The Play’s the Thing!
(Shakespeare’s Hamlet II ii 633)
Rabbi Yaakov Bieler
Parshat VaYakhel, 5765
When we moved from New York to the Washington area seventeen years ago, we were struck by the difference in approach to local sports taken by the major newspapers in each locale. It is difficult to remember when a sporting event even appeared on the front page of the New York Times, let alone highlighted as a key news story. Even when the Yankees would win the World Series or the Giants the Superbowl, there was no more than a small reference at the bottom of the front page informing the reader the section and page where one could find the full story. The Washington Post, on the other hand, has been, and continues to be “front and center” with regard to the Redskins. And now that baseball’s Nationals are poised to begin their first season, yet another sport, one that is dubbed “the national PASTIME”, is already commanding similar journalistic attention, including front page lead stories and large color pictures, even though the team is fully expected to have a losing record for some time to come.
The concept of someone pursuing a “pastime”, (1) is already mentioned in Shakepeare’s The Tempest V i. 43, when the magician Prospero addresses the elves and describes one of their main preoccupations: “…and you whose PASTIME is to make midnight mushrumps (mushrooms)…” But what really captured my attention was a reference in ``The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations'' (2) to the Bible as containing the word “pastime”. Regarding Tehillim 104:26, “Sham Aniyot Yehaleichun, Livyatan Zeh Yatzarta LeSachek Bo”, the following translation from the Hebrew is offered by this reference work: “There go the ships and there is that Leviathan: whom You have Made to take his PASTIME therein.”
Tehilla 104, known by its first words, “Barchi Nafshi” (Bless, my soul!), and particularly associated with Rosh Chodesh since it is added to the Shacharit services whenever the beginning of a new Jewish month is commemorated, (3) constitutes a general call by the Psalmist to his inner soul to praise God for the remarkable and wondrous world that He has Created. But the meaning of many of the chapter’s poetical verses, with verse 26 being no exception, appears open to multiple interpretations. R. Shimshon Raphael Hirsch will not even concede that the text is speaking about the legendary sea creature, Leviathan, when he translates the term “Livyatan” as “a multitude of animals” since in his commentary to Tehillim, R. Hirsch notes that this word literally means a “company” or “crowd”. Not only is it unclear whether we are referring to a single, giant animal, or myriad denizens of the sea, the phrase “LeSachek Bo” (lit. “to play in/with it”, the words that inspired the translation of “PASTIME” in the ODQ), is also not understood uniformly by commentators and translators. Ibn Ezra and Metzudat David explain that the Leviathan “plays” or perhaps more accurately “toys”, with all other sea creatures in terms of being able, due to its immense size, to consume any of them at will. MaLBIM suggests that rather than the Leviathan playing with others, it is man, the sailor of the ships mentioned earlier in the verse, that “plays” with it, i.e., a reference that calls to mind the whaling industry with which MaLBIM could well have been familiar, given when he lived. (4) Of course, anyone who has read Hermann Melville’s Moby Dick, probably senses that more often than not, the tables were turned and the human hunters could easily become the hunted.
The recognition that the verb “play” may not always refer to activities that are so benevolent—in the two interpretations cited above, “playfulness” is given an ominous dimension in the sense that the commentaries assume that the play-er, either the Levyatan or man, looks upon that with which he plays as prey—is altogether consistent with the numerous connotations that are attributed to “play” in English and Hebrew. Etymologically, (5) “to play” is thought to derive from a term meaning “to strike”, suggesting warfare, and calling to mind the “war games” of II Shmuel 2:14. Included in the definitions of “LeSachek” in Even-Shushan’s Milon Chadash (6) are: to joke, to deride, to play a role, to play a game, to entertain, to play an instrument, to flirt. In many of these contexts, what appears at first glance to be “playful”, simultaneously suggests violence, attacking, fierce interaction, pointed competition and even subtle manipulation of another’s mind and/or feelings. And when one considers the relationship between “LeSachek” and “LeTzachek” (to laugh), similar ambiguities can be detected, i.e., does one’s laughter suggest joy, derision, nervousness, sarcasm, fear, intimidation, evil calculations, etc.?
