1. Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Covenant, 11-16, 9-10 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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2. Dead Sea Scrolls, (Cairo Damascus Covenant) Cd-A, 11-16, 9-10 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. CE)
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3. Mishnah, Ketuvot, 5.8 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.8. If a man provides for his wife through an agent, he must give her [every week] not less than two kavs of wheat or four kavs of barley. Rabbi Yose said: only Rabbi Ishmael, who lived near Edom, granted her a supply of barley. He must also give her half a kav of pulse and half a log of oil; and a kav of dried figs or a maneh of pressed figs, and if he has no [such fruit] he must supply her with a corresponding quantity of other fruit. He must also provide her with a bed, a mattress and a mat. He must also give her a hat for her head and a girdle for her loins; shoes, from festival to festival; and clothing worth fifty zuz every year. She is not to be given new [clothes] in the summer or worn-out clothes in the winter, but must be given clothes worth fifty zuz during the winter, and she wears them when they are worn-out during the summer; and the worn-out clothes remain her property." |
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4. Tosefta, Eruvin, 5.24 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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5. Tosefta, Nazir, 5.1 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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6. Tosefta, Sanhedrin, 7.10 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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7. Tosefta, Sotah, 7.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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8. Tosefta, Yevamot, 14.5 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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9. Palestinian Talmud, Berachot, 4.2 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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10. Palestinian Talmud, Peah, 8.8 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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11. Babylonian Talmud, Rosh Hashanah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 31a. שאני התם דשירה דיומיה היא,תניא רבי יהודה אומר משום ר"ע בראשון מה היו אומרים (תהלים כד, א) לה' הארץ ומלואה על שם שקנה והקנה ושליט בעולמו,בשני מה היו אומרים (תהלים מח, ב) גדול ה' ומהולל מאד על שם שחילק מעשיו ומלך עליהן,בשלישי היו אומרים (תהלים פב, א) אלהים נצב בעדת אל על שם שגילה ארץ בחכמתו והכין תבל לעדתו ברביעי היו אומרים (תהלים צד, א) אל נקמות ה' על שם שברא חמה ולבנה ועתיד ליפרע מעובדיהן,בחמישי היו אומרים (תהלים פא, ב) הרנינו לאלהים עוזנו על שם שברא עופות ודגים לשבח לשמו בששי היו אומרים (תהלים צג, א) ה' מלך גאות לבש על שם שגמר מלאכתו ומלך עליהן בשביעי היו אומרים (תהלים צב, א) מזמור שיר ליום השבת ליום שכולו שבת,א"ר נחמיה מה ראו חכמים לחלק בין הפרקים הללו אלא בראשון שקנה והקנה ושליט בעולמו בשני שחילק מעשיו ומלך עליהם בשלישי שגילה ארץ בחכמתו והכין תבל לעדתו,ברביעי שברא חמה ולבנה ועתיד ליפרע מעובדיהן בחמישי שברא עופות ודגים לשבח לשמו בששי שגמר מלאכתו ומלך עליהם בשביעי על שם ששבת,וקמיפלגי בדרב קטינא דאמר רב קטינא שיתא אלפי שני הוה עלמא וחד חרוב שנאמר (ישעיהו ב, יא) ונשגב יי' לבדו ביום ההוא (אמר אביי) תרי חרוב שנאמ' (הושע ו, ב) יחיינו מיומים,במוספי דשבתא מה היו אומרים אמר רב ענן בר רבא אמר רב הזי"ו ל"ך,ואמר רב חנן בר רבא אמר רב כדרך שחלוקים כאן כך חלוקין בבית הכנסת,במנחת' דשבתא מה היו אומרי' אמר רבי יוחנן אז ישיר ומי כמוך ואז ישיר,איבעי' להו הני כולהו בחד שבתא אמרי להו או דלמא כל שבתא ושבתא אמרי חד תא שמע דתניא א"ר יוסי עד שהראשונה אומרת אחת שניה חוזרת שתים שמע מינה כל שבתא ושבתא אמרי חד שמע מינה,אמר רב יהודה בר אידי א"ר יוחנן עשר מסעות נסעה שכינה מקראי וכנגדן גלתה סנהדרין מגמרא,עשר מסעות נסעה שכינה מקראי מכפרת לכרוב ומכרוב לכרוב ומכרוב למפתן וממפתן לחצר ומחצר למזבח וממזבח לגג ומגג לחומה ומחומה לעיר ומעיר להר ומהר למדבר וממדבר עלתה וישבה במקומה שנאמר (הושע ה, טו) אלך אשובה אל מקומי,מכפורת לכרוב מכרוב לכרוב ומכרוב למפתן דכתיב (שמות כה, כב) ונועדתי [לך שם ודברתי] אתך מעל הכפורת וכתיב וירכב על כרוב ויעף וכתיב (יחזקאל ט, ג) וכבוד אלהי ישראל נעלה מעל הכרוב אשר היה עליו אל מפתן הבית,וממפתן לחצר דכתיב (יחזקאל י, ד) וימלא הבית את הענן והחצר מלאה את נגה כבוד ה' מחצר למזבח דכתיב ראיתי את ה' נצב על המזבח וממזבח לגג דכתיב (משלי כא, ט) טוב לשבת על פנת גג מגג לחומה דכתיב והנה ה' נצב על חומת אנך מחומה לעיר דכתיב (מיכה ו, ט) קול ה' לעיר יקרא,ומעיר להר דכתיב ויעל כבוד ה' מעל תוך העיר ויעמד על ההר אשר מקדם לעיר ומהר למדבר דכתיב (משלי כא, יט) טוב שבת בארץ מדבר וממדבר עלתה וישבה במקומה דכתיב אלך אשובה אל מקומי וגו',א"ר יוחנן ששה חדשים נתעכבה שכינה לישראל במדבר שמא יחזרו בתשובה כיון שלא חזרו אמר תיפח עצמן שנאמר (איוב יא, כ) ועיני רשעים תכלינה ומנוס אבד מנהם ותקותם מפח נפש,וכנגדן גלתה סנהדרין מגמרא מלשכת הגזית לחנות ומחנות לירושלים ומירושלים ליבנה | 31a. The Gemara rejects this argument. bIt is different there, asin any case “Sing aloud” bis the psalm of the day,either because it was an ordinary Thursday or because it was Rosh HaShana. However, there is no proof from here that in all uncertain cases they would recite the psalm for an ordinary weekday, as it is possible that they did not recite any psalm at all.,§ The Gemara expands on the topic of the daily psalms recited by the Levites. bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Akiva: On the firstday of the week, Sunday, bwhatpsalm bwouldthe Levites brecite?The psalm beginning with the phrase: b“The earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness”(Psalms 24:1), in commemoration of the first day of Creation, bbecauseon that day bHe acquiredthe world band transferredit to man, bandHe bwasthe only bruler in His world,as the angels were not created until the second day., bOn the secondday of the week bwhatpsalm bwouldthe Levites brecite?The psalm that begins: b“Great is the Lord, and highly to be praisedin the city of our God, His sacred mountain” (Psalms 48:2). This is bbecauseon the second day of Creation bHe separated His works,dividing between the upper waters and the lower waters, band ruled over themas King; and this psalm speaks of Jerusalem as “The city of a great King” (Psalms 48:3)., bOn the thirdday of the week bthey would recitethe psalm beginning: b“God stands in the congregation of God”(Psalms 82:1), bbecauseon the third day of Creation bHe revealed the land in His wisdom andthereby bprepared the world for His assemblythat could now live on the dry land. bOn the fourthday of the week bthey would recitethe psalm beginning: b“O Lord God, to Whom vengeance belongs”(Psalms 94:1), bbecauseon the fourth day of Creation bHe created the sun and the moon, and in the future He will punishand take vengeance upon bthose who worship them. /b, bOn the fifthday of the week the Levites bwould recitethe psalm beginning: b“Sing aloud to God our strength”(Psalms 81:2), bbecauseon the fifth day of Creation bHe created birds and fish to praise His name. On the sixthday of the week bthey would recitethe psalm beginning: b“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty”(Psalms 93:1), bbecauseon that day bHe completed His labor and ruled overall of creation in full glory. bOn the seventhday of the week, Shabbat, bthey would recitethe psalm beginning: b“A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbat”(Psalms 92:1), basthe future world will be ba day that is all Shabbat. /b, bRabbi Neḥemya said: What did the Sages seethat led them bto distinguish between these chapters,as they interpret the psalms recited on the six weekdays as referring to the past, whereas the psalm recited on Shabbat is referring to the future. bRather,all of the psalms refer to the past. The first six are as explained above: bOn the firstday, the reason is bthat He acquiredthe world band transferredit to man, bandHe bwasthe only bruler