He Who Sits in Heaven Shall Laugh:

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Many Korean homes have a version of the Talmud and call it the “Light of Knowledge”; ... was not paying attention or was dozing off, he might tell stories which ...
Rabbi Elazar, Son of Rabbi Shimon: Transformation from Misanthropic Ascetic to Humanitarian by

Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D. Professor of Business Department of Business Management Murray Koppelman School of Business Brooklyn College, CUNY Email: [email protected]

Abstract Talmudic stories are a method used by the ancient sages to teach us about ethics and morality. This paper examines the life of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai. The most important and famous work of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), the Zohar, is attributed to Rabbi Shimon (with some assistance from his son) when living in a cave for 13 years. The Talmudic stories demonstrate Rabbi Elazar’s transformation from a misanthropic ascetic to a humanitarian willing to suffer for others. Keywords: Talmud, Talmudic stories, Shimon Bar Yochai, Elazar b. Shimon, Kabbalah, Ba’al Shem Tov, Chassidim.

Introduction

Solomon (2009: xi) affirms: “The Talmud, frequently censored and occasionally banned and burned by the Catholic Church, is one of the most influential, though seldom acknowledged or properly understood, writings of Late Antiquity.” There is a great deal of interest in the Talmud today, especially in much of Asia (Kremer, 2013) and Russia (Lipschiz, 2016). South Koreans have developed a fascination with the Talmud and have made it part of their curriculum. Many Korean homes have a version of the Talmud and call it the “Light of Knowledge”; they feel that the secret of Jewish success is hidden in the pages of the Talmud (Savir, 2013). The Talmud is also popular in China; there is a belief that it can give one an edge in conducting business (Fish, 2010). Socken (2009) provides several reasons why the Talmud is relevant today. Friedman and Fischer (2014) demonstrate how Avos (Ethics of the Fathers), one of the 63 tractates of the Talmud, can be used to make the world a better place. Z. H. Chajes (2005:195) states that the aim of the homiletic portion of the Talmud (aggadah) was to inspire people to serve the Lord. Also, if the lecturer noticed that the audience was not paying attention or was dozing off, he might tell stories which “sounded strange or terrifying or which went beyond the limits of the natural and so won the attention of his audience for his message.” Maimonides (1135 - 1204) describes individuals who take the homiletics of the Talmud literally as simple-minded fools, since there are hidden inner meanings in the stories, riddles, parables, etc. used in aggadah (Maimonides, Sanhedrin, Introduction to the Mishna, Chapter 10). Eisen (2007) notes that many respected scholars viewed aggadah as a parable or “rhetorical invention” for an educational or ethical purpose. Thus, we see that the stories told in

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the Talmud and Midrash, many of which are cited here, were not necessarily meant to be taken literally. Literal or not, these stories have important messages. Power of Stories Stories are an important way of teaching people lessons. According to Charlie Rose, “What sets TED talks apart is that the big ideas are wrapped up in personal stories” (Gallo, 2016: 63). This is why founding stories are used as a simple way to connect with stakeholders such as customers, investors, and employees (Bluestein, 2014). The creation myth is not an asset just for startups. As those businesses grow into established firms and individual founders figure less prominently, the origin story can serve as both a road map and moral compass. Keeping that story alive, keeping it true, and keeping it relevant--these are the challenges more mature businesses must contend with (Bluestein, 2014). Storytelling skills are important in the business world (Gallo, 2016). Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, was once trying to convince the mayor of Las Vegas to provide funding to support a new baseball stadium. He realized that the PowerPoint presentations filled with numbers were not doing the trick. It occurred to him that if you want to persuade others, a good story is more effective. The trick is to aim for a person’s heart and soul, not brain. The following quote from Guber says it all: “Stories have a unique power to move people’s hearts, minds, feet, and wallets in the storyteller’s intended direction” (Gallo, 2016: 56-57). One firm that discovered how impactful storytelling can be in getting employees to be engaged was KPMG, one of the big four accounting firms that is also into consulting: KPMG actually came up with a pretty extensive study not too long ago — they found that morale was declining somewhat. They were having all of those issues, especially around young people, that many global companies are having these days. And here’s where it saves us all a lot of work. They studied thousands of managers, and they sent out thousands of studies and surveys. And they came to the conclusion that people, young people, especially, wanted to be part of a bigger mission. A purpose. OK. We’re

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starting to understand that. That’s fine. Now, how do you teach them about the purpose of your company? Through storytelling. So they literally took their managers, and helped transform them all into storytellers, so that the managers were constantly telling stories of the history of KPMG — how KPMG has shaped the world; how they continue to shape industries and lives, and make the world a better place. And they said as they got immersed in the storytelling culture, engagement scores went up substantially. Turnover was reduced substantially. And this is a study that is online. They’ve broken it down. They’re showing to you empirically how profits began to soar. So in all of those empirical models that we look at, storytelling helped transform that company in a big way (Knowledge@Wharton, 2016).

Xerox discovered that repair personnel used stories rather than information in manuals as a way of finding out what was wrong with a machine. These stories were collected and are now part of a database (Eureka) that is worth millions to Xerox (Pink, 2006: 108). Medical schools are teaching future physicians to listen empathetically to patients’ ailments. These ailments are told in narrative form and the ability to interpret and respond to the stories is crucial if a doctor wants to heal the patient (Pink: 2006: 112). Friedman, Lynch & Herskovitz (2014) posit that ethics should be taught using a variety of tools ranging from YouTube videos to films to songs. They feel that cases, because they are limited to facts, generally lack the ability to “arouse the passion” of other approaches. Stories, even fiction, provide another method to teach ethics (Singer & Singer, 2005; Brawer, 1998; Kennedy & Lawton, 1992). Stories have the ability to arouse passion and teach important lessons. Aesop’s fables are often used by teachers to instruct disciples. The sages of the Talmud were not historians; they told stories. These stories are an ideal way of communicating important truths ranging from ethics to theology. Rubenstein (2002) makes the point that: The storytellers were not attempting to document “what actually happened” out of a dispassionate interest in the objective historical record,

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or to transmit biographical facts in order to provide pure data for posterity. This type of detached, impartial writing of a biography is a distinctly modern approach. Nowadays we distinguish biography from fiction…In pre-modern cultures, however, the distinction between biography and fiction was blurred. Ancient authors saw themselves as teachers, and they were more concerned with the didactic point than historical accuracy (Rubenstein, 2002:12). Many of the Talmudic stories were redacted hundreds of years after the events in the story took place. There are stories in the Talmud about biblical figures; the Talmud has many stories about Abraham and Moses. Even stories of Tannaim told by Amoraim might have been redacted hundreds of years later. Rubenstein (2002: 14) stresses that the correct question to ask about a Talmudic story is “What lesson did he [the storyteller] wish to impart to his audience?” and “What does the story teach us about rabbinic beliefs, virtues, and ethics?” Those are more important questions than whether the story is completely true, partially true, or a metaphor. To make it even more difficult to ascertain whether or not a story is literally true, some statements made by the sages were exaggerations. Thus, when Yehuda ben Beseira rises to his feet and makes the statement (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 92b) that “I am one of the descendants of the dried bones resurrected by Ezekiel and these are the tefillin that my father’s father left me from them,” this was an exaggerated statement made for effect (see commentary of ArtScroll). He was trying to make a point that the story in Ezekiel of the dry bones coming to life (Ezekiel 37) was not a parable, an opinion expressed by other sages. In any case, if his statement was literally true, his tefillin would have been several hundred years old. Translations of the Talmud used in this paper are mainly based on Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (available for free at Sefaria.org; William Davidson Talmud), ArtScroll, and Soncino (available for free at AWOL – The Ancient World Online or http://www.halakhah.com/).

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The names of the sages usually indicated the father’s name; the “b.” means ben (Hebrew) or bar (Aramaic) meaning son. For example, Elazer b. Shimon is Elazer the son of Shimon. This paper examines the life of Elazar, son of Shimon bar Yochai. What is interesting about him is his remarkable transformation from an ascetic misanthrope to a humanitarian.

Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon as Young Man In this story, we see Rabbi Elazar as a young man. Clearly, he had a huge appetite and incredible physical strength.

A number of merchants came one day to Sidon, where Rabbi Shimon dwelt. They came to buy grain, and brought with them their donkeys, and of course a sizable amount of money. The merchants were afraid to go to an inn, lest they be robbed of their money. So, knowing that Rabbi Shimon’s house was always open to wayfarers, they came to his house, leaving their donkeys outside. Rabbi Shimon was not home, but the merchants were made welcome by the young Elazar. They sat down to rest, and watched the young Elazar sitting by the oven, where fresh bread was baking. Presently Elazar’s mother began to take the loaves out of the oven. The merchants watched with amazement how the young Elazar was helping himself to the fresh loaves. No sooner was a loaf taken out from the oven than he ate it up. His mother kept on giving him the fresh loaves, and Elazar kept on eating them with an amazing appetite. Out of the oven and into his mouth! “Poor boy!” the merchants remarked to one another. “He must have a snake in his stomach, eating so much. Thank G-d there are not many like him, or there would be a terrible famine in the world!” Elazar pretended that he did not understand their tongue, and showed no offense. The merchants went to the market to look around what there was for them to buy, and left their donkeys tied to the fence outside Rabbi Shimon’s house. When they were gone, Elazar went outside, untied each donkey in turn, and swinging it over his shoulders as though it were a little lamb, he took the donkeys up, one by one, to the attic of the house.

