Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database

1763

Babylonian Talmud, Ketuvot, 66b

שחתן פוסק הוא פוסק פחות חומש:, the son-in-law pledges according to the amount of the dowry that the bride brings, he pledges one-fifth less in the marriage contract, which is the actual value of the property.,baraita to expand upon the mishna’s statement that the father is not required to give the second son-in-law the gift that he promised the first son-in-law, as follows. The Sages taught: Needless to say, this ruling applies when the first is a Torah scholar and the second is an ignoramus, since the father-in-law has a reason to refuse to give the second a dowry like the first. But even if the first is an ignoramus and the second is a Torah scholar, the father-in-law may say: To your brother, I wanted to give this dowry, but to you I do not want to give it, since the obligation incurred was to a specific individual.,The mishna discusses the relationship between the value of the dowry the bride brings in and the amount of money the groom records in the marriage contract, and various examples are illustrated, e.g., if the woman pledged to bring him one thousand dinars. The Gemara asks: These latter examples in the mishna are the same as the first clause of the mishna, and they all illustrate the same financial conditions. Why was it not sufficient to mention only the case of the thousand dinars? The Gemara explains: The tanna teaches about a large appraisal of her substantial property, and he also teaches about a small appraisal in a case where she has minimal property, to illustrate that there is no halakhic difference between them. Similarly, the tanna teaches about the husband’s own appraisal of how to assess how much she must provide, and he also teaches about the wife’s own initial appraisal that she did and the corresponding amount that he must write.,she pledged to bring him money and not articles to serve as a dowry, her sela, i.e., four dinars, becomes six dinars with respect to the husband’s obligation in the marriage contract. This follows the standard outlined in the previous mishna: The groom increases his obligation by one half since he will profit from this money. Additionally, the groom accepts upon himself to give ten dinars to the account for her needs, for each and every hundred dinars that she brings. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Everything is in accordance with the regional custom.,sela becomes six dinars, the Gemara asks: This is identical to that which was taught in the previous mishna, that if she brings one thousand dinars in her dowry, he pledges against them fifteen hundred dinars. Why does the mishna cite another example to demonstrate the same principle?,The Gemara responds: The tanna taught about large investment capital and taught about small investment capital. And it is necessary to relate to both situations, because if he taught only the case of large capital, which has abundant profit, you might think that only then does the husband add one-half. However, for small capital, which has small profit, you could say that this is not the case. Therefore, it is necessary to also state the principle in this mishna. And conversely, if the tanna had taught us only about small capital, then you might think that because it has little expense, one must add a half. However, with regard to large capital, for which there is abundant expense, you could say that the husband need not add as much. Therefore, it is necessary to state both cases to teach that the husband adds one-half to the sum in any case.,The mishna states that the son-in-law accepts upon himself to give ten dinars to the account. The Gemara asks: What is this account? Rav Ashi said: It is an account for expenses of perfumes and cosmetics. And Rav Ashi said: This statement was said only for women in Jerusalem, where the women are accustomed to using an abundance of perfume.,According to the mishna, the husband must give ten dinars for each and every hundred dinars that she brings. Rav Ashi raises a dilemma: Does this speak of each hundred dinars that are appraised in her dowry, or of each hundred dinars that are accepted by the husband in the marriage contract, which is the appraisal reduced by one-fifth?,If you say that the mishna speaks of each hundred dinars that is accepted, is the intent that he gives a one-time sum only on the first day or on each day? If you say that he gives it every day, does he give it only the first week of marriage or each week? If you say he gives it each week, does he give it only the first month or each month? If you say he gives it each month, does he give it only the first year of marriage or each year? The Gemara does not determine how the calculation must be rendered and with what frequency the husband is required to provide for her cosmetics, and the dilemmas shall stand unresolved.,§ Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: There was an incident involving the daughter of Nakdimon ben Guryon. When the Sages designated for her four hundred gold coins for her account of perfumes, from her late husband’s estate, for use on that same day, she blessed them and said to them: This is how you should also pledge for your own daughters, and they answered after her: Amen.,Apropos the daughter of Nakdimon ben Guryon, the Gemara relates what later became of her: The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai. When he was riding on a donkey and leaving Jerusalem, and his students were walking after him to learn from him, he saw a certain young woman who was gathering barley from among the dung of the animals of Arabs. She was so poor that she subsisted on the undigested barley within the dung. When she saw him, she wrapped herself in her hair, as she had nothing else with which to cover herself, and stood before him.,She said to him: My teacher, sustain me. He did not recognize her, so he said to her: My daughter, who are you? She said to him: I am the daughter of Nakdimon ben Guryon. He said to her: My daughter, the money of your father’s household, where did it go? How did you become so poor? She said to him: My teacher, is it not that they say such a proverb in Jerusalem: Salt for money is lacking [ḥaser]? There is nothing with which to preserve it and prevent it from being lost. And some say the proverb asserts that kindness [ḥesed] is salt for money, i.e., using money for acts of kindness preserves it. He continued to ask her: And the money of your father-in-law’s house, which was used properly, for benevolent acts, where is it? She said to him: This one came and destroyed that one; all the money was combined, and it was all lost together.,She said to him: My teacher, do you remember when you signed on my marriage contract? He said to his students: I remember that when I signed on the marriage contract of this woman, and I read in it, it listed a thousand thousands, i.e., one million gold dinars as a dowry from her father’s house, aside from that which was promised her from her father-in-law. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai cried and said: How fortunate are you, Israel, for when Israel performs the will of the Omnipresent, no nation or tongue can rule over them; and when Israel does not perform the will of the Omnipresent, He delivers them into the hand of a lowly nation. Not only are they delivered into the hand of a lowly nation, but even into the hand of the animals of a lowly nation, as in the pitiful instance of Nakdimon’s daughter.,The recorded incident implies that Nakdimon lost all of his wealth after having failed to use it for acts of kindness. The Gemara asks: And did not Nakdimon ben Guryon perform charity? Isn’t it taught in a baraita: They said about Nakdimon ben Guryon that when he would leave his home to go to the study hall, there were fine woolen garments his attendants would

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21 results
1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 28.48 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) 28.48. וְעָבַדְתָּ אֶת־אֹיְבֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ יְהוָה בָּךְ בְּרָעָב וּבְצָמָא וּבְעֵירֹם וּבְחֹסֶר כֹּל וְנָתַן עֹל בַּרְזֶל עַל־צַוָּארֶךָ עַד הִשְׁמִידוֹ אֹתָךְ׃ 28.48. therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy whom the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee."
2. Hebrew Bible, Numbers, 5.18 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) 5.18. וְהֶעֱמִיד הַכֹּהֵן אֶת־הָאִשָּׁה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וּפָרַע אֶת־רֹאשׁ הָאִשָּׁה וְנָתַן עַל־כַּפֶּיהָ אֵת מִנְחַת הַזִּכָּרוֹן מִנְחַת קְנָאֹת הִוא וּבְיַד הַכֹּהֵן יִהְיוּ מֵי הַמָּרִים הַמְאָרֲרִים׃ 5.18. And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse."
3. Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel, 10.1-10.9, 10.12, 10.14-10.19 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) 10.1. וּמַרְאֵיהֶם דְּמוּת אֶחָד לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הָאוֹפַן בְּתוֹךְ הָאוֹפָן׃ 10.1. וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אֶל־הָרָקִיעַ אֲשֶׁר עַל־רֹאשׁ הַכְּרֻבִים כְּאֶבֶן סַפִּיר כְּמַרְאֵה דְּמוּת כִּסֵּא נִרְאָה עֲלֵיהֶם׃ 10.2. וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּא אֶל־בֵּינוֹת לַגַּלְגַּל אֶל־תַּחַת לַכְּרוּב וּמַלֵּא חָפְנֶיךָ גַחֲלֵי־אֵשׁ מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרֻבִים וּזְרֹק עַל־הָעִיר וַיָּבֹא לְעֵינָי׃ 10.2. הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי תַּחַת אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר וָאֵדַע כִּי כְרוּבִים הֵמָּה׃ 10.3. וְהַכְּרֻבִים עֹמְדִים מִימִין לַבַּיִת בְּבֹאוֹ הָאִישׁ וְהֶעָנָן מָלֵא אֶת־הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית׃ 10.4. וַיָּרָם כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה מֵעַל הַכְּרוּב עַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיִּמָּלֵא הַבַּיִת אֶת־הֶעָנָן וְהֶחָצֵר מָלְאָה אֶת־נֹגַהּ כְּבוֹד יְהוָה׃ 10.5. וְקוֹל כַּנְפֵי הַכְּרוּבִים נִשְׁמַע עַד־הֶחָצֵר הַחִיצֹנָה כְּקוֹל אֵל־שַׁדַּי בְּדַבְּרוֹ׃ 10.6. וַיְהִי בְּצַוֺּתוֹ אֶת־הָאִישׁ לְבֻשׁ־הַבַּדִּים לֵאמֹר קַח אֵשׁ מִבֵּינוֹת לַגַּלְגַּל מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרוּבִים וַיָּבֹא וַיַּעֲמֹד אֵצֶל הָאוֹפָן׃ 10.7. וַיִּשְׁלַח הַכְּרוּב אֶת־יָדוֹ מִבֵּינוֹת לַכְּרוּבִים אֶל־הָאֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר בֵּינוֹת הַכְּרֻבִים וַיִּשָּׂא וַיִּתֵּן אֶל־חָפְנֵי לְבֻשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיִּקַּח וַיֵּצֵא׃ 10.8. וַיֵּרָא לַכְּרֻבִים תַּבְנִית יַד־אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם׃ 10.9. וָאֶרְאֶה וְהִנֵּה אַרְבָּעָה אוֹפַנִּים אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּבִים אוֹפַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וְאוֹפַן אֶחָד אֵצֶל הַכְּרוּב אֶחָד וּמַרְאֵה הָאוֹפַנִּים כְּעֵין אֶבֶן תַּרְשִׁישׁ׃ 10.12. וְכָל־בְּשָׂרָם וְגַבֵּהֶם וִידֵיהֶם וְכַנְפֵיהֶם וְהָאוֹפַנִּים מְלֵאִים עֵינַיִם סָבִיב לְאַרְבַּעְתָּם אוֹפַנֵּיהֶם׃ 10.14. וְאַרְבָּעָה פָנִים לְאֶחָד פְּנֵי הָאֶחָד פְּנֵי הַכְּרוּב וּפְנֵי הַשֵּׁנִי פְּנֵי אָדָם וְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי פְּנֵי אַרְיֵה וְהָרְבִיעִי פְּנֵי־נָשֶׁר׃ 10.15. וַיֵּרֹמּוּ הַכְּרוּבִים הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי בִּנְהַר־כְּבָר׃ 10.16. וּבְלֶכֶת הַכְּרוּבִים יֵלְכוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים אֶצְלָם וּבִשְׂאֵת הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם לָרוּם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ לֹא־יִסַּבּוּ הָאוֹפַנִּים גַּם־הֵם מֵאֶצְלָם׃ 10.17. בְּעָמְדָם יַעֲמֹדוּ וּבְרוֹמָם יֵרוֹמּוּ אוֹתָם כִּי רוּחַ הַחַיָּה בָּהֶם׃ 10.18. וַיֵּצֵא כְּבוֹד יְהוָה מֵעַל מִפְתַּן הַבָּיִת וַיַּעֲמֹד עַל־הַכְּרוּבִים׃ 10.19. וַיִּשְׂאוּ הַכְּרוּבִים אֶת־כַּנְפֵיהֶם וַיֵּרוֹמּוּ מִן־הָאָרֶץ לְעֵינַי בְּצֵאתָם וְהָאוֹפַנִּים לְעֻמָּתָם וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח שַׁעַר בֵּית־יְהוָה הַקַּדְמוֹנִי וּכְבוֹד אֱלֹהֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהֶם מִלְמָעְלָה׃ 10.1. Then I looked, and, behold, upon the firmament that was over the head of the cherubim, there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne." 10.2. And He spoke unto the man clothed in linen, and said: ‘Go in between the wheelwork, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and dash them against the city.’ And he went in in my sight." 10.3. Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court." 10.4. And the glory of the LORD mounted up from the cherub to the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’S glory." 10.5. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when He speaketh." 10.6. And it came to pass, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying: ‘Take fire from between the wheelwork, from between the cherubim’, that he went in, and stood beside a wheel." 10.7. And the cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out." 10.8. And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings." 10.9. And I looked, and behold four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone." 10.12. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had." 10.14. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle." 10.15. And the cherubim mounted up—this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar." 10.16. And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them." 10.17. When they stood, these stood, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creature was in them." 10.18. And the glory of the LORD went forth from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim." 10.19. And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went forth, and the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’S house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above."
