1. Hebrew Bible, Song of Songs, 1.4, 1.6 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.4. מָשְׁכֵנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ נָּרוּצָה הֱבִיאַנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ חֲדָרָיו נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָּךְ נַזְכִּירָה דֹדֶיךָ מִיַּיִן מֵישָׁרִים אֲהֵבוּךָ׃ 1.6. אַל־תִּרְאוּנִי שֶׁאֲנִי שְׁחַרְחֹרֶת שֶׁשֱּׁזָפַתְנִי הַשָּׁמֶשׁ בְּנֵי אִמִּי נִחֲרוּ־בִי שָׂמֻנִי נֹטֵרָה אֶת־הַכְּרָמִים כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי לֹא נָטָרְתִּי׃ | 1.4. Draw me, we will run after thee; The king hath brought me into his chambers; We will be glad and rejoice in thee, We will find thy love more fragrant than wine! Sincerely do they love thee. 1.6. Look not upon me, that I am swarthy, That the sun hath tanned me; My mother’s sons were incensed against me, They made me keeper of the vineyards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept.’ |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Exodus, 15.1, 17.12, 24.10 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 15.1. אָז יָשִׁיר־מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַיהוָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַיהוָה כִּי־גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם׃ 15.1. נָשַׁפְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ כִּסָּמוֹ יָם צָלֲלוּ כַּעוֹפֶרֶת בְּמַיִם אַדִּירִים׃ 17.12. וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו וַיֵּשֶׁב עָלֶיהָ וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר תָּמְכוּ בְיָדָיו מִזֶּה אֶחָד וּמִזֶּה אֶחָד וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד־בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃ | 15.1. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea." 17.12. But Moses’hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." 24.10. and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 1.7, 2.8-3.24 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 1.7. וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ | 1.7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so." |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Leviticus, 19.36 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 19.36. מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק אַבְנֵי־צֶדֶק אֵיפַת צֶדֶק וְהִין צֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָכֶם אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ | 19.36. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt." |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 11.8 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 11.8. צַדִּיק מִצָּרָה נֶחֱלָץ וַיָּבֹא רָשָׁע תַּחְתָּיו׃ | 11.8. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead." |
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6. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 101.7, 148.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 101.7. לֹא־יֵשֵׁב בְּקֶרֶב בֵּיתִי עֹשֵׂה רְמִיָּה דֹּבֵר שְׁקָרִים לֹא־יִכּוֹן לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי׃ 148.7. הַלְלוּ אֶת־יְהוָה מִן־הָאָרֶץ תַּנִּינִים וְכָל־תְּהֹמוֹת׃ | 101.7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes." 148.7. Praise the LORD from the earth, Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps;" |
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7. Hebrew Bible, 1 Kings, 7.26 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 7.26. וְעָבְיוֹ טֶפַח וּשְׂפָתוֹ כְּמַעֲשֵׂה שְׂפַת־כּוֹס פֶּרַח שׁוֹשָׁן אַלְפַּיִם בַּת יָכִיל׃ | 7.26. And it was a hand-breadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily; it held two thousand baths." |
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8. Aeschylus, Libation-Bearers, 33-43, 32 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 32. τορὸς δὲ Φοῖβος ὀρθόθριξ | 32. For with a hair-raising shriek, Terror, the diviner of dreams for our house, breathing wrath out of sleep, uttered a cry of terror in the dead of night from the heart of the palace |
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9. Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, 646-657, 645 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 645. αἰεὶ γὰρ ὄψεις ἔννυχοι πωλεύμεναι | 645. For visions of the night, always haunting my maiden chamber, sought to beguile me with seductive words, saying: q type= |
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10. Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel, 3.14, 18.2 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 3.14. וְרוּחַ נְשָׂאַתְנִי וַתִּקָּחֵנִי וָאֵלֵךְ מַר בַּחֲמַת רוּחִי וְיַד־יְהוָה עָלַי חָזָקָה׃ 18.2. הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַחֹטֵאת הִיא תָמוּת בֵּן לֹא־יִשָּׂא בַּעֲוֺן הָאָב וְאָב לֹא יִשָּׂא בַּעֲוֺן הַבֵּן צִדְקַת הַצַּדִּיק עָלָיו תִּהְיֶה וְרִשְׁעַת רשע [הָרָשָׁע] עָלָיו תִּהְיֶה׃ 18.2. מַה־לָּכֶם אַתֶּם מֹשְׁלִים אֶת־הַמָּשָׁל הַזֶּה עַל־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אָבוֹת יֹאכְלוּ בֹסֶר וְשִׁנֵּי הַבָּנִים תִּקְהֶינָה׃ | 3.14. So a spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of the LORD was strong upon me." 18.2. ’What mean ye, that ye use this proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge?" |
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11. Euripides, Bacchae, 576 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 576. ἰώ 576. κλύετʼ ἐμᾶς κλύετʼ αὐδᾶς | 576. within Io! Hear my voice, hear it, Io Bacchae, Io Bacchae! Choru |
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12. Herodotus, Histories, 5.55-5.56 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 5.55. When he was forced to leave Sparta, Aristagoras went to Athens, which had been freed from its ruling tyrants in the manner that I will show. First Hipparchus, son of Pisistratus and brother of the tyrant Hippias, had been slain by Aristogiton and Harmodius, men of Gephyraean descent. This was in fact an evil of which he had received a premonition in a dream. After this the Athenians were subject for four years to a tyranny not less but even more absolute than before. 5.56. Now this was the vision which Hipparchus saw in a dream: in the night before the datePanathenaea /date he thought that a tall and handsome man stood over him uttering these riddling verses: quote l met="dact"O lion, endure the unendurable with a lion's heart. /l lNo man on earth does wrong without paying the penalty. /l /quote ,As soon as it was day, he imparted this to the interpreters of dreams, and presently putting the vision from his mind, he led the procession in which he met his death. |
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13. Lysias, Orations, 6.51 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
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14. Anon., 1 Enoch, 14.8-14.9, 39.3, 71.1-71.5 (3rd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 14.8. written. And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold, in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in 14.9. the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven. And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to affright 39.3. And in those days a whirlwind carried me off from the earth, And set me down at the end of the heavens. 71.1. And it came to pass after this that my spirit was translated And it ascended into the heavens: And I saw the holy sons of God. They were stepping on flames of fire: Their garments were white [and their raiment], And their faces shone like snow. 71.1. And with them the Head of Days, His head white and pure as wool, And His raiment indescribable. 71.2. And I saw two streams of fire, And the light of that fire shone like hyacinth, And I fell on my face before the Lord of Spirits. 71.3. And the angel Michael [one of the archangels] seized me by my right hand, And lifted me up and led me forth into all the secrets, And he showed me all the secrets of righteousness. 71.4. And he showed me all the secrets of the ends of the heaven, And all the chambers of all the stars, and all the luminaries, Whence they proceed before the face of the holy ones. 71.5. And he translated my spirit into the heaven of heavens, And I saw there as it were a structure built of crystals, And between those crystals tongues of living fire. |
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15. Anon., Jubilees, 2.2 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 2.2. Write the complete history of the creation, how in six days the Lord God finished all His works and all that He created, and kept Sabbath on the seventh day and hallowed it for all ages, and appointed it as a sign for all His works. |
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16. Anon., Letter of Aristeas, 181, 224, 258-259, 151 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 151. to the practice of virtue. For the strength of our whole body and its activity depend upon our shoulders and limbs. Therefore he compels us to recognize that we must perform all our actions with discrimination according to the standard of righteousness - more especially because we have |
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17. Cicero, On Divination, 1.24-1.25 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 1.24. At non numquam ea, quae praedicta sunt, minus eveniunt. Quae tandem id ars non habet? earum dico artium, quae coniectura continentur et sunt opinabiles. An medicina ars non putanda est? quam tamen multa fallunt. Quid? gubernatores nonne falluntur? An Achivorum exercitus et tot navium rectores non ita profecti sunt ab Ilio, ut profectione laeti piscium lasciviam intuerentur, ut ait Pacuvius, nec tuendi satietas capere posset? Ínterea prope iam óccidente sóle inhorrescít mare, Ténebrae conduplicántur noctisque ét nimbum occaecát nigror. Num igitur tot clarissimorum ducum regumque naufragium sustulit artem guberdi? aut num imperatorum scientia nihil est, quia summus imperator nuper fugit amisso exercitu? aut num propterea nulla est rei publicae gerendae ratio atque prudentia, quia multa Cn. Pompeium, quaedam M. Catonem, non nulla etiam te ipsum fefellerunt? Similis est haruspicum responsio omnisque opinabilis divinatio; coniectura enim nititur, ultra quam progredi non potest. 1.25. Ea fallit fortasse non numquam, sed tamen ad veritatem saepissime derigit; est enim ab omni aeternitate repetita, in qua cum paene innumerabiliter res eodem modo evenirent isdem signis antegressis, ars est effecta eadem saepe animadvertendo ac notando. Auspicia vero vestra quam constant! quae quidem nunc a Romanis auguribus ignorantur (bona hoc tua venia dixerim), a Cilicibus, Pamphyliis, Pisidis, Lyciis tenentur. | 1.24. But, it is objected, sometimes predictions are made which do not come true. And pray what art — and by art I mean the kind that is dependent on conjecture and deduction — what art, I say, does not have the same fault? Surely the practice of medicine is an art, yet how many mistakes it makes! And pilots — do they not make mistakes at times? For example, when the armies of the Greeks and the captains of their mighty fleet set sail from Troy, they, as Pacuvius says,Glad at leaving Troy behind them, gazed upon the fish at play,Nor could get their fill of gazing — thus they whiled the time away.Meantime, as the sun was setting, high uprose the angry main:Thick and thicker fell the shadows; night grew black with blinding rain.Then, did the fact that so many illustrious captains and kings suffered shipwreck deprive navigation of its right to be called an art? And is military science of no effect because a general of the highest renown recently lost his army and took to flight? Again, is statecraft devoid of method or skill because political mistakes were made many times by Gnaeus Pompey, occasionally by Marcus Cato, and once or twice even by yourself? So it is with the responses of soothsayers, and, indeed, with every sort of divination whose deductions are merely probable; for divination of that kind depends on inference and beyond inference it cannot go. 1.25. It sometimes misleads perhaps, but none the less in most cases it guides us to the truth. For this same conjectural divination is the product of boundless eternity and within that period it has grown into an art through the repeated observation and record of almost countless instances in which the same results have been preceded by the same signs.[15] Indeed how trustworthy were the auspices taken when you were augur! At the present time — pray pardon me for saying so — Roman augurs neglect auspices, although the Cilicians, Pamphylians, Pisidians, and Lycians hold them in high esteem. |
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18. Dead Sea Scrolls, Songs of The Sabbath Sacrificef, 0 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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19. Hebrew Bible, Daniel, 7.9 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 7.9. חָזֵה הֲוֵית עַד דִּי כָרְסָוָן רְמִיו וְעַתִּיק יוֹמִין יְתִב לְבוּשֵׁהּ כִּתְלַג חִוָּר וּשְׂעַר רֵאשֵׁהּ כַּעֲמַר נְקֵא כָּרְסְיֵהּ שְׁבִיבִין דִּי־נוּר גַּלְגִּלּוֹהִי נוּר דָּלִק׃ | 7.9. I beheld Till thrones were placed, And one that was ancient of days did sit: His raiment was as white snow, And the hair of his head like pure wool; His throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire." |
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20. Septuagint, Wisdom of Solomon, 4.11 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
| 4.11. He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile deceive his soul. |
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21. Anon., 2 Baruch, 51.11 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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22. Anon., The Life of Adam And Eve, 25.3 (1st cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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23. Josephus Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, 1.37, 20.18-20.19 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.37. 3. Moses says further, that God planted a paradise in the east, flourishing with all sorts of trees; and that among them was the tree of life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good and evil; 20.18. And now arose a sedition between the high priests and the principal men of the multitude of Jerusalem; each of which got them a company of the boldest sort of men, and of those that loved innovations about them, and became leaders to them; and when they struggled together, they did it by casting reproachful words against one another, and by throwing stones also. And there was nobody to reprove them; but these disorders were done after a licentious manner in the city, as if it had no government over it. 20.18. Monobazus, the king of Adiabene, who had also the name of Bazeus, fell in love with his sister Helena, and took her to be his wife, and begat her with child. But as he was in bed with her one night, he laid his hand upon his wife’s belly, and fell asleep, and seemed to hear a voice, which bid him take his hand off his wife’s belly, and not hurt the infant that was therein, which, by God’s providence, would be safely born, and have a happy end. 20.19. Now this palace had been erected of old by the children of Asamoneus and was situate upon an elevation, and afforded a most delightful prospect to those that had a mind to take a view of the city, which prospect was desired by the king; and there he could lie down, and eat, and thence observe what was done in the temple; 20.19. This voice put him into disorder; so he awaked immediately, and told the story to his wife; and when his son was born, he called him Izates. |
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24. Josephus Flavius, Life, 209-210, 208 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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25. Mishnah, Avot, 2.10, 3.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 2.10. They [each] said three things:Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your friend be as dear to you as your own; And be not easily provoked to anger; And repent one day before your death. And [he also said:] warm yourself before the fire of the wise, but beware of being singed by their glowing coals, for their bite is the bite of a fox, and their sting is the sting of a scorpion, and their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words are like coals of fire." 3.2. Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive. R. Haiah ben Teradion said: if two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners, as it is said: “nor sat he in the seat of the scornful…[rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight]” (Psalms 1:1); but if two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them, then the Shekhinah abides among them, as it is said: “then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). Now I have no [scriptural proof for the presence of the Shekhinah] except [among] two, how [do we know] that even one who sits and studies Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes his reward? As it is said: “though he sit alone and [meditate] in stillness, yet he takes [a reward] unto himself” (Lamentations 3:28)." |
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26. Mishnah, Eduyot, 5.7 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.7. At the time of his death he said to his son, “Retract the four opinions which I used to declare.” He (the said to him, “Why did not you retract them?” He said to him, “I heard them from the mouth of the many, and they heard [the contrary] from the mouth of the many. I stood fast by the tradition which I heard, and they stood fast by the tradition which they heard. But you have heard [my tradition] from the mouth of a single individual and [their tradition] from the mouth of the many. It is better to leave the opinion of the single individual and to hold by the opinion of the many.” He said to him, “Father commend me to your colleagues.” He said to him, “I will not commend you.” He said to him, “Have you found in me any wrong?” He said, “No; your own deeds will cause you to be near, and your own deeds will cause you to be far.”" |
