[Avodah] shul building?

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Jun 17, 2026 at 06:33:53AM +0300, Joel Rich via Avodah wrote:
> I recently heard a rabbi quote another rabbi as understanding the following
> as supporting spending large sums of money on shul buildings in chutz
> laaretz:
Megillah 29a:
>     It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: In the future,
>     the synagogues and the study halls in Babylonia will be transported
>     and reestablished in Eretz Yisrael.
> 
> I wonder how one would reconcile this approach with this gemara:
> Jerusalem Talmud, Peah 8:
>     Clarification. Rebbi ama bar anina and Rebbi Hoshaiah were strolling
>     through the synagogue of Lod. Rebbi ama bar anina said to Rebbi
>     Hoshaiah: How much money did my forefathers invest here! He answered
>     him: How many souls did your forefathers invest here, there is no
>     one in here who studies Torah!

What does the Y-mi have to do with it? He is talking about investing in
a place where the shul won't be used as much, regardless of location.

There could be something else going on in the gemara's story:

The Hadrianic Persecutions after the Bar Kokhva Revolt drove the
community out of Judea north to the Galil. (The "Talmud Yerushalmi"
was really written in the Galil.)

Among the people who lived during this migration was R Chanina bar Chama,
the father of R Chama bar Chanina. Meaning, he donated all that money
toward the Jewish community in Lod shortly before most of its residents
ended up leaving.

So, rather than disparaging the Jews of Lod as not being worth a nice
shul, the last line of your quote may be a lament, "There are no people
here [any more] for anyone to learn Torah."

Tir'u baTov! -Micha

-- Micha Berger Mussar is like oil put in water,
http://www.aishdas.org/asp eventually it will rise to the top.
Author: Widen Your Tent - Rav Yisrael Salanter -
https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF