VULNERABILITYIN FRIENDSHIP: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REBBE YOCHANAN AND RAYSH LAKISH

‏THE TEXT

Bava Metziah 84a (bottom)

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One day RY was swimming in the Jordan. RL saw him andleaped into the Jordan after him.

Said [R. Yochanan] to him, "Your strength should befor the Torah!"

"Your beauty," [Raysh Lakish] replied,"should be for women!"

"If you will repent, [lit., return]" said [R.Yochanan], "I will give you my sister [in marriage], who is more beautifulthan I."

[Raysh Lakish thereupon] undertook [to repent]. He wishedto return and collect his weapons [or: clothes, possibly a coat of mail orarmor], but was not able to do so.

Subsequently, [R. Yochanan] taught him Bible and Mishnah,and made him into a great man.

One day there was a dispute in the academy [with respectto the following law]: "A sword, knife, dagger, spear, hand-saw and ascythe: at what stage [of their manufacture] do they become susceptible toritual impurity? When their manufacture is complete." [The question aroseas to precisely] when their manufacture is complete? R. Yochanan ruled: Whenthey are tempered in a furnace. Resh Lakish maintained: [After the next stage,namely,] when they have been furbished in water.

Said [Rav Yochanan] to [Raysh Lakish, "I should deferto your expertise in this instance, because] 'A robber understands histrade'!"

Said [Raysh Lakish] to R. Yochanan, "And how have youbenefited me? There [in my life as a robber] I was called Master, and here I amcalled Master!"

"By bringing you under the wings of theShechinah," R. Yochanan retorted.

R. Yochanan felt himself deeply hurt, [as a result ofwhich] Resh Lakish fell ill.

[R. Yochanan's] sister [the wife of Raysh Lakish] came andwept before him: "Forgive him for the sake of my son," she pleaded.

He replied: "[God will protect him, as Jeremiah 49:11assures us:] 'Leave your orphans with me. I will preserve them.'"

"Then [forgive him] for the sake of mywidowhood!"

"[That same verse concludes:] 'And let your widowsrely upon Me'," he assured her.

Resh Lakish died, and R. Yochanan was plunged into deepgrief.

Said the Rabbis, Who shall go to ease his mind? Let R.Eleazar b. Pedath go, whose disquisitions are very subtle. So R. Eleazar wentand sat before him. On every dictum uttered by R. Yochanan, R. Eleazarobserved: "There is a Baraita which supports your opinion."

"Are you as the son of Lakisha?" R. Yochanancomplained. "When I would state a law [in his presence], the son ofLakisha used to raise twenty-four objections, to which I gave twenty-fouranswers, which consequently led to a fuller comprehension of the law. You [indisappointing contrast, merely] say, 'A Baraita has been taught which supportsyou:' Do I not know myself that my dicta are correct!?"

Thus he went on rending his garments and weeping,"Where are you, O son of Lakisha, Where are you, O son of Lakisha!"And he cried thus until [he became deranged [lit.: his mind was turned].Thereupon the Rabbis prayed for him, and he died.

I. SELECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  1. This narrative suggests that thetwo men had met, or at least had known one another, prior to the incident inthe Jordan River, but probably had not been close friends. Sparse biographicalevidence based upon other Talmudic sources suggests that Raysh Lakish was borninto a rabbinic family and had studied Torah in his youth. Due to destitutionas a young adult, he had hired himself out as a gladiator, or possibly had soldhimself to men who hired out gladiators (PGittin 4:9, 46a-b). The Talmudrelates how Raysh Lakish achieved renown for single-handedly exterminating wholevillage of Lydian cannibals (Gittin 47a). Rebbe Yochanan's acerbic remark,"A robber knows his trade," was probably a well-known folk-sayingwhich Rebbe Yochanan adduced as a metaphorical reference to Raysh Lakish'sweapons-expertise as a gladiator. Some traditional commentaries view thereference as being more literal, and assume that Raysh Lakish had actuallyjoined a band of thieves and robbers, over which he became chieftain. Even ifthis latter opinion is not historically accurate, the present incident makesclear that at the time of their confrontation in the Jordan river, Raysh Lakishwas relatively unschooled in Torah and was living a lifestyle far removed fromRabbinic ideals as represented by Rebbe Yochanan.

  1. This sugya appears in the contextof the Talmud's describing Rebbe Yochanan's exceptional beauty. From aformal/literary perspective, therefore, the Talmud's editors may have includedthis story at this point because its opening dramatically illustrates thecompelling power of Rebbe Yochanan's attractiveness.

II. ANALYSIS

  1. "One day Rebbe Yochanan wasswimming in the Jordan. Raysh Lakish saw him and leaped into the Jordan afterhim." Said Rebbe Yochanan to Raysh Lakish: `Your strength [should bechanneled into] Torah!' Raysh Lakish responded: `Your beauty [should be] forwomen!'"

