1. Hebrew Bible, Song of Songs, 1.2, 7.2 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.2. יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ כִּי־טוֹבִים דֹּדֶיךָ מִיָּיִן׃ 7.2. מַה־יָּפוּ פְעָמַיִךְ בַּנְּעָלִים בַּת־נָדִיב חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָמָּן׃ | 1.2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For thy love is better than wine. 7.2. How beautiful are thy steps in sandals, O prince’s daughter! The roundings of thy thighs are like the links of a chain, The work of the hands of a skilled workman. |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 4.9, 5.1, 6.4-6.9, 8.11, 9.10, 11.12-11.22, 31.21, 32.47, 33.4, 33.26, 33.29 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 4.9. רַק הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ מְאֹד פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וּפֶן־יָסוּרוּ מִלְּבָבְךָ כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ וְהוֹדַעְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְלִבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ׃ 5.1. וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַחֻקִּים וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי דֹּבֵר בְּאָזְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם וּלְמַדְתֶּם אֹתָם וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם לַעֲשֹׂתָם׃ 5.1. וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מצותו [מִצְוֺתָי׃] 6.4. שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃ 6.5. וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶךָ׃ 6.6. וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם עַל־לְבָבֶךָ׃ 6.7. וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ׃ 6.8. וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת עַל־יָדֶךָ וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ׃ 6.9. וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ׃ 8.11. הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹר מִצְוֺתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם׃ 11.12. אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עֵינֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה׃ 11.13. וְהָיָה אִם־שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֺתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶם׃ 11.14. וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר־אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ׃ 11.15. וְנָתַתִּי עֵשֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ לִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבָעְתָּ׃ 11.16. הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם פֶּן יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם לָהֶם׃ 11.17. וְחָרָה אַף־יְהוָה בָּכֶם וְעָצַר אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה מָטָר וְהָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִתֵּן אֶת־יְבוּלָהּ וַאֲבַדְתֶּם מְהֵרָה מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה נֹתֵן לָכֶם׃ 11.18. וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֶת־דְּבָרַי אֵלֶּה עַל־לְבַבְכֶם וְעַל־נַפְשְׁכֶם וּקְשַׁרְתֶּם אֹתָם לְאוֹת עַל־יֶדְכֶם וְהָיוּ לְטוֹטָפֹת בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם׃ 11.19. וְלִמַּדְתֶּם אֹתָם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם לְדַבֵּר בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ׃ 11.21. לְמַעַן יִרְבּוּ יְמֵיכֶם וִימֵי בְנֵיכֶם עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם לָתֵת לָהֶם כִּימֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃ 11.22. כִּי אִם־שָׁמֹר תִּשְׁמְרוּן אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשֹׂתָהּ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו וּלְדָבְקָה־בוֹ׃ 31.21. וְהָיָה כִּי־תִמְצֶאןָ אֹתוֹ רָעוֹת רַבּוֹת וְצָרוֹת וְעָנְתָה הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְפָנָיו לְעֵד כִּי לֹא תִשָּׁכַח מִפִּי זַרְעוֹ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת־יִצְרוֹ אֲשֶׁר הוּא עֹשֶׂה הַיּוֹם בְּטֶרֶם אֲבִיאֶנּוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבָּעְתִּי׃ 32.47. כִּי לֹא־דָבָר רֵק הוּא מִכֶּם כִּי־הוּא חַיֵּיכֶם וּבַדָּבָר הַזֶּה תַּאֲרִיכוּ יָמִים עַל־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ׃ 33.4. תּוֹרָה צִוָּה־לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב׃ 33.26. אֵין כָּאֵל יְשֻׁרוּן רֹכֵב שָׁמַיִם בְעֶזְרֶךָ וּבְגַאֲוָתוֹ שְׁחָקִים׃ 33.29. אַשְׁרֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִי כָמוֹךָ עַם נוֹשַׁע בַּיהוָה מָגֵן עֶזְרֶךָ וַאֲשֶׁר־חֶרֶב גַּאֲוָתֶךָ וְיִכָּחֲשׁוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ לָךְ וְאַתָּה עַל־בָּמוֹתֵימוֹ תִדְרֹךְ׃ | 4.9. Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children’s children;" 5.1. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordices which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them." 6.4. HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE." 6.5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." 6.6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;" 6.7. and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." 6.8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes." 6.9. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates." 8.11. Beware lest thou forget the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His ordices, and His statutes, which I command thee this day;" 9.10. And the LORD delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly." 11.12. a land which the LORD thy God careth for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. ." 11.13. And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul," 11.14. that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil." 11.15. And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied." 11.16. Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;" 11.17. and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you." 11.18. Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes." 11.19. And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." 11.20. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates;" 11.21. that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth." 11.22. For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him," 31.21. then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination how they do even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.’" 32.47. For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days upon the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.’" 33.4. Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." 33.26. There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven as thy help, And in His excellency on the skies." 33.29. Happy art thou, O Israel, who is like unto thee? A people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, And that is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall dwindle away before thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Exodus, 12.2, 20.6, 34.6, 35.1 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 12.2. כָּל־מַחְמֶצֶת לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ בְּכֹל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם תֹּאכְלוּ מַצּוֹת׃ 12.2. הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה׃ 20.6. וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֺתָי׃ 34.6. וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת 35.1. וְכָל־חֲכַם־לֵב בָּכֶם יָבֹאוּ וְיַעֲשׂוּ אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה׃ 35.1. וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהוָה לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם׃ | 12.2. ’This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." 20.6. and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments." 34.6. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;" 35.1. And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them: ‘These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them." |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 1.1, 19.24 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.1. וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב׃ 1.1. בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃ 19.24. וַיהוָה הִמְטִיר עַל־סְדֹם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת יְהוָה מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ | 1.1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 19.24. Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;" |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Job, 28.17 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 28.17. לֹא־יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוֹכִית וּתְמוּרָתָהּ כְּלִי־פָז׃ | 28.17. Gold and glass cannot equal it; Neither shall the exchange thereof be vessels of fine gold." |
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6. Hebrew Bible, Leviticus, 11.33-11.34, 19.19 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 11.33. וְכָל־כְּלִי־חֶרֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר־יִפֹּל מֵהֶם אֶל־תּוֹכוֹ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹכוֹ יִטְמָא וְאֹתוֹ תִשְׁבֹּרוּ׃ 11.34. מִכָּל־הָאֹכֶל אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל אֲשֶׁר יָבוֹא עָלָיו מַיִם יִטְמָא וְכָל־מַשְׁקֶה אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׁתֶה בְּכָל־כְּלִי יִטְמָא׃ 19.19. אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ בְּהֶמְתְּךָ לֹא־תַרְבִּיעַ כִּלְאַיִם שָׂדְךָ לֹא־תִזְרַע כִּלְאָיִם וּבֶגֶד כִּלְאַיִם שַׁעַטְנֵז לֹא יַעֲלֶה עָלֶיךָ׃ | 11.33. And every earthen vessel whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and it ye shall break." 11.34. All food therein which may be eaten, that on which water cometh, shall be unclean; and all drink in every such vessel that may be drunk shall be unclean." 19.19. Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together." |
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7. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 1.9, 2.4, 3.16, 3.18, 4.9, 4.22, 5.15-5.16, 13.11, 24.30-24.31 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.9. כִּי לִוְיַת חֵן הֵם לְרֹאשֶׁךָ וַעֲנָקִים לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶיךָ׃ 2.4. אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה׃ 3.16. אֹרֶךְ יָמִים בִּימִינָהּ בִּשְׂמֹאולָהּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד׃ 3.18. עֵץ־חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר׃ 4.9. תִּתֵּן לְרֹאשְׁךָ לִוְיַת־חֵן עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת תְּמַגְּנֶךָּ׃ 4.22. כִּי־חַיִּים הֵם לְמֹצְאֵיהֶם וּלְכָל־בְּשָׂרוֹ מַרְפֵּא׃ 5.15. שְׁתֵה־מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶךָ וְנֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ׃ 5.16. יָפוּצוּ מַעְיְנֹתֶיךָ חוּצָה בָּרְחֹבוֹת פַּלְגֵי־מָיִם׃ 13.11. הוֹן מֵהֶבֶל יִמְעָט וְקֹבֵץ עַל־יָד יַרְבֶּה׃ 24.31. וְהִנֵּה עָלָה כֻלּוֹ קִמְּשֹׂנִים כָּסּוּ פָנָיו חֲרֻלִּים וְגֶדֶר אֲבָנָיו נֶהֱרָסָה׃ | 1.9. For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck." 2.4. If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures;" 3.16. Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour." 3.18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, And happy is every one that holdest her fast." 4.9. She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of glory will she bestow on thee.’" 4.22. For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh." 5.15. Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well." 5.16. Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, And courses of water in the streets." 13.11. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; But he that gathereth little by little shall increase. ." 24.30. I went by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;" 24.31. And, lo, it was all grown over with thistles, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down." |
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8. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 19.9, 44.23, 82.6-82.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 19.9. פִּקּוּדֵי יְהוָה יְשָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵב מִצְוַת יְהוָה בָּרָה מְאִירַת עֵינָיִם׃ 44.23. כִּי־עָלֶיךָ הֹרַגְנוּ כָל־הַיּוֹם נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ כְּצֹאן טִבְחָה׃ 82.6. אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם׃ 82.7. אָכֵן כְּאָדָם תְּמוּתוּן וּכְאַחַד הַשָּׂרִים תִּפֹּלוּ׃ | 19.9. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." 44.23. Nay, but for Thy sake are we killed all the day; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 82.6. I said: Ye are godlike beings, and all of you sons of the Most High." 82.7. Nevertheless ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.'" |
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9. Hebrew Bible, 1 Samuel, 5-6, 4 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
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10. Hebrew Bible, 2 Kings, 1.10, 1.12, 22.8-22.20, 25.10 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 1.12. וַיַּעַן אֵלִיָּה וַיְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם אִם־אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אָנִי תֵּרֶד אֵשׁ מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְתֹאכַל אֹתְךָ וְאֶת־חֲמִשֶּׁיךָ וַתֵּרֶד אֵשׁ־אֱלֹהִים מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וַתֹּאכַל אֹתוֹ וְאֶת־חֲמִשָּׁיו׃ 22.8. וַיֹּאמֶר חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עַל־שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה מָצָאתִי בְּבֵית יְהוָה וַיִּתֵּן חִלְקִיָּה אֶת־הַסֵּפֶר אֶל־שָׁפָן וַיִּקְרָאֵהוּ׃ 22.9. וַיָּבֹא שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיָּשֶׁב אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּבָר וַיֹּאמֶר הִתִּיכוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּמְצָא בַבַּיִת וַיִּתְּנֻהוּ עַל־יַד עֹשֵׂי הַמְּלָאכָה הַמֻּפְקָדִים בֵּית יְהוָה׃ 22.11. וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו׃ 22.12. וַיְצַו הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־חִלְקִיָּה הַכֹּהֵן וְאֶת־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן וְאֶת־עַכְבּוֹר בֶּן־מִיכָיָה וְאֵת שָׁפָן הַסֹּפֵר וְאֵת עֲשָׂיָה עֶבֶד־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֵאמֹר׃ 22.13. לְכוּ דִרְשׁוּ אֶת־יְהוָה בַּעֲדִי וּבְעַד־הָעָם וּבְעַד כָּל־יְהוּדָה עַל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַנִּמְצָא הַזֶּה כִּי־גְדוֹלָה חֲמַת יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר־הִיא נִצְּתָה בָנוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שָׁמְעוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ עַל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּתוּב עָלֵינוּ׃ 22.14. וַיֵּלֶךְ חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן וַאֲחִיקָם וְעַכְבּוֹר וְשָׁפָן וַעֲשָׂיָה אֶל־חֻלְדָּה הַנְּבִיאָה אֵשֶׁת שַׁלֻּם בֶּן־תִּקְוָה בֶּן־חַרְחַס שֹׁמֵר הַבְּגָדִים וְהִיא יֹשֶׁבֶת בִּירוּשָׁלִַם בַּמִּשְׁנֶה וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלֶיהָ׃ 22.15. וַתֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִמְרוּ לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח אֶתְכֶם אֵלָי׃ 22.16. כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבָיו אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר אֲשֶׁר קָרָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃ 22.17. תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר עֲזָבוּנִי וַיְקַטְּרוּ לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לְמַעַן הַכְעִיסֵנִי בְּכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם וְנִצְּתָה חֲמָתִי בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְלֹא תִכְבֶּה׃ 22.18. וְאֶל־מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אֶתְכֶם לִדְרֹשׁ אֶת־יְהוָה כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁמָעְתָּ׃ 22.19. יַעַן רַךְ־לְבָבְךָ וַתִּכָּנַע מִפְּנֵי יְהוָה בְּשָׁמְעֲךָ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־יֹשְׁבָיו לִהְיוֹת לְשַׁמָּה וְלִקְלָלָה וַתִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדֶיךָ וַתִּבְכֶּה לְפָנָי וְגַם אָנֹכִי שָׁמַעְתִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ | 1.10. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty: ‘If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.’ And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty." 1.12. And Elijah answered and said unto them: ‘If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.’ And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty." 22.8. And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe: ‘I have found the book of the Law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it." 22.9. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought back word unto the king, and said: ‘Thy servants have poured out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.’" 22.10. And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying: ‘Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king." 22.11. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes." 22.12. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying:" 22.13. ’Go ye, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.’" 22.14. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe—now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter—and they spoke with her." 22.15. And she said unto them: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me:" 22.16. Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read;" 22.17. because they have forsaken Me, and have offered unto other gods, that they might provoke Me with all the work of their hands; therefore My wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched." 22.18. But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard," 22.19. because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become an astonishment and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me, I also have heard thee, saith the LORD." 22.20. Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.’ And they brought back word unto the king." 25.10. And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about." |
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11. Hebrew Bible, Amos, 8.11-8.12 (8th cent. BCE - 6th cent. BCE)
| 8.11. הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ לֹא־רָעָב לַלֶּחֶם וְלֹא־צָמָא לַמַּיִם כִּי אִם־לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה׃ 8.12. וְנָעוּ מִיָּם עַד־יָם וּמִצָּפוֹן וְעַד־מִזְרָח יְשׁוֹטְטוּ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהוָה וְלֹא יִמְצָאוּ׃ | 8.11. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, That I will send a famine in the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD." 8.12. And they shall wander from sea to sea, And from the north even to the east; They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, And shall not find it." |
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12. Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel, 9.1-9.4, 9.6-9.9, 44.7 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 9.1. וְגַם־אֲנִי לֹא־תָחוֹס עֵינִי וְלֹא אֶחְמֹל דַּרְכָּם בְּרֹאשָׁם נָתָתִּי׃ 9.1. וַיִּקְרָא בְאָזְנַי קוֹל גָּדוֹל לֵאמֹר קָרְבוּ פְּקֻדּוֹת הָעִיר וְאִישׁ כְּלִי מַשְׁחֵתוֹ בְּיָדוֹ׃ 9.2. וְהִנֵּה שִׁשָּׁה אֲנָשִׁים בָּאִים מִדֶּרֶךְ־שַׁעַר הָעֶלְיוֹן אֲשֶׁר מָפְנֶה צָפוֹנָה וְאִישׁ כְּלִי מַפָּצוֹ בְּיָדוֹ וְאִישׁ־אֶחָד בְּתוֹכָם לָבֻשׁ בַּדִּים וְקֶסֶת הַסֹּפֵר בְּמָתְנָיו וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ אֵצֶל מִזְבַּח הַנְּחֹשֶׁת׃ 9.3. וּכְבוֹד אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נַעֲלָה מֵעַל הַכְּרוּב אֲשֶׁר הָיָה עָלָיו אֶל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־הָאִישׁ הַלָּבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים אֲשֶׁר קֶסֶת הַסֹּפֵר בְּמָתְנָיו׃ 9.4. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אלו [אֵלָיו] עֲבֹר בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְהִתְוִיתָ תָּו עַל־מִצְחוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים הַנֶּאֱנָחִים וְהַנֶּאֱנָקִים עַל כָּל־הַתּוֹעֵבוֹת הַנַּעֲשׂוֹת בְּתוֹכָהּ׃ 9.6. זָקֵן בָּחוּר וּבְתוּלָה וְטַף וְנָשִׁים תַּהַרְגוּ לְמַשְׁחִית וְעַל־כָּל־אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָלָיו הַתָּו אַל־תִּגַּשׁוּ וּמִמִּקְדָּשִׁי תָּחֵלּוּ וַיָּחֵלּוּ בָּאֲנָשִׁים הַזְּקֵנִים אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי הַבָּיִת׃ 9.7. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם טַמְּאוּ אֶת־הַבַּיִת וּמַלְאוּ אֶת־הַחֲצֵרוֹת חֲלָלִים צֵאוּ וְיָצְאוּ וְהִכּוּ בָעִיר׃ 9.8. וַיְהִי כְּהַכּוֹתָם וְנֵאשֲׁאַר אָנִי וָאֶפְּלָה עַל־פָּנַי וָאֶזְעַק וָאֹמַר אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הֲמַשְׁחִית אַתָּה אֵת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשָׁפְכְּךָ אֶת־חֲמָתְךָ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃ 9.9. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי עֲוֺן בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה גָּדוֹל בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ דָּמִים וְהָעִיר מָלְאָה מֻטֶּה כִּי אָמְרוּ עָזַב יְהוָה אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְאֵין יְהוָה רֹאֶה׃ 44.7. בַּהֲבִיאֲכֶם בְּנֵי־נֵכָר עַרְלֵי־לֵב וְעַרְלֵי בָשָׂר לִהְיוֹת בְּמִקְדָּשִׁי לְחַלְּלוֹ אֶת־בֵּיתִי בְּהַקְרִיבְכֶם אֶת־לַחְמִי חֵלֶב וָדָם וַיָּפֵרוּ אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אֶל כָּל־תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיכֶם׃ | 9.1. Then he called in mine ears with a loud voice, saying: ‘Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.’" 9.2. And, behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn on his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar." 9.3. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn on his side." 9.4. And the LORD said unto him: ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.’" 9.6. slay utterly the old man, the young man and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ Then they began at the elders that were before the house." 9.7. And He said unto them: ‘Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain; go ye forth.’ And they went forth, and smote in the city." 9.8. And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said: ‘Ah Lord GOD! wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem?’" 9.9. Then said He unto me: ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of wresting of judgment; for they say: The LORD hath forsaken the land, and the LORD seeth not." 44.7. in that ye have brought in aliens, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to profane it, even My house, when ye offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My covet, to add unto all your abominations." |
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13. Hebrew Bible, 2 Chronicles, 34.14, 34.16, 34.19, 34.24, 36.19 (5th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 34.14. וּבְהוֹצִיאָם אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף הַמּוּבָא בֵּית יְהוָה מָצָא חִלְקִיָּהוּ הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־סֵפֶר תּוֹרַת־יְהוָה בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה׃ 34.16. וַיָּבֵא שָׁפָן אֶת־הַסֵּפֶר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיָּשֶׁב עוֹד אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ דָּבָר לֵאמֹר כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־נִתַּן בְּיַד־עֲבָדֶיךָ הֵם עֹשִׂים׃ 34.19. וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו׃ 34.24. כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי מֵבִיא רָעָה עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְעַל־יוֹשְׁבָיו אֵת כָּל־הָאָלוֹת הַכְּתוּבוֹת עַל־הַסֵּפֶר אֲשֶׁר קָרְאוּ לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃ 36.19. וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֶת־בֵּית הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְנַתְּצוּ אֵת חוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלִָם וְכָל־אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ שָׂרְפוּ בָאֵשׁ וְכָל־כְּלֵי מַחֲמַדֶּיהָ לְהַשְׁחִית׃ | 34.14. And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses." 34.16. And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word unto the king, saying: ‘All that was committed to thy servants, they do it." 34.19. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the Law, that he rent his clothes." 34.24. Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah;" 36.19. And they burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof." |
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14. Hebrew Bible, Ecclesiastes, 1.8 (5th cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 1.8. כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים יְגֵעִים לֹא־יוּכַל אִישׁ לְדַבֵּר לֹא־תִשְׂבַּע עַיִן לִרְאוֹת וְלֹא־תִמָּלֵא אֹזֶן מִשְּׁמֹעַ׃ | 1.8. All things toil to weariness; Man cannot utter it, The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing." |
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15. Hebrew Bible, Daniel, 10.5 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 10.5. וָאֶשָּׂא אֶת־עֵינַי וָאֵרֶא וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ־אֶחָד לָבוּשׁ בַּדִּים וּמָתְנָיו חֲגֻרִים בְּכֶתֶם אוּפָז׃ | 10.5. I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz;" |
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16. Mishnah, Avot, 1.1, 1.3, 2.10, 3.14-3.15, 5.1 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.1. Moses received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah." 1.3. Antigonus a man of Socho received [the oral tradition] from Shimon the Righteous. He used to say: do not be like servants who serve the master in the expectation of receiving a reward, but be like servants who serve the master without the expectation of receiving a reward, and let the fear of Heaven be upon you." 2.10. They [each] said three things:Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own; And be not easily provoked to anger; And repent one day before your death. And [he also said:] warm yourself before the fire of the wise, but beware of being singed by their glowing coals, for their bite is the bite of a fox, and their sting is the sting of a scorpion, and their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words are like coals of fire." 3.14. He used to say:Beloved is man for he was created in the image [of God]. Especially beloved is he for it was made known to him that he had been created in the image [of God], as it is said: “for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6). Beloved are Israel in that they were called children to the All-Present. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to them that they are called children of the All-Present, as it is said: “your are children to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1). Beloved are Israel in that a precious vessel was given to them. Especially beloved are they for it was made known to them that the desirable instrument, with which the world had been created, was given to them, as it is said: “for I give you good instruction; forsake not my teaching” (Proverbs 4:2)." 3.15. Everything is foreseen yet freedom of choice is granted, And the world is judged with goodness; And everything is in accordance with the preponderance of works. 5.1. With ten utterances the world was created. And what does this teach, for surely it could have been created with one utterance? But this was so in order to punish the wicked who destroy the world that was created with ten utterances, And to give a good reward to the righteous who maintain the world that was created with ten utterances." |
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17. Mishnah, Berachot, 5.1, 9.5 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.1. One should not stand up to say Tefillah except in a reverent state of mind. The pious men of old used to wait an hour before praying in order that they might direct their thoughts to God. Even if a king greets him [while praying] he should not answer him: even if a snake is wound round his heel he should not stop." 9.5. One must bless [God] for the evil in the same way as one blesses for the good, as it says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). “With all your heart,” with your two impulses, the evil impulse as well as the good impulse. “With all your soul” even though he takes your soul [life] away from you. “With all your might” with all your money. Another explanation, “With all your might” whatever treatment he metes out to you. One should not show disrespect to the Eastern Gate, because it is in a direct line with the Holy of Holies. One should not enter the Temple Mount with a staff, or with shoes on, or with a wallet, or with dusty feet; nor should one make it a short cut, all the more spitting [is forbidden]. All the conclusions of blessings that were in the Temple they would say, “forever [lit. as long as the world is].” When the sectarians perverted their ways and said that there was only one world, they decreed that they should say, “for ever and ever [lit. from the end of the world to the end of the world]. They also decreed that a person should greet his fellow in God’s name, as it says, “And behold Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, ‘May the Lord be with you.’ And they answered him, “May the Lord bless you’” (Ruth 2:. And it also says, “The Lord is with your, you valiant warrior” (Judges 6:12). And it also says, “And do not despise your mother when she grows old” (Proverbs 23:22). And it also says, “It is time to act on behalf of the Lord, for they have violated Your teaching” (Psalms 119:126). Rabbi Natan says: [this means] “They have violated your teaching It is time to act on behalf of the Lord.”" |
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18. Mishnah, Hulin, 2.9 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 2.9. One may not slaughter [so that the blood runs] into the sea or into rivers, or into vessels, But one may slaughter into a pool (or vessel) of water. And when on board a ship on to vessels. One may not slaughter at all into a hole, but one may dig a hole in his own house for the blood to run into. In the street, however, he should not do so as not to follow the ways of the heretics." |
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19. Mishnah, Kilayim, 9.8 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 9.8. Only that which is spun or woven is forbidden under the law of kilayim, as it says, “You shall not wear shatnez” (Deuteronomy 22:1, that which is shua (combed) tavui (spun) and nuz (woven). Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: [the word shaatnez means that] he [the transgressor] is perverted (naloz) and causes his father in heaven to avert himself [from him]." |
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20. 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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21. Mishnah, Qiddushin, 4.13 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
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22. Mishnah, Sanhedrin, 4.5 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.5. How did they admonish witnesses in capital cases? They brought them in and admonished them, [saying], “Perhaps you will say something that is only a supposition or hearsay or secondhand, or even from a trustworthy man. Or perhaps you do not know that we shall check you with examination and inquiry? Know, moreover, that capital cases are not like non-capital cases: in non-capital cases a man may pay money and so make atonement, but in capital cases the witness is answerable for the blood of him [that is wrongfully condemned] and the blood of his descendants [that should have been born to him] to the end of the world.” For so have we found it with Cain that murdered his brother, for it says, “The bloods of your brother cry out” (Gen. 4:10). It doesn’t say, “The blood of your brother”, but rather “The bloods of your brother” meaning his blood and the blood of his descendants. Another saying is, “The bloods of your brother” that his blood was cast over trees and stones. Therefore but a single person was created in the world, to teach that if any man has caused a single life to perish from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had caused a whole world to perish; and anyone who saves a single soul from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had saved a whole world. Again [but a single person was created] for the sake of peace among humankind, that one should not say to another, “My father was greater than your father”. Again, [but a single person was created] against the heretics so they should not say, “There are many ruling powers in heaven”. Again [but a single person was created] to proclaim the greatness of the Holy Blessed One; for humans stamp many coins with one seal and they are all like one another; but the King of kings, the Holy Blessed One, has stamped every human with the seal of the first man, yet not one of them are like another. Therefore everyone must say, “For my sake was the world created.” And if perhaps you [witnesses] would say, “Why should we be involved with this trouble”, was it not said, “He, being a witness, whether he has seen or known, [if he does not speak it, then he shall bear his iniquity] (Lev. 5:1). And if perhaps you [witnesses] would say, “Why should we be guilty of the blood of this man?, was it not said, “When the wicked perish there is rejoicing” (Proverbs 11:10).]" |
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23. 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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24. Mishnah, Tamid, 5.1 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.1. The superintendent said to them: Bless one blessing! And they blessed. They then read the Ten Commandments, the Shema, the “And it will be if you hearken” (the second paragraph of Shema) and Vayomer (the third paragraph of Shema), and they blessed the people with three blessings: Emet veYatziv, and Avodah, and the priestly benediction. On Shabbat they added a blessing to be said by the watch which was leaving." |
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25. New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 1.7-1.9 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.7. o that you come behindin no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 1.8. who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of ourLord Jesus Christ. 1.9. God is faithful, through whom you were calledinto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. |
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26. New Testament, Romans, 8.36 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 8.36. Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter. |
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27. New Testament, John, 4.14, 7.38 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 4.14. but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 7.38. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water. |
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28. New Testament, Luke, 4.24, 20.34-20.35 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 4.24. He said, "Most assuredly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 20.34. Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry, and are given in marriage. 20.35. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. |
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29. New Testament, Matthew, 3.10, 5.4, 24.22 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 3.10. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. 5.4. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 24.22. Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. |
