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The Search for Meaning and the Meaning of the Search
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THE SEARCH FOR MEANING AND THE MEANING OF THE SEARCH 72 Pesahim 7b-8a . TEXT Our Rabbis taught: One may not search either by the light of the sun, or by the light of the moon, or by the light of a torch, save by the light of a lamp, because the light of a lamp is suitable for searching. And though there is no proof ofthe matter yet there is a memory of this thing, for it is said, "No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days" (Exod. 12:19), and it is said, "He searched, beginning with the oldest" (Gen. 44:12), and it is said, ItAt that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps" (Zeph. 1:12), and it is said, "The lifebreath of man is the lamp of the loRD, revealing all his inmost parts" (Prov. 20:27). This light of the sun, where is it meant? Shall we say, in a courtyard ? But Raba said: A courtyard does not require searching, because birds frequent it. While ifin a hall ... But Raba said: A hall is searched by its own light? This is meant only in respect of a skylight in a room. But [then] what part of it? If [that which is] oppo- THE SEARCH FOR MEANING AND TIm MEANING OF TIm SEARCH 73 site the skylight, then it is the same as a hall? Rather, it means [the part of the room1 at the sides. And not [by the light of] a torch? Surely Raba said, What is the meaning of the verse: "It is a brilliant light/Which gives off rays on every side-lAnd therein His glory is enveloped" (Hab. 3:4). To what are the righteous comparable in the presence of the Shekhinah? To a lamp in the presence of a torch. And Raba also said: [To use] a torch for havdalah is the most preferable [way of performing this] duty? Said Rabbi NaJ::unan ben Isaac: The one can be brought into holes and cracks [in the wall], whereas the other cannot be brought into holes and chinks. Rabbi Zebid said: The one [throws] its light forward whereas the other [throws] its light behind. Rabbi Papa said: Here [with a torch1 one is afraid, whereas there [with a lamp] one is not afraid. Rabina said: The light of the one is steady, whereas that of the other is fitful. INTERPRETATION The practice of bedikat ljametz, the search for leaven, is, and always was, largely symbolic. One certainly cannot wait until the night before Pesa1:t to begin looking for 1;tametz. The search is the conclusion of our eliminating /Jametz, something of a statement of preparedness for Pesal}. However, on a deeper level, bedikat ljametz suggests itself as a symbol for a spiritual process. It is an elaborate ritual that dramatizes the necessary inner preparations Pesal} requires. It is, I am convinced, in this spirit that this rabbinic discussion should be understood. The Talmud is interested in two broad questions: 1. What is leaven? That is, what does the symbol of leaven stand for? 2. How is it exposed and extirpated? The attempt to answer the first question begins by working through an answer to the second. Leaven, the kind of spiritual leaven we are interested in, is that which is hidden. It cannot be seen in the light of day, nor of night. It cannot be seen even in the bright artifidallight of a torch. It is hidden in such a way as to preclude discovery in the noise and distraction of everyday affairs. It requires the quiet, fragile, and private light symbolized by a small lamp or candle. The question of this light and its nature will occupy us later in the discussion. First, we need [54.81.157.133] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:32 GMT) 74 THE PRAcnCE OF TALMUD-THE READINGS to investigate more closely the nature of that which is hidden and the nature of our search for it. The Talmud tells us that learning about the nature ofthis hiddenness is not something that can be ascertained by logical proof. Rather, it will be discovered by virtue of a historical memory: "There is no proof, but a memory of this thing." Now, it should be noted that the phrase zekher le-devar is usually translated as "a hint of the matter." But this translation is misleading. There is a more common Hebrew word for hint, remez, which is used also...