1. Hebrew Bible, Song of Songs, 3.11 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 3.11. צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה־לּוֹ אִמּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ׃ | 3.11. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, And gaze upon king Solomon, Even upon the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals, And in the day of the gladness of his heart. |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 1.11 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.11. וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ | 1.11. And God said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.’ And it was so." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings, 7.25 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 7.25. עֹמֵד עַל־שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר בָּקָר שְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים צָפוֹנָה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹנִים יָמָּה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים נֶגְבָּה וּשְׁלֹשָׁה פֹּנִים מִזְרָחָה וְהַיָּם עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה וְכָל־אֲחֹרֵיהֶם בָּיְתָה׃ | 7.25. It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; and the sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward." |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 54.1, 61.10 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 54.1. רָנִּי עֲקָרָה לֹא יָלָדָה פִּצְחִי רִנָּה וְצַהֲלִי לֹא־חָלָה כִּי־רַבִּים בְּנֵי־שׁוֹמֵמָה מִבְּנֵי בְעוּלָה אָמַר יְהוָה׃ 54.1. כִּי הֶהָרִים יָמוּשׁוּ וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תְּמוּטֶנָה וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא־יָמוּשׁ וּבְרִית שְׁלוֹמִי לֹא תָמוּט אָמַר מְרַחֲמֵךְ יְהוָה׃ | 54.1. Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail; For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD." 61.10. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of victory, As a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Lamentations, 4.7 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 4.7. זַכּוּ נְזִירֶיהָ מִשֶּׁלֶג צַחוּ מֵחָלָב אָדְמוּ עֶצֶם מִפְּנִינִים סַפִּיר גִּזְרָתָם׃ | 4.7. Her princes were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk, They were more ruddy in body than rubies, Their polishing was as of sapphire;" |
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6. Anon., Jubilees, 2.23, 28.11-28.24 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 2.23. And on the sixth day He created all the animals of the earth, and all cattle, and everything that moves on the earth. 28.11. for thus it is ordained and written in the heavenly tables, that no one should give his younger daughter before the elder--but the elder one giveth first and after her the younger--and the man who doeth so, they set down guilt against him in heaven, and none is righteous that doeth this thing, for this deed is evil before the Lord.... 28.12. And command thou the children of Israel that they do not this thing; let them neither take nor give the younger before they have given the elder, for it is very wicked. 28.13. And Laban said to Jacob: "Let the seven days of the feast of this one pass by, and I shall give thee Rachel, that thou mayest serve me another seven years, that thou mayest pasture my sheep as thou didst in the former week. 28.14. And on the day when the seven days of the feast of Leah had passed, Laban gave Rachel to Jacob, that he might serve him another seven years 28.15. and he gave to Rachel Bilhah, the sister of Zilpah as a handmaid. 28.16. And he served yet other seven years for Rachel, for Leah had been given to him for nothing. 28.17. And the Lord opened the womb of Leah, and she conceived and bare Jacob a son, and he called his name Reuben, on the fourteenth day of the ninth month, in the first year of the third week. 28.18. But the womb of Rachel was closed, for the Lord saw that Leah was hated and Rachel loved. 28.19. And again Jacob went in unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob a second son, and he called his name Simeon, on the twenty-first of the tenth month, and in the third year of this week. 28.20. And again Jacob went in unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare him a third son, and he called his name Levi, in the new moon of the first month in the sixth year of this week. 28.21. And again Jacob went in unto her, and she conceived, and bare him a fourth son, and he called his name Judah, on the fifteenth of the third month, in the first year of the fourth week. 28.22. And on account of all this Rachel envied Leah, for she did not bear, and she said to Jacob: "Give me children "; 28.23. and Jacob said: "Have I withheld from thee the fruits of thy womb? Have I forsaken thee? 28.24. And when Rachel saw that Leah had borne four sons to Jacob, Reuben and Simeon and Levi and Judah, she said unto him: "Go in unto Bilhah my handmaid, and she will conceive, and bear a son unto me. |