4. Hebrew Bible, Haggai, 1.1 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) 1.1. עַל־כֵּן עֲלֵיכֶם כָּלְאוּ שָמַיִם מִטָּל וְהָאָרֶץ כָּלְאָה יְבוּלָהּ׃ 1.1. בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשִּׁשִּׁי בְּיוֹם אֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהוָה בְּיַד־חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל פַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְאֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל לֵאמֹר׃ 1.1. In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying:
5. Anon., 2 Baruch, 2.1 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
6. Josephus Flavius, Jewish War, 5.420, 6.113-6.118 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE) 6.113. yet did that discourse influence a great many of the better sort; and truly some of them were so afraid of the guards sent by the seditious, that they tarried where they were, but still were satisfied that both they and the city were doomed to destruction. Some also there were who, watching for a proper opportunity when they might quietly get away, fled to the Romans 6.114. of whom were the high priests Joseph and Jesus, and of the sons of high priests three, whose father was Ishmael, who was beheaded in Cyrene, and four sons of Matthias, as also one son of the other Matthias, who ran away after his father’s death, and whose father was slain by Simon the son of Gioras, with three of his sons, as I have already related; many also of the other nobility went over to the Romans, together with the high priests. 6.115. Now Caesar not only received these men very kindly in other respects, but, knowing they would not willingly live after the customs of other nations, he sent them to Gophna, and desired them to remain there for the present, and told them, that when he was gotten clear of this war, he would restore each of them to their possessions again; 6.116. o they cheerfully retired to that small city which was allotted them, without fear of any danger. But as they did not appear, the seditious gave out again that these deserters were slain by the Romans,—which was done in order to deter the rest from running away, by fear of the like treatment. 6.117. This trick of theirs succeeded now for a while, as did the like trick before; for the rest were hereby deterred from deserting, by fear of the like treatment. 6.118. 3. However, when Titus had recalled those men from Gophna, he gave orders that they should go round the wall, together with Josephus, and show themselves to the people; upon which a great many fled to the Romans.
7. New Testament, James, 5.16 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE) 5.16. Confess your offenses to one another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effective, earnest prayer of a righteous man is powerfully effective.
8. New Testament, Luke, 21.21 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE) 21.21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein.
9. Tosefta, Avodah Zarah, 3.9-3.10 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
10. Tosefta, Demai, 2.15-2.17 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
11. Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah, 39a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 39a. התם ידיע ממשו הכא לא ידיע ממשן:,וטרית טרופה וציר שאין בה דגה וכו': מאי חילק אמר רב נחמן בר אבא אמר רב זו סולתנית ומפני מה אסורה מפני שערבונה עולה עמה:,תנו רבנן אין לו עכשיו ועתיד לגדל לאחר זמן כגון הסולתנית והעפיץ הרי זה מותר יש לו עכשיו ועתיד להשיר בשעה שעולה מן הים כגון אקונס ואפונס כטספטייס ואכספטייס ואוטנס מותר,אכריז רבי אבהו בקיסרי קירבי דגים ועוברן ניקחין מכל אדם חזקתן אינן באים אלא מפלוסא ואספמיא כי הא דאמר אביי האי צחנתא דבב נהרא שריא,מ"ט אילימא משום דרדיפי מיא והאי דג טמא כיון דלית ליה חוט השדרה בדוכתא דרדיפי מיא לא מצי קאי והא קא חזינן דקאי,אלא משום דמליחי מיא והאי דג טמא כיון דלית ליה קלפי בדוכתא דמליחי מיא לא מצי קאי והא קחזינן דקאי אלא משום דלא מרבה טינא דג טמא אמר רבינא האידנא דקא שפכי ביה נהר גוזא ונהר גמדא אסירי,אמר אביי האי חמרא דימא שרי תורא דימא אסיר וסימניך טמא טהור טהור טמא,אמר רב אשי שפר נונא שרי קדש נונא אסיר וסימניך (שמות טז, כג) קדש לה' איכא דאמרי קבר נונא אסור וסימניך קברי עובדי כוכבים,רבי עקיבא איקלע לגינזק אייתו לקמיה ההוא נונא דהוה דמי לחיפושא חפייה בדיקולא חזא ביה קלפי ושרייה רב אשי איקלע לטמדוריא אייתו לקמיה ההוא נונא דהוה דמי לצלופחא נקטיה להדי יומא חזא דהוה ביה צימחי ושרייה,רב אשי איקלע לההוא אתרא אייתו לקמיה נונא דהוי דמי לשפרנונא חפייה במשיכלי חיורי חזא ביה קלפי ושרייה רבה בר בר חנה איקלע לאקרא דאגמא קריבו ליה צחנתא שמעיה לההוא גברא דהוה קרי ליה באטי,אמר מדקא קרי ליה באטי ש"מ דבר טמא אית ביה לא אכל מיניה לצפרא עיין בה אשכח ביה דבר טמא קרי אנפשיה (משלי יב, כא) לא יאונה לצדיק כל און:,והקורט של חילתית: מ"ט משום דמפסקי ליה בסכינא אע"ג דאמר מר נותן טעם לפגם מותר אגב חורפיה דחילתיתא מחליא ליה שמנוניתא והוה ליה כנותן טעם לשבח ואסור,עבדיה דר' לוי הוה קא מזבין חילתיתא כי נח נפשיה דר' לוי אתו לקמיה דרבי יוחנן אמרו ליה מהו למיזבן מיניה אמר להו עבדו של חבר הרי הוא כחבר,רב הונא בר מניומי זבן תכילתא מאנשי דביתיה דרב עמרם חסידא אתא לקמיה דרב יוסף לא הוה בידיה,פגע ביה חנן חייטא א"ל יוסף עניא מנא ליה בדידי הוה עובדא דזביני תכילתא מאנשי דביתיה דרבנאה אחוה דר' חייא בר אבא ואתאי לקמיה דרב מתנא לא הוה בידיה אתאי לקמיה דרב יהודה מהגרוניא אמר לי נפלת ליד הכי אמר שמואל אשת חבר הרי היא כחבר,תנינא להא דת"ר אשת חבר הרי היא כחבר עבדו של חבר הרי הוא כחבר חבר שמת אשתו ובניו ובני ביתו הרי הן בחזקתן עד שיחשדו וכן חצר שמוכרין בה תכלת הרי הן בחזקתן עד שתיפסל,ת"ר אשת עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן בתו של עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן עבדו של עם הארץ שנמכר לחבר כולן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות אבל אשת חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן בתו של חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן עבדו של חבר שנמכר לעם הארץ אינן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות לכתחלה דברי ר"מ,ר' יהודה אומר אף הן צריכין לקבל דברי חברות לכתחלה וכן היה ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר מעשה באשה אחת שנשאת לחבר והיתה קושרת לו תפילין על ידו נשאת למוכס והיתה קושרת לו קשרי מוכס על ידו,אמר רב חבי"ת אסור בחותם אחד חמפ"ג מותר בחותם אחד חלב בשר יין תכלת 39a. The Gemara explains: bThere, the substance ofthe wine bis a recognizablecomponent of the fish stew; bhere, its substance is not a recognizablecomponent of the pickled vegetables.,§ The mishna teaches: bAnd minced itarit /ifish, band brine that does not havea ikilbit bfishfloating in it, and iḥilakare all prohibited. The Gemara asks: bWhatis iḥilak /i? Rav Naḥman bar Abba saysthat bRav says: This is isultanit /i,a type of small fish that is generally caught before its scales have developed. bAnd for whatreason bis it prohibited?It is bbecause itssize causes it to be bintermingledwith other fish, and as a result isultanit brisesout of the water bwithnon-kosher fish when bitis caught., bThe Sages taught:If a fish bdoes not currently possessscales bbut will growthem baftera period of btime, such as the isultanitand iafiyatz /ifish, bit is permitted.Likewise, if bit hasscales bnow but will shedthem bwhen itis caught and brises from the sea, such as iakunasand iafuna /i, iketasfatiyasand iakhsaftiyasand iotanas /ifish, it is bpermitted. /b, bRabbi Abbahu announced in Caesarea: Fish entrails and their eggs may be purchased from any person,as bthe presumption with regard to themis that bthey come only from Pelusium [ iPilusa /i] and Spain [ iAspamya /i],and non-kosher fish are not found in those areas. This is bsimilar to that which Abaye says: These small fish [ itzaḥanta /i] of the Bav River are permitted,as non-kosher fish are not found in that river.,The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat Abaye unequivocally permitted eating these fish and was not concerned about the potential presence of non-kosher fish among them? bIf we saythat it is bdue tothe fact bthatthe bwater flows rapidly, and these non-kosher fish, since they do not have a spinal cord, are not able to exist in a place where the water flows rapidly,as the current carries the non-kosher fish out of the Bav River, and consequently all the remaining fish are kosher, that is not the case, bsince we see thatnon-kosher fish bexistin rivers with strong currents., bRather,perhaps Abaye permitted the fish bbecausethe bwater is salty, and these non-kosher fish are not able to exist in a place of salty water since they do not have scales.This, too, is not the case, bsince we see thatnon-kosher fish bexistin salty water. bRather,Abaye permitted the small fish in the Bav River bbecausethe bmudin that river bis notsuitable for bnon-kosher fishto breproduce.The conditions in the river render it an unproductive habitat for non-kosher fish. bRavina says: Nowadays, asthe government built canals between the rivers, and the bGoza River andthe bGamda River spill intothe Bav and carry non-kosher fish there, it is bprohibitedto eat the small fish without thorough inspection.,The Gemara cites several other statements of iamora’imthat concern the halakhic status of fish. bAbaye says: Thiscreature known as the bsea donkey [ iḥamara deyamma /i]is bpermitted;the creature known as the bsea ox [ itora deyamma /i]is bprohibited, and your mnemonicto remember this ihalakhais: bImpure is pure,and bpure is impure,i.e., the name of an animal which is non-kosher on land is kosher in the sea, and that which is kosher on land is non-kosher in the sea., bRav Ashi said:The type of fish known as ishefar nuna /iis bpermitted,and the type of fish known as ikadesh nuna /iis bprohibited, and your mnemonicto remember this ihalakhais: That which is bholy [ ikodesh /i]is bto the Lord,and not for humans. And bsome saythat Rav Ashi said: The type of fish known as ikevar nuna /iis bprohibited, and your mnemonicis: The grave [ ikever /i] is impure like the bgraves of gentiles. /b,The Gemara relates several incidents involving Sages and their rulings with regard to fish. bRabbi Akiva happenedto come bto Ginzakand bthey brought before him a certain fish that was similar to a iḥippusha /i,a non-kosher aquatic creature. When bhe enclosed it in a basket he sawthat bithad bscaleswhich it shed as it struggled to escape from the basket, band he permitted iton that basis. bRav Ashi happenedto come bto Tamduriawhere bthey brought before him a certain fish that was similar to an eel [ itzelofḥa /i]. He took it outand held it bagainstthe light of bdayand bsaw that there were thin scales on it, and he permitted it. /b, bRav Ashialso bhappenedto come bto a certain landwhere bthey brought before him a fish that was similar to a ishefarnuna /i. He enclosed it in a white vesseland bsawthat bitshed dark bscales,which he could see against the white background of the container, band he permitted it. Rabba bar bar Ḥana happenedto come bto Akra DeAgmaand bthey brought himsome itzaḥanta /i,a dish prepared from small fish. bHe heard a certain man calling it ibatei /i,the name of a non-kosher sea creature.,Rabba bar bar Ḥana bsaidto himself: bFromthe fact bthat he called it ibatei /i,I can bconclude fromhere that bthere is a non-kosher substance inthe itzaḥanta /i. And bhe did not eat from itthat night. bIn the morning, he examinedthe dish and in fact bfound a non-kosher substance in it. He readthe following verse babout himself: “No sin shall befall the righteous”(Proverbs 12:21).,§ The mishna teaches: bAnd a sliver of iḥiltit /imay not be consumed, although one may derive benefit from it. The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat it is prohibited? It is bbecause they slice it with a knifeon which there is presumably non-kosher residue. And beven though the Master saidthat a prohibited substance that bimparts flavor tothe bdetrimentof the mixture is bpermitted,that principle does not apply in this case because bas a result of the sharpness of the iḥiltit /i,the act of slicing it with a knife bsweetens,i.e., enhances, the taste of bthenon-kosher bresidue. Andthere-fore bit is likea prohibited substance that bimparts flavor tothe benhancementof the mixture, bandit is bprohibited. /b,The Gemara relates that the gentile bslave of Rabbi Levi would sell iḥiltit /i,and it was permitted to purchase it from him as he was the slave of a Sage. bWhen Rabbi Levi passed away, they came before Rabbi Yoḥaand bsaid to him:Now that Rabbi Levi has passed, bwhat isthe ihalakhawith regard to whether or not it is permitted bto purchase iḥiltit bfrom hisgentile slave? Rabbi Yoḥa bsaid to them: The slave of a iḥaver /i,one devoted to the meticulous observance of mitzvot, especially ihalakhotof ritual purity, iteruma /i, and tithes, bis as a iḥaver /ihimself, and therefore it is permitted to buy iḥiltitfrom him.,The Gemara relates another incident that involves the status of a iḥaverand his household. bRav Huna bar Minyumi purchased sky-blue dye [ itekhelta /i] from the people of the household,i.e., the wife, bof Rav Amram the pious.One may purchase sky-blue dye for ritual fringes only from a reliable individual, as it is easy to counterfeit it. Rav Huna then bcame before Rav Yosefto ask if he could rely on her assurance that it was usable for the mitzva. The answer bwas not available toRav Yosef.,Later, bḤa the tailor happened tomeet Rav Huna, and bhe said to him: From wherecould bpoorRav bYosef have known the answer to this question? Ḥa continued: bThere was an incident in which Iwas involved, bas I purchased sky-blue dye from the people of the household,i.e., the wife, bof Rabena’a, brother of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, and I came before Rav Mattanato ask him the same question, and the answer bwas not available to himeither. bIthen bcame before Rav Yehuda of Hagronya,who bsaid to me: You have fallen intomy bhand,i.e., I am the only one who can answer your question. bThisis what bShmuel says: The wife of a iḥaverisherself considered blike a iḥaver /i,and you may therefore rely on her statement.,The Gemara comments: bWe learnhere bthat which the Sages taughtexplicitly in a ibaraita /i: bThe wife of a iḥaveris like a iḥaver /i; the slave of a iḥaveris like a iḥaver /i.Furthermore, with regard to ba iḥaverthat died, his wife and children and members of his household remain in their presumptivestatus buntil they are suspectedof engaging in inappropriate deeds. bAnd similarly,with regard to ba courtyard in which they sell sky-blue dye, it remains in its presumptivestatus as a place in which kosher sky-blue dye is sold buntil it is disqualifieddue to unscrupulous behavior., bThe Sages taught: The wife of one who is not careful to keep the particulars of certain ihalakhot[ iam ha’aretz /i], wholater bmarries a iḥaver /i, and likewise the daughter of an iam ha’aretzwho marries a iḥaver /i, and likewise the slave of an iam ha’aretzwho is sold to a iḥaver /i, must all acceptupon themselves the commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus. But the wife of a iḥaverwholater bmarries an iam ha’aretz /i, and likewise the daughter of a iḥaverwho marries an iam ha’aretz /i, and likewise the slave of a iḥaverwho was sold to an iam ha’aretz /i,these people bneed not acceptupon themselves the commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus iab initio /i.This is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. /b, bRabbi Yehuda says: They too must acceptupon themselves the commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus iab initio /i. And similarly, Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar wouldillustrate this point and bsay:There was ban incident involving a certain woman who married a iḥaverand would tie for him phylacteries on his hand,and she later bmarried a tax collector and would tie for him tax-seals on his hand,which shows that her new husband had a great influence on her level of piety.,§ bRav says:The substances represented by the acronym iḥet /i, ibeit /i, iyod /i, itavare prohibitedif they were deposited with a gentile while they were sealed bwithonly bone seal.Those represented by the acronym iḥet /i, ibeit /i, ipeh /i, igimmelare permittedif they were deposited with a gentile while they were sealed bwith one seal.The Gemara elaborates: bMilk [ iḥalav /i], meat [ ibasar /i], wine [ iyayin /i],and bsky-blue dye [ itekhelet /i] /b
12. Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot, 30b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 30b. חשוד על המעשר ומאן חכמים ר' יהודה וחד אמר החשוד על המעשר חשוד על השביעית ומאן חכמים ר' מאיר,דתניא עם הארץ שקיבל עליו דברי חבירות ונחשד לדבר אחד נחשד לכל התורה כולה דברי רבי מאיר וחכמים אומרים אינו נחשד אלא לאותו דבר בלבד,הגר שקיבל עליו דברי תורה אפי' נחשד לדבר אחד הוי חשוד לכל התורה כולה והרי הוא כישראל משומד נפקא מינה דאי קדיש קידושיו קידושין,ת"ר הבא לקבל דברי חבירות חוץ מדבר אחד אין מקבלין אותו עובד כוכבים שבא לקבל דברי תורה חוץ מדבר אחד אין מקבלין אותו ר' יוסי בר' יהודה אומר אפי' דקדוק אחד מדברי סופרים,וכן בן לוי שבא לקבל דברי לויה וכהן שבא לקבל דברי כהונה חוץ מדבר אחד אין מקבלין אותו שנאמר (ויקרא ז, לג) המקריב את דם השלמים וגו' העבודה המסורה לבני אהרן כל כהן שאינו מודה בה אין לו חלק בכהונה,ת"ר הבא לקבל דברי חבירות אם ראינוהו שנוהג בצינעה בתוך ביתו מקבלין אותו ואחר כך מלמדין אותו ואם לאו מלמדין אותו ואחר כך מקבלין אותו ר"ש בן יוחי אומר בין כך ובין כך מקבלין אותו והוא למד כדרכו והולך:,ת"ר מקבלין לכנפים ואח"כ מקבלין לטהרות ואם אמר איני מקבל אלא לכנפים מקבלין אותו קיבל לטהרות ולא קיבל לכנפים אף לטהרות לא קיבל:,ת"ר עד כמה מקבלין אותו בית שמאי אומרים למשקין שלשים יום לכסות שנים עשר חודש ובית הלל אומרים אחד זה ואחד זה לשנים עשר חודש,אם כן הוה ליה מקולי בית שמאי ומחומרי בית הלל אלא בית הלל אומרים אחד זה ואחד זה לשלשים:,(סימן חב"ר תלמי"ד תכל"ת מכ"ם חז"ר גבא"י בעצמ"ו),תנו רבנן הבא לקבל דברי חבירות צריך לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים ובניו ובני ביתו אינן צריכין לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר אף בניו ובני ביתו צריכין לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים לפי שאינו דומה חבר שקיבל לבן חבר שקיבל:,תנו רבנן הבא לקבל דברי חבירות צריך לקבל בפני ג' חבירים ואפילו תלמיד חכם צריך לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים זקן ויושב בישיבה אינו צריך לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים שכבר קיבל עליו משעה שישב אבא שאול אומר אף תלמיד חכם אינו צריך לקבל בפני שלשה חבירים ולא עוד אלא שאחרים מקבלין לפניו,אמר רבי יוחנן בימי בנו של רבי חנינא בן אנטיגנוס נשנית משנה זו רבי יהודה ור' יוסי איסתפק להו מילתא בטהרות שדרו רבנן לגבי בנו של ר' חנינא בן אנטיגנוס אזילו אמרו ליה לעיין בה אשכחוה דקא טעין טהרות אותיב רבנן מדידיה לגבייהו וקאי איהו לעיוני בה,אתו אמרי ליה לר' יהודה ור' יוסי אמר להו ר' יהודה אביו של זה ביזה תלמידי חכמים אף הוא מבזה תלמידי חכמים,אמר לו ר' יוסי כבוד זקן יהא מונח במקומו אלא מיום שחרב בית המקדש נהגו כהנים סילסול בעצמן שאין מוסרין את הטהרות לכל אדם:,תנו רבנן חבר שמת אשתו ובניו ובני ביתו הרי הן בחזקתן עד שיחשדו וכן חצר שמוכרין בה תכלת הרי היא בחזקתה עד שתיפסל:,תנו רבנן אשת עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן בתו של עם הארץ שנשאת לחבר וכן עבדו של עם הארץ שנמכר לחבר כולן צריכין לקבל דברי חבירות בתחלה אבל אשת חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן בתו של חבר שנשאת לעם הארץ וכן עבדו של חבר שנמכר לעם הארץ אין צריכין לקבל דברי חבירות בתחלה,ר"מ אומר אף הן צריכין לקבל עליהן דברי חבירות לכתחלה ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר משום ר"מ מעשה באשה אחת שנשאת לחבר והיתה קומעת לו תפילין על ידו נשאת לעם הארץ והיתה קושרת לו קשרי מוכס על ידו: 30b. is bsuspect with regard to tithe. And whoare the Sages referred to here as bthe Rabbis?It is bRabbi Yehuda,as in his locale they treated the prohibition of produce of the Sabbatical Year stringently. bAndthe other bone says: One who is suspect with regard to tithe is suspect with regard toproduce of the bSabbaticalYear. bAnd whoare the Sages referred to here as bthe Rabbis?It is bRabbi Meir. /b, bAs it is taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta /i, iDemai2:4): With regard to ban iam ha’aretz /i,i.e., one who is unreliable with regard to ritual impurity and tithes, bwho accepts upon himselfthe commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus,i.e., that he will be stringent in all matters observed by iḥaverim /i, including iteruma /i, tithes, and iḥalla /i, and also undertake to eat only food that is ritually pure, and the Sages accepted him as trustworthy bbutsubsequently he bwas suspected with regard to one matterin which others saw him act improperly, bhe is suspected with regard to the entire Torah.This is the bstatement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say: He is suspected only with regard to that particular matter. /b,It is also taught in a ibaraita( iTosefta /i, iDemai2:4): With regard to ba convert who accepted upon himselfupon his conversion bmatters of Torah,i.e., all of the mitzvot, beven if he is suspect with regard to one matteralone, bhe is suspect with regard to the entire Torah, and he isconsidered blike a Jewish transgressor [ imeshummad /i],who habitually transgresses the mitzvot. The Gemara explains that the practical bdifferenceresulting from the fact that he is considered like a Jewish transgressor is bthat if he betrothsa woman, bhis betrothal isa valid bbetrothal,and they are married. Although he is suspect with regard to the entire Torah, he does not return to his prior gentile status., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: In the case of bone who comes to accept upon himselfthe commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus except for one matter,which he does not wish to observe, bhe is not accepted,and he is not trustworthy even with regard to those matters that he does wish to accept upon himself. Likewise, in the case of ba gentile who comes toconvert and takes upon himself to baccept the words of Torah except for one matter, he is not acceptedas a convert. bRabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Evenif he refuses to accept bone detail of rabbinic law,he is not accepted.,The ibaraitacontinues: bAnd similarly,in the case of ba Levite who comes to accept the matters of a Levite, or a priest who comes to accept the matters of priesthood, except for one matter, he is not accepted. As it is stated:“He among the sons of Aaron, bthat sacrifices the blood of the peace offerings,and the fat, shall have the right thigh for a portion” (Leviticus 7:33). This means that with regard to btheTemple bservice, which is handedover bto the sons of Aaron, any priest who does not admit to itin its entirety bhas no share in the priesthood. /b,The Gemara continues on a similar topic. bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: In the case of bone who comes to accept upon himselfa commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus, if we have seen that he practicessuch matters bin private, within his home, he is accepted, and afterward he is taughtthe precise details of being a iḥaver /i. bBut ifwe have bnotseen him act as a iḥaverin his home, bhe is taughtfirst band afterward accepted. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Whetherin bthiscase bor thatcase, bhe isfirst baccepted, and hethen bcontinues to learn inthe busual manner,i.e., as a iḥaverhe learns from others how to behave., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: An iam ha’aretzwho wishes to become a iḥaver bis acceptedfirst bwith regard to hands,i.e., he is presumed to be stringent concerning the ritual purity of his hands by making sure to wash his hands before handling pure items, band afterward he is acceptedas trustworthy bfor purityin general. bAnd if he says: Iwish to bacceptpurity bonly with regard to hands, he is acceptedfor this. If he wishes to bacceptupon himself the stringencies of a iḥaver bwith regard to ritual purity but he does not acceptupon himself the stringencies bwith regard to hands,i.e., to wash his hands, which is a simple act, bhe is not accepted even for purityin general., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bUntil when is he accepted,i.e., how much time must elapse before he is considered trustworthy as a iḥaver /i? bBeit Shammai say: With regard to liquids, thirty days. With regard toimpurity of bclothing,about which iḥaverimwould be careful as well, btwelve months. And Beit Hillel say: Bothwith regard to bthis,liquids, band that,clothing, he must maintain the practice bfor twelve monthsbefore he is fully accepted as a iḥaver /i.,The Gemara raises a difficulty: bIf so, this isone bofthe rare cases of bthe leniencies of Beit Shammai and of the stringencies of Beit Hillel,and yet it is not included in tractate iEduyyot /i, which lists all of the cases where Beit Shammai are more lenient than Beit Hillel. bRather,the text of the ibaraitamust be emended so that it reads: bBeit Hillel say: Bothwith regard to bthis,liquids band that,clothing, he must maintain the practice bfor thirtydays before he is fully accepted as a iḥaver /i.,§ The Gemara provides ba mnemonicto remember the topics from here until the end of the chapter: iḤaver /i; student; sky-blue dye [ itekhelet /i]; tax; return;tax bcollector; by himself. /b, bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne who comes to accept upon himselfa commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus must acceptit bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i. But his children andthe bmembers of his household are not required to acceptthe status of iḥaverseparately bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Even his children andthe bmembers of his household must acceptthe status of iḥaver bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i, because a iḥaver /i, who accepted ithimself in the presence of three others, bis not comparable to the son of a iḥaver /i,who bacceptedthat status only due to his father but did not accept it himself explicitly, and their accepting the status not in the presence of three people is insufficient., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne who comes to accept upon himselfa commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus must acceptit bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i, and even a Torah scholarwho wishes to become a iḥaver bmust acceptthe status of iḥaver bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i.But ban elder who sitsand studies Torah bin a yeshiva is not required to acceptthe status of iḥaver bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i, as he already accepted it upon himself from the moment he satand dedicated himself to study Torah in yeshiva. bAbba Shaul says: Even a Torah scholar is not required to acceptthe status of iḥaver bin the presence of three iḥaverim /i; and not onlydoes he have the status of iḥaverwithout an explicit declaration in the presence of three iḥaverim /i, bbut otherscan bacceptthat they wish to become a iḥaver bin his presence. /b, bRabbi Yoḥa says: This mishna,i.e., the ruling that a Torah scholar must declare his intent to become a iḥaverin the presence of three iḥaverim /i, bwas taught in the days of the son of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus.At that time, bRabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei were uncertain abouta certain bmatter of ritual purity. The Sages senta delegation of their students bto the son of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonusand told them to bgoand btell him to examinethis matter. The students bfound him while he was carryingitems that were ritually bpure.The son of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus bseated Sages from his ownyeshiva bnext tothe students who came to ask the question, because he did not trust these students to keep his items pure. bAnd he stood and examinedthe matter.,The students returned and bcame and told Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yoseithat the son of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus had treated them as though they had the status of iamei ha’aretz /i. bRabbi Yehuda said to themin anger: bThis one’s father,i.e., Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus, bdegraded Torah scholarsby not trusting them with matters of ritual purity. And bhe too,the son of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Antigonus, bdegrades Torah scholars. /b, bRabbi Yosei said to him: Let the honor of the elder,i.e., both the father and son, bbe left in its place.He did not act in this manner to degrade Torah scholars. bRather, from the day the Temple was destroyed, the priests were accustomed to act with a higher standard for themselves,and they decided bthat they will not pass ritually pureitems bto anyother bperson.Therefore, the son of Rabbi Ḥanina, as a priest, acted appropriately., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: In the case of ba iḥaverthat died, his wife and children and members of his household retain their presumptivestatus buntil they are suspectedof engaging in inappropriate deeds. bAnd similarly,in the case of ba courtyard in which one sells sky-blue dye, it retains its presumptivestatus as a place in which fit sky-blue dye is sold buntil it is disqualifieddue to the merchant’s unscrupulous behavior., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bTheformer bwife an iam ha’aretzwholater bmarries a iḥaver /i, and likewise the daughter of an iam ha’aretzwho marries a iḥaver /i, and likewise the slave of an iam ha’aretzwho is sold to a iḥaver /i, must all acceptupon themselves a commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus. Butwith regard to btheformer bwife of a iḥaverwholater bmarries an iam ha’aretz /i, and likewise the daughter of a iḥaverwho marries an iam ha’aretz /i, and likewise the slave of a iḥaverwho was sold to an iam ha’aretz /i,these people bneed not acceptupon themselves a commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus iab initio /i,as each of them is already accustomed to behave as a iḥaver /i.,The ibaraitacontinues: bRabbi Meir says: They too must acceptupon themselves a commitment to observe bthe mattersassociated with iḥaverstatus iab initio /i. And similarly, Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar wouldillustrate this point and bsay in the name of Rabbi Meir:There was ban incident involving a certain woman who married a iḥaverand would tie [ ikoma’at /i] for him phylacteries on his hand,and she later bmarried a tax collector and would tie for him tax seals on his hand,which shows that her new husband had a great influence on her level of piety.
13. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, 47b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 47b. (במדבר יח, כח) מכל מעשרותיכם תרימו ומה ראית האי אידגן והאי לא אידגן:,מעשר שני והקדש שנפדו: פשיטא הב"ע כגון שנתן את הקרן ולא נתן את החומש והא קמ"ל דאין חומש מעכב:,השמש שאכל כזית: פשיטא מהו דתימא שמש לא קבע קמ"ל:,והכותי מזמנין עליו: אמאי לא יהא אלא עם הארץ ותניא אין מזמנין על ע"ה,אביי אמר בכותי חבר רבא אמר אפילו תימא בכותי ע"ה והכא בע"ה דרבנן דפליגי עליה דר' מאיר עסקינן דתניא איזהו ע"ה כל שאינו אוכל חוליו בטהרה דברי ר"מ וחכמים אומרים כל שאינו מעשר פירותיו כראוי והני כותאי עשורי מעשרי כדחזי דבמאי דכתיב באורייתא מזהר זהירי דאמר מר כל מצוה שהחזיקו בה כותים הרבה מדקדקין בה יותר מישראל,ת"ר איזהו ע"ה כל שאינו קורא ק"ש ערבית ושחרית דברי ר' אליעזר רבי יהושע אומר כל שאינו מניח תפילין בן עזאי אומר כל שאין לו ציצית בבגדו ר' נתן אומר כל שאין מזוזה על פתחו ר' נתן בר יוסף אומר כל שיש לו בנים ואינו מגדלם לת"ת אחרים אומרים אפי' קרא ושנה ולא שמש ת"ח הרי זה ע"ה א"ר הונא הלכה כאחרים,רמי בר חמא לא אזמין עליה דרב מנשיא בר תחליפא דתני ספרא וספרי והלכתא כי נח נפשיה דרמי בר חמא אמר רבא לא נח נפשיה דרמי בר חמא אלא דלא אזמין ארב מנשיא בר תחליפא והתניא אחרים אומרים אפילו קרא ושנה ולא שמש ת"ח הרי זה ע"ה שאני רב מנשיא בר תחליפא דמשמע להו לרבנן ורמי בר חמא הוא דלא דק אבתריה ל"א דשמע שמעתתא מפומייהו דרבנן וגריס להו כצורבא מרבנן דמי:,אכל טבל ומעשר וכו': טבל פשיטא לא צריכא בטבל טבול מדרבנן ה"ד בעציץ שאינו נקוב:,מעשר ראשון כו': פשיטא לא צריכא כגון שהקדימו בכרי מהו דתימא כדאמר ליה רב פפא לאביי קמ"ל כדשני ליה:,מעשר שני וכו': פשיטא לא צריכא שנפדו ולא נפדו כהלכתן מעשר שני כגון שפדאו על גבי אסימון ורחמנא אמר (דברים יד, כה) וצרת הכסף בידך כסף שיש (לו) עליו צורה הקדש שחללו על גבי קרקע ולא פדאו בכסף ורחמנא אמר (ויקרא כז, יט) ונתן הכסף וקם לו:,והשמש שאכל פחות מכזית: פשיטא איידי דתנא רישא כזית תנא סיפא פחות מכזית:,והנכרי אין מזמנין עליו: פשיטא הכא במאי עסקינן בגר שמל ולא טבל דאמר רבי זירא א"ר יוחנן לעולם אינו גר עד שימול ויטבול וכמה דלא טבל נכרי הוא:,נשים ועבדים וקטנים אין מזמנין עליהן: אמר רבי יוסי קטן המוטל בעריסה מזמנין עליו,והא תנן נשים ועבדים וקטנים אין מזמנין עליהם,הוא דאמר כרבי יהושע בן לוי דאמר ריב"ל אף על פי שאמרו קטן המוטל בעריסה אין מזמנין עליו אבל עושין אותו סניף לעשרה,ואמר ריב"ל תשעה ועבד מצטרפין מיתיבי מעשה ברבי אליעזר שנכנס לבית הכנסת ולא מצא עשרה ושחרר עבדו והשלימו לעשרה שחרר אין לא שחרר לא תרי אצטריכו שחרר חד ונפיק בחד,והיכי עביד הכי והאמר רב יהודה כל המשחרר עבדו עובר בעשה שנאמר (ויקרא כה, מו) לעולם בהם תעבודו לדבר מצוה שאני מצוה הבאה בעבירה היא מצוה דרבים שאני,ואמר ריב"ל לעולם ישכים אדם לבית הכנסת כדי שיזכה וימנה עם עשרה הראשונים שאפילו מאה באים אחריו קבל עליו שכר כולם שכר כולם סלקא דעתך אלא אימא נותנין לו שכר כנגד כולם,אמר רב הונא תשעה וארון מצטרפין א"ל רב נחמן וארון גברא הוא אלא אמר רב הונא תשעה נראין כעשרה מצטרפין אמרי לה כי מכנפי ואמרי לה כי מבדרי,אמר רבי אמי שנים ושבת מצטרפין אמר ליה רב נחמן ושבת גברא הוא אלא אמר רבי אמי שני תלמידי חכמים המחדדין זה את זה בהלכה מצטרפין מחוי רב חסדא כגון אנא ורב ששת מחוי רב ששת כגון אנא ורב חסדא,א"ר יוחנן קטן פורח מזמנין עליו תנ"ה קטן שהביא שתי שערות מזמנין עליו ושלא הביא שתי שערות אין מזמנין עליו ואין מדקדקין בקטן הא גופא קשיא אמרת הביא שתי שערות אין לא הביא לא והדר תני אין מדקדקין בקטן לאתויי מאי לאו 47b. b“From all of that is given to you, you shall set apartthat which is the Lord’s iteruma /i” (Numbers 18:29). God’s iteruma /i, iteruma gedola /i, must be taken from all of the Levites’ gifts. The Gemara asks: bAnd what did you seethat led you to require iteruma gedolafrom first tithe that was taken from grain in piles and not from first tithe that was taken from grain on stalks? Abaye answers: bThis,after it was threshed and placed into piles, is completely processed and bhas become grain, and that,which remained on the stalk, bdid notyet bbecome grain.The verse regarding iteruma gedolastates: “The first of your grain” (Deuteronomy 18:4), is given to the priest. Once it is considered grain, the right of the priest takes effect and the Levite is required to separate iteruma gedola /i.,The mishna states that if, among the diners, one ate bsecond tithe and consecrated food that were redeemed,he may be included in a izimmun /i.The Gemara remarks: bIt is obviousthat if these items were redeemed that one could participate in a izimmun /i. The Gemara responds: bWith what are we dealing here?We are dealing with ba casewhere the consecrated property was not completely redeemed, i.e., bwhere one gavepayment for bthe principal,the value of the tithe, bbut he did not givepayment for bthe fifththat he must add when redeeming items that he consecrated; bandthe mishna bteaches usthat failure to add bthe fifth does not invalidatethe redemption.,We learned in the mishna: bThe waiter who ateat least ban olive-bulkfrom the meal may join in a izimmun /i. The Gemara remarks: bIt is obvious.Why was it necessary for the mishna to teach this ihalakha /i? The Gemara answers: bLest you say that the waiterwho stands and serves the diners bdid not establishhimself as a participant in the meal and, therefore, cannot join the izimmun /i, the mishna bteaches usthat even the waiter is considered to have established himself as a participant in the meal.,The mishna states that ba Samaritan [ iKuti /i] may be included in a izimmun /i.The Gemara asks: bWhy?Even if you consider him a member of the Jewish people, blet him be merely an iam ha’aretz /i,one who is not scrupulous in matters of ritual purity and tithes, band it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bAn iam ha’aretzmay not be included in a izimmun /i. /b,The Gemara offers several answers: bAbaye said:The mishna is referring to a iKutiwho is a iḥaver /i,one who is scrupulous in those areas. bRava said: Even if you saythat the mishna refers to ba iKuti /iwho is an iam ha’aretz /i, and herethe prohibition to include an iam ha’aretzin a izimmunrefers to an iam ha’aretz /ias defined by bthe Rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Meir, as it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bWho is an iam ha’aretz /i? Anyone who does not eat non-sacred food ina state of britual purity.This is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say:An iam ha’aretzis banyone who does not appropriately tithe his produce. And these iKutimtithetheir produce bappropriately, as they are scrupulous with regard to that which is written in the Torah, as the Master said: Any mitzva that the iKutimembracedand accepted upon themselves, bthey areeven bmore exacting in itsobservance bthan Jews. /b,The Gemara cites a ibaraitawith additional opinions with regard to the defining characteristics of an iam ha’aretz /i: bThe Sages taught: Who is an iam ha’aretz /i? One who does not recite iShemain the evening and morning. This is bthe statement of Rabbi Eliezer.Rabbi Yehoshua says:An iam ha’aretzis bone who does not don phylacteries. Ben Azzai says:An iam ha’aretzis bone who does not have ritual fringes on his garment. Rabbi Natan says:An iam ha’aretzis bone who does not have a imezuzaon his doorway. Rabbi Natan bar Yosef says:An iam ha’aretzis bone who has children butwho does not want them to study Torah, so he bdoes not raise them toengage in bTorah study. iAḥerimsay: Even if one read the Bible and studied Mishna and did not serve Torah scholarsto learn from them the meaning of the Torah that he studied, bthat is an iam ha’aretz /i. Rav Huna said: The ihalakhais in accordance withthe opinion of iAḥerim /i. /b,The Gemara relates: bRami bar Ḥama did not include Rav Menashya bar Taḥlifa, who studied iSifra /i, iSifrei,and ihalakhot,in a izimmun /ibecause he had merely studied and did not serve Torah scholars. bWhen Rami bar Ḥama passed away, Rava said: Rami bar Ḥama died only because he did not include Rabbi Menashya bar Taḥlifa in a izimmun /i.The Gemara asks: bWas it not taughtin a ibaraita /i: iAḥerimsay: Even if one read the Bible and studied mishna and did not serve Torah scholars, that is an iam ha’aretz /i?Why, then, was Rami bar Ḥama punished? The Gemara answers: bRav Menashya bar Taḥlifa is different, as he served the Sages. And it was Rami bar Ḥama who was not precisein his efforts to check bafter himto ascertain his actions. bAnother versionof the Gemara’s answer: Anyone bwho hears ihalakhotfrom the mouths of Sages and studies them is considered a Torah scholar. /b,The mishna states that bone who ate untithed produce andfirst btithe etc.is not included in a izimmun /i. The Gemara remarks: bIt is obviousas one is forbidden to eat untithed produce. The Gemara responds: bIt was only necessaryto teach this ihalakhawith regard to a case where it is only considered buntithed produce by rabbinic law,although by Torah law it was permitted. bWhat are the circumstances?Where the produce grew bin an unperforated flowerpot,as anything grown disconnected from the ground is not considered produce of the ground and is exempt by Torah law from tithing. It is only by rabbinic law that it is considered untithed.,We learned in the mishna that one who ate bfirst tithefrom which its iterumawas not separated may not be included in a izimmun /i. The Gemara remarks: bIt is obvious.The Gemara responds: bIt was only necessaryfor the mishna to teach this with regard to a case bwherethe Levite bprecededthe priest after the kernels of grain were placed bin a pile. Lest you say as Rav Pappa said to Abaye,that in that case, too, the produce should be exempt from the obligation to separate iteruma gedola /i, the itannaof the mishna bteaches us asAbaye brespondedto Rav Pappa, that there is a difference between the case when the grain was on the stalks and the case when the grain was in a pile.,We also learned in the mishna that if one ate bsecond titheand consecrated food that had not been redeemed, he may not be included in a izimmun /i. The Gemara remarks: bIt is obvious?Why was it necessary for the mishna to teach this ihalakha /i? The Gemara responds: bIt was only necessaryfor the mishna to teach this ihalakhawith regard to a case bwhere they were redeemed, but not redeemed properly, i.e., second tithe that was redeemed with an unminted coin [ iasimon /i],a silver bullion that had not been engraved. bAnd the Torah says: “And bind up [ ivetzarta /i] the money in your hand”(Deuteronomy 14:25), which the Sages interpreted as follows: iVetzartarefers to bmoney that has a form [ itzura /i]engraved bupon it. Consecrated property;in a case bwhere he redeemed itby exchanging it bfor land instead of money, and the Torah states: “He will give the money and it will be assured to him”(Leviticus 27:19).,The mishna states that ba waiter who ate less than an olive-bulkmay not join a izimmun /i. The Gemara remarks: bIt is obvious.Why was it necessary for the mishna to teach this ihalakha /i? The Gemara answers: bSince the first clauseof the mishna btaughtthe ihalakhawith regard to a waiter who ate ban olive-bulk, the latter clause taughtthe ihalakhawith regard to a waiter who ate bless than an olive-bulk.Although it is obvious, in the interest of arriving at a similar formulation in the two parts of the mishna, it was included.,The mishna further states that ba gentile is not included in a izimmun /i.The Gemara remarks: bIt is obvious.Why was it necessary for the mishna to teach this ihalakha /i? The Gemara answers: bWith what are we dealing here?We are dealing bwitha case of ba convert who was circumcised butdid bnotyet bimmersehimself in a ritual bath, bas Rabbi Zeira saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: One is neverconsidered ba proselyte until he is circumcised and immerseshimself. bAs long as he did not immersehimself, bhe is a gentile. /b,We also learned in the mishna that bwomen, slaves, and minors are not included in a izimmun /i. Rabbi Yosei said: A minor lying in a cradle is included in a izimmun /i. /b,The Gemara objects: bDidn’t we learnin the mishna bthat women, slaves, and minors are not included in a izimmun /i? /b,The Gemara responds: Rabbi Yosei bstatedhis opinion bin accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Although a minor lying in a cradle is not included in a izimmun /i, one may make him an adjunct tocomplete an assembly of btenpeople, enabling them to invoke God’s name in a izimmun /i.,On the subject of completing a izimmun /i, bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: NineJews band a slave join togetherto form a izimmunof ten. The Gemara braises an objection:There was an bincident involving Rabbi Eliezer, who entered a synagogue and did not finda quorum of bten, and he liberated his slave and he completed thequorum of bten.From this we may infer that if he bfreedhis slave, byes,he may join the quorum of ten, but if he bdid not freehim, bno,he may not join the quorum of ten. The Gemara responds: In that case, btwo were requiredto complete the quorum; Rabbi Eliezer bfreed one and fulfilled his obligation withanother bone,who completed the quorum of ten without being freed.,With regard to this incident, the Gemara asks: bHow did he do that? Didn’t Rav Yehuda say: Anyone who frees hisCanaanite bslave violates a positive mitzva, as it is statedwith regard to Canaanite slaves: “You will keep them as an inheritance for your children after you, to hold as a possession; bthey will serve as bondsmen for you forever”(Leviticus 25:46)? How, then, could Rabbi Eliezer have freed his slave? The Gemara answers: The case of ba mitzva is different.The Gemara asks: bIt is a mitzva that comes through a transgression,and a mitzva fulfilled in that manner is inherently flawed. The Gemara responds: bA mitzvathat benefits bthe many is different,and one may free his slave for that purpose.,In praise of a quorum of ten, the Gemara states that bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One should always rise earlyto go bto the synagogue in order to have the privilege and be counted among the first tento complete the quorum, bas even if one hundredpeople barrive after him, he receives the reward of them all,as they are all joining that initial quorum. The Gemara is perplexed: bDoes it enter your mindthat he receives bthe reward of them all?Why should he take away their reward? bRather,emend the statement and bsay: He receives a reward equivalent tothe reward of bthem all. /b,With regard to the laws of joining a quorum, bRav Huna said: Nine plus an arkin which the Torah scrolls are stored bjointo form a quorum of ten. bRav Naḥman said to him: Is an ark a man,that it may be counted in the quorum of ten? bRather, Rav Huna said: Nine who appear like ten may join together.There was disagreement over this: bSome said this ihalakhaas follows: Nine appear like ten bwhen they are gathered. And some said this ihalakhaas follows: Nine appear like ten bwhen they are scattered,the disagreement being which formation creates the impression of a greater number of individuals.,Similarly, bRav Ami said: Twopeople band Shabbat jointo form a izimmun /i. bRav Naḥman said to him: Is Shabbat a person,that it may be counted in a izimmun /i? bRather, Rav Ami said: Two Torah scholars who hone each other’sintellect bin halakhicdiscourse bjoin togetherand are considered three. The Gemara relates: bRav Ḥisda pointedto an example of two such Torah scholars who hone each other’s intellect: bFor example, me and Rav Sheshet.Similarly, bRav Sheshet pointed: For example, me and Rav Ḥisda. /b,With regard to a minor’s inclusion in a izimmun /i, bRabbi Yoḥa said: A mature minor,i.e., one who is still a minor in terms of age, but is displaying signs of puberty, bis included in a izimmun /i. Thatopinion bwas also taughtin a ibaraita /i: bA minor who grew twopubic bhairs,a sign of puberty, bis included in a izimmun /i; and one who did not grow two hairs is not included in a izimmun /i. And one is not exacting with regard to a minor.The Gemara comments: bThis ibaraita bitself is difficult. You said thata minor bwho grew two hairs, yes,he is included, bone who did not growtwo hairs, bno,he is not included, band then it taught that one is not exacting with regard to a minor. Whatdoes this last clause come bto include? Is it not /b
14. Babylonian Talmud, Gittin, 56b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 56b. איברא מלכא את דאי לאו מלכא את לא מימסרא ירושלים בידך דכתיב (ישעיהו י, לד) והלבנון באדיר יפול ואין אדיר אלא מלך דכתיב (ירמיהו ל, כא) והיה אדירו ממנו וגו' ואין לבנון אלא ביהמ"ק שנאמר (דברים ג, כה) ההר הטוב הזה והלבנון ודקאמרת אי מלכא אנא אמאי לא קאתית לגבאי עד האידנא בריוני דאית בן לא שבקינן,אמר ליה אילו חבית של דבש ודרקון כרוך עליה לא היו שוברין את החבית בשביל דרקון אישתיק קרי עליה רב יוסף ואיתימא רבי עקיבא (ישעיהו מד, כה) משיב חכמים אחור ודעתם יסכל איבעי ליה למימר ליה שקלינן צבתא ושקלינן ליה לדרקון וקטלינן ליה וחביתא שבקינן לה,אדהכי אתי פריסתקא עליה מרומי אמר ליה קום דמית ליה קיסר ואמרי הנהו חשיבי דרומי לאותיבך ברישא הוה סיים חד מסאני בעא למסיימא לאחרינא לא עייל בעא למשלפא לאידך לא נפק אמר מאי האי,אמר ליה לא תצטער שמועה טובה אתיא לך דכתיב (משלי טו, ל) שמועה טובה תדשן עצם אלא מאי תקנתיה ליתי איניש דלא מיתבא דעתך מיניה ולחליף קמך דכתיב (משלי יז, כב) ורוח נכאה תיבש גרם עבד הכי עייל אמר ליה ומאחר דחכמיתו כולי האי עד האידנא אמאי לא אתיתו לגבאי אמר ליה ולא אמרי לך אמר ליה אנא נמי אמרי לך,אמר ליה מיזל אזילנא ואינש אחרינא משדרנא אלא בעי מינאי מידי דאתן לך אמר ליה תן לי יבנה וחכמיה ושושילתא דרבן גמליאל ואסוותא דמסיין ליה לרבי צדוק קרי עליה רב יוסף ואיתימא רבי עקיבא (ישעיהו מד, כה) משיב חכמים אחור ודעתם יסכל איבעי למימר ליה לשבקינהו הדא זימנא,והוא סבר דלמא כולי האי לא עביד והצלה פורתא נמי לא הוי,אסוותא דמסיין ליה לרבי צדוק מאי היא יומא קמא אשקיוה מיא דפארי למחר מיא דסיפוקא למחר מיא דקימחא עד דרווח מיעיה פורתא פורתא,אזל שדריה לטיטוס ואמר (דברים לב, לז) אי אלהימו צור חסיו בו זה טיטוס הרשע שחירף וגידף כלפי מעלה,מה עשה תפש זונה בידו ונכנס לבית קדשי הקדשים והציע ספר תורה ועבר עליה עבירה ונטל סייף וגידר את הפרוכת ונעשה נס והיה דם מבצבץ ויוצא וכסבור הרג את עצמו שנאמר (תהלים עד, ד) שאגו צורריך בקרב מועדיך שמו אותותם אותות,אבא חנן אומר (תהלים פט, ט) מי כמוך חסין יה מי כמוך חסין וקשה שאתה שומע ניאוצו וגידופו של אותו רשע ושותק דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא (שמות טו, יא) מי כמוכה באלים ה' מי כמוכה באלמים,מה עשה נטל את הפרוכת ועשאו כמין גרגותני והביא כל כלים שבמקדש והניחן בהן והושיבן בספינה לילך להשתבח בעירו שנאמר (קהלת ח, י) ובכן ראיתי רשעים קבורים ובאו וממקום קדוש יהלכו וישתכחו בעיר אשר כן עשו אל תיקרי קבורים אלא קבוצים אל תיקרי וישתכחו אלא וישתבחו,איכא דאמרי קבורים ממש דאפילו מילי דמטמרן איגלייא להון,עמד עליו נחשול שבים לטובעו אמר כמדומה אני שאלהיהם של אלו אין גבורתו אלא במים בא פרעה טבעו במים בא סיסרא טבעו במים אף הוא עומד עלי לטובעני במים אם גבור הוא יעלה ליבשה ויעשה עמי מלחמה יצתה בת קול ואמרה לו רשע בן רשע בן בנו של עשו הרשע בריה קלה יש לי בעולמי ויתוש שמה,אמאי קרי לה בריה קלה דמעלנא אית לה ומפקנא לית לה,עלה ליבשה ותעשה עמה מלחמה עלה ליבשה בא יתוש ונכנס בחוטמו ונקר במוחו שבע שנים יומא חד הוה קא חליף אבבא דבי נפחא שמע קל ארזפתא אישתיק אמר איכא תקנתא כל יומא מייתו נפחא ומחו קמיה לנכרי יהיב ליה ארבע זוזי לישראל אמר ליה מיסתייך דקא חזית בסנאך עד תלתין יומין עבד הכי מכאן ואילך כיון דדש דש,תניא אמר רבי פנחס בן ערובא אני הייתי בין גדולי רומי וכשמת פצעו את מוחו ומצאו בו כצפור דרור משקל שני סלעים במתניתא תנא כגוזל בן שנה משקל שני ליטרין,אמר אביי נקטינן פיו של נחושת וצפורניו של ברזל כי הוה קא מיית אמר להו ליקליוה לההוא גברא ולבדרי לקיטמיה אשב ימי דלא לשכחיה אלהא דיהודאי ולוקמיה בדינא,אונקלוס בר קלוניקוס בר אחתיה דטיטוס הוה בעי לאיגיורי אזל אסקיה לטיטוס בנגידא אמר ליה מאן חשיב בההוא עלמא אמר ליה ישראל מהו לאידבוקי בהו אמר ליה מילייהו נפישין ולא מצית לקיומינהו זיל איגרי בהו בההוא עלמא והוית רישא דכתיב (איכה א, ה) היו צריה לראש וגו' כל המיצר לישראל נעשה ראש אמר ליה דיניה דההוא גברא במאי א"ל 56b. bin truth, you are a king,if not now, then in the future. bAs if you are not a king, Jerusalem will not be handed over into your hand, as it is written: “And the Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one”(Isaiah 10:34). bAnd “mighty one”means bonly a king, as it is written: “And their mighty one shall be of themselves,and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them” (Jeremiah 30:21), indicating that “mighty one” parallels “ruler.” bAnd “Lebanon”means bonly the Temple, as it is stated: “That good mountain and the Lebanon”(Deuteronomy 3:25). bAndas for bwhat you saidwith your second comment: bIf I am a king why didn’t you come to me until now, there are zealots among uswho bdid not allow usto do this.,Understanding that Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai was prepared to ask him not to destroy the Temple, Vespasian bsaid to him: Ifthere is ba barrel of honey and a snake [ iderakon /i] is wrapped around it, wouldn’t they break the barrel in order tokill bthe snake?In similar fashion, I am forced to destroy the city of Jerusalem in order to kill the zealots barricaded within it. Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bwas silentand did not answer. In light of this, bRav Yoseflater breadthe following verse babout him, and some saythat it was bRabbi Akivawho applied the verse to Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai: “I am the Lord… bWho turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish”(Isaiah 44:25). As Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bshould have saidthe following btoVespasian in response: In such a case, bwe take tongs, remove the snake, and kill it, andin this way bwe leave the barrelintact. So too, you should kill the rebels and leave the city as it is., bIn the meantime,as they were talking, ba messenger [ iferistaka /i] arrived from Rome,and bsaid to him: Rise, for the emperor has died, and the noblemen of Rome plan to appoint you astheir bleaderand make you the next emperor. At that time Vespasian bwas wearingonly bone shoe,and when bhe tried to put on the other one, it would not go onhis foot. bHethen btried to remove the othershoe that he was already wearing, but bit would not come off. He said: What is this? /b,Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Be not distressedor troubled, for bgood tidings have reached you, as it is written: “Good tidings make the bone fat”(Proverbs 15:30), and your feet have grown fatter out of joy and satisfaction. Vespasian said to him: bBut what is the remedy?What must I do in order to put on my shoe? Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Have someone with whom you are displeased come and pass before you, as it is written: “A broken spirit dries the bones”(Proverbs 17:22). bHe did this, andhis shoe bwent onhis foot. Vespasian bsaid to him: Since you are so wise, why didn’t you come tosee bme until now?Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: But didn’t Ialready btell you?Vespasian bsaid to him: I also told youwhat I had to say.,Vespasian then bsaid toRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai: bI will be goingto Rome to accept my new position, band I will send someone elsein my place to continue besieging the city and waging war against it. bButbefore I leave, bask something of me that Ican bgive you.Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai bsaid to him: Give me Yavne and its Sagesand do not destroy it, bandspare bthe dynasty of Rabban Gamlieland do not kill them as if they were rebels, bandlastly give me bdoctors to heal Rabbi Tzadok. Rav Yosef readthe following verse babout him, and some saythat it was bRabbi Akivawho applied the verse to Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai: “I am the Lord… bWho turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish”(Isaiah 44:25), as bhe should have said to him to leavethe Jews alone bthis time. /b, bAndwhy didn’t Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai make this request? bHe maintainedthat Vespasian bmight not do that muchfor him, band there would not be even a smallamount of bsalvation.Therefore, he made only a modest request, in the hope that he would receive at least that much.,The Gemara asks: bWhatwas he requesting when he asked for bdoctors to heal Rabbi Tzadok?How did they heal him? bThe first day they gave him water to drinkthat contained bbran [ iparei /i]. The nextday they gave him bwatercontaining bflour mixed with bran [ isipuka /i]. The following daythey gave him bwatercontaining bflour.In this way they slowly restored his ability to eat, allowing bhis stomach to broaden little by little. /b,§ Vespasian bwentback to Rome and bsent Titusin his place. The Gemara cites a verse that was expounded as referring to Titus: b“And he shall say: Where is their God, their rock in whom they trusted?”(Deuteronomy 32:37). bThis is the wicked Titus, who insulted and blasphemed God on High. /b, bWhat didTitus bdowhen he conquered the Temple? bHe took a prostitute with his hand, and entered the Holy of Holieswith her. bHethen bspread out a Torah scrollunderneath him band committed a sin,i.e., engaged in sexual intercourse, bon it.Afterward bhe took a sword and cut into the curtainseparating between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. bAnd a miracle was performed and blood spurted forth.Seeing the blood, bhemistakenly bthoughtthat bhe had killed himself.Here, the term himself is a euphemism for God. Titus saw blood issuing forth from the curtain in God’s meeting place, the Temple, and he took it as a sign that he had succeeded in killing God Himself. bAs it is stated: “Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; they have set up their own signs for signs”(Psalms 74:4)., bAbba Ḥa says:The verse states: b“Who is strong like You, O Lord?”(Psalms 89:9). bWho is strong and indurate like You, as You hear the abuse and the blasphemy of that wicked man and remain silent.Similarly, bthe school of Rabbi Yishmael taughtthat the verse: b“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods [ ielim /i]”(Exodus 15:11), should be read as: bWho is like You among the mute [ iilmim /i],for You conduct Yourself like a mute and remain silent in the face of Your blasphemers., bWhatelse did Titus bdo? He took the curtain and formed it like a large basket, and brought all of thesacred bvessels of the Temple and placed them in it. And he put them on a ship to go and be praised in his citythat he had conquered Jerusalem, bas it is stated: “And so I saw the wicked buried, and come to their rest; but those that had done right were gone from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city; this also is vanity”(Ecclesiastes 8:10). bDo not readthe word bas “buried [ ikevurim /i].” Rather,read it as bcollected [ ikevutzim /i].And bdo not readthe word bas “and were forgotten [ iveyishtakeḥu /i].” Rather,read it as: bAnd they were praised [ iveyishtabeḥu /i].According to this interpretation, the verse speaks of those who will gather and collect items “from the holy place,” the Temple, and be praised in their city about what they had done., bThere arethose bwho saythat the verse is to be read as written, as it is referring to items that were bactually buried.This is because beven items that had been buried were revealed to them,i.e., Titus and his soldiers, as they found all of the sacred vessels.,It is further related about Titus that he was once traveling bat seaand ba wave rose up against himand threatened bto drown him.Titus bsaid: It seems to me that their God,the God of Israel, bhas power only in water. Pharaoh roseagainst them and bHe drowned him in water. Sisera roseagainst them and bHe drowned him in water.Here btoo, He has risen up against me to drown me in water. If He isreally bmighty, let Him go up on dry land andthere bwage war against me. A Divine Voice issued forth and said to him: Wicked one, son of a wicked one, grandson of Esau the wicked,for you are among his descendants and act just like him, bI have a lowly creature in My world and it is called a gnat. /b,The Gemara interjects: bWhy is it called a lowly creature?It is called this bbecause it has an entrancefor taking in food, bbut it does not have an exitfor excretion.,The Gemara resumes its story about Titus. The Divine Voice continued: bGo up on dry land and make war with it. He went up on dry land,and ba gnat came, entered his nostril, and picked at his brain for seven years.Titus suffered greatly from this until bone day he passed by the gate of a blacksmith’s shop.The gnat bheard the sound of a hammerand bwas silentand still. Titus bsaid:I see that bthere is a remedyfor my pain. bEvery day they would bring a blacksmith who hammered before him. He would give four dinarsas payment bto a gentileblacksmith, and bto a Jew he wouldsimply bsay: It is enough for you that you see your enemyin so much pain. bHe did this for thirty daysand it was effective until then. bFrom thatpoint bforward, sincethe gnat bbecame accustomedto the hammering, bit became accustomedto it, and once again it began to pick away at Titus’s brain., bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Pineḥas ben Arova said: I wasat that time bamong the noblemen of Rome, and whenTitus bdied they split open his head and foundthat the gnat had grown to bthe size of a sparrow weighing two isela /i. It was taught inanother ibaraita /i:It was blikea one- byear-old pigeon weighing two ilitra /i. /b, bAbaye said: We have a traditionthat bits mouthwas made bof copper and its claws werefashioned of biron. WhenTitus bwas dying, he said tohis attendants: bBurn that man,i.e., me, band scatter his ashes across the seven seas, so that the God of the Jews should not find me and stand me for judgment. /b,§ The Gemara relates: bOnkelos bar Kalonikos, the son of Titus’s sister, wanted to convertto Judaism. bHe wentand braised Titusfrom the grave bthrough necromancy,and bsaid to him: Who ismost bimportant in that worldwhere you are now? Titus bsaid to him: The Jewish people.Onkelos asked him: bShould Ithen battachmyself bto themhere in this world? Titus bsaid to him: Their commandments are numerous, and you will not be able to fulfill them.It is best that you do as follows: bGoout and bbattle against them in that world, and you will become the chief, as it is written: “Her adversaries [ itzareha /i] have become the chief”(Lamentations 1:5), which means: bAnyone who distresses [ imeitzer /i] Israel will become the chief.Onkelos bsaid to him: What is the punishment of that man,a euphemism for Titus himself, in the next world? Titus bsaid to him: /b
15. Babylonian Talmud, Ketuvot, 67b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 67b. שבאו לינשא משיאין את היתומה ואחר כך משיאין את היתום מפני שבושתה של אשה מרובה משל איש:,ת"ר יתום שבא לישא שוכרין לו בית ומציעין לו מטה וכל כלי תשמישו ואחר כך משיאין לו אשה שנאמר (דברים טו, ח) די מחסורו אשר יחסר לו די מחסורו זה הבית אשר יחסר זה מטה ושלחן לו זו אשה וכן הוא אומר (בראשית ב, יח) אעשה לו עזר כנגדו:,תנו רבנן די מחסורו אתה מצווה עליו לפרנסו ואי אתה מצווה עליו לעשרו אשר יחסר לו אפילו סוס לרכוב עליו ועבד לרוץ לפניו אמרו עליו על הלל הזקן שלקח לעני בן טובים אחד סוס לרכוב עליו ועבד לרוץ לפניו פעם אחת לא מצא עבד לרוץ לפניו ורץ לפניו שלשה מילין:,תנו רבנן מעשה באנשי גליל העליון שלקחו לעני בן טובים אחד מציפורי ליטרא בשר בכל יום ליטרא בשר מאי רבותא אמר רב הונא ליטרא בשר משל עופות ואיבעית אימא בליטרא בשר ממש רב אשי אמר התם כפר קטן היה בכל יומא הוה מפסדי חיותא אמטולתיה:,ההוא דאתא לקמיה דרבי נחמיה אמר ליה במה אתה סועד א"ל בבשר שמן ויין ישן רצונך שתגלגל עמי בעדשים גלגל עמו בעדשים ומת אמר אוי לו לזה שהרגו נחמיה אדרבה אוי לו לנחמיה שהרגו לזה מיבעי ליה אלא איהו הוא דלא איבעי ליה לפנוקי נפשיה כולי האי,ההוא דאתא לקמיה דרבא אמר לו במה אתה סועד אמר לו בתרנגולת פטומה ויין ישן אמר ליה ולא חיישת לדוחקא דציבורא א"ל אטו מדידהו קאכילנא מדרחמנא קאכילנא דתנינא (תהלים קמה, טו) עיני כל אליך ישברו ואתה נותן להם את אכלם בעתו בעתם לא נאמר אלא בעתו מלמד שכל אחד ואחד נותן הקב"ה פרנסתו בעתו,אדהכי אתאי אחתיה דרבא דלא חזיא ליה תליסרי שני ואתיא ליה תרנגולת פטומה ויין ישן אמר מאי דקמא א"ל נענתי לך קום אכול,תנו רבנן אין לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס נותנין לו לשום הלואה וחוזרין ונותנין לו לשום מתנה דברי רבי מאיר וחכמים אומרים נותנין לו לשום מתנה וחוזרין ונותנין לו לשום הלואה לשום מתנה הא לא שקיל אמר רבא לפתוח לו לשום מתנה,יש לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס נותנין לו לשום מתנה וחוזרין ונפרעין ממנו חוזרין ונפרעין הימנו תו לא שקיל אמר רב פפא לאחר מיתה ר"ש אומר יש לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס אין נזקקין לו אין לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס אומרים לו הבא משכון וטול כדי שתזוח דעתו עליו,ת"ר (דברים טו, ח) העבט זה שאין לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס שנותנים לו לשום הלואה וחוזרין ונותנין לו לשום מתנה תעביטנו זה שיש לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס שנותנין לו לשום מתנה וחוזרין ונפרעין הימנו לאחר מיתה דברי ר' יהודה,וחכ"א יש לו ואינו רוצה להתפרנס אין נזקקין לו ואלא מה אני מקיים תעביטנו דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם,מר עוקבא הוה עניא בשיבבותיה דהוה רגיל כל יומא דשדי ליה ארבעה זוזי בצינורא דדשא יום אחד אמר איזיל איחזי מאן קעביד בי ההוא טיבותא ההוא יומא נגהא ליה למר עוקבא לבי מדרשא אתיא דביתהו בהדיה,כיון דחזיוה דקא מצלי ליה לדשא נפק בתרייהו רהוט מקמיה עיילי לההוא אתונא דהוה גרופה נורא הוה קא מיקליין כרעיה דמר עוקבא אמרה ליה דביתהו שקול כרעיך אותיב אכרעאי חלש דעתיה אמרה ליה אנא שכיחנא בגויה דביתא ומקרבא אהנייתי,ומאי כולי האי דאמר מר זוטרא בר טוביה אמר רב ואמרי לה אמר רב הונא בר ביזנא אמר ר"ש חסידא ואמרי לה א"ר יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי נוח לו לאדם שימסור עצמו לתוך כבשן האש ואל ילבין פני חברו ברבים מנא לן מתמר דכתיב (בראשית לח, כה) היא מוצאת,מר עוקבא הוה עניא בשיבבותיה דהוה רגיל לשדורי ליה ארבע מאה זוזי כל מעלי יומא דכיפורא יומא חד שדרינהו ניהליה ביד בריה אתא אמר ליה לא צריך אמר מאי חזית חזאי דקא מזלפי ליה יין ישן אמר מפנק כולי האי עייפינהו ושדרינהו ניהליה,כי קא ניחא נפשיה אמר אייתו לי חושבנאי דצדקה אשכח דהוה כתיב ביה שבעת אלפי דינרי סיאנקי אמר זוודאי קלילי ואורחא רחיקתא קם בזבזיה לפלגיה ממוניה היכי עביד הכי והאמר ר' אילעאי באושא התקינו המבזבז אל יבזבז יותר מחומש הני מילי מחיים שמא ירד מנכסיו אבל לאחר מיתה לית לן בה:,רבי אבא הוה צייר זוזי בסודריה ושדי ליה לאחוריה וממצי נפשיה לבי עניי ומצלי עיניה מרמאי,רבי חנינא הוה ההוא עניא דהוה רגיל לשדורי ליה ארבעה זוזי כל מעלי שבתא יומא חד שדרינהו ניהליה ביד דביתהו אתאי אמרה ליה לא צריך מאי חזית שמעי דהוה קאמרי ליה במה אתה סועד 67b. bwho have cometo appeal to the charity fund bto be marriedoff, the administrators bmarryoff bthe orphan girlfirst band afterwardthey bmarryoff bthe orphan boy, because the humiliation of a womanwho is not married bis greater than that ofan unmarried bman. /b, bThe Sages taught:Concerning ban orphanboy bwho has come to marry,the community tries its utmost to provide for all of his needs. The charities brent a house for him, arrange for him a bed and all his utensils, and thereafterthey bmarry him a wife, as it is stated:“But you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him bsufficient for his deficiency in that which is deficient for him”(Deuteronomy 15:8). With regard to the phrase b“sufficient for his deficiency,” thisis referring to bthe house. “Which is deficient”; thisis referring to a bbed and table. “For him [ ilo /i]”; thisis referring to ba wife. And similarlythe verse bstates: “I will make him [ ilo /i] a helpmate for him”(Genesis 2:18), when God created a wife for Adam.,Concerning this issue, bthe Sages taught: “Sufficient for his deficiency”;this teaches that byou are commanded with respect tothe pauper bto support him, but you are not commanded with respect to him to make him wealthy,as the obligation encompasses only that which he lacks, as indicated by the word deficient. However, the verse also states: b“Which is deficient for him”;this includes beven a horse upon which to ride and a servant to run in front of himfor the sake of his stature, if necessary. For someone accustomed to these advantages, their absences constitute a true deficiency, not an extravagant indulgence. The Gemara relates: bThey said about Hillel the Elder that he obtained for a poor person of noble descent a horse upon which to ride and a servant to run in front of him. One time he did not find a servant to run in front of him, andHillel himself bran in front of himfor bthree imil /i,to fulfill the dictate “which is deficient for him.”, bThe Sages taught:There was ban incident involving the people of the Upper Galilee, who bought for a poor person of noble descent fromthe city of bTzippori a ilitraof meat every day.The Gemara asks: If they provided him with the reasonable ration of ba ilitraof meat, what is the noveltyin this incident? Why does it bear repeating? bRav Huna said:It was ba ilitraof meat of poultry,which is very expensive. bAnd if you wish, sayinstead that bforthe weight