[Avodah] Kol B'Ishah and Halachic methodology

[Micha Berger]

I read avodah twice: I skim emails when they come in, for moderation.
And I print them up to read on the bus more carefully, mark up things
to look up, to reply to, etc... I replied last night without my notes,
and therefore I missed a couple of points I intended to make. I just
tacked one onto my previous post, here's the second.

On Motzah"sh, 19 Jan 2008 18:39:11 +0200, RMMakovi wrote:

: Something else occurs to me: in Pirkei Avot we learn not to have too
: much sicha with women. Many commentators comment on the wife part of
: the Mishna and say it only means don't have trivial conversation with
: her, but meaningful conversation is perfectly allowed (Rav Hirsch on
: Avot for example says the word "sicha" means davka inane
: conversation)....

I have a footnote in Ashirah Lashem on Lekha Dodi on this topic that
is relevant. To quote:

    Yitzchak's name has romantic connotations; when he has a quiet
    moment alone with his wife, he was "mitzacheik es Rivka ishto".
    (Gen 26:8)

[The root of mitzacheik is that of Yitzchak (Isaak), /tz-ch-q/. I
hesitate to translate the word because it has been rendered everywhere
from entertaining her to marital intimacy.]

    His encounter with G-d on Moriah was when he went out "lasu'ach
    basadeh" (ibid. 24:63) {to speak in the fields}. The word "lasu'ach"
    brings to mind the admonition in Avos (1:5) "do not overly engage
    in sichah with a woman". There, Rav Hirsch defines sichah as a
    light, perhaps flirtatious, conversation.

    Yitzchak prayed to "the Beloved of his soul". Flirting with G-d.

    Following in his footsteps, members of the Chassidic movement of
    the Second Temple era would go out in the fields, calling each other
    to come greet the Shabbos Queen together. Based on this custom, the
    Kabbalists of Tzefas instituted Kabbalas Shabbos. They saw Shabbos
    as a bride, and would go out "lasu'ach basedeh" [to flirt [with G-d]
    in the field], to "metzacheik" her with the love song of Shir
    haShirim, with Tehillim, and with [the poem of "Licha Dodi"].
    Earlier generations of the current Chassidic movement too would go
    out to the woods to sing their greeting.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

-- 
Micha Berger             One who kills his inclination is as though he
micha at aishdas.org        brought an offering. But to bring an offering,
http://www.aishdas.org   you must know where to slaughter and what
Fax: (270) 514-1507      parts to offer.        - R' Simcha Zissel Ziv