1. Hebrew Bible, Leviticus, 10.1 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 10.1. וּלֲהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין הַחֹל וּבֵין הַטָּמֵא וּבֵין הַטָּהוֹר׃ 10.1. וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי־אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִבוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֵשׁ זָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא צִוָּה אֹתָם׃ | 10.1. And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them." |
|
2. New Testament, Acts, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.23, 2.24, 2.25, 2.26, 2.27, 2.28, 2.29, 2.30, 2.31, 2.32, 2.33, 2.34, 2.35, 2.36, 2.37, 2.38, 2.39, 2.40, 2.41, 4.12, 5.14, 6.1, 8, 8.9, 8.10, 8.11, 8.12, 8.13, 8.14, 8.15, 8.16, 8.17, 8.18, 8.19, 8.20, 8.21, 8.22, 8.23, 8.24, 8.26, 8.27, 8.28, 8.29, 8.30, 8.31, 8.32, 8.33, 8.34, 8.35, 8.36, 8.37, 8.38, 8.39, 8.40, 9.15, 10, 10.1, 10.1-11.18, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 10.16, 10.19, 10.20, 10.22, 10.24, 10.25, 10.26, 10.27, 10.28, 10.29, 10.30, 10.31, 10.32, 10.33, 10.34, 10.35, 10.36, 10.37, 10.38, 10.39, 10.40, 10.41, 10.42, 10.43, 10.44, 10.45, 10.46, 10.47, 10.48, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.10, 11.11, 11.12, 11.13, 11.14, 11.15, 11.16, 11.17, 11.18, 12.7, 13.16, 13.17, 13.18, 13.19, 13.20, 13.21, 13.22, 13.23, 13.24, 13.25, 13.26, 13.27, 13.28, 13.29, 13.30, 13.31, 13.32, 13.33, 13.34, 13.35, 13.36, 13.37, 13.38, 13.39, 13.40, 13.41, 13.42, 13.43, 13.44, 13.45, 13.46, 13.47, 15, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.5, 15.6, 15.7, 15.8, 15.9, 15.10, 15.11, 15.12, 15.13, 15.14, 15.15, 15.16, 15.17, 15.18, 15.19, 15.20, 15.21, 15.22, 15.23, 15.24, 15.25, 15.26, 15.27, 15.28, 15.29, 16.11, 16.12, 16.13, 16.14, 16.15, 16.29, 16.30, 16.31, 16.32, 16.33, 16.34, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 18.7, 18.8, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3, 19.4, 19.5, 19.6, 19.7, 19.17, 19.19, 20.7, 20.8, 20.9, 20.10, 20.11, 20.12, 21.17, 21.18, 21.19, 21.20, 21.21, 21.22, 21.23, 21.24, 21.25, 21.26, 22.12, 22.22, 22.24, 23.9, 23.12, 23.13, 23.14, 23.15, 25.8, 26.14, 27.27, 27.28, 27.31, 27.34, 27.35, 27.37, 27.41, 27.43, 28.3, 28.4, 28.5, 28.6, 28.17, 28.28 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 1.3. To these he also showed himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and spoke about God's Kingdom. |
|
3. New Testament, Galatians, 2.1-2.14 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 2.1. Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again toJerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. 2.2. I went up byrevelation, and I laid before them the gospel which I preach among theGentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear thatI might be running, or had run, in vain. 2.3. But not even Titus, whowas with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 2.4. Thiswas because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in tospy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they mightbring us into bondage; 2.5. to whom we gave no place in the way ofsubjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel mightcontinue with you. 2.6. But from those who were reputed to beimportant (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; Goddoesn't show partiality to man) -- they, I say, who were respectedimparted nothing to me 2.7. but to the contrary, when they saw that Ihad been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcision, even asPeter with the gospel for the circumcision 2.8. (for he who appointedPeter to the apostleship of the circumcision appointed me also to theGentiles); 2.9. and when they perceived the grace that was given tome, James and Cephas and John, they who were reputed to be pillars,gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should goto the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision. 2.10. They only askedus to remember the poor -- which very thing I was also zealous to do. 2.11. But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face,because he stood condemned. 2.12. For before some people came fromJames, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back andseparated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 2.13. And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy; so that evenBarnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 2.14. But when I sawthat they didn't walk uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, Isaid to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live as theGentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles tolive as the Jews do? |
|
4. New Testament, Luke, 3.7-3.22, 10.7-10.8 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 3.7. He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 3.8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! 3.9. Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't bring forth good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire. 3.10. The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do? 3.11. He answered them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise. 3.12. Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do? 3.13. He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you. 3.14. Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?"He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages. 3.15. As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ 3.16. John answered them all, "I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the latchet of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire 3.17. whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 3.18. Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people 3.19. but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done 3.20. added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison. 3.21. Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened 3.22. and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased. 10.7. Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don't go from house to house. 10.8. Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you. |
|
5. New Testament, Mark, 7.15, 7.19, 16.7 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 7.15. There is nothing from outside of the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man. 7.19. because it doesn't go into his heart, but into his stomach, then into the latrine, thus making all foods clean? 16.7. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.' |
|
6. New Testament, Matthew, 15.11, 15.13, 15.17, 15.19-15.20 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 15.11. That which enters into the mouth doesn't defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man. 15.13. But he answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father didn't plant will be uprooted. 15.17. Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? 15.19. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. 15.20. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn't defile the man. |
|
7. Tosefta, Sotah, 13.5-13.6 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
|
8. Tertullian, On Baptism, 1.3 (2nd cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
|
9. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 58a. למדורה וקדרות מקיפות אותה,מטה של תלמידי חכמים כיצד כל שאין תחתיה אלא סנדלין בימות החמה ומנעלין בימות הגשמים ושל עם הארץ דומה לאוצר בלוס:,ר' בנאה הוה קא מציין מערתא כי מטא למערתא דאברהם אשכחיה לאליעזר עבד אברהם דקאי קמי בבא א"ל מאי קא עביד אברהם א"ל גאני בכנפה דשרה וקא מעיינא ליה ברישיה,א"ל זיל אימא ליה בנאה קאי אבבא א"ל ליעול מידע ידיע דיצר בהאי עלמא ליכא עייל עיין ונפק,כי מטא למערתא דאדם הראשון יצתה בת קול ואמרה נסתכלת בדמות דיוקני בדיוקני עצמה אל תסתכל הא בעינא לציוני מערתא כמדת החיצונה כך מדת הפנימית ולמ"ד שני בתים זו למעלה מזו כמדת עליונה כך מדת התחתונה,א"ר בנאה נסתכלתי בשני עקיביו ודומים לשני גלגלי חמה הכל בפני שרה כקוף בפני אדם שרה בפני חוה כקוף בפני אדם חוה בפני אדם כקוף בפני אדם אדם בפני שכינה כקוף בפני אדם,שופריה דרב כהנא (מעין שופריה דרב שופריה דרב) מעין שופריה דרבי אבהו שופריה דר' אבהו מעין שופריה דיעקב אבינו שופריה דיעקב אבינו מעין שופריה דאדם הראשון,ההוא אמגושא דהוה חטיט שכבי כי מטא אמערתא דרב טובי בר מתנה תפשיה בדיקניה אתא אביי א"ל במטותא מינך שבקיה לשנה אחריתי הדר אתא תפשיה בדיקניה אתא אביי לא שבקיה עד דאייתי מספרא וגזיא לדיקניה,ההוא דאמר להו חביתא דעפרא לחד בראי חביתא דגרמי לחד בראי חביתא דאודרא לחד בראי לא הוו ידעי מאי קאמר להו אתו לקמיה דרבי בנאה אמר להו אית לכו ארעא אמרו ליה אין אית לכו חיותא אין אית לכו בסתרקי אין אי הכי הכי קאמר לכו,ההוא גברא דשמעה לדביתהו דקא אמרה לברתה אמאי לא צניעת באיסורא הך איתתא עשרה בני אית לה ולית לי מאבוך אלא חד כי שכיב אמר להו כל נכסי לחד ברא,לא ידעי להי מינייהו אתו לקמיה דרבי בנאה אמר להו זילו חבוטו קברא דאבוכון עד דקאי ומגלי לכו להי מינייכו שבקא אזלו כולהו ההוא דבריה הוה לא אזל אמר להו כולהו נכסי דהאי אזלו אכלו קורצא בי מלכא אמרי איכא גברא חד ביהודאי דקא מפיק ממונא מאנשי בלא סהדי ובלא מידי אתיוהו חבשוהו,אזלא דביתהו אמרה להו עבדא חד הוה לי פסקו לרישיה ופשטו למשכיה ואכלו בישריה וקא מלו ביה מיא ומשקו ביה לחברייא ולא קא יהבי לי דמי ולא אגריה,לא ידעי מאי קא אמרה להו אמרי ניתו לחכימא דיהודאי ולימא קריוהו לר' בנאה אמר להו זרנוקא אמרה לכו אמרי הואיל וחכים כולי האי ליתיב אבבא ונידון דינא,חזא דהוה כתיב באבולא כל דיין דמתקרי לדין לא שמיה דיין אמר להו אלא מעתה אתא איניש מעלמא | 58a. bto a bonfire,where the fire is in the center band pots surround it.Similarly, the table of an ignoramus is arranged with the food in the center and is surrounded by plates.,Rabbi Yoḥa asked: bHowshould bthe bed of Torah scholarsbe kept? He replied: It is acceptable bas long as thereis bnothing except sandals beneath it during the summer, and shoesbeneath it bduring the rainy season,i.e., winter. bAndthe bed bof an ignoramusis bsimilar to a cluttered [ ibalus /i] storehouse,as he keeps a wide array of items beneath it.,§ Having mentioned Rabbi Bena’a, the Gemara relates an incident in which he was involved. bRabbi Bena’a was markingburial bcavesfor the purpose of helping to prevent the contracting of ritual impurity. bWhen he arrived at the cave of Abraham,i.e., the Cave of Machpelah, bhe encountered Eliezer,the bservantof