1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 31 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
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2. Hebrew Bible, 1 Samuel, 7.6 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 7.6. וַיִּקָּבְצוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיִּשְׁאֲבוּ־מַיִם וַיִּשְׁפְּכוּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וַיָּצוּמוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁם חָטָאנוּ לַיהוָה וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּצְפָּה׃ | 7.6. And they gathered together to Miżpa, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Shemu᾽el judged the children of Yisra᾽el in Miżpa." |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Ezekiel, 11.16 (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 11.16. לָכֵן אֱמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה כִּי הִרְחַקְתִּים בַּגּוֹיִם וְכִי הֲפִיצוֹתִים בָּאֲרָצוֹת וָאֱהִי לָהֶם לְמִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט בָּאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ שָׁם׃ | 11.16. therefore say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they are come;" |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Nehemiah, 8.4 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
| 8.4. וַיַּעֲמֹד עֶזְרָא הַסֹּפֵר עַל־מִגְדַּל־עֵץ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לַדָּבָר וַיַּעֲמֹד אֶצְלוֹ מַתִּתְיָה וְשֶׁמַע וַעֲנָיָה וְאוּרִיָּה וְחִלְקִיָּה וּמַעֲשֵׂיָה עַל־יְמִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ פְּדָיָה וּמִישָׁאֵל וּמַלְכִּיָּה וְחָשֻׁם וְחַשְׁבַּדָּנָה זְכַרְיָה מְשֻׁלָּם׃ | 8.4. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Uriah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchijah, and Hashum, and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam." |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Zechariah, 14.17 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
| 14.17. וְהָיָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יַעֲלֶה מֵאֵת מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאָרֶץ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לְמֶלֶךְ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וְלֹא עֲלֵיהֶם יִהְיֶה הַגָּשֶׁם׃ | 14.17. And it shall be, that whoso of the families of the earth goeth not up unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, upon them there shall be no rain." |
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6. Philo of Alexandria, On The Migration of Abraham, 35, 34 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 34. I am not ashamed to relate what has happened to me myself, which I know from having experienced it ten thousand times. Sometimes, when I have desired to come to my usual employment of writing on the doctrines of philosophy, though I have known accurately what it was proper to set down, I have found my mind barren and unproductive, and have been completely unsuccessful in my object, being indigt at my mind for the uncertainty and vanity of its then existent opinions, and filled with amazement at the power of the living God, by whom the womb of the soul is at times opened and at times closed up; |
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7. Philo of Alexandria, On Dreams, 2.127 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 2.127. And would you still sit down in your synagogues, collecting your ordinary assemblies, and reading your sacred volumes in security, and explaining whatever is not quite clear, and devoting all your time and leisure with long discussions to the philosophy of your ancestors? |
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8. Philo of Alexandria, On The Special Laws, 3.1-3.6, 3.171 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 3.1. There was once a time when, devoting my leisure to philosophy and to the contemplation of the world and the things in it, I reaped the fruit of excellent, and desirable, and blessed intellectual feelings, being always living among the divine oracles and doctrines, on which I fed incessantly and insatiably, to my great delight, never entertaining any low or grovelling thoughts, nor ever wallowing in the pursuit of glory or wealth, or the delights of the body, but I appeared to be raised on high and borne aloft by a certain inspiration of the soul, and to dwell in the regions of the sun and moon, and to associate with the whole heaven, and the whole universal world. 3.2. At that time, therefore, looking down from above, from the air, and straining the eye of my mind as from a watch-tower, I surveyed the unspeakable contemplation of all the things on the earth, and looked upon myself as happy as having forcibly escaped from all the evil fates that can attack human life. 3.3. Nevertheless, the most grievous of all evils was lying in wait for me, namely, envy, that hates every thing that is good, and which, suddenly attacking me, did not cease from dragging me after it by force till it had taken me and thrown me into the vast sea of the cares of public politics, in which I was and still am tossed about without being able to keep myself swimming at the top. 3.4. But though I groan at my fate, I still hold out and resist, retaining in my soul that desire of instruction which has been implanted in it from my earliest youth, and this desire taking pity and compassion on me continually raises me up and alleviates my sorrow. And it is through this fondness for learning that I at times lift up my head, and with the eyes of my soul, which are indeed dim (for the mist of affairs, wholly inconsistent with their proper objects, has overshadowed their acute clear-sightedne 3.5. And if at any time unexpectedly there shall arise a brief period of tranquillity, and a short calm and respite from the troubles which arise from state affairs, I then rise aloft and float above the troubled waves, soaring as it were in the air, and being, I may almost say, blown forward by the breezes of knowledge, which often persuades me to flee away, and to pass all my days with her, escaping as it were from my pitiless masters, not men only, but also affairs which pour upon me from all quarters and at all times like a torrent. 3.6. But even in these circumstances I ought to give thanks to God, that though I am so overwhelmed by this flood, I am not wholly sunk and swallowed up in the depths. But I open the eyes of my soul, which from an utter despair of any good hope had been believed to have been before now wholly darkened, and I am irradiated with the light of wisdom, since I am not given up for the whole of my life to darkness. Behold, therefore, I venture not only to study the sacred commands of Moses, but also with an ardent love of knowledge to investigate each separate one of them, and to endeavour to reveal and to explain to those who wish to understand them, things concerning them which are not known to the multitude.II. 3.171. Therefore let no woman busy herself about those things which are beyond the province of oeconomy, but let her cultivate solitude, and not be seen to be going about like a woman who walks the streets in the sight of other men, except when it is necessary for her to go to the temple, if she has any proper regard for herself; and even then let her not go at noon when the market is full, but after the greater part of the people have returned home; like a well-born woman, a real and true citizen, performing her vows and her sacrifices in tranquillity, so as to avert evils and to receive blessings. |
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9. Philo of Alexandria, Hypothetica, 7.12 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 7.12. What then did he do on this sabbath day? he commanded all the people to assemble together in the same place, and sitting down with one another, to listen to the laws with order and reverence, in order that no one should be ignorant of anything that is contained in them; |
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10. Philo of Alexandria, Against Flaccus, 48, 43 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 43. what then did the governor of the country do? Knowing that the city had two classes of inhabitants, our own nation and the people of the country, and that the whole of Egypt was inhabited in the same manner, and that Jews who inhabited Alexandria and the rest of the country from the Catabathmos on the side of Libya to the boundaries of Ethiopia were not less than a million of men; and that the attempts which were being made were directed against the whole nation, and that it was a most mischievous thing to distress the ancient hereditary customs of the land; he, disregarding all these considerations, permitted the mob to proceed with the erection of the statues, though he might have given them a vast number of admonitory precepts instead of any such permission, either commanding them as their governor, or advising them as their friend. VII. |
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11. Philo of Alexandria, On The Embassy To Gaius, 133-135, 137-138, 311, 132 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 132. But as the governor of the country, who by himself could, if he had chosen to do so, have put down the violence of the multitude in a single hour, pretended not to see what he did see, and not to hear what he did hear, but allowed the mob to carry on the war against our people without any restraint, and threw our former state of tranquillity into confusion, the populace being excited still more, proceeded onwards to still more shameless and more audacious designs and treachery, and, arraying very numerous companies, cut down some of the synagogues (and there are a great many in every section of the city), and some they razed to the very foundations, and into some they threw fire and burnt them, in their insane madness and frenzy, without caring for the neighbouring houses; for there is nothing more rapid than fire, when it lays hold of fuel. |
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12. Philo of Alexandria, Allegorical Interpretation, 133 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
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13. Philo of Alexandria, That Every Good Person Is Free, 82, 81 (1st cent. BCE - missingth cent. CE)
| 81. Now these laws they are taught at other times, indeed, but most especially on the seventh day, for the seventh day is accounted sacred, on which they abstain from all other employments, and frequent the sacred places which are called synagogues, and there they sit according to their age in classes, the younger sitting under the elder, and listening with eager attention in becoming order. |
