Shabbos 52
“No resolution was found to this dilemma. Let it stand unresolved.”
Today’s reading continues a theme of respect for authority through a discussion of an unruly donkey. Levi was traveling with Rabba bar Rav Huna one day when his donkey broke lose. This quiet moment of walking and soliciting wisdom from his teacher was interrupted by Levi’s donkey, who was very headstrong and appeared to have a mind of his own. The incident proved to be an embarrassment for Levi, who as a student was expected to walk behind his teacher. Rabba expressed his consternation that his student was displaying such disrespect.
Levi had the gift of being able to think quickly on his feet and transformed the incident into a teachable moment. He turned to Rabba and asked him if “an undisciplined donkey whose conduct is wicked like this one that I am riding, what is the ruling with regard to having it go out with a halter on Shabbat?” This provided the Rabbi with the opportunity to secure his position in the relationship and opine on whether a halter on a donkey is allowed on the Shabbat. Rabba showed some kindness to the young student when he quoted his father: “your father said the following in the name of Shmuel: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Ḥananya, who said that a device that provides excessive security is not considered a burden.”
Several other scenarios are examined in today’s reading involving harnesses and devices designed to secure goats, horses, mules, red heifers and camels. The general principle is that if the harness or strap is designed for beauty, it is prohibited, if it is designed for safety, it is permissible. There is a diversity of opinion on whether a bit is allowed if it is attached to a goat’s beard (there is no debate on the permissibility if is attached to the animal’s horns.) After a lot of back and forth, there is a standstill and a simple resolution is reached to just “let it stand unresolved.”
What struck me about today’s reading is how tolerant the Talmud is of a diversity of opinion, and how it is willing to just let some differences remain unresolved. My experience so far as I work my way through each day’s text is that it is not a place to go for easy answers, or quick hits of wisdom. It is difficult, winding, rambling at times and unstructured. Usually, however, after a Rabbi said that a different Rabbi said something that is disputed by another Rabbi quoting another Rabbi, there is some sort of final conclusion. Today, there is the simple statement to just let a dispute remain unresolved. This seems fitting for what we are experiencing today, where there are no easy answers, and no choice except to live with the discomfort of not knowing how this pandemic chapter will ever be resolved.
The mention of donkeys brought me back to a trip I took to Morocco five years ago when a guide told me that the donkey was the country’s form of mass transit. I have not been back since, but five years ago, donkeys were intricately involved in the industry of the country. They were present in markets and construction sites with heavy bags slung over their backs. They were able to carry materials through narrow streets of the Medina, where a truck would have difficulty maneuvering. I am posting a photo I took in the Atlas Mountains from that trip.