To Understand and to Comprehend: The Study of Talmud From Joshua to the Present

To Understand and to Comprehend: The Study of Talmud From Joshua to the Present
No mitsvah is as essential to Judaism as the study of Torah.[i] There are different parts to Torah study, as the Gemara states: “A person should split up his learning: one third Bible, one third Mishnah, one third Talmud.”[ii] Nowadays, most Orthodox students focus on the Talmud, spending many hours each day involved in its study. Yet, many do not know the nature of the mitsvah in which they are involved. This paper will focus on understanding this “third part” of Torah – Talmud. In order to reach a deeper understanding of its nature, it will explore the development of Talmud study and Oral Law over history.

The Nature of the Oral Torah and Talmud Study

To understand the mitsvah of Talmud, one must understand how Jews learned in the centuries before the Mishnah was written down. The only written texts they used the 24 books of Tanakh, as there was a prohibition against writing down the Oral Torah. As the Gemara states:[iii]
דרש רבי יהודה בר נחמני מתורגמניה דרבי שמעון בן לקיש, כתיב: +שמות ל”ד+ כתוב לך את הדברים האלה, וכתיב: +שמות ל”ד+ כי ע”פ הדברים האלה, הא כיצד? דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן על פה, דברים שבעל פה אי אתה רשאי לאומרן בכתב. דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא: אלה – אלה אתה כותב, ואי אתה כותב הלכות.
“R. Judah b. Nahmani, the public orator of R. Simeon b. Lakish, discoursed as follows: It is written (Exodus 34), ‘Write thou these words,’ and it is written, ‘For according to the mouth of these words.’ What are we to make of this? — It means: The words which are written down you art not at liberty to say by heart, and the words transmitted orally you are not at liberty to recite from writing. A Tanna of the school of R. Ishmael taught: [It is written] ‘These’: these you may write, but you may not write ‘halakhot.’”
How was Oral Law learned before it was written down? Furthermore, why was it not permitted to write the Oral Law? It would have helped the spread of information if the halakhot were written down and not just memorized!
An important aspect of the study of Talmud is that it provides the opportunity for the advanced student to think, innovate and apply his conclusions to practice. One can study any text, but the highest level is to study God’s Word itself rather than any intermediary commentary. The masorah of Torah shebe‘al peh gave the student the principles of learning and some halakhot, but he would then derive the sources for halakhot from the Penetauch itself and apply the principles to new cases of halahah..[iv] Not every detail of every law could always be remembered, but this methodology allowed people to constantly rediscover the laws in the Torah itself.[v] There was a constant connection with the Divine word. The actual learning did not consist of reading a frozen text, but was a lively discussion of the Torah itself. The oral nature also allowed for different people to each teach and learn in their own style, since there was no text confining them. This is how Rabbi Sherira Gaon (c. 906 – 1006) describes teaching before the Mishnah was written down:
Despite the unanimity among the sages in the underlying principles and teachings, each sage taught his students with whichever order and whichever method he preferred.… Some taught general rules; others added details; and others expanded and offered many, many examples and analogies.[vi]
The prohibition on writing the oral law allowed Jews to always be connected with the Divine word itself. The study of Torah was not about the spread of information, but about this connection to Sinai.[vii]

What to Learn?

