1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 23.10-23.15 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 23.11. כִּי־יִהְיֶה בְךָ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִהְיֶה טָהוֹר מִקְּרֵה־לָיְלָה וְיָצָא אֶל־מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה לֹא יָבֹא אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה׃ 23.12. וְהָיָה לִפְנוֹת־עֶרֶב יִרְחַץ בַּמָּיִם וּכְבֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָבֹא אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה׃ 23.13. וְיָד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְיָצָאתָ שָׁמָּה חוּץ׃ 23.14. וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל־אֲזֵנֶךָ וְהָיָה בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ חוּץ וְחָפַרְתָּה בָהּ וְשַׁבְתָּ וְכִסִּיתָ אֶת־צֵאָתֶךָ׃ 23.15. כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ וְלֹא־יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ׃ | 23.10. When thou goest forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee from every evil thing." 23.11. If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of that which chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp." 23.12. But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he may come within the camp." 23.13. Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad." 23.14. And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee." 23.15. For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy; that He see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee." |
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2. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Covenant, 7.6, 12.22, 14.3, 14.9 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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3. Dead Sea Scrolls, (Cairo Damascus Covenant) Cd-A, 7.6, 12.22, 14.3, 14.9 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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4. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 31.12-32.13 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
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5. Mishnah, Berachot, 3.4-3.5, 8.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 3.4. One who has had a seminal emission utters the words [of the Shema] in his heart and he doesn’t say a blessing, neither before nor after. Over food he says a blessing afterwards, but not the blessing before. Rabbi Judah says: he blesses both before them and after them." 3.5. If a man was standing saying the tefillah and he remembers that he is one who has had a seminal emission, he should not stop but he should abbreviate [the blessings]. If he went down to immerse, if he is able to come up and cover himself and recite the Shema before the rising of the sun, he should go up and cover himself and recite, but if not he should cover himself with the water and recite. He should not cover himself either with foul water or with steeping water until he pours fresh water into it. How far should he remove himself from it and from excrement? Four cubits." 8.2. Bet Shammai says: they wash their hands and then they pour the cup [of wine]. Bet Hillel says: they pour the cup [of wine] and then they wash their hands." |
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6. Mishnah, Shabbat, 7.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 7.2. The primary labors are forty less one:sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, bleaching, hackling, dyeing, spinning, weaving, the making of two loops, weaving two threads, dividing two threads, tying and untying, sewing two stitches, tearing in order to sew two stitches, capturing a deer, slaughtering, or flaying, or salting it, curing its hide, scraping it [of its hair], cutting it up, writing two letters, erasing in order to write two letters [over the erasure], building, tearing down, extinguishing, kindling, striking with a hammer, [and] carrying out from one domain to another, These are the forty primary labors less one." |
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7. New Testament, Matthew, 14.19 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 14.19. He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes. |
