1. Hebrew Bible, Exodus, 25.2, 25.8, 34.6 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 25.2. וְהָיוּ הַכְּרֻבִים פֹּרְשֵׂי כְנָפַיִם לְמַעְלָה סֹכְכִים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם עַל־הַכַּפֹּרֶת וּפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו אֶל־הַכַּפֹּרֶת יִהְיוּ פְּנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים׃ 25.2. דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ־לִי תְּרוּמָה מֵאֵת כָּל־אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ תִּקְחוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִי׃ 25.8. וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם׃ 34.6. וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת | 25.2. ’Speak unto the children of Israel, that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart maketh him willing ye shall take My offering." 25.8. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." 34.6. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;" |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Leviticus, 22.32 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 22.32. וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם׃ | 22.32. And ye shall not profane My holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the LORD who hallow you," |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Numbers, 16.21 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 16.21. הִבָּדְלוּ מִתּוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַזֹּאת וַאַכַלֶּה אֹתָם כְּרָגַע׃ | 16.21. ’Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’" |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 82.1 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 82.1. מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת־אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט׃ | 82.1. A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judgeth:" |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Ruth, 4.2 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 4.2. וַיִּקַּח עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי הָעִיר וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁבוּ־פֹה וַיֵּשֵׁבוּ׃ 4.2. וְעַמִּינָדָב הוֹלִיד אֶת־נַחְשׁוֹן וְנַחְשׁוֹן הוֹלִיד אֶת־שַׂלְמָה׃ | 4.2. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said: ‘Sit ye down here.’ And they sat down." |
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6. Mishnah, Avot, 1.1, 3.2-3.3, 3.5 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.1. Moses received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah." 3.2. Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive. R. Haiah ben Teradion said: if two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners, as it is said: “nor sat he in the seat of the scornful…[rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight]” (Psalms 1:1); but if two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them, then the Shekhinah abides among them, as it is said: “then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). Now I have no [scriptural proof for the presence of the Shekhinah] except [among] two, how [do we know] that even one who sits and studies Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes his reward? As it is said: “though he sit alone and [meditate] in stillness, yet he takes [a reward] unto himself” (Lamentations 3:28)." 3.3. Rabbi Shimon said: if three have eaten at one table and have not spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten sacrifices [offered] to the dead, as it is said, “for all tables are full of filthy vomit, when the All-Present is absent” (Isaiah 28:8). But, if three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at the table of the All-Present, blessed be He, as it is said, “And He said unto me, ‘this is the table before the Lord’” (Ezekiel 41:2." 3.5. Rabbi Nehunia ben Hakkanah said: whoever takes upon himself the yoke of the Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns, and whoever breaks off from himself the yoke of the Torah, they place upon him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns." |
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7. Mishnah, Megillah, 4.3 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.3. They do not recite the Shema responsively, And they do not pass before the ark; And the [the priests] do not lift up their hands; And they do not read the Torah [publicly]; And they do not conclude with a haftarah from the prophets; And they do not make stops [at funeral] processions; And they do not say the blessing for mourners, or the comfort of mourners, or the blessing of bridegrooms; And they do not mention God’s name in the invitation [to say Birkat Hamazon]; Except in the presence of ten. [For redeeming sanctified] land nine and a priest [are sufficient], and similarly with human beings." |
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8. Mishnah, Sanhedrin, 1.6, 6.5 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.6. The greater Sanhedrin was made up of seventy one and the little Sanhedrin of twenty three.From where do we learn that the greater Sanhedrin should be made up of seventy one? As it says, “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel” (Num. 11:16), and when Moses is added to them there is seventy one. Rabbi Judah says: “Seventy.” From where do we learn that the little Sanhedrin should be made up of twenty three? As it says, “The assembly shall judge”, “The assembly shall deliver” (Num. 35:24-25), an assembly that judges and an assembly that delivers, thus we have twenty. And from where do we know that an assembly has ten? As it says, “How long shall I bear this evil congregation?” (Num. 14:27) [which refers to the twelve spies] but Joshua and Caleb were not included. And from where do we learn that we should bring three others [to the twenty]? By inference from what it says, “You shall not follow after the many to do evil” (Ex. 23:2), I conclude that I must be with them to do well. Then why does it say, “[To follow] after the many to change judgment” (Ex. 23:2). [It means that] your verdict of condemnation should not be like your verdict of acquittal, for your verdict of acquittal is reached by the decision of a majority of one, but your verdict of condemnation must be reached by the decision of a majority of two. The court must not be divisible equally, therefore they add to them one more; thus they are twenty three. And how many should there be in a city that it may be fit to have a Sanhedrin? A hundred and twenty. Rabbi Nehemiah says: “Two hundred and thirty, so that [the Sanhedrin of twenty three] should correspond with them that are chiefs of [at least] groups of ten." 6.5. R. Meir said: “When man suffers, what expression does the shechinah (God’s presence) use? “My head is too light (a euphemism for heavy) for me, my arm is too light (a euphemism for heavy) for me.” If god is so grieved over the blood of the wicked that is shed, how much more so over the blood of the righteous! And not only of this one [a criminal did the sages not to leave him overnight] but whosoever lets his dead lie over night transgresses a negative commandment. If he kept him over night for the sake of his honor, to procure for him a coffin or a shroud, he does not transgress. And they did not bury him [the executed person] in his ancestral tomb, but two burial places were prepared by the court, one for those who were decapitated or strangled, and the other for those who were stoned or burned." |
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9. New Testament, Matthew, 18.19-18.20 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 18.19. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 18.20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. |
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10. Anon., Sifre Deuteronomy, 352 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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11. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, 64a, 6a, 21b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 21b. או צבור וצבור אבל יחיד לגבי צבור כמאן דלא צלי דמי קמ"ל ואי אשמעינן הכא משום דלא אתחיל בה אבל התם דאתחיל בה אימא לא צריכא,אמר רב הונא הנכנס לבית הכנסת ומצא צבור שמתפללין אם יכול להתחיל ולגמור עד שלא יגיע ש"ץ למודים יתפלל ואם לאו אל יתפלל ריב"ל אמר אם יכול להתחיל ולגמור עד שלא יגיע ש"צ לקדושה יתפלל ואם לאו אל יתפלל,במאי קא מפלגי מר סבר יחיד אומר קדושה ומר סבר אין יחיד אומר קדושה,וכן אמר רב אדא בר אהבה מנין שאין היחיד אומר קדושה שנאמר (ויקרא כב, לב) ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל כל דבר שבקדושה לא יהא פחות מעשרה,מאי משמע דתני רבנאי אחוה דרבי חייא בר אבא אתיא תוך תוך כתיב הכא ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל וכתיב התם (במדבר טז, כא) הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת מה להלן עשרה אף כאן עשרה,ודכולי עלמא מיהת מפסק לא פסיק,איבעיא להו מהו להפסיק ליהא שמו הגדול מבורך כי אתא רב דימי אמר ר' יהודה ור"ש תלמידי דרבי יוחנן אמרי לכל אין מפסיקין חוץ מן יהא שמו הגדול מבורך שאפילו עוסק במעשה מרכבה פוסק ולית הלכתא כותיה:,ר' יהודה אומר מברך לפניהם ולאחריהם: למימרא דקסבר רבי יהודה בעל קרי מותר בדברי תורה והאמר ריב"ל מנין לבעל קרי שאסור בדברי תורה שנאמר (דברים ד, ט) והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך וסמיך ליה יום אשר עמדת וגו' מה להלן בעלי קריין אסורין אף כאן בעלי קריין אסורין,וכי תימא רבי יהודה לא דריש סמוכים והאמר רב יוסף אפילו מאן דלא דריש סמוכים בכל התורה במשנה תורה דריש דהא רבי יהודה לא דריש סמוכין בכל התורה כולה ובמשנה תורה דריש,ובכל התורה כולה מנא לן דלא דריש דתניא בן עזאי אומר נאמר (שמות כב, יז) מכשפה לא תחיה ונאמר כל שוכב עם בהמה מות יומת סמכו ענין לו לומר מה שוכב עם בהמה בסקילה אף מכשפה נמי בסקילה,אמר ליה ר' יהודה וכי מפני שסמכו ענין לו נוציא לזה לסקילה אלא אוב וידעוני בכלל כל המכשפים היו ולמה יצאו להקיש להן ולומר לך מה אוב וידעוני בסקילה אף מכשפה בסקילה,ובמשנה תורה מנא לן דדריש דתניא רבי אליעזר אומר נושא אדם אנוסת אביו ומפותת אביו אנוסת בנו ומפותת בנו,ר' יהודה אוסר באנוסת אביו ובמפותת אביו ואמר רב גידל אמר רב מאי טעמא דר' יהודה דכתיב (דברים כג, א) לא