bAbraham, who was standing before the entrance.Rabbi Bena’a bsaid to him: What is Abraham doingat this moment? Eliezer bsaid to him:He is blying in the arms of Sarah, and she is examining his head. /b,Rabbi Bena’a bsaid to him: Go tell himthat bBena’a is standing at the entrance,so that he should assume an appropriate position to receive a visitor. Eliezer bsaid to him: Lethim, i.e., Rabbi Bena’a, benter,since bit is known that there is noevil binclination in thishigher bworld,so it is not inappropriate for Rabbi Bena’a to see Abraham and Sarah in this position. He bentered, examinedthe cave in order to measure it, band exited. /b, bWhen he arrived at the cave of Adam the firstman, who is buried in the same area, ba Divine Voice emerged and said: You gazed upon the likeness of My image,i.e., Abraham, who is similar to the image of Adam the first man. bDo not gaze upon My image itself,i.e., Adam the first man, about whom the verse states that he was formed in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). Rabbi Bena’a said: bBut I need to mark the cave.The voice said to him: bAsthe measurements of the bdimensions of the outercave where Abraham is buried, bsoare the measurements of the bdimensions of the innercave, where Adam is buried. The Gemara notes: bAnd according to the one who saysthat the Cave of Machpelah consists of btwo chambers, thisone babove thatone, not two adjacent chambers, the voice said: bAsthe measurements of the bdimensions of the uppercave where Abraham is buried, bsoare the measurements of the bdimensions of the lowercave. Therefore, there is no need to measure it., bRabbi Bena’a says: I gazed at his,Adam’s, btwo heels, andthey shone so brightly that bthey are similar to two suns.Along these lines, the Gemara states that ballpeople bcompared to Sarahare blike a monkey compared to a human,as Sarah was exceedingly beautiful; bSarah compared to Eveis blike a monkey compared to a human; Eve compared to Adamis blike a monkey compared to a human;and bAdam compared to the Divine Presenceis blike a monkey compared to a human. /b,It was also stated that bthe beauty of Rav Kahana is a semblance of the beauty of Rav. The beauty of Rav is a semblance of the beauty of Rabbi Abbahu. The beauty of Rabbi Abbahu is a semblance of the beauty of Jacob our forefather. The beauty of Jacob our forefather is a semblance of the beauty of Adam the firstman.,On the topic of burial caves, the Gemara relates that there was ba certain magus [ iamgusha /i] who was rummagingthrough the graves of the bdead. Whenhe barrived at theburial bcave of Rav Tovi bar Mattana,Rav Tovi bgrabbed him by his beardand would not release him. bAbaye came and said toRav Tovi: bI beg of youto brelease him.The magus bcame again in another year,and Rav Tovi bgrabbed him by his beard. Abaye cameand requested that he release him, but Rav Tovi bdid not release him, untilAbaye bbrought a scissors and cut his beard. /b,§ The Gemara relates additional incidents involving Rabbi Bena’a: There was ba certainindividual bwho said tohis family before he died: bA barrel of earth to one of my sons, a barrel of bones to one of my sons,and ba barrel of wadsof wool bto one of my sons. They did not know what he was saying to them. They came before Rabbi Bena’afor guidance. Rabbi Bena’a bsaid to them: Do you have landthat your father left as an inheritance? bThey said to him: Yes.He asked: bDo you have livestockthat your father left as an inheritance? They said: bYes.He asked: bDo you have quilts [ ibistarkei /i]that your father left as an inheritance? They said: bYes.He said to them: bIf so, this is what he said to you,i.e., he meant that he is bequeathing land to one son, livestock to the second, and quilts to the third.,There was ba certain man who heard his wife saying to her daughter: Why do you not act clandestinelywhen you engage bin forbiddensexual intercourse? bThat woman has,i.e., I have, bten sons, and I have only one from your father,and no one knows. So too, you must be careful so that no one will discover your illicit behavior. Having overheard that only one son was his, bwhenthat man bwas dying he said tohis family: bAll of my propertyis left bto one son. /b, bThey did not knowto bwhich of themhe intended to leave his property. bThey came before Rabbi Bena’afor guidance, and bhe said tothe sons: bGo strike your father’s grave, until he rises and reveals to you to which of you he lefthis property. bThey all went,but bthatone bwho was his son did not go.Rabbi Bena’a bsaid to them: All ofthe bproperty belongs to thisson who did not go. The other brothers were angry. bThey went and slandered [ iakhlu kuretza /i]Rabbi Bena’a in bthe king’s house. They said: There is one man among the Jews who removes money from people without witnesses and without anyevidence. The king’s guards bbroughtRabbi Bena’a band imprisoned him. /b, bThe wife ofRabbi Bena’a bwentand bsaid tothe guards: bI had one servant. They cut off his head, and skinned him and ate his flesh, and they fill him with water andgive their bfriends to drink from him, and they have not paid mehis bvalue nor have they rented him. /b, bThey did not know what she was saying to them. They said: Let us bring the wiseman bof the Jews, and let him saywhat she meant. bThey called Rabbi Bena’a,and bhe said to them: She spoke to you of a water skin [ izarnuka /i].In other words, she was referring to a goat she owned that was slaughtered, its meat eaten, and its skin made into a water skin that could be filled with drinking water. bThey said: Sincehe is bso wise, lethim bsit at the gatewhere the judges congregate band render judgment. /b,Rabbi Bena’a bsaw that it was written upon the gate [ ibe’abbula /i]: Any judge who is summoned to judgment is not considered a judge,as judges must be above reproach. bHe said to them: If that is so,then if ba person comes from elsewhere /b |
|
10. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 86a. חכים יתקרי ורבי לא יתקרי ואסו דרבי על ידו תהא רבי ור' נתן סוף משנה רב אשי ורבינא סוף הוראה,וסימנך (תהלים עג, יז) עד אבוא אל מקדשי אל אבינה לאחריתם,אמר רב כהנא אישתעי לי רב חמא בר ברתיה דחסא רבה בר נחמני אגב שמדא נח נפשיה אכלו ביה קורצא בי מלכא אמרו איכא חד גברא ביהודאי דקא מבטל תריסר אלפי גברי מישראל ירחא בקייטא וירחא בסתוא מכרגא דמלכא,שדרו פריסתקא דמלכא בתריה ולא אשכחיה ערק ואזל מפומבדיתא לאקרא מאקרא לאגמא ומאגמא לשחין ומשחין לצריפא ומצריפא לעינא דמים ומעינא דמים לפומבדיתא בפומבדיתא אשכחיה איקלע פריסתקא דמלכא לההוא אושפיזא דרבה קריבו תכא קמיה ואשקוהו תרי כסי ודליוה לתכא מקמיה הדר פרצופיה לאחוריה,אמרו ליה מאי נעביד ליה גברא דמלכא הוא אמר להו קריבו תכא לקמיה ואשקיוהו חד כסא ודליוהו לתכא מקמיה ולתסי עבדו ליה הכי ואתסי אמר מידע ידענא דגברא דקא בעינא הכא הוא בחיש אבתריה ואשכחיה אמר אזלינא מהא אי מקטל קטלו לההוא גברא לא מגלינא ואי נגידי מנגדין ליה מגלינא,אתיוהו לקמיה עייליה לאדרונא וטרקיה לבבא באנפיה בעא רחמי פרק אשיתא ערק ואזיל לאגמא הוה יתיב אגירדא דדקולא וקא גריס קא מיפלגי במתיבתא דרקיעא אם (ויקרא יג, ב) בהרת קודמת לשער לבן טמא ואם שער לבן קודם לבהרת טהור,ספק הקב"ה אומר טהור וכולהו מתיבתא דרקיעא אמרי טמא ואמרי מאן נוכח נוכח רבה בר נחמני דאמר רבה בר נחמני אני יחיד בנגעים אני יחיד באהלות,שדרו שליחא בתריה לא הוה מצי מלאך המות למקרב ליה מדלא הוה קא פסיק פומיה מגרסיה אדהכי נשב זיקא ואויש ביני קני סבר גונדא דפרשי הוא אמר תינח נפשיה דההוא גברא ולא ימסר בידא דמלכותא,כי הוה קא ניחא נפשיה אמר טהור טהור יצאת בת קול ואמרה אשריך רבה בר נחמני שגופך טהור ויצאתה נשמתך בטהור נפל פתקא מרקיעא בפומבדיתא רבה בר נחמני נתבקש בישיבה של מעלה נפקו אביי ורבא וכולהו רבנן לאיעסוקי ביה לא הוו ידעי דוכתיה אזלו לאגמא חזו צפרי דמטללי וקיימי אמרי שמע מינה התם הוא,ספדוהו תלתא יומי ותלתא לילותא נפל פתקא כל הפורש יהא בנידוי ספדוהו שבעה יומי נפל פתקא לכו לביתכם לשלום,ההוא יומא דנח נפשיה דלייה זעפא ודרי לההוא טייעא כי רכיב גמלא מהאי גיסא דנהר פפא ושדייה בהך גיסא אמר מאי האי אמרי ליה נח נפשיה דרבה בר נחמני אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם כולי עלמא דידך הוא ורבה בר נחמני דידך את דרבה ורבה דידך אמאי קא מחרבת ליה לעלמא נח זעפא,רבי שמעון בן חלפתא בעל בשר הוה יומא חד הוה חמימא ליה הוה סליק ויתיב אשינא דטורא אמר לה לברתיה בתי הניפי עלי במניפא ואני אתן ליך ככרין דנרד אדהכי נשבא זיקא אמר כמה ככרין דנרד למרי דיכי,הכל כמנהג המדינה וכו' הכל לאתויי מאי לאתויי באתרא דנהיגי מכרך ריפתא ומשתה אנפקא דאי אמר להו קדימו ואייתי לכו אמרו לו לא כל כמינך,מעשה ברבן יוחנן בן מתיא שאמר לבנו צא ושכור וכו' מעשה לסתור חסורי מחסרא והכי קתני ואם פסק להן מזונות | 86a. bshall be called a wise [ iḥakim /i]physician, bbut he shall not be called rabbi, and RabbiYehuda HaNasi’s bconvalescence shall be through him.I also saw written there: bRabbiYehuda HaNasi band Rabbi Natanare bthe end of the Mishna,i.e., the last of the itanna’im /i, the redactors of the Mishna. bRav Ashi and Ravinaare bthe end of instruction,i.e., the end of the period of the iamora’im /i, the redacting of the Talmud, which occurred after the period of the itanna’im /i., bAnd your mnemonicto remember that Rav Ashi and Ravina redacted the Talmud is the verse: b“Until I entered into the sanctuary [ imikdashei /i] of God, and considered [ iavina /i] their end”(Psalms 73:17). The sanctuary, imikdashei /i, alludes to Rav Ashi, while the term iavinaalludes to Ravina, which is a contraction of Rav Avina. The phrase: Their end, is interpreted as a reference to the redacting of the Talmud.,§ The Gemara relates another story discussing the greatness of the Sages. bRav Kahana said: Rav Ḥama, son of the daughter of Ḥasa, told methat bRabba bar Naḥmani died due tothe fear of a decree of religious bpersecution.The Gemara explains: His enemies baccused him [ iakhalu beih kurtza /i]of disloyalty bin the king’s palace,as they bsaid: There is one man fromamong bthe Jews who exempts twelve thousand Jewish men from the king’s head taxtwo months a year, bone month in the summer and one month in the winter.Since many people would study in Rabba’s study hall during the months of Adar and Elul, he was being blamed for preventing those people from working during those months., bThey sent a messenger [ iperistaka /i] of the king after him, but hewas bnotable to bfind him.Rabba bar Naḥmani bfled and went from Pumbedita to Akra, from Akra to Agma, from Agma to Shiḥin, from Shiḥin to Tzerifa, from Tzerifa to Eina Demayim, and from