1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 6.9, 13.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 6.9. וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל־מְזוּזֹת בֵּיתֶךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ׃ 13.7. כִּי יְסִיתְךָ אָחִיךָ בֶן־אִמֶּךָ אוֹ־בִנְךָ אוֹ־בִתְּךָ אוֹ אֵשֶׁת חֵיקֶךָ אוֹ רֵעֲךָ אֲשֶׁר כְּנַפְשְׁךָ בַּסֵּתֶר לֵאמֹר נֵלְכָה וְנַעַבְדָה אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתָּ אַתָּה וַאֲבֹתֶיךָ׃ | 6.9. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates." 13.7. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, that is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying: 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;" |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 6.4 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 6.4. הַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וְגַם אַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל־בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם הֵמָּה הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם׃ | 6.4. The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of nobles came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Leviticus, 19.3 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 19.3. אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ וּמִקְדָּשִׁי תִּירָאוּ אֲנִי יְהוָה׃ 19.3. אִישׁ אִמּוֹ וְאָבִיו תִּירָאוּ וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ | 19.3. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and ye shall keep My sabbaths: I am the LORD your God." |
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4. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 20b. ומן התפלין וחייבין בתפלה ובמזוזה ובברכת המזון:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ק"ש פשיטא מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא הוא וכל מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא נשים פטורות,מהו דתימא הואיל ואית בה מלכות שמים קמ"ל:,ומן התפלין: פשיטא מהו דתימא הואיל ואתקש למזוזה קמ"ל:,וחייבין בתפלה: דרחמי נינהו מהו דתימא הואיל וכתיב בה (תהלים נה, יח) ערב ובקר וצהרים כמצות עשה שהזמן גרמא דמי קמ"ל:,ובמזוזה: פשיטא מהו דתימא הואיל ואתקש לתלמוד תורה קמשמע לן:,ובברכת המזון: פשיטא מהו דתימא הואיל וכתיב (שמות טז, ח) בתת ה' לכם בערב בשר לאכל ולחם בבקר לשבע כמצות עשה שהזמן גרמא דמי קמ"ל:,אמר רב אדא בר אהבה נשים חייבות בקדוש היום דבר תורה אמאי מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא הוא וכל מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא נשים פטורות אמר אביי מדרבנן,א"ל רבא והא דבר תורה קאמר ועוד כל מצות עשה נחייבינהו מדרבנן,אלא אמר רבא אמר קרא (שמות כ, ז) זכור (דברים ה, יא) ושמור כל שישנו בשמירה ישנו בזכירה והני נשי הואיל ואיתנהו בשמירה איתנהו בזכירה,א"ל רבינא לרבא נשים בברכת המזון דאורייתא או דרבנן למאי נפקא מינה לאפוקי רבים ידי חובתן אי אמרת (בשלמא) דאורייתא אתי דאורייתא ומפיק דאורייתא (אלא אי) אמרת דרבנן הוי שאינו מחוייב בדבר וכל שאינו מחוייב בדבר אינו מוציא את הרבים ידי חובתן מאי,ת"ש באמת אמרו בן מברך לאביו ועבד מברך לרבו ואשה מברכת לבעלה אבל אמרו חכמים תבא מארה לאדם שאשתו ובניו מברכין לו,אי אמרת בשלמא דאורייתא אתי דאורייתא ומפיק דאורייתא אלא אי אמרת דרבנן אתי דרבנן ומפיק דאורייתא,ולטעמיך קטן בר חיובא הוא אלא הכי במאי עסקינן כגון שאכל שיעורא דרבנן דאתי דרבנן ומפיק דרבנן:,דרש רב עוירא זמנין אמר לה משמיה דר' אמי וזמנין אמר לה משמיה דר' אסי אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע כתוב בתורתך (דברים י, יז) אשר לא ישא פנים ולא יקח שחד והלא אתה נושא פנים לישראל דכתיב (במדבר ו, כו) ישא ה' פניו אליך אמר להם וכי לא אשא פנים לישראל שכתבתי להם בתורה (דברים ח, י) ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ה' אלהיך והם מדקדקים [על] עצמם עד כזית ועד כביצה:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big בעל קרי מהרהר בלבו ואינו מברך לא לפניה ולא לאחריה ועל המזון מברך לאחריו ואינו מברך לפניו רבי יהודה אומר מברך לפניהם ולאחריהם:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big אמר רבינא זאת אומרת הרהור כדבור דמי דאי סלקא דעתך לאו כדבור דמי למה מהרהר,אלא מאי הרהור כדבור דמי יוציא בשפתיו,כדאשכחן בסיני,ורב חסדא אמר הרהור לאו כדבור דמי דאי סלקא דעתך הרהור כדבור דמי יוציא בשפתיו,אלא מאי הרהור לאו כדבור דמי למה מהרהר אמר רבי אלעזר כדי שלא יהו כל העולם עוסקין בו והוא יושב ובטל,ונגרוס בפרקא אחרינא אמר רב אדא בר אהבה בדבר שהצבור עוסקין בו | 20b. band from phylacteries, butthey bare obligated inthe