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When the merchants returned and found that their donkeys were gone, they became quite alarmed. But then they noticed the young boy all smiles, and they understood that he was up to some mischief. The next moment they heard their donkeys braying, and the sound was coming from the attic! They climbed up the ladder, and there indeed were their donkeys. They wondered how on earth the donkeys got up there. They could hardly believe that the young boy could have hauled them all up to the attic! But what they were chiefly concerned with for the moment was how to get them down again. One had to have the strength of a giant to carry a donkey down the ladder, and they did not know what to do. So the merchants went to the Beth Hamidrash, where Rabbi Shimon was teaching, and told him their problem. “Did you perhaps offend my son?” Rabbi Shimon asked them. “Worshipful Master,” the merchants answered, “it was never our intention to offend your son. Besides, we did not know that he understood our language. But when we saw his amazing appetite, we could not help remarking to each other about it . . .” “I see now. You did offend him. For after all, what business was it of yours to criticize him? He was not eating anything that belonged to you, nor do you have to support him. But G-d, who gives life, provides each one according to his needs. Now I suggest that you go back to my son and apologize to him. Tell him that I asked him to forgive you.” “But our donkeys . . .” “Don’t worry. Leave it to my boy,” Rabbi Shimon said, and dismissed the merchants. The merchants went back to Elazar and apologized to him. They gave him his father’s message. Elazar readily forgave them. Then he went up to the attic and brought the donkeys down two at a time! Never had the merchants seen such a feat of strength in their lives, and giving the boy a look full of awe, they made their hasty departure. (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:14, Translation by Nissan Mindel, 2016)

Living Thirteen Years in a Cave with his Father Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (also spelled Yohai) was a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva supported Bar Kokhba in his revolt against the Romans (132 CE to 135 CE) and was tortured to death by them. It is not surprising that Rabbi Shimon hated the Romans. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Elazar spend 13 years in a cave hiding from the Romans.

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Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yosi, and Rabbi Shimon were once sitting, and Yehuda, a son of proselytes, was sitting near them. R. Yehuda commenced the discussion by observing [about the Romans who ruled Israel then]: “How admirable are the works of this people! They have established marketplaces, they have built bridges, they have erected bathhouses.'” Rabbi Yosi was silent. Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai answered and said: “All that they made they made for themselves; they built marketplaces, to set harlots in them; bathhouses, to beautify themselves; bridges, to levy tolls for them.” Now, Yehuda the son of proselytes went and related their talk, which reached the Roman government. They decreed: Yehuda, who exalted us shall be exalted; Yosi, who was silent, shall be exiled to Sepphoris; Shimon, who denigrated us, let him be executed. He and his son went and hid themselves in the study hall. Every day, his wife brought him bread and a mug of water and they ate. But when the decree became more severe, Shimon told his son: “The minds of women are easily swayed: she may be tortured and expose us.” So they went and hid in a cave. A miracle occurred and a carob-tree and a spring of water were created for them. They would strip their garments and sit up to their necks in sand. The whole day they studied; when it was time for prayers they would dress, covered themselves, and prayed. Then, they would strip off their garments again, so that they should not wear out. Thus they dwelt twelve years in the cave. One day, Elijah came and stood at the entrance to the cave and exclaimed: “Who will inform the son of Yochai that the Emperor is dead and his decree annulled?” So they emerged from the cave. Seeing a man plowing and sowing, they exclaimed: “They forsake life eternal and engage in life temporal!” Whatever they cast their eyes upon was immediately burnt up. Thereupon a Heavenly Voice came forth and cried out, “Have you emerged to destroy My world: Return to your cave!” So they returned and dwelt there twelve months. At that point they said: “The punishment of the wicked in Gehenna is limited to twelve months.” A Heavenly Voice then rang out and said, “Emerge from your cave!” They emerged from the cave. Wherever Rabbi Elazar destroyed something [with his fiery gaze], Rabbi Shimon would heal it. Said Rabbi Shimon to him: “My son! The world has enough total devotees to Torah study in you and me alone.” On the eve of the Sabbath before sunset, they saw an old man holding two bundles of myrtle and running at twilight. They asked him: “What are these for?” He replied: “They are in honor of the Sabbath,” They said: “But one should suffice you?” He replied: One is for zachor (remember) and one for shamor (observe) [The words Shamor and Zachor are used in the Torah regarding the Sabbath]. Said Rabbi Shimon to his son: “See how precious are the commandments to Israel.” After this they were comforted. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, Rabbi Shimon’s son-in-law [some say father-inlaw] heard thereof and went out to meet him. He took Rabbi Shimon into the bathhouse and massaged his flesh. Seeing the fissures in his skin, he

