We examine two major issues today. The first is how our rabbis justify and explain their longevity. A number of different rabbis answer this question. Many concept are repeated. Of course, I find some of their reasoning more appealing and some less so. Some of the explanations that I enjoy include the idea that they were rewarded for treating others with respect, for not taking pleasure in the misfortune of others, for being openhanded with money (letting others keep the change). However, modesty was not explicitly mentioned. It always surprises me when I read the rabbis' descriptions of their own exemplary behaviour.
The second major issue discussed today is the use of a synagogue. Clearly, an abandoned synagogue should be rebuilt. In fact the rabbis suggest that we do not pick any grass that is growing in an unused synagogue. We allow the synagogue to look unkempt so that people will be moved to rebuild. In functional synagogues, we should be careful to use them only for prayer and study. Frivolity - including eating, drinking, speaking idly, speaking about business - should be avoided. The punishment for doing such things is harsh, including fasting, lashes, and ongoing silence in the synagogue. The rabbis note that scholars might be forced to eat or change clothes in the synagogue, and so such things are permitted.
Again today's daf points to the very marked social ladder of ancient times. And Talmud scholars sit at the top of that ladder. We learn that 'history is written by the winners'; Talmud is a brilliant example of a historical document that preaches the superiority of those who wrote it. And I do not say this with any intended disrespect - the rabbis were brilliant. However, if the social make-up of antiquity were different, we might also learn about the thoughts and reasoning of other, less privileged ancestors.
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