1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 25.5 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 25.5. כִּי־יֵשְׁבוּ אַחִים יַחְדָּו וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם וּבֵן אֵין־לוֹ לֹא־תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת־הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ וּלְקָחָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה וְיִבְּמָהּ׃ | 25.5. If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her." |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Numbers, 15.38-15.39, 19.2 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 15.38. דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם וְעָשׂוּ לָהֶם צִיצִת עַל־כַּנְפֵי בִגְדֵיהֶם לְדֹרֹתָם וְנָתְנוּ עַל־צִיצִת הַכָּנָף פְּתִיל תְּכֵלֶת׃ 15.39. וְהָיָה לָכֶם לְצִיצִת וּרְאִיתֶם אֹתוֹ וּזְכַרְתֶּם אֶת־כָּל־מִצְוֺת יְהוָה וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְלֹא־תָתֻרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם זֹנִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃ 19.2. זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה לֵאמֹר דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ פָרָה אֲדֻמָּה תְּמִימָה אֲשֶׁר אֵין־בָּהּ מוּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָלָה עָלֶיהָ עֹל׃ 19.2. וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִטְמָא וְלֹא יִתְחַטָּא וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מִתּוֹךְ הַקָּהָל כִּי אֶת־מִקְדַּשׁ יְהוָה טִמֵּא מֵי נִדָּה לֹא־זֹרַק עָלָיו טָמֵא הוּא׃ | 15.38. ’Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with the fringe of each corner a thread of blue." 15.39. And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go astray;" 19.2. This is the statute of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 12.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 12.7. אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת כֶּסֶף צָרוּף בַּעֲלִיל לָאָרֶץ מְזֻקָּק שִׁבְעָתָיִם׃ | 12.7. The words of the LORD are pure words, As silver tried in a crucible on the earth, refined seven times." |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 42.16 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 42.16. וְהוֹלַכְתִּי עִוְרִים בְּדֶרֶךְ לֹא יָדָעוּ בִּנְתִיבוֹת לֹא־יָדְעוּ אַדְרִיכֵם אָשִׂים מַחְשָׁךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם לָאוֹר וּמַעֲקַשִּׁים לְמִישׁוֹר אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים עֲשִׂיתִם וְלֹא עֲזַבְתִּים׃ | 42.16. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, In paths that they knew not will I lead them; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do, And I will not leave them undone." |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel, 1.28 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 1.28. כְּמַרְאֵה הַקֶּשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בֶעָנָן בְּיוֹם הַגֶּשֶׁם כֵּן מַרְאֵה הַנֹּגַהּ סָבִיב הוּא מַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה וָאֶרְאֶה וָאֶפֹּל עַל־פָּנַי וָאֶשְׁמַע קוֹל מְדַבֵּר׃ | 1.28. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke." |
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6. Hebrew Bible, Zechariah, 13.2 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
| 13.2. וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אַכְרִית אֶת־שְׁמוֹת הָעֲצַבִּים מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְלֹא יִזָּכְרוּ עוֹד וְגַם אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִים וְאֶת־רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן־הָאָרֶץ׃ | 13.2. And it shall come to pass in that day, Saith the LORD of hosts, That I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, And they shall no more be remembered; And also I will cause the prophets And the unclean spirit to pass out of the land." |
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7. Mishnah, Hulin, 4.3 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.3. If a fetus died within the womb [of its mother] and the shepherd put in his hand and touched it, he is clean, whether it was a clean or unclean animal. Rabbi Yose HaGalili says: if it was an unclean animal he is unclean, and if it was a clean animal he is clean. If the fetus of a woman died within the womb of its mother and the midwife put in her hand and touched it, the midwife is unclean for seven days, but the mother is clean until the fetus comes out." |
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8. Mishnah, Parah, 3.3 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 3.3. They arrived at the Temple Mount and got down. Beneath the Temple Mount and the courts was a hollow which served as a protection against a grave in the depths. And at the entrance of the courtyard there was the jar of the ashes of the sin-offerings. They would bring a male from among the sheep and tie a rope between its horns, and a stick or a bushy twig was tied at the other end of the rope, and this was thrown into the jar. They then struck the male [sheep] was so that it started backwards. And [a child] took the ashes and put it [enough] so that it could be seen upon the water. Rabbi Yose said: do not give the Sadducees an opportunity to rule! Rather, [a child] himself took it and mixed it." |
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9. New Testament, 2 Corinthians, 12 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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10. Tosefta, Kiddushin, 5.21 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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11. Tosefta, Qiddushin, 5.21 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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12. Anon., Leviticus Rabba, 29.11 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 29.11. כָּל הַשְּׁבִיעִין חֲבִיבִין לְעוֹלָם, לְמַעְלָן הַשְּׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שָׁמַיִם וּשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְרָקִיעַ וּשְׁחָקִים, זְבוּל וּמָעוֹן וַעֲרָבוֹת, וּכְתִיב (תהלים סח, ה): סֹלוּ לָרֹכֵב בָּעֲרָבוֹת בְּיָהּ שְׁמוֹ. בָּאֲרָצוֹת, שְׁבִיעִית חֲבִיבָה: אֶרֶץ, אֲדָמָה, אַרְקָא, גַּיְא, צִיָה, נְשִׁיָּה, תֵּבֵל. וּכְתִיב (תהלים ט, ט): וְהוּא יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק יָדִין לְאֻמִּים בְּמֵישָׁרִים. בַּדּוֹרוֹת שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב: אָדָם, שֵׁת, אֱנוֹשׁ, קֵינָן, מַהַלַּלְאֵל, יֶרֶד, חֲנוֹךְ. וּכְתִיב (בראשית ה, כד): וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים. בָּאָבוֹת שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב: אַבְרָהָם, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, לֵוִי, קְהָת, עַמְרָם, משֶׁה. וּכְתִיב (שמות יט, ג): וּמשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים. בְּבָנִים הַשְּׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים א ב, טו): דָּוִיד [הוא] הַשְּׁבִעִי. בַּמְּלָכִים הַשְּׁבִיעִי חָבִיב: שָׁאוּל, אִישׁ בּשֶׁת, דָּוִד, שְׁלֹמֹה, רְחַבְעָם, אֲבִיָה, אָסָא. וּכְתִיב (דברי הימים ב יד, י): וַיִּקְרָא אָסָא אֶל ה'. בַּשָּׁנִים שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג, יא): וְהַשְּׁבִיעִית תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּהּ. בַּשְּׁמִטִּין שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כה, י): וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּם אֵת שְׁנַת הַחֲמִשִּׁים. בַּיָּמִים שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ב, ג): וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי. בֶּחֳדָשִׁים שְׁבִיעִי חָבִיב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא כג, כד): בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ. | |