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wept and the tears streamed from his eyes. He cried out: “Woe to me that I see you in such a state!” Rabbi Shimon replied: “On the contrary. Happy are you that you see me thus. For if you did not see me in such a state you would not find me thus [so learned in Torah]. For originally, when R. Shimon ben Yochai raised a difficulty, R. Pinchas ben Yair would give him twelve answers, whereas subsequently [after being in the cave] when R. Pinchas b. Yair raised a difficulty, R. Shimon b. Yochai would give him twenty-four answers. Rabbi Shimon said: since a miracle has occurred to rescue me, let me go and fix something, for it is written (Genesis 33:18), “and Jacob came whole to the city of Shechem.” Rav interpreted this verse to mean, “Bodily whole, financially whole, and whole in his learning.” The verse says (Genesis 33:18): “And he encamped [the word for encamped, vayichan. also could mean showed grace] before the city.” Rav interpreted this to mean: “He instituted coinage for the city.” Shmuel said: “He instituted marketplaces for them.” Rabbi Yochanan said: “He instituted bathhouses for them.” [This shows that Jacob showed gratitude for the miracle that happened to him – he was not hurt by Esau – by improving the world.] Rabbi Shimon asked: “Is there something that needs improvement? They told him: “There is a place of doubtful uncleanness, and priests have the trouble of going round it.” Said Rabbi Shimon: “Does anyone know that there was a presumption of ritual cleanness here?” A certain old man replied: “Here Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai cut down lupines of terumah [thus it was ritually clean]. So he did likewise. Wherever the ground was hard, Rabbi Shimon declared it ritually clean; while wherever it was soft, he marked it as ritually unclean. The old man said sarcastically: “The son of Yochai has purified a cemetery!” Rabbi Shimon replied to him: “Had you not been with us when we set about our task, or even if you have been with us but did not vote, you might have said well. But now that you were with us and voted with us, what you said will have terrible consequences. It will be said, “Even harlots braid one another’s hair”; how much more so should scholars treat each other respectfully!” Rabbi Shimon cast his eye upon him, and he died. Then he went out into the street and saw Yehuda, the son of proselytes: “Is this one still in the world!” He cast his eyes upon him and he became a heap of bones (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbos 33b-34a; based on translation of Soncino and ArtScroll).

Zion (2014) sees this story as a way of teaching us which road to take: tikkun olam (repairing the world) or. vita contemplativa (contemplative life). There are several arguments about this in the Talmud. In fact, Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai is the proponent of the view “If a man

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plows at the time of plowing, sows at the time of sowing, harvests at the time of harvesting, threshes at the time of threshing, and winnows at the time of the blowing wind, what will become of the study of Torah?” (Babylonian Talmud, Berachos 35b). Rabbi Shimon felt that the ideal life was one in which the people merit that their work is done by others and the entire day is spent studying Torah. Rabbi Yishmael disagrees and asserts that the verse (Deuteronomy 11:14) “And you will gather in your grain” indicates that the ideal life is one in which earning a living is combined with Torah study. In this story, Rabbi Shimon and his son first spend 12 years in a cave living a monastic existence. When they leave, they cannot comprehend the life of the laborer, the person who plows and sows to make a living. God has no choice but to send them back into the “ivory tower” of the cave. They re-emerge a year later. The father has learned to appreciate the ways of the world; his son has not. The father has to repair everything his son is destroying. The father does teach his son to find comfort in the way the old man observes the Sabbath. Zion (2014) cites a source that says that the cave represents the intellect and contrasts with the way the old man worships God, i.e., with a “delicate and sensuous fragrance.” The story ends with Rabbi Shimon in a bathhouse allowing himself to be indulged. Zion (2014) observes: “While Bar Yochai had shown no appreciation of his wife’s concern for his physical wellbeing and disdained any dependence on others, now he accepts graciously that kind of loving physical care from his father-in-law.” Rabbi Shimon not only enjoys a good bath in a bathhouse made by the Romans, he interprets a verse regarding the Patriarch Jacob to mean fixing a city. Jacob showed gratitude to God by tikkun olam (repairing the world), not studying Torah. In fact, according to one opinion, he established bathhouses. Zion (2014) concludes:

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In summing up the plot trajectory of Bar Yohai, note how he has now been domesticated almost completely, turning from a detractor to a promoter of civilization, from otherworldly Torah scholar to a world-repairing scholar who uses his legal wisdom to make life easier for priests going to market. He heals rather than damages, he feels gratitude for rather than disdain for the material world… However he has not become a milktoast, a nebach peacenik like the rabbinic view of Hillel as the lover of peace always seeking compromise. Bar Yohai still uses his charismatic powers to punish extra-legally, in a vigilante way… Bar Yohai’s extremism has not been lost but simply redirected…Bar Yohai believes that forms of worldly corruption can be eradicated and he acts decisively (Zion, 2014). Incidentally, the most important and famous work of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), the Zohar, is attributed to him and said to have been written by him (with some assistance from his son) when living in the cave. We have seen the transformation of Rabbi Shimon. What happens to his son, Elazar ben Shimon? One suspects that the next story happened after the 13 years spent in a cave. Indeed, Hyman (1987: p. 211) states that this story took place after Rabbi Shimon and his son left the cave. Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon still had little respect for ordinary people.

Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon and the Ugly Person This story demonstrates how a scholar can become arrogant and show disrespect for an ordinary person. It is not surprising that living in a cave for thirteen years made Rabbi Elazar somewhat insensitive. There is some question as to whether the story is about Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon or Shimon ben Elazar. In fact, in Avos DeRabbi Nassan, the story is attributed to Shimon ben Elazar. In the Steinsaltz Talmud, the story is ascribed to Elazar b. Shimon. Hyman (1987: p. 211) also attributes the story to Elazar b. Shimon. Once Rabbi Elazar son of R. Shimon was coming from Migdal Gedor, from his teacher’s house. He rode on his donkey along the riverbank, and