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7. Mishnah, Sotah, 9.15 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 9.15. When Rabbi Meir died, the composers of fables ceased. When Ben Azzai died, the diligent students [of Torah] ceased. When Ben Zoma died, the expounders ceased. When Rabbi Joshua died, goodness ceased from the world. When Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel died, locusts come and troubles multiplied. When Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah died, the sages ceased to be wealthy. When Rabbi Akiba died, the glory of the Torah ceased. When Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa died, men of wondrous deeds ceased. When Rabbi Yose Katnuta died, the pious men (hasidim) ceased and why was his name called Katnuta? Because he was the youngest of the pious men. When Rabban Yoha ben Zakkai died, the splendor of wisdom ceased. When Rabban Gamaliel the elder died, the glory of the torah ceased, and purity and separateness perished. When Rabbi Ishmael ben Fabi died, the splendor of the priesthood ceased. When Rabbi died, humility and fear of sin ceased. Rabbi Phineas ben Yair says: when Temple was destroyed, scholars and freemen were ashamed and covered their head, men of wondrous deeds were disregarded, and violent men and big talkers grew powerful. And nobody expounds, nobody seeks, and nobody asks. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our father who is in heaven. Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: from the day the Temple was destroyed, the sages began to be like scribes, scribes like synagogue-attendants, synagogue-attendants like common people, and the common people became more and more debased. And nobody seeks. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our father who is in heaven. In the footsteps of the messiah insolence (hutzpah) will increase and the cost of living will go up greatly; the vine will yield its fruit, but wine will be expensive; the government will turn to heresy, and there will be no one to rebuke; the meeting-place [of scholars] will be used for licentiousness; the Galilee will be destroyed, the Gablan will be desolated, and the dwellers on the frontier will go about [begging] from place to place without anyone to take pity on them; the wisdom of the learned will rot, fearers of sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking; youths will put old men to shame, the old will stand up in the presence of the young, “For son spurns father, daughter rises up against mother, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law a man’s own household are his enemies” (Micah 7:6). The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, a son will not feel ashamed before his father. Upon whom shall we depend? Upon our father who is in heaven. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair says, “Heedfulness leads to cleanliness, cleanliness leads to purity, purity leads to separation, separation leads to holiness, holiness leads to modesty, modesty leads to fear of sin, fear of sin leads to piety, piety leads to the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead, and the resurrection of the dead comes from Elijah, blessed be his memory, Amen.”" |
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8. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 2.5, 56.10 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 2.5. רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ וְרַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה, רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ אָמַר מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם צָפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים א, ו): כִּי יוֹדֵעַ ה' דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד. וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים, אֲבָל אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ בְּאֵיזֶה מֵהֶם חָפֵץ, אִם בְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֵלּוּ אִם בְּמַעֲשֵׂה