This sheet provides source material cited in the first section of the first chapter of Abraham Joshua Heschel's Heavenly Torah as Refracted Through the Generations.
Prologue
Before we begin with Heschel's citations in praise of Halacha and Aggada, we must first establish the view that the teachings of Aggadah may be viewed as a secret wisdom (or perhaps containing a secret wisdom). While the teachings of Halacha appear open and available to all, not everyone is fortunate enough to study Aggadah and to uncover its secrets. In the narrative below, a Babylonian sage is refused the teachings of Aggadah but is allowed to study Halacha.
רַבִּי שִׂמְלַאי אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נִיתְנֵי לִי מָר סֵפֶר יוּחֲסִין.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מֵהֵיכָן אַתְּ?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מִלּוֹד.
וְהֵיכָן מוֹתְבָךְ? בִּנְהַרְדְּעָא.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֵין נִידּוֹנִין לֹא לְלוּדִּים וְלֹא לִנְהַרְדְּעִים, וְכׇל שֶׁכֵּן דְּאַתְּ מִלּוֹד וּמוֹתְבָךְ בִּנְהַרְדְּעָא.
כַּפְיֵיהּ וְאִרַצִּי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נִיתְנְיֵיהּ בִּתְלָתָא יַרְחֵי.
שְׁקַל קָלָא פְּתַק בֵּיהּ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וּמָה בְּרוּרְיָה דְּבֵיתְהוּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר בְּרַתֵּיה דְּרַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה בֶּן תְּרַדְיוֹן, דְּתָנְיָא תְּלָת מְאָה שְׁמַעְתָּתָא בְּיוֹמָא מִתְּלָת מְאָה רַבְּווֹתָא, וַאֲפִילּוּ הָכִי לֹא יָצְתָה יְדֵי חוֹבָתָהּ בִּתְלָת שְׁנִין, וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ בִּתְלָתָא יַרְחֵי?!
כִּי שָׁקֵיל וְאָזֵיל אֲמַר לֵיהּ: רַבִּי, מָה בֵּין לִשְׁמוֹ וְשֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמוֹ, לְאוֹכְלָיו וְשֶׁלֹּא לְאוֹכְלָיו?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הוֹאִיל וְצוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן אַתְּ, תָּא וְאֵימָא לְךָ....
....
אָמַר רָמֵי בַּר רַב יוּדָא אָמַר רַב: מִיּוֹם שֶׁנִּגְנַז סֵפֶר יוּחֲסִין תָּשַׁשׁ כֹּחָן שֶׁל חֲכָמִים וְכָהָה מְאוֹר עֵינֵיהֶם.
אָמַר מָר זוּטְרָא: בֵּין ״אָצֵל״ לְ״אָצַל״ טְעִינוּ אַרְבַּע מְאָה גַּמְלֵי דִּדְרָשָׁא.
Rabbi Simlai came before Rabbi Yoḥanan. He said to him: Would the Master teach me the Book of Genealogies*?
*A collection of Aggadah/Midrash on the Book of Chronicles.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him: Where are you from?
He said to him: From Lod.
Rabbi Yoḥanan further asked: And where is your present place of residence?
He said to him: In Neharde’a.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him: I have a tradition that we teach these subjects neither to Lodites nor to Neharde’ans, and certainly not to you who comes from Lod and your residence is in Neharde’a, such that you have both shortcomings.
Rabbi Simlai pressured Rabbi Yoḥanan until he agreed to teach him.
Rabbi Simlai said to him: Teach me the Book of Genealogies in three months.
Rabbi Yoḥanan took a clod of dirt, threw it at him, and said to him: Berurya, wife of Rabbi Meir and daughter of Rabbi Ḥananya ben Teradyon, learned three hundred halakhot in one day from three hundred Sages, and nonetheless she did not fulfill her responsibility to study the Book of Genealogies in three years. And you say that I should teach it to you in three months? After your inappropriate request, I am not inclined to teach you at all.
When Rabbi Simlai was taking leave to go, he said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: Even so, my teacher, as I have already come, let me ask you a question: What is the difference between one who offers a Paschal lamb both for its own purpose and for a different purpose, in which case the offering is disqualified, and one who offers the sacrifice with the intent that it be both for those who can eat it and for those who cannot eat it, in which case the offering is not disqualified?
He said to him: Since I understand from your question that you are a Torah scholar, come and I will tell you the answer....
....