mitzvot of bprayer, imezuza /i, and Grace after Meals.The Gemara explains the rationale for these exemptions and obligations.,GEMARA With regard to the mishna’s statement that women are exempt from bthe recitation of iShema /i,the Gemara asks: That is bobvious,as iShemais a btime-bound, positive mitzva, andthe halakhic principle is: bWomen are exempt from any time-bound, positive mitzva,i.e., any mitzva whose performance is only in effect at a particular time. iShemafalls into that category as its recitation is restricted to the morning and the evening. Why then did the mishna need to mention it specifically?,The Gemara replies: bLest you say: Since iShema bincludesthe acceptance of the yoke of bthe kingdom of Heaven,perhaps women are obligated in its recitation despite the fact that it is a time-bound, positive mitzva. Therefore, the mishna bteaches usthat, nevertheless, women are exempt.,We also learned in the mishna that women are exempt bfrom phylacteries.The Gemara asks: That is bobviousas well. The donning of phylacteries is only in effect at particular times; during the day but not at night, on weekdays but not on Shabbat or Festivals. The Gemara replies: bLest you say: Sincethe mitzva of phylacteries bis juxtaposedin the Torah btothe mitzva of imezuza /i,as it is written: “And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hands and they shall be frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8), followed by: “And you shall write them upon the door posts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:9), just as women are obligated in the mitzva of imezuza /i, so too they are obligated in the mitzva of phylacteries. Therefore, the mishna bteaches usthat nevertheless, women are exempt.,We also learned in the mishna that women, slaves, and children are bobligated in prayer.The Gemara explains that, although the mitzva of prayer is only in effect at particular times, which would lead to the conclusion that women are exempt, nevertheless, since prayer bissupplication for bmercyand women also require divine mercy, they are obligated. However, blest you say: Sinceregarding prayer it is bwritten: “Evening and morning and afternoonI pray and cry aloud and He hears my voice” (Psalms 55:18), perhaps prayer should be bconsidered a time-bound, positive mitzvaand women would be exempt, the mishna bteaches usthat, fundamentally, the mitzva of prayer is not time-bound and, therefore, everyone is obligated.,We also learned in the mishna that women are obligated in the mitzva of imezuza /i.The Gemara asks: That too is bobvious.Why would they be exempt from fulfilling this obligation, it is a positive mitzva that is not time-bound? The Gemara replies: bLest you say: Sincethe mitzva of imezuza bis juxtaposedin the Torah to the mitzva of bTorah study(Deuteronomy 11:19–20), just as women are exempt from Torah study, so too they are exempt from the mitzva of imezuza /i. Therefore, the mishna explicitly bteaches usthat they are obligated.,We also learned in the mishna that women are obligated to recite the bGrace after Meals.The Gemara asks: That too is bobvious.The Gemara replies: bLest you say: Since it is written: “When the Lord shall give you meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full”(Exodus 16:8), one might conclude that the Torah established fixed times for the meals and, consequently, for the mitzva of Grace after Meals and, therefore, it bis considered a time-bound, positive mitzva,exempting women from its recitation. Therefore, the mishna bteaches usthat women are obligated., bRav Adda bar Ahava said: Women are obligated torecite the sanctification of the Shabbat day [ikiddush /i]by Torah law.The Gemara asks: bWhy? iKiddushis a btime-bound, positive mitzva, and women are exemptfrom ball time-bound, positive mitzvot. Abaye said:Indeed, women are obligated to recite ikiddushby brabbinic,but not by Torah blaw. /b, bRava said toAbaye: There are two refutations to your explanation. First, Rav Adda bar Ahava said that women are obligated to recite ikiddush bby Torah law, and, furthermore,the very explanation is difficult to understand. If the Sages do indeed institute ordices in these circumstances, blet us obligate themto fulfill balltime-bound, bpositive mitzvot by rabbinic law,even though they are exempt by Torah law., bRather, Rava