R. Chalafta b. Dosa of K’far Chananiah said: When ten sit together and occupy themselves with Torah, the Shekhinah (God’s divine presence) abides among them, as it is said, God stands in the divine congregation (Psalm 82:1). How do we know that the same is true even of five? As it is said, [God] established [God’s] vault on earth (Amos 9:6). How do we know that the same is true even of three? As it is said, In the midst of the judges is God (Psalm 82:1). How do we know that the same is true even of two? As it is said, They who revere Adonai spoke one with another and Adonai heard and took note (Malachi 3:16). How do we know that the same is true even of one? As it is said, In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned I will come to you and I will bless you (Exodus 20:21). (Pirkei Avot 3:6)
INTRODUCTION
In the wake of the destruction of Solomon’s Temple (586 B.C.E.), our prophets asked whether God had annulled the covenant and “divorced” Israel. The trauma of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. seems to have caused our Sages to wonder whether God had lost interest or disappeared from this world. In both cases, the Sages respond with a resounding, “No!”
In BT Berakhot 6a, Ravin bar Rav Ada says in the name of R. Yitzhak that we know God is present in the synagogue based on Psalm 82:1, the verse cited twice in our mishnah above. Indeed, this is a go-to verse for the Rabbis to assert that God is present whenever a minyan of Jews pray together. The Rabbis understand prayer to be a substitute for Temple sacrifices that can no longer be offered; they even connect the time for obligatory prayer with the times the daily sacrifices in the Temple were offered. In the same Berakhot passage (on 8a), R. Chiyya bar Ami says in the name of Ulla, “Since the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy Blessed One has only the four cubits of halakhah in this world.” This statement reflects a sense that in the post-Temple reality, God’s presence in our world has shrunk to the domain of our willingness to obey mitzvot. Pirkei Avot 3:6, however, trumpets a subtle yet significant expansion of God’s presence. R. Chalafta b. Dosa extends the idea of God’s presence to encompass whenever Jews engage in Talmud Torah, whether a minyan or sole individual.
COMMENTARY
R. Chalafta b. Dosa, the leader of the Jewish community in Tzippori in the early second century, was a disciple of R. Meir and the father of a great sage, R. Yosei b. Chalafta. His teaching rests on the clever use of biblical verses to forward his argument that there is no minimum number required to experience God’s presence: Torah study itself evokes God’s presence in our lives.
Psalm 82:1 asserts that God stands in adat-El, the congregation of God. In context, this refers to the divine assembly of angelic beings in heaven, but the Rabbis employ the verse to refer to a congregation of Jews, claiming thereby that a minyan (quorum of 10 Jews) is sufficient to constitute an eidah/congregation. Hence, when ten study together, God joins them. But the same is true for five, because, as the prophet Amos attested, God established God’s vault on earth. In context, the term agudah means “vault,” but can be understood as “bunch,” meaning that which you can grasp with the five fingers of your hand. Hence, God descends from heaven to earth when five come together to study Torah. R. Chalafta next reduces the minimum to three on the basis of the next phrase of a verse already cited — Psalm 82:1 — where elohim means “judges.” As we know from Mishnah Sanhedrin 1:1, three are required to constitute a court (beit din) for judgment. R. Chalafta then reduces the minimum to two on the basis of Malachi 3:16: since Torah study is an expression of reverence for God and, as Malachi asserts, when two people who revere God are in conversation, God hears and takes notes—hence God is present. Finally, R. Chalafta reduces the minimum to one solitary Jew studying Torah on the basis of Exodus 20:21, in which “you” is couched in the singular when God says, “I will come to you and I will bless you.”
R. Chalafta teaches us that God’s presence is readily accessible to us anytime and anywhere through Torah study. Talmud Torah teaches us to see the world through a divine lens and live our lives by divine ethical priorities—by their very nature evoking God’s presence. It may be that the old adage, “The more the better” applies to both prayer and Torah study, but R. Chalafta understands that this is not always possible, and affirms that God is present wherever and whenever we study Torah. R. Chalafta’s teaching does not define or delimit the conditions of God’s presence, but rather encourages us to continually experience God’s presence by studying Torah. Particularly after the Destruction of the Second Temple, the Rabbis sensed that God needs a dwelling place now that God’s abode on earth had been demolished. R. Chalafta teaches us to create such a dwelling place for God in our hearts and minds through study.
“Each one of us needs to build God a Tabernacle in the recesses of our hearts,
by preparing ourselves to become a Sanctuary for God and a place for the dwelling of God’s glory.” (Malbim)
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS
- For some, prayer and meditation are powerful paths to feeling God’s presence. R. Chalafta speaks beautifully to the power of Torah study to evoke God’s presence. For others, communal celebrations (such as a Passover seder), listening to music, experiencing nature, or creating art evoke God. When do you experience the Divine in your life?
- R. Chalafta’s mishnah subtly suggests that as much as we wish to experience God’s presence — and can do so through study — God also wishes to abide among us. Does that view of God resonate for you? Why or why not?
- Malbim (Meir Leibush b. Yechiel Michel Wisser, 19th c) says, “each one of us needs to build God a Tabernacle in the recesses of our hearts, by preparing ourselves to become a Sanctuary for God and a place for the dwelling of God’s glory.” Have you ever experienced yourself, or an event in your life, as a Tabernacle for God? How do you think you can do that?
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