Eina Demayimback bto Pumbedita.Ultimately, bhe was found in Pumbedita,as bthe king’s messenger arrivedby chance bat that same inn where Rabbabar Naḥmani was hiding. The inn attendants bplaced a tray beforethe messenger band gave him two cups to drink. Theythen bremoved the tray from before him and his face wasmiraculously bturned backward. /b,The attendants bsaid toRabba bar Naḥmani: bWhat should we do with him? He is the king’s man,and we cannot leave him like this. Rabba bar Naḥmani bsaid to them: Place a tray before him and give him one cup to drink, andthen bremove the tray from before him and he will be healed. They did this, and he was healed.The messenger bsaid: I am certain that the man I seek is here,as this unnatural event must have befallen me on his account. bHe searched forRabba bar Naḥmani band foundout where he was. The messenger bsaidthat they should tell Rabba bar Naḥmani: bI will leave thisinn and will not disclose your location. Even bif they will kill that man,i.e., me, bI will not discloseyour location. bBut if they will beat him,me, bI will discloseyour whereabouts, as I cannot bear being tortured.,With that guarantee, bthey broughtRabba bar Naḥmani bbeforethe messenger. bThey took him intoa small bvestibule [ ile’idrona /i] and closed the door before him.Rabba bar Naḥmani bprayed for mercy,and bthe wall crumbled. He fled and went tohide in ba swamp. He was sitting on the stump of a palmtree band studyingTorah alone. At that moment, the Sages bin the heavenly academy were disagreeingwith regard to a ihalakhaof leprosy. In general, a leprous spot includes two signs of impurity, a bright white spot and a white hair. The basic ihalakhais that bifthe bsnow-white leprous sore [ ibaheret /i] preceded the white hairthen the afflicted person is britually impure, but if the white hair preceded the ibaheret /i,he is bpure. /b,The heavenly debate concerned a case of buncertaintyas to which came first, the spot or the hair. bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, says:The individual is bpure, but everyother member of bthe heavenly academy says:He is bimpure. And they said: Who can arbitratein this dispute? They agreed that bRabba bar Naḥmanishould barbitrate, as Rabba bar Naḥmanionce bsaid: I am preeminent inthe ihalakhotof bleprosyand bI am preeminent inthe ihalakhotof ritual impurity imparted by btents. /b, bThey sent a messengerfrom heaven bafter himto take his soul up to the heavenly academy, but bthe Angel of Death was unable to approachRabba bar Naḥmani, bas his mouth did not cease from hisTorah bstudy. In the meantime, a wind blew and howled between the branches.Rabba bar Naḥmani bthoughtthat the noise was due to ban infantry battalion [ igunda /i]about to capture him. bHe said: Let that man,i.e., me, bdie and not be given over to the hands of the government.The Angel of Death was therefore able to take his soul., bAs he was dying, he saidin response to the dispute in heaven: It is bpure;it is bpure. A Divine Voice emergedfrom heaven band said: Happy are you, Rabba bar Naḥmani, as your body is pure and your soul leftyou bwiththe word: bPure. A note [ ipitka /i] fell from heavenand landed binthe academy of bPumbedita.The note read: bRabba bar Naḥmani was summoned to the heavenly academy,i.e., he has died. bAbaye and Rava and all of theother bRabbis went out to tend to hisburial; however, bthey did not know the location of hisbody. bThey went to the swampand bsaw birds forming a shade and hoveringover a certain spot. The Rabbis bsaid:We can bconclude from thisthat bhe is there. /b,The Rabbis blamented him for three days and three nights. A note fellfrom heaven, upon which was written: bAnyone who removes himselffrom the lamentations bshall be ostracized.Accordingly, bthey lamented himfor bseven days.Another bnote fellfrom heaven, stating: bGo to your homes in peace. /b,On bthat day whenRabba bar Naḥmani bdied, a hurricane lifted a certain Arab [ itaya’a /i]merchant bwhile he was ridinghis bcamel.The hurricane carried him bfrom one side of the Pappa River and threw him onto the other side. He said: What is this?Those present bsaid to him: Rabba bar Naḥmani has died. He said beforeGod: bMaster of the Universe! The entire world is Yours and Rabba bar Naḥmani isalso bYours. You are to Rabba and Rabba is to You,i.e., you are beloved to each other. If so, bwhy are You destroying the worldon his account? bThe storm subsided. /b,The Gemara concludes its earlier discussion of obese Sages (84a). bRabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta was obese. One day he wasparticularly bhotand bwent and sat on a mountain boulderto cool himself off. bHe said to his daughter: My daughter, fan me with a fan, andas a gift bI will give you packages of spikenard. In the meantime,a strong bwind blew. He said: How many packages of spikenarddo I owe bto the overseers of thiswind?,§ The Gemara returns to its discussion of the mishna (83a), which teaches that an employer must provide his laborers with sustece, ball in accordance with the regional custom.The Gemara asks: bWhat is addedby the inclusive term: bAll?The Gemara answers: This serves bto include a place where it is customaryfor the laborers to beat bread and drink a quarter-ilog b[ ianpaka /i] of wine. As, ifin such a case the employer were to bsay to them: Arise earlyin the morning band I will bring youthis sustece, so as not to waste work time, bthey may say to him: It is not in your powerto compel us to do so.,§ The mishna teaches that there was ban incident involving Rabbi Yoḥa ben Matya, who said to his son: Go out and hirelaborers for us. His son hired the laborers and stipulated that he would provide sustece for them. The Gemara asks: After the mishna has stated that all practices are in accordance with the regional custom, how can it cite this bincident,which seems bto contradictthe previous ruling, as Rabbi Yoḥa ben Matya and his son did not follow the regional custom? The Gemara answers: The mishna bis incomplete and thisis what it bis teaching:All practices are in accordance with the regional custom, bbut ifthe employer pledged to provide sustece for them |
|
11. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 3a. קשיא דרבי מאיר אדרבי מאיר תרי תנאי אליבא דרבי מאיר,קשיא דרבי אליעזר אדרבי אליעזר,תרי תנאי אליבא דרבי אליעזר ואיבעית אימא רישא לאו רבי אליעזר היא:,עד סוף האשמורה:,מאי קסבר רבי אליעזר אי קסבר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה לימא עד ארבע שעות ואי קסבר ארבע משמרות הוי הלילה לימא עד שלש שעות,לעולם קסבר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה והא קא משמע לן דאיכא משמרות ברקיע ואיכא משמרות בארעא דתניא רבי אליעזר אומר שלש משמרות הוי הלילה ועל כל משמר ומשמר יושב הקדוש ברוך הוא ושואג כארי שנאמר ה' ממרום ישאג וממעון קדשו יתן קולו שאוג ישאג על נוהו,וסימן לדבר משמרה ראשונה חמור נוער שניה כלבים צועקים שלישית תינוק יונק משדי אמו ואשה מספרת עם בעלה.,מאי קא חשיב רבי אליעזר אי תחלת משמרות קא חשיב תחלת משמרה ראשונה סימנא למה לי אורתא הוא אי סוף משמרות קא חשיב סוף משמרה אחרונה למה לי סימנא יממא הוא,אלא חשיב סוף משמרה ראשונה ותחלת משמרה אחרונה ואמצעית דאמצעיתא ואיבעית אימא כולהו סוף משמרות קא חשיב וכי תימא אחרונה לא צריך,למאי נפקא מינה למיקרי קריאת שמע למאן דגני בבית אפל ולא ידע זמן קריאת שמע אימת כיון דאשה מספרת עם בעלה ותינוק יונק משדי אמו ליקום וליקרי.,אמר רב יצחק בר שמואל משמיה דרב ג' משמרות הוי הלילה ועל כל משמר ומשמר יושב הקדוש ברוך הוא ושואג כארי ואומר אוי לבנים שבעונותיהם החרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגליתים לבין אומות העולם:,תניא אמר רבי יוסי פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בדרך ונכנסתי לחורבה אחת מחורבות ירושלים להתפלל בא אליהו זכור לטוב ושמר לי על הפתח (והמתין לי) עד שסיימתי תפלתי לאחר שסיימתי תפלתי אמר לי שלום עליך רבי ואמרתי לו שלום עליך רבי ומורי ואמר לי בני מפני מה נכנסת לחורבה זו אמרתי לו להתפלל ואמר לי היה לך להתפלל בדרך ואמרתי לו מתיירא הייתי שמא יפסיקו בי עוברי דרכים ואמר לי היה לך להתפלל תפלה קצרה,באותה שעה למדתי ממנו שלשה דברים למדתי שאין נכנסין לחורבה ולמדתי שמתפללין בדרך ולמדתי שהמתפלל בדרך מתפלל תפלה קצרה,ואמר לי בני מה קול שמעת בחורבה זו ואמרתי לו שמעתי בת קול שמנהמת כיונה ואומרת אוי לבנים שבעונותיהם החרבתי את ביתי ושרפתי את היכלי והגליתים לבין האומות ואמר לי חייך וחיי ראשך לא שעה זו בלבד אומרת כך אלא בכל יום ויום שלש פעמים אומרת כך ולא זו בלבד אלא בשעה שישראל נכנסין לבתי כנסיות ולבתי מדרשות ועונין יהא שמיה הגדול מבורך הקדוש ברוך הוא מנענע ראשו ואומר אשרי המלך שמקלסין אותו בביתו כך מה לו לאב שהגלה את בניו ואוי להם לבנים שגלו מעל שולחן אביהם:,תנו רבנן מפני שלשה דברים אין נכנסין לחורבה מפני חשד מפני המפולת ומפני המזיקין. מפני חשד ותיפוק ליה משום מפולת | 3a. The previous baraita cited Rabbi Meir’s opinion that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins when the priests immerse before partaking of their iteruma /i. In the iTosefta /i, it was taught that Rabbi Meir holds that one begins to recite iShemafrom when people enter to eat their meal on Shabbat eve. One opinion of bRabbi Meirseems to bcontradictanother opinion of bRabbi Meir /b. The Gemara responds: bTwo itanna’im /i,students of Rabbi Meir, expressed different opinions bin accordance with Rabbi Meir’sopinion.,So too, the opinion bof Rabbi Eliezercited in the mishna bcontradictsthe opinion bof Rabbi Eliezercited in the ibaraita /i. In the mishna, Rabbi Eliezer holds that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins with the emergence of the stars: From the time when the priests enter to partake of their iteruma /i, while in the ibaraita /i, he states that the time for the recitation of iShemabegins when the day becomes sanctified on the eve of Shabbat.,The Gemara responds: There are two possible resolutions to the apparent contradiction in Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion. Either btwo itanna’imexpressed different opinions bin accordance with Rabbi Eliezer’sopinion, bor if you wish, sayinstead that bthe first clauseof the mishna, according to which we begin to recite iShemawhen the priests enter to partake of their iteruma /i, bis notactually bRabbi Eliezer’sopinion. Only the second half of the statement: Until the end of the first watch, was stated by Rabbi Eliezer.,In the mishna, we learned that Rabbi Eliezer establishes that one may recite the evening iShema buntil the end of