Another reason to avoid a teacher TB Shabbat 41

Today’s daf Shabbat 41 tells why a student was avoiding his teacher.

“Speaking of bathing and its halakhot, the Gemara relates: Rabbi Zeira was avoiding being seen by his teacher, Rav Yehuda, as Rabbi Zeira sought to ascend to Eretz Yisrael and his teacher disapproved. As Rav Yehuda said: Anyone who ascends from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael transgresses a positive commandment, as it is stated: “They shall be taken to Babylonia and there they shall remain until the day that I recall them, said the Lord” (Jeremiah 27:22). Based on that verse, Rav Yehuda held that since the Babylonian exile was by divine decree, permission to leave Babylonia for Eretz Yisrael could only be granted by God. Rabbi Zeira did not want to discuss his desire to emigrate with Rav Yehuda, so that he would not be forced to explicitly disobey him. Nevertheless, he said: I will go and hear something from him and then I will leave. He went and found Rav Yehuda standing in the bathhouse and telling his servant: Bring me natron [neter] with which to wash, bring me a comb, open your mouths and let out air, and drink from the water of the bathhouse. Rabbi Zeira said: If I had come only to hear this matter from Rav Yehuda, it would suffice for me.” (Sefaria.com translation)

Reading Rabbi Yehuda’s position saddens me. Note that not everybody held that opinion. Ramban, Rabbi Moses Nachmanides (1194-1270, Spain), writes that settling the land of Israel is one of the 613 commandments. “The fourth mitzvah that we were commanded [is] to conquer the land that God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and not to abandon it to the hands of other nations or to emptiness.” (Commentary on Maimonides’ Codification of Biblical Precepts) He quotes this verse as his proof text: “And you shall dispossess of the land and dwell in it,because I have given you the land to possess it.” (Numbers 33:53) He cites a Gemara as further proof.

“The Sages taught: A person should always reside in Eretz Yisrael, even in a city that is mostly populated by gentiles, and he should not reside outside of Eretz Yisrael, even in a city that is mostly populated by Jews. The reason is that anyone who resides in Eretz Yisrael is considered as one who has a God, and anyone who resides outside of Eretz Yisrael is considered as one who does not have a God. As it is stated: “To give to you the land of Canaan, to be your God” (Leviticus 25:38). The Gemara expresses surprise: And can it really be said that anyone who resides outside of Eretz Yisrael has no God? Rather, this comes to tell you that anyone who resides outside of Eretz Yisrael is considered as though he is engaged in idol worship. And so it says with regard to David: “For they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave to the inheritance of the Lord, saying: Go, serve other gods” (I Samuel 26:19). But who said to David: Go, serve other gods? Rather, this comes to tell you that anyone who resides outside of Eretz Yisrael is considered as though he is engaged in idol worship.” (Sefaria.org translation)

We are fortunate to live in era when Israel exists and it is no longer dangerous to move there. All we have to do is hop on an El Al plane and we are there. Jewish life and culture flourishes there. Jewish life is unique because it is the Jewish state in our ancient homeland. Israel runs according to Jewish time. How Israelis respond to issues and problems of the day as a majority with political power to this new reality is Israel’s Jewish challenge. 

We modern Jews wrestle with a lot of the mitzvot whether or how we observe them. I don’t believe that every Jew must move to Israel. I do believe that a serious Jew should wrestle with the mitzvah of making aliyah and settling the Land of Israel like he/she does with every other mitzvah..

In case you are wondering exactly what Rabbi Zeira learned by over hearing Rabbi Yehudah, I shall quote the continuation of today’s Gemara.

“The Gemara analyzes the lessons learned from this story. Granted, when Rav Yehuda said: Bring me natron, bring me a comb, he was teaching us that mundane matters are permitted to be spoken in the bathhouse, even in the sacred language. When he said: Open your mouths and let out air, that too is in accordance with that which Shmuel said, as Shmuel said: Heat produces heat. The hot air that one inhales causes him to sweat more quickly. However, drink the water of the bathhouse, what benefit is there in doing that? The Gemara answers: As it was taught in a baraita: One who ate and did not drink at all, what he ate becomes blood and that causes the onset of intestinal disease.” (Sefaria.org translation) I doubt that is true, but many medical sources today recommends drinking 8 glasses of water a day.