Avos 3:2

בס׳ד

אבות ג:ב

Rabbi Hananiah, the Deputy of the Priests says: Pray for the health of the State, for fear of it is the only thing that keeps people from eating each other alive. Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion says:  Show me two people sitting together without words of Torah between them and I’ll show you a bunch of Bozos, as it is said: “And he did not sit among a bunch of Bozos, but rather took delight in the Torah of HaShem.” (Tehillim 1:1) But - two people sitting together sharing words of Torah will encounter the Shekhinah among them, as it is said: “Then the Fearers of HaShem spoke, each to the other, and HaShem took heed and listened.  And a record book was written before Him for those who fear HaShem and contemplate his name.” (Malakhi 3:16) From this I learn only two people.  How do I know that even if one sits and engages in Torah the Blessed Holy One grants him a reward?  For it is said: “One who sits alone and meditates in silence, it is placed upon him.” (Ekhah 3:28)

רַבִּי חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מִתְפַּלֵּל בִּשְׁלוֹמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת, שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא מוֹרָאָהּ, אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ חַיִּים בְּלָעוֹ. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶן תְּרַדְיוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁנַיִם שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְאֵין בֵּינֵיהֶן דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, הֲרֵי זֶה מוֹשַׁב לֵצִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים א) וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב. אֲבָל שְׁנַיִם שֶׁיּוֹשְׁבִין וְיֵשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, שְׁכִינָה שְׁרוּיָה בֵינֵיהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג) אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי יְיָ אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁב יְיָ וַיִּשְׁמָע וַיִּכָּתֵב סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן לְפָנָיו לְיִרְאֵי יְיָ וּלְחֹשְׁבֵי שְׁמוֹ. אֵין לִי אֶלָּא שְׁנַיִם, מִנַּיִן שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ אֶחָד שֶׁיּוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קוֹבֵעַ לוֹ שָׂכָר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איכה ג) יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד וְיִדֹּם כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו:

        Rabbi Hananiah, the Deputy of the Priests, witnessed the Hurban HaBayis.  As the last to serve in the office of “deputy” (sgan hakohanim), Rabbi Hananiah supervised the daily activities of the priests as a kind of Foreman.  Another of his duties was to serve as the “understudy” for the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur, just in case the Kohen Gadol became disqualified to serve.

        The “other” Rabbi Hananiah, Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion, is famous as one of the Ten Martyrs who, along with Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael, were tortured and murdered by the Romans during the Bar Kokhba rebellion.  We recall their martyrdom each year during the Avodah in the Musaf of Yom Kippur. Rabbi Hananiah was burned at the stake wrapped in a scroll of the Torah (Bavli Avodah Zarah 17b-18a) as a punishment for violating Emperor Hadrian’s law against public teaching of Torah.

        During the war against Rome, Rabbi Hananiah, the Deputy of the Priests, was allied with Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai in trying to prevent the Jewish resistance against the Empire from becoming violent.  He felt that the generation was not worthy of redemption, and that a war against Rome would result in tragedy.  He was right.  The teaching he transmits here expresses his point of view exactly.  Even a wicked Empire, like Rome, is preferable to the chaos that engulfs society when all law and order are withdrawn.  As Rashi points out, Rabbi Hananiah was particularly diligent in offering sacrifices on behalf of the Roman government.  The practice in many shuls of offering special prayers for the Welfare of the Government is directly descended from Rabbi Hananiah’s point of view.

        The term “Empire” (malkhut in Hebrew) can also have a mystical sense.  In Kabbalah it refers to the feminine aspect of HaShem which manifests itself in the dual form of Dominion and Divine Presence (shekhinah).  Along these lines, Rabbi Yom Tov ben Avraham Ishvili (known in halakhic commentaries as “the Ritva”) is quoted in the Midrash Shmuel as follows: “Pray for the wholeness of the Heavenly Dominion, since through Her we have our own lives.  And in all our sufferings She suffers…and if She were not to protect us we would never be spared from those who hate us, not even a fraction of us.  So when a person prays for Her peace, he is praying for us as well.”

        Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion lived and died to teach Torah.  It’s not surprising, then, that his teachings concern the rewards of Torah study.  He uses surprising psukim to prove that Torah study sanctifies even the smallest of gatherings.  You might think that “Bozos” is an unusual translation of the word letzim.  It literally means “mockers.” But in modern Hebrew, a letzan is a clown.  And let’s face it - when we hang around with clowns we don’t get to learn much Torah!

        The idea of learning Torah in hevrusa, in pairs, comes from Rabbi Hananiah’s second point.  When we share words of Torah we bring the Presence of HaShem into our awareness.  The Shekhinah is like the medium that links the souls of haverim into a unity over Torah.

        Finally, if you can't find a study partner, all is not lost!  Even if you learn alone, HaShem's presence will overtake your mind and nourish your learning. Rabbi Hananiah had no hevrusa with him at the stake.  He was utterly alone.  We can imagine that these words were in Rabbi Hananiah's mind as the flames licked around him and his meditations on Torah rose up with the flames as his neshamah ascended to Heaven.

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