More Awesome Projects!

Here's a smattering of some more awesome final projects from this year's students.

Rambam's 8 levels of Tzedakah Rap

Rabbi Chelbo Rap



Cartooning the Talmud! Bava Metvia 21b and Ketubot 68a

Check out Evan Fenner's fantastic animation !

And Lara Prosterman's amazing animation !

Finally, Pavla Berghen-Wolf's animation !

Trading Places

The protagonist in the movie 'Trading Places', Winthorp, comes from a background of priveledge and wealth. His downfall comes swiftly, and he struggles to get a handle on his life. His new reality, his new clothes, the way he is treated are all a shock to him.

Should he be treated differently because he comes from wealth?  Is it too much to ask the community to support a person who has suffered misfortune according to the means they are accustomed to? Look at the story of the man who sprays old wine- what is the Talmud's take on this? Blog it.

The Case of לקט and the Case of יאוש TALMUD ADV



'The Gleaners' by Jean-François Millet , 1857



Bava Metzia 21b Bottom

ת"ש המוצא מעות בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות ובכל מקום שהרבים מצויין שם הרי אלו שלו מפני שהבעלים מתיאשין מהן. והא לא ידע דנפל מיניה! אמר רבי יצחק אדם עשוי למשמש בכיסו בכל שעה.

 ת"ש מאימתי כל אדם מותרים בלקט? משילכו בה הנמושות. ואמרינן מאי נמושות? וא"ר יוחנן סבי דאזלי אתיגרא. ריש לקיש אמר לקוטי בתר לקוטי.

 ואמאי? נהי דעניים דהכא מיאשי: איכא עניים בדוכתא אחריתא דלא מיאשי! אמרי כיון דאיכא עניים הכא הנך מעיקרא איאושי מיאש, ואמרי עניים דהתם מלקטי ליה. 1

Come and hear: If one finds money in a Synagogue or in a house of study, or in any other place where many people congregate, it belongs to him, because the owner has given up the hope of recovering it. [Is not this a case where the loser] did not know that he lost it? — R. Isaac answered: people usually feel for their purse at frequent intervals.

Come and hear: From what time are people allowed to appropriate the gleanings [of a reaped field]?After the 'rummagers' have gone through it.Whereupon we asked: What is meant by the 'rummagers' ? and R. Johanan answered: Old people who walk leaning on a stick,while Resh Lakish answered: The last in the succession of gleaners.Now why should this be so? Granted that the local poor give up hope [of finding any gleanings].there are poor people in other places who do not give up hope?— I will say: Seeing that there are local poor, those [in other places] give up hope straight away, as they say. 'The poor of that place have already gleaned it.

How does the case of לקט help is understand the case of יאוש ? Does the conclusion support the case of רבא or אביי ? What other observations do you have about this text?

Who are לקטי בתר לקטי ? TALMUD ADV

A NY Times story from 9/16/10 reports that the US poverty rate hit a 15 year high. The story states:

For a single adult in 2009, the poverty line was $10,830 in pretax cash income; for a family of four, $22,050.

What does the poverty line mean? How does the Talmud look at supporting those who are the poorest of the poor, the  לקטי בתר לקטי ?

Morality, Self, and Other

In class today, we discussed whether downloading music without paying for it was an immoral act against the 'Other'.

Please contribute your thoughts here. Some jumping off questions:

• We talked about 'Relative Morality'- if everyone does something that is generally regarded as 'wrong' or 'illegal' (cheating on your taxes; driving 70 MPH in a 65 MPH zone), does that make it right?

• Aden brought up the point that he wouldn't download music from a poor musician, but it would be OK to do it from someone who was already rich. Do you agree or disagree with this?
• Could something be illegal, but still be moral? What about something that might be immoral but is legal?

Tzedakah, Fraud and the UHO

In the Talmud, we learned-

רבי חנינא הוה ההוא עניא דהוה רגיל לשדורי ליה ארבעה זוזי כל מעלי שבתא יומא חד שדרינהו ניהליה ביד דביתהו אתאי אמרה ליה לא צריך מאי חזית שמעי דהוה קאמרי ליה במה אתה סועד בטלי כסף או בטלי זהב אמר היינו דאמר רבי אלעזר בואו ונחזיק טובה לרמאין שאלמלא הן היינו חוטאין בכל יום שנאמר (דברים טו)" וקרא עליך אל ה' והיה בך חטא"

Ketubot 67b
R. Hanina had a poor man to whom he regularly sent four zuz on the Eve of every Sabbath. One day he sent that sum through his wife who came back and told him [that the man was in] no need of it. 'What [R. Hanina asked her] did you see?'



Ketubot 68a


[She replied:] I heard that he was asked, 'On what will you dine; on the silver [coloured] cloths or on the gold [coloured] ones?' 'It is in view of such cases' [R. Hanina] remarked, 'that R. Eleazar said: Come let us be grateful to the rogues, for were it not for then, we would have been sinning every day, for it is said in Scripture, “Do not be mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing. He will cry to the Lord against you, and you will incur guilt.” (Deuteronomy 15:9)





In a 2009 NY Times article, the United Homeless Organization (UHO) was found to be committing fraud in its use of money that was supposedly for the homeless. What would the Talmud say about this? How do you pick one charitable organization over another? What about investigating individuals and whether they are honest about their needs?