Why did Raysh Lakish leap into theJordan and head towards Rebbe Yochanan? The sugya here ascribes no motivationto Raysh Lakish's action; it simply presents an highly ambiguous image, open tomultiple interpretations. On one hand, the image evokes aggression, perhapsreflecting intent to sexually molest Rebbe Yochanan or even to murder him. Atthe same time, the description may also suggest intense, enthusiasticattraction - a passionate desire on the part of Raysh Lakish to merge with thegreat Torah scholar.

On the other hand, it have been anoppressively hot day. Raysh Lakish, upon noticing Rebbe Yochanan "coolingoff" in the Jordan, may have decided, on a conscious level, simply to joinhim for the same reason! He was not necessarily aware of feelings of attractionor of aggression at that moment, although, on a subliminal level, thesefeelings certainly did exist.

  1. From a literary perspective, thisaggression-attraction image may prefigure Raysh Lakish's deep feelings ofambivalence towards Rebbe Yochanan, sentiments which become dramatically overtduring their controversy regarding metallic instruments.

  1. The commentary Metzudas Davidsuggests that Raysh Lakish mistook Rebbe Yochanan for a woman, since the latterhad no beard. According to this interpretation, the aggression-attractionambiguity inherent in of Raysh Lakish's action remains: his goal was either torape her or to seduce her.

On a universal level, this ambiguityreflects the ambivalent inner world of the "Don Juan"/sexualpredator, whose motto, indeed, may well be, "A man's beauty is for women(i.e., womanizing)!" This slogan, as articulated by Raysh Lakish here,reflects more than his personal attitude towards women and sexuality. It issymbolic, rather, of a holistic world-view, on one hand devoid of God-centerednessand, on the other, permeated with self-gratification concerns. It evokes theentire predatory value system contained in the Rabbinic image of Esau: hunter,rapist, murderer - in other words, the consummate self-worshipper, for whom theentire world external to himself constitutes "fair game."

  1. Some modern commentators suggestthat Raysh Lakish's desire was to homosexually molest Rebbe Yochanan. Such aninterpretation is impossible to accept: the editors of the text would notexpect the reader of their day to deduce such a motivation without explicit editorialinterpretive guidance. Nevertheless, even that interpretation would not changethe foregoing analysis; the aggression-attraction ambiguity remains, as doesthe context of a self-worshipping world view.

  1. The threat which Raysh Lakish mayhave felt at the prospect of converting to Rebbe Yochanan's way of life lay inthe fact that, like all conversion experiences, it stood to destroy RayshLakish's "present self". His daily way of living, his value system,the nature of his intellectual focus and creativity, his behavioral norms - allthese self-defining factors would be abandoned or radically transformed if hewere to surrender to Rebbe Yochanan's world. Yet at the same time, this worldgenuinely attracted him, perhaps because he subliminally yearned for a God-centeredand Torah-centered life. Raysh Lakish's education as a little child - longabandoned and almost forgotten (but remaining deep in his subconsciousnevertheless) - had taught him that such a life constituted the exclusive pathto integrity, authenticity, and redemption.

  1. The fact that the sugya does notreveal Raysh Lakish's motivation may suggest that even Raysh Lakish himself wasnot clearly aware of why he jumped into the Jordan River on that fateful day.Deep within him, passionate attraction was intermingled with fear andhostility.

A helpful analogy to this phenomenonof dual, mutually exclusive motivations may exist in the Biblical image of Esau"...coming towards [Jacob], accompanied by four hundred men [Gen.32:6]." Assuming (as Jacob certainly did) that Esau had brought the fourhundred men in order to annihilate Jacob and his entire family, the questionarises as to when Esau's sentiments changed so that, upon finally seeing Jacobhe "ran towards him and hugged him, and fell upon his neck and kissed him,and they cried." The midrashic tradition, as cited by Rashi, informs usthat Esau's murderous rage was transformed into compassion and love when heviewed Jacob's numerous prostrations. The Midrash, however, is only addressingthe reality of Esau's surface behavior, the final superficial catalyst ofEsau's behavioral change. Without taking issue with Rashi's midrashic citation,we may still maintain that, deep beneath the surface, Esau experiencedambivalent feelings - of boundless brotherly love intermingled with elements ofmurderous rage.

  1. Ultimately, Raysh Lakish'sreligious transformation did NOT undermine the essence of his personality ordid it mitigate the powerful dynamism of his creative life. His new,"repentant" persona retained his unique qualities, re-channeling theminto the realm of Torah, thereby striving to fulfill what Jewish traditionconsiders to be the will of the Creator. Raysh Lakish, therefore, in declaringthat both as a brigand (or gladiator) and as a halachic scholar he had beencalled "Master", correctly asserted that his individual essence wasonly rechanneled, but not destroyed.