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27. Mishnah, Hagigah, 2.1 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 2.1. They may not expound upon the subject of forbidden relations in the presence of three. Nor the work of creation in the presence of two. Nor [the work of] the chariot in the presence of one, unless he is a sage and understands of his own knowledge. Whoever speculates upon four things, it would have been better had he not come into the world: what is above, what is beneath, what came before, and what came after. And whoever takes no thought for the honor of his creator, it would have been better had he not come into the world." |
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28. Mishnah, Megillah, 4.10 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.10. The incident of Reuven is read but not translated. The story of Tamar is read and translated. The first part of the incident of the golden calf is both read and translated, but the second is read but not translated. The blessing of the priests, the stories of David and Amnon are not read or translated. They do not conclude with the portion of the chariot as a haftarah. But Rabbi Judah permits this. R. Eliezar says: they do not conclude with “Proclaim Jerusalem’s [abominations]” (Ezekiel as a haftarah." |
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29. Mishnah, Parah, 3.7 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 3.7. If the cow refused to go out, they may not take out with it a black one lest people say, \"They slaughtered a black cow\" nor another red [cow] lest people say, \"They slaughtered two.\" Rabbi Yose says: it was not for this reason but because it is said \"And he shall bring her out\" by herself. The elders of Israel used to go first by foot to the Mount of Olives, where there was a place of immersion. The priest that was to burn the cow was (deliberately) made unclean on account of the Sadducees so that they should not be able to say, \"It can be done only by those on whom the sun has set.\"" |
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30. Mishnah, Yadayim, 4.6 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.6. The Sadducees say: we complain against you, Pharisees, because you say that the Holy Scriptures defile the hands, but the books of Homer do not defile the hands. Rabban Yoha ben Zakkai said: Have we nothing against the Pharisees but this? Behold they say that the bones of a donkey are clean, yet the bones of Yoha the high priest are unclean. They said to him: according to the affection for them, so is their impurity, so that nobody should make spoons out of the bones of his father or mother. He said to them: so also are the Holy Scriptures according to the affection for them, so is their uncleanness. The books of Homer which are not precious do not defile the hands." |
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31. New Testament, 2 Corinthians, 12.2-12.3 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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32. New Testament, Acts, 10.28, 11.9, 26.14 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 10.28. He said to them, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean. 11.9. But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, 'What God has cleansed, don't you make unholy.' 26.14. When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' |
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33. New Testament, Apocalypse, 4.1-4.2, 15.3 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 4.1. After these things I looked and saw a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was one saying, "Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this. 4.2. Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne 15.3. They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. |
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34. New Testament, Romans, 8.26 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 8.26. In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. |
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35. New Testament, Luke, 4.20-4.22 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 4.20. He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 4.21. He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 4.22. All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son? |
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36. New Testament, Mark, 14.32-14.41 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 14.32. They came to a place which was named Gethsemane. He said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I pray. 14.33. He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed. 14.34. He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch. 14.35. He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. 14.36. He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire. 14.37. He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you watch one hour? 14.38. Watch and pray, that you not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 14.39. Again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words. 14.40. Again he returned, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they didn't know what to answer him. 14.41. He came the third time, and said to them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. |
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37. New Testament, Matthew, 13.13-13.15, 13.19, 13.23, 13.51, 16.6, 16.11-16.12, 16.17, 17.13 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 13.13. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they don't hear, neither do they understand. 13.14. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, And will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, And will in no way perceive: 13.15. For this people's heart has grown callous, Their ears are dull of hearing, They have closed their eyes; Or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their heart, And should turn again; And I would heal them.' 13.19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. 13.23. What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most assuredly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13.51. Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"They answered him, "Yes, Lord. 16.6. Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 16.11. How is it that you don't perceive that I didn't speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 16.12. Then they understood that he didn't tell them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 16.17. Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 17.13. Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer. |
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38. Plutarch, Agesilaus, 6.4-6.5 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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39. Plutarch, Julius Caesar, 69.6-69.8 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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40. Plutarch, Cimon, 18.4 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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41. Plutarch, Marius, 45.3 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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42. Plutarch, Cleomenes, 7.3 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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43. Ps.-Philo, Biblical Antiquities, 28 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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44. Tosefta, Hagigah, 2.1-2.7 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 2.2. Four entered the orchard: Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, another, and Rabbi Akiva. One looked and died. One looked and was harmed. One looked and cut down the trees. And one went up in peace and went down in peace. Ben Azzai looked and died. Scripture says about him (Psalms 116, 15): \"Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints\". Ben Zoma looked and was harmed. Scripture says about him (Proverbs 25, 16): \"Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee\" and the continuation. [Cont. of the verse: \"Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.\" Elisha looked and cut down the trees. Scripture says about him (Ecclesiastes 5, 5): \"Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt\" etc. Rabbi Akiva went up in peace and went down in peace. Scripture says about him (Song of Songs 1, 4): \"Draw me, we will run after thee\" etc. They gave a parable: What is this similar to? To the orchard of a king and there is an attic above it. It is upon [the man] to look so long as he does not move [his eyes] from it. Another parable was given. What is this similar tp? To [a street] that passes between two paths, one of fire, and one of snow. If it leans one way, it gets burned [by the fire]. If it leans the other way it gets burned by the snow. A man must walk in the middle and not lean to or fro. A story of Rabbi Yehoshua [Who was walkin in the street and Ben Zoma came opposite him] he reached him and did not greet him. He said to him [from where and to where] Ben Zoma? He said to him: I was watching the creation, and there is not between the upper waters and the lower waters even a handbreadth. As it is written (Genesis 1, 2) \"and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters\". And it says (Deuteronomy 32, 11): \"As a vulture that stirreth up her nest\" etc. Just as the vulture flies over the nest, touching and not touching, so too there is not even a handbreadth between the upper waters and lower waters. Rabbi Yehoshua said to his students: Ben Zoma is already outside. In a few days, Ben Zoma passed away." 2.4. In their days they only argued about laying of hands. There were five pairs. three of the first pairs said not to lay on hands and two of the other pairs said to lay on hands. Three were Nesi'im (princes) and two (of them) were the heads of courts. The words of R. Meir. R. Judah said Simon ben Shetah was Nasi (prince) and Judah ben Tabbai the head of the court....Said R. Yose: Originally there were no arguments in Israel. Rather, a 71 member court sat in the chamber of hewn stone and other courts of 23 existed in the cities of Erez Yisrael. And two courts of 3 apiece were in Jerusalem, one on the temple mount and one in Hayil. When one of them was necessary [a person] goes to the court in his city. No court (in his city)--[the person] goes to the court near his city. If they heard, they say to him; if not, he and their most distinguished member go to the court on the temple mount. If they heard, they say to him; if not, he and their most distinguished member go to the court in Hayil. If they heard they say to him; if not these and these arrive at the court in the chamber of hewn stone (And the court of the chamber of hewn stone even though it is 71, it can never have less than 23. If one of them needs to leave, he sees if there will be 23 he may leave; if not, he may not leave until there are 23. They would sit from the offering of the morning sacrifice until the offering of the afternoon sacrifice. And on sabbaths and Holidays they would enter the Beit Midrash on the temple mount.) If they heard they say to them, and if not, they establish a quorum and take a roll. If the majority says impure it is impure. If the majority says pure it is pure. From there the Halakhah (law) goes out widespread in Israel. When there increased the students of Shammai and Hillel who did not properly apprentice, conflict increased in Israel and it became as though there were two Torahs. And for there they would sit and inspect. Whoever was wise and humble and abundant and sin-fearing and mature and getting along with other people they make him a judge in his city. After being made a judge in his city they could elevate and set him on the temple mount and from there they could elevate and seat him in Hayil and from there they can elevate and seat him in the chamber of hewn stone and from there they sit and inspect the lineages of the priests and levites. A priest in whom has been found a blemish wears black and wraps in black, exits and leaves. One in whom not a blemish is found wears white and wraps in white, enters and serves with his brothers the priests. They would make a holiday that not a blemish was found among the children of Aaron. And he would bring a tenth of an Eifah of his own flour and do the service with his own hands even though it is not his priestly shift. A high priest and a regular priest who served before bringing their tenth of an Eifah their service is acceptable. |
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45. Tosefta, Menachot, 13.20 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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46. Tosefta, Parah, 3.8 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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47. Tosefta, Sotah, 13.5-13.6 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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48. Tosefta, Yadayim, 2.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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49. Anon., Qohelet Rabba, 7.8.1 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 7.8.1. טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ, רַבִּי מֵאִיר הֲוָה יָתֵיב וְדָרִישׁ בְּבֵי מִדְרְשָׁא דִּטְבֶרְיָה וַהֲוָה אֱלִישָׁע רַבֵּיהּ גָּיֵּיז בְּשׁוּקָא אַרְכֵּיב עַל סוּסְיָא בְּשַׁבַּתָּא, אָמְרוּן לְרַבִּי מֵאִיר הָא אֱלִישָׁע רַבָּךְ אָתֵי גָּיֵּיז בְּשַׁבַּתָּא בְּשׁוּקָא, נָפַק לְגַבֵּיהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ בַּמֶּה הֲוֵיתָא עָסֵיק, אָמַר לֵיהּ (איוב מב, יב): וַה' בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַחֲרִית אִיּוֹב מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ בֵּרַךְ, שֶׁהִכְפִּיל אֶת מָמוֹנוֹ. אָמַר לֵיהּ עֲקִיבָא רַבָּךְ לָא הֲוָה אָמַר כֵּן, אֶלָּא: וַה' בֵּרַךְ אַחֲרִית אִיּוֹב מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, בִּזְכוּת תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים שֶׁהָיָה בְּיָדוֹ מֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וּמָה אַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ שׁוּב טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ וּמָה אַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ בֵּיהּ, אָמַר לוֹ יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁהוּא קוֹנֶה סְחוֹרָה בְּנַעֲרוּתוֹ וְהוּא מַפְסִיד, וּבְזִקְנוּתוֹ הוּא מִשְׂתַּכֵּר בָּהּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁמּוֹלִיד בָּנִים בְּנַעֲרוּתוֹ וְהֵן מֵתִים, מוֹלִיד בְּזִקְנוּתוֹ וְהֵן מִתְקַיְּמִין. דָּבָר אַחֵר, טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשִׂים רָעִים בְּנַעֲרוּתוֹ וּבְזִקְנוּתוֹ עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁהוּא לָמֵד תּוֹרָה בְּנַעֲרוּתוֹ וּמְשַׁכְּחָהּ, וּבְזִקְנוּתוֹ הוּא חוֹזֵר עָלֶיהָ, הֱוֵי: טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא רַבָּךְ לֹא כָךְ אָמַר, אֶלָּא: טוֹב אַחֲרִית דָּבָר כְּשֶׁהוּא טוֹב מֵרֵאשִׁתוֹ, וְכֵן הָיָה מַעֲשֶׂה אֲבוּיָה אָבִי מִגְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר, וּכְשֶׁבָּא לְמוּלֵנִי קָרָא לְכָל גְּדוֹלֵי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, וְקָרָא לְכָל גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר, וְקָרָא לְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וּלְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עִמָּהֶם, וּכְשֶׁאָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ שָׁרוֹן אִילֵּין אָמְרִין מִזְמוֹרִין, וְאִילֵּין אָמְרִין אַלְפָבֵּתָרִין, אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אִילֵּין עָסְקִין בְּדִידְהוֹן, וַאֲנַן לֵית אֲנַן עָסְקִין בְּדִידָן, וְהִתְחִילוּ בַּתּוֹרָה וּמִן הַתּוֹרָה לַנְּבִיאִים, וּמִן הַנְבִיאִים לַכְּתוּבִים, וְהָיוּ הַדְּבָרִים שְׂמֵחִין כִּנְתִינָתָן מִסִּינַי וְהָאֵשׁ מְלַהֶטֶת סְבִיבוֹתֵיהֶן, עִקַּר נְתִינָתָן לֹא מִסִּינַי נִתְּנוּ בָּאֵשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד, יא): וְהָהָר בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ עַד לֵב הַשָּׁמַיִם, אָמַר הוֹאִיל וְכָךְ הוּא גָּדוֹל כֹּחָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה, הַבֵּן הַזֶּה אִם מִתְקַיֵם לִי הֲרֵינִי נוֹתְנוֹ לַתּוֹרָה, וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁלֹא הָיְתָה כַּוָּנַת מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לֹא נִתְקַיְמָה בִּי תּוֹרָתִי. וּמָה אַתְּ אָמַר תּוּבָן (איוב כח, יז): לֹא יַעַרְכֶנָּה זָהָב וּזְכוּכִית. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וּמָה אֲמַרְתְּ בֵּיהּ, אָמַר לוֹ אֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה שֶׁקָּשִׁין לִקְנוֹת כִּכְלֵי זָהָב וּזְכוּכִית, אָמַר לוֹ עֲקִיבָא רַבְּךָ לֹא אָמַר כֵּן, אֶלָּא מַה כְּלֵי זָהָב וּזְכוּכִית אִם נִשְׁבְּרוּ יֵשׁ לָהֶם תַּקָּנָה, אַף תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁאִבֵּד מִשְׁנָתוֹ יָכוֹל הוּא לַחֲזֹר עָלֶיהָ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ חֲזוֹר עוֹל לָךְ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ לָמָּה, עַד כָּאן תְּחוּם שַׁבָּת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ מְנָּן אַתְּ יָדַע, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מִטַּלְפֵי סוּסִי, שֶׁכְּבָר הָלַךְ אַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְכָל הֲדָא חָכְמְתָא אִית בָּךְ וְלֵית אַתְּ חוֹזֵר בָּךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לֵית בְּחֵילִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לָמָּה, אֲמַר לֵיהּ רוֹכֵב הָיִיתִי עַל הַסּוּס וּמְטַיֵּל אֲחוֹרֵי בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, וְשָׁמַעְתִּי בַּת קוֹל מְצַפְצֶפֶת וְאוֹמֶרֶת (ירמיה ג, כב): שׁוּבוּ בָּנִים שׁוֹבָבִים, (מלאכי ג, ז): שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם, חוּץ מֵאֱלִישָׁע בֶּן אֲבוּיָה, שֶׁהָיָה יוֹדֵעַ כֹּחִי וּמָרַד בִּי. וּמֵהֵיכָן הָיָה לוֹ, רָאָה אָדָם אֶחָד עָלָה לְרֹאשׁ הַדֶּקֶל בְּשַׁבָּת וְנָטַל הָאֵם עַל הַבָּנִים וְיָרַד בְּשָׁלוֹם, וּבְמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת רָאָה אָדָם אֶחָד עָלָה לְרֹאשׁ הַדֶּקֶל וְנָטַל הַבָּנִים וְשִׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם, וְיָרַד וְהִכִּישׁוֹ נָחָשׁ וָמֵת, אָמַר כְּתִיב (דברים כב, ז): שַׁלֵּחַ תְּשַׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם וְאֶת הַבָּנִים תִּקַּח לָךְ לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים, הֵיכָן טוּבוֹ שֶׁל זֶה וְהֵיכָן אֲרִיכוּת יָמָיו שֶׁל זֶה, וְלֹא יָדַע שֶׁדְּרָשָׁהּ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ טוֹב, וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים לָעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ אָרֹךְ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים עַל יְדֵי שֶׁרָאָה לְשׁוֹנוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַנַּחְתּוֹם נָתוּן בְּפִי הַכֶּלֶב, אָמַר מָה הַלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁיָּגַע בַּתּוֹרָה כָּל יָמָיו כָּךְ, לָשׁוֹן שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ וְיָגֵעַ בַּתּוֹרָה עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. אָמַר אִם כֵּן לֹא מַתַּן שָׂכָר לַצַּדִּיקִים, וְלֹא תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים עַל יְדֵי שֶׁכְּשֶׁהָיְתָה אִמּוֹ מְעֻבֶּרֶת בּוֹ עָבְרָה עַל בָּתֵּי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וְהֵרִיחָה וְנָתְנוּ לוֹ מֵאוֹתוֹ הַמִּין וְאָכְלָה, וְהָיָה מְפַעְפֵּעַ בִּכְרֵיסָהּ כַּאֲרִיסָה שֶׁל חֲכִינָה. לְאַחַר יָמִים חָלָה אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן אֲבוּיָה, אֲתוֹן אָמְרִין לְרַבִּי מֵאִיר אֱלִישָׁע חוֹלֶה, אֲזַל לְגַבֵּיהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ חֲזוֹר בָּךְ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְעַד כַּדּוּן מְקַבְּלִין, אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְלָא כְתִיב (תהלים צ, ג): תָּשֵׁב אֱנוֹשׁ עַד דַּכָּא, עַד דִּכְדּוּכָהּ שֶׁל נֶפֶשׁ. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה בָּכָה אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן אֲבוּיָה וָמֵת, וְהָיָה רַבִּי מֵאִיר שָׂמֵחַ וְאוֹמֵר דּוֹמֶה שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ תְּשׁוּבָה נִסְתַּלֵּק רַבִּי. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁקְּבָרוּהוּ בָּאתָה הָאוּר לִשְׂרֹף אֶת קִבְרוֹ, אֲתוֹן אָמְרִין לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי מֵאִיר קֶבֶר רַבְּךָ נִשְׂרַף, יָצָא וּפָרַשׂ טַלִּיתוֹ עָלֶיהָ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ (רות ג, יג): לִינִי הַלַּיְלָה, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ לַיְלָה, וְהָיָה בַבֹּקֶר אִם יִגְאָלֵךְ טוֹב יִגְאָל, מַהוּ וְהָיָה בַבֹּקֶר, בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ טוֹב, אִם יִגְאָלֵךְ טוֹב זֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קמה, ט): טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל. וְאִם לֹא יַחְפֹּץ לְגָאֳלֵךְ וּגְאַלְתִּיךְ אָנֹכִי חַי ה' שִׁכְבִי עַד הַבֹּקֶר. וּדְמָכַת לֵיהּ. אָמְרוּן לֵיהּ רַבִּי לְעָלְמִין דְּאָתֵי אִין אָמְרִין לָךְ מָה אַתְּ בָּעֵי אָבִיךְ אוֹ רַבָּךְ מַה תֵּימַר, אֲמַר אַבָּא וּבָתַר כֵּן רַבִּי. אָמְרִין לֵיהּ וְשָׁמְעֵי לָךְ אִינוּן, אֲמַר לְהוֹן וְלָאו מַתְנִיתָּא הִיא, מַצִּילִין תִּיק הַסֵּפֶר עִם הַסֵּפֶר וְתִיק הַתְּפִלִּין עִם הַתְּפִלִּין, מַצִּילִין אֱלִישָׁע בִּזְכוּת תּוֹרָתוֹ. לְבַסּוֹף בָּאוּ בְנוֹתָיו וְתוֹבְעוֹת צְדָקָה אֵצֶל רַבֵּנוּ, אָמַר (תהלים קט, יב): אַל יְהִי לוֹ משֵׁךְ חָסֶד וְאַל יְהִי חוֹנֵן לִיתוֹמָיו. אָמְרִין, רַבִּי לָא תִסְתַּכַּל בְּעוֹבָדוֹהִי אִסְתַּכַּל לְאוֹרָיְיתֵיהּ, בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה בָּכָה רַבִּי וְגָזַר עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁיִתְפַּרְנְסוּ, אָמַר מַה מִּי שֶׁלֹא הָיְתָה תּוֹרָתוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם כָּךְ הֶעֱמִיד, מִי שֶׁתּוֹרָתוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ רוּחַ, חַד פַּרְסִי אֲתָא גַּבֵּי רַב אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַלְפֵנִי אוֹרָיָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֱמֹר אָלֶ״ף, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַאן דְּיֵימַר דְּהוּא אָלֶ״ף, יֵמְרוּן דְּאֵינוֹ כֵן. אֱמֹר בֵּי״ת, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַאן אֲמַר דְּהוּא בֵּי״ת, גָּעַר בּוֹ וְהוֹצִיאוֹ בִּנְזִיפָה, אֲזַל לְגַבֵּי שְׁמוּאֵל, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַלְפֵנִי אוֹרָיָא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֱמֹר אָלֶ״ף, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַאן דְּיֵימַר דְּהוּא אָלֶ״ף, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֱמֹר בֵּי״ת, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַאן אֲמַר דְּהוּא בֵּי״ת, אַחֲדֵיהּ בְּאוּדְנֵיהּ וַאֲמַר אוּדְנִי אוּדְנִי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ שְׁמוּאֵל מַאן אֲמַר דְּהוּא אוּדְנִיךְ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ כּוּלֵּי עָלְמָא יָדְעִין דְּהוּא אוּדְנִי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אוֹף הָכָא כּוּלֵּי עַלְמָא יָדְעִין דְּהוּא אל״ף וּדְהוּא בי״ת, מִיָּד נִשְׁתַּתֵּק הַפַּרְסִי וְקַבֵּיל עֲלוֹי, הֱוֵי: טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ מִגְּבַהּ רוּחַ, טוֹבָה הִיא הָאֲרִיכָה שֶׁהֶאֱרִיךְ שְׁמוּאֵל עִם הַפַּרְסִי מֵהַקְפָּדָה שֶׁהִקְפִּיד עֲלֵיהּ רַב, אִלּוּלֵי כֵן חָזַר הַפַּרְסִי לְסִיאוּרוֹ, וְקָרָא עָלָיו: טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ. וְעוֹד, עֲקִילַס הַגֵּר שָׁאַל לְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, אָמַר לוֹ הֲרֵי חִבָּה שֶׁחִבֵּב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַגֵּר בְּלֶחֶם וּבְשִׂמְלָה בִּלְבָד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י, יח): וְאֹהֵב גֵּר לָתֶת לוֹ לֶחֶם וְשִׂמְלָה, כַּמָּה טַוָּוסִין וְכַמָּה פַּסְיוֹנִין אִית לִי וַאֲפִלּוּ עֲבָדַי לָא מַשְׁגִּיחִין עֲלֵיהוֹן. אָמַר לֵיהּ וְכִי קַלָּה הִיא בְּעֵינֶיךָ דָּבָר שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ בּוֹ אָבִינוּ יַעֲקֹב מִתְּחִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כח, כ): וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבּשׁ, דָּבָר קַל הוּא. אֲתָא לְגַבֵּי רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וּשְׁאֵיל לֵיהּ כָּךְ, אָמַר לוֹ גֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם זָכָה וּמַשִֹּׂיאִין מִבְּנוֹתָיו לִכְהֻנָּה. לֶחֶם זוֹ לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים. וּבֶגֶד אֵלּוּ בִּגְדֵי כְּהֻנָּה. צִמְצְמוֹ בִּדְבָרִים, אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו וְכִי קַלָּה הִיא בְּעֵינֶיךָ דָּבָר שֶׁנֶּחְבַּט בּוֹ הַזָּקֵן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כח, כ): וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם, וְלָמָּה אַתְּ מוֹשִׁיטוֹ בְּקָנֶה, הִתְחִיל מְפַיְּסוֹ בִּדְבָרִים, לֶחֶם זוֹ הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ט, ה): לְכוּ לַחֲמוּ בְלַחְמִי. וּבֶגֶד זֶה הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ח, טו): בִּי מְלָכִים יִמְלֹכוּ. הֱוֵי: טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ טוֹבָה הִיא הָאֲרִיכָה שֶׁהֶאֱרִיךְ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עִם עֲקִילַס הַגֵּר, מֵהַקְפָּדָה שֶׁהִקְפִּיד בּוֹ רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, שֶׁאִלּוּלֵי כֵן חָזַר לְסִיאוּרוֹ, וְקָרָא עָלָיו: טוֹב אֶרֶךְ רוּחַ מִגְבַהּ רוּח. | |
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50. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 2.4 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
| 2.4. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ פָּתַר קְרָיָא בַּגָּלֻיּוֹת, וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת בָּבֶל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ד, כט): רָאִיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה תֹהוּ. וָבֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת מָדַי (אסתר ו, יד): וַיַּבְהִלוּ לְהָבִיא אֶת הָמָן. וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן, שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן, שֶׁהָיְתָה אוֹמֶרֶת לָהֶם, כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם, זֶה גָּלוּת מַמְלֶכֶת הָרְשָׁעָה, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵקֶר כְּמוֹ הַתְּהוֹם, מַה הַתְּהוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין לוֹ חֵקֶר, אַף הָרְשָׁעִים כֵּן. וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת, זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה יא, ב): וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה', בְּאֵיזוֹ זְכוּת מְמַשְׁמֶשֶׁת וּבָאָה, הַמְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם, בִּזְכוּת הַתְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁנִּמְשְׁלָה כַּמַּיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איכה ב, יט): שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ. רַבִּי חַגַּי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי פְּדָת אָמַר, בְּרִית כְּרוּתָה לַמַּיִם שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בִּשְׁעַת שָׁרָב רוּחָה שַׁיְיפָה, וּכְבָר הָיָה רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן זוֹמָא יוֹשֵׁב וְתוֹהֶא, וְעָבַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְשָׁאַל בִּשְׁלוֹמוֹ, פַּעַם וּשְׁתַּיִם וְלֹא הֵשִׁיבוֹ, בַּשְׁלִישִׁית הֵשִׁיבוֹ בִּבְהִילוּת, אָמַר לוֹ בֶּן זוֹמָא מֵאַיִן הָרַגְלַיִם, אָמַר לוֹ מְעַיֵּן הָיִיתִי, אָמַר לוֹ מֵעִיד אֲנִי עָלַי שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ שֶׁאֵינִי זָז מִכָּאן עַד שֶׁתּוֹדִיעֵנִי מֵאַיִן הָרַגְלַיִם. אָמַר לוֹ מִסְתַּכֵּל הָיִיתִי בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, וְלֹא הָיָה בֵּין מַיִם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים לַמַּיִם הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים אֶלָּא כִּשְׁתַּיִם וְשָׁלשׁ אֶצְבָּעוֹת, וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְנַשֶּׁבֶת אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָּא מְרַחֶפֶת, כָּעוֹף הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא מְרַפְרֵף בִּכְנָפָיו וּכְנָפָיו נוֹגְעוֹת וְאֵינָן נוֹגְעוֹת. נֶהְפַּךְ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְאָמַר לְתַלְמִידָיו, הָלַךְ לוֹ בֶּן זוֹמָא, וְלֹא שָׁהוּ יָמִים מֻעָטִים וּבֶן זוֹמָא בָּעוֹלָם. | |
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51. Anon., Pesiqta De Rav Kahana, 18.5 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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52. Apuleius, The Golden Ass, 11.23 (2nd cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 11.23. This done, I gave charge to certain of my companions to buy liberally whatever was necessary and appropriate. Then the priest brought me to the baths nearby, accompanied with all the religious sort. He, demanding pardon of the goddess, washed me and purified my body according to custom. After this, when no one approached, he brought me back again to the temple and presented me before the face of the goddess. He told me of certain secret things that it was unlawful to utter, and he commanded me, and generally all the rest, to fast for the space of ten continual days. I was not allowed to eat any beast or drink any wine. These strictures I observed with marvelous continence. Then behold, the day approached when the sacrifice was to be made. And when night came there arrived on every coast a great multitude of priests who, according to their order, offered me many presents and gifts. Then all the laity and profane people were commanded to depart. When they had put on my back a linen robe, they brought me to the most secret and sacred place of all the temple. You will perhaps ask (o studious reader) what was said and done there. Verily I would tell you if it were lawful for me to tell. You would know if it were appropriate for you to hear. But both your ears and my tongue shall incur similar punishment for rash curiosity. However, I will content your mind for this present time, since it is perhaps somewhat religious and given to devotion. Listen therefore and believe it to be true. You shall understand that I approached near to Hell, and even to the gates of Proserpina. After I was brought through all the elements, I returned to my proper place. About midnight I saw the sun shine, and I saw likewise the celestial and infernal gods. Before them I presented myself and worshipped them. Behold, now have I told you something which, although you have heard it, it is necessary for you to conceal. This much have I declared without offence for the understanding of the profane. |
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53. Maximus of Tyre, Dialexeis, 10.2, 38.3 (2nd cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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54. Palestinian Talmud, Hagigah, 77a, 77b, 77c, 2 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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55. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, 58a, 74b, 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 |
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56. 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 |
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57. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, 54a, 61b, 3a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 3a. קשיא דרבי מאיר אדרבי מאיר תרי תנאי אליבא דרבי מאיר,קשיא דרבי אליעזר אדרבי אליעזר,תרי תנאי אליבא דרבי אליעזר ואיבעית אימא רישא לאו רבי אליעזר היא:,עד סוף האשמורה:,מאי קסבר רבי אליעזר אי קסבר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה לימא עד ארבע שעות ואי קסבר ארבע משמרות הוי הלילה לימא עד שלש שעות,לעולם קסבר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה והא קא משמע לן דאיכא משמרות ברקיע ואיכא משמרות בארעא דתניא רבי אליעזר אומר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה ועל כל משמר ומשמר יושב הקדוש ברוך הוא ושואג כארי שנאמר ה' ממרום ישאג וממעון קדשו יתן קולו שאוג ישאג על נוהו,וסימן לדבר משמרה ראשונה חמור נוער שניה כלבים צועקים שלישית תינוק יונק משדי אמו ואשה מספרת עם בעלה.,מאי קא חשיב רבי אליעזר אי תחלת משמרות קא חשיב תחלת משמרה ראשונה סימנא למה לי אורתא הוא אי סוף משמרות קא חשיב סוף משמרה אחרונה למה לי סימנא יממא הוא,אלא חשיב סוף משמרה ראשונה ותחלת משמרה אחרונה ואמצעית דאמצעיתא ואיבעית אימא כולהו סוף משמרות קא חשיב וכי תימא אחרונה לא צריך,למאי נפקא מינה למיקרי קריאת שמע למאן דגני בבית אפל ולא ידע זמן קריאת שמע אימת כיון דאשה מספרת עם בעלה ותינוק יונק משדי אמו ליקום וליקרי.,אמר רב יצחק בר שמואל משמיה דרב ג' משמרות הוי הלילה ועל כל משמר ומשמר יושב הקדוש ברוך הוא ושואג כארי ואומר אוי לבנים שבעונותיהם החרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגליתים לבין אומות העולם:,תניא אמר רבי יוסי פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בדרך ונכנסתי לחורבה אחת מחורבות ירושלים להתפלל בא אליהו זכור לטוב ושמר לי על הפתח (והמתין לי) עד שסיימתי תפלתי לאחר שסיימתי תפלתי אמר לי שלום עליך רבי ואמרתי לו שלום עליך רבי ומורי ואמר לי בני מפני מה נכנסת לחורבה זו אמרתי לו להתפלל ואמר לי היה לך להתפלל בדרך ואמרתי לו מתיירא הייתי שמא יפסיקו בי עוברי דרכים ואמר לי היה לך להתפלל תפלה קצרה,באותה שעה למדתי ממנו שלשה דברים למדתי שאין נכנסין לחורבה ולמדתי שמתפללין בדרך ולמדתי שהמתפלל בדרך מתפלל תפלה קצרה,ואמר לי בני מה קול שמעת בחורבה זו ואמרתי לו שמעתי בת קול שמנהמת כיונה ואומרת אוי לבנים שבעונותיהם החרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגליתים לבין האומות ואמר לי חייך וחיי ראשך לא שעה זו בלבד אומרת כך אלא בכל יום ויום שלש פעמים אומרת כך ולא זו בלבד אלא בשעה שישראל נכנסין לבתי כנסיות ולבתי מדרשות ועונין יהא שמיה הגדול מבורך הקדוש ברוך הוא מנענע ראשו ואומר אשרי המלך שמקלסין אותו בביתו כך מה לו לאב שהגלה את בניו ואוי להם לבנים שגלו מעל שולחן אביהם:,תנו רבנן מפני שלשה דברים אין נכנסין לחורבה מפני חשד מפני המפולת ומפני המזיקין. מפני חשד ותיפוק ליה משום מפולת | 3a. The previous baraita cited Rabbi Meir’s opinion that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins when the priests immerse before partaking of their iteruma /i. In the iTosefta /i, it was taught that Rabbi Meir holds that one begins to recite iShemafrom when people enter to eat their meal on Shabbat eve. One opinion of bRabbi Meirseems to bcontradictanother opinion of bRabbi Meir /b. The Gemara responds: bTwo itanna’im /i,students of Rabbi Meir, expressed different opinions bin accordance with Rabbi Meir’sopinion.,So too, the opinion bof Rabbi Eliezercited in the mishna bcontradictsthe opinion bof Rabbi Eliezercited in the ibaraita /i. In the mishna, Rabbi Eliezer holds that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins with the emergence of the stars: From the time when the priests enter to partake of their iteruma /i, while in the ibaraita /i, he states that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins when the day becomes sanctified on the eve of Shabbat.,The Gemara responds: There are two possible resolutions to the apparent contradiction in Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion. Either btwo itanna’imexpressed different opinions bin accordance with Rabbi Eliezer’sopinion, bor if you wish, sayinstead that bthe first clauseof the mishna, according to which we begin to recite iShemawhen the priests enter to partake of their iteruma /i, bis notactually bRabbi Eliezer’sopinion. Only the second half of the statement: Until the end of the first watch, was stated by Rabbi Eliezer.,In the mishna, we learned that Rabbi Eliezer establishes that one may recite the evening iShema buntil the end of the first watch.These watches are mentioned in the Bible as segments of the night, but it must be established: Into precisely how many segments is the night divided, three or four? Moreover, why does Rabbi Eliezer employ such inexact parameters rather than a more precise definition of time ( iTosefot HaRosh /i)?, bWhat does Rabbi Eliezeractually bhold? If he holds that the night consists of three watches, let him sayexplicitly that one recites the evening iShema buntil the fourth hour. If he holds that the night consists of four watches, let him sayexplicitly buntil the third hour. /b,The Gemara responds: bActually,Rabbi Eliezer bholds that the night consists of three watches,and he employs this particular language of watches bin order to teach us: There are watches in heaven and there are watches on earth;just as our night is divided into watches, so too is the night in the upper worlds. bAs it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Eliezer says: The night consists of three watches, and over each and every watch, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and roars like a lionin pain over the destruction of the Temple. This imagery is derived from a reference in the Bible, bas it is stated: “The Lord roars [ iyishag /i] from on high, from His holy dwelling He makes His voice heard. He roars mightily[ishaog yishag/b] bover His dwelling place,He cries out like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:30). The three instances of the root ishin-alef-gimmelin this verse correspond to the three watches of the night., bAnd signs ofthe transition between each of bthesewatches in the upper world can be sensed in this world: In bthe first watch, the donkey brays;in bthe second, dogs bark;and in bthe thirdpeople begin to rise, ba baby nurses from its mother’s breast and a wife converses with her husband. /b,With regard to these earthly manifestations of the three heavenly watches as established in the ibaraita /i, the Gemara asks: bWhat did Rabbi Eliezer enumerate? Ifhe benumerated the beginning of the watch, why do I need a sign for the beginning of the first watch? It iswhen beveningbegins; an additional sign is superfluous. bIf he enumerated the end of the watches, why do I need a sign for the end of the last watch? It iswhen bdaybegins; an additional sign is similarly superfluous.,The Gemara answers: bRather, he enumeratedthe signs for bthe end of the first watch and the beginning of the last watch,both of which require a sign, as well as bthe middle of the middlewatch. bAnd if you wish, sayinstead: bHe enumerated the ends of allof the watches. bAnd if you saythat a sign indicating the end of the bfinalwatch bis unnecessarybecause it is day, nevertheless, that sign is useful., bWhat is the practical ramificationof this sign? It is relevant bto one who recites iShema bwhile lying in a dark house,who cannot see the dawn and bwho does not know when the time for reciting iShema /iarrives. That person is provided with a sign that bwhen a woman speaks with her husband and a baby nurses from its mother’s breast,the final watch of the night has ended and bhe must rise and recite iShema /i., bRav Yitzḥak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav: The night consists of three watches, and over each and every watch the Holy One, Blessed be He sits and roars like a lion,because the Temple service was connected to the changing of these watches ( iTosefot HaRosh /i), band says: “Woe to Me, that due to their sins I destroyed My house, burned My Temple and exiled them among the nations of the world.” /b,Incidental to the mention of the elevated significance of the night watches, the Gemara cites a related story: bIt was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yosei said: I was once walking along the road when I enteredthe bruinsof an old, abandoned building bamong the ruins of Jerusalemin order bto pray.I noticed that bElijah, of blessed memory, came and guarded the entrance for me and waited at the entrance until I finished my prayer. When I finished prayingand exited the ruin, Elijah bsaid to me,deferentially as one would address a Rabbi: bGreetings to you, my Rabbi. I answered him: Greetings to you, my Rabbi, my teacher. AndElijah bsaid to me: My son, why did you enter this ruin? I said to him:In order bto pray. AndElijah bsaid to me: You should have prayed on the road. And I said to him:I was unable to pray along the road, because bI was afraid that I might be interrupted by travelersand would be unable to focus. Elijah bsaid to me: You should have recited the abbreviated prayerinstituted for just such circumstances.,Rabbi Yosei concluded: bAt that time,from that brief exchange, bI learned from him, three things: I learned that one may not enter a ruin; and I learnedthat one need not enter a building to pray, but bhe may pray along the road; and I learned that one who prays along the road recites an abbreviated prayerso that he may maintain his focus., bAndafter this introduction, Elijah bsaid to me: What voice did you hear in that ruin? br bI responded: I heard a Heavenly voice,like an echo of that roar of the Holy One, Blessed be He (Maharsha), bcooing like a dove and saying: Woe to the children, due to whose sins I destroyed My house, burned My Temple, and exiled them among the nations.br bAndElijah bsaid to me:By byour life and by your head, not onlydid that voice bcry out in that moment, but it cries out three times each and every day. Moreover,any time that God’s greatness is evoked, such as bwhen Israel enters synagogues and study halls and answersin the ikaddishprayer, bMay His great name be blessed, the Holy One, Blessed be He, shakes His head and says: Happy is the king who is thus praised in his house.When the Temple stood, this praise was recited there, but now: bHowgreat is the pain of bthe father who exiled his children, and woe to the children who were exiled from their father’s table,as their pain only adds to that of their father (Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shaprut)., bThe Sages taught, for three reasons one may not enter a ruin: Because of suspicionof prostitution, bbecausethe ruin is liable to bcollapse,and bbecause of demons.Three separate reasons seem extraneous, so the Gemara asks: Why was the reason bbecause of suspicionnecessary? bLet this ihalakha bbe derived because of collapse. /b |
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58. Babylonian Talmud, Gittin, 56b, 56a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 56a. אמר ליה לא אמר ליה יהיבנא לך דמי פלגא דסעודתיך אמר ליה לא אמר ליה יהיבנא לך דמי כולה סעודתיך א"ל לא נקטיה בידיה ואוקמיה ואפקיה,אמר הואיל והוו יתבי רבנן ולא מחו ביה ש"מ קא ניחא להו איזיל איכול בהו קורצא בי מלכא אזל אמר ליה לקיסר מרדו בך יהודאי א"ל מי יימר א"ל שדר להו קורבנא חזית אי מקרבין ליה,אזל שדר בידיה עגלא תלתא בהדי דקאתי שדא ביה מומא בניב שפתים ואמרי לה בדוקין שבעין דוכתא דלדידן הוה מומא ולדידהו לאו מומא הוא,סבור רבנן לקרוביה משום שלום מלכות אמר להו רבי זכריה בן אבקולס יאמרו בעלי מומין קריבין לגבי מזבח סבור למיקטליה דלא ליזיל ולימא אמר להו רבי זכריה יאמרו מטיל מום בקדשים יהרג,אמר רבי יוחנן ענוותנותו של רבי זכריה בן אבקולס החריבה את ביתנו ושרפה את היכלנו והגליתנו מארצנו,שדר עלוייהו לנירון קיסר כי קאתי שדא גירא למזרח אתא נפל בירושלים למערב אתא נפל בירושלים לארבע רוחות השמים אתא נפל בירושלים,א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקיך אמר ליה (יחזקאל כה, יד) ונתתי את נקמתי באדום ביד עמי ישראל וגו' אמר קודשא בריך הוא בעי לחרובי ביתיה ובעי לכפורי ידיה בההוא גברא ערק ואזל ואיגייר ונפק מיניה ר"מ,שדריה עילוייהו לאספסיינוס קיסר אתא צר עלה תלת שני הוו בה הנהו תלתא עתירי נקדימון בן גוריון ובן כלבא שבוע ובן ציצית הכסת נקדימון בן גוריון שנקדה לו חמה בעבורו בן כלבא שבוע שכל הנכנס לביתו כשהוא רעב ככלב יוצא כשהוא שבע בן ציצית הכסת שהיתה ציצתו נגררת על גבי כסתות איכא דאמרי שהיתה כסתו מוטלת בין גדולי רומי,חד אמר להו אנא זיינא להו בחיטי ושערי וחד אמר להו בדחמרא ובדמלחא ומשחא וחד אמר להו בדציבי ושבחו רבנן לדציבי דרב חסדא כל אקלידי הוה מסר לשמעיה בר מדציבי דאמר רב חסדא אכלבא דחיטי בעי שיתין אכלבי דציבי הוה להו למיזן עשרים וחד שתא,הוו בהו הנהו בריוני אמרו להו רבנן ניפוק ונעביד שלמא בהדייהו לא שבקינהו אמרו להו ניפוק ונעביד קרבא בהדייהו אמרו להו רבנן לא מסתייעא מילתא קמו קלנהו להנהו אמברי דחיטי ושערי והוה כפנא,מרתא בת בייתוס עתירתא דירושלים הויא שדרתה לשלוחה ואמרה ליה זיל אייתי לי סמידא אדאזל איזדבן אתא אמר לה סמידא ליכא חיורתא איכא אמרה ליה זיל אייתי לי אדאזל איזדבן אתא ואמר לה חיורתא ליכא גושקרא איכא א"ל זיל אייתי לי אדאזל אזדבן אתא ואמר לה גושקרא ליכא קימחא דשערי איכא אמרה ליה זיל אייתי לי אדאזל איזדבן,הוה שליפא מסאנא אמרה איפוק ואחזי אי משכחנא מידי למיכל איתיב לה פרתא בכרעא ומתה,קרי עלה רבן יוחנן בן זכאי (דברים כח, נו) הרכה בך והענוגה אשר לא נסתה כף רגלה איכא דאמרי גרוגרות דר' צדוק אכלה ואיתניסא ומתה דר' צדוק יתיב ארבעין שנין בתעניתא דלא ליחרב ירושלים כי הוה אכיל מידי הוה מיתחזי מאבראי וכי הוה בריא מייתי ליה גרוגרות מייץ מייהו ושדי להו,כי הוה קא ניחא נפשה אפיקתה לכל דהבא וכספא שדיתיה בשוקא אמרה האי למאי מיבעי לי והיינו דכתיב (יחזקאל ז, יט) כספם בחוצות ישליכו,אבא סקרא ריש בריוני דירושלים בר אחתיה דרבן יוחנן בן זכאי הוה שלח ליה תא בצינעא לגבאי אתא א"ל עד אימת עבדיתו הכי וקטליתו ליה לעלמא בכפנא א"ל מאי איעביד דאי אמינא להו מידי קטלו לי א"ל חזי לי תקנתא לדידי דאיפוק אפשר דהוי הצלה פורתא,א"ל נקוט נפשך בקצירי וליתי כולי עלמא ולישיילו בך ואייתי מידי סריא ואגני גבך ולימרו דנח נפשך וליעיילו בך תלמידך ולא ליעול בך איניש אחרינא דלא לרגשן בך דקליל את דאינהו ידעי דחייא קליל ממיתא,עביד הכי נכנס בו רבי אליעזר מצד אחד ורבי יהושע מצד אחר כי מטו לפיתחא בעו למדקריה אמר להו יאמרו רבן דקרו בעו למדחפיה אמר להו יאמרו רבן דחפו פתחו ליה בבא נפק,כי מטא להתם אמר שלמא עלך מלכא שלמא עלך מלכא א"ל מיחייבת תרי קטלא חדא דלאו מלכא אנא וקא קרית לי מלכא ותו אי מלכא אנא עד האידנא אמאי לא אתית לגבאי א"ל דקאמרת לאו מלכא אנא | 56a. The host bsaid to him: No,you must leave. Bar Kamtza bsaid to him: I will give you money for half of the feast;just do not send me away. The host bsaid to him: No,you must leave. Bar Kamtza then bsaid to him: I will give you money for the entire feast;just let me stay. The host bsaid to him: No,you must leave. Finally, the host btookbar Kamtza bby his hand, stood him up, and took him out. /b,After having been cast out from the feast, bar Kamtza bsaidto himself: bSince the Sages were sittingthere band did not protestthe actions of the host, although they saw how he humiliated me, blearn from it that they were contentwith what he did. bI willtherefore bgo and inform [ ieikhul kurtza /i] against them to the king. He wentand bsaid to the emperor: The Jews have rebelled against you.The emperor bsaid to him: Who saysthat this is the case? Bar Kamtza bsaid to him:Go and test them; bsend them an offeringto be brought in honor of the government, and bsee whether theywill bsacrifice it. /b,The emperor bwent and sent with hima choice bthree-year-old calf. Whilebar Kamtza bwas comingwith the calf to the Temple, bhe made a blemish onthe calf’s bupper lip. And some sayhe made the blemish bonits beyelids, a place where according to us,i.e., ihalakha /i, it bis a blemish, but according to them,gentile rules for their offerings, it bis not a blemish.Therefore, when bar Kamtza brought the animal to the Temple, the priests would not sacrifice it on the altar since it was blemished, but they also could not explain this satisfactorily to the gentile authorities, who did not consider it to be blemished.,The blemish notwithstanding, bthe Sages thought to sacrificethe animal as an offering bdue tothe imperative to maintain bpeacewith the bgovernment. Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas said to them:If the priests do that, people bwill saythat bblemishedanimals bmay be sacrificedas offerings bon the altar.The Sages said: If we do not sacrifice it, then we must prevent bar Kamtza from reporting this to the emperor. The Sages bthought to kill him so that he would not go and speakagainst them. bRabbi Zekharya said to them:If you kill him, people bwill saythat bone who makes a blemish on sacrificialanimals bis to be killed.As a result, they did nothing, bar Kamtza’s slander was accepted by the authorities, and consequently the war between the Jews and the Romans began., bRabbi Yoḥa says: Theexcessive bhumility of Rabbi Zekharya ben Avkolas destroyed our Temple, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land. /b,The Roman authorities then bsent Nero Caesar againstthe Jews. bWhen he cameto Jerusalem, he wished to test his fate. bHe shot an arrow to the eastand the arrow bcameand bfell in Jerusalem.He then shot another arrow bto the westand bitalso bfell in Jerusalem.He shot an arrow binall bfour directions of the heavens,and each time the arrow bfell in Jerusalem. /b,Nero then conducted another test: bHe said to a child: Tell me a versethat you learned today. bHe said to himas follows: b“And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel”(Ezekiel 25:14). Nero bsaid: The Holy One, Blessed be He, wishes to destroy His Temple, and He wishes to wipe his hands with that man,i.e., with me. The Romans are associated with Edom, the descendants of Esau. If I continue on this mission, I will eventually be punished for having served as God’s agent to bring about the destruction. So bhe fledand bbecame a convert, andultimately bRabbi Meir descended from him. /b,The Roman authorities then bsent Vespasian Caesar againstthe Jews. bHe cameand blaid siegeto Jerusalem for bthree years. There wereat that time binJerusalem bthese three wealthy people: Nakdimon ben Guryon, ben Kalba Savua, and ben Tzitzit HaKesat.The Gemara explains their names: bNakdimon ben Guryonwas called by that name bbecause the sun shined [ inakad /i] on his behalf,as it is related elsewhere (see iTa’anit19b) that the sun once continued to shine in order to prevent him from suffering a substantial loss. bBen Kalba Savuawas called this bbecause anyone who entered his house when he was hungry as a dog [ ikelev /i] would leave satiated [ isave’a /i]. Ben Tzitzit HaKesatwas referred to by that name because bhis ritual fringes [ itzitzit /i] draggedalong bon blankets [ ikeset /i],meaning that he would not walk in the street with his feet on the ground, but rather they would place blankets beneath him. bThere arethose bwho say that his seat [ ikiseh /i] was found among the nobles of Rome,meaning that he would sit among them.,These three wealthy people offered their assistance. bOneof them bsaid tothe leaders of the city: bI will feedthe residents bwith wheat and barley. And oneof them bsaid toleaders of the city: I will provide the residents bwith wine, salt, and oil. And oneof them bsaid tothe leaders of the city: I will supply the residents bwith wood.The Gemara comments: bAnd the Sages gavespecial bpraise to hewho gave the bwood,since this was an especially expensive gift. bAs Rav Ḥisda would give all of the keys [ iaklidei /i] to his servant, exceptfor the key btohis shed bforstoring bwood,which he deemed the most important of them all. bAs Rav Ḥisda said: One storehouse [ iakhleva /i] of wheat requires sixty storehouses of woodfor cooking and baking fuel. These three wealthy men bhadbetween them enough commodities bto sustainthe besieged bfor twenty-one years. /b, bThere were certain zealots amongthe people of Jerusalem. bThe Sages said to them: Let us go out and make peace withthe Romans. But the zealots bdid not allow themto do this. The zealots bsaid tothe Sages: bLet us go out and engage in battle againstthe Romans. But bthe Sages said to them: You will not be successful.It would be better for you to wait until the siege is broken. In order to force the residents of the city to engage in battle, the zealots barose and burneddown bthese storehouses [ iambarei /i] of wheat and barley, and there wasa general bfamine. /b,With regard to this famine it is related that bMarta bat Baitos wasone of the bwealthy women of Jerusalem. She sentout bher agent and said to him: Go bring me fine flour [ isemida /i]. By the time he went,the fine flour bwasalready bsold. He cameand bsaid to her: There is no fine flour,but bthere isordinary bflour. She said to him: Gothen and bbring meordinary flour. bBy the time he went,the ordinary flour bwasalso bsold. He came and said to her: There is noordinary bflour,but bthere is coarse flour [ igushkera /i]. She said to him: Gothen and bbring mecoarse flour. bBy the time he went,the coarse flour bwasalready bsold. He came and said to her: There is no coarse flour,but bthere is barley flour. She said to him: Gothen and bbring mebarley flour. But once again, bby the time he went,the barley flour bwasalso bsold. /b, bShe hadjust bremoved her shoes,but bshe said: I will go outmyself band see if I can find something to eat.She stepped on some bdung,which bstuck to her foot, and,overcome by disgust, bshe died. /b, bRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai read concerning hera verse found in the section of the Torah listing the curses that will befall Israel: b“The tender and delicate woman among you who would not adventure to set the sole of her footupon the ground” (Deuteronomy 28:56). bThere arethose bwho saythat she did not step on dung, but rather bshe ate a fig of Rabbi Tzadok, and became disgusted and died.What are these figs? bRabbi Tzadok observed fastsfor bforty years,praying bthat Jerusalem would not be destroyed.He became so emaciated from fasting bthat when he would eat something it was visible from the outsideof his body. bAnd when he would eatafter a fast bthey would bring him figsand bhe would suck out their liquid and castthe rest baway.It was one such fig that Marta bat Baitos found and that caused her death.,It is further related that bas she was dying, she took out all ofher bgold and silverand bthrew it in the marketplace. She said: Why do I need this? And this is as it is written: “They shall cast their silver in the streetsand their gold shall be as an impure thing; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels” (Ezekiel 7:19).,§ The Gemara relates: bAbba Sikkara was the leader of the zealots [ ibiryonei /i] of Jerusalemand bthe son of the sister of Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai.Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsenta message bto him: Come to me in secret. He came,and Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Until when will you do this and kill everyone through starvation?Abba Sikkara bsaid to him: What can I do, for if I say something to them they will kill me.Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Show me a methodso bthat I willbe able to bleavethe city, and it is bpossible thatthrough this bthere will besome bsmall salvation. /b,Abba Sikkara bsaid to him:This is what you should do: bPretend to be sick, and have everyone come and askabout your welfare, so that word will spread about your ailing condition. Afterward bbring something putrid and place it near you, so thatpeople bwill say that you have diedand are decomposing. bAndthen, bhave your students enterto bring you to burial, band let no one else come in so thatthe zealots bnot notice that you arestill blight. Asthe zealots bknow that a livingperson bis lighter than a deadperson.,Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bdid this. Rabbi Eliezer entered from one side and Rabbi Yehoshua from the other sideto take him out. bWhen they arrived at the entranceof the city on the inside, the guards, who were of the faction of the zealots, bwanted to pierce himwith their swords in order to ascertain that he was actually dead, as was the common practice. Abba Sikkara bsaid to them:The Romans bwill saythat bthey pierceeven btheir teacher.The guards then bwantedat least bto push himto see whether he was still alive, in which case he would cry out on account of the pushing. Abba Sikkara bsaid to them: They will saythat bthey pusheven btheir teacher.The guards then bopened the gateand bhe was taken out. /b, bWhenRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai breached there,i.e., the Roman camp, bhe said: Greetings to you, the king; greetings to you, the king.Vespasian bsaid to him: You are liable for two death penalties, onebecause bI am not a king andyet byou call me king, and furthermore, if I am a king, why didn’t you come to me until now?Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him:As for bwhat you saidabout yourself: bI am not a king, /b |