Rami bar Rav Yuda said that Rav said the following about it: From the day the Book of Genealogies was hidden and no longer available to the Sages, the strength of the Sages has been weakened, and the light of their eyes has been dimmed.Mar Zutra said: from the word Azel (mentioned in I Chronicles 8:38), to the word Azel (mentioned in I Chronicles 9:44), bore four hundred camels of expositions written about these verses.
Chapter One: Human Ways and Divine Ways
"The Torah stands on the dual foundations of Halacha and Aggadah"
Heschel opens his work on Heavenly Torah by introducing us to a kaleidoscopic view of the dual importance of Halacha and Aggadah in Judaism and begins with the Midrashic praise of Halacha in a seemingly simple statement that "Halachot are the body of Torah". At first glance, this line might appeal to those who emphasise the practical observance of Jewish ritual (what is commonly known as Halacha) as the most essential aspect of Judasim. However, upon closer inspection of the Midrashic source, we may need to reconsider how the ancient Jewish sages contextualise the importance of Halacha as a one of many branches of Jewish wisdom and learning.
In this source (Sifrei Devarim 317), poetic verses referring to the material abundance of natural resources in the Land of Israel are viewed symbolically to refer to the teachings of Torah. What emerges from this text is that Jewish teachings are divided into seven categories: Torah, Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash Halacha*, Halacha, Aggadah.
(ג) ד"א ירכיבהו על במתי ארץ - זו תורה, שנאמר ה' קנני ראשית דרכו. ויאכל תנובות שדי - זו מקרא. ויניקהו דבש מסלע - זו משנה. ושמן מחלמיש צור - זה תלמוד. חמאת בקר וחלב צאן עם חלב כרים ואילים בני בשן ועתודים - אלו קלים וחמורים וגזירות שוות ותשובות. עם חלב כליות חטה - אלו הלכות, שהן גופה של תורה. ודם ענב תשתה חמר - אלו הגדות, שמושכות לב אדם כיין.
(3) Another teaching on the verses of Deuteronomy 32:13-14: "He set them atop the highlands" - This refers to Torah, as it is written "The Lord acquired me, the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 5:22). "And he ate the shoots of the field" - This refers to Scripture. "And He gave him to seek honey from the rock" - This refers to Mishnah. "And oil from the flint of the rock" - This refers to Talmud. "Cream from the herd and milk from the flock with fat of rams and rams of the breed of Bashan and he-goats" - These refer to the arguments concerning the lenient and strict cases (argument a fortiori), gezeirot shavot (comparisons based on matching terms), and the rabbinic responses (in ambiguous cases). "With fat of kidneys of wheat" - This refers to halachot, which are the body of Torah. "And blood of the grape did you drink (as choice) wine" - These refer to aggadot, which draw the human heart like wine.
Also in praise of Halacha is a more enigmatic statement that "God writes new Halachot daily".
The original Midrashic source (Bereshit Rabbah 49) is even more enigmatic and deals with the Abraham's knowledge of (future) Judaism, and is said to know each of the new daily Halachot composed in heaven.
רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה וְרַבִּי חִיָּא וְרַבָּנָן דְּתַמָּן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, אֵין יוֹם וָיוֹם שֶׁאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְחַדֵּשׁ הֲלָכָה בְּבֵית דִּין שֶׁל מַעְלָה, מַאי טַעְמֵיהּ (איוב לז, ב): שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ בְּרֹגֶז קֹלוֹ וְהֶגֶה מִפִּיו יֵצֵא, וְאֵין הֶגֶה אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע א, ח): וְהָגִיתָ בּוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה, אֲפִלּוּ אוֹתָן הֲלָכוֹת הָיָה אַבְרָהָם יוֹדֵעַ.
Rabbi Berechya, Rabbi Chiya, and the Rabbis "from there" [Babylonia] stated in the name of Rabbi Yehudah: Not a day passes that the Holy and Blessed One does not innovate some halacha in the heavenly court. What is the reason [prooftext]? As it is written: "Listen, listen to the roar of His voice, to the sound (hegeh) that issues from His mouth" (Job 37:2). And hegeh is none other than Torah, as it is written "meditate (v'hegita) on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). And even these halachot was known by our father Abraham.
The next statement concerns "Halachot as a path to the afterlife" and fits neatly with the prior statement that Halacha is the body of Torah and is therefore linked to the salvation for the human (body). In the orginal source (Avot D'Rabbi Natan 27:3), this statement is presented in a seemingly extreme and negative form ("anyone who claims that any Halacha is unreasonable has no share in the World to Come"). However, this teaching is contextualised by another teaching from the same author regarding the importance of dealing with the unending nature of study.