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30. Tosefta, Berachot, 3.14 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 3.14. Any [holiday] on which there is no Mussaf [prayer] for example, Chanukah and Purim, on Shacharit and Mincha he prays [the Shmoneh Esreh with] eighteen [Berachot (blessings)] and he says [the paragraph] about the occasion in [the Beracha of] Hodaah (Thanks). And if he did not say [the paragraph] about the occasion, he does not have to go back [to the beginning of Shmoneh Esreh]. And any [holiday] which has on it [the] Mussaf [prayer], for example Rosh Chodesh (New Month), and Chol Hamoed (the intermediate days of Sukkot and Pesach), on Shacharit and Mincha10 he would pray [the prayer of Shmoneh Esreh with] eighteen [Berachot] and he says [the paragraph] about the holiness of the day11 in [the Beracha of] Avodah (Temple Service).12 Rebbi Eliezer says, “[he says the paragraph about the holiness of the day] in [the Beracha of] Hodaah, and if he did not say it then he has to go back [to the beginning of Shmoneh Esreh].” In [the] Mussaf [prayer] he prays [the Shmoneh Esreh consisting of] seven [Berachot] and he says [the paragraph about the] holiness of the day in the middle [Beracha]. [On] Shabbat that fell out on Rosh Chodesh or on Chol Hamoed, during Shacharit and during Mincha he prays [the Shmoneh Esreh prayer that consists of] seven [Berachot] and he says [the paragraph about the] occasion in [the Beracha of] Avodah. Rebbi Eliezer says, “[He says the paragraph about the holiness of the day] in [the Beracha of] Hodaah, and if he did not say it then he has to go back [to the beginning of Shmoneh Esreh].” In [the] Mussaf [prayer] he prays [the Shmoneh Esreh consisting of] seven [Berachot] and he says [the paragraph about the] holiness of the day in the middle [Beracha]. On Shabbat, on Yom Tov (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot), and on Yom Kippur] he prays [the Shmoneh Esreh consisting of] seven [Berachot] and he says [the paragraph about the] holiness of the day in the middle [Beracha]. Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel and Rebbi Yishmael the son of Rebbi Yocha Ben Beroka say, “Any time that he is supposed to say seven [Berachot in Shmoneh Esreh] he says [the paragraph about the] holiness of the day in the middle [Beracha].”" |
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31. Tosefta, Eduyot, 1.1 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 1.1. When the Sages entered the Vineyard in Yavneh, they said, \"In the future, there will come an hour when a person seeks a teaching from the teachings of the Torah and he will not find it, or in the teachings of the Scribes, and he will not find it.\" As it says, \"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, etc. they will seek out the word of God and they will not find it (Amos 8).\" 'The word of God' refers to prophecy. 'The word of God' refers to the End (of Days). 'The word of God', so that there shall not be one word of Torah similar to its fellow. They said, \"Let us begin from Hillel and Shammai!\"..." |
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32. Tosefta, Hagigah, 2.1, 2.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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33. Tosefta, Hulin, 2.18-2.24 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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34. Tosefta, Parah, 3.3 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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35. Tosefta, Sanhedrin, 4.5, 8.7, 13.5 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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36. Tosefta, Shabbat, 13.5 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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37. Anon., Qohelet Rabba, 1.8, 10.8 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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38. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 1.1, 1.14, 14.7, 25.1, 79.6 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 1.1. רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָה רַבָּה פָּתַח (משלי ח, ל): וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן וָאֶהְיֶה שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים יוֹם יוֹם וגו', אָמוֹן פַּדְּגוֹג, אָמוֹן מְכֻסֶּה, אָמוֹן מֻצְנָע, וְאִית דַּאֲמַר אָמוֹן רַבָּתָא. אָמוֹן פַּדְּגוֹג, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (במדבר יא, יב): כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשָֹּׂא הָאֹמֵן אֶת הַיֹּנֵק. אָמוֹן מְכֻסֶּה, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (איכה ד, ה): הָאֱמֻנִים עֲלֵי תוֹלָע וגו'. אָמוֹן מֻצְנָע, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (אסתר ב, ז): וַיְהִי אֹמֵן אֶת הֲדַסָּה. אָמוֹן רַבָּתָא, כְּמָא דְתֵימָא (נחום ג, ח): הֲתֵיטְבִי מִנֹּא אָמוֹן, וּמְתַרְגְּמִינַן הַאַתְּ טָבָא מֵאֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָא רַבָּתָא דְּיָתְבָא בֵּין נַהֲרוֹתָא. דָּבָר אַחֵר אָמוֹן, אֻמָּן. הַתּוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת אֲנִי הָיִיתִי כְּלִי אֻמְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בְּנֹהַג שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם בּוֹנֶה פָּלָטִין, אֵינוֹ בּוֹנֶה אוֹתָהּ מִדַּעַת עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא מִדַּעַת אֻמָּן, וְהָאֻמָּן אֵינוֹ בּוֹנֶה אוֹתָהּ מִדַּעַת עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא דִּפְתְּרָאוֹת וּפִנְקְסָאוֹת יֵשׁ לוֹ, לָדַעַת הֵיאךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה חֲדָרִים, הֵיאךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה פִּשְׁפְּשִׁין. כָּךְ הָיָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַבִּיט בַּתּוֹרָה וּבוֹרֵא אֶת הָעוֹלָם, וְהַתּוֹרָה אָמְרָה בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים. וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (משלי ח, כב): ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ. 1.1. רַבִּי יוֹנָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר, לָמָּה נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם בְּב', אֶלָּא מַה ב' זֶה סָתוּם מִכָּל צְדָדָיו וּפָתוּחַ מִלְּפָנָיו, כָּךְ אֵין לְךָ רְשׁוּת לוֹמַר, מַה לְּמַטָּה, מַה לְּמַעְלָה, מַה לְּפָנִים, מַה לְּאָחוֹר, אֶלָּא מִיּוֹם שֶׁנִּבְרָא הָעוֹלָם וּלְהַבָּא. בַּר קַפָּרָא אָמַר (דברים ד, לב): כִּי שְׁאַל נָא לְיָמִים רִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ לְפָנֶיךָ, לְמִן הַיּוֹם שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ אַתָּה דּוֹרֵשׁ, וְאִי אַתָּה דּוֹרֵשׁ לִפְנִים מִכָּאן. (דברים ד, לב): וּלְמִקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַד קְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם, אַתָּה דּוֹרֵשׁ וְחוֹקֵר, וְאִי אַתָּה חוֹקֵר לִפְנִים מִכָּאן. דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן פָּזִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית בַּהֲדֵיהּ דְּבַר קַפָּרָא, לָמָּה נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם בְּב', לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ שֶׁהֵן שְׁנֵי עוֹלָמִים, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְלָמָּה בְּב' שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן בְּרָכָה, וְלָמָּה לֹא בְּאָלֶ"ף שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן אֲרִירָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה לֹא בְּאָלֶ"ף שֶׁלֹא לִתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסִין לוֹמַר הֵיאַךְ הָעוֹלָם יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד שֶׁהוּא נִבְרָא בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרִירָה, אֶלָּא אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הֲרֵי אֲנִי בּוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ בִּלְשׁוֹן בְּרָכָה, וְהַלְּוַאי יַעֲמֹד. דָּבָר אַחֵר, לָמָּה בְּב' אֶלָּא מַה ב' זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁנֵי עוֹקְצִין, אֶחָד מִלְּמַעְלָה וְאֶחָד מִלְּמַטָּה מֵאֲחוֹרָיו, אוֹמְרִים לַב' מִי בְּרָאֲךָ, וְהוּא מַרְאֶה בְּעוּקְצוֹ מִלְּמַעְלָה, וְאוֹמֵר זֶה שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה בְּרָאָנִי. וּמַה שְּׁמוֹ, וְהוּא מַרְאֶה לָהֶן בְּעוּקְצוֹ שֶׁל אַחֲרָיו, וְאוֹמֵר ה' שְׁמוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר חֲנִינָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֲחָא, עֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁשָּׁה דוֹרוֹת הָיְתָה הָאָלֶ"ף קוֹרֵא תִּגָּר לִפְנֵי כִסְאוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אָמְרָה לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אֲנִי רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל אוֹתִיּוֹת וְלֹא בָּרָאתָ עוֹלָמְךָ בִּי, אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הָעוֹלָם וּמְלוֹאוֹ לֹא נִבְרָא אֶלָּא בִּזְכוּת הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ג, יט): ה' בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ וגו', לְמָחָר אֲנִי בָּא לִתֵּן תּוֹרָה בְּסִינַי וְאֵינִי פּוֹתֵחַ תְּחִלָה אֶלָּא בָּךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ, ב): אָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ. רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא אוֹמֵר לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ אָלֶ"ף, שֶׁהוּא מַסְכִּים מֵאָלֶ"ף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קה, ח): דָּבָר צִוָּה לְאֶלֶף דּוֹר. 1.14. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל שָׁאַל אֶת רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אָמַר לוֹ בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁשִּׁמַּשְׁתָּ אֶת נַחוּם אִישׁ גַּם זוּ עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה, אַכִין וְרַקִּין מִעוּטִין, אֶתִין וְגַמִּין רִבּוּיִן, הָדֵין אֶת דִּכְתִיב הָכָא, מַה הוּא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ, אִלּוּ נֶאֱמַר בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, הָיִינוּ אוֹמְרִים הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ אֱלָהוּת הֵן, אֲמַר לֵיהּ (דברים לב, מז): כִּי לֹא דָבָר רֵק הוּא מִכֶּם, וְאִם רֵק הוּא מִכֶּם, לָמָּה שֶׁאֵין אַתֶּם יוֹדְעִין לִדְרשׁ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאִי אַתֶּם יְגֵעִין בּוֹ, (דברים לב, מז): כִּי הוּא חַיֵּיכֶם, אֵימָתַי הוּא חַיֵּיכֶם, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאַתֶּם יְגֵעִין בּוֹ. אֶלָּא אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, לְרַבּוֹת חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה וּמַזָּלוֹת, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ, לְרַבּוֹת אִילָנוֹת וּדְשָׁאִין וְגַן עֵדֶן. רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא מִשּׁוּם רַב הוּנָא אָמַר (שמות לח, כב): וּבְצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶּן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה עָשָׂה אֵת אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ משֶׁה, לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת משֶׁה, אֲפִלּוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁלֹא שָׁמַע מִפִּי רַבּוֹ, הִסְכִּימָה דַעְתּוֹ לְמַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמשֶׁה בְּסִינַי. רַבִּי חוֹנְיָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אָמַר (מלאכי ב, ו): תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת הָיְתָה בְּפִיהוּ, אֵלּוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁשָּׁמַע מִפִּי רַבּוֹ. וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי (משלי ג, כו): כִּי ה' יִהְיֶה בְכִסְלֶךָ, אֲפִלּוּ דְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה כְּסִיל בָּהֶן, (משלי ג, כו): וְשָׁמַר רַגְלְךָ מִלָּכֶד, רַבִּי דוֹסָאי אָמַר, מִן הַהוֹרָיָה. רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ אָמַר, מִן הָעֲבֵרָה. רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר, מִן הַמַּזִּיקִין. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְדִימוּס, אִם נָתַתָּ מִכִּסְךָ צְדָקָה, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְשַׁמֶּרְךָ מִן הַפִּיסִין וּמִן הַזִּמְיוֹנוֹת, מִן הַגֻּלְגְּלָאוֹת וּמִן הָאַרְנוֹנִית. 14.7. עָפָר, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר סִימוֹן אוֹמֵר, עוֹפֶר עוֹלָם עַל מְלֵיאָתוֹ נִבְרָא. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בַּר שִׁמְעוֹן אַף חַוָּה עַל מְלֵיאָתָהּ נִבְרֵאת. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָדָם וְחַוָּה כִּבְנֵי עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה נִבְרְאוּ. רַבִּי הוּנָא אָמַר עָפָר זָכָר, אֲדָמָה נְקֵבָה, הַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה מֵבִיא עָפָר זָכָר, וַאֲדָמָה נְקֵבָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כֵּלָיו בְּרִיאִין. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד בְּצִפּוֹרִי שֶׁמֵּת בְּנוֹ, אִית דְּאָמְרֵי מִינָאִי הֲוָה יָתִיב גַּבֵּיהּ, סְלֵק רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא לְמֶחֱמֵי לֵיהּ אַנְפִּין, חַמְתֵיהּ יָתֵיב וְשָׂחֵיק, אֲמַר לֵיהּ לָמָּה אַתָּה שָׂחֵיק, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֲנַן רְחִיצָן בְּמָרֵי שְׁמַיָא, דְּאִתְחַמֵי לְאַפּוּיֵי לְעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לָא מִסְתְּיֵיהּ לְהַהוּא גַבְרָא עָקְתֵיהּ אֶלָּא דַאֲתֵית מְעָקָא לֵיהּ, אִית חַסְפִּין מִתְדַּבְּקִין, לֹא כָּךְ כְּתִיב (תהלים ב, ט): כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם, אֶתְמְהָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ כְּלִי חֶרֶשׂ בְּרִיָּיתוֹ מִן הַמַּיִם וְהֶכְשֵׁרוֹ בָּאוּר, כְּלִי זְכוּכִית בְּרִיָּיתוֹ מִן הָאוּר וְהֶכְשֵׁרוֹ בָּאוּר. זֶה נִשְׁבַּר וְיֵשׁ לוֹ תַּקָּנָה, וְזֶה נִשְׁבַּר וְאֵין לוֹ תַּקָּנָה, אֶתְמְהָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהוּא עָשׂוּי בִּנְפִיחָה. אָמַר לוֹ יִשְׁמְעוּ אָזְנֶיךָ מַה שֶּׁפִּיךָ אוֹמֵר, מָה אִם זֶה שֶׁעָשׂוּי בִּנְפִיחָתוֹ שֶׁל בָּשָׂר וָדָם יֵשׁ לוֹ תַּקָּנָה, בִּנְפִיחָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק כִּכְלִי חֶרֶס תְּנַפְּצֵם אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם, כְּלִי יוֹצֵר שֶׁלֹא הוּסְקוּ יְכוֹלִין הֵן לַחֲזֹר. 25.1. וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים (בראשית ה, כד), אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בַּר הוֹשַׁעְיָא אֵינוֹ נִכְתַּב בְּתוֹךְ טִימוֹסָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים אֶלָּא בְּתוֹךְ טִימוֹסָן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים. אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְבוּ חֲנוֹךְ חָנֵף הָיָה, פְּעָמִים צַדִּיק פְּעָמִים רָשָׁע, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַד שֶׁהוּא בְּצִדְקוֹ אֲסַלְּקֶנּוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְבוּ בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה דָּנוֹ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא דָן כָּל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם. אֶפִּיקוֹרְסִים שָׁאֲלוּ לְרַבִּי אַבָּהוּ אָמְרוּ לוֹ אֵין אָנוּ מוֹצְאִין מִיתָה לַחֲנוֹךְ, אָמַר לָהֶם לָמָּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ נֶאֶמְרָה כָּאן לְקִיחָה וְנֶאֶמְרָה לְהַלָּן (מלכים ב ב, ה): כִּי הַיּוֹם ה' לֹקֵחַ אֶת אֲדֹנֶיךָ מֵעַל רֹאשֶׁךָ, אָמַר לָהֶם אִם לִלְּקִיחָה אַתֶּם דּוֹרְשִׁים, נֶאֱמַר כָּאן לְקִיחָה וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (יחזקאל כד, טז): הִנְנִי לֹקֵחַ מִמְּךָ אֶת מַחְמַד עֵינֶיךָ, אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא יָפֶה הֵשִׁיבָן רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ. מַטְרוֹנָה שָׁאֲלָה אֶת רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמְרָה לוֹ אֵין אָנוּ מוֹצְאִין מִיתָה בַּחֲנוֹךְ, אָמַר לָהּ אִלּוּ נֶאֱמַר (בראשית ה, כד): וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וְשָׁתַק, הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר כִּדְבָרַיִךְ, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים, וְאֵינֶנּוּ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה כִּי לָקַח אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים. 79.6. וַיִּחַן אֶת פְּנֵי הָעִיר (בראשית לג, יח), חָנַן אֶת הַפָּנִים שֶׁבָּעִיר, הִתְחִיל מְשַׁלֵּחַ לָהֶם דּוֹרוֹנוֹת. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וַיִּחַן אֶת פְּנֵי הָעִיר, הִתְחִיל מַעֲמִיד הַטְּלִיסִין וּמוֹכֵר בְּזוֹל, הֲדָא אָמְרָת שֶׁאָדָם צָרִיךְ לְהַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְמָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ הֲנָאָה מִמֶּנּוּ. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרֵיהּ הֲווֹ טְמִירִין בִּמְעָרְתָא י"ג שָׁנָה בְּיוֹמֵי דִּשְׁמָדָא, וְהָיוּ אוֹכְלִין חֲרוּבִין שֶׁל גָּרוֹדָא עַד שֶׁהֶעֱלָה גּוּפָן חֲלוּדָה. לְסוֹף שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁנִין נְפַק יְתֵיב עַל תְּרַע מְעָרְתָא, חֲמָא חַד צַיָּד קָאֵים וְצָיֵד צִיפֳּרִין, וְכַד הֲוָה שָׁמַע רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּרַת קָלָא אָמְרָה מִן שְׁמַיָא דִּימוֹס דִּימוֹס, פַּסְגָּא. וְכַד הֲוָה שָׁמַע בְּרַת קָלָא אֲמָרַת סְפֶקוּלָא, הֲוַת מִתָּצְדָה וְנִלְכָּדָה. אָמַר, צִפּוֹר מִבַּלְעֲדֵי שְׁמַיָא לָא מִתָּצְדָא עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה נֶפֶשׁ דְּבַר נָשׁ, נְפַק וְאַשְׁכַּח מִלַּיָא מְשַׁדְּכָן, וְנִתְבַּטְּלָה הַגְּזֵרָה. אֲתוֹן וְאַסְחוֹן בַּהֲדָא בֵּי בָּנֵי דְּבֵית מוֹקֵד דִּטְבֶרְיָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ בְּרֵיהּ כָּל הֲדָא טַבְתָא עֲבָדַת לָן טְבֶרְיָא וְלֵית אֲנַן מְדַכָּן יָתָהּ מִן קָטוֹלַיָא, אָמַר צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת טוֹבָה כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ עוֹשִׂים, שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹשִׂים אִיטְלוּסִין וּמוֹכְרִין בְּזוֹל, אָמַר צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לְדַכָּיָא טְבֶרְיָא, מָה עֲבַד, נְסַב תֻּרְמוּסָא וַהֲוָה מְקַצֵּץ תֻּרְמוּסָא וְשַׁדֵּי קְצוֹצוּתֵיהּ וּמְקַלֵּק בַּשּׁוּק, וְכָל אַתְרָא דַּהֲוָה קְטִילָא סָלֵיק וְאִינוּן מַפְקוּן וְנָפְקִין, וְכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁלֹא הָיְתָה שָׁמָּה טֻמְאָה תֻּרְמְסָא עוֹמֶדֶת, וְהוּא מְצַיֵּן אֵיזֶה מְקוֹם טֻמְאָה וּמְקוֹם טָהֳרָה, עַד זְמַן דְּדַכֵּי יָתָהּ מִן קָטִילַיָא. חֲמְתֵיהּ חַד כּוּתִי עַם דְאַרַע, אֲמַר לֵית אֲנָא אָזֵיל וּמַדְחַךְ בַּהֲדֵין סָבָא דִּיהוּדָאֵי, אִית דְּאָמְרֵי מִן הָדֵין שׁוּקָא דְּגַרְגִּינָא וְאִית דְּאָמְרֵי מִן הָדֵין שׁוּקָא דְּסַקָּאֵי, נְסַב קְטִיל וּטְמָרֵיהּ בְּשׁוּקָא דַּהֲווֹ מְדַכֵּי, בְּצַפְרָא אֲזַל אֲמַר לְהוֹן אַמְרִיתוּן דְּדַכֵּי בֶּן יוֹחָאי טְבֶרְיָא אֲתוֹן חֲמוּן הָדֵין קְטִילָא [נסח אחר: אזל לגביה אמר ליה לא דכיתא שוק פלן, אמר ליה הין, אמר ליה ואין אפיקת לך מיתין מן בתרך, אמר ליה גוד חמי ליה], צָפָה רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא נְתָנוֹ שָׁם, אָמַר גּוֹזֵר אֲנִי עַל הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁיֵּרֵד וְעַל הַתַּחְתּוֹן שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה, וַהֲוָה כֵן. וּסְלֵיק וּשְׁבַת בְּבֵיתֵיהּ, וַעֲבַר בְּהָדֵין מִגְדְּלָא דְּצַבָּעַיָא שְׁמַע קָלָא דְּנַקָּאי סַפְרָא, אָמַר לָא אַמְרִיתוּן דְּדַכֵּי בַּר יוֹחָאי לִטְבֶרְיָה, אָמְרִין אַשְׁכְּחוּן חַד קְטִילָא, אָמַר יָבוֹא עָלַי אִם אֵין בְּיָדִי הֲלָכוֹת כִּשְׂעַר רֹאשִׁי עַל טְבֶרְיָה שֶׁהִיא טְהוֹרָה חוּץ מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה וְאַתָּה לֹא הָיִיתָ בַּמִּנְיָן עִמָּנוּ שֶׁנִּטְהֲרָה, פָּרַצְתָּ גְּדֵרָן שֶׁל חֲכָמִים, וְעָלֶיךָ נֶאֱמַר (קהלת י, ח): וּפֹרֵץ גָּדֵר יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ נָחָשׁ, מִיָּד נַעֲשָׂה גַּל שֶׁל עֲצָמוֹת. עָבַר בַּהֲדָא בִּקְעַת דְּבֵית נְטוֹפָא, חֲמָא חַד בַּר נָשׁ קָאֵים וּמְלַקֵּט סְפִיחֵי שְׁבִיעִית, אָמַר לוֹ וְלֹא סְפִיחֵי שְׁבִיעִית הֵן, אָמַר לוֹ וְלֹא אַתָּה הוּא שֶׁהִתַּרְתָּ, לֹא כָךְ תְּנֵינַן רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר כָּל הַסְּפִיחִין מֻתָּרִין חוּץ מִסְּפִיחֵי כְּרוּב שֶׁאֵין כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם בְּיַרְקוֹת שָׂדֶה, אָמַר לוֹ וַהֲלוֹא חֲבֵרַי חוֹלְקִים עָלַי, פָּרַצְתָּ גְּדֵרָן שֶׁל חֲכָמִים וּפֹרֵץ גָּדֵר יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ נָחָשׁ, וְכֵן הֲוַת לֵיהּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וַיִּחַן אֶת פְּנֵי הָעִיר, נִכְנַס בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת עִם דִּמְדּוּמֵי חַמָּה מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם, וְקָבַע תְּחוּמִין מִבְּעוֹד יוֹם. הֲדָא אָמְרָת שֶׁשָּׁמַר יַעֲקֹב אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּתַּן. | 1.1. The great Rabbi Hoshaya opened [with the verse (Mishlei 8:30),] \"I [the Torah] was an amon to Him and I was a plaything to Him every day.\" Amon means \"pedagogue\" (i.e. ny). Amon means \"covered.\" Amon means \"hidden.\" And there is one who says amon means \"great.\" Amon means \"ny,\" as in (Bamidbar 11:12) “As a ny (omein) carries the suckling child.\" Amon means \"covered,\" as in (Eichah 4:5) \"Those who were covered (emunim) in scarlet have embraced refuse heaps.\" Amon means \"hidden,\" as in (Esther 2:7) \"He hid away (omein) Hadassah.\" Amon means \"great,\" as in (Nahum 3:8) \"Are you better than No-amon [which dwells in the rivers]?\" which the Targum renders as, \"Are you better than Alexandria the Great (amon), which dwells between the rivers?\" Alternatively, amon means \"artisan.\" The Torah is saying, \"I was the artisan's tool of Hashem.\" In the way of the world, a king of flesh and blood who builds a castle does not do so from his own knowledge, but rather from the knowledge of an architect, and the architect does not build it from his own knowledge, but rather he has scrolls and books in order to know how to make rooms and doorways. So too Hashem gazed into the Torah and created the world. Similarly the Torah says, \"Through the reishis Hashem created [the heavens and the earth],\" and reishis means Torah, as in \"Hashem made me [the Torah] the beginning (reishis) of His way\" (Mishlei 8:22)." 1.14. Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Akiva and said to him \"seeing as you served Nahum, the man from Gamzu, twenty two years, [who teaches that] iachand iraqare [hermeneutic tools for] dimunition ( imi'ut /i) and ietand igamare [tools for] expansion ( iribuy /i) what is your opinion on the ietwritten here; what is it?\" and he said to him: \"if it was said \"in the beginning God created heavens and earth\" we would say that the heavens and the earth are divinities.\" He said to him \"\"for this is no empty thing for you\" (Deuteronomy 32:47) and if it seems empty to you, then it is because you do not know to interpret correctly when you are not careful with it \"for it is your life\" (Deuteronomy 32:47). When is it your life? When you are careful with it.\" But, ietthe heavens, [this iet /i] expands to include the sun and moon and zodiac signs, and ietthe earth, [this iet /i] expands to include the trees and grass and the Garden of Eden. Rabbi Tanchuma from Rav Huna said \"And Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur from the tribe of Judah made what Moses commanded him\" (Exodus 38:22), does it not say \" ietall which Hashem commanded Moses\", even the words which he did not hear from the mouth of his master, he planned his judgment from what was spoken to Moses on Sinai. Rabbi Chonya in the name of Rabbi said \"\"The Torah of truth was from his mouth\" (Malachi 2:6) these are the words which he heard from the mouth of his master\". And the rabbis said \"For Hashem will be your confidence\" (Proverbs 3:26), even though you are confident in them, \"He will guard your foot from being caught\" (Proverbs 3:26)\". Rabbi Dosai said \"from erroneous decisions\". Rabbi Abbahu said \"from sin\". Rabbi Levi said \"from harm\". Said Rabbi Avdimus \"if you gave charity from your money, the Holy One, blessed be He, guards you from tariffs and from fines, from head-taxes and from forced contributions\". " 14.7. ... dirt from the ground / afar min ha’adamah,[ explains]: ‘Afar’—male, ‘adamah’—female..." |
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39. Anon., Leviticus Rabba, 30.1 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 30.1. וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן (ויקרא כג, מ), רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא פָּתַח (משלי ח, י): קְחוּ מוּסָרִי וְאַל כָּסֶף, קְחוּ מוּסָרָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וְאַל כָּסֶף, (ישעיה נה, ב): לָמָּה תִשְׁקְלוּ כֶסֶף בְּלוֹא לֶחֶם, לָמָּה אַתֶּם שׁוֹקְלִים כֶּסֶף לִבְנֵי עֵשָׂו בְּלוֹא לֶחֶם, עַל שֶׁלֹּא שְׂבַעְתֶּם מִלַּחְמָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה. (ישעיה נה, ב): וִיגִיעֲכֶם בְּלוֹא לְשָׂבְעָה, לָמָּה אַתֶּם יְגֵעִים וְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם שְׂבֵעִים, בְּלֹא לְשָׂבְעָה, עַל שֶׁלֹּא שְׂבַעְתֶּם מִיֵּינָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ט, ה): וּשְׁתוּ בְּיַיִן מָסָכְתִּי. רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה וְרַבִּי חִיָּא אֲבוֹי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן נְהוֹרָאי אָמַר, כְּתִיב (ירמיה ל, כ): וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כָּל לֹחֲצָיו, אֲפִלּוּ עַל גַּבָּאֵי צְדָקָה, חוּץ מִשְּׂכַר סוֹפְרִים וּמַשְׁנִים, שֶׁאֵינָן נוֹטְלִין אֶלָּא שְׂכַר בַּטָּלָה בִּלְבָד, אֲבָל שְׂכַר דָּבָר אֶחָד מִן הַתּוֹרָה אֵין כָּל בְּרִיָּה יְכוֹלָה לִתֵּן מַתַּן שְׂכָרָהּ. תָּנֵי מֵרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה נִקְצָצִין מְזוֹנוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם חוּץ מִמַּה שֶּׁמּוֹצִיא בְּשַׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים וְרָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים וּמַה שֶּׁהַתִּינוֹקוֹת מוֹלִיכִים לְבֵית רַבָּן, אִם מוֹסִיף מוֹסִיפִים לוֹ אִם פּוֹחֵת פּוֹחֲתִין לוֹ. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הֲוָה מְטַיֵּל, סָלֵק מִטְבֶרְיָא לְצִפּוֹרִין, וַהֲוָה רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר אַבָּא מִסְמַךְ לֵיהּ, מָטוֹן חַד בֵּית חֲקַל אֲמַר הָדֵין בֵּית חַקְלָא הֲוָה דִידִי וְזַבֵּינִית יָתֵיהּ בִּגְלַל לְמִזְכֵּי בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. מָטוֹן חַד דְּבֵית כַּרְמָא אֲמַר הָדֵין בֵּית כַּרְמָא דִידִי הֲוֵית וְזַבֵּינִית יָתֵיהּ בִּגְלַל לְמִזְכֵּי בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. מָטוֹן חַד דְּבֵית זֵיתָא, אֲמַר הָדֵין בֵּית זֵיתָא דִידִי הֲוָה וְזַבֵּינִית יָתֵיהּ בִּגְלַל לְמִזְכֵּי בְּאוֹרַיְתָא, שָׁרֵי רַבִּי חִיָּא בָּכֵי, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מָה אַתְּ בָּכֵי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ עַל דְּלָא שְׁבַקְתְּ לְסִיבוּתָךְ כְּלוּם. אָמַר לוֹ קַלָּה הִיא בְּעֵינֶיךָ מַה שֶּׁעָשִׂיתִי שֶׁמָּכַרְתִּי דָבָר שֶׁנִּבְרָא לְשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים וְקָנִיתִי דָּבָר שֶׁנִּתַּן לְאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות לד, כח): וַיְהִי שָׁם עִם ה' אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה, וּכְתִיב (דברים ט, ט): וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה. כַּד דְּמַךְ רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן הֲוָה דּוֹרוֹ קוֹרֵא עָלָיו (שיר השירים ח, ז): אִם יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת כָּל הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה, שֶׁאָהַב רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, (דברים ט, ט): בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ. כַּד דְּמַךְ רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא אִישׁ טִירְיָא רָאוּ מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁפָּרְחָה בָּאֲוִיר, וְהָיָה דּוֹרוֹ קוֹרֵא עָלָיו (שיר השירים ח, ז): אִם יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת כָּל הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה, שֶׁאָהַב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבָּא הוֹשַׁעְיָא אִישׁ טִירְיָא, בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ. כַּד דְּמַךְ רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, הָיָה דּוֹרוֹ קוֹרֵא עָלָיו (שיר השירים ג, ו): מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר כְּתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן מְקֻטֶּרֶת מֹר וּלְבוֹנָה מִכֹּל אַבְקַת רוֹכֵל, מַהוּ מִכֹּל אַבְקַת רוֹכֵל, אֶלָּא דַהֲוָה קָרָיי וְתָנָיי וּפַּיְיטָן וְדַרְשָׁן. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא מִשְּׂכַר לְקִיחָה אַתָּה לָמֵד שְׂכַר לְקִיחָה, בְּמִצְרַיִם כְּתִיב (שמות יב, כב): וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב, בְּכַמָּה הֲוָת טִימְיָא דִּידֵיהּ בְּאַרְבָּעָה מִינֵי, וְהוּא גָּרַם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לִירַשׁ בִּזַּת הַיָּם, בִּזַּת סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג, בִּזַּת שְׁלשִׁים וְאֶחָד מְלָכִים. לוּלָב שֶׁעוֹמֵד עַל הָאָדָם בְּכַמָּה דָּמִים, וְכַמָּה מִצְווֹת יֵשׁ בּוֹ, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. לְפִיכָךְ משֶׁה מַזְהִיר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר לָהֶם: וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן. 30.1. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר, זֶה אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהִדְּרוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כד, א): וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים, וּכְתִיב (ויקרא יט, לב): וְהָדַרְתָּ פְּנֵי זָקֵן. כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, זֶה יִצְחָק, שֶׁהָיָה כָּפוּת וְעָקוּד עַל גַּבֵּי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ. וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָבֹת, זֶה יַעֲקֹב, מָה הֲדַס זֶה רָחוּשׁ בְּעָלִין, כָּךְ הָיָה יַעֲקֹב רָחוּשׁ בְּבָנִים. וְעַרְבֵי נָחַל, זֶה יוֹסֵף, מָה עֲרָבָה זוֹ כְּמוּשָׁה לִפְנֵי שְׁלשָׁה מִינִין הַלָּלוּ, כָּךְ מֵת יוֹסֵף לִפְנֵי אֶחָיו. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר, זוֹ שָׂרָה שֶׁהִדְּרָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יח, יא): וְאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה זְקֵנִים. כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, זוֹ רִבְקָה, מַה תְּמָרָה זוֹ יֵשׁ בָּהּ אֹכֶל וְיֵשׁ בָּהּ עֳקָצִין, כָּךְ הֶעֱמִידָה רִבְקָה צַדִּיק וְרָשָׁע. וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָבֹת, זוֹ לֵאָה, מָה הֲדַס זֶה רָחוּשׁ בְּעָלִין, כָּךְ הָיְתָה לֵאָה רְחוּשָׁה בְּבָנִים. וְעַרְבֵי נָחַל, זוֹ רָחֵל, מָה עֲרָבָה זוֹ כְּמוּשָׁה לִפְנֵי שְׁלשֶׁת הַמִּינִין, כָּךְ רָחֵל מֵתָה לִפְנֵי אֲחוֹתָהּ. | |
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40. Anon., Sifre Deuteronomy, 232, 306, 317, 32, 320, 331, 335, 41, 49, 218 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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41. Anon., Sifre Numbers, 143, 16, 112 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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42. Palestinian Talmud, Avodah Zarah, None (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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43. Palestinian Talmud, Berachot, 9.5 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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44. Palestinian Talmud, Hagigah, 2.1 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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45. Palestinian Talmud, Moed Qatan, 3.7 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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46. Palestinian Talmud, Sanhedrin, None (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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47. Palestinian Talmud, Sheviit, 9.1 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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48. Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 16b. ואליבא דרבי יהודה רב אשי אמר סתם ארי שבור הוא אצל מלאכה,מיתיבי כשם שאין מוכרין להן בהמה גסה כך אין מוכרין להן חיה גסה ואפילו במקום שמוכרין להן בהמה דקה חיה גסה אין מוכרין להן תיובתא דרב חנן בר רבא תיובתא,רבינא רמי מתניתין אברייתא ומשני תנן אין מוכרין להן דובין ואריות ולא כל דבר שיש בו נזק לרבים טעמא דאית ביה נזק הא לית ביה נזק מוכרין,ורמינהי כשם שאין מוכרין בהמה גסה כך אין מוכרין חיה גסה ואפילו במקום שמוכרין בהמה דקה חיה גסה אין מוכרין ומשני בארי שבור ואליבא דר' יהודה רב אשי אמר סתם ארי שבור הוא אצל מלאכה,מתקיף לה רב נחמן מאן לימא לן דארי חיה גסה היא דלמא חיה דקה היא,רב אשי דייק מתניתין ומותיב תיובתא תנן אין מוכרין להן דובים ואריות ולא כל דבר שיש בו נזק לרבים טעמא דאית ביה נזק הא לית ביה נזק מוכרין,וטעמא ארי דסתם ארי שבור הוא אצל מלאכה אבל מידי אחרינא דעביד מלאכה לא תיובתא דרב חנן בר רבא תיובתא,וחיה גסה מיהת מאי מלאכה עבדא אמר אביי אמר לי מר יהודה דבי מר יוחני טחני ריחים בערודי,א"ר זירא כי הוינן בי רב יהודה אמר לן גמירו מינאי הא מילתא דמגברא רבה שמיע לי ולא ידענא אי מרב אי משמואל חיה גסה הרי היא כבהמה דקה לפירכוס,כי אתאי לקורקוניא אשכחתיה לרב חייא בר אשי ויתיב וקאמר משמיה דשמואל חיה גסה הרי היא כבהמה דקה לפירכוס אמינא ש"מ משמיה דשמואל איתמר כי אתאי לסורא אשכחתיה לרבה בר ירמיה דיתיב וקא"ל משמיה דרב חיה גסה הרי היא כבהמה דקה לפירכוס אמינא ש"מ איתמר משמיה דרב ואיתמר משמיה דשמואל,כי סליקת להתם אשכחתיה לרב אסי דיתיב וקאמר אמר רב חמא בר גוריא משמיה דרב חיה גסה הרי היא כבהמה דקה לפירכוס אמרי ליה ולא סבר לה מר דמאן מרא דשמעתתא רבה בר ירמיה א"ל פתיא אוכמא מינאי ומינך תסתיים שמעתא,איתמר נמי א"ר זירא אמר רב אסי אמר רבה בר ירמיה אמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב חיה גסה הרי היא כבהמה דקה לפירכוס:,אין בונין כו': אמר רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן ג' בסילקאות הן של מלכי עובדי כוכבים ושל מרחצאות ושל אוצרות אמר רבא ב' להיתר ואחד לאיסור וסימן (תהלים קמט, ח) לאסור מלכיהם בזיקים,ואיכא דאמרי אמר רבא כולם להיתר והתנן אין בונין עמהן בסילקי גרדום איצטדייא ובימה אימא של גרדום ושל איצטדייא ושל בימה,ת"ר כשנתפס ר"א למינות העלהו לגרדום לידון אמר לו אותו הגמון זקן שכמותך יעסוק בדברים בטלים הללו,אמר לו נאמן עלי הדיין כסבור אותו הגמון עליו הוא אומר והוא לא אמר אלא כנגד אביו שבשמים אמר לו הואיל והאמנתי עליך דימוס פטור אתה,כשבא לביתו נכנסו תלמידיו אצלו לנחמו ולא קיבל עליו תנחומין אמר לו ר"ע רבי תרשיני לומר דבר אחד ממה שלימדתני אמר לו אמור אמר לו רבי שמא מינות בא לידך | 16b. bandthis is bin accordance withthe opinion bof Rabbi Yehudain the mishna on 14b, that it is permitted to sell to a gentile large livestock that are damaged. Yet, it is prohibited to sell large undamaged beasts, just as one may not sell large undamaged livestock. bRav Ashi says:It is not necessary to explain that the mishna is referring to such a specific case. Rather, ban ordinary lion isconsidered bdamaged with regard to labor,as lions are not generally used to perform labor. Therefore there is no concern that a lion will be used to perform prohibited labor on Shabbat.,The Gemara braises an objectionfrom a ibaraita /i: bJust as one may not sell large livestock togentiles, bso too one may not sell large beasts to them. And even in a place wherethe people were accustomed to bsell small livestock togentiles; nevertheless, bone may not sell large beasts tothem. The Gemara concludes: bThe refutation ofthe opinion of bRav Ḥa bar Ravais ba conclusive refutation. /b,The Gemara presents a different version of this discussion. bRavina raises a contradiction between the mishnahere band a ibaraitaand resolvesthe contradiction. bWe learnedin the mishna: bOne may not sell bears, or lions, or any item that can cause injury to the public, togentiles. Ravina analyzes the mishna: bThe reasona beast such as a lion cannot be sold to gentiles is bthat it can cause injury to the public,from which it may be inferred that with regard to another beast, which bdoes not cause injury to the public, one may sellit to gentiles., bAndRavina braises a contradictionfrom a ibaraita /i: bJust as one may not sell large livestockto gentiles, bso too, one may not sell large beaststo them. bAnd even in a place wherethe people were accustomed to bsell small livestockto gentiles, bone may not sell large beaststo them. The ibaraitaindicates that one may never sell large beasts to gentiles, even if it poses no danger to the public. bAndRavina bresolvesthe contradiction between the mishna and the ibaraita /i: The ruling of the mishna is stated bwith regard to a damaged lion, in accordance withthe opinion bof Rabbi Yehuda. Rav Ashi saysthere is a different explanation: bAn ordinary lion isconsidered bdamaged with regard to labor. /b, bRav Naḥman objects tothe inference drawn from the mishna: bWho will tell us that a lion isconsidered ba large beast? Perhaps it isconsidered ba small beast,in which case it cannot be inferred that the mishna permits the sale of large beasts.,The Gemara explains: bRav Ashi examined the mishnahere carefully, bandfrom it he braises a refutationof the opinion of Rav Ḥa bar Rava, who permitted the sale of large beasts. bWe learnedin the mishna: bOne may not sell bears, or lions, or any item that can cause injury to the public, togentiles. Rav Ashi inferred two conclusions from here. First, bthe reasona beast such as a lion cannot be sold to gentiles is bbecause it can cause injury to the public,whereas with regard to a beast that bdoes not cause injury to the public, one may sellit to gentiles. This inference was cited in contradiction of the opinion of Rav, as explained before., bAndRav Ashi then inferred, in resolution of Rav’s opinion, that bthe reasonthe mishna specifies that one may sell ba lionif it does not pose a danger to the public is bthat an ordinary lion isconsidered bdamaged with regard to labor. But a differentanimal bthat performs labormay bnotbe sold. This presents a difficulty to the opinion of Rav Ḥa bar Rava. The Gemara concludes: bThe refutation ofthe opinion of bRav Ḥa bar Ravais ba conclusive refutation. /b,The Gemara asks: bBut in any event, what labor can a large beast perform?Why is it necessary to prohibit the sale of large beasts if they are not trained to perform any labor? bAbaye said: Mar Yehuda said to methat bin the house of Mar Yoḥani, they grind the mill with wild asses,which are considered large beasts.,§ bRabbi Zeira said: When we were in thestudy bhall of Rav Yehuda, he said to us: Learn from me this matter, which I heard from a great man, but I do not know ifI heard it bfrom Rav or from Shmuel:The status of ba large beast is likethat of bsmall livestock with regard to a spasm,i.e., the symptoms of vitality required at the time of slaughtering.,Rabbi Zeira continued: bWhen I came tothe city of bKorkoneya, I found Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi sitting and saying in the name of Shmuel:The status of ba large beast is likethat of bsmall livestock with regard to a spasm. I saidto myself: One can bconclude fromhere that this bwas stated in the name of Shmuel. When I came to Sura, I found Rabba bar Yirmeya sitting and saying in the name of Rav:The status of ba large beast is likethat of bsmall livestock with regard to a spasm. I saidto myself: One can bconclude fromhere that this bwas stated in the name of Rav, andit bwasalso bstated in the name of Shmuel. /b, bWhen I ascended to there,Eretz Yisrael, bI found Rav Asi sitting and sayingthat bRav Ḥama bar Gurya says in the name of Rav:The status of ba large beast is likethat of bsmall livestock with regard to a spasm. I said to him: And doesn’t the Master hold that the Masterwho is responsible for dissemination bofthis ihalakha /iis bRabba bar Yirmeya?Why don’t you attribute the statement to him? Rav Asi bsaid to me: Black pot [ ipatya /i],a term of endearment for a scholar who works hard studying Torah: bFrom me and from youthis ihalakhamay be concluded.In other words, our two statements should be combined to form one accurate attribution of the ihalakha /i.,The Gemara notes that in fact this ruling bwas also stated: Rabbi Zeira saysthat bRav Asi saysthat bRabba bar Yirmeya saysthat bRav Ḥama bar Gurya saysthat bRav says:The status of ba large beast is likethat of bsmall livestock with regard to a spasm. /b,§ The mishna teaches that bone may not builda basilica in conjunction with gentiles. bRabba bar bar Ḥana saysthat bRabbi Yoḥa says: There are threetypes of bbasilicas:Those bof kings, andthose bof bathhouses, andthose bof storehouses. Rava says: Twoof these types bare permitted,as they are not used for inflicting the death penalty, band one is prohibited [ ile’isor /i]. And a mnemonicdevice for this ruling, that the basilica of kings is prohibited, is the verse: b“To bind [ ile’esor /i] their kings with chains”(Psalms 149:8)., bAnd there arethose bwho saythat this is what bRava says: Allthese types of basilica are bpermitted.The Gemara asks: How can it be permitted to build any type of basilica; bbut didn’t we learnin the mishna: bOne may not build with them a basilica, a tribunal, a stadium, or a platform?The Gemara answers: bSaythat the mishna means the following: One may not build in conjunction with gentiles a basilica bof a tribunal, or of a stadium, or of a platform.But it is permitted to build a basilica that is not used for sentencing and inflicting the death penalty.,§ Apropos the above discussion, the Gemara relates incidents involving Sages who were sentenced by the ruling authorities. bThe Sages taught: When Rabbi Eliezer was arrestedand charged bwith heresyby the authorities, bthey brought him up to a tribunal to be judged. A certainjudicial bofficer [ ihegemon /i] said to him:Why bshould an elder like you engage in these frivolous mattersof heresy?,Rabbi Eliezer bsaid to him: The Judge is trusted by meto rule correctly. bThat officer thoughtthat Rabbi Eliezer bwas speaking about him; butin fact bhe saidthis bonly in reference to his Father in Heaven.Rabbi Eliezer meant that he accepted God’s judgment, i.e., if he was charged he must have sinned to God in some manner. The officer bsaid to him: Since youput byour trust in me,you are bacquitted [ idimos /i]; you are exempt. /b, bWhenRabbi Eliezer bcame home, his students entered to console himfor being accused of heresy, which he took as a sign of sin, band he did not accepttheir words of bconsolation. Rabbi Akiva said to him: My teacher, allow me to say one matter fromall of bthat which you taught me.Rabbi Eliezer bsaid to him: Speak.Rabbi Akiva bsaid to him: My teacher, perhapssome statement of bheresy came before you /b |
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49. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 8b. פדיון שבוים מצוה רבה היא,אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי מנא הא מילתא דאמור רבנן דפדיון שבוים מצוה רבה היא א"ל דכתיב (ירמיהו טו, ב) והיה כי יאמרו אליך אנה נצא ואמרת אליהם כה אמר ה' אשר למות למות ואשר לחרב לחרב ואשר לרעב לרעב ואשר לשבי לשבי ואמר רבי יוחנן כל המאוחר בפסוק זה קשה מחבירו,חרב קשה ממות אי בעית אימא קרא ואי בעית אימא סברא אי בעית אימא סברא האי קא מינוול והאי לא קא מינוול ואי בעית אימא קרא (תהלים קטז, טו) יקר בעיני ה' המותה לחסידיו,רעב קשה מחרב איבעית אימא סברא האי קא מצטער והאי לא קא מצטער איבעית אימא קרא (איכה ד, ט) טובים היו חללי חרב מחללי רעב שבי [קשה מכולם] דכולהו איתנהו ביה:,תנו רבנן קופה של צדקה נגבית בשנים ומתחלקת בשלשה נגבית בשנים שאין עושים שררות על הצבור פחות משנים ומתחלקת בשלשה כדיני ממונות,תמחוי נגבית בשלשה ומתחלקת בשלשה שגבויה וחלוקה שוים תמחוי בכל יום קופה מערב שבת לערב שבת,תמחוי לעניי עולם קופה לעניי העיר ורשאים בני העיר לעשות קופה תמחוי ותמחוי קופה ולשנותה לכל מה שירצו,ורשאין בני העיר להתנות על המדות ועל השערים ועל שכר פועלים ולהסיע על קיצתן,אמר מר אין עושין שררות על הצבור פחות משנים מנא הני מילי אמר רב נחמן אמר קרא (שמות כח, ה) והם יקחו את הזהב וגו',שררות הוא דלא עבדי הא הימוני מהימן מסייע ליה לרבי חנינא דאמר רבי חנינא מעשה ומינה רבי שני אחין על הקופה,מאי שררותא דאמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה לפי שממשכנין על הצדקה ואפילו בערב שבת איני והא כתיב (ירמיהו ל, כ) ופקדתי על כל לוחציו ואמר ר' יצחק בר שמואל בר מרתא משמיה דרב ואפילו על גבאי צדקה,לא קשיא הא דאמיד הא דלא אמיד כי הא דרבא אכפיה לרב נתן בר אמי ושקיל מיניה ארבע מאה זוזי לצדקה,(דניאל יב, ג) והמשכילים יזהירו כזוהר הרקיע וגו' (המשכילים יזהירו כזוהר הרקיע) זה דיין שדן דין אמת לאמתו (דניאל יב, ג) ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבים לעולם ועד אלו גבאי צדקה,במתניתא תנא והמשכילים יזהירו כזוהר הרקיע זה דיין שדן דין אמת לאמתו וגבאי צדקה ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבים לעולם ועד אלו מלמדי תינוקות כגון מאן אמר רב כגון רב שמואל בר שילת דרב אשכחיה לרב שמואל בר שילת דהוה קאי בגינתא אמר ליה שבקתיה להימנותך אמר ליה הא תליסר שנין דלא חזיא לי והשתא נמי דעתאי עלויהו,ורבנן מאי אמר רבינא (שופטים ה, לא) ואוהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו,תנו רבנן גבאי צדקה אינן רשאין לפרוש זה מזה אבל פורש זה לשער וזה לחנות מצא מעות בשוק לא יתנם בתוך כיסו אלא נותנן לתוך ארנקי של צדקה ולכשיבא לביתו יטלם כיוצא בו היה נושה בחבירו מנה ופרעו בשוק לא יתננו לתוך כיסו אלא נותנן לתוך ארנקי של צדקה ולכשיבא לביתו יטלם,תנו רבנן גבאי צדקה שאין להם עניים לחלק פורטין לאחרים ואין פורטין לעצמן גבאי תמחוי שאין להם עניים לחלק מוכרין לאחרים ואין מוכרין לעצמן מעות של צדקה אין מונין אותן שתים אלא אחת אחת,אמר אביי מריש לא הוה יתיב מר אציפי דבי כנישתא כיון דשמעה להא דתניא ולשנותה לכל מה שירצו הוה יתיב אמר אביי מריש הוה עביד מר תרי כיסי חד לעניי דעלמא וחד לעניי דמתא כיון דשמעה להא דאמר ליה שמואל לרב תחליפא בר אבדימי עביד חד כיסא | 8b. that bredeeming captives is a great mitzva. /b, bRava said to Rabba bar Mari:Concerning bthis matter that the Sages stated, that redeeming captives is a great mitzva, from where isit derived? Rabba bar Mari bsaid to him: As it is written: “And it shall come to pass, when they say to you: To where shall we depart? Then you shall tell them: So says the Lord: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for famine, to famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity”(Jeremiah 15:2). bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa says: Whicheverpunishment biswritten blater in this verse is more severe than the onebefore it.,Rabbi Yoḥa explains: bThe sword is worse than death. If you wish, saythat this is learned from ba verse; if you wish, sayinstead that it is derived by way of blogical reasoning. If you wish, saythat this is derived by way of blogical reasoning: Thispunishment, i.e., death by sword, bmutilatesthe body, bbut thatpunishment, i.e., natural death, bdoes not mutilateit. bAnd if you wish, saythat the fact that the sword is worse than death is learned from ba verse: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His pious ones”(Psalms 116:15)., bFamine is worse than the sword. If you wish, saythat this is derived by way of blogical reasoning: This one,who dies of famine, bsuffersgreatly before departing from this world, bbut that one,who dies by the sword, bdoes not suffer. If you wish, sayinstead that the fact that famine is worse than the sword is learned from ba verse: “More fortunate were the victims of the sword than the victims of famine”(Lamentations 4:9). And bcaptivity is worse than all of them, as it includes all of them,i.e., famine, the sword, and death.,§ In connection with the previous discussion concerning charity distribution, the Gemara cites a ibaraitain which bthe Sages taught:Money for bthe charity fund is collected by twopeople band distributed by threepeople. bIt is collected by twopeople bbecause one does not appoint an authority over the communitycomposed bof fewer than twopeople. bAnd it is distributed by three people, likethe number of judges needed in cases of bmonetary law,since the distributors determine who receives money and who does not, as well as how much each person receives.,Food for bthe charity platter is collected by threepeople band distributed by threepeople bbecause its collection and its distributiontake place on bthe sameday. Food for bthe charity platteris collected and distributed bevery day,and therefore a third individual must participate in the collection so that he will be available to take part in the distribution without delay; whereas the money of bthe charity fundis distributed only once a week, on beach Shabbat eve. /b,There are additional differences between these two types of charity operations: The food from bthe charity platteris distributed bto the poor of the world,meaning, to any poor individual arriving in the city; the money of bthe charity fundis allocated exclusively bto the poor of the city. But it is permitted for the residents of the city to usemoney that has been collected for bthe charity fundto purchase food for bthe charity platterto feed the poor; bandsimilarly they may use food that had been collected for bthe charity platterfor bthe charity fund.In general, it is permitted for them bto changethe purpose toward which charity will be used bto whatever they want,in accordance with the needs of the community.,Similarly, bit is permitted for the residents of the city to set the measuresused in that city, bthe pricesset for products sold there, band the wagespaid btoits bworkers, and to finepeople bfor violating theirspecifications, in order to enforce observance of these ihalakhot /i. This marks the end of the ibaraita /i, the details of which the Gemara proceeds to analyze., bThe Master saidin the ibaraita /i: bOne does not appoint an authority over the communitycomposed bof fewer than twopeople. The Gemara asks: bFrom where are these mattersderived? bRav Naḥman saysthat this is derived from a verse referring to those engaged in building the Tabernacle and weaving the priestly vestments, who received the community’s donations. bThe verse states: “And they shall take the gold,and the sky-blue wool, and the purple wool” (Exodus 28:5). The plural “they” indicates that the collection must be performed by two people.,The Gemara comments: The ibaraitaindicates that bauthority may not be exercisedby less than two people, bbuteven a single individual bis trustedto be a treasurer. That is, money for the charity fund is collected by two people, not because a single individual is not trusted not to misappropriate the money, but rather because a single individual should not be given authority over the community. bThis supportsthe opinion bof Rabbi Ḥanina, as Rabbi Ḥanina says: There was an incident where RabbiYehuda HaNasi bappointed two brothers toadminister bthe charity fund.Even though the brothers were relatives who are not trusted to testify against each other, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was not concerned and he appointed them.,The Gemara asks: bWhat authorityis associated with collecting charity? The Gemara answers: bAs Rav Naḥman saysthat bRabba bar Avuh says: Because they can seize collateral for the charity;i.e., they can collect charity by force, band even on Shabbat eve,when people are busy and might claim that they have no time or money. The Gemara objects: bIs that so? But isn’t it written: “I will punish all that oppress them”(Jeremiah 30:20), band Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Shmuel bar Marta says in the name of Rav: Andpunishment will be meted out beven to charity collectors?If charity collectors are permitted to force people to contribute charity, why are they counted among Israel’s oppressors?,The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult. This,Rabbi Naḥman’s statement, applies bwhenthe contributor is brich,in which case the collectors may seize money from him even by force. bThat,Rabbi Yitzḥak’s statement, applies bwhenhe is bnot rich,in which case the collectors who take money from him by force are termed oppressors of Israel. bThisright to force contributions from the rich is blikewhat occurred in the incident in which bRava compelled Rav Natan bar Ami and took four hundred dinars from him for charity. /b,Having raised the issue of charity collection, the Gemara cites various rabbinic expositions with regard to the matter. The verse states: b“And they who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament;and they who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). b“And they who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament”; this is a judge who judges an absolutely true judgment,as his wisdom and understanding lead him to a correct judgment. b“And they who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever”; these are the charity collectors,who facilitate the giving of charity., bIt was taught in a ibaraita /i: “And they who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament”; this is a judge who judges an absolutely true judgment andalso bcharity collectors. “And they who turn many to righteousness like the stars for ever and ever”; these are schoolteachers.The Gemara asks: bLike whom?Certainly not every schoolteacher is worthy of such accolades. bRav said: For example, Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat. Asit is told that bRavonce bfound Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat standing in a garden.Rav bsaid to him: Have you abandoned your trustand neglected your students? Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat bsaid to him: It has been thirteen yearsnow bthat I have not seenmy garden, band even now my thoughts are onthe children.,In light of the praises heaped upon judges, tax collectors, and schoolteachers, the Gemara asks: bAnd whatwas said about bthe Sages? Ravina saidthat about them it is stated: b“But let them that love Him be as the sun when it comes out in its might”(Judges 5:31).,The Gemara resumes its discussion of the ihalakhotof charity collection: bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bCharity collectors may not separate from each other,each one collecting in a different place; bbutin a place where the two can see each other, one collector bmay separatefrom the other, e.g., bthisone going bto the gateof a house band thatone going bto a store.If a charity collector bfound coins in the market, he may not put them into hisown bpocket, butrather bhe must put them into the charity purse, andthen later bwhen he comes home, he may take themfrom there. This is necessary so that people should not suspect him of taking charity money for himself. bSimilarly,if the charity collector bwas owed one hundred dinars by another, andthe latter brepaidhis debt bin the market,the collector bmay not putthe money he received binto hisown bpocket, butrather bhe must put it into the charity purse, andthen later bwhen he comes home, he may take it. /b, bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bCharity collectors who have no poor people towhom they can bdistributethe money, bmay exchange [ iporetin /i]the money, i.e., exchange the copper coins, which tend to rust, for silver dinars, bwith otherpeople, bbut they should not change itby bthemselves,i.e., with their own coins, to avoid any suspicion of wrongdoing. Likewise, bcollectorsof food bfor the charity platter who do not have poor peopleto whom bto distributethe food bmay sellthe food bto others, but they should not sell it to themselves,for a similar reason. bCoins of charity are not counted twoby two, bbut rather one by one,to avoid errors in tallying., bAbaye said: At first,my bMaster,Rabba, bwould not sit on the mats in the synagogue becausethey had been purchased with charity funds. bOnce he heard that which is taughtin a ibaraita /i, that it is permitted for the residents of a city bto changethe purpose toward which charity will be used bto whatever they want, he did siton them. bAbaye said: At first,my bMaster,Rabba, bwould make two purses, one for the poor ofthe rest of bthe world, and one for the poor of his city. Once he heard what Shmuel said to Rav Taḥalifa bar Avdimi: Makeonly bone purse, /b |
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50. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 10a. כל פרשה שהיתה חביבה על דוד פתח בה באשרי וסיים בה באשרי פתח באשרי דכתיב (תהלים א, א) אשרי האיש וסיים באשרי דכתיב (תהלים ב, יב) אשרי כל חוסי בו:,הנהו בריוני דהוו בשבבותיה דר"מ והוו קא מצערו ליה טובא הוה קא בעי ר' מאיר רחמי עלויהו כי היכי דלימותו אמרה לי' ברוריא דביתהו מאי דעתך משום דכתיב (תהלים קד, לה) יתמו חטאים מי כתיב חוטאים חטאים כתיב,ועוד שפיל לסיפיה דקרא ורשעים עוד אינם כיון דיתמו חטאים ורשעים עוד אינם אלא בעי רחמי עלויהו דלהדרו בתשובה ורשעים עוד אינם,בעא רחמי עלויהו והדרו בתשובה:,אמר לה ההוא צדוקי לברוריא כתיב (ישעיהו נד, א) רני עקרה לא ילדה משום דלא ילדה רני,אמרה ליה שטיא שפיל לסיפיה דקרא דכתיב כי רבים בני שוממה מבני בעולה אמר ה',אלא מאי עקרה לא ילדה רני כנסת ישראל שדומה לאשה עקרה שלא ילדה בנים לגיהנם כותייכו:,א"ל ההוא צדוקי לר' אבהו כתיב (תהלים ג, א) מזמור לדוד בברחו מפני אבשלום בנו וכתיב (תהלים נז, א) לדוד מכתם בברחו מפני שאול במערה הי מעשה הוה ברישא מכדי מעשה שאול הוה ברישא לכתוב ברישא,אמר ליה אתון דלא דרשיתון סמוכין קשיא לכו אנן דדרשינן סמוכים לא קשיא לן,דא"ר יוחנן סמוכין מן התורה מנין שנא' (תהלים קיא, ח) סמוכים לעד לעולם עשוים באמת וישר,למה נסמכה פרשת אבשלום לפרשת גוג ומגוג שאם יאמר לך אדם כלום יש עבד שמורד ברבו אף אתה אמור לו כלום יש בן שמורד באביו אלא הוה הכא נמי הוה:,אמר ר' יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי מאי דכתיב (משלי לא, כו) פיה פתחה בחכמה ותורת חסד על לשונה כנגד מי אמר שלמה מקרא זה לא אמרו אלא כנגד דוד אביו שדר בחמשה עולמים ואמר שירה,דר במעי אמו ואמר שירה שנאמר (תהלים קג, א) ברכי נפשי את ה' וכל קרבי את שם קדשו,יצא לאויר העולם ונסתכל בכוכבים ומזלות ואמר שירה שנאמר (תהלים קג, כ) ברכו ה' מלאכיו גבורי כח עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו ברכו ה' כל צבאיו וגו',ינק משדי אמו ונסתכל בדדיה ואמר שירה שנאמר (תהלים קג, ב) ברכי נפשי את ה' ואל תשכחי כל גמוליו,מאי כל גמוליו אמר ר' אבהו שעשה לה דדים במקום בינה,טעמא מאי אמר (רבי) יהודה כדי שלא יסתכל במקום ערוה רב מתנא אמר כדי שלא יינק ממקום הטנופת,ראה במפלתן של רשעים ואמר שירה שנאמר (תהלים קד, לה) יתמו חטאים מן הארץ ורשעים עוד אינם ברכי נפשי את ה' הללויה,נסתכל ביום המיתה ואמר שירה שנאמר (תהלים קד, א) ברכי נפשי את ה' ה' אלהי גדלת מאד הוד והדר לבשת,מאי משמע דעל יום המיתה נאמר אמר רבה בר רב שילא מסיפא דעניינא דכתיב (תהלים קד, כט) תסתיר פניך יבהלון תוסף רוחם יגועון וגו',רב שימי בר עוקבא ואמרי לה מר עוקבא הוה שכיח קמיה דר' שמעון בן פזי והוה מסדר אגדתא קמיה דר' יהושע בן לוי אמר ליה מאי דכתיב (תהלים קג, א) ברכי נפשי את ה' וכל קרבי את שם קדשו אמר ליה בא וראה שלא כמדת הקדוש ברוך הוא מדת בשר ודם מדת בשר ודם צר צורה על גבי הכותל ואינו יכול להטיל בה רוח ונשמה קרבים ובני מעים והקב"ה אינו כן צר צורה בתוך צורה ומטיל בה רוח ונשמה קרבים ובני מעים והיינו דאמרה חנה (שמואל א ב, ב) אין קדוש כה' כי אין בלתך ואין צור כאלהינו.,מאי אין צור כאלהינו אין צייר כאלהינו,מאי כי אין בלתך אמר ר' יהודה בר מנסיא אל תקרי כי אין בלתך אלא אין לבלותך שלא כמדת הקדוש ברוך הוא מדת בשר ודם מדת בשר ודם מעשה ידיו מבלין אותו והקב"ה מבלה מעשיו,א"ל אנא הכי קא אמינא לך הני חמשה ברכי נפשי כנגד מי אמרן דוד לא אמרן אלא כנגד הקב"ה וכנגד נשמה,מה הקב"ה מלא כל העולם אף נשמה מלאה את כל הגוף מה הקדוש ברוך הוא רואה ואינו נראה אף נשמה רואה ואינה נראית מה הקב"ה זן את כל העולם כלו אף נשמה זנה את כל הגוף מה הקב"ה טהור אף נשמה טהורה מה הקב"ה יושב בחדרי חדרים אף נשמה יושבת בחדרי חדרים יבא מי שיש בו חמשה דברים הללו וישבח למי שיש בו חמשה דברים הללו:,אמר רב המנונא מאי דכתיב (קהלת ח, א) מי כהחכם ומי יודע פשר דבר מי כהקדוש ברוך הוא שיודע לעשות פשרה בין שני צדיקים בין חזקיהו לישעיהו חזקיהו אמר ליתי ישעיהו גבאי דהכי אשכחן באליהו דאזל לגבי אחאב (שנאמר (מלכים א יח, ב) וילך אליהו להראות אל אחאב) ישעיהו אמר ליתי חזקיהו גבאי דהכי אשכחן ביהורם בן אחאב דאזל לגבי אלישע,מה עשה הקב"ה הביא יסורים על חזקיהו ואמר לו לישעיהו לך ובקר את החולה שנאמר (מלכים ב כ, א) בימים ההם חלה חזקיהו למות ויבא אליו ישעיהו בן אמוץ הנביא ויאמר אליו כה אמר ה' (צבאות) צו לביתך כי מת אתה ולא תחיה וגו' מאי כי מת אתה ולא תחיה מת אתה בעולם הזה ולא תחיה לעולם הבא,אמר ליה מאי כולי האי אמר ליה משום דלא עסקת בפריה ורביה א"ל משום דחזאי לי ברוח הקדש דנפקי מינאי בנין דלא מעלו,א"ל בהדי כבשי דרחמנא למה לך מאי דמפקדת איבעי לך למעבד ומה דניחא קמיה קודשא בריך הוא לעביד,אמר ליה השתא הב לי ברתך אפשר דגרמא זכותא דידי ודידך ונפקי מנאי בנין דמעלו א"ל כבר נגזרה עליך גזירה א"ל בן אמוץ כלה נבואתך וצא,כך מקובלני מבית אבי אבא אפי' חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים,אתמר נמי רבי יוחנן ורבי (אליעזר) דאמרי תרוייהו אפילו חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים שנא' (איוב יג, טו) הן יקטלני לו איחל | 10a. bEvery chapter that was dear to David, he began with “happy is” and concluded with “happy is.” He opened with “happy is,” as it is written: “Happy is the manwho has not walked in the counsel of the wicked or stood in the way of sinners or sat in the dwelling place of the scornful” (Psalms 1:1). bAnd he concluded with “happy,” as it is writtenat the end of the chapter: “Pay homage in purity, lest He be angry, and you perish on the way when His anger is kindled suddenly. bHappy are those who take refuge in Him”(Psalms 2:12). We see that these two chapters actually constitute a single chapter.,With regard to the statement of Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi, that David did not say iHalleluyauntil he saw the downfall of the wicked, the Gemara relates: bThere were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed forGod to have bmercy on them, that they should die. Rabbi Meir’s wife, Berurya, said to him: What is your thinking?On what basis do you pray for the death of these hooligans? Do you base yourself on the verse, bas it is written: “Let sins cease from the land”(Psalms 104:35), which you interpret to mean that the world would be better if the wicked were destroyed? But bis it written,let bsinnerscease?” Let bsinscease, bis written.One should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the demise of the transgressors themselves., bMoreover, go to the end of the verse,where it says: b“And the wicked will be no more.”If, as you suggest, btransgressions shall ceaserefers to the demise of the evildoers, how is it possible that bthe wicked will be no more,i.e., that they will no longer be evil? bRather, pray forGod to have bmercy on them, that they should repent,as if they repent, then the wicked will be no more, as they will have repented.,Rabbi Meir saw that Berurya was correct band he prayed forGod to have bmercy on them, and they repented. /b,The Gemara relates an additional example of Berurya’s incisive insight: bA certain heretic said to Berurya: It is written: “Sing, barren woman who has not given birth,open forth in song and cry, you did not travail, for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, said the Lord” (Isaiah 54:1). bBecause she has not given birth,she should bsingand rejoice?,Berurya responded to this heretic’s mockery and bsaid: Fool! Go to the end of the verse, where it is written: “For the children of the desolate shall be more numerous than the children of the married wife, said the Lord.” /b, bRather, whatis the meaning of: b“Sing, barren woman who has not given birth”?It means: bSing congregation of Israel, which is like a barren woman who did not give birth to children who aredestined bfor Gehenna like you. /b,In explaining passages from Psalms, the Gemara relates another instance of a response to the question of a heretic: bA certain heretic said to Rabbi Abbahu, it is written: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son, Absalom”(Psalms 3:1), bandsimilarly bit is said:“To the chief musician, ial tashḥet /i, ba imikhtamof David when fleeing from Saul into the cave”(Psalms 57:1). bWhich event was first? Since the event with Saul was first,it would have been appropriate bto write it first. /b,Rabbi Abbahu bsaid to him:For byou, who donot employ the bhomileticmethod bof juxtapositionof verses, bit is difficult.But for bus, whoemploy the bhomileticmethod bof juxtapositionof verses, bit is not difficult,as the Sages commonly homiletically infer laws and moral lessons from the juxtaposition of two verses.,Regarding the juxtaposition of verses, bRabbi Yoḥa said: From wherein the Bible is it derived that one may draw homiletical inferences from the bjuxtapositionof verses? bAs it is said:“The works of His hands in truth and justice, all His commandments are sure. bAdjoined forever and ever, made in truth and uprightness”(Psalms 111:7–8). Conclude from here that it is appropriate to draw inferences from the juxtaposition of God’s commandments. Accordingly, David’s fleeing from Absalom is situated where it is in order to juxtapose it to the next chapter, which mentions the war of Gog and Magog; the second chapter of Psalms opens: “Why are the nations in an uproar?”, bWhy was the chapter of Absalom juxtaposed with the chapter of Gog and Magog?They are juxtaposed bsothat bif a person should say to you,expressing doubt with regard to the prophecy of the war of Gog and Magog “against the Lord and against His anointed”: bIs there a slave who rebels against his master?Is there someone capable of rebelling against God? bYou too say to him: Is there a son who rebels against his fatherand severs the relationship with the one who brought him into the world and raised him? bYet,nevertheless, bthere wassuch a son, Absalom, and bso too therecan bbea situation where people will seek to rebel against God., bRabbi Yoḥa saidexplanations of other verses bin the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: What isthe meaning of bthat which is written: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of loving-kindness is on her tongue”(Proverbs 31:26)? The Sages explain that this chapter discusses the wisdom of Torah and those who engage in its study, so bwith reference to whom did Solomon say this verse? He said thisverse babout none other than his father, David,who was the clearest example of one who opens his mouth in wisdom, and bwho resided in five worldsor stages of life bandhis soul bsaid a songof praise corresponding to each of them. Five times David said: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” each corresponding to a different stage of life., bHe resided in his mother’s womb,his first world, band said a songof praise of the pregcy, bas it is stated:“of David. bBless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name”(Psalms 103:1), in which he thanks God for creating all that is within his mother, i.e., her womb., bHe emerged into the atmosphere of the world,his second world, blooked upon the stars and constellations and said a songof praise of God for the entirety of creation, bas it is stated: “Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, that fulfill His word, listening to the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all His hosts,His servants, that do His will. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His kingship, bless my soul, Lord” (Psalms 103:20–23). David saw the grandeur of all creation and recognized that they are mere servants, carrying out the will of their Creator ( iMa’ayan HaBerakhot /i)., bHe nursed from his mother’s breast,his third world, band he looked upon her bosom and said a songof praise, bas it is stated: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits [ igemulav /i]”(Psalms 103:2). The etymological association is between igemulavand igemulei meḥalav /i, which means weaned from milk (Isaiah 28:9).,We still must understand, however, bwhat ismeant by ball His benefits?What in particular is praiseworthy in what God provided, beyond merely providing for the infant? bRabbi Abbahu said:In contrast with most other animals, God bplaced her breastsnear her heart, bthe placethat is the source bof understanding. /b, bWhat is the reasonthat God did this? bRav Yehuda said: So thatthe nursing child bwould not look upon the place ofhis mother’s bnakedness. Rav Mattana said: So thatthe child bwould not nurse from a place of uncleanliness. /b, bHe witnessedin both vision and reality bthe downfall of the wicked and he said a songof praise, bas it is stated: “Let sinners cease from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul, iHalleluya /i”(Psalms 104:35).,The fifth world was when David blooked upon the day of death and said a songof praise, bas it is stated: “Bless the Lord, O my soul. Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed in glory and majesty”(Psalms 104:1); for even death is a time of transcendence for the righteous.,The connection between this final praise and the day of death is unclear. The Gemara asks: bFrom where is it inferredthat bthisverse bwas stated with regard to the day of death?Rabba bar Rav Sheila says: We can derive this bfromthe verses at bthe end of the matter,where bit is written: “You hide Your face, they vanish; You gather Your breath, they perishand return to the dust” (Psalms 104:29).,Other interpretations of this verse exist. The Gemara relates how bRav Shimi bar Ukva, and some say Mar Ukva, would regularlystudy bbefore Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi,who was well versed in iaggadaand bwould arrange the iaggadabefore Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. brOnce, Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi bsaid to him: What isthe meaning of bthat which is written: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy name”? brRav Shimi bar Ukva bsaid toRabbi Shimon ben Pazi: bCome and see that the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like the attribute of flesh and blood,as this verse praises the formation of man in his mother’s womb. bThe attribute of flesh and blood issuch that he bshapes a form on the wallfor all to see, yet bhe cannot instill it with a spirit and soul, bowels and intestines.While bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, is not so,as God bshapes one form within another form,a child in its mother’s womb, band instills it with spirit and soul, bowels and intestines. And this isthe explanation of bwhat Hannah saidwith regard to the birth of Samuel: b“There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none like You, and there is no Rock like our God”(I Samuel 2:2)., bWhat isthe meaning of bthere is no rock [ itzur /i] like our God? There is no artist [ itzayyar /i] like our God. /b,The Gemara continues to interpret the rest of that verse homiletically: bWhat isthe meaning of b“there is none like You”? Rabbi Yehuda ben Menasya said: Do not readthe verse to mean b“there is none like You [ ibiltekha /i]”; rather, readit to mean b“none can outlast You [ ilevalotkha /i],” as the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like the attribute of flesh and blood: The attribute of flesh and blood issuch bthat his creations outlast him,but bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, outlasts His actions. /b,This did not satisfy Rav Shimi bar Ukva, who bsaid toRabbi Shimon ben Pazi: bImeant to bsay to you as follows: Corresponding to whom did David say these fiveinstance of b“Blessthe Lord, bO my soul”?He answered him: bHe said them about none other than the Holy One, Blessed be He, and corresponding to the soul,as the verse refers to the relationship between man’s soul and God. The five instances of “Bless the Lord, O my soul” correspond to the five parallels between the soul in man’s body and God’s power in His world., bJust as the Holy One, Blessed be He, fills the entire world, so too the soul fills the entire body. br bJust as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sees but is not seen, so too does the soul see, but is not seen. br bJust as the Holy One, Blessed be He, sustains the entire world, so too the soul sustains the entire body. br bJust as the Holy One, Blessed be He, is pure, so too is the soul pure. br bJust as the Holy One, Blessed be He, resides in a chamber within a chamber,in His inner sanctum, bso too the soul resides in a chamber within a chamber,in the innermost recesses of the body. brTherefore, bthat which has these five characteristics,the soul, bshould come and praise He Who has these five characteristics. /b,With regard to redemption and prayer, the Gemara tells the story of Hezekiah’s illness, his prayer to God, and subsequent recuperation. bRav Hamnuna said: What isthe meaning of bthat which is writtenpraising the Holy One, Blessed be He: b“Who is like the wise man, and who knows the interpretation [ ipesher /i] of the matter”(Ecclesiastes 8:1)? This verse means: bWho is like the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who knows how to effect compromise [ ipeshara /i] between two righteous individuals, between Hezekiah,the king of Judea, band Isaiahthe prophet. They disagreed over which of them should visit the other. bHezekiah said: Let Isaiah come to me, as that is what we find with regard to Elijahthe prophet, bwho went to Ahab,the king of Israel, bas it is stated: “And Elijah went to appear to Ahab”(I Kings 18:2). This proves that it is the prophet who must seek out the king. bAnd Isaiah said: Let Hezekiah come to me, as that is what we find with regard to Yehoram ben Ahab,king of Israel, bwho went to Elishathe prophet, as it is stated: “So the king of Israel, Jehosaphat and the king of Edom went down to him” (II Kings 3:12)., bWhat did the Holy One, Blessed be He, doto effect compromise between Hezekiah and Isaiah? bHe brought the sufferingof illness bupon Hezekiah and told Isaiah: Go and visit the sick.Isaiah did as God instructed, bas it is stated: “In those days Hezekiah became deathly ill, and Isaiah ben Amoz the prophet came and said to him: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Set your house in order, for you will die and you will not live”(Isaiah 38:1). This seems redundant; bwhat isthe meaning of byou will die and you will not live?This repetition means: bYou will die in this world, and you will not live,you will have no share, bin the World-to-Come. /b,Hezekiah bsaid to him: What is all of this?For what transgression am I being punished? brIsaiah bsaid to him: Because you did notmarry and bengage in procreation. brHezekiah apologized and bsaid:I had no children bbecause I envisaged through divine inspiration that the children that emerge from me will not be virtuous.Hezekiah meant that he had seen that his children were destined to be evil. In fact, his son Menashe sinned extensively, and he thought it preferable to have no children at all.,Isaiah bsaid to him: Why do youinvolve byourself with the secrets of the Holy One, Blessed be He? That which you have been commanded,the mitzva of procreation, byou are required to perform, and that which is acceptablein the eyes of bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, let Him perform,as He has so decided.,Hezekiah bsaid toIsaiah: bNow give me your daughteras my wife; bperhaps my merit and your merit will cause virtuous children to emerge from me. brIsaiah bsaid to him: The decree has already been decreed against youand this judgment cannot be changed. brHezekiah bsaid to him: Son of Amoz, cease your prophecy and leave.As long as the prophet spoke as God’s emissary, Hezekiah was obligated to listen to him. He was not, however, obligated to accept Isaiah’s personal opinion that there was no possibility for mercy and healing.,Hezekiah continued: bI have received a tradition from the house of my father’s father,from King David, the founding father of the dynasty of kings of Judea: bEvenif ba sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck, he should not prevent himself frompraying for bmercy.One may still hold out hope that his prayers will be answered, as was David himself when he saw the Angel of Destruction, but nonetheless prayed for mercy and his prayers were answered.,With regard to the fact that one should not despair of God’s mercy, the Gemara cites that bit was also saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa and Rabbi Eliezer both said: Even if a sharp sword is resting upon a person’s neck, he should not prevent himself frompraying for bmercy, as it is statedin the words of Job: b“Though He slay me, I will trust in Him”(Job 13:15). Even though God is about to take his life, he still prays for God’s mercy. |