said:This has a unique explanation. In the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus, bthe verse said: “RememberShabbat and sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8), while in the book of Deuteronomy it is said: b“ObserveShabbat and sanctify it” (Deuteronomy 5:12). From these two variants we can deduce that banyone included inthe obligation to bobserveShabbat by avoiding its desecration, bisalso bincluded inthe mitzva to brememberShabbat by reciting ikiddush /i. bSince these women are included inthe mitzva bto observeShabbat, as there is no distinction between men and women in the obligation to observe prohibitions in general and to refrain from the desecration of Shabbat in particular, so too bare they included inthe mitzva of brememberingShabbat., bRavina said to Rava:We learned in the mishna that bwomenare obligated in the mitzva of bGrace after Meals.However, are they obligated bby Torah lawor merely bby rabbinic law? What difference does it makewhether it is by Torah or rabbinic law? The difference is regarding her ability bto fulfill the obligation of otherswhen reciting the blessing on their behalf. bGranted, if you say thattheir obligation bis by Torah law,one whose obligation bis by Torah law can come and fulfill the obligationof others who are obligated bby Torah law. However, if you saythat their obligation is bby rabbinic law,then from the perspective of Torah law, women bareconsidered to be bone who is not obligated, andthe general principle is that bone who is not obligatedto fulfill a particular mitzva bcannot fulfill the obligations of the manyin that mitzva. Therefore, it is important to know bwhatis the resolution of this dilemma., bComeand bhearfrom what was taught in a ibaraita /i: bActually they saidthat ba son may recite a blessingon behalf of bhis father, and a slave may recite a blessingon behalf of bhis master, and a woman may recite a blessingon behalf of bher husband, but the Sages said: May a curse come to a manwho, due to his ignorance, requires bhis wife and children to recite a blessing on his behalf. /b,From here we may infer: bGranted, if you say thattheir obligation bis by Torah law,one whose obligation bis by Torah law can come and fulfill the obligationof others who are obligated bby Torah law. However, if you saythat their obligation is bby rabbinic law,can one who is obligated bby rabbinic law, come and fulfill the obligationof one whose obligation is bby Torah law? /b,The Gemara challenges this proof: bAnd according to your reasoning,is ba minor obligatedby Torah law to perform mitzvot? Everyone agrees that a minor is exempt by Torah law, yet here the ibaraitasaid that he may recite a blessing on behalf of his father. There must be another way to explain the ibaraita /i. bWith what we are dealing here? With a case wherehis father batea quantity of food that did not satisfy his hunger, a bmeasurefor which one is only obligated bby rabbinic lawto recite Grace after Meals. In that case, one whose obligation bis by rabbinic law can come and fulfill the obligationof another whose obligation bis by rabbinic law. /b,After citing the ihalakhathat one who eats a quantity of food that does not satisfy his hunger is obligated by rabbinic law to recite Grace after Meals, the Gemara cites a related homiletic interpretation. bRav Avira taught, sometimes he said it in the nameof bRabbi Ami, and sometimes he said it in the nameof bRabbi Asi: The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, in Your Torah it is written:“The great, mighty and awesome God bwho favors no one and takes no bribe”(Deuteronomy 10:17), byet You,nevertheless, bshow favor to Israel, as it is written: “The Lord shall show favor to youand give you peace” (Numbers 6:26). bHe replied to them: And how can I not show favor to Israel, as I wrote for them in the Torah: “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 8:10), meaning that there is no obligation to bless the Lord until one is satiated; byet they are exacting with themselvesto recite Grace after Meals even if they have eaten bas much as an olive-bulk or an egg-bulk.Since they go beyond the requirements of the law, they are worthy of favor., strongMISHNA: /strong Ezra the Scribe decreed that one who is ritually impure because of a seminal emission may not engage in matters of Torah until he has immersed in a ritual bath and purified himself. This ihalakhawas accepted over the course of many generations; however, many disputes arose with regard to the Torah matters to which it applies. Regarding this, the mishna says: If the time for the recitation of iShemaarrived and boneis impure due to a bseminal emission,he may bcontemplate iShema bin his heart, but neither recites the blessings preceding iShema /i, bnor the blessings following it. Over foodwhich, after partaking, one is obligated by Torah law to recite a blessing, bone recites a blessing afterward, but one does not recite a blessing beforehand,because the blessing recited prior to eating is a requirement by rabbinic law. bAndin all of these instances bRabbi Yehuda says: He recites a blessing beforehand and thereafterin both the case of iShemaand in the case of food., strongGEMARA: /strong bRavina said: That is to say,from the mishna that bcontemplation is tantamount to speech. As if it would enter your mindthat bit is not tantamount to speech,then bwhydoes one who is impure because of a seminal emission bcontemplate?It must be that it is tantamount to speech.,The Gemara rejects this: bBut whatare you saying, that bcontemplation is tantamount to speech?Then, if one who is impure because of a seminal emission is permitted to contemplate, why does he not butterthe words bwith his lips? /b,The Gemara answers: bAs we found atMount bSinai.There one who had sexual relations with a woman was required to immerse himself before receiving the Torah, which was spoken and not merely contemplated. Here, too, it was decreed that one who was impure due to a seminal emission may not recite matters of Torah out loud until he immerses himself., bAnd Rav Ḥisda saidthat the opposite conclusion should be drawn from the mishna: bContemplation is not tantamount to speech, as if it would enter your mindthat bcontemplation is tantamount to speech,then one who is impure because of a seminal emission should iab initio /i, butter iShema bwith his lips. /b,The Gemara challenges this argument: bBut whatare you saying, that bcontemplation is not tantamount to speech?If so, bwhy does he contemplate? Rabbi Elazar said: So thata situation bwill notarise bwhere everyone is engaged inreciting iShema band he sits idlyby.,The Gemara asks: If that is the only purpose, blet him study another chapterand not specifically iShemaor one of the blessings. bRav Adda bar Ahava said:It is fitting that one engage bin a matter in which the community is engaged. /b |
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5. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 62b. ומאי ר' מאיר דתניא לא תצא אשה במפתח שבידה ואם יצאת חייבת חטאת דברי רבי מאיר רבי אליעזר פוטר בכובלת ובצלוחית של פלייטון,כובלת מאן דכר שמה,חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני וכן בכובלת וכן בצלוחית של פלייטון לא תצא ואם יצאה חייבת חטאת דברי רבי מאיר רבי אליעזר פוטר בכובלת ובצלוחית של פלייטון במה דברים אמורים כשיש בהם בושם אבל אין בהם בושם חייבת,אמר רב אדא בר אהבה זאת אומרת המוציא אוכלין פחות מכשיעור בכלי חייב דהא אין בה בושם כפחות מכשיעור בכלי דמי וקתני חייבת,רב אשי אמר בעלמא אימא לך פטור ושאני הכא דליתיה לממשא כלל:,(עמוס ו, ו) וראשית שמנים ימשחו אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל זה פלייטון,מתיב רב יוסף אף על פלייטון גזר רבי יהודה בן בבא ולא הודו לו ואי אמרת משום תענוג אמאי לא הודו לו,אמר ליה אביי ולטעמיך הא דכתיב (עמוס ו, ו) השותים במזרקי יין ר' אמי ור' אסי חד אמר קנישקנין וחד אמר שמזרקין כוסותיהן זה לזה הכא נמי דאסיר והא רבה בר רב הונא איקלע לבי ריש גלותא ושתה בקנישקנין ולא אמר ליה ולא מידי,אלא כל מידי דאית ביה תענוג ואית ביה שמחה גזרו רבנן אבל מידי דאית ביה תענוג ולית ביה שמחה לא גזרו רבנן:,(עמוס ו, ד) השוכבים על מטות שן וסרוחים על ערשותם אמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא מלמד שהיו משתינין מים בפני מטותיהן ערומים,מגדף בה ר' אבהו אי הכי היינו דכתיב (עמוס ו, ז) לכן עתה יגלו בראש גולים משום דמשתינין מים בפני מטותיהם ערומים יגלו בראש גולים,אלא א"ר אבהו אלו בני אדם שהיו אוכלים ושותים זה עם זה ודובקין מטותיהן זו בזו ומחליפין נשותיהן זה עם זה ומסריחין ערסותם בשכבת זרע שאינו שלהן,א"ר אבהו ואמרי לה במתניתא תנא ג' דברים מביאין את האדם לידי עניות ואלו הן המשתין מים בפני מטתו ערום ומזלזל בנטילת ידים ושאשתו מקללתו בפניו,המשתין מים בפני מטתו ערום אמר רבא לא אמרן אלא דמהדר אפיה