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13. Anon., Sifra, ahare mot 9.13 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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14. Anon., Sifre Numbers, 131 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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15. Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah, 12b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 12b. את הארץ למה לי להקדים שמים לארץ והארץ היתה תהו ובהו מכדי בשמים אתחיל ברישא מאי שנא דקא חשיב מעשה ארץ תנא דבי ר' ישמעאל משל למלך בשר ודם שאמר לעבדיו השכימו לפתחי השכים ומצא נשים ואנשים למי משבח למי שאין דרכו להשכים והשכים,תניא ר' יוסי אומר אוי להם לבריות שרואות ואינן יודעות מה רואות עומדות ואין יודעות על מה הן עומדות הארץ על מה עומדת על העמודים שנאמר (איוב ט, ו) המרגיז ארץ ממקומה ועמודיה יתפלצון עמודים על המים שנאמר (תהלים קלו, ו) לרוקע הארץ על המים מים על ההרים שנאמר על הרים יעמדו מים הרים ברוח שנאמר (עמוס ד, יג) כי הנה יוצר הרים ובורא רוח רוח בסערה שנאמר (תהלים קמח, ח) רוח סערה עושה דברו סערה תלויה בזרועו של הקב"ה שנאמר (דברים לג, כז) ומתחת זרועות עולם,וחכ"א על י"ב עמודים עומדת שנאמר (דברים לב, ח) יצב גבולות עמים למספר בני ישראל וי"א ז' עמודים שנאמר (משלי ט, א) חצבה עמודיה שבעה ר"א בן שמוע אומר על עמוד אחד וצדיק שמו שנאמר (משלי י, כה) וצדיק יסוד עולם,א"ר יהודה שני רקיעים הן שנאמר (דברים י, יד) הן לה' אלהיך השמים ושמי השמים,ר"ל אמר שבעה ואלו הן וילון רקיע שחקים זבול מעון מכון ערבות וילון אינו משמש כלום אלא נכנס שחרית ויוצא ערבית ומחדש בכל יום מעשה בראשית שנאמר (ישעיהו מ, כב) הנוטה כדוק שמים וימתחם כאהל לשבת רקיע שבו חמה ולבנה כוכבים ומזלות קבועין שנאמר (בראשית א, יז) ויתן אותם אלהים ברקיע השמים שחקים שבו רחיים עומדות וטוחנות מן לצדיקים שנאמר (תהלים עח, כג) ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח וימטר עליהם מן לאכול וגו',זבול שבו ירושלים ובית המקדש ומזבח בנוי ומיכאל השר הגדול עומד ומקריב עליו קרבן שנאמר (מלכים א ח, יג) בנה בניתי בית זבול לך מכון לשבתך עולמים ומנלן דאיקרי שמים דכתיב (ישעיהו סג, טו) הבט משמים וראה מזבול קדשך ותפארתך,מעון שבו כיתות של מלאכי השרת שאומרות שירה בלילה וחשות ביום מפני כבודן של ישראל שנאמר (תהלים מב, ט) יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה עמי,אמר ר"ל כל העוסק בתורה בלילה הקב"ה מושך עליו חוט של חסד ביום שנאמר יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ומה טעם יומם יצוה ה' חסדו משום ובלילה שירה עמי ואיכא דאמרי אמר ר"ל כל העוסק בתורה בעוה"ז שהוא דומה ללילה הקב"ה מושך עליו חוט של חסד לעוה"ב שהוא דומה ליום שנאמר יומם יצוה ה' חסדו ובלילה שירה עמי,א"ר לוי כל הפוסק מדברי תורה ועוסק בדברי שיחה מאכילין אותו גחלי רתמים שנאמר (איוב ל, ד) הקוטפים מלוח עלי שיח ושרש רתמים לחמם ומנלן דאיקרי שמים שנאמר (דברים כו, טו) השקיפה ממעון קדשך מן השמים,מכון שבו אוצרות שלג ואוצרות ברד ועליית טללים רעים ועליית אגלים וחדרה של סופה [וסערה] ומערה של קיטור ודלתותיהן אש שנאמר (דברים כח, יב) יפתח ה' לך את אוצרו הטוב,הני ברקיעא איתנהו הני בארעא איתנהו דכתיב (תהלים קמח, ז) הללו את ה' מן הארץ תנינים וכל תהומות אש וברד שלג וקיטור רוח סערה עושה דברו אמר רב יהודה אמר רב דוד ביקש עליהם רחמים והורידן לארץ אמר לפניו רבש"ע (תהלים ה, ה) לא אל חפץ רשע אתה לא יגורך (במגורך) רע צדיק אתה ה' לא יגור במגורך רע ומנלן דאיקרי שמים דכתיב (מלכים א ח, לט) ואתה תשמע השמים מכון שבתך,ערבות שבו צדק משפט וצדקה גנזי חיים וגנזי שלום וגנזי ברכה ונשמתן של צדיקים ורוחות ונשמות שעתיד להיבראות וטל שעתיד הקב"ה להחיות בו מתים צדק ומשפט דכתיב (תהלים פט, טו) צדק ומשפט מכון כסאך צדקה דכתיב (ישעיהו נט, יז) וילבש צדקה כשרין גנזי חיים דכתיב (תהלים לו, י) כי עמך מקור חיים וגנזי שלום דכתיב (שופטים ו, כד) ויקרא לו ה' שלום וגנזי ברכה דכתיב (תהלים כד, ה) ישא ברכה מאת ה',נשמתן של צדיקים דכתיב (שמואל א כה, כט) והיתה נפש אדוני צרורה בצרור החיים את ה' אלהיך רוחות ונשמות שעתיד להיבראות דכתיב (ישעיהו נז, טז) כי רוח מלפני יעטוף ונשמות אני עשיתי וטל שעתיד הקב"ה להחיות בו מתים דכתיב (תהלים סח, י) גשם נדבות תניף אלהים נחלתך ונלאה אתה כוננתה,שם אופנים ושרפים וחיות הקדש ומלאכי השרת וכסא הכבוד מלך אל חי רם ונשא שוכן עליהם בערבות שנאמר (תהלים סח, ה) סולו לרוכב בערבות ביה שמו ומנלן דאיקרי שמים אתיא רכיבה רכיבה כתיב הכא סולו לרוכב בערבות וכתיב התם (דברים לג, כו) רוכב שמים בעזרך,וחשך וענן וערפל מקיפין אותו שנאמר (תהלים יח, יב) ישת חשך סתרו סביבותיו סוכתו חשכת מים עבי שחקים ומי איכא חשוכא קמי שמיא והכתיב [דניאל ב, כב] הוא (גלי) עמיקתא ומסתרתא ידע מה בחשוכא ונהורא עמיה שרי לא קשיא הא | 12b. bWhy do Ineed b“and the earth” [ iet ha’aretz /i]? Toteach that bheaven preceded earthin the order of Creation. The next verse states: b“And the earth was unformed and void”(Genesis 1:2). The Gemara asks: bAfter all,the Bible bbegan with heaven first; what is differentabout the second verse? Why does the Bible brecount the creation of earthfirst in the second verse? bThe Sage of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:This can be explained by ba parable of a flesh-and-blood king who said to his servants: Rise earlyand come bto my entrance. He arose and found women and menwaiting for him. bWhom does he praise? Those who are unaccustomed to rising early butyet brose early,the women. The same applies to the earth: Since it is a lowly, physical sphere, we would not have expected it to be created together with heaven. Therefore, it is fitting to discuss it at greater length.,§ bIt is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yosei says: Woe to them, the creations, who see and know not what they see;who bstand and know not upon what they stand.He clarifies: bUpon what does the earth stand? Upon pillars, as it is stated: “Who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble”(Job 9:6). These bpillarsare positioned bupon water, as it is stated: “To Him Who spread forth the earth over the waters”(Psalms 136:6). These bwatersstand bupon mountains, as it is stated: “The waters stood above the mountains”(Psalms 104:6). The bmountainsare upon the bwind, as it is stated: “For behold He forms the mountains and creates the wind”(Amos 4:13). The bwindis bupon a storm, as it is stated: “Stormy wind, fulfilling His word”(Psalms 148:8). The bstorm hangs upon the arm of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “And underneath are the everlasting arms”(Deuteronomy 33:27), which demonstrates that the entire world rests upon the arms of the Holy One, Blessed be He.,And the Rabbis say: The earth bstands on twelve pillars, as it is stated: “He set the borders of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel”(Deuteronomy 32:8). Just as the children of Israel, i.e., the sons of Jacob, are twelve in number, so does the world rest on twelve pillars. bAnd some say:There are bseven pillars, as it is stated: “She has hewn out her seven pillars”(Proverbs 9:1). bRabbi Elazar ben Shammua says:The earth rests bon one pillar and a righteous person is its name, as it is stated: “But a righteous person is the foundation of the world”(Proverbs 10:25).,§ bRabbi Yehuda said: There are two firmaments, as it is stated: “Behold, to the Lord your God belongs the heaven and the heaven of heavens”(Deuteronomy 10:14), indicating that there is a heaven above our heaven., bReish Lakish said:There are bsevenfirmaments, band they are as follows: iVilon /i, iRakia /i, iSheḥakim /i, iZevul /i, iMa’on /i, iMakhon /i,and iAravot /i.The Gemara proceeds to explain the role of each firmament: iVilon /i,curtain, is the firmament that bdoes not contain anything, but enters at morning and departsin the bevening, and renews the act of Creation daily, as it is stated: “Who stretches out the heavens as a curtain [ iVilon /i], and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in”(Isaiah 40:22). iRakia /i,firmament, is the one bin whichthe bsun, moon, stars, and zodiac signs are fixed, as it is stated: “And God set them in the firmament [ iRakia /i] of the heaven”(Genesis 1:17). iSheḥakim /i,heights, is the one bin which mills stand and grind manna for the righteous, as it is stated: “And He commanded the heights [ iShehakim /i] above, and opened the doors of heaven; and He caused manna to rain upon them for food,and gave them of the corn of heaven” (Psalms 78:23–24).,iZevul /i,abode, bisthe location bofthe heavenly bJerusalem andthe heavenly bTemple, andthere the heavenly baltar is built, andthe angel bMichael, the great minister, stands and sacrifices an offering upon it, as it is stated: “I have surely built a house of iZevulfor You, a place for You to dwell forever”(I Kings 8:13). bAnd from where do wederive bthat iZevul bis called heaven? As it is written: “Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious abode [ iZevul /i]”(Isaiah 63:15).,iMa’on /i,habitation, bis wherethere are bgroups of ministering angels who recite song at night and are silent during the day out of respect for Israel,in order not to compete with their songs, bas it is stated: “By day the Lord will command His kindness, and in the night His song is with me”(Psalms 42:9), indicating that the song of the angels is with God only at night.,With