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51. Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 101a. big strongמתני׳ /strong /big הדלת שבמוקצה וחדקים שבפרצה ומחצלות אין נועלין בהן אלא אם כן גבוהים מן הארץ:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ורמינהו דלת הנגררת ומחצלת הנגררת וקנקן הנגרר בזמן שקשורין ותלויין נועלין בהן בשבת ואין צריך לומר ביום טוב,אמר אביי בשיש להם ציר רבא אמר בשהיה להן ציר,מיתיבי דלת הנגררת ומחצלת הנגררת וקנקן הנגרר בזמן שקשורין ותלויין וגבוהים מן הארץ אפילו מלא נימא נועלין בהן ואם לאו אין נועלין בהן,אביי מתרץ לטעמיה ורבא מתרץ לטעמיה אביי מתרץ לטעמיה או שיש להן ציר או שגבוהין מן הארץ רבא מתרץ לטעמיה כשהיה להן ציר או שגבוהין מן הארץ,ת"ר סוכי קוצים וחבילין שהתקינן לפירצה שבחצר בזמן שקשורין ותלויין נועלין בהן בשבת וא"צ לומר ביו"ט,תני ר' חייא דלת אלמנה הנגררת אין נועלין בה היכי דמי דלת אלמנה איכא דאמרי דחד שיפא ואיכא דאמרי דלית ליה גשמה,אמר רב יהודה האי מדורתא ממעלה למטה שרי ממטה למעלה אסיר,וכן ביעתא וכן קידרא וכן פוריא וכן חביתא,א"ל ההוא צדוקי לרבי יהושע בן חנניה חדקאה דכתיב בכו (מיכה ז, ד) טובם כחדק אמר ליה שטיא שפיל לסיפיה דקרא דכתיב ישר ממסוכה ואלא מאי טובם כחדק כשם שחדקים הללו מגינין על הפירצה כך טובים שבנו מגינים עלינו דבר אחר טובם כחדק שמהדקין את הרשעים לגיהנם שנאמר (מיכה ד, יג) קומי ודושי בת ציון כי קרנך אשים ברזל ופרסותיך אשים נחושה והדיקות עמים רבים וגו':, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big לא יעמוד אדם ברשות היחיד ויפתח ברשות הרבים ברשות הרבים ויפתח ברשות היחיד אא"כ עשה מחיצה גבוה עשרה טפחים דברי ר' מאיר,אמרו לו מעשה בשוק של פטמים שהיה בירושלים שהיו נועלין ומניחין את המפתח בחלון שעל גבי הפתח רבי יוסי אומר שוק של צמרים הוה:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ורבנן אמר רבי מאיר רשות הרבים ומהדרו אינהו כרמלית דאמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן ירושלים אלמלא דלתותיה ננעלות בלילה חייבין עליה משום רשות הרבים,אמר רב פפא כאן קודם שנפרצו בה פרצות כאן לאחר שנפרצו בה פרצות,רבא אמר סיפא אתאן לשערי גינה והכי קאמר וכן לא יעמוד ברשות היחיד ויפתח בכרמלית בכרמלית ויפתח ברשות היחיד | 101a. strongMISHNA: /strong With regard to bthe door to a rear court,i.e., a door that opens from a house to the courtyard situated behind it, which is typically not a proper door but merely a wooden board without hinges that closes off the doorway; bandlikewise bbundles of thornsthat seal ba breach; andreed bmats, onemay bnot closean opening bwith themon Shabbat. This would be considered building or completing a building, bunless theyremain babove the groundeven when they are open., strongGEMARA: /strong bAndthe Gemara braises a contradictionfrom a ibaraita /i: With regard to ba door, or a mat, or a lattice [ ikankan /i] that dragalong the ground and are used for closing up openings, bwhen they are tied and suspendedin place bonemay bclosean opening bwith them on Shabbat; and needless to saythis is permitted bon a Festival.According to the ibaraita /i, the critical factor is apparently that they must be tied and suspended, not that they have to be held up above the ground., bAbaye said:The ibaraitais referring btoones bthat have a hinge.As they are considered proper doors, closing them does not appear like building. bRava said:The ibaraitais referring even btodoors bthatonce bhad a hinge,even though they no longer have one. These partitions also bear the clear form of a door, and therefore one’s action does not have the appearance of building.,The Gemara braises an objectionfrom another ibaraita /i: With regard to ba door, or a mat, or a lattice that dragalong the ground, bwhen they are tied and suspendedin place bandthey are held babove the ground even byas little as ba hairbreadth, onemay bclosean opening bwith them. However, ifthey are bnotraised in this manner, bonemay bnot closean opening bwith them.Clearly, these doors must indeed be raised above the ground as well.,The Gemara answers: bAbaye reconcilesthe objection bin accordance with his reasoning, and Rava reconcilesthe objection bin accordance with his reasoning.The Gemara elaborates: bAbaye reconcilesthe objection bin accordance with his reasoningby adding to the ibaraita /i: They must beither have a hinge orbe held babove the ground. Ravalikewise breconcilesthe objection bin accordance with his reasoning,as he reads: They must bhave had a hinge orelse be held babove the ground. /b, bThe Sages taughta ibaraita /i: With regard to bbranches of thorn bushes or bundlesof wood bthat were arrangedso that they sealed off ba breach in a courtyard, when they are tied and suspendedin place, bonemay bclosean opening bwith them on Shabbat; and needless to say,this is permitted bon a Festival. /b, bRabbi Ḥiyya taughta ibaraita /i: With regard to ba widowed door that dragsalong the ground, bonemay bnot closean opening bwith it.The Gemara asks: bWhat are the circumstancesof ba widowed door? Some sayit refers to a door built bfrom a single plank,which does not look like a door, band others sayit is ba door that does not have a lower doorsill( ige’onim /i) and that touches the ground when closed.,With regard to activities that are prohibited because of their similarity to building, the Gemara cites a teaching that bRav Yehuda said:When arranging a pile of wood for ba fireon a Festival, if the logs are arranged bfrom the top down,i.e., the upper logs are temporarily suspended in the air while the lower logs are inserted below them, bit is permitted.However, if the wood is placed from bthe bottom up, it is prohibited,as the arrangement of wood in the regular manner is a form of building., bAnd the sameapplies to beggsthat are to be arranged in a pile, band the sameapplies to ba cauldronthat is to be set down on a fire by means of supports, band the sameapplies to a bbedthat will be placed on its frame, band the sameapplies to bbarrelsarranged in a cellar. In all these cases, the part that goes on top must be temporarily suspended in the air while the lower section is inserted beneath it.,With regard to bundles of thorns used to seal a breach, the Gemara cites a related incident: bA certain hereticonce bsaid to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥaya: Man of thorns! For it says about you: “The best of them is as a brier”(Micah 7:4), which indicates that even Israel’s best are merely thorns. bHe said to him: Fool, go down to the end of the verse: “The most upright is worse than a thorn hedge,”a derogatory expression meant as praise. bRather, what isthe meaning of bthe best of them is as a brier?It means that bjust as these thorns protect a breach, so the best among us protect us. Alternatively: The best of them is as a brier [ iḥedek /i]means bthat they grind [ imehaddekin /i] the nations of the world into Gehenna, as it is stated: “Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs brass, and you shall beat in pieces [ ivahadikot /i] many peoples;and you shall devote their gain to God, and their substance to the God of the whole earth” (Micah 4:13)., strongMISHNA: /strong bA personmay bnot stand in the private domain and opena door located bin the public domainwith a key, lest he inadvertently transfer the key from one domain to the other. Likewise, one may not stand bin the public domain and opena door bin the private domainwith a key, bunlessin the latter case bhe erected a partition ten handbreadths higharound the door and stands inside it. This is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. /b,The Rabbis bsaid to him:There was ban incident at the poultry dealers’ market in Jerusalem,where they would fatten fowl for slaughter (Rabbeinu Ḥael), band they would lockthe doors to their shops band place the key in the window that was over the door,which was more than ten handbreadths off the ground, and nobody was concerned about the possible violation of any prohibition. bRabbi Yosei says:That place bwas a market of wool dealers. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong The Gemara asks: bAndthose bRabbis,who cited the case of the poultry dealers of Jerusalem to rebut Rabbi Meir’s opinion, bRabbi Meir spoketo them about unlocking a door in a private domain while standing bin the public domain, and they respondedwith an incident involving ba ikarmelit /i. As Rabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:With regard to bJerusalem, were it notfor the fact that bits doors are locked at night, one would be liable forcarrying in biton Shabbat, bbecauseits thoroughfares have the status of bthe public domain.However, since Jerusalem’s doors are typically locked, it is considered one large ikarmelit /i, which is subject to rabbinic prohibitions. How, then, could a proof be cited from the markets of Jerusalem with regard to the transfer of objects between a public domain and a private domain, which is prohibited by Torah law?, bRav Pappa said: Here,in the statement of Rabbi Yoha, Jerusalem was considered a ikarmelitduring the period bbefore breaches were made in itswalls. Its doors did not turn it into a public domain, as they were locked. Whereas bthere,the Rabbis in the mishna are referring to the time bafter breaches had been made inthe walls, and it therefore acquired the status of a public domain., bRava said: In the latter clauseof the mishna bwe came toa different issue, i.e., the final section of the mishna is not designed to counter Rabbi Meir’s statement with regard to the public domain. Rather, it refers btothe bgates of a gardenwith an area greater than two ibeit se’ain size, whose legal status is that of a ikarmelit /i. Consequently, the mishna bis saying as follows: And likewise,one may bnot stand in the private domain and opena door bin a ikarmelit /i;neither may one stand bin a ikarmelitand opena door bin the private domain, /b |
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52. Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 15a. יכול אני לבעול כמה בעילות בלא דם או דלמא דשמואל לא שכיחא אמר להו דשמואל לא שכיח וחיישינן שמא באמבטי עיברה,והאמר שמואל כל שכבת זרע שאינו יורה כחץ אינו מזרעת מעיקרא נמי יורה כחץ הוה,ת"ר מעשה ברבי יהושע בן חנניה שהיה עומד על גב מעלה בהר הבית וראהו בן זומא ולא עמד מלפניו אמר לו מאין ולאין בן זומא אמר לו צופה הייתי בין מים העליונים למים התחתונים ואין בין זה לזה אלא שלש אצבעות בלבד שנאמר (בראשית א, ב) ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים כיונה שמרחפת על בניה ואינה נוגעת אמר להן רבי יהושע לתלמידיו עדיין בן זומא מבחוץ,מכדי ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים אימת הוי ביום הראשון הבדלה ביום שני הוא דהואי דכתיב (בראשית א, ו) ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים וכמה אמר רב אחא בר יעקב כמלא נימא ורבנן אמרי כי גודא דגמלא מר זוטרא ואיתימא רב אסי אמר כתרי גלימי דפריסי אהדדי ואמרי לה כתרי כסי דסחיפי אהדדי,אחר קיצץ בנטיעות עליו הכתוב אומר (קהלת ה, ה) אל תתן את פיך לחטיא את בשרך מאי היא חזא מיטטרון דאתיהבא ליה רשותא למיתב למיכתב זכוותא דישראל אמר גמירא דלמעלה לא הוי לא ישיבה ולא תחרות ולא עורף ולא עיפוי שמא חס ושלום ב' רשויות הן,אפקוהו למיטטרון ומחיוהו שיתין פולסי דנורא א"ל מ"ט כי חזיתיה לא קמת מקמיה איתיהיבא ליה רשותא למימחק זכוותא דאחר יצתה בת קול ואמרה (ירמיהו ג, יד) שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,אמר הואיל ואיטריד ההוא גברא מההוא עלמא ליפוק ליתהני בהאי עלמא נפק אחר לתרבות רעה נפק אשכח זונה תבעה אמרה ליה ולאו אלישע בן אבויה את עקר פוגלא ממישרא בשבת ויהב לה אמרה אחר הוא,שאל אחר את ר"מ לאחר שיצא לתרבות רעה א"ל מאי דכתיב (קהלת ז, יד) גם את זה לעומת זה עשה האלהים אמר לו כל מה שברא הקב"ה ברא כנגדו ברא הרים ברא גבעות ברא ימים ברא נהרות,אמר לו ר"ע רבך לא אמר כך אלא ברא צדיקים ברא רשעים ברא גן עדן ברא גיהנם כל אחד ואחד יש לו ב' חלקים אחד בגן עדן ואחד בגיהנם זכה צדיק נטל חלקו וחלק חברו בגן עדן נתחייב רשע נטל חלקו וחלק חברו בגיהנם,אמר רב משרשיא מאי קראה גבי צדיקים כתיב (ישעיהו סא, ז) לכן בארצם משנה יירשו גבי רשעים כתיב (ירמיהו יז, יח) ומשנה שברון שברם,שאל אחר את ר"מ לאחר שיצא לתרבות רעה מאי דכתיב (איוב כח, יז) לא יערכנה זהב וזכוכית ותמורתה כלי פז אמר לו אלו דברי תורה שקשין לקנותן ככלי זהב וכלי פז ונוחין לאבדן ככלי זכוכית אמר לו ר"ע רבך לא אמר כך אלא מה כלי זהב וכלי זכוכית אע"פ שנשברו יש להם תקנה אף ת"ח אע"פ שסרח יש לו תקנה אמר לו אף אתה חזור בך אמר לו כבר שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,ת"ר מעשה באחר שהיה רוכב על הסוס בשבת והיה רבי מאיר מהלך אחריו ללמוד תורה מפיו אמר לו מאיר חזור לאחריך שכבר שיערתי בעקבי סוסי עד כאן תחום שבת א"ל אף אתה חזור בך א"ל ולא כבר אמרתי לך כבר שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,תקפיה עייליה לבי מדרשא א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקך אמר לו (ישעיהו מח, כב) אין שלום אמר ה' לרשעים עייליה לבי כנישתא אחריתי א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקך אמר לו (ירמיהו ב, כב) כי אם תכבסי בנתר ותרבי לך בורית נכתם עונך לפני עייליה לבי כנישתא אחריתי א"ל | 15a. bI can engage in intercourse several times without blood.In other words, I can have relations with a woman while leaving her hymen intact. If this is so, it is possible that the assumed virgin had intercourse in this manner and is forbidden to the High Priest. bOr, perhapsa person who can act like bShmuel is not commonand the ihalakhais not concerned with this case. bHe said to them:One like bShmuel is not common, and we are concerned that she may have conceived in a bath.Perhaps she washed in a bath that contained a man’s semen, from which she became impregnated while remaining a virgin.,The Gemara asks: How could she possibly become pregt in such a manner? bDidn’t Shmuel say: Any semen that is not shot like an arrow cannot fertilize?The Gemara answers: This does not mean that it must be shot like an arrow at the moment of fertilization. Even if binitially,when released from the male, bit was shot as an arrow,it can balsofertilize a woman at a later moment.,With regard to the fate of ben Zoma, bthe Sages taught: There was once an incident with regard to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥaya, who was standing on a step on the Temple Mount, and ben Zoma saw him and did not stand before himto honor him, as he was deep in thought. Rabbi Yehoshua bsaid to him: From wheredo you come band where are you going, ben Zoma,i.e., what is on your mind? bHe said to him:In my thoughts bI was looking uponthe act of Creation, at the gap bbetween the upper waters and the lower waters, as there is onlythe breadth of ba mere three fingers between them, as it is stated: “And the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters”(Genesis 1:2), blike a dove hovering over its young without touchingthem. bRabbi Yehoshua said to his studentswho had overheard this exchange: bBen Zoma is still outside;he has not yet achieved full understanding of these matters.,The Gemara explains: bNow,this verse: b“And the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters,” when wasit stated? bOn the first day,whereas bthe divisionof the waters boccurred on the second day, as it is written: “And let it divide the waters from the waters”(Genesis 1:6). How, then, could ben Zoma derive a proof from the former verse? The Gemara asks: bAnd how much,in fact, is the gap between them? bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: Like the thickness of a thread; and the Rabbis said: Likethe gap between bthe boards of a bridge. Mar Zutra, and some sayit was bRav Asi, said: Like two robes spread one over the other,with a slight gap in between. bAnd some said: Like two cups placed one upon the other. /b,§ The Gemara stated earlier that iAḥerchopped down the saplings,becoming a heretic. bWith regard to him, the verse states: “Do not let your mouth bring your flesh into guilt”(Ecclesiastes 5:5). The Gemara poses a question: bWhat wasit that led him to heresy? bHe sawthe angel bMitatron, who was granted permission to sit and write the meritsof bIsrael. He said:There is ba traditionthat in the world babove there is no sitting; no competition; noturning one’s bback before Him,i.e., all face the Divine Presence; band no lethargy.Seeing that someone other than God was seated above, bhe said: Perhaps,the Gemara here interjects, bHeaven forbid, there are two authorities,and there is another source of power in control of the world in addition to God. Such thoughts led iAḥerto heresy.,The Gemara relates: bThey removed Mitatronfrom his place in heaven band smote himwith bsixty rods [ ipulsei /i] of fire,so that others would not make mistake that iAḥermade. bThey saidto the angel: bWhat is the reasonthat bwhen you sawElisha ben Avuya byou did not stand before him?Despite this conduct, since Mitatron was personally involved, he bwas granted permission to erase the merits of iAḥer /iand cause him to stumble in any manner. bA Divine Voice went forth saying: “Return, rebellious children”(Jeremiah 3:22), bapart from iAḥer /i. /b,Upon hearing this, Elisha ben Avuya bsaid: Since that man,meaning himself, bhas been banished from that world, let him go out and enjoy this world. iAḥerwent astray. He wentand bfound a prostituteand bsolicited herfor intercourse. bShe said to him: Andare byou not Elisha ben Avuya?Shall a person of your stature perform such an act? bHe uprooted a radish from a patchof radishes bon Shabbat and gave it to her,to demonstrate that he no longer observed the Torah. The prostitute bsaid: He is otherthan he was. He is not the same Elisha ben Avuya, he is iAḥer /i, other.,The Gemara relates: iAḥerasked Rabbi Meira question, bafter he had gone astray. He said to him: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “God has made even the one as well as the other”(Ecclesiastes 7:14)? Rabbi Meir bsaid to him: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created, He createda similar creation bcorresponding to it. He created mountains, He created hills; He created seas, He created rivers. /b, iAḥer bsaid to him: Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say so, butexplained the verse as follows: Everything has its opposite: bHe created the righteous, He created the wicked; He created the Garden of Eden, He created Gehenna. Each and everyperson bhas two portions, one in the Garden of Eden and one in Gehenna.If he bmeritsit, by becoming brighteous, he takes his portion and the portion of hiswicked bcolleague in the Garden of Eden;if he is found bculpableby becoming bwicked, he takes his portion and the portion of his colleague in Gehenna. /b, bRav Mesharshiyya said: What is the versefrom which it is derived? bWith regard to the righteous, it is stated: “Therefore in their land they shall possess double”(Isaiah 61:7); whereas bwith regard to the wicked, it is stated: “And destroy them with double destruction”(Jeremiah 17:18); therefore, each receives a double portion.,iAḥerasked Rabbi Meiranother question, again bafter he had gone astray. What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall its exchange be vessels of fine gold”(Job 28:17)? If it is referring to the praise and honor of the Torah, it should have compared it only to gold, not to glass. bHe said to him:This is referring to bwords of Torah, which are as difficult to acquire as gilded vessels and vessels of fine gold but are as easy to lose as glass vessels. iAḥer bsaid to him: Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say so, buttaught as follows: bJust as golden vessels and glass vessels have a remedy even when they have broken,as they can be melted down and made into new vessels, bso too a Torah scholar, although he has transgressed, has a remedy.Rabbi Meir bsaid to him:If so, byou too, returnfrom your ways. bHe said to him: I have already heardthe following declaration bbehind thedividing bcurtain,which conceals God from the world: b“Return, rebellious children,”(Jeremiah 3:22) bapart from iAḥer /i. /b,The Gemara cites a related story: bThe Sages taught: There was once an incident involving iAḥer /i, who was riding on a horse on Shabbat, and Rabbi Meir was walking behind him to learn Torah from him.After a while, iAḥer bsaid to him: Meir, turn back, for I have already estimatedand measured baccording to the steps of my horsethat bthe Shabbat boundary ends here,and you may therefore venture no further. Rabbi Meir bsaid to him: You, too, returnto the correct path. bHe said to him: But have I not already told youthat bI have already heard behind thedividing bcurtain: “Return, rebellious children,” apart from iAḥer /i? /b,Nevertheless, Rabbi Meir btook hold of himand bbrought him to the study hall. iAḥer bsaid to a child,by way of divination: bRecite your versethat you studied today bto me. He recitedthe following verse bto him: “There is no peace, said the Lord, concerning the wicked”(Isaiah 48:22). bHe brought him to another study hall. iAḥer bsaid to a child: Recite your verse to me. He recited to him: “For though you wash with niter, and take for you much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me”(Jeremiah 2:22). bHe brought him to another study hall. iAḥer bsaid to /b |
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53. Babylonian Talmud, Hulin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 87a. הכי השתא התם משתא וברוכי בהדי הדדי לא אפשר הכא אפשר דשחיט בחדא ומכסי בחדא:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big שחט ולא כסה וראהו אחר חייב לכסות כסהו ונתגלה פטור מלכסות כסהו הרוח חייב לכסות:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ת"ר (ויקרא יז, יג) ושפך וכסה מי ששפך יכסה שחט ולא כסה וראהו אחר מנין שחייב לכסות שנאמר (ויקרא יז, יד) ואומר לבני ישראל אזהרה לכל בני ישראל,תניא אידך ושפך וכסה במה ששפך בו יכסה שלא יכסנו ברגל שלא יהיו מצות בזויות עליו תניא אידך ושפך וכסה מי ששפך הוא יכסנו מעשה באחד ששחט וקדם חבירו וכסה וחייבו רבן גמליאל ליתן לו י' זהובים,איבעיא להו שכר מצוה או שכר ברכה למאי נפקא מינה לברכת המזון אי אמרת שכר מצוה אחת היא ואי אמרת שכר ברכה הויין ארבעים מאי,תא שמע דא"ל ההוא צדוקי לרבי מי שיצר הרים לא ברא רוח ומי שברא רוח לא יצר הרים דכתיב (עמוס ד, יג) כי הנה יוצר הרים ובורא רוח אמר ליה שוטה שפיל לסיפיה דקרא ה' צבאות שמו,אמר ליה נקוט לי זימנא תלתא יומי ומהדרנא לך תיובתא יתיב רבי תלת תעניתא כי הוה קא בעי מיברך אמרו ליה צדוקי קאי אבבא אמר (תהלים סט, כב) ויתנו בברותי רוש וגו',א"ל רבי מבשר טובות אני לך לא מצא תשובה אויבך ונפל מן הגג ומת אמר לו רצונך שתסעוד אצלי אמר לו הן לאחר שאכלו ושתו א"ל כוס של ברכה אתה שותה או ארבעים זהובים אתה נוטל אמר לו כוס של ברכה אני שותה יצתה בת קול ואמרה כוס של ברכה ישוה ארבעים זהובים,אמר רבי יצחק עדיין שנה לאותה משפחה בין גדולי רומי וקוראין אותה משפחת בר לויאנוס:,כסהו ונתגלה: אמר ליה רב אחא בריה דרבא לרב אשי מאי שנא מהשבת אבדה דאמר מר (דברים כב, א) השב אפילו מאה פעמים,אמר ליה התם לא כתיב מיעוטא הכא כתיב מיעוטא וכסהו:,כסהו הרוח: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן לא שנו אלא שחזר ונתגלה אבל לא חזר ונתגלה פטור מלכסות וכי חזר ונתגלה מאי הוי הא אידחי ליה אמר רב פפא זאת אומרת אין דיחוי אצל מצות,ומאי שנא מהא דתניא השוחט ונבלע דם בקרקע חייב לכסות התם כשרשומו ניכר:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big דם שנתערב במים אם יש בו מראית דם חייב לכסות נתערב ביין רואין אותו כאילו הוא מים נתערב בדם הבהמה | 87a. The Gemara rejects this: bHow canthese cases bbe compared? There,in the incident involving the students of Rav, it is bimpossible to drink and recite a blessing simultaneously.Accordingly, by requesting a cup over which to recite the blessing of Grace after Meals, they demonstrated their desire to cease drinking. bHere,when one covers the blood of the undomesticated animal before slaughtering the bird, it is bpossible to slaughterthe bird bwith the onehand band coverthe blood of the undomesticated animal bwith theother bone.Accordingly, the act of covering the blood of the undomesticated animal is not considered an interruption of the acts of slaughter, since they could have been performed simultaneously., strongMISHNA: /strong If one bslaughteredan undomesticated animal or bird band did not coverthe blood, band anotherperson bsawthe uncovered blood, the second person is bobligated to coverthe blood. If one bcoveredthe blood band it wasthen buncovered,he is bexempt from covering itagain. If bthe windblew earth on the blood and bcovered it,and it was consequently uncovered, he is bobligated to coverthe blood., strongGEMARA: /strong bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“And he shall pour outits blood band coverit with earth” (Leviticus 17:13), indicating that bthe one who poured outits blood, i.e., slaughtered the animal, bshall cover it.If one bslaughteredthe animal or bird band did not coverthe blood, band another person sawthe uncovered blood, bfrom whereis it derived bthatthe person who saw the blood bis obligated to coverit? It is derived from the following verse, bas it is stated: “Therefore I said to the children of Israel”(Leviticus 17:12), which is ba warning to all the children of Israelto fulfill the mitzva of covering the blood., bIt is taughtin banother ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“And he shall pour outits blood band coverit with earth,” indicating that bwith that which he poured outthe blood bhe shall cover it,i.e., he must use his hand, and bhemay bnot cover it withhis bfoot, so that mitzvot will not be contemptible to him. It is taughtin banother ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“And he shall pour outits blood band coverit with earth,” indicating that bthe one who poured outthe blood bshall cover it. An incidentoccurred binvolving one who slaughteredan undomesticated animal or bird band anotherindividual bpreemptedhim band coveredthe blood, band Rabban Gamliel deemed him obligated to give ten gold coins tothe one who performed the act of slaughter., bA dilemma was raised beforethe Sages: Are these ten gold coins bcompensationfor the stolen bmitzva orare they bcompensationfor the stolen bblessingrecited over the mitzva? The Gemara elaborates: bWhat is thepractical bdifference?The difference is bwith regard toa similar case involving bGrace after Meals. If you saythe coins are bcompensation for the mitzva,then with regard to Grace after Meals, since all its blessings constitute bonemitzva, one would be obligated to give only ten gold coins. bBut if you saythey are bcompensation for thelost bblessing,then with regard to Grace after Meals the compensation bis fortygold coins, since Grace after Meals comprises four blessings. bWhatis the conclusion?,The Gemara suggests: bComeand bheara proof from an incident in bwhich a certain heretic said to RabbiYehuda HaNasi: bHe who created mountains did not create wind, and he who created wind did not create mountains;rather, each was created by a separate deity, bas it is written: “For behold, He Who forms the mountains and He Who creates the wind”(Amos 4:13), indicating that there are two deities: One who forms the mountains and one who creates the wind. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid to him: Imbecile, go to the end of the verse,which states: b“The Lord, the God of hosts, is His name.”The verse emphasizes that God is the One Who both forms and creates.,The heretic bsaid toRabbi Yehuda HaNasi: bGive me three days’ time and I will respond to youwith ba rebuttalof your claim. bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsatand fasted bthreedays of bfastingwhile awaiting the heretic, in order that he would not find a rebuttal. bWhenRabbi Yehuda HaNasi bwanted to have a mealat the conclusion of those three days, bthey said to him:That bheretic is standing at the doorway.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi brecitedthe following verse about himself: b“They put gall into my food,and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalms 69:22), i.e., my meal is embittered with the presence of this heretic.,When Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi came to the door he saw that it was in fact a different heretic, not the one who asked for three days to prepare a rebuttal. This heretic bsaid to him: Rabbi, I am a bearer of good tidings for you: Your enemy did not find a response, and he threw himself from the roof and died.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid tothe heretic: Since you have brought me good tidings, bwould you like to dine with me?The heretic bsaid to him: Yes. After they ate and drank,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid tothe heretic: Would byoulike to bdrink the cup of blessing,i.e., the cup of wine over which the Grace after Meals is recited, borwould byoulike to btake forty gold coinsinstead, and I will recite the Grace after Meals? The heretic bsaid to him: Iwill bdrink the cup of blessing. A Divine Voice emerged and said: The cup of blessing is worth forty gold coins.Evidently, each one of the blessings in the Grace after Meals is worth ten gold coins.,The Gemara adds: bRabbi Yitzḥak says: That familyof the heretic who dined with Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bstill exists among the prominentfamilies bof Rome, andthat family bis called: The family of bar Luyyanus. /b,§ The mishna teaches that if one bcoveredthe blood band it wasthen buncoveredhe is not obligated to cover it again. bRav Aḥa, son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: What is differentabout this case from the mitzva of breturning a lost item, where the Master said:The verse states with regard to the obligation to return a lost item: b“You shall returnthem to your brother” (Deuteronomy 22:1), beven one hundred times? /b,Rav Ashi bsaid toRav Aḥa: bThere,in the verse discussing the obligation to return a lost item, ba restriction is not writtenin the verse to limit the obligation. bHere,in the verse discussing the obligation to cover the blood, ba restriction is written,as the verse states: b“And he shall cover it.”The usage of the term “it” indicates that one must cover the blood only one time.,§ The mishna teaches that if bthe windblew earth on the blood and bcovered itone is obligated to cover the blood. bRabba bar bar Ḥana saysthat bRabbi Yoḥa says: They taughtthis ihalakha bonlyif the blood bwas again uncovered. Butif the blood bwas not again uncoveredone is bexempt fromthe obligation bto cover it.The Gemara asks: bAnd whenthe blood bwas again uncovered, what of it? Isn’t italready brejectedfrom the mitzva of covering since it was covered by the wind? bRav Pappa said: That is to saythat bthere is no permanentrejection bwith regard to mitzvot.Although the wind covered the blood, the mitzva to cover it was not rendered null; rather, the mitzva simply could not be performed. Consequently, once the blood is again uncovered, the mitzva to cover the blood remains in place.,The Gemara asks: bButeven if the wind covered the blood and it remained covered, why is one exempt from performing the mitzva of covering the blood? bWhat is differentabout this case bfrom that which is taughtin a ibaraita /i: In a case where bone slaughtersan undomesticated animal or a bird bandits bblood is absorbed by the ground,one is bobligated to coverthe blood? The Gemara responds: bThere,the ibaraitais referring to a case bwhere the impressionof the blood bisstill brecognizable,i.e., it was not entirely absorbed in the ground., strongMISHNA: /strong In a case of the bbloodof an undomesticated animal or bird bthat was mixed with water, if there is inthe mixture bthe appearance of bloodone is bobligated to coverit. If the blood bwas mixed with wine one viewsthe wine bas though it is water,and if a mixture with that amount of water would have the appearance of blood one is obligated to cover it. Likewise, if the blood of an undomesticated animal or a bird bwas mixed with the blood of a domesticated animal,which one does not have to cover |
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54. Babylonian Talmud, Makkot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 10a. דכתיב (הושע ו, ח) גלעד קרית פועלי און עקובה מדם מאי עקובה מדם א"ר אלעזר שהיו עוקבין להרוג נפשות,ומאי שנא מהאי גיסא ומהאי גיסא דמרחקי ומאי שנא מציעאי דמקרבי,אמר אביי בשכם נמי שכיחי רוצחים דכתיב (הושע ו, ט) וכחכי איש גדודים חבר כהנים דרך ירצחו שכמה וגו' מאי חבר כהנים א"ר אלעזר שהיו מתחברין להרוג נפשות ככהנים הללו שמתחברין לחלוק תרומות בבית הגרנות,ותו ליכא והא כתיב (במדבר לה, ו) ועליהם תתנו ארבעים ושתים עיר אמר אביי הללו קולטות בין לדעת בין שלא לדעת הללו לדעת קולטות שלא לדעת אינן קולטות,וחברון עיר מקלט הוא והכתיב (שופטים א, כ) ויתנו לכלב את חברון כאשר דבר משה אמר אביי פרוודהא דכתיב (יהושע כא, יב) ואת שדה העיר ואת חצריה נתנו לכלב בן יפנה,וקדש עיר מקלט הואי והכתיב (יהושע יט, לה) וערי מבצר הצדים צר וחמת רקת וכנרת [וגו'] וקדש ואדרעי ועין חצור ותניא ערים הללו אין עושין אותן לא טירין קטנים ולא כרכים גדולים אלא עיירות בינוניות אמר רב יוסף תרתי קדש הואי אמר רב אשי כגון סליקום ואקרא דסליקום,גופא ערים הללו אין עושין אותן לא טירין קטנים ולא כרכין גדולים אלא עיירות בינוניות ואין מושיבין אותן אלא במקום מים ואם אין שם מים מביאין להם מים ואין מושיבין אותן אלא במקום שווקים ואין מושיבין אותן אלא במקום אוכלוסין נתמעטו אוכלוסיהן מוסיפין עליהן נתמעטו דיוריהן מביאין להם כהנים לוים וישראלים,ואין מוכרין בהן לא כלי זיין ולא כלי מצודה דברי רבי נחמיה וחכמים מתירין ושוין שאין פורסין בתוכן מצודות ואין מפשילין לתוכן חבלים כדי שלא תהא רגל גואל הדם מצויה שם,א"ר יצחק מאי קרא (דברים ד, מב) ונס אל אחת מן הערים האל וחי עביד ליה מידי דתהוי ליה חיותא,תנא תלמיד שגלה מגלין רבו עמו שנאמר וחי עביד ליה מידי דתהוי ליה חיותא אמר ר' זעירא מכאן שלא ישנה אדם לתלמיד שאינו הגון,א"ר יוחנן הרב שגלה מגלין ישיבתו עמו איני והא א"ר יוחנן מנין לדברי תורה שהן קולטין שנאמר (דברים ד, מג) את בצר במדבר וגו' [וכתיב בתריה] (דברים ד, מד) וזאת התורה,לא קשיא הא בעידנא דעסיק בה הא בעידנא דלא עסיק בה,ואי בעית אימא מאי קולטין ממלאך המות כי הא דרב חסדא הוה יתיב וגריס בבי רב ולא הוה קא יכול שליחא [דמלאכא דמותא] למיקרב לגביה דלא הוה שתיק פומיה מגירסא סליק ויתיב אארזא דבי רב פקע ארזא ושתיק ויכיל ליה,א"ר תנחום בר חנילאי מפני מה זכה ראובן לימנות בהצלה תחלה מפני שהוא פתח בהצלה תחלה שנאמר (בראשית לז, כא) וישמע ראובן ויצילהו מידם,דרש רבי שמלאי מאי דכתיב (דברים ד, מא) אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים בעבר הירדן מזרחה [שמש] אמר לו הקב"ה למשה הזרח שמש לרוצחים איכא דאמרי א"ל הזרחת שמש לרוצחים,דרש רבי סימאי מאי דכתיב (קהלת ה, ט) אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף ומי אוהב בהמון לא תבואה אוהב כסף לא ישבע כסף זה משה רבינו שהיה יודע שאין שלש ערים שבעבר הירדן קולטות עד שלא נבחרו שלש בארץ כנען ואמר מצוה שבאה לידי אקיימנה,ומי אוהב בהמון לא תבואה למי נאה ללמד בהמון מי שכל תבואה שלו והיינו דא"ר אלעזר מאי דכתיב (תהלים קו, ב) מי ימלל גבורות ה' ישמיע כל תהלתו למי נאה (ללמד) [למלל] גבורות ה' מי שיכול להשמיע כל תהלתו,ורבנן ואיתימא רבה בר מרי אמר מי אוהב בהמון לו תבואה כל האוהב (למלמד) בהמון לו תבואה יהבו ביה רבנן עינייהו ברבא בריה דרבה,(סימן אשי ללמוד רבינא ללמד),רב אשי אמר כל האוהב ללמוד בהמון לו תבואה והיינו דא"ר יוסי בר' חנינא מאי דכתיב (ירמיהו נ, לו) חרב אל הבדים ונואלו חרב על צוארי שונאיהם של ת"ח שיושבין ועוסקין בתורה בד בבד ולא עוד אלא שמטפשין כתיב הכא ונואלו וכתיב התם (במדבר יב, יא) אשר נואלנו ולא עוד אלא שחוטאין שנאמר ואשר חטאנו ואיבעית אימא מהכא (ישעיהו יט, יג) נואלו שרי צוען,רבינא אמר כל האוהב ללמד בהמון לו תבואה והיינו דאמר רבי הרבה תורה למדתי מרבותי ומחבירי יותר מהם ומתלמידי יותר מכולן,א"ר יהושע בן לוי מאי דכתיב (תהלים קכב, ב) עומדות היו רגלינו בשעריך ירושלם מי גרם לרגלינו שיעמדו במלחמה שערי ירושלם שהיו עוסקים בתורה,וא"ר יהושע בן לוי מאי דכתיב (תהלים קכב, א) שיר המעלות לדוד שמחתי באומרים לי בית ה' נלך אמר דוד לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא רבש"ע שמעתי בני אדם שהיו אומרים מתי ימות זקן זה ויבא שלמה בנו ויבנה בית הבחירה ונעלה לרגל ושמחתי אמר לו הקב"ה (תהלים פד, יא) כי טוב יום בחצריך מאלף טוב לי יום אחד שאתה עוסק בתורה לפני מאלף עולות שעתיד שלמה בנך להקריב לפני על גבי המזבח:,ומכוונות להם דרכים וכו': תניא ר' אליעזר בן יעקב אומר | 10a. Therefore, a greater number of cities of refuge per capita were required there, bas it is written: “Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is covered [ iakuba /i] with blood”(Hosea 6:8). bWhatis the meaning of: bCovered [ iakuba /i] with blood? Rabbi Elazar says:It means bthat they would set an ambush [ iokevin /i] to kill people. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd what is differentabout the cities of refuge closest to the border on bthissouthern bsideof the country band fromthe border on bthatnorthern bsideof the country, bthat are distancedone-quarter of the length of Eretz Yisrael from the border, band what is differentabout the city of refuge in the bmiddleof the country, bwhich isrelatively bcloseto any potential murderers? The maximum distance that one would need to travel to reach the middle city is one-half the distance from the northern and southern borders to their respective cities of refuge., bAbaye said: Murderers are also common in Shechem, as it is written: “And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so does the band of priests; they murder in the way toward Shechem,yes, they commit enormity” (Hosea 6:9). bWhatis the meaning of b“the band of priests”? Rabbi Elazar says:It means bthatthe people bwould band together to kill people, like those priests who band together to distribute iteruma /iamong themselves bin the granaries. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd are there no morecities of refuge beyond these six? bBut isn’t it written:“And the cities that you shall give to the Levites: The six cities of refuge you shall give for the murderer to flee there, band beyond them you shall give forty-two cities”(Numbers 35:6), indicating that the status of all the Levite cities is that of cities of refuge? bAbaye said:With regard to bthesesix cities designated specifically for this purpose, unintentional murderers in need of refuge are badmittedthere bwhetherthey entered the cities bdeliberately,aware that they are cities of refuge, or bwhetherthey entered binadvertently.By contrast, with regard to bthoseforty-two Levite cities, unintentional murderers are badmittedonly if they entered the cities bdeliberately,but if they entered the cities binadvertently,they are bnot admittedto the cities.,The Gemara asks: bAnd is Hebron a city of refuge? But isn’t it written: “And they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had spoken”(Judges 1:20)? This indicates that Hebron belonged to Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and it was not a Levite city. bAbaye said: Its suburbs [ iparvadaha /i]were given to Caleb; the city itself was a city of priests, bas it is writtenin the context of the distribution of the Levite cities: “And they gave them Kiryat Arba…which is Hebron… band the field of the city and its courtyards they gave to Caleb, son of Jephunneh”(Joshua 21:11–12).,The Gemara further asks: bAnd is Kadesh a city of refuge? But isn’t it written: “And the fortified cities were Ziddim Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth…and Kedesh and Edrei and En Hazor”(Joshua 19:35–37), band it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: With regard to bthese citiesof refuge, bone does not establish themin bsmall settlements [ itirin /i] orin blarge cities; rather,one establishes them in bintermediate /b-sized btowns?Apparently, Kadesh was a large, fortified city. bRav Yosef said: There were twocities named bKedesh,and the one listed among the fortified cities in the book of Joshua is not the one that was a city of refuge. bRav Ashi said:The listing of Kadesh among the fortified cities is not difficult, as it is bsimilar tothe two adjacent yet separate cities of bSelikum and the fortification [ ive’akra /i] of Selikum.Likewise, there was the fortified city of Kadesh, mentioned in Joshua, and the city itself, which was an intermediate city that served as city of refuge.,§ The Gemara discusses bthematter bitself,and it cites the complete ibaraita /i: With regard to bthese citiesof refuge, bone does not establish themin bsmall settlements orin blarge cities; rather,one establishes them in bintermediate- /bsized btowns. And one establishes them only in a placewhere bwateris available, band if there is no wateravailable bthere,as there is no spring accessible from the city, bone brings them waterby digging a canal. bAnd one establishes them only in a placewhere there are bmarkets, and one establishes them only in a populated place,where there are many people who regularly frequent the town. If the bpopulationof the surrounding areas bdiminishes, one adds to it.If the number of bresidentsin the city of refuge itself bdiminishes, one bringsnew residents to the city, among them bpriests, Levites, and Israelites. /b,The ibaraitacontinues: bAnd one may not sell weapons or hunting toolsin the cities of refuge, to prevent the blood redeemer from gaining access to means that he could exploit to kill the unintentional murderer who fled to the city of refuge; this is bthe statement of Rabbi Neḥemya. And the Rabbis permitselling weapons and hunting tools. bAndRabbi Neḥemya and the Rabbis bagree that one may not spread nets inthe cities of refuge, bnor may they braid [ imafshilin /i] ropes inthose cities, bso that the foot of the blood redeemer will not be found there.If the blood redeemer were to enter the city of refuge to purchase nets or ropes, he is apt to encounter the murderer and kill him., bRabbi Yitzḥak says: What is the versefrom which these matters are derived? It is written: b“And he shall flee to one of these cities and live”(Deuteronomy 4:42), meaning: bPerform someactions bforthe unintentional murderer so bthatlife in the city of refuge bwill beconducive to bliving for him.All these steps are taken to facilitate that objective.,The Sages btaught:In the case of ba student who was exiled, his teacher is exiledto the city of refuge bwith him,so that the student can continue studying Torah with him there, bas it is stated:“And he shall flee to one of these cities band live,”from which it is derived: bPerform someactions bforthe unintentional murderer so bthatlife in the city bwill beconducive to bliving for him.Since Torah study is an integral component of his life, arrangements must be made to ensure continuity in that facet of his existence. bRabbi Zeira says: From hereone learns bthat a person should not teach a student who is not fit,as that may result in the teacher following the student into exile., bRabbi Yoḥa says:In the case of ba teacherof Torah bwho was exiled, his school is exiled with him.The Gemara asks: bIs that sothat a teacher of Torah is exiled? bBut doesn’t Rabbi Yoḥahimself bsay: From whereis it derived bthat matters of Torah provide refuge,i.e., that the blood redeemer may not harm one who is engaged in Torah? It is derived from a verse, bas it is stated: “Bezer in the wilderness,in the flatlands, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites” (Deuteronomy 4:43), in the list of cities of refuge designated by Moses, band it is written thereafter: “And this is the Torah”(Deuteronomy 4:44). Based on that juxtaposition it is derived that the status of Torah is like that of a city of refuge.,The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult,as bthisstatement of Rabbi Yoḥa, that the status of Torah is like that of a city of refuge, is referring to Torah bat the time that one is engaged in itsstudy, and bthatstatement of Rabbi Yoḥa, that the teacher of Torah must take his school to the city of refuge, is referring to the teacher of Torah bat the time that he is not engaged in itsstudy. His mere presence in a city of refuge provides him with continuous protection., bAnd if you wish, say: Whatis the meaning of Rabbi Yoḥa’s statement that matters of Torah bprovide refuge?It means protection, but not for an unintentional murderer from the blood redeemer; rather, it means protection bfrom the Angel of Death.This is basit was in bthisincident bwhere Rav Ḥisda was sitting and studying in the study hall of Rav and the agent of the Angel of Death was unable to approach himand take his life bbecause his mouth was not silent from his studyfor even a moment. The agent bascended and sat on the cedartree bof the study hall of Rav. The cedartree bbroke and Rav Ḥisda wasmomentarily bsilent,startled by the sudden noise, bandthe agent of the Angel of Death bovercame him.Apparently, matters of Torah provide protection from the Angel of Death only when one is actively engaged in their study.,§ bRabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai says: For whatreason bwas Reuben privileged to be enumerated first in the rescue,as the first city of refuge listed is Bezer (see Deuteronomy 4:43), which is located in the tribal portion of Reuben? It is bdue tothe fact bthat he began the rescueof Joseph bfirst, as it is stated: “And Reuben heard and delivered him from their hands”(Genesis 37:21)., bRabbi Simlai taught: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Then Moses separated three cities beyond the Jordan, to the east of the sun [ imizreḥa shamesh /i]”(Deuteronomy 4:41)? bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Shine the sun [ ihazraḥ shemesh /i] for murderers,i.e., provide them with the hope of rescue. bSome saythat God bsaid toMoses: In designating these cities of refuge byou have shined the sun for murderers. /b,On a related note, bRabbi Simai taught: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase”(Ecclesiastes 5:9)? b“He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver”; thisis a reference to bMoses our teacher,whose love of mitzvot was so great bthatalthough bhe knew thatan unintentional murderer bwould not be admitted to the three citiesof refuge bthat were inthe east bbank of the Jordan untilthe bthreecities of refuge bthatwere bin the land of Canaan were selected, andthat his designation of cities of refuge would have no practical ramifications in his lifetime, bhenevertheless bsaid:When there is ba mitzva that has come my way, I will fulfill it. /b,The next phrase in that verse: b“Nor he who loves abundance with increase,”is also interpreted as referring to Torah: bFor whom is it fitting to teach an abundanceof people? bOnefor bwhom allits bincrease belongs to him,i.e., one who knows all the content of the Torah is worthy of teaching it in public. bAnd that isidentical to that bwhich Rabbi Elazar says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Who can express the mighty acts of God, or make all His praise heard”(Psalms 106:2)? bFor whom is it fitting to express the mighty acts of God?It is bone who can make all His praise heard.One who knows only part of it is unfit to teach the multitudes., bAnd the Rabbissay, band some say Rabba bar Mari says,that the passage b“nor he who loves abundance with increase”means bwhoever lovesa Torah scholar bwho teaches inthe presence of ban abundanceof people, bto him shall be increase,i.e., sons who are Torah scholars. The Gemara relates: When they heard that interpretation, bthe Sages cast their eyes upon Rava, son of Rabba,who loved Torah scholars who disseminate Torah, and he was blessed with sons who were Torah scholars.,The Gemara provides ba mnemonicfor the ensuing interpretations of the second part of the verse cited earlier (Ecclesiastes 5:9): bAshi to study, Ravina to teach. /b, bRav Ashi says: Anyone who loves to study in abundance,i.e., with many colleagues, bto him shall be increase,i.e., he will succeed in his studies. bAnd that isparallel to that bwhich Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “A sword is upon the ibaddim /i, iveno’alu /i”(Jeremiah 50:36)? It is fitting that ba swordbe placed bon the necks of the enemies of Torah scholars,a euphemism for Torah scholars, bwho sit and engage inthe study of bthe Torah individually [ ibad bevad /i]. Moreover, they grow foolishthrough individual study, as bit is written here: iVeno’alu /i, and it is written there: “For we have been foolish [ ino’alnu /i]”(Numbers 12:11). bMoreover, theythereby bsin, as it is statedimmediately thereafter: b“And for we have sinned.” And if you wish, saythat bfrom hereit is derived that ino’alumeans sinned: b“The ministers of Zoan have sinned [ ino’alu /i]”(Isaiah 19:13)., bRavina saysthat there is a different interpretation of the verse cited earlier (Ecclesiastes 5:9): bAnyone who loves to teach in abundance,before the multitudes, bto him shall be increase,as his Torah knowledge is enhanced through those lectures. bAnd that isthe parallel to that bwhich RabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays: Much Torah have I studied from my teachers, andI have learned bmore from my colleaguesthan bfrom them, andI have learned bmore from my studentsthan bfrom all of them. /b,Apropos the virtue of Torah study, bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Our feet were standing in your gates, Jerusalem”(Psalms 122:2)? bWhat caused our feet to withstandthe enemies bin war?It is bthe gates of Jerusalem, where they were engaged in Torahstudy. He interprets the term “in your gates” to mean: Because of your gates, the place of justice and Torah., bAnd Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “A song of the ascents to David: I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go to the house of God”(Psalms 122:1)? bDavid said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, I heard people who were sayingin reference to me: bWhen will this old man die, and Solomon his son will comeand succeed him band build the Temple and we will ascendthere bfor the pilgrimage Festival?It was common knowledge that the Temple would be constructed by David’s successor. David continued: bAnddespite my pain that I am not privileged to build the Temple, bI rejoiced. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: “For better is one day in your courtyard than one thousand”(Psalms 84:11), meaning, bI prefer one dayduring bwhich you engage inthe study of bTorah before Me thanthe bone thousand burnt-offerings that your son Solomon is destined to sacrifice before Me upon the altar(see I Kings 3:4).,§ The mishna teaches: bAnd roads were aligned for themfrom this city to that city. bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: /b |
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55. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 16b. יכשל בו דאמר רבא בר מחסיא אמר רב חמא בר גוריא אמר רב בשביל משקל שני סלעים מילת שהוסיף יעקב ליוסף משאר אחיו נתגלגל הדבר וירדו אבותינו למצרים אמר רבי בנימן בר יפת רמז רמז לו שעתיד בן לצאת ממנו שיצא מלפני המלך בחמשה לבושי מלכות שנאמר ומרדכי יצא בלבוש מלכות תכלת וגו',(בראשית מה, יד) ויפול על צוארי בנימן אחיו כמה צוארין הוו ליה לבנימין אמר רבי אלעזר בכה על שני מקדשים שעתידין להיות בחלקו של בנימין ועתידין ליחרב ובנימין בכה על צואריו בכה על משכן שילה שעתיד להיות בחלקו של יוסף ועתיד ליחרב,(בראשית מה, יב) והנה עיניכם רואות ועיני אחי בנימין אמר רבי אלעזר אמר להם כשם שאין בלבי על בנימין אחי שלא היה במכירתי כך אין בלבי עליכם כי פי המדבר אליכם כפי כן לבי,(בראשית מה, כג) ולאביו שלח כזאת עשרה חמורים נושאים מטוב מצרים מאי מטוב מצרים אמר ר' בנימין בר יפת אמר רבי אלעזר שלח לו יין [ישן] שדעת זקנים נוחה הימנו,(בראשית נ, יח) וילכו גם אחיו ויפלו לפניו אמר רבי בנימין בר יפת אמר רבי אלעזר היינו דאמרי אינשי תעלא בעידניה סגיד ליה,תעלא מאי בצירותיה מאחווה אלא אי איתמר הכי איתמר (בראשית מז, לא) וישתחו ישראל על ראש המטה אמר רבי בנימין בר יפת אמר רבי אלעזר תעלא בעידניה סגיד ליה,(בראשית נ, כא) וינחם אותם וידבר על לבם אמר רבי בנימין בר יפת אמר רבי אלעזר מלמד שאמר להם דברים שמתקבלין על הלב ומה עשרה נרות לא יכלו לכבות נר אחד נר אחד היאך יכול לכבות עשרה נרות,(אסתר ח, טז) ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר אמר רב יהודה אורה זו תורה וכן הוא אומר (משלי ו, כג) כי נר מצוה ותורה אור שמחה זה יום טוב וכן הוא אומר (דברים טז, יד) ושמחת בחגך ששון זו מילה וכן הוא אומר (תהלים קיט, קסב) שש אנכי על אמרתך,ויקר אלו תפלין וכן הוא אומר (דברים כח, י) וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך ותניא רבי אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפלין שבראש,ואת פרשנדתא וגו' עשרת בני המן אמר רב אדא דמן יפו עשרת בני המן ועשרת צריך לממרינהו בנשימה אחת מאי טעמא כולהו בהדי הדדי נפקו נשמתייהו אמר רבי יוחנן ויו דויזתא צריך למימתחה בזקיפא כמורדיא דלברות מאי טעמא כולהו בחד זקיפא אזדקיפו,אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא דרש ר' שילא איש כפר תמרתא כל השירות כולן נכתבות אריח על גבי לבינה ולבינה על גבי אריח,חוץ משירה זו ומלכי כנען שאריח על גבי אריח ולבינה על גבי לבינה מ"ט שלא תהא תקומה למפלתן,ויאמר המלך לאסתר המלכה בשושן הבירה הרגו היהודים אמר רבי אבהו מלמד שבא מלאך וסטרו על פיו,ובבאה לפני המלך אמר עם הספר אמר אמרה מיבעי ליה אמר רבי יוחנן אמרה לו יאמר בפה מה שכתוב בספר,דברי שלום ואמת אמר רבי תנחום ואמרי לה אמר רבי אסי מלמד שצריכה שרטוט כאמיתה של תורה,ומאמר אסתר קיים מאמר אסתר אין דברי הצומות לא אמר רבי יוחנן דברי הצומות ומאמר אסתר קיים (את ימי) הפורים האלה,כי מרדכי היהודי משנה למלך אחשורוש וגדול ליהודים ורצוי לרוב אחיו לרוב אחיו ולא לכל אחיו מלמד שפירשו ממנו מקצת סנהדרין,אמר רב יוסף גדול ת"ת יותר מהצלת נפשות דמעיקרא חשיב ליה למרדכי בתר ד' ולבסוף בתר חמשה מעיקרא כתיב (עזרא ב, ב) אשר באו עם זרובבל ישוע נחמיה שריה רעליה מרדכי בלשן ולבסוף כתיב (נחמיה ז, ז) הבאים עם זרובבל ישוע נחמיה עזריה רעמיה נחמני מרדכי בלשן,אמר רב ואיתימא רב שמואל בר מרתא גדול תלמוד תורה יותר מבנין בית המקדש שכל זמן שברוך בן נריה קיים לא הניחו עזרא ועלה,אמר רבה אמר רב יצחק בר שמואל בר מרתא גדול תלמוד תורה יותר מכבוד אב ואם שכל אותן שנים שהיה יעקב אבינו בבית עבר לא נענש דאמר מר | 16b. bhehimself bshould stumbleby showing favoritism to Benjamin? bAs Rava bar Meḥaseyya saidthat bRav Ḥama bar Gurya saidthat bRav said: Due tothe weight of btwo sela of fine wool that Jacobgave to Joseph, which he badded towhat he gave bJoseph beyondwhat he gave bthe rest of his brothers,as he made him his special coat, bthe story progressed and our forefathers went down to Egypt.How then could Joseph have displayed similar favoritism toward Benjamin? bRabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said: Hewas not showing favoritism. Rather, he bintimated to him that a descendant was destined to issue from him who would go out from the presence of the kingwearing bfive royal garments, as it is stated: “And Mordecai went forthfrom the presence of the king bin royal apparel of sky blueand white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a wrap of fine linen and purple” (Esther 8:15).,The Gemara elaborates on certain elements in the story of Joseph and his brothers. The verse states with regard to Joseph: b“And he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck [ itzavarei/b] and wept” (Genesis 45:14). The wording of the verse gives rise to a question, as the word itzavareiis plural, meaning necks: bHow many necks did Benjamin have,such that the verse should use the plural itzavareirather than the singular itzavar /i? bRabbi Elazar said:This intimates bthatJoseph bcried over the two Temples that were destined to be in thetribal bterritory of Benjamin and were destined to be destroyed.The same verse continues: b“And Benjamin wept on his neck”(Genesis 45:14); bhe cried over the tabernacle of Shiloh that was destined to be in thetribal bterritory of Joseph and was destined to be destroyed. /b,The verse states: b“And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin”(Genesis 45:12). bRabbi Elazar said:Joseph bsaid tohis brothers as follows: bJust as Icertainly bharbor noresentment bin my heart toward my brother Benjamin, for he was noteven bpresent when I was sold, so too, I harbor noresentment btoward you.The verse continues: b“That it is my mouth [ iki fi /i] that speaks to you”(Genesis 45:12), i.e., bAs my mouth [ ikefi /i] is, so is my heart. /b,The verse states: b“And to his father he sent after this manner ten donkeys laden with the good things of Egypt”(Genesis 45:23). The Gemara asks: bWhat are “the good things of Egypt”that are mentioned but not specified here? bRabbi Binyamin bar Yefet saidthat bRabbi Elazar said: He sent him aged wine, which the elderly find pleasing. /b,Following Jacob’s death, it states concerning Joseph: b“And his brothers even went and fell down before him”(Genesis 50:18). bRabbi Binyamin bar Yefet saidthat bRabbi Elazar said: Thisexplains the folk saying bthat people say: When the fox is in its hour, bow down to it,i.e., if a fox is appointed king, one must bow down before and submit oneself to it.,The Gemara expresses astonishment at the use of this parable: Are you calling Joseph ba fox? What, was he inferior to his brotherssuch that in relation to them you call him a fox? bRather, if such a statement was stated, it was stated as follows,not in connection with this verse, but rather in connection with a different verse. The verse states: b“And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed”(Genesis 47:31). With regard to this, bRabbi Binyamin bar Yefet saidthat bRabbi Elazar said: When the fox is in its hour, bow down to it,as Jacob had to bow down before his son Joseph, who had reached greatness.,It says with regard to Joseph’s remarks to his brothers: b“And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts”(Genesis 50:21). bRabbi Binyamin bar Yefet saidthat bRabbi Elazar said:This bteaches that he spoke to them words that are acceptable to the heart,and alleviated their fears. This is what he said: bIf ten lights could not put out one light,as all of you were unable to do me harm, bhow can one light put out ten lights? /b,§ The Gemara returns to its explanation of the Megilla. The verse states: b“The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor”(Esther 8:16). bRav Yehuda said: “Light”; thisis referring to the bTorahthat they once again studied. bAnd similarly it says: “For the mitzva is a lamp and the Torah is light”(Proverbs 6:23). b“Gladness” [ isimḥa /i]; thisis referring to bthe Festivalsthat they once again observed. bAnd similarly it says: “And you shall be glad [ ivesamakhta /i] on your Festival”(Deuteronomy 16:14). b“Joy” [ isasson /i]; thisis referring to bcircumcision,as they once again circumcised their sons. bAnd similarly it says: “I rejoice [ isas /i] at Your word”(Psalms 119:162), which the Sages understood as referring to David’s rejoicing over the mitzva of circumcision., b“Honor”; this isreferring to bphylacteries,which they once again donned. bAnd similarly it says: “And all peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord; and they will be afraid of you”(Deuteronomy 28:10). bAnd it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Eliezer the Great said: Thisis referring to bthe phylacteries worn on the head.Haman had banned the fulfillment of all the mitzvot mentioned, but upon Haman’s demise the Jews returned to their observance.,The verse states: “And in Shushan the capital the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. bAnd Parshandatha… /band Vaizatha, bthe ten sons of Haman”(Esther 9:6–10). bRav Adda from Jaffa said:When reading the Megilla, the names of bthe ten sons of Haman andthe word b“ten” must be said in one breath. What is the reasonfor this? It is that btheir souls all departed together. Rabbi Yoḥa said:The letter ivavinthe name b“Vaizatha”is a lengthened ivavand bmust be elongated as a pole, like a steering oar of a ship [ iliberot /i]. What is the reasonfor this? To indicate that bthey were all hanged on one pole. /b, bRabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa saidthat bRabbi Sheila, a man of the village of Timarta, interpreteda verse bhomiletically: Allof bthe songsin the Bible bare writtenin the form of ba half brick arranged upon a whole brick and a whole brick arranged upon a half brick,i.e., each line of the song is divided into a stitch of text, referred to as a half brick, which is separated by a blank space, referred to as a whole brick, from the concluding stitch of that line of text.,The next line of the song inverts the sequence. bThis is the principle for all songs in the Bible exceptfor bthis song,referring to the list of Haman’s sons, bandthe song listing bthe kings of Canaanwho were defeated by Joshua. These two songs are written in the form of ba half brick arranged upon a half brick and a whole brick arranged upon a whole brick,i.e., one stitch of text over another, and one blank space over another. bWhat is the reasonthat these two songs are written in this anomalous fashion? bSo that they should never rise from their downfall.Just as a wall that is built in this manner will not stand, so too, these individuals should have no resurgence.,The verse states: b“And the king said to Esther the queen: The Jews have slainand destroyed five hundred men bin Shushan the capital,and also the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition and it shall be granted to you; and what more do you request, and it shall be done” (Esther 9:12). bRabbi Abbahu said: This teaches that an angel came and slapped him on his mouth,so that he was unable to finish what he was saying; he started with a complaint about what the Jews were doing, but ended on an entirely different note.,The verse states: b“But when she came before the king, he said with a letter”(Esther 9:25). Why does it say: b“He said”? It should have said: “She said,”as it was Esther who changed the decree. bRabbi Yoḥa said: She said toAhasuerus: bLet it be said byword of bmouth,indicating that bthat which is written in the lettershould also be ordered verbally.,With regard to what is stated: b“Words of peace and truth”(Esther 9:30), bRabbi Tanḥum said, and some saythat bRabbi Asisaid: This bteaches thata Megilla scroll brequires scoring,i.e., that the lines for the text must be scored onto the parchment, bas the Torah itself,i.e., as is done in a Torah scroll.,The verses say: “The matters of the fasts and their cry. bAnd the decree of Esther confirmedthese matters of Purim” (Esther 9:31–32). The Gemara asks: Should we say that b“the decree of Esther” indeedconfirmed these matters of Purim, but b“the matters of the fasts”did bnot?But didn’t the fasts also contribute to the miracle? bRabbi Yoḥa said:These two verses, b“The matters of the fastsand their cry. bAnd the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim,”should be read as one.,The verse states: b“For Mordecai the Jew was second to the king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the majority of his brethren”(Esther 10:3). The Gemara comments: The verse indicates that Mordecai was accepted only b“By the majority of his brethren,” but not by all his brethren.This bteaches that somemembers bof the Sanhedrin parted from him,because he occupied himself with community needs, and was therefore compelled to neglect his Torah study. They felt that this was a mistake and that he should have remained active on the Sanhedrin., bRav Yosef said: Studying Torah is greater than saving lives, as initially,when listing the Jewish leaders who came to Eretz Yisrael, bMordecai was mentioned after fourother people, bbut at the endhe was listed bafter five.This is taken to indicate that his involvement in governmental affairs instead of in Torah study lowered his stature one notch. The Gemara proves this: bAt first it is written: “Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan”(Ezra 2:2); bbut in the endin a later list bit is written: “Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahmani, Mordecai, Bilshan”(Nehemiah 7:7)., bRav said, and some saythat bRav Shmuel bar Martasaid: bStudying Torah is greaterand more important bthan building the Temple.A proof of this is that bfor as long as Baruch ben Neriah was alivein Babylonia, bEzra,who was his disciple, bdid not leave him and go upto Eretz Yisrael to build the Temple., bRabba saidthat bRav Yitzḥak bar Shmuel bar Marta said: Studying Torah isgreater and bmoreimportant bthan honoring one’s father and mother,and a proof of this is bthat for all those years that our father Jacob spent in the house of Eberand studied Torah there bhe was not punishedfor having neglected to fulfill the mitzva of honoring one’s parents. bAs the Master said: /b |
