“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Chukas
8 Tamuz 5785/July 4, 2025
Avos perek 5
THE REST OF THE STORY
At some point of the school year while teaching Gemara, I tell my students about Paul Harvey.
Paul Harvey was a famous radio broadcaster. He had a unique presentation of news segments on ABC radio that made him very popular and pleasant to listen to.
One of his famous segments was known as “The Rest of the Story”. The Rest of the Story consisted of stories presented as little-known or forgotten facts on a variety of subjects. A key element of the story – often the name of the well-known protagonist of the story – was deliberately omitted until the very end of the broadcast.
In the final sentence Harvey would reveal the previously omitted name or detail giving the story its satisfying, ironic twist. Then Harvey concluded with his signature ending: “And now you know… the rest of the story.”
What does Paul Harvey have to do with learning Gemara?
Very often the Gemara will present a strong question on the vernacular of a Mishnah. The Gemara will then resolve the perplexity by saying, “Chisurei mechaera v’hachi k’tani – there are words missing and this is how (the words of the Mishnah) should be learned. The Gemara will then explain that the case mentioned in the Mishnah is not based on a simple reading of the words. Rather it’s referring to a specific case, which it then enumerates.
Essentially, the Gemara is telling us “The rest of the story”.
During my rudimentary years learning Gemara, I thought whenever the Gemara concluded that, “Chisurei mechaera v’hachi k’tani” it was a Talmudic cop-out answer. However, with time I realized that the concept represents a hallmark of the Mishnah.
We know that the Torah consists of two parts – the written Torah, which comprises the 24 books of Tanach, and the Oral Torah, which contains the laws and explanations orally instructed to Moshe at Sinai, as well as the exegetical teachings of the Sages.
The Torah is called a living Torah. Torah was never meant to be learned solely from texts. Rather it must be learned from teachers who are living examples of Torah living. The emotional love, passion, and unwavering commitment to Torah cannot be learned from books. It must be an organic and dynamic experience.
Often a rebbe of elementary school yeshiva students will take his students to a yeshiva of older students to witness an average morning. The thunderous roar and energy in the packed room of budding scholars learning and debating the nuances of the texts before them is riveting. It leaves a deep impression upon the youths who have never seen anything like it in their lives. They literally see the Torah come to life. The written word can never capture that fiery passion.
It was only when Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi saw that the Oral Law was being forgotten and numerous disputes arose, that he made the daring decision to breach the tradition of the Oral Law for the sake of its preservation. It was then that he recorded the oral teachings of Torah as the Mishnah.
However, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi wanted to ensure that the “written Oral Law” still retain its flavor of being an Oral Law. He did so by purposely leaving out some key details and writing the Mishnah somewhat vaguely. Although the basic concepts were now recorded for posterity, it was still impossible to learn Mishnah without oral traditions and teachers.
Then, a few centuries later, it became necessary for the Gemara to be recorded to ensure the traditions of how the Mishnah is to be understood would not be forgotten. That is at the root of many of the explanations of the Gemara, including whenever it says “Chisurei mechaera v’hachi k’tani”. Essentially the Gemara is telling us “the rest of the story”. A classic example is when a Mishnah may have seemed to be discussing one topic, but the Gemara informs us that the Mishnah was discussing a specific situation and its words were not meant to apply universally.
Recently I saw an essay from Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, host of the noted 18Forty podcast, in which he wrote the following:
“Essentially, I believe the structure of the Talmud is deliberately chaotic to mirror the experience of exile. Studying the Gemara teaches us how to find meaning in a darkened world, and in order to do so, it deliberately mirrors the chaos of exile itself.”
In a similar vein, I believe the concept of “Chisurei mechaera v’hachi k’tani” is a lesson in life. So often, we think we understand a situation or another person, and we judge the situation or person based on our conclusions. But we have no way of knowing that “Chisurei mechaera v’hachi k’tani”, there is much beneath the surface that we are unaware of.
Unlike the broadcasts of Paul Harvey, we aren’t privy to knowing “the rest of the story”. At times that can even be true regarding our own lives. We may undergo hardships or struggles and may become frustrated that our prayers don’t seem to be answered. We are often unable to see how everything is for the best. Still, knowing that there is a “rest of the story” can help us endure the travails and vicissitudes we are subject to.
That is where Paul Harvey fits with learning Gemara.
And now you know…. the rest of the story.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum