Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 146b
Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 146b
Mishnah: One whose clothes get wet from water on the road may continue walking in them without concern [of violating Shabbat]. When he arrives at his courtyard he may lay them in the sun [to dry] but not in front of [other] people.
Talmud: Rav Yehuda reported, “Rav said, ‘Anytime that the Sages made a prohibition because of marit ayin (for the sake of appearance) it applies even in the most private of settings.’”
转诇诪讚 讘讘诇讬 诪住讻转 砖讘转 拽诪讜 讘
诪砖谞讛: 诪讬 砖谞砖专讜 讻诇讬讜 讘讚专讱 讘诪讬诐 – 诪讛诇讱 讘讛谉 讜讗讬谞讜 讞讜砖砖. 讛讙讬注 诇讞爪专 讛讞讬爪讜谞讛 – 砖讜讟讞谉 讘讞诪讛, 讗讘诇 诇讗 讻谞讙讚 讛注诐.
讙诪专讗. 驻砖讬讟讗! 诪讛讜 讚转讬诪讗: 谞讬讙讝专 诪砖讜诐 讗砖讜讜讬讬 讙讜诪讜转 – 拽讗 诪砖诪注 诇谉.
讜讗转 讛诪讬诐 讛讬驻讬诐 讘专注讬诐. 驻砖讬讟讗! – 住讬驻讗 讗讬爪讟专讬讻讗 诇讬讛 讜讗转 讛爪讜谞谉 讘讞诪讛. – 讛讗 谞诪讬 驻砖讬讟讗! – 诪讛讜 讚转讬诪讗: 谞讬讙讝讜专 讚讬诇诪讗 讗转讬 诇讗讟诪讜谞讬 讘专诪抓, 拽讗 诪砖诪注 诇谉.
诪讬 砖谞砖专讜 讜讻讜’. 讗诪专 专讘 讬讛讜讚讛 讗诪专 专讘: 讻诇 诪拽讜诐 砖讗住专讜 讞讻诪讬诐 诪驻谞讬 诪专讗讬转 讛注讬谉 – 讗驻讬诇讜 讘讞讚专讬 讞讚专讬诐 讗住讜专. 转谞谉:
There is another type of prohibition that applies not only to the rules of Shabbat, but to all other areas of Jewish living as well. Marit ayin鈥攍颈迟别谤补濒濒测&苍产蝉辫;in sight of eye鈥�is a principle that demands not only that our actions accord with what is right, but that the appearance of all those actions be above suspicion. The Mishnah, in tractate Sheqalim (3:2), explains, “One must fulfill human expectations, just as one does Divine.” Our Sages understood that religious communities are human communities. We believe that living in a human community requires that we take other people’s needs and concerns into account.
In the above passage, our mishnah explains, though one need not worry that walking in the rain or fording a body of water is prohibited on Shabbat (a prohibition that could be suggested by the similarity to laundering clothes), nonetheless, on arriving home, one must not hang those clothes up to dry in plain sight. Those who see wet clothes hanging to dry might think that the owner of the clothes laundered them on Shabbat. Rav Yehuda takes this prohibition one step further. Based on earlier authorities he demands that we not perform acts prohibited because of marit ayin even in private. He seems to believe that all of our actions, public and private should be in consonance. May we all strive for this high level of integrity in days to come.
Questions:
- Does Rav Yehuda take his demand for integrity a step too far? Do you agree or disagree with him? Why?
- To what extent should we allow the expectations of others to determine our actions? A bit, a great deal, totally, or not at all?