  1. More specifically: Raysh Lakish'smost salient characteristic - in both worlds - lay in his combative orientation- his ability and willingness to act in opposition to others. In Raysh Lakish'sprevious existence, this oppositional quality was manifest in his warrioridentity and/or in his criminal acts. Under Rebbe Yochanan's academic tutelage,this characteristic was re-channeled into the development of a keen analyticalmind, constantly sharpened and refined in the process of critically assessing -and, when appropriate, opposing - the legal opinions of others. When takingissue with an opinion, he was able, and willing, to articulate his oppositionin an assertive and compelling manner. His innate oppositional and evenadversarial orientations thus made him successful as a Torah scholar just as hehad been as a gladiator or brigand.

In other words: Raysh Lakish'soppositional personality, combined with his keen intellect and his almostsuperhuman devotion to Torah, enabled him to rise to positions of leadership -endowing him with the status of ‏גברא רבא‎ - a man of renown - in bothcontexts.

Indeed, the Talmud at times utilizesmilitaristic metaphors in order to characterize the ofttimes confrontationalargumentation and debate that occurs among Torah scholars. For example, thedramatic narrative in Berachot 27b, describing the impeachment of RabbanGamliel, characterizes the scholars of the Sanhedrin as ‏בעלי‎ ‏תריסין‎, "shield bearers". Likewise, Kiddushin 30b refers to theexperience of deliberating over Torah Law with a study partner by evokingBiblical war images in an allegorical fashion. ‏‎In The Gentleman and the Jew,Maurice Samuel points out that whereas Western culture has endeavored tosublimate man's innate warrior urges into sports events, Judaism, in contrast,has sublimated these urges into Torah learning, i.e., intellectualconfrontations and argumentation in the pursuit of Divinely revealed Truths.

  1. "‏"חילךלאורייתא‎ - "Yourstrength belongs to Torah!"

Confronted by a possibly murderousaggressor, Rebbe Yochanan responds by loudly declaring the former's potentialto live the ideal, redeemed life: "Your strength is for Torah!" Hethus attempts to disarm his apparent victimizer by offering him a gift ofgenuine praise. Acceptance of this praise on Raysh Lakish's part would requirehim to immediately recoil from his attack, and to abandon his way of life.

  1. Rebbe Yochanan's focus here uponRaysh Lakish's physical strength is noteworthy. Raysh Lakish's prowess had beenhis most salient quality throughout his adult life until that point. Instead ofviewing this quality as negative or even as inconsequential,  Rebbe Yochanan sees in this prowess asignificant positive force that may be rechanneled into Torah, therebycontributing to the realization of God's will in this world. He unabashedlycommunicates this fact to Raysh Lakish.

  1. Clearly threatened by RebbeYochanan's declaration, Raysh Lakish attempts to shift the entire focus of thedialogue away from himself and onto Rebbe Yochanan:

‏"שופרךלנשי"‎ - "Yourbeauty is for women!"

We have attempted to analyze theambivalent implications of this declaration in paragraph #2. Now to elaborateupon it as a response to Rebbe Yochanan's challenge:

[1]"You imply that my strength is being wasted in the realm ofpleasure-seeking, and that I should abandon that realm for the world of Torah.On the contrary: I contend that your physical beauty is being wasted inthe world of Torah, and I challenge you to abandon that world and embrace therealm of hedone!"

[2]As a response to "Your strength is for Torah!", the declaration"Your beauty is for women!" implies that the worlds of"Torah" and of "Women" are mutually exclusive. Raysh Lakishassumes that a person cannot be simultaneously engaged in both realms. Oneeither engages in Torah or basks in erotic hedone. The world of Torah demandsunreasonable ascetic deprivation.

  1. "If you repent, I will giveyou my sister [in marriage], who is (even) more beautiful than I."

Rebbe Yochanan's rejoinderconstitutes a significant tour de force, in at least two ways:

[1]As an assertion that the Torah way of life does not demand asceticism :Through this proposal, Rebbe Yochanan implicitly validates Raysh Lakish'serotic interests (just as he had previously validated his physical prowess),and intimates that such desires are not to be repressed but rather channelledinto marriage. He thus defuses Raysh Lakish's implied argument that the worldsof Torah and of erotic pleasure are mutually exclusive, thereby depriving RayshLakish of an important rationale or pretext for rejecting Torah values.

[2]As a gift of trust and faith in Raysh Lakish: We may assume that, because ofher beauty and her lineage, Rebbe Yochanan's sister was a highly eligiblemarriage prospect. The most promising scholars in the Land of Israel wereundoubtedly vying for her hand. In offering her to Raysh Lakish, Rebbe Yochanandramatically demonstrates total faith in Raysh Lakish's potential -to achievescholarly, moral and spiritual greatness - by committing himself, his belovedsister, and indirectly, his entire family to that belief.