יקח איש את אשת אביו ולא יגלה (את) כנף אביו כנף שראה אביו לא יגלה,וממאי דבאנוסת אביו כתיב דסמיך ליה ונתן האיש השוכב עמה וגו',אמרי אין במשנה תורה דריש והני סמוכין מבעי ליה לאידך דריב"ל דאמר ריב"ל כל המלמד לבנו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו קבלה מהר חורב שנאמר (דברים ד, ט) והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך וכתיב בתריה יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' אלהיך בחורב,תנן זב שראה קרי ונדה שפלטה שכבת זרע המשמשת וראתה דם צריכין טבילה ורבי יהודה פוטר,עד כאן לא פטר רבי יהודה אלא בזב שראה קרי דמעיקרא לאו בר טבילה הוא אבל בעל קרי גרידא מחייב,וכי תימא ה"ה דאפילו בעל קרי גרידא נמי פטר רבי יהודה והאי דקא מפלגי בזב שראה קרי להודיעך כחן דרבנן אימא סיפא המשמשת וראתה דם צריכה טבילה,למאן קתני לה אילימא לרבנן פשיטא השתא ומה זב שראה קרי דמעיקרא לאו בר טבילה הוא מחייבי רבנן המשמשת וראתה דם דמעיקרא בת טבילה היא לא כל שכן אלא לאו ר' יהודה היא ודוקא קתני לה | 21b. bora case where he prayed as part of ba congregation andbegan to repeat it as part of ba congregation; however,in a case where he initially prayed by himself and subsequently joined the congregation at the venue where it was praying, we might have said that ban individual vis-à-vis the congregation isconsidered bas one who has not prayed.Therefore, bhe taught usthat in this case, too, one may not repeat the prayer. bAnd,on the other hand, bif he had taught us hereonly with regard to one who entered a synagogue, we would have thought that the reason he may not pray again is bbecause he did notyet bbeginto recite the prayer, bbut there, in the case where healready bbeganto recite the prayer, bsaythat this is bnotthe case and he may continue to repeat the prayer. Therefore, both statements are bnecessary. /b, bRav Huna said: One whodid not yet pray and benters a synagogue and found that the congregation isin the midst of brecitingthe iAmida bprayer, if he is able to begin and completehis own prayer bbefore the prayer leader reachesthe blessing of bthanksgiving [ imodim /i], he shouldbegin to bpray, and, if not, he should notbegin to bpray. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: If he is able to begin and completehis prayer bbefore the prayer leader reaches sanctification [ ikedusha /i], then he shouldbegin to bpray. If not, then he should notbegin to bpray. /b,The Gemara clarifies: bWith regard to what do they disagree?The basis for their dispute is that one bSage,Rav Huna, bholds: An individualis permitted to brecite ikedusha /ion his own, so he need not insist on reciting it along with the prayer leader; bandthe other bSage,Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, bholdsthat ban individual may not recite ikedusha /ialone, and, therefore he is required to complete his prayer before the communal prayer leader reaches ikedusha /i., bSimilarly, Rav Adda bar Ahava stated,in accordance with the second opinion: bFrom where is it derived that an individual may not recite ikedusha /ialone? bAs it is stated: “And I shall be hallowed among the children of Israel”(Leviticus 22:32), bany expression of sanctity may not berecited in a quorum of bfewer than tenmen.,The Gemara asks: bHow is this inferredfrom that verse? The Gemara responds: This must be understood in light of a ibaraita /i, bwhich was taught by Rabbenai, the brotherof bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: It is inferredby means of a verbal analogy [ igezera shava /i] between the words bamong, among. Here it is written: “And I shall be hallowed among the children of Israel,” and there,regarding Korah’s congregation, bit is written “Separate yourselves from among this congregation”(Numbers 16:21). bJust as thereamong connotes bten, so too here,among connotes bten.The connotation of ten associated with the word among written in the portion of Korah is, in turn, derived by means of another verbal analogy between the word congregation written there and the word congregation written in reference to the ten spies who slandered Eretz Yisrael: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation?” (Numbers 14:27). Consequently, among the congregation there must be at least ten., bAnd, in any case, everyoneagrees that bone may not interrupthis prayer in order to respond to ikedusha /i.,However, ba dilemma was raisedbefore the Sages of the yeshiva: bWhat isthe ruling? Is one permitted bto interrupthis prayer in order btorecite: b“May His great name be blessed”in ikaddish /i? bWhen Rav Dimi camefrom Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, bhe said: Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon, disciples of Rabbi Yoḥa, said: One may not interrupthis prayer bfor anything, except for: “May His great name be blessed,” as evenif one was bengaged inthe exalted study of the bAct of theDivine bChariot[iMa’aseh Merkava /i](see Ezekiel 1) bhe stopsto recite it. However, the Gemara concludes: bThe ihalakhais not in accordance with hisopinion.,We learned in the mishna that bRabbi Yehuda sayswith regard to one who experiences a seminal emission; bhe recites a blessing beforehand and afterwardin both the case of iShemaand in the case of food. The Gemara asks: bIs that to say that Rabbi Yehuda holds that one who experienced a seminal emission is permittedto engage bin matters of Torah? Didn’t Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say: From wherein the Torah is it derived bthat one who experiences a seminal emission is prohibited fromengaging bin matters of Torah? As it is stated:“Just take heed and guard your soul diligently lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart, for all the days of your life, band you shall impart them to your children and your children’s children”(Deuteronomy 4:9), from which we derive, among other things, the obligation to study Torah. bAnd, juxtaposed to it,is the verse: b“The day that you stoodbefore the Lord your God at Horeb” (Deuteronomy 4:10). This juxtaposition teaches us that bjust as below,at the revelation at Mount Sinai, bthose who experienced a seminal emission were prohibitedand were commanded to refrain from relations with their wives and immerse themselves, bso too here,throughout the generations, bthose who experience a seminal emission are prohibitedfrom engaging in Torah study., bAnd if you say that Rabbi Yehuda does not derive homiletic interpretations from juxtaposedverses, bdidn’t Rav Yosefalready say: bEven one who does not derive homiletic interpretations from juxtaposedverses throughout bthe entire Torah,nevertheless, bderivesthem bin Deuteronomy [ iMishne Torah /i], as Rabbi Yehuda does not derive homiletic interpretations from juxtaposedverses bthroughout the entire Torah and he does derive them in iMishne Torah /i. /b, bAnd from where do we derivethat Rabbi Yehuda bdoes not derive homiletic interpretationsfrom juxtaposed verses bthroughout the entire Torah? As it was taughtin a ibaraitawith regard to the punishment of a sorceress, bben Azzai says: It is stated: “You shall not allow a sorceress to live”(Exodus 22:17), although the manner of her execution is not specified, band it is stated: “Whoever lies with a beast shall surely be put to death”(Exodus 22:18). The fact that the Torah bjuxtaposed this matter to thatwas bto say: Just as one who lies with a beastis executed bby stoning(see Leviticus 20), bso too a sorceressis executed bby stoning. /b,With regard to this proof bRabbi Yehuda said to him: And doesthe fact bthatthe Torah bjuxtaposed this matter to that warrant takingthis person bout to be stoned?Should he be sentenced to the most severe of the death penalties on that basis bRather,the source is: bMediums and wizards were included among all sorcerers. And why were they singled outfrom the rest, in the verse: “And a man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones, their blood is upon them” (Leviticus 20:27)? In order to bdraw an analogy to them and say to you: Just as a medium and a wizardare executed bby stoning, so too is a sorceressexecuted bby stoning. /b, bAnd from where do we derivethat Rabbi Yehuda bderives homiletic interpretationsfrom juxtaposed verses bin iMishne Torah /i? As it was taughtin another ibaraita /i: bRabbi Eliezer said that a manmay bweda woman braped by his father andone bseduced by his father;a woman braped by his son andone bseduced by his son.Though one is prohibited by Torah law from marrying the wife of his father or the wife of his son, this prohibition does not apply to a woman raped or seduced by them., bAnd Rabbi Yehuda prohibitshim from marrying ba woman raped by his father and a woman seduced by his father. And Rav Giddel saidthat bRav said: What is the reason for Rabbi Yehuda’sopinion? bAs it is written: “A man shall not take his father’s wife, and shall not uncover his father’s skirt”(Deuteronomy 23:1). The last expression, “and shall not uncover his father’s skirt,” implies that: bA skirt that has been seen by his father,i.e., any woman who has had sexual relations with his father, bmay not be uncoveredby his son, i.e., his son may not marry her., bAnd from wheredo we know bthatthe verse bis written with regard to a woman raped by his father? Asthe previous section, bjuxtaposed to it,deals with the laws of rape: b“And the man who lay with her must giveher father fifty shekels…because he has violated her” (Deuteronomy 22:29).,At any rate, we see that in Deuteronomy, Rabbi Yehuda derives homiletic interpretations from juxtaposed verses. Why does he fail to derive that one who experiences a seminal emission is prohibited from engaging in matters of Torah from the juxtaposition of the verses? bThey replied: Indeed, in iMishne Torah /iRabbi Yehuda bdoes derive homiletic interpretationsfrom the juxtaposition of verses, bbuthe requires bthese juxtaposed versesin order btoderive banotherstatement of bRabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who teaches his son Torah, the verse ascribes to himcredit bas if he receivedthe Torah bfrom Mount Horeb. As it is stated: “And you shall impart them to your children and your children’s