Megillah, Daf Kaf Het, Part 2
Introduction
Today’s section continues with the same question asked of rabbis: How did you live for so long?
שאל רבי עקיבא את רבי נחוניא הגדול, (אמר לו): במה הארכת ימים? אתו גווזי וקא מחו ליה. סליק יתיב ארישא דדיקלא, אמר ליה: רבי, אם נאמר +במדבר כ"ח+ כבש למה נאמר אחד? – אמר להו: צורבא מדרבנן הוא, שבקוהו. אמר ליה: אחד – מיוחד שבעדרו.
R. Akiva asked R. Nehunia the Great: How did you live so long? His attendants came and beat him. He went and sat on the top of a date tree. He said to him: Rabbi, seeing that it says "a lamb" why does it also say "one" (Numbers 28:4)?
Thereupon he [R. Nehuniah] said: He is a rabbinical student, leave him alone.
He said to him: "One" means "unique in its flock."
Before R. Nehuniah the Great has time to answer R. Akiva, R. Nehunia’s students beat R. Akiva for asking such a hutzpahtic question. Asking someone how they have lived so long somewhat implies to them that their time should be up. Not the way to treat a respected rabbi.
R. Akiva runs away and climbs up a tree. From there, seemingly out of the blue, he asks R. Nehuniah a talmudic sounding question. The Torah says, "The one lamb they shall prepare in the morning." This is repetitive the Torah could have stated either just "one" or just "lamb." Why did it need to say both?
By his question, R. Nehuniah recognizes the legitimacy of R. Akiva, and tells the other students to leave him alone. Just goes to show you if you want to sound smart, ask a good question.
After calming his overeager students down, R. Nehuniah answers the question itself. The word "one" doesn’t mean one, it means "singular" or unique. For the daily sacrifice, the best animal of the flock should be offered.
אמר לו: מימי לא קבלתי מתנות, ולא עמדתי על מדותי, וותרן בממוני הייתי. לא קבלתי מתנות, כי הא דרבי אלעזר, כי הוו משדרי ליה מתנות מבי נשיאה לא הוה שקיל, כי הוה מזמני ליה – לא הוה אזיל, אמר להו: לא ניחא לכו דאחיה? דכתיב +משלי ט"ו+ שונא מתנת יחיה.
Then he said to him: Never in my life have I accepted presents, nor have I insisted on retribution [when wronged], and I have been generous with my money.
"I have not accepted presents," like R. Elazar, who, when presents were sent to him from the Patriarch’s [house], would not accept them and when he was invited there would not go.
He said to them: Do you not want me to live, since it says, "He that hates gifts shall live?" (Proverbs 15:27).
The first thing that R. Nehuniah did to live a long life was to refuse presents, which here seem to be like bribes. R. Elazar would not accept presents from the Patriarch’s house, for he was afraid they were in essence bribes. He would not even go over there when invited lest by benefiting from them he become indebted to them. These are ethics from which our politicians could certainly learn.
רבי זירא, כי הוו משדרי ליה מבי נשיאה – לא הוה שקיל, כי הוה מזמני ליה – אזיל, אמר: אתייקורי דמתייקרי בי.
R. Zera, when presents were sent to him from the Exilarch, would not accept them, but when he was invited there he used to go, saying, "They are honored by my presence."
R. Zera didn’t accept presents either, but he would go to the Exilarch’s (the head of the community in Babylonia) house. He reasoned that they were not honoring him, he was honoring them. Hmm. I’m not sure whether I read this as a justification or not.
ולא עמדתי על מדותי – דאמר רבא: כל המעביר על מדותיו מעבירין ממנו כל פשעיו, שנאמר +מיכה ז‘+ נשא עון ועבר על פשע, למי נושא עון – למי שעובר על פשע.
Nor did I insist on retribution: as Rava said: He who waives his right to retribution they waive retribution for all his sins, as it says, "Who pardons sins and passes over transgression" (Micah 7:18).
For whom does He forgive sin? For one who passes over transgression.
One who "waives his right to retribution" is one who has been wronged, but refuses to act in revenge. It is the person who forgives another for insulting him or for hurting him in some way. Rava says that God forgives the sins of a person who forgives the sins of others. In my opinion this is simply one of the most admirable of all character traits. A person who has the strength to not respond when he has been wronged, to end the cycle of hurt, that is the type of person I most admire. It is a person who teaches others to do the same, and to bring greater peace into the world. It is truly a rare trait, and I also believe that there must be a link between this trait and living a good long life.