daf bit: Shabbat 127

[cellio]

The mishna teaches that one may move certain items (that otherwise would be forbidden to handle) on Shabbat to make room for guests or on account of neglect of the house of study. R. Yochanan learned from this that hospitality to wayfarers is as great as early attendance at the house of study. R. Dimi of Nehardea said hospitality is greater because it is listed first. R. Yehudah said in Rab's name: hospitality to wayfarers is greater than welcoming the Shechina (the presence of God), citing Avraham's encounter with the divine messengers.

R. Yehudah b. Shila said in R. Assi's name in R. Yochanan's name: there are six things, the fruit of which man eats in this world, while the principal remains for him for the world to come, being: hospitality to wayfarers, visiting the sick, meditation in prayer, early attendance at the house of study, rearing one's sons to the study of torah, and judging one's neighbor in the scale of merit. To this our sages add: honoring one's father and mother, the practice of loving deeds, and making peace between man and his fellow, and the study of torah surpasses them all. (127a)

The list from the second paragraph is part of daily morning services (eilu d'varim); specifically, it is some of the torah that we study each day. [1] (Because one should never go a day without studying torah, and because a blessing for torah study is part of the morning service so if you say the blessing you better do some studying.) The things on this list are things that, the rabbis say, you can never do enough of; while some mitzvot have limits (e.g. give this much to charity, drink this much wine to sanctify Shabbat, etc), these are different.

[1] In fact, this specifically is some of the torah study that goes where I'm instead inserting these daf bits, because for reasons unknown to me this congregation doesn't do the regular torah study. Who knew that someday it would come into the service via another route? When I saw this on today's daf I knew I had to use it. :-)