regard to the aforementioned verse, bReish Lakish said: Whoever occupieshimself bwith Torah at night, the Holy One, Blessed be He, extends a thread of kindness over him by day, as it is stated: “By day, the Lord will command His kindness,” and what is the reasonthat b“by day, the Lord will command His kindness”? Because “and in the night His song,”i.e., the song of Torah, b“is with me.” And some saythat bReish Lakish said: Whoever occupies himself with Torah in this world, which is comparable to night, the Holy One, Blessed be He, extends a thread of kindness over him in the World-to-Come, which is comparable to day, as it is stated: “By day, the Lord will command His kindness, and in the night His song is with me.” /b,With regard to the same matter, bRabbi Levi said: Anyone who pauses from words of Torah to occupy himself with mundane conversation will be fed with the coals of the broom tree, as it is stated: “They pluck saltwort [ imaluaḥ /i] with wormwood [ ialei siaḥ /i], and the roots of the broom tree [ iretamim /i] are their food”(Job 30:4). The exposition is as follows: Those who pluck, i.e., pause, from learning Torah, which was given upon two tablets, iluḥot /i, which sounds similar to imaluaḥ /i, for the purpose of isiaḥ /i, idle chatter, are punished by having to eat coals made from “the roots of the broom tree.” bAnd from where do wederive bthat iMa’on bis called heaven? As it is stated: “Look forth from Your holy iMa’on /i, from heaven”(Deuteronomy 26:15).,iMakhon /i,dwelling place, bis where there are storehouses of snow and storehouses of hail, and the upper chamber of harmful dews, and the upper chamber of drops, and the room of tempests and storms, and the cave of mist. And the doorsof all these are made of bfire.How do we know that there are storehouses for evil things? bFor it is stated: “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse,the heavens” (Deuteronomy 28:12), which indicates the existence of a storehouse that contains the opposite of good.,The Gemara asks a question: With regard to bthesethings listed above, are they blocated in heaven?It is obvious that btheyare blocated on the earth. As it is written: “Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all depths, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind, fulfilling His word”(Psalms 148:7–8). The verse seems to indicate that all these things are found on the earth. bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: David requested mercy with regard to them,that they should not remain in heaven, band He brought them down to earth. He said before Him: Master of the Universe, “You are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness, evil shall not sojourn with You”(Psalms 5:5). In other words, bYou are righteous, O Lord.Nothing bevil should sojourn in Your vicinity.Rather, it is better that they remain close to us. bAnd from where do wederive bthatthis place bis called “heaven”? As it is written: “And You shall hearin bheaven, the iMakhonof Your dwelling”(I Kings 8:39).,iAravot /i,skies, is the firmament bthat contains righteousness; justice; righteousness,i.e., charity; bthe treasuries of life; the treasuries of peace; the treasuries of blessing; the souls of the righteous; the spirits and souls that are to be created; and the dew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will use to revive the dead.The Gemara proves this statement: bRighteousness and justiceare found in heaven, bas it is written: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne”(Psalms 89:15); brighteousness, as it is written: “And He donned righteousness as armor”(Isaiah 59:17); bthe treasuries of life, as it is written: “For with You is the source of life”(Psalms 36:10). bAnd the treasuries of peaceare found in heaven, bas it is written: “And he called Him the Lord of peace”(Judges 6:24), implying that peace is God’s name and is therefore found close to Him. bAnd the treasuries of blessing, as it is written: “He shall receive a blessing from the Lord”(Psalms 24:5)., bThe souls of the righteousare found in heaven, bas it is written: “And the soul of my master shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord, your God”(I Samuel 25:29). bSpirits and souls that are to be createdare found there, bas it is written: “For the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me, and the souls that I have made”(Isaiah 57:16), which indicates that the spirit to be released into the world, wrapped around a body, is located close to God. bThe dew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will use to revive the deadis found in heaven, bas it is written: “A bountiful rain You will pour down, God; when Your inheritance was weary, You confirmed it”(Psalms 68:10)., bThere,in the firmaments, are the iofanim /i,the bseraphim,the bholy divine creatures, and the ministering angels, and the Throne of Glory. The King, God,the bliving, lofty, exalted One dwells above them in iAravot /i, as it is stated: “Extol Him Who rides upon the skies [ iAravot /i], Whose name is God”(Psalms 68:5). bAnd from where do wederive bthat iAravot bis called “heaven”?This is blearnedby using a verbal analogy between two instances of b“rides”and b“rides”: Here, it is written: “Extol Him Who rides upon the skies [ iAravot /i],” and there, it is written: “Who rides upon the heaven as your help”(Deuteronomy 33:26)., bAnd darkness and clouds and fog surround Him, as it is stated: “He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies”(Psalms 18:12). The Gemara asks: bAnd is there darkness before Heaven,i.e., before God? bBut isn’t it written: “He reveals deep and secret things, He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him”(Daniel 2:22), demonstrating that only light, not darkness, is found with God? The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult. Thisverse, which states that only light dwells with Him, is referring |
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16. Babylonian Talmud, Menachot, 29b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 29b. had the bleg ofthe letter ihehinthe term: b“The nation [ iha’am /i]”(Exodus 13:3), written in his phylacteries, bsevered by a perforation. He came beforehis son-in-law bRabbi Abbato clarify the ihalakha /i. Rabbi Abba bsaid to him: If there remains inthe leg that is attached to the roof of the letter bthe equivalent of the measure of a small letter,i.e., the letter iyod /i, it is bfit. But if not,it is bunfit. /b,The Gemara relates: bRami bar Tamrei, whowas bthe father-in-law of Rami bar Dikkulei,had the bleg ofthe letter ivavinthe term: b“Andthe Lord bslew [ ivayaharog /i]all the firstborn” (Exodus 13:15), written in his phylacteries, bsevered by a perforation. He came before Rabbi Zeirato clarify the ihalakha /i. Rabbi Zeira bsaid to him: Go bring a child who is neither wise nor stupid,but of average intelligence; bif he readsthe term as b“Andthe Lord bslew [ ivayaharog /i]”then it is bfit,as despite the perforation the letter is still seen as a ivav /i. But bif not,then it is as though the term bwere: Will be slain [ iyehareg /i],written without the letter ivav /i, bandit is bunfit. /b,§ bRav Yehuda saysthat bRav says: When Moses ascended on High, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and tying crowns on the lettersof the Torah. Moses bsaid beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, who is preventing Youfrom giving the Torah without these additions? God bsaid to him: There is a man who is destined to beborn bafter several generations, and Akiva ben Yosefis bhis name; he is destined to derive from each and every thornof these crowns bmoundsupon bmounds of ihalakhot /i.It is for his sake that the crowns must be added to the letters of the Torah.,Moses bsaid beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, show him to me.God bsaid to him: Return behind you.Moses bwent and sat at the end of the eighth rowin Rabbi Akiva’s study hall band did not understand what they were saying.Moses’ bstrength waned,as he thought his Torah knowledge was deficient. bWhenRabbi Akiva barrived atthe discussion of bone matter, his students said to him: My teacher, from where do youderive this? Rabbi Akiva bsaid