Today, was the Shikker Dovid’s all time favorite daf. Eruvin 13 has so much to it,.I encourage all to read it, daven over it. Sleep with it under your pillow. Drink over it.

The mishna in the previous page cites a discussion and controversy between Beit Shammi and Beit Hillel. The Gemara then goes off an tangents. However it winds up back to Beith Shammai and Hiellel. The Talmud gives the reason for our usual practice of following the opinion of Hillel. The reason is that usually in the Talmud, Hillel allows Shammai to speak first. He allows him to give his opinion first. Hillel quotes Shammai first and then gives his opinion. The Talmud tells us that from this humility, his opinions are raised. The Talmud tells us that Hashem raises the humble and lowers the haughty.

Second; The Talmud gives business advice. The Talmud cryptically states: If you push and hour, the hour pushes back. The Talmud explains, this is referring to our business efforts. We can push, strive, plot and plan, but if it is not the right time, we will see no brocha from our efforts. The Magid Shiur, dramatically and beautifully illustrated this by saying, sometimes, we must be patient and wait out a bad spell. Then restart with our efforts.

Lastly, the Talmud reverts back to Shammai and Hillel. It records their longest and greatest controversy. The Talmud explains that for two years they argued whether it was better to be born or not. The final decision was it was better not to be born.

The Shikker Dovid was trying to put all this together. It’s alot. It’s deep. But its all over the place.
What is the connection. The connection is the Tosfos that comments on the controversy . The Tosfos says, that if one acts righteously, it is better to be born.

That is the answer. Act righteously, humbly and modestly. That is the connection to all of life.