the first watch.These watches are mentioned in the Bible as segments of the night, but it must be established: Into precisely how many segments is the night divided, three or four? Moreover, why does Rabbi Eliezer employ such inexact parameters rather than a more precise definition of time ( iTosefot HaRosh /i)?, bWhat does Rabbi Eliezeractually bhold? If he holds that the night consists of three watches, let him sayexplicitly that one recites the evening iShema buntil the fourth hour. If he holds that the night consists of four watches, let him sayexplicitly buntil the third hour. /b,The Gemara responds: bActually,Rabbi Eliezer bholds that the night consists of three watches,and he employs this particular language of watches bin order to teach us: There are watches in heaven and there are watches on earth;just as our night is divided into watches, so too is the night in the upper worlds. bAs it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Eliezer says: The night consists of three watches, and over each and every watch, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and roars like a lionin pain over the destruction of the Temple. This imagery is derived from a reference in the Bible, bas it is stated: “The Lord roars [ iyishag /i] from on high, from His holy dwelling He makes His voice heard. He roars mightily[ishaog yishag/b] bover His dwelling place,He cries out like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth” (Jeremiah 25:30). The three instances of the root ishin-alef-gimmelin this verse correspond to the three watches of the night., bAnd signs ofthe transition between each of bthesewatches in the upper world can be sensed in this world: In bthe first watch, the donkey brays;in bthe second, dogs bark;and in bthe thirdpeople begin to rise, ba baby nurses from its mother’s breast and a wife converses with her husband. /b,With regard to these earthly manifestations of the three heavenly watches as established in the ibaraita /i, the Gemara asks: bWhat did Rabbi Eliezer enumerate? Ifhe benumerated the beginning of the watch, why do I need a sign for the beginning of the first watch? It iswhen beveningbegins; an additional sign is superfluous. bIf he enumerated the end of the watches, why do I need a sign for the end of the last watch? It iswhen bdaybegins; an additional sign is similarly superfluous.,The Gemara answers: bRather, he enumeratedthe signs for bthe end of the first watch and the beginning of the last watch,both of which require a sign, as well as bthe middle of the middlewatch. bAnd if you wish, sayinstead: bHe enumerated the ends of allof the watches. bAnd if you saythat a sign indicating the end of the bfinalwatch bis unnecessarybecause it is day, nevertheless, that sign is useful., bWhat is the practical ramificationof this sign? It is relevant bto one who recites iShema bwhile lying in a dark house,who cannot see the dawn and bwho does not know when the time for reciting iShema /iarrives. That person is provided with a sign that bwhen a woman speaks with her husband and a baby nurses from its mother’s breast,the final watch of the night has ended and bhe must rise and recite iShema /i., bRav Yitzḥak bar Shmuel said in the name of Rav: The night consists of three watches, and over each and every watch the Holy One, Blessed be He sits and roars like a lion,because the Temple service was connected to the changing of these watches ( iTosefot HaRosh /i), band says: “Woe to Me, that due to their sins I destroyed My house, burned My Temple and exiled them among the nations of the world.” /b,Incidental to the mention of the elevated significance of the night watches, the Gemara cites a related story: bIt was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yosei said: I was once walking along the road when I enteredthe bruinsof an old, abandoned building bamong the ruins of Jerusalemin order bto pray.I noticed that bElijah, of blessed memory, came and guarded the entrance for me and waited at the entrance until I finished my prayer. When I finished prayingand exited the ruin, Elijah bsaid to me,deferentially as one would address a Rabbi: bGreetings to you, my Rabbi. I answered him: Greetings to you, my Rabbi, my teacher. AndElijah bsaid to me: My son, why did you enter this ruin? I said to him:In order bto pray. AndElijah bsaid to me: You should have prayed on the road. And I said to him:I was unable to pray along the road, because bI was afraid that I might be interrupted by travelersand would be unable to focus. Elijah bsaid to me: You should have recited the abbreviated prayerinstituted for just such circumstances.,Rabbi Yosei concluded: bAt that time,from that brief exchange, bI learned from him, three things: I learned that one may not enter a ruin; and I learnedthat one need not enter a building to pray, but bhe may pray along the road; and I learned that one who prays along the road recites an abbreviated prayerso that he may maintain his focus., bAndafter this introduction, Elijah bsaid to me: What voice did you hear in that ruin? br bI responded: I heard a Heavenly voice,like an echo of that roar of the Holy One, Blessed be He (Maharsha), bcooing like a dove and saying: Woe to the children, due to whose sins I destroyed My house, burned My Temple, and exiled them among the nations.br bAndElijah bsaid to me:By byour life and by your head, not onlydid that voice bcry out in that moment, but it cries out three times each and every day. Moreover,any time that God’s greatness is evoked, such as bwhen Israel enters synagogues and study halls and answersin the ikaddishprayer, bMay His great name be blessed, the Holy One, Blessed be He, shakes His head and says: Happy is the king who is thus praised in his house.When the Temple stood, this praise was recited there, but now: bHowgreat is the pain of bthe father who exiled his children, and woe to the children who were exiled from their father’s table,as their pain only adds to that of their father (Rabbi Shem Tov ibn Shaprut)., bThe Sages taught, for three reasons one may not enter a ruin: Because of suspicionof prostitution, bbecausethe ruin is liable to bcollapse,and bbecause of demons.Three separate reasons seem extraneous, so the Gemara asks: Why was the reason bbecause of suspicionnecessary? bLet this ihalakha bbe derived because of collapse. /b |
|
12. Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 14b. הא בדברי תורה הא במשא ומתן בדברי תורה הוו במשא ומתן לא הוו.,ת"ר מעשה ברבן יוחנן בן זכאי שהיה רוכב על החמור והיה מהלך בדרך ור' אלעזר בן ערך מחמר אחריו אמר לו רבי שנה לי פרק אחד במעשה מרכבה אמר לו לא כך שניתי לכם ולא במרכבה ביחיד אלא א"כ היה חכם מבין מדעתו אמר לו רבי תרשיני לומר לפניך דבר אחד שלמדתני אמר לו אמור,מיד ירד רבן יוחנן בן זכאי מעל החמור ונתעטף וישב על האבן תחת הזית אמר לו רבי מפני מה ירדת מעל החמור אמר אפשר אתה דורש במעשה מרכבה ושכינה עמנו ומלאכי השרת מלוין אותנו ואני ארכב על החמור מיד פתח ר"א בן ערך במעשה המרכבה ודרש וירדה אש מן השמים וסיבבה כל האילנות שבשדה פתחו כולן ואמרו שירה,מה שירה אמרו (תהלים קמח, ז) הללו את ה' מן הארץ תנינים וכל תהומות עץ פרי וכל ארזים הללויה נענה מלאך מן האש ואמר הן הן מעשה המרכבה עמד רבן יוחנן ב"ז ונשקו על ראשו ואמר ברוך ה' אלהי ישראל שנתן בן לאברהם אבינו שיודע להבין ולחקור ולדרוש במעשה מרכבה יש נאה דורש ואין נאה מקיים נאה מקיים ואין נאה דורש אתה נאה דורש ונאה מקיים אשריך אברהם אבינו שאלעזר בן ערך יצא מחלציך,וכשנאמרו הדברים לפני ר' יהושע היה הוא ורבי יוסי הכהן מהלכים בדרך אמרו אף אנו נדרוש במעשה מרכבה פתח רבי יהושע ודרש ואותו היום תקופת תמוז היה נתקשרו שמים בעבים ונראה כמין קשת בענן והיו מלאכי השרת מתקבצין ובאין לשמוע כבני אדם שמתקבצין ובאין לראות במזמוטי חתן וכלה,הלך רבי יוסי הכהן וסיפר דברים לפני רבן יוחנן בן זכאי ואמר אשריכם ואשרי יולדתכם אשרי עיני שכך ראו ואף אני ואתם בחלומי מסובין היינו על הר סיני ונתנה עלינו בת קול מן השמים עלו לכאן עלו לכאן טרקלין גדולים ומצעות נאות מוצעות לכם אתם ותלמידיכם ותלמידי תלמידיכם מזומנין לכת שלישית,איני והתניא ר' יוסי בר' יהודה אומר שלשה הרצאות הן ר' יהושע הרצה דברים לפני רבן יוחנן בן זכאי ר"ע הרצה לפני ר' יהושע חנניא בן חכינאי הרצה לפני ר"ע ואילו ר"א בן ערך לא קא חשיב דארצי וארצו קמיה קחשיב דארצי ולא ארצו קמיה לא קא חשיב והא חנניא בן חכינאי דלא ארצו קמיה וקא חשיב דארצי מיהא קמיה מאן דארצי.,ת"ר ארבעה נכנסו בפרדס ואלו הן בן עזאי ובן זומא אחר ורבי עקיבא אמר להם ר"ע כשאתם מגיעין אצל אבני שיש טהור אל תאמרו מים מים משום שנאמר (תהלים קא, ז) דובר שקרים לא יכון לנגד עיני,בן עזאי הציץ ומת עליו הכתוב אומר (תהלים קטז, טו) יקר בעיני ה' המותה לחסידיו בן זומא הציץ ונפגע ועליו הכתוב אומר (משלי כה, טז) דבש מצאת אכול דייך פן תשבענו והקאתו אחר קיצץ בנטיעות רבי עקיבא יצא בשלום,שאלו את בן זומא מהו לסרוסי כלבא אמר להם (ויקרא כב, כד) ובארצכם לא תעשו כל שבארצכם לא תעשו שאלו את בן זומא בתולה שעיברה מהו לכ"ג מי חיישינן לדשמואל דאמר שמואל | 14b. bThiscase is referring bto words of Torah,while bthatcase is referring bto commerce. With regard to words of Torah, they weretrustworthy; bwith regard to commerce, they were not. /b,§ The Gemara returns to the topic of the Design of the Divine Chariot. bThe Sages taught: An incidentoccurred binvolving Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai, who was riding on a donkey and was traveling along the way, andhis student, bRabbi Elazar ben Arakh, was riding a donkey behind him.Rabbi Elazar bsaid to him: My teacher, teach me one chapter in the Design of theDivine bChariot. He said to him:Have bI not taught you: And one may notexpound the Design of the Divine Chariot bto an individual, unless he is a Sage who understands on his own accord?Rabbi Elazar bsaid to him: My teacher, allow me to say before you one thing that you taught me.In other words, he humbly requested to recite before him his own understanding of this issue. bHe said to him: Speak. /b, bImmediately, Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai alighted from the donkey, and wrappedhis head in his cloak in a manner of reverence, band sat on a stone under an olive tree.Rabbi Elazar bsaid to him: My teacher, for what reason did you alight from the donkey? He said:Is it bpossible thatwhile byou are expounding the Design of theDivine bChariot, and the Divine Presence is with us, and the ministering angels are accompanying us, that I should ride on a donkey? Immediately, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh beganto discuss bthe Design of theDivine bChariot and expounded, and fire descended from heaven and encircled all the trees in the field, and allthe trees bbegan reciting song. /b, bWhat song did they recite? “Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all depths…fruit trees and all cedars…praise the Lord”(Psalms 148:7–14). bAn angel responded from the fire, saying: This is the very Design of theDivine bChariot,just as you expounded. bRabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai stood and kissedRabbi Elazar ben Arakh bon his head, and said: Blessed be God, Lord of Israel, who gave our father Abraham a sonlike you, bwho knowshow bto understand, investigate, and expound the Design of theDivine bChariot. There are some who expoundthe Torah’s verses bwell but do not fulfillits imperatives bwell,and there are some bwho fulfillits imperatives bwell but do not expoundits verses bwell,whereas byou expoundits verses bwell and fulfillits imperatives bwell. Happy are you, our father Abraham, that Elazar ben Arakh came from your loins. /b,The Gemara relates: bAnd whenthese bmatters,this story involving his colleague Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh, bwere recounted before Rabbi Yehoshua, he was walking along the way with Rabbi Yosei the Priest. They said: We too shall expound the Design of theDivine bChariot. Rabbi Yehoshua began expounding. And that was the day of the summer solstice,when there are no clouds in the sky. Yet the bheavens became filled with clouds, and there was the appearance of a kind of rainbow in a cloud. And ministering angels gathered and came to listen, like people gathering and coming to see the rejoicing of a bridegroom and bride. /b, bRabbi Yosei the Priest went and recitedthese bmatters before Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai,who bsaidto him: bHappy areall of byou, and happy arethe mothers bwho gave birth to you; happy are my eyes that saw this,students such as these. bAs for you and I,I saw bin my dreamthat bwe were seated at Mount Sinai, and a Divine Voice came to us from heaven: Ascend here, ascend here,for blarge halls[iteraklin/b] band pleasant couches are made up for you. You, your students, and the students of your students are invited tothe bthird group,those who will merit to welcome the Divine Presence.,The Gemara poses a question: bIs that so? But isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: There are three lectures.In other words, there are three Sages with regard to whom it states that they delivered lectures on the mystical tradition: bRabbi Yehoshua lecturedon these bmatters before Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai; Rabbi Akiva lectured before Rabbi Yehoshua;and bḤaya ben Ḥakhinai lectured before Rabbi Akiva. However, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh was not includedin the list, despite the testimony that he lectured before Rabban Yoḥa. The Gemara explains: Those bwho lectured and werealso blectured to were included;but those bwho lectured and were not lectured to were not included.The Gemara asks: bBut wasn’tthere bḤaya ben Ḥakhinai, who was not lectured to, andyet bhe is included?The Gemara answers: Ḥaya ben Ḥakhinai bactually lectured before one who lecturedin front of his own rabbi, so he was also included in this list.,§ bThe Sages taught: Four entered the orchard [ ipardes /i],i.e., dealt with the loftiest secrets of Torah, band they are as follows: Ben Azzai; and ben Zoma; iAḥer /i,the other, a name for Elisha ben Avuya; band Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva,the senior among them, bsaid to them: When,upon your arrival in the upper worlds, byou reach pure marble stones, do not say: Water, water,although they appear to be water, bbecause it is stated: “He who speaks falsehood shall not be established before My eyes”(Psalms 101:7).,The Gemara proceeds to relate what happened to each of them: bBen Azzai glimpsedat the Divine Presence band died. And with regard to him the verse states: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones”(Psalms 116:15). bBen Zoma glimpsedat the Divine Presence band was harmed,i.e., he lost his mind. bAnd with regard to him the verse states: “Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you become full from it and vomit it”(Proverbs 25:16). iAḥerchopped down the shootsof saplings. In other words, he became a heretic. bRabbi Akiva came out safely. /b,The Gemara recounts the greatness of ben Zoma, who was an expert interpreter of the Torah and could find obscure proofs: bThey asked ben Zoma: What isthe ihalakhawith regard to bcastrating a dog?The prohibition against castration appears alongside the sacrificial blemishes, which may imply that it is permitted to castrate an animal that cannot be sacrificed as an offering. bHe said to them:The verse states “That which has its testicles bruised, or crushed, or torn, or cut, you shall not offer to God, nor bshall you do so in your land”(Leviticus 22:24), from which we learn: With regard to banyanimal bthat is in your land, you shall not dosuch a thing. bTheyalso basked ben Zoma:A woman considered bto be a virgin who became pregt, what isthe ihalakha /i? bA High Priestmay marry only a virgin; is he permitted to marry her? The answer depends on the following: bAre we concerned forthe opinion of bShmuel? Shmuel says: /b |
|
13. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 12a. תניא נמי הכי ועוד שנה אחרת לבבל ועמד דריוש והשלימה,אמר רבא אף דניאל טעה בהאי חושבנא דכתיב (דניאל ט, ב) בשנת אחת למלכו אני דניאל בינותי בספרים מדקאמר בינותי מכלל דטעה,מ"מ קשו קראי אהדדי כתיב (ירמיהו כט, י) מלאות לבבל וכתיב (דניאל ט, ב) לחרבות ירושלם,אמר רבא לפקידה בעלמא והיינו דכתיב (עזרא א, ב) כה אמר כורש מלך פרס כל ממלכות הארץ נתן לי ה' אלהי השמים והוא פקד עלי לבנות לו בית בירושלם,דרש רב נחמן בר רב חסדא מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו מה, א) כה אמר ה' למשיחו לכורש אשר החזקתי בימינו וכי כורש משיח היה אלא א"ל הקב"ה למשיח קובל אני לך על כורש אני אמרתי הוא יבנה ביתי ויקבץ גליותי והוא אמר (עזרא א, ג) מי בכם מכל עמו ויעל:,(אסתר א, ג) חיל פרס ומדי הפרתמים וכתיב למלכי מדי ופרס אמר רבא אתנויי אתנו בהדדי אי מינן מלכי מינייכו איפרכי ואי מינייכו מלכי מינן איפרכי,(שם, ד) בהראותו את עושר כבוד מלכותו א"ר יוסי בר חנינא מלמד שלבש בגדי כהונה כתיב הכא יקר תפארת גדולתו וכתיב התם (שמות כח, ב) לכבוד ולתפארת,(שם, ה) ובמלאות הימים האלה וגו' רב ושמואל חד אמר מלך פיקח היה וחד אמר מלך טיפש היה מאן דאמר מלך פיקח היה שפיר עבד דקריב רחיקא ברישא דבני מאתיה כל אימת דבעי מפייס להו ומאן דאמר טיפש היה דאיבעי ליה לקרובי בני מאתיה ברישא דאי מרדו ביה הנך הני הוו קיימי בהדיה,שאלו תלמידיו את רשב"י מפני מה נתחייבו שונאיהן של ישראל שבאותו הדור כליה אמר להם אמרו אתם אמרו לו מפני שנהנו מסעודתו של אותו רשע אם כן שבשושן יהרגו שבכל העולם כולו אל יהרגו אמרו לו אמור אתה אמר להם מפני שהשתחוו לצלם,אמרו לו וכי משוא פנים יש בדבר אמר להם הם לא עשו אלא לפנים אף הקב"ה לא עשה עמהן אלא לפנים והיינו דכתיב (איכה ג, לג) כי לא ענה מלבו:,(שם) בחצר גנת ביתן המלך רב ושמואל חד אמר הראוי לחצר לחצר הראוי לגינה לגינה הראוי לביתן לביתן וחד אמר הושיבן בחצר ולא החזיקתן בגינה ולא החזיקתן עד שהכניסן לביתן והחזיקתן במתניתא תנא הושיבן בחצר ופתח להם שני פתחים אחד לגינה ואחד לביתן,(שם, ו) חור כרפס ותכלת מאי חור רב אמר חרי חרי ושמואל אמר מילת לבנה הציע להם כרפס אמר ר' יוסי בר חנינא כרים של פסים,על גלילי כסף ועמודי שש מטות זהב וכסף תניא ר' יהודה אומר הראוי לכסף לכסף הראוי לזהב לזהב אמר לו ר' נחמיה א"כ אתה מטיל קנאה בסעודה אלא הם של כסף ורגליהן של זהב,בהט ושש א"ר אסי אבנים שמתחוטטות על בעליהן וכן הוא אומר (זכריה ט, טז) אבני נזר מתנוססות על אדמתו,ודר וסוחרת רב אמר דרי דרי ושמואל אמר אבן טובה יש בכרכי הים ודרה שמה הושיבה באמצע סעודה ומאירה להם כצהרים דבי רבי ישמעאל תנא שקרא דרור לכל בעלי סחורה,(שם, ז) והשקות בכלי זהב וכלים מכלים שונים משונים מיבעי ליה אמר רבא יצתה בת קול ואמרה להם ראשונים כלו מפני כלים ואתם שונים בהם ויין מלכות רב אמר רב מלמד שכל אחד ואחד השקהו יין שגדול הימנו בשנים,(שם, ח) והשתיה כדת (אין אונס) מאי כדת א"ר חנן משום ר"מ כדת של תורה מה דת של תורה אכילה מרובה משתיה אף סעודתו של אותו רשע אכילה מרובה משתיה,אין אונס אמר רבי אלעזר מלמד שכל אחד ואחד השקהו מיין מדינתו לעשות כרצון איש ואיש אמר רבא לעשות כרצון מרדכי והמן, מרדכי דכתיב איש יהודי המן איש צר ואויב,(שם, ט) גם ושתי המלכה עשתה משתה נשים בית המלכות בית הנשים מיבעי ליה אמר רבא שניהן לדבר עבירה נתכוונו היינו דאמרי אינשי איהו בקרי ואתתיה | 12a. bThis is also taughtin a ibaraita /i, as an indication that the years counted were only partial years: bAndwhen Belshazzar was killed, bthere was still another yearleft bfor Babyloniabefore the reckoning of the seventy years was completed. bAndthen bDarius arose and completed it.Although seventy years were previously counted according to Belshazzar’s count, from the exile of Jehoiakim, because the years were only partial, there was still one year left in order to complete those seventy years., bRava said: Daniel also erred in this calculation, as it is written: “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, meditated in the booksover the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem seventy years” (Daniel 9:2). bFromthe fact bthat he said “I meditated,”a term indicating recounting and calculating, bit can be inferred that he hadpreviously berred. /b,The Gemara comments: bIn any case, the verses contradict each otherwith regard to how the seventy years should be calculated. In one verse bit is written:“After seventy years bare accomplished for BabyloniaI will remember [ iefkod /i] you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10), which indicates that the seventy years should be counted from the Babylonian exile. bAndin another verse bit is written:“That he would accomplish bfor the desolations of Jerusalemseventy years” (Daniel 9:2), indicating that the seventy years are calculated from the destruction of Jerusalem., bRava saidin response: The seventy years that “are accomplished for Babylonia” were bonly for being remembered [ ilifekida /i],as mentioned in the verse, allowing the Jews to return to Eretz Yisrael but not to build the Temple. bAnd this is as it is writtenwith regard to Cyrus’s proclamation permitting the Jewish people’s return to Eretz Yisrael, in the seventieth year of the Babylonian exile: b“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He has charged [ ipakad /i] me to build Him a house in Jerusalem”(Ezra 1:2). The verse makes use of the same root, ipeh-kuf-dalet /i, heralding the return to Jerusalem to build the Temple, but not its actual completion.,Apropos its mention of Cyrus, the Gemara states that bRav Naḥman bar Rav Ḥisda interpreted homileticallya verse concerning Cyrus: bWhat isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held”(Isaiah 45:1), which seemingly is referring to Cyrus as God’s anointed? bNow was CyrusGod’s anointed one, i.e., the bMessiah,that the verse should refer to him in this manner? bRather,the verse should be understood as God speaking to the Messiah with regard to Cyrus: bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Messiah: I am complaining to you about Cyrus,who is not acting in accordance with what he is intended to do. bI had said: “He shall build My House and gather My exiles”(see Isaiah 45:13), but he did not carry this out. bRather, he said: “Whoever is among you of all His people…let him go upto Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:3). He gave permission to return to Israel, but he did no more than that.,§ The Gemara returns to its interpretations of verses in the Megilla. The Megilla mentions that among those invited to the king’s feast were: b“The army of Persia and Media, the noblesand princes of the provinces” (Esther 1:3), band it is writtennear the conclusion of the Megilla: “In the book of chronicles bof the kings of Media and Persia”(Esther 10:2). Why is Persia mentioned first at the beginning of the Megilla, while later in the Megilla, Media is mentioned first? bRava saidin response: These two peoples, the Persians and the Medes, bstipulated with each other,saying: bIf the kingswill come bfrom us, the ministerswill come bfrom you; and if the kingswill come bfrom you, the ministerswill come bfrom us.Therefore, in reference to kings, Media is mentioned first, whereas in connection with nobles and princes, Persia is given priority.,The verse states: b“When he showed the riches of his glorious [ ikevod /i] kingdomand the honor of his majestic [ itiferet /i] greatness” (Esther 1:4). bRabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: This teaches thatAhasuerus bwore the priestly vestments.Proof for this assertion may be adduced from the fact that the same terms are written with regard to the priestly vestments, as bit is written here:“The riches of his glorious [ ikevod /i] kingdom and bthe honor of his majestic [ itiferet /i] greatness.” And it is written there,with regard to the priestly garments: b“For glory [ ikavod /i] and for majesty [ itiferet /i]”(Exodus 28:2).,The verse states: b“And when these days were fulfilled,the king made a feast for all the people that were present in Shushan the capital” (Esther 1:5). bRav and Shmueldisagreed as to whether this was a wise decision. bOne said:Ahasuerus arranged a feast for the residents of Shushan, the capital, after the feast for foreign dignitaries that preceded it, as mentioned in the earlier verses, indicating that bhe was a clever king. Andthe other bone said:It is precisely this that indicates that bhe was a foolish king. The one who saidthat this proves that bhe was a clever kingmaintains bthat he acted well when he first brought close thosemore bdistantsubjects by inviting them to the earlier celebration, bas he could appease the residents of hisown bcity whenever he wished. And the one who saidthat bhe was foolishmaintains bthat he should have invited the residents of his city first, so that if thosefaraway subjects brebelled against him, thesewho lived close by bwould have stood with him. /b, bThe students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai asked him: For whatreason bwere the enemies of Jewish people,a euphemism for the Jewish people themselves when exhibiting behavior that is not in their best interests, bin that generation deserving of annihilation? He,Rabbi Shimon, bsaid to them: Saythe answer to your question byourselves. They said to him: It is because they partook of the feast of that wicked one,Ahasuerus, and they partook there of forbidden foods. Rabbi Shimon responded: bIf so, those in Shushan should have been killedas punishment, but bthose in the rest of the world,who did not participate in the feast, bshould not have been killed. They said to him:Then byou sayyour response to our question. bHe said to them: It is because they prostrated before the idolthat Nebuchadnezzar had made, as is recorded that the entire world bowed down before it, except for Haiah, Mishael, and Azariah., bThey said to him:But if it is true that they worshipped idols and therefore deserved to be destroyed, why was a miracle performed on their behalf? bIs there favoritismexpressed by God bhere? He said to them: They did notreally worship the idol, but pretended to bdoso bonly for appearance,acting as if they were carrying out the king’s command to bow before the idol. bSo too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, did notdestroy them but bdidact angry bwith them only for appearance.He too merely pretended to desire to destroy them, as all He did was issue a threat, but in the end the decree was annulled. bAnd this is as it is written: “For He does not afflict from His heartwillingly” (Lamentations 3:33), but only for appearances’ sake.,The verse states: b“In the court of the garden of the king’s palace”(Esther 1:5). bRav and Shmueldisagreed with regard to how to understand the relationship between these three places: Court, garden, and palace: bOne said:The guests were received in different places. bOnewho, according to his stature, was bfit for the courtyardwas brought bto the courtyard; onewho was bfit for the gardenwas brought bto the garden;and bonewho was bfit for the palacewas brought bto the palace. Andthe other bone said: Hefirst bsat them in the courtyard, but it did not hold them,as they were too numerous. He then sat them bin the garden, but it did not hold themeither, buntil he brought them into the palace and it held them.A third understanding bwas taught in a ibaraita /i: He sat them in the courtyard and opened two entranceways for them, one to the garden and one to the palace. /b,The verse states: “There were hangings of iḥur /i, ikarpas /i, and sky blue”(Esther 1:6). The Gemara asks: bWhat is iḥur /i? Rav said:A fabric fashioned with bmany holes [ iḥarei ḥarei /i],similar to lace. bAnd Shmuel said: He spread out for themcarpets of bwhite wool,as the word iḥavarmeans white. And what is ikarpas /i? Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Cushions [ ikarim /i] of velvet [ ipasim /i]. /b,The verse states: b“On silver rods and pillars of marble; the couches were of gold and silver”(Esther 1:6). bIt is taughtin a ibaraita /i: bRabbi Yehuda says:Some couches were of gold and others of silver. bOnewho, according to his stature, was bfit for silversat on a couch of bsilver,and bonewho was bfit for goldsat on one of bgold. Rabbi Neḥemya said to him:This was not done. bIf so, youwould bcast jealousy into the feast,for the guests would be envious of each other. bRather,the couches bthemselveswere made bof silver, and their feetwere made bof gold. /b,The verse continues: “Upon a pavement of ibahatand marble”(Esther 1:6). bRabbi Asi saidwith regard to the definition of ibahat /i: These are bstones that ingratiate themselves with their owners,as they are precious stones that people are willing to spend large amounts of money to acquire. bAnd similarly, it stateselsewhere that the Jewish people will be likened to precious stones: “And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they shall be as b“the stones of a crown, glittering over His land”(Zechariah 9:16).,The verse concludes: b“And idarand isoḥaret /i”(Esther 1:6). bRav said: iDarmeans bmany rows [ idarei darei /i]around. Similarly, isoḥaretis derived from iseḥor seḥor /i, around and around, meaning that the floor was surrounded with numerous rows of ibahatand marble stones. bAnd Shmuel said:There is ba precious stone in the seaports, and its name is idara /i,and Ahasuerus bplaced it in the center ofthe bfeast, and it illuminatedthe festivities bfor them asthe sun illuminates the world bat midday.He explains that the word isoḥaretis derived from itzohar /i, a light. A scholar from bthe school of Rabbi Yishmael taughta ibaraita /i: This means bthat he proclaimed a remission for all the merchants,absolving them from paying their taxes, understanding that the word idarderives from ideror /i, freedom, and isoḥaretfrom isoḥer /i, merchant.,The verse states: b“And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the vessels being diverse [ ishonim /i] from one another”(Esther 1:7). The Gemara asks: Why does the verse use the term ishonimto express that they are different? bIt should have saidthe more proper term imeshunim /i. Rava said: A Divine Voice issued forth and said to them: The early ones,referring to Belshazzar and his people, bwere destroyed becausethey used bthese vessels,the vessels of the Temple, bandyet byou use them again [ ishonim /i]?The verse continues: b“And royal wine in abundance [ irav /i]”(Esther 1:7). bRav said: This teaches that each and everyguest at the feast bwas pouredwell-aged bwine that was older [ irav /i] than himself in years. /b,The verse states: b“And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel”(Esther 1:8). The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe meaning of b“according to the law”? Rabbi Ḥa said in the name of Rabbi Meir:The drinking was baccording to the law of the Torah. Just as,according to bthe law of the Torah,with regard to offerings, bthe foodsacrificed on the altar bis greaterin quantity bthan the drink,for the wine libation is quantitatively much smaller than the sacrificial offerings it accompanies, bso too,at the bfeast of that wicked man, the food was greaterin quantity bthan the drink. /b,The verse states: b“None did compel”(Esther 1:8). bRabbi Elazar said: This teaches that each and everyguest at the feast bwas poureda drink bfrom wine of hisown bcountry,so that he would feel entirely free, as if he were in his home country. The verse continues: b“That they should do according to every man’s pleasure”(Esther 1:8). bRavacommented on the literal meaning of the verse, which is referring to two men, a man and a man [ iish va’ish /i], and bsaid:The man and man whom they should follow indicates bthat they should do according to the wishes of Mordecai and Haman.The two of them served as butlers at the feast, and they were in charge of distributing the wine. Why is the verse interpreted in this way? bMordecaiis called “man,” bas it is written:“There was a certain bJewish man [ iish /i]in Shushan the castle, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair” (Esther 2:5). bAnd Hamanis also called man, as it states: b“A man [ iish /i] who is an adversary and an enemy,this evil Haman” (Esther 7:6).,The verse states: b“Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women, in the royal house,which belonged to King Ahasuerus” (Esther 1:9). The Gemara questions why she held the feast in the royal house, a place of men, rather than in bthe women’s house,where it bshould have been. Rava saidin response: bThe two of them had sinful intentions.Ahasuerus wished to fornicate with the women, and Vashti wished to fornicate with the men. bThisexplains the folk saying bthat people say: He with pumpkins and his wife /b |