to them:It is ba ihalakha /itransmitted bto Moses from Sinai.When Moses heard this, bhis mind was put at ease,as this too was part of the Torah that he was to receive.,Moses breturned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He,and bsaid before Him: Master of the Universe, You have a manas great bas this andyet bYoustill choose to bgive the Torah through me.Why? God bsaid to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me.Moses bsaid beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, You have shown meRabbi Akiva’s bTorah,now bshow me his reward.God bsaid to him: Returnto where you were. Moses bwent backand bsaw that they were weighingRabbi Akiva’s bflesh in a butcher shop [ ibemakkulin /i],as Rabbi Akiva was tortured to death by the Romans. Moses bsaid before Him: Master of the Universe, this is Torah and this is its reward?God bsaid to him: Be silent; this intention arose before Me. /b,§ The Gemara continues its discussion of the crowns on letters of the Torah: bRava says: Seven letters require three crowns [ iziyyunin /i], and they arethe letters ishin /i, iayin /i, itet /i, inun /i, izayin /i; igimmel /iand itzadi /i. Rav Ashi says: I have seen that the exacting scribes of the study hall of Rav would put a hump-like stroke on the roof ofthe letter iḥetand they would suspend theleft bleg ofthe letter iheh /i,i.e., they would ensure that it is not joined to the roof of the letter.,Rava explains: bThey would put a hump-like stroke on the roof ofthe letter iḥetas if tothereby bsay:The Holy One, Blessed be bHe, lives [ iḥai /i] in the heights of the universe. And they would suspend theleft bleg ofthe letter iheh /i, as Rabbi Yehuda Nesia asked Rabbi Ami: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord [ ibeYah /i] is God, an everlasting [ iolamim /i] Rock”(Isaiah 26:4)? Rabbi Ami bsaid to him: Anyone who puts their trust in the Holy One, Blessed be He,will have Him as bhis refuge in this world and in the World-to-Come.This is alluded to in the word “ iolamim /i,” which can also mean: Worlds.,Rabbi Yehuda Nesia bsaid toRabbi Ami: I was not asking about the literal meaning of the verse; bthis iswhat poses ba difficulty for me: What is differentabout that bwhich is written:“For bin the Lord [ ibeYah /i],” and it is not written:For bthe Lord [ iYah /i]? /b,Rav Ashi responded: It is bas Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Elai taught:The verse “For in the Lord [ ibeYah /i] is God, an everlasting Rock [ iTzur olamim /i]” is understood as follows: The term “ iTzur olamim /i” can also mean Creator of worlds. bTheseletters iyodand ihehthat constitute the word iyahare referring to the btwo worlds that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created; one with [ ibe /i]the letter ihehand one with [ ibe /i]the letter iyod /i. And I do not know whether the World-to-Comewas created bwiththe letter iyodand this worldwas created bwiththe letter iheh /i,or bwhether this worldwas created bwiththe letter iyodand the World-to-Comewas created bwiththe letter iheh /i. /b, bWhenthe verse bstates: “These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created [ ibehibare’am /i]”(Genesis 2:4), bdo not readit as ibehibare’am /i,meaning: When they were created; brather,read it as ibeheh bera’am /i,meaning: He created them with the letter iheh /i. This verse demonstrates that the heaven and the earth, i.e., this world, were created with the letter iheh /i, and therefore the World-to-Come must have been created with the letter iyod /i., bAnd for whatreason bwas this world createdspecifically bwiththe letter iheh /i?It is bbecausethe letter iheh /i, bwhichis open on its bottom, has ba similarappearance bto a portico,which is open on one side. And it alludes to this world, bwhere anyone who wishes to leave may leave,i.e., every person has the ability to choose to do evil. bAnd what is the reasonthat the left bleg ofthe letter iheh bis suspended,i.e., is not joined to the roof of the letter? It is bbecause if one repents, he is broughtback binthrough the opening at the top.,The Gemara asks: bButwhy not blet him enter through thatsame way that he left? The Gemara answers: That would bnot be effective,since one requires assistance from Heaven in order to repent, bin accordance withthe statement bof Reish Lakish. As Reish Lakish says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “If it concerns the scorners, He scorns them, but to the humble He gives grace”(Proverbs 3:34)? Concerning one who bcomesin order bto become pure, he is assistedfrom Heaven, as it is written: “But to the humble He gives grace.” Concerning one who bcomes to become impure, he is provided with an openingto do so. The Gemara asks: bAnd what is the reasonthat the letter iheh bhas a crownon its roof? The Gemara answers: bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, says: Ifa sinner breturns,repenting for his sin, bI tiea crown bfor himfrom above.,The Gemara asks: bFor whatreason bwas the World-to-Come createdspecifically bwiththe letter iyod /i,the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet? The Gemara answers: It is bbecause the righteous ofthe world bareso bfew. And for whatreason is the left side of bthe top ofthe letter iyod bbentdownward? It is bbecause the righteous who are inthe World-to-Come bhang their headsin shame, bsince the actions of one are not similar to those of another.In the World-to-Come some of the righteous will be shown to be of greater stature than others.,§ bRav Yosef says: Rav states these two matters with regard to scrolls, andin each case a statement bis taughtin a ibaraitathat constitutes ba refutation of hisruling. bOneis bthat which Rav says: A Torah scroll that contains two errors on each and every column may be corrected,but if there are bthreeerrors on each and every column then it bshall be interred. /b, bAnda statement bis taughtin a ibaraitathat constitutes ba refutation of hisruling: A Torah scroll that contains bthreeerrors on every column bmay be corrected,but if there are bfourerrors on every column then it bshall be interred.A itanna btaughtin a ibaraita /i: bIfthe Torah scroll bcontains one complete columnwith no errors, bit saves the entireTorah scroll, and it is permitted to correct the scroll rather than interring it. bRabbi Yitzḥak bar Shmuel bar Marta says in the name of Rav: And thisis the ihalakhaonly bwhen the majority of the scroll is written properlyand is not full of errors., bAbaye said to Rav Yosef: If that column contained three errors, whatis the ihalakha /i? Rav Yosef bsaid to him: Sincethe column itself bmay be corrected,it benables the correctionof the entire scroll. The Gemara adds: bAndwith regard to the ihalakhathat a Torah scroll may not be fixed if it is full of errors, bthis statementapplies when letters bare missingand must be added in the space between the lines. bButif there were bextraneousletters, bwe have noproblem bwith it,since they can easily be erased. The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat a scroll with letters bmissingmay bnotbe corrected? bRav Kahana said: Because it would look speckledif one adds all of the missing letters in the spaces between the lines.,The Gemara relates: bAgra, the father-in-law of Rabbi Abba, hadmany bextraneousletters bin his scroll. He came before Rabbi Abbato clarify the ihalakha /i. Rabbi Abba bsaid to him: We saidthat one may not correct the scroll bonly ina case where the letters are bmissing. /b |