Indeed, Rebbe Yochanan was correctin his assessment; his sister's passionate pleas reflect her love for RayshLakish and her satisfaction with him as both husband and father.

  1. "[Raysh Lakish thereupon]undertook [to repent]. He wished to return and collect his clothes [Aramaic: manyeh= ‏מניה‎] but was unable to do so."

[1]This immediate manifestation of Raysh Lakish's weakness indicates that he choseto repent not simply in order to be able to marry Rebbe Yochanan's beautifulsister. More deeply, Rebbe Yochanan's overwhelmingly generous proposal, withits implied faith in Raysh Lakish, awakened within him a yearning which existsdeep within the soul of every Jew: an innate, subliminal desire to live a lifedevoted to serving God through study and observance of His Torah.

[2]Like the Hebrew word ‏כלים‎ [keilim], the Aramaic ‏מנא‎ maydenote either "clothing" or "instruments" (in thisinstance: weapons). From a structural point of view, "clothing" wouldappear to be the preferred reading, insofar as that interpretation correlateswith the image of Rebbe Yochanan tearing his own clothing at the sugya's tragicdenouement.

[3]Raysh Lakish's sudden weakness dramatically illustrates the radicallytransformative nature of his repentance-rebirth. Strengths that had alwaysserved his needs and goals suddenly were no longer of any use to him, as thoseneeds and goals dissipated. If only for that moment, he experienced a totaldepletion of strength.

[4]In the overall structure of the narrative, the message at this point isunambiguous: Rebbe Yochanan's Torah/God-centered world-view, as represented byhis offer of trust and devotion to Raysh Lakish, vanquished the latter'sself-serving brute strength and aggressive hostility. Service of God has thusoverpowered devotion to self:

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‏אלה ברכב ואלהבסוסים, ואנחנו בשם ה' נזכיר...                 ‎

"These with (their) chariots,and those with their horses; but we will call out in the name of our God!"(Psalms 20:8)

  1. Subsequently, [R. Yochanan]taught him Bible and Mishnah, and made him into a great man."

[1]Fortunately, Raysh Lakish's weakness did not last. Rebbe Yochanan wasapparently committed to sublimating and re-channeling Raysh Lakish's vitality,not to repressing it.

[2]We know from descriptions of Raysh Lakish which appear throughout the Talmudthat his development into an outstanding scholar was not as Pygmalion-like orone-sided as the foregoing quote might imply. Raysh Lakish's pro-activity andintense passion for study was extraordinary, even when compared to the commitmentof other great Amoraim. Some examples: Ta'anit 8a describes Raysh Lakishas reviewing each Mishnaic law 40 times prior to entering the classroom to hearRebbe Yochanan's discourse upon that law. In Berachot 63b and Shabbat83b he insists that, "The words of Torah are preserved only in the personwho kills himself (metaphorically and hyperbolically) on their behalf." InSanhedrin 24a, Ulla states that "Whoever sees Raysh Lakish in thestudy hall feels as if he is uprooting mountains and grinding them against oneanother." This commitment to learning was not merely a function of his ownscholarly propensity; he viewed it as an ideological necessity, applicable toeveryone. Thus in Shabbat 119b he declares: "It is forbidden tocancel the classes of young children, even in order to rebuild the HolyTemple!"

  1. "...and made him into agreat man."

Raysh Lakish became Rebbe Yochanan'scolleague. The Babylonian and the Palestinian Talmuds contain hundreds ofhalachic controversies between the two men. Bava Kama 117a refers to R. Lakishas a Rebbe Yochanan's "teaching assistant" who would review themaster's daily lecture with the students. He was both loyal to his master (forexample, he once warned Rebbe Yochanan when a new scholar from Babylon was aboutto critique his previous lesson), and devoted to the students. According toRashi's elaboration to B.K. 117a, he "individualized" his teachingduring every review session, making sure each student understood the lesson.

  1. "A sword, knife, dagger,spear, hand-saw and scythe..."

This Beraita lists six metallicinstruments which cut into things. The first four are weapons of destruction -used by warriors, gladiators, and brigands. The last two are used forconstructive, peaceful purposes - to cut wood for building and to harvestgrain. This list evokes the truism that a strong "cutting edge"possesses the potential both to destroy and to build.

This image may allude to thepotential of both master and student to mold and transform one another - bothconstructively and destructively. As with all significant relationships, anelement of trust must exist between master and student. This trust is necessaryfrom the student's perspective for at least two reasons.