Most Jewish students today, at least in America, have a peculiar curriculum of Torah study. They learn a little bit of Torah and Mishna in the younger grades, and then, without much knowledge, they get thrown head-first into studying gemara. Soon afterwards, without much knowledge of gemara, they are thrown into doing Iyun, which consists of spending a whole year on 10 Blatt of gemara. They do not have the knowledge that would enable them to analyze gemara on their own, so they eventually just hope to be able to analyze the rishonim and achronim. It is a system that does not work for many.
If one had create a new curriculum on his own, what parts of Torah would should be included? The primary text of Judaism is the Pentatauch, authored by God, telling Jews what they need to do and believe. It is logical that the Penetauch should be the main focus of our learning. After the Torah, Nevi’im and Kesuvim are the only other works that were always meant to be texts, and they should obviously be studied for their hashkafic teachings. Every Jew also needs to know basic laws and practical halacha, so a work of halacha (such as the Mishnah) would need to be studied. Afterwards, one can learn Talmud, where one studies the primary sources and understands how the halachos are derived from them. He can also further learn hashkafa by studying the aggados and midrashim.
This all seems like a logical curriculum, but what do chazal say to do?
The Mishnah states:
הוא היה אומר בן חמש שנים למקרא בן עשר למשנה בן שלש עשרה למצות בן חמש עשרה לתלמוד
(משנה מסכת אבות פרק ה )
They give a clear educational curriculum where children learn the basic texts well, and then later do more advanced material and analysis. How can one successfully progress otherwise?
As Chazal say:
+משלי כ”ד+ כי בתחבלות תעשה לך מלחמה. אמר רבי אחא בר חנינא אמר רבי אסי אמר רבי יוחנן: במי אתה מוצא מלחמתה של תורה – במי שיש בידו חבילות של משנה, קרי רב יוסף אנפשיה: +משלי י”ד+ ורב – תבואות בכח שור.
(תלמוד בבלי מסכת סנהדרין דף מב עמוד א)
A solid foundation in Mishnah is necessary for future learning in all topics:
דאמר רבי בנאה לעולם ישקיע אדם עצמו במשניות שאם ירתק יפתחו לו אם לתלמוד לתלמוד אם להגדה להגדה ר’ אלעזר בשם ר’ יהושע בן לוי אמר עמוד ברזל משנה.
ויקרא רבה (וילנא) פרשה כא ד”ה ה בזאת יבא
Just like when you build a house, you have to make proper preparations, so too with Torah:
ד”א: הכן בחוץ מלאכתך – זה מקרא, ועתדה בשדה לך – זה משנה, אחר ובנית ביתך – זה גמ’. ד”א: הכן בחוץ מלאכתך – זה מקרא ומשנה, ועתדה בשדה לך – זה גמרא, אחר ובנית ביתך – אלו מעשים טובים. ר’ אליעזר בנו של ר”י הגלילי אומר: הכן בחוץ מלאכתך – זה מקרא ומשנה וגמרא, ועתדה בשדה לך – אלו מעשים טובים, אחר ובנית ביתך – דרוש וקבל שכר.
(תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוטה דף מד עמוד א)
Chazal considered this division of studies a requirement for everyone:
אמר רב ספרא משום ר’ יהושע בן חנניא, מאי דכתיב: +דברים ו+ ושננתם לבניך? אל תקרי ושננתם אלא ושלשתם, לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו, שליש במקרא, שליש במשנה, שליש בתלמוד. מי יודע כמה חיי? לא צריכא – ליומי.
(תלמוד בבלי מסכת קידושין דף ל עמוד א)
And when one finally learns Talmud, that does not mean he should just learn halacha. There is another fundamentally important part to Torah, crucial to understanding the world and being a G-d fearing Jew:
רבי יצחק בן פנחס אומר כל מי שיש בידו מדרש ואין בידו הלכות לא טעם טעם של חכמה. כל מי שיש בידו הלכות ואין בידו מדרש לא טעם טעם של יראת חטא:
הוא היה אומר כל שיש בידו מדרש ואין בידו הלכות זה גבור ואינו מזויין. כל שיש בידו הלכות ואין בידו מדרש חלש וזיין בידו. יש בידו זה וזה גבור ומזויין:
(מסכתות קטנות מסכת אבות דרבי נתן נוסחא א פרק כט ד”ה רבי יצחק)
Of course, the there have been many times when there was a greater emphasis on the study of Talmud. In such times, it is even more important to stress other parts of Torah:
תנו רבנן: העוסקין במקרא – מדה ואינה מדה, במשנה – מדה ונוטלין עליה שכר, בתלמוד – אין לך מדה גדולה מזו, ולעולם הוי רץ למשנה יותר מן התלמוד. הא גופא קשיא, אמרת: בתלמוד אין לך מדה גדולה מזו, והדר אמרת: ולעולם הוי רץ למשנה יותר מן התלמוד! – אמר רבי יוחנן: בימי רבי נשנית משנה זו, שבקו כולא עלמא מתניתין ואזלו בתר תלמודא. הדר דרש להו: ולעולם הוי רץ למשנה יותר מן התלמוד
(תלמוד בבלי מסכת בבא מציעא דף לג עמוד א)
The idea of focusing on Talmud to the abandonment of other parts of Torah has been seen throughout time. Tosafot seems to be defending such a practice when he states:
בלולה במקרא ובמשנה וכו’ – פירש רבינו תם דבתלמוד שלנו אנו פוטרין עצמנו ממה שאמרו חכמים (מסכת ע”ג דף יט.) לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו שליש במקרא שליש במשנה שליש בש”ס. אע”פ כן אנו קוראים בכל יום פרשת התמיד ושונים במשנת איזהו מקומן וגורסין רבי ישמעאל אומר בשלש עשרה מדות וכו’.
( תוספות מסכת סנהדרין דף כד עמוד א)