A possible interpretation of the second statement is that the endless seawater refers to the sum of all knowledge and wisdom (and possibly is linked to the depths of Aggadah). The frustration of the worker relates to the human inability to acquire all wisdom. The consolation being some outcome from this study (and possibly is linked to the practice of Halacha).
ר׳ יוחנן בן דהבאי אומר האומר אין הלכה זאת נבראת אין לו חלק לעוה״ב. הוא היה אומר אל תרחק עצמך ממדה שאין לה קצבה וממלאכה שאין לה גמירא. משל למה הדבר דומה לאחד שהיה נוטל מי הים ומטיל ליבשה ים אינו חסר ויבשה אינה מתמלאה היה מקצר בדעתו אמר לו ריקה מפני מה אתה מקצר בדעתך בכל יום טול שכרך דינר של זהב:
Rabbi Yohanan ben Dahabai would say: Anyone who says "This law is unreasonable" has no share in the World to Come. He would also say: Do not keep away from a measurement without boundaries, or from work without end. A parable: To what can this be compared? [It can be compared] to someone who is supposed to take water from the sea and put it on dry land. The sea gets no smaller and the land is not filled up with water. So he becomes frustrated. Say to such a person, Empty one! Why are you so frustrated? Every day you are paid a golden dinar!
Heschel contrasts the two bodies of wisdom in varies ways: Halacha is the letter of law, Aggadah is the spirit of the law, Halacha is the yoke of commandments, Aggadah is the yoke of heaven. He concludes that "Halacha deals with the quantifiable, Aggadah with matters of conscience" and cites part of the source below that Halacha provides wisdom while Aggadah provides fear of sin.
Some notes on this source:
- The ending of the phrase "Don not see one's fellow" ואל תשתדל לראותו seems to be missing "in their moment of disgrace" which appears in the standard Misnah Avot (4:18).
- The seemingly disconnected saying regarding the tail of lion vs the head of fox could be connected to the Aggadah/Halacha comparison. This treaching may be directed to individuals who have limited time to study both Halacha and Aggadah and must prioritise their learning topics. The lion may symbolise the Aggadah (as the Aggadah is likened to the strong person) while the fox may symbolise Halacha.
ר׳ 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. הוא היה אומר הוי זהיר בשאילת שלום בין אדם לחבירו ואל תבוא לבין המחלוקת ואל תשתדל לראותו.* שב במקום חברים והוי זנב לאריות ואל תהי ראש לשועלים:
Rabbi Yitzchak ben Pinchas would say: Anyone who has studied Midrash but has not studied Halakhah has never really tasted wisdom. Anyone who has studied Halakhah but has not studied Midrash has never really tasted the fear of sin. He would also say: Anyone who has studied Midrash but has not studied Halakhah is like a strong person who is unarmed. Anyone who has studied Halakhah but has not studied Midrash is like a weak person with a weapon in his hand. Anyone who has studied both is like a person who is both strong and armed. He would also say: Be careful with seeking peace between people. Do not get in the middle of a conflict, and do not try to see [one's fellow in their moment of disgrace]. Return to a place of friends. And be a tail to lions rather than a head to foxes.
In a swift sentence, Heschel notes the seeming contradiction in the Jewish tradition that "God wants [you to follow] your heart" but also for you "not to stray after your heart". This is never truly resolved but instead held together in tension with one another. The easier text is the second quotation/source below. The warning over straying after the heart has a clear biblical source (Numbers 15:39) and is found in the Shema prayer making it very familiar to many Jews. The first text ("God desires the heart") appears as a presupposed principle cited in the Talmud, providing the impression that the original source discussing this idea was lost.