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17. Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim, 119a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 119a. זה המכיר מקום חבירו בישיבה איכא דאמרי אמר ר"א זה המקבל פני חבירו בישיבה,מאי למכסה עתיק (יומין) זה המכסה דברים שכיסה עתיק יומין ומאי נינהו סתרי תורה ואיכא דאמרי זה המגלה דברים שכיסה עתיק יומין מאי נינהו טעמי תורה,אמר רב כהנא משום רבי ישמעאל ברבי יוסי מאי דכתיב (תהלים ד, א) למנצח מזמור לדוד זמרו למי שנוצחין אותו ושמח,בא וראה שלא כמדת הקב"ה מדת בשר ודם בשר ודם מנצחין אותו ועצב אבל הקב"ה נוצחין אותו ושמח שנאמר (תהלים קו, כג) ויאמר להשמידם לולי משה בחירו עמד בפרץ לפניו,אמר רב כהנא משום רבי ישמעאל בר' יוסי אמר ר"ש בן לקיש משום רבי יהודה נשיאה מאי דכתיב (יחזקאל א, ח) וידי אדם מתחת כנפיהם ידו כתיב זה ידו של הקדוש ברוך הוא שפרוסה תחת כנפי החיות כדי לקבל בעלי תשובה מיד מדת הדין,אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל כל כסף וזהב שבעולם יוסף לקטו והביאו למצרים שנאמר (בראשית מז, יד) וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף הנמצא אין לי אלא שבארץ מצרים ושבארץ כנען בשאר ארצות מנין תלמוד לומר (בראשית מא, נז) וכל הארץ באו מצרימה,וכשעלו ישראל ממצרים העלוהו עמהן שנאמר (שמות יב, לו) וינצלו את מצרים רב אסי אמר עשאוה כמצודה זו שאין בה דגן רבי שמעון אמר כמצולה שאין בה דגים,והיה מונח עד רחבעם בא שישק מלך מצרים ונטלו מרחבעם שנאמר (מלכים א יד, כה) ויהי בשנה החמישית למלך רחבעם עלה שישק מלך מצרים [על ירושלים] ויקח את אוצרות בית ה' ואת אוצרות בית המלך בא זרח מלך כוש ונטלו משישק,בא אסא ונטלוהו מזרח מלך כוש ושיגרו להדרימון בן טברימון באו בני עמון ונטלום מהדרימון בן טברימון בא יהושפט ונטלו מבני עמון והיה מונח עד אחז,בא סנחריב ונטלו מאחז בא חזקיה ונטלו מסנחריב והיה מונח עד צדקיה באו כשדיים ונטלוהו מצדקיה באו פרסיים ונטלוהו מכשדיים באו יוונים ונטלוהו מפרסיים באו רומיים ונטלוהו מיד יוונים ועדיין מונח ברומי:,אמר רבי חמא (בר) חנינא שלש מטמוניות הטמין יוסף במצרים אחת נתגלה לקרח ואחת נתגלה לאנטונינוס בן אסוירוס ואחת גנוזה לצדיקים לעתיד לבא,(קהלת ה, יב) עושר שמור לבעליו לרעתו אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש זו עשרו של קרח (שנאמר) (דברים יא, ו) ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם א"ר אלעזר זה ממונו של אדם שמעמידו על רגליו א"ר לוי משאוי שלש מאות פרדות לבנות היו מפתחות בית גנזיו של קרח וכולהו אקלידי וקליפי דגלדא:,(דיא"ש אדי"ש כשד"ך מאוד"ך סימן) א"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן (תהלים קיח, כא) אודך כי עניתני אמר דוד אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה אמר ישי מאת ה' היתה זאת אמרו אחיו זה היום עשה ה' אמר שמואל,אנא ה' הושיעה נא אמרו אחיו אנא ה' הצליחה נא אמר דוד ברוך הבא בשם ה' אמר ישי ברכנוכם מבית ה' אמר שמואל אל ה' ויאר לנו אמרו כולן אסרו חג בעבותים אמר שמואל אלי אתה ואודך אמר דוד אלהי ארוממך אמרו כולן:,תנן התם מקום שנהגו | 119a. bThis is one who recognizes his colleague’s place in the yeshiva,as he is there often enough to know where everyone sits. bSome saythat bRabbi Elazar saida different explanation: bThis isone bwho greets his colleague in the yeshiva,as he is always there to meet him.,The Gemara asks: bWhatis the meaning of the continuation of this verse: b“For stately clothing [ ilimekhaseh atik /i]” This isone bwho conceals [ imekhaseh /i]matters bthat the Ancient of Days [ iatik yomin /i],i.e., God, bconcealed. And what are these?These are bthe secrets of the Torah,the esoteric Act of Creation and the Act of the Divine Chariot, which should remain hidden. bAnd some say: Thisverse is referring to one bwho reveals matters that the Ancient of Days concealed. And what are these?These are the breasonsfor different mitzvot in the bTorah,which should be kept secret.,The Gemara cites another statement attributed to Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei. bRav Kahana said, citing Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “ iLamenatzeaḥa psalm of David”(e.g., Psalms 13:1)? It means: bSing to the One who rejoices when conquered [ ishenotzḥin oto /i]. /b, bCome and see how the characteristics of the Holy One, Blessed be He, are unlike the characteristics of flesh and blood: When a flesh and bloodperson bis conquered, he is sad; however, when the Holy One, Blessed be He, is conquered, He rejoices, as it is stated: “Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach,to turn back His wrath lest He should destroy them” (Psalms 106:23). In this verse Moses is called “His chosen,” although he defeated God, as it were, by preventing Him from destroying the Jewish people.,Furthermore, bRav Kahana said, citing Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei,who said that bRabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, citing Rabbi Yehuda Nesia: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is writtenin the description of the sacred iḥayyot /i, the angels that carried the Divine chariot: b“And they had the hands of a man under their wings”(Ezekiel 1:8)? Although the word is read hands in the plural, actually b“his hand” is writtenin the singular. bThis is the hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He, that is spread under the wings of the iḥayyotto accept penitents fromthe claims of bthe attribute of justice.God accepts sincere penitents, despite the fact that in accordance with the strict attribute of justice they should not be given the opportunity to repent., bRav Yehuda saidthat bShmuel said: Joseph collected all the silver and gold in the world and brought it to Egypt, as it is stated: “And Joseph collected all the money foundin the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 47:14). bI havederived bonlythat he collected the money bthatwas bin the land of Egypt and thatwas bin the Land of Canaan. From wheredo I derive that he also collected all the money bthatwas bin other lands? The verse states “And all the land came to Egyptto buy food from Joseph, because the famine was sore in all the earth” (Genesis 41:57)., bAnd when the Jewish people ascended from Egypt they tookthis treasure bwith them, as it is stated: “They despoiled [ ivayenatzlu /i] Egypt”(Exodus 12:36). The Sages explain this term. bRav Asi said: They madeEgypt blike this trap [ imetzuda /i]for birds, where grain is usually placed as bait, bin which there is no grain. Rabbi Shimon said:They made Egypt blike the depths [ ikimetzula /i]of the sea bin which there are no fish. /b, bAndthis treasure bremainedin Eretz Yisrael buntilthe time of bRehoboam,at which point bShishak, king of Egypt, came and took it from Rehoboam, as it is stated: “And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house;and he took away all” (I Kings 14:25–26). bZerah, king of Kush,who ruled over Egypt, later bcame and took it from Shishak. /b, bAsa came and took it from Zerah, king of Kush,when he defeated him in battle (II Chronicles 14) band sent it to Hadrimmon ben Tabrimmon,king of Aram (see I Kings 15). bThe children of Ammon came and took it from Hadrimmon ben Tabrimmon,as learned by tradition. bJehosaphat came and took it from the children of Ammon(see II Chronicles 20), band it remainedin Eretz Yisrael buntilthe reign of bAhaz. /b, bSennacherib came and took it from Ahaz. Hezekiah came and took it from Sennacherib, and it remainedin Jerusalem buntilthe reign of bZedekiah. The Chaldeans came and took it from Zedekiah. The Persians came and took it from the Chaldeans. The Greeks came and took it from the Persians. The Romans came and took it from the Greeks, andthis treasure of silver and gold bstill remains in Rome. /b,With regard to this matter, bRabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: Joseph hid three treasures in Egypt. Oneof them bwas revealed to Korah, one was revealed to Antoninos ben Asveiros,king of Rome, band one is hidden for the righteous in the future. /b,With regard to Korah’s wealth, the Gemara cites the verse: b“Riches kept by his owner to his hurt”(Ecclesiastes 5:12). bRabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: This is the wealth of Korah,which caused him to grow arrogant and lead to his destruction. bAs it is stated:“And what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben; how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, band all the sustece that was at their feet”(Deuteronomy 11:6). bRabbi Elazar said: Thisis referring to ba person’s money that stands him upon hisown two bfeet. Rabbi Levi said: The keys to Korah’s treasuries werea bload of three hundredstrong bwhite mules, and they were all keys [ iaklidei /i] and locksmade bof leather. /b,iDalet, yod, alef, shin, alef, dalet, yod, shin, khaf, shin, dalet, khaf, mem, alef, vav, dalet, khaf /iis ba mnemonicdevice for the following passage. Returning to the issue of ihallel /i, the Gemara states that these psalms include choruses in which each section is sung by a different person. bRabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saidthat bRabbi Yonatan saidthat bDavid recited: “I will give thanks to You, for You have answered me”(Psalms 118:21), with regard to the success of his reign. bYishai recited: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief keystone”(Psalms 118:22). bThe brothers ofDavid brecited: “This is the Lord’s doing;it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalms 118:23). bSamuelthe Prophet brecited: “This is the day which the Lord has made;we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24)., bThe brothers ofDavid brecited: “We beseech You, Lord, save now”(Psalms 118:25). bDavid recited: “We beseech You, Lord, make us prosper now”(Psalms 118:25). bYishai recited: “Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord”(Psalms 118:26). bSamuel recited: “We bless you out of the house of the Lord”(Psalms 118:26). bThey all recited: “The Lord is God, and has given us light”(Psalms 118:27). bSamuel recited: “Order the Festival procession with boughs,even to the horns of the altar” (Psalms 118:27). bDavid recited: “You are my God, and I will give thanks to You”(Psalms 118:28). bThey all recited: “You are my God, I will exalt You”(Psalms 118:28)., bWe learnedin a mishna bthere,in iSukka /i: In ba place where they were accustomed /b |
