They spent thirteen years there. Rabbi Shimon ben-Yohai was in regular contact [with his home] and knew what was happening; Rabbi Hanina was not in contact to know what was happening at home. His wife sent him [a message] which said: "Your daughter is now of age; come [home] and see to her marriage."
But Rabbi Hanina was so engrossed in his studies that he ignored the message! Somehow or other Rabbi Akiva got to hear of the situation and announced in class: "Anyone who has a daughter of marriageable age must go [home immediately] and make arrangements." Of course, Rabbi Hanina had to obey his teacher and went home. Here is the story as given in the Gemara [Ketubot 62b]:
By the time he returned home the paths in his village had changed and he didn't know how to get home. So he went and sat down on the banks of the river where he heard one girl calling to another, "Bat-Hakhinai, bat-Hakhinai! Fill your basket [with laundry] and let's go!" He said to himself, "That must mean that this girl is ours." He followed her. His wife was sitting kneading flour; she happened to look up and caught sight of him. She swooned and fainted. He [thinking that she had died] said, "Dear Lord, is this the reward of this poor woman?" He prayed for her and she revived.
According to a very late midrash (from the post-Talmudic period) Rabbi Hanina ben-Hakhinai died a martyr's death during the Hadrianic persecutions after the disastrous Bar-Kokhba revolt in 135 CE. However, other sources omit his name from the list of ten sages who perished in that persecution. To be continued on January 4, 2010. Happy New Year!
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 Affiliated with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism |