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56. Babylonian Talmud, Menachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 99b. btheapparent bdereliction ofthe study of bTorah is its foundation,e.g., if one breaks off his studies in order to participate in a funeral or a wedding procession. This is derived from a verse, bas it is written:“And the Lord said to Moses: Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, bwhich [ iasher /i] you broke”(Exodus 34:1). The word “ iasher /i” is an allusion to the fact that that bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Your strength is true [ iyishar koḥakha /i]in bthat you brokethe tablets, as the breaking of the first tablets led to the foundation of the Torah through the giving of the second tablets., bAnd Reish Lakish says:With regard to ba Torah scholar who sinned, he is not disgraced in public, as it is stated: “Therefore, you shall stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with you in the night”(Hosea 4:5). One can derive from the verse that if a prophet or any other Torah scholar stumbles and sins, one bshould concealhis offense blike the nightand not punish him in public., bAnd Reish Lakish says: Anyone who causes himself to forgeteven bone matter from his studies violates a prohibition, as it is statedwith regard to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai: “Only bobserve for yourself, and guard your soul diligently, lest you forget the mattersthat your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life, but you should make them known to your children and to your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9). bAndthis is bin accordance withthe principle that bRabbi Avinsays that bRabbi Ile’a says, as Rabbi Avin saysthat bRabbi Ile’a says: Wherever it is stated: Observe,or: bLest, or: Do not, it is nothing other than a prohibition. /b, bRavina says:One who forgets his studies violates two prohibitions, as the verse uses both the term b“observe” andthe term b“lest,”and bthese are two prohibitions. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says:He violates bthree prohibitions, as it is stated:“Only bobserve for yourself, and guard your soul diligently, lest you forget the mattersthat your eyes saw.” The term “Guard your soul” is derived from the same root as “observe” and is considered an additional prohibition.,The Gemara qualifies this statement: One bmighthave thought this applies bevento one who forgot his Torah knowledge bdue tocircumstances bbeyond his control.Therefore, bthe verse states: “And lest they depart from your heart.”This indicates that bthe verse is speaking of one whowillingly bcauses them to depart from his heart. Rabbi Dostai, son of Rabbi Yannai, says:One bmighthave thought that this applies bevenif bhis studies weretoo bhard for himto remember. Therefore, bthe verse states: “Only,”which excludes one who is unable to recall his studies., bRabbi Yoḥa and Rabbi Elazar both say:The bTorah was given in fortydays, when Moses ascended to Mount Sinai to receive it, bandsimilarly the bsoulof man bis formed in fortydays, as the formation of the fetus in the womb takes forty days from the time of conception. This teaches that banyone who preserves his Torahstudies, bhis soul islikewise bpreserved, and anyone who does not preserve his Torahstudies, bhis soul is not preservedeither., bThe school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:This can be illustrated by ba parable,as it is comparable bto a person who delivered a sparrow to his slavefor safekeeping, and bsaidto him: bAre you under the impression that if you lose it I will take from you an iissar /i,a small coin, bwhich is the valueof the bird? It is not so; bI will take your soul from youas punishment, meaning I will kill you. Similarly, one who fails to preserve the Torah entrusted to him will be severely punished., strongMISHNA: /strong bThere were two tables in the Entrance Hall, on the insideof the Entrance Hall, next bto the entrance to the Temple,i.e., next to the entrance to the Sanctuary. bOnewas bof marble and onewas bof gold. Onthe table bof marble,the priests bplace thenew bshewbreadthat has been baked, bbefore its entranceinto the Sanctuary, so that the loaves may cool a little from the heat of the oven and not spoil. bAndwhen the old shewbread is removed from the shewbread Table it is placed bonthe table bof gold upon its exitfrom the Sanctuary, where it remains until the frankincense is burned on the altar.,The reason the shewbread is placed on a gold table when it is removed, rather than on a marble or silver table, is bthat one elevatesto a higher level binmatters of bsanctity and one does not downgrade.Since it is set on the gold shewbread Table all week, it cannot be downgraded to a marble or silver table upon its removal. bAndthere was boneTable bof gold withinthe Sanctuary, bupon which the shewbreadis balwaysfound.,The mishna describes the manner in which it is ensured that the shewbread is constantly on the Table: bAnd four priests enter, twowith the btwo arrangementsof the new shewbread bin their hands and twowith the btwo bowlsof frankincense bin their hands. And fourpriests bprecedethem, entering the Sanctuary bbefore them, two to takethe btwo arrangementsof the old shewbread from the Table, band two to takethe btwo bowlsof frankincense., bThose bringingthe new shewbread bintothe Sanctuary bstand in the north and their faces are to the south, and those removingthe old shewbread bstand in the south and their faces are to the north. Thesepriests bdrawthe old shewbread from the Table band thosepriests bplacethe new shewbread on the Table, band foreach bhandbreadth of thisold shewbread that is removed from the Table a bhandbreadth of thatnew shewbread is placed upon the Table, so that the Table is never without loaves upon it, bas it is stated:“And you shall set upon the Table shewbread bbefore Me always”(Exodus 25:30)., bRabbi Yosei says: Evenif bthesepriests were to bremovethe shewbread from the Table entirely, bandonly afterward bthosepriests were to bplacethe new shewbread upon the Table, this btoo wouldfulfill the requirement that the shewbread balwaysbe on the Table. It is unnecessary to ensure the uninterrupted presence of the shewbread upon the Table, as long as it does not remain a single night without shewbread upon it.,The mishna describes the manner in which the shewbread is distributed: The priests who carried the old shewbread loaves bcame outof the Sanctuary band placed them on the table of gold that was in the Entrance Hall.The priests then bburnedon the altar bthefrankincense that was in the bbowls. And the loaves weresubsequently bdistributed to the priests.This occurred on Shabbat, the day that the priestly watch that served in the Temple during the preceding week was replaced by the priestly watch that would serve during the following week. The shewbread was distributed to the priests of both watches.,If bYom Kippur occurs on Shabbat, the loaves are distributed at night,at the conclusion of the fast, since they may not be eaten during the day. If Yom Kippur boccurs on Friday,i.e., when the holy day begins on Thursday evening, bthe goatsin offering bof Yom Kippur is eatenby the priests bat night,i.e., on Friday night, as it may be eaten only on the day that it is sacrificed or during the following night, until midnight. bAndsince there is no possibility of cooking the meat, as one may not cook on Yom Kippur or Shabbat, bthe Babylonians,i.e., priests who had emigrated from Babylonia, beat it when it is raw, due tothe fact bthat they are broad-mindedwith regard to their food, i.e., they are not particular and will eat meat even when it is not cooked., strongGEMARA: /strong The mishna teaches that according to Rabbi Yosei, even if the priest first removes the old shewbread entirely, and only then places the new shewbread upon the Table, this fulfills the requirement that the shewbread always be on the Table. Moreover, bit is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yosei says: Evenif the priest bremoved the oldshewbread on the bmorningof Shabbat, band arranged the newshewbread toward bevening,there is bnothingwrong bwith that. Rather, how do I realizethe meaning of the verse: “And you shall set upon the Table shewbread bbefore Me always”(Exodus 25:30)? This means bthatthe bTable should not be left overnight without breadupon it.,The ibaraitateaches that according to Rabbi Yosei, even if the old shewbread remained on the Table for a short while in the morning, and the new shewbread was placed on the Table toward evening, and even though it did not reside constantly on the Table, this fulfills the requirement that the shewbread should always be on the Table. bRabbi Ami says: From Rabbi Yosei’s statement we may learnthat bevenif ba person learned only one chapterof the Mishna in bthe morning and one chapterof the Mishna in bthe evening, he hasthereby bfulfilled the mitzva of: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth,and you shall contemplate in it day and night, that you may take heed to do according to all that is written in it, for then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall have good success” (Joshua 1:8)., bRabbi Yoḥa says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Evenif ba person recited only the recitation of iShema /iin bthe morning andin bthe evening,he has bfulfilledthe mitzva of: “This Torah scroll bshall not departfrom your mouth.” bAnd it is prohibited to state this matter in the presence of ignoramuses [ iamei ha’aretz /i],as they are likely to get the impression that there is no need to study Torah beyond this. bAnd Rava says:On the contrary, it is ba mitzva to statethis matter bin the presence of ignoramuses,as they will realize that if merely reciting the iShemaleads to such a great reward, all the more so how great is the reward of those who study Torah all day and night., bBen Dama, son of Rabbi Yishmael’s sister, asked Rabbi Yishmael:In the case of one bsuch as I, who has learned the entire Torah, what isthe ihalakha bwith regard to studying Greek wisdom?Rabbi Yishmael brecited this verse about him: “This Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall contemplate in it day and night.” Go and searchfor ban hour that is neitherpart bof the day norpart bof the night, and learn Greek wisdom in it. /b,The Gemara notes: bAndthis statement of Rabbi Yishmael’s bdisagreeswith the opinion bof Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saysthat bRabbi Yonatan says: This verse is neither an obligation nor a mitzva, but a blessing.Rabbi Yonatan explains: bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, saw Joshuaand observed bthatthe bwords of Torah were very precious to him, as it is stated:“And the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face… band his servant Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the Tent”(Exodus 33:11). bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said toJoshua: bJoshua, arethe bwords of Torah so precious to you?I bless you that b“this Torah scroll shall not depart from your mouth.” /b, bThe itannaof the school of Rabbi Yishmaelteaches: The bwords of Torah should not beconsidered as ban obligation upon you,i.e., one should not treat Torah study as a burden, bbutat the same time byou are not permitted to exempt yourself from them. /b, bḤizkiyya said: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written:“He delivers the afflicted due to His affliction, and opens their ear by tribulation; band also He has allured you out of a narrow opening to a broad place without confines below it,and that which is set on your table is full of fatness” (Job 36:15–16)? bCome and see that the attribute of flesh and blood is unlike the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He. The attribute of flesh and bloodis that ba person allures another fromthe bpaths of life tothe bpaths of death, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, allures the person fromthe bpaths of death tothe bpaths of life, as it is stated: “And also He has allured you out of a narrow opening,”i.e., bfrom Gehenna, the opening of which is narrowso bthat its smoke is collected /b |
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57. Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 32a. מפני שנתעסק במלון תחילה שנאמר ויהי בדרך במלון (שמות ד, כד),רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר לא למשה רבינו ביקש שטן להרוג אלא לאותו תינוק שנאמר כי חתן דמים אתה לי (שמות ד כה) צא וראה מי קרוי חתן הוי אומר זה התינוק,דרש רבי יהודה בר ביזנא בשעה שנתרשל משה רבינו מן המילה באו אף וחימה ובלעוהו ולא שיירו ממנו אלא רגליו מיד ותקח צפורה צור ותכרת את ערלת בנה (שמות ד, כה) מיד וירף ממנו (שמות ד, כו),באותה שעה ביקש משה רבינו להורגן שנאמר הרף מאף ועזוב חמה (תהלים לז, ח) ויש אומרים לחימה הֲרָגוֹ שנאמר חמה אין לי (ישעיהו כז, ד) והכתיב כי יגרתי מפני האף והחמה (דברים ט, יט) תרי חימה הוו ואיבעית אימא גונדא דחימה,תניא רבי אומר גדולה מילה שאין לך מי שנתעסק במצוות כאברהם אבינו ולא נקרא תמים אלא על שם מילה שנאמר התהלך לפני והיה תמים (בראשית יז, א) וכתיב ואתנה בריתי ביני ובינך (בראשית יז, ב),דבר אחר גדולה מילה ששקולה כנגד כל המצוות שבתורה שנאמר כי על פי הדברים האלה וגו' (שמות לד, כז) דבר אחר גדולה מילה שאילמלא מילה לא נתקיימו שמים וארץ שנאמר אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה וגו' (ירמיהו לג, כה),ופליגא דרבי אליעזר דאמר רבי אליעזר גדולה תורה שאילמלא תורה לא נתקיימו שמים וארץ שנאמר אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה חקות שמים וארץ לא שמתי וגו',אמר רב יהודה אמר רב בשעה שאמר לו הקב"ה לאברהם אבינו התהלך לפני והיה תמים (בראשית יז, א) אחזתו רעדה אמר שמא יש בי דבר מגונה כיוון שאמר לו ואתנה בריתי ביני ובינך (בראשית יז, ב) נתקררה דעתו,ויוצא אותו החוצה (בראשית טו, ה) אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם הסתכלתי במזל שלי ואין לי אלא בן אחד אמר לו צא מאיצטגנינות שלך אין מזל לישראל,אמר רבי יצחק כל המתמים עצמו הקב"ה מתמים עמו שנאמר עם חסיד תתחסד עם גבר תמים תתמם (תהלים יח, כו),אמר רבי הושעיא כל המתמים עצמו שעה עומדת לו שנאמר התהלך לפני והיה תמים (בראשית יז, א) וכתיב והיית לאב המון גוים (בראשית יז, ד),אמר רבי כל המנחש לו נחש שנאמר כי לא נחש ביעקב (במדבר כג, כג) והא בלמ"ד אל"ף כתיב אלא משום מידה כנגד מידה,תני אהבה בריה דרבי זירא כל אדם שאינו מנחש מכניסין אותו במחיצה שאפילו מלאכי השרת אין יכולין ליכנס בתוכה שנאמר כי לא נחש ביעקב ולא קסם בישראל וגו' (במדבר כג, כג),אמר רבי אבהו אמר רבי אלעזר מפני מה נענש אברהם אבינו ונשתעבדו בניו למצרים מאתיים ועשר שנים מפני שעשה אנגרייא בתלמידי חכמים שנאמר וירק את חניכיו ילידי ביתו (בראשית יד, יד),ושמואל אמר מפני שהפריז על מדותיו של הקב"ה שנאמר במה אדע כי אירשנה (בראשית טו, ח) ורבי יוחנן אמר שהפריש בני אדם מלהכנס תחת כנפי השכינה שנאמר תן לי הנפש והרכוש קח לך (בראשית יד, כא),וירק את חניכיו ילידי ביתו (בראשית יד, יד) רב אמר שהוריקן בתורה ושמואל אמר שהוריקן בזהב,שמנה עשר ושלש מאות (בראשית יד, יד) אמר רבי אמי בר אבא אליעזר כנגד כולם איכא דאמרי אליעזר הוא דחושבניה הכי הוי,ואמר רבי אמי בר אבא בן שלוש שנים הכיר אברהם את בוראו שנאמר עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי (בראשית כו, ה) חושבניה מאה ושבעין ותרין,ואמר רמי בר אבא | 32a. bBecause he was occupied with lodging firstand did not immediately perform the mitzva of circumcision, bas it is stated: “And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place”(Exodus 4:24)., bRabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: It was not Moses our teacherthat bSatan wanted to kill, but rather, that infantwho was not circumcised, bas it is stated: “Surely a bridegroom of blood are you to me”(Exodus 4:25). bGo out and see: Whodoes it make sense would be the one that bis called the bridegroomin this instance? bYou must say this is the infant,since he is the one who entered the covet of Abraham by means of the circumcision., bRabbi Yehuda bar Bizna taught: At the time that Moses our teacher was negligent about the circumcision,the destructive angels named bAf,meaning anger, band Ḥeima,meaning wrath, bcame and swallowed him, and only his legs were leftoutside. bImmediately, “Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son”(Exodus 4:25), and bimmediately “He let him alone”(Exodus 4:26)., bAt that moment, Moses our teacher wanted to kill them, as it is stated: “Cease from anger [ iaf] and forsake wrath [ iḥeima /i]”(Psalms 37:8), which indicates that he wanted to harm them. bAnd there are those who say: He killedthe angel named bḤeima, as it is stated: “Wrath is not in me”(Isaiah 27:4). The Gemara asks: How is it possible to say that he killed Ḥeima? bIsn’t it writtenthat Moses himself said much later: b“For I was in dread of the anger and wrath”(Deuteronomy 9:19)? The Gemara answers: bThere are twotypes of bwrath. And if you wish, saythat bthe army of Ḥeimaremained but not the angel itself., bIt is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays: Great isthe mitzva of bcircumcision, for there is no one who was engaged in mitzvot like Abraham our Patriarch, andyet bhe was called wholehearted only due tothe mitzva of bcircumcision, as it is stated: “Walk before Me and you should be wholehearted”(Genesis 17:1), band it is writtenin the next verse: b“And I will make My covet between Me and you”(Genesis 17:2), and Abraham was then commanded with regard to circumcision. This indicates that he was not called wholehearted until he performed circumcision., bAlternatively,so bgreat isthe mitzva of bcircumcision that it is equal to all the mitzvot of the Torah, as it is statedat the giving of the Torah: b“For according to these wordsI have made a covet with you and with Israel” (Exodus 34:27), and “covet” refers to circumcision. bAlternatively,so bgreat isthe mitzva of bcircumcision that if not for circumcision heaven and earth would not have been established, as it is stated: “If My covet be not with day and night,I would not have appointed the ordices of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25), and the covet that exists day and night is the covet of circumcision, as it is always found on the person’s body.,The Gemara comments: bAndthis statement bdisagreeswith the words bof Rabbi Eliezer, for Rabbi Eliezer said: Great is the Torah, for if not for Torah, heaven and earth would not have been established, as it is stated: “If My covet be not with day and night,I would not have appointed the ordices of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25). According to Rabbi Eliezer, the covet that exists day and night is the Torah, as it says: “You should contemplate it day and night” (Joshua 1:8)., bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: At the time that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Abraham our Patriarch: “Walk before Me and you should be wholehearted”(Genesis 17:1), a sensation of btrembling seized himand bhe said: Perhaps there is something disgraceful about medue to a transgression that I committed, and therefore I cannot be called complete. bWhenGod bsaid to him: “And I will make My covet between Me and you”(Genesis 17:2), bhis mind was set at ease,since he understood that the removal of the foreskin that he was now commanded to do was the reason he had not yet achieved completion.,The Gemara expounds the verse b“and He brought him outside”(Genesis 15:5): Abraham bsaid before Him: Master of the Universe, I looked at my constellation andaccording to it bIwill bhave only one son,and a son has already been born to me, i.e., Ishmael. bHe said to him: Emerge from your astrologybecause bthere is no constellation for the Jewish people,as they are not subject to the influence of astrology., bRabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who conducts himself with wholeheartedness, the Holy One, Blessed be He, treats him with wholeheartedness, as it is stated: “With the devout You act devoutly, and with the one who is strong in his wholeheartedness You act wholeheartedly”(II Samuel 22:26)., bRabbi Hoshaya said: Anyone who acts wholeheartedly, time will stand for him,i.e., he will be successful, bas it is stated: “Walk before Me and you should be wholehearted”(Genesis 17:1), band it is written: “And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations”(Genesis 17:4)., bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaid: Anyone who divines,i.e., he guesses and looks for signs about the future, bthe signwill injure bhim, as it is stated: “For there is to him [ ilo /i] divination with Jacob”(Numbers 23:23). The Gemara asks: bBut it is written ilo bwiththe letters ilamed alef /i,meaning “no divination,” as opposed to with the letters ilamed vav /i, meaning “there is to him divination.” The straightforward meaning of the verse is that there is no divination with regard to Jacob. bRather,the reason that he will be injured is not based on the verse but rather bdue tothe concept of bmeasure for measure:Since he attempts to tell his fortune, it injures him., bAhava, son of Rabbi Zeira, teaches: Any person who does not divinehis future bis brought inside a partitionclose to God to a place bthat even the ministering angels cannot enter inside, as it is stated: “For there is no divination with Jacob, neither is there any enchantment with Israel,now it is said to Jacob and Israel what has God wrought” (Numbers 23:23). In other words, matters are revealed to Israel that even the angels do not know, since Israel is closer to God than the angels., bRabbi Abbahu saidthat bRabbi Elazar said: For what reason was Abraham our Patriarch punished and his children enslaved to Egyptfor b210 years? Because he made a draft [ iangarya /i] of Torah scholars, as it is stated: “He led forth his trained men, born in his house”(Genesis 14:14). These trained men that he took to war were actually his disciples, who were Torah scholars., bAnd Shmuel said: Because he greatly examined [ ihifriz /i] the characteristics of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?”(Genesis 15:8). bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said:He was punished bbecause he distanced people from entering under the wings of the Divine Presence, as it is statedthat the king of Sodom said to him: b“Give me the people and take the goods to yourself”(Genesis 14:21), but Abraham refused to take any goods either. If he had not listened to the king of Sodom and had allowed the people to remain with him, he would have brought the prisoners under the wings of the Divine Presence.,The Gemara returns to discuss one of the verses cited previously: b“He led forth [ ivayyarek /i] his trained men, born in his house”(Genesis 14:14). bRav said: He showered them [ ihorikan /i] with Torahlike someone who pours from one vessel into another, band Shmuel said: He showered them [ ihorikan /i] with goldand gave them an abundance of money so that they would go to war with him.,The Torah states that he took b“eighteen and three hundred”(Genesis 14:14) men to war. bRabbi Ami bar Abba said: Eliezerwas bequivalentto ball of them. There arethose bwho say:Only bEliezer isreferred to here, bas the numerical valueof the letters of his name bis thisamount, i.e., 318., bAnd Rabbi Ami bar Abba said: Abraham recognized his Creator at the age of three years, as it is stated: “Because [ iekev /i] Abraham hearkened to My voice”(Genesis 26:5). bThe numerical valueof the letters of the word iekevis b172,indicating that he observed the ihalakhafor this many years. If Abraham lived until 175 then his first recognition of the Creator must have been at the age of three., bAnd Rami bar Abba saidin a similar manner: |
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58. Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
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59. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 106b. (יהושע יג, כב) הרגו בני ישראל [בחרב] אל חלליהם אמר רב שקיימו בו ארבע מיתות סקילה ושריפה הרג וחנק,א"ל ההוא מינא לר' חנינא מי שמיע לך בלעם בר כמה הוה א"ל מיכתב לא כתיב אלא מדכתיב (תהלים נה, כד) אנשי דמים ומרמה לא יחצו ימיהם בר תלתין ותלת שנין או בר תלתין וארבע א"ל שפיר קאמרת לדידי חזי לי פנקסיה דבלעם והוה כתיב ביה בר תלתין ותלת שנין בלעם חגירא כד קטיל יתיה פנחס ליסטאה,א"ל מר בריה דרבינא לבריה בכולהו לא תפיש למדרש לבר מבלעם הרשע דכמה דמשכחת ביה דרוש ביה,כתיב דואג וכתיב דוייג אמר ר' יוחנן בתחילה יושב הקב"ה ודואג שמא יצא זה לתרבות רעה לאחר שיצא אמר ווי שיצא זה,(סימן גבור ורשע וצדיק חיל וסופר),א"ר יצחק מאי דכתיב (תהלים נב, ג) מה תתהלל ברעה הגבור חסד אל כל היום אמר לו הקב"ה לדואג לא גבור בתורה אתה מה תתהלל ברעה לא חסד אל נטוי עליך כל היום,וא"ר יצחק מאי דכתיב (תהלים נ, טז) ולרשע אמר אלהים מה לך לספר חוקי אמר לו הקב"ה לדואג הרשע מה לך לספר חוקי כשאתה מגיע לפרשת מרצחים ופרשת מספרי לשון הרע מה אתה דורש בהם (תהלים נ, טז) ותשא בריתי עלי פיך אמר ר' אמי אין תורתו של דואג אלא משפה ולחוץ,ואמר רבי יצחק מאי דכתיב (תהלים נב, ח) ויראו צדיקים וייראו ועליו ישחקו בתחילה ייראו ולבסוף ישחקו,וא"ר יצחק מאי דכתיב (איוב כ, טו) חיל בלע ויקיאנו מבטנו יורישנו אל אמר דוד לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע ימות דואג אמר לו חיל בלע ויקיאנו אמר לפניו מבטנו יורישנו אל,וא"ר יצחק מאי דכתיב (תהלים נב, ז) גם אל יתצך לנצח אמר הקב"ה לדוד ניתי דואג לעלמא דאתי אמר לפניו גם אל יתצך לנצח מאי דכתיב (תהלים נב, ז) יחתך ויסחך מאהל ושרשך מארץ חיים סלה אמר הקב"ה לימרו שמעתא בי מדרשא משמיה אמר לפניו יחתך ויסחך מאהל ליהוי ליה בנין רבנן ושרשך מארץ חיים סלה,וא"ר יצחק מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו לג, יח) איה סופר איה שוקל איה סופר את המגדלים איה סופר כל אותיות שבתורה איה שוקל ששוקל כל קלים וחמורים שבתורה איה סופר את המגדלים שהיה סופר שלש מאות הלכות פסוקות במגדל הפורח באויר,א"ר ארבע מאה בעיי' בעו דואג ואחיתופל במגדל הפורח באויר [ולא איפשט להו חד] אמר רבא רבותא למבעי בעיי בשני דרב יהודה כולי תנויי בנזיקין ואנן קא מתנינן טובא בעוקצין,וכי הוה מטי רב יהודה אשה שכובשת ירק בקדירה ואמרי לה זיתים שכבשן בטרפיהן טהורים אמר הויות דרב ושמואל קא חזינא הכא ואנן קא מתנינן בעוקצין תלת סרי מתיבתא,ורב יהודה שליף מסאני ואתא מטרא ואנן צוחינן וליכא דמשגח בן אלא הקב"ה ליבא בעי דכתיב (שמואל א טז, ז) וה' יראה ללבב,אמר רב משרשיא דואג ואחיתופל לא [הוו] סברי שמעתא מתקיף לה מר זוטרא מאן דכתיב ביה איה סופר איה שוקל איה סופר את המגדלים ואת אמרת לא הוו סברי שמעתא אלא דלא הוה סלקא להו שמעתא אליבא דהלכתא דכתיב (תהלים כה, יד) סוד ה' ליראיו,א"ר אמי לא מת דואג עד ששכח תלמודו שנא' (משלי ה, כג) הוא ימות באין מוסר וברוב אולתו ישגה רב (אשי) אמר נצטרע שנאמר (תהלים עג, כז) הצמתה כל זונה ממך,כתיב התם (ויקרא כה, ל) לצמיתות ומתרגמינן לחלוטין ותנן אין בין מוסגר ומוחלט אלא פריעה ופרימה,(סימן שלשה ראו וחצי וקראו),א"ר יוחנן שלשה מלאכי חבלה נזדמנו לו לדואג אחד ששכח תלמודו ואחד ששרף נשמתו ואחד שפיזר עפרו בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות,(א"ר) יוחנן דואג ואחיתופל לא ראו זה את זה דואג בימי שאול ואחיתופל בימי דוד,וא"ר יוחנן דואג ואחיתופל לא חצו ימיהם תניא נמי הכי אנשי דמים ומרמה לא יחצו ימיהם כל שנותיו של דואג לא היו אלא שלשים וארבע ושל אחיתופל אינן אלא שלשים ושלש,וא"ר יוחנן בתחלה קרא דוד לאחיתופל רבו ולבסוף קראו חבירו ולבסוף קראו תלמידו בתחילה קראו רבו (תהלים נה, יד) ואתה אנוש כערכי אלופי ומיודעי ולבסוף קראו חבירו (תהלים נה, טו) אשר יחדו נמתיק סוד בבית אלהים נהלך ברגש ולבסוף קראו תלמידו (תהלים מא, י) גם איש שלומי אשר בטחתי בו | 106b. With regard to the latter part of the verse: “And Balaam, son of Beor, the diviner, bdid the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest of their slain”(Joshua 13:22), bRav says:It means bthat they accomplished in himall bfourmeans of court-imposed bexecutions: Stoning, and burning, beheading, and strangulation. /b, bA certain heretic said to Rabbi Ḥanina: Have you heard how old Balaam waswhen he died? Rabbi Ḥanina bsaid to him: It is not writtenexplicitly in the Torah. bBut fromthe fact bthat it is written: “Bloody and deceitful men shall not live half their days”(Psalms 55:24), this indicates that he was bthirty-two or thirty-four years old,less than half the standard seventy-year lifespan. The heretic bsaid to him: You have spoken well, I myself saw the notebook of Balaam and it was written therein: Balaam the lame was thirty-two years old when Pinehas the highwayman killed him. /b, bMar, son of Ravina, said to his son:With regard to ball of thoseenumerated as not having a share in the World-to-Come, bdo not extensively interpretverses bhomileticallyin order to denigrate them, bexceptwith regard to bBalaam the wicked, as anynegative element bthat you discover in hisregard, continue to binterpret homiletically concerning him,as it is appropriate to attribute wickedness to one so wicked.,§ bIt is writtenin one verse: b“Doegthe Edomite” (I Samuel 22:9), band it is writtenin another verse: “And the king said to bDoyeig”(I Samuel 22:18). bRabbi Yoḥa saysin explaining the discrepancy: bInitially, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sat and was concerned [ idoeg /i]that bperhaps thisperson bwould emerge toundertake ban evil path. After he emergedon that path, God bsaid: Alas [ ivai /i], thatperson bhas emerged toundertake an evil path.,The Gemara cites ba mnemonicfor the statements of Rabbi Yitzḥak that follow: bMighty, wicked, and righteous, riches, and counter. /b, bRabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Why boast of your evil mighty one? The mercy of God endures continually”(Psalms 52:3)? bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Doeg: Aren’t you mighty in Torah? Why do you boast of evil? Isn’t God’s mercy extended over you continuallywhen you engage in His Torah?, bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “But to the wicked, God says: What have you to do to declare My statutes,and that you have taken My covet in your mouth” (Psalms 50:16)? bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Doeg the wicked: Why do you speak of My statutesand My Torah? bWhen you reachthe Torah bportion of murderers andthe Torah bportion of slanderers, how do you teach them?You have violated both. With regard to the end of that verse: b“And that you have taken My covet in your mouth”(Psalms 50:16), bRabbi Ami says: Doeg’s Torah is onlyinsincere blip service,as it is in his mouth but not in his heart. He does not have a profound understanding of the Torah and does not commit himself to the performance of its mitzvot., bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “And the righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him”(Psalms 52:8)? bInitially, they will fearDoeg due to his success, band ultimately they will laughwhen they witness his downfall., bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “He has swallowed riches and he shall vomit them again; God shall cast them out of his belly”(Job 20:15)? bDavid said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, Doeg shall die.God bsaid to him: “He has swallowed riches and he shall vomit them again.”He is filled with Torah and wisdom; wait until he forgets what he has learned. David bsaid before Him: “God shall cast them out of his belly.”God can remove his Torah knowledge from him before he will forget it on his own., bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “God shall likewise destroy you forever”(Psalms 52:7)? bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to David: Let Doeg enter the World-to-Come.David bsaid before Him: “God shall likewise destroy you forever,”i.e., let Doeg not have eternal life. bWhatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “He shall pluck you away, and pluck you from your tent, and root you out from the land of the living. Selah”(Psalms 52:7)? bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, saidto David: At least blet them state a ihalakhain the study hall in his name.David bsaid before Him: “He shall pluck you away, and pluck you from your tent,”i.e., let him be completely removed from the tents of Torah. God said to him: bLet him have sons who are Sages.David said: b“And root you out from the land of the living. Selah,”i.e., let Doeg be entirely uprooted., bAnd Rabbi Yitzḥak says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “Where is he that counts; where is he that weighs; where is he that counts the towers [ imigdalim /i]”(Isaiah 33:18)? bWhere is he that counts all the letters of the Torah? Where is he that weighs, who considers all theelements of ia fortioriinferences in the Torah? Where is he who counts the towers?This is Doeg, bwho would count three hundred halakhic conclusions with regard tothe purity of ba cupboard [ imigdal /i] that floats in the air [ iavir /i]. /b, bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays: Doeg and Ahithophel raised four hundred dilemmas with regard tothe purity of ba cupboard that floats in the air, and they did not resolveeven bone,an indication of their great knowledge. bRava says:Is it bgreatness to raise dilemmas?That is not a barometer of greatness, as bin the years of Rav Yehuda all of theirTorah bstudywas confined to the order of iNezikin /i, and we study muchmore than that, and are expert even bintractate iOkatzin /i,the final tractate in the difficult order of iTeharot /i., bMoreover, when Rav Yehuda would encounterthe mishna in tractate iOkatzinthat discusses the extent to which the stems of various fruits and vegetables are considered an integral part of the produce in terms of contracting ritual impurity, where the mishna discusses the ihalakhaconcerning ba woman who pickles a vegetable in a pot, and some saywhen he would reach the mishna ( iOkatzin2:1): bOlives pickled with their leaves are pure,because after pickling, it is no longer possible to lift the fruit by its leaves, so they are no longer considered part of the fruit; he would find it difficult to understand. bHe would say:Those are bthe discussions between Rav and Shmuel that we see here. And we,by contrast, bteachtractate iOkatzinin thirteen academies. /b, bButnevertheless, bwhen Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes the rain wouldimmediately bfall,whereas bwe cry out and no one notices us. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart,and the barometer of greatness is devotion of the heart and not the amount of Torah that one studies, bas it is written: “But the Lord looks on the heart”(I Samuel 16:7)., bRav Mesharshiyya says: Doeg and Ahithophel did not comprehend halakhic discussions. Mar Zutra objects to thisstatement: These are people bwith regard to whom it is written: “Where is he that counts; where is he that weighs; where is he that counts the towers”(Isaiah 33:18), band you saythat bthey did not comprehend halakhic discussions? Rather,Doeg and Ahithophel bwould not conclude halakhic discussions in accordance with halakhicrulings, bas it is written: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him”(Psalms 25:14). Since they did not fear God, they did not arrive at halakhic conclusions despite their keen intellect., bRabbi Ami says: Doeg died only when he forgot what he learned, as it is stated: “He shall die for want of instruction, and in his folly he shall go astray”(Proverbs 5:23). bRav Ashi says: He was afflicted with leprosybefore his death, bas it is stated: “Those that go far from You shall perish; You destroy [ ihitzmatta /i] all those who go astray from You”(Psalms 73:27).,Where is the allusion to leprosy in this verse? bIt is written there:“And the land shall not be sold bin perpetuity [ ilitzmitut /i]”(Leviticus 25:23), band we translateit into Aramaic as: iLaḥalutin /i. And we learnedin a mishna with regard to lepers ( iMegilla8b): bThe difference between a quarantinedleper, i.e., one examined by a priest who found his symptoms to be inconclusive, and who must therefore remain in isolation for a period of up to two weeks to see if conclusive symptoms develop; band a confirmed [ imuḥlat /i]leper, i.e., one whose symptoms were conclusive and the priest declared him a confirmed leper, bis onlywith regard to blettingthe hair on one’s head bgrow and rendingone’s garments. The derivation is based on the etymological similarity between ihitzmattaand ilitzmitut /i; the translation of ilitzmitutas ilaḥalutin /i, and the etymological similarity between ilaḥalutinand imuḥlat /i.,The Gemara cites ba mnemonicfor the ihalakhotthat follow: bThree, saw, and half, and called him. /b, bRabbi Yoḥa says: Three angels of destruction encountered Doeg: One who caused him to forget his Torahknowledge, bone who burned his soul, and one who dispersed the ashes ofhis soul bin synagogues and in study hallsto be trampled beneath the feet of the righteous., bRabbi Yoḥa says: Doeg and Ahithophel did not see one another,as both died at a young age. bDoeglived bin the days of Saul, and Ahithophellived bin the days of David,toward the end of David’s life., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa says: Doeg and Ahithophel did not reach half of theirallotted bdays,as they died before the age of thirty-five, half of the standard lifetime mentioned in the verse: “The days of our years are seventy years” (Psalms 90:10). bThis is also taughtin a ibaraita /i: b“Bloody and deceitful men shall not live half their days”(Psalms 55:24); ball the years of Doeg were only thirty-four, andthe years bof Ahithophel were only thirty-three. /b, bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa says: Initially, David called Ahithophel his teacher, and eventually, he called him his colleague, and ultimately, he called him his student. Initially,David bcalledAhithophel bhis teacher,as it is stated: b“But it was you, a man my equal, my master [ ialufi /i], and my familiar friend”(Psalms 55:14); a teacher is known as ialufas he trains [ ime’alef] his students. bAnd eventually, he called him his colleague,as it is stated: b“We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God with the throng”(Psalms 55:15); the term together indicates that they were equals. bAnd ultimately, he called him his student,as it is stated: b“Even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, /b |