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18. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 21b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 21b. על הייחוד ועל הפנויה,יחוד דאורייתא הוא דאמר ר' יוחנן משום ר' שמעון בן יהוצדק רמז לייחוד מן התורה מניין שנאמר (דברים יג, ז) כי יסיתך אחיך בן אמך וכי בן אם מסית בן אב אינו מסית אלא לומר לך בן מתייחד עם אמו ואין אחר מתייחד עם כל עריות שבתורה,אלא אימא גזרו על ייחוד דפנויה,(מלכים א א, ה) ואדניה בן חגית מתנשא לאמר אני אמלוך אמר רב יהודה אמר רב מלמד שביקש להולמו ולא הולמתו,(מלכים א א, ה) ויעש לו רכב ופרשים וחמשים איש רצים לפניו מאי רבותא אמר רב יהודה אמר רב כולן נטולי טחול וחקוקי כפות רגלים היו:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big לא ירבה לו סוסים אלא כדי מרכבתו וכסף וזהב לא ירבה לו מאד אלא כדי ליתן אספניא וכותב לו ס"ת לשמו יוצא למלחמה מוציאה עמה נכנס הוא מכניסה עמו יושב בדין היא עמו מיסב היא כנגדו שנאמר (דברים יז, יט) והיתה עמו וקרא בו כל ימי חייו:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big תנו רבנן (דברים יז, טז) לא ירבה לו סוסים יכול אפילו כדי מרכבתו ופרשיו תלמוד לומר לו לו אינו מרבה אבל מרבה הוא כדי רכבו ופרשיו הא מה אני מקיים סוסים סוסים הבטלנין מניין שאפילו סוס א' והוא בטל שהוא בלא ירבה ת"ל (דברים יז, טז) למען הרבות סוס,וכי מאחר דאפילו סוס אחד והוא בטל קאי בלא ירבה סוסים למה לי לעבור בל"ת על כל סוס וסוס,טעמא דכתב רחמנא לו הא לאו הכי ה"א אפילו כדי רכבו ופרשיו נמי לא לא צריכא לאפושי:,וכסף וזהב לא ירבה לו אלא כדי ליתן אספניא: ת"ר (דברים יז, יז) וכסף וזהב לא ירבה לו יכול אפילו כדי ליתן אספניא ת"ל לו לו אינו מרבה אבל מרבה הוא כדי ליתן אספניא,טעמא דכתב רחמנא לו הא לאו הכי הוה אמינא אפילו כדי ליתן אספניא נמי לא לא צריכא להרווחה,השתא דאמרת לו לדרשה (דברים יז, יז) לא ירבה לו נשים מאי דרשת ביה למעוטי הדיוטות,רב יהודה רמי כתיב (מלכים א ה, ו) ויהי לשלמה ארבעים אלף ארוות סוסים למרכבתו וכתיב (דברי הימים ב ט, כה) ויהי לשלמה ארבעת אלפים (ארוות) סוסים הא כיצד אם ארבעים אלף איצטבלאות היו כל אחד ואחד היו בו ד' אלפים ארוות סוסים ואם ד' אלפים איצטבלאות היו כל אחד ואחד היו בו ארבעים אלף ארוות סוסים,(רבי) יצחק רמי כתיב (דברי הימים ב ט, כ) אין כסף נחשב בימי שלמה למאומה וכתיב (מלכים א י, כז) ויתן) שלמה את הכסף בירושלים כאבנים לא קשיא כאן קודם שנשא שלמה את בת פרעה כאן לאחר שנשא שלמה את בת פרעה,אמר רבי יצחק בשעה שנשא שלמה את בת פרעה ירד גבריאל ונעץ קנה בים והעלה שירטון ועליו נבנה כרך גדול שברומי,ואמר ר' יצחק מפני מה לא נתגלו טעמי תורה שהרי שתי מקראות נתגלו טעמן נכשל בהן גדול העולם כתיב (דברים יז, יז) לא ירבה לו נשים אמר שלמה אני ארבה ולא אסור וכתיב (מלכים א יא, ד) ויהי לעת זקנת שלמה נשיו הטו את לבבו,וכתיב (דברים יז, טז) לא ירבה לו סוסים ואמר שלמה אני ארבה ולא אשיב וכתיב (מלכים א י, כט) ותצא מרכבה ממצרים בשש וגו':,וכותב ספר תורה לשמו: תנא ובלבד שלא יתנאה בשל אבותיו,אמר (רבא) אף על פי שהניחו לו אבותיו לאדם ספר תורה מצוה לכתוב משלו שנאמר (דברים לא, יט) ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה איתיביה אביי וכותב לו ספר תורה לשמו שלא יתנאה בשל אחרים מלך אין הדיוט לא,לא צריכא לשתי תורות וכדתניא (דברים יז, יח) וכתב לו את משנה וגו' כותב לשמו שתי תורות אחת שהיא יוצאה ונכנסת עמו ואחת שמונחת לו בבית גנזיו,אותה שיוצאה ונכנסת עמו (עושה אותה כמין קמיע ותולה בזרועו שנאמר (תהלים טז, ח) שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד כי מימיני בל אמוט) אינו נכנס בה לא לבית המרחץ ולא לבית הכסא שנאמר (דברים יז, יט) והיתה עמו וקרא בו מקום הראוי לקראות בו,אמר מר זוטרא ואיתימא מר עוקבא בתחלה ניתנה תורה לישראל בכתב עברי ולשון הקודש חזרה וניתנה להם בימי עזרא בכתב אשורית ולשון ארמי ביררו להן לישראל כתב אשורית ולשון הקודש והניחו להדיוטות כתב עברית ולשון ארמי,מאן הדיוטות אמר רב חסדא כותאי מאי כתב עברית אמר רב חסדא כתב ליבונאה,תניא רבי יוסי אומר ראוי היה עזרא שתינתן תורה על ידו לישראל אילמלא (לא) קדמו משה במשה הוא אומר (שמות יט, ג) ומשה עלה אל האלהים בעזרא הוא אומר (עזרא ז, ו) הוא עזרא עלה מבבל מה עלייה האמור כאן תורה אף עלייה האמור להלן תורה,במשה הוא אומר (דברים ד, יד) ואותי צוה ה' בעת ההיא ללמד אתכם חקים ומשפטים בעזרא הוא אומר (עזרא ז, י) כי עזרא הכין לבבו לדרוש את תורת ה' (אלהיו) ולעשות וללמד בישראל חוק ומשפט ואף על פי שלא ניתנה תורה על ידו נשתנה על ידו הכתב שנאמר | 21b. babout seclusion,that a man should not be secluded with women who are forbidden to him, band about a single woman. /b,The Gemara objects: bSeclusionwith a woman forbidden by familial ties bisprohibited bby Torahlaw, and was not a rabbinic decree issued in the time of David. bAs Rabbi Yoḥa says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak: From whereis there ban allusion tothe ihalakhathat bseclusionis forbidden bby Torahlaw? bAs it is stated: “If your brother, the son of your mother, entices you”(Deuteronomy 13:7). One can ask: bBut does the son of a mother entice, and does the son of a father not entice?Why mention only the son of a mother? bRather,this verse serves bto tell youthat only ba sonmay bbe secluded with his mother.Sons are frequently with their mother, and two half-brothers of one mother consequently have the opportunity to grow close to one another. bBut anotherindividual bmay not be secluded with those with whom relations are forbidden by the Torah,including a stepmother. Therefore, half-brothers of one father spend less time together.,Since seclusion, then, is prohibited by Torah law, how did Rav say that it was prohibited by a decree issued in King David’s time? bRather, saythat bthey decreed against seclusionof a man bwith a single woman,to prevent occurrences like that of Amnon and Tamar.,Apropos Amnon, the Gemara cites traditions about another son of David: b“Now Adonijah, son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying: I will be king”(I Kings 1:5). bRav Yehuda saysthat bRav says:The term “exalted himself” bteaches that he soughtfor the monarchy bto fit him, but it did not fit him. /b,The verse continues: b“And he prepared for himself chariots and riders and fifty people to run before him”(I Kings 1:5). The Gemara asks: bWhat is the noveltyof these actions, since other wealthy people do the same, even if they are not the sons of kings, with designs on the throne? bRav Yehuda saysthat bRav says:What was unique was that the runners ball hadtheir bspleens removed and had the soles of their feet hollowed,removing the flesh of their feet, and these two procedures enhanced their speed., strongMISHNA: /strong The king b“shall not accumulate many horses for himself”(Deuteronomy 17:16), but bonlyenough bfor his chariotin war and in peace. b“Neither shall he greatly accumulate silver and gold for himself”(Deuteronomy 17:17), but bonly enough to providehis bsoldiers’ sustece [ iaspanya /i]. Andthe king bwrites himself a Torah scroll for his sake,as stipulated in Deuteronomy 17:18. When bhe goes out to war, he brings it out with him.When bhe comes infrom war, bhe brings it in with him.When bhe sits in judgment, it is with him.When bhe reclinesto eat, bit is opposite him, as it is stated: “And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life”(Deuteronomy 17:19)., strongGEMARA: /strong bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraitawith regard to the verse: b“He shall not accumulate many horses [ isusim /i] for himselfnor return the people to Egypt for the sake of accumulating horses [ isus /i]” (Deuteronomy 17:16): One bmighthave thought that he shall not have bevenenough