This tosafot serves as the commonly excepted basis for people neglecting the study of Mikra & Mishnah. Yet there are many issues. Other rishonim, such as the Ramabam, do not provide such an exemption. Rambam quotes the initial statement of chazal as is. R’ Tam’s view is quite a chidush! He takes the gemara’s attack on the style of learning in Bavel and uses it to say that with the study of our text of Talmud Bavli one fulfills learning Mishnah & Mikra. But perhaps the attack just meant they learned in a mixed-up way in Bavel, without it being far enough to fulfill the daily requirement! Presumably, the study of Talmud then had to include Mishnah & Mikra, since those were the texts being analyzed. Yet chazal still stated that one should learn Mikra and Mishnah each day in addition to Talmud. It seems that they wanted the texts to be learned on their own! There are also many places in the Talmud Bavli where there are no pesukim quoted. How do people fulfill the study of Mikra then?

But either way, its unlikely that Tosafot meant for people to be totally ignorant of so much Torah. He was not discussing the Mishnah in Avos on a child’s education. He was just discussing the daily learning of Torah, presumably for people who were knowledgeable in Mikrah & Mishnah. He was definitely not exempting people from gaining basic knowledge about the subjects they are studying! Tosafot themselves clearly knew Mikrah, Mishnah & the Talmud!
Some say since the Torah has been written down, everything is different and we do not need to learn things in exactly the same way. Perhaps this is true to an extent, maybe students do not need to spend 5 years exactly on each subject. Perhaps other texts can be used to gain knowledge. For example, maybe instead of just learning Rabbi Yehudah’s Mishnah, they can learn other works to get basic knowledge of Torah basics and halacha. (This was likely included in the word “Mishnah”.) However, the ideas that chazal were teaching still stand. It makes no sense to jump into in depth analysis of small minutiae of a few blatt of gemara while remaining ignorant of vast areas of Torah. People do not see the forest from the veins of the leaf, and they totally ignore the mountains and the river and the sky.

Why Do We Learn?

אין לך מצוה בכל המצות כולן שהיא שקולה כנגד תלמוד תורה אלא תלמוד תורה כנגד כל המצות כולן. Yet many people wonder what the purpose in all of their learning is. Talmud torah is not a “chok”, and it it important for people to understand what they should be accomplishing.

Torah – Teaching

One can understand the nature of Torah just by examining the word itself. The word “Torah” means “teaching” – Torah is for teaching a way of life. The Halacha contains the Mitzvoth and their details which explain the laws that a Jew is to follow in this world. The obvious purpose in learning the mitzvos is to know the laws and be able to keep them![1] The “teaching” also consists of teaching fundamental philosophic & ethical issues about the nature and purpose of the world. This is known as machshava, and is clearly important for a religious person to think about such issues. The third aspect of Torah is connected to the other two: “Teaching” implies the neccesity to teach the Torah to the next generation, so they will be able to practice the Law themselves, and be connected to the religious traditions of Sinai.

The Pesukim on Torah

These purposes are clearly expressed in all the pesukim that refer to the mitzvah of Talmud Torah. Following are some examples.

These pesukim clearly imply that the purpose of Talmud Torah is to be able to perform the mitzvoth:

והיה כשבתו על כסא ממלכתו וכתב לו את משנה התורה הזאת על ספר מלפני הכהנים הלוים: והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו למען ילמד ליראה את ה’ אלהיו לשמר את כל דברי התורה הזאת ואת החקים האלה לעשתם: לבלתי רום לבבו מאחיו ולבלתי סור מן המצוה ימין ושמאול למען יאריך ימים על ממלכתו הוא ובניו בקרב ישראל:

הקהל את העם האנשים והנשים והטף וגרך אשר בשעריך למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו ויראו את ה’ אלהיכם ושמרו לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת:

ויאמר ה’ אל משה עלה אלי ההרה והיה שם ואתנה לך את לחת האבן והתורה והמצוה אשר כתבתי להורתם:

There are many other pesukim also.[2]

An important part of Talmud Torah is teaching it to the next generation. This is so they will know the halachos and proper hashkafos and be connected to the tradition back to the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.