in His world; on the secondday, the reason is bthat He separated His works and ruled over themas King; bon the thirdday, the reason is bthat He revealed the land in His wisdom andthereby bprepared the world for His assembly. /b, bOn the fourthday, the reason is bthat He created the sun and the moon, and in the future He will punish those who worship them; on the fifthday, the reason is bthat He created birds and fish to praise His name; on the sixthday, the reason is bthat He completed His labor and ruled overall of creation. However, bon the seventhday, the reason is bthat He restedfrom His work, as the phrase “A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbat” is referring to the first Shabbat of Creation.,The Gemara comments: bAndthese itanna’im bdisagree withregard to a statement bof Rav Ketina, as Rav Ketina said: The world will exist for six thousand years, andfor bonethousand years it will be bdestroyed, as it is stated: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day”(Isaiah 2:11), and one day for God is a thousand years, as indicated in the verse: “For a thousand years in Your sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Psalms 90:4). Rav Ketina’s statement is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva. Conversely, bAbaye said:The world will be bdestroyedfor btwothousand years, bas it is stated: “After two days He will revive us”(Hosea 6:2). According to the opinion of Abaye that the destruction will be for two days, there is no connection between the future world and the day of Shabbat, which is only one day.,§ The Gemara further asks: When it came bto the additional offerings of Shabbat, what wouldthe Levites brecite? Rav A bar Rava saidthat bRav said:They would recite in accordance with the mnemonic ihei /i, izayin /i, iyod /i, ivav /i, ilamed /i, ikaf /i.They would divide the song of iHa’azinuinto six sections, each of which began with a letter of the mnemonic: “Give ear [ iha’azinu /i], you heavens” (Deuteronomy 32:1); “Remember [ izekhor /i] the days of old” (Deuteronomy 32:7); “He made him ride [ iyarkivehu /i] on the high places of the earth” (Deuteronomy 32:13); “The Lord saw it [ ivayar /i] and spurned” (Deuteronomy 32:19); “Were it not [ ilulei /i] that I dread the enemy’s provocation” (Deuteronomy 32:27); “For i[ki]the Lord will judge His people” (Deuteronomy 32:36)., bAnd Rav Ḥa bar Rava saidthat bRav said: In the manner thatthe verses of the song of iHa’azinu bare divided herefor the recitation of the additional offerings of Shabbat in the Temple, bso too are they dividedwhen they are read bin the synagogueon Shabbat.,The Gemara asks another question: When it came bto thedaily bafternoon offering on Shabbat, what wouldthe Levites brecite? Rabbi Yoḥa said: “Then sangMoses” (Exodus 15:1), band: “Who is like You”(Exodus 15:11), the two halves of the Song of the Sea, band: “Then Israel sangthis song” (Numbers 21:17), the entire Song of the Well., bA dilemma was raised beforethe Sages: Does bone recite all thesesections of the song of iHa’azinu bon each Shabbat, or perhaps on each and every Shabbatthey would brecite onesection? The Gemara suggests: bComeand bhear, as it is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yosei said: Bythe time bthatthose who recite bthe firstset, i.e., the verses for the additional offerings brought on Shabbat, breciteit bonce,those who recite bthe secondset, for the daily afternoon offering, would brepeattheir cycle btwice,as the first set was comprised of six sections, whereas the second set included only three sections. bLearn from herethat beach and every Shabbat they would reciteonly bonesection. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, blearn from herethat this is correct.,§ bRav Yehuda bar Idi saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: The Divine Presence traveled ten journeys,i.e., it left the Temple and Eretz Yisrael in ten stages at the time of the destruction of the First Temple, as derived bfrom verses. And corresponding to them the Sanhedrin was exiledin ten stages at the end of the Second Temple period and after the destruction of the Temple, and this is known bfrom tradition. /b,The Gemara elaborates. bThe Divine Presence traveled ten journeys,as derived bfrom verses.The ten journeys are: bFrom the Ark cover to the cherub; and fromone bcherub tothe other bcherub; and fromthe second bcherub to the thresholdof the Sanctuary; band from the threshold to the courtyard; and from the courtyard to the altar; and from the altar to the roof; and from the roof to the wallof the Temple Mount; band from the wall to the city; and from the city to a mountainclose to Jerusalem; band fromthat bmountain to the wilderness; and from the wilderness it ascended and rested in its placein Heaven, isolated from humanity, bas it is stated: “I will go and return to My place”(Hosea 5:15).,The Gemara cites the sources for each of these stages: bFrom the Ark coverthe Divine Presence traveled bto the cherub,and bfromone bcherub tothe other bcherub, and from thesecond bcherub to the threshold, as it is writtenwith regard to Moses in the Tabernacle: b“And there I will meet with you, and I will speak to you from above the Ark cover,from between the two cherubs” (Exodus 25:22). bAnd it is written: “And He rode upon a cherub, and flew”(II Samuel 22:11), which indicates that the glory of the Divine Presence can rest upon one cherub. bAnd it is written: “And the glory of the God of Israel had ascended from the cherub, on which it was, to the threshold of the House”(Ezekiel 9:3), i.e., the Divine Presence moved from the cherub to the threshold., bAnd from the thresholdof the Sanctuary the Divine Presence went bto the courtyard, as it is written: “And the House was filled with the cloud and the courtyard was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory”(Ezekiel 10:4). bFrom the courtyard to the altar, as it is written: “I saw the Lord standing on the altar”(Amos 9:1). bAnd from the altar to the roof, as it is written: “It is better to dwell in a corner of the roofthan in a house together with a contentious woman” (Proverbs 21:9). bFrom the roof to the wall, as it is written: “And behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb line”(Amos 7:7). bFrom the wall to the city, as it is written: “The Lord’s voice cries to the city”(Micah 6:9)., bAnd from the citythe Divine Presence arose bto the mountainnearest the Sanctuary, i.e., the Mount of Olives, bas it is written: “And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain, which is on the east side of the city”(Ezekiel 11:23). bAnd from the mountain to the wilderness, as it is written: “It is better to live in the wildernessthan with a contentious and fretful woman” (Proverbs 21:19). bAnd from the wilderness it ascended and rested in its placein Heaven, bas it is written: “I will go and return to My placeuntil they acknowledge their guilt” (Hosea 5:15)., bRabbi Yoḥa said:For bsix months the Divine Presence lingered in the wilderness,waiting bfor the Jewish people,hoping that bperhaps they would repentand it would be able to return to its place. bWhen they did not repent,the Divine Presence bsaid: Let themdespair and bbe lost, as it is stated: “But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall have no way to flee, and their hope shall be the drooping of the soul”(Job 11:20). This concludes the discussion of the ten stages of the exile of the Divine Presence from the Holy of Holies., bAnd corresponding tothese ten stages, bthe Sanhedrin was exiledin ten stages at the end of the Second Temple period and after the destruction of the Temple, and this is known bfrom tradition: From the Chamber of Hewn Stone,its fixed seat in the Temple, bto iḤanut /i,literally, shop, a designated spot on the Temple Mount outside the Temple proper; band from iḤanutto Jerusalem; and from Jerusalem to Yavne; /b |
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12. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 32b. טעו לא ישלמו כל שכן שתנעול דלת בפני לווין,רבא אמר מתניתין דהכא בדיני קנסות ואידך בהודאות והלואות,רב פפא אמר אידי ואידי בהודאה והלואה כאן בדין מרומה כאן בדין שאינו מרומה,כדריש לקיש דריש לקיש רמי כתיב (ויקרא יט, טו) בצדק תשפוט עמיתך וכתיב (דברים טז, כ) צדק צדק תרדף הא כיצד כאן בדין מרומה כאן בדין שאין מרומה,רב אשי אמר מתני׳ כדשנין קראי אחד לדין וא' לפשרה,כדתניא צדק צדק תרדף אחד לדין ואחד לפשרה כיצד שתי ספינות עוברות בנהר ופגעו זה בזה אם עוברות שתיהן שתיהן טובעות בזה אחר זה שתיהן עוברות וכן שני גמלים שהיו עולים במעלות בית חורון ופגעו זה בזה אם עלו שניהן שניהן נופלין בזה אחר זה שניהן עולין,הא כיצד טעונה ושאינה טעונה תידחה שאינה טעונה מפני טעונה קרובה ושאינה קרובה תידחה קרובה מפני שאינה קרובה היו שתיהן קרובות שתיהן רחוקות הטל פשרה ביניהן ומעלות שכר זו לזו,ת"ר צדק צדק תרדף הלך אחר ב"ד יפה אחר רבי אליעזר ללוד אחר רבן יוחנן בן זכאי לברור חיל,תנא קול ריחים בבורני שבוע הבן שבוע הבן אור הנר בברור חיל משתה שם משתה שם,ת"ר צדק צדק תרדף הלך אחר חכמים לישיבה אחר ר' אליעזר ללוד אחר רבן יוחנן בן זכאי לברור חיל אחר רבי יהושע לפקיעין אחר רבן גמליאל ליבנא אחר רבי עקיבא לבני ברק אחר רבי מתיא לרומי אחר רבי חנניא בן תרדיון לסיכני אחר ר' יוסי לציפורי אחר רבי יהודה בן בתירה לנציבין אחר רבי יהושע לגולה אחר רבי לבית שערים אחר חכמים ללשכת הגזית:,דיני ממונות פותחין כו': היכי אמרינן אמר רב יהודה הכי אמרינן להו מי יימר כדקאמריתו,א"ל עולא והא חסמינן להו וליחסמו מי לא תניא רבי שמעון בן אליעזר אומר מסיעין את העדים ממקום למקום כדי שתיטרף דעתן ויחזרו בהן,מי דמי התם ממילא קא מידחו הכא קא דחינן להו בידים,אלא אמר עולא הכי אמרינן יש לך עדים להזימם א"ל רבה וכי פותחין בזכותו של זה שהיא חובתו של זה,ומי הויא חובתו והתנן אין עדים זוממין נהרגין עד שיגמר הדין,הכי אמינא אילו שתיק האי עד דמיגמר דיניה ומייתי עדים ומזים להו הויא ליה חובתו של זה אלא אמר רבה אמרינן ליה יש לך עדים להכחישן,רב כהנא אמר מדבריכם נזדכה פלוני אביי ורבא דאמרי תרוייהו אמרי' ליה אי לא קטלת לא תדחל רב אשי אמר כל מי שיודע לו זכות יבא וילמד עליו,תניא כוותיה דאביי ורבא רבי אומר (במדבר ה, יט) אם לא שכב איש אותך ואם לא שטית וגו' | 32b. then if the judges berred they should notneed to bpaythe party they wronged, as they can claim that they were prevented from examining the witnesses effectively. The Gemara answers: If that were to be the ihalakha /i, ball the more so thatthis bwould lock the door in the face ofpotential bborrowers.If people know that the courts are not responsible for an error in judgment, they will not be willing to lend money., bRava says:The ruling of bthe mishna here,that cases of monetary law require inquiry and interrogation, is stated bwith regard to laws of fines,not standard cases of monetary law. bAnd the othersources, i.e., the mishna in tractate iShevi’itand the ibaraita /i, which do not require inquiry and interrogation, are stated bwith regard tocases of badmissions and loans,in which there is cause to relax the procedures of deliberation, as explained., bRav Pappa says: This and that,i.e., both the mishna here and the other sources, are stated bwith regard tocases of ban admission and a loan.The distinction between them is that the mishna bhere,which rules that cases of monetary law require inquiry and interrogation, is stated bwith regard toa possibly bfraudulent trial,where the court suspects that one party is attempting to defraud the other party and have witnesses offer false testimony on his own behalf. bThere,in the ibaraitaand in the mishna in tractate iShevi’it /i, which do not require inquiry and interrogation, the ruling is stated bwith regard to a trial thatdoes bnotappear bfraudulent. /b,This distinction is bin accordance withthe statement bof Reish Lakish, as Reish Lakish raises a contradictionbetween two verses: It bis writtenin one verse: b“In justice shall you judge your neighbor”(Leviticus 19:15), bandit bis writtenin another verse: b“Justice, justice, shall you follow”(Deuteronomy 16:21), with the repetition indicating that it is not enough to merely judge with justice. He continues: bHowcan bthesetexts be