The most intriguing and spiritually meaningful interpretation for the use of “LeSachek” in Tehillim 104:26 is offered by RaShI, who cites a passage in the Talmud offering a Rabbinic interpretation of the verse. The commentator writes, “To play with him—For three hours during the day. This is what our Rabbis said in Tractate Avoda Zora, and so it is explicitly stated in the Biblical book Iyov 40:29 “Will You (God) Play with him (the Leviathan) like a domesticated bird…?” RaShI understands the verse as indicating that the Leviathan is HaShem’s “Pet”, with whom He “Enjoys” “PASSING TIME”.
The complete passage in Avoda Zora 3b to which RaShI is referring is the following:
Said R. Yehuda in the name of Rav: Twelve hours make up the day. (7) During the first three hours, HaShem Sits and engages in Tora study. During the second set of three hours, He Sits and Judges the entire universe. As soon as He Sees that the universe is deserving of destruction, He Removes Himself from the Seat of Judgment and Sits down on the Seat of Mercy. (8) During the third three hour segment, He Sits and Provides food for His entire Creation, from the largest animal to the tiniest. During the fourth three hour period, He is MESACHEK with the Leviathan, as it is said, (Tehillim 104:26) “This Leviathan that You Made to Play with him.”
It is probably reasonable to say that this most anthropomorphic of sources is intended to model behavior to which human beings should aspire, in the spirit of Devarim 28:9, “…and you will walk in His Ways” rather than necessarily providing insights into the Nature of the Divine and His actual Activities. Somehow, R. Yehuda’s description of HaShem’s Schedule in Masechet Avoda Zora seems to me more personally accessible, inspiring and less abstract than the well-known Talmudic source in Sota 14a encouraging “VeHalachta B’Derachav” (and you will go in His Ways):
R. Chama ben Chanina said: What is the meaning of the text, (Devarim 13:5) “And you shall walk after the Lord, your God”? Is it possible for a human being to walk after the Shechina (Divine Presence), for has it not been said, (Devarim 4:24) “For the Lord, your God, is a Devouring Fire”?
But the meaning is to walk after the Attributes of the Holy One, Blessed Be He. As He Clothes the naked… (9) so should you clothe the naked. The Holy One, Blessed Be He Visits the sick… (10) so do you visit the sick. He Comforts mourners… (11) so do you comfort mourners. The Holy One, Blessed Be He, Buries the dead… (12) so do you bury the dead.
Perhaps because the individuals for whom according to Sota 14a HaShem provides these services—Adam and Chava, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Moshe—are of such magnitude, it is difficult to see ourselves as engaging in similar actions when the people with whom we interact are hardly as legendary and seminal as the objects of HaShem’s Attention. When Avoda Zora 3b simply posits that HaShem Studies, Judges, Feeds and Plays on a daily basis, we are not called upon to imagine specific exotic contexts or situations. We can imagine how we could be doing similar things in any time or place. Furthermore, the events alluded to in Sota 14a are all one-time events, i.e., HaShem Gave Adam and Chava clothes a single time; He Visited Avraham after his circumcision once; He Comforted Yitzchak after the death of Avraham on a specific occasion when He Blessed him; and Moshe obviously could be Buried by HaShem one time and one time only. The descriptions in Avoda Zora 3b, on the other hand, are of daily regular activity rather than actions extremely unique unto themselves.
