Ideas in Bava Metzia ch8-9  I deleted something that seemed a little am haaretz'dik


I would rather not go into what I deleted but in that deleted note I did make an interesting point. That There is an opinion in our Gemara that Sumchos said his din only in a case of "maybe and maybe." {איני יודע ואיני יודע}. Raba Bar Rav Huna. And we have in Bava Batra that Sumchus said his din only in a case of Drara Demomona. [That is not like our gemara in Bava Metzia page 2b].
In the Chidushim on Bava Metzia I already suggested this argument between Bava Metzia and Bava Batra is dependent on the argument between Rav and Shmuel in another place. But is it possible that Raba Bar Rav Huna understand שמא ושמא to be the very definition of דררא דממונא?  In the note I deleted I ascribed this option to the Rashbam for some reason that eludes me today. To me this minute this idea seems utterly silly. But it came inside a small paragraph where I gave n answer to R. Akiva Eigger about the opinion of the Rashbam so maybe I was thinking of something that I did not write down right?
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There is an opinion in our גמרא that סומכוס said his דין only in a case of שמא ושמא, איני יודע ואיני יודע. That is the opinion of רבה בר רב הונא.  And we have in בבא בתרא that סומכוס  said his דין only in a case of דררא דממונא. That is not like our גמרא in בבא מציעא  page ב ע''ב.
In the  I already suggested this argument between בבא מציעא and בבא בתרא is dependent on the argument between רב  and שמואל in another place. But is it possible that רבה בר רב הונא understand שמא ושמא to be the very definition of דררא דממונא?

ישנה דעה בגמרא שלנו כי סומכוס אמר את הדין שלו רק במקרה של שמא ושמא, איני יודע ואיני יודע. כך דעת של רבה בר רב הונא.  ובבבא בתרא סומכוס אמר את דינו רק במקרה של דררא דממונא. זה לא כמו  גמרא בבבא מציעא דף ב ע''ב..
כבר הצעתי  שהטיעון הזה בין בבא מציעא ובבא בתרא תלויה בויכוח בין רב ואת שמואל במקום אחר. אבל האם זה אפשרי כי רבה בר רב הונא מבין שמא ושמא להיות ההגדרה של דררא דממונא?

the temptation of the Guru is insurmountable.

When I consider Rosh Hashanah coming up and the need to repent --or even during the year when I notice that I have fallen away from God, my thoughts always wander towards Musar [Books of mediaval Ethics]and the basic path of Reb Israel Salanter. My thoughts usually go along the lines that Musar encapsulates the essence of Torah, but  I find it difficult to recommend the straight yeshiva Musar path because it is a path that has been used by people for personal aggrandizement. Still I wish could learn more Musar.
Of course for people with spiritual thirst the temptation of the Guru is insurmountable. But they can't go to Eastern religions from guilt feelings about their Jewishness. So they find some Jewish equivalent of a Guru. That the trouble with this is they somewhat clear since they have nothing to sell. No enlightenment. Still the temptations enormous,
Therefore the Gra put the whole cult into excommunication that wanted to capitalize on peoples' need for a guru. My general impression of Jewish Gurus is that they are from the Sitra Achra/the Dark Side.  The Gra certainly saw this and if I had been smart I would have simply accepted this as fact base on the idea that the Gra probably knew a thing or two about Torah more than me.

Sadly  I fell into this temptation, instead of just sticking with straight Torah. The way this happens is simple. It is not just my on or other's nativity. It is rather because there are organizations that the majority of people involved are not aware of the ultimate purpose of the organization.

to repeat one whole chapter 40 days in a row

In my fervor for learning fast I have not mentioned on my blog another way of learning that I have found effective-the forty days in a row idea. This is not a way to make a lot of progress, but it is a way that when you find some essential kernel in your learning-- to internalize it.  I did this  a few times in Joos's book Theoretical Physics  and also  in math. [Differential equations]This idea I also applied to Tosphot. [That is I would review the same Tosphot or same page of Gemara for a few weeks --every day the same material]

But with Tosphot and or the Chidushei HaRambam of Reb Chaim Soloveitchik I would usually not get up to exactly forty days.

In any case, for a person  like myself, the forty days in a row I have found helps in understanding what I learn, and also in retaining it. [That is to repeat one whole chapter 40 days in a row.]

