Group Dynamics in Beit Midrash Organizations: Revisiting the Legend of the Conflict between Rabbi Yohanan and Resh Laqish (Babylonian Talmud Bava Metzi’a 84a)

Abstract

Stories in the Babylonian Talmud reveal the complex experience of studying in the rabbinic study house. One such story is the legend of R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish (B. B.M. 84a). Researchers have focused almost exclusively on the personae of the legend’s protagonists, while the manner in which the disciples of the sages pursued their calling has received little consideration. This article reflects on Group Dynamics in the Beit Midrash. It invokes theories from the field of organizational discourse, with special consideration of the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan and his followers. It also makes use of concepts relating to group-dynamic processes of the psychoanalyst Wilfred R. Bion. Read through this lens, the legend reveals new understandings regarding the conditions and responsibilities required from all partners for the vitality and productivity of the organization.