לפורייה אבל לבראי לית לן בה,ומהדר אפיה לפורייה נמי לא אמרן אלא לארעא אבל במנא לית לן בה,ומזלזל בנטילת ידים אמר רבא לא אמרן אלא דלא משא ידיה כלל אבל משא ולא משא לית לן בה,ולאו מלתא היא דאמר רב חסדא אנא משאי מלא חפני מיא ויהבו לי מלא חפני טיבותא,ושאשתו מקללתו בפניו אמר רבא על עסקי תכשיטיה וה"מ הוא דאית ליה ולא עביד:,דרש רבא בריה דרב עילאי מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו ג, טז) ויאמר ה' יען כי גבהו בנות ציון שהיו מהלכות בקומה זקופה ותלכנה נטויות גרון שהיו מהלכות עקב בצד גודל ומשקרות עינים דהוה מלאן כוחלא לעינייהו ומרמזן הלוך וטפוף שהיו מהלכות ארוכה בצד קצרה (ישעיהו ג, טז) וברגליהן תעכסנה אמר רב יצחק דבי ר' אמי מלמד שמטילות מור ואפרסמון במנעליהן ומהלכות בשוקי ירושלים וכיון שמגיעות אצל בחורי ישראל בועטות בקרקע ומתיזות עליהם ומכניסות בהן יצר הרע כארס בכעוס,מאי פורענותיהם כדדריש רבה בר עולא (ישעיהו ג, כד) והיה תחת בושם מק יהיה מקום שהיו מתבשמות בו נעשה נמקים נמקים (ישעיהו ג, כד) ותחת חגורה נקפה מקום שהיו חגורות בצלצול נעשה נקפים נקפים (ישעיהו ג, כד) ותחת מעשה מקשה קרחה מקום שהיו מתקשטות בו נעשה קרחים קרחים (ישעיהו ג, כד) ותחת פתיגיל מחגורת שק פתחים המביאין לידי גילה יהיו למחגורת שק (ישעיהו ג, כד) כי תחת יופי אמר רבא היינו דאמרי אינשי חלופי שופרא כיבא,(ישעיהו ג, יז) (וספח) ה' קדקוד בנות ציון אמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא מלמד שפרחה בהן צרעת כתיב הכא ושפח וכתיב התם (ויקרא יד, נו) לשאת ולספחת,וה' פתהן יערה רב ושמואל חד אמר שנשפכו כקיתון וחד אמר שנעשו פתחיהן כיער,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אנשי ירושלים אנשי שחץ היו אדם אומר לחברו במה סעדת היום בפת עמילה או בפת שאינה עמילה ביין גורדלי או | 62b. bAndto bwhatstatement of bRabbi Meiris the Gemara referring? bAs it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bA woman may not go outon Shabbat bwith a key that is in her hand, and if she went out she is liable to bring a sin-offering;this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Eliezer exemptsa woman who goes out bwith a bundle of fragrant herbs and with a flask of balsam oil [ ipalyaton /i]. /b,The Gemara finds the statement of Rabbi Eliezer difficult: bA bundle of fragrant herbs; who mentionedanything about bthat?Rabbi Meir did not mention a bundle of herbs; why did Rabbi Eliezer mention it in his response?,The Gemara answers that the ibaraita bis incomplete and it teaches the following: And likewise, with a bundle of fragrant herbs, and likewise with a flask of balsam oil she may not go out, and if she went out she is liable to bring a sin-offering;this is bthe statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Eliezer exempts inthe cases of ba bundle of fragrant herbs and a flask of balsam oil. In whatcase bis this statement said?In a case bwherethe vessels bhave perfume in them; however,in a case where bthey do not have perfume in them, she is liablefor carrying the flask out into the public domain on Shabbat., bRav Adda bar Ahava said: That is to saythat bone who carries outa measure of bfoodthat is bless than the measurethat determines liability on Shabbat, but he does so bin a vessel, he is liable.Although he is not liable for carrying the food out into the public domain, he is liable for carrying out the vessel. In that case, the vessel is not subordinate to the food, and therefore it is significant. bSincethe case of the flask bin which there is no perfume is comparable tothe case in which there is bless than therequired bmeasurementof food bin a vessel, and it was taughtin the case of the flask that bshe is liableeven though the fragrance of the perfume remains in the vessel, it stands to reason that one who carries a vessel containing less than a measure of food is also liable., bRav Ashi said:That is no proof because, bin general, I would say to youthat bhe is exemptin a case where there is less than the measure that determines liability for food. bHowever, it is different here,in the case of the empty flask of perfume bas,in that case, bthere is no substanceat all. Because the vessel is completely empty, he is liable for carrying the flask.,Related to the mention of perfume, the Gemara cites several statements. It is stated: “That drink wine in imizrekei /i, band anoint themselves with the chief ointments;but they are not grieved for the hurt of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). bRav Yehuda saidthat bShmuel said: “ /bThe chief ointments” bis