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14. Josephus Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, 12.388, 13.63, 13.65-13.67, 13.72, 18.149, 20.236 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 12.388. and when he found he was in great esteem with him, and with his wife Cleopatra, he desired and obtained a place in the Nomus of Heliopolis, wherein he built a temple like to that at Jerusalem; of which therefore we shall hereafter give an account, in a place more proper for it. 13.63. out of a desire to purchase to himself a memorial and eternal fame he resolved to send to king Ptolemy and queen Cleopatra, to ask leave of them that he might build a temple in Egypt like to that at Jerusalem, and might ordain Levites and priests out of their own stock. 13.65. “Having done many and great things for you in the affairs of the war, by the assistance of God, and that in Celesyria and Phoenicia, I came at length with the Jews to Leontopolis, and to other places of your nation 13.66. where I found that the greatest part of your people had temples in an improper manner, and that on this account they bare ill-will one against another, which happens to the Egyptians by reason of the multitude of their temples, and the difference of opinions about divine worship. Now I found a very fit place in a castle that hath its name from the country Diana; this place is full of materials of several sorts, and replenished with sacred animals; 13.67. I desire therefore that you will grant me leave to purge this holy place, which belongs to no master, and is fallen down, and to build there a temple to Almighty God, after the pattern of that in Jerusalem, and of the same dimensions, that may be for the benefit of thyself, and thy wife and children, that those Jews which dwell in Egypt may have a place whither they may come and meet together in mutual harmony one with another, and he subservient to thy advantages; 13.72. 3. So Onias took the place, and built a temple, and an altar to God, like indeed to that in Jerusalem, but smaller and poorer. I do not think it proper for me now to describe its dimensions or its vessels, which have been already described in my seventh book of the Wars of the Jews. 18.149. and desired her, as a kinswoman of his, to give him her help, and to engage her husband to do the same, since she saw how she alleviated these her husband’s troubles all she could, although she had not the like wealth to do it withal. So they sent for him, and allotted him Tiberias for his habitation, and appointed him some income of money for his maintece, and made him a magistrate of that city, by way of honor to him. 20.236. On which account Onias, who was the nephew of Onias that was dead, and bore the same name with his father, came into Egypt, and got into the friendship of Ptolemy Philometor, and Cleopatra his wife, and persuaded them to make him the high priest of that temple which he built to God in the prefecture of Heliopolis, and this in imitation of that at Jerusalem; |
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15. Josephus Flavius, Jewish War, 1.33, 2.228-2.231, 2.599, 2.615, 2.641, 7.47, 7.427 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 1.33. But Onias, the high priest, fled to Ptolemy, and received a place from him in the Nomus of Heliopolis, where he built a city resembling Jerusalem, and a temple that was like its temple, concerning which we shall speak more in its proper place hereafter. 1.33. He also made an immediate and continual attack upon the fortress. Yet was he forced, by a most terrible storm, to pitch his camp in the neighboring villages before he could take it. But when, after a few days’ time, the second legion, that came from Antony, joined themselves to him, the enemy were affrighted at his power, and left their fortifications in the nighttime. 2.228. 2. Now there followed after this another calamity, which arose from a tumult made by robbers; for at the public road of Bethhoron, one Stephen, a servant of Caesar, carried some furniture, which the robbers fell upon and seized. 2.229. Upon this Cumanus sent men to go round about to the neighboring villages, and to bring their inhabitants to him bound, as laying it to their charge that they had not pursued after the thieves, and caught them. Now here it was that a certain soldier, finding the sacred book of the law, tore it to pieces, and threw it into the fire. 2.231. Accordingly, he, perceiving that the multitude would not be quiet unless they had a comfortable answer from him, gave order that the soldier should be brought, and drawn through those that required to have him punished, to execution, which being done, the Jews went their ways. 2.599. which multitude was crowded together in the hippodrome at Taricheae, and made a very peevish clamor against him; while some cried out, that they should depose the traitor; and others, that they should burn him. Now John irritated a great many, as did also one Jesus, the son of Sapphias, who was then governor of Tiberias. 2.615. Hereupon Josephus, who hitherto suspected nothing of John’s plots against him, wrote to the governors of the city, that they would provide a lodging and necessaries for John; which favors, when he had made use of, in two days’ time he did what he came about; some he corrupted with delusive frauds, and others with money, and so persuaded them to revolt from Josephus. 2.641. He then gave order to the masters of those vessels which he had thus filled to sail away immediately for Taricheae, and to confine those men in the prison there; till at length he took all their senate, consisting of six hundred persons, and about two thousand of the populace, and carried them away to Taricheae. 7.47. and all men had taken up a great hatred against the Jews, then it was that a certain person, whose name was Antiochus, being one of the Jewish nation, and greatly respected on account of his father, who was governor of the Jews at Antioch came upon the theater at a time when the people of Antioch were assembled together, and became an informer against his father, and accused both him and others that they had resolved to burn the whole city in one night;; he also delivered up to them some Jews that were foreigners, as partners in their resolutions. 7.427. where Onias built a fortress and a temple, not like to that at Jerusalem, but such as resembled a tower. He built it of large stones to the height of sixty cubits; |
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16. Josephus Flavius, Life, 271, 278, 294, 296, 331, 69, 134 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
