Self-Defense

~ Quick Thoughts ~
Self Defense
By: Daniel Listhaus

            The first mishna in Berachos mentions a machlokes regarding the proper time to say kriyas shema. Although it seems like a three way machlokes in the mishna with Rebbe Eliezer maintaining that the night time shema could be recited until the end of the first ashmorah (third of the night), the Chochomim saying until chatzos (midnight), and Rabban Gamliel holding until amud ha'shachar (dawn). The Gemara explains that really it is only a two-way machlokes and that the reality is that the chochomim agree with Rabban Gamliel's opinion that the shema could be recited until dawn. The reason they say that it could only be recited until chatzos is in order to prevent people from transgressing on not reciting the evening shema.

        The chochomim in their wisdom understand human nature to make mistakes and that people who lean to far to the edge tend to fall over. They instituted this "siyag la'torah" (fence around the Torah), so to speak, as the mishna in avos refers to such enactments.

        The chochomim who were looking out on behalf of the public decreed gvezairos meant to protect us. We are tasked with creating our own siya la'torah's as well. What areas do we know for ourselves that we are sitting too close to the edge on and perhaps need our own proverbial "midnight hard stop" to ensure that we don't transgress on the things that we care about or the personal standards be it in halacha, hashkafa, or middos, that we strive for?

        As we prepare for the yom tov of shavuos, and re-receive the Torah in the same way and time that we have been doing for over 3,000 years straight, may Hashem help us take it to the next level and make personal kabbalos to keep the Torah even better and guard it even more carefully by helping set up our own siyagim la'Torah. 

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