Take Ten for Talmud
1659BabaBasra25- Cemetery distanced from the city- Praying southward even for wealth
Shalom Alaykum, Abiyyah from Teach613, we welcome you to take 10-15 Talmud, Baba Basra Kaffhe, Baba Basra 25A, pagination is 49, starting from the top line, Masnissen de Numishna. Marjikimas anavelos vesakvodos, vesakbursikhi, minhahir, kamishim ama. We must distance the carcasses. That means that they're working with dead animal bodies, and it's smelly. It has to be distant from the city, as well as a graveyard, people that are being buried in a cemetery, and a tannery has to be distanced from the city, kamishim ama 50 ama. You're dealing in this section of the Talmud with different zoning restrictions, what you're allowed to do, wear, and even though you own the property, you can't just do whatever you want there, because it's recognized that it's similar to an arrow that you're shooting, even though you are where you are, but you're affecting something at the distance. And that's what's happening over here, as Rashi says, mishum reiach rah, because of a bad smell. Indeed, the Masnissen continues and says, in osen bursikhi ala-lamizrahahir, there are specific directions in which you could place the tannery, because we recognize, excuse me, that different winds are stronger than others and can affect the impact of this smell location on the city. Now Rashi tells us that the reason for these three items that are recognized in our Mishnah as significant items to pay attention to in terms of this distance from the city, Rashi says mishum reiach rah, because of a bad smell. So the carcasses we understand, they're being processed on the surface of the ground. The tannery we understand, the typical methodology was in a way that it was going to smell at the distance. But a cemetery, what would happen if the cemetery was done in a way that indeed they dug deeply, our expression is six feet under, and therefore there is no smell. Because there's still such a restriction as our Mishnah describes. So it is very interesting that in shulchan awrahilchas avelos, seminshin samahhei, there's a discussion about making the cemetery distant from the city, at least initially, sometimes the city keeps growing and ends up over there. But intentionally the cemetery is supposed to be out of the city, and the lavush as quoted in the shah says the reason because we don't want a cemetery right in front of people on a regular basis, because it would take away from the serenity of life, which is a fascinating concept, sha lo yifku ubo tamid viyis atzbu. They shouldn't encounter it regularly and become sad. Even though death is predictable, sooner or later we have an expression after 120, there is a concept that people die, there's the joke, I was expecting an exception to be made in my case. But in general, this is what happens, nevertheless we're blessed with an ability to put it out of mind on an imminent basis so that we can function. It is true, the mission in awos, for example, al-kor-ha-ha-tameis, against your will you were born and against your will you will die, we're aware of it, vishuv-yum echad-lafne missascha. We have a tradition. Person should do chuva one day before he dies and you don't know when you'll die, so call yum of vichuva, your entire life should be with chuva. So there is this concept certainly that we don't do a cemetery up front in the city but asks the sha, that's not what our Talmud says. The reason that the Talmud gives is rehara because of a bad smell and why would the lavush invoke a different reason. The beherhetev writes that the point of the lavush is a philuhecha even in a place where rehara is not applicable. There is no bad smell upon the city because of the cemetery. He gon' sha kafru vikov ro sa bikar ka amok alok because they dug into the dirt, into the ground, deep, deep, to the point that there is no smell, nevertheless, there is going to be a restriction. It may not be 50 amo, but it is going to be a restriction, sha lo yuru tamed vish atsvu so that they should not see the cemetery regularly and become depressed. And this obviously is a big topic as to what is indeed the proper balance. Both, in mourning, those who have passed and in terms of being aware that a person will eventually pass on and be obligated to give a dinn vichègbon on what he has done with his life. I'd like to add on one little piece from Ummet Bayes. It's on the fifth of the wide lines and the topic is related because of the directions of the winds and therefore from one topic to the next, which winds are the strongest and you have to distance if you're in that part of the city. We end up talking about directions. Amr abi yitzchag, abi yitzchag said, "Herot za sheyachkim, a person who wants to become wise, smart, yadrim, should go to the south. Vish ayachir, if he wants to become wealthy, yat spin. He should go to the north. Vissimonech, and the reminder or the sign for this is that in the Bayesamiktas shulcham bitzafon, the table with the show-breds representing sustenance and prosperity was in the north, umanora bedoro and the minora, which represented illumination and wisdom and Torah, that's in the south and the world is wired in such a way, so to speak, that the north and the south represent these themes." In shulchanarach, it's indeed brought that there's such a concept during Davening even though there's a basic direction that we face during Davening towards Yerushalayim or in Yerushalayim towards the Bayesamiktas location, but in addition to facing in that direction, there's a certain amount that you could bend in the direction symbolically, perhaps, in the direction of south or in the direction of north in order to obtain a greater connection to that particular focus and prayer. Rashi's words are yadrim bitifilosso, during his Davening he should face the south if he wants to connect with the minora's legacy, yaksupunavludarom, he should turn his face to the south, and indeed the way Rashi explains it is that his body is facing as everybody else in the Beisaknesis, the Shul is facing, but his face he alters a little bit in a certain direction and indeed that's the way the Mishnebura understands the application of this statement. One more line in the Gomorrah, Rabishua bin Leviomarabishua bin Levi says la olam yadrim, you can always just go to the south connecting with the minora's legacy, shamitoshamisqakeim Misashir, if a person is smart then he'll become wealthy, and indeed we find in Navi in a number of locations the word masculine, which really would come from Sahel, intelligence means success, and the mafarsham say because when a person is successful it appears that he's smart, people link the two, and the Gomorrah here says that according to Rabishua bin Levi that would be a viable strategy Mitoshamisqakeim, if he's blessed with wisdom, Misashir he'll have physical prosperity as well. Yeshikouach, thank you for joining.