Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database

1757

Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin, 53b

ירשיע,ואמר ר' יוחנן מניין שמחל לו הקב"ה על אותו עון שנאמר (שמואל א כח, יט) מחר אתה ובניך עמי עמי במחיצתי,א"ר אבא אי איכא דמשאיל להו לבני יהודה דדייקי לשני מאברין תנן או מעברין תנן אכוזו תנן או עכוזו תנן ידעי,שאילינהו ואמרי ליה איכא דתני מאברין ואיכא דתני מעברין איכא דתני אכוזו ואיכא דתני עכוזו,בני יהודה דייקי לישנא מאי היא דההוא בר יהודה דאמר להו טלית יש לי למכור אמרו ליה מאי גוון טליתך אמר להו כתרדין עלי אדמה,בני גליל דלא דייקי לישנא מאי היא (דתניא) דההוא בר גלילא [דהוה קאזיל] ואמר להו אמר למאן אמר למאן אמרו ליה גלילאה שוטה חמר למירכב או חמר למישתי עמר למילבש או אימר לאיתכסאה,ההיא איתתא דבעיא למימר לחברתה תאי דאוכליך חלבא אמרה לה שלוכתי תוכליך לביא,ההיא אתתא דאתיא לקמיה דדיינא אמרה ליה מרי כירי תפלא הוית לי וגנבוך מין וכדו הוות דכד שדרו לך עילויה לא מטי כרעיך אארעא,אמהתא דבי רבי כי הוה משתעיא בלשון חכמה אמרה הכי עלת נקפת בכד ידאון נישריא לקיניהון,וכד הוה בעי דליתבון הוה אמרה להו יעדי בתר חברתה מינה ותתקפי עלת בכד כאילפא דאזלא בימא,רבי יוסי בר אסיין כי הוה משתעי בלשון חכמה אמר עשו לי שור במשפט בטור מסכן,וכד הוה שאיל באושפיזא אמר הכי גבר פום דין חי מה זו טובה יש,רבי אבהו כי הוה משתעי בלשון חכמה הוה אמר הכי אתריגו לפחמין ארקיעו לזהבין ועשו לי שני מגידי בעלטה איכא דאמרי ויעשו לי בהן שני מגידי בעלטה,אמרו ליה רבנן לרבי אבהו הצפיננו היכן רבי אלעאי צפון אמר להן עלץ בנערה אהרונית אחרונית עירנית והנעירתו,אמרי לה אשה,ואמרי לה מסכתא,אמרי ליה לרבי אלעאי הצפיננו הכין רבי אבהו [צפון] אמר להן נתייעץ במכתיר והנגיב למפיבשת,אמר רבי יהושע בן חנניה מימי לא נצחני אדם חוץ מאשה תינוק ותינוקת אשה מאי היא פעם אחת נתארחתי אצל אכסניא אחת עשתה לי פולין ביום ראשון אכלתים ולא שיירתי מהן כלום שנייה ולא שיירתי מהן כלום ביום שלישי הקדיחתן במלח כיון שטעמתי משכתי ידי מהן,אמרה לי רבי מפני מה אינך סועד אמרתי לה כבר סעדתי מבעוד יום אמרה לי היה לך למשוך ידיך מן הפת,אמרה לי רבי שמא לא הנחת פאה בראשונים ולא כך אמרו חכמים אין משיירין פאה באילפס אבל משיירין פאה בקערה,תינוקת מאי היא פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בדרך והיתה דרך עוברת בשדה והייתי מהלך בה אמרה לי תינוקת אחת רבי לא שדה היא זו אמרתי לה לא דרך כבושה היא אמרה לי ליסטים כמותך כבשוה,תינוק מאי היא פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בדרך וראיתי תינוק יושב על פרשת דרכים ואמרתי לו באיזה דרך נלך לעיר אמר לי זו קצרה וארוכה וזו ארוכה וקצרה והלכתי בקצרה וארוכה כיון שהגעתי לעיר מצאתי שמקיפין אותה גנות ופרדיסין,חזרתי לאחורי אמרתי לו בני הלא אמרת לי קצרה אמר לי ולא אמרתי לך ארוכה נשקתיו על ראשו ואמרתי לו אשריכם ישראל שכולכם חכמים גדולים אתם מגדולכם ועד קטנכם:,רבי יוסי הגלילי הוה קא אזיל באורחא אשכחה לברוריה אמר לה באיזו דרך נלך ללוד אמרה ליה גלילי שוטה לא כך אמרו חכמים אל תרבה שיחה עם האשה היה לך לומר באיזה ללוד,ברוריה אשכחתיה לההוא תלמידא דהוה קא גריס בלחישה he did them mischief” (i Samuel 14:47).,The Gemara concludes the mention of Saul on a positive note. And Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, forgave him for that sin, the massacre of Nov, the city of priests? As it is stated that the spirit of Samuel said to him: “And the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow shall you and your sons be with me” (i Samuel 28:19); the phrase “with me” means within my partition together with me in heaven, i.e., on the same level as the righteous prophet Samuel.,The Gemara returns to the earlier question with regard to the correct reading of the word me’abberin. Rabbi Abba said: If there is anyone who can ask the people of Judea, who are precise in their language, whether the term in the mishna that we learned is me’abberin with an alef or me’abberin with an ayin, he should ask them. Similarly, with regard to the blemishes of a firstborn animal, was the term meaning its hindquarters that we learned in the mishna akkuzo with an alef, or did we learn akkuzo with an ayin? They would know.,The Gemara answers: One asked the people of Judea, and they said to him: Some teach me’abberin with an alef, and some teach me’abberin with an ayin. Some teach akkuzo with an alef, and some teach akkuzo with an ayin. Both versions are well founded and neither one is erroneous.,Having mentioned that the people of Judea are precise in their speech, the Gemara asks: What is the meaning of this? The Gemara answers with an example: As in the case of a certain person from Judea who said to those within earshot: I have a cloak to sell. They said to him: What color is your cloak? He said to them: Like beets on the ground, providing an exceedingly precise description of the exact shade of the cloak, the green tint of beet greens when they first sprout.,The Gemara returns to the people of the Galilee, who are not precise in their speech. What is the meaning of this? The Gemara cites examples: As it was taught in a baraita that there was a certain person from the Galilee who would walk and say to people: Who has amar? Who has amar? They said to him: Foolish Galilean, what do you mean? Galileans did not pronounce the guttural letters properly, so it was unclear whether he sought a donkey [ḥamor] to ride, or wine [ḥamar] to drink, wool [amar] to wear, or a lamb [imar] to slaughter. This is an example of the lack of precision in the Galileans’ speech.,The Gemara cites another example of the lack of linguistic precision of the Galileans: There was a certain woman who wanted to say to her friend: My neighbor, come and I will feed you milk [ta’i de’okhlikh ḥelba]; however, due to the imprecise articulation of her words, she said to her: My neighbor, may a lioness eat you [tokhlikh lavya].,The Gemara cites another example of the ignorance and incivility of the Galileans: There was a certain woman who came before a judge intending to say: Master, sir [Mari kiri, spelled with a kuf], I had a board, and they stole it from me [tavla havet li ugenavuha mimeni]. But instead she said to him: Master, servant [Mari kiri, spelled with a kaf], I had a beam and they stole you from me [tafla havet li ugenavukh min]. And it was so large, that when they would hang you upon it, your feet would not reach the ground.,In contrast to the speech of the Galileans, which indicates ignorance and loutishness, the Gemara cites examples of the clever phraseology of the inhabitants of Judea and the Sages: The maidservant in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, when she would speak enigmatically, employing euphemistic terminology or in riddles, she would say as follows: The ladle used for drawing wine from the jug is already knocking against the bottom of the jug, i.e., the wine jug is almost empty. Let the eagles fly to their nests, i.e., let the students return home, as there is nothing left for them to drink.,And when Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi wanted them to sit, she would say to them: Let us remove the stopper from another jug, and let the ladle float in the jug like a ship sailing in the sea.,The Gemara also relates that when Rabbi Yosei bar Asyan would speak enigmatically, he would say: Prepare for me an ox in judgment on a poor mountain. His method was to construct words by combining words from Aramaic translations of Hebrew words or Hebrew translations of Aramaic words. Ox is tor in Aramaic; judgment is din. Combined they form teradin, beets. Mountain in Hebrew is har, which they pronounced ḥar; poor is dal. Together it spells ḥardal, mustard. Thus, Rabbi Yosei bar Asyan was requesting beets in mustard.,And when he would inquire about an inn, he would say as follows: This man here is raw; what is this good that there is? The phrase “this man here is raw” is used in a similar syllable-by-syllable translation: man in Hebrew is ish; here is po; this is zeh; and raw is na. All together, they sound like ushpazikhna, i.e., an innkeeper (Rabbeinu Ḥananel). In other words, Rabbi Yosei bar Asyan was asking after the innkeeper.,When Rabbi Abbahu would speak enigmatically, he would say as follows: Make the coals the color of an etrog; beat the golden ones, i.e., spread out the coals, which redden like gold when they glow; and make me two speakers-in-the-dark, i.e., roosters, which announce the dawn when it is still dark. Some say a slightly different version: And they shall make me in them, on the coals, i.e., roast for me on top of the coals, two speakers-in-the-dark.,In a similarly clever manner, the Sages said to Rabbi Abbahu: Show us [hatzpinenu] where Rabbi Elai is hiding [tzafun], as we do not know his whereabouts. He said to them: He rejoiced with the latter [aḥaronit] Aharonic [Aharonit] girl; she is lively [eiranit] and kept him awake [vehiniratu].,There are two ways to understand this cryptic statement: Some say it refers to a woman, i.e., he married a young girl from a priestly family [Aharonic], who is his second [latter] wife, from a village [eiranit], and he is sleeping now because she kept him awake during the night.,And some say it refers to a tractate. The term girl refers to the tractate; Aharonic indicates that it is a tractate from the order of Kodashim, which deals with the priestly service. The phrase the latter means that it is his latest course of study, and lively alludes to the challenging nature of the subject matter. Since he was awake all night studying, he is presently sleeping.,The Gemara continues: They said to Rabbi Elai: Show us where Rabbi Abbahu is hiding, as we do not know where he is. He said to them: He has taken counsel with the one who crowns, i.e., the Nasi, who appoints the Sages, and has gone south [hingiv] to Mephibosheth, i.e., he has headed to the Sages of the south, referred to here as Mephibosheth, who was King Saul’s grandson and a great Sage of his time.,Having discussed the clever speech of various Sages, the Gemara relates that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said as follows: In all my days, no person defeated me in a verbal encounter except for a woman, a young boy, and a young girl. What is the encounter in which a woman got the better of me? One time I was staying at a certain inn and the hostess prepared me beans. On the first day I ate them and left nothing over, although proper etiquette dictates that one should leave over something on his plate. On the second day I again ate and left nothing over. On the third day she over-salted them so that they were inedible. As soon as I tasted them, I withdrew my hands from them.,She said to me: My Rabbi, why aren’t you eating beans as on the previous days? Not wishing to offend her, I said to her: I have already eaten during the daytime. She said to me: You should have withdrawn your hand from bread and left room for some beans.,She then said to me: My Rabbi, perhaps you did not leave a remainder of food on your plate on the first days, which is why you are leaving over food today. Isn’t this what the Sages said: One need not leave a remainder in the pot [ilpas], but one must leave a remainder on the plate as an expression of etiquette (Tosafot). This is the incident in which a woman got the better of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya.,What is the incident with a young girl? One time I was walking along the path, and the path passed through a field, and I was walking on it. A certain young girl said to me: My Rabbi, isn’t this a field? One should not walk through a field, so as not to damage the crops growing there. I said to her: Isn’t it a well-trodden path in the field, across which one is permitted to walk? She said to me: Robbers like you have trodden it. In other words, it previously had been prohibited to walk through this field, and it is only due to people such as you, who paid no attention to the prohibition, that a path has been cut across it. Thus, the young girl defeated Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya in a debate.,What is the incident with a young boy? One time I was walking along the path, and I saw a young boy sitting at the crossroads. And I said to him: On which path shall we walk in order to get to the city? He said to me: This path is short and long, and that path is long and short. I walked on the path that was short and long. When I approached the city I found that gardens and orchards surrounded it, and I did not know the trails leading through them to the city.,I went back and met the young boy again and said to him: My son, didn’t you tell me that this way is short? He said to me: And didn’t I tell you that it is also long? I kissed him on his head and said to him: Happy are you, O Israel, for you are all exceedingly wise, from your old to your young.,Having discussed wise speech and the wisdom of Jewish women, the Gemara cites the following story: Rabbi Yosei HaGelili was walking along the way, and met Berurya. He said to her: On which path shall we walk in order to get to Lod? She said to him: Foolish Galilean, didn’t the Sages say: Do not talk much with women? You should have said your question more succinctly: Which way to Lod?,The Gemara relates more of Berurya’s wisdom: Berurya came across a certain student who was whispering his studies rather than raising his voice.

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1. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 69.22 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) 69.22. וַיִּתְּנוּ בְּבָרוּתִי רֹאשׁ וְלִצְמָאִי יַשְׁקוּנִי חֹמֶץ׃ 69.22. Yea, they put poison into my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."
2. Hebrew Bible, 2 Samuel, 23.5 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) 23.5. כִּי־לֹא־כֵן בֵּיתִי עִם־אֵל כִּי בְרִית עוֹלָם שָׂם לִי עֲרוּכָה בַכֹּל וּשְׁמֻרָה כִּי־כָל־יִשְׁעִי וְכָל־חֵפֶץ כִּי־לֹא יַצְמִיחַ׃ 23.5. but is not my house firm with God? for he has made with me an everlasting covet, ordered in all things and sure; for will he not make all my salvation, and all my desire, to prosper?"