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was feeling very happy and proud because he had studied much Torah. There chanced his way an exceedingly ugly person, who greeted him: "Peace be upon you, my teacher!" R. Elazar did not return the greeting to him but instead replied: "Empty one! How ugly is that man! Are all the people of your city perhaps as ugly as you?" The man replied: "I do not know. But go and tell the craftsman who made me, ‘How ugly is the vessel which you have made!’" Realizing that he had sinned, R. Elazar dismounted from his donkey, prostrated himself before the man, and said to him: "I have spoken out of turn to you. Forgive me!" But the man replied, "I will not forgive you until you go to the craftsman who made me and say to him, 'How ugly is the vessel which you have made.'" R. Elazar kept on walking after him seeking his forgiveness until he reached his city. The residents of his city came out to greet Rabbi Elazar, saying, "Peace be upon you, O Teacher! O Teacher! O Master! O Master" Said the man to them, "Whom are you calling 'Master'?" They said to him: "The person walking behind you." He said to them: "If this is a ‘teacher,' may there not be any more like him in Israel." They said to him: "Why so?" The man said to them: He did such-and-such to me. They said to him: "Nevertheless, forgive him, for he is a man greatly learned in the Torah." He said to them: "For your sakes I will forgive him but only if he does not act this way anymore." Soon after this R. Elazar entered the study hall and taught: "A person should always be pliant as the reed, and not as hard like a cedar. And it was for this reason the reed merited that of it should be made a pen for the writing of the Torah scrolls, tefillin and mezuzot." (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 20a-20b; based on ArtScroll translation).

The commentaries are surprised by the behavior of Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon. It is true that scholars often have little respect for ordinary people but this is highly unusual. Some commentaries believe that Rabbi Elazar mistook this person for a thug based on his appearance. He may have thought that the greeting was meant in a sarcastic tone. In any case, the lesson is an important one about tolerance and not judging people by how they look. Blau (n.d.) citing various sources points out that there is no other mention of the town of “Migdal Gedor.” This suggests that the entire story may be symbolic. The term migdal means tower and gedor means fence. Scholars often find themselves living in towers behind fences (we often complain about the ivory tower of academe). This story teaches us that scholars have to be part of the outside world. Blau concludes: “Torah [i.e., spirituality] was never meant to hide

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from the world, calling the world ugly from behind a tall boundary. Torah was meant to transform the world.” In any case, it is quite plausible to assume that this story transformed Rabbi Elazar. He seems to be a different person in the next story. Rabbi Elazar becomes a police officer working for the Roman authorities using his brilliance to capture criminals. He did, however, incur the wrath of some of the sages and his teacher even called him “vinegar son of wine” for being responsible for the execution of so many criminals.

Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon Becomes a Police Officer Working for the Romans

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, found a certain officer [parhagavna] whose responsibility was to arrest thieves. He said to the officer: How are you able to arrest them? Aren’t they likened to beasts, as it is written (Psalms 104:20)?: “You make darkness and it is night, in which all the beasts of the forest creep forth” There are those who say that he said to him a proof from this verse (Psalms 10:9): “He lies in wait in a secret place as a lion in his lair, he lies in wait to catch the poor; he catches the poor when he draws him up in his net.” Since the wicked are so devious, perhaps you apprehend the righteous and leave the wicked alone? The officer said to him: But what should I do? It is the king’s edict [harmana] that I must arrest thieves, and I am performing my job to the best of my ability. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, said to him: Come and I will instruct you how you should do it. At the fourth hour of the day enter the tavern. When you see someone drinking wine, holding his cup in his hand, and dozing, inquire about his background. If he is a Torah scholar and is dozing, assume that he rose early in the morning for his studies. If he is a daytime laborer, assume that he rose early and performed his work. And if his work is at night and no one heard him working, it is possible that this is because he draws copper wires, which is a form of labor that does not produce noise. And if he is none of these, he is a thief, and you should arrest him, as it can be assumed that he was awake the previous night because he was stealing, and that is why he is now dozing off. [Obviously, Rabbi Elazar meant that he should be arrested after a thorough investigation.]

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This matter of the advice of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was heard in the king’s palace. The king’s ministers said: Let the reader of the letter be its messenger [parvanka], i.e., since Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, offered this advice, he should be the one to implement it. They brought Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, to the authorities who appointed him to this task, and he proceeded to arrest thieves. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcḥa sent Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, the following message: “You are vinegar, son of wine,” i.e., you are wicked in comparison to your father, the righteous Rabbi Shimon, just as vinegar is spoiled wine. Until when will you inform on the nation of our God to be sentenced to execution by a gentile king’s court? Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, sent a message back to him: I am merely eradicating thorns from the vineyard, i.e., I am removing the wicked from the Jewish people. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcḥa sent back to him: Let the Owner of the vineyard, i.e., God, come and eradicate His own thorns. It is not your place to do this. The Talmud relates: One day, a certain laundryman met Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, and called him vinegar, son of wine. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, said: From the fact that this man acted so insolently by vilifying a Torah scholar, one can conclude that he is a wicked person. He told the authorities: Arrest that man. They arrested him and condemned him to death. After his mind settled, i.e., when his anger abated, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, regretted his hasty decision. He went after the laundryman in order to ransom him and save him from execution, but he was unable to do so. He read the verse about him (Proverbs 21:23): “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps his soul from troubles,” i.e., had the laundryman not issued his derogatory comment he would have been spared this fate. Ultimately, they hanged the laundryman. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, stood beneath the gallows and wept. Those who were present said to him: Our teacher, let it not be bad in your eyes that you caused his death, as this laundryman was a wholly wicked person; you should know that he and his son both engaged in intercourse with a betrothed young woman on Yom Kippur. Upon hearing this, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, placed his hand upon his belly, over his innards, and said: Rejoice, my innards, rejoice! If your mere suspicions are so accurate, all the more so your certainties must be correct. If the condemnation of this man based upon the suspicions raised by his insolence proved to be correct, the identification of thieves in accordance with logical reasoning must certainly be accurate. I am assured about you, my innards, that worm and maggot will not affect you, which is a sign of a completely righteous person.