of ba ilitra /iof coins, they bought him bactualred bmeat.The price of ordinary meat was so expensive that they had to pay the exorbitant price of a ilitraof coins. bRav Ashi saidthey did not spend a ilitraof coins for him. Rather, bthere,in the Galilee, bit was a small village,and bevery day they would losean entire banimaljust bfor him.They would slaughter an animal daily, simply to provide him with fresh meat, although there was otherwise no market for such a plentiful supply of meat in the village.,The Gemara relates another incident concerning charity. bA certainperson bcame before Rabbi Neḥemyato request charity. bHe said to him: On what do younormally bdine? He said to him:I usually dine bon fatty meat and aged wine.Rabbi Neḥemya asked him: bIs it your wish to belittle yourselfand partake together bwith me ina meal of blentils,which is my regular food? bHe partook with him of lentils, and he died,since he was not accustomed to this food. Rabbi Neḥemya bsaid: Woe to this one who was killedby bNeḥemya.The Gemara wonders: bOn the contrary,Rabbi Neḥemya bshould have said: Woe to Neḥemya who killed this one.The Gemara responds: bRather,Rabbi Neḥemya meant that it was bhe,the pauper, bwho should not have pampered himself somuch. The poor man was to blame for his own death. His excessive indulgence rendered him incapable of digesting simple foods such as lentils.,The Gemara relates another story. bA certain person came before Ravato request charity. bHe said to him: On what do younormally bdine? He said to him: On a fattened hen and aged wine. He said to him: And were you not concerned forcausing ba burden to the communityby expecting such opulent foods? bHe said to him: Is that to saythat it is bfrom theirfunds that bI eat? I eat fromthe support of bthe Merciful One.This would seem to be a reasonable argument, bas wealready blearnedthat in the verse b“the eyes of all wait for You, and You give them their food in its time”(Psalms 145:15), the phrase: bAt their time, isnot bstated, rather “in its time.”This bteaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives each and every one hispersonally appropriate bsustece at its proper time,and the community is merely His agent in discharging His will. Therefore, the man is justified in maintaining his standard., bIn the meantime,while they were talking, bRava’s sister, who had not seen him for thirteen years, came. Andas a gift, bshe brought him a fattened hen and aged wine. Rava saidto himself: bWhat is this thathappened bin front of methat suddenly I am brought food that I do not usually eat? He then understood that this was a providential response to what he had earlier said to the man. Rava bsaid to him: I have responded [ ina’aneti /i] to yourcontention. bAriseand beat. /b,§ bThe Sages taught:If an individual bdoes not havesufficient means of support band does not want to be supportedfrom charity funds, the charities bprovide himfunds bas a loanin a dignified manner, bandthen they bgo back and givethe funds bto him as a gift;this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say:They bgive himfunds bas a gift, andthen they bgo back and givethe funds bto him as a loan.The Gemara wonders about the Rabbis’ ruling: How can we give it bas a gift?After all, bhe does notwant to btake itas a gift. The Gemara answers that bRava said:The Rabbis’ instruction is bto begindiscussions bwith himby offering the assistance bas a gift.If he refuses, the charities give it to him as a loan, but they treat it as a gift and refrain from attempting to collect a debt.,If bhe hassufficient funds of his own bbut does not want to support himselfby his own funds without the assistance of charity, the charities bgive himaid bas a gift, and thenthey bgo back and collectthe debt bfrom him.The Gemara asks: How can the administrators of the fund bgo back and collect from him?Would their efforts not be in vain, as bsubsequently he would not taketheir support, knowing that he would still have to pay for it? bRav Pappa said:The charities collect the accrued debt from his estate only bafterhis bdeath.The ibaraitacontinues: bRabbi Shimon says,disputing the opinion of the Rabbis: If bhe hassufficient funds band does not want to be supportedby his own means, they bdo not get involved with him,as the community is not obligated to support him. If bhe does not have and does not want to be supportedfrom charity, the charities bsay to him: Bring collateral and takea loan, bso that his mindset should be raised for him,with the false impression that he is not receiving a handout.,The Gemara cites a dispute related to the previous discussions. bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraitawith regard to the double expression in the Torah: “You shall open your hand to him [ iha’avet ta’avitenu /i]” (Deuteronomy 15:8). b“ iHa’avet /i”; thisis referring to one bwho does not havefunds band does not want to be supportedby charity. The policy is bthatthe charities bprovide himfunds bas a loan and go back and givethe funds bto him as a gift. “ iTa’avitenu /i”; thisis referring to one bwho hasmeans band does not want to supporthimself. The policy is bthatthe charities bprovidemoney bas a gift, and thenthey bgo back and collect fromhis estate bafterhis bdeath.This is bthe statement of Rabbi Yehuda. /b,The ibaraitacontinues: bAnd the Rabbis say:If bhe hasmoney band does not want to supporthimself, they bdo not get involved with him.The ibaraitaasks: bHow then do I upholdthe double expression b“ iha’avet ta’avitenu /i”?The ibaraitaanswers: bThe Torah spoke in the language of men,and the double form does not have halakhic significance.,The Gemara recounts another incident related to charity. bMar Ukvahad ba pauper in his neighborhood,and Mar Ukva bwas accustomed every day to toss four dinars for him into theslot adjacent to the bhinge of the door. One daythe poor person bsaid: I will goand bsee who is doing this service for me. That day Mar Ukva was delayed in the study hall,and bhis wife came with himto distribute the charity., bWhenthe people in the poor man’s house bsaw thatsomeone bwas turning the door,the pauper bwent out after themto see who it was. Mar Ukva and his wife branaway bfrom before himso that he would not determine their identity, and bthey entered a certain furnace whose fire wasalready brakedover and tempered but was still burning. bMar Ukva’s legs were being singed,and bhis wife said to him: Raise your legs and set them on my legs,which are not burned. Understanding that only his wife was spared from burns, because she was more worthy, Mar Ukva bbecame distraught.By way of explanation, bshe said to him: I amnormally bfound inside the house, andwhen I give charity, bmy assistance is readyand immediate, insofar as I distribute actual food items. Since you distribute money, which is not as readily helpful, my aid is greater than yours.,The Gemara asks: bAnd whatis ball this?Why did they go to such extreme lengths to avoid being discovered? The Gemara answers: It is bas Mar Zutra bar Toviya saidthat bRav said, and some saythat bRav Huna bar Bizna saidthat bRabbi Shimon Ḥasida said, and some saythat bRabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: It is preferable for a person to deliver himself into a fiery furnace so thathe bnot whitenthe bfaceof, i.e., embarrass, bhis friend in public. From where do wederive this? bFrom theconduct of bTamar, as it is written:“And Judah said: Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When bshe was brought forth,she sent to her father-in-law, saying: By the man, whose these are, am I with child” (Genesis 38:24–25). Although Tamar was taken to be executed by burning, she privately and directly appealed to Judah, rather than publicly identifying him as the father of her unborn children and causing him embarrassment.,The Gemara relates another incident involving Mar Ukva. bMar Ukvahad another bpauper in his neighborhood,and Mar Ukva bwas accustomed to send to him four hundred dinars everyyear on the beve of Yom Kippur. One day he sentthe money bto him by the hand of his son.The son breturnedand bsaid to him:The poor individual bdoes not needthe charity. Mar Ukva bsaid: What did you seethat prompted you to say this? He said to him: bI saw them spilling old wineon the ground bfor him,to give the room a pleasant smell. Mar Ukva bsaid:If he is bpampered this muchand requires even this luxury, then he needs even more money. bHe doubledthe funds band sent them to him. /b, bWhenMar Ukva bwas dying, he said: Bring me my charity records. He found that it was written therethat he had given bseven thousandfine, isiankei /i,i.e., gold, bdinars,to charity. bHe said: My provisions are light, and the way is far.This meager sum is insufficient for me to merit the World-to-Come. bHe got upand bspent halfof bhisremaining bmoneyon charity. The Gemara asks: bHow did he do this? But didn’t Rabbi Ilai say: In Usha they instituted: One who spendsmoney on charity, bhe should not spend more than one-fifthof his money for this purpose. The Gemara answers: bThisrestriction on giving too much charity bappliesonly bwhile he is alive,because bperhaps he will descend from his holdingsand become destitute. Therefore, for his own ficial security, he should never distribute more than one-fifth. bBut after death, we have noproblem bwith it.One need not save money in his estate anymore.,The Gemara recounts more stories related to charity. bRabbi Abba would wrap coins in his scarf and tossthe money bbehind himover his shoulder. bAndhe bwould place himself at the homes of the poorwithout being seen, so the poor could receive the aid without being embarrassed. bAnd he would incline his eyesjust enough so he could safeguard the handouts bfrom swindlerswho might take the money dishonestly., bRabbi Ḥaninaknew ba certain pauperand bwas accustomed to send to him four dinarson bevery Shabbat eve. One day he sent it in the hand of his wife. She cameback home and bsaid to him:The man bdoes not needcharity. Rabbi Ḥanina asked her: bWhat did you seethat prompted you to say this? She said to him: bI heard them saying to himinside the house: bWith what do younormally bdine: /b
16. Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, 22a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) 22a. שקרא ושנה ולא שימש תלמידי חכמים,אתמר קרא ושנה ולא שימש ת"ח ר' אלעזר אומר הרי זה עם הארץ ר' שמואל בר נחמני אמר הרי זה בור ר' ינאי אומר ה"ז כותי,רב אחא בר יעקב אומר הרי זה מגוש אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק מסתברא כרב אחא בר יעקב דאמרי אינשי רטין מגושא ולא ידע מאי אמר תני תנא ולא ידע מאי אמר,ת"ר איזהו ע"ה כל שאינו קורא ק"ש שחרית וערבית בברכותיה דברי ר' מאיר וחכ"א כל שאינו מניח תפילין בן עזאי אומר כל שאין לו ציצית בבגדו ר' יונתן בן יוסף אמר כל שיש לו בנים ואינו מגדלן ללמוד תורה אחרים אומרים אפילו קורא ושונה ולא שימש ת"ח זהו ע"ה,קרא ולא שנה הרי זה בור לא קרא ולא שנה עליו הכתוב אומר (ירמיהו לא, כז) וזרעתי את בית ישראל ואת בית יהודה זרע אדם וזרע בהמה,(משלי כד, כא) ירא את ה' בני ומלך ועם שונים אל תתערב אמר רבי יצחק אלו ששונים הלכות פשיטא מהו דתימא שונין בחטא וכדרב הונא דאמר רב הונא כיון שעבר אדם עבירה ושנה בה הותרה לו קמ"ל,תנא התנאים מבלי עולם מבלי עולם ס"ד אמר רבינא שמורין הלכה מתוך משנתן תניא נמי הכי א"ר יהושע וכי מבלי עולם הן והלא מיישבי עולם הן שנאמר (חבקוק ג, ו) הליכות עולם לו אלא שמורין הלכה מתוך משנתן,אשה פרושה וכו' ת"ר בתולה צליינית ואלמנה שובבית וקטן שלא כלו לו חדשיו הרי אלו מבלי עולם,איני והאמר רבי יוחנן למדנו יראת חטא מבתולה וקיבול שכר מאלמנה יראת חטא מבתולה דר' יוחנן שמעה לההיא בתולה דנפלה אאפה וקאמרה רבש"ע בראת גן עדן ובראת גיהנם בראת צדיקים ובראת רשעים יהי רצון מלפניך שלא יכשלו בי בני אדם,קיבול שכר מאלמנה דההיא אלמנה דהואי בי כנישתא בשיבבותה כל יומא הות אתיא ומצלה בי מדרשיה דר' יוחנן אמר לה בתי לא בית הכנסת בשיבבותך אמרה ליה רבי ולא שכר פסיעות יש לי,כי קאמר כגון יוחני בת רטיבי,מאי קטן שלא כלו לו חדשיו הכא תרגימו זה ת"ח המבעט ברבותיו,רבי אבא אמר זה תלמיד שלא הגיע להוראה ומורה דא"ר אבהו אמר רב הונא אמר רב מאי דכתיב (משלי ז, כו) כי רבים חללים הפילה ועצומים כל הרוגיה כי רבים חללים הפילה זה ת"ח שלא הגיע להוראה ומורה ועצומים כל הרוגיה זה ת"ח שהגיע להוראה ואינו מורה 22a. is one bwho readthe Written Torah band learnedthe Mishna bbut did not serve Torah scholarsin order to learn the reasoning behind the ihalakhot /i. Since he believes himself knowledgeable, he issues halakhic rulings, but due to his lack of understanding he rules erroneously and is therefore considered wicked. His cunning is in his public display of knowledge, which misleads others into considering him a true Torah scholar., bIt was stated:With regard to one who breadthe Written Torah band learnedthe Mishna bbut did not serve Torah scholars, Rabbi Elazar says: Thisperson bis an ignoramus. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: Thisperson bis a boor. Rabbi Yannai says: Thisperson biscomparable to ba Samaritan,who follows the Written Torah but not the traditions of the Sages., bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov says: Thisperson biscomparable to ba sorcerer [ imagosh /i],who uses his knowledge to mislead people. bRav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is reasonable toaccept the opinion of bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov, as people sayproverbially: bThe sorcerer chants and does not know what he is saying;so too, bthe itannateachesthe Mishna band does not know what he is saying. /b,§ bThe Sages taught: Who is an ignoramus [ iam ha’aretz /i]?It is banyone who does not recite iShema /iin the bmorning and evening with its blessings;this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. And the Rabbis say:It is banyone who does not don phylacteries. Ben Azzai says:It is banyone who does not have ritual fringes on his garment. Rabbi Yonatan ben Yosef said:It is banyone who has sons and does not raise them to study Torah. iAḥerimsay: Even if one readsthe Written Torah band learnsthe Mishna bbut does not serve Torah scholars, he is an ignoramus. /b,If one breadthe Written Torah bbut did not learnthe Mishna, bhe is a boor. With regard toone who bdid not read and did not learnat all, bthe verse states:“Behold, the days come, says the Lord, band I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast”(Jeremiah 31:26). One who has not studied at all is comparable to a beast.,The verse states: b“My son, fear the Lord and the king; and meddle not with those who are repeating”(Proverbs 24:21). bRabbi Yitzḥak says: These areindividuals bwho repeatedly learnthe ihalakhot /ibut do not know the reasons behind them. The Gemara asks: bIsn’tthat bobvious?How else could the verse be understood? The Gemara answers: He states this blest you saythat the verse is referring to individuals who brepeatedlycommit bsins, andthis is bin accordance withthe words of bRav Huna, as Rav Huna says: Once a person committed a transgression and repeated it,in his eyes bit became permitted for him.Since the verse could be interpreted in this manner, Rabbi Yitzḥak bteaches usthat the verse is referring to those who learn without understanding., bIt was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bThe itanna’im /i,who recite the tannaitic sources by rote, bareindividuals bwho erode the world.The Gemara is puzzled by this statement: bCouldit benter your mindthat they are individuals bwho erode the world? Ravina says:This statement is referring to those bwho issue halakhic rulings basedon btheirknowledge of imishnayot /i. This is also taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yehoshua said: Are theyindividuals bwho erode the world? Aren’t they settling the world, as it is stated: “His ways [ ihalikhot /i] are eternal”(Habakkuk 3:6)? The Sages read the term ihalikhotas ihalakhot /i, inferring that one who learns ihalakhotattains eternal life. bRather,this is referring to those bwho issue halakhic rulings basedon btheirknowledge of imishnayot /i. /b,§ The mishna states that ban abstinent womanis among those who erode the world. bThe Sages taught: A maiden who praysconstantly, band a neighborly [ ishovavit /i] widowwho constantly visits her neighbors, band a child whose monthsof gestation bwere not completed,all bthese arepeople bwho erode the world. /b,The Gemara asks: bIs that so? But didn’t Rabbi Yoḥa say: We learnedthe meaning of bfear of sin from a maiden, andthe significance of breceivingdivine breward from a widow.The meaning of bfear of sincan be learned bfrom a maiden, as Rabbi Yoḥa heard a certain maiden who fell on her facein prayer, band she was saying: Master of the Universe, You created the Garden of Eden and You created Gehenna, You createdthe brighteous and You createdthe bwicked. May it be Your will that men shall not stumble because of meand consequently go to Gehenna.,The significance of breceivingdivine brewardcan be learned bfrom a widow, asthere was ba certain widow in whose neighborhood there was a synagogue,and despite this bevery day she went and prayed in the study hall of Rabbi Yoḥa.Rabbi Yoḥa bsaid to her: My daughter,is there bnot a synagogue in your neighborhood? She said to him: My teacher, don’t I attain a rewardfor all bthe stepsI take while walking to pray in the distant study hall?,The Gemara answers: bWhen it is statedin the ibaraitathat a maiden who prays constantly is one who erodes the world, it is referring, bfor example,to bYoḥani bat Retivi,who constantly prayed and pretended to be saintly but actually engaged in sorcery.,The Gemara asks: bWhatis the meaning of ba child whose monthsof gestation bwere not completed? Here,in Babylonia, bthey interpreted thisas alluding to an imperfect, incomplete bTorah scholar who scorns his teachers. /b, bRabbi Abba says: This is a student who has notyet battainedthe ability bto issuehalakhic brulings, andyet bhe issues rulingsand is therefore compared to a prematurely born child. This is bas Rabbi Abbahu saysthat bRav Huna saysthat bRav says: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “For she has cast down many wounded; and a mighty host are all her slain”(Proverbs 7:26)? b“For she has cast down [ ihippila /i] many wounded”; thisis referring to ba Torah scholar who has notyet battainedthe ability bto issue rulings, andyet bhe issues rulings. “And a mighty host [ ive’atzumim /i] are all her slain”; thisis referring to ba Torah scholar who has attainedthe ability bto issue rulings, but does not issue rulingsand prevents the masses from learning Torah properly.
17. Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History, 3.5.3 (3rd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE) 3.5.3. But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella. And when those that believed in Christ had come there from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men.
18. Epiphanius, De Mensuris Et Ponderibus, 15, 14 (4th cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
19. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan A, 17 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
20. Anon., Esther Rabbah, 8.7 8.7. וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לְהָשִׁיב אֶל מָרְדֳּכָי (אסתר ד, טו), אָמְרָה לוֹ לֵךְ כְּנוֹס אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשָׁן וְצוּמוּ עָלַי וְאַל תֹּאכְלוּ וְאַל תִּשְׁתּוּ שְׁלשֶׁת יָמִים, אֵלּוּ הֵן י"ג וְי"ד וְט"ו בְּנִיסָן. שָׁלַח לָהּ וַהֲרֵי בָּהֶם יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁל פֶּסַח, אָמְרָה לוֹ זָקֵן שֶׁבְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לָמָּה הוּא פֶּסַח. מִיָּד שָׁמַע מָרְדֳּכַי וְהוֹדָה לִדְבָרֶיהָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: וַיַּעֲבֹר מָרְדֳּכָי וַיַּעַשׂ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוְתָה עָלָיו אֶסְתֵּר. תַּמָּן אָמְרִין שֶׁהֶעֱבִיר יוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל פֶּסַח בְּתַעֲנִית. וְעַל אוֹתָהּ צָרָה וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל מָרְדֳּכַי אֶל ה' וַיֹּאמֶר גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ אֲדוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים כִּי לֹא מִגַּבְהוּת לֵב וּמֵרוּם עַיִן עָשִׂיתִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִשְׁתַּחֲוֵיתִי לְהָמָן, כִּי אִם מִיִּרְאָתְךָ פָּעַלְתִּי זֹאת, לְבִלְתִּי הִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לוֹ, כִּי יָרֵאתִי מִפָּנֶיךָ לְבִלְתִּי תֵּת כְּבוֹדְךָ לְבָשָׂר וָדָם, וְלֹא רָצִיתִי לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לְזוּלָתֶךָ, כִּי מִי אֲנִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְהָמָן עַל תְּשׁוּעַת עַמְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי לוֹחֵךְ הָיִיתִי מִנְעַל רַגְלָיו. וְעַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַצִּילֵנוּ נָא מִיָּדוֹ, וְיִפֹּל בַּשַּׁחַת אֲשֶׁר כָּרָה וְיִלָּכֵד בָּרֶשֶׁת אֲשֶׁר טָמַן לְרַגְלֵי חֲסִידֶיךָ, וְיֵדַע הַמַּרְגִּיז הַזֶּה כִּי לֹא שָׁכַחְתָּ הַהַבְטָחָה שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּנוּ (ויקרא כו, מד): וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְּעַלְתִּים לְכַלֹּתָם לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. מֶה עָשָׂה מָרְדֳּכַי, קִבֵּץ אֶת הַתִּינוֹקוֹת וְעִנָּה אוֹתָם מִלֶּחֶם וּמַיִם, וְהִלְבִּישָׁן שָׂק וְהוֹשִׁיבָם בָּאֵפֶר, וְהָיוּ צוֹעֲקִים וּבוֹכִין וְעוֹסְקִין בַתּוֹרָה. וּבָעֵת הַהִיא הָיְתָה אֶסְתֵּר נִפְחֶדֶת מְאֹד מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר צָמְחָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וַתִּפְשֹׁט בִּגְדֵּי מַלְכוּתָהּ וְאֶת תִּפְאַרְתָּהּ, וַתִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק, וַתִּפְרַע שְׂעַר רֹאשָׁהּ וַתְּמַלֵּא אוֹתוֹ עָפָר וָאֵפֶר, וַתְּעַנֶּה נַפְשָׁהּ בְּצוֹם, וַתִּפֹּל עַל פָּנֶיהָ לִפְנֵי ה' וַתִּתְפַּלֵל, וַתֹּאמַר, ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר מָשַׁלְתָּ מִימֵי קֶדֶם, וּבָרָאתָ אֶת הָעוֹלָם, עֲזֹר נָא אֲמָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאַרְתִּי יְתוֹמָה בְּלִי אָב וָאֵם, וּמְשׁוּלָה לַעֲנִיָּה שׁוֹאֶלֶת מִבַּיִת לְבַיִת, כֵּן אָנֹכִי שׁוֹאֶלֶת רַחֲמֶיךָ מֵחַלּוֹן לְחַלּוֹן בְּבֵית אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְעַתָּה ה' הַצְלִיחָה נָא לַאֲמָתְךָ הָעֲנִיָּה הַזֹּאת וְהַצִּילָה אֶת צֹאן מַרְעִיתֶךָ מִן הָאוֹיְבִים הָאֵלּוּ אֲשֶׁר קָמוּ עָלֵינוּ, כִּי אֵין לְךָ מַעֲצֹר לְהוֹשִׁיעַ בְּרַב אוֹ בִמְעָט. וְאַתָּה אֲבִי יְתוֹמִים עֲמֹד נָא לִימִין הַיְתוֹמָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר בְּחַסְדְּךָ בָטְחָה, וּתְנָה אוֹתִי לְרַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה כִּי יְרֵאתִיו, וְהַשְׁפִּילֵהוּ לְפָנַי כִּי אַתָּה מַשְׁפִּיל גֵּאִים.
21. Anon., Midrash On Song of Songs, 1.12

Subjects of this text:

subject	book bibliographic info
abba, r.	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
amoraim	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 180
benefactor	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1
bertinoro	Brooks, Support for the Poor in the Mishnaic Law of Agriculture: Tractate Peah (1983) 200
collection, problem of	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1
collection, significance of	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1
eliezer (or elazar), rabbi, ben shamua	Kaplan, My Perfect One: Typology and Early Rabbinic Interpretation of Song of Songs (2015) 88
epstein, jacob nahum haleri	Brooks, Support for the Poor in the Mishnaic Law of Agriculture: Tractate Peah (1983) 200
god, imitation of	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1
lineage (yihus), and marriage	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
marriage, and lineage	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
meir, r., on marriage	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
neusner, jacob'	Kaplan, My Perfect One: Typology and Early Rabbinic Interpretation of Song of Songs (2015) 88
pella, flight to	Allison, 4 Baruch (2018) 98
prayer	Allison, 4 Baruch (2018) 98
priest and high priest	Allison, 4 Baruch (2018) 98
priests (kohanim), and lineage	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
purity/impurity, and marriage	Rubenstein, The Culture of the Babylonian Talmud (2003) 197
romans/roman empire/rome	Allison, 4 Baruch (2018) 98
sasanians	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1
sussmann, yaacov	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 180
temple in jerusalem, destruction of	Allison, 4 Baruch (2018) 98
tsedaqah	Gardner, The Origins of Organized Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (2015) 1