reconciled? bHere,this latter verse is stated bwith regard toa possibly bfraudulent trial,where the court must take extra care to judge with justice; and bthere,that former verse is stated bwith regard to a trial thatdoes bnotappear bfraudulent. /b, bRav Ashi says:The ruling of bthe mishna here,that cases of monetary law require inquiry and interrogation, is bas we answered,i.e., in accordance with any one of the answers offered by the other iamora’im /i. And those bverseswere not stated with regard to fraudulent trials; rather, boneis stated bwith regard to judgment,in which the court must pursue justice extensively, band oneis stated bwith regard to compromise. /b, bAs it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: When the verse states: b“Justice, justice, shall you follow,” onemention of “justice” is stated bwith regard to judgment and oneis stated bwith regard to compromise. How so?Where there are btwo boats traveling on the river and they encounter each other, if both of themattempt to bpass, both of them sink,as the river is not wide enough for both to pass. If they pass bone after the other, both of them pass. And similarly,where there are btwo camels who were ascending the ascent of Beit Ḥoron,where there is a narrow steep path, band they encounter each other, if both of themattempt to bascend, both of them fall.If they ascend bone after the other, both of them ascend. /b, bHowdoes one decide which of them should go first? If there is one boat that is bladen andone boat bthat is not laden,the needs of the one bthat is not laden should be overridden due tothe needs of the one bthat is laden.If there is one boat that is bcloseto its destination bandone boat bthat is not closeto its destination, the needs of the one that is bclose should be overridden due tothe needs of the one bthat is not close.If bboth of them were closeto their destinations, or bboth of them were farfrom their destinations, bimpose a compromise between themto decide which goes first, bandthe owners of the boats bpay a fee to one other,i.e., the owners of the first boat compensate the owner of the boat that waits, for any loss incurred.,§ bThe Sages taught:The verse states: b“Justice, justice, shall you follow.”This teaches that one should bfollow the best,most prestigious, bcourtof the generation. For example, follow bafter Rabbi Eliezer to Lod, after Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai to Beror Ḥayil. /b,The Sages btaught:When the gentile authorities issued decrees outlawing observance of the mitzvot, members of Jewish communities devised clandestine ways of indicating observance of mitzvot to each other. For example: If one produces bthe sound of a millstone inthe city called bBurni,this is tantamount to announcing: bWeek of the son, week of the son,i.e., there will be a circumcision. If one displays the blight of a lamp inthe city called bBeror Ḥayil,this is tantamount to announcing: There is a wedding bfeast there,there is a wedding bfeast there. /b, bThe Sages taught:The verse states: b“Justice, justice, shall you follow.”This teaches that one should bfollow the Sages to the academywhere they are found. For example, follow bafter Rabbi Eliezer to Lod, after Rabban Yoḥa ben Zakkai to Beror Ḥayil, after Rabbi Yehoshua to Peki’in, after Rabban Gamliel to Yavne, after Rabbi Akiva to Bnei Brak, after Rabbi Matya to Rome [ iRomi /i], after Rabbi Ḥaya ben Teradyon to Sikhnei, after Rabbi Yosei to Tzippori, after Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira to Netzivin, after Rabbi Yehoshua to the exile [ igola /i],i.e., Babylonia, bafter RabbiYehuda HaNasi bto Beit She’arim,and bafter the Sagesin the time of the Temple bto the Chamber of Hewn Stone. /b,§ The mishna teaches that in cases of bmonetary law,the court bopensthe deliberations either with a claim to exempt the accused, or with a claim to find him liable. In cases of capital law, the court opens the deliberations with a claim to acquit the accused, but