Were we to utilize the passage in Avoda Zora as a template for the manner in which we should attempt to spend our own years, months, days and hours, then instead of focusing our attention upon delineating the nature of the Tora study that HaShem may Engage in, (13) we should acknowledge that fully at least a fourth of our own waking hours should ideally be devoted to our understanding of what constitutes learning Tora. (14) Similarly, while sitting in judgment of others is not the most commendable of behaviors, nevertheless, the tempering of judgment with compassion when we think we see others engaged in questionable activities is certainly a theme that should not be relegated exclusively to the days between Rosh HaShana and Yom HaKippurim. (15) As for proactively seeking out all sorts of “Chesed” opportunities, this too apparently ought to be pursued on a daily basis, rather than only from time to time, when our spirits may haphazardly move us to do so. And, most intriguingly, Avoda Zora 3b strikingly suggests that if HaShem engages in “Play”, then it is legitimate, and not at all considered “Bitul Zman” (wasting time) for us too to regularly spend time relaxing and pursuing diversions, as long as this takes up a proper proportion of one’s day, once most of one’s time has been dedicated to intrinsically important goals and pursuits.
Of course, pastimes and recreation can take different forms and fulfill different purposes. Eitz Yosef on Avoda Zora 3b suggests that HaShem’s “Play” with the Leviathan definitely has a spiritual dimension. “HaShem Derives joy from His Contemplating the wonderful creatures that He has Created in His Universe, as it is written, (Tehillim 104:31), ‘Yismach HaShem BeMa’asav’ (HaShem Rejoices in His Works).” Consequently, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to assume that all forms of human passing one’s spare time are equally defensible and justifiable. There is a qualitative difference between spending one’s time contemplating nature by traveling to some exquisite locale or even visiting the zoo, and thereby coming to appreciate the Creator Standing behind all that one sees, compared to going to an amusement park for the thrill of the rides or sitting in front of a television set, taking in a sitcom. Similarly, participating in an athletic event, and exercising in order to maintain one’s state of health, or even watching high levels of competition between highly trained and skilled athletes in order to be inspired by their good sportsmanship, or repulsed by their lapses, might existentially outweigh standing mindlessly in front of a slot machine or devouring novel after novel of pulp fiction. In Eiruvin 65b, R. Ilaye, using alliteration for emphasis, said: “BeShlosha Devarim Adam Nicar--BeKoso, BeKiso, BeKa’aso, VeAmrei Lei BeSechako” (By means of three things can one recognize the essence of an individual—by his CUP, i.e., what s/he does when s/he becomes less inhibited due to intoxication; by his POCKET, i.e., how s/he spends his/her money as opposed to those things to which s/he merely pays lip-service; by his ANGER, i.e., what does a person do when s/he “loses it”, and again has his/her guard down; and some say by his/her PLAY).
In effect, the question of the nature of what one does in his/her spare time is part of the larger “Tora U’Madda” issue in the sense that whereas it is possible that all that one does, including ostensibly secular pursuits, can be approached as various forms and manifestations of Tora, yet it is also possible that not only is the Madda alien to Tora and Mitzvot, but that it can adversely affect one’s Tora as well, and contribute to a general alienation from spirituality. Furthermore, the term “recreation”, (16) as opposed to “leisure” or “play” is truly apt because of its literal meaning—it is possible for an individual to re-create him/herself not only by means of resting and reenergizing for the tasks ahead, but by devoting oneself to pastime pursuits that will ennoble and enhance the totality of one’s person and his/her contributions to family, community and communal institutions.
One such “pastime” that has received prominence in both the Jewish and secular media this week is “Daf Yomi”, whereby large numbers of people throughout the Jewish world study one page of Talmud per day over the course of 7 ½ years. There is no questioning the commitment of time that is required over the course of this rather lengthy period. And unless one is hired to give a “Daf Yomi” Shiur, the opportunity to engage in such a pursuit, whether during the day or late at night, on the train or in the car, on the treadmill or during a lunch break, comes out of one’s “spare” time. Those who devotedly have accepted upon themselves the challenge to join with literally hundreds of thousands of people all over the world to engage in Talmud study in a disciplined and constant fashion, are not only fulfilling the personal requirement to be “Koveah Itim LaTora” (establish fixed, regular times for Tora study), but model to all how one is to be “Mesachek” for the sake of God, the Jewish people, and one’s own self.
