Shabbos 20
“And one may light the fire.”
Today we play with fire. We are told that it is only permitted to light a fire before Shabbat eve if there is sufficient time for the fire to take hold so that it does not need to be stoked or fed with additional kindle.
Our friendly pair of debating sages, Rav and Shmuel, reappear to offer their perspective on what is permissible. Rav says the fire is allowable before the Sabbath if “most and each and every one of the branches” are lit, while the more measured Shmuel says it is ok if “the branches are sufficiently lit so that they don’t say to each other bring thinner branches.”
We are provided with additional examples of what is permissible through what I imagine were a series of Rabbinic experiments with the sages huddled over fires testing out their theories (and I hope they protected their flowing beards from the flames): a fire where the flame ascends on its own, a fire where the thickness of the wood of a single branch has ignited, a fire where the wood of a branch is ruined so that it cannot be repurposed, a fire that takes hold of both sides of the wood, a fired fed by reeds bundled together that are mostly ignited, a fire with reeds placed in a basket where their seeds are ignited.
We are provided with an example of an exemption from all this: It is allowable to kindle a fire in the temple on Shabbat Eve under the guidance of the priests, who are vigilant and less apt to violate religious laws. In other words, the priests can keep warm and break the rules if they want.
We are introduced to the rogue Ben Drosai who was a “robber and pursued by all.” Ben Drosai is described as a thief who was in such a hurry (to escape judgement?) that he would eat his food half-cooked. I researched Ben Drosai who was described in various texts as a man who was always fleeing authorities and as a result, was subjected to undercooked food. The food that he ate is described as “barely edible.” It is an important reminder to not conduct ourselves like a thief who sneaks out in the middle of the night in order to evade the authorities and to take the time to live our lives thoughtfully.
May we all, while we are sheltering in place during this difficult time, stay safe and seek shelter from our hearths and eat well-cooked food. We have a moment in our lives right now to eat and think and read and work and pray with more intention and attention.