does not open the deliberations with a claim to find him liable. The Gemara asks: bHow do we saythis opening stage of the deliberations? In other words, with what claim does the court begin deliberating? bRav Yehuda said: We say this tothe witnesses: bWho saysthat the event occurred bas you said?Perhaps you erred?, bUlla said to him: Butby confronting the witnesses in this manner, bwe silence them.The witnesses will think that the court suspects them of lying, and they will not testify. Rav Yehuda said to him: bAnd let them be silenced. Isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta9:1): bRabbi Shimon ben Eliezer says:In cases of capital law, the court bbrings the witnesses fromone bplace toanother bplace in order to confuse them so that they will retracttheir testimony if they are lying.,The Gemara rejects this argument: bArethe ihalakhot bcomparable? There,where Rabbi Shimon ben Eliezer says to bring the witnesses from place to place, the witnesses bare repressed by themselves,whereas bhere, we repress them bydirect baction,and that the court should not do., bRather, Ulla says: We say thisto the accused: bDo you have witnesses to determinethat the witnesses who testified against you are bconspiring witnesses? Rabba said to him: But do we openthe deliberations bwitha claim to bacquitthe accused bthat isto bthe liability of thisone, i.e., the witnesses? This claim can lead to the witnesses incurring liability for their testimony.,The Gemara questions Rabba’s assumption: bBut isthis to bthe liability ofthe witnesses? bBut didn’t we learnin a mishna ( iMakkot5b): bConspiring witnesses are not killedfor their testimony buntil the verdictof the one concerning whom they testified bis issued?Therefore, if they will be shown to be conspiring witnesses at this early stage of the proceedings, they will not be liable.,The Gemara restates Rabba’s objection: bThisis what bI say: Ifthe accused bwould be silent until his verdict is issued andthen bbrings witnesses andthe court bdetermines themto be bconspiringwitnesses, it will be found that the statement of the court bisto bthe liability of thisone, i.e., the witnesses. bRather, Rabba says: We say tothe accused: bDo you have witnesses to contradict them?If the first witnesses are contradicted as to the facts of the case, no one is liable., bRav Kahana said:We say to the witnesses: bBased on your statements, so-and-so is acquitted.The court issues a ipro formadeclaration that it is possible to find a reason to acquit based on the testimony of the witnesses, and then they begin the deliberations. bAbaye and Rava both say: We say tothe accused: For example, bif you did not killanyone, bdo not fearthe consequences of these proceedings, as you will be acquitted. bRav Ashi says:The court announces: bWhoever knowsof a reason bto acquitthe accused bshould come and teachthis reason bconcerning him. /b,The Gemara comments: bIt is taughtin a ibaraita bin accordance withthe explanation bof Abaye and Rava. RabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays:The priest administering the isotarite to the isotasays to her: b“If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astrayto impurity while under your husband, you shall be free from this water of bitterness that causes the curse. But if you have gone astray while under your husband…” (Numbers 5:19–20). The priest first states the scenario in which the woman is innocent of adultery. |
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13. Anon., Letter of Aristeas, 3
| 3. It was my devotion to the pursuit of religious knowledge that led me to undertake the embassy to the man I have mentioned, who was held in the highest esteem by his own citizens and by others both for his virtue and his majesty and who had in his possession documents of the highest value to the Jews in his own country and in foreign lands for the interpretation of the divine law, for their |
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