Daf Yomi · Sephardi & Mizrahi Heritage · Standard
Chullin 60
Hook
Imagine standing on the Mediterranean shore under the white-hot sky of the month of Tammuz. The heat is thick, the limestone dust hangs in the air, and the cicadas hum a steady, rhythmic drone. Beside you stands a Roman emperor, a man who commands legions, whose face is stamped on millions of coins, and whose word is law from Hispania to the Euphrates. Yet, this master of the known world has his eyes squeezed tightly shut, tears streaming down his face, completely blinded by a single, silent servant of the Creator: the summer sun.
This is the vivid stage set by our sages in the Talmud Chullin 60a. It is a scene that captures the very essence of Sephardi and Mizrahi spirituality—a world where the cosmos is not a cold, mechanical clockwork, but a living, breathing sanctuary. In this heritage, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and even the tiny blades of grass are active, vocal participants in a grand, divine liturgy. They are characters in a cosmic drama, and their songs are echoed daily in the poetry, the prayers, and the musical modes (maqamat) of the Jewish communities of the East.
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Context
To fully appreciate the layers of this Talmudic text and its reception in the Sephardi and Mizrahi world, we must anchor ourselves in three distinct dimensions of historical reality:
The Place: The Roman-Judean Frontier and the Mediterranean Basin
The dialogues in this passage occur against the backdrop of Roman-occupied Judea and the grand imperial capital of Rome itself. This is a landscape of profound tension—where the physical might of the Roman Empire, with its monumental architecture, paved roads, and military supremacy, constantly clashes with the spiritual and intellectual sovereignty of the Jewish sages. For the later Sephardic diaspora, who settled across the Mediterranean basin after the Expulsion of 1492—in cities like Salonica, Constantinople, Izmir, and Alexandria—this geographical setting was intimately familiar. They, too, lived in the shadow of great empires (the Byzantine and the Ottoman), and they looked to these ancient dialogues as a source of cultural dignity and intellectual resilience.
The Era: The Tannaitic Age and the Golden Age of Sephardic Exegesis
The text features Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananya, a leading sage of the late first and early second centuries CE. He lived through the destruction of the Second Temple and was famous for his sharp wit, his deep knowledge of secular sciences, and his role as the primary intellectual defender of Israel before the Roman authorities. Centuries later, during the Golden Age of Spain (the 10th through 12th centuries) and the subsequent era of Kabbalistic revival in Safed (the 16th century), Sephardic scholars like Maimonides (Rambam), Nahmanides (Ramban), and Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari) returned to these Tannaitic encounters. They did not read them merely as quaint folk tales, but as profound philosophical and mystical treatises on the relationship between nature, empire, and the Divine.
The Community: The Guardians of the Western and Eastern Sephardic Traditions
The communities that preserved, sung, and commented on these texts are diverse yet deeply interconnected. They include the Spanish-Portuguese communities of Amsterdam and London, the Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) speaking communities of the Balkans, the ancient Musta'arabi (indigenous Arabic-speaking) Jews of the Levant, and the vibrant communities of Morocco, Iraq, and Yemen. In these communities, the study of Aggadah (Talmudic narrative) was never divorced from Halakha (law) or Piyut (liturgical poetry). To them, the universe described in Chullin 60a—where angels govern the grass and the moon speaks to God—was a living reality that dictated how they blessed the new moon, how they prayed for rain, and how they sang their longings for redemption in the early hours of the morning.
Text Snapshot
The following passage from Chullin 60a presents a series of dazzling encounters and cosmic teachings. We see Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananya defending the honor of the Creator against Roman skepticism, followed by a transition into the mystical secrets of creation, the nature of the primordial lights, and the spiritual power of human prayer.
The Dialogue with the Emperor
The Emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananya: "I wish to see your God." Rabbi Yehoshua went and stood the Emperor facing the sun in the season of Tammuz, and said to him: "Look at it." The Emperor said: "I cannot." Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: "Now, if with regard to the sun, which is only one of the servants that stand before the Holy One, Blessed be He, you say: 'I cannot look at it,' is it not all the more so with regard to the Divine Presence?"
