Ta'anit 4

Much of today's daf helps us to understand the process by which our Sages decided when to pray for rain.  Ultimately their decision considers the needs of both the Diaspora and Israeli communities.  This leads me to believe that halachic considerations should be flexible in modern circumstances as well.  In this ancient circumstance, a community that will be damaged by excessive rain does not have to pray for rain at the same time as another community, where rain is desperately needed.  How can we apply this considerate decision-making to today's dilemmas?  Perhaps our prayers can reflect our contexts.  Perhaps we can pray for different things at different times, as our needs are diverse.

At the start of our daf, we learn some of our Sages precious gems of wisdom regarding anger.  We are told that both Rava and Rav Ashi justify anger in Torah scholars. Clearly they are angry because they should be angry based on their Torah learning!  They find proof texts taken from Jeremiah 23:29.  Rabbi Abba  uses different proof texts to suggest that Torah scholars are tough, not harsh.  And Ravina stops this conversation with Ecclesiastes 11:10: Even so, one is required to teach himself to act gently, as it is stated: "And remove anger from your heart, (and put away evil from your flesh)".

Steinsaltz shares some very helpful notes.  He tells us that generally speaking, anger in Torah scholars is discouraged unless one is 'acting as if' he is angry to draw attention to a point.  In fact, Torah scholars should learn how to push their anger away.  Even if they are angered because they are extra-sensitive to the sins of others, they should be pleasant, never angry.

I am imagining these Torah scholars, frustrated with their memorization, either very hot or very cold in stuffy, smelly rooms together.  They are obliged to have wives and many children, whether or not they can afford to feed those children.  They may be working and also learning.  Demands from the community, demands from their families, demands from their colleagues and the heads of the Yeshivot. Politcs.  Antisemitism.  General physical discomfort as they age.  And they are not supposed to get angry!?  I wonder who learned to do this and how it was done.

As a therapist, I work with people every day who are struggling to feel more 'in control' of their emotions.  I am waiting to learn more about how our Sages actually achieved this degree of control -- if they did.  Did they use similar techniques to those used today?  Was meditation part of their practice of emotion regulation?  Hopefully I will learn more over the course of this study.