Shabbat Shalom, and may we work and play LeShem Shamayim, for the sake of Heaven.
(1) “a way of spending spare time; anything done for amusement, recreation or diversion” in Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, The World Publishing Co., Cleveland, 1966, p. 1070.
(2) Fifth Edition, ed. Elizabeth Knowles, Oxford U. Press, New York, 1999, p. 139.
(3) ArtScroll Siddur, p. 172. The connection between this Psalm and Rosh Chodesh appears in 104:19, where a reference is made to the moon being created in order to be able to establish the various holidays of the Jewish calendar, which in turn are dependent upon the “New Moon” or the astronomical beginning of each month.
(4) 1809-1879. See David Berger, “Malbim’s Secular Knowledge and his Relationship to the Spirit of the Haskalah” in The Yavneh Review, Spring 1966, pp. 24-46.
(5) Walter W. Skeat, An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Oxford U. Press, New York, 1997.
(6) Vol. 3, Third Edition, Kiryat Sefer, Yerushalayim, 5713, pp. 1169-70.
(7) It is curious why the Talmud would choose 12 hours rather than 24 for a particular day. Commentators do not appear to address the issue. Perhaps one could suggest that if this passage is intended to model behavior to human beings, and since a Beit Din for capital offenses is only to meet during the day and not at night—see Mishna Sanhedrin 4:1—it might be potentially misleading to describe Divine night time Activities.
(8) Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, Parshat Emor, #645 depicts such a transfer taking place when the Shofar is blown on Rosh HaShana. Other Midrashim describing what took place regarding the Jewish situation on Purim and the Decision to spare Ninveh also describe HaShem is changing perspectives in order to be able to justify allowing in one case the Jews of Persia and in another the non-Jews of Ninveh to survive, despite their having been guilty of all sorts of iniquities. The innovation of Avoda Zora 3b is that HaShem’s opting to use mercy over judgment takes place on a DAILY basis.
(9) Beraishit 3:21, re. providing clothing for Adam and Chava once they had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and therefore realized that they were naked and ashamed..
(10) Beraishit 18:1, re. visiting Avraham after his circumcision.
(11) Beraishit 25:11, re. visiting Yitzchak following the death of Avraham.
(12) Devarim 34:6, re. the burial of Moshe. Since no one was to know the actual site where Moshe was interred in order to avoid the place being turned into a shrine, HaShem Took it upon Himself to bury Moshe.
(13) According to Zohar, Vol. 2, Parshat Teruma, p. 161a, “When the Holy One, Blessed Be He Created the universe, He Looked into the Tora and Created the world…” If the Tora (the concept of Tora as opposed to the specific Five Books of Moshe) outlines the manner in which the universe is to be constructed on an ongoing basis as well as the ultimate plan for the universe, then there is sufficient need for HaShem to consult the Tora constantly. However, a less mystical understanding of such a concept is more difficult to ascertain.
(14) Avoda Zora 3b would then appear to be a middle ground between RaMBaM, Mishna Tora, Hilchot Talmud Tora 1:12, where a model is offered assuming that an individual will spend 9 hours per day studying Tora, as opposed to Reish Lakish’s view in Menachot 99b that at least aposteori, the recitation of the Shema morning and evening would fulfill one’s minimal obligation in this regard.
(15) See fn. 8. Furthermore a theme that keeps appearing again and again in Jewish tradition is in accordance with the overall principle of “Midda KeNeged Midda” (there is a symmetry of causes and effects, one is dealt with by HaShem in accordance with how s/he treats others), then if a person wishes to be favorably Judged by the Divine, he must first consistently judge others favorably.
(16) The parallel in Hebrew is “LeHibarot” or used as an adjective, “Beit HaVera’ah”, utilizing the same root, “to re-create”.