אֵלּוּ, כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִיב וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, הֱוֵי בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים חָפֵץ, וְאֵינוֹ חָפֵץ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים. אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה, מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם צָפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בָּנוּי וְחָרֵב וּבָנוּי, בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, הֲרֵי בָּנוּי, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה נא, טז): לִנְטֹעַ שָׁמַיִם וְלִיסֹד אָרֶץ וְלֵאמֹר לְצִיּוֹן עַמִּי אָתָּה. וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ, הֲרֵי חָרֵב, הֵיךְ מָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (ירמיה ד, כג): רָאִיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ. וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר, הֲרֵי בָּנוּי וּמְשֻׁכְלָל לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה ס, א): קוּמִי אוֹרִי כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ, וּכְתִיב (ישעיה ס, כ): כִּי הִנֵּה הַחשֶׁךְ יְכַסֶּה אֶרֶץ וַעֲרָפֶל לְאֻמִּים וְעָלַיִךְ יִזְרַח ה' וּכְבוֹדוֹ עָלַיִךְ יֵרָאֶה. | 2.5. R’ Abahu and R’ Chiya Raba. R’ Abahu said - from the beginning of the creation of the world the Holy One saw the actions of the righteous and the actions of the wicked. This is what is written “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous…” (Psalms 1:6) “Now the earth was astonishingly empty…” (Genesis 1:2) these are the actions of the wicked, “And God said, Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:3) these are the actions of the righteous. But I don’t know which one of them He desired, the actions of these or the actions of those. Since it is written “And God saw the light that it was good…” (Genesis 1:4). He desires the actions of the righteous and not the actions of the wicked. R’ Chiya Raba said – from the beginning of the creation of the world the Holy One saw the Holy Temple built, destroyed and built. “In the beginning of God's creation…” (Genesis 1:1) refers to it built, this is what it says “…to plant the heavens and to found the earth…” (Isaiah 51:16) “Now the earth was astonishingly empty…” refers to it destroyed, this is what it says “I saw the earth, and behold, it was void and unformed…” (Jeremiah 4:23), “And God said, Let there be light…” refers to it built and complete in the future to come, this is what it says “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a gross darkness the kingdoms, and the Lord shall shine upon you, and His glory shall appear over you.” (Isaiah 60:1-2) " 56.10. \"And Avraham called the name of the place \"Ad-nai Yireh\" [Ad-nai will see] (Gen. 22:14). Rabbi Yocha said \"he said to Him: 'Master of Worlds, at the hour that you said to me \"Take please your son, your only son\" (Gen. 22:2), I had what to respond. Yesterday You said \"For through Itzchak [will I make your line great]\" (Gen. 21:22) but now \"Take please your son\"!? And God forbid that I don't do as you've asked me; instead, I conquered my mercy to do Your will. May it be your will, Ad-nai our God, that in the hour when the sons of Itzchak come to do transgressions and bad deeds, that this very Binding [Akeidah] be remembered for them, and may You be filled with Mercy on them!' Avraham called it \"Yireh\", as it says \"and Avraham called the name of the place Ad-nai Yireh.\" Shem called it Shalem, as it says \"And Malchitzedek, the king of Shalem...\"(Genesis 14:18) The Holy One of Blessing said \"If I call it Yireh, as Avraham called it, then Shem, who was a righteous man, will become angry; and if I call it Shalem, Abraham, who was a righteous man, will be angry. Instead, I call it Yerushalayim [Jerusalem], as they called it together: Yireh Shalem. Jerusalem. Rabbi Berechiah said in Rabbi Helbo’s name: While it was Shalem, the Holy One of Blessing made for Godself a sukkah [booth] and prayed in it, since it says \"In Shalem is set His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Tzion\" (Psalms 76:3). And what did He say? ‘May it happen that I see the building of My house.\" Another interpretation: It [this verse] teaches that the Holy One of Blessing showed him the Temple destroyed and built, destroyed and build [a second time], since it says: \"the name of that place Ad-nai Yireh\" (Ad-nai sees): this is it built, as you say [the verse] \"Three times in a year shall all your males be seen [yira'eh] (Deut. 16:16). \"As it is said to this day in the Mountain of Ad-nai [is seen, Heb. yira'eh]\" (Gen.22:14) This is it destroyed, as in the verse \"on the mountain of Tzion, which is desolate\" (Lam. 5:18). \"Ad-nai is seen\" this is it built and perfected in the future to come as the topic [in the verse] that is said: \"When Ad-nai built Tzion, He will be seen in His glory\" (Psalms 102:17)." |