The Emperor said to him: "I desire to arrange a meal for your God." Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: "You cannot... His hosts are too great." ... The Emperor worked all the six months of summer... A wind came and swept it all into the sea. He worked all the six months of winter... Rain came and sank it all in the sea. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: "These are only the sweepers and floor washers that wait on Him, and they alone have eaten everything."
The Diminution of the Moon
Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi raises a contradiction: It is written: "And God made the two great lights" Genesis 1:16, and it is also written in the same verse: "The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night," indicating that only one was great!
Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi explains: When God first created the sun and the moon, they were equally bright. Then, the moon said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: "Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to serve with one crown?" God said to her: "Go and diminish yourself." ...
God saw that the moon was not comforted. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: "Bring atonement for Me, since I diminished the moon." And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: "What is different about the goat offering of the New Moon, that it is stated with regard to it: 'For the Lord' Numbers 28:15? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: 'This goat shall be an atonement for Me for having diminished the size of the moon.'"
The Grasses and the Minister of the World
Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa taught: "May the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works" Psalms 104:31. This verse was stated by the Minister of the World (Sar HaOlam). When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: "Let the earth put forth grass... after its kind" Genesis 1:11, the grasses drew an a fortiori inference... "If with regard to trees... God said 'after its kind,' all the more so with regard to us." Immediately, every kind of grass emerged after its kind. The Minister of the World began to speak and said: "May the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works."
Classic Commentary Insights
To deepen our understanding of these passages, we look to the classical commentators, whose words are studied with devotion in Sephardic yeshivot:
Maharam Schiff on Chullin 60a:1: גמ' איברא חזינא ליה כו' ולא האמין בלא יראני האדם וחי וכן בתחלה הקשה אריה שאג מי כו'. ר"ל שקר הוא: Translation & Insight: The Maharam Schiff notes that the Roman Emperor was operating from a place of deep skepticism. He did not believe the Torah's statement that "no man shall see Me and live" Exodus 33:20. He assumed that if something exists, it must be visible to human sight, and if it cannot be seen, it must be a falsehood. Rabbi Yehoshua's pedagogical genius was to show him that even within physical creation, there are realities so intense that human eyes cannot bear them, thereby shattering the Emperor's simplistic empiricism.
Rashi on Chullin 60a:1:1: להדי יומא - נגד השמש: Translation: "Facing the sun." Rashi clarifies that Rabbi Yehoshua positioned the Emperor directly in the path of the sun's direct rays, leaving no shield or shade, forcing him to confront the unmediated light of the physical creation.
Steinsaltz on Chullin 60a:1: The modern commentary of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz highlights the season: "In the season of Tammuz, when the sun burns with intense heat." This was not just a visual test; it was a physical experience of the overwhelming energy of the cosmos, which the Sephardic philosophers often equated with the divine light that must be filtered through "vessels" (kelim) to be received by creation.
Maharam Schiff on Chullin 60a:9: גמ' אל תקרי כו'. דצבאם אין כולל לכאורה רק האדם וצבא השמים לא הצומח ורמש וכפי' הרמב"ן. או צבאם למה לי הול"ל וכל. מפרש וכל ר"ל והכל נברא בצביונם: Translation & Insight: Commenting on the phrase "Do not read 'their host' (tzeva'am); rather, read 'their form' (tzivyonam)" Genesis 2:1, the Maharam Schiff notes that the word "host" typically refers only to human armies or the stars of heaven. It would seem to exclude vegetation and creeping things. Therefore, the Sages teach us that everything was created in its full, majestic form (tzivyonam), complete with its unique spiritual and physical beauty, as Nahmanides (Ramban) explains.
Rashi on Chullin 60a:10:1: שר העולם - מלאך הממונה: Translation: "The Minister of the World - the appointed angel." Rashi identifies this figure as the celestial force charged with overseeing the physical operations of the earth, demonstrating that there is a spiritual intelligence behind every natural process.