|
14. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 88a. לרבנן ח' חסרים עבוד,ת"ש דתניא בסדר עולם ניסן שבו יצאו ישראל ממצרים בארבעה עשר שחטו פסחיהן בחמשה עשר יצאו ואותו היום ע"ש היה ומדריש ירחא דניסן ערב שבת ריש ירחא דאייר חד בשבא וסיון בתרי בשבא קשיא לר' יוסי אמר לך ר' יוסי הא מני רבנן היא,ת"ש רבי יוסי אומר בשני עלה משה וירד בשלישי עלה וירד בד' ירד ושוב לא עלה ומאחר שלא עלה מהיכן ירד אלא ברביעי עלה וירד בחמישי בנה מזבח והקריב עליו קרבן בששי לא היה לו פנאי מאי לאו משום תורה,לא משום טורח שבת דרש ההוא גלילאה עליה דרב חסדא בריך רחמנא דיהב אוריאן תליתאי לעם תליתאי על ידי תליתאי ביום תליתאי בירחא תליתאי כמאן כרבנן:,(שמות יט, יז) ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר א"ר אבדימי בר חמא בר חסא מלמד שכפה הקב"ה עליהם את ההר כגיגית ואמר להם אם אתם מקבלים התורה מוטב ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם א"ר אחא בר יעקב מכאן מודעא רבה לאורייתא אמר רבא אעפ"כ הדור קבלוה בימי אחשורוש דכתיב (אסתר ט, כז) קימו וקבלו היהודים קיימו מה שקיבלו כבר,אמר חזקיה מאי דכתיב (תהלים עו, ט) משמים השמעת דין ארץ יראה ושקטה אם יראה למה שקטה ואם שקטה למה יראה אלא בתחילה יראה ולבסוף שקטה ולמה יראה כדריש לקיש דאמר ריש לקיש מאי דכתיב (בראשית א, לא) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום הששי ה' יתירה למה לי מלמד שהתנה הקב"ה עם מעשה בראשית ואמר להם אם ישראל מקבלים התורה אתם מתקיימין ואם לאו אני מחזיר אתכם לתוהו ובוהו:,דרש ר' סימאי בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע באו ששים ריבוא של מלאכי השרת לכל אחד ואחד מישראל קשרו לו שני כתרים אחד כנגד נעשה ואחד כנגד נשמע וכיון שחטאו ישראל ירדו מאה ועשרים ריבוא מלאכי חבלה ופירקום שנאמר (שמות לג, ו) ויתנצלו בני ישראל את עדים מהר חורב א"ר חמא בר' חנינא בחורב טענו בחורב פרקו בחורב טענו כדאמרן בחורב פרקו דכתיב ויתנצלו בני ישראל וגו' א"ר יוחנן וכולן זכה משה ונטלן דסמיך ליה ומשה יקח את האהל אמר ר"ל עתיד הקב"ה להחזירן לנו שנאמר (ישעיהו לה, י) ופדויי ה' ישובון ובאו ציון ברנה ושמחת עולם על ראשם שמחה שמעולם על ראשם,אמר רבי אלעזר בשעה שהקדימו ישראל נעשה לנשמע יצתה בת קול ואמרה להן מי גילה לבני רז זה שמלאכי השרת משתמשין בו דכתיב (תהלים קג, כ) ברכו ה' מלאכיו גבורי כח עושי דברו לשמוע בקול דברו ברישא עושי והדר לשמוע א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא מ"ד (שיר השירים ב, ג) כתפוח בעצי היער וגו' למה נמשלו ישראל לתפוח לומר לך מה תפוח זה פריו קודם לעליו אף ישראל הקדימו נעשה לנשמע,ההוא צדוקי דחזייה לרבא דקא מעיין בשמעתא ויתבה אצבעתא דידיה תותי כרעא וקא מייץ בהו וקא מבען אצבעתיה דמא א"ל עמא פזיזא דקדמיתו פומייכו לאודנייכו אכתי בפחזותייכו קיימיתו ברישא איבעי' לכו למשמע אי מציתו קבליתו ואי לא לא קבליתו א"ל אנן | 88a. and according bto the Rabbis, they established eightmonths that were blacking. /b,The Gemara cites another objection. bComeand bhearthat bwhich was taughtin a ibaraitain the anthology called iSeder Olam /i:In the month of bNisan during whichthe bJewish people left Egypt, on the fourteenth they slaughtered their Paschallambs, bon the fifteenththey bleftEgypt, band that day was Shabbat eve. Fromthe fact bthatthe bNew Moonof bNisanwas on bShabbat eve,we can infer that the bNew Moonof bIyyarwas on the bfirstday bof the week, andthe New Moon of bSivanwas bonthe bsecondday bof the week.This is bdifficultaccording btothe opinion of bRabbi Yosei,who holds that the New Moon of Sivan was on Sunday. The Gemara answers that bRabbi Yoseicould have bsaid to you: Whoseis the opinion in bthis ibaraita /i? bIt isthe opinion of the bRabbis.Therefore, this ibaraitaposes no difficulty to the opinion of the Rabbi Yosei.,The Gemara cites another objection: bComeand bhearfrom that which was taught, that bRabbi Yosei says: On the secondday of Sivan, bMoses ascendedMount Sinai band descended. On the thirdday, bhe ascended and descended. On the fourthday, bhe descended and did not ascendMount Sinai bagainuntil he was commanded along with all of the Jewish people. bAndthe Gemara asks: How is it possible that he descended on the fourth day? bSince he did not ascend, from where did he descend? Rather,this must be emended: bOn the fourthday, bhe ascended and descended. On the fifthday, bhe built an altar and sacrificed an offering. On the sixthday, bhe had no time.The Gemara asks: bIs that not becausehe received the bTorahon the sixth day of the month? Apparently, this ibaraitasupports the opinion of the Rabbis.,The Gemara rejects this: bNo,he had no time bdue to the burden ofpreparing for bShabbat.The Gemara adds: bA Galilean taught,while standing babove Rav Ḥisda: Blessed is the all-Merciful One, Who gave the three-fold Torah:Torah, Prophets, and Writings, bto the three-fold nation:Priests, Levites, and Israelites, bby means of a third- /bborn: Moses, who followed Aaron and Miriam in birth order, bon the third dayof the separation of men and women, bin the third month:Sivan. On bwhoseopinion is this homily based? It is based on the opinion of bthe Rabbis,who hold that the Torah was given on the third day of separation and not on the fourth day.,The Gemara cites additional homiletic interpretations on the topic of the revelation at Sinai. The Torah says, “And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; band they stood at the lowermost part of the mount”(Exodus 19:17). bRabbi Avdimi bar Ḥama bar Ḥasa said:the Jewish people actually stood beneath the mountain, and the verse bteaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain abovethe Jews blike a tub, and said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there will be your burial. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: From herethere is ba substantial caveat tothe obligation to fulfill the bTorah.The Jewish people can claim that they were coerced into accepting the Torah, and it is therefore not binding. bRava said: Even so, they again accepted itwillingly bin the time of Ahasuerus, as it is written:“The Jews bordained, and took upon them,and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them” (Esther 9:27), and he taught: The Jews bordained what they had already taken upon themselvesthrough coercion at Sinai., bḤizkiya said: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was silent”(Psalms 76:9)? bIf it was afraid, why was it silent; and if it was silent, why was it afraid? Rather,the meaning is: bAt first, it was afraid, and in the end, it was silent.“You caused sentence to be heard from heaven” refers to the revelation at Sinai. bAnd why wasthe earth bafraid?It is bin accordance withthe statement of bReish Lakish, as Reish Lakish said: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day”(Genesis 1:31)? bWhy do I require the superfluousletter iheh /i,the definite article, which does not appear on any of the other days? It bteaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, established a condition with the act of Creation, and said to them: If Israel accepts the Torahon the sixth day of Sivan, byou will exist; and ifthey do bnotaccept it, bI will return you tothe primordial state of bchaos and disorder.Therefore, the earth was afraid until the Torah was given to Israel, lest it be returned to a state of chaos. Once the Jewish people accepted the Torah, the earth was calmed., bRabbi Simai taught: When Israel accorded precedenceto the declaration b“We will do”over the declaration b“We will hear,” 600,000 ministering angels cameand btied two crowns to each and every member of the Jewish people, one corresponding to “We will do” and one corresponding to “We will hear.” And when the people sinnedwith the Golden Calf, b1,200,000 angels of destruction descended and removed themfrom the people, bas it is statedin the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf: b“And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward”(Exodus 33:6). bRabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: At Horeb they put ontheir ornaments, band at Horeb they removedthem. The source for this is: bAt Horeb they put them on, as we have said; at Horeb they removed them, as it is written: “And the children of Israel stripped themselvesof their ornaments from Mount Horeb.” bRabbi Yoḥa said: And Moses merited allof these crowns band tookthem. What is the source for this? bBecause juxtaposed to thisverse, it is stated: b“And Moses would take the tent [ iohel /i]”(Exodus 33:7). The word iohelis interpreted homiletically as an allusion to an aura or illumination [ ihila /i]. bReish Lakish said: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will return them to us, as it is stated: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads”(Isaiah 35:10). bThe joy thatthey boncehad will once again be bupon their heads. /b, bRabbi Elazar said: When the Jewish people accorded precedenceto the declaration b“We will do”over b“We will hear,” a Divine Voice emerged and said to them: Who revealed to my children this secret that the ministering angels use? As it is written: “Bless the Lord, you angels of His, you mighty in strength, that fulfill His word, hearkening unto the voice of His word”(Psalms 103:20). bAt first,the angels bfulfillHis word, band thenafterward they bhearken. Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Whatis the meaning of that bwhich is written: “As an apple tree among the trees of the wood,so is my beloved among the sons. Under its shadow I delighted to sit and its fruit was sweet to my taste” (Song of Songs 2:3)? bWhy were the Jewish people likened to an apple tree?It is bto tell you that just as this appletree, bits fruitgrows bbefore its leaves, so too, the Jewish people accorded precedence to “We will do” over “We will hear.” /b,The Gemara relates that ba heretic saw that Rava was immersed instudying ihalakha /i, and his fingers were beneath his leg and he was squeezing them, and his fingers were spurting blood.Rava did not notice that he was bleeding because he was engrossed in study. The heretic bsaid toRava: You bimpulsive nation, who accorded precedence to your mouths over your ears. You still bear your impulsiveness,as you act without thinking. bYou should listen first.Then, bif you are capableof fulfilling the commands, bacceptthem. bAnd if not,do bnot acceptthem. He bsaid to him:About bus, /b |