horses bfor his chariot and riders.Therefore, bthe verse states: “For himself,”teaching that only if the horses are bfor himself,for personal pleasure, bhe shall not accumulatethem, bbut he may accumulatehorses bfor his chariot and riders. How, then, do I realizethe meaning of b“horses [ isusim /i]”in the verse? It is referring to bidle horses,which serve no purpose other than glorifying the king. bFrom whereis it derived bthat evenif the king has bone horse that is idle, that hetransgresses b“he shall not accumulate”? The verse states: “For the sake of accumulating horses [ isus /i],”with the term for horses written in the singular.,The Gemara asks: bBut oncethe verse taught bthat even one horse that is idle standsto be included in the prohibition of b“he shall not accumulate,” why do Ineed the plural form b“horses”in the first clause of the verse? The Gemara responds: Its purpose is btoteach that a king would btransgressthe bprohibitionan additional time bfor each and everyidle bhorse. /b,The Gemara questions this ruling: The specific breasonfor limiting the prohibition to idle horses is bthat the Merciful One writes:“He shall not accumulate bfor himself,”which indicates, bconsequently,that if the Torah had bnotwritten bthis, I would saythat bevenenough horses bfor his chariot and ridersare bnotpermitted; and this is unreasonable, since the king needs an army. The Gemara responds: bNo,the term “for himself” is bnecessaryto teach that it is permitted for the king bto adda reasonable number of horses beyond the necessary minimum, and it is only strictly personal use that is prohibited.,The mishna teaches: b“Neither shall he greatly accumulate silver and gold for himself”(Deuteronomy 17:17), but bonly enough to providehis bsoldiers’ sustece. The Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: From the command b“neither shall he greatly accumulate silver and gold for himself,”one bmighthave thought that he should not have beven enough to providehis bsoldiers’ sustece.To counter this, bthe verse states: “For himself,”teaching that only if the silver and gold is bfor himself,for personal pleasure, bhe shall not accumulateit, bbut he may accumulate enoughsilver and gold bto providehis bsoldiers’ sustece. /b,The Gemara questions this ruling: The specific breasonfor limiting the prohibition to personal wealth accumulation is bthat the Merciful One writes:“Neither shall he greatly accumulate silver and gold bfor himself,”which indicates, bconsequently,that if the Torah had bnotwritten bthis, I would saythat it bis notpermitted for the king to accumulate beven enoughsilver and gold bto providehis bsoldiers’ sustece;this is unreasonable, since the king needs an army. The Gemara responds: bNo,the term “for himself” is bnecessaryto teach that the king is permitted btoallow for ba liberal appropriationto the military budget, so that the army has a comfortable ficial cushion.,The Gemara asks: bNow that you have saidthat the term b“for himself”in the verse is stated bforthe purpose of ba derivationfor practical ihalakha /i, which limits and narrows the verse’s scope, bwhat do you derive fromthe next phrase in the verse: b“He shall not add many wives for himself”?The Gemara answers: That usage of “for himself” serves bto exclude ordinarypeople, to specify that only the king is restricted from having many wives, but a civilian may marry as many women as he wants, provided he can support them ficially.,§ bRav Yehuda raises a contradiction: It is writtenin one verse: b“And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots”(I Kings 5:6), band it is writtenin another verse: b“And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horsesand chariots” (II Chronicles 9:25). bHowcan bthesetexts be reconciled? bIf there were forty thousand large stables [ iitztablaot /i], each and every oneof them bhad in it four thousand stalls,or rows, bfor horses. Andalternatively, bif there were four thousand large stables, each and every one had in it forty thousand stalls for horses.Therefore the two verses are reconciled., bRabbi Yitzḥak raises a contradiction: It is writtenin one verse: b“Silver was not worth anything in the days of Solomon”(II Chronicles 9:20), band it is writtenin another verse: b“And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones”(I Kings 10:27), i.e., gems. The Gemara responds: It is bnot difficult: Here,where silver was worthless, this was bbefore Solomonsinfully bmarried Pharaoh’s daughter. There,where the silver was valuable, this was bafter Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter. /b, bRabbi Yitzḥak says: When Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter,the angel bGabriel descendedfrom Heaven band implanted a pole in the sea. Andit gradually braised up a sandbar [ isirton /i]around it, creating new, dry land, band on it the great city of Rome was built.This shows that the beginning of the Jewish people’s downfall to Rome came with Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter., bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: For whatreason bwere the rationales of Torahcommandments bnot revealed?It was bbecause the rationales of two verses were revealed,and bthe greatest in the world,King Solomon, bfailed inthose matters. bIt is writtenwith regard to a king: b“He shall not add many wives for himself,that his heart should not turn away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). bSolomon said: I will add many, but I will not turn away,as he thought that it is permitted to have many wives if one is otherwise meticulous not to stray. bAndlater, bit is written: “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heartafter other gods” (I Kings 11:4)., bAnd it isalso bwritten:“Only bhe shall not accumulate many horses for himselfnor return the people to Egypt for the sake of accumulating horses” (Deuteronomy 17:16), band Solomon said: I will accumulate many, but I will not return. And it is written: “And a chariotcame up band went out of Egypt for sixhundred shekels of silver” (I Kings 10:29), teaching that not only did Solomon violate the Torah, but he also failed in applying the rationale given for its commandments. This demonstrates the wisdom in the Torah’s usual silence as to the rationale for its mitzvot, as individuals will not mistakenly rely on their own wisdom to reason that the mitzvot are inapplicable in some circumstances.,§ The mishna teaches that the king bwrites a Torah scroll for his sake.The Sages btaughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta4:4): The king fulfills the mitzva bprovided that he does not beautify himself withthe Torah scroll bof his ancestorsfor this purpose, i.e., he must write his own scroll., bRava says:With regard to the mitzva for every Jew to write himself a Torah scroll, beven if a person’s ancestors left him a Torah scroll,it is ba mitzva to writea scroll bof one’s own, as it is stated: “Now, therefore, write for yourselvesthis bsongand teach it to the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:19). bAbaye raised an objection to himfrom a ibaraitaconcerning the king’s Torah scroll: bAnd he writes himself a Torah scroll for his sake, so that he does not beautify himself withthe Torah scroll bof others.Read precisely, this indicates that ba king, yes,he is included in the ihalakhanot to have a scroll inherited from his ancestors suffice, but ban ordinaryperson is bnot. /b,The Gemara dismisses Abaye’s objection: bNo,the ruling of that ibaraitais bnecessaryto teach that the king is commanded to write btwo Torahscrolls; he writes one scroll as does any Jew, and he writes an additional scroll because he is king. bAndthis is bas it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“That he shall write for himself a secondTorah in a scroll, out of that which is before the priests the Levites” (Deuteronomy 17:18). This teaches that bhe writes for his sake two Torahscrolls, bone that goes out and comes in with himat all times, band one that is placed in his treasury. /b,The ibaraitacontinues: With regard to bthe one that goes out and comes in with him, he makes itvery small, blike an amulet, and he hangsit bon his arm, as it is stated: “I have set the Lord always