Kiddushin, Daf Peh Bet, Part 4
Introduction
Building on the mishnah, the baraitot here continue to discuss professions not considered worthy by the rabbis. If one of these is your profession, take heart. Some of these are professions that Jews have actively engaged in for many hundreds of years. This kind of material is reflective of its time. What are some unworthy trades today, one s you would not want your child entering?
גמ׳ תנו רבנן כל שעסקיו עם הנשים סורו רע כגון הצורפים והסריקים והנקורות והרוכלין והגרדיים והספרים והכובסים והגרע והבלן והבורסקי אין מעמידים מהם לא מלך ולא כהן גדול
מאי טעמא לא משום דפסילי אלא משום דזיל אומנותיהו
GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: One whose business is with women has a bad character. For example goldsmiths, carders, [handmill] cleaners, peddlers, weavers, barbers, launderers, bloodletters, bath attendants and tanners. We do not appoint a king or a High Priest from them. What is the reason? Not because they are unfit, but because their profession is demeaning.
I love the idea that we would even think about appointing a bath attendant or a barber or a tanner as king! These are all considered demeaning professions and therefore one is discouraged from engaging in them.
תנו רבנן עשרה דברים נאמרו בגרע מהלך על צידו ורוחו גסה ונתלה ויושב ועינו צרה ועינו רעה אוכל הרבה ומוציא קימעא וחשוד על העריות ועל הגזל ועל שפיכות דמים
Our Rabbis taught: Ten things were said with regard to a blood-letter. He walks on his side, has a haughty spirit, he leans and sits, has a grudging eye and an evil eye; he eats a lot and excretes little; and he is suspected of adultery, robbery and bloodshed.
The bloodletter is seen as haughty (the first three qualities). He is also cheap because he usually eats the food of those whose blood he is letting (they probably can t stop him). He gives people the evil eye because it s in his benefit that they become sick (think of pharmaceutical companies today). Since he eats such good food that he gets from others, he also excretes very little (this is considered good). He works with women, so he is suspected of adultery. And women rob their husbands to go get a good bloodletting (I can understand that, a good bloodletting is hard to find). And of course, he is suspected of bloodshed that is literally his job.
דרש בר קפרא לעולם ילמד אדם את בנו אומנות נקיה וקלה
מאי היא אמר רב יהודה מחטא דתלמיותא
Bar Kappara taught: One should always teach his son a clean and easy craft. What is it?
Rav Yehudah said: Needlework for embroidery.
Sewing now that s a great profession.
תניא רבי אומר אין לך אומנות שעוברת מן העולם אשרי מי שרואה את הוריו באומנות מעולה אוי לו למי שרואה את הוריו באומנות פגומה אי אפשר לעולם בלא בסם ובלא בורסקי אשרי מי שאומנותו בסם ואוי לו מי שאומנותו בורסקי אי אפשר לעולם בלא זכרים ובלא נקבות אשרי מי שבניו זכרים ואוי לו למי שבניו נקיבות
It was taught: Rabbi said: There is no craft that will disappear from the world. Happy is he who sees his parents in an excellent craft, and woe to him who sees his parents in a lowly craft.
The world cannot exist without a perfume-maker and without a tanner. Happy is he whose craft is that of a perfume-maker, and woe to him whose craft is tannery.
The world cannot exist without males and without females. Happy is he whose children are males, and woe to him whose children are females.
Rabbi recognizes that someone has to do these lowly professions, but that does not mean you d want your parent having this profession or you d want to do it yourself. Now as far as the bit about children and it being better to have boys than girls, I have a little story. Before my first child was born, I accidentally blurted out to my wife, Wouldn t it be great if it was a boy! She said, What! To which I quickly responded, Wouldn t it be great if it was a baby! She did not buy it. And while I love all four of my children, it is really hard for me to imagine why anyone would want a boy more than a girl. Only problem with my girls is that they re so much smarter than me.
ר"מ אומר לעולם ילמד אדם לבנו אומנות נקיה וקלה ויבקש רחמים למי שהעושר והנכסים שלו שאין עניות מן האומנות ואין עשירות מן האומנות אלא למי שהעושר שלו שנאמר (חגי ב, ח) לי הכסף ולי הזהב נאם ה’ צבאות
R. Meir said: One should always teach his son a clean and easy craft, and pray for mercy from the One to Whom [all] wealth and property belong, for neither poverty nor wealth comes from one’s trade, but rather from the One to Whom wealth and property belong, as it is said: The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:8).
As R. Meir said in the Mishnah, one s wealth and prosperity are not really in one s control. One should do one s best, but even today, when one can earn a living from work (better than in the ancient world at least) we all recognize that many of our gifts and much of our fortune is not simply the result of hard work.