First: The student is able tomaximize his own intellectual and academic growth under the tutelage of apedagogically gifted master only by exposing the latter to the limitations inhis own knowledge - to its vast realms of ignorance. The student is able tomake himself so vulnerable to his teacher only if he able to trust him totally.

Second: the student must permithimself to become vulnerable to the teacher's transformative insights andvalues; he must at times allow aspects of his "old self" - his ownways of approaching, analyzing, assessing and solving intellectual challenges -to be significantly modified and at times even destroyed by the force of themaster's alternative methods.

The teacher, on the other hand, alsoexperiences his own vulnerability because he risks that the student may reject,trivialize, or even spurn his teachings which he has generously shared withhim. The teacher's generosity often goes far beyond the resources of time andenergy. In a true rebbe-talmid relationship (at least with adult students), therebbe's beneficence is manifest by his willingness to share with his students -and therefore make vulnerable to them - the essence of his very being: histeachings, his erudition, gaps in his knowledge, aspects of his personality andof his world view, his ambivalence, his doubts, his deepest existential andintellectual passions:

"I spread my dreams under yourfeet; tread softly, for you tread on my dreams."

  1. During the years they studiedtogether, their relationship developed as they struggled to comprehend, in allits depth and complexity, the entire corpus of Oral Law of and to determinehalachic norms. Working as a team, they often disagreed in their respectiveviews and opinions regarding specific halachot. After Raysh Lakish's death,Rebbe Yochanan poignantly explains how it was precisely their differingperspectives which enabled them to achieve outstanding success in their Torahscholarship. Raysh Lakish's willingness to constantly challenge hismaster-cum-colleague enabled the latter, in rebuttal, to modify and refine hisoriginal suppositions, "so that the truth would emanate from betweenus."

  1. THE RELATIONSHIP SELF-DESTRUCTS:Rebbe Yochanan to Raysh Lakish: "A robber knows his trade!" RayshLakish's response: "In what way have you benefitted me...?!"

The phenomenal success of their learningrelationship did not adequately secure the foundation of their interpersonalrelationship. The latter remained tenuous and fragile, permeated with mutualvulnerability, a veritable powder keg, ready to burst into murderous rage whenexposed to the smallest spark.

  1. The Mishnah in Bava Metziah(58b) states: "Just as [Biblical prohibitions] exist regarding unfairpractices in buying and selling, Biblical prohibitions likewise exist againstharming people with words (ona'at devarim)" The Mishnah goes on tolist three examples of such Biblically prohibited hurtful speech, the second ofwhich is the following:

"‏אםהיה בעל תשובה, לא יאמר לו: "זכור מעשיך הראשונים‎

"If someone is a repentantsinner, one should not say to him, "Remember your past deeds!"

What factor or factors couldpossibly have compelled Rav Yochanan, the outstanding model of both piety andTorah learning in his generation, to apparently violate this ethical-halachicprohibition by speaking so hurtfully towards his loyal student and colleague?!As is so often the case in Biblical as well as in Talmudic narrative, the sugyasimply describes the problematic behavior without explicitly judging it ordelving into motivations.

  1. Before attempting to solve thisproblem, some brief remarks concerning methodology are in order. The reader atthis point may find himself in a religious and/or ethical quandary. On onehand, if the reader attempts to justify Rebbe Yochanan's hurtful statement, hewilly nilly validates its implication that Raysh Lakish, the righteous Amora,deserved to be called a robber, a common criminal - at least on some meaningfulmetaphorical level - even long after he had repented. On the other hand, if thereader does not justify Rebbe Yochanan's accusation, he implicitly accusesRebbe Yochanan of violating the serious ethical-halachic prohibition of ona'atdevarim. What right does any reader have to pass judgement upon either ofthese Torah giants!?

The foregoing question is alsoapplicable to the analysis of Biblical narratives. Is it ever appropriate tocritically assess such spiritual giants as, for example, Jacob, Joseph and hisbrothers, Moses or King David?

A definitive treatment of thisproblem - factoring in literary, ethical, theological, and even halachicconsiderations - is beyond the scope of this essay. Here we shall simply assertthat the present analysis in no way purports to pass judgement upon actualhistorical personalities. The "historically real" Rebbe Yochanan andRaysh Lakish are obviously not accessible to the reader. Their inaccessibilityis not due merely to their chronological distance from time-present. Indeed, weare often at a loss to explain what motivates not only the actions of our owncontemporaries, but even our own behaviors. Indeed, we often solicit theexpertise of psychologists, whom we hire to aid us in the elusive quest forself-understanding.

The reader of Biblical or Talmudicnarratives, therefore, possesses neither the ability nor the right to judge theactual historical characters involved. He does have the obligation,however, to judge the literary image of each personality as it is depictedby the text. The textual evidence is always limited; the author(s)nevertheless expect us to derive enlightenment from the material as presented.Our conclusions therefore concern only these literary images; they do notpurport to derive conclusions regarding the actual historical charactersreferred to by the texts.