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Nevertheless, his mind was not calmed. He decided to test himself. He arranged for people to give him a sedative to drink, and they brought him into a house of marble, where surgeries were performed, and cut open his belly. They removed baskets upon baskets of fat from it, placed them in the hot sun in the summer months of Tammuz and Av, and the fat did not putrefy. In this manner, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, received proof that his decisions were correct and that he was a wholly righteous individual. The Talmud questions what the proof was: This is not sufficient proof, as all fat that is not attached to flesh does not putrefy. The Talmud answers: True, all fat not attached to flesh does not putrefy, but the red veins within the fat do putrefy. Here, by contrast, although there were red veins in the fat, they did not putrefy, which is a sign of his righteousness. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, read the verses about himself (Psalms 16:8-9): “I have set the Lord always before me…therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also dwells in safety” (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 83b; based on translation by Sefaria.org).

The Huge Belly of Rabbi Elazar Rabbi Elazar has changed in more ways than one. He not only works for the Roman authorities but has become incredibly obese. He has such a huge stomach that a noblewoman once told him that there was no way he could have intercourse with his wife and that clearly his children were not his (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 84a). Apparently, he was no longer living on a simple diet of carob and water (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 83b – 84b). The size of his belly is an exaggeration. Quite possibly, the Talmud is purposely exaggerating his girth to emphasize that he was no longer an ascetic.

When Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yose, and Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, would meet each other, it was possible for a pair of oxen to enter and fit between them, under their bellies, without touching them, due to their excessive obesity. A certain Roman noblewoman [matronita] once said to them: Your children are not really your own, as due to your obesity it is impossible that you engaged in intercourse with your wives. They said to her: Theirs, i.e., our wives’ bellies, are larger

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than ours. She said to them: All the more so you could not have had intercourse. There are those who say that this is what they said to her (Judges 8:21): “For as the man is, so is his strength,” i.e., our sexual organs are proportionate to our bellies. There are those who say that this is what they said to her: Love compresses the flesh (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 84a; based on translation by Sefaria.org).

Rabbi Elazar Accepts Suffering Upon Himself In the latter part of his life, Rabbi Elazar would invite suffering upon himself. When doing this, he would say: “May all the pains of the Jewish people come upon me” (Midrash Koheles Rabbah 11). Because he did this, Rabbi Elazar’s wife would be able to say to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that her husband was greater than him in good deeds. Rabbi Elazar was willing to suffer in order to atone for the sins of the Jewish people. The Talmud states: “During all the years of the suffering of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, no one died prematurely” (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 85a). Apparently, Rabbi Elazar’s suffering atoned for the sins of all the people. The Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon is quite different from the Elazar who emerged from the cave. He has gone from being ready to destroy the world for being involved in the mundane to embracing and loving humanity to the point where he wants to be punished for everyone’s sins. Rabbi Elazar does not want God to punish the people so he takes the suffering of the people upon himself.

And although his flesh did not putrefy, even so Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, still did not rely on his own opinion, as he was worried that he may have erred in one of his decisions. He accepted afflictions upon himself as atonement for his possible sins. At night his attendants would spread out sixty felt bed coverings for him. In the morning, despite the bed coverings, they would remove sixty basins of blood and pus from underneath him. The following day, i.e., every morning, his wife would prepare for him sixty types of relish [lifda] made from figs, and he would eat them and become healthy. His

