Eiruvin 54a, b

Like yesterday's daf, today's daf is filled with stories and creative interpretations.  Beginning with Berurya's advice to young scholars (be loud!) and ending (well, almost ending) with a story about Rabbi Perida's incredible patience as a teacher, the entire daf is an imaginative treat.

Although I am tempted to restate the individual stories here, instead I will touch upon a major theme that I noticed throughout daf 54.  The rabbis are eager to describe best practices in Torah study.  For example, one should not eat or drink much during study; one should always speak one's studies aloud to aid memory; one should repeat lessons at least four times (as did Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons and the elders); one should be humble about one's learning.  Given the opportunity to share their interpretive wisdom, the rabbis are happy to demonstrate how phrases from Torah and Prophets are actually teaching us these (and more) best practices.

Again, though I admire tremendously the brilliance of our rabbis, I experience this exercise as self-serving.  Had the rabbis chosen to focus on a different theme, for example, on giving tzedaka, they could have just as easily proven that the sources were prooftexts for why and how we should give.  There is nothing offensive or upsetting to me about the rabbis interpretations regarding how to best do Torah study; I appreciate them and I even agree with their importance.  But the proofs just don't work for me.

On a related note, Rav Yosef and Rava had an argument (described in detail in another masechet).  In today's daf, the story of Rava's attempt to win Rav Yosef's favour is recounted.  The message emphasized is the importance of humility in Torah study.  Considering that these esteemed rabbis spent hours together listening to each others' ideas, how important it must have been to stress etiquette and compassion amongst these "students".  At times they must have driven each other around the bend.  All of us can learn from this lesson.  When a relationship is damaged due to self-aggrandizing, we must question ourselves and do whatever is in our power to 'step down' and apologize for our behaviour.  If it works for the rabbis...