Old Wine, New Jugs: Torah and New Media

R. Yehoshua Ben Levi said: One who writes down Aggadah has no portion. One who works it burns himself. One who hears it receives no benefit. R. Yehoshua Ben Levi said: Only once did I look into a book of Aggadah. I found written there ... Even though (it was only once), I am fearful at night.

He (R. Dimi) said "If I had a messenger, I would have written a letter and sent it to R. Yosef" ... And if he had a letter, could he have sent it? Didn't R. Hiyya bar Abba say in the name of R. Yohanan: Those who write the halachot are like one who burns the Torah, and he who learns from them receives no reward? R. Yehudah bar Nahmani, the Meturgeman of Resh Lakish, expounded: One verse says: “Write down for yourself these words” (Exodus 34.37) and one verse says, “For according to (al-pi, lit. “by the mouth”) these words” (Exodus 34:37), in order to teach you that matters [transmitted] orally (al-peh) you are not permitted to recite from writing and those matters that are in writing you are not permitted to recite from memory. And it's taught in the school of R. Ishmael: Scripture says, “Write down for yourself these words” (Exodus 34.37)-- these words you may write but you may not write halakhot (laws). They said: Perhaps a new matter is different? For R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish used to study a book of Aggadah on the Sabbath. And they explained it in this manner: “It is time to act for the Lord, for they have made void Your Torah” (Psalms 119:126), which they explained: It is better that Torah be uprooted than Torah be forgotten in Israel.

And a proof for this is that Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish used to read from a scroll of aggada containing the words of the Sages on Shabbat. But such a scroll may not be written, for in principle, the statements of the Oral Law may not be committed to writing. Rather, since it is not possible to remember the Oral Law without writing it down, it is permitted to violate the halakha, as indicated by the verse: “It is time to act for the Lord; they have nullified your Torah” (Psalms 119:126). Here too, in the case of a haftara scroll, since it is not always possible to write complete books of the Bible, due to the expense, it is permitted to apply the reasoning of “It is time to act for the Lord; they have nullified your Torah.”

Our Holy Master compiled the Mishna. From the days of Moses our Master till our Holy Master no text book of the Oral Torah for public instruction had been issued, the practice theretofore being for the president of a tribunal or a prophet who flourished in a given generation to keep privately written memoranda of his Masters' oral teachings, out of which he, in turn, instructed the public orally. Like practice was resorted to by each and every individual scholar to write down, according to his ability of understanding the exposition on the Torah and its laws, as he heard it. So was also the practice in preserving new acts in each and every generation which were not based on tradition but upon one of the thirteen hermeneutical rules, to which the Great Tribunal had assented. This procedure was followed continuously until the advent of our Holy Master, and he collected all traditional precedents, judicial pronouncements, expositions and explanations, whether they were traditionally attributed to Moses our Master or whether they were so instructed by the tribunals in each and every generation, the scope of which embraced the whole Torah, and from it all he compiled the Book of the Mishna, out of which he gave public instruction to scholars, and its fame reached to all Israel, and written copies of it were made universally, and its circulation reached everywhere, so that the Oral Torah be not forgotten from the midst of Israel.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: Why are Torah matters likened to a tree, as it is stated: “It is a tree of life to them who lay hold upon it” (Proverbs 3:18)? This verse comes to tell you that just as a small piece of wood can ignite a large piece, so too, minor Torah scholars can sharpen great Torah scholars and enable them to advance in their studies. And this is what Rabbi Ḥanina said: I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned more than from all of them.

§ The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Beroka and Rabbi Elazar ben Ḥisma, when they went to greet Rabbi Yehoshua in Peki’in. Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: What novel idea was taught today in the study hall? They said to him: We are your students and we drink from your water, i.e., all of our Torah knowledge comes from you, and therefore how can we tell you something you have not already learned? He said to them: Even so, there cannot be a study hall without a novelty. He asked them: Whose week was it, i.e. who was the lecturer this week? They said to him: It was Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya’s week. He inquired: And on what subject was the lecture today? They said to him: He spoke about the portion of the mitzva of assembly. Rabbi Yehoshua persisted: And what verse did he interpret homiletically with regard to this mitzva? They said to him that Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya interpreted the following verse: “Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones” (Deuteronomy 31:12). This verse is puzzling: If men come to learn, and women, who might not understand, come at least to hear, why do the little ones come? They come in order for God to give a reward to those who bring them, i.e., God credits those who bring their children to the assembly. Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: This good pearl of wisdom was in your hands, and you tried to conceal it from me?