balsam oil. /b, bRav Yosef raised an objectionfrom the iTosefta /i: bRabbi Yehuda ben Bava issued a decree on balsam oil as well,prohibiting its use due to mourning over the destruction of the Temple, bandthe Sages bdid not agree with him. And if you saythat balsam oil is the chief ointment cited in the verse, and the decree was issued bdue tothe bpleasureit provides, bwhy didn’tthe Sages bagree with hisdecree? Doesn’t the verse criticize those who do not feel the pain of the people?, bAbaye said to him: And according to your reasoning, that which is writtenin the same verse: b“That drink wine in imizrekei /i”; Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asidisagree over the meaning of the term imizrekei /i. bOne said:They are bmulti-spouted vessels [ ikenishkanin /i],wine vessels with spouts from which several people can drink at one time, band one said that they throw [ imezarkin /i] their cups to one anotherin joy and jest. bIs that also prohibited? Didn’t Rabba bar Rav Huna visit the house of the Exilarch andsee the Exilarch bdrinkfrom ba multi-spouted vessel, andRabba bar Rav Huna bdid not say anything to him? /b, bRather,the principle is as follows: With regard to bany matter in which there isan element of bpleasure and in which there isan element of bjoy, the Sages issued a decreeprohibiting it due to mourning over the destruction of the Temple. bHowever,with regard to ba matter in which there isan element of bpleasure and in which there is noelement of bjoy, the Sages did not issue a decree.Since there is no element of joy in balsam oil, even though it is precious and pleasurable, they did not issue a decree prohibiting it.,The Gemara interprets additional verses related to the critique of the leadership of Samaria. It is stated: b“That lie upon beds of ivory and stretch [ iseruḥim /i] upon their couchesand eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall” (Amos 6:4). bRabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Thisterm, iseruḥim /i, interpreted homiletically, bteachesthat their sin was that bthey would urinate before their bedswhile bnaked. /b, bRabbi Abbahu ridiculed thatinterpretation: bIf so,that this is the meaning of the term iseruḥim /i, bis thisthe meaning of bthat which is written: “Therefore now they shall go into exile at the head of the exilesand the revelry of those iseruḥimshall pass away” (Amos 6:7), bbecause they urinate before their bedswhile bnaked they will be exiled at the head of exiles?Although doing so is revolting, a punishment so severe is certainly excessive., bRather, Rabbi Abbahu said:This verse is referring to a grave sin. bThese are people who would eat and drink with each other, and join their beds to each other, and swap wives with each other, and defile their beds with semen that was not theirs.That is the meaning of iseruḥimupon their couches. For those severe transgressions they deserved to be exiled at the head of exiles.,On a related note, bRabbi Abbahu said, and some say it was taught in a ibaraita /i: Three matters bring a person toa state of bpovertyas a divine punishment from Heaven: bOne who urinates before his bedwhile bnaked, and one who demeans the ritual washing of the hands, and one whose wife curses him in his presence. /b,The Gemara explains: With regard to bone who urinates before his bedwhile bnaked, Rava said: We only said thisprohibition in a case bwhere he turns his face toward his bedand urinates toward it; bhowever,if he turns his face and urinates btoward the outerportion of the room, bwe have noproblem bwith it. /b, bAndwhere bone turns his face toward his bed, too, we only said thisprohibition in a case bwhere he urinates on the ground; however,if he urinates binto a vessel, we have noproblem bwith itsince that is not considered disgusting.,With regard to bone who demeans the ritual washing of the hands, Rava said: We only saidthis statement in a case bwhere he does not wash his hands at all; however,if bhe washeshis hands band does not washthem with a significant amount of water, bwe have noproblem bwith it. /b,The Gemara notes: bAnd that is notso, bas Rav Ḥisda said: I washmy hands bwith handfuls of water andthey bgave mein reward bhandfuls of prosperity.Apparently, in order to garner the benefits of ritual washing of his hands, one should use a