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8. Tosefta, Berachot, 2.12, 4.1 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 2.12. Zavim, Zavot, Niddot, and women who gave birth are permitted to read the Torah and to learn Mishna, Midrash, laws, and Aggadot. And men who had a seminal emission (Baalei Keraim) are forbidden in all of them. Rebbi Yossi says, “He can learn the laws that he is familiar with, as long as he does not arrange the Mishna.”" 4.1. A person should not taste anything until he makes a Beracha (blessing) [on it], as it is said, “To Hashem is the Earth and its fullness…” (Psalms 24:1) [A person] who receives pleasure from this world without a Beracha makes inappropriate use of sacred property, until all of the Mitzvot (commandments) [that must be done over this object] will permit it to him. A person should use his face, his hands and his feet only for the honor of his Creator, as it is said, “Every creation of Hashem is for His sake.” (Proverbs 16:4)" |
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9. Anon., Sifre Deuteronomy, 258 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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10. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 14b. (ירמיהו י, י) וה' אלהים אמת,חוזר ואומר אמת או אינו חוזר ואומר אמת,א"ר אבהו א"ר יוחנן חוזר ואומר אמת רבה אמר אינו חוזר ואומר אמת ההוא דנחית קמיה דרבה שמעיה רבה דאמר אמת אמת תרי זימני אמר רבה כל אמת אמת תפסיה להאי,אמר רב יוסף כמה מעליא הא שמעתתא דכי אתא רב שמואל בר יהודה אמר אמרי במערבא ערבית דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם אני ה' אלהיכם אמת,אמר ליה אביי מאי מעליותא והא אמר רב כהנא אמר רב לא יתחיל ואם התחיל גומר וכי תימא ואמרת אליהם לא הוי התחלה והאמר רב שמואל בר יצחק אמר רב דבר אל בני ישראל לא הוי התחלה ואמרת אליהם הוי התחלה,אמר רב פפא קסברי במערבא ואמרת אליהם נמי לא הויא התחלה עד דאמר ועשו להם ציצית,אמר אביי הלכך אנן אתחולי מתחלינן דקא מתחלי במערבא וכיון דאתחלינן מגמר נמי גמרינן דהא אמר רב כהנא אמר רב לא יתחיל ואם התחיל גומר,חייא בר רב אמר אמר אני ה' אלהיכם צריך לומר אמת לא אמר אני ה' אלהיכם אינו צ"ל אמת,והא בעי לאדכורי יציאת מצרים,דאמר הכי מודים אנחנו לך ה' אלהינו שהוצאתנו מארץ מצרים ופדיתנו מבית עבדים ועשית לנו נסים וגבורות על הים ושרנו לך:,אמר ר' יהושע בן קרחה למה קדמה פרשת שמע וכו':,תניא ר"ש בן יוחי אומר בדין הוא שיקדים שמע לוהיה אם שמוע שזה ללמוד וזה ללמד והיה אם שמוע לויאמר שזה ללמוד וזה לעשות,אטו שמע ללמוד אית ביה ללמד ולעשות לית ביה והא כתיב ושננתם וקשרתם וכתבתם ותו והיה אם שמוע ללמד הוא דאית ביה ולעשות לית ביה והא כתיב וקשרתם וכתבתם,אלא הכי קאמר בדין הוא שתקדם שמע לוהיה אם שמוע שזה ללמוד וללמד ולעשות והיה אם שמוע לויאמר שזה יש בה ללמד ולעשות ויאמר אין בה אלא לעשות בלבד,ותיפוק ליה מדרבי יהושע בן קרחה חדא ועוד קאמר חדא כדי שיקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים תחלה ואח"כ יקבל עליו עול מצות ועוד משום דאית בה הני מילי אחרנייתא.,רב משי ידיה וקרא ק"ש ואנח תפילין וצלי והיכי עביד הכי והתניא החופר כוך למת בקבר פטור מק"ש ומן התפלה ומן התפילין ומכל מצות האמורות בתורה הגיע זמן ק"ש עולה ונוטל ידיו ומניח תפילין וקורא ק"ש ומתפלל,הא גופא קשיא רישא אמר פטור וסיפא חייב,הא לא קשיא סיפא בתרי ורישא בחד,מ"מ קשיא לרב רב כרבי יהושע בן קרחה סבירא ליה דאמר עול מלכות שמים תחלה ואח"כ עול מצות,אימר דאמר רבי יהושע בן קרחה להקדים קריאה לקריאה קריאה לעשיה מי שמעת ליה,ותו מי סבר ליה כרבי יהושע בן קרחה והאמר רב חייא בר אשי זמנין סגיאין הוה קאימנא קמיה דרב ומקדים ומשי ידיה ומברך ומתני לן פרקין ומנח תפילין והדר קרי ק"ש וכ"ת בדלא מטא זמן ק"ש א"כ מאי אסהדתיה דרב חייא בר אשי,לאפוקי ממ"ד למשנה אין צריך לברך קמ"ל דאף למשנה נמי צריך לברך,מ"מ קשיא לרב שלוחא הוא דעוית:,אמר עולא כל הקורא ק"ש בלא תפילין כאילו מעיד עדות שקר בעצמו א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן כאילו הקריב עולה בלא מנחה וזבח בלא נסכים:,ואמר רבי יוחנן הרוצה שיקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים שלמה | 14b. b“And the Lord, God, is True”(Jeremiah 10:10).,After the conclusion of the final paragraph of iShemaalong with the first word of the subsequent blessing, with the words: “The Lord, your God, is True [ iHashem Eloheikhem emet /i],” the question is posed: bDoes one repeat iemet /iwhen he begins the blessing of iemet veyatziv /i, bor does he not repeat iemet /i? /b, bRabbi Abbahu saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: He repeats iemet /i. Rabba said: He does not repeat iemet /i.The Gemara relates: bThis person who descendedto lead the service bbefore Rabba, Rabba heard that he said iemet /i, iemettwice. Rabbamocked him and bsaid: Every iemet /i, iemethas caught this one;he must be passionate about the pursuit of truth., bRav Yosef said: How excellent is this traditionthat I heard, bas when Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda camefrom Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: bIn Eretz Yisrael, at the evening prayerthey do not recite the entire third portion of iShema /i, which deals with ritual fringes, as there is no obligation to wear ritual fringes at night. Rather, bthey saya condensed version of that portion that includes an excerpt from the beginning and an excerpt from the end: b“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them…I am the Lord, your God, True”(Numbers 15:38, 41)., bAbaye said to him: What is excellentabout this tradition? bDidn’t Rav Kahana saythat bRav said: Oneshould bnot beginto recite the portion of ritual fringes at night, bbut if he does begin, he completesit? bAnd if you say that:Speak to the children of Israel band say to them, is not considered the beginningof the portion of ritual fringes, bdidn’t Rav Shmuel bar Yitzḥak saythat bRav said: Speak to the children of Israel, is notconsidered ba beginningof the portion of ritual fringes, as many passages in the Torah begin this way; band say to them, isconsidered ba beginning. /b, bRav Pappa said: In Eretz Yisrael, they holdthat band say to them, is notconsidered ba beginning, until he said: And make for them ritual fringes. /b, bAbaye said: Therefore, we beginto recite the portion of ritual fringes, bsince they beginto recite it bin Eretz Yisrael. And once we beginto recite it, bwe complete it as well, as Rav Kahana saidthat bRav said: Oneshould bnot beginto recite the portion of ritual fringes at night, bbut if he does begin, he completesit., bḤiyya bar Rav said: Ifin the evening bone recitedthe portion of ritual fringes concluding with: bI am the Lord, your God, he must recite: Trueand Faithful [iemet /i ive’emuna /i], and the entire blessing of redemption. However, bif he did not recite: I am the Lord, your God, he need not recite iemet /i ive’emuna /i.,The Gemara asks: bIsn’t he required to mention the exodus from Egyptat night as well?,The Gemara responds: In place of reciting iemet ve’emuna bhe said the followingshorter passage: bWe give thanks to You, Lord, our God, Who took us out from Egypt and redeemed us from the house of bondage, and performed miracles and mighty deeds on our behalf on the sea, and we sang unto You,as this formula includes all of the content comprising iemet ve’emuna /i.,We learned in the mishna: bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: Why did the portion of iShemaprecedethat of iVeHaya im Shamoa /i? So that one will first accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven and only then accept upon himself the yoke of the mitzvot., bIt was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Shimon ben Yoḥaioffers a different explanation for the order of the portions of iShema /i. He bsays: By right, iShemashould precede iVeHaya im Shamoabecausethe iShemaincludes the directive bto learn, while iVeHaya im Shamoaincludes the directive bto teach.Similarly, iVeHaya im Shamoa /ishould precede iVaYomer /i,the final paragraph of iShema /i, because iVeHaya im Shamoaincludes the directive bto teach, whilethe portion of ritual fringes includes the directive bto perform. /b,The Gemara asks: bIs that to say thatthe portion of iShemacontainsthe directive bto learnbut bit does not containthe directive bto teach and perform? Isn’t it written: “And you shall teach themto your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7), a directive to teach, as well as: b“And you shall bind themas a sign upon your arm” (Deuteronomy 6:8) and: b“And write themon your door posts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9), directives to perform? bFurthermore, does iVeHaya im Shamoacontainthe directive bto teachbut bit does not containthe directive bto perform? Isn’t it written: “And you shall bind themas a sign upon your arm” (Deuteronomy 11:18), a directive to perform?, bRather,Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai bsaid as follows: By right,the portion of iShemashould precede iVeHaya im Shamoabecausethe portion of iShemaincludes the directives bto learn, to teach, and to perform,while iVeHaya im Shamoaincludes the directives to teach and to perform. iVeHaya im Shamoashould precede iVaYomerbecause iVeHaya im Shamoaincludes the directives bto teach and to perform, while iVaYomer bonlyincludes the directive bto perform. /b,The Gemara asks: bLet him derive this,that the portion of iShemais recited first, bfromthe statement of bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa.The Gemara responds: bHe stated onereason band another.Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai does not disagree with Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa; he simply suggested as additional explanation as follows: bOnereason the portion of iShemais recited first is bso that one will first accept the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven upon himself and afterward the yoke of the mitzvot; andthe second reason is bbecausethe portion of iShema bcontains these other elementsas well.,The Gemara relates: bRav washed his hands, recited iShema /i, donned phylacteries, and prayedin that order. The Gemara asks: bHow could he do that? Wasn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne who digs a grave for the deadin the wall of the family burial cave bis exempt from the recitation of iShema /i, from prayer, from phylacteries, and from all mitzvot mentioned in the Torah.When btheappointed btime for the recitation of iShemaarrives, he emergesfrom the cave, bwashes his hands, dons phylacteries, recites iShema /i, and prays. /b,Before clarifying the problem, the Gemara comments: bThis ibaraita bitself is difficult;it appears to be contradictory. bThe first clauseof the ibaraita bstatedthat one digging a grave bis exemptfrom the recitation of iShema /i, band the latter clausestated that bhe is obligatedto emerge and recite iShema /i,The Gemara responds: bThat is not difficult. The latter clauseof the ibaraitarefers to a case bof twoindividuals digging the grave together; one pauses to recite iShemawhile the other continues digging. bThe first clauseof the ibaraitarefers to a case bof oneindividual digging alone, who may not stop., bIn any case, this ibaraita bcontradicts Ravin terms of the order in which the mitzvot are performed. The Gemara responds: bRav holds in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa, who saidthat the acceptance of bthe yoke of the kingdom of Heaventakes precedence and should bcome first, followed bythe acceptance of bthe yoke of the mitzvot.Therefore, Rav first recited iShema /i, and only then donned phylacteries.,The Gemara challenges: bSaythat bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa saidto bgive precedence to recitationof the portion concerning the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven over brecitationof other portions. But bdid you hear himsay the ihalakhagives precedence to brecitation over performance? /b, bAnd furthermore, doesRav breally hold in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa? But didn’t Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi say: Many times I stood before Rav, and he first washed his hands, recited a blessing, taught us our lesson, donned phylacteries, and then recited iShema /i. And if you say:This was when bthe time for the recitation of iShemahad notyet barrivedand that is why he donned his phylacteries first, bthen what isthe point of bthe testimony of Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi? /b,The Gemara responds: Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi’s story comes bto excludethe opinion of bthe one who said that one need not recite the blessingon Torah study bforthe study of bmishna. It teaches us that even for mishna, one must recite a blessing. /b, bIn any casethis ibaraita bis difficult for Rav.The Gemara responds: bThe messenger was at faultand brought Rav his phylacteries late, so Rav recited iShemaat its appropriate time and later donned phylacteries.,With regard to the recitation of iShemawithout phylacteries, bUlla said: Anyone who recites iShemawithout phylacteries, it is as if he has borne false testimony against himself,as in iShema /i, he mentions his obligation to don phylacteries and in this case fails to don them himself ( iTalmidei Rabbeinu Yona /i). bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:One who recites iShemawithout phylacteries, bit is as if he has offered a burnt-offering without a meal-offering or a peace-offering without libations.Despite the fact that he fulfilled his obligation, his offering is incomplete., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said: One who seeks to accept upon himself the complete yoke of the kingdom of Heaven /b |
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11. Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 62a. תנא הוקפלו רוב המקצועות מותרות משום גזל ופטורות מן המעשרות,רבי ורבי יוסי בר רבי יהודה איקלעו לההוא אתרא בזמן שהוקפלו רוב המקצועות רבי הוה קא אכיל רבי יוסי בר ר' יהודה לא אכיל אתא מרהון אמר להו אמאי לא אכלי רבנן הוקפלו רוב המקצועות הוא ואף על פי כן לא אכיל ר' יוסי בר ר' יהודה קסבר משום סניות מילתא הוא דקאמר הדין גברא,רבי חמא בר רבי חנינא איקלע לההוא אתרא בזמן שהוקפלו רוב המקצועות הוה קאכיל יהיב לשמעיה לא אכיל אמר ליה אכול כך אמר לי רבי ישמעאל בר רבי יוסי משום אביו הוקפלו רוב המקצועות מותרות משום גזל ופטורות מן המעשר,ר' טרפון אשכחיה ההוא גברא בזמן שהוקפלו המקצועות דקאכיל אחתיה בשקא ושקליה ואמטייה למשדיה בנהרא אמר לו אוי לו לטרפון שזה הורגו שמע ההוא גברא שבקיה וערק אמר רבי אבהו משום ר' חנניה בן גמליאל כל