Pisqa’ 34

1

“And drill them (shinantem)¹ into your sons” (Dt.6:7).

Let them be sharpened in your mouth,

so that if someone asks you about a text,

you will not mumble through it,

but will rather reply unhindered.

For indeed He states:

“Say to wisdom—you are my sister! And call understanding your intimate!” (Prov.7:4).

And He says:

“Bind them upon your fingers, inscribe them on the tablet of your heart!” (Prov.7:3).

And He says:

“Your arrows ² stand sharpened . . .” (Ps.45:6).

What is the reward for this diligence?

“Peoples will fall at your feet” (Ps.45:6).

And He says:

“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior—

so are the children of one’s youth!”³ (Ps.127:4).

What is said of them?

“Fortunate is the man who fills his quiver with them;

they shall not be put to shame

when contending with the enemy in the gate!” (Ps.127:5).

2

Another word:

“And drill them into your sons” (Dt.6:7)—

these words are to be drilled [in the Shema-liturgy],

but “Consecrate each Firstling to Me” (Ex.13:2)

and “When HASHEM has brought you into the Land” (Ex.13:11)

need not be [liturgically] drilled? ⁴

Now, we might reason [otherwise]:

If the verse:

“Instruct them to make fringes” (Nu.15:37-38)—

which is not [among the verses]

bound [into the prayer-amulets]—

is nevertheless drilled

[in the twice-daily Shema-liturgy],

the verses:

“Consecrate each Firstling” (Ex.13:2), and,

“When HASHEM has brought you” (Ex.13:11)—

which are [among the verses]

bound [into the prayer-amulets]—

shouldn’t they also be included in [the text of] the drill?

[Nevertheless,] the Teaching states:

“And drill them” (Dt.6:7)—

these [Nu.15:37-38] are included [in the text of] the drill,

but “Consecrate each Firstling to Me” (Ex.13:2), and,

“When the LORD has brought you” (Ex.13:11)

need not be included [in the text of] the drill.

But I can still say:

If the verse:

“HASHEM said to Moses” (Nu.15:37)—

which is preceded by other commandments—

is, indeed, drilled

[in the twice-daily Shema-liturgy],

shouldn’t the Ten Utterances,

which are not preceded by other commandments,

also be included in text of the drill?

You can frame this logically

[to reach the opposite conclusion]:

If “Consecrate each Firstling” (Ex.13:2 ) and

“When HASHEM has brought you” (Ex.13:11),

which are bound [into the prayer-amulets],

are not [included] in [the text of] the drill,

shouldn’t the Ten Utterances,

which are not bound [into the prayer-amulets],

also not be included in the text of the drill?

Look—the verse, “HASHEM said to Moses” (Nu.15:37),

illustrates the case of the Ten Utterances.

For even though the Ten Utterances are not bound in the prayer-amulets,

they should have been included in the text of the drill!

[Nevertheless,] The Teaching states [the rule as follows]:

“and drill them into your sons” (Dt.6:7)—

these verses must be drilled [in the Shema-liturgy],

but the Ten Utterances need not be drilled.

3

“Your sons” (Dt.6:7)—

these are your disciples.

And so do you find everywhere that

disciples are called sons,

for it is said:

“And the sons of the prophets who were in Bet El went out to Elisha” (2 Ki.2:3).

Now, were they indeed the offspring of prophets?

Weren’t they disciples?

Rather, on this basis we know that

disciples are called sons.

And similarly He says:

“And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho drew near to Elisha” (2 Ki.2:5).

Now were they indeed the offspring of prophets?

Weren’t they disciples?

In fact, disciples are called sons!

And so do you find with Hezekiah, the king of Judah,

that he taught the entire Torah to Israel,⁵

and he called them sons.

For it is said: “My sons! Do not be lazy” (2 Chron.29:11).

And just as the disciples are called sons,

so is the Master called Father,

as it is said:

“And Elisha . . . cried out, my father, my father!” (2 Ki.2:12).

And He says:

“Elisha was ill . . . and he fell on his face, saying: my father, my father!” (2 Ki.13:14).

4

“And discourse upon them” (Dt.6:7).

Make them primary rather than secondary,

so that your deliberations focus upon them alone.

And may you not confuse them with alien topics—

like So-and-So!⁶

Lest you say:

I’ve learned the wisdom of Israel,

I’ll now go (‘eilech) and learn the wisdom of the nations!⁷

The Teaching states:

“Observe my statutes . . . to walk (lalechet) with them” (Lv.18:4)—

but not to be free of them!

And similarly He says:

“[My wisdom] will be yours alone,

and foreigners have no share with you” (Prov.5:17).

And He says:

“When you walk (hithalechecha), it will guide you;

when you recline, it will preserve you;

when you awaken, it will converse with you” (Prov.6:22).

“When you walk, it will guide you”—

in the present eon.

“When you recline, it will preserve you”—

at the hour of death.

“When you awaken”—

in the Days of Messiah.

“It will converse with you”—

in the coming eon.⁸

5

“And when you recline” (Dt.6:7).

Is it possible to say that

one recites the Shema-liturgy

even if reclining at mid-day?

The Teaching states:

“And when you arise” (Dt.6:7).

Is it possible to say that

one recites even if he arose at mid-night?

The Teaching states:

“When you sit in your house,

and when you walk (lechtecha) the path (derech).” (Dt.6:7)—

the Torah speaks here

in terms of how people should act (derech ‘eretz)!

6

Once R. Ishmael was reclining while expounding Torah,

and R. Elazar b. Azariah stood erect.

The moment arrived for the Shema-liturgy.

R. Ishmael stood himself erect, while R. Elazar b. Azariah reclined.

Said to him R. Ishmael:

What’s this about, Elazar!

He replied: Ishmael, my brother!

They once asked a fellow:

why is your beard grown out?

He said to them:

this is to challenge those who destroy [the beard]!

Said R. Ishmael to him:

You reclined

in accord with the words of the House of Shammai,

and I stood erect

in accord with the words of the House of Hillel!⁹

Another word:

[Said R. Ishmael to him:

You reclined]

so that the [Shammaite] practice

not be deemed normative.

For the House of Shammai say:

in the evening everyone must recline and recite,

and in the morning they must stand.¹⁰

1. The root, sh-n-n, is etymologically related to “incise” and “tooth”. Hence, I render it as “drill” in the sense of inculcating by memorization. Cf. H: ad loc., ns.1, 2.
2. Arrows are likened to sharpness in uttering words of Torah.
3. The simile figures the sharpened arrows of Torah in the mouths of children reciting texts of Torah.
4. Compare the parallel logical arguments of Pisqa’ 35.1
5. Cf. Pisqa’ 32.7 above.
6. On the identification of So-and-So (peloni) with Elisha b. Avuyah (also known as ‘Akher—“the Other”), see F:61, l.16.
7. Likely a reference to Greek thought. See T. AZ. 1:20: “They asked R. Joshua: What is the ruling—should a man teach his son to read Greek? He replied; Let him study when it is neither night nor day.”
8. //ARNB:35.
9. //T. Ber. 1:4; cf. M. Ber. 1:3. The speakers assume that the Hillelite position requires no specific posture, while the Shammaites require reclining during the evening liturgical reading and standing in the morning.
10. //T.Ber. 1:4.