Baruch Cohen [Vol
n22] asks what was learned in Yeshiva Shem VEver. He
cites his 6.5 year old
son:
>Aba, what did they learn at this Yeshiva? What Books did they
read from?
There are at least 3 topics that come to mind:
1) IDOLATRY: The Gemarah states that in Abrohoms time the tractate
dealing
with Idolatry was 400 pages long! Apparently the prevalance of
idolatry
increased the questions relating to it!
2) MONETARY LAW: Obviously, laws concerning theft, commerce, bailees
etc
were learned. In fact theft is one of the 7 Noachide laws and therefore
all
monetary law was studied. The codes of Hamurabi may have come from
here.
3) HILCHOTH NIDDAH (Laws of family purity): Rabbi Manis Friedman in
his
wonderful book: Does Anyone Blush Anymore: Reclaiming sexuality,
intimacy
and modesty in a promiscuous world--remarks that the cycle of
separation
and intimacy created by the Biblical Niddah laws are common in
many
cultures and part of any healthy marriage. It therefore seems
reasonable
that they could have studied these laws (cf Rashi Gen 18:9-12)
I will use these 3 examples to answer Baruch Cohen's sons question:
>>How
come they did not write down and record any of their Torah that
was
discussed so that we could benefit from it>>
1) Well indeed I agree with Yehuda that we have a great loss in not
having
Abrohom's Idolatry tractate. Alternately I could answer that Idolatry
is
not as prevalant today and it suffices to have the small masechtah
(
tractate) we have.
2) The monetary laws of Noach were fully developed and then superceded
by
the Torah laws. So today we study only Torah law.
3) It is not clear if they did learn Niddah there. But even if they
did:
Niddah in Shem Vever's time was simply a fulfillment of being kind to
your
neighbor(in this case your wife) while today it is a full fledged
Biblical
law.
I hope this answer's Yehuda's question.(He will grow up with a keen
legal
mind like his father).
Russell Jay Hendel; Ph.d.,ASA, RHendel @ MCS Drexel Edu