א"ר ארבע מאה בעיי' בעו דואג ואחיתופל במגדל הפורח באויר [ולא איפשט להו חד] אמר רבא רבותא למבעי בעיי בשני דרב יהודה כולי תנויי בנזיקין ואנן קא מתנינן טובא בעוקצין וכי הוה מטי רב יהודה אשה שכובשת ירק בקדירה ואמרי לה זיתים שכבשן בטרפיהן טהורים אמר הויות דרב ושמואל קא חזינא הכא ואנן קא מתנינן בעוקצין תלת סרי מתיבתא ורב יהודה שליף מסאני ואתא מטרא ואנן צוחינן וליכא דמשגח בן אלא הקב"ה ליבא בעי דכתיב (שמואל א טז, ז) וה' יראה ללבב
Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: Doeg and Ahithophel raised four hundred dilemmas with regard to the purity of a cupboard that floats in the air, and they did not resolve even one, an indication of their great knowledge. Rava says: Is it greatness to raise dilemmas? That is not a barometer of greatness, as in the years of Rav Yehuda all of their Torah study was confined to the order of Nezikin, and we study much more than that, and are expert even in tractate Okatzin, the final tractate in the difficult order of Teharot. Moreover, when Rav Yehuda would encounter the mishna in tractate Okatzin that discusses a woman who pickles a vegetable in a pot, and some say when he would reach the mishna (Okatzin 2:1): Olives pickled with their leaves are pure, he would find it difficult to understand. He would say: Those are the discussions between Rav and Shmuel that we see here. And we, by contrast, teach tractate Okatzin in thirteen academies. But nevertheless, when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes the rain would immediately fall, whereas we cry out and no one notices us. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart, and the barometer of greatness is devotion of the heart and not the amount of Torah that one studies, as it is written: “But the Lord looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
(לט) וְהָיָ֣ה לָכֶם֮ לְצִיצִת֒ וּרְאִיתֶ֣ם אֹת֗וֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹֽא־תָת֜וּרוּ אַחֲרֵ֤י לְבַבְכֶם֙ וְאַחֲרֵ֣י עֵֽינֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֥ם זֹנִ֖ים אַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that you do not stray after your heart and after your eyes, which you use to go astray.
"Halacha is fixity, Aggadah is not fixed"
(טו) שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה תוֹרָתְךָ קֶבַע. אֱמֹר מְעַט וַעֲשֵׂה הַרְבֵּה, וֶהֱוֵי מְקַבֵּל אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת:
Shammai used to say: make your [study of the] Torah a fixed practice; speak little, but do much; and receive all people with a pleasant countenance.
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר (חבקוק ג, ו) הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות
The school of Elijah taught: Anyone who studies halakhot every day is guaranteed that he is destined for the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “His ways [halikhot] are eternal” (Habakkuk 3:6). Do not read the verse as halikhot; rather, read it as halakhot.
(יג) רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יואל ב) כִּי חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם הוּא אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה. וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ:
Rabbi Shimon said: Be careful with the reading of Shema and the prayer. And when you pray, do not make your prayer fixed, rather you should pray with a plea for mercy and pleading before God, for it is said: “for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, and renouncing punishment” (Joel 2:13); And be not wicked in your own esteem.
(ג) דורשי רשומות אומרים: רצונך שתכיר מי שאמר והיה העולם? - למוד הגדה, שמתוך כך אתה מכיר את הקב"ה ומדבק בדרכיו. ואם עשיתם מה שעליכם - אף אני אעשה מה שעלי:
The expounders of metaphor say: Do you wish to recognize the One who spoke and brought the world into being? Learn aggadah. For if you do so, you will come to recognize the Holy One Blessed be He and cleave to His ways. And if you do what is your duty, then I will do Mine [referring to Deut. 11:23, "God will dislodge before you all these nations..."].
"The importance of Jewish practice (mitzvot)"
(יז) שִׁמְעוֹן בְּנוֹ אוֹמֵר, כָּל יָמַי גָּדַלְתִּי בֵין הַחֲכָמִים, וְלֹא מָצָאתִי לַגּוּף טוֹב אֶלָּא שְׁתִיקָה. וְלֹא הַמִּדְרָשׁ הוּא הָעִקָּר, אֶלָּא הַמַּעֲשֶׂה. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה דְבָרִים, מֵבִיא חֵטְא:
Shimon, his son, used to say: all my days I grew up among the sages, and I have found nothing better for a person than silence. Study is not the most important thing, but actions; whoever indulges in too many words brings about sin.