ואהבת את ה’ אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך: והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום על לבבך: ושננתם לבניך ודברת בם בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך בדרך ובשכבך ובקומך:

רק השמר לך ושמר נפשך מאד פן תשכח את הדברים אשר ראו עיניך ופן יסורו מלבבך כל ימי חייך והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך:

ויאמר אלהם שימו לבבכם לכל הדברים אשר אנכי מעיד בכם היום אשר תצום את בניכם לשמר לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת: כי לא דבר רק הוא מכם כי הוא חייכם ובדבר הזה תאריכו ימים על האדמה אשר אתם עברים את הירדן שמה לרשתה:

There are some pesukim that also mention having success, being able to stay in Israel and eventual world peace, but these are just results from keeping the Torah and teaching it to your children.

In Nevi’im, the purpose of talmud torah is also clear. In the beginning of Sefer Yehoshua, G-d commands Yehoushua to learn the Torah, a verse which is often quoted in halacha:*

רק חזק ואמץ מאד לשמר לעשות ככל התורה אשר צוך משה עבדי אל תסור ממנו ימין ושמאול למען תשכיל בכל אשר תלך: לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך והגית בו יומם ולילה למען תשמר לעשות ככל הכתוב בו כי אז תצליח את דרכך ואז תשכיל:[3]

This is also seen in Kesuvim:

ויקם עדות ביעקב ותורה שם בישראל אשר צוה את אבותינו להודיעם לבניהם: למען ידעו דור אחרון בנים יולדו יקמו ויספרו לבניהם:

כי נר מצוה ותורה אור ודרך חיים תוכחות מוסר:

The Torah is clear on what the purpose of learning Torah is. In (eventual) future posts, I hope to discuss later sources, what “Torah Lishma” means, and more.!

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[1] As the above quote continues: שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה, לפיכך התלמוד קודם למעשה בכל מקום

[2] For example:

אם לא תשמר לעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת הכתובים בספר הזה ליראה את השם הנכבד והנורא הזה את ה’ אלהיך:

כי תשמע בקול ה’ אלהיך לשמר מצותיו וחקתיו הכתובה בספר התורה הזה כי תשוב אל ה’ אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך:

[3] See also: רק שמרו מאד לעשות את המצוה ואת התורה אשר צוה אתכם משה עבד ה’ לאהבה את ה’ אלהיכם וללכת בכל דרכיו ולשמר מצותיו ולדבקה בו ולעבדו בכל לבבכם ובכל נפשכם:

Talmud Torah

I am beginning a new blog series which will discuss The Written and Oral Torah, learning Torah, and maybe education. These posts will be based on some notes I’ve had sitting on my C-drive the last couple years. I will start with a few questions:

• Why couldn’t the Torah SheBal Peh be written down? Wouldn’t it have been a lot more efficient?
• How did Talmud Torah develop over time?
• Why do we learn? And why so much gemara? What and how should we learn?

I hope to discuss these issues and more in the posts to come. Please feel free to comment on these posts! You can also put any answers or general thoughts as a comment on this post.

