[Avodah] What did they learn in the yeshiva of Shem and Eiver

[Silverman, Philip B]

>> Phil: A question to ask the gift-givers: "What would you do if
Ardeban (or 
Governor Crist) sent you a wreath in return?"
 
> R' Sero: 1) What's wrong with a wreath?
2) The fact is that Rebbi wasn't worried about anything like that.
Which would seem to be proof enough that no such worry is necessary.

 

(First, I truly apologize for spelling your surname Zero instead of
Sero. It was an honest case of birdwatching. Er, I mean word-botching.)

1.	What's wrong with a wreath? Well, in my town, if I were to put a
wreath on my door (as Governor Crist put a mezuzah on his door), I'd
have a whole lotta 'splainin' to do to my Jewish neighbors. My Christian
neighbors would start asking me when I received the light. (Not sure
about what a wreath meant in Rebbe's time, but the gist of my question
was not about a wreath per se, but a symbol distinctive to another
religion.) 
2.	Rebbe might not have been worried, but he sure did get a
negative reaction when Ardeban saw the gift! Others might not have such
a ready response as Rebbe did. Perhaps Rebbe wasn't worried about
receiving a "wreath" in return because he had already received the pearl
from Ardeban. Everything might have been different had Rebbe given his
gift first, like the Jewish representative in Florida did. Giving a
gentile a mezuzah has "potentially sticky situation" written all over
it.  I'd choose a basket of fruit instead.

Other considerations:

a. Could it be that Ardeban kept the mezuzah in his night table as
opposed to on the front door? 

b. Some authorities are concerned about a non-Jew throwing away a
parchment with God's name on it.

All the best,  Phil



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