(יז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁחָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מְרֻבִּין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מֻעָטִין, וְהָרוּחַ בָּאָה וְעוֹקַרְתּוֹ וְהוֹפַכְתּוֹ עַל פָּנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה יז) וְהָיָה כְּעַרְעָר בָּעֲרָבָה וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבוֹא טוֹב וְשָׁכַן חֲרֵרִים בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה וְלֹא תֵשֵׁב. אֲבָל כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ, לְמַה הוּא דוֹמֶה, לְאִילָן שֶׁעֲנָפָיו מֻעָטִין וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מְרֻבִּין, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ כָל הָרוּחוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם בָּאוֹת וְנוֹשְׁבוֹת בּוֹ אֵין מְזִיזִין אוֹתוֹ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל מַיִם וְעַל יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבֹא חֹם, וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ רַעֲנָן, וּבִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג, וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי:
Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: Where there is no Torah, there is no right conduct; where there is no right conduct, there is no Torah. Where there is no wisdom there is no fear of God; where there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom. Where there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; where there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. Where there is no bread, there is no Torah; where there is no Torah, there is no bread. He used to say: one whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few, so that when the wind comes, it uproots it and overturns it, as it is said, “He shall be like a bush in the desert, which does not sense the coming of good. It is set in the scorched places of the wilderness, in a barren land without inhabitant” (Jeremiah 17:6). But one whose deeds exceed his wisdom, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are few but roots are many, so that even if all the winds in the world come and blow upon it, they cannot move it out of its place, as it is said, “He shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending forth its roots by a stream. It does not sense the coming of heat, its leaves are ever fresh. It has no care in a year of drought; it does not cease to yield fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).
ת"ר כשנתפסו רבי אלעזר בן פרטא ורבי חנינא בן תרדיון א"ל ר' אלעזר בן פרטא לרבי חנינא בן תרדיון אשריך שנתפסת על דבר אחד אוי לי שנתפסתי על חמשה דברים א"ל רבי חנינא אשריך שנתפסת על חמשה דברים ואתה ניצול אוי לי שנתפסתי על דבר אחד ואיני ניצול שאת עסקת בתורה ובגמילות חסדים ואני לא עסקתי אלא בתורה [בלבד] וכדרב הונא דאמר רב הונא כל העוסק בתורה בלבד דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה שנאמר (דברי הימים ב טו, ג) וימים רבים לישראל ללא אלהי אמת [וגו'] מאי ללא אלהי אמת שכל העוסק בתורה בלבד דומה כמי שאין לו אלוה
The Sages taught: When Rabbi Elazar ben Perata and Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon were arrested by the Romans. Rabbi Elazar ben Perata said to Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon: "Fortunate are you, as you were arrested on one charge only, of teaching Torah publicly; woe is me, as I have been arrested on five charges." Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon said to him: "Fortunate are you, as you were arrested on five charges but you will be saved; woe is me, as I have been arrested on one charge, but I will not be saved. You will be saved because you engaged in Torah study and in acts of charity, and I engaged in Torah study alone." And this is in accordance with a statement of Rav Huna, as Rav Huna says: Anyone who occupies himself with Torah study alone is considered like one who does not have a God. As it is stated: “Now for long seasons Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without the Torah” (II Chronicles 15:3). What is meant by “without the true God”? This teaches that anyone who engages in Torah study alone is considered like one who does not have a true God.
"The importance of customs and safeguards to Jewish practice"
רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא אָמַר מֵהָכָא: ״פְּרָעֵהוּ אַל תַּעֲבׇר בּוֹ שְׂטֵה מֵעָלָיו וַעֲבוֹר״. אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: מָשָׁל דְּרַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה — לְאָדָם מְשַׁמֵּר פַּרְדֵּס, מְשַׁמְּרוֹ מִבַּחוּץ — כּוּלּוֹ מִשְׁתַּמֵּר. מְשַׁמְּרוֹ מִבִּפְנִים, שֶׁלְּפָנָיו — מִשְׁתַּמֵּר, שֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו — אֵינוֹ מִשְׁתַּמֵּר. וְהָא דְּרַב אָשֵׁי בְּדוּתָא הִיא. הָתָם, שֶׁלְּפָנָיו מִיהָא מִשְׁתַּמֵּר. הָכָא, אִי לָאו שְׁנִיּוֹת, פָּגַע בְּעֶרְוָה גּוּפַהּ.
Rabbi Oshaya said that the prohibition of secondary forbidden relationships is learned from here: “Avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass on” (Proverbs 4:15). One must distance oneself from any prohibited act and not pass near a place of forbidden objects or situations. Rav Ashi said a parable: To what is this matter, the opinion of Rabbi Oshaya, comparable? It is comparable to a man guarding an orchard; if he guards it from the outside, all of it is guarded. But if he guards it from the inside, only that which is in front of him that he can see is guarded, while that which is behind him is unguarded. The Gemara comments: And this parable of Rav Ashi is a mistake [beduta] and is not accurate. There, in his metaphor, that which is in front of him at least is guarded; here, in the case of forbidden relationships, were it not for the rabbinic decree against secondary forbidden relationships one would eventually encounter and transgress the biblically forbidden relationship itself. Guarding from the outside is not only preferable, it is essential.