Today we are introduced to Rabbi Zeira – the short one with the singed thighs. Rabbi Zeira was also known as the Black Pot or the Pious Babylonian. He was born in Babylonia, but despite the desires of his teacher, he emigrated to Israel. The nickname “Black Pot” apparently came because he was small and had a dark complexion. In Israel, where scholars may have looked down on Babylonians, Rav Zeira was ordained a rabbi ( a rare honor for a Babylonian) and referred to as the Pious Babylonian. Today, however, Rabbi Zeira is referred to as the short one with the singed thighs. Since I am short and definitely believe that “short guys rule”, I have a natural affinity for Rabbi Zeira. He had singed thighs because every thirty days he would sit in a burning oven to see if the fires of Gehinnom (the place of punishment in the afterlife according to Rabbinic Judaism) would affect him. Only once did the fires affect him, when he was afflicted by the evil eye. After this incident, he became the short one with singed thighs. (Note: MyDafYomiNotes does not recommend that readers similarly test whether the fires of Gehinnom will affect them. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!)

In today’s Daf we learn more rules for reciting the Bircas HaMazon. As a brief refresher, after a meal that includes bread, we recite the Bircas HaMazon, which is a series of three biblically mandated prayers, followed by a Rabbinically mandated prayer (although a good portion of today’s Daf considers whether the final blessing is Biblically or Rabbinically mandated). If we ate with three or more people (three or more adult males for traditional Jews), then prior to the normal Bircas HaMazon we begin with a ritual call and response called the Zimun. A text of the Bircas HaMazon can be found here.

We first discuss who should recite the HaMotzi before the meal and who should recite the Bircas HaMazon after the meal. Some feel the host should recite the HaMotzi before the meal because whoever recites the blessing will break bread and had it around to the other diners. If the host breaks bread, the host will not be shy about providing others with large chunks of bread, whereas a guest may feel constrained not to be so liberal with the host’s recources. On the other hand, reciting the Hamotzi before the meal or the Bircas HaMazon after the meal is a great honor and perhaps it should fall to the guest. We also learn that laborers can recite an abridged version of the Bircas HaMazon (which is quite lengthy) to minimize the time laborers were idle from their work. I was very interested in this practical expedient that the Rabbis instituted so that the rules of religion did not interfere with everyday life. Somewhere along the line, traditional Judaism appears to have ossified and stopped adapting to changing individual circumstances.

The Zimun is recited if three or more people eat together. Even if the third person has not completed the meal, the third person joins in the Zinum so that it can be recited. After the Zinum the third can finish the meal. Of course, we must then determine where in the Bircas HaMazon the third returns after completing the meal.

Much of today’s Daf focuses on manners. There are discussions of how we should arrange seats (or recliners) when we dine with others, who should wash hands first before and after a meal, and whether the Persians or the Jews had better manners. Much of these debates center on prominence and questions of manners are determined by the prominence of the people involved (e.g., should the most prominent person wash hands first or last before the meal). The discussion assumes that we will all know who is most prominent. In practice, I am not sure that is true. Nevertheless, there is a large concern with manners. Interesting the Reish Galusa (the Head of the Exile) believed the Person manners were better than Jewish manners. The Reish Galusa would have been an intermediary between the Persians and the wider Jewish community that tried to minimize their interactions with the outside world. Presumably the Reish Galusa would have more experience with Persian customs.