|
15. Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 33a. כל התורה בכל לשון נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בלשון הקודש נאמרה והיו דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב שמע,לימא קסברי רבנן כל התורה כולה בלשון קודש נאמרה דאי סלקא דעתך בכל לשון שמע דכתב רחמנא למה לי,איצטריך משום דכתיב והיו,תפלה רחמי היא כל היכי דבעי מצלי,ותפלה בכל לשון והאמר רב יהודה לעולם אל ישאל אדם צרכיו בלשון ארמית דאמר רבי יוחנן כל השואל צרכיו בלשון ארמי אין מלאכי השרת נזקקין לו לפי שאין מלאכי השרת מכירין בלשון ארמי,לא קשיא הא ביחיד הא בצבור,ואין מלאכי השרת מכירין בלשון ארמי והתניא יוחנן כהן גדול שמע ב"ק מבית קדש הקדשים שהוא אומר נצחו טליא דאזלו לאגחא קרבא לאנטוכיא ושוב מעשה בשמעון הצדיק ששמע בת קול מבית קדש הקדשים שהוא אומר בטילת עבידתא דאמר שנאה לאייתאה על היכלא ונהרג גסקלגס ובטלו גזירותיו וכתבו אותה שעה וכיוונו ובלשון ארמי היה אומר,אי בעית אימא בת קול שאני דלאשמועי עבידא ואי בעית אימא גבריאל הוה דאמר מר בא גבריאל ולימדו שבעים לשון,ברכת המזון דכתיב (דברים ח, י) ואכלת ושבעת וברכת את ה' אלהיך בכל לשון שאתה מברך,שבועת העדות דכתיב (ויקרא ה, א) ונפש כי תחטא ושמעה קול אלה בכל לשון שהיא שומעת,שבועת הפקדון אתיא תחטא תחטא משבועת העדות,ואלו נאמרין בלשון הקודש מקרא ביכורים וחליצה כו' עד מקרא ביכורים כיצד (דברים כו, ה) וענית ואמרת לפני ה' אלהיך ולהלן הוא אומר (דברים כז, יד) וענו הלוים ואמרו אל כל איש ישראל מה ענייה האמורה להלן בלשון הקודש אף כאן בלה"ק,ולוים גופייהו מנלן אתיא קול קול ממשה כתיב הכא קול רם וכתיב התם (שמות יט, יט) משה ידבר והאלהים יעננו בקול מה להלן בלשון הקודש אף כאן בלשון הקודש,חליצה כיצד וכו' ורבנן האי ככה מאי עבדי ליה מיבעי להו לדבר שהוא מעשה מעכב,ור' יהודה מכה ככה ורבנן כה ככה לא משמע להו | 33a. that bthe entire Torah may be recited in any language, as, if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe entire Torah bmay be recitedonly bin the sacred tongueand not in any other language, bwhy do Ineed bthat which the Merciful One writes: “Andthese words, which I command you this day, bwill be”?If in fact it is prohibited for one to recite any portion of the Torah in a language other than Hebrew, then prohibiting the recitation of iShemain a language other than Hebrew is superfluous. Since the Torah specifically requires iShemato be recited in Hebrew, it must be because the rest of the Torah may be recited in any language.,The Gemara rejects this suggestion: This is not unquestionably so, as the phrase “and these words, which I command you this day, will be” bis necessaryin this case bbecause “hear” isalso bwritten.Had it not said “and these words, which I command you this day, will be,” it would have been derived from the word “hear” that iShemamay be recited in any language, in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis. Therefore, the phrase “and these words, which I command you this day, will be” is necessary.,The Gemara asks: bShall we saythat bthe Rabbis holdthat bthe entire Torah may be recitedonly bin the sacred tongueand not in any other language? bAs, if it should enter your mindto say bthatthe Torah bmay be recited in any language, why do Ineed bthat which the Merciful One writes: “Hear”?It is permitted for one to recite the entire Torah in any language, rendering a specific requirement with regard to iShemasuperfluous.,The Gemara rejects this: The word “hear” bis necessaryin any case, bbecause “andthese words, which I command you this day, bwill be” isalso bwritten.Had it not been for the word “hear,” the Rabbis would have understood that it is prohibited to recite iShemain any other language, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Therefore, the word “hear” is necessary.,§ It is stated in the mishna that the iAmida bprayermay be recited in any language. The reason for this is that since prayer bisa request for divine bmercy, one may pray in any way that one desires. /b,The Gemara asks: bButmay bprayerreally be recited bin any language? But didn’t Rav Yehuda say: A person should never request in the Aramaic languagethat bhis needsbe met, bas Rabbi Yoḥa saidthat with regard to banyone who requests in the Aramaic languagethat bhis needsbe met, bthe ministering angels do not attend to him, as the ministering angels are not familiar [ imakkirin /i] with the Aramaic language? /b,The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult,as bthatstatement of Rabbi Yoḥa is referring btothe prayer of ban individual,who needs the support of the angels, whereas bthisstatement of the mishna is referring bto communalprayer.,The Gemara asks: bAnd are the ministering angels not familiar with the Aramaic language? But isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta13:5): bYoḥa the High Priest heard a Divine Voiceemerging bfrom the House of the Holy of Holies that was saying: The youth who went to wage war in Antokhya have been victorious. Andthere was banother incident involving Shimon HaTzaddik, who heard a Divine Voiceemerging bfrom the House of the Holy of Holies that was saying: The decree that the enemy intended to bring against the Temple is annulled, and Gaskalgas,Caligula, bhas been killed and his decrees have been voided. Andpeople bwrotedown bthat timethat the Divine Voice was heard, bandlater found that it bmatchedexactly the moment that Caligula was killed. The Gemara concludes: bAndthis Divine Voice bwas speaking in the Aramaic language. /b,The Gemara answers: bIf you wish, saythat the bDivine Voice is different, as its purpose is to communicatea message, and therefore it also communicates in Aramaic. bAnd if you wish, sayinstead that bit wasthe angel bGabriel, as the Master saidwith regard to Joseph: bGabriel came and taught him seventy languages,as he knows all of the languages, as opposed to the other angels, who do not.,§ It is stated in the mishna that bGrace after Mealsmay be recited in any language. bAs it is written: “And you shall eat, and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 8:10). The word “bless” is homiletically interpreted to mean: bIn any language that you bless. /b,It is stated in the mishna that ban oath of testimonymay be said in any language, bas it is written: “And if anyone sins, in that he heard the voice of adjuration”(Leviticus 5:1). The emphasis on hearing in the verse is interpreted to mean that it can be recited bin any language that a person hears,i.e., understands.,It is stated in the mishna that ban oath on a depositmay be taken in any language. This bis derivedby means of a verbal analogy bfromthe word b“sins”(Leviticus 5:21) that appears in the portion of an oath on a deposit, and the word b“sins”(Leviticus 5:1) that is mentioned in the portion of ban oath of testimony. /b,§ It is stated in the mishna: bAnd these are recitedonly bin the sacred tongue: The recitation ofthe verses that one recounts when bringing the bfirst fruitsto the Temple; band iḥalitza /i…howis it derived that the brecitationwhen bringing the bfirst fruitsis recited specifically in Hebrew? When the Torah discusses this mitzva it states: b“And you shall speak and say before the Lord your God”(Deuteronomy 26:5), band below,in the discussion of the blessings and curses, bit states: “And the Levites shall speak and say to all the men of Israel”(Deuteronomy 27:14). bJust as there,in the portion of the Levites, they speak bin the sacred tongue, so too here,in the portion of the first fruits, the recitation is bin the sacred tongue. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd from where do wederive that bthe Levites themselvesanswered in Hebrew? The Gemara answers: It is bderived froma verbal analogy between the word b“voice”that appears here, in the portion of the blessings and curses, and the word b“voice”in the verse that relates to bMoses. It is written here: “With a loud voice”(Deuteronomy 27:14), band it is written there: “Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice”(Exodus 19:19). bJust as there,the Ten Commandments were stated bin the sacred tongue, so too here,the Levites spoke bin the sacred tongue. /b,It is stated in the mishna: bHowis it derived that the recitation at ba iḥalitza /iceremony must be in Hebrew? The verse states: “And she shall speak and say: So shall it be done to the man that doth not build up his brother’s house” (Deuteronomy 25:9). Rabbi Yehuda derives this ihalakhafrom the phrase: “And she shall speak and say: So” (Deuteronomy 25:9). The Gemara asks: bAnd what do the Rabbis do with,i.e., how do they interpret, bthisword b“so”? They requireit btoteach that any bmatterdetailed in the portion bthat is an action is indispensableto the iḥalitzaceremony, as the verse states: “So shall it be done.” However, the other aspects of the ritual, e.g., the recitations, are not indispensable, and in their absence the ritual is valid after the fact., bAnd Rabbi Yehudaderives this ihalakha bfromthe fact that the verse could have used the shorter form of the word bso [ iko /i],and instead uses the longer form of the word bso [ ikakha /i].He therefore derives both ihalakhotfrom this word. bAnd the Rabbis do not learn anything fromthe difference between iko /iand ikakha /i. /b |
|
16. Arator, Historia Apostolica, 1.119-1.138 (6th cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
|
