Lessons in Talmud - Tractate Berachot - Lesson 11 Daf 5a / 5b (using Koren Talmud Bavli)
What are afflictions of love? We take off from where we left in our last lesson. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (the author of the holy Zohar) teaches us that there are three gifts that God gives us - but that they all come with hardships. We learn about Rabbi Yochanan and as we are to find out later - he too encountered some great trials in his own life. In this lesson: 00:00 - Introduction and overview of the Koren Talmud Bavli layout 01:40 - Understanding the concept of Yissurin (Afflictions) 02:30 - Why we should examine our deeds when facing pain 02:55 - Yissurin Shel Ahavah: Defining afflictions of love 03:20 - Rava’s teaching: Why God afflicts those He desires 04:26 - The importance of accepting suffering with love and intention 06:23 - The reward for acceptance: Children and success in Torah study 07:51 - Why some people grasp Torah more easily than others 09:08 - Debate: Do afflictions of love interfere with Torah study? 11:10 - Debate: Do afflictions of love interfere with prayer? 13:10 - Rabbi Yochanan’s view: All forms can be afflictions of love 14:15 - Al Tikrei: Reinterpreting verses to find deeper meaning 14:43 - Kal VaChomer: The logic of the "tooth and eye" analogy 15:54 - How afflictions cleanse a person from sin 16:55 - Reish Lakish: Comparing afflictions to the "Covenant of Salt" 18:45 - How salt sweetens meat and afflictions sweeten judgments 19:42 - Practical insights: The spiritual goal of sweetening judgments 21:50 - Navigating social interactions: Why we should only wish the best for others 23:05 - Three great gifts given through affliction: Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam HaBa 24:40 - The struggle to acquire Torah knowledge 27:25 - The challenges of settling in the Land of Israel 30:54 - Why Olam HaBa (The World to Come) requires full spiritual effort 32:25 - Biblical proofs for why these gifts require hardship 34:55 - Technical Note: Understanding "One says this, one says that" in Gemara 36:34 - Technical Note: Explaining the Kal VaChomer principle 38:00 - Rabbi Yochanan’s teaching on Torah, kindness, and personal loss 40:00 - How to truly support someone going through suffering 41:58 - Technical Note: The role of the "Tanna" in the Gemara’s academy 43:05 - The story of those who bury children: A difficult atonement 45:20 - Why kindness (Chessed) and truth (Emet) are keys to atonement 47:15 - The power of honesty in the process of Teshuvah 49:10 - Why truth is equated with Torah: "Acquire truth and do not sell it" 50:40 - Biography of Rabbi Yochanan: His greatness and his suffering 53:05 - The beauty of Rabbi Yochanan and its spiritual purpose 58:18 - Insights into Tzara’at (Leprosy) and ritual impurity 59:40 - Rabbi Yochanan’s boundary on what qualifies as an "affliction of love" 01:00:30 - Conclusion and closing remarks For more info, please see my site www.lovingkindness.co and feel free to be in touch about anything Torah and life! ----- For more information about Rabbi Eliyahu Shear’s activities, see: http://bit.ly/chessedveemet To purchase my book “Parshah In Just Two Minutes! Concise Summaries of the Weekly Parshah” see: http://bit.ly/ParshahInJustTwoMinutes For men wishing to study the laws of Family Purity online – and prepare for marriage, see: http://bit.ly/ChatanLessons For women preparing to marry and who wish to study the laws of Taharat HaMishpachah (Family Purity / Niddah) online with Rebbetzin Shoshanah, see http://bit.ly/KallahLessons Would you like to become a Sofer Stam? Click on this link and have the opportunity to learn the laws online with Rabbi Eliyahu (qualified Sofer Stam): http://bit.ly/SoferLessons Study any area of Torah online with Rabbi Eliyahu – any Torah book of your choice: To have Mishnah learning done for you by Rabbi Eliyahu for the sake of an Aliyat Neshamah for a beloved family member or friend: http://bit.ly/MishnahLearningForALove... For boys preparing for their Barmitzvah, you can learn your Parshah, and much more with Rabbi Eliyahu: http://bit.ly/BarMitzvahLessons