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17. Mishnah, Bikkurim, 3.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 3.2. How were the bikkurim taken up [to Jerusalem]? All [the inhabitants of] the cities of the maamad would assemble in the city of the maamad, and they would spend the night in the open street and they would not entering any of the houses. Early in the morning the officer would say: “Let us arise and go up to Zion, into the house of the Lord our God” (Jeremiah 31:5)." |
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18. Mishnah, Megillah, 3.1, 4.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 3.1. Townspeople who sold the town square, they may buy with the proceeds a synagogue. [If they sold] a synagogue, they may buy with the proceeds an ark. [If they sold] an ark they may buy covers [for scrolls]. [If they sold] covers, they may buy scrolls [of the Tanakh]. [If they sold] scrolls they may buy a Torah. But if they sold a Torah they may not buy with the proceeds scrolls [of the Tanakh]. If [they sold] scrolls they may not buy covers. If [they sold] covers they may not buy an ark. If [they sold] an ark they may not buy a synagogue. If [they sold] a synagogue they may not buy a town square. The same applies to any money left over. They may not sell [something] belonging to a community because this lowers its sanctity, the words of Rabbi Meir. They said to him: if so, it should not be allowed to sell from a larger town to a smaller one." 4.2. On Rosh Hodesh and on the intermediate days of festivals four read. They do not add [to this number] nor decrease [from it], nor do they conclude with [a haftarah] from the Prophets. The one who begins the Torah reading and the one who concludes the Torah reading blesses before it and after it. This is the general rule: on any day which has a musaf and is not a festival four read. On a festival five. On Yom Hakippurim six. On Shabbat seven; they may not decrease [from this number] but they may add [to it], and they conclude with [a haftarah] from the Prophets. The one who begins the Torah reading and the one who concludes the Torah reading blesses before it and after it." |
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19. Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah, 1.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.2. At four set times the world is judged:On Pesah in respect to the produce. On Shavuot in respect to the fruit of the tree. On Rosh Hashanah all the people of the world pass before Him like a division of soldier [a numerus], as it says, “He who fashions the hearts of them all, who discerns all their doings” (Psalms 33:15). And on Sukkot they are judged in respect of rain." |
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20. Mishnah, Sotah, 7.6-7.8 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 7.6. How was the priestly blessing [pronounced]?In the province (outside of the Temple) it was said as three blessings, but in the Temple as one blessing. In the Temple the name was uttered as it is written, but in the province in its substituted name. In the province the priests raise their hands at the height of their shoulders, but in the Temple above their heads, except the high priest who does not raise his hands higher than the frontlet (on his forehead). Rabbi Judah says: even the high priest raises his hands higher than the frontlet, as it says, “And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them” (Leviticus 9:22)." 7.7. How were the benedictions of the high priest [performed]?The hazzan of the synagogue takes the Torah scroll and gives it to the president of the synagogue; the vice-president of the synagogue gives it to the high priest, and the high priest stands, receives [the scroll] and reads [the following portions]: “After the death” (Leviticus 16:1-34), and “But on the tenth day” (Leviticus 23:26-32). Then he rolls the Torah (scroll), places it in his bosom and exclaims, “More than I have read before you is written here!” [The portion], “On the tenth day” (Numbers 29:7-11), which is in the book of Numbers, he reads by heart. And he blesses upon it eight benedictions: “For the Torah”, “For the Temple service”, “For thanksgiving”, “For the pardon of sin”, “For the Temple”, “For Israel”, “For the priests”, viii) and the rest of the prayer." 7.8. How was the procedure in connection with the portion read by the king?At the conclusion of the first day of the festival (Sukkot) in the eighth [year], at the end of the seventh year, they erect a wooden platform in the Temple court, and he sits upon it, as it is said, “At the end of seven years, in the set time” etc (Deuteronomy 31:10). The synagogue attendant takes a Torah scroll and hands it to the head of the synagogue, the head of the synagogue hands it to the deputy and he hands it to the high priest, and the high priest hands it to the king and the king stands and receives it, but reads it while sitting. King Agrippa stood and received it and read standing, and the sages praised him. When he reached, “You shall not place a foreigner over you” (ibid 17:15) his eyes ran with tears. They said to him, “Fear not, Agrippas, you are our brother, you are our brother!” [The king] reads from the beginning of “These are the words” (ibid 1:1) until the Shema ((ibid 6:4-9), and the Shema, and “It will come to pass if you hear” (ibid 11:13-21 the second part of the Shema), and “You shall surely tithe” (ibid 14:22-29), and “When you have finished tithing” (ibid 26:12-15) and the portion of the king (ibid 17:14-20) and the blessings and curses (ibid, until he finishes all the section. The blessings that the high priest recites, the king recites, except that he substitutes one for the festivals instead of one for the pardon of sin." |