children”(Deuteronomy 4:9) bafter which it is written: “The day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb.”Therefore, Rabbi Yehuda cannot derive from that same juxtaposition a prohibition banning one who experienced a seminal emission from engaging in matters of Torah., bWe learnedin a mishna that ba izavwho experienced a seminal emission, and a menstruating woman who discharged semen, and a woman who engaged in intercoursewith her husband band she sawmenstrual bblood,all of whom are ritually impure for at least seven days due to the severity of their impurity, nevertheless brequire ritual immersionin order to purify themselves from the impurity of the seminal emission before they may engage in matters of Torah. bAnd Rabbi Yehuda exemptsthem from immersion.,However, bRabbi Yehuda only exemptedfrom immersion in the case bof a izavwho experienced a seminal emission, who was unfit to immerse himself from the outset,as even after immersion he would remain impure with the seven-day impurity of the izav /i. bBut,in the case of bone who experienced a seminal emission alone,with no concurrent impurity, even Rabbi Yehuda brequiresimmersion before he may engage in Torah matters., bAnd if you say: The same is true evenin the case of bone who experienced a seminal emission alone,that bRabbi Yehuda also exemptshim from immersion, band the fact that they disagreein the case of ba izavwho experienced a seminal emissionand not in the case of a person who experienced a seminal emission alone bis in order to convey the far-reachingnature of the opinion bof the Rabbis,who require immersion even in this case. If so, bsay the last caseof that same mishna: bA woman who was engaged in intercourse and she sawmenstrual bblood requires immersion. /b,The Gemara seeks to clarify: bIn accordance with whoseopinion bwas thiscase in the mishna btaught? If you saythat it is in accordance with the opinion of bthe Rabbis, that is obvious; ifin the case of ba izavwho experienced a seminal emission who was unfit to immerse himself from the outset,when he experienced the seminal emission, bthe Rabbisnevertheless brequire immersion, all the more sowouldn’t they require immersion for ba woman who engaged in intercourse andonly then bsaw blood,who bwas fit to immerse herself from the outset,when she came into contact with the seminal emission of her husband? bRather, isn’t this Rabbi Yehuda’sopinion, bandthis case bwas taught specificallyin order to teach |
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12. Babylonian Talmud, Ketuvot, 111b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 111b. שאין בה סמיכה עמידה שיש בה סמיכה נוחה הימנה,וכן אמרו יצחק ושמעון ואושעיא אמרו דבר אחד הלכה כר' יהודה בפרדות דתניא רבי יהודה אומר פרדה שתבעה אין מרביעין עליה לא סוס ולא חמור אלא מינה,אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק יצחק זה רבי יצחק נפחא שמעון זה ר"ש בן פזי ואמרי לה ר"ל אושעיא זה רבי אושעיא ברבי,אמר ר' אלעזר עמי הארצות אינן חיים שנאמר (ישעיהו כו, יד) מתים בל יחיו וגו' תניא נמי הכי מתים בל יחיו יכול לכל ת"ל רפאים בל יקומו במרפה עצמו מדברי תורה הכתוב מדבר,א"ל ר' יוחנן לא ניחא למרייהו דאמרת להו הכי ההוא במרפה עצמו לעבודת כוכבים הוא דכתיב א"ל מקרא אחר אני דורש דכתיב (ישעיהו כו, יט) כי טל אורות טליך וארץ רפאים תפיל כל המשתמש באור תורה אור תורה מחייהו וכל שאין משתמש באור תורה אין אור תורה מחייהו,כיון דחזייה דקמצטער א"ל רבי מצאתי להן תקנה מן התורה (דברים ד, ד) ואתם הדבקים בה' אלהיכם חיים כולכם היום וכי אפשר לדבוקי בשכינה והכתיב (דברים ד, כד) כי ה' אלהיך אש אוכלה,אלא כל המשיא בתו לתלמיד חכם והעושה פרקמטיא לתלמידי חכמים והמהנה תלמידי חכמים מנכסיו מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו מדבק בשכינה,כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר (דברים ל, כ) לאהבה את ה' אלהיך ולדבקה בו וכי אפשר לאדם לידבק בשכינה אלא כל המשיא בתו לתלמיד חכם והעושה פרקמטיא לתלמידי חכמים והמהנה תלמידי חכמים מנכסיו מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו מדבק בשכינה,א"ר חייא בר יוסף עתידין צדיקים שמבצבצין ועולין בירושלים שנאמר (תהלים עב, טז) ויציצו מעיר כעשב הארץ ואין עיר אלא ירושלים שנאמר (מלכים ב יט, לד) וגנותי אל העיר הזאת,וא"ר חייא בר יוסף עתידים צדיקים שיעמדו במלבושיהן ק"ו מחטה מה חטה שנקברה ערומה יוצאה בכמה לבושין צדיקים שנקברו בלבושיהן על אחת כמה וכמה,וא"ר חייא בר יוסף עתידה א"י שתוציא גלוסקאות וכלי מילת שנאמר (תהלים עב, טז) יהי פסת בר בארץ,ת"ר יהי פסת בר בארץ בראש הרים אמרו עתידה חטה שתתמר כדקל ועולה בראש הרים ושמא תאמר יש צער לקוצרה תלמוד לומר (תהלים עב, טז) ירעש כלבנון פריו הקב"ה מביא רוח מבית גנזיו ומנשבה עליה ומשרה את סלתה ואדם יוצא לשדה ומביא מלא פיסת ידו וממנה פרנסתו ופרנסת אנשי ביתו,(דברים לב, יד) עם חלב כליות חטה אמרו עתידה חטה שתהא כשתי כליות של שור הגדול ואל תתמה שהרי שועל קינן בלפת ושקלוהו ומצאו בו ששים ליטרין בליטרא של צפורי,תניא אמר רב יוסף מעשה בשיחין באחד שהניח לו אביו שלשה בדי חרדל ונפשח אחד מהן ונמצאו בו תשעה קבין חרדל ועציו סיככו בו סוכת יוצרין: אמר ר"ש בן תחליפא קלח של כרוב הניח לנו אבא והיינו עולים ויורדים בו בסולם,(דברים לב, יד) ודם ענב תשתה חמר אמרו לא כעולם הזה העולם הבא העולם הזה יש בו צער לבצור ולדרוך העולם הבא מביא ענוה אחת בקרון או בספינה ומניחה בזוית ביתו ומספק הימנה כפטוס גדול ועציו מסיקין תחת התבשיל ואין לך כל ענבה וענבה שאין בה שלשים גרבי יין שנא' (דברים לב, יד) ודם ענב תשתה חמר אל תקרי חמר אלא חומר,כי אתא רב דימי אמר מאי דכתיב (בראשית מט, יא) אוסרי לגפן עירה אין לך כל גפן וגפן שבא"י שאין צריך עיר אחת לבצור (בראשית מט, יא) ולשורקה בני אתונו אין לך כל אילן סרק שבא"י שאינו מוציא משוי שתי אתונות ושמא תאמר אין בו יין ת"ל (בראשית מט, יא) כבס ביין לבושו ושמא תאמר אינו אדום ת"ל ודם ענב תשתה חמר,ושמא תאמר אינו מרוה ת"ל סותה ושמא תאמר אין בו טעם ת"ל חכלילי עינים מיין כל חיך שטועמו אומר לי לי ושמא תאמר לנערים יפה ולזקנים אינו יפה ת"ל ולבן שנים מחלב אל תיקרי לבן שינים אלא לבן שנים,פשטיה דקרא במאי כתיב כי אתא רב דימי אמר אמרה כנסת ישראל לפני הקב"ה רבונו של עולם רמוז בעיניך דבסים מחמרא ואחוי לי שיניך דבסים מחלבא,מסייע ליה לר' יוחנן דאמר ר' יוחנן טוב המלבין שינים לחבירו יותר ממשקהו חלב שנאמר ולבן שנים מחלב אל תקרי לבן שינים אלא לבון שינים,רב חייא בר אדא מקרי דרדקי דר"ל הוה איפגר תלתא יומי ולא אתא כי אתא א"ל אמאי איפגרת,א"ל דלית אחת הניח לי אבא ובצרתי ממנה יום ראשון ג' מאות אשכולות אשכול לגרב יום שני בצרתי ג' מאות אשכולות שתי אשכולות לגרב יום שלישי בצרתי ממנה ג' מאות אשכולות שלש אשכולות לגרב והפקרתי יותר מחציה א"ל אי לאו דאיפגרת הוה עבדא טפי,רמי בר יחזקאל איקלע לבני ברק חזנהו להנהו עיזי דקאכלן תותי תאיני וקנטיף דובשא מתאיני וחלבא טייף מנייהו ומיערב בהדי הדדי אמר היינו זבת חלב ודבש,א"ר יעקב בן דוסתאי מלוד לאונו שלשה מילין פעם אחת קדמתי בנשף והלכתי עד קרסולי בדבש של תאינים אמר ר"ל לדידי חזי לי זבת חלב ודבש של צפורי והוי שיתסר מילין אשיתסר מילין אמר רבה בר בר חנה לדידי חזי לי זבת חלב ודבש של כל ארץ ישראל | 111b. bwithout support, standing with a support,i.e. an object against which one can lean, bis better than it. /b, bAnd so too,the brothers bsaidto Rabba: bYitzḥak, Shimon, and Oshayaall bsaid the same statement:The ihalakhais in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Yehuda with regard to female mules. As it is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yehuda says:With regard to ba female mule in heat, onemay bnot mate a horse or a donkey with her,due to the prohibition against crossbreeding of livestock. bRather,one mates her with bone of her kind,another mule., bRav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said,in explanation of this last statement of Rabba’s brothers: bYitzḥak isto be identified with bRabbi Yitzḥak Nappaḥa; Shimon is Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi. And some saythat he is bReish Lakish,i.e., Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish. bOshaya is Rabbi Oshaya the Distinguished /b.,§ bRabbi Elazar said: The common, uneducated peoplewill bnotcome balivein the future, bas it is stated: “The dead live not”(Isaiah 26:14). In other words, those who were already considered dead in their lifetimes will not come back to life afterward either. bThisidea bis also taughtin a ibaraita /i: b“The dead live not”;one bmighthave thought that this is referring bto everyone,i.e., none of the dead will live again. Therefore, bthe verse states: “The shades [ irefa’im /i] rise not”(Isaiah 26:14). This teaches that bthe verse is speaking of one who weakens [ imerapeh /i] himself from matters of Torah. /b, bRabbi Yoḥa said toRabbi Elazar: bTheir master,i.e. God, bis not pleased that you say this ofordinary Jews. Rather, bthatverse bis written about one who weakens himselfand succumbs bto idol worship.Those who commit this great sin do not merit to be resurrected in the future. Rabbi Elazar bsaid to him: I teachit from ba different verse, as it is written: “For Your dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades”(Isaiah 26:19). Rabbi Elazar explains: bAnyone who uses the light of Torah,which is called the dew of light, bthe light of Torahwill brevive him; and anyone who does not use the light of Torah, the light of Torahwill bnot revive him. /b, bSinceRabbi Elazar bsaw thatRabbi Yoḥa bwas grievedover the distress of common, uneducated people, bhe said to him: My teacher, I have found for them a remedy from the Torahso that they will merit life in the World-to-Come, as it states: b“But You who cleave to the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day”(Deuteronomy 4:4). bBut is it possible to cleave to the Divine Presence? Isn’t it written: For the Lord your God is a devouring fire”(Deuteronomy 4:24)?, bRather,this verse teaches that banyone who marries his daughter to a Torah scholar, and one who conducts business [ iperakmatya /i] on behalf of Torah scholars,by investing their money, band one whoutilizes his wealth bto benefit Torah scholars with his propertyin some other way, bthe verse ascribes himcredit bas though he is cleaving to the Divine Presence. /b, bOn a similar note, you say:The verse states: b“To love the Lord your God,to hearken to His voice, band to cleave to Him”(Deuteronomy 30:20). bBut is it possible for a person to cleave to the Divine Presence? Rather, anyone who marries his daughter to a Torah scholar, and one who conducts business on behalf of Torah