significant amount of water.,With regard to bone whose wife curses him in his presence, Rava said:This is referring to a case where she curses him bover mattersrelating to bher ornaments,i.e., she complains that he does not provide her with jewelry. The Gemara comments: bAnd that applies only when he hasthe resources to buy her jewelry bbut does not doso; however, if he does not have sufficient resources he need not be concerned.,Since the Gemara spoke of sins in the First Temple era, it continues to explain other verses with similar content. bRava, son of Rav Ilai, interpretedthe following verse bhomiletically. What isthe meaning of bthat which is written: “The Lord says because the daughters of Zion are haughtyand walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet” (Isaiah 3:16)? br“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,” indicates bthat they would walk with upright statureand carry themselves in an immodest way. br b“And walk with outstretched necks,”indicates bthat they would walkin small steps, bheel to toe,so onlookers would notice them. br b“Wanton eyes,”indicates bthat they would fill their eyes with blue eye shadow and beckon.br b“Walking and mincing [ itafof /i] as they go,”indicates bthat thewealthy women bwould walka btallwoman balongsidea bshortone so that the tall woman would stand out. This is derived from the interchangeability of the letters itetand itzadi /i; itzafo /i, meaning, in this case, to be seen. br b“Making a tinkling [ ite’akasna /i] with their feet,” Rabbi Yitzḥak from the school of Rabbi Ami said: This teaches that they would place myrrh and balsam in their shoes and would walk in the marketplaces of Jerusalem. And once they approacheda place where the byoung men of Israelwere congregated, bthey would stamptheir feet bon the ground and splash the perfume toward them and instill the evil inclination into them like venom of a viper [ ike’eres bakhos /i]. /b, bWhat was their punishmentfor these sins? bAs Rabba bar Ulla taught: “And it shall come to pass that instead of a sweet smell, there shall be a stench;and instead of a belt, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a fine dress, a girding of sackcloth; instead of beauty, a brand” (Isaiah 3:24). brHe explains: “And it shall come to pass that instead of a sweet smell there shall be a stench,” indicates that bthe place that they would perfume became decaying sores.br b“And instead of a sash, a rope [ inikpe /i],”indicates that bthe place where they were girded with a sash becamecovered with bmany bruises[inekafim/b]. br b“And instead of well-set hair, baldness,”indicates that bthe place where they would styletheir hair bbecame baldspots. br b“And instead of a fine dress [ ipetigil /i], a girding of sackcloth,”indicates that the borifices [ ipetaḥim /i] that lead to pleasure [ igil /i] will becomea place bfor a girding of sackcloth.br b“Instead of beauty, a brand [ iki /i],” Rava said: That isthe popular expression bthat people say: Instead of beauty, a sore [ ikiva /i]. /b,With regard to a different verse: b“The Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zionand the Lord will lay bare their secret parts” (Isaiah 3:17). And the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion; bRabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: This teaches that there was an outbreak of leprosy among them. It is written here, scab [ isippaḥ /i], and it is written there,among the types of leprosy: b“For a sore, and for a scab [ isappaḥat /i],and for a bright spot” (Leviticus 14:56).,With regard to the verse: bAnd the Lord will lay bare their secret parts [ ipot’hen ye’areh /i], Rav and Shmueldisagree. bOne says:It means bthat they,i.e., their innards, bwere poured out [ iye’areh /i] like a jug. And one says: That their orifices [ ipitḥeihen /i] werecovered with hair as thick bas a forest [ iya’ar /i]. /b,On the topic of the sins of Jerusalem and the abundance that existed before its destruction, bRav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: The people of Jerusalem were people of arrogance.They would couch their crude behavior in euphemisms. bA person would say to another: On what did you dine today? Well-kneaded bread or bread that is not well-kneaded? On white wine or /b |
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