Topics covered:
Why do the verses of Numbers 10:35-36 constitute their own book of the Torah? Do we rescue blank folios that were once part of a Torah scroll from a fire on Shabbos? What about the sacred books of heretics that contain God’s name written in Hebrew? Who are heretics, and why do the Sages rule so harshly against them? Imma Shalom and her brother Shimon ben Gamliel (the head of the Sages) exposed a heretic, who claimed he was an incorruptible judge, as in fact very corruptible. The House of Abidan was a place for exchanging wisdom with scholars from other faiths and cultures – some of the Sages attended and some would not. Mishna 2: when we save a Torah scroll from a fire on Shabbos, we take its casing too, even if the casing contains money, which cannot be touched on Shabbos.