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9. Babylonian Talmud, Hulin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 7b. חבטינהו לא אכל נקרינהו לא אכל אמר להו דלמא לא מעשרן עשרינהו ואכל אמר ענייה זו הולכת לעשות רצון קונה ואתם מאכילין אותה טבלים,ומי מיחייבא והתנן הלוקח לזרע ולבהמה וקמח לעורות ושמן לנר ושמן לסוך בו את הכלים פטור מהדמאי,התם הא אתמר עלה אמר רבי יוחנן לא שנו אלא שלקחן מתחלה לבהמה אבל לקחן מתחלה לאדם ונמלך עליהם לבהמה חייב לעשר והתניא הלוקח פירות מן השוק לאכילה ונמלך עליהן לבהמה הרי זה לא יתן לא לפני בהמתו ולא לפני בהמת חברו אלא אם כן עישר,שמע רבי נפק לאפיה אמר ליה רצונך סעוד אצלי אמר לו הן צהבו פניו של רבי,אמר לו כמדומה אתה שמודר הנאה מישראל אני ישראל קדושים הן יש רוצה ואין לו ויש שיש לו ואינו רוצה וכתיב (משלי כג, ו) אל תלחם [את] לחם רע עין ואל תתאו למטעמותיו כי כמו שער בנפשו כן הוא אכול ושתה יאמר לך ולבו בל עמך ואתה רוצה ויש לך,מיהא השתא מסרהיבנא דבמלתא דמצוה קא טרחנא כי הדרנא אתינא עיילנא לגבך,כי אתא איתרמי על בההוא פיתחא דהוו קיימין ביה כודנייתא חוורתא אמר מלאך המות בביתו של זה ואני אסעוד אצלו,שמע רבי נפק לאפיה אמר ליה מזבנינא להו אמר ליה (ויקרא יט, יד) ולפני עור לא תתן מכשול,מפקרנא להו מפשת היזקא עקרנא להו איכא צער בעלי חיים קטילנא להו איכא (דברים כ, יט) בל תשחית,הוה קא מבתש ביה טובא גבה טורא בינייהו בכה רבי ואמר מה בחייהן כך במיתתן על אחת כמה וכמה דאמר ר' חמא בר חנינא גדולים צדיקים במיתתן יותר מבחייהן שנאמר (מלכים ב יג, כא) ויהי הם קוברים איש והנה ראו [את] הגדוד וישליכו את האיש בקבר אלישע וילך ויגע האיש בעצמות אלישע ויחי ויקם על רגליו,אמר ליה רב פפא לאביי ודילמא לקיומי ביה ברכתא דאליהו דכתיב (מלכים ב ב, ט) ויהי נא פי שנים ברוחך אלי אמר ליה אי הכי היינו דתניא על רגליו עמד ולביתו לא הלך,אלא במה איקיים כדאמר ר' יוחנן שריפא צרעת נעמן שהיא שקולה כמת שנאמר (במדבר יב, יב) אל נא תהי כמת,אמר ר' יהושע בן לוי למה נקרא שמן ימים שאימתם מוטלת על הבריות דאמר ר' חנינא מימי לא שאלני אדם על מכת פרדה לבנה וחיה והא קחזינא דחיי אימא וחיית והא קחזינא דמיתסי דחיוורן ריש כרעייהו קא אמרינן,(דברים ד, לה) אין עוד מלבדו אמר רבי חנינא ואפילו כשפים ההיא איתתא דהות קא מהדרא למישקל עפרא מתותיה כרעיה דרבי חנינא אמר לה שקולי לא מסתייעא מילתיך אין עוד מלבדו כתיב והאמר ר' יוחנן למה נקרא שמן כשפים שמכחישין פמליא של מעלה שאני ר' חנינא דנפישא זכותיה,ואמר ר' חנינא אין אדם נוקף אצבעו מלמטה אלא א"כ מכריזין עליו מלמעלה שנאמר (תהלים לז, כג) מה' מצעדי גבר כוננו (משלי כ, כד) ואדם מה יבין דרכו א"ר אלעזר דם ניקוף מרצה כדם עולה אמר רבא בגודל ימין ובניקוף שני והוא דקאזיל לדבר מצוה,אמרו עליו על ר' פנחס בן יאיר מימיו לא בצע על פרוסה שאינה שלו ומיום שעמד על דעתו לא נהנה מסעודת אביו: | 7b. The hosts bsiftedthe barley with a utensil, but the donkey bdid not eatit. bThey separatedthe chaff from the barley by hand, but the donkey bdid not eatit. They wondered why the donkey would not eat the barley. Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bsaid tohis hosts: bPerhapsthe barley bis not tithed.They btithed it andthe donkey bateit. Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bsaid: This pooranimal bis going to perform the will of its Maker, and you are feeding it untithed produce?Rabbi Zeira was referring to this donkey when it spoke of God preventing mishaps from occurring through animals of the righteous.,The Gemara asks: bAnd is onewho purchases grain that is idemaiin order to feed his animal bobligatedto tithe it? bBut didn’t we learnin a mishna ( iDemai1:3): bOne who purchasesgrain in the market bfor sowing or forfeeding ban animal, or flour toprocess animal bhides, or oil tokindle ba lamp, or oil to smear on vessels is exempt from theobligation of tithing idemai /i? /b,The Gemara answers: bThere, it was statedwith regard to that mishna that bRabbi Yoḥa says: They taughtthis bonlyin a case bwhere one purchasedthose items binitially for the animalor for the other purposes enumerated in the mishna, bbutif bhe purchased them initially for a person and reconsideredhis plans bfor themand decided to use them bfor an animal, he is obligated to tithethe idemai /i. bAnd it is taughtin a ibaraitain support of that understanding: In the case of bone who purchases produce from the market forhuman bconsumption, andhe breconsideredhis plans bfor itand decided to use it bfor an animal, thatperson bmay neither placeit bbefore his animal nor before the animal of another unless he tithedthe produce., bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bheardthat Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir arrived, and he bemerged to greet him.