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59. Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah, 15b, 15a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 15a. יכול אני לבעול כמה בעילות בלא דם או דלמא דשמואל לא שכיחא אמר להו דשמואל לא שכיח וחיישינן שמא באמבטי עיברה,והאמר שמואל כל שכבת זרע שאינו יורה כחץ אינו מזרעת מעיקרא נמי יורה כחץ הוה,ת"ר מעשה ברבי יהושע בן חנניה שהיה עומד על גב מעלה בהר הבית וראהו בן זומא ולא עמד מלפניו אמר לו מאין ולאין בן זומא אמר לו צופה הייתי בין מים העליונים למים התחתונים ואין בין זה לזה אלא שלש אצבעות בלבד שנאמר (בראשית א, ב) ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים כיונה שמרחפת על בניה ואינה נוגעת אמר להן רבי יהושע לתלמידיו עדיין בן זומא מבחוץ,מכדי ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים אימת הוי ביום הראשון הבדלה ביום שני הוא דהואי דכתיב (בראשית א, ו) ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים וכמה אמר רב אחא בר יעקב כמלא נימא ורבנן אמרי כי גודא דגמלא מר זוטרא ואיתימא רב אסי אמר כתרי גלימי דפריסי אהדדי ואמרי לה כתרי כסי דסחיפי אהדדי,אחר קיצץ בנטיעות עליו הכתוב אומר (קהלת ה, ה) אל תתן את פיך לחטיא את בשרך מאי היא חזא מיטטרון דאתיהבא ליה רשותא למיתב למיכתב זכוותא דישראל אמר גמירא דלמעלה לא הוי לא ישיבה ולא תחרות ולא עורף ולא עיפוי שמא חס ושלום ב' רשויות הן,אפקוהו למיטטרון ומחיוהו שיתין פולסי דנורא א"ל מ"ט כי חזיתיה לא קמת מקמיה איתיהיבא ליה רשותא למימחק זכוותא דאחר יצתה בת קול ואמרה (ירמיהו ג, יד) שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,אמר הואיל ואיטריד ההוא גברא מההוא עלמא ליפוק ליתהני בהאי עלמא נפק אחר לתרבות רעה נפק אשכח זונה תבעה אמרה ליה ולאו אלישע בן אבויה את עקר פוגלא ממישרא בשבת ויהב לה אמרה אחר הוא,שאל אחר את ר"מ לאחר שיצא לתרבות רעה א"ל מאי דכתיב (קהלת ז, יד) גם את זה לעומת זה עשה האלהים אמר לו כל מה שברא הקב"ה ברא כנגדו ברא הרים ברא גבעות ברא ימים ברא נהרות,אמר לו ר"ע רבך לא אמר כך אלא ברא צדיקים ברא רשעים ברא גן עדן ברא גיהנם כל אחד ואחד יש לו ב' חלקים אחד בגן עדן ואחד בגיהנם זכה צדיק נטל חלקו וחלק חברו בגן עדן נתחייב רשע נטל חלקו וחלק חברו בגיהנם,אמר רב משרשיא מאי קראה גבי צדיקים כתיב (ישעיהו סא, ז) לכן בארצם משנה יירשו גבי רשעים כתיב (ירמיהו יז, יח) ומשנה שברון שברם,שאל אחר את ר"מ לאחר שיצא לתרבות רעה מאי דכתיב (איוב כח, יז) לא יערכנה זהב וזכוכית ותמורתה כלי פז אמר לו אלו דברי תורה שקשין לקנותן ככלי זהב וכלי פז ונוחין לאבדן ככלי זכוכית אמר לו ר"ע רבך לא אמר כך אלא מה כלי זהב וכלי זכוכית אע"פ שנשברו יש להם תקנה אף ת"ח אע"פ שסרח יש לו תקנה אמר לו אף אתה חזור בך אמר לו כבר שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,ת"ר מעשה באחר שהיה רוכב על הסוס בשבת והיה רבי מאיר מהלך אחריו ללמוד תורה מפיו אמר לו מאיר חזור לאחריך שכבר שיערתי בעקבי סוסי עד כאן תחום שבת א"ל אף אתה חזור בך א"ל ולא כבר אמרתי לך כבר שמעתי מאחורי הפרגוד שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר,תקפיה עייליה לבי מדרשא א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקך אמר לו (ישעיהו מח, כב) אין שלום אמר ה' לרשעים עייליה לבי כנישתא אחריתי א"ל לינוקא פסוק לי פסוקך אמר לו (ירמיהו ב, כב) כי אם תכבסי בנתר ותרבי לך בורית נכתם עונך לפני עייליה לבי כנישתא אחריתי א"ל | 15a. bI can engage in intercourse several times without blood.In other words, I can have relations with a woman while leaving her hymen intact. If this is so, it is possible that the assumed virgin had intercourse in this manner and is forbidden to the High Priest. bOr, perhapsa person who can act like bShmuel is not commonand the ihalakhais not concerned with this case. bHe said to them:One like bShmuel is not common, and we are concerned that she may have conceived in a bath.Perhaps she washed in a bath that contained a man’s semen, from which she became impregnated while remaining a virgin.,The Gemara asks: How could she possibly become pregt in such a manner? bDidn’t Shmuel say: Any semen that is not shot like an arrow cannot fertilize?The Gemara answers: This does not mean that it must be shot like an arrow at the moment of fertilization. Even if binitially,when released from the male, bit was shot as an arrow,it can balsofertilize a woman at a later moment.,With regard to the fate of ben Zoma, bthe Sages taught: There was once an incident with regard to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥaya, who was standing on a step on the Temple Mount, and ben Zoma saw him and did not stand before himto honor him, as he was deep in thought. Rabbi Yehoshua bsaid to him: From wheredo you come band where are you going, ben Zoma,i.e., what is on your mind? bHe said to him:In my thoughts bI was looking uponthe act of Creation, at the gap bbetween the upper waters and the lower waters, as there is onlythe breadth of ba mere three fingers between them, as it is stated: “And the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters”(Genesis 1:2), blike a dove hovering over its young without touchingthem. bRabbi Yehoshua said to his studentswho had overheard this exchange: bBen Zoma is still outside;he has not yet achieved full understanding of these matters.,The Gemara explains: bNow,this verse: b“And the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters,” when wasit stated? bOn the first day,whereas bthe divisionof the waters boccurred on the second day, as it is written: “And let it divide the waters from the waters”(Genesis 1:6). How, then, could ben Zoma derive a proof from the former verse? The Gemara asks: bAnd how much,in fact, is the gap between them? bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: Like the thickness of a thread; and the Rabbis said: Likethe gap between bthe boards of a bridge. Mar Zutra, and some sayit was bRav Asi, said: Like two robes spread one over the other,with a slight gap in between. bAnd some said: Like two cups placed one upon the other. /b,§ The Gemara stated earlier that iAḥerchopped down the saplings,becoming a heretic. bWith regard to him, the verse states: “Do not let your mouth bring your flesh into guilt”(Ecclesiastes 5:5). The Gemara poses a question: bWhat wasit that led him to heresy? bHe sawthe angel bMitatron, who was granted permission to sit and write the meritsof bIsrael. He said:There is ba traditionthat in the world babove there is no sitting; no competition; noturning one’s bback before Him,i.e., all face the Divine Presence; band no lethargy.Seeing that someone other than God was seated above, bhe said: Perhaps,the Gemara here interjects, bHeaven forbid, there are two authorities,and there is another source of power in control of the world in addition to God. Such thoughts led iAḥerto heresy.,The Gemara relates: bThey removed Mitatronfrom his place in heaven band smote himwith bsixty rods [ ipulsei /i] of fire,so that others would not make mistake that iAḥermade. bThey saidto the angel: bWhat is the reasonthat bwhen you sawElisha ben Avuya byou did not stand before him?Despite this conduct, since Mitatron was personally involved, he bwas granted permission to erase the merits of iAḥer /iand cause him to stumble in any manner. bA Divine Voice went forth saying: “Return, rebellious children”(Jeremiah 3:22), bapart from iAḥer /i. /b,Upon hearing this, Elisha ben Avuya bsaid: Since that man,meaning himself, bhas been banished from that world, let him go out and enjoy this world. iAḥerwent astray. He wentand bfound a prostituteand bsolicited herfor intercourse. bShe said to him: Andare byou not Elisha ben Avuya?Shall a person of your stature perform such an act? bHe uprooted a radish from a patchof radishes bon Shabbat and gave it to her,to demonstrate that he no longer observed the Torah. The prostitute bsaid: He is otherthan he was. He is not the same Elisha ben Avuya, he is iAḥer /i, other.,The Gemara relates: iAḥerasked Rabbi Meira question, bafter he had gone astray. He said to him: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “God has made even the one as well as the other”(Ecclesiastes 7:14)? Rabbi Meir bsaid to him: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created, He createda similar creation bcorresponding to it. He created mountains, He created hills; He created seas, He created rivers. /b, iAḥer bsaid to him: Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say so, butexplained the verse as follows: Everything has its opposite: bHe created the righteous, He created the wicked; He created the Garden of Eden, He created Gehenna. Each and everyperson bhas two portions, one in the Garden of Eden and one in Gehenna.If he bmeritsit, by becoming brighteous, he takes his portion and the portion of hiswicked bcolleague in the Garden of Eden;if he is found bculpableby becoming bwicked, he takes his portion and the portion of his colleague in Gehenna. /b, bRav Mesharshiyya said: What is the versefrom which it is derived? bWith regard to the righteous, it is stated: “Therefore in their land they shall possess double”(Isaiah 61:7); whereas bwith regard to the wicked, it is stated: “And destroy them with double destruction”(Jeremiah 17:18); therefore, each receives a double portion.,iAḥerasked Rabbi Meiranother question, again bafter he had gone astray. What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “Gold and glass cannot equal it; neither shall its exchange be vessels of fine gold”(Job 28:17)? If it is referring to the praise and honor of the Torah, it should have compared it only to gold, not to glass. bHe said to him:This is referring to bwords of Torah, which are as difficult to acquire as gilded vessels and vessels of fine gold but are as easy to lose as glass vessels. iAḥer bsaid to him: Rabbi Akiva, your teacher, did not say so, buttaught as follows: bJust as golden vessels and glass vessels have a remedy even when they have broken,as they can be melted down and made into new vessels, bso too a Torah scholar, although he has transgressed, has a remedy.Rabbi Meir bsaid to him:If so, byou too, returnfrom your ways. bHe said to him: I have already heardthe following declaration bbehind thedividing bcurtain,which conceals God from the world: b“Return, rebellious children,”(Jeremiah 3:22) bapart from iAḥer /i. /b,The Gemara cites a related story: bThe Sages taught: There was once an incident involving iAḥer /i, who was riding on a horse on Shabbat, and Rabbi Meir was walking behind him to learn Torah from him.After a while, iAḥer bsaid to him: Meir, turn back, for I have already estimatedand measured baccording to the steps of my horsethat bthe Shabbat boundary ends here,and you may therefore venture no further. Rabbi Meir bsaid to him: You, too, returnto the correct path. bHe said to him: But have I not already told youthat bI have already heard behind thedividing bcurtain: “Return, rebellious children,” apart from iAḥer /i? /b,Nevertheless, Rabbi Meir btook hold of himand bbrought him to the study hall. iAḥer bsaid to a child,by way of divination: bRecite your versethat you studied today bto me. He recitedthe following verse bto him: “There is no peace, said the Lord, concerning the wicked”(Isaiah 48:22). bHe brought him to another study hall. iAḥer bsaid to a child: Recite your verse to me. He recited to him: “For though you wash with niter, and take for you much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before Me”(Jeremiah 2:22). bHe brought him to another study hall. iAḥer bsaid to /b |
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60. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, 24b, 29a, 3a, 12a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 12a. תניא נמי הכי ועוד שנה אחרת לבבל ועמד דריוש והשלימה,אמר רבא אף דניאל טעה בהאי חושבנא דכתיב (דניאל ט, ב) בשנת אחת למלכו אני דניאל בינותי בספרים מדקאמר בינותי מכלל דטעה,מ"מ קשו קראי אהדדי כתיב (ירמיהו כט, י) מלאות לבבל וכתיב (דניאל ט, ב) לחרבות ירושלם,אמר רבא לפקידה בעלמא והיינו דכתיב (עזרא א, ב) כה אמר כורש מלך פרס כל ממלכות הארץ נתן לי ה' אלהי השמים והוא פקד עלי לבנות לו בית בירושלם,דרש רב נחמן בר רב חסדא מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו מה, א) כה אמר ה' למשיחו לכורש אשר החזקתי בימינו וכי כורש משיח היה אלא א"ל הקב"ה למשיח קובל אני לך על כורש אני אמרתי הוא יבנה ביתי ויקבץ גליותי והוא אמר (עזרא א, ג) מי בכם מכל עמו ויעל:,(אסתר א, ג) חיל פרס ומדי הפרתמים וכתיב למלכי מדי ופרס אמר רבא אתנויי אתנו בהדדי אי מינן מלכי מינייכו איפרכי ואי מינייכו מלכי מינן איפרכי,(שם, ד) בהראותו את עושר כבוד מלכותו א"ר יוסי בר חנינא מלמד שלבש בגדי כהונה כתיב הכא יקר תפארת גדולתו וכתיב התם (שמות כח, ב) לכבוד ולתפארת,(שם, ה) ובמלאות הימים האלה וגו' רב ושמואל חד אמר מלך פיקח היה וחד אמר מלך טיפש היה מאן דאמר מלך פיקח היה שפיר עבד דקריב רחיקא ברישא דבני מאתיה כל אימת דבעי מפייס להו ומאן דאמר טיפש היה דאיבעי ליה לקרובי בני מאתיה ברישא דאי מרדו ביה הנך הני הוו קיימי בהדיה,שאלו תלמידיו את רשב"י מפני מה נתחייבו שונאיהן של ישראל שבאותו הדור כליה אמר להם אמרו אתם אמרו לו מפני שנהנו מסעודתו של אותו רשע אם כן שבשושן יהרגו שבכל העולם כולו אל יהרגו אמרו לו אמור אתה אמר להם מפני שהשתחוו לצלם,אמרו לו וכי משוא פנים יש בדבר אמר להם הם לא עשו אלא לפנים אף הקב"ה לא עשה עמהן אלא לפנים והיינו דכתיב (איכה ג, לג) כי לא ענה מלבו:,(שם) בחצר גנת ביתן המלך רב ושמואל חד אמר הראוי לחצר לחצר הראוי לגינה לגינה הראוי לביתן לביתן וחד אמר הושיבן בחצר ולא החזיקתן בגינה ולא החזיקתן עד שהכניסן לביתן והחזיקתן במתניתא תנא הושיבן בחצר ופתח להם שני פתחים אחד לגינה ואחד לביתן,(שם, ו) חור כרפס ותכלת מאי חור רב אמר חרי חרי ושמואל אמר מילת לבנה הציע להם כרפס אמר ר' יוסי בר חנינא כרים של פסים,על גלילי כסף ועמודי שש מטות זהב וכסף תניא ר' יהודה אומר הראוי לכסף לכסף הראוי לזהב לזהב אמר לו ר' נחמיה א"כ אתה מטיל קנאה בסעודה אלא הם של כסף ורגליהן של זהב,בהט ושש א"ר אסי אבנים שמתחוטטות על בעליהן וכן הוא אומר (זכריה ט, טז) אבני נזר מתנוססות על אדמתו,ודר וסוחרת רב אמר דרי דרי ושמואל אמר אבן טובה יש בכרכי הים ודרה שמה הושיבה באמצע סעודה ומאירה להם כצהרים דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא שקרא דרור לכל בעלי סחורה,(שם, ז) והשקות בכלי זהב וכלים מכלים שונים משונים מיבעי ליה אמר רבא יצתה בת קול ואמרה להם ראשונים כלו מפני כלים ואתם שונים בהם ויין מלכות רב אמר רב מלמד שכל אחד ואחד השקהו יין שגדול הימנו בשנים,(שם, ח) והשתיה כדת (אין אונס) מאי כדת א"ר חנן משום ר"מ כדת של תורה מה דת של תורה אכילה מרובה משתיה אף סעודתו של אותו רשע אכילה מרובה משתיה,אין אונס אמר רבי אלעזר מלמד שכל אחד ואחד השקהו מיין מדינתו לעשות כרצון איש ואיש אמר רבא לעשות כרצון מרדכי והמן, מרדכי דכתיב איש יהודי המן איש צר ואויב,(שם, ט) גם ושתי המלכה עשתה משתה נשים בית המלכות בית הנשים מיבעי ליה אמר רבא שניהן לדבר עבירה נתכוונו היינו דאמרי אינשי איהו בקרי ואתתיה | 12a. bThis is also taughtin a ibaraita /i, as an indication that the years counted were only partial years: bAndwhen Belshazzar was killed, bthere was still another yearleft bfor Babyloniabefore the reckoning of the seventy years was completed. bAndthen bDarius arose and completed it.Although seventy years were previously counted according to Belshazzar’s count, from the exile of Jehoiakim, because the years were only partial, there was still one year left in order to complete those seventy years., bRava said: Daniel also erred in this calculation, as it is written: “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, meditated in the booksover the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem seventy years” (Daniel 9:2). bFromthe fact bthat he said “I meditated,”a term indicating recounting and calculating, bit can be inferred that he hadpreviously berred. /b,The Gemara comments: bIn any case, the verses contradict each otherwith regard to how the seventy years should be calculated. In one verse bit is written:“After seventy years bare accomplished for BabyloniaI will remember [ iefkod /i] you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10), which indicates that the seventy years should be counted from the Babylonian exile. bAndin another verse bit is written:“That he would accomplish bfor the desolations of Jerusalemseventy years” (Daniel 9:2), indicating that the seventy years are calculated from the destruction of Jerusalem., bRava saidin response: The seventy years that “are accomplished for Babylonia” were bonly for being remembered [ ilifekida /i],as mentioned in the verse, allowing the Jews to return to Eretz Yisrael but not to build the Temple. bAnd this is as it is writtenwith regard to Cyrus’s proclamation permitting the Jewish people’s return to Eretz Yisrael, in the seventieth year of the Babylonian exile: b“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He has charged [ ipakad /i] me to build Him a house in Jerusalem”(Ezra 1:2). The verse makes use of the same root, ipeh-kuf-dalet /i, heralding the return to Jerusalem to build the Temple, but not its actual completion.,Apropos its mention of Cyrus, the Gemara states that bRav Naḥman bar Rav Ḥisda interpreted homileticallya verse concerning Cyrus: bWhat isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held”(Isaiah 45:1), which seemingly is referring to Cyrus as God’s anointed? bNow was CyrusGod’s anointed one, i.e., the bMessiah,that the verse should refer to him in this manner? bRather,the verse should be understood as God speaking to the Messiah with regard to Cyrus: bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Messiah: I am complaining to you about Cyrus,who is not acting in accordance with what he is intended to do. bI had said: “He shall build My House and gather My exiles”(see Isaiah 45:13), but he did not carry this out. bRather, he said: “Whoever is among you of all His people…let him go upto Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:3). He gave permission to return to Israel, but he did no more than that.,§ The Gemara returns to its interpretations of verses in the Megilla. The Megilla mentions that among those invited to the king’s feast were: b“The army of Persia and Media, the noblesand princes of the provinces” (Esther 1:3), band it is writtennear the conclusion of the Megilla: “In the book of chronicles bof the kings of Media and Persia”(Esther 10:2). Why is Persia mentioned first at the beginning of the Megilla, while later in the Megilla, Media is mentioned first? bRava saidin response: These two peoples, the Persians and the Medes, bstipulated with each other,saying: bIf the kingswill come bfrom us, the ministerswill come bfrom you; and if the kingswill come bfrom you, the ministerswill come bfrom us.Therefore, in reference to kings, Media is mentioned first, whereas in connection with nobles and princes, Persia is given priority.,The verse states: b“When he showed the riches of his glorious [ ikevod /i] kingdomand the honor of his majestic [ itiferet /i] greatness” (Esther 1:4). bRabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: This teaches thatAhasuerus bwore the priestly vestments.Proof for