Minhag/Melody
In the Sephardi and Mizrahi world, Torah is not merely read; it is sung. The cosmic truths of Chullin 60a are woven directly into the liturgical calendar, the maqamat (melodic modes), and the rich tradition of piyut (liturgical poetry).
THE LEVANTINE MAQAM SYNERGY WITH CHULLIN 60a
[ MAQAM RAST ] =================> Celebrates Creation in its "Full Form" (Tzivyonam)
(Majestic & Stable) Used on Shabbat Bereshit & Rosh Chodesh
[ MAQAM SABA ] =================> Expresses the Moon's Melancholy & Yearning
(Sorrowful & Pleading) Used for the Diminution & Prayers for Renewal
[ MAQAM HIJAZ ] =================> Captures the Blazing Sun of Tammuz
(Prophetic & Intense) Used for Dialogues between Finite & Infinite
The Chanting of Psalm 104 (Barchi Nafshi) on Rosh Chodesh
The Talmudic text quotes extensively from Psalms 104, the great hymn of creation. In the Moroccan, Syrian, and Judeo-Spanish traditions, the chanting of this psalm on Rosh Chodesh (the New Moon) is a high point of the community's liturgical life.
In the Moroccan tradition, on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, the synagogue is filled with a unique, joyous energy. The congregation does not simply read the psalm; they sing it using a ancient, rhythmic melody that dates back to Andalusia. The melody climbs and falls, mirroring the "springs that run among the valleys" and the "birds of the air that sing among the branches" Psalms 104:10-12. When they reach the verse quoted by Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa in our Gemara—"May the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works" Psalms 104:31—the voices rise in unison, transforming the synagogue into a choir that echoes the song of the Sar HaOlam (the Minister of the World).
The Syrian Maqamat and the Cosmic Drama
The Jews of Aleppo developed a highly sophisticated system of applying Arabic musical scales, known as maqamat, to the prayers of each Shabbat and holiday, based on the thematic content of the Torah portion or the season. The themes of Chullin 60a find their perfect musical expression within this system:
- Maqam Rast (The Mode of Majesty and Beginnings): Rast is the master maqam, representing truth, stability, and the primordial order of creation. When Sephardic cantors sing of God creating the universe in its "full stature and form" (tzivyonam), they compose and improvise in Maqam Rast. It is the sound of the universe operating exactly as the Creator intended, with every species of grass and tree emerging "after its kind" in perfect harmony.
- Maqam Saba (The Mode of Yearning and Diminution): Saba is a deeply emotional, almost sorrowful scale, characterized by its flat second and diminished fourth intervals. It is the scale of heartbreak, of longing, and of the twilight. This is the mode used when the congregation reflects on the moon's diminution—"Go and diminish yourself" Chullin 60a. The melody captures the cosmic melancholy of the moon, which surrendered its light for the sake of peace, and it carries the community's prayers for the ultimate restoration of the moon's light, which represents the restoration of the Shechinah (the Divine Presence) in exile.
- Maqam Hijaz (The Mode of Fire, Desert, and Revelation): Hijaz is an exotic, intense scale with an augmented second interval, evoking the blazing heat of the desert and the mystery of prophecy. This is the mode that cantors employ during the hot summer months of Tammuz, particularly when chanting the sections of the prophets that speak of divine majesty. It is the musical translation of Rabbi Yehoshua's encounter with the Emperor under the blinding sun—intense, unyielding, and awe-inspiring.
The Moroccan Bakashot: Singing in the Dark Hours
In the Moroccan Jewish tradition, during the long winter Friday nights between the holidays of Sukkot and Pesach, the community gathers in the synagogue at 2:00 or 3:00 AM for the chanting of the Bakashot (sacred petitions).
This custom is deeply connected to Rav Asi's teaching in our Gemara: that the grasses emerged on the third day of creation but remained hidden just beneath the surface of the soil until Adam came and prayed for rain Chullin 60a. The Bakashot are sung in the dark, cold hours of the night, when the earth is asleep. The singers, through their intricate Hebrew poetry and Andalusian melodies, are playing the role of Adam. They are wakeful priests of the cosmos, pouring out their souls in prayer to unlock the spiritual "rain" of divine blessing, sustenance, and redemption for the world. One of the central piyutim sung during these sessions is Yadid Nefesh (Beloved of the Soul), which contains the line: "My soul is sick for Your love... Please, heal her by showing her the pleasantness of Your splendor." This is a direct poetic echo of the Emperor's daughter's demand to "see" the work of the Divine Carpenter, reframed as a holy, mystical longing to perceive the divine beauty hidden within the physical world.