scholars, and one whoutilizes his wealth bto benefit Torah scholars with his property, the verse ascribes himcredit bas though he is cleaving to the Divine Presence. /b,§ bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Yosef said: In the future,at the time of the resurrection of the dead, bthe righteous will burst forth and arise in Jerusalem, as it is stated: “And may they blossom out of the city like the grass of the earth”(Psalms 72:16), bandthe term b“city”means bnothing otherthan bJerusalem, as it is stated: “For I will defend this city”(II Kings 19:34)., bAnd Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Yosef said: In the future the righteous will standup from their graves bin their clothes.This is derived by an ia fortiori /iinference bfromthe example of bwheat: Just as wheat, which is buried naked,i.e., the seed alone is planted, and yet it bemergesfrom the ground bwith several layers of garb,including straw and chaff, in the case of bthe righteous, who are buriedfully bclothed, all the more sodo they come out of the ground properly dressed., bAnd Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Yoseffurther bsaid: In the future Eretz Yisrael will produce cakes [ igeluskaot /i] andfine bwool clothing [ imeilat /i]that will grow from the ground, bas it is stated: “Let abundant [ ipissat /i] grain [ ibar /i] be in the land”(Psalms 72:16). The term ipissatis interpreted in a similar manner to iketonet passim /i, Joseph’s valuable clothing of many colors, while ibarcan mean bread.,§ bThe Sages taughtthe following with regard to the verse b“Let abundant [ ipissat /i] grain be in the land upon the top of the mountains”(Psalms 72:16). bThey said: In the future, wheat will rise up, and growtall blike a palm tree, and ascend to the top of the mountains. And lest you saythat if wheat will grow this tall bits reaperwill suffer bdiscomfort, thesame bverse states: “May his fruit rustle like Lebanon.” The Holy One, Blessed be He,will bbring a wind from His treasury and blow across, andthis will thereby binduce the flourto fall from the stalks of wheat, band a person will go out to the field and bring back a palmful [ ipissat /i]of flour, bfrom which he willprovide bhis livelihood and the livelihood of the members of his household. /b,It is stated: b“With the kidney-fat of wheat”(Deuteronomy 32:14). The Sages bsaid: In the future,each and every kernel of bwheat will be asbig as bthe two kidneys of the large ox. And do not be surprisedthat this is possible, bas there wasan incident involving ba fox that nested inside a turnip, and they weighedthis turnip, band they discoveredthat even discounting the space dug out by the fox, bitstill weighed bsixty ilitra /i,as measured bby the ilitraof Tzippori. /b,Similarly, bit is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRav Yosef said:There was ban incidentwhich occurred binthe village of bShiḥin,in Eretz Yisrael, binvolving one whose father had left him three branches of mustard, one of which broke. And they discovered onthis one branch alone bnine ikavof mustard. Andwith the bwood of itslarge branches bthey roofed a booth for artisans.Similarly, bRabbi Shimon ben Taḥlifa said: Father left us a cabbage stalk and we would go up and down on it with a ladder,due to its great height.,§ It is stated: b“And from the blood of the grape you drank foaming wine”(Deuteronomy 32:14). The Sages bsaid: The World-to-Come is not like this world.In bthis world there is sufferinginvolved bin pickinggrapes bandin bpressingthem. By contrast, in the bWorld-to-Comeone will bbring one grape in a wagon or on a boat and set it down in a corner of his house and supply from it enoughto fill baboutthe amount of ba large jug [ ipitus /i], and with its wood one will kindlea fire bunder a cooked dish. And every grape you have will produce no lessthan bthirty full jugs of wine,each with the capacity of a ise’a /i. bAs it is stated: “And from the blood of the grape you drank foaming wine [ iḥamer /i].” Do not readthis term as iḥamer /i; rather,read it as iḥomer /i,which is a measure equaling thirty ise’a /i.,§ bWhen Rav Dimi camefrom Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, bhe said: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “Binding his foal to the vine”(Genesis 49:11), which is interpreted as a prophecy for the future? It means that bevery grapevine you have in Eretz Yisrael requires a foal tocarry the load of its bharvest.The verse continues: b“And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine [ isoreka /i].”The Gemara explains: bEvery barren [ iserak /i] tree you have in Eretz Yisrael will producesufficient fruit in the future bto loadupon btwo donkeys. And lest you saythat these trees bdo not contain wine, thesame bverse states: “He washes his garments in wine.” And lest you saythat the wine bis not red, the verse states: “And from the blood of the grape you drank foaming wine”(Deuteronomy 32:14)., bAnd lest you saythat this wine bdoes not inebriatethose who drink it, bthe verse states: “And his vesture [ isuto /i]in the blood of grapes” (Genesis 49:11). This verse indicates that these wines will induce [ imesit /i] a state of drunkenness. bAnd lest you saythat this wine bhas no flavor, the verse states: “His eyes shall be red [ iḥakhlili /i] with wine”(Genesis 49:12). This unusual term is read homiletically as follows: bEach palate [ iḥeikh /i] that tastes it says:This is bfor me, for me [ ili li /i]. And lest you saythat the wine bis good for the young but it is not good for the old, the verse states: “And his teeth white [ ileven shinayim /i] with milk”(Genesis 49:12). bDo not readthis expression as ileven shinayim /i; rather,read it as ileven shanim /i,one of years, i.e., an elderly person.,The Gemara asks: bTo what does the plain meaning ofthe aforementioned bverse refer? When Rav Dimi camefrom Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, bhe said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe: Hint with Your eyesa love bthat is sweeter than wine, and show me Your teeththrough a smile bthat is sweeter than milk. /b,The Gemara comments: This interpretation bsupportsthe opinion bof Rabbi Yoḥa. As Rabbi Yoḥa said: One who whitens his teeth to his friendby smiling at him bis better than one who gives him milk to drink, as it is stated: “And his teeth white [ ileven shinayim /i] with milk”(Genesis 49:12). bDo not readthis expression as ileven shinayim /i; rather,read it as ilibbun shinayim /i,the whitening of teeth. Likewise, the phrase: With milk, can be read as: Than milk.,§ The Gemara relates further stories concerning the great bounty of Eretz Yisrael. bRav Ḥiyya bar Adda was a school teacher of Reish Lakish.On one occasion, Rav Ḥiyya bar Adda bwas delayed for three days and did not cometo teach the children. bWhen hefinally bcame,Reish Lakish bsaid to him: Why were you delayed? /b,Rav Ḥiyya bar Adda bsaid to him: Father left me one branchof a grape vine, band I harvested from iton the bfirst day three hundred grape clusters,and each bclusteryielded a quantity of wine enough btofill ba jug.On the bsecond day I harvestedanother bthree hundred grape clusters,and every btwo clustersyielded enough wine btofill ba jug.On bthe third day Ionce again bharvested three hundred grape clusters,and every bthree clustersyielded enough btofill ba jug, and I declared ownerless more than half of it.Reish Lakish bsaid to him: Had you not delayedand thereby disrupted the Torah study of children, each grape cluster bwould have produced morewine. Due to your cancellation of Torah study, each cluster yielded progressively less.,§ bRami bar Yeḥezkel happenedto come bto Benei Berak.He bsaw those goats that were grazing beneath a figtree, band there was honey oozing from the figs and milk dripping fromthe goats, bandthe two liquids bwere mixing together. He said: This isthe meaning of the verse “A land bflowing with milk and honey”(Exodus 3:8)., bRabbi Ya’akov ben Dostai said: There are three imilfrom Lud to Ono. Once I rose early in the morning and I walked in ankle-deep honeyoozing bfrom fig trees. Reish Lakish said: I myself sawa region called: The place bflowing with milk and honey by Tzippori, and it wasan area that covered bsixteen by sixteen imil /i,256 square imil /i. bRabba bar bar Ḥana said: I myself sawthe region bflowing with milk and honey of all Eretz Yisrael, /b |
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13. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, 29a, 23b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 23b. כנגדו נמי לא בעי,מתקיף לה רבא והרי (ירמיהו ז, כא) עולותיכם ספו דלא הויין עשרין וחד וקרינן שאני התם דסליק עניינא,והיכא דלא סליק עניינא לא והאמר רב שמואל בר אבא זמנין סגיאין הוה קאימנא קמיה דר' יוחנן וכי הוה קרינן עשרה פסוקי אמר לן אפסיקו מקום שיש תורגמן שאני דתני רב תחליפא בר שמואל לא שנו אלא במקום שאין תורגמן אבל מקום שיש תורגמן פוסק:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big אין פורסין על שמע ואין עוברין לפני התיבה ואין נושאין את כפיהם ואין קורין בתורה ואין מפטירין בנביא,ואין עושין מעמד ומושב ואין אומרים ברכת אבלים ותנחומי אבלים וברכת חתנים ואין מזמנין בשם פחות מעשרה ובקרקעות תשעה וכהן ואדם כיוצא בהן:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big מה"מ אמר ר' חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן דאמר קרא (ויקרא כב, לב) ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל כל דבר שבקדושה לא יהא פחות מעשרה,מאי משמע דתני ר' חייא אתיא תוך תוך כתיב הכא ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל וכתיב התם (במדבר טז, כא) הבדלו מתוך העדה,ואתיא עדה עדה דכתיב התם (במדבר יד, כז) עד מתי לעדה הרעה הזאת מה להלן עשרה אף כאן עשרה:,ואין עושין מעמד ומושב פחות מעשרה: כיון דבעי למימר עמדו יקרים עמודו שבו יקרים שבו בציר מעשרה לאו אורח ארעא:,ואין אומרים ברכת אבלים וברכת חתנים (וכו'): מאי ברכת אבלים ברכת רחבה דא"ר יצחק א"ר יוחנן ברכת אבלים בעשרה ואין אבלים מן המנין ברכת חתנים בעשרה וחתנים מן המנין:,ואין מזמנין על המזון בשם פחות מעשרה (וכו'): כיון דבעי למימר נברך לאלהינו בציר מעשרה לאו אורח ארעא:,והקרקעות תשעה וכהן ואדם כיוצא בהן (וכו'): מנה"מ,אמר