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wife, concerned for his health, would not allow him to go to the study hall, so that the Rabbis would not push him beyond his limits. In the evening, he would say to his pains: My brothers and my friends, come! In the morning he would say to them: Go away, due to the dereliction of Torah study that you cause me. One day his wife heard him inviting his pains. She said to him: You are bringing the pains upon yourself. You have diminished the money of my father’s home due to the costs of treating your self-imposed afflictions. She rebelled against him and went back to her father’s home, and he was left with no one to care for him. Meanwhile, there were these sixty sailors who came and entered to visit Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. They brought him sixty servants, each bearing sixty purses, and prepared him sixty types of relish and he ate them. [The number 60 is often used by the Talmud to connote “many” and does not have to be taken literally – Maharsha.] When they had encountered trouble at sea, these sailors had prayed to be saved in the merit of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. Upon returning to dry land, they presented him with these gifts. One day, the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, said to her daughter: Go and check on your father and see what he is doing now. The daughter came to her father, who said to her: Go and tell your mother that ours is greater than theirs, i.e., my current financial status is greater than that of your father’s household. He read the verse about himself (Proverbs 31:14): “She is like the merchant-ships; she brings her food from afar.” As he was unhindered by his wife from going to the study hall, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, ate and drank and became healthy and went out to the study hall. The students brought sixty questionable samples of blood before him for inspection, to determine whether or not they were menstrual blood. He deemed them all ritually pure, thereby permitting the women to engage in intercourse with their husbands. The Rabbis of the academy were murmuring about Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, and saying: Can it enter your mind that there is not one uncertain sample among them? He must be mistaken. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, said to them: If the halacha is in accordance with my ruling, let all the children born from these women be males. And if not, let there be one female among them. It turned out that all of the children were males, and they were called Elazar in his name. It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi lamented and said concerning the Roman authorities: How much procreation has this evil regime prevented from the Jewish people when they appointed Rabbi Elazar as police officer (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 84b; based on translation by Sefaria.org and ArtScroll).

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The “Death” of Rabbi Elazar This story demonstrates the uniqueness of Rabbi Elazar. Even after death, his body did not decompose and he was able to act as a judge. He was also able to protect the residents of the town of Akhbaria from wild beasts.

As Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was dying, he said to his wife: I know that the Rabbis are angry at me for arresting several thieves who are their relatives, and therefore they will not properly tend to my burial. When I die, lay me in my attic and do not be afraid of me, i.e., do not fear that anything will happen to my corpse. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: Rabbi Yonatan’s mother told me that the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, told her: I laid him in the attic for no less than eighteen years and for no more than twenty-two years. His wife continued: When I would go up to the attic I would check his hair, and when a hair would fall out from his head, blood would come and appear in its place, i.e., his corpse did not decompose. One day I saw a worm emerging from his ear, and I became very distressed that perhaps his corpse had begun to decompose. My husband appeared to me in a dream and said to me: It is no matter for concern. Rather, this is a consequence for a sin of mine, as one day I heard a Torah scholar being insulted and I did not protest as I should have. Therefore, I received this punishment in my ear, measure for measure. During this period, when two people would come for adjudication of a dispute, they would stand by the doorway to the home of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. One litigant would state his side of the matter, and the other litigant would state his side of the matter. A voice would issue forth from his attic, saying: So-and-so, you are guilty; so-and-so, you are innocent. The Talmud relates: One day, the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was quarreling with a neighbor. The neighbor said to her as a curse: This woman should be like her husband, who was not buried. When word spread that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, had not been buried, the Rabbis said: This much, i.e., now that the matter is known, to continue in this state is certainly not proper conduct, and they decided to bury him. There are those who say that the Sages found out that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, had not been buried when Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, his

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father, appeared to them in a dream and said to them: I have a single fledgling among you, i.e., my son, and you do not wish to bring it to me by burying him next to me. Consequently, the Sages went to tend to his burial. The residents of Akhbaria, the town where the corpse of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was resting, did not allow them to do so, as they realized that all the years that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, had been resting in his attic, no wild beast had entered their town. The townspeople attributed this phenomenon to his merit and they did not want to lose this protection. One day, which was Yom Kippur eve, everyone in the town was preoccupied with preparations for the Festival. The Rabbis sent a message to the residents of the adjacent town of Biri instructing them to help remove the body of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, from the attic, and they removed his bier and brought it to his father’s burial cave. They found a serpent [le’akhna] that had placed its tail in its mouth and completely encircled the entrance to the cave, denying them access. They said to it: Serpent, serpent! Open your mouth to allow a son to enter next to his father. It opened its mouth for them and uncoiled, and they buried Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, alongside his father. The Talmud continues: After this incident, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi sent a messenger to speak with the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, and propose marriage. She sent a message to him in response: Shall a vessel used by someone sacred, i.e., Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, be used by someone who is, relative to him, profane? There, in Eretz Yisrael, they say that she used the colloquial adage: In the location where the master of the house hangs his sword, shall the contemptible shepherd hang his knapsack [kultei]? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi sent a message back to her: Granted that in Torah he was greater than I, but was he greater than I in pious deeds? She sent a message back to him: Whether he was greater than you in Torah I do not know; but I do know that he was greater than you in pious deeds, as he accepted afflictions upon himself [as noted above, he atoned for the sins of the Jewish people by personal suffering] (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 84b; based on translation by Sefaria.org).

When Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon was buried, they applied to him the verse (Song of Songs 3:6): “Who is that ascending from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?” The reason they referred to the “fragrant powders of a merchant” was because Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon was not only a scholar,

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but was a liturgist and poet (Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah 3:7). Some (e.g., Tosafos Chagigah 13a, s.v. V’raglei) believe that Elazar b. Shimon was the mysterious Elazar Kallir who composed more than 200 hymns that are in the machzorim (special prayer books used for holidays). Most scholars, however, disagree and do not believe that Kallir is Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon (Jewish Virtual Library, 2018a).

The Son of Rabbi Elazar The following story is used by the Talmud to teach the important lesson that one should not give up on children.