this assertion may be adduced from the fact that the same terms are written with regard to the priestly vestments, as bit is written here:“The riches of his glorious [ ikevod /i] kingdom and bthe honor of his majestic [ itiferet /i] greatness.” And it is written there,with regard to the priestly garments: b“For glory [ ikavod /i] and for majesty [ itiferet /i]”(Exodus 28:2).,The verse states: b“And when these days were fulfilled,the king made a feast for all the people that were present in Shushan the capital” (Esther 1:5). bRav and Shmueldisagreed as to whether this was a wise decision. bOne said:Ahasuerus arranged a feast for the residents of Shushan, the capital, after the feast for foreign dignitaries that preceded it, as mentioned in the earlier verses, indicating that bhe was a clever king. Andthe other bone said:It is precisely this that indicates that bhe was a foolish king. The one who saidthat this proves that bhe was a clever kingmaintains bthat he acted well when he first brought close thosemore bdistantsubjects by inviting them to the earlier celebration, bas he could appease the residents of hisown bcity whenever he wished. And the one who saidthat bhe was foolishmaintains bthat he should have invited the residents of his city first, so that if thosefaraway subjects brebelled against him, thesewho lived close by bwould have stood with him. /b, bThe students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai asked him: For whatreason bwere the enemies of Jewish people,a euphemism for the Jewish people themselves when exhibiting behavior that is not in their best interests, bin that generation deserving of annihilation? He,Rabbi Shimon, bsaid to them: Saythe answer to your question byourselves. They said to him: It is because they partook of the feast of that wicked one,Ahasuerus, and they partook there of forbidden foods. Rabbi Shimon responded: bIf so, those in Shushan should have been killedas punishment, but bthose in the rest of the world,who did not participate in the feast, bshould not have been killed. They said to him:Then byou sayyour response to our question. bHe said to them: It is because they prostrated before the idolthat Nebuchadnezzar had made, as is recorded that the entire world bowed down before it, except for Haiah, Mishael, and Azariah., bThey said to him:But if it is true that they worshipped idols and therefore deserved to be destroyed, why was a miracle performed on their behalf? bIs there favoritismexpressed by God bhere? He said to them: They did notreally worship the idol, but pretended to bdoso bonly for appearance,acting as if they were carrying out the king’s command to bow before the idol. bSo too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, did notdestroy them but bdidact angry bwith them only for appearance.He too merely pretended to desire to destroy them, as all He did was issue a threat, but in the end the decree was annulled. bAnd this is as it is written: “For He does not afflict from His heartwillingly” (Lamentations 3:33), but only for appearances’ sake.,The verse states: b“In the court of the garden of the king’s palace”(Esther 1:5). bRav and Shmueldisagreed with regard to how to understand the relationship between these three places: Court, garden, and palace: bOne said:The guests were received in different places. bOnewho, according to his stature, was bfit for the courtyardwas brought bto the courtyard; onewho was bfit for the gardenwas brought bto the garden;and bonewho was bfit for the palacewas brought bto the palace. Andthe other bone said: Hefirst bsat them in the courtyard, but it did not hold them,as they were too numerous. He then sat them bin the garden, but it did not hold themeither, buntil he brought them into the palace and it held them.A third understanding bwas taught in a ibaraita /i: He sat them in the courtyard and opened two entranceways for them, one to the garden and one to the palace. /b,The verse states: “There were hangings of iḥur /i, ikarpas /i, and sky blue”(Esther 1:6). The Gemara asks: bWhat is iḥur /i? Rav said:A fabric fashioned with bmany holes [ iḥarei ḥarei /i],similar to lace. bAnd Shmuel said: He spread out for themcarpets of bwhite wool,as the word iḥavarmeans white. And what is ikarpas /i? Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Cushions [ ikarim /i] of velvet [ ipasim /i]. /b,The verse states: b“On silver rods and pillars of marble; the couches were of gold and silver”(Esther 1:6). bIt is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yehuda says:Some couches were of gold and others of silver. bOnewho, according to his stature, was bfit for silversat on a couch of bsilver,and bonewho was bfit for goldsat on one of bgold. Rabbi Neḥemya said to him:This was not done. bIf so, youwould bcast jealousy into the feast,for the guests would be envious of each other. bRather,the couches bthemselveswere made bof silver, and their feetwere made bof gold. /b,The verse continues: “Upon a pavement of ibahatand marble”(Esther 1:6). bRabbi Asi saidwith regard to the definition of ibahat /i: These are bstones that ingratiate themselves with their owners,as they are precious stones that people are willing to spend large amounts of money to acquire. bAnd similarly, it stateselsewhere that the Jewish people will be likened to precious stones: “And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they shall be as b“the stones of a crown, glittering over His land”(Zechariah 9:16).,The verse concludes: b“And idarand isoḥaret /i”(Esther 1:6). bRav said: iDarmeans bmany rows [ idarei darei /i]around. Similarly, isoḥaretis derived from iseḥor seḥor /i, around and around, meaning that the floor was surrounded with numerous rows of ibahatand marble stones. bAnd Shmuel said:There is ba precious stone in the seaports, and its name is idara /i,and Ahasuerus bplaced it in the center ofthe bfeast, and it illuminatedthe festivities bfor them asthe sun illuminates the world bat midday.He explains that the word isoḥaretis derived from itzohar /i, a light. A scholar from bthe school of Rabbi Yishmael taughta ibaraita /i: This means bthat he proclaimed a remission for all the merchants,absolving them from paying their taxes, understanding that the word idarderives from ideror /i, freedom, and isoḥaretfrom isoḥer /i, merchant.,The verse states: b“And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the vessels being diverse [ ishonim /i] from one another”(Esther 1:7). The Gemara asks: Why does the verse use the term ishonimto express that they are different? bIt should have saidthe more proper term imeshunim /i. Rava said: A Divine Voice issued forth and said to them: The early ones,referring to Belshazzar and his people, bwere destroyed becausethey used bthese vessels,the vessels of the Temple, bandyet byou use them again [ ishonim /i]?The verse continues: b“And royal wine in abundance [ irav /i]”(Esther 1:7). bRav said: This teaches that each and everyguest at the feast bwas pouredwell-aged bwine that was older [ irav /i] than himself in years. /b,The verse states: b“And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel”(Esther 1:8). The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe meaning of b“according to the law”? Rabbi Ḥa said in the name of Rabbi Meir:The drinking was baccording to the law of the Torah. Just as,according to bthe law of the Torah,with regard to offerings, bthe foodsacrificed on the altar bis greaterin quantity bthan the drink,for the wine libation is quantitatively much smaller than the sacrificial offerings it accompanies, bso too,at the bfeast of that wicked man, the food was greaterin quantity bthan the drink. /b,The verse states: b“None did compel”(Esther 1:8). bRabbi Elazar said: This teaches that each and everyguest at the feast bwas poureda drink bfrom wine of hisown bcountry,so that he would feel entirely free, as if he were in his home country. The verse continues: b“That they should do according to every man’s pleasure”(Esther 1:8). bRavacommented on the literal meaning of the verse, which is referring to two men, a man and a man [ iish va’ish /i], and bsaid:The man and man whom they should follow indicates bthat they should do according to the wishes of Mordecai and Haman.The two of them served as butlers at the feast, and they were in charge of distributing the wine. Why is the verse interpreted in this way? bMordecaiis called “man,” bas it is written:“There was a certain bJewish man [ iish /i]in Shushan the castle, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair” (Esther 2:5). bAnd Hamanis also called man, as it states: b“A man [ iish /i] who is an adversary and an enemy,this evil Haman” (Esther 7:6).,The verse states: b“Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women, in the royal house,which belonged to King Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:9). The Gemara questions why she held the feast in the royal house, a place of men, rather than in bthe women’s house,where it bshould have been. Rava saidin response: bThe two of them had sinful intentions.Ahasuerus wished to fornicate with the women, and Vashti wished to fornicate with the men. bThisexplains the folk saying bthat people say: He with pumpkins and his wife /b |
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61. Babylonian Talmud, Menachot, 65a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 65a. bAnd this is as we learnedin a mishna ( iShekalim13b): bPetaḥyawas responsible bfor the nestsof birds, i.e., the doves or pigeons brought by a izav /i, a izava /i, a woman after childbirth, and a leper. These individuals would place the appropriate sum of money into the horn designated for this purpose, and each day Petaḥya oversaw the purchase of birds from that money and their sacrifice in the proper manner. bThisSage bis Mordekhai;and bwhy was he called Petaḥya,which resembles the word for opening [ ipetaḥ /i]? The reason is bthat he would open,i.e., elucidate, difficult btopics and interpret themto the people, bandbecause bhe knewall bseventy languagesknown in that region at the time.,The Gemara asks: What was unique about Petaḥya? bAllof the members of the bSanhedrin also knowall bseventy languages. As Rabbi Yoḥa says:They bplace on theGreat bSanhedrin onlymen bof wisdom, and ofpleasant bappearance, and ofhigh bstature, and ofsuitable bageso that they will be respected. bAndthey must also be bmasters of sorcery,i.e., they know the nature of sorcery, so that they can judge sorcerers, bandthey must bknowall bseventy languagesin order bthat the Sanhedrin will notneed to bheartestimony bfrom the mouth of a translatorin a case where a witness speaks a different language.,The Gemara answers: bRather,Petaḥya was unique bashe not only knew all seventy languages, but also had the ability to bcombinevarious blanguages and interpretthem. bThis isthe meaning of that bwhich is written with regard to Mordekhai: “Bilshan”(Nehemiah 7:7). Bilshan is interpreted as another name for Mordekhai, as he would combine [ ibalil /i] languages [ ilashon /i]., strongMISHNA: /strong bHow would they performthe rite of the harvest of the iomer /i? bEmissaries of the courtwould bemerge on the eve of the festivalof Passover band fashionthe stalks of barley into bsheaves whilethe stalks were still battached to the ground, so that it would be convenient to reapthem. The residents of ball the towns adjacent tothe site of the harvest bwould assemble there, so that it would be harvested with great fanfare. /b, bOnce it grew dark,the court emissary bsays tothose assembled: bDid the sun set?The assembly bsaysin response: bYes.The emissary repeats: bDid the sun set?They again bsay: Yes.The court emissary next says to those assembled: Shall I reap the sheaves with bthis sickle?The assembly bsaysin response: bYes.The emissary repeats: With bthis sickle?The assembly bsays: Yes.The court emissary then says to those assembled: Shall I place the gathered sheaves in bthis basket?The assembly bsaysin response: bYes.The emissary repeats: In bthis basket?The assembly bsays: Yes. /b,If the sixteenth of Nisan occurs bon Shabbat,the court emissary bsays tothe assembled: Shall I cut the sheaves on bthis Shabbat?The assembly bsaysin response: bYes.The emissary repeats: On bthis Shabbat?The assembly bsays: Yes.The court emissary says to those assembled: bShall I cutthe sheaves? bAnd they say to himin response: bCut.The emissary repeats: bShall I cutthe sheaves? bAnd they sayto him: bCut. /b,The emissary asks bthree times with regard to each and every matter, andthe assembly bsays to him: Yes, yes, yes.The mishna asks: bWhy do Ineed those involved to publicize each stage of the rite bto that extent?The mishna answers: It is bdue to the Boethusians, as theydeny the validity of the Oral Law and bwould say: There is no harvest of the iomerat the conclusion of thefirst bFestivalday of Passover unless it occurs at the conclusion of Shabbat. The publicity was to underscore that the sixteenth of Nisan was the proper time for the iomerharvest., strongGEMARA: /strong bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bThese are the days on which fasting is prohibited, and on some of them eulogizing is prohibitedas well: bFrom the New Moon of Nisan until the eighth ofthe month, the proper sacrifice of bthe daily offering was established,and therefore it was decreed bnot to eulogizeon these dates. bAndfurthermore, bfrom the eighth ofNisan buntil the end of the festivalof Passover, the correct date for the bfestival of iShavuotwas restored,and it was similarly decreed bnot to eulogizeduring this period.,The Gemara discusses the ibaraita /i: bFrom the New Moon of Nisan until the eighth ofthe month the proper sacrifice of bthe daily offering was established,and therefore it was decreed bnot to eulogizeon these dates. The Gemara explains bthat the Sadducees would say: An individual may donate and bringthe bdaily offering,in opposition to the accepted tradition that the daily offering must be brought from communal funds. bWhatverse did the Sadducees bexpound? “The one lamb shall you offer [ ita’aseh /i] in the morning, and the other lamb shall you offer in the afternoon”(Numbers 28:4). Since the verse is in the singular form, the Sadducees maintained that even an individual may donate the daily offering.,The Gemara asks: bWhatdid the Sages breplyto refute the argument of the Sadducees? They cited the verse: “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: bMy food that is presented to Me for offerings made by fire,of a pleasing aroma unto Me, byou shall observe [ itishmeru /i]to offer to Me in its due season” (Numbers 28:2). The term: “You shall observe” is in the plural form, which indicates that ball of thedaily offerings bshould come from collection of theTemple treasury bchamber.Since during that period, between the New Moon of Nisan and the eighth of Nisan, the Sages overruled the Sadducees, it was established as a period of rejoicing, and it was prohibited to eulogize on those dates.,The Gemara discusses the next period listed in the ibaraita /i: bFrom the eighth ofNisan buntil the end of the festivalof Passover, the correct date for the bfestival of iShavuotwas restored,and it was similarly decreed bnot to eulogizeduring this period. bAs the Boethusians would saythat the festival of iShavuot /ialways occurs bafter Shabbat,on a Sunday. Their reasoning was that the verse states, with regard to the iomeroffering and the festival of iShavuotthat follows seven weeks later: “And you shall count for you from the morrow after the day of rest [ ihashabbat /i], from the day that you brought the sheaf [ iomer /i] of the waving; seven weeks shall there be complete” (Leviticus 23:15). Disregarding the oral tradition, the Boethusians interpreted the phrase “from the morrow after the day of rest [ ihashabbat /i]” literally, as referring to Shabbat, not the Festival day.,At the time, bRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai joinedthe discussion with the Boethusians band said to them: Fools! From wherehave byouderived this? bAnd there was no man who answered him, except for one elderly man who was prattling [ imefatpet /i] at him, and he said: Moses, our teacher, was a lover of the Jewish people and he knew that iShavuotisonly bone day.Therefore, bhe arose and established it after Shabbat, in order that the Jewish people would enjoy themselves for two days.Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai brecited this versein response btothat old man: b“It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the way of Mount Seir”(Deuteronomy 1:2). |