שמואל עשרה כהנים כתובים בפרשה חד לגופיה (וחד למעוטי) ואידך הוי מיעוט אחר מיעוט ואין מיעוט אחר מיעוט אלא לרבות תשעה ישראלים וחד כהן,ואימא חמשה כהנים וחמשה ישראלים קשיא:,ואדם כיוצא בהן: אדם מי קדוש,אמר רבי אבהו באומר דמי עלי דתניא האומר דמי עלי שמין אותו כעבד ועבד איתקש לקרקעות דכתיב (ויקרא כה, מו) והתנחלתם אותם לבניכם אחריכם לרשת אחוזה:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big הקורא בתורה לא יפחות משלשה פסוקים ולא יקרא למתורגמן יותר מפסוק אחד | 23b. bit is not necessaryto balsoadd corresponding verses in the ihaftara /i., bRava strongly objects to this ibaraita /i: bButthere is the ihaftarathat begins with the words: b“Add your burnt offerings”(Jeremiah 7:21–28), bwhich does not have twenty-one verses, andnevertheless bwe read it.The Gemara answers: bThere it is different, as the topic is completedin fewer than twenty-one verses, and it is not necessary to begin another topic merely to complete the number of verses.,The Gemara asks: bButis it true that bwhere the topic is not completed,we do bnotread fewer than twenty-one verses? bDidn’t Rav Shmuel bar Abba say: Many times I stood before Rabbi Yoḥaas a translator, band when we had read ten verses he would say to us: Stop.This indicates that a ihaftaraneed not be twenty-one verses. The Gemara answers: bIn a place where there is a translator,who translates each verse into Aramaic and adds additional explanation, bit is different.In that case, it is not necessary for the ihaftarato consist of twenty-one verses, so as not to overburden the congregation, bas Rav Taḥalifa bar Shmuel taught: They taughtthat twenty-one verses must be read from the ihaftara bonlyin ba place where there is no translator; but in a place where there is a translator, one may stopeven before that., strongMISHNA: /strong bOne does not recite theintroductory prayers and bblessing [ iporesin /i]before iShema /i; nor does one pass before the arkto repeat the iAmidaprayer; bnor do thepriests blift their handsto recite the Priestly Benediction; bnor is the Torah readin public; bnor does one conclude witha reading from bthe Prophets[ ihaftara /i] in the presence of fewer than ten men., bAnd one does not observethe practice of bstanding up and sitting downfor the delivery of eulogies at a funeral service; bnor does one recite the mourners’ blessing or comfort mournersin two lines after the funeral; borrecite the bbridegrooms’ blessing; and one does not inviteothers to recite Grace after Meals, i.e., conduct a izimmun /i, bwith the nameof God, bwith fewer than tenmen present. If one consecrated blandand now wishes to redeem it, the land must be assessed by bninemen band one priest,for a total of ten. bAnd similarly,assessing the value of ba personwho has pledged his own value to the Temple must be undertaken by ten people, one of whom must be a priest., strongGEMARA: /strong The Gemara asks: bFrom where are these matters,i.e., that ten people are needed in each of these cases, derived? bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥa said:It is bas the verse states: “And I shall be hallowed among the children of Israel”(Leviticus 22:32), which indicates that bany expression of sanctity may not berecited in a quorum of bfewer than tenmen.,The Gemara asks: bFrom wherein the verse may this bbe inferred?The Gemara responds that it must be understood bas Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: It is inferredby means of a verbal analogy [ igezera shava /i] between the words b“among,” “among.” Here, it is written: “And I shall be hallowed among the children of Israel,” and there,with regard to Korah’s congregation, bit is written “Separate yourselves from among this congregation”(Numbers 16:21). Just as with regard to Korah the reference is to ten men, so too, the name of God is to be hallowed in a quorum of ten men.,The connotation of ten associated with the word “among” in the portion of Korah is, in turn, binferredby means of another verbal analogy between the word b“congregation”written there and the word b“congregation”written in reference to the ten spies who slandered Eretz Yisrael, bas it is written there: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation?”(Numbers 14:27). Consequently, bjust as there,in the case of the spies, it was a congregation of btenpeople, as there were twelve spies altogether, and Joshua and Caleb were not included in the evil congregation, bso too, here,in the case of Korah, the reference is to a congregation of btenpeople. The first several items mentioned in the mishna are expressions of sanctity, and they consequently require a quorum of ten.,§ We learned in the mishna: bAnd one does not observethe practice of bstanding up and sitting downfor the delivery of eulogies at a funeral service bwith fewer than tenmen present. As this is not an expression of sanctity, it is therefore necessary to explain why a quorum is required. The Gemara explains: bSincethe leader of the funeral procession bis required to say: Stand, dearfriends, bstand; sit down, dearfriends, bsit down,when there are bfewer than ten it is not proper conductto speak in such a dignified style.,We also learned in the mishna that bone does not recite the mourners’ blessing and the bridegrooms’ blessingwith fewer than ten men present. The Gemara asks: bWhat is the mourners’ blessing? The blessingrecited bin the squarenext to the cemetery. Following the burial, those who participated in the funeral would assemble in the square and bless the mourners that God should comfort them, bas Rabbi Yitzḥak said that Rabbi Yoḥa said: The mourners’ blessingis recited only bwith tenmen present, band mournersthemselves bare not included in the count. The bridegrooms’ blessingis also recited only bwith tenmen present, band bridegroomsthemselves bare included in the count.Consequently, only nine other men are needed.,We learned further in the mishna: bAnd one does not inviteothers to recite Grace after Meals, i.e., conduct a izimmun /i, in order to thank God bforone’s bnourishment, with the nameof God, bwith fewer than tenmen present. bSince one is required to say: Let us bless our Lord,in the presence of bfewer than tenit is bnot proper conductto mention the name of God.,§ If one consecrated blandand now wishes to redeem it, the land must be assessed by bnineIsraelites band one priest,for a total of ten. bAnd similarly,assessing the value of ba personwho has pledged his own value to the Temple must be undertaken by ten people, one of whom must be a priest. The Gemara asks: bFrom where are these matters,that consecrated land must be assessed by ten people, one of whom is a priest, derived?, bShmuel said:The word bpriestis bwritten tentimes bin theTorah bportionthat addresses the redemption of consecrated property, indicating that ten people are required to assess the value of such property (Leviticus, chapter 27). bOneinstance of the word is needed bfor itself,to indicate that a priest must participate in the assessment. bAnd oneinstance is needed bto excludeall non-priests from fulfilling that role. bAndall bthe otherinstances of the word bare restrictions followingother brestrictions,and there is a general hermeneutical principle that bone restriction after anotherserves bonly to amplify.Therefore, each additional time the word priest is repeated, it extends the criteria applied to appraisers, so as to allow non-priests to participate. Consequently, the assessment may be carried out by bnineordinary bIsraelites and one priest. /b,The Gemara asks: bAndon the basis of this principle, bsaythat the first usage of the term is restrictive and requires a priest for the assessment; the second usage amplifies and allows for a non-priest; the third usage again requires a priest; the fourth usage allows for a non-priest; and so on. Consequently, the assessment must be carried out by bfive priests and fiveordinary bIsraelites.The Gemara concludes: Indeed, it is bdifficult,as the derivation has not been sufficiently explained.,We learned in the mishna: bAnd similarly,assessing the value of ba personwho has pledged his own value to the Temple must be undertaken by ten people, one of whom must be a priest. The Gemara asks: bCan a person become consecratedand thereby require redemption?, bRabbi Abbahu said:The mishna is referring bto one who says: My assessmentis incumbent bupon me,and thereby pledges to donate a sum of money equivalent to his own monetary value to the Temple treasury, bas it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: With regard to bone who says: My assessmentis incumbent bupon me,the court bassesses him asthough he were ba slavein order to determine the amount he is obligated to donate to the Temple treasury. bAnd a slave is compared to land, as it is writtenwith regard to slaves: b“And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession”(Leviticus 25:46). Consequently, the same criteria that apply to assessing consecrated land apply to assessing the monetary value of an individual., strongMISHNA: /strong bOne who reads from the Torahin the synagogue bshould not read fewer than three verses. Andwhen it is being translated, bhe should not read to the translator more than one verseat a time, so that the translator will not become confused. |