Contrast
While the Jewish people are united in their devotion to the Torah, the historical experiences of different communities have led to beautifully distinct ways of practicing and interpreting the very same texts. When we compare the Sephardi/Mizrahi approach to the themes of Chullin 60a with the Ashkenazi approach, we find a respectful, illuminating contrast in both timing, choreography, and hermeneutics.
The Timing and Kabbalistic Alignment of Kiddush Levanah
The sanctification of the New Moon (Kiddush Levanah or Birkat HaLevanah) is the practical halakhic application of the moon's renewal discussed in our Gemara.
KIDDUSH LEVANAH: TWO PATHWAYS OF HOLINESS
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| FEATURE | SEPHARDI / MIZRAHI | ASHKENAZI |
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| Earliest | 7 Full Days after the Molad | 3 Days after the |
| Recitation | (Based on Kabbalistic Ari) | Molad (Rema) |
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| Physical | Serene, regal standing; | Joyous leaping; |
| Movement | Gentle heel elevation | "Dancing" before |
| | without leaving the ground | the moon |
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| Aesthetic | Majestic awe, stillness, | Ecstatic energy, |
| | meditative focus | physical release |
========================================================================
- The Sephardic Practice: Following the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 426:4 and the teachings of the Kabbalists of Safed (the Ari), Sephardic and Mizrahi communities do not recite the blessing over the moon until seven full days have passed from the molad (the moment of the new moon's astronomical birth). The Kabbalistic reasoning is that the moon represents the Shechinah (the feminine aspect of the Divine Presence, associated with the sefirah of Malchut). In its state of diminution, it must gradually build up its spiritual vessels through the seven lower sefirot (attributes) before it is spiritually mature enough to receive our full blessing. This creates a practice of patience, waiting for the moon to achieve a visible, steady light.
- The Ashkenazic Practice: Following the ruling of the Rema (Rabbi Moses Isserles), Ashkenazi communities permit the recitation of the blessing as early as three days after the molad, provided the moon is bright enough to benefit from its light. This practice emphasizes the immediacy of joy and the prompt performance of the mitzvah (zerizin makdimin l'mitzvot), celebrating the very first moments of the moon's escape from complete darkness.
The Choreography of Blessing: Stillness vs. Leaping
During the prayer, we recite the phrase: "Just as I dance before you and cannot touch you, so may my enemies be unable to touch me for harm." How this "dance" is physically executed reveals a profound stylistic contrast:
- The Ashkenazic Custom: It is traditional to leap or jump three times on the balls of the feet while reciting this phrase, expressing an ecstatic, physical yearning to reach toward the heavens and rise above the limitations of the physical body.
- The Sephardic Custom: Based on the warnings of the Kabbalists (such as the Ben Ish Chai of Baghdad and Rabbi Chaim Joseph David Azulai, the Chida), physical jumping during prayer is avoided, as it is seen as disruptive to the state of serene, majestic awe (yirat romemut) that should characterize an encounter with the Divine King. Instead, Sephardim stand with their feet aligned, looking up at the moon once before the blessing, and then gently rise onto their tiptoes or simply sway with dignity, elevating their souls spiritually while keeping their feet anchored respectfully to the earth.
Hermeneutics: Philosophical Allegory vs. Moralistic Literalism
The colorful stories in Chullin 60a—such as Adam's single-horned bull, the sixteen rows of teeth of the fearsome Avvim, and the princess's distaff—are approached differently:
- The Sephardic Interpretive Tradition: Deeply influenced by Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and the subsequent Andalusian philosophical-kabbalistic synthesis, Sephardic sages almost universally read these highly descriptive Aggadot as profound allegories. The single horn of Adam's bull is understood as a symbol of the primordial unity of creation; the sixteen rows of teeth represent spiritual forces of judgment (Gevurah). The physical descriptions are viewed as garments for deep metaphysical truths.