3. New Testament, Matthew, 5.12, 5.43 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE) 5.12. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 5.43. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'
4. Palestinian Talmud, Berachot, 4.1 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
5. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, 115b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 115b. הא כיצד נחלה ממשמשת והולכת עד ראובן ולימא עד יעקב אמר אביי גמירי דלא כלה שבטא,אמר רב הונא אמר רב כל האומר תירש בת עם בת הבן אפילו נשיא שבישראל אין שומעין לו שאינן אלא מעשה צדוקין דתניא בארבעה ועשרים בטבת תבנא לדיננא שהיו צדוקין אומרין תירש הבת עם בת הבן,נטפל להן רבן יוחנן בן זכאי אמר להם שוטים מנין זה לכם ולא היה אדם שהחזירו דבר חוץ מזקן אחד שהיה מפטפט כנגדו ואומר ומה בת בנו הבאה מכח בנו תירשנו בתו הבאה מכחו לא כל שכן,קרא עליו את המקרא הזה (בראשית לו, כ) אלה בני שעיר החורי יושבי הארץ לוטן ושובל וצבעון וענה וכתיב (בראשית לו, כד) אלה בני צבעון ואיה וענה אלא מלמד שבא צבעון על אמו והוליד ענה,ודלמא תרי ענה הוו אמר רבה אמינא מלתא דלא אמרה שבור מלכא ומנו שמואל איכא דאמרי אמר רב פפא אמינא מלתא דלא אמרה שבור מלכא ומנו רבה אמר קרא (בראשית לו, כד) הוא ענה הוא ענה דמעיקרא,אמר ליה רבי בכך אתה פוטרני אמר לו שוטה 115b. The Gemara asks: bHow so,i.e., how is the investigation performed when he has no offspring at all? The Gemara answers: The family lineage that determines the binheritance is successively examined up to Reuben,son of Jacob, i.e., the heirs are determined by investigating the family genealogy, and that investigation can extend all the way to Reuben, son of our forefather Jacob. The Gemara asks: bAnd letit bsay: Until Jacobhimself, rather than until Reuben, since if none of Reuven’s descendants survive, one would have to examine Jacob’s descendants. bAbaye saidin reply: It bis learnedas a tradition bthat a tribe will not be eliminatedentirely, and some descendants will always remain.,§ bRav Huna saysthat bRav says:With regard to banyone who saysthat ba daughterof the deceased bshould inheritthe estate of her father along bwith the daughter of the sonof the deceased, bevenif he is ba prince of the Jewish people,one bshould not listen to him, as this is nothing other than an act of the Sadducees,and runs counter to the ruling of the mishna that the descendants of a son inherit before a daughter. bAs it is taughtin a ibaraitain iMegillat Ta’anit /i, which describes various minor holidays on which it is forbidden to fast or eulogize: bOn the twenty-fourth of Tevet, we returned to our law,i.e., the ihalakhawas reestablished in accordance with the opinion of the Sages after having been dictated by the Sadducees. bAs the Sadducees would say: A daughter should inheritthe estate of her father along bwith the daughter of the sonof the deceased.,The ibaraitacontinues: bRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai joined themto discuss their ruling, and bsaid to them: Imbeciles, from wheredo byouderive bthisruling? bAnd there was no person that answered him anything, except for one oldman bwho was chattering at him and sayingthat it is an ia fortioriinference: bAnd just as a daughter ofthe deceased’s bson, who comesto claim her inheritance from her grandfather bby virtue of his son, inheritsher grandfather’s property, so too, with regard to the deceased’s own bdaughter, who comesto inherit bby virtue ofthe deceased, ball the more sois it bnotclear that she should inherit his property?,Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai brecited this verse about him: “These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan and Shobal and Zibeon and Anah”(Genesis 36:20), band it is written: “And these are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah”(Genesis 36:24). The first verse portrays Zibeon and Anah as brothers, while the second states that they are father and son. bRather,this bteaches that Zibeon engaged in sexual intercourse with his mother and begot Anah,so that he was both Anah’s father and his brother. From the fact that the first verse equates Zibeon and Anah by referring to both of them as Seir’s sons despite Anah being a grandson of Seir, it is clear that grandchildren are equal to children, contrary to the Sadducees’ assertion.,The Gemara interrupts the recounting of the ibaraitaand questions Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai’s inference: bBut perhaps there were twopeople named bAnah,so that one Anah was Zibeon’s son, and the other his brother? bRabba said: I will state a matterthat even bKing Shapur did not state. And who isthis King Shapur? This cannot be a reference to Shapur, king of Persia; rather, it must be a moniker for someone else. He is bShmuel,whose legal rulings were accepted by the public like the edicts of a king by his subjects. bSome statea different version, that it was bRav Pappawho bsaid: I will state a matterthat even bKing Shapur did not state. And who isthis King Shapur? He is bRabba. The versegoes on to bstate: “This is Anah”(Genesis 36:24), indicating that bhe isthe same bAnahmentioned binitially,earlier in the verse. Accordingly, there was only one Anah, who was both Zibeon’s brother and Zibeon’s son.,The ibaraitacontinues: The Sadducee bsaid toRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai: bMy teacher, you dismiss me with thisretort? I agree that the son of a son precedes a daughter, as the verse you quoted suggests; I am asserting that a daughter inherits together with the daughter of a son, and the verse you quoted has no bearing on that claim. Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Imbecile, /b
6. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia, 86a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 86a. חכים יתקרי ורבי לא יתקרי ואסו דרבי על ידו תהא רבי ור' נתן סוף משנה רב אשי ורבינא סוף הוראה,וסימנך (תהלים עג, יז) עד אבוא אל מקדשי אל אבינה לאחריתם,אמר רב כהנא אישתעי לי רב חמא בר ברתיה דחסא רבה בר נחמני אגב שמדא נח נפשיה אכלו ביה קורצא בי מלכא אמרו איכא חד גברא ביהודאי דקא מבטל תריסר אלפי גברי מישראל ירחא בקייטא וירחא בסתוא מכרגא דמלכא,שדרו פריסתקא דמלכא בתריה ולא אשכחיה ערק ואזל מפומבדיתא לאקרא מאקרא לאגמא ומאגמא לשחין ומשחין לצריפא ומצריפא לעינא דמים ומעינא דמים לפומבדיתא בפומבדיתא אשכחיה איקלע פריסתקא דמלכא לההוא אושפיזא דרבה קריבו תכא קמיה ואשקוהו תרי כסי ודליוה לתכא מקמיה הדר פרצופיה לאחוריה,אמרו ליה מאי נעביד ליה גברא דמלכא הוא אמר להו קריבו תכא לקמיה ואשקיוהו חד כסא ודליוהו לתכא מקמיה ולתסי עבדו ליה הכי ואתסי אמר מידע ידענא דגברא דקא בעינא הכא הוא בחיש אבתריה ואשכחיה אמר אזלינא מהא אי מקטל קטלו לההוא גברא לא מגלינא ואי נגידי מנגדין ליה מגלינא,אתיוהו לקמיה עייליה לאדרונא וטרקיה לבבא באנפיה בעא רחמי פרק אשיתא ערק ואזיל לאגמא הוה יתיב אגירדא דדקולא וקא גריס קא מיפלגי במתיבתא דרקיעא אם (ויקרא יג, ב) בהרת קודמת לשער לבן טמא ואם שער לבן קודם לבהרת טהור,ספק הקב"ה אומר טהור וכולהו מתיבתא דרקיעא אמרי טמא ואמרי מאן נוכח נוכח רבה בר נחמני דאמר רבה בר נחמני אני יחיד בנגעים אני יחיד באהלות,שדרו שליחא בתריה לא הוה מצי מלאך המות למקרב ליה מדלא הוה קא פסיק פומיה מגרסיה אדהכי נשב זיקא ואויש ביני קני סבר גונדא דפרשי הוא אמר תינח נפשיה דההוא גברא ולא ימסר בידא דמלכותא,כי הוה קא ניחא נפשיה אמר טהור טהור יצאת בת קול ואמרה אשריך רבה בר נחמני שגופך טהור ויצאתה נשמתך בטהור נפל פתקא מרקיעא בפומבדיתא רבה בר נחמני נתבקש בישיבה של מעלה נפקו אביי ורבא וכולהו רבנן לאיעסוקי ביה לא הוו ידעי דוכתיה אזלו לאגמא חזו צפרי דמטללי וקיימי אמרי שמע מינה התם הוא,ספדוהו תלתא יומי ותלתא לילותא נפל פתקא כל הפורש יהא בנידוי ספדוהו שבעה יומי נפל פתקא לכו לביתכם לשלום,ההוא יומא דנח נפשיה דלייה זעפא ודרי לההוא טייעא כי רכיב גמלא מהאי גיסא דנהר פפא ושדייה בהך גיסא אמר מאי האי אמרי ליה נח נפשיה דרבה בר נחמני אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם כולי עלמא דידך הוא ורבה בר נחמני דידך את דרבה ורבה דידך אמאי קא מחרבת ליה לעלמא נח זעפא,רבי שמעון בן חלפתא בעל בשר הוה יומא חד הוה חמימא ליה הוה סליק ויתיב אשינא דטורא אמר לה לברתיה בתי הניפי עלי במניפא ואני אתן ליך ככרין דנרד אדהכי נשבא זיקא אמר כמה ככרין דנרד למרי דיכי,הכל כמנהג המדינה וכו' הכל לאתויי מאי לאתויי באתרא דנהיגי מכרך ריפתא ומשתה אנפקא דאי אמר להו קדימו ואייתי לכו אמרו לו לא כל כמינך,מעשה ברבן יוחנן בן מתיא שאמר לבנו צא ושכור וכו' מעשה לסתור חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני ואם פסק להן מזונות 86a. bshall be called a wise [ iḥakim /i]physician, bbut he shall not be called rabbi, and RabbiYehuda HaNasi’s bconvalescence shall be through him.I also saw written there: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi band Rabbi Natanare bthe end of the Mishna,i.e., the last of the itanna’im /i, the redactors of the Mishna. bRav Ashi and Ravinaare bthe end of instruction,i.e., the end of the period of the iamora’im /i, the redacting of the Talmud, which occurred after the period of the itanna’im /i., bAnd your mnemonicto remember that Rav Ashi and Ravina redacted the Talmud is the verse: b“Until I entered into the sanctuary [ imikdashei /i] of God, and considered [ iavina /i] their end”(Psalms 73:17). The sanctuary, imikdashei /i, alludes to Rav Ashi, while the term iavinaalludes to Ravina, which is a contraction of Rav Avina. The phrase: Their end, is interpreted as a reference to the redacting of the Talmud.,§ The Gemara relates another story discussing the greatness of the Sages. bRav Kahana said: Rav Ḥama, son of the daughter of Ḥasa, told methat bRabba bar Naḥmani died due tothe fear of a decree of religious bpersecution.The Gemara explains: His enemies baccused him [ iakhalu beih kurtza /i]of disloyalty bin the king’s palace,as they bsaid: There is one man fromamong bthe Jews who exempts twelve thousand Jewish men from the king’s head taxtwo months a year, bone month in the summer and one month in the winter.Since many people would study in Rabba’s study hall during the months of Adar and Elul, he was being blamed for preventing those people from working during those months., bThey sent a messenger [ iperistaka /i] of the king after him, but hewas bnotable to bfind him.Rabba bar Naḥmani bfled and went from Pumbedita to Akra, from Akra to Agma, from Agma to Shiḥin, from Shiḥin to Tzerifa, from Tzerifa to Eina Demayim, and from Eina Demayimback bto Pumbedita.Ultimately, bhe was found in Pumbedita,as bthe king’s messenger arrivedby chance bat that same inn where Rabbabar Naḥmani was hiding. The inn attendants bplaced a tray beforethe messenger band gave him two cups to drink. Theythen bremoved the tray from before him and his face wasmiraculously bturned backward. /b,The attendants bsaid toRabba bar Naḥmani: bWhat should we do with him? He is the king’s man,and we cannot leave him like this. Rabba bar Naḥmani bsaid to them: Place a tray before him and give him one cup to drink, andthen bremove the tray from before him and he will be healed. They did this, and he was healed.The messenger bsaid: I am certain that the man I seek is here,as this unnatural event must have befallen me on his account. bHe searched forRabba bar Naḥmani band foundout where he was. The messenger bsaidthat they should tell Rabba bar Naḥmani: bI will leave thisinn and will not disclose your location. Even bif they will kill that man,i.e., me, bI will not discloseyour location. bBut if they will beat him,me, bI will discloseyour whereabouts, as I cannot bear being tortured.,With that guarantee, bthey broughtRabba bar Naḥmani bbeforethe messenger. bThey took him intoa small bvestibule [ ile’idrona /i] and closed the door before him.Rabba bar Naḥmani bprayed for mercy,and bthe wall crumbled. He fled and went tohide in ba swamp. He was sitting on the stump of a palmtree band studyingTorah alone. At that moment, the Sages bin the heavenly academy were disagreeingwith regard to a ihalakhaof leprosy. In general, a leprous spot includes two signs of impurity, a bright white spot and a white hair. The basic ihalakhais that bifthe bsnow-white leprous sore [ ibaheret /i] preceded the white hairthen the afflicted person is britually impure, but if the white hair preceded the ibaheret /i,he is bpure. /b,The heavenly debate concerned a case of buncertaintyas to which came first, the spot or the hair. bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, says:The individual is bpure, but everyother member of bthe heavenly academy says:He is bimpure. And they said: Who can arbitratein this dispute? They agreed that bRabba bar Naḥmanishould barbitrate, as Rabba bar Naḥmanionce bsaid: I am preeminent inthe ihalakhotof bleprosyand bI am preeminent inthe ihalakhotof ritual impurity imparted by btents. /b, bThey sent a messengerfrom heaven bafter himto take his soul up to the heavenly academy, but bthe Angel of Death was unable to approachRabba bar Naḥmani, bas his mouth did not cease from hisTorah bstudy. In the meantime, a wind blew and howled between the branches.Rabba bar Naḥmani bthoughtthat the noise was due to ban infantry battalion [ igunda /i]about to capture him. bHe said: Let that man,i.e., me, bdie and not be given over to the hands of the government.The Angel of Death was therefore able to take his soul., bAs he was dying, he saidin response to the dispute in heaven: It is bpure;it is bpure. A Divine Voice emergedfrom heaven band said: Happy are you, Rabba bar Naḥmani, as your body is pure and your soul leftyou bwiththe word: bPure. A note [ ipitka /i] fell from heavenand landed binthe academy of bPumbedita.The note read: bRabba bar Naḥmani was summoned to the heavenly academy,i.e., he has died. bAbaye and Rava and all of theother bRabbis went out to tend to hisburial; however, bthey did not know the location of hisbody. bThey went to the swampand bsaw birds forming a shade and hoveringover a certain spot. The Rabbis bsaid:We can bconclude from thisthat bhe is there. /b,The Rabbis blamented him for three days and three nights. A note fellfrom heaven, upon which was written: bAnyone who removes himselffrom the lamentations bshall be ostracized.Accordingly, bthey lamented himfor bseven days.Another bnote fellfrom heaven, stating: bGo to your homes in peace. /b,On bthat day whenRabba bar Naḥmani bdied, a hurricane lifted a certain Arab [ itaya’a /i]merchant bwhile he was ridinghis bcamel.The hurricane carried him bfrom one side of the Pappa River and threw him onto the other side. He said: What is this?Those present bsaid to him: Rabba bar Naḥmani has died. He said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe! The entire world is Yours and Rabba bar Naḥmani isalso bYours. You are to Rabba and Rabba is to You,i.e., you are beloved to each other. If so, bwhy are You destroying the worldon his account? bThe storm subsided. /b,The Gemara concludes its earlier discussion of obese Sages (84a). bRabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta was obese. One day he wasparticularly bhotand bwent and sat on a mountain boulderto cool himself off. bHe said to his daughter: My daughter, fan me with a fan, andas a gift bI will give you packages of spikenard. In the meantime,a strong bwind blew. He said: How many packages of spikenarddo I owe bto the overseers of thiswind?,§ The Gemara returns to its discussion of the mishna (83a), which teaches that an employer must provide his laborers with sustece, ball in accordance with the regional custom.The Gemara asks: bWhat is addedby the inclusive term: bAll?The Gemara answers: This serves bto include a place where it is customaryfor the laborers to beat bread and drink a quarter-ilog b[ ianpaka /i] of wine. As, ifin such a case the employer were to bsay to them: Arise earlyin the morning band I will bring youthis sustece, so as not to waste work time, bthey may say to him: It is not in your powerto compel us to do so.,§ The mishna teaches that there was ban incident involving Rabbi Yoḥa ben Matya, who said to his son: Go out and hirelaborers for us. His son hired the laborers and stipulated that he would provide sustece for them. The Gemara asks: After the mishna has stated that all practices are in accordance with the regional custom, how can it cite this bincident,which seems bto contradictthe previous ruling, as Rabbi Yoḥa ben Matya and his son did not follow the regional custom? The Gemara answers: The mishna bis incomplete and thisis what it bis teaching:All practices are in accordance with the regional custom, bbut ifthe employer pledged to provide sustece for them
7. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Qamma, 82b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 82b. ואתא איהו תיקן חפיפה:,ושיהו רוכלין מחזרין בעיירות משום תכשיטי נשים כדי שלא יתגנו על בעליהם:,ותיקן טבילה לבעלי קריין דאורייתא הוא דכתיב (ויקרא טו, טז) ואיש כי תצא ממנו שכבת זרע ורחץ את בשרו במים דאורייתא הוא לתרומה וקדשים אתא הוא תיקן אפילו לדברי תורה:,עשרה דברים נאמרו בירושלים אין הבית חלוט בה ואינה מביאה עגלה ערופה ואינה נעשית עיר הנדחת,ואינה מטמאה בנגעים ואין מוציאין בה זיזין וגזוזטראות ואין עושין בה אשפתות ואין עושין בה כבשונות ואין עושין בה גנות ופרדסות חוץ מגנות וורדין שהיו מימות נביאים הראשונים ואין מגדלים בה תרנגולין ואין מלינין בה את המת,אין הבית חלוט בה דכתיב (ויקרא כה, ל) וקם הבית אשר לו חומה לצמיתות לקונה אותו לדורותיו וקסבר לא נתחלקה ירושלים לשבטים,ואינה מביאה עגלה ערופה דכתיב (דברים כא, א) כי ימצא חלל באדמה אשר ה' אלהיך נותן לך לרשתה וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים,ואינה נעשית עיר הנדחת דכתיב (דברים יג, יג) עריך וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים,ואינה מטמאה בנגעים דכתיב (ויקרא יד, לד) ונתתי נגע צרעת בבית ארץ אחוזתכם וירושלים לא נתחלקה לשבטים,ואין מוציאין בה זיזין וגזוזטראות מפני אהל הטומאה ומשום דלא ליתזקו עולי רגלים,ואין עושין בה אשפתות משום שקצים,ואין עושין בה כבשונות משום קוטרא,ואין עושין בה גנות ופרדסין משום סירחא,ואין מגדלין בה תרנגולין משום קדשים,ואין מלינין בה את המת גמרא:,אין מגדלין חזירים בכל מקום תנו רבנן כשצרו בית חשמונאי זה על זה היה הורקנוס מבפנים ואריסטובלוס מבחוץ ובכל יום היו משלשים להם בקופה דינרין והיו מעלין להם תמידים,היה שם זקן אחד שהיה מכיר בחכמת יוונית אמר להם כל זמן שעוסקין בעבודה אין נמסרים בידכם למחר שילשלו דינרין בקופה והעלו להם חזיר כיון שהגיע לחצי החומה נעץ צפרניו בחומה ונזדעזעה ארץ ישראל ארבע מאות פרסה על ארבע מאות פרסה,באותה שעה אמרו ארור האיש שיגדל חזירים וארור האדם שילמד את בנו חכמת יוונית ועל אותה שעה שנינו מעשה שבא עומר מגנות הצריפין ושתי הלחם מבקעת עין סוכר:,וחכמת יוונית מי אסירא והתניא אמר רבי בארץ ישראל 82b. bAndEzra bcameand added to the Torah’s minimal obligation. He binstitutedthe requirement of bcombingthe hair even when it is known that it is not knotted and contains no repulsive substance.,The Gemara discusses the next of Ezra’s ordices: bAnd that peddlers should circulate throughall bthe towns.This Gemara explains that this is bbecausepeddlers supply bwomen’s cosmetics,and therefore Ezra instituted this practice bso thatwomen bshould not become unattractive to their husbands. /b,The Gemara analyzes the last of the ten ordices: bAnd he institutedthe requirement of bimmersion for those who experienced a seminal emission.The Gemara asks: But this bisrequired bby Torah law, as it is written: “And if the flow of seed go out from a man, then he shall batheall bhis flesh in water”(Leviticus 15:16). The Gemara answers: bBy Torah lawimmersion bisrequired only if one wishes to partake bof iterumaor sacrificialmeat. Ezra bcameand further binstitutedthat immersion is necessary beven forreciting or studying bmatters of Torah. /b,§ The mishna teaches that one may not raise chickens in Jerusalem. The Gemara cites a ibaraitathat contains a list of other ihalakhotthat are unique to Jerusalem. bTen matters were stated with regard to Jerusalem: A housesituated binJerusalem does bnotbecome birredeemableone year after its sale. Those who sell houses in other walled cities have the right to buy back their property for one year after the transaction. If they fail to do so, the house becomes the permanent possession of the buyer (see Leviticus 25:29–30). This ihalakhadoes not apply to houses in Jerusalem. bAndits Elders do bnot bring a heifer whose neck is brokenas required when a murder victim is found near a city and the murderer is unknown (see Deuteronomy 21:1–9); bandit bcannot become an idolatrous city(see Deuteronomy 13:13–19).,The ibaraitacontinues its list: bAnda house in Jerusalem bcannot become ritually impurewith the impurity bof leprous sores; and one may not build out projections or balconies [ igezuztraot /i]from houses that are bin it; and one may not establish garbage dumps inJerusalem; band one may not build kilns in it; and one may not plant gardens and orchards [ ipardesot /i] in it, except forthe brose gardens that werealready there bfrom the times of the early prophets; and one may not raise chickens in it; andfinally, bone may not leave a corpse overnight inJerusalem.,The Gemara discusses these ten ihalakhotpertaining to Jerusalem, one by one: bA housesituated binit does bnotbecome birredeemableone year after its sale. The reason is bthat it is written:“And if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then bthe housethat is in the bwalledcity bshall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations”(Leviticus 25:30). bAndthe itannawho taught this ibaraita bmaintainsthat bJerusalem was not apportioned toany single one of bthe tribesof Israel; rather, it is considered common property. Since no one has ancestral ownership of any house in Jerusalem, its houses cannot be sold permanently.,The Gemara analyzes the next ihalakha /i: bAndits inhabitants do bnot bring a heifer whose neck is broken.The reason is bthat it is written: “If one is found slain in the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess it”(Deuteronomy 21:1). bAnd,again, the itannawho taught this ibaraita bmaintainsthat bJerusalem was not apportioned toany one of bthe tribesof Israel. Therefore, it is not included in the description: “The land that the Lord your God gives you to possess it.”,The ibaraitastates: bAndit bcannot become an idolatrous city.The reason is bthat it is written,in the introduction of the passage dealing with the ihalakhaof an idolatrous city: “If you shall hear tell concerning one of byour cities,which the Lord your God gives you to dwell there” (Deuteronomy 13:13). bAndthe itannawho taught this ibaraitamaintains that bJerusalem was not apportioned toany one of bthe tribesof Israel. It is therefore not included in the description “one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you to dwell there.”,The ibaraitafurther teaches: bAnda house in Jerusalem does bnot become ritually impurewith the impurity bof leprous sores.The reason is bthat it is written: “And I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession”(Leviticus 14:34). bAndthe itannawho taught this ibaraitamaintains that bJerusalem was not apportioned toany one of bthe tribesof Israel. It is there-fore not included in the description “a house of the land of your possession.”,The Gemara discusses the next ihalakha /i: bAnd one may not build out projections or balconiesfrom houses that are binJerusalem. The Gemara provides two reasons for this prohibition. First, it is bdue tothe danger of contracting britual impurityby being in bthesame btentas a corpse, i.e., under the same roof, in which case the impurity spreads to all items under the roof. If even a small part of a corpse is under a balcony, everyone who passes under that balcony is rendered impure. Many people come to Jerusalem to sacrifice offerings, and they must maintain a state of ritual purity. The other reason is bso that thosegreat crowds of bpilgrims not be injuredby colliding with the projections.,The next ihalakhapertaining to Jerusalem is: bAnd one may not establish garbage dumps in it.The Gemara explains that the reason is bdue tothe brepugt creaturesthat are attracted to such heaps and impart ritual impurity upon their death.,The ibaraitastates: bAnd one may not build kilns inJerusalem. The reason is bdue to theunsightly bsmokeproduced by kilns. The Sages sought to preserve the beauty of Jerusalem and the Temple.,The ibaraitateaches: bAnd one may not plant gardens and orchards in it.This is bdue to the odoremitted by these places, either from discarded weeds or from fertilizer.,The next ihalakhaon the list is: bAnd one may not raise chickens inJerusalem. The Gemara explains that this is bdue to the sacrificialmeat that is consumed in Jerusalem. Since chickens peck in the garbage, they are likely to pick up items that impart ritual impurity and bring them into contact with the consecrated food, which may not be eaten in an impure state.,The Gemara discusses the last ihalakha /i: bAnd one may not leave a corpse overnight in it.The Gemara notes that this prohibition is ba tradition;there is no known explanation for it.,§ The mishna teaches that bone may not raise pigs anywhere. The Sages taughtin a ibaraitathe background for this ihalakha /i: bWhenthe members of bthe house of Hasmoneanmonarchy bwere at war with each other, Hyrcanus,one of the parties to this war, bwas insidethe besieged Jerusalem, bwhilehis brother bAristobulus,the other contender to the throne, was bon the outside. And every daythe people inside bwould lower down money in a boxfrom the Temple walls, to purchase sheep to sacrifice, bandthose on other side bwouldtake the money and bsend upsheep bto themover the wall for the bdaily offerings. /b, bThere was a certain elder there who was familiar with Greek wisdom,and bhe saidto those besieging Jerusalem: bAs long as they occupy themselves with theTemple bservice, they will not be delivered into your hands. The next day they lowered down money in a boxas usual, bbutthis time bthey sent up to them a pig. When the pig reached to the midpoint of theTemple bwall it stuck its hooves into the wall, and Eretz Yisrael quakedover an area of bfour hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs. /b, bAt that timethe Sages bsaid: Cursed be the man who raises pigs, and cursed be the man who teaches his son Greek wisdom. Andit was bconcerning that timeof siege that bwe learnedin a mishna: There was ban incidentin which the barley for the iomeroffering came from the gardens of Tzerifin,far from Jerusalem, bandthe wheat for bthe two loavesof iShavuotwas brought bfrom the valley of Ein Sokher.Barley and wheat could not be brought from any nearer because the besiegers had destroyed all the produce around Jerusalem. This concludes the ibaraita /i.,The Gemara asks a question with regard to this ibaraita /i: bAnd isit really bprohibitedto study bGreek wisdom? But isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaid: In Eretz Yisrael, /b
8. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, 8a, 55a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 55a. כל המאריך בתפלתו ומעיין בה סוף בא לידי כאב לב שנאמר (משלי יג, יב) תוחלת ממושכה מחלה לב וא"ר יצחק שלשה דברים מזכירים עונותיו של אדם ואלו הן קיר נטוי ועיון תפלה ומוסר דין על חבירו לשמים,הא לא קשיא הא דמעיין בה הא דלא מעיין בה והיכי עביד דמפיש ברחמי,והמאריך על שלחנו דלמא אתי עניא ויהיב ליה דכתיב (יחזקאל מא, כב) המזבח עץ שלש אמות גבוה וכתיב (יחזקאל מא, כב) וידבר אלי זה השלחן אשר לפני ה' פתח במזבח וסיים בשלחן ר' יוחנן ור' אלעזר דאמרי תרוייהו כל זמן שבהמ"ק קיים מזבח מכפר על ישראל ועכשיו שלחנו של אדם מכפר עליו,והמאריך בבית הכסא מעליותא הוא והתניא עשרה דברים מביאין את האדם לידי תחתוניות האוכל עלי קנים ועלי גפנים ולולבי גפנים ומוריגי בהמה ושדרו של דג ודג מליח שאינו מבושל כל צרכו והשותה שמרי יין והמקנח בסיד ובחרסית והמקנח בצרור שקנח בו חבירו וי"א אף התולה עצמו בבית הכסא יותר מדאי,לא קשיא הא דמאריך ותלי הא דמאריך ולא תלי,כי הא דאמרה ליה ההיא מטרוניתא לר' יהודה בר' אלעאי פניך דומים למגדלי חזירים ולמלוי ברבית אמר לה הימנותא לדידי תרוייהו אסירן אלא עשרים וארבעה בית הכסא איכא מאושפיזאי לבי מדרשא דכי אזילנא בדיקנא נפשאי בכולהו.,ואמר רב יהודה שלשה דברים מקצרים ימיו ושנותיו של אדם מי שנותנין לו ס"ת לקרות ואינו קורא כוס של ברכה לברך ואינו מברך והמנהיג עצמו ברבנות,ס"ת לקרות ואינו קורא דכתיב (דברים ל, כ) כי הוא חייך ואורך ימיך כוס של ברכה לברך ואינו מברך דכתיב (בראשית יב, ג) ואברכה מברכיך והמנהיג עצמו ברבנות דא"ר חמא בר חנינא מפני מה מת יוסף קודם לאחיו מפני שהנהיג עצמו ברבנות:,ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב שלשה צריכים רחמים מלך טוב שנה טובה וחלום טוב מלך טוב דכתיב (משלי כא, א) פלגי מים לב מלך ביד ה' שנה טובה דכתיב (דברים יא, יב) תמיד עיני ה' אלהיך בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה חלום טוב דכתיב (ישעיהו לח, טז) ותחלימני (ותחייני):,אמר רבי יוחנן שלשה דברים מכריז עליהם הקב"ה בעצמו ואלו הן רעב ושובע ופרנס טוב רעב דכתיב (מלכים ב ח, א) כי קרא ה' לרעב וגו' שובע דכתיב (יחזקאל לו, כט) וקראתי אל הדגן והרביתי אותו פרנס טוב דכתיב (שמות לא, ב) (ויאמר) ה' אל משה לאמר ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל וגו',אמר רבי יצחק אין מעמידין פרנס על הצבור אלא אם כן נמלכים בצבור שנא' (שמות לה, ל) ראו קרא ה' בשם בצלאל אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה משה הגון עליך בצלאל אמר לו רבונו של עולם אם לפניך הגון לפני לא כל שכן אמר לו אף על פי כן לך אמור להם הלך ואמר להם לישראל הגון עליכם בצלאל אמרו לו אם לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא ולפניך הוא הגון לפנינו לא כל שכן,א"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן בצלאל על שם חכמתו נקרא בשעה שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה לך אמור לו לבצלאל עשה לי משכן ארון וכלים הלך משה והפך ואמר לו עשה ארון וכלים ומשכן אמר לו משה רבינו מנהגו של עולם אדם בונה בית ואחר כך מכניס לתוכו כלים ואתה אומר עשה לי ארון וכלים ומשכן כלים שאני עושה להיכן אכניסם שמא כך אמר לך הקב"ה עשה משכן ארון וכלים אמר לו שמא בצל אל היית וידעת,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב יודע היה בצלאל לצרף אותיות שנבראו בהן שמים וארץ כתיב הכא (שמות לה, לא) וימלא אותו רוח אלהים בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת וכתיב התם (משלי ג, יט) ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ כונן שמים בתבונה וכתיב (משלי ג, כ) בדעתו תהומות נבקעו,אמר רבי יוחנן אין הקדוש ברוך הוא נותן חכמה אלא למי שיש בו חכמה שנא' (דניאל ב, כא) יהב חכמתא לחכימין ומנדעא לידעי בינה שמע רב תחליפא בר מערבא ואמרה קמיה דרבי אבהו אמר ליה אתון מהתם מתניתו לה אנן מהכא מתנינן לה דכתיב (שמות לא, ו) ובלב כל חכם לב נתתי חכמה:,אמר רב חסדא כל חלום ולא טוות ואמר רב חסדא חלמא דלא מפשר כאגרתא דלא מקריא ואמר רב חסדא לא חלמא טבא מקיים כוליה ולא חלמא בישא מקיים כוליה ואמר רב חסדא חלמא בישא עדיף מחלמא טבא וא"ר חסדא חלמא בישא עציבותיה מסתייה חלמא טבא חדויה מסתייה אמר רב יוסף חלמא טבא אפילו לדידי בדיחותיה מפכחא ליה ואמר רב חסדא חלמא בישא קשה מנגדא שנאמר (קהלת ג, יד) והאלהים עשה שייראו מלפניו ואמר רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן זה חלום רע,(ירמיהו כג, כח) הנביא אשר אתו חלום יספר חלום ואשר דברי אתו ידבר דברי אמת מה לתבן את הבר נאם ה' וכי מה ענין בר ותבן אצל חלום אלא אמר ר' יוחנן משום ר' שמעון בן יוחי כשם שאי אפשר לבר בלא תבן כך אי אפשר לחלום בלא דברים בטלים,אמר ר' ברכיה חלום אף על פי שמקצתו מתקיים כולו אינו מתקיים מנא לן מיוסף דכתיב (בראשית לז, ט) והנה השמש והירח וגו' 55a. bAnyone who prolongs his prayer and expects itto be answered, bwill ultimately come to heartache, as it is stated: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”(Proverbs 13:12). Similarly, bRabbi Yitzḥak said: Three matters evoke a person’s sins, and they are:Endangering oneself by sitting or standing next to an binclined wallthat is about to collapse, bexpecting prayerto be accepted, as that leads to an assessment of his status and merit, band passing a case against another to Heaven,as praying for Heaven to pass judgment on another person causes one’s own deeds to be examined and compared with the deeds of that other person. This proves that prolonging prayer is a fault.,The Gemara resolves the apparent contradiction: This is bnot difficult. This,where we learned that prolonging prayer is undesirable, refers to a situation when one bexpectshis prayer to be accepted, bwhile this,where Rav Yehuda says that prolonging prayer prolongs one’s life, refers to a situation where one does bnot expecthis prayer to be accepted. bHow does heprolong his prayer? By bincreasinghis bsupplication. /b,As for the virtue of bprolonging one’smealtime at the btable,which Rav Yehuda mentioned, the Gemara explains: bPerhaps a poor person will comeduring the meal and the host will be in a position to bgive himfood immediately, without forcing the poor person to wait. The Sages elsewhere praised a person who acts appropriately at a meal, bas it is written: “The altar, three cubits highand the length thereof, two cubits, was of wood, and so the corners thereof; the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were also of wood” (Ezekiel 41:22), band it is writtenin the continuation of that verse: b“And he said unto me: This is the table that is before the Lord.”The language of this verse is difficult, as it bbegins with the altar and concludes with the table.Rather, bRabbi Yoḥa and Rabbi Elazar both say: As long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel’stransgressions. bNowthat it is destroyed, ba person’s table atones for histransgressions.,With regard to what Rav Yehuda said in praise of bone who prolongshis time bin the bathroom,the Gemara asks: bIs that a virtue? Wasn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: bTen things bring a person tosuffer from bhemorrhoids: One who eats the leaves of bulrushes, grape leaves, tendrils of grapevines, the palate and tongue of an animal,as well as any other part of the animal which is not smooth and which has protrusions, bthe spine of a fish, a salty fish that is not fully cooked, and one who drinks wine dregs, and one who wipes himself with lime and clay,the materials from which earthenware is made, band one who wipes himself with a stone with which anotherperson bwiped himself. And some say: One who suspends himself too much in the bathroom as well.This proves that prolonging one’s time in the bathroom is harmful.,The Gemara responds: This is bnot difficult. This ibaraita /i, which teaches that doing so is harmful, refers to where bone prolongshis time there band suspendshimself, while bthisstatement of Rav Yehuda refers to where bone prolongshis time there band does not suspendhimself.,The Gemara relates the benefits of prolonging one’s time in the bathroom. bLike thatincident bwhen a matron [ imatronita /i] said to Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi El’ai: Your face isfat and full, blikethe faces of bpig farmers and usurerswho do not work hard and who make a plentiful living. bHe said to her: Honestly, those twooccupations bare prohibited to me; rather,why is it that my face is nice? Because bthere are twenty-four bathrooms between my lodging and the study hall, and when I walk Istop and bexamine myself in all of them. /b, bAnd Rav Yehuda said: Three things curtail a person’s days and years: One who isinvited and bgiven the Torah scroll to read and he does not read,one who is given ba cup of blessing over which to recite a blessing and he does not recite a blessing, and one who conducts himself withan air of bsuperiority. /b,The Gemara details the biblical sources for these cases: One who is given the bTorah scroll to read and he does not read, as it is writtenof the Torah: b“It is your life and the length of your days”(Deuteronomy 30:20). bA cup of blessing over which to recite a blessing and he does not recite a blessing, as it is written: “I will bless them that bless you”(Genesis 12:3); one who blesses is blessed and one who does not bless does not merit a blessing. bAndwith regard to bone who conducts himself withan air of bsuperiority, as Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Why did Joseph die before his brothers,as evidenced by the order in the verse: “And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation” (Exodus 1:6)? bBecause he conducted himself withan air of bsuperiority,and those who did not serve in a leadership role lived on after he died., bRav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Threematters brequirea plea for bmercyto bring them about: bA good king, a good year, and a good dream.These three, kings, years, and dreams, are all bestowed by God and one must pray that they should be positive and constructive. The Gemara enumerates the sources for these cases: bA good king, as it is written: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord as the watercourses:He turns it whithersoever He will” (Proverbs 21:1). A bgood year, as it is written: “The eyes of the Lord, thy God, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year”(Deuteronomy 11:12). And a bgood dream, as it is written:“O Lord, by these things men live, and altogether therein is the life of my spirit; wherefore bYou will recover me [ ivataḥlimeni /i], and make me to live”(Isaiah 38:16). Due to their apparent etymological similarity, the word itaḥlimeniis interpreted as deriving from the word iḥalom /i, dream.,Similarly, bRabbi Yoḥa said: Three matters are proclaimed by the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself: Famine, plenty, and a good leader.The Gemara enumerates the sources for these cases: bFamine, as it is written: “For the Lord has called for a famine;and it shall also come upon the land seven years” (II Kings 8:1). bPlenty, as it is written: “And I will call for the grain, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you”(Ezekiel 36:29). And ba good leader, as it is written: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: See, I have called by name Bezalel,son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah” (Exodus 31:1–2).,With regard to Bezalel’s appointment, bRabbi Yitzḥak said: One may only appoint a leader over a community if he consults with the communityand they agree to the appointment, bas it is stated:“And Moses said unto the children of Israel: bSee, the Lord has called by name Bezalel,son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah” (Exodus 35:30). bThe Lord said to Moses: Moses, is Bezalela bsuitableappointment in byoureyes? Moses bsaid to Him: Master of the universe, if he isa bsuitableappointment in bYoureyes, bthen all the more soin bmyeyes. The Holy One, Blessed be He, bsaid to him: Nevertheless, go and tellIsrael and ask their opinion. Moses bwent and said to Israel: Is Bezalel suitablein byoureyes? bThey said to him: If he is suitablein the eyes of bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, andin byoureyes, ball the more sohe is suitable in boureyes., bRabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani saidthat bRabbi Yonatan said: Bezalel was calledby that name bon account of his wisdom. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Go say to Bezalel, “Make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels”(see Exodus 31:7–11), bMoses went and reversedthe order band toldBezalel: b“Make an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle”(see Exodus 25–26). bHe said toMoses: bMoses, our teacher, thestandard bpracticethroughout the bworldis that ba person builds a house andonly bafterward places the vesselsin the house, band you sayto me: bMake an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle.If I do so in the order you have commanded, bthe vessels that I make, where shall I put them? Perhaps God told you the following: “Make a tabernacle, ark, and vessels”(see Exodus 36). Moses bsaid toBezalel: bPerhaps you were in God’s shadow [ ibetzel El /i], and you knewprecisely what He said. You intuited God’s commands just as He stated them, as if you were there., bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: Bezalel knewhow bto jointhe bletters with which heaven and earth were created.From where do we derive this? bIt is written herein praise of Bezalel: b“And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge,and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:3); band it is written therewith regard to creation of heaven and earth: b“The Lord, by wisdom, founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens”(Proverbs 3:19), band it is written: “By His knowledge the depths were broken up and the skies drop down the dew”(Proverbs 3:20). We see that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the qualities with which the heavens and earth were created, are all found in Bezalel.,On a similar note, bRabbi Yoḥa said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, only grants wisdom to one whoalready bpossesses wisdom, as it is stated: “He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to they who know understanding”(Daniel 2:21). bRav Taḥalifa, from the West,Eretz Yisrael, bheardthis band repeated it before Rabbi Abbahu.Rabbi Abbahu bsaid to him: You learnedproof for this idea bfrom there; we learn it from here: As it is writtenin praise of the builders of the Tabernacle: b“And in the hearts of all who are wise-hearted I have placed wisdom”(Exodus 31:6).,Related to what was stated above, that one should pray for a good dream, the Gemara cites additional maxims concerning dreams and their interpretation. bRav Ḥisda said:One should see bany dream, and not a fast.In other words, any dream is preferable to a dream during a fast. bAnd Rav Ḥisda said: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read.As long as it is not interpreted it cannot be fulfilled; the interpretation of a dream creates its meaning. bAnd Rav Ḥisda said: A good dream is not entirely fulfilled and a bad dream is not entirely fulfilled. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is preferable to a good dream,as a bad dream causes one to feel remorse and to repent. bAnd Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream, his sadness is enough for him; a good dream, his joy is enough for him.This means that the sadness or joy engendered by the dream renders the actual fulfillment of the dream superfluous. Similarly, bRav Yosef said: Even for me, the joy of a good dream negates it.Even Rav Yosef, who was blind and ill, derived such pleasure from a good dream that it was never actually realized. bAnd Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is worse than lashes, as it is stated: “God has so made it, that men should fear before Him”(Ecclesiastes 3:14), band Rabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: That is a bad dreamthat causes man to fear.,With regard to the verse: b“The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has the straw to do with the grain? says the Lord”(Jeremiah 23:28), the Gemara asks: bWhat do straw and grain have to do with a dream? Rather, Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: Just as it is impossible for the grainto grow bwithout straw, so too it is impossible to dream without idle matters.Even a dream that will be fulfilled in the future contains some element of nonsense.,On a similar note, bRabbi Berekhya said: Even though part of a dream is fulfilled, all of it is not fulfilled. From where do wederive this? bFromthe story of bJoseph’sdream, bas it is written:“And he said: Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: band, behold, the sun and the moon /b
9. Babylonian Talmud, Menachot, 85b, 64b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 64b. bas Rabbi Yishmael states only there,in the mishna, that three ise’aof barley are reaped on Shabbat, basin that case bwhenone blimitsthe amount available bfor eating,he likewise blimitsthe amount of breaping. But here, whenone blimitsthe amount bof eatingby bringing the two figs, he also bincreasesthe amount of breaping.Therefore is it bcertainthat bwe bringthe ill person the bthreefigs attached by a single stem., strongMISHNA: /strong bThe mitzva of the iomeris to bringthe barley reaped for the meal offering bfromfields bproximateto Jerusalem. If the barley bdid not ripenin bthefields bproximate to Jerusalem, one brings it from any placein Eretz Yisrael. There was ban incident where the iomercame from Gaggot Tzerifin andthe wheat for bthe two loaveson iShavuotcame bfrom the valley of Ein Sokher. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat the barley reaped for the iomermeal offering should ideally be brought from fields proximate to Jerusalem? The Gemara answers: bIf you wish, saythat it is bbecausethe verse states: “And if you bring a meal offering of first fruits to the Lord, you shall bring for the meal offering of your first fruits grain in the ear parched with fire, even groats of the bfresh ear [ ikarmel /i]”(Leviticus 2:14). This indicates that the grain should be soft and fresh. Consequently it should be brought from close by, not from a place where it might become stale and hardened during a long journey., bAnd if you wish, sayinstead that the reason is bdue tothe principle that bone does not postponeperformance of bthe mitzvot.When presented with the opportunity to perform a mitzva, one should perform it immediately. Therefore, the barley for the mitzva of the iomermeal offering in the Temple should be brought from the first crop encountered outside of Jerusalem.,§ The mishna teaches: There was ban incident where the iomercame from Gaggot Tzerifinand the two loaves on iShavuotcame from the valley of Ein Sokher. bThe Sages taughta ibaraitathat provides the background of this event: bWhen the kings of the Hasmonean monarchy besieged each otherin their civil war, bHyrcanus was outside ofJerusalem, besieging it, band Aristoblus was inside. On each and every day they would lower dinars in a boxfrom inside the city, bandthose on the outside bwould send upanimals for them to bring the bdaily offeringsin the Temple., bA certain elderly man was there,in Jerusalem, bwho was familiar with Greek wisdom. He communicated tothose on the outside bbyusing words understood only by those proficient in bGreek wisdom. The elderly man said to them: As long as they are engaged with theTemple bservice, they will not be delivered into your hands.Upon hearing this, bon the following day,when bthey lowered dinars in a box, they sent up a pig to them. Oncethe pig breached halfwayup the bwall, it inserted its hoovesinto the wall and bEretz Yisrael shuddered four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs. /b,When the Sages saw this, bthey saidat bthat time: Cursed is he who raises pigs, and cursed is he who teaches his son Greek wisdom. Andit is bwith regard to that timeof civil war, in which the land was destroyed, that bwe learned: An incidentoccurred bin which the iomer /i,the measure of barley brought as a communal offering on the sixteenth of Nisan, bcame from Gaggot Tzerifim, and the two loavesoffered on iShavuotcame bfrom the valley of Ein Sokher.Since no fresh barley grain was found in the fields immediately surrounding Jerusalem, it had to be brought from these outlying areas.,§ The Gemara relates another tradition with regard to that occasion when the iomercame from Gaggot Tzerifin and the two loaves from the valley of Ein Sokher: bWhen it cametime to bring the iomer /imeal offering, bthey did not know from wherethey could bbringthe iomer /igrain, as all the surrounding fields were looted and ruined. The court publicly bproclaimedtheir difficulty. bA certain deaf-mute [ iḥersha /i] cameforward and bstretched out one hand toward a roof, igagin Hebrew, band one hand toward a hut [ iatzerifa /i]. Mordekhai said tothe Sages: bIs there a place that is called Gaggot Tzerifin or Tzerifin Gaggot? They checked and foundthat there was such a place, and it contained fields of barley from which they were able to bring the iomermeal offering.,A similar incident occurred bwhen they needed to bring the two loaves,and bthey did not know from where to bringthe grain. Again the court publicly bproclaimedtheir difficulty, and ba certain deaf-mute cameforward and bstretched outone bhand toward his eye [ ia’eineih /i] and one hand toward a door latch [ iassikhera /i]. Mordekhai said tothe Sages: bAnd is there a place that is called: Ein Sokher, or Sokher Ayin? They checked and foundthat there was such a place, and it contained fields of wheat from which they were able to bring the two loaves.,The Gemara relates another story that demonstrates Mordekhai’s wisdom: Once, ba certain three women brought three nestsfor their obligatory offerings of pairs of pigeons or doves (see Leviticus 15:29). bOneof them bsaid:This offering is bfor my iziva /i; and one said:This if bfor my iyamma /i; andthe last bone said:This is bfor my iona /i. /b,The Sages bunderstood fromthe first woman’s statement: bFor my iziva /i,that she had experienced a discharge of uterine blood when not expecting her menstrual period, which would give her the status of ban actual izava /i.From the second woman’s statement: bFor my iyamma /i,they understood: bMy actual iyamma /i,i.e., she was also a iziva /i, as iyamcan mean: Sea, or a flow of blood. From the third woman’s statement: bFor my iona /i,they came to the conclusion that she needed to bring a sacrifice bfor her time [ iona /i]of completing her purification process from being a izava /i. Accordingly, they understood bthat allthese women were obligated to bring bone sin offering and one burnt offering. /b, bMordekhai said tothe other Sages: bPerhapsthe first woman bwas endangeredin the course bofher menstrual bflow [ izov /i].Similarly, bperhapsthe second woman bwas endangered at sea [ iyam /i].Finally, bperhapsthe third woman bwas endangered through her eye [ iayin /i],as iayinis phonetically similar to iona /i. According to these explanations, each woman sought to bring a voluntary offering to give thanks to God for being saved from danger. If so, the appropriate offering in each case is not a sin offering, bas they are all burnt offerings.It bwas checked andthey bfoundthat Mordekhai’s interpretation was in fact correct.
10. Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim, 41a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 41a. ושטיח בחוסר כל (דברים כח, מח) אמר ר' אמי אמר רב בלא נר ובלא שלחן רב חסדא אמר בלא אשה רב ששת אמר בלא שמש רב נחמן אמר בלא דעה תנא בלא מלח ובלא רבב,אמר אביי נקטינן אין עני אלא בדעה במערבא אמרי דדא ביה כולא ביה דלא דא ביה מה ביה דא קני מה חסר דא לא קני מה קני,אמר ר' אלכסנדרי אמר ר' חייא בר אבא אין החולה עומד מחליו עד שמוחלין לו על כל עונותיו שנאמר (תהלים קג, ג) הסולח לכל עוניכי הרופא לכל תחלואיכי רב המנונא אמר חוזר לימי עלומיו שנאמר (איוב לג, כה) רוטפש בשרו מנוער ישוב לימי עלומיו כל משכבו הפכת בחליו (תהלים מא, ד) אמר רב יוסף לומר דמשכח למודו,רב יוסף חלש איעקר ליה למודיה אהדריה אביי קמיה היינו דבכל דוכתא אמרינן אמר רב יוסף לא שמיע לי הדא שמעתא אמר ליה אביי את אמריתה ניהלן ומהא מתניתא אמריתה ניהלן,כי הוה גמיר רבי תלת עשרי אפי הילכתא אגמריה לרבי חייא שבעה מנהון לסוף חלש רבי אהדר ר' חייא קמיה הנהו שבעה אפי דאגמריה שיתא אזדו הוה ההוא קצרא הוה שמיע ליה לרבי כדהוה גריס להו אזל ר' חייא וגמר יתהון קמי קצרא ואתא ואהדר יתהון קמי רבי כד הוה חזי ליה רבי לההוא קצרא אמר ליה רבי אתה עשית אותי ואת חייא איכא דאמרי הכי קאמר ליה אתה עשית את חייא וחייא עשה אותי,ואמר ר' אלכסנדרי אמר ר' חייא בר אבא גדול נס שנעשה לחולה יותר מן הנס שנעשה לחנניה מישאל ועזריה של חנניה מישאל ועזריה אש של הדיוט והכל יכולים לכבותה וזו של חולה של שמים היא ומי יכול לכבותה,ואמר ר' אלכסנדרי אמר ר' חייא בר אבא ואמרי לה אמר ר' יהושע בן לוי כיון שהגיע קיצו של אדם הכל מושלים בו שנאמר (בראשית ד, יד) והיה כל מוצאי יהרגני רב אמר מן הדין קרא (תהלים קיט, צא) למשפטיך עמדו היום כי הכל עבדיך,רבה בר שילא אמרו ליה שכיב גברא גבוה הוה רכיב גירדונא זוטרא מטא תיתורא איסתויט שדייה וקא שכיב קרי על נפשיה למשפטיך עמדו היום,שמואל חזייה לההוא (קרוקיתא דעקרבא) יתיבא על אקרוקתא ועברה נהרא טרקא גברא ומיית קרי עליה למשפטיך עמדו היום,אמר שמואל אין מבקרין את החולה אלא למי שחלצתו חמה לאפוקי מאי לאפוקי הא דתניא ר' יוסי בן פרטא אומר משום ר' אליעזר אין מבקרין לא חולי מעיים ולא חולי העין ולא מחושי הראש בשלמא חולי מעיים משום כיסופא אלא חולי העין ומחושי הראש מאי טעמא,משום דרב יהודה דאמר רב יהודה דיבורא קשיא לעינא ומעלי לאישתא אמר רבא האי אישתא אי לאו דפרוונקא דמלאכא דמותא מעלי 41a. band a rug,as an exile needs those items and they are portable. The Sages interpreted the following verse describing the exile experience: “Therefore shall you serve your enemy whom the Lord shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and bin want of all things;and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:48). bRabbi Ami saidthat bRav said:“In want of all things” means bwithout a lamp and without a tableto eat upon. bRav Ḥisda said: Without a wife. Rav Sheshet said: Without an attendantto aid him. bRav Naḥman said: Without intelligence.One of the Sages bteachesin a ibaraita /i: bWithout salt and without fat [ irevav /i]in which to dip his bread., bAbaye saidthat bwe have a tradition: A poor person is onlyone lacking bin intelligence,in agreement with the opinion of Rav Naḥman. bIn the West,Eretz Yisrael, bthey say:One bwhohas bthisattribute, intelligence, bin himhas beverything in him.One bwho does nothave bthisattribute bin him, what is in him?If bhe acquired this, whatelse bis lacking?If bhe has not acquired this, what has he acquired? /b,§ bRabbi Alexandri saidthat bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: The sick person recovers from his illness only whenthe heavenly court bforgives him for all his sins, as it is stated: “Who forgives all your iniquity; Who heals all your diseases”(Psalms 103:3). bRav Hamnuna said:When he recovers, bhe returns to the days of his youth, as it is statedin a verse with regard to one recovering from illness: b“His flesh is tenderer than a child’s; he returns to the days of his youth”(Job 33:25). Interpreting the verse: “The Lord will support him upon the bed of suffering; bYou overturned all his lying down in his illness”(Psalms 41:4), bRav Yosef said:That is bto say thatthe sick person bforgets his studies,as everything that is organized is overturned.,The Gemara relates: bRav Yosefhimself bfell illand bhis studies were forgotten. Abaye restoredhis studies by reviewing what he had learned from Rav Yosef bbefore him. This isthe background for that bwhich we say everywherethroughout the Talmud, that bRav Yosef said: I did not learn this ihalakha /i,and bAbaye said to himin response: bYou said this to us andit was bfrom this ibaraita /ithat byou said it to us. /b,The Gemara relates: bWhen RabbiYehuda HaNasi bwould learn thirteen aspects of a ihalakha /ion a certain issue, bhe taught Rabbi Ḥiyya seven of them. Ultimately, RabbiYehuda HaNasi bfell illand forgot all thirteen aspects. bRabbi Ḥiyya restored those seven aspects thatRabbi Yehuda HaNasi btaught himby reviewing them before Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. However, bsix were goneand forgotten, as Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had not taught them to anyone. There bwas a certain laundererwho bwould hear RabbiYehuda HaNasi bwhen he was studyingthose ihalakhot /i. bRabbi Ḥiyya went and learnedthose ihalakhot bfrom the launderer and he came and restored themby reviewing them bbefore RabbiYehuda HaNasi. bWhen RabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaw that launderer, RabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaid to him: You made me and Ḥiyya,as we were able to learn these ihalakhotthat otherwise would have been forgotten. bSome saythat bthis is what he said tothe launderer: bYou made Ḥiyya, and Ḥiyya made me. /b, bAnd Rabbi Alexandri saidthat bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Greater is the miracle performed for the sick person than the miracle that was performed for Haiah, Mishael, and Azariah,who were rescued from the fiery furnace (see Daniel, chapter 3), as in the miracle of bHaiah, Mishael, and Azariah,they were rescued from bthe fire of a layman, and anyone is capable of extinguishing it. And thatfire afflicting ba sick personwith a fever is the fire bof Heaven, and who can extinguish it? /b, bAnd Rabbi Alexandri saidthat bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, and some say Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Once the endof the time allotted for the life of ba person arrived, everything has dominion over him, as it is statedthat Cain said: b“Whosoever finds me will slay me”(Genesis 4:14). Cain feared that since God sentenced him to death he would be susceptible to all threats and vulnerable to anyone seeking to murder him. bRav saidthat it is derived bfrom this verse: “They stand this day according to Your judgments; for all are Your servants”(Psalms 119:91). When the decree emerges from Heaven that the time has arrived for a person to die, everyone is a servant of God, an agent to kill him.,The Gemara relates that people bsaid to Rabba bar Sheila: A man died.This person bwas talland was briding on a small mule [ igiredona /i]. When he reached a bridge [ itittora /i],the mule bwas frightened [ iistavveit /i]and bcast offthe rider, bandalthough the rider was tall and the mule was short and the rider did not fall far, bhe died.Rabba bar Sheila breadthe verse and applied it btothe rider: b“They stand this day according to Your judgments.” /b, bShmuel saw a certain frog [ ikerokita /i],and also noticed bthat a scorpion was sitting upon the frog andthe frog bcrossed the river.The scorpion bstung a manon the other side of the river bandthe man bdied.Shmuel breadand applied the verse btothe dead man: b“They stand this day according to Your judgments.”Even the frog and scorpion are servants and agents of God. The only way the scorpion could reach the man and kill him was by means of the frog taking it across the river.,§ bShmuel said: One visits a sick person only ifthat person bis one whom fever overcame.The Gemara asks: bWhatillnesses bdoesthis statement come to bexclude?The Gemara answers: It comes bto exclude that which is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yosei ben Perata says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: One visits neither those with intestinal illness, nor those with eye illness, northose suffering from bheadaches.The Gemara asks: bGranted,one does not visit bthose with intestinal sickness, due tothe sick person’s bembarrassment,as he would need to frequently relieve himself and it would be awkward for him in the presence of the visitor. bHowever, what is the reasonthat one does not visit bthose with eye illnesses and headaches? /b,The Gemara answers: bIt is due tothat bwhich Rav Yehuda said, as Rav Yehuda said: Speech is injurious for the eye and beneficial forcuring ba fever.Therefore, if one suffers from pain in his eye or his head it is better for him not to talk. If he has visitors, he will need to speak to them, which will cause him harm. bRava said:With regard to bthis fever [ iishta /i], were it not the agent [ iparvanka /i] of the Angel of Death,i.e., the cause of serious, potentially deadly illnesses, it could be deemed bbeneficial, /b
11. Babylonian Talmud, Niddah, 52b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 52b. איוב מן הסערה ויאמר אליו שוטה שבעולם הרבה נימין בראתי בראשו של אדם ולכל נימא ונימא בראתי לו גומא בפני עצמה שלא יהיו שתים יונקות מגומא אחת שאלמלא שתים יונקות מגומא אחת מכחיש מאור עיניו של אדם גומא בגומא לא נתחלף לי איוב באויב נתחלף לי,לא קשיא הא בגופא הא ברישא,אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל שתי שערות שאמרו אפילו אחת על הכף ואחת על הביצים,תניא נמי הכי שתי שערות שאמרו אפילו אחת בגבה ואחת בכריסה אחת ע"ג קשרי אצבעותיה של יד ואחת ע"ג קשרי אצבעותיה של רגל דברי ר' שמעון בן יהודה איש כפר עכו שאמר משום רבי שמעון ורבנן אמר רב חסדא עד שיהו ב' שערות במקום אחד,ת"ר עד מתי הבת ממאנת עד שתביא שתי שערות דברי רבי מאיר ר' יהודה אומר עד שירבה השחור רבי יוסי אומר עד שתקיף העטרה בן שלקות אומר עד שתכלכל,ואמר רבי שמעון מצאני חנינא בן חכינאי בצידן ואמר כשאתה מגיע אצל ר"ע אמור לו עד מתי הבת ממאנת אם יאמר לך עד שתביא שתי שערות אמור לו והלא בן שלקות העיד במעמד כולכם ביבנה עד שתכלכל ולא אמרתם לו דבר,כשבאתי אצל רבי עקיבא אמר לי כלכול זה איני יודע מהו בן שלקות איני מכיר עד מתי הבת ממאנת עד שתביא ב' שערות, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big שתי שערות האמורות בפרה ובנגעים והאמורות בכל מקום כדי לכוף ראשן לעיקרן דברי רבי ישמעאל ר"א אומר כדי לקרוץ בציפורן ר' עקיבא אומר כדי שיהו ניטלות בזוג, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big אמר רב חסדא אמר מר עוקבא הלכה כדברי כולן להחמיר, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big הרואה כתם הרי זו מקולקלת,וחוששת משום זוב דברי רבי מאיר וחכ"א אין בכתמים משום זוב, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big מאן חכמים ר' חנינא בן אנטיגנוס היא דתניא ר"ח בן אנטיגנוס אומר כתמים אין בהן משום זוב ופעמים שהכתמים מביאין לידי זיבה,כיצד לבשה ג' חלוקות הבדוקות לה ומצאה עליהם כתם או שראתה ב' ימים וחלוק אחד הן הן הכתמים המביאין לידי זיבה,השתא שלשה חלוקות דלאו מגופה קחזיא חיישינן ב' ימים וחלוק אחד מיבעיא,מהו דתימא כל כי האי גוונא מביאה קרבן ונאכל קא משמע לן,אמר רבא בהא זכנהו ר' חנינא בן אנטיגנוס לרבנן מאי שנא פחות מג' גריסין במקום אחד דלא חיישינן דאמרי' בתרי יומי חזיתיה שלשה גריסין במקום אחד נמי נימא תרתי ופלגא מגופה חזיתיה ואידך אגב זוהמא דם מאכולת הוא,ורבנן כיון דאיכא לפלוגי בגריס ועוד לכל יומא לא תלינן,ור"ח בן אנטיגנוס ג' גריסין במקום א' הוא דלא חיישינן הא בג' מקומות חיישינן הא אמרת בג' חלוקות אין בג' מקומות לא,לדבריהם דרבנן קאמר להו לדידי בג' חלוקות אין בג' מקומות לא אלא לדידכו אודו לי מיהת דהיכא דחזאי ג' גריסין במקום אחד דאמרינן תרי ופלגא מגופה חזיתיה ואידך אגב זוהמא דם מאכולת הוא,ורבנן כיון דאיכא לפלוגי בגריס ועוד לכל יומא לא תלינן,ת"ר הרואה כתם אם יש בו כדי לחלק ג' גריסין שהן כגריס ועוד חוששת ואם לאו אינה חוששת,ר' יהודה בן אגרא אומר משום רבי יוסי אחת זו ואחת זו חוששת 52b. bJob out of the tempest, and said”(Job 38:1–3) bto him:Greatest bimbecile in the world! I have created many hairs on a person’s head, and for each and every hair I createdits own bdistinct follicle, so that two hairs should not drawsustece bfrom one follicle. As, were twohairs bto drawsustece bfrom one follicle,it would bweaken a man’s vision.Now if bI did not confuse one follicle with another, would I confusea man named bIyyov with ioyev /i?This indicates that two hairs do not grow from one follicle.,The Gemara answers: It is bnot difficult; thatstatement above, that two hairs in one follicle is a valid sign of adulthood, is referring to the hairs binthe rest of a person’s bbody,whereas bthisstatement, that there cannot be two hairs in one follicle, is referring to the hairs bona person’s bhead. /b, bRav Yehuda saysthat bShmuel says:The btwo hairs thatthe Sages bsaidare signs of adulthood are valid signs beven ifthey are not adjacent; but rather bonehair is bon the spoon- /bshaped area above his organ band oneis bon theyoung boy’s btesticles. /b,The Gemara notes bthatthis bis also taughtin a ibaraita /i: The btwo hairs thatthe Sages bsaidare signs of adulthood are valid signs bevenif bonehair is bonthe young girl’s bback,below her pubic area, band one on her lower abdomen.The same applies if bonehair is bon the finger joints of her hand and onehair is bon the toe joints of her foot.This is bthe statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda, of the village of Akko, who saidit bin the name of Rabbi Shimon. Andwhat do bthe Rabbissay about this matter? bRav Ḥisda says:According to the Rabbis, they are not a valid sign of adulthood bunlessthe btwo hairs are in one place. /b,§ The mishna teaches that Rabbi Yehuda and the Rabbis disagree with regard to when a young girl can perform refusal. According to the Rabbis, it is until she grows two pubic hairs after she reaches the age of twelve years and one day. According to Rabbi Yehuda she still retains the right to perform refusal at that point, until the majority of the pubic area is filled with hair. In this regard, bthe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bUntil when can a young girl perform refusal? Until she grows twopubic bhairs;this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says:She can perform refusal buntilthe area covered by the bblackpubic hairs bis greaterthan the white skin of the genital area. bRabbi Yosei says: Until the nipple is surroundedby hair. bBen Shelakot says: Untilthe pubic area is bfilled with hair. /b, bAnd Rabbi Shimon said: Ḥanina ben Ḥakhinai found me inthe city of bTzaidan and saidto me: bWhen you reach Rabbi Akiva, say to him: Until when can a young girl perform refusal? If he says to youthat she may perform refusal buntil she grows twopubic bhairs, say to him: But didn’t ben Shelakot testify in the presence of all of you in Yavnethat she may perform refusal buntilthe pubic area bis filled with hair [ ishetekhalkel /i], and you did not say anything to him,thereby indicating that you conceded to him?,Rabbi Shimon continued: bWhen I reached Rabbi Akiva,and I said what I had been told to say to him, bhe said to me: I do not know what this filling with hair [ ikilkul /i] is, I don’t knowany bben Shelakot,and my opinion with regard to your question, buntil when can a young girl perform refusal,is that she can perform refusal buntil she grows twopubic bhairs. /b, strongMISHNA: /strong The btwowhite or black bhairs that are mentioned with regard todisqualification of a red bheifer; andthe two white hairs mentioned bwith regard to leprous marks,i.e., that if they grow within a white leprous mark, it is impure; bandthe two hairs bthat are mentioned in every place,i.e., with regard to a young boy and girl, are significant only if they are long benough to bend the topof the hairs btoreach btheir roots.This is bthe statement of Rabbi Yishmael. Rabbi Eliezer says:They must be long benough tograsp them and bcutthem bwith a fingernail. Rabbi Akiva says:They must be long benough to be cut with a pair [ ibezug /i]of scissors., strongGEMARA: /strong bRav Ḥisda saysthat bMar Ukva sayswith regard to the various opinions in the mishna on the measure of hairs: The ihalakha /iis bin accordance with the statements of all of them to be stringent.One should consider it hair only if all of the criteria are met, or consider it to be hair if any one condition is met, depending on which standard yields the more stringent result., strongMISHNA: /strong With regard to a woman bwho seesa red bstainon her garment, bthatwoman’s reckoning bis distorted.Since she does not know when the blood that caused the stain appeared, she does not know when the seven days of menstrual flow end and when the eleven days of the flow of the izavabegin., bAndtherefore she must be bconcerned due tothe possibility that it might have been caused by the bflow of a izava /i.If she wore the same garment for three days on which she can assume the status of a izava /i, and subsequently discovered a stain with an area that is the size of at least three split beans, the concern is that on each of those three days a stain with the area of at least one split bean, the minimum area that transmits impurity, was formed. The result is that she is a greater izavaand is required to count seven clean days before immersion. This is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: Noconfiguration bof stainsleads to concern bdue to the flow of a izava /i. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong The Gemara asks: bWhoare bthe Rabbisin this mishna? bIt is Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus, as it is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus says: Stains do notlead to concern bdue to the flow of a izava /i, but stains can sometimes lead to iziva /i. /b, bHow so,i.e., how can stains lead to izivaaccording to Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus? If a woman bwore threedifferent brobes thathad been bexamined by herfor blood stains, bandshe then bfound a stain oneach of bthem; orif she bsawblood flowing from her body on btwoconsecutive bdays andon the third day she saw a stain on boneof the brobesthat she wore that day, bthose are the stains that lead to iziva /i. /b,The Gemara raises a difficulty with regard to the above statement: According to the opinion of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus, bnowthat in a case where she sees stains on bthree robes weare bconcernedfor iziva /i, despite the fact bthatshe bdoes not seethe blood flowing bfrom her body, isit bnecessaryto state that we are concerned if she experiences bleeding from her body on btwo days andsees a stain on boneof the brobes? /b,The Gemara answers: It is necessary to state that, blest you saythat in bany case like this,where she experiences bleeding from her body on two days and on the third day she sees a stain on one of the robes, bshe brings an offering and it is consumed,like one who is definitely a izava /i. Therefore, Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus bteaches usthat her status as a izavais uncertain, and consequently she brings a bird for a sin offering that is due to uncertainty, which is not eaten., bRava said: With thisclaim bRabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus bested theother bRabbis,who agree with the opinion of Rabbi Meir in the mishna: bWhat is differentabout a stain that is bless than three split beans in one place, that we are not concernedshe might be a izava /i? The reason is bthat we sayshe bsawblood bononly btwo days.But in a case where she discovered a stain on her robe with the area of at least bthree split beans in one place,one can balso say:The area of btwo and a halfsplit beans should be attributed to blood bseen from her body, but the other isthe bblood of a louse thatwas there bdue to the dirtassociated with her bleeding.,The Gemara asks: bAndhow do bthe Rabbisrespond to this claim? The Gemara answers: They maintain that bsince it is possible to dividethe stain into bat least one split bean for eachof the three bdays, we do not attributethe stain to the blood of a louse.,The Gemara raises a difficulty with regard to the statement of Rava: bAndaccording to the opinion of bRabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus,one can infer that bit isspecifically in the case of a stain with the area of at least bthree split beans in one place that we are not concernedshe might be a izava /i. It can be inferred from here that if it is bin three places, we are concerned.But bdidn’t you saythat if she discovered stains bin three robes, yes,we are concerned, which indicates that if it is bin three placeson a single robe we are bnotconcerned.,The Gemara answers that it was bin accordance with the statement of the Rabbisthat Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus bstatedhis opinion bto them,as follows: bAccording to myopinion, if she discovered stains bin three robes, yeswe are concerned, whereas if it is bin three placeswe are bnotconcerned. bBut according to youropinion, bat least concede to me that whereshe bsawa stain on her robe with the area of at least bthree split beans in one place, that we saythat the area of btwo and a halfsplit beans can be attributed to blood bseen from her body, and the other isthe bblood of a lousethat was there bdue to the dirtassociated with her bleeding.,The Gemara asks: bAndhow do bthe Rabbisrespond to this claim? The Gemara answers: They maintain that bsince it is possible to dividethe stain into bat least one split bean for eachof the three bdays, we do not attributethe stain to the blood of a louse.,§ With regard to a woman who finds a stain on her robe, bthe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: In the case of a woman bwho seesa red bstainon her garment that she wore for a number of days and she does not know when and where it is from, what is her status? bIfthe area is large benough to be dividedinto three parts, where the total area is the size of bthree split beans,each of bwhich isthe minimum measure to render her a izava /i, i.e., an area the size of bat least a split bean,she must be bconcernedthat she is a izava /i, as this stain might be the result of seeing a sufficient measure of blood on each of three occasions. bBut ifthe stain is bnotthat size, she does bnotneed to bbe concerned. /b, bRabbi Yehuda ben Agra says in the name of Rabbi Yosei: Bothin bthiscase, where she saw a stain large enough to be divided into three parts, where the total area is the size of three split beans, band thatcase, where the stain was not that large, she must be bconcernedthat she might be a izava /i. This is due to the fact that she possibly saw stains of sufficient size on only two occasions, but one was during twilight, which counts as two days, amounting to a total of three days.
12. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 133b, 33b, 104b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 104b. big strongמתני׳ /strong /big הכותב שתי אותיות בהעלם אחד חייב כתב בדיו בסם בסיקרא בקומוס ובקנקנתום ובכל דבר שהוא רושם על שני כותלי זויות ועל שני לווחי פינקס והן נהגין זה עם זה חייב הכותב על בשרו חייב המסרט על בשרו ר' אליעזר מחייב חטאת וחכמים פוטרין,כתב במשקין במי פירות באבק דרכים באבק הסופרים ובכל דבר שאינו מתקיים פטור לאחר ידו ברגלו בפיו ובמרפיקו כתב אות אחת סמוך לכתב וכתב על גבי כתב נתכוון לכתוב חי"ת וכתב ב' זיינין אחת בארץ ואחת בקורה כתב על ב' כותלי הבית על שני דפי פנקס ואין נהגין זה עם זה פטור כתב אות אחת נוטריקון ר' יהושע בן בתירא מחייב וחכמים פוטרין:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big דיו דיותא סם סמא סקרא אמר רבה בר בר חנה סקרתא שמה קומוס קומא קנקנתום אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר שמואל חרתא דאושכפי:,ובכל דבר שהוא רושם: לאתויי מאי לאתויי הא דתני רבי חנניא כתבו במי טריא ואפצא כשר תני ר' חייא כתבו באבר בשחור ובשיחור כשר:,המסרט על בשרו: תניא אמר להן רבי אליעזר לחכמים והלא בן סטדא הוציא כשפים ממצרים בסריטה שעל בשרו אמרו לו שוטה היה ואין מביאין ראיה מן השוטים: [הוספה מחסרונות הש"ס: בן סטדא בן פנדירא הוא אמר רב חסדא בעל סטדא בועל פנדירא בעל פפוס בן יהודה הוא אמו סטדא אמו מרים מגדלא שיער נשיא הואי כדאמרינן בפומדיתא סטת דא מבעלה:],כתב אות אחת סמוך לכתב: מאן תנא אמר רבא בר רב הונא דלא כר' אליעזר דאי ר' אליעזר האמר אחת על האריג חייב:,כתב על גבי כתב: מאן תנא א"ר חסדא דלא כר' יהודה דתניא הרי שהיה צריך לכתוב את השם ונתכוין לכתוב יהודה וטעה ולא הטיל בו דלת מעביר עליו קולמוס ומקדשו דברי ר' יהודה וחכמים אומרים אין השם מן המובחר,תנא כתב אות אחת והשלימה לספר ארג חוט אחד והשלימה לבגד חייב מאן תנא אמר רבא בר רב הונא ר' אליעזר היא דאמר אחת על האריג חייב רב אשי אמר אפילו תימא רבנן להשלים שאני,א"ר אמי כתב אות אחת בטבריא ואחת בציפורי חייב כתיבה היא אלא שמחוסר קריבה והתנן כתב על שני כותלי הבית ועל שני דפי פנקס ואין נהגין זה עם זה פטור התם מחוסר מעשה דקריבה הכא לא מחוסר מעשה דקריבה,תנא הגיה אות אחת חייב השתא כתב אות אחת פטור הגיה אות אחת חייב אמר רב ששת הכא במאי עסקינן כגון שנטלו לגגו של חי"ת ועשאו שני זיינין רבא אמר כגון שנטלו לתגו של דל"ת ועשאו רי"ש,תנא נתכוין לכתוב אות אחת 104b. strongMISHNA: /strong bOne who writes two letterson Shabbat bduring one lapse of awareness is liable.The following substances used as ink are explained in the Gemara. One is liable if bhe wrote with ideyo /i, with isam /i, with isikra /i, with gum [ ikomos /i], or with copper sulfate [ ikankantom /i] or with any substance that makes a mark.If one wrote bon two wallsof a house that form ba corner, or on two parts of a writing tablet, andthe two items bare read together, he is liable. One who writes on his fleshon Shabbat bis liable.If boneunwittingly bscratchesletters bon his fleshon Shabbat, bRabbi Eliezer deemshim bliableto bring ba sin-offering and the Sages deemhim bexempt. /b,If bone wrote with liquidsor bwith fruit juice,or if one drew letters bwith road dust, with scribes’ dustthat they use to dry the ink, bor with any substancewith bwhichthe writing bdoes not endure, he is exempt.Similarly, if one wrote by holding the pen on bthe back of his hand, with his foot, with his mouth,or bwith his elbow;if bone wroteonly ba single letter,even if it was badjacent toother preexisting bwriting;or if bone wrote overother bwriting;if bone meant to writethe letter iḥet /iand instead bwrotethe two halves of the iḥetas btwoinstances of the letter izayin /i;if one wrote boneletter bon the ground and one on a rafter;if bone wroteone letter bon two walls of a house,or bon two parts of a writing tablet that are not read together, he is exempt.If bone wrote one letteras ban abbreviationrepresenting an entire word, bRabbi Yehoshua ben Beteira deemshim bliableto bring a sin-offering, band the Rabbis deemhim bexempt. /b, strongGEMARA: /strong The Gemara defines the terms used in the mishna. iDeyo /iis ideyota /imade from soot. iSam /iis isamma /i,which is yellow-tinged arsenic. iSikra /i, Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: It is called isikreta /iin Aramaic and is a lead-based red paint. iKomos /iis ikoma /iin Aramaic, and it is an ink made with gum Arabic from the sap of a tree. iKankantom /i, Rabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bShmuel said:This is bthe blacksubstance bused by cobblers,copper sulfate., bAndwe learned in the mishna that one who writes bwith any substance that makes a markis liable. The Gemara asks: bWhatdoes this statement come bto include?The Gemara answers: It comes bto include that which Rabbi Ḥaya taughtwith regard to writing a bill of divorce: If bone wrote it with the juice ofthe fruit called iteriya /i, orwith bgallnut juiceinstead of ink, bit is valid.Similarly, bRabbi Ḥiyya taught:If bone wrotea bill of divorce bwith lead, with soot( ige’onim /i), bor with shoeblack, it is valid.Since those substances leave a permanent mark, one who writes with them on Shabbat is liable.,We learned in the mishna: If boneunwittingly bscratchesletters bon his fleshon Shabbat, Rabbi Eliezer deems him liable to bring a sin-offering and the Sages deem him exempt. bIt was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Eliezer said to the Rabbis: Didn’tthe infamous bben Stada takemagic bspells out of Egypt in a scratch on his flesh? They said to him: He was a fool, and you cannot cite proof from a fool.That is not the way that most people write. Incidentally, the Gemara asks: Why did they call him bben Stada,when bhe was the son of Pandeira? Rav Ḥisda said:His mother’s bhusband,who acted as his father, was named bStada,but the bone who had relationswith his mother and fathered him was named bPandeira.The Gemara asks: Wasn’t his mother’s bhusband Pappos ben Yehuda? Rather, his motherwas named bStadaand he was named ben Stada after her. The Gemara asks: But wasn’t bhis mother Miriam, who braided women’s hair?The Gemara explains: That is not a contradiction. bRather,Stada was merely a nickname, bas they say in Pumbedita: Thisone bstrayed [ isetat da /i] from her husband. /b,We learned in the mishna: If bone wroteonly ba single letter,even if it was badjacent toother preexisting bwriting,he is exempt. The Gemara asks: bWho isthe itanna /iwhose opinion is cited in the mishna? bRava bar Rav Huna said:This ihalakhais bnot in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Eliezer, as ifit were bin accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Eliezer, didn’t he say:One who adds ba singlethread bto apreviously bwoven fabric is liablefor weaving? In his opinion, although a single thread or letter is insignificant in and of itself, one is liable because adding even a small measure to existing material is significant.,We learned in the mishna: If bone wrote overother bwritinghe is exempt. The Gemara asks: bWho isthe itanna /iwhose opinion is cited in the mishna? bRav Ḥisda said:This ihalakhais bnot in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Yehuda, as it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bIf one needed to write theTetragrammaton, the bnameof God, in a Torah scroll, and became confused band intendedinstead bto writethe name bYehuda, andwhile intending to write Yehuda bhe erred and omittedthe letter idalet /i,thereby writing the name of God, he should do the following. bHe passes a quillwith more ink boverthe name band sanctifies it,i.e., he writes it with the intention required when writing a holy name. This is bthe statement of Rabbi Yehuda. And the Rabbis say:Even if he adds ink over what he wrote, bthiswriting of God’s bname is not ideal.Apparently, according to Rabbi Yehuda, writing over other writing is considered writing anew.,A itanna btaughtin a ibaraita /i: If bone wrote a single letter andthereby bcompleted a book,or if bone wove a single thread andthereby bcompleted anentire bgarment, he is liable.The Gemara asks: bWho isthe itanna /iwhose opinion is cited in the ibaraita /i? bRava bar Rav Huna said: It isthe opinion of bRabbi Eliezer,who bsaid:One who adds ba singlethread bto apreviously bwoven fabric is liablefor weaving. bRav Ashi said: Evenif you bsaythat in accordance with the opinion of bthe Rabbis,one who does so bto completea garment is bdifferent.Even if he is not liable for weaving, he is liable at least for striking a blow with a hammer to complete the production process of a vessel., bRabbi Ami said:If bone wrote one letteron paper bin Tiberias and oneletter on paper bin Tzippori, he is liablebecause he performed a full-fledged act of bwriting that is lackingonly in bproximity.When the two pieces of paper are brought together he will have written two associated letters. The Gemara asks: bDidn’t we learnin the mishna: If bone wroteone letter bon two walls of a house,or bon two parts of a writing tablet that are not read together, he is exempt?All the more so that this is the ihalakhawith regard to one who wrote in two different cities. The Gemara answers: bThere,in the case of the parts of a tablet, bthere is the lack ofan additional bactof cutting or tearing to facilitate bringing the letters btogether.However, bhere,in the case of two cities, even though they are distant from one another, there is bno lackof an additional act to facilitate bbringing them together. /b,A itanna btaughtin the iTosefta /i: If bone emended a single letteron Shabbat, bhe is liable.The Gemara wonders: bNow,if bone wrote a single letteron Shabbat bhe is exempt;is it possible that if bone emends a single letterhe is bliable? Rav Sheshet said: With what are we dealing here?We are dealing with a case bwhere one removed the roof of a iḥetand transformed it into twoinstances of the letter izayin /i,effectively writing two letters with a single correction. bRava said:It is not necessarily referring to that specific case. It could even be referring to a case bwhere one removed the protrusionfrom the back bof a idaletand transformed it into a ireish /i,thereby emending the written text. One who did so is liable for performing the prohibited labor of striking a blow with a hammer to complete the production process of a vessel.,A itanna btaught:If bone intended to write one letteron Shabbat
13. Babylonian Talmud, Taanit, 24b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 24b. בנזיקין הוה ואנן קא מתנינן בשיתא סדרין וכי הוה מטי רב יהודה בעוקצין האשה שכובשת ירק בקדירה ואמרי לה זיתים שכבשן בטרפיהן טהורין אמר הויי' דרב ושמואל קא חזינא הכא,ואנן קא מתנינן בעוקצין תליסר מתיבתא ואילו רב יהודה כי הוה שליף חד מסאנא אתי מיטרא ואנן קא צווחינן כולי יומא וליכא דאשגח בן אי משום עובדא אי איכא דחזא מידי לימא אבל מה יעשו גדולי הדור שאין דורן דומה יפה,רב יהודה חזא הנהו בי תרי דהוו קא פרצי בריפתא אמר שמע מינה איכא שבעא בעלמא יהיב עיניה הוה כפנא אמרו ליה רבנן לרב כהנא בריה דרב נחוניא שמעיה מר דשכיח קמיה ניעשייה דליפוק בפתחא דסמוך לשוקא עשייה ונפק לשוקא חזא כנופיא,אמר להו מאי האי אמרו ליה אכוספא דתמרי קיימי דקא מזדבן אמר שמע מינה כפנא בעלמא אמר ליה לשמעיה שלוף לי מסאניי שלף ליה חד מסאנא ואתא מיטרא כי מטא למישלף אחרינא אתא אליהו ואמר ליה אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא אי שלפת אחרינא מחריבנא לעלמא,אמר רב מרי ברה דבת שמואל אנא הוה קאימנא אגודא דנהר פפא חזאי למלאכי דאידמו למלחי דקא מייתי חלא ומלונהו לארבי והוה קמחא דסמידא אתו כולי עלמא למיזבן אמר להו מהא לא תיזבנון דמעשה נסים הוא למחר אתיין ארבי דחיטי דפרזינא,רבא איקלע להגרוניא גזר תעניתא ולא אתא מיטרא אמר להו ביתו כולי עלמא בתעניתייכו למחר אמר להו מי איכא דחזא חילמא לימא אמר להו ר' אלעזר מהגרוניא לדידי אקריון בחלמי שלם טב לרב טב מריבון טב דמטוביה מטיב לעמיה אמר שמע מינה עת רצון היא מבעי רחמי בעי רחמי ואתי מיטרא,ההוא גברא דאיחייב נגדא בבי דינא דרבא משום דבעל כותית נגדיה רבא ומית אשתמע מילתא בי שבור מלכא בעא לצעורי לרבא אמרה ליה איפרא הורמיז אימיה דשבור מלכא לברה לא ליהוי לך עסק דברים בהדי יהודאי דכל מאן דבעיין ממרייהו יהיב להו,אמר לה מאי היא בעין רחמי ואתי מיטרא אמר לה ההוא משום דזימנא דמיטרא הוא אלא לבעו רחמי האידנא בתקופת תמוז וליתי מיטרא שלחה ליה לרבא כוין דעתך ובעי רחמי דליתי מיטרא בעי רחמי ולא אתי מיטרא,אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם (תהלים מז, ב) אלהים באזנינו שמענו אבותינו ספרו לנו פועל פעלת בימיהם בימי קדם ואנו בעינינו לא ראינו אתא מיטרא עד דשפוך מרזבי דצפורי לדיגלת אתא אבוה איתחזי ליה בחלמיה ואמר ליה מי איכא דמיטרח קמי שמיא כולי האי אמר ליה שני דוכתיך שני דוכתיה למחר אשכחיה דמרשם פורייה בסכיני,רב פפא גזר תעניתא ולא אתא מיטרא חלש ליביה שרף פינכא דדייסא ובעי רחמי ולא אתא מיטרא אמר ליה רב נחמן בר אושפזתי אי שריף מר פינכא אחריתי דדייסא אתי מיטרא איכסיף וחלש דעתיה ואתא מיטרא,ר' חנינא בן דוסא הוה קא אזיל באורחא אתא מיטרא אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם כל העולם כולו בנחת וחנינא בצער פסק מיטרא כי מטא לביתיה אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם כל העולם כולו בצער וחנינא בנחת אתא מיטרא,אמר רב יוסף מאי אהניא ליה צלותא דכהן גדול לגבי רבי חנינא בן דוסא דתנן היה מתפלל תפלה קצרה בבית החיצון מאי מצלי רבין בר אדא ורבא בר אדא דאמרי תרוייהו משמיה דרב יהודה יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהינו שתהא השנה הזו גשומה ושחונה שחונה מעלייתא היא אדרבה גריעותא היא,אלא אם שחונה תהא גשומה וטלולה ואל יכנס לפניך תפלת עוברי דרכים רב אחא בריה דרבא מסיים משמיה דרב יהודה לא יעדי עביד שולטן מדבית יהודה ואל יהו עמך ישראל צריכין להתפרנס זה מזה ולא לעם אחר,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב בכל יום ויום בת קול יוצאת ואומרת כל העולם כולו ניזון בשביל חנינא בני וחנינא בני דיו בקב חרובים מע"ש לע"ש הוה רגילא דביתהו למיחמא תנורא כל מעלי דשבתא ושדייא אקטרתא 24b. bwasconnected to the order bof iNezikin /i,while they were largely unfamiliar with the rest of the Mishna, band we learnall bsix ordersof the Mishna. bAnd when Rav Yehuda reachedtractate iUktzin /i,which discusses the extent to which various fruits and vegetables are considered an integral part of the produce in terms of becoming ritually impure, which is the basis for the ihalakhathat ba woman who pickles a vegetable in a pot,etc. ( iTeharot2:1), band some saythat when he reached the ihalakhathat bolives that are pickled with their leaves are ritually pure,etc., as they are no longer considered part of the fruit ( iUktzin2:1), bhe would say:Those are bthe disputes between Rav and Shmuel that we see here.He felt it was an extremely challenging passage, as difficult as the most complex arguments between Rav and Shmuel., bAnd we,in contrast, blearntractate iUktzinin thirteen iyeshivot /i, while,with regard to miracles, after declaring a fast to pray for a drought to end, bwhen Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoesas a sign of distress, bthe rain wouldimmediately bcome,before he could remove his second shoe. bAndyet bwe cry out all day and no one notices us.Rabba continued: bIfthe difference between the generations is bdue toinappropriate bdeeds, if there isanyone bwho has seen me do anythingimproper, blet him sayso. I am not at fault, bbut what can the greatleaders bof the generation do when their generation is not worthy,and rain is withheld on account of the people’s transgressions?,The Gemara explains the reference to Rav Yehuda’s shoe. bRav Yehuda saw two people wasting bread,throwing it back and forth. bHe said: Ican blearn fromthe fact that people are acting like bthisthat bthere is plenty in the world. He cast his eyesangrily upon the world, band there was a famine. The Sages said to Rav Kahana, son of Rav Neḥunya, the attendant ofRav Yehuda: bThe Master, who is frequently presentbefore Rav Yehuda, should bpersuade him to leave by way of the door nearest the market,so that he will see the terrible effects of the famine. Rav Kahana bpersuadedRav Yehuda, band he went out to the market,where bhe saw a crowd. /b, bHe said to them: What is thisgathering? bThey said to him:We are standing bby a container [ ikuspa /i] of dates that is for sale. He said:If so many people are crowding around to purchase a single container of dates, bIcan blearn from thisthat there is ba famine in the world. He said to his attendant:I want to fast over this; bremove my shoesas a sign of distress. bHe removed one of his shoes and rain came. When he began to take off the othershoe, bElijah came and said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: If you removeyour bothershoe, bI will destroy theentire bworldso that you will not be further distressed., bRav Mari, son of Shmuel’s daughter, said:At that moment, bI was standing on the bank of the Pappa River. I saw angels who appeared as sailors bringing sand and filling shipswith it, band it became fine flour. Everyone came to buythis flour, but bI said to them: Do not purchase thisflour, bas it is the product of miracles. Tomorrow, boats filled with wheat will come from Parzina,and you may purchase that produce.,§ The Gemara relates another story. bRava happenedto come btothe city of bHagrunya. He decreed a fast, but rain did not come. He said tothe local residents: bEveryone, continue your fastand do not eat tonight. bThe next morning he said to them: Whoever had a dream last night, let him sayit. bRabbi Elazar of Hagronya said to them:The following bwas recited to me in my dream. Good greetings to a good master from a good Lord, Who in His goodness does good for His people.Rava bsaid: Ican blearn from thisthat bit is a favorable time to pray for mercy. He prayed for mercy and rain came. /b,The Gemara relates another story that deals with prayer for rain. There was ba certain man who was sentenced to be flogged by Rava’s court because he had relations with a gentile woman. Rava floggedthe man band he diedas a result. When this bmatter was heardin bthe house ofthe Persian bKing Shapur, he wanted to punish Ravafor imposing the death penalty, as he thought, without the king’s permission. bIfra Hormiz, mother of King Shapur, said to her son: Do not interfereand quarrel bwith the Jews, as whatever they request fromGod, btheir Master, He gives them. /b, bHe said to her: What is thisthat He grants them? She replied: bThey pray for mercy and rain comes. He said to her:This does not prove that God hears their prayers, bas thatoccurs merely bbecause it is the time for rain,and it just so happens that rain falls after they pray. bRather,if you want to prove that God answers the prayers of the Jews, blet them pray for mercy now, inthe summer bseason of Tammuz, and let rain come.Ifra Hormiz bsenta message bto Rava: Direct your attention and pray for mercy that rain may come. He prayed for mercy, but rain did not come. /b, bHe said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe,it is written: b“O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what work You did in their days, in days of old”(Psalms 44:2), bbut we have not seen it with ourown beyes.As soon as he said this, brain came until the gutters of Meḥozaoverflowed and bpoured into the TigrisRiver. Rava’s bfather cameand bappeared to him in a dream and said to him: Is thereanyone bwho troubles Heaven so muchto ask for rain out of its season? In his dream, his father further bsaid to him: Change your placeof rest at night. bHe changed his place, and the next day he found that his bed had been slashed by knives. /b,The Gemara relates: bRav Pappa decreed a fast, but rain did not come. His heart became weakfrom hunger, so bhe swallowed [ iseraf /i] a bowl [ ipinka /i] of porridge, and prayed for mercy, but rainstill bdid not come. Rav Naḥman bar Ushpazti said to him: If the Master swallows another bowl of porridge, rain will come.He was mocking Rav Pappa for eating while everyone else was fasting. Rav Pappa was bembarrassed and grew upset, and rain came. /b,The Gemara tells another story about prayer for rain. bRabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa was traveling along a roadwhen bitbegan bto rain. He said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, the entire world is comfortable,because they needed rain, bbut Ḥanina is suffering,as he is getting wet. bThe rain ceased. When he arrived at his home, he said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe, the entire world is sufferingthat the rain stopped, band Ḥanina is comfortable? The rainbegan to bcomeagain., bRav Yosef said,in reaction to this story: bWhat effect does the prayer of the High Priest have againstthat of bRabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa? As we learnedin a mishna: After leaving the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, the High Priest bwould recite a brief prayer in the outer chamber.The Gemara asks: bWhatwould bhe pray? Ravin bar Adda and Rava bar Adda both say in the name of Rav Yehudathat this was his prayer: bMay it be Your will, Lord our God, that this year shall be rainy and hot.The Gemara expresses surprise at this request: bIs heat a goodmatter? bOn the contrary, it is unfavorable.Why should he request that the year be hot?, bRather,say that he recited the following: bIfthe upcoming year is bhot, may italso bbe rainy and moistwith dew, lest the heat harm the crops. The High Priest would also pray: bAnd let not the prayer of travelers enter Your presence. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, in the name of Rav Yehuda, concludedthe wording of this prayer: bMay the rule of power not depart from the house of Judea. And may Your nation Israel not depend upon each other for sustece, nor upon another nation.Instead, they should be sustained from the produce of their own land. Evidently, the High Priest’s prayer that God should not listen to the prayer of individual travelers was disregarded in the case of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa.,§ The Gemara continues to discuss the righteous Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa and the wonders he performed. bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: Each and every day a Divine Voice emergesfrom Mount Horeb band says: The entire world is sustained bythe merit of bMy son Ḥaninaben Dosa, bandyet for bḤanina, My son, a ikavof carobs,a very small amount of inferior food, bis sufficientto sustain him for an entire week, bfromone bShabbat eve tothe next bShabbat eve.The Gemara relates: Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa’s bwife would heat the oven every Shabbat eve and createa great amount of bsmoke, /b

Subjects of this text:

subject	book bibliographic info
address, forms of	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
amoraim, babylonian, increasing palestinian influences	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
babylonian rabbis, sages, increasing influence of palestinian traditions	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
bruriah, and teaching of sons	Ashbrook Harvey et al., A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer (2015) 202
cappadocia	Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 226
commandments (mitzvot)	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
commentators, talmud	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
death	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
dreams, interpretation of	Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 226
festivals, non-christian, as a legal category, in rabbinic literature	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
festivals, non-christian, in early christian literature	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
folklore	Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 226
greek language	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
hasmoneans	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
heart	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
hellenism, summary of rabbinic interaction with	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
hillel, house of	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
honesty	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
humility	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
jesus	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
law, in early christian theology	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
learning, precise	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
lies and lying, vs. modifying ones words,	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
lies and lying	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
memorization, fluency, to promote	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
minim	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
modesty	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
moses	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
mothers, jewish, as teachers of children	Ashbrook Harvey et al., A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer (2015) 202
palestinian rabbis, sages, forms of address used by	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
palestinian rabbis, sages, increasing influence in babylonia	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
palestinian rabbis, sages, preference for informality	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
peace	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
polemic, jewish-christian	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
prayer	Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
privacy	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
puns	Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 226
qumran sect	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
qushta (fictional place)	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
recitation	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
resh lakish, significance of story of yohanan and	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38
roman empire	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
sadducees	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60; Herman, Rubenstein, The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World (2018) 260
saul, king	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
scripture, debates over correct interpretation of, in late antiquity	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
scripture, theological implications of	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
sectarianism, jewish	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
segal, m. z.	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
sermon on the mount	Bar Asher Siegal, Jewish-Christian Dialogues on Scripture in Late Antiquity: Heretic Narratives of the Babylonian Talmud (2018) 60
sex and sexuality, privacy and	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
shammai, house of	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
shimon ben gamaliel, rabban	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
sofer, a.	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
son of abaye, and mothers teaching sons	Ashbrook Harvey et al., A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer (2015) 202
syriac culture and language	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
teaching, of scripture (makre dardeke)	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
the blind	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
torah	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
truth	Rubenstein, The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings (2018) 150
urbach, e. e.	Hirshman, The Stabilization of Rabbinic Culture, 100 C (2009) 157
vidas, moulie'	Hidary, Rabbis and Classical Rhetoric: Sophistic Education and Oratory in the Talmud and Midrash (2017) 12
women, as teachers of sons	Ashbrook Harvey et al., A Most Reliable Witness: Essays in Honor of Ross Shepard Kraemer (2015) 202
yoha, r., significance of story of resh lakish and	Kalmin, The Sage in Jewish Society of Late Antiquity (1998) 38