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14. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 74b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 74b. אפילו לשנויי ערקתא דמסאנא,וכמה פרהסיא אמר ר' יעקב אמר רבי יוחנן אין פרהסיא פחותה מעשרה בני אדם פשיטא ישראלים בעינן דכתיב (ויקרא כב, לב) ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל בעי רבי ירמיה תשעה ישראל ונכרי אחד מהו,תא שמע דתני רב ינאי אחוה דרבי חייא בר אבא אתיא תוך תוך כתיב הכא ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל וכתיב התם (במדבר טז, כא) הבדלו מתוך העדה הזאת מה להלן עשרה וכולהו ישראל אף כאן עשרה וכולהו ישראל,והא אסתר פרהסיא הואי אמר אביי אסתר קרקע עולם היתה,רבא אמר הנאת עצמן שאני,דאי לא תימא הכי הני קוואקי ודימוניקי היכי יהבינן לה אלא הנאת עצמן שאני הכא נמי הנאת עצמן שאני,ואזדא רבא לטעמיה דאמר רבא עכו"ם דאמר ליה להאי ישראל קטול אספסתא בשבתא ושדי לחיותא ואי לא קטילנא לך ליקטיל ולא לקטליה שדי לנהרא ליקטליה ולא ליקטול מ"ט לעבורי מילתא קא בעי,בעו מיניה מר' אמי בן נח מצווה על קדושת השם או אין מצווה על קדושת השם,אמר אביי ת"ש שבע מצות נצטוו בני נח ואם איתא תמני הויין א"ל רבא אינהו וכל אבזרייהו,מאי הוי עלה אמר רב אדא בר אהבה אמרי בי רב כתיב (מלכים ב ה, יח) לדבר הזה יסלח ה' לעבדך בבא אדני בית רמון להשתחות שמה והוא נשען על ידי והשתחויתי וכתיב (מלכים ב ה, יט) ויאמר לו לך לשלום | 74b. bEven to change the strap of a sandal.There was a Jewish custom with regard to sandal straps. If the gentile authorities were to decree that Jews must change their practice and wear sandal straps like those worn by the gentiles, one would be obligated to give up his life rather than veer from the accepted custom.,The Gemara asks: bAndthe presence of bhow manypeople is required so that it should be deemed ba publicact? bRabbi Ya’akov saysthat bRabbi Yoḥa says:An action is bnotconsidered ba publicact if it is performed in the presence of bfewer than ten people.The Gemara clarifies this point: It is bobviousthat bwe requirethat these ten people be bJews, as it is writtenin the verse from which we derive the requirement of ten for the sanctification of God’s name: b“And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel”(Leviticus 22:32). bRabbi Yirmeya asks: What isthe ihalakhaif there were bnine Jews and one gentilepresent?,The Gemara answers: bComeand bhearan answer from what bRav Yannai, the brother of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, teachesin a ibaraita /i: This is bderivedby means of a verbal analogy between the word b“among”written with regard to the sanctification of God’s name, and the word b“among”written with regard to Korah and his assembly. bHere,with regard to the sanctification of God’s name, bit is written: “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” and there,with regard to Korah, bit is written: “Separate yourselves from among this congregation”(Numbers 16:21). The meaning of the word “congregation” written with regard to Korah is derived by means of a verbal analogy to the word “congregation” written with regard to the spies sent out by Moses to scout the land: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation” (Numbers 14:27). bJust as there,the congregation of spies numbered bten, and allwere bJews, so too here,concerning the sanctification of God, there must be bten, all of thembeing bJews. /b,The Gemara raises a difficulty: bBut wasn’tthe incident involving bEsther,i.e., her cohabitation with Ahasuerus, ba publicsin? Why then did Esther not surrender her life rather than engage in intercourse? The Gemara answers: bAbaye says: Esther wasmerely like bnatural ground,i.e., she was a passive participant. The obligation to surrender one’s life rather than engage in forbidden sexual intercourse applies only to a man who transgresses the prohibition in an active manner. A woman who is passive and merely submits is not required to give up her life so that she not sin., bRava saysthat there is another justification for Esther’s behavior: When gentiles order the transgression of a prohibition not in order to persecute the Jews or to make them abandon their religion, but for btheirown bpersonal pleasure,it bis different.In such a situation there is no obligation to sacrifice one’s life, even when the sin is committed in public.,Rava explains: bAs if you do not say so,then bhow do we give them coal shovels [ ikevakei vedimonikei /i]?The Persian priests would take coal shovels from every house, fill them with coals, and use them to heat their temples on their festival days. Although this involved assisting idol worship in public, Jews would not sacrifice their lives in order not to do so. bRather,the reason they cooperated is certainly that a measure enacted for the gentiles’ bpersonal pleasure is different. Here too,concerning Esther, Ahasuerus engaged in intercourse with her for his personal pleasure, and a measure enacted for a gentile’s bpersonal pleasure is different,and there is no obligation to sacrifice one’s life to avoid it.,The Gemara comments: bAnd Rava follows hisown line of breasoning, as Rava says: If a gentile said to a certain Jew: Cut grass [ iaspasta /i] on Shabbat and throw it before the cattle, and ifyou bdo notdo this bI will kill you, he should cutthe grass band not be killed.But if the gentile said to him: Cut the grass and bthrow it into the river, he should be killed and not cutthe grass. bWhat is the reasonfor the latter ruling? Because it is clear that the gentile is not seeking his own personal pleasure, but rather bhe wantsto force the Jew bto violatehis breligion. /b,§ The Sages braised a dilemma before Rabbi Ami:Is ba descendant of Noah,who is commanded to refrain from idol worship, also bcommanded about the sanctification of God’s name, or is he not commanded about the sanctification of God’s name? /b, bAbaye says: Comeand bhearan answer to this question from a ibaraitain which it was taught: bDescendants of Noah were commandedto observe bseven mitzvot:To establish courts of law, to refrain from cursing God, idol worship, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and from eating the limb of a living animal. bAnd if it is sothat they are commanded about the sanctification of God’s name, then bthere would be eightmitzvot in which they are commanded. bRava said to him:There is no proof from here, as when the ibaraitaspeaks of seven mitzvot it means the seven mitzvot bthemselves with all their associated [ iavzaraihu /i]obligations. The mitzva to sanctify God’s name can be understood as a detail of the prohibition of idolatry.,The Gemara asks: bWhathalakhic conclusion bwasreached baboutthis matter? bRav Adda bar Ahava saysthat bthey sayin bthe school of Rav: It is writtenthat Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, said to the prophet Elisha: b“For this matter may the Lord pardon your servant, that when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there and he leans on my hand, and I bow myself downin the house of Rimmon” (II Kings 5:18). That is, he was forced to bow down before an idol out of fear of his master, the king of Aram. bAnd it is writtenin the following verse: b“And he said to him: Go in peace,”indicating that Elisha did not criticize him for acting in this manner. |
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15. Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, 4b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 4b. בדחטי או בדשערי ברכיכא או באקושא תיקו,א"ר יצחק בר (רב) יוסף א"ר יוחנן כל אחד ואחד בעצמו שיער והאיכא בן עזאי דלא נסיב,איבעית אימא נסיב ופירש הוה ואיבעית אימא מרביה שמיע ליה ואיבעית אימא (תהלים כה, יד) סוד ה' ליראיו,דרש רב עוירא זמנין אמר לה משמיה דרבי אמי וזמנין אמר לה משמיה דרבי אסי כל האוכל לחם בלא נטילת ידים כאילו בא על אשה זונה שנאמר (משלי ו, כו) כי בעד אשה זונה עד ככר לחם,אמר רבא האי בעד אשה זונה עד ככר לחם בעד ככר לחם עד אשה זונה מיבעי ליה אלא אמר רבא כל הבא על אשה זונה לסוף מבקש ככר לחם,א"ר זריקא אמר ר"א כל המזלזל בנטילת ידים נעקר מן העולם אמר רב חייא בר אשי אמר רב מים ראשונים צריך שיגביה ידיו למעלה מים אחרונים צריך שישפיל ידיו למטה תניא נמי הכי הנוטל ידיו צריך שיגביה ידיו למעלה שמא יצאו המים חוץ לפרק ויחזרו ויטמאו את הידים,אמר רבי אבהו כל האוכל פת בלא ניגוב ידים כאילו אוכל לחם טמא שנאמר (יחזקאל ד, יג) ויאמר ה' ככה יאכלו בני ישראל את לחמם טמא וגו',ומאי (משלי ו, כו) ואשת איש נפש יקרה תצוד אמר רבי חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן כל אדם שיש בו גסות הרוח לבסוף נכשל באשת איש שנא' ואשת איש נפש יקרה תצוד,אמר רבא האי נפש יקרה נפש גבוהה מיבעי ליה ועוד היא תצוד מיבעי ליה אלא אמר רבא כל הבא על אשת איש אפילו למד תורה דכתיב בה (משלי ג, טו) יקרה היא מפנינים מכהן גדול שנכנס לפני ולפנים היא תצודנו לדינה של גיהנם,א"ר יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחי כל אדם שיש בו גסות הרוח כאילו עובד עבודת כוכבים כתי' הכא (משלי טז, ה) תועבת ה' כל גבה לב וכתיב התם (דברים ז, כו) ולא תביא תועבה אל ביתך,ורבי יוחנן דידיה אמר כאילו כפר בעיקר שנאמר (דברים ח, יד) ורם לבבך ושכחת את ה' אלהיך וגו',ר' חמא בר חנינא אמר כאילו בא על כל העריות כתי' הכא תועבת ה' כל גבה לב וכתי' התם (ויקרא יח, כז) כי את כל התועבות האל וגו',עולא אמר כאילו בנה במה שנאמר (ישעיהו ב, כב) חדלו לכם מן האדם אשר נשמה באפו כי במה נחשב הוא אל תיקרי במה אלא במה,מאי יד ליד לא ינקה אמר רב כל הבא על אשת איש אפי' הקנהו להקב"ה שמים וארץ כאברהם אבינו דכתיב ביה (בראשית יד, כב) הרימותי ידי אל ה' אל עליון קונה שמים וארץ לא ינקה מדינה של גיהנם,קשיא להו לדבי רבי שילא האי יד ליד לא ינקה ידי מיבעי ליה,אלא אמרי דבי רבי שילא אפילו קיבל תורה כמשה רבינו דכתיב ביה (דברים לג, ב) מימינו אש דת למו לא ינקה מדינה של גיהנם,קשיא ליה לר' יוחנן האי יד ליד יד מיד מיבעיא ליה,אלא א"ר יוחנן | 4b. Is this speaking of a case bwherethe loaf is made bof wheat,which is slippery and takes longer to remove, boris this speaking of a case bwherethe loaf is made bof barley,which is easily removed? Is this speaking of a case bwherethe loaf is bsoft,so that it may catch upon the side of the basket, bora case bwherethe loaf is bhard,where this is not a concern? The Gemara states: These questions bshall standunresolved.,The Gemara notes: bRav Yitzḥak bar Rav Yosef saysthat bRabbi Yoḥa says: Each and every oneof these Sages who presented an opinion with regard to the time needed for the initial stage of intercourse bestimated based on himself,i.e., based on his own experience. The Gemara asks: bBut there is ben Azzai, who did not marry,so how could he estimate based on his own experience?,The Gemara answers: bIf you wish, saythat bhe was married and separatedfrom his wife. bAnd if you wish, saythat bhe heard from his teacher. And if you wish, sayhis knowledge can be understood based on the verse: b“The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him”(Psalms 25:14), teaching that those who fear God are privy to knowledge beyond their personal experience.,§ Having quoted an allusion from the verse: “For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread” (Proverbs 6:26), the Gemara offers another interpretation of that verse. bRav Avira interpreteda verse bhomiletically;there were btimes he saidthis interpretation bin the name of Rabbi Ami andthere were btimes he said it in the name of Rabbi Asi:Concerning banyone who eats bread without washinghis bhands,it is bas ifhe bengaged in sexual intercourse with a prostitute, as it is stated: “For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread.” /b, bRava said: Thisphrase: b“For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread,”is not how the verse would present this idea. bIt should havestated: b“On account of a loaf a man is brought to a harlot.” Rather, Rava saysthe verse should be interpreted as follows: bAnyone who engages in sexual intercourse with a harlotwill beventuallybe reduced to poverty and bbegpeople for ba loaf of bread. /b,The Gemara continues its discussion of washing hands. bRabbi Zerika saysthat bRabbi Elazar says: Anyone who treatsthe ritual of bwashing hands with contempt is uprooted from the world. Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi saysthat bRav says:With regard to the bfirst water,i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands before a meal, one bmust raise his hands upwardafter washing. With regard to the blast water,i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands at the conclusion of the meal before reciting Grace after Meals, one bmust lower his hands downward. Thisdistinction bis also taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta /i, iYadayim2:2): bOne who washes his handsbefore a meal bmust raise his hands upwardafter washing, blest the water advance past the jointonto the part of the hands that he was not required to wash, becoming impure, bandthen breturnto the area he had washed, brenderinghis bhands ritually impure. /b, bRabbi Abbahu says: Anyone who eats bread without wipinghis bhandsdry after washing them causes the bread to become repulsive and is considered bas if he were eating impure bread,since the verse refers to repulsive bread as impure bread, bas it is stated: “And the Lord said: Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread uncleanamong the nations where I will drive them” (Ezekiel 4:13). Eating bread with wet hands causes the bread to become repulsive. The verse deems eating in an uncouth manner, as did the gentiles among whom the Jewish people were exiled, as akin to eating ritually impure bread.,§ The Gemara now continues the interpretation of the above quoted verse: “For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a loaf of bread” (Proverbs 6:26). The Gemara asks: bAnd whatis the meaning of the continuation of the verse: b“But the adulteress hunts for the precious life”? Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saysthat bRabbi Yoḥa says: Any person who has arrogance within him will eventually stumbleby sinning bwith an adulteress, as it is stated: “But the adulteress hunts for the precious life,”i.e., she sins with one who considers himself precious., bRava said: Thisphrase: b“The precious life,”is not how the verse would present this idea. bIt should havestated: bAn arrogant life. And further, it should havestated: A precious life, bshe huntsfor the adulteress, indicating that the precious soul will entrap the adulteress, and not vice versa, as the verse indicates as written. bRather, Rava saysthat the verse should be interpreted as follows: bAnyone who engages in sexual intercourse with an adulteress, evenif that man bstudied Torah, about which it is written: “She is more precious than rubies [ ipeninim /i]”(Proverbs 3:15), which, based on its etymological connection with the Hebrew term for the Holy of Holies, ilifnai velifnim /i, is interpreted by the Sages to mean that one who studies Torah is more precious bthan a High Priest, who enters the innermost sanctum,still, bthistransgression of adultery bwill entrap him into the judgment of Gehenna,and the Torah he studied will not be able to save him., bRabbi Yoḥa says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Any person who has arrogance within himis considered bas if he were an idol worshipper,as bit is written here: “Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord”(Proverbs 16:5), band it is written thereconcerning the destruction of idols: b“And you shall not bring an abomination into your house”(Deuteronomy 7:26)., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said his ownstatement: Any person who has arrogance within him is considered bas if he has denied the corebelief in God’s existence, bas it is stated: “Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 8:14)., bRabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina says:Any person who has arrogance within him is considered bas if he engaged in sexual intercourse with allof bthose with whom relations are forbidden,as bit is written here: “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord”(Proverbs 16:5), band it is written there,at the end of the passage concerning forbidden sexual relationships: b“For all these abominationshave the men of the land done” (Leviticus 18:27)., bUlla says:Any person who has arrogance within him is considered bas if he builta personal baltarfor idol worship, bas it is stated: “Cease you from man, in whose nostrils there is breath, for how little [ ibammeh /i] is he to be accounted”(Isaiah 2:22), referring to an arrogant person. bDo not readthe verse basit is written, ibammeh /i,how little. bRather,read it as ibama /i,altar.,Having interpreted the phrase: “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 16:5), the Gemara interprets the continuation of the verse. bWhatis the meaning of: b“Hand to hand, he shall not be unpunished”(Proverbs 16:5)? bRav says: Anyone who engages in sexual intercourse with an adulteress, evenif bhewere to have battributed possession of heaven and earth to the Holy One, Blessed be He, just as Abraham our forefatherdid, bthat it is written with regard to him: “I have lifted up my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth”(Genesis 14:22), bhe will not be unpunished from the judgment of Gehenna.Abraham is described as one whose hands were lifted to declare the glory of God, yet this verse declares that even if one who engaged in forbidden sexual intercourse were to use his hands in the same way, still, due to his sin, the verse says: “He shall not be unpunished.”,This interpretation bposes a difficulty tothe Sages of bthe school of Rabbi Sheila: Thisphrase: b“Hand to hand, he shall not be unpunished,”is not how the verse would present this idea. bIt should havestated: bMy hand,as that is the term employed in the verse with regard to Abraham., bRather,the Sages bof the school of Rabbi Sheila say:This teaches that bevenif one who engages in sexual intercourse with an adulteress had breceived the Torahfrom the hand of God blike Moses our teacherdid, bthat it is written with regard to him: “At His right hand was a fiery law unto them”(Deuteronomy 33:2), i.e., God gave the Torah from His right hand into the hand of Moses in order to give to the Jewish people, the sinner bwill not be unpunished from the judgment of Gehenna. /b, bThisinterpretation also bposes a difficulty to Rabbi Yoḥa: Thisphrase “ bhand to hand”is not how the verse would present this idea. bIt should havestated: bHand from hand,as that is the term employed in the verse with regard to Moses., bRather Rabbi Yoḥa says: /b |
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16. Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, 53a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 53a. אשה היתה בוררת חטים לאור של בית השואבה:,חסידים ואנשי מעשה כו': ת"ר יש מהן אומרים אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנותנו אלו חסידים ואנשי מעשה ויש מהן אומרים אשרי זקנותנו שכפרה את ילדותנו אלו בעלי תשובה אלו ואלו אומרים אשרי מי שלא חטא ומי שחטא ישוב וימחול לו,תניא אמרו עליו על הלל הזקן כשהיה שמח בשמחת בית השואבה אמר כן אם אני כאן הכל כאן ואם איני כאן מי כאן הוא היה אומר כן למקום שאני אוהב שם רגלי מוליכות אותי אם תבא אל ביתי אני אבא אל ביתך אם אתה לא תבא אל ביתי אני לא אבא אל ביתך שנאמר (שמות כ, כד) בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך וברכתיך,אף הוא ראה גלגולת אחת שצפה על פני המים אמר לה על דאטפת אטפוך ומטיפיך יטופון אמר רבי יוחנן רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביה לאתר דמיתבעי תמן מובילין יתיה,הנהו תרתי כושאי דהוו קיימי קמי שלמה (מלכים א ד, ג) אליחרף ואחיה בני שישא סופרים דשלמה הוו יומא חד חזייה למלאך המות דהוה קא עציב א"ל אמאי עציבת א"ל דקא בעו מינאי הני תרתי כושאי דיתבי הכא מסרינהו לשעירים שדרינהו למחוזא דלוז כי מטו למחוזא דלוז שכיבו,למחר חזיא מלאך המות דהוה קבדח א"ל אמאי בדיחת א"ל באתר דבעו מינאי תמן שדרתינהו מיד פתח שלמה ואמר רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביה לאתר דמיתבעי תמן מובילין יתיה,תניא אמרו עליו על רבן שמעון בן גמליאל כשהיה שמח שמחת בית השואבה היה נוטל שמנה אבוקות של אור וזורק אחת ונוטל אחת ואין נוגעות זו בזו וכשהוא משתחוה נועץ שני גודליו בארץ ושוחה ונושק את הרצפה וזוקף ואין כל בריה יכולה לעשות כן וזו היא קידה,לוי אחוי קידה קמיה דרבי ואיטלע והא גרמא ליה והאמר רבי אלעזר לעולם אל יטיח אדם דברים כלפי מעלה שהרי אדם גדול הטיח דברים כלפי מעלה ואיטלע ומנו לוי הא והא גרמא ליה,לוי הוה מטייל קמיה דרבי בתמני סכיני שמואל קמיה שבור מלכא בתמניא מזגי חמרא אביי קמיה (דרבא) בתמניא ביעי ואמרי לה בארבעה ביעי,תניא אמר ר' יהושע בן חנניה כשהיינו שמחים שמחת בית השואבה לא ראינו שינה בעינינו כיצד שעה ראשונה תמיד של שחר משם לתפלה משם לקרבן מוסף משם לתפלת המוספין משם לבית המדרש משם לאכילה ושתיה משם לתפלת המנחה משם לתמיד של בין הערבים מכאן ואילך לשמחת בית השואבה,איני והאמר רבי יוחנן שבועה שלא אישן שלשה ימים מלקין אותו וישן לאלתר אלא הכי קאמר לא טעמנו טעם שינה דהוו מנמנמי אכתפא דהדדי:,חמש עשרה מעלות: אמר ליה רב חסדא לההוא מדרבנן דהוי קמסדר אגדתא קמיה א"ל שמיע לך הני חמש עשרה מעלות כנגד מי אמרם דוד א"ל הכי אמר רבי יוחנן בשעה שכרה דוד שיתין קפא תהומא ובעי למשטפא עלמא אמר דוד חמש עשרה מעלות והורידן אי הכי חמש עשרה מעלות יורדות מיבעי ליה,אמר ליה הואיל ואדכרתן (מלתא) הכי אתמר בשעה שכרה דוד שיתין קפא תהומא ובעא למשטפא עלמא אמר דוד מי איכא דידע אי שרי למכתב שם | 53a. It was so bright that ba woman wouldbe able to bsort wheat by the light of theCelebration of the bPlace of the Drawingof the Water.,§ The mishna continues: bThe pious and the men of actionwould dance before the people who attended the celebration. bThe Sages taughtin the iToseftathat bsome of them would sayin their song praising God: bHappy is our youth,as we did not sin then, bthat did not embarrass our old age. These are the pious and the men of action,who spent all their lives engaged in Torah and mitzvot. bAnd some would say: Happy is our old age, that atoned for our youthwhen we sinned. bThese are the penitents.Both bthese and those say: Happy is he who did not sin; and he who sinned should repent andGod bwill absolve him. /b, bIt is taughtin the iTosefta /i: bThey said about Hillel the Elder that when he was rejoicing at the Celebration of the Place of the Drawingof the Water bhe said this: If I am here, everyone is here; and if I am not here, who is here?In other words, one must consider himself as the one upon whom it is incumbent to fulfill obligations, and he must not rely on others to do so. bHe wouldalso bsay this: To the place that I love, there my feet take me,and therefore, I come to the Temple. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: bIf you come to My house, I will come to your house; if you do not come to My house, I will not come to your house, as it is stated: “In every place that I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you”(Exodus 20:21).,The Gemara cites another statement of Hillel the Elder. bAdditionally, he saw one skull that was floating on the waterand bhe said to it: Because you drownedothers, bthey drowned you, and those that drowned you will be drowned.That is the way of the world; everyone is punished measure for measure. Apropos following one’s feet, bRabbi Yoḥa said: The feet of a person are responsible for him; to the place where he is in demand, there they lead him. /b,The Gemara relates with regard to bthese two Cushites who would stand before Solomon: “Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha”(I Kings 4:3), and bthey were scribes of Solomon. One daySolomon bsaw that the Angel of Death was sad. He said to him: Why are you sad? He said to him: They are asking meto take the lives of bthese two Cushites who are sitting here.Solomon bhanded them to the demonsin his service, band sent them to the district of Luz,where the Angel of Death has no dominion. bWhen they arrived at the district of Luz, they died. /b, bThe following day,Solomon bsaw that the Angel of Death was happy. He said to him: Why are you happy? He replied: In the place that they asked meto take them, bthere you sent them.The Angel of Death was instructed to take their lives in the district of Luz. Since they resided in Solomon’s palace and never went to Luz, he was unable to complete his mission. That saddened him. Ultimately, Solomon dispatched them to Luz, enabling the angel to accomplish his mission. That pleased him. bImmediately, Solomon beganto speak band said: The feet of a person are responsible for him; to the place where he is in demand, there they lead him. /b,§ bIt is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bThey said about Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel that when he would rejoice at the Celebration of the Place of the Drawingof the Water, bhe would take eight flaming torches and toss one and catch another,juggling them, band,though all were in the air at the same time, bthey would not touch each other. And when he would prostrate himself, he would insert his two thumbs into the ground, and bow, and kiss the floorof the courtyard band straighten, andthere was bnot anyother bcreaturethat bcould do thatdue to the extreme difficulty involved. bAnd this was theform of bowing called ikidda /iperformed by the High Priest.,The Gemara relates: bLevi demonstrated a ikiddabefore RabbiYehuda HaNasi and strained his thigh band came up lame.The Gemara asks: bAnd is that what caused himto be lame? bBut didn’t Rabbi Elazar say: One should never speak impertinently towardGod babove; as a great persononce bspoke impertinently towardGod babove,and even though his prayers were answered, he was still punished band came up lame. And whowas this great person? It was bLevi.Apparently his condition was not caused by his bow. The Gemara answers: There is no contradiction. Both bthis and that caused himto come up lame; because he spoke impertinently toward God, he therefore was injured when exerting himself in demonstrating ikidda /i.,Apropos the rejoicing of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel at the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water, the Gemara recounts: bLevi would walk before RabbiYehuda HaNasi juggling bwith eight knives. Shmuelwould juggle bbefore King Shapur with eight glasses of winewithout spilling. bAbayewould juggle bbefore Rabba with eight eggs. Some sayhe did so bwith four eggs.All these were cited., bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥaya said: When we would rejoicein bthe Celebration of the Place of the Drawingof the Water, bwe did not see sleep in our eyesthe entire Festival. bHow so?In the bfirst hourof the day, bthe daily morning offeringwas sacrificed and everyone came to watch. bFrom therethey proceeded btoengage in bprayerin the synagogue; bfrom there, towatch the sacrifice of bthe additional offerings; from there,to the synagogue btorecite bthe additional prayer. From therethey would proceed bto the study hallto study Torah; bfrom there to the eating and drinkingin the isukka /i; bfrom there to the afternoon prayer. From therethey would proceed bto the daily afternoon offeringin the Temple. bFrom thispoint bforward,they proceeded bto the Celebration of the Place of the Drawingof the Water.,The Gemara wonders: bIs that so? But didn’t Rabbi Yoḥa say:One who took ban oath that I will not sleep three days, one flogs himimmediately for taking an oath in vain, band hemay bsleep immediatelybecause it is impossible to stay awake for three days uninterrupted. bRather, this is whatRabbi Yehoshua bis saying: We did not experience the sense ofactual bsleep, because they wouldmerely bdoze on each other’s shoulders.In any case, they were not actually awake for the entire week.,§ The mishna continues: The musicians would stand on the bfifteen stairsthat descend from the Israelites’ courtyard to the Women’s Courtyard, corresponding to the fifteen Songs of the Ascents in Psalms. bRav Ḥisda said to one of the Sages who was organizing iaggadabefore him: Did you hearwith regard to bthese fifteenSongs of bAscentsin Psalms, bcorresponding to what did David say them? He said to himthat bthisis what bRabbi Yoḥa said: At the time that David dug the drainpipesin the foundation of the Temple, the waters of bthe depths rose and sought to inundate the world.Immediately, bDavid recited the fifteenSongs of the bAscents and caused them to subside.Rav Ḥisda asked: bIf so,should they be called bfifteenSongs of the bAscents? They should have beencalled Songs of the bDescents. /b,Rav Ḥisda continued and bsaid to him: Since you reminded meof this bmatter, this iswhat bwasoriginally bstated: At the time that David dug the drainpipes,the waters of bthe depths rose and sought to inundate the world. David said: Is there anyone who knows whether it is permitted to write thesacred bname /b |
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17. Anon., Exodus Rabbah, 33.1 (4th cent. CE - 9th cent. CE)
| 33.1. וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (משלי ד, ב): כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ, אַל תַּעֲזֹבוּ אֶת הַמִּקָּח שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם, יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁלּוֹקֵחַ מִקָּח, יֵשׁ בּוֹ זָהָב אֵין בּוֹ כֶסֶף, יֵשׁ בּוֹ כֶסֶף אֵין בּוֹ זָהָב, אֲבָל הַמִּקָּח שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לָכֶם יֵשׁ בּוֹ כֶסֶף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים יב, ז): אִמְרוֹת ה' אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת כֶּסֶף צָרוּף. יֵשׁ בּוֹ זָהָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים יט, יא): הַנֶּחֱמָדִים מִזָּהָב וּמִפָּז רָב. יֵשׁ אָדָם לוֹקֵחַ שָׂדוֹת אֲבָל לֹא כְרָמִים, כְּרָמִים וְלֹא שָׂדוֹת, אֲבָל הַמִּקָּח הַזֶּה יֵשׁ בּוֹ שָׂדוֹת וְיֵשׁ בּוֹ כְּרָמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שיר השירים ד, יג): שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים. יֵשׁ לְךָ אָדָם לוֹקֵחַ מִקָּח וּבְנֵי אָדָם אֵינָן יוֹדְעִין מַהוּ, אֲבָל מִשְֹּׂכַר הַסַּרְסוּר נִתְוַדַּע מַה לָּקַח. כָּךְ הַתּוֹרָה אֵין אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ מַה הִיא, אֶלָּא מִשָֹּׂכָר שֶׁלָּקַח משֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות לד, כט): וּמשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ. וְיֵשׁ לְךָ מִקָּח שֶׁמִּי שֶׁמְּכָרוֹ נִמְכָּר עִמּוֹ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, מָכַרְתִּי לָכֶם תּוֹרָתִי, כִּבְיָכוֹל נִמְכַּרְתִּי עִמָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בַּת יְחִידָה, בָּא אֶחָד מִן הַמְּלָכִים וּנְטָלָהּ, בִּקֵּשׁ לֵילֵךְ לוֹ לְאַרְצוֹ וְלִטֹּל לְאִשְׁתּוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בִּתִּי שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְךָ יְחִידִית הִיא, לִפְרשׁ מִמֶּנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לְךָ אַל תִּטְלָהּ אֵינִי יָכוֹל לְפִי שֶׁהִיא אִשְׁתֶּךָ, אֶלָּא, זוֹ טוֹבָה עֲשֵׂה לִי, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ קִיטוֹן אֶחָד עֲשֵׂה לִי, שֶׁאָדוּר אֶצְלְכֶם, שֶׁאֵינִי יָכוֹל לְהַנִּיחַ אֶת בִּתִּי. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, לִפְרשׁ הֵימֶנָּה אֵינִי יָכוֹל, לוֹמַר לָכֶם אַל תִּטְלוּהָ אֵינִי יָכוֹל, אֶלָּא בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתֶּם הוֹלְכִים בַּיִת אֶחָד עֲשׂוּ לִי שֶׁאָדוּר בְּתוֹכוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כה, ח): וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ. | |
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