- The Northern European Ashkenazic Tradition: While also employing allegory, historical Ashkenazic exegesis (especially within the Hasidic and Mussar movements) often focused on the moral, existential, and psychological lessons of these stories. The moon's complaint and subsequent diminution became a rich text for discussing human ego, jealousy, and the spiritual necessity of self-effacement (bittul), making the cosmic text intensely personal and introspective.
Home Practice
The beautiful, nature-infused spirituality of Chullin 60a is not meant to remain locked inside the pages of the Talmud or the walls of the synagogue. It is a blueprint for living mindfully in the physical world. Here is a simple, elegant practice from the Sephardi-Mizrahi heritage that anyone can bring into their home:
The "Tefillat HaAsavim" (Prayer of the Grasses) Garden Ritual
Based on Rav Asi's teaching that the earth's vegetation stood at the very edge of the soil, waiting for the conscious prayer of Adam before it could sprout and rain could fall, we can cultivate a daily or weekly practice of "mindful watering."
THE "TEFILLAT HAASAVIM" HOME PRACTICE
[ STEP 1: SELECT ] ----> Choose a small herb (mint, nana, basil, or rosemary)
representing the "grasses" of creation.
[ STEP 2: PAUSE ] ----> Stand before the plant. Breathe in its scent.
Recall Rav Asi's teaching: Nature waits for us.
[ STEP 3: RECIT ] ----> Whisper the verse of the Sar HaOlam:
"Y'hi chvod Hashem l'olam, yismach Hashem b'ma'asav."
(May the glory of the Lord endure forever...)
[ STEP 4: ELEV ] ----> Water the plant. Realize your care and prayer
elevate physical matter into a holy sanctuary.
- Select a Living Plant: Place a small, fragrant herb plant—such as mint (nana, beloved in Middle Eastern tea), rosemary, or basil—on your windowsill or in your garden. This represents the "grasses" that the Gemara describes as drawing their holy a fortiori inference to remain distinct and pure Chullin 60a.
- The Pause of Adam: Before you water the plant, stand before it for a brief moment of complete silence. Close your eyes and realize that this plant, and the entire natural world around you, is waiting for human consciousness to elevate it. You are playing the role of Adam in the Garden of Eden.
- Recite the Song of the World: Open your eyes, look at the soil, and recite the verse of the Sar HaOlam (the Minister of the World) quoted in our text:
יְהִי כְבוֹד ה׳ לְעוֹלָם; יִשְׂמַח ה׳ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. "Y'hi chvod Hashem l'olam, yismach Hashem b'ma'asav." "May the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works." Psalms 104:31
- Mindful Nourishment: As you pour the water, think of your act of care as an answer to the world's silent prayers for sustenance. Smell the fragrance of the damp earth and the leaves. In this small act, you have bridged the physical and the spiritual, transforming your home into a garden of divine joy.
Takeaway
The teachings of Chullin 60a invite us to look at our lives and our world through a lens of profound wonder.
From the blazing sun of Tammuz that humbled the Roman emperor, to the quiet dignity of the moon in her diminution, to the silent grasses that refused to compromise their unique identities, the Talmud reveals a universe that is alive with meaning, purpose, and song.
The Sephardi and Mizrahi heritage teaches us that we are not passive observers in this world, nor are we masters who may exploit it. We are the partners of creation. Like Rabbi Yehoshua, we are called to defend the spiritual integrity of the world against those who see only what can be bought and sold. Like Adam, we are called to lift our voices in prayer, unlocking the rains of blessing that wait just beneath the surface of our lives.
When we walk outside and look up at the silver crescent of the new moon, or when we catch the scent of fresh grass after a summer rain, we are hearing the echo of an ancient, cosmic liturgy. Let us join our voices to that song, singing with the confidence and joy of a heritage that has always known how to find the divine light shining through every corner of creation: "Let the Lord rejoice in His works!"
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