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62. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 88a, 147b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 147b. דלהשתטף כל גופו אפי' לכתחילה שפיר דמי מני ר"ש היא דתניא לא ישתטף אדם בין בחמין בין בצונן דברי ר"מ ר"ש מתיר ר' יהודה אומר בחמין אסור בצונן מותר:,ונסתפג אפילו בעשר אלונטיות: רישא רבותא קמ"ל וסיפא רבותא קמ"ל רישא רבותא קמ"ל דאפילו הני דלא נפישי בהו מיא כיון דחד הוא אתי לידי סחיטה וסיפא רבותא קמ"ל אפילו הני דנפישי בהו מיא כיון דרבים נינהו מדכרי אהדדי:,תנו רבנן מסתפג אדם באלונטית ומניחה בחלון ולא ימסרנה לאוליירין מפני שחשודים על אותו דבר רבי שמעון אומר מסתפג באלונטית אחת ומביאה בידו לתוך ביתו,אמר ליה אביי לרב יוסף הלכתא מאי אמר ליה הא ר' שמעון הא רבי הא שמואל הא ר' יוחנן,ר' שמעון הא דאמרן רבי דתניא אמר רבי כשהיינו למדין תורה אצל ר' שמעון בתקוע היינו מעלין שמן ואלונטית מחצר לגג ומגג לקרפף עד שהיינו מגיעין אצל מעין שהיינו רוחצין בו שמואל דאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל מסתפג אדם באלונטית ומביאה בידו לתוך ביתו ר' יוחנן דאמר ר' חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן הלכה מסתפג אדם באלונטית ומביאה בידו לתוך ביתו,ומי א"ר יוחנן הכי והא"ר יוחנן הלכה כסתם משנה ותנן ונסתפג אפילו בעשר אלונטיות לא יביאם בידו ההוא כבן חכינאי מתני לה,א"ר חייא בר אבא אר"י האוליירין מביאין בלרי נשים לבי בני ובלבד שיתכסה בהן ראשן ורובן סכניתא צריך לקשר ב' ראשיה למטה א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן למטה מכתפיים אמר להו רבא לבני מחוזא כי מעבריתו מאני לבני חילא שרביבו בהו למטה מכתפיים:,סכין וממשמשין: ת"ר סכין וממשמשין בבני מעיים בשבת ובלבד שלא יעשה כדרך שהוא עושה בחול היכי עביד ר' חמא בר חנינא אמר סך ואח"כ ממשמש ר' יוחנן אמר סך וממשמש בבת אחת:,אבל לא מתעמלין: א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן אסור לעמוד בקרקעיתה של דיומסת מפני שמעמלת ומרפא אמר ר' יהודה אמר רב כל ימיה של דיומסת עשרים ואחד יום ועצרת מן המנין איבעיא להו עצרת (בתחלה) להאי גיסא או להאי גיסא ת"ש דאמר שמואל כולהו שקייני מדיבחא ועד עצרתא מעלו דילמא התם הוא דכמה דקריר עלמא מעלי אבל הכא משום הבלא הוא כיון דחמים עלמא טפי מעלי,אמר רבי חלבו חמרא דפרוגייתא ומיא דדיומסת קיפחו עשרת השבטים מישראל,רבי אלעזר בן ערך איקלע להתם אימשיך בתרייהו איעקר תלמודיה כי הדר אתא קם למיקרי בספרא בעא למיקרא (שמות יב, ב) החדש הזה לכם אמר החרש היה לבם בעו רבנן רחמי עליה והדר תלמודיה,והיינו דתנן ר' נהוראי אומר הוי גולה למקום תורה ואל תאמר שהיא תבא אחריך שחבריך יקיימוה בידך ואל בינתך אל תשען תנא לא ר' נהוראי שמו אלא ר' נחמיה שמו ואמרי לה ר' אלעזר בן ערך שמו ולמה נקרא שמו ר' נהוראי שמנהיר עיני חכמים בהלכה:,אבל לא מתגררין: ת"ר אין גוררין במגררת בשבת רשב"ג אומר אם היו רגליו מלוכלכות בטיט ובצואה גורר כדרכו ואינו חושש רב שמואל בר יהודה עבדא ליה אימיה מגררתא דכספא:,אין יורדין לקורדימא וכו': מאי טעמא משום פיקא:,ואין עושין אפיקטויזין בשבת: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן לא שנו אלא בסם אבל ביד מותר תניא רבי נחמיה אומר אף בחול אסור מפני הפסד אוכלין:,ואין מעצבין את הקטן: אמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר ר' יוחנן לפופי ינוקא בשבת שפיר דמי והאנן תנן אין מעצבין התם בחומרי שדרה דמיחזי כבונה:,ואין מחזירין את השבר: אמר רבי חנא בגדתאה אמר שמואל | 147b. that brinsing one’s entire bodyby pouring water on it rather than bathing in the standard fashion may bwellbe done beven iab initio/b. The Gemara asks: According to bwhoseopinion is our mishna? The Gemara answers: bIt isin accordance with the opinion of bRabbi Shimon, as it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne may not rinse himselfon Shabbat, bneither with hotwater bnor with coldwater; this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Shimon permitsrinsing one’s body even with hot water. bRabbi Yehuda saysthat there is a distinction: bWith hotwater bit is prohibitedand bwith coldwater bit is permitted. /b,The mishna addressed the permissibility of drying oneself with a towel after bathing on Shabbat, and added the phrase: bAnd dried himself off even with ten towels.The Gemara comments on the formulation of the mishna: bThe first clause teaches us a novelconcept, band the latter clause teaches us a novelconcept. The Gemara explains: bThe first clause:One who…dried himself even with ten towels may not carry them, bteaches us a novelconcept, bthatthe prohibition applies bevento bthesetowels, bwhich do not have much waterabsorbed bin them.The reason for this is that bsince he is oneperson, bhemay bcome to squeezethem. bAnd the latter clause teaches us a novelconcept, that beven theseten people may carry the towel that they have all used, despite the fact bthat they haveabsorbed bmuch waterand the towel is very wet. The reason for this is that bsince they are manypeople, bthey remind each othernot to wring the towel., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne may dry himself with a towelon Shabbat band leave it in the windowof the bathhouse; band one may not give it to the bath attendants, because they are suspect in this matterof wringing out towels. bRabbi Shimon says: One may dry himself with a single towel and carry it in his hand into his home,and there is no concern lest he wring out the water., bAbaye said to Rav Yosef: What is the ihalakha /iwith regard to carrying a towel home after using it to dry himself? Rav Yosef bsaid to him: There is Rabbi Shimon, there is RabbiYehuda HaNasi, bthere is Shmuel,and bthere is Rabbi Yoḥa,all of whom permit it.,The Gemara elaborates: bRabbi Shimonrules leniently, bas we havealready bstatedthat he permits bathing and drying oneself with a towel and then bringing it home. bRabbiYehuda HaNasi agrees, bas it was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaid: When we would study Torah with Rabbi Shimon in Tekoa, we would carry oil and towels from the courtyard to the roof and from the roof into an enclosuresimilar to a courtyard buntil we reached the spring in which we would bathe,without passing through a public domain. In Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s opinion, it is permitted to carry a towel both before and after using it to dry oneself. bShmuelis also lenient, as bRav Yehuda saidthat bShmuel saidexplicitly: bOne may dry himself with a towel and carry it in his hand into his home. Rabbi Yoḥais also lenient, as bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:The ihalakha /iis that bone may dry himself with a towel and carry it in his hand into his house. /b,The Gemara challenges this last point: bAnd did Rabbi Yoḥareally bsay that? Didn’t Rabbi Yoḥa statea principle that bthe ihalakhais in accordance with an unattributed mishna,in which the name of the itannawho issued the rulings does not appear? bAnd we learnedexplicitly in our mishna, which is unattributed, that if one bathed band dried himself even with ten towels, he may not carry them in his hand.The Gemara answers: Rabbi Yoḥa’s version of the mishna does not teach this ihalakhaunattributed; rather, it bteaches it in accordance withthe opinion of bben Ḥakhinai,which is the opinion of an individual Sage that is not the accepted ihalakha /i., bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: Bath attendants may bring women’s bathing garments [ ibalarei /i] to the bathhouseon Shabbat bas long as they cover their heads and the majority of their bodies with them,so that they are being worn rather than carried. With regard to the blarge scarfthat is worn draped over one’s shoulders, bone must tie its two endstogether bbelowso that it will not fall. bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:This means that one must tie it bbelow the shoulders.In a similar vein, bRava said to the inhabitants ofhis city, bMeḥoza: When you transport clothing for the soldierswho are staying in the city, bextend them beneath your shouldersso that you will wear them like a garment and not simply carry them.,We learned in the mishna: bOne may smear oil and ruba person’s body by hand on Shabbat. bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne may smear oilon band rubhis bintestinalarea bon Shabbat,and it is not a prohibited form of healing, bprovided he does not do so in the manner in which he does during the week.The Gemara asks: bHowthen bdoes one dothis on Shabbat? bRabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: Onefirst bsmears oil and afterward rubsthe body. And bRabbi Yoḥa said: One smears oil and rubs simultaneously. /b,The mishna taught: bHowever, one may not exert himselfon Shabbat. bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: It is prohibited to stand on the floor ofthe therapeutic bathhouse of bDeyomseton Shabbat, bbecause it warms and healseven if one is not bathing or exerting himself. bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: The entire periodthat bathing in bDeyomsetis therapeutic bis twenty-one days; and iShavuotis included.The Gemara braises a dilemma: Is iShavuoton this side,at the beginning, of the twenty-one-day period, bor on this side,at the end, of the twenty-one days? bComeand bheara resolution to this dilemma from that which bShmuel said: Allmedicinal bdrinks are effective from Passover to iShavuot /i;apparently, the waters of the Deyomset are therapeutic in the time period leading up to iShavuot /i. The Gemara rejects this proof: bPerhaps there,with regard to medicinal drinks, bit isso, because bthe cooler the world, the betterthese drinks heal; bhowever, here,with regard to bathing, the therapeutic effect is bdue to the heat,and therefore bthe warmer the world, the better.The time period during which bathing is effective would only begin with iShavuot /i.,Apropos Deyomset, the Gemara cites that bRabbi Ḥelbo said: The wine of Phrygia [ iPerugaita /i] and the waterof bthe Deyomset deprived Israelof the btenlost btribes.Because the members of these tribes were attracted to the pleasures of wine and bathing and did not occupy themselves with Torah, they were lost to the Jewish people.,The Gemara relates that once bRabbi Elazar ben Arakh happenedto come bthere,to Phrygia and Deyomset, and bhe was drawn after them,and bhisTorah blearning was forgotten. When he returned, he stood to read from aTorah bscrolland bwas supposed to readthe verse: b“This month shall be for you [ ihaḥodesh hazeh lakhem /i]”(Exodus 12:2), but he had forgotten so much that he could barely remember how to read the Hebrew letters, and instead he read: bHave their hearts become deaf[ihaḥeresh haya libbam /i],interchanging the similar letters ireishfor idalet /i, iyodfor izayin /i, and ibeitfor ikhaf /i. bThe Sagesprayed and basked forGod to have bmercy on him, and his learning was restored. /b, bAnd that iswhat bwe learnedin a mishna that bRabbi Nehorai says: Exile yourself to a place of Torah and do not say that it will follow you, asif you are in a place of Torah, byour colleagues will establish it in your hands, and do not rely on your understandingalone. bIt was taught: Rabbi Nehorai was not his name, but rather Rabbi Neḥemya was his name; and some saythat bRabbi Elazar ben Arakh was his nameand his statement was based on the personal experience of forgetting his Torah due to his failure to exile himself to a place of Torah. bAnd why was he called Rabbi Nehorai?It was bbecause he would illuminate [ imanhir /i] the eyes of the Sages in ihalakha /i. /b,The mishna taught: bHowever, one may not scrapeoff the oil on Shabbat. bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne may not scrapehis body bwith a scraper on Shabbat. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: If one’s feet were dirty with mortar and excrement he may scrapethem bin the usual mannerwith a scraper band need not be concernedabout violating a prohibition. bRav Shmuel bar Yehuda’s mother made him a silver scraperto use on Shabbat to distinguish it from a weekday.,The mishna also taught that bone may not enter a swampy riverfull of mud on Shabbat. The Gemara explains: bWhat is the reasonfor this? bDue to the mud,as it is likely that one will slip and fall and come to violate the prohibitions of bathing and wringing out his clothes.,We also learned in the mishna that bone may not make a drug to induce vomitingon Shabbat. bRabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: They only taughtthat this is prohibited bwith a drug,which is considered a medicine; bhowever,inducing vomiting bby hand is permitted. It was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Neḥemya says: Even during the week,if one need not vomit for medical reasons, bit is prohibitedto induce vomiting bbecauseit causes bloss of food. /b, bAndwe learned in the mishna that bone may not align a younginfant’s bones in order to straighten them on Shabbat. bRabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:With regard to bswaddling an infanton Shabbat, one may bwelldo so. The Gemara challenges this statement: bDidn’t we learnin the mishna that bone may not alignan infant’s bones? The Gemara answers: bThere,the mishna is referring to bthe bones,vertebrae, bof the spine, becausestraightening them bappears likethe prohibited labor of bbuilding. /b,We also learned in the mishna that bone may not reset a breakin a bone on Shabbat. bRav Ḥana of Baghdad saidthat bShmuel said: /b |
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63. Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, 33a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 33a. כל התורה בכל לשון נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בלשון הקודש נאמרה והיו דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב שמע,לימא קסברי רבנן כל התורה כולה בלשון קודש נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בכל לשון שמע דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב והיו,תפלה רחמי היא כל היכי דבעי מצלי,ותפלה בכל לשון והאמר רב יהודה לעולם אל ישאל אדם צרכיו בלשון ארמית דאמר רבי יוחנן כל השואל צרכיו בלשון ארמי אין מלאכי השרת נזקקין לו לפי שאין מלאכי השרת מכירין בלשון ארמי,לא קשיא הא ביחיד הא בצבור,ואין מלאכי השרת מכירין בלשון ארמי והתניא יוחנן כהן גדול שמע ב"ק מבית קדש הקדשים שהוא אומר נצחו טליא דאזלו לאגחא קרבא לאנטוכיא ושוב מעשה בשמעון הצדיק ששמע בת קול מבית קדש הקדשים שהוא אומר בטילת עבידתא דאמר שנאה לאייתאה על היכלא ונהרג גסקלגס ובטלו גזירותיו וכתבו אותה שעה וכיוונו ובלשון ארמי היה אומר,אי בעית אימא בת קול שאני דלאשמועי עבידא ואי בעית אימא גבריאל הוה דאמר מר בא גבריאל ולימדו שבעים לשון,ברכת המזון דכתיב (דברים ח, י) ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ה' אלהיך בכל לשון שאתה מברך,שבועת העדות דכתיב (ויקרא ה, א) ונפש כי תחטא ושמעה קול אלה בכל לשון שהיא שומעת,שבועת הפקדון אתיא תחטא תחטא משבועת העדות,ואלו נאמרין בלשון הקודש מקרא ביכורים וחליצה כו' עד מקרא ביכורים כיצד (דברים כו, ה) וענית ואמרת לפני ה' אלהיך ולהלן הוא אומר (דברים כז, יד) וענו הלוים ואמרו אל כל איש ישראל מה ענייה האמורה להלן בלשון הקודש אף כאן בלה"ק,ולוים גופייהו מנלן אתיא קול קול ממשה כתיב הכא קול רם וכתיב התם (שמות יט, יט) משה ידבר והאלהים יעננו בקול מה להלן בלשון הקודש אף כאן בלשון הקודש,חליצה כיצד וכו' ורבנן האי ככה מאי עבדי ליה מיבעי להו לדבר שהוא מעשה מעכב,ור' יהודה מכה ככה ורבנן כה ככה לא משמע להו | 33a. that bthe entire Torah may be recited in any language, as, if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe entire Torah bmay be recitedonly bin the sacred tongueand not in any other language, bwhy do Ineed bthat which the Merciful One writes: “Andthese words, which I command you this day, bwill be”?If in fact it is prohibited for one to recite any portion of the Torah in a language other than Hebrew, then prohibiting the recitation of iShemain a language other than Hebrew is superfluous. Since the Torah specifically requires iShemato be recited in Hebrew, it must be because the rest of the Torah may be recited in any language.,The Gemara rejects this suggestion: This is not unquestionably so, as the phrase “and these words, which I command you this day, will be” bis necessaryin this case bbecause “hear” isalso bwritten.Had it not said “and these words, which I command you this day, will be,” it would have been derived from the word “hear” that iShemamay be recited in any language, in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis. Therefore, the phrase “and these words, which I command you this day, will be” is necessary.,The Gemara asks: bShall we saythat bthe Rabbis holdthat bthe entire Torah may be recitedonly bin the sacred tongueand not in any other language? bAs, if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe Torah bmay be recited in any language, why do Ineed bthat which the Merciful One writes: “Hear”?It is permitted for one to recite the entire Torah in any language, rendering a specific requirement with regard to iShemasuperfluous.,The Gemara rejects this: The word “hear” bis necessaryin any case, bbecause “andthese words, which I command you this day, bwill be” isalso bwritten.Had it not been for the word “hear,” the Rabbis would have understood that it is prohibited to recite iShemain any other language, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Therefore, the word “hear” is necessary.,§ It is stated in the mishna that the iAmida bprayermay be recited in any language. The reason for this is that since prayer bisa request for divine bmercy, one may pray in any way that one desires. /b,The Gemara asks: bButmay bprayerreally be recited bin any language? But didn’t Rav Yehuda say: A person should never request in the Aramaic languagethat bhis needsbe met, bas Rabbi Yoḥa saidthat with regard to banyone who requests in the Aramaic languagethat bhis needsbe met, bthe ministering angels do not attend to him, as the ministering angels are not familiar [ imakkirin /i] with the Aramaic language? /b,The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult,as bthatstatement of Rabbi Yoḥa is referring btothe prayer of ban individual,who needs the support of the angels, whereas bthisstatement of the mishna is referring bto communalprayer.,The Gemara asks: bAnd are the ministering angels not familiar with the Aramaic language? But isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta13:5): bYoḥa the High Priest heard a Divine Voiceemerging bfrom the House of the Holy of Holies that was saying: The youth who went to wage war in Antokhya have been victorious. Andthere was banother incident involving Shimon HaTzaddik, who heard a Divine Voiceemerging bfrom the House of the Holy of Holies that was saying: The decree that the enemy intended to bring against the Temple is annulled, and Gaskalgas,Caligula, bhas been killed and his decrees have been voided. Andpeople bwrotedown bthat timethat the Divine Voice was heard, bandlater found that it bmatchedexactly the moment that Caligula was killed. The Gemara concludes: bAndthis Divine Voice bwas speaking in the Aramaic language. /b,The Gemara answers: bIf you wish, saythat the bDivine Voice is different, as its purpose is to communicatea message, and therefore it also communicates in Aramaic. bAnd if you wish, sayinstead that bit wasthe angel bGabriel, as the Master saidwith regard to Joseph: bGabriel came and taught him seventy languages,as he knows all of the languages, as opposed to the other angels, who do not.,§ It is stated in the mishna that bGrace after Mealsmay be recited in any language. bAs it is written: “And you shall eat, and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 8:10). The word “bless” is homiletically interpreted to mean: bIn any language that you bless. /b,It is stated in the mishna that ban oath of testimonymay be said in any language, bas it is written: “And if anyone sins, in that he heard the voice of adjuration”(Leviticus 5:1). The emphasis on hearing in the verse is interpreted to mean that it can be recited bin any language that a person hears,i.e., understands.,It is stated in the mishna that ban oath on a depositmay be taken in any language. This bis derivedby means of a verbal analogy bfromthe word b“sins”(Leviticus 5:21) that appears in the portion of an oath on a deposit, and the word b“sins”(Leviticus 5:1) that is mentioned in the portion of ban oath of testimony. /b,§ It is stated in the mishna: bAnd these are recitedonly bin the sacred tongue: The recitation ofthe verses that one recounts when bringing the bfirst fruitsto the Temple; band iḥalitza /i…howis it derived that the brecitationwhen bringing the bfirst fruitsis recited specifically in Hebrew? When the Torah discusses this mitzva it states: b“And you shall speak and say before the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 26:5), band below,in the discussion of the blessings and curses, bit states: “And the Levites shall speak and say to all the men of Israel”(Deuteronomy 27:14). bJust as there,in the portion of the Levites, they speak bin the sacred tongue, so too here,in the portion of the first fruits, the recitation is bin the sacred tongue. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd from where do wederive that bthe Levites themselvesanswered in Hebrew? The Gemara answers: It is bderived froma verbal analogy between the word b“voice”that appears here, in the portion of the blessings and curses, and the word b“voice”in the verse that relates to bMoses. It is written here: “With a loud voice”(Deuteronomy 27:14), band it is written there: “Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice”(Exodus 19:19). bJust as there,the Ten Commandments were stated bin the sacred tongue, so too here,the Levites spoke bin the sacred tongue. /b,It is stated in the mishna: bHowis it derived that the recitation at ba iḥalitza /iceremony must be in Hebrew? The verse states: “And she shall speak and say: So shall it be done to the man that doth not build up his brother’s house” (Deuteronomy 25:9). Rabbi Yehuda derives this ihalakhafrom the phrase: “And she shall speak and say: So” (Deuteronomy 25:9). The Gemara asks: bAnd what do the Rabbis do with,i.e., how do they interpret, bthisword b“so”? They requireit btoteach that any bmatterdetailed in the portion bthat is an action is indispensableto the iḥalitzaceremony, as the verse states: “So shall it be done.” However, the other aspects of the ritual, e.g., the recitations, are not indispensable, and in their absence the ritual is valid after the fact., bAnd Rabbi Yehudaderives this ihalakha bfromthe fact that the verse could have used the shorter form of the word bso [ iko /i],and instead uses the longer form of the word bso [ ikakha /i].He therefore derives both ihalakhotfrom this word. bAnd the Rabbis do not learn anything fromthe difference between iko /iand ikakha /i. /b |