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60. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 116a. שאין זה מקומה ר' אומר לא מן השם הוא זה אלא מפני שספר חשוב הוא בפני עצמו,כמאן אזלא הא דא"ר שמואל בר נחמן א"ר יונתן (משלי ט, א) חצבה עמודיה שבעה אלו שבעה ספרי תורה כמאן כר',מאן תנא דפליג עליה דר' רשב"ג הוא דתניא רשב"ג אומר עתידה פרשה זו שתיעקר מכאן ותכתב במקומה ולמה כתבה כאן כדי להפסיק בין פורענות ראשונה לפורענות שנייה פורענות שנייה מאי היא (במדבר יא, א) ויהי העם כמתאוננים פורענות ראשונה (במדבר י, לג) ויסעו מהר ה' וא"ר חמא בר' חנינא שסרו מאחרי ה' והיכן מקומה אמר רב אשי בדגלים,איבעיא להו הגליונין של ס"ת מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה או אין מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה ת"ש ס"ת שבלה אם יש בו ללקט שמונים וחמש אותיות כגון פרשת ויהי בנסוע הארון מצילין ואם לאו אין מצילין ואמאי תיפוק ליה משום גיליון דידיה בלה שאני,ת"ש ס"ת שנמחק אם יש בו ללקט שמונים וחמש אותיות כגון פרשת ויהי בנסוע הארון מצילין ואם לאו אין מצילין ואמאי תיפוק ליה משום גיליון דידיה מקום הכתב לא קמיבעיא לי דכי קדוש אגב כתב הוא דקדוש אזל כתב אזלא לה קדושתיה כי קמיבעיא לי של מעלה ושל מטה שבין פרשה לפרשה שבין דף לדף שבתחלת הספר שבסוף הספר ותיפוק ליה משום ההוא דגייז ושדי,ת"ש הגליונין של מעלה ושל מטה שבין פרשה לפרשה שבין דף לדף שבתחלת הספר שבסוף הספר מטמאין את הידים דילמא אגב ס"ת שאני,ת"ש הגיליונין וספרי מינין אין מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה אלא נשרפין במקומן הן ואזכרותיהן מאי לאו גליונין דספר תורה לא גליונין דספרי מינין השתא ספרי מינין גופייהו אין מצילין גליונין מבעיא הכי קאמר וספרי מינין הרי הן כגליונים,גופא הגליונים וספרי מינין אין מצילין אותם מפני הדליקה רבי יוסי אומר בחול קודר את האזכרות שבהן וגונזן והשאר שורפן א"ר טרפון אקפח את בני שאם יבאו לידי שאני אשרוף אותם ואת האזכרות שבהן שאפי' אדם רודף אחריו להורגו ונחש רץ להכישו נכנס לבית ע"ז ואין נכנס לבתיהן של אלו שהללו מכירין וכופרין והללו אין מכירין וכופרין ועליהן הכתוב אומר (ישעיהו נז, ח) [ו] אחר הדלת והמזוזה שמת זכרונך,א"ר ישמעאל ק"ו ומה לעשות שלום בין איש לאשתו אמרה תורה שמי שנכתב בקדושה ימחה על המים הללו שמטילין קנאה ואיבה ותחרות בין ישראל לאביהן שבשמים על אחת כמה וכמה ועליהם אמר דוד (תהלים קלט, כא) הלא משנאיך ה' אשנא ובתקוממיך אתקוטט תכלית שנאה שנאתים לאויבים היו לי וכשם שאין מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה כך אין מצילין אותן לא מן המפולת ולא מן המים ולא מדבר המאבדן,בעי מיניה יוסף בר חנין מר' אבהו הני ספרי דבי אבידן מצילין אותן מפני הדליקה או אין מצילין אין ולאו ורפיא בידיה רב לא אזיל לבי אבידן וכ"ש לבי נצרפי שמואל לבי נצרפי לא אזיל לבי אבידן אזיל אמרו ליה לרבא מ"ט לא אתית לבי אבידן אמר להו דיקלא פלניא איכא באורחא וקשי לי ניעקריה דוכתיה קשי לי מר בר יוסף אמר אנא מינייהו אנא ולא מסתפינא מינייהו זימנא חדא אזיל בעו לסכוניה [הוספה מחסרונות הש"ס: רבי מאיר הוה קרי ליה און גליון רבי יוחנן הוה קרי ליה עון גליון.],אימא שלום דביתהו דרבי אליעזר אחתיה דרבן גמליאל הואי הוה ההוא פילוסופא בשבבותיה | 116a. bthat this is not its place,as the previous portion does not discuss the nation’s travels. bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays: It is not for thatreason that signs were inserted. bRather,the signs are there bbecausethis portion bis considered a book unto itself. /b,The Gemara asks: bAccording to whoseopinion is bthatwhich bRabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman saidthat bRabbi Yonatan said,that with regard to the verse: “With wisdom she built her house, bshe carved its seven pillars”(Proverbs 9:1), bthese are the seven books of the Torah? According to whoseopinion? It is baccording tothe opinion of bRabbiYehuda HaNasi, as by his count there are seven books of the Torah: Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers until: “And when the Ark traveled”; the portion: “And when the Ark traveled,” which is considered its own book; the remainder of Numbers; and Deuteronomy., bWho isthe btanna who disagrees with RabbiYehuda HaNasi? bIt is Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. As it was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: In the future, this portion will be uprooted from here,where it appears, band will be written in itsproper bplace. And why was it written here,even though it discusses the travels of the children of Israel, and the portion before it does not? It is bin order to demarcate between the first punishment and the second punishment. What is the second punishmentthat appears immediately afterward? It is the verse: b“And the people complainedwickedly in God’s ears, and God heard and became angry, and the fire of God burned in them and it consumed the edge of the camp” (Numbers 11:1). What is bthe first punishment?It is the verse: b“And they traveled from the mountain of God [ imehar Hashem /i]for three days” (Numbers 10:33), band Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: That they turned from after God [ ime’aḥarei Hashem /i]and hurriedly fled Mount Sinai. The Gemara asks: bAndif so, bwhere isthe proper bplacefor this paragraph? bRav Ashi said: Inthe portion of the bflags,where there is a description of the manner in which the Jewish people traveled through the desert., bA dilemma was raised beforethe Sages: With regard to bthe blank foliosof parchment bof a Torah scroll,does bone rescue them from the fireon Shabbat, bordoes bone not rescue them from the fire? Comeand bheara resolution to this from that which we learned: With regard to ba Torah scroll that is worn, if there isenough bin it to compile eighty-fivecomplete bletters as in the portion of: “And when the Ark traveled,” one rescuesit from the fire, band if not one does not rescueit. If even the blank folios are rescued, bwhywould one not rescue a Torah scroll with fewer than the requisite number of letters? bDerivethat this scroll may be rescued bdue to its blank folios. The Gemaraanswers: A Torah scroll that is bworn is different,because at that point its sanctity is negated, and its blank folios are not sacred. Therefore, one may rescue the scroll only if it contains eighty-five letters., bComeand bheara different resolution from that which was taught in another ibaraita /i: With regard to ba Torah scroll that was erased, if there isenough bin it to compile eighty-fivecomplete bletters as in the portion of: “And when the Ark traveled,” one rescuesit from the fire, band if not, one does not rescueit. bAnd whyis that so? bDerivethat this scroll may be rescued bdue to its blank folios,as the erased section is surely no less significant than the blank folios of the scroll. The Gemara answers: That is not so. In a case where bthe place of the writingis erased bit is not a dilemma for me, as it is sacred due tothe bwriting.If the bwriting is gone, its sanctity is gone. When it is a dilemma for me iswith regard to the blank portions that are babove and below, that are betweenone bsection andanother bsection, that are betweenone bpage andanother bpage, that are at the beginning of the scroll,and bthat are at the end of the scroll.The Gemara asks again: bDerivethat this scroll may be rescued bdue to thatarea that is blank, whose sanctity remains. The Gemara replies: There, it is referring to a case bwherethe blank area bwas cut and thrownout, and all that remains is the place of the writing., bComeand bheara different resolution from what we learned in a mishna: The Sages decreed that bthe blank foliosthat are babove and below, that are betweenone bsection andanother bsection, that are betweenone bpage andanother bpage, that are at the beginning of the scroll,and bthat are at the end of the scroll render the handsthat touch them britually impure.Apparently, the blank folios have the sanctity of a Torah scroll. The Gemara replies: That is not a proof, as bperhapswhen it is bpart of the Torah scroll, it is different,and in those circumstances the sanctity of the Torah extends to the blank portions. When they stand alone they have no sanctity.,Therefore, bcomeand bheara different resolution from that which was taught in another ibaraita /i: With regard to bthe blank folios and theTorah bscrolls of heretics, one does not rescue them from the fire; rather, they burn in their place, they and the namesof God contained therein. bWhat,is this bnotreferring to the bblank foliosof ba Torah scroll?The Gemara rejects this: bNo,it is referring to the bblank foliosof bthe scrolls of heretics.The Gemara is surprised at this: bNow,with regard to bthe scrolls of heretics themselves, one does not rescuethem; is it bnecessaryto say that one does not rescue their bblank folios?Rather, bthis is what it is saying: And the scrolls of heretics are like blank folios. /b,Apropos the scrolls of heretics, the Gemara analyzes bthe matter itself.With regard to bthe blank folios and theTorah bscrolls ofthe bheretics, one does not rescue them from the fire. Rabbi Yosei says: During the week, one cuts the namesof God contained btherein and buries them, and burns the rest. Rabbi Tarfon saidin the form of an oath: bI will bury my sonsif I fail to do the following, bthat ifthese books bcome into my possession I will burn them and the namescontained btherein. As evenif ba person is pursuing himwith the intent bto kill him, and a snake is hurrying to bite him, one enters a house of idolatry and does not enter the houses of theseheretics. The reason is bthat theseheretics bare awareof the greatness of the Creator manifest in the Torah and its mitzvot, bandnevertheless, they bdenythe existence of God; bwhereas theseidolators bare not aware, andthat is the reason that they bdenythe existence of God. bAnd with regard to theheretics, bthe verse says: “And behind the door and the doorpost you place your memory”(Isaiah 57:8). Although they remember the word of God, they treat it contemptuously, as if casting it behind the door., bRabbi Yishmael said:The fact that the names of God in the scrolls of heretics may be burned can be derived through an ia fortiori /iinference: bJust as to make peace between a husband and his wife,the bTorah says: My name that was written in sanctity shall be erased in the waterin the framework of the ordeal of the isota /i; bthese,the heretics, bwho impose jealousy, and hatred, and conflict between the Jewish people and their Father in Heaven, all the more soit is proper to erase God’s names because of them. bAnd with regard toheretics, bDavid said: “For I hate those who hate You, God, and I fight those who rise against You. I hate them with the utmost hatred, they have become enemies to me”(Psalms 139:21–22). bAnd just as they,the scrolls of heretics, bare not rescued from the fire, neither are they rescued from a rockslide, nor from water, nor fromany other bmatter that destroys them. /b, bYosef bar Ḥanin raised a dilemma before Rabbi Abbahu:With regard to bthese books of the house of Abidan,does bone rescue them from the fire ordoes bone not rescuethem? There were sacred Jewish texts in that house, which were used in debates and discussions on matters of faith. Rabbi Abbahu did not give him a clear answer but said byes and no, andthe matter was buncertain to him. Rav would not go to the house of Abidanfor conversation, band all the more sohe would not go bto the house of Nitzrefei,the Persian fire-temple. bShmuel, to the house of Nitzrefei he did not go,but bto the house of Abidan he did go.The gentile scholars bsaid to Rava: Why did you not come to the house of Abidan?He evaded their question with an excuse and bsaid to them: There is a certain palm tree on the road, andthat makes the path bdifficult for me.They said to him: bWe will uproot it.He said to them: Nevertheless, the resulting pit in bits placewill be bdifficult for me. Mar bar Yosef said: I amone bof them,we are friends, band I do not fear them.Still, bone time he wentand argued with them and bthey sought to endanger hislife. bRabbi Meir would callthe Christian writing, the Evangelion, the bwicked folio [ iaven gilyon /i]; Rabbi Yoḥacalled it the bsinful folio [ iavon gilyon /i]. /b,The Gemara relates: bImma Shalom,the bwifeof bRabbi Eliezer, was Rabban Gamliel’s sister. There wasa Christian bphilosopher [ ipilosofa /i] in their neighborhood /b |
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61. Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 40a. בנעילה דיומא דכיפורי מאי אמר אמר מר זוטרא ואמרי לה במתניתא (תהלים קכח, ד) הנה כי כן יברך גבר ירא ה' יברכך ה' מציון וראה בטוב ירושלים כל ימי חייך וראה בנים לבניך שלום על ישראל,היכן אומרן רב יוסף אמר בין כל ברכה וברכה ורב ששת אמר בהזכרת השם,פליגי בה רב מרי ורב זביד חד אמר פסוקא לקבל פסוקא וחד אמר אכל פסוקא אמר להו לכולהו,א"ר חייא בר אבא כל האומרן בגבולין אינו אלא טועה אמר רבי חנינא בר פפא תדע דבמקדש נמי לא מיבעי למימרינהו כלום יש לך עבד שמברכין אותו ואינו מאזין,א"ר אחא בר חנינא תדע דבגבולין נמי מיבעי למימרינהו כלום יש עבד שמברכין אותו ואין מסביר פנים א"ר אבהו מריש הוה אמינא להו כיון דחזינא ליה לרבי אבא דמן עכו דלא אמר להו אנא נמי לא אמינא להו,ואמר רבי אבהו מריש הוה אמינא עינותנא אנא כיון דחזינא ליה לרבי אבא דמן עכו דאמר איהו חד טעמא ואמר אמוריה חד טעמא ולא קפיד אמינא לאו עינותנא אנא,ומאי עינוותנותיה דרבי אבהו דאמרה לה דביתהו דאמוריה דרבי אבהו לדביתיה דרבי אבהו הא דידן לא צריך ליה לדידך והאי דגחין וזקיף עליה יקרא בעלמא הוא דעביד ליה אזלא דביתהו ואמרה ליה לרבי אבהו אמר לה ומאי נפקא ליך מינה מיני ומיניה יתקלס עילאה,ותו רבי אבהו אימנו רבנן עליה לממנייה ברישא כיון דחזיה לר' אבא דמן עכו דנפישי ליה בעלי חובות אמר להו איכא רבה,ר' אבהו ור' חייא בר אבא איקלעו לההוא אתרא רבי אבהו דרש באגדתא רבי חייא בר אבא דרש בשמעתא שבקוה כולי עלמא לרבי חייא בר אבא ואזול לגביה דר' אבהו חלש דעתיה אמר ליה אמשל לך משל למה הדבר דומה לשני בני אדם אחד מוכר אבנים טובות ואחד מוכר מיני סידקית על מי קופצין לא על זה שמוכר מיני סידקית,כל יומא הוה מלוה רבי חייא בר אבא לרבי אבהו עד אושפיזיה משום יקרא דבי קיסר ההוא יומא אלויה רבי אבהו לרבי חייא בר אבא עד אושפיזיה ואפילו הכי לא איתותב דעתיה מיניה,בזמן ששליח צבור אומר מודים העם מה הם אומרים אמר רב מודים אנחנו לך ה' אלהינו על שאנו מודים לך ושמואל אמר אלהי כל בשר על שאנו מודים לך רבי סימאי אומר יוצרנו יוצר בראשית על שאנו מודים לך נהרדעי אמרי משמיה דרבי סימאי ברכות והודאות לשמך הגדול על שהחייתנו וקיימתנו על שאנו מודים לך רב אחא בר יעקב מסיים בה הכי כן תחיינו ותחננו ותקבצנו ותאסוף גליותינו לחצרות קדשך לשמור חוקיך ולעשות רצונך בלבב שלם על שאנו מודים לך,אמר רב פפא הילכך נימרינהו לכולהו,אמר ר' יצחק לעולם תהא אימת צבור עליך שהרי כהנים פניהם כלפי העם ואחוריהם כלפי שכינה,רב נחמן אמר מהכא (דברי הימים א כח, ב) ויקם המלך דוד על רגליו ויאמר שמעוני אחי ועמי אם אחי למה עמי ואם עמי למה אחי אמר רבי אלעזר אמר להם דוד לישראל אם אתם שומעין לי אחי אתם ואם לאו עמי אתם ואני רודה אתכם במקל,רבנן אמרי מהכא דאין הכהנים רשאין לעלות בסנדליהן לדוכן וזהו אחת מתשע תקנות שהתקין רבן יוחנן בן זכאי מאי טעמא לאו משום כבוד צבור אמר רב אשי לא התם שמא נפסקה לו רצועה בסנדלו והדר אזיל למיקטריה ואמרי בן גרושה או בן חלוצה הוא,ובמקדש ברכה אחת כו' | 40a. bDuring the closing prayer [ ine’ila /i] of Yom Kippur,which also includes the Priestly Benediction, bwhat dothe people bsay? Mar Zutra says, and some saythat this was taught bin a ibaraita /i: “Behold, surely thus shall the man who fears the Lord be blessed”(Psalms 128:4), b“The Lord shall bless you out of Zion, and you shall see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life”(Psalms 128:5), and b“And see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel”(Psalms 128:6).,The Gemara asks: bWhere doesthe congregation bsaythese verses during the Priestly Benediction? bRav Yosef says:They are said bbetween each and every blessing. And Rav Sheshet says:They are said bduring the mention of the nameof God in each of the three blessings., bRav Mari and Rav Zevid disagree aboutthis matter. bOne says:The congregation recites one bverseat a time, bcorresponding tothe bversethat the priests recite. bAnd one says: For everysingle bversethat the priests recite, the congregation bsays allthree verses., bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says: Anyone who recitesthese verses bin the outlying areas,i.e., outside the Temple, bis nothing other than mistakenin his practice. bRabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said:You should bknow that in the Temple alsopeople bshould not recitethese verses. bDo you have a servant who is being blessed and does not listento the blessing, but rather speaks at the same time?,Conversely, bRabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina says:You should bknow that in the outlying areas one is also required to saythese verses. bIs there a servant who is being blessed and his face does not brighten?Therefore, one must recite these verses to give thanks for receiving the Priestly Benediction. bRabbi Abbahu says: At first, I would recitethese verses, but bsince I saw that Rabbi Abba of Akko does not say them, I also do not recite themanymore., bAnd Rabbi Abbahu says: At first, I would sayto myself that bI was humble. Since I saw that Rabbi Abba of Akko himself stated one reasonfor a matter, band his interpreter stated oneother breasonof his own rather than delivering the reason that Rabbi Abba stated, bandyet Rabbi Abba bdid not mind, I sayto myself that bI am not humble. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd what was the humility of Rabbi Abbahu?The Gemara relates bthat Rabbi Abbahu’s interpreter’s wife said to Rabbi Abbahu’s wife: This one of ours,i.e., my husband, bhas no need for yourhusband Rabbi Abbahu, as he could teach everything on his own. bAndthe fact bthat he bends overto listen to Rabbi Abbahu, bandthen bstands up above him,and repeats his words to the congregants bis merely to show respect for him.Rabbi Abbahu’s bwife went and toldthis bto Rabbi Abbahu. He said to her: And what difference does it make to you? Through me and through him the One above will be exalted,and it does not matter which one of us is teaching., bAnd furthermore,in another example of his humility, bthe Sages were countedand reached a decision bto appoint Rabbi Abbahu to be the headof the yeshiva. bSince he saw that Rabbi Abba of Akko had many creditorsand was impoverished, he attempted to get him out of debt. bHe said to them: There isa man who is bgreaterthan me, Rabbi Abba.,The Gemara relates another example of his humility: bRabbi Abbahu and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba happenedto come bto a certain place. Rabbi Abbahu taughtmatters of iaggada /i,and at the same time bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba taught ihalakha /i. Everyone left Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba and went to Rabbi Abbahu,and Rabbi Ḥiyya bwas offended.Rabbi Abbahu bsaid to him,to appease him: bI will tell you a parable: To what is this matter comparable?It is comparable bto two people, onewho bsells precious stones and onewho bsells small items [ isidkit /i]. Upon whom dothe customers bspring? Don’tthey spring bupon the one who sells small items?Similarly, you teach lofty and important matters that do not attract many people. Everyone comes to me because I teach minor matters.,The Gemara relates that bevery day Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba would escort Rabbi Abbahu to his lodging place [ iushpizei /i] out of respect for the house of the emperor,with which Rabbi Abbahu was associated. On bthat day, Rabbi Abbahu escorted Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba to his lodging place, and even so,Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba’s bmind was not at ease withRabbi Abbahu and he felt insulted.,§ The Gemara returns to discuss the response of the congregants to certain parts of the prayer service. bWhile the prayer leader is recitingthe blessing of: bWe give thanks, what do the people say? Rav saysthat they say: bWe give thanks to You, Lord our God, forthe merit of bgiving thanks to You. And Shmuel saysthat one should say: bGod of allliving bflesh, forthe merit of bgiving thanks to You. Rabbi Simai saysthat one should say: bOur Creator, Who createdeverything bin the beginning, forthe merit of bgiving thanks to You.The Sages bof Neharde’a say in the name of Rabbi Simaithat one should say: We offer bblessings and praises to Your great name, for You have given us life and sustained us, for giving thanks to You. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akovwould bfinishthe blessing bas follows: So may You give us life, and show us favor, and collect us, and gather our exiles into Your sacred courtyards, in order to observe Your laws and to fulfill Your will wholeheartedly, for giving thanks to You. /b, bRav Pappa said:These Sages each added a different element to the prayer. bTherefore, we shouldcombine them together and brecite all of them. /b,§ bRabbi Yitzḥak says: The awe of the public should always be upon you,i.e., one must always treat the public courteously. bAswhen the bpriestsbless the people they bface the people and their backs are toward the Divine Presence,out of respect for the congregation., bRav Naḥman saidthat this principle is derived bfrom here: “Then King David stood up upon his feet, and said: Hear me, my brethren, and my people”(I Chronicles 28:2). Evidently, King David stood up to address the people rather than remain seated. bIfhe said b“my brethren,” whydid he say b“my people”? And ifhe said b“my people” whydid he say b“my brethren”? Rabbi Elazar says: David said to the Jewish people: If you listen to me, you are my brethren. And ifyou do bnotlisten to me willingly, byou are my peopleand I am your king, band I will rule over youby force bwith a staff.This shows that if the nation acted properly, David would relate to them respectfully., bThe Sages saythat the importance of showing respect for the congregation is derived bfrom here:The ihalakhais bthat the priests are not permitted to ascend the platformto recite the benediction bin their sandals,as is taught in a ibaraita /i. bAnd this ihalakha bis one of nine ordices that Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai instituted. What is the reasonfor this ordice? bIs it not out of respect for the congregation,as it would be disrespectful for the priests to display their dirty sandals in front of the congregants? bRav Ashi said: No,this is not the reason. bThere,in the ibaraita /i, the reason is a concern blest a strap of his sandal break, and hewill therefore breturnto his place bto go tie itand not ascend the platform in time for the benediction, bandpeople will bsaythat he was removed from the platform because he is disqualified from the priesthood, as he bis the son ofa priest and ba divorced woman or the son ofa priest and ba iḥalutza /i. /b,§ It is taught in the mishna: bAnd in the Temple,the priests recite the three verses as bone blessing. /b |
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62. Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 20a. והכי קאמר מחצלת הקנים גדולה עשאה לשכיבה מקבלת טומאה ואין מסככין בה טעמא דעשאה לשכיבה הא סתמא נעשה כמי שעשאה לסיכוך מסככין בה (קטנה עשאה לסיכוך מסככין בה טעמא דעשאה לסיכוך הא סתמא נעשה כמי שעשאה לשכיבה ואין מסככין בה) ואתא ר' אליעזר למימר אחת קטנה ואחת גדולה סתמא כשרה לסיכוך,אמר ליה אביי אי הכי ר' אליעזר אומר אחת קטנה ואחת גדולה אחת גדולה ואחת קטנה מיבעי ליה,ועוד כי פליגי בגדולה הוא דפליגי ורבי אליעזר לחומרא דתניא מחצלת הקנים בגדולה מסככין בה ר' אליעזר אומר אם אינה מקבלת טומאה מסככין בה,אלא אמר רב פפא בקטנה כולי עלמא לא פליגי דסתמא לשכיבה כי פליגי בגדולה ת"ק סבר סתם גדולה לסיכוך ורבי אליעזר סבר סתם גדולה נמי לשכיבה,ומאי עשאה לשכיבה דקאמר הכי קאמר סתם עשייתה נמי לשכיבה עד דעביד לסיכוך,ת"ר מחצלת של שיפה ושל גמי גדולה מסככין בה קטנה אין מסככין בה של קנים ושל חילת גדולה מסככין בה ארוגה אין מסככין בה,רבי ישמעאל בר' יוסי אומר משום אביו אחת זו ואחת זו מסככין בה וכן היה רבי דוסא אומר כדבריו,תנן התם כל החוצלות מטמאין טמא מת דברי ר' דוסא וחכמים אומרים מדרס,מדרס אין טמא מת לא והא אנן תנן כל המטמא מדרס מטמא טמא מת אימא אף מדרס,מאי חוצלות אמר רב אבדימי בר המדורי מרזובלי מאי מרזובלי אמר ר' אבא מזבלי ר' שמעון בן לקיש אומר מחצלות ממש,ואזדא ריש לקיש לטעמיה דאמר ריש לקיש הריני כפרת רבי חייא ובניו שבתחלה כשנשתכחה תורה מישראל עלה עזרא מבבל ויסדה חזרה ונשתכחה עלה הלל הבבלי ויסדה חזרה ונשתכחה עלו רבי חייא ובניו ויסדוה וכן אמר רבי חייא ובניו לא נחלקו רבי דוסא וחכמים על מחצלות של אושא | 20a. bAnd this is whatthe mishna bis saying:With regard to ba large mat of reeds,if bone produced it forthe purpose of blyingupon it, bit is susceptible to ritual impurity, and onemay bnot roofa isukka bwith it.The breasonis that bone produced itspecifically bforthe purpose of blyingupon it; however, by inference, a mat that one produced bwithout designation becomes asa mat bproduced for roofing,and one may broofa isukka bwith it.With regard to ba small mat of reeds,if bone produced it for roofing, onemay broofa isukka bwith it.The breasonis that bone produced itspecifically bfor roofing;however, by inference, a mat that one produced bwithout designation becomes asa mat bproduced forthe purpose of blyingupon it, bandone may bnot roofa isukka bwith it. And Rabbi Eliezer comes to saythat bboth a smallmat band a largeone produced bwithout designationare bfitfor roofing., bAbaye said to him: If so,if their dispute is only with regard to a small mat, then instead of saying: bRabbi Eliezer says: Both a smallmat band a largemat, the mishna bneededto say: bBoth a largemat band a smallmat. In a phrase with the format: Both this and that, one typically mentions the more obvious item first. Why then, does Rabbi Eliezer mention the small mat first, if it is with regard to the small mat that they disagree?, bAnd furthermore,there is proof that bwhen they disagree,it bis with regard to a largemat, band Rabbi Eliezer’sopinion is ba stringencyand not a leniency, bas it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: In the case of ba reed mat, with a largemat bonemay broofa isukka /i. bRabbi Eliezer says: If it is not susceptible to ritual impurity, onemay broofhis isukka bwith it.Apparently, Rabbi Eliezer holds that without designation, one may not roof his isukkawith a large mat., bRather, Rav Pappa said:Rava’s proposed resolution is rejected. Rather, bwith regard to a smallmat, beveryone agrees thatif it was produced bwithout designation,presumably it is bforthe purpose of blyingupon it. bWhen they disagree, is with regard to a largemat: bThe first itannaholdsthat ba largemat produced bwithout designationis presumably bfor roofing, and Rabbi Eliezer holdsthat ba largemat produced bwithout designationis balsopresumably bforthe purpose of blyingupon it., bWhat,then, is the meaning of: If bone produced it forthe purpose of blyingupon it, bthatRabbi Eliezer bstates? This is whathe bis saying: Making mats without designation is also forthe purpose of blyingupon it, buntil one makesit specifically bfor roofing. /b,§ bThe Sages taughtin the iTosefta /i: In the case of ba mat [ imaḥatzelet /i]woven bof papyrus or bulrushes,if it is ba largemat, bonemay broofa isukka bwith it,as it is not typically produced for the purpose of lying upon it. If it is ba smallmat, bonemay bnot roofa isukka bwith it,as it is typically produced for the purpose of lying upon it. However, with regard to a mat produced bofordinary breeds or reedsspecifically used bfor plaiting,if the mat is plaited with ba large,coarse weave, bonemay broofa isukka bwith it,as it was certainly not produced for the purpose of lying upon it. If it is bwovenwith a small, fine weave, bonemay bnot roofthe isukka bwith it,as typically mats of this sort are woven only for the purpose of lying upon them., bRabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, said in the name of his father: Both with thisplaited mat band with thatwoven mat, bonemay broofa isukka /i, as without specific designation otherwise they are not produced for the purpose of lying upon them, and therefore they are ritually pure. bAnd likewise, Rabbi Dosa would say in accordance with his statement. /b, bWe learnedin a mishna bthere: Alltypes of iḥotzalotcan become ritually impurewith bimpurityimparted by ba corpse.Since their legal status is that of a vessel, they become a primary source of ritual impurity. This is bthe statement of Rabbi Dosa. And the Rabbis say:They become impure with the impurity imparted by btreading.If a izavlies or sits on one of the iḥotzalot /i, they become a primary source of ritual impurity, like a chair or bed of a izav /i.,The Gemara asks: Impurity imparted by btreading, yes; impurityimparted by ba corpse, no? But didn’t we learnin a mishna: bAny item that becomes ritually impurewith impurity imparted bby treadingalso bbecomes ritually impurewith other types of impurity, including impurity bimparted by a corpse,although the reverse is not necessarily so. The opinion of the Rabbis is difficult. The Gemara explains: Emend the mishna and bsay:They become ritually impure bevenwith the impurity imparted by btreading.These mats are not merely nondescript vessels, which become primary sources of ritual impurity through exposure to a corpse, they are vessels designated for sitting and lying upon them, and therefore they also become primary sources of ritual impurity if a izavsits or lies upon them.,The Gemara asks about the term used in the mishna: bWhatis the meaning of iḥotzalot /i? Rav Avdimi bar Hamduri said:They are imarzovelei /i.The Gemara is unfamiliar with the term and asks: bWhatis the meaning of imarzovelei /i? Rabbi Abba said:They are called imezablei /iin Babylonia. They are leather sacks used by shepherds to feed their animals. Shepherds place them under their heads when lying down. bRabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: iḤotzalotare a different term for bactual mats. /b,The Gemara notes: bAnd Reish Lakish follows hisline of breasoningstated elsewhere, bas Reish Lakish said: I am the atonement for Rabbi Ḥiyya and his sons, as initially, whensome of the bTorahlaws were bforgotten fromthe bJewish peoplein Eretz Yisrael, bEzra ascended from Babylonia and reestablishedthe forgotten laws. Parts of the Torah were bagain forgottenin Eretz Yisrael, and bHillel the Babylonian ascended and reestablishedthe forgotten sections. When parts of the Torah were bagain forgottenin Eretz Yisrael, bRabbi Ḥiyya and his sons ascended and reestablishedthe forgotten sections. This expression of deference toward Rabbi Ḥiyya introduces the ihalakhathat Reish Lakish is citing in his name. bAnd so said Rabbi Ḥiyya and his sons: Rabbi Dosa and the Rabbis did not disagree concerning thesoft bmats of Usha, /b |
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63. Babylonian Talmud, Taanit, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 24a. יומא חד שמעיה דקא גריס אמר שמואל השולה דג מן הים בשבת כיון שיבש בו כסלע חייב א"ל ולימא מר ובין סנפיריו אמר ליה ולא סבר לה מר דההיא רבי יוסי בן רבי אבין אמרה אמר ליה אנא ניהו,א"ל ולאו קמיה דר' יוסי דמן יוקרת הוה שכיח מר א"ל (הין) א"ל ומ"ט שבקיה מר ואתא הכא אמר ליה גברא דעל בריה ועל ברתיה לא חס עלי דידי היכי חייס,בריה מאי היא יומא חד הוו אגרי ליה אגירי בדברא נגה להו ולא אייתי להו ריפתא אמרו ליה לבריה כפינן הוו יתבי תותי תאינתא אמר תאנה תאנה הוציאי פירותיך ויאכלו פועלי אבא אפיקו ואכלו,אדהכי והכי אתא אבוה אמר להו לא תינקטו בדעתייכו דהאי דנגהנא אמצוה טרחנא ועד השתא הוא דסגאי אמרו ליה רחמנא לישבעך כי היכי דאשבען ברך אמר להו מהיכא אמרו הכי והכי הוה מעשה אמר לו בני אתה הטרחת את קונך להוציא תאנה פירותיה שלא בזמנה יאסף שלא בזמנו,ברתיה מאי היא הויא ליה ברתא בעלת יופי יומא חד חזיא לההוא גברא דהויא כריא בהוצא וקא חזי לה אמר לו מאי האי אמר ליה רבי אם ללוקחה לא זכיתי לראותה לא אזכה אמר לה בתי קא מצערת להו לברייתא שובי לעפריך ואל יכשלו ביך בני אדם,הויא ליה ההוא חמרא כדהוו אגרי לה כל יומא לאורתא הוו משדרי לה אגרה אגבה ואתיא לבי מרה ואי טפו לה או בצרי לה לא אתיא יומא חד אינשו זוגא דסנדלי עלה ולא אזלה עד דשקלונהו מינה והדר אזלה,אלעזר איש בירתא כד הוו חזו ליה גבאי צדקה הוו טשו מיניה דכל מאי דהוה גביה יהיב להו יומא חד הוה סליק לשוקא למיזבן נדוניא לברתיה חזיוהו גבאי צדקה טשו מיניה,אזל ורהט בתרייהו אמר להו אשבעתיכו במאי עסקיתו אמרו ליה ביתום ויתומה אמר להן העבודה שהן קודמין לבתי שקל כל דהוה בהדיה ויהב להו פש ליה חד זוזא זבן ליה חיטי ואסיק שדייה באכלבא,אתא דביתהו אמרה לה לברתיה מאי אייתי אבוך אמרה לה כל מה דאייתי באכלבא שדיתיה אתיא למיפתח בבא דאכלבא חזת אכלבא דמליא חיטי וקא נפקא בצינורא דדשא ולא מיפתח בבא מחיטי אזלא ברתיה לבי מדרשא אמרה ליה בא וראה מה עשה לך אוהבך אמר לה העבודה הרי הן הקדש עליך ואין לך בהן אלא כאחד מעניי ישראל,ר' יהודה נשיאה גזר תעניתא בעי רחמי ולא אתא מיטרא אמר כמה איכא משמואל הרמתי ליהודה בן גמליאל אוי לו לדור שכן נתקע אוי לו למי שעלתה בימיו כך חלש דעתיה ואתא מיטרא,דבי נשיאה גזר תעניתא ולא אודעינהו לרבי יוחנן ולריש לקיש לצפרא אודעינהו אמר ליה ריש לקיש לרבי יוחנן הא לא קבילנא עלן מאורתא אמר ליה אנן בתרייהו גררינן,דבי נשיאה גזר תעניתא ולא אתא מיטרא תנא להו אושעיא זעירא דמן חברייא (במדבר טו, כד) והיה אם מעיני העדה נעשתה לשגגה,משל לכלה שהיא בבית אביה כל זמן שעיניה יפות אין כל גופה צריכה בדיקה עיניה טרוטות כל גופה צריכה בדיקה,אתו עבדיה ורמו ליה סודרא בצואריה וקא מצערו ליה אמרו (ליה) בני מאתיה שבקיה דהא נמי מצער לן כיון דחזינן דכל מיליה לשום שמים לא אמרי ליה מידי ושבקינן ליה אתון נמי שבקוהו,רבי גזר תעניתא ולא אתא מיטרא נחית קמיה אילפא ואמרי לה רבי אילפי אמר משיב הרוח ונשא זיקא מוריד הגשם ואתא מיטרא אמר ליה מאי עובדך אמר ליה דיירנא בקוסטא דחיקא דלית ביה חמרא לקידושא ואבדלתא טרחנא ואתינא חמרא לקידושא ואבדלתא ומפיקנא להו ידי חובתייהו,רב איקלע לההוא אתרא גזר תעניתא ולא אתא מיטרא נחית קמיה שליחא דצבורא אמר משיב הרוח ונשב זיקא אמר מוריד הגשם ואתא מיטרא אמר ליה מאי עובדך אמר ליה מיקרי דרדקי אנא ומקרינא לבני עניי כבני עתירי וכל דלא אפשר ליה לא שקלינא מיניה מידי ואית לי פירא דכוורי וכל מאן דפשע משחדינא ליה מינייהו ומסדרינן ליה ומפייסינן ליה עד דאתי וקרי,רב נחמן גזר תעניתא בעא רחמי ולא אתא מיטרא אמר שקלוה לנחמן חבוטו מן גודא לארעא חלש דעתיה ואתא מיטרא,רבה גזר תעניתא בעי רחמי ולא אתא מיטרא אמרו ליה והא רב יהודה כי הוה גזר תעניתא אתא מיטרא אמר להו מאי אעביד אי משום תנויי אנן עדיפינן מינייהו דבשני דרב יהודה כל תנויי | 24a. bOne dayRabbi Yosei bar Avin bheardRav Ashi bstudyingand reciting the following statement. bShmuel said:With regard to bone who removes a fish from the seaon Shabbat, bwhenan area bonthe skin of the fish bthe size of a isela /icoin bhas dried up,he is bliablefor violating the prohibition against slaughtering an animal on Shabbat. A fish in that condition cannot survive, and therefore one who removed it from the water is liable for killing it. Rabbi Yosei bar Avin bsaid toRav Ashi: bAnd let the Master saythat this is the case provided that the skin that dried is bbetween its fins.Rav Ashi bsaid to him: And doesn’t the Master maintain that Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Avin said thisruling? Why didn’t you state it in his name? Rabbi Yosei bar Avin bsaid to him: I am he. /b,Rav Ashi bsaid to him: And didn’t the Mastersit bbeforeand bfrequentthe study hall bof Rabbi Yosei from Yokrat?Rabbi Yosei bar Avin bsaid to him: Yes.Rav Ashi bsaid to him: And what is the reasonthat bthe Master lefthim band came here?Rabbi Yosei bar Avin bsaid to him:I was concerned and departed because he is so severe and unforgiving. He is ba man who has no mercy on hisown bson, and no mercy on his daughter. How,then, bcould he have mercy on me? /b,The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe incident involving bhis son? One dayRabbi Yosei from Yokrat bhiredday blaborers towork his bfield. It grew late and he did not bring them food.The workers bsaid to the son ofRabbi Yosei from Yokrat: bWe are starving. They were sitting under a fig tree,so the son bsaid: Fig tree, fig tree. Yield your fruits,so that my bfather’s workers may eat.The fig tree byieldedfruit, band they ate. /b, bIn the meantime, his father cameand bsaid tothe workers: bDo not be angry with me for being late, as I was engaged in a mitzva, and until just now I was travelingfor that purpose and could not get here any sooner. bThey said to him:May bthe Merciful One satisfy you just as your son satisfied usand gave us food. bHe said to them: From wheredid he find food to give you? bThey said: Such-and-such an incident occurred.Rabbi Yosei from Yokrat bsaid tohis son: bMy son, you troubled your Creatorto cause bthe fig to yield its fruit not in itsproper btime,so too, you will die young. And indeed, his son bdied before his time. /b,The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe incident involving bhis daughter? He hada very bbeautiful daughter. One dayRabbi Yosei from Yokrat bsaw a certain man piercing a hole in the hedgesurrounding his property band looking athis daughter. Rabbi Yosei bsaid to him: What is this?The man bsaid to him: My teacher, if I have not merited taking herin marriage, shall bI notat least bmerit to look at her? Rabbi Yosei said to her: My daughter, you are causing people distress. Return to your dust, and let people nolonger bstumbleinto sin bdue to you. /b,§ The Gemara relates another story involving Rabbi Yosei from Yokrat. bHe had a certain donkey that people hired each dayfor work. bIn the evening they would send it backwith bthe money for its hire on its back, andthe animal would bgo to its owner’s house. But if they added or subtracted fromthe appropriate sum, the donkey bwould not go. One daysomeone bforgot a pair of sandals onthe donkey, band it did not move until they removedthe sandals bfromits back, bafter which it went off. /b,The Gemara cites more stories about miracles that occurred to righteous individuals. bWhenever the charity collectors would see Elazar ofthe village of bBirta, they would hide from him, as anymoney Elazar bhad with him he would give them,and they did not want to take all his property. bOne day,Elazar bwent to the market to purchasewhat he needed bfor his daughter’s dowry. The charity collectors saw him and hid from him. /b, bHe went and ran after them, saying to them: I adjure you,tell me, bin whatmitzva bare you engaged? They said to him:We are collecting money for the wedding bof an orphan boy and an orphan girl. He said to them:I swear bby the Temple service that they take precedence over my daughter. He took everything he had with him and gave it to them. He was left with onesingle bdinar,with which bhe bought himself wheat, andhe then bascendedto his house band threw it into the granary. /b,Elazar’s bwife came and said to her daughter: What has your father brought? She said toher mother: bWhatever he brought he threw into the granary. She went to open the door of the granary,and bsaw that the granary was full of wheat,so much so that bit was coming out through the doorknob, and the door would not opendue bto the wheat.The granary had miraculously been completely filled. Elazar’s bdaughter went to the study halland bsaid toher father: bCome and see what He Who loves You,the Almighty, bhas performed for you. He said to her:I swear bby the Temple service,as far bas youare concerned this wheat bis consecratedproperty, band you havea share bin it only as one of the poor Jews.He said this because he did not want to benefit from a miracle.,The Gemara returns to the topic of fasting for rain. bRabbi Yehuda Nesia decreed a fastand bprayed for mercy, but rain did not come. He said,lamenting: bHow greatis the difference bbetweenthe prophet bSamuel of Rama,for whom rain fell even when he prayed for it in summer, bandmyself, bYehuda ben Gamliel. Woe to the generation that is stuckwith this leadership; bwoe to him in whose days this has occurred. He grew upset, and rain came. /b,The Gemara relates another story involving a iNasi’sdecree of a fast for rain. bIn the house of the iNasia fast was declared, but they didn’t inform Rabbi Yoḥa and Reish Lakishof the fast the day before. bIn the morning they informed them. Reish Lakish said to Rabbi Yoḥa:What are we to do? bWe did not acceptthis fast bupon ourselves the evening before,and a fast must be accepted in the afternoon service of the day preceding the fast. Rabbi Yoḥa bsaid to him: We are drawn afterthe community, and therefore, when the iNasideclares a public fast there is no need for an individual to accept it upon himself the day before.,The Gemara further states that on another occasion, ba fast was declared in the house of the iNasi /i, but rain did not come. Oshaya, the youngestmember bof the groupof Sages, btaught thema ibaraita /i. It is written: b“Then it shall be, if it shall be committed in error by the congregation, it being hidden from their eyes”(Numbers 15:24). This verse indicates that the leaders are considered the eyes of the congregation.,Oshaya continued: There is ba parablethat illustrates this, binvolving a bride who is in her father’s homeand has not yet been seen by her bridegroom. bAs long as her eyes are beautiful, her body need not be examined,as certainly she is beautiful. However, if bher eyes are bleary [ iterutot /i], her entire body requires examination.So too, if the leaders of the generation are flawed, it is a sign that the entire generation is unworthy. By means of this parable, Oshaya was hinting that rain was withheld from the entire nation due to the evil committed by the household of the iNasi /i.,The bservantsof the iNasi bcame and placed a scarf around his neck and tormented himas punishment for insulting the house of the iNasi /i. bHis townsmen said to them: Let him be, as he also causes us painwith his harsh reproof, but bsince we see that all his actions are for the sake of Heaven we do not say anything to him and let him be. You tooshould blet him be. /b,§ The Gemara relates: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bdeclared a fast but rain did not come. Ilfa descendedto lead the service bbefore him, and some sayit was bRabbi Ilfi. He recited: He Who makes the wind blow, and the windindeed bblew.He continued to recite: And bWho makes the rain come, andsubsequently, bthe rain came.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid to him: What are yourgood bdeeds,in the merit of which your prayers are answered so speedily? bHe said to him: I live in an impoverished city, in which there is no wine for ikiddushor ihavdala /i. I go to the effort of bringingthe residents bwine for ikiddushand ihavdala /i, and Ithereby enable them to bfulfill their duty.In reward for this mitzva, my prayers for rain were answered.,The Gemara relates a similar incident. bRav happenedto come to ba certain placewhere bhe decreed a fast but rain did not come. The prayer leader descendedto lead the service bbefore himand brecited: He Who makes the wind blow, and the wind blew.He continued and bsaid:And bWho makes the rain fall, and the rain came.Rav bsaid to him: What are yourgood bdeeds? He said to him: I am a teacher of children, and I teach the Bible to the children of the poor as to the children of the rich, andif there is banyone who cannotpay, bI do not take anything from him. And I have a fishpond, and anychild bwho neglectshis studies, bI bribe him withthe fish band calm him, and soothe him until he comes and reads. /b,The Gemara further relates: bRav Naḥman decreed a fast, prayed for mercy, but rain did not come.In his misery, he bsaid: Take Naḥmanand bthrow him from the wall to the ground,as the fast he decreed has evidently had no effect. bHe grew upset, and rain came. /b,The Gemara relates: bRabba decreed a fast. He prayed for mercy, but rain did not come. They said to him: But whenthis bRav Yehuda decreed a fast, rain would come. He said to them: What can I do? Ifthe difference between us is bdue toTorah bstudy, we are superior tothe previous generation, bas in the years of Rav Yehuda all of their learning /b |
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64. Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 102b. ומי איכא כי האי גוונא אין דחזיוה רבנן לרב יהודה דנפק בחמשא זוזי מוקי לשוקא,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב יבמה שהגדילה בין האחין מותרת לינשא לאחד מן האחין ואין חוששין שמא חלצה סנדל לאחד מהן טעמא דלא חזינן הא חזינן חיישינן,והא תניא בין שנתכוון הוא ולא נתכוונה היא בין שנתכוונה היא ולא נתכוון הוא חליצתה פסולה עד שיתכוונו שניהם כאחד הכי קאמר אע"ג דחזינן אין חוששין שמא כוונו,ואיכא דאמרי טעמא דלא חזינן הא חזינן חוששין ודקא תנא בעי כוונה הני מילי לאישתרויי לעלמא אבל לאחין מיפסלא,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב סנדל התפור בפשתן אין חולצין בו שנאמר (יחזקאל טז, י) ואנעלך תחש ואימא תחש אין מידי אחרינא לא נעל נעל ריבה,אי נעל נעל ריבה אפי' כל מילי נמי אם כן תחש מאי אהני ליה,בעא מיניה רבי אלעזר מרב הוא של עור ותריסיותיו של שער מהו אמר ליה מי לא קרינן ביה ואנעלך תחש אי הכי כולו של שער נמי ההוא קרקא מקרי,אמר ליה רב כהנא לשמואל ממאי דהאי וחלצה נעלו מעל רגלו מישלף הוא דכתיב (ויקרא יד, מ) וחלצו את האבנים אשר בהן הנגע,ואימא זרוזי הוא דכתיב (במדבר לא, ג) החלצו מאתכם אנשים לצבא התם נמי שלופי מביתא לקרבא,והכתיב (איוב לו, טו) יחלץ עני בעניו בשכר עניו יחלצו מדינה של גיהנם,אלא הא דכתיב (תהלים לד, ח) חונה מלאך ה' סביב ליראיו ויחלצם בשכר יראיו יחלצם מדינה של גיהנם,אלא הא דכתיב (ישעיהו נח, יא) ועצמותיך יחליץ ואמר רבי אלעזר זו מעולה שבברכות ואמר רבא זרוזי גרמי אין משמע הכי ומשמע הכי דהכא אי ס"ד זרוזי הוא א"כ לכתוב רחמנא וחלצה נעלו ברגלו,אי כתב רחמנא ברגלו ה"א ברגלו אין בשוקו לא כתב רחמנא מעל רגלו דאפילו בשוקו א"כ לכתוב רחמנא במעל רגלו מאי מעל רגלו ש"מ מישלף הוא,אמר ליה ההוא מינא לר"ג עמא דחלץ ליה מריה מיניה דכתיב (הושע ה, ו) בצאנם ובבקרם ילכו לבקש את ה' ולא ימצאו חלץ מהם,אמר ליה שוטה מי כתיב חלץ להם חלץ מהם כתיב ואילו יבמה דחלצו לה אחין מידי מששא אית ביה:,באנפיליא חליצתה פסולה כו': למימרא דאנפיליא לאו מנעל הוא,ותנן נמי אין התורם נכנס לא בפרגוד חפות ולא באנפיליא ואין צריך לומר במנעל וסנדל לפי שאין נכנסין במנעל וסנדל לעזרה,ורמינהו אחד מנעל וסנדל ואנפיליא לא יטייל בהן לא מבית לבית ולא ממטה למטה,אמר אביי דאית ביה כתיתי ומשום תענוג אמר ליה רבא ומשום תענוג בלא מנעל ביום הכפורים מי אסירי והא רבה בר רב הונא כריך סודרא אכרעיה ונפיק אלא אמר רבא לא קשיא כאן באנפיליא של עור כאן באנפיליא של בגד,ה"נ מסתברא דאי לא תימא הכי קשיא יום הכפורים איום הכפורים דתניא לא יטייל אדם בקורדקיסין בתוך ביתו אבל מטייל הוא באנפילין בתוך ביתו אלא לאו ש"מ כאן באנפיליא של עור כאן באנפיליא של בגד ש"מ,תניא כוותיה דרבא חלצה במנעל הנפרם שחופה את רוב הרגל בסנדל הנפחת שמקבל את רוב הרגל בסנדל של שעם ושל סיב בקב הקיטע במוק בסמיכת הרגלים באנפיליא של עור והחולצת מן הגדול | 102b. The Gemara asks: bIs there really a case like thiswhere people wear one shoe on top of another? The Gemara answers: bYes, for the Sages saw Rav Yehuda, who went outonce bto the market wearing five pairs ofshoes, which were similar to bslippers,one on top of another., bRav Yehuda saidanother ihalakhathat bRav said:An underage iyevamawho grew up amongher husband’s bbrothersbefore any iḥalitzawas performed bis permitted to marry one of the brothersthrough levirate marriage, band we are not concernedabout the possibility bthatduring the time she was in the company of her iyevamin bshe removed a sandal from one of them,and thereby she would have already performed iḥalitza /i. The Gemara infers from this statement: bThe reasonit is permitted to perform levirate marriage now bisspecifically bthat we did not seeher remove one of their shoes, bbut ifin fact bwe did seeher do so, bwe are concernedand treat her as a iyevamawho already performed iḥalitzaand is thereby forbidden to all the brothers.,The Gemara challenges: bBut isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: bWhether he intendedto perform iḥalitza band she did not intendto, bor whether she intendedto perform iḥalitza band he did not intend to, the iḥalitzais invalid, unless they both intended it as oneto perform a proper act of iḥalitza /i? The Gemara answers: bThis is whatRav bsaid: Even if wedid bseethat she removed a shoe from one of them, bwe are not concerned that perhaps they intended toperform iḥalitza /i., bAnd there arethose bwho saythe inference from Rav’s statement should be made in the opposite manner: bThe reasonit is permitted for her to perform levirate marriage now bisspecifically bthat we did not seeher remove a shoe from one of the brothers. bBut if we did see, we would be concernedand would treat her as a iyevamawho already performed iḥalitza /i, despite our knowledge that she did not intend to perform iḥalitza /i. bAndwith regard to bthat which was taughtin the ibaraita /i, bthat intention is required, this appliesonly as far as validating the act of iḥalitzain order bto permit her to marry a stranger. Butperforming an act of iḥalitzaeven without intention is sufficient to bdisqualify her for the brothers,rendering prohibited an act of levirate marriage afterward., bRav Yehudaalso bsaidthat bRav said: One may not perform iḥalitzausing a sandalthat was bsewntogether bwiththreads made of bflax, as it is stated: “And I made you shoes of itaḥashskin”(Ezekiel 16:10), which is the skin of an animal, implying that a shoe is something made entirely of leather. The Gemara challenges: If the source is “ itaḥash /i,” blet us say:A shoe made of itaḥashskin, yes,it is valid; but if made of banything else, no.The Gemara rejects this: Because b“shoe”and b“shoe”are written in the Torah multiple times, this bamplifiesand includes all types of shoes crafted from leather skins as valid for performing iḥalitza /i.,The Gemara asks: bIfthe inclusion of the words b“shoe”and b“shoe” amplifies,then should one include as valid for performing iḥalitzashoes crafted from beven anyother bmaterials as well,including those not produced from leather at all? The Gemara answers: bIf so, what purpose does “ itaḥash /i” serve,as nothing is learned from it? Rather, from the word itaḥashit is derived that the shoe must be crafted entirely of leather, but all types of leather are included because the word “shoe” is repeated in the Torah numerous times., bRabbi Elazar asked Rav:What is the status of the following type of sandal used for performing iḥalitza /i? In a case where bit,the shoe itself, bis made of leather, andthe sections that hold bits straps [ itereisiyyot /i]are made bof hair,as they were woven together with goat’s hair, bwhat isthe ihalakha /i? bHe said to him: Do we not refer tosuch a sandal bas: “And I made you shoes of itaḥash /i”?Since it is crafted from material that comes from an animal it is valid. The Gemara asks: bIf that is so,i.e., that anything derived from an animal is valid, then even if it is fashioned bentirely of hair it should also bevalid. The Gemara answers: bThat would be called a slipper,not a shoe., bRav Kahana said to Shmuel: From where is it known that thisphrase: b“And she shall remove [ iḥaltza /i] his shoe from on his foot”(Deuteronomy 25:9), bmeans to remove? As it is written:“Then the priest shall command, band they shall take out [ iḥiltzu /i] the stones in which the plague is”(Leviticus 14:40), indicating that the word iḥaltzameans that they shall remove the stones from their place.,The Gemara asks whether the word iḥaltzacan be interpreted differently based upon its apparent meaning in other contexts: bButcould you bsay it isa term for bstrengthening, as it is written: “Arm [ iheḥaletzu /i] men from among you for the army”(Numbers 31:3), meaning that men among you will be strengthened and take up arms to prepare for battle? The Gemara answers: bThere too,the meaning of the word is referring to taking something from its place, as it means bremovingpeople bfrom their housesin order bto goout bto war. /b,The Gemara challenges: bBut isn’t it written: “He delivers [ iyeḥaletz /i] the afflicted by His affliction [ ibe’onyo /i]”(Job 36:15)? This indicates that the afflicted one becomes stronger due to his affliction, as, if the intention was to deliver him from his affliction, it should have said: From His affliction, rather than “by His affliction.” The Gemara answers that the verse should be interpreted as follows: iBe’onyo /i, in other words, bas reward for hissuffering from baffliction, He shall deliver him from the judgment of Gehenna,as is understood from the term ibe’onyo /i, through the reward due to his affliction.,The Gemara challenges further: bButwith regard to bthat it is written: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them [ ivayeḥaltzem /i]”(Psalms 34:8), doesn’t ivayeḥaltzemrather mean: He shall strengthen them? The Gemara answers: The verse means: bAs a reward for those that fear Him, He shall deliver them from the judgment of Gehenna.Therefore, the Gemara interprets ivayeḥaltzemas “delivers them,” not as: Strengthens them.,The Gemara challenges further: bButwith regard to bthat which is written:“And the Lord will guide you, and satisfy your soul in drought, band make your bones strong [ iyaḥalitz /i]”(Isaiah 58:11), band Rabbi Elazar saidregarding that verse: bThis is the greatest of blessings, and Rava saidit means: bStrengthening of bones.This seems to indicate that the root of the word iḥalitzais referring to strengthening. The Gemara answers: bYes, it has this connotation, and it has this connotation,i.e., the root iḥ-l-tzsometimes connotes removal and sometimes connotes strengthening. bBut here,only one meaning is possible, as, bif it enters your mindthat iḥalitzahere bconnotes strengthening, then let the Merciful One writein the Torah: bShe shall strengthen [ iḥaletza /i] his shoe on his foot [ iberaglo /i],indicating that she should tighten the shoe on his foot, rather than stating: “From on his foot [ ime’al raglo /i],” which indicates that she is removing something from his foot.,The Gemara responds: bIf the Merciful One had writtenin the Torah: bOn his foot [ iberaglo /i], I would have saidshe must strengthen and tighten the shoe bon his foot, yes, but on his calf, no;and if his foot were amputated she may no longer perform iḥalitza /i. Therefore, bthe Merciful One writesin the Torah: b“From on his foot [ ime’al raglo /i],”to teach that she may strengthen the shoe beven on his calf,which is part of the leg, or iregel /i, above the foot. The Gemara answers: bIf so,and iḥalitzareally means strengthening, blet the Merciful One writein the Torah: She shall strengthen his shoe bon the upper part of his foot [ ibeme’al raglo /i],indicating that the shoe can also be tightened on the area of the calf. bWhatthen bisthe meaning of b“from on his foot [ ime’al raglo /i],”which is written in the verse? bLearn from herethat in this context the word iḥalitzaclearly bindicates removal,meaning that the mitzva of iḥalitzais for the iyevamato remove the shoe of the iyavamand not to tighten it on his foot.,Parenthetical to this discussion, the Gemara relates: bA certain heretic said to Rabban Gamliel:You, the children of Israel, are ba nation whose Master removed [ iḥalatz /i] Himself from them,for God has left you in much the same way in which a iyavamwould perform iḥalitzawith his iyevama /i, bas it is written: “With their flocks and with their herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they shall not find Him. He has removed [ iḥalatz /i] Himself from them [ imeihem /i]”(Hoshea 5:6). The heretic tried to use this verse as scriptural support that God has performed iḥalitzawith the Jewish people., bHe,Rabban Gamliel, bsaid to him: Imbecile, does it say: He performed iḥalitzato them [ ilahem /i]?Rather, bit says “ iḥalatzfrom them [ imeihem /i],”meaning it is as if they, the Jewish people, performed iḥalitzaon Him. bBut if a iyevamahad her shoe removed by her iyevamin /i, does this have any significance?Here too, the meaning of the verse is that the nation of Israel abandoned God by removing themselves from Him, and this abandonment has no significance.,The Gemara analyzes the phrase used in the mishna that discusses the types of shoes that can be used for iḥalitza /i. It was taught in the mishna that if he was wearing ba soft shoe [ ianpileya /i]made of cloth for iḥalitza /i, bher iḥalitzais invalid.The Gemara explains: bThat is to say that an ianpileyais notconsidered ba shoe. /b, bAnd we also learnedsimilarly in a mishna ( iShekalim3:2): bThe one who collects the fundsof shekels donated to the Temple from the chamber and puts them it into baskets in order to be used bmay not enterto collect the funds bwearing a garment [ ipargod /i] that is cuffed [ iḥafut /i], nor wearing an ianpileya /i, and needless to saythat he may not enter wearing ba shoe or a sandal, because one may not enterthe Temple bcourtyard wearing a shoe or a sandal.It is prohibited for the one collecting funds from the chamber to enter the chamber wearing a garment or footwear in which money could be hidden, lest people come to suspect that he hid in them funds collected from the chamber. In any case, the wording of the mishna indicates that an ianpileyais not considered a type of shoe, since it is permitted to enter the Temple wearing an ianpileyawhen there is no reason for suspicion, unlike a shoe or sandal, which can never be worn in the Temple., bAndthe Gemara braises a contradictionfrom a ibaraitaconcerning what footwear is permitted on Yom Kippur, which seems to indicate otherwise: The halakha is bthe same for asoft leather bshoe, and ahard leather bsandal, and an ianpileya /i, as one may not walk in them from one house to another, nor from one bed to anotheron Yom Kippur, due to the prohibition against wearing shoes, indicating that at least as far as Yom Kippur is concerned, an ianpileyais considered a shoe., bAbaye said:There, with regard to Yom Kippur, it is referring to an ianpileya bthat has cushioning, andthis is forbidden bdue to the pleasurethat one derives from cushioned footwear on a day when people are commanded to afflict themselves. bRava said to him: Butis footwear bthat is not consideredto be bshoes forbidden on Yom Kippur due tothe bpleasureone derives from wearing them? bBut Rabba bar Rav Huna would wrap a scarf on his feet and go outon Yom Kippur so his feet would not be injured, implying that there is no prohibition against wearing something comfortable on one’s foot, as long as it is not defined as a shoe. bRather, Rava said: Thisis bnot difficult. Here,when they said that an ianpileyahas the status of a shoe, it is referring to ban ianpileya /imade bof leather. There,when they do not consider it a shoe, it is referring to ban ianpileya /imade bof cloth. /b,The Gemara adds: bAnd so too, it is reasonableto distinguish in this manner, bas, if you do not say so, itis bdifficultto reconcile the seeming contradiction between one statement about bYom Kippur andanother statement about bYom Kippur. As it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bA person shall not walkwhile wearing bslippers [ ikordakisin /i] within his houseon Yom Kippur, bbut he may walkwhile wearing ban ianpileyawithin his house.This would imply that wearing an ianpileyais permitted, but the ibaraitaquoted above taught that it is prohibited. bRather,must one bnot conclude from herethat bhere,where it indicates that an ianpileyais forbidden, it is referring bto an ianpileya /imade bof leather,as they are considered like a shoe, and bthere,where an ianpileyais permitted, it is referring bto an ianpileya /imade bof cloth?The Gemara concludes: Indeed, blearn from herethat it is so.,It bis taughtin a ibaraita bin accordance withthe opinion bof Rava:If bshe performed iḥalitzausing a shoe whose seams were opened up, whichstill bcovered most of the foot;or if she performed iḥalitza bwith a sandalwhose sole bwaspartially bopened thatstill bheld most of the foot;or if she performed iḥalitza bwith a sandalmade bof cork [ isha’am /i], or of fibersfrom a tree; or bwith a prosthetic foot of an amputee;or bwith a felt shoe [ imuk /i];or bwith a leg blanketthat an amputee makes for his feet as a covering in which to put the stumps of his legs, which is not an actual shoe; or bwith a leather ianpileya /i; andlikewise, a woman bwho performs iḥalitza /iwith her iyavamwhen he is an badult man, /b |
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65. Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 9b. ששהו את קיניהן מיהא מעלה עליהן הכתוב כאילו שכבום,בזיון קדשים דכתיב (שמואל א ב, טו) גם בטרם יקטירון את החלב ובא נער הכהן ואמר לאיש הזובח תנה בשר לצלות לכהן ולא יקח ממך בשר מבושל כי אם חי ויאמר אליו האיש קטר יקטירון כיום החלב וקח לך כאשר תאוה נפשך ואמר לו כי עתה תתן ואם לא לקחתי בחזקה ותהי חטאת הנערים גדולה מאד את פני ה' כי נאצו האנשים את מנחת ה',מקדש ראשון מפני מה חרב מפני ג' דברים שהיו בו ע"ז וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים ע"ז דכתיב (ישעיהו כח, כ) כי קצר המצע מהשתרע,מאי קצר המצע מהשתרע א"ר יונתן קצר מצע זה מהשתרר עליו שני רעים כאחד,(ישעיהו כח, כ) והמסכה צרה כהתכנס א"ר שמואל בר נחמני כי מטי רבי יונתן להאי קרא בכי אמר מאן דכתיב ביה (תהלים לג, ז) כונס כנד מי הים נעשית לו מסכה צרה,גלוי עריות דכתיב (ישעיהו ג, טז) ויאמר ה' יען כי גבהו בנות ציון ותלכנה נטויות גרון ומשקרות עינים הלוך וטפוף תלכנה וברגליהן תעכסנה יען כי גבהו בנות ציון שהיו מהלכות ארוכה בצד קצרה ותלכנה נטויות גרון שהיו מהלכות בקומה זקופה ומשקרות עינים דהוו מליין כוחלא עיניהן הלוך וטפוף תלכנה שהיו מהלכות עקב בצד גודל וברגליהן תעכסנה א"ר יצחק שהיו מביאות מור ואפרסמון ומניחות במנעליהן וכשמגיעות אצל בחורי ישראל בועטות ומתיזות עליהן ומכניסין בהן יצה"ר כארס בכעוס,שפיכות דמים דכתיב (מלכים ב כא, טז) וגם דם נקי שפך מנשה [הרבה מאד] עד אשר מלא את ירושלם פה לפה,אבל מקדש שני שהיו עוסקין בתורה ובמצות וגמילות חסדים מפני מה חרב מפני שהיתה בו שנאת חנם ללמדך ששקולה שנאת חנם כנגד שלש עבירות ע"ז גלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים,רשעים היו אלא שתלו בטחונם בהקב"ה אתאן למקדש ראשון דכתיב (מיכה ג, יא) ראשיה בשוחד ישפוטו וכהניה במחיר יורו ונביאיה בכסף יקסומו ועל ה' ישענו לאמר הלא ה' בקרבנו לא תבוא עלינו רעה לפיכך הביא עליהן הקב"ה ג' גזרות כנגד ג' עבירות שבידם שנאמר (מיכה ג, יב) לכן בגללכם ציון שדה תחרש וירושלים עיין תהיה והר הבית לבמות יער,ובמקדש ראשון לא הוה ביה שנאת חנם והכתיב (יחזקאל כא, יז) מגורי אל חרב היו את עמי לכן ספוק אל ירך וא"ר (אליעזר) אלו בני אדם שאוכלין ושותין זה עם זה ודוקרין זה את זה בחרבות שבלשונם,ההיא בנשיאי ישראל הואי דכתיב (יחזקאל כא, יז) זעק והילל בן אדם כי היא היתה בעמי ותניא זעק והילל בן אדם יכול לכל תלמוד לומר היא בכל נשיאי ישראל,ר' יוחנן ור"א דאמרי תרווייהו ראשונים שנתגלה עונם נתגלה קצם אחרונים שלא נתגלה עונם לא נתגלה קצם,אמר רבי יוחנן טובה צפורנן של ראשונים מכריסו של אחרונים א"ל ריש לקיש אדרבה אחרונים עדיפי אף על גב דאיכא שעבוד מלכיות קא עסקי בתורה אמר ליה בירה תוכיח שחזרה לראשונים ולא חזרה לאחרונים,שאלו את רבי אלעזר ראשונים גדולים או אחרונים גדולים אמר להם תנו עיניכם בבירה איכא דאמרי אמר להם עידיכם בירה,ריש לקיש הוי סחי בירדנא אתא רבה בר בר חנה יהב ליה ידא א"ל אלהא סנינא לכו דכתיב (שיר השירים ח, ט) אם חומה היא נבנה עליה טירת כסף ואם דלת היא נצור עליה לוח ארז אם עשיתם עצמכם כחומה ועליתם כולכם בימי עזרא נמשלתם ככסף שאין רקב שולט בו עכשיו שעליתם כדלתות נמשלתם כארז שהרקב שולט בו,מאי ארז אמר עולא ססמגור מאי ססמגור אמר רבי אבא בת קול כדתניא משמתו נביאים האחרונים חגי זכריה ומלאכי נסתלקה רוח הקדש מישראל ועדיין היו משתמשין בבת קול,וריש לקיש מי משתעי בהדי רבה בר בר חנה ומה רבי (אליעזר) דמרא דארעא דישראל הוה ולא הוה משתעי ר"ל בהדיה דמאן דמשתעי ר"ל בהדיה בשוק יהבו ליה עיסקא בלא סהדי בהדי רבב"ח משתעי,אמר רב פפא שדי גברא בינייהו או ריש לקיש הוה וזעירי או רבה בר בר חנה הוה ור"א כי אתא לקמיה דרבי יוחנן א"ל לאו היינו טעמא א"נ סליקו כולהו בימי עזרא לא הוה שריא שכינה במקדש שני דכתיב (בראשית ט, כז) יפת אלהים ליפת וישכן באהלי שם | 9b. bthat they deferredthe sacrifice of btheirbird-offerings by women after childbirth; bnevertheless, the verse ascribes to them as if they laywith bthem.These women came to the Tabernacle to sacrifice doves or pigeons as bird-offerings as part of their purification process, which would permit them to engage in sexual relations with their husbands. Eli’s sons delayed the sacrifice of these offerings and thereby delayed the return of these women to their husbands and their fulfillment of the mitzva of procreation. Even though, according to this opinion, Eli’s sons did not actually engage in sexual relations with these women, the verse attributes that degree of severity to their conduct.,Eli’s sons also sinned in the bdegradation of consecrated items, as it is written: “Before the fat was made burned, the priest’s servant came and said to the man who sacrificed: Hand over some flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not take cooked flesh from you, but raw. And if the man said to him: Let the fat be burnt first and then take as much as you want, then he would say: No, hand it over right now, or I will take it by force. The sin of the young men against the Lord was very great, for the men treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt”(I Samuel 2:15–17).,§ The iToseftacontinues with a discussion of the sins of the Jewish people over the generations: bDue to whatreason bwasthe bFirst Temple destroyed?It was destroyed bdue tothe fact bthat there were three mattersthat existed binthe First Temple: bIdol worship, forbidden sexual relations, and bloodshed. Idol worship, as it is written: “The bed is too short for stretching [ imehistare’a /i],and the cover is too narrow for gathering” (Isaiah 28:20)., bWhat isthe meaning of: b“The bed is too short for stretching?” Rabbi Yonatan said: This bed is too short for two counterparts [ ire’im /i] to dominate [ imehistarer /i]. iMehistare’ais a contraction of imehistarer re’im /i. It is inconceivable that there would be in one Temple both service of God and worship of the idol placed there by King Manasseh., bWhatis the meaning of: bAnd the cover [ ivehamasseikha /i] is too narrow [ itzara /i] for gathering [ ikehitkannes /i]? Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saidthat bwhen Rabbi Yonatan reached this verse, he weptand bsaid: For He about Whom it is written: “He gathers [ ikones /i] waters of the sea together as a heap”(Psalms 33:7), bthe idol [ imasseikha /i] became a rival [ itzara /i]?In the homiletic interpretation, imasseikhais interpreted as idol and itzarais interpreted as rival, as in the term used to describe the relationship between two women married to the same husband, iisha tzara /i.,With regard to bforbidden sexual relations, it is written: “The Lord says because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet”(Isaiah 3:16). br bBecause the daughters of Zion are haughty,indicates a btallwoman walking balongsidea bshortone so that the tall woman would stand out. br bAnd walk with outstretched necks,indicates bthat they would walk with upright statureand carry themselves in an immodest way. br bAnd wanton eyes,indicates bthat they would fill their eyes with blue eye shadowin order to draw attention to their eyes. br bWalking and mincing as they go,indicates bthat they would walkin small steps, bheel to toe,so onlookers would notice them. br bMaking a tinkling [ ite’akasna /i] with their feet, Rabbi Yitzḥak said:This teaches bthat they would bring myrrh and balsam and placethem bin their shoesand would walk in the marketplaces of Jerusalem. bAnd once they approacheda place where byoung Jewish menwere congregated, bthey would stamptheir feet on the ground band splashthe perfume btoward them and instill the evil inclination into them like venom of a viper [ ike’eres bikhos /i]. /b,With regard to bbloodshed it is written: “Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another”(II Kings 21:16)., bHowever,considering that the people during bthe Second Templeperiod bwere engaged in Torahstudy, observance of bmitzvot, and acts of kindness,and that they did not perform the sinful acts that were performed in the First Temple, bwhy wasthe Second Temple bdestroyed?It was destroyed bdue tothe fact bthat there was wanton hatredduring that period. This comes bto teach you thatthe sin of bwanton hatred is equivalent to the threesevere btransgressions: Idol worship, forbidden sexual relations and bloodshed. /b,The Gemara continues: bThey were wicked; however, they put their faith in the Holy One, Blessed be He.With that statement bwe have come tothe bFirst Templeera, about bwhich it is written: “Her chiefs judge for bribes, her priests give rulings for a fee, and her prophets divine for pay; yet they rely on the Lord, saying: The Lord is in our midst, no tragedy will overtake us”(Micah 3:11). At least the final portion of the verse was to their credit. bTherefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought upon them three decrees corresponding to their three wicked sins, as it is stated: “Therefore, due to you Zion will be plowed as a field, Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, and the Temple Mount will be a like a shrine in the woods”(Micah 3:12).,The Gemara asks: bAnd in the First Templeera bwas therereally bno baseless hatred? Isn’t it written:“Cry and wail, son of man, for this will befall my people, this will befall all the princes of Israel: bThey will be cast before the sword together with my people, therefore strike the thigh”(Ezekiel 21:17)? bRabbi Eliezerinterpreted this verse and bsaid: These are people who eat and drink with each other, and stab each other with verbal barbs.Apparently, even those who were close were filled with hatred toward one another.,The Gemara answers: bThatbehavior bwasfound only among bthe princes of Israel, as it is written: “Cry and wail, son of man, for this will befall my people”; and it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: b“Cry and wail, son of man,for this will befall my people”; one bmighthave thought that this unsavory trait was common bto all.Therefore, bthe verse states: “This will befall all the princes of Israel.”It was only the leaders of the nation who harbored baseless hatred for each other; the people of the nation as a whole did not hate one another.,§ It was bRabbi Yoḥa and Rabbi Elazar who both said:In the case of bthe former,the people in the First Temple era, bwhose sin was exposedand no attempt was made to disguise their conduct, the bendof btheirpunishment bwas exposed,and the prophet informed them that they would return to their land in seventy years. In the case of bthe latter,the people in the Second Temple era, bwhose sin was not exposed;rather, they attempted to disguise their conduct, the bendof btheirpunishment bwas not exposed. /b, bRabbi Yoḥa said: The fingernails of the former are preferable to the belly of the latter. Reish Lakish said to him: On the contrary, the latter were superior; even though there is subjugation by the kingdoms, they are engaged in Torah study.Rabbi Yoḥa bsaid toReish Lakish: bThe Temple will provethat the former were superior, bas itwas brestored to the former.The Second Temple was constructed after the destruction of the first. However, after the destruction of the Second Temple, bitwas bnot restored to the latter.Apparently, the former were superior to the latter.,Similarly, the Sages basked Rabbi Elazar: Are the former greater or are the latter greater? He said to them: Look to the Templeand see if it has been restored, as it was to our predecessors. bSome saythe exchange was slightly different: bHe said to them: The Temple is your witness.The restoration of the Temple after the destruction of the First Temple, attests to the fact that the former generation was greater., bReish Lakish was swimming in the Jordan Riverwhen bRabba bar bar Ḥana came and gave him a handto help him out. Reish Lakish bsaid to him: My God! I hate youBabylonians, bas it is written: “If she be a wall we will build a silver turret upon her, if she be a door we will cover her with boards of cedar”(Song of Songs 8:9). This is the meaning of the verse as it applies to the Jewish people: bHad you rendered yourselvesa solid bloc blike a wall and all ascendedto Eretz Yisrael bin the days of Ezra, you would have been likened to silver, which rot does not infest,in the sense that you would have merited experiencing the Divine Presence in all its glory. bNow that you ascended like doors,and only some of you came to Eretz Yisrael, byou are likened to cedar, which rot infests,and you merit experiencing only partial revelation of the Divine Presence.,The Gemara asks: bWhatrot infests bcedar? Ulla said: It is isasmagor /i,a type of worm. The Gemara asks: bWhatdoes isasmagor /ihave to do with the Divine Presence during the Second Temple era? bRabbi Abba said:Just as little remains from a cedar tree infested by this worm, similarly, all that remained from the Divine Presence during the Second Temple period was a bDivine Voice, as it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bAfter the last prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi died, the Divine Spiritof prophetic revelation bdeparted from the Jewish people, and they were still utilizing a Divine Voice,which they heard as an echo of prophecy.,The Gemara asks: bAnd would Reish Lakish speak with Rabba bar bar Ḥanain public? bJust as Rabbi Elazar, who was the master of Eretz Yisraelin wisdom and character, bandnevertheless, bReish Lakish would not speak with himin public, as Reish Lakish was sparing in his speech and extended friendship to only a select few prominent, righteous people, to the extent that ba person to whom Reish Lakishwas seen bspeaking in the marketplace, one would give hima loan and bdo businesswith him bwithout witnesses;would he bhave spoken with Rabba bar bar Ḥana? /b, bRav Pappa said: Cast a man between them,and say that the incident did not involve Reish Lakish and Rabba bar bar Ḥana. It bwas either Reish Lakishbathing in the river band Ze’iri,the prominent Babylonian Sage, who extended him a hand, borit was bRabba bar bar Ḥanawho was in the river band Rabbi Elazarextended a hand to him. In any event, bwhenthe Sage who heard what Reish Lakish said bcame before Rabbi Yoḥaand related it, Rabbi Yoḥa bsaid to him: That is not the reason; even had they all ascended in the days of Ezra, the Divine Presence would not have rested in the Second Temple, as it is written: “God will enlarge Japheth, and dwell in the tents of Shem”(Genesis 9:27). |
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66. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan A, 2, 8, 18 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
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67. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan B, 3 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
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68. Anon., 4 Baruch, 4.11
| 4.11. When he had said this, Baruch departed from the city, weeping andsaying: Grieving because of you, Jerusalem, I went out from you. |
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69. Anon., Pesiqta De Rav Kahana, 4.7
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