יום ד Date: 17 Tishrei, 5776 (10/19/16) – Bava Metzia Daf 23 ~ Tani Guterman

APPREHENSIVE AFFIRMATIONS

[23b bottom] Gemarah: A man found tar/pitch in his wine press and was told that he could take and keep it by Rav. But the man hesitated because of his concern over the correctness of the ruling (as he might be stealing someone else’s item). Rav told him to even split it with his own son, Chiya, to demonstrate how he was correct (in ruling that he was permitted to keep it).

Prac-T-cal Tidbits: It is important to pause and reconsider our options when there may be alternative answers that are more correct. Hesitation may be an extremely helpful tool to avoid falling into the Yetzer Hara’s trickery. If we feel a burning desire to do something (even that looks Kosher!), it is more than likely stemming from a place of impurity. Absolute goodness is only truly obtained through hard work and combating pressures. Slow and steady wins the race.