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid to him:Is it byour desireto bdine with me?Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bsaid to him: Yes. RabbiYehuda HaNasi’s bface beamed [ itzahavu /i],as it was well known that Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir did not accept invitations to dine with others.,Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bsaid toRabbi Yehuda HaNasi: bAre you under the impression that deriving benefit from the Jewish people is forbidden to me by vow?On the contrary, bthe Jewish people are holy.I avoid accepting invitations, as bthere is one who wantsto invite guests to dine with him bbut he does not havethe means, and I do not want to enjoy a meal that my host cannot afford. bAnd there is one who hasthe means bbut does not wantto host guests, bandwith regard to those people bit is written: “Eat not the bread of him that has an evil eye, neither desire his delicacies. For as one that has reckoned within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, says he to you; but his heart is not with you”(Proverbs 23:6–7). bBut you wantto invite guests to dine with you, band you havethe means., bBut now I am rushing [ imesarheivna /i], as I am engaged inthe performance of ba matter involving a mitzva. When I come back I will enter todine with byou. /b, bWhenRabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bcameback, bhe happened to enter through that entrance in which white mules were standing. He said: The Angel of Deathis bin thisperson’s bhouse, and I will eat with him?White mules were known to be dangerous animals., bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bheardthe comment of Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir and bemerged to greet him. He said to him: I will sellthe mules. Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir bsaid to him:You will thereby violate the prohibition: b“Nor place a stumbling block before the blind”(Leviticus 19:14), as it is prohibited for any Jew to keep a destructive animal in his possession.,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: bI will declarethe mules bownerless.Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir said to him: bYouwill thereby bincrease the damage,as there will be no owner to restrain it. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: bIwill bremove theirhooves so that they will be unable to kick and cause damage. Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir said to him: bThere isthe requirement to prevent bsuffering to animals,and you will be violating it. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: bIwill bkill them.Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir said to him: bThere isthe prohibition: bDo not destroyitems of value.,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bwas greatly imploring himto enter his home until ba mountain rose between themand Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi could no longer speak with him. bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bwept and said: If during their lifetimesit is bsothat the righteous are great, bafter their deathit is ball the more sotrue. The Gemara comments: This is bas Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina says: The righteous are greater after their death, more so than during their lifetimes, as it is stated: “And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that they spied a raiding party; and they cast the man into the tomb of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet”(II Kings 13:21)., bRav Pappa said to Abaye:This proof from the case of Elisha that the righteous are greater after death is not valid. bAnd perhapsthis transpired bto fulfill with regard toElisha bthe blessing of Elijah, as it is written: “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me”(II Kings 2:9). Elijah revived one dead person and this one is the second revived by Elisha. Abaye bsaid toRav Pappa: bIf so, is thisconsistent with that bwhich is taughtin a ibaraita /i: The dead person barose on his feet but he did not go to his home,indicating that he had not truly been revived?,The Gemara asks: bButif that is the case, bin whatmanner bwasElijah’s blessing bfulfilled?It is