  1. Raysh Lakish's immediateresponse to Rebbe Yochanan's hurtful remark may enable us to speculate as towhy Rebbe Yochanan spoke to his as he did:

‏‎‏ומאי אהנת לי?! התם "רבי" קרו לי,הכא "רבי קרו לי!         ‎

In what way have you benefitted me?In my prior existence they called me `Master' (=Rebbe) and now they call me`Master'?!

With this declaration, Raysh Lakishasserts that he has no reason to feel beholden to Rebbe Yochanan! The need toavoid feeling indebted to another for life's specific blessings stems from asense of entitlement to those blessings.

We must reconsider Rebbe Yochanan's"robber" metaphor" in light of this "entitlement concept".A robber considers himself licensed, by dint of his superior physical strengthand aggressive proclivity, to plunder the belongings of "the other".The "robber personality", therefore, by its very essence is suffusedwith a sense of entitlement and recoils from feeling indebted or beholden.

This attitude may ultimately reflecta theological lack. As is the case with one's material possessions, so with hisless tangible assets, such as talent, skills, indeed the vitality of "justbeing alive." The robber/entitlement personality refuses to view theseresources as gifts, granted by God - either directly or indirectly by means ofgenerous and dedicated mentors. He refuses to view the possessions of eachhuman being as Divinely granted resources, which God has bestowed upon personfor the purpose of serving Him and His world.

If life and its blessings are not agift, but merely a "given", then their possessors will neither feelnor express gratitude for them, for an object of that gratitude does not exist.These blessings are simply a function of mere happenstance - a dice roll.

In repenting, Raysh Lakish hadheroically divested himself of all behavioral manifestations of this"robber-entitlement" approach to life. However, he apparently did notcompletely divest his personality, his inner world, of this orientation - atleast as far as his relationship to Rebbe Yochanan was concerned. (Indeed, theTalmud's characterizations of Raysh Lakish's spirituality clearly indicate anabsolute sense of being beholden to God for everything that he possessed.) Inhis external behavior, Raysh Lakish was quite willing to be boundlessly devotedto his master-colleague, but deep in his heart, he would not allow himself tofeel indebted to him.

Raysh Lakish's devotion to RebbeYochanan was thus a function of a realistic assessment of the latter'sgreatness in Torah. He understood full well that in order to develop into anoutstanding Torah scholar he would have to submit totally to his Rebbe's learning- both methodologically and substantively. He would therefore review the texttwenty-four times prior to each lecture, and following the lesson, he wouldcarefully and lovingly explicate it to each student (as described in paragraphs12 and 13 above). As he accommodated the lesson to each student's individuallearning style and capacity, he internalized each insight deeper and deeperinto his own realms of rational and intuitive awareness. Raysh Lakish thusbecame the paradigmatic student-colleague: he invested all his energies intomastering his master's teachings, and this investment resulted in boundlessreturns, eventually transforming him from being his master's student into hiscolleague - a student who benefitted his master no less than his masterbenefitted him. So much for Raysh Lakish's devotion…

Indebtedness, on the other hand, demands that the recipient acknowledge hisbenefactor as such. In their relationship, Rebbe Yochanan's gift was nothingless than life itself - a rebirth. The burden of acknowledgement upon RayshLakish was thus analogous to that of a child towards his parents and everyhuman being towards his Creator: namely, he was required to view Rebbe Yochananas the sine qua non enabler of his spiritual, moral and intellectual being.

By acknowledging one's benefactor, aperson transforms himself from the category of "taker" - a plundereror a robber - into that of "recipient". Berachot 35b teaches that aperson who benefits from the pleasures of this world without reciting ablessing is as if he is plundering God's property. R. Yochanan felt that hisdevoted student had felt no indebtedness towards him, and that therefore,despite his heroic radical transformation, he remained, in the deep essence ofhis being, a plunderer.

  1. R. Lakish fell deathly ill as adirect result of his having offended Rebbe Yochanan ("Of what benefit haveyou been to me...").

Despite Rebbe Yochanan's hurt, hedid not pray for revenge. The mere reality of his feeling offended causedHeaven to avenge his pain by afflicting Raysh Lakish. Raysh Lakish's fate layin the hands of Rebbe Yochanan; Heaven in a sense was committed to healing hisbrother-in-law only upon the master's prayerful behest. Rebbe Yochanan, despitehis sister's pleas, refused to pray for mercy on his behalf, and as a resultRaysh Lakish finally died.