before me; He is at my right hand, that I shall not be moved”(Psalms 16:8). This alludes to the small Torah scroll that is always on his right hand. bHe does not go into the bathhouse with it, nor into the bathroom, as it is stated: “And it shall be with him and he shall read from it”(Deuteronomy 17:19), meaning, it shall remain in ba place that is appropriate for reading from it. /b,§ bMar Zutra says, and some saythat it is bMar Ukvawho says: bInitially,the bTorah was given to the Jewish people in iIvritscript,the original form of the written language, band the sacred tongue,Hebrew. bIt was given to them again in the days of Ezra in iAshuritscript andthe bAramaic tongue. The Jewish people selected iAshuritscript and the sacred tonguefor the Torah scroll band left iIvritscript andthe bAramaic tongue for the commoners. /b,The Gemara asks: bWho arethese bcommoners? Rav Ḥisda said: The Samaritans [ iKutim /i].The Gemara asks: bWhat is iIvritscript? Rav Ḥisda says: iLibona’ascript. /b, bIt is taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta4:5): bRabbi Yosei says: Ezra was suitable,given his greatness, bforthe bTorah to be given by him to the Jewish people, had Moses not come firstand received the Torah already. bWith regard to Mosesthe verse bstates: “And Moses went up to God”(Exodus 19:3), and bwith regard to Ezrathe verse bstates: “This Ezra went up from Babylonand he was a ready scribe in the Torah of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given” (Ezra 7:6). bJust asthe bgoing up stated here,with regard to Moses, is for the bTorah,which he received from God and transmitted to the Jewish people, bso too,the bgoing up stated there,with regard to Ezra, is for the bTorah,as he taught Torah to the Jewish people and was suitable to have originally merited to give it.,The ibaraitacontinues: bWith regard to Mosesthe verse bstates: “And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordices”(Deuteronomy 4:14), and bwith regard to Ezrathe verse bstates: “For Ezra had set his heart to seek the Torah of the Lord his God and to do it and to teach in Israel statutes and ordices”(Ezra 7:10). bAnd even thoughthe bTorah was not givenliterally bby him, the scriptof the Torah bwas changed by him, as it is stated: /b |
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19. Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, 9a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 9a. לפי ששלח בכל גבולי ישראל וראה שאין מפרישין אלא תרומה גדולה בלבד,מעשר ראשון ומעשר עני נמי לא המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה אלא מעשר שני נפרשו ונסקו וניכלוהו בירושלם,אמר עולא מתוך שפרהדרין הללו חובטין אותן כל י"ב חדש ואומרים להן מכרו בזול מכרו בזול לא אטרחונהו רבנן מאי פרהדרין פורסי,אמר רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן מאי דכתיב (משלי י, כז) יראת ה' תוסיף ימים ושנות רשעים תקצרנה יראת ה' תוסיף ימים זה מקדש ראשון שעמד ארבע מאות ועשר שנים ולא שמשו בו אלא י"ח כהנים גדולים,ושנות רשעים תקצרנה זה מקדש שני שעמד ד' מאות ועשרים שנה ושמשו בו יותר משלש מאות כהנים צא מהם מ' שנה ששמש שמעון הצדיק ושמונים ששמש יוחנן כהן גדול עשר ששמש ישמעאל בן פאבי ואמרי לה י"א ששמש ר' אלעזר בן חרסום מכאן ואילך צא וחשוב כל אחד ואחד לא הוציא שנתו,א"ר יוחנן בן תורתא מפני מה חרבה שילה מפני שהיו בה שני דברים גלוי עריות ובזיון קדשים גלוי עריות דכתיב (שמואל א ב, כב) ועלי זקן מאד ושמע את כל אשר יעשון בניו לכל ישראל ואת אשר ישכבון את הנשים הצובאות פתח אהל מועד ואע"ג דאמר ר' שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יוחנן כל האומר בני עלי חטאו אינו אלא טועה מתוך | 9a. This is bbecauseYoḥa the High Priest bsentemissaries bthroughout all theareas located within the bborders of iEretz bYisrael/i to assess the situation band saw thatthe people bwere separating only iteruma gedola /iand were neglecting to separate tithes. Therefore, he issued a decree that anyone who purchases produce from an iam ha’aretzmust be concerned about the possibility that it was not tithed and is required to tithe it. Since even an iam ha’aretzseparates iteruma gedola /i, the bakers who purchased grain from them were not required to do so.,And granted, bakers need not separate bfirst tithe and poor man’s tithedue to the principle: bThe burden of proof rests upon the claimant.Neither first tithe, given to Levites, nor poor man’s tithe, given to the poor, is sacred. It is merely the property of the Levite and the pauper, respectively. Since with regard to doubtfully tithed produce, by definition, there is no certainty that one is actually required to tithe it, if the Levite or the pauper should seek to take possession of the gifts, they must first prove that in fact the produce was not tithed. bHowever,with regard to bsecond tithe,why are the bakers exempt? bLet them separatesecond-tithe from the produce, btake it upto Jerusalem, band eat it in Jerusalem,which is the ihalakhawith regard to anyone else who purchases doubtfully tithed produce., bUlla said:It is bbecause these iparhedrin /i,government appointees, bbeatthe bakers throughout the bentire twelve monthsof their tenure band tell them: Sellyour baked goods bcheaply, sellthem bcheaply.Since the officers insist that the bakers refrain from raising their prices, bthe Sages did notfurther bburden themwith the exertion of separating second tithe from a large quantity of grain and taking it to Jerusalem, as they would be unable to raise their prices to cover the cost of the lost grain and the trip to Jerusalem. Since the presumptive status of the grain is that it was tithed, and the obligation to tithe doubtfully tithed produce is a stringency, the Sages exempted the baker from the obligation to do so. bWhatis the meaning of iparhedrin /i?These are royal bappointees [ ipursei /i]charged with performance of different tasks.,§ Apropos the Second Temple period, when High Priests were frequently replaced, the Gemara cites that bRabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened”(Proverbs 10:27)? bThe fear of the Lord prolongs days; thatis a reference to the bFirst Temple, which stoodfor bfour hundred and ten years and inwhich bonly eighteen High Priests served,as is written in the lists of the genealogy of the priests in the Bible., bBut the years of the wicked will be shortened; thatis a reference to the bSecond Temple, which stoodfor bfour hundred and twenty years and inwhich bover three hundred High Priests served.In calculating the tenures of the High Priests, bdeduct fromthe figure of four hundred and twenty years bforty years that Shimon HaTzaddik served, and eightyyears bthat Yoḥa the High Priest served, tenyears bthat Yishmael ben Pavi served, and some say elevenyears bthat Rabbi Elazar ben Ḥarsum served.These men were all righteous and were privileged to serve extended terms. After deducting those one hundred and thirty or one hundred and forty-one years, bgo out and calculate from thispoint bforwardand conclude: bEach and every oneof the remaining High Priests bdid not complete his yearin office, as the number of remaining High Priests is greater than the number of years remaining.,§ Apropos the sins of the High Priests in the Second Temple, the Gemara cites that bRabbi Yoḥa ben Torta said: Due to whatreason bwasthe Tabernacle in bShiloh destroyedin the time of the prophet Samuel? It was destroyed bdue tothe fact bthat there were two mattersthat existed binthe Tabernacle: bForbidden sexual relations and degradationof bconsecrated items.There were bforbidden sexual relations, as it is written: “Now Eli was very old and he heard what his sons were doing to all of Israel, how they lay with the women who did service at the opening of the Tent of Meeting”(I Samuel 2:22). bAnd although Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: Anyone who says that the sons of Eli sinnedby engaging in forbidden sexual relations bis nothing other than mistaken,even according to the alternative interpretation of the verse that it was bdue tothe fact |
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20. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan A, 37 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
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21. Anon., Pesiqta De Rav Kahana, 4.7
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