Once Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi arrived at the place of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. He said to the locals: Does that righteous person have a son? They said to him: He has a son who is wayward, and any prostitute who hires herself out to others for two coins hires him for eight, due to his handsomeness. Upon hearing this report, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi resolved to extricate Rabbi Elazar’s son from his plight. He brought him back with him, ordained him as a rabbi, and gave him over to Rabbi Shimon ben Isi ben Lakonya, the brother of the boy’s mother, to teach him Torah. Each day, the boy would say: I want to go back to my town rather than stay here and study. Rabbi Shimon ben Isi ben Lakonya said to him: They want to make you into a sage, spread a golden cloak over you when you are ordained, and call you by the title Rabbi; and yet you say: I want to go back to my town? The boy said to him: I swear [momei] that this thought of leaving is now abandoned, i.e., I will stay and improve my ways. When the boy matured and became a Torah scholar, he came and sat in the academy of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi heard his voice and said: This voice is similar to the voice of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. Those who were present said to him: It is his son. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi read the verse about him (Proverbs 11:30): “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise wins souls.” The Talmud explains, with regard to the phrase “the fruit of the righteous,” that this is referring to Rabbi Yose, son of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, who was the son of a righteous individual and became

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a great scholar in his own right. When the verse states: “And he that is wise wins souls,” this refers to Rabbi Shimon ben Isi ben Lakonya, who successfully helped Rabbi Yose reach his potential. When Rabbi Yose died, he was brought to his father’s cave for burial. A serpent encircled the entrance of the cave, denying any access. Those present said to it: Serpent, serpent! Open your mouth, so that a son may enter next to his father. The serpent did not open its mouth for them. The people there thought that Rabbi Yose was denied burial alongside his father because this one, Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was greater than that one, Rabbi Yose. A Divine Voice emerged and said: It is not because this one is greater than that one; rather, it is because this one, Rabbi Elazar, experienced the suffering of the cave, while that one, i.e., Rabbi Yose, did not experience suffering of the cave. [Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, suffered with his father for thirteen years in a cave while hiding from the Romans.] (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 85a; based on translation by Sefaria.org and ArtScroll).

Discussion and Conclusion The strange life of Rabbi Elazar b. Shimon shows the danger of arrogance that can come from knowledge. Spending 13 years in a cave studying Torah turned Rabbi Elazar into a great scholar; the Talmud makes it clear that he was even more knowledgeable than Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, one of the great sages. The Mishna, originally an old oral tradition, was compiled and redacted by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, known as Rebbi, about the year 189 C.E. However, living as a hermit in a cave with his father had some adverse consequences: Rabbi Elazar lacked the love of humanity that a sage must have. The incident with the ugly person must have changed the way Elazar saw the world. When we see him in the latter part of his life, he invites afflictions upon himself in order saying: “May all the pains of the Jewish people come upon me.” He works for the Roman authorities and apparently is no longer an ascetic. One doubts that he became extremely obese on carobs and water. Ultimately, both Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai and his son, Elazar, recognized the importance of living a life based on repairing the world vs. a contemplative life.

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This transformation of Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar is similar to the spiritual revolution of Yisrael Ba’al Shem Tov (literally, “master of the good name”) and also known by the acronym Besht (c. 1700 to c. 1760) who founded the Chassidic movement. The Besht taught his followers that a pure spiritual heart was more important to God than knowledge of the Talmud. He taught Chassidim to see the possibility of worshipping God in the most commonplace activities, stressed the importance of being joyful, and advised against ascetism (Jewish Virtual Library, 2018b). Another ancient Jewish doctrine that was given particular emphasis by the Ba'al Shem Tov was based on a verse in Isaiah (6:13): "The whole world is full of His glory.” If the whole world is full of God's glory, the Besht reasoned, then the Mitnagdim and the ascetics were wrong in thinking that one had to turn one's back on the pleasures of the world. "Don't deny that a girl is beautiful," the Besht would say. "Just be sure that your recognition of her beauty brings you back to its source-God." If one could do that, then even physical pleasures could bring about spiritual growth (Jewish Virtual Library, 2018b). The opponents of the Chassidim, known as mitnagdim (means “opponents” in Hebrew), believed that the only way to serve God properly was in asceticism, prayer, and studying Torah (Applying the view of Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai as to the ideal life: “If a man plows at the time of plowing, sows at the time of sowing, harvests at the time of harvesting, threshes at the time of threshing, and winnows at the time of the blowing wind, what will become of the study of Torah?”). Till this very day, there are ultra-Orthodox mitnagdim who believe that the ideal life is the kollel life where a man spends an entire day studying Torah in an academy without ever working for a living. Many of the believers of this approach feel that they are following the opinion of Rabbi Shimon b. Yochai as to the ideal life. It does appear, however, that both Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar abandoned this extreme opinion and recognized the importance of caring and helping others. Of course, they also stressed the importance of learning Torah. AS

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the Talmud observes (Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 17b): "Whoever occupies himself only with studying Torah is like one who has no God.” The Torah is supposed to lead someone to have compassion for others.

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