Torah with Derech Eretz [the way of the Earth, a vocation and manners] especially Math and Physics. Exactly like the Rambam said [concerning Physics and Metaphysics.]

In the Lekutai Moharan Volume 3 chapter 8 it says on Rosh HaShanah to be in an authentic Litvak yeshiva. That is, at any rate, what the language there implies. That "The same thing that is accomplished on Rosh Hashanah is accomplished by being in a true authentic yeshiva with an authentic rosh yeshiva."

In the absence of such a thing I can understand why people come to Uman. But Reb Nachman did not say to come to his grave on Rosh Hashanah. He said to come to his grave for the ten psalms. He never mentioned Rosh Hashanah in connection with his grave.
And after all what counts as an authentic yeshiva? My own experience with yeshivas was in the red. The minus column was generally longer than the profits.[They are after all human institutions, they are not divine.] And besides that my on parents were heavily into Torah with Derech Eretz [the way of the Earth, a vocation and manners] especially Math and Physics. Exactly like the Rambam said [concerning Physics and Metaphysics.]
The weight of the evidence suggests my parents and the Rambam were right. This results in my four point approach: Gemara, Musar, Math, and Physics. In this case the Math and Physics are part of the service of God--not secular.

I have great respect for the Gra and Reb Israel Salanter and the yeshivas founded on their principles but I also have great and greater respect for my parents as the Torah itself demands and they were certainly worthy of that respect. [I do realize there are parents that do not merit much respect, but that is not relevant in my case.] Plus my own experience  suggests something is a bit off in the yeshiva world, and I am sure I am not alone in this awareness. In fact, the entire religious world seems to be a bit insane. So by theory and by experience, I come to this basic path of Torah, Math, and Physics.

(There is something troubling about the entire religious world but it is hard to put my finger on it--or to see exactly what it is. My parents got out of the problem by simply avoiding it altogether and attending a Reform Temple and sending us brothers to public school. This approach makes sense to me except that I think one needs to learn the Oral and Written Law either at home or in some Litvak yeshiva setting and to keep the Torah. But the world of the religious  is certainly farther from Torah than the Reform. It has some kind of kelipa in it.   )

The State of Israel

Dr Kelley Ross  in his essay on Israel is critical of nationalist principle.
But the Alt Right has resurrected the nationalist principle which seems to make sense to me simply based on human nature [super-organism, social meme, natural hierarchy the pecking order.] This seems to go in a Hegelian direction. And Hegel is difficult. Sometimes he is amazingly enlightening and sometimes amazingly infuriating. Still in any case it looks like  nationalism is important.

The Alt Right [Brett Stevens] has noticed that Theodore Herzl was building the idea of a State of Israel on the concept of nationalism. So nowadays when globalism is an obvious failure it seems logical to go back to nationalism as a founding principle.

[Dr Ross is very supportive of the State of Israel but more from an Enlightenment perspective rather than a nationalist principle.]

The thing that to me this all comes down to is Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle.


The right  however is looking at this more from an ethnic principle while I a thinking more along Howard Bloom's idea of a super-organism based on a social meme--the meme in this case being Law of Moses.[i.e. the Written and Oral Law].

Music for the glory of God

s45 C Major  [this needs editing] s44 E minor Edited I think this new version of s44 is slightly better


s51 D minor 6-8 time

The hiding of God' face

What was pointed out by Nietzsche was really mentioned in the Torah itself--the problem with הסתרת פנים. {The hiding of God' face}. That is at the end of Deuteronomy. This is the reason people go to someone like Bava Sali for guidance or a blessing. It is not because they are unaware that it is better to go to God directly. Rather it is because they have gone to God directly to the best of their ability, and still have not gotten an answer.

It was pointed out to me by David Bronson that Nachmanides gives a support for this idea-that in the verses where it says, "Do not go to magicians or astrologers" -and right after that it says, "but for you God will bring a prophet."

Still what seems to me is that is  a concession to human nature. That is how Maimonides understands many of the commandments in any case.

What makes more sense to be is the idea of going to go in private prayer in a place where no one else is and asking God for his guidance just as if you would have a Bava Sali to ask.

If you have a forest nearby what you could do is make it a daily schedule to jog there and when there to spend time talking with God alone, and then jog back