Korbanos

Since we started Sefer Vayikra this past shabbos, I figured I’d publish a draft of Some Kornbanos Q&A’s (based on some post-Yom Kippur notes).
Q: What was the purpose of korbanos? Does God need our animals?
A: The commentaries explain how meaningful the process of bringing a chatas is for teshuva. He leans on the animal and recites viduy and then the animal is burnt up. In a way, he deserved to die for having sinned, and the animal takes his place. Parts of the animal go to the Kohanim who will pray for him.
Q: What’s the purpose of other Korbanos besides a chatas?
A: What’s the purpose of prayers? Does God need our prayers? Rather, it is for us, so we can come close to God through prayer. Yet it is often difficult to have the proper kavana when praying and many people rarely feel close to God. When one brings a korban, he is physically giving, as it were, something to God. This makes a serious impression on him, and helps him have the proper kavana. The very word “Korban” means to come close, and korbanos were often offered to be able to reach a state of nevuah. The shlamim sanctifies one’s meal, and also helps provide for the kohanim, like many korbanos. An olah represents total dedication to God and can help elevate one spiritually.
Q: Fine, so a personal korban helps one connect to G-d, but what to korbanos shel tzibbur do? How do the tamid and mussafin elevate anyone? How does the Yom Kippur avodah provide any kapara? How does it help Yamilee, a Jew in the Galilee, when the Kohen performs the avodah?
A: The kohanim are the Jews’ shluchim* to perform the avodah on their behalf, and when they bring korbanos they are fulfilling the purpose of korbanos for everyone. But each individual has to be connected to it in some way to benefit from it. That’s why they all gave money for the korbanei tzibbur. The kohanim are like a shliach tzibbur being motzei people, where if one doesn’t have kavana, he’s not yotzei. If one doesn’t do teshuva on his own, the avoda of yom kippur won’t help him. The korbanos can help a person, even without him being physically in the Beis HaMikdash. He can still connect with the bringing of the korbanos and the avodah. That is why the Jews would gather in ma’amados in parallel with the bringing of the korbanos. One group would actually go up to the mikdash and experience the Mikdash and the Avodah. But the other group would stay home and fast and pray and read from the torah. In that way they would connect with the korbanos and connect to God.
Even nowadays, when there is no longer a Beis HaMikdash, we can still connect to the korbanos, and benefit in similar ways:
אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר ר’ יונתן: אלו תלמידי חכמים העוסקים בתורה בכל מקום, מעלה אני עליהן כאילו מקטירין ומגישין לשמי; ומנחה טהורה – זה הלומד תורה בטהרה, נושא אשה ואחר כך לומד תורה. +תהלים קל”ד+ שיר המעלות הנה ברכו את ה’ כל עבדי ה’ העומדים בבית ה’ בלילות – מאי בלילות? א”ר יוחנן: אלו ת”ח העוסקים בתורה בלילה, מעלה עליהן הכתוב כאילו עסוקים בעבודה. +דברי הימים ב’ ב’+ לעולם זאת על ישראל – א”ר גידל אמר רב: זה מזבח בנוי ומיכאל שר הגדול עומד ומקריב עליו קרבן; ורבי יוחנן אמר: אלו תלמידי חכמים העסוקין בהלכות עבודה, מעלה עליהם הכתוב כאילו נבנה מקדש בימיהם. אמר ריש לקיש, מאי דכתיב: +ויקרא ז’+ זאת התורה לעולה למנחה ולחטאת ולאשם? כל העוסק בתורה, כאילו הקריב עולה מנחה חטאת ואשם. אמר רבא: האי לעולה למנחה, עולה ומנחה מיבעי ליה! אלא אמר רבא: כל העוסק בתורה, אינו צריך לא עולה (ולא חטאת) ולא מנחה ולא אשם. אמר רבי יצחק, מאי דכתיב: +ויקרא ו’+ זאת תורת החטאת וזאת תורת האשם? כל העוסק בתורת חטאת כאילו הקריב חטאת, וכל העוסק בתורת אשם כאילו הקריב אשם
תלמוד בבלי מסכת מנחות דף קי עמוד א ]

Drinking on Purim

Draft for Purim
Two years ago, a popular blog wrote, claiming to be following the rema, “There is no mitzva to get drunk on purim“. This is the actual halacha in the Shulchan Aruch:

חייב אינש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי.

הגה: ויש אומרים דאין צריך להשתכר כל כך אלא שישתה יותר מלימודו (כל בו) ויישן ומתוך שיישן אינו יודע בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי (מהרי”ל). ואחד המרבה ואחד הממעיט ובלבד שיכוין לבו לשמים… ויש אומרים דאם הזיק אחד את חבירו מכח שמחת פורים פטור מלשלם (תרומת הדשן סימן ק”י).