ימיו של אותו צדיק היה מצטער על דבר זה אמר אוי לי שנשתמשתי בכתרה של תורה,ואמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר ר' יוחנן כל המשתמש בכתרה של תורה נעקר מן העולם קל וחומר ומה בלשצר שנשתמש בכלי קודש שנעשו כלי חול שנאמר (יחזקאל ז, כב) ובאו בה פריצים וחיללוה כיון שפרצום נעשו חול נעקר מן העולם דכתיב (דניאל ה, ל) בה בליליא קטיל בלשצר המשתמש בכתרה של תורה שהוא חי וקיים לעולם על אחת כמה וכמה,ורבי טרפון כיון דכי אכיל דהוקפלו רוב המקצועות הוה אמאי צעריה ההוא גברא משום דההוא הוו גנבי ליה ענבי כולה שתא וכיון דאשכחיה לר' טרפון סבר היינו דגנבן אי הכי אמאי ציער נפשיה משום דרבי טרפון עשיר גדול הוה והוה ליה לפייסו בדמים,תניא (דברים ל, כ) לאהבה את ה' אלהיך לשמוע בקולו ולדבקה בו שלא יאמר אדם אקרא שיקראוני חכם אשנה שיקראוני רבי אשנן שאהיה זקן ואשב בישיבה,אלא למד מאהבה וסוף הכבוד לבא שנאמר (משלי ז, ג) קשרם על אצבעותיך כתבם על לוח לבך ואומר (משלי ג, יז) דרכיה דרכי נועם ואומר (משלי ג, יח) עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה ותומכיה מאושר,רבי אליעזר בר ר' צדוק אומר עשה דברים לשם פעלם ודבר בהם לשמם אל תעשם עטרה להתגדל בהם ואל תעשם קורדום להיות עודר בו וקל וחומר ומה בלשצר שלא נשתמש אלא בכלי קדש שנעשו כלי חול נעקר מן העולם המשתמש בכתרה של תורה על אחת כמה וכמה,אמר רבא שרי ליה לאיניש לאודועי נפשיה באתרא דלא ידעי ליה דכתיב (מלכים א יח, יב) ועבדך ירא את ה' מנעוריו אלא קשיא דר' טרפון דעשיר גדול היה והוה ליה לפייסיה בדמים,רבא רמי כתיב ועבדך ירא את ה' מנעוריו וכתיב (משלי כז, ב) יהללך זר ולא פיך הא באתרא דידעי ליה הא באתרא דלא ידעי ליה,אמר רבא שרי ליה לצורבא מרבנן למימר צורבא מרבנן אנא שרו לי תיגראי ברישא דכתיב (שמואל ב ח, יח) ובני דוד כהנים היו מה כהן נוטל בראש אף תלמיד חכם נוטל בראש וכהן מנא לן דכתיב (ויקרא כא, ח) וקדשתו כי את לחם (ה') אלהיך הוא מקריב ותנא דבי רבי ישמעאל וקדשתו לכל דבר שבקדושה | 62a. The Sages btaught:If bmost of the knives have been set aside,the figs left in the field bare permitted with regard tothe laws of bstealing and are exempt from tithes,since their owners presumably do not want them and the figs are therefore considered ownerless property.,The Gemara relates: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi band Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda arrived at a certain place at a time when most of the knives had been set aside. RabbiYehuda HaNasi batethe figs left in the field, but bRabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda did not eat. The ownerof the field bcameand bsaid to them: Why are the Sages not eating? It isnow the period when bmost of the knives have been set aside.The Gemara notes: bBut nevertheless, Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Yehuda did not eat,since bhe thoughtthat it was only bdue to embarrassment over the matterthat bthat man saidhis comment, but he did not really mean to declare his figs ownerless.,The Gemara relates another incident: bRabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina arrived at a certain place at a time when most of the knives had been set aside. He atefrom the figs that were left in the field, but when bhe gavesome bto his attendantthe latter bdid not eat.Rabbi Ḥama bsaid to him: Eat,as bRabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yosei said to me the followingruling bin the name of his father:If bmost of the knives have been set aside,the figs bare permitted with regard tothe laws of bstealing and are exempt from the tithe. /b,The Gemara relates another incident: bA certain man found Rabbi Tarfon eatingfigs from his field bat the time when most of the knives had been set aside. He placedRabbi Tarfon bin a sack, lifted him up, and carried him to throw him into the river.Rabbi Tarfon bsaid to him: Woe to Tarfon, for thisman bis killing him.When bthat man heardthat he was carrying the great Rabbi Tarfon, bhe left him and fled. Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Ḥaya ben Gamliel: All the days of that righteous man,Rabbi Tarfon, bhe was distressed over this matter, saying: Woe is me, for I made use of the crown of Torah,as Rabbi Tarfon was only released out of respect for his Torah learning., bAndwith regard to this statement, bRabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: Whoever makes use of the crown of Torah is uprooted from the world.This can be derived by means of ban ia fortiori /iinference: bIf Belshazzar, who made use of the sacredTemple bvessels, which hadalready bbecome non-sacred vesselsby that time, as after their forcible removal from the Temple the vessels lost their sanctity, bas it is statedin the verse: b“And robbers shall enter into it, and profane it”(Ezekiel 7:22), showing that boncethe Temple vessels bhave been robbed they become non-sacred, was uprooted