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64. Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot, 98a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 98a. הא איסורא איכא ה"ה דאפילו איסורא נמי ליכא ואיידי דבעי למיתני סיפא אבל חייבין תנא נמי רישא אין חייבין,אמר רבא הא דאמור רבנן אין אב למצרי לא תימא משום דשטופי בזמה דלא ידיע אבל ידיע חיישינן אלא אפילו דידיע נמי לא חיישינן,דהא שני אחין תאומים דטפה אחת היה ונחלקה לשתים וקתני סיפא לא חולצין ולא מייבמין ש"מ אפקורי אפקריה רחמנא לזרעיה דכתיב (יחזקאל כג, כ) בשר חמורים בשרם וזרמת סוסים זרמתם,ת"ש דאמר רבי יוסי מעשה בניפטיים הגר שנשא אשת אחיו מאמו ובא מעשה לפני חכמים ואמרו אין אישות לגר ואלא גר דקדיש ה"נ לא תפסי בה קדושין אלא אימא אין איסור אשת אח לגר מאי לאו דנסבא אח כשהוא גר,לא דנסבא כשהוא עובד כוכבים כשהוא עובד כוכבים מאי למימרא מהו דתימא ליגזור כשהוא עובד כוכבים אטו כשהוא גר קמ"ל,ת"ש דאמר בן יאסיין כשהלכתי לכרכי הים מצאתי גר אחד שנשא אשת אחיו מאמו אמרתי לו בני מי הרשך אמר לי הרי אשה ושבעה בניה על ספסל זה ישב ר' עקיבא ואמר שני דברים גר נושא אשת אחיו מאמו ואמר (יונה ג, א) ויהי דבר ה' אל יונה שנית לאמר שנית דברה עמו שכינה שלישית לא דברה עמו שכינה קתני מיהת גר נושא אשת אחיו מאמו מאי לאו דנסבא אחיו כשהוא גר,לא דנסבא כשהוא עובד כוכבים מאי למימרא מהו דתימא נגזור כשהוא עובד כוכבים אטו כשהוא גר קמ"ל,ומי מהימן והאמר ר' אבא אמר רב הונא אמר רב כל תלמיד חכם שמורה הלכה ובא אם קודם מעשה אמרה שומעין לו ואם לאו אין שומעין לו,איבעית אימא מורה ובא היה ואיבעית אימא משום דקאמר הרי אשה ושבעה בניה ואיבעית אימא שאני הכא דקאמר מעשה אחרינא בהדה,אמר מר ויהי דבר ה' אל יונה שנית לאמר שנית דברה עמו שכינה שלישית לא דברה עמו והא כתיב (מלכים ב יד, כה) הוא השיב [את] גבול ישראל מלבא חמת עד ים הערבה כדבר ה' אשר דבר ביד עבדו יונה בן אמתי הנביא,אמר רבינא על עסקי נינוה קאמר רב נחמן בר יצחק אמר הכי קאמר כדבר ה' אשר דבר ביד עבדו הנביא כשם שנהפך לנינוה מרעה לטובה כך בימי ירבעם בן יואש נהפך להם לישראל מרעה לטובה,ת"ש גר שהיה לידתו בקדושה והורתו שלא בקדושה יש לו שאר האם ואין לו שאר האב כיצד נשא אחותו מן האם יוציא מן האב יקיים אחות האב מן האם יוציא | 98a. bthere isa rabbinic bprohibition,contrary to Rav Aḥa’s opinion. The Gemara answers: bThe same is true that there is no prohibition, either. And sincethe ibaraita bwanted to teach in the latter clausethat if they were born in sanctity bthey are liable, it also taught in the first clausethat bthey are not liable.For this reason, the ibaraitamentions only the absence of liability., bRava said:With regard to bthat which the Sages said,that ba gentile has no patrilineage, do not saythat it is bbecause they areso bsteeped in licentiousness that they do not knowthe identity of their fathers with certainty, bbutif that identity bis known, we are concernedthat the paternity is recognized, with regard to the prohibition of intercourse with forbidden paternal relatives and other halakhic issues. bRather,even bwhen it is known, we are still not concerned. /b,The proof is bfromthe case of btwoidentical btwin brothers, who were one drop that was divided into twoand obviously have the same father, bandyet it bis taughtin bthe latter clauseof the ibaraita /i: bThey do not perform iḥalitzaand they do not perform levirate marriage,although they certainly have the same father. bLearn from thisthat bthe Merciful One dispossessesthe male gentile of bhis offspring, as it is writtenwith regard to Egyptians: b“Whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys, and whose semen is the semen of horses”(Ezekiel 23:20), i.e., the offspring of a male gentile is considered no more related to him than the offspring of donkeys and horses.,The Gemara resumes its discussion of the dispute between Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov and Rav Sheshet. bComeand bhearanother proof, bas Rabbi Yosei said: An incidenttook place binvolving Niftayim the convert, who married the wife of his maternalhalf bbrother, and the incident came before the Sages, and they saidthat bthere is novalid bmarriage for a convert.The Gemara asks: Is this possible? bAnd if a convert betrothsa woman who is not related to him, bishis bbetrothal to her indeed ineffective? Rather,modify the ibaraitaand bsaythat bwith regard to a convert there is no prohibitionproscribing ba brother’s wife.The Gemara concludes: bWhat, isthe ibaraita bnotreferring to a case bwherethe bbrother,her first husband, bmarried her when he wasalready ba convert,thereby proving that a convert is permitted to marry the wife of his deceased brother who was also a convert, even if they were maternal brothers?,The Gemara answers: bNo,the ibaraitais referring to a case bwherethe brother bmarried her while he wasstill ba gentile,and since he converted they are no longer married. The Gemara asks: If he married her bwhile he was a gentile, whatis the purpose bof statingthis obvious ihalakha /i? The Gemara answers: bLest you saythe Sages bshould decreethat the marriage is prohibited even in a case where the first husband married her bwhile he was a gentile, due tothe prohibition against their marriage if the brother married her bwhen he wasalready ba convert.The ibaraitatherefore bteaches usthat there is no such decree., bComeand bhearanother proof, bas ben Yasiyan said: When I went to cities overseas, I found one convert who married the wife of his maternalhalf bbrother. I said to him: My son, who permittedthis to byou? He said to me: There isa local bwoman and her seven sonsto whom this was permitted. bOn thisvery bbench [ isafsal /i], Rabbi Akiva sat and said two statements:He said that ba convert may marry theformer bwife of his maternalhalf bbrother, and he saidthat the verse b“And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying”(Jonah 3:1) implies that the bDivine Presence spoke with himonly ba secondtime. However, ba thirdtime the bDivine Presence did not speak with him,i.e., Jonah did not receive any more prophecies. bIn any event,this ibaraita bteachesthat ba convert may marry the wife of his maternal brother. What, is it notreferring to a case bwherethe convert’s bbrother married her when hehimself bwasalready ba convert? /b,The Gemara answers: bNo,the ibaraitais referring to a case bwherethe brother bmarried her while he wasstill ba gentile.The Gemara asks: If so, bwhatis the purpose bof statingthis obvious ihalakha /i? The Gemara answers: bLest you say we should decreethat marriage between a convert and the former wife of his brother is prohibited even if the brother married her bwhile he wasstill ba gentile, due tothe prohibition against their marrying if the brother married her bwhen he wasalready ba convert.The ibaraitatherefore bteaches usthat there is no such decree., bAnd isthat convert who cited Rabbi Akiva ba reliablewitness, despite the fact that the ruling affects him personally? bDidn’t Rabbi Abba saythat bRav Huna saidthat bRav said:With regard to bany Torah scholar who teachesa ruling of ihalakha /iin a certain case band it comesto be, bif he said it before the incident, one listens to him. And if not,if the ruling followed the incident, one bdoes not listen to him. /b,The Gemara answers: bIf you wish, saythat the convert btaughtthe ruling, bandonly afterward bit cameto be that he himself married his sister-in-law. bAnd if you wish, saythat he is reliable bbecause hesupported his ruling by bstatingthat there was a practical case involving ba woman and her seven sons,in which Rabbi Akiva ruled that this kind of marriage is permitted. bAnd if you wish, saythat bhere it is different, asthe convert bstated a different incident with it.Since he cited an unrelated teaching of Rabbi Akiva in the same testimony, this teaching is also considered reliable., bThe Master saidthat Rabbi Akiva inferred from the verse b“And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying”that the bDivine Presence spoke with himonly ba secondtime. However, ba thirdtime the Divine Presence bdid not speak with him.The Gemara asks: bIsn’t it writtenwith regard to King Jeroboam ben Joash: b“He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord,the God of Israel, bwhich He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet”(II Kings 14:25)? Evidently, Jonah prophesied at least once more., bRavina said:Rabbi Akiva bwas sayingthat Jonah did not prophesize a third time babout the issue of Nineveh. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak saidthat bthis isthe meaning of the phrase b“According to the word of the Lord,the God of Israel, bwhich He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet”:It is not that Jonah had prophesized about the conquests of Jeroboam ben Joash, but rather that bjust asthe fortune of bNineveh turned from bad to good, so too, in the days of Jeroboam ben Joash, Israel’sfortune bturned from bad to good. /b,The Gemara resumes discussion of the dispute between Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov and Rav Sheshet. bComeand bhearanother proof: bA convert whose birth was in sanctity but whose conception was not in sanctity has maternal kinship,i.e., his relationship to his mother’s relatives is recognized. bHowever, he does not have paternal kinship. How so?If bhe married his maternalhalf bsister,who was born before him and converted, bhe must divorceher. Although by Torah law they are considered unrelated, the Sages rendered it prohibited for them to marry, lest he marry a maternal half sister who was born after him and is forbidden to him. If she is his bpaternalhalf sister, bhe may maintainher as his wife. If he married his bfather’s maternalhalf bsister, he must divorce her. /b |
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65. Papyri, Papyri Graecae Magicae, 4.2474-4.2490 (3rd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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66. Anon., Exodus Rabbah, 43.4 (4th cent. CE - 9th cent. CE)
| 43.4. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וַיְחַל משֶׁה, מַהוּ כֵן, אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק, שֶׁהִתִּיר נִדְרוֹ שֶׁל יוֹצְרוֹ. כֵּיצַד, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָעֵגֶל עָמַד משֶׁה מְפַיֵּס הָאֱלֹהִים שֶׁיִּמְחֹל לָהֶם. אָמַר הָאֱלֹהִים, משֶׁה, כְּבָר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי (שמות כב, יט): זֹבֵחַ לָאֱלֹהִים יָחֳרָם, וּדְבַר שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁיָּצָא מִפִּי אֵינִי מַחֲזִירוֹ. אָמַר משֶׁה רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא נָתַתָּ לִי הֲפָרָה שֶׁל נְדָרִים, וְאָמַרְתָּ (במדבר ל, ג): אִישׁ כִּי יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַה' אוֹ הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ, הוּא אֵינוֹ מוֹחֵל אֲבָל חָכָם מוֹחֵל אֶת נִדְּרוֹ בְּעֵת שֶׁיִּשָּׁאֵל עָלָיו, וְכָל זָקֵן שֶׁמּוֹרֶה הוֹרָאָה אִם יִרְצֶה שֶׁיְקַבְּלוּ אֲחֵרִים הוֹרָאָתוֹ צָרִיךְ הוּא לְקַיְמָהּ תְּחִלָּה, וְאַתָּה צִוִּיתַנִי עַל הֲפָרַת נְדָרִים, דִּין הוּא שֶׁתַּתִּיר אֶת נִדְרְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתַנִי לְהַתִּיר לַאֲחֵרִים. מִיָּד נִתְעַטֵּף בְּטַלִּיתוֹ וְיָשַׁב לוֹ כְּזָקֵן, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד כְּשׁוֹאֵל נִדְרוֹ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברים ט, ט): וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיָה משֶׁה יוֹשֵׁב וְהָאֱלֹהִים יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ עוֹמֵד, אָמַר רַבִּי דְּרוּסָאי קָתֶדְרָא עָשָׂה לוֹ כְּקָתֶדְרָא שֶׁל אַסְטָלִיסְטָקִין הַלָּלוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵן נִכְנָסִין לִפְנֵי הַשִּׁלְטוֹן וְהֵן נִרְאִין עוֹמְדִין וְאֵינָן אֶלָּא יוֹשְׁבִין, וְאַף כָּאן כָּךְ, יְשִׁיבָה שֶׁהִיא נִרְאָה עֲמִידָה, הֱוֵי: וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וְכִי יֵשׁ יְשִׁיבָה לְמַעְלָה, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא שֶׁכֻּלָּם עוֹמְדִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ו, ב): שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ, וְכֵן (יחזקאל א, כד כה): בְּעָמְדָם תְּרַפֶּינָה כַנְפֵיהֶם, וְכֵן (דניאל ז, טז): קִרְבֵת עַל חַד מִן קָאֲמַיָּא, וְכֵן אֲפִלּוּ משֶׁה כְּשֶׁעָלָה לַמָּרוֹם הָיָה עוֹמֵד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י, י): וְאָנֹכִי עָמַדְתִּי בָהָר, וּכְתִיב (דברים ה, ה): אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם, וְאֵין יוֹשֵׁב שָׁם אֶלָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבַדּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים ב יח, יח): רָאִיתִי אֶת ה' יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסְאוֹ, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וּמַהוּ כֵן, אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בַּר אַחָא שֶׁיָּשַׁב לְהַתִּיר נִדְרוֹ שֶׁל יוֹצְרוֹ, וּמָה אָמַר לוֹ דָּבָר קָשֶׁה, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן דָּבָר קָשֶׁה אָמַר לְפָנָיו תָּהִיתָ אֶתָמְהָא, אָמַר לוֹ תּוֹהֶא אֲנָא עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמִּי, אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר משֶׁה מֻתָּר לָךְ מֻתָּר לָךְ, אֵין כָּאן נֶדֶר וְאֵין כָּאן שְׁבוּעָה, הֱוֵי: וַיְחַל משֶׁה, שֶׁהֵפֵר נִדְרוֹ לְיוֹצְרוֹ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (במדבר ל, ג): וְלֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ לְפִיכָךְ נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים, לוֹמַר שֶׁהִתִּיר נֶדֶר לָאֱלֹהִים, וְכֵן וַיְחַל משֶׁה. | |
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67. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan A, 28 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
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68. Anon., 2 Enoch, 8.1
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69. Anon., 4 Ezra, 7.36, 8.52
| 7.36. Then the pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall be the place of rest; and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed, and opposite it the paradise of delight. 8.52. because it is for you that paradise is opened, the tree of life is planted, the age to come is prepared, plenty is provided, a city is built, rest is appointed, goodness is established and wisdom perfected beforehand. |
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70. Anon., Apocalypse of Abraham, 17
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71. Anon., Apocalypse of Moses, 40.1
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72. Anon., Midrash On Song of Songs, 1.4
| 1.4. An additional meaning: \"See a man diligent in his work, before kings he will stand, he will not stand before mean men\", this is Rabbi Hanina. He (Rabbi Hanina) said: \"Once I saw men of the city bringing up (lit., i.e offering, sacrificing) burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. I said, \"All of them are bringing up peace-offerings to Jerusalem and I am not bringing up anything!? What will I do? Immediately I went out to the wilderness of the city, in the ruins of the city, and there I found one stone, I went out, cracked it, chiseled it, and polished it. He said, \"Behold, it is upon me to ascend to Jerusalem.\" He sought to procure workers for himself. He said to them, \"You (plural) bring up to me this stone to Jerusalem.\" He said to him, \"Give us our wages\", 100 gold pieces (\"Zahuvim\" lit., a type of gold-based currency), and we will bring your stone up to you, to Jerusalem.\" He said to them, \"And thus, from where will I have 100 gold pieces or 50 gold pieces to give to you all!?\" And he did not find for the hour, immediately they went to them. Immediately The Holy One Blessed Be He summoned to him 5 angels, with the appearance of the men (\"Sons of man\" lit.). They said to him, \"Our teacher/master, give to us 5 selas, and we will bring up your stone to Jerusalem, and only that you will give your hand with us. And he he gave his hand with them, and they were found standing in Jerusalem. He sought to give to them their wages, but he could not find them. The story came to the Chamber of Hewn Stone (the High Court). They said to him, \"Our teacher is similar to the ministering angels, they brought up your stone to Jerusalem!\" Immediately he gave to the Wise Men the wages that he was to pay with the angels." |
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73. Anon., Hekhalot Rabbati, 102-151, 158-160, 169, 183-184, 197-277, 305, 81-94, 97, 101
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74. Anon., Hekhalot Zutarti, 336-339, 344-346, 408-410, 335
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75. Anon., Merkava Rabba, 673
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