Ein Yaakov 013b – Shabbat 156 – Astrology – Rabbi Meir – Yarmulke – Sanhedrin

Ein Yaakov 013b – Shabbat 156 -Astrology – Rabbi Meir – Yarmulke – Sanhedrin – Speaker: Rabbi Zvi Aryeh Rosenfeld zal. (Recorded ca. 1970.)
00:00 – Most rabbis of the Gemara agree that ain mazal l’Yisrael – astrology does not dictate the fate/future of a Jew. Prayer, charity and fear of Heaven can improve a person’s mazal – destiny. Three stories are given to illustrate.
09:15 – Rabbi Meir was the greatest rabbi of his generation, yet the application of Torah law to practice is rarely as he rules.
10:10 – *The importance of a Jewish man covering his head. An account from the Gemara is related to illustrate.
12:35 – Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi: “My sharp mind is a result of having seen Rabbi Meir’s back”. What is the meaning of “having seen Rabbi Meir’s back”?
17:00 – One must learn Torah by looking at one’s Rabbi’s face. To whom is this statement attributed? Rabbi Abba received his sharp mind from Rabbi Meir.
22:50 – Rabbi Meir could give forty-eight reasons to permit a forbidden item and vice versa. The reason why this ability is necessary.
26:00 – Every rabbi of the Sanhedrin had to be able to find forty-eight way (some sources say one-hundred-fifty ways) to permit an impure item. If all rabbis in the Sanhedrin agree that an accused individual is guilty, the accused goes free. When does this apply? A rabbi must be able to finds ways to purify the impure.
29:30 – A student of Rebbe Nachman explains why a rabbi needs the ability to find 150 ways to permit a forbidden rodent. The Tzaddik Emet has the ability to vindicate a rasha – person who does evil.
32:10 – The worst, most poisonous bite of the Serpent is atzvut – sadness – which leads to yi’ush – depression/despair. Rabbi Meir had the power to bring light to those who had fallen into despair.

Indexing and Notes by S.Y. Wurtzel.