from the worldfor his actions, bas it is written: “On that night Belshazzarthe Chaldean king bwas killed”(Daniel 5:30); bone who makes use of the crown of Torah, which lives and endures foreverand whose sanctity cannot be removed, ball the more soshall he be uprooted.,The Gemara returns to the incident involving Rabbi Tarfon. bAndin the case of bRabbi Tarfon, since he was eatingduring the time bwhen most of the knives had been set aside, why did that man trouble him?The Gemara explains: It was bbecausesomeone bhad been stealing grapes from thatman ball year, and when he found Rabbi Tarfon he thought: This isthe one bwho stole from methe entire year. The Gemara asks: bIf so, why did Rabbi Tarfon berate himself?Clearly he was justified in saving himself. The Gemara answers: bSince Rabbi Tarfon was very wealthy, he should havesought bto appease him with moneyin order to save himself, rather than relying on his status as a Torah scholar.,Apropos the story of Rabbi Tarfon’s regret for gaining personal benefit from his status as a Torah scholar, the Gemara cites similar teachings. It bis taughtin a ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“To love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him”(Deuteronomy 30:20). This verse indicates bthat a person should not say: I will readthe written Torah bso that they will call me a Sage; I will studyMishna bso that they will call me Rabbi; I will reviewmy studies bso that I will be an Elder and will sit in the academy. /b, bRather, learn out of love,as the verse states: “To love the Lord your God.” bAnd the honor will eventually comeof its own accord, bas it is stated: “Bind them upon your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart”(Proverbs 7:3), band it states: “Its ways are ways of pleasantness,and all its paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:17), band it states: “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it; happy is everyone who holds it fast”(Proverbs 3:17). Consequently, one who studies in order to master Torah for its own sake, as reflected in the verse “bind them upon your fingers,” will eventually merit pleasantness, peace, and happiness., bRabbi Eliezer bar Rabbi Tzadok says: Do things for the sake of their performance,not for any ulterior motive, band speakwords bofTorah bfor their own sake. Do not make them a crown with which to become glorified, and do not make them nor make them a dolabra [ ikordom /i] with which to hoe,i.e., do not use Torah study as a means of earning a livelihood. bAndthis is ban ia fortiori /iinference: bIf Belshazzar, who made use only of sacred vessels that had become non-sacred vessels, was uprooted from the world, one who makes use of the crown of Torah,whose sanctity is permanent, ball the more soshall he be uprooted from the world., bRava said:In a time of need, bit is permitted for a person to make himself known in a place wherepeople bdo not know him.The proof is from what Obadiah said to Elijah in order to identify himself, bas it is written: “But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth”(I Kings 18:12). The Gemara asks: bButthis is bdifficultwith regard to the story about bRabbi Tarfon,who was distraught because he revealed his identity to the man who placed him in the sack. The Gemara answers: The case of Rabbi Tarfon is different, bas he was very wealthy, andtherefore bhe should havesought bto appease him with money. /b, bRava raises a contradiction: It is writtenthat Obadiah spoke highly of himself: b“But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth.” And it is written: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth”(Proverbs 27:2). He answers: bThisverse is referring bto a place wherepeople bknow him,where he should not praise himself, whereas bthatverse is referring bto a place wherepeople bdo not know him. /b, bRava saidfurther: bIt is permitted for a Torah scholar to say: I am a Torah scholar,so bresolve my case first, as it is written: “And the sons of David were priests”(II Samuel 8:18). The sons of David could not have been actual priests, as David was not a priest. Rather, the verse indicates that bjust as a priest takeshis portion bfirst, so too, a Torah scholar takeshis portion bfirst. And a priest, from where do wederive that he takes his portion first? bAs it is written: “And you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God”(Leviticus 21:8). bAnd the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:The phrase b“and you shall sanctify him”applies with regard bto every matter of sanctity: /b |
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