bas Rabbi Yoḥa says:The blessing was fulfilled bwhen he cured the leprosy of Naaman, sincea leper bis equivalent to a dead person, as it is statedwith regard to Miriam when she was afflicted with leprosy: b“Please, let her not be as one dead”(Numbers 12:12).,Apropos white mules, which were likened to the Angel of Death, bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Why arethe mules bcalled iyemim /i(see Genesis 36:24)? It is bbecause their terror [ ieimatam /i] is cast overall bcreatures, as Rabbi Ḥanina says: Inall bmy days, no man has asked me about a woundcaused him bby a white mule and survived,indicating that they are extremely dangerous. The Gemara asks: bBut haven’t we seen thatsome people bsurviveafter being wounded by a white mule? The Gemara answers: bSayinstead, no man has asked me about a wound caused him by a mule bandthe wound bhealed.The Gemara asks: bBut haven’t we seen thatsuch wounds bheal?The Gemara answers: The wound that bwe saydoes not heal is one caused by a mule bthe top of whose legs are white. /b,The Gemara relates other statements of Rabbi Ḥanina: With regard to the verse: b“There is none else beside Him”(Deuteronomy 4:35), bRabbi Ḥanina says: And even sorceryis ineffective against the will of God. The Gemara relates: There was ba certain woman who would try to take dust from beneath the feet of Rabbi Ḥaninain order to perform sorcery on him and harm him. Rabbi Ḥanina bsaid to her: Takethe dust, but bthe matter will be ineffective for you,as it bis written: “There is none other beside Him.”The Gemara asks: bBut doesn’t Rabbi Yoḥa say: Whyis sorcery bcalled ikeshafim /i?It is an acronym for imakhḥishin pamalya shel mala /i,meaning: bThat they diminish the heavenly entourage [ ipamalya /i],indicating that they function contrary to the will of God. The Gemara answers: bRabbi Ḥanina is different, as,because bhis merit is great,sorcery has no effect on him., bAnd Rabbi Ḥanina says: A person injures his finger below,on earth, bonly if they declare about him on highthat he should be injured, bas it is stated: It is of the Lord that a man’s goings are established; and a man, what does he understand of his way(see Psalms 37:23 and Proverbs 20:24). bRabbi Elazar says: The blood of a wound effects atonement like the blood of a burnt offering. Rava said:This is stated bwith regard toa wound on his bright thumb,as one applies force with that thumb and the wound is consequently more severe; bandit is also stated bwith regard to a second woundin the same place before the first has healed, band it isprovided bthathe is wounded while bgoing toperform ba matterinvolving ba mitzva. /b,Apropos Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir, the Gemara notes that bthey said about Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir: Inall bhis days he never brokebread and recited a blessing bon a piece of bread that was not his, and from the day that he achieved cognition he did not benefiteven bfrom the meal of his father,because he eschewed benefit from everyone. |
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10. Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 51b. באבוקות של אור שבידיהן ואומרים לפניהם דברי שירות ותושבחות והלוים בכנורות ובנבלים ובמצלתים ובחצוצרות ובכלי שיר בלא מספר על חמש עשרה מעלות היורדות מעזרת ישראל לעזרת נשים כנגד חמש עשרה (מעלות) שבתהלים שעליהן לוים עומדין בכלי שיר ואומרים שירה,ועמדו שני כהנים בשער העליון שיורד מעזרת ישראל לעזרת נשים ושני חצוצרות בידיהן קרא הגבר תקעו והריעו ותקעו הגיעו למעלה עשירית תקעו והריעו ותקעו הגיעו לעזרה תקעו והריעו ותקעו,(הגיעו לקרקע תקעו והריעו ותקעו) היו תוקעין והולכין עד שמגיעין לשער היוצא ממזרח הגיעו לשער היוצא ממזרח הפכו פניהן ממזרח למערב ואמרו אבותינו שהיו במקום הזה אחוריהם אל ההיכל ופניהם קדמה ומשתחוים קדמה לשמש ואנו ליה עינינו ר' יהודה אומר היו שונין ואומרין אנו ליה וליה עינינו:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ת"ר מי שלא ראה שמחת בית השואבה לא ראה שמחה מימיו מי שלא ראה ירושלים בתפארתה לא ראה כרך נחמד מעולם מי שלא ראה בהמ"ק בבנינו לא ראה בנין מפואר מעולם מאי היא אמר אביי ואיתימא רב חסדא זה בנין הורדוס,במאי בניה אמר (רבא) באבני שישא ומרמרא איכא דאמרי באבני שישא כוחלא ומרמרא אפיק שפה ועייל שפה כי היכי דלקבל סידא סבר למשעיין בדהבא אמרו ליה רבנן שבקיה דהכי שפיר טפי דמיתחזי כאדותא דימא,תניא רבי יהודה אומר מי שלא ראה דיופלוסטון של אלכסנדריא של מצרים לא ראה בכבודן של ישראל אמרו כמין בסילקי גדולה היתה סטיו לפנים מסטיו פעמים שהיו בה (ששים רבוא על ששים רבוא) כפלים כיוצאי מצרים והיו בה ע"א קתדראות של זהב כנגד ע"א של סנהדרי גדולה כל אחת ואחת אינה פחותה