Shulchan Aruch [Directly quoting the gemara]: One is obligated to [get drunk] on purim until he doesn’t know the difference between “curse Haman” and “bless Mordechai“.
Rema – Some say you don’t need to get so drunk, rather drink more than usual and sleep and then since you’re sleeping you won’t know the difference between “arur haman” and “baruch mordechai“. Whether [one drinks] a lot, or a little, as long as long as he is “mekavein libo l’Shamayim“.. And some say if one damages [property of his] friend from the koach simchas purim he is patur.
So the rema actually says is there’s a mitzva either way as long as you have the proper intentions. He quotes a “yesh omrim” at the beginning as a kula to rely on if you don’t want to get so drunk. A yesh omrim at the end says you’re pattur from damage you cause on purim, likely from being drunk!
The gemara and rishonim are clear on the matter, there is a mitzva to get drink on Purim. How much does one have to drink? This question has caused a lot of confusion. A literal reading of the gemara implies an extreme of drunkenness, one probably impossible to achieve. The rema, quoting the meharil, suggests that one can just drink a bit extra and then go take a nap and while sleeping he won’t know the difference between “curse haman” and “bless mordechai“. This pshat seems somewhat dochek. The gemara did not need to use such an expression to say you should take a nap, it could have said that much more clearly. And what does your nap have to do with drinking or simcha? A comment on the above-mentioned post suggested that instead you drink a little and then run around a table until you’re dizzy. That seems like another possible interpretation.
Some say the rema’s explanation fits with the Rambam:
הלכה טו
כיצד חובת סעודה זו שיאכל בשר ויתקן סעודה נאה כפי אשר תמצא ידו, ושותה יין עד שישתכר וירדם בשכרות.
“..and drink wine until he’s drunk and falls asleep from his drunkenness.”
Yet the Rambam emphasizes that the sleep is from your drunkenness, which is not what the rema said, and would not happen with just “יותר מלימודו”.
Some point out the gematria of “baruch mordechai” equals the gematria of arur haman. “ad d’lo yada” means you are too drunk to figure that out.Its an interesting gematria, but if they’re equivalent, only a drunk person would think they’re different! It should say “ad shelo yada sh’ein bein arrrur haman l’baruch mordechai“! It also seems slightly unlikely that the gemara meant a gematria. So what is p’shat?

Answer: I think its likely that “ad d’lo yada” was not meant to be taken literally. It doesn’t mean you don’t know the difference, that’s practically impossible. It just means you should get quite drunk, “ad d’lo yada” is a good expression for that.
It could be that is how the Rambam understood it also. The Rambam wanted to give a more exact definition for “quite drunk”. A person who gets properly drunk eventually falls asleep from his drunkenness.
Anyways, being that there’s clearly a mitzva to drink on purim, why do so many people have issues with it? One of the main reasons is they think that drinking is an inherent evil that should always be avoided. This does not seem to be the approach of chazal. For one, drinking was much more common then and people would not always stay 100% sober. It was likely considered a good thing to get somewhat drunk on shabbos and yomim tovim. The gemara in Rosh Hashana discusses the torch-wavings that were done to notify people of the New Month. Yet on motzai shabbos, as explained by rashi, people might think the reason no torches were waved was because everyone was still too drunk from shabbos. There are other places where rashi mentions this also. It was clearly accepted to get drunk on shabbos. (See also the rashi in chumash which criticizes those who don’t drink.)
I admit that maybe not everyone should get drunk, and that its important to not go too far. But it is very good when Jews gets drunk and say over Torah and Tishbachos. Chazal emphasize this:
ביום השביעי כטוב לב המלך ביין, אטו עד השתא לא טב לביה בחמרא? אמר רבא: יום השביעי שבת היה, שישראל אוכלין ושותין, מתחילין בדברי תורה ובדברי תשבחות. אבל אומות העולם שאוכלין ושותין – אין מתחילין אלא בדברי תיפלות… ן ..
Wine has potential for good and bad. Chazal mention this idea in many places (see Sanhedrin 70a). When drunken at the correct time and place an person, it can be an important mitzva. On purim there’s a mitzva to have a seuda, and part of it involves drinking and getting drunk.
Some say anyone under 21 cannot drink because its illegal, and “dina dmalcusa dina”. Dina d’malchusa doesn’t necessarily apply to all matters, and especially not when up against halacha. But anyways, the law makes exceptions for religious reasons, and as we’ve seen, there are religious reasons to drink on purim! Also, does anyone really think that this law is widely followed?
A more serious issue people raise is the potential health risks. This is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed. I just don’t think calling for an outright ban on drinking is the correct approach. People will still drink anyways, and those who listen will be missing the mitzva. Instead, there should be strong calls for people to make sure they don’t go too far. For example they should just purchase the amount of wine that is safe to drink, and not drink anything else. A balanced approach to drinking will prevent health risks.
Drinking on purim is rare opportunity for a mitzva. In other places and times and nations, people get drunk throughout the year. I don’t see what the big problem is with getting drunk once a year.

The Building of the Mishkan – Draft

Question: Why does the Torah give such detailed descriptions of the building of the mishkan? It was a one-time event that does not seem to be so relevant to future generations. Are there any fundamental lesson or practical laws that can be learned from it?
Answer: Actually, the largest area of Halacha, the Laws of Shabbos, are learned from the building of the Mishkan. The Torah’s descriptions of the different fundamental acts necessary for its construction help teach the fundamental 39 melachos that are forbidden on Shabbos. We rest from the 39 melachos on Shabbos to remember God’s resting from Creating the world. The melachos are 39 fundemental physical acts of creation that symbolize God’s act of creating the world and were therefore used to create the mishkan. Just as God created the world, we were given the ability to create God’s sanctuary in this world. The fact that God granted us the ability to bring holiness into this world can be considered greater than the act of creation of heaven and earth:

דרש בר קפרא: גדולים מעשה צדיקים יותר ממעשה שמים וארץ, דאילו במעשה שמים וארץ – כתיב: +ישעיהו מ”ח+ אף ידי יסדה ארץ וימיני טפחה שמים, ואילו במעשה ידיהם של צדיקים – כתיב: +שמות ט”ו+ מכון לשבתך פעלת ה’ מקדש אדני כוננו ידיך. [תלמוד בבלי מסכת כתובות דף ה עמוד א]

The detailed description of the building of the mishkan teaches more than the fundementals of Hilchos Shabbos. It teaches us the about the purpose of creation, about creating holiness in this world. Nowadays, we no longer have a Mishkan or a Mikdash, but by learning the Torah’s description of the Mishkan, we are able to connect with the sanctity of the mishkan and with the fundamental lessons it teaches.
אלו תלמידי חכמים העסוקין בהלכות עבודה, מעלה עליהם הכתוב כאילו נבנה מקדש בימיהם.. [תלמוד בבלי מסכת מנחות דף קי עמוד א] א

The Ox that Gored

לה) וְכִי יִגֹּף שׁוֹר אִישׁ אֶת שׁוֹר רֵעֵהוּ וָמֵת וּמָכְרוּ אֶת הַשּׁוֹר הַחַי וְחָצוּ אֶת כַּסְפּוֹ וְגַם אֶת הַמֵּת יֶחֱצוּן
לו) אוֹ נוֹדַע כִּי שׁוֹר נַגָּח הוּא מִתְּמוֹל שִׁלְשֹׁם וְלֹא יִשְׁמְרֶנּוּ בְּעָלָיו שַׁלֵּם יְשַׁלֵּם שׁוֹר תַּחַת הַשּׁוֹר וְהַמֵּת יִהְיֶה לּוֹ: ס

35 And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, so that it dieth; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it; and the dead also they shall divide. 36 Or if it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and its owner hath not kept it in; he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his own.

Question: When a normal ox gores another ox, the owner is obligated to pay up to half the damage it caused. Yet he need not pay more than the value of his own ox that gored. Why is that?

Answer: When a person takes his ox into the public, he is responsible to watch it from causing normal ox-damage, like eating something. But cannot be fully expected to prevent unusual events such as the ox goring another ox or other violent acts. Therefore he only pays half damage. Even that may be too great a burden for him. What if his $100 ox gores a $1000 ox? He’ll go bankrupt! Since it’s not something he’s fully responsible for anyways, the Torah doesn’t want him to go into economic ruin. All that is certain that we can collect from is the very ox that gored. That is what he brought into the public domain and it his “guarantor” on any damage it may cause.

An example for modern readers would be if someone driving a cheap car gets into a collision with a much more expensive car. Its unlikely he will be able to pay for the damage, so it would be reasonable to have laws that limited his payments to the value of his own car.