Two Spirits in a Graveyard and the Perils of Poverty
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<b>
TALMUDICA AGGADA</b></p>
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<b>
By Rav Yitzchak Blau</b></p>
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<b>
Shiur #02: Two Spirits in a Graveyard and the Perils
of Poverty</b></p>
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<p>
The sons of R. Chiyya went out to the village and
forgot their learning. They were
struggling to remember it. One said
to another: “Does father [who was deceased] know of our difficulty?”
He said to him: “How would he know? Does it not say ‘His sons receive
honor and he does not know’ (<i>Iyyov</i> 14:21)?” The other answered: “And does he not know?
Does it not say ‘But his flesh grieves
him and his soul mourns for him’ (<i>Iyyov</i> 14:22)?” And R. Yitzchak said:
“The worm hurts the dead like a needle in live flesh.” They said: “They know their own pain, but not
those of others.”
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And do they not?
Did we not learn the following?
There was a story of a pious man who gave a coin to a pauper during years
of famine. His wife became angry
with him, and he went to sleep in the cemetery.
He heard two spirits talking to each other. One said to the other:
“Let us go travel in the world and hear
from behind the curtain what punishment is coming to the world.”
She said to her: “I cannot because I am
buried in a mat of reeds. You go and
tell me what you hear.” She went out
and came back. Her friend
said: “What did you hear behind the curtain?”
She said to her: “I heard that anyone who plants at the time of the first
rainfall will have their crops struck by hail.”
He [the pious fellow] went and planted during the second rainfall. The entire world’s crops were
stricken but not those of this fellow.
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The next year, he went to sleep in the cemetery. He heard two spirits talking to
each other. One said to the other: “Let us go travel in the world and
hear from behind the curtain what punishment is coming to the world.” She said to her: “I cannot
because I am buried in a mat of reeds.
You go and tell me what you hear.”
She went out and came back.
Her friend said: “What did you hear behind the curtain?” She said to her: “I heard that anyone
who plants at the time of the second rainfall will have their crops struck by
blight.” He [the pious fellow] went
and planted at time of the first rainfall.
The entire world’s crops were struck by blight but not those of this
fellow.</p>
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<p>
His wife asked him:
“How come last year, everyone’s crops were stricken except yours, and now
everyone’s crops were blighted except yours?”
He told her the whole story.
They said: “It was not many days before a quarrel developed between the pious
fellow’s wife and the mother of that [deceased] girl. She said to her: ‘Come and I will
show you your daughter buried in a mat of reeds.’”
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The next year, he went to sleep in the cemetery. He heard those spirits talking
to each other. One said to the
other: “Let us go travel in the
world and hear from behind the curtain what punishment is coming to the world.” She said to her: “Leave me be. The words passed between us are heard
among the living.”
</p>
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<p>
We see that they [the deceased] know [what happens
in this world]. Perhaps another
person passed away and went and told them.
(<i>Berakhot</i> 18b)
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<p>
I am often asked whether or not I think fantastical aggadic stories truly
happened. To a great degree, this
inquiry is a distraction from the more important question of what the story
teaches us. <i>Chazal</i> did not
write <i>aggadot</i> to teach history; presumably, they only incorporated stores
of ethical and religious import. If
so, whether a given story actually happened or is an allegory, the essential
issue remains what our sages wanted to teach us by including it.
</p>
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<p>
R. Yaakov ibn Chabib outlines many objections to a literal interpretation
of this story. Rashi (<i>Shabbat</i>
127b) says that an anonymous “<i>chassid</i>” in Talmudic tales refers to either
R. Yehuda ben Bava or R. Yehuda bar Ilai.
Could these pious scholars have gotten into such a serious fight with
their wives on Rosh Hashana night that they ended up sleeping in a cemetery? Would a pious person return to the
cemetery each year and possibly violate the prohibition of necromancy, <i>doresh
el he-metim</i>? Furthermore, souls
that depart from the body should be in the Garden of Eden, rather than in the
cemetery where their bodies were buried.
At the conclusion of an extended analysis, R. Chabib contends that this
story reflects a vision that the pious fellow had in a dream Rosh Hashana night. The dream provided helpful economic
guidance.</p>
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<p>
R. Yosef Chayyim (<i>Ben Yehoyada</i>) agrees that this episode took
place in a dream. People often dream
about something they thought about that day, and this pious fellow was no
exception. On a day in which
economic pressures led to marital conflict, this fellow found himself dreaming
about successful crops. Yet
this was no mere fantasy; the dream included heavenly information that proved
prophetic.
</p>
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<p>
We could adopt a more literal interpretation,
since pious people may also experience marital discord. Perhaps the pious fellow took the
unusual step of sleeping in a cemetery on Rosh Hashana, because the graveyard
would lead to thoughts of human mortality, which would encourage repentance. R. Yaakov Reisher offers an
insightful alternative in his <i>Iyyun Yaakov</i>. He suggests that this pious person
faced a difficult dilemma. He could
not stay home and risk a huge fight with his wife on Rosh Hashana, nor could he
go to another’s lodgings because of the rumors it would start. The entire neighborhood would enjoy
discussing a couple’s marital tension expressed in a High Holy Day squabble. His only option was to find a fully
discreet place to sleep, such as a cemetery.
Given this context, we could appreciate why a pious fellow might end up
in a graveyard on Rosh Hashana night.
</p>
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<p>
Interaction between those with means and those without runs through the
story. The wife becomes angry when
the pious fellow gives money to the poor.
One of the spirits is embarrassed t o leave the graveyard due to the
poverty of her burial garments.
The couple’s monetary fortunes turn due to the insider information
overheard in the cemetery. Finally,
the wife insults the deceased girl’s mother by referring to the poverty of her
daughter’s burial. </p>
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<p>
The pious person certainly does not idealize poverty, returning annually
to the graveyard in the hopes of hearing some more helpful economic information. Still, despite his personal quest for
financial security, he remains sensitive to the needs of others, giving charity
even before he becomes more prosperous.
His wife, on the other hand, cannot see beyond her own needs. She becomes so infuriated at her
husband’s largesse that he ultimately sleeps outside of the house on a festival
evening. After she achieves a
modicum of wealth, she looks down upon the poor and utilizes economic disparity
to insult a woman she argues with.
Unfortunately, disadvantaged people who escape their difficult situation
sometimes quickly forget their previous plight and join the haves of society in
looking down upon their old peers.
</p>
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<p>
This understanding of the story, as exploring
the theme of poverty, helps us respond to a problem raised by R. Yechezkel
Landau. He wonders why a disembodied
spirit should care what she was buried in.
Surely, a spirit can travel the world irrespective of the nature of her
burial clothes. R. Landau adds that
even if we interpret the story allegorically, the allegory must still make sense
rationally. Even in an
allegory, why should a spirit care abut physical garments? I suggest that the Gemara
wanted to highlight the feelings caused by economic disadvantage. Disembodied spirits may not care
about clothing, but flesh and blood people do, and this story emphasizes
tensions generated by monetary struggles.</p>
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<p>
An important methodological point emerges from
our analysis. A story cited in
a Talmudic passage can have its own meaning and thematic context independent of
the broader context of the passage.
The Gemara brings this story in order to prove that the departed are
aware of what happens in our world.
However, that is certainly not the original point of this episode. If our
analysis is correct, issues of poverty, wealth, and social interactions feature
far more prominently.</p>
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