מעשרים ואחד רבוא ככרי זהב ובימה של עץ באמצעיתה וחזן הכנסת עומד עליה והסודרין בידו וכיון שהגיע לענות אמן הלה מניף בסודר וכל העם עונין אמן,ולא היו יושבין מעורבין אלא זהבין בפני עצמן וכספין בפני עצמן ונפחין בפני עצמן וטרסיים בפני עצמן וגרדיים בפני עצמן וכשעני נכנס שם היה מכיר בעלי אומנתו ונפנה לשם ומשם פרנסתו ופרנסת אנשי ביתו,אמר אביי וכולהו קטלינהו אלכסנדרוס מוקדן מ"ט איענשו משום דעברי אהאי קרא (דברים יז, טז) לא תוסיפון לשוב בדרך הזה עוד ואינהו הדור אתו,כי אתא אשכחינהו דהוו קרו בסיפרא (דברים כח, מט) ישא ה' עליך גוי מרחוק אמר מכדי ההוא גברא בעי למיתי ספינתא בעשרה יומי דליה זיקא ואתי ספינתא בחמשא יומי נפל עלייהו וקטלינהו:,במוצאי יום טוב כו': מאי תיקון גדול אמר רבי אלעזר כאותה ששנינו חלקה היתה בראשונה והקיפוה גזוזטרא והתקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מלמעלה ואנשים מלמטה,תנו רבנן בראשונה היו נשים מבפנים ואנשים מבחוץ והיו באים לידי קלות ראש התקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מבחוץ ואנשים מבפנים ועדיין היו באין לידי קלות ראש התקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מלמעלה ואנשים מלמטה,היכי עביד הכי והכתיב (דברי הימים א כח, יט) הכל בכתב מיד ה' עלי השכיל,אמר רב קרא אשכחו ודרוש | 51b. bwith flaming torchesthat they would juggle bin their hands, and they would say before them passages of song and praiseto God. bAnd the Leviteswould play bon lyres, harps, cymbals, and trumpets, and countlessother bmusical instruments.The musicians would stand bon the fifteen stairs that descend from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, corresponding to the fifteenSongs of the bAscents in Psalms,i.e., chapters 120–134, and bupon whichthe bLevites stand with musical instruments and recitetheir bsong. /b, bAndthis was the ceremony of the Water Libation: bTwo priests stood at the Upper Gate that descends from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, with two trumpets in their hands.When bthe rooster crowedat dawn, bthey sounded a itekia /i, and sounded a iterua /i, and sounded a itekia /i.When btheywho would draw the water breached the tenth stairthe trumpeters bsounded a itekia /i, and sounded a iterua /i, and sounded a itekia /i,to indicate that the time to draw water from the Siloam pool had arrived. When bthey reached theWomen’s bCourtyardwith the basins of water in their hands, the trumpeters bsounded a itekia /i, and sounded a iterua /i, and sounded a itekia /i. /b,When bthey reached the groundof the Women’s Courtyard, the trumpeters bsounded a itekia /i, and sounded a iterua /i, and sounded a itekia /i. They continued soundingthe trumpets buntil they reached the gatethrough bwhichone bexits to the east,from the Women’s Courtyard to the eastern slope of the Temple Mount. When bthey reached the gatethrough bwhichone bexits to the east, they turned fromfacing beast tofacing bwest,toward the Holy of Holies, band said: Our ancestors who were in this placeduring the First Temple period who did not conduct themselves appropriately, stood b“with their backs toward the Sanctuary of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east”(Ezekiel 8:16), band we, our eyes are to God. Rabbi Yehuda saysthat bthey would repeat and say: We are to God, and our eyes are to God. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong bThe Sages taught: One who did not see the Celebration of the Place of the Drawingof the Water, bnever saw celebration in his life. One who did not see Jerusalem in its glory, never saw a beautiful city. One who did not see the Temple in its constructedstate, bnever saw a magnificent structure.The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe Temple building to which the Sages refer? bAbaye said, and some saythat it was bRav Ḥisdawho said: bThisis referring to the magnificent bbuilding of Herod,who renovated the Second Temple.,The Gemara asks: bWith whatmaterials bdid he construct it? Rava said:It was bwith stones ofgreen-gray bmarble and white marble [ imarmara /i]. Some say:It was bwith stones of blue marble and white marble.The rows of stones were set with bone rowslightly bprotruded and one rowslightly bindented, so that the plaster would takebetter. bHe thought to platethe Temple bwith gold,but bthe Sages said to him: Leave itas is, and do not plate it, bas it is better this way, aswith the different colors and the staggered arrangement of the rows of stones, bit has the appearance of waves of the sea. /b, bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yehuda says: One who did not see the great synagogue [ ideyofloston /i] of Alexandria of Egypt never saw the glory