  1. God's role in this narrative

This phenomenon - of Heaven avenginga righteous victim's pain by mortally afflicting his offender - is not uncommonin Talmudic literature. In the famous incident regarding Achnai's Oven, forexample, Rabban Gamliel's life was threatened after excommunicating R. Eliezerben Hurkanus and publicly humiliating him. As soon as the latter was able toarticulate his pain in prayerful supplication, Rabban Gamliel passed away. (Seealso Bava Basra 9b.)

The narrator obviously expects thereader to see a Divine Hand in this cause-and-effect sequence. Raysh Lakish'ssickness and death constitutes a manifest miracle i.e, God's direct response tohis having offended Rebbe Yochanan. Yet, it is noteworthy that the narraterdoes not explicitly point to God as the primary cause of these events.Indeed, God takes no explicit role in the entire story. The narrative containsbut two oblique references to God: [1] in Rebbe Yochanan's brief retort,"I have brought you under the Wings of the Shechina (The DivinePresence)"; and [2] in his attempt to console his sister "Let yourwidows rely upon Me").

This tendency to downplay God'smanifest presence is typical of Talmudic stories, and should be contrasted withthe Bible's focus upon God in almost all of its miracle stories. The Bible veryoften depicts God as the direct, active cause of miraculous events: considerthe Flood, the destruction of Sodom, the Ten Plagues, and the splitting of theSea of Reeds. In fact, the apparent purpose of numerous Biblical miracles isprecisely to demonstrate God's willingness and ability to control historicalevents - even at the expense of violating the very laws of nature which Hehad established when He created the world.

In contrast, the function ofmiracles in Talmud stories is to emphasize or demonstrate the greatness ofthe person for whom the miracle was performed. Raysh Lakish's afflictionsthus indicate Rav Yochanan's spiritual prowess - his ability to have Heaventake up his cause and to punish anyone who wounds his feelings. Thisdistinction between Biblical and Talmudic miracles warrants further analysis,beyond the scope of the present essay.

  1. This story begins and ends withimages of intense conflict, where each party takes turns being on theaggressive. At the narrative's tragic ending, each character plays the role ofaggressor two times:

[1]Rebbe Yochanan offends Raysh Lakish by labeling him a robber;

[2]Raysh Lakish, in response, offends Rebbe Yochanan by asserting that the latterhad done nothing for him;

[3]Rebbe Yochanan - through his hurt at Raysh Lakish's statement - causes thelatter to become deathly ill, and due to his adamant refusal to pray in RayshLakish's behalf, allows him to die;

[4]Raysh Lakish, through his death, causes Rebbe Yochanan to enter into a deepdepression, lose his mind and die.

These shifts may parallel somewhat asimilar phenomenon which we witnessed at the story's beginning:

[1]Raysh Lakish threatened Rav Yochanan by jumping into the Jordan (assuming theclassical interpretation of this act).

[2]Rav Yochanan challenged Raysh Lakish by asserting that his strength be devotedto Torah;

[3]Raysh Lakish countered by challenging Rav Yochanan to devote his beauty toobtaining pleasure from women;

[4]Rav Yochanan neutralized Raysh Lakish's last challenge by offering him hissister in marriage, on condition that he repent;

[5]Raysh Lakish, greatly weakened, capitulated and agreed to repent.

Thus we have two scenes of intenseconflict which bracket the narrative: in the first scene, conflict served to forgethe relationship between these two spiritual and intellectual giants; in thefinal scene, conflict destroys that relationship and destroys each ofthem as well.

"As he lies dying," RebbeYochanan informs his students that it was precisely the reality of conflictthat sustained their relationship throughout their many fruitful yearstogether. In defending his hypotheses from Raysh Lakish's attacks, knowledgeand understanding of Torah was increased as never before. During thosewonderful years, their battles were not about them or about one another, butrather about God's Torah, ultimate values. Opposing one another in the beithamidrash had the effect of strengthening one another as they enhanced themanifestation of Divine Will in this world.

‏                              כל מחלקת שהיא לשם שמיים סופה להתקיים

‎"Everycontroversy that is for the sake of Heaven will be sustained."

  1. The topic of"susceptibility to ritual impurity" leads us to another concept whichmay serve to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of the narrative. TheTalmud articulates here a central principle of impurity law: as long as avessel is in process of manufacture - and therefore not a completed,self-contained unit - it is not susceptible to ritual impurity (tum'ah).The law regarding produce is similar: as long as fruit or the grain has not yetbeen harvested - i.e., growing, or at least connected to a source ofnourishment outside of itself - it is likewise not susceptible to tum'ah.Live animals also do not contract tum'ah (with one possible exception - ‏גולל ודופק‎,see Mishnah Ohalot 15:9 and Bavli Eruvin 15b).

The concept underlying these lawsmay be that as long as a thing is growing and in process it remains imperviousto spiritual contamination. A sense of self-containment, in contrast, makes onesusceptible to contamination and eviction from the realm of the sacred.