of Israel. They saidthat its structure bwas like a large basilica [ ibasileki /i],with ba colonnade within a colonnade. At times there were six hundred thousandmen bandanother bsix hundred thousandmen bin it, twice the number of those who left Egypt. In it there were seventy-one golden chairs [ ikatedraot /i], corresponding to the seventy-onemembers bof the Great Sanhedrin, each of whichconsisted of bno less than twenty-one thousand talents of gold. Andthere was ba wooden platform at the center. The sexton of the synagoguewould bstand on it, with the scarves in his hand. Andbecause the synagogue was so large and the people could not hear the communal prayer, bwhenthe prayer leader breachedthe conclusion of a blessing requiring the people bto answer amen,the sexton bwaved the scarf and all the peoplewould banswer amen. /b, bAndthe members of the various crafts bwould not sit mingled. Rather, the goldsmithswould sit bamong themselves, and the silversmiths among themselves, and the blacksmiths among themselves, and the coppersmiths among themselves, and the weavers among themselves. And when a poorstranger bentered there, he would recognize peoplewho plied bhis craft, and he would turn tojoin them bthere. And from therehe would secure bhis livelihoodas well as bthe livelihoodof the bmembers of his household,as his colleagues would find him work in that craft.,After depicting the glory of the synagogue, the Gemara relates that bAbaye said: All ofthe people who congregated in that synagogue bwere killed by Alexanderthe Great bof Macedonia.The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat bthey were punishedand killed? It is bdue tothe fact bthat they violatedthe prohibition with regard to Egypt in bthis verse: “You shall henceforth return no more that way”(Deuteronomy 17:16), band they returned.Since they established their permanent place of residence in Egypt, they were punished., bWhenAlexander barrived, he found them,and saw bthat they were readingthe verse bin theTorah bscroll: “The Lord will bring a nation against you from far,from the end of the earth, as the vulture swoops down; a nation whose tongue you shall not understand” (Deuteronomy 28:49). bHe said,referring to himself: bNow, since that man sought to come by ship in ten days,and ba wind carried it and the ship arrived inonly bfive days,apparently the verse referring a vulture swooping down is referring to me and heavenly forces are assisting me. Immediately, bhe set upon them and slaughtered them. /b,§ The mishna continues: bAt the conclusion ofthe first bFestivalday, etc., the priests and the Levites descended from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, where they would introduce a significant repair. The Gemara asks: bWhatis this bsignificant repair? Rabbi Elazar saidthat bit is like that which we learned:The walls of the Women’s Courtyard bwere smooth,without protrusions, binitially.Subsequently, they affixed protrusions to the wall surrounding the Women’s Courtyard. Each year thereafter, for the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, they placed wooden planks on these projections and bsurroundedthe courtyard bwith a balcony [ igezuztra /i]. And they instituted thatthe bwomen should sit above andthe bmen below. /b, bThe Sages taughtin the iTosefta /i: bInitially, women wouldstand bon the insideof the Women’s Courtyard, closer to the Sanctuary to the west, band the menwere bon the outsidein the courtyard and on the rampart. bAnd they would come toconduct themselves with inappropriate blevityin each other’s company, as the men needed to enter closer to the altar when the offerings were being sacrificed and as a result they would mingle with the women. Therefore, the Sages binstituted that the women should sit on the outside and the men on the inside, and still they would come toconduct themselves with inappropriate blevity.Therefore, bthey institutedin the interest of complete separation bthat the women would sit above and the men below. /b,The Gemara asks: bHow could one do so,i.e., alter the structure of the Temple? bBut isn’t it writtenwith regard to the Temple: b“All thisI give you bin writing,as bthe Lord has made me wise by His hand upon me,even all the works of this pattern” (I Chronicles 28:19), meaning that all the structural plans of the Temple were divinely inspired; how could the Sages institute changes?, bRav said: They found a verse, and interpreted it homileticallyand acted accordingly: |
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