Raysh Lakish assertion that he hasalways been a "Master"- in one way or another - may be predicatedupon a (tragically false) self-image of "completeness". A person whoviews himself primarily as being engaged in a never-ending process of growth inTorah learning - as described so passionately and poignantly at thr end of thesugya by Rebbe Yochanan himself - would not readily refer to his study-partneras being of no value to him! "They call me Master" implies a staticvalue system, where the growth-process is secondary to the social positionwhich is the result of that growth.

III. IMAGERY

Many of this sugya's compellingqualities lie in the realm of the implicit, the symbolic and the suggestive -the images and the leitmotifs.

A.EROTIC IMAGERY:

Perhaps the major leitmotif is theimplicit erotic imagery which informs the initiation of the relationship: RayshLakish's apparently aggressive approach towards the naked, swimming RebbeYochanan; his overt "declaration of allegiance" to the hedonic"religion" of erotic pleasure as an alternative to the life devotedto Torah; the sublimation of his initial passion for Rebbe Yochanan's beautyinto the beauty of his sister, on one hand, and on the other hand, into thescholarly "master-student" relationship with Rebbe Yochanan himself.

B.WATER IMAGERY

Another repeating image is that ofwater. Classical Rabbinic Biblical exegesis often views water as symbolic ofTorah - of the reality of Divine values. In halacha, a natural body of watersuch as a river purifies that which is ritually impure and enables theerstwhile pagan to transform into a member of God's Chosen People. Indeed, RebbeYochanan cites this very imagery of halachic conversion later in the story whenhe asserts, "I brought you under the wings of the Shechina." [See theBook of Ruth (2:12): "God under Whose Wings you have come forprotection..." ‏אשר באת לחסות‎ ‏תחת כנפיו‎]."

The story thus begins with RayshLakish undergoing a baptismal conversion, or rebirth, in the Jordan River. Theultimate destructive rift occurs over a halachic debate regarding the questionas to whether a metal weapon needs to be furbished in water in order to becomereceptive to ritual impurity. On a formal, literary level, therefore, the waterimagery in this sugya demarcates both the creation and the destruction ofthe  relationship.

On a more substantive level:According to halacha, an instrument such as a weapon is susceptible tocontracting ritual impurity only if it is complete. Raysh Lakish insists thatthis completeness is not realized without the "immersion experience".This opinion subtly evokes his own such experience at the opening of thenarrative.

C.CLOTHING IMAGERY

Clothing demarcates both theestablishment of their relationship as well as its destruction. At the momentof Raysh Lakish's "conversion" (when he resolves to commit his lifeto Torah observance and study under Rebbe Yochanan's guidance and to marry hissister) he is unable to retrieve his old clothing. After Raysh Lakish's death,Rebbe Yochanan tears his clothing when confronting the reality that their  relationship has been irreversibly destroyed.

D.COMPARING THE IMAGERY OF WATER AND CLOTHING.

Perhaps water represents the basicessence of reality, including - birth, re-birth, the basic character of one'sbeing. Therefore the mikvah effects and incarnates the internal conversionprocess - endowing it with substantive reality. Clothing, on the other hand,constitutes communication - to the  worldoutside - of one's inner world view, one's primary focus, commitments goals,values, agenda. Ideally, therefore, there should exist a strong correlationbetween one's inner essence and one's clothing. From this perspective, it makesperfect sense that, following his immersion-conversion, Raysh Lakish was unableto put on his old clothing.

A person's essential definition,however, is not determined exclusively by his world views, values and agendas.His significant relationships also contribute to his basic identity. When deathclaims a loving partner or a loyal friend, the survivor's inner world is thustorn asunder; at least initially, he perceives his irretrievable loss as a lossof self. The Halacha therefore instructs him to tear his clothes in order that,through this dramatic, wordless catharsis, he will communicate the destructionof his inner world to others. The mitzvah of tearing one's clothes in mourning,therefore, constitutes the mourner's symbolic declaration that, at leasttemporarily, his agenda has become totally bereft of meaning, that his usualmessage to the world no longer exists, because his inner world, radicallyundermined, no longer warrants externalization.

In sum: Raysh Lakish's initialambivalence towards Rebbe Yochanan reflected appropriate intuitive awareness.On one hand, the positive elements of this relationship contributedimmeasurably to the world's understanding of Torah and halacha. As role modelsand as scholars, and as trainers of generations of scholars, they transformedand enhanced Jewish life forever. Yet, on the other hand, this powerful butall-too-fragile relationship eventually killed them both. We are foreverindebted to the editors of the Talmud who, in addition to recording the wisdom,insights, and heroic deeds of these Torah giants, also possessed the courageand intellectual honesty to enable us to learn from their failures as well.