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21. Mishnah, Sukkah, 4.4-4.5, 4.9-4.10, 5.1, 5.4 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 4.4. The mitzvah of the lulav how was it carried out? If the first day of the festival fell on Shabbat, they brought their lulavim to the Temple Mount, and the attendants would receive them and arrange them on top of the portico, and the elders laid theirs in the chamber. And they would teach the people to say, “Whoever gets my lulav in his hand, let it be his as a gift.” The next day they got up early, and came [to the Temple Mount] and the attendants threw down [their lulavim] before them, and they snatched at them, and so they used to come to blows with one another. When the court saw that they reached a state of danger, they instituted that each man should take [his lulav] in his own home." 4.5. The mitzvah of the aravah how was it [performed]?There was a place below Jerusalem called Moza. They went down there and gathered tall branches of aravot and then they came and stood them up at the sides of the altar, and their tops were bent over the altar. They then sounded a teki’ah [long blast], a teru’ah [staccato blast] and again a teki’ah. Every day they went round the altar once, saying, “O Lord, save us, O Lord, make us prosper” (Psalms 118:. Rabbi Judah says: “Ani vaho, save us.” On that day they went round the altar seven times. When they departed, what did they say? “O altar, beauty is to you! O altar, beauty is to you!” Rabbi Eliezer said: [they would say,] “To the Lord and to you, O altar, to the Lord and to you, O altar.”" 4.9. How was the water libation [performed]? A golden flask holding three logs was filled from the Shiloah. When they arrived at the water gate, they sounded a teki'ah [long blast], a teru'ah [a staccato note] and again a teki'ah. [The priest then] went up the ascent [of the altar] and turned to his left where there were two silver bowls. Rabbi Judah says: they were of plaster [but they looked silver] because their surfaces were darkened from the wine. They had each a hole like a slender snout, one being wide and the other narrow so that both emptied at the same time. The one on the west was for water and the one on the east for wine. If he poured the flask of water into the bowl for wine, or that of wine into that for water, he has fulfilled his obligation. Rabbi Judah says: with one log he performed the ceremony of the water-libation all eight days. To [the priest] who performed the libation they used to say, “Raise your hand”, for one time, a certain man poured out the water over his feet, and all the people pelted him with their etrogs." 4.10. As it was performed on weekdays, so was it was performed on Shabbat, save that on the eve of Shabbat he would fill a non-sanctified golden barrel from the Shiloah, and place it in the chamber. If it was poured away or uncovered, he would refill it from the laver, for wine or water which has become uncovered is invalid for the altar." 5.1. The flute was for five or six days. This refers to the flute at the Bet Hashoevah [the place of the water-drawing] which does not override Shabbat or the festival day. They said: he who has not seen the Simchat Bet Hashoevah has never seen rejoicing in his life." 5.4. Men of piety and good deeds used to dance before them with lighted torches in their hands, and they would sing songs and praises. And Levites with innumerable harps, lyres, cymbals and trumpets and other musical instruments stood upon the fifteen steps leading down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, corresponding to the fifteen songs of ascents in the Psalms, and it was on these [steps] that the Levites stood with their musical instruments and sang their songs. Two priests stood by the upper gate which leads down from the Court of the Israelites to the Court of the Women, with two trumpets in their hands. When the cock crowed they sounded a teki'ah [drawn-out blast], a teru'ah [staccato note] and again a teki'ah. When they reached the tenth step they sounded a teki'ah, a teru'ah and again a teki'ah. When they reached the Court [of the Women] they sounded a teki'ah, a teru'ah and again a teki'ah. They would sound their trumpets and proceed until they reached the gate which leads out to the east. When they reached the gate which leads out to the east, they turned their faces from east to west and said, “Our fathers who were in this place ‘their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east’, but as for us, our eyes are turned to the Lord.” Rabbi Judah said: they used to repeat [the last words] and say “We are the Lord’s and our eyes are turned to the Lord.”" |
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22. Mishnah, Tamid, 5.1, 5.3, 7.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.1. The superintendent said to them: Bless one blessing! And they blessed. They then read the Ten Commandments, the Shema, the “And it will be if you hearken” (the second paragraph of Shema) and Vayomer (the third paragraph of Shema), and they blessed the people with three blessings: Emet veYatziv, and Avodah, and the priestly benediction. On Shabbat they added a blessing to be said by the watch which was leaving." 5.3. He then handed them over to the attendants, who stripped them of their garments, and they would leave on them only the pants. There were windows there on which was inscribed the name of the garment to which each was assigned." 7.2. They went and stood on the steps of the Sanctuary. The first ones stood at the south side of their fellow priests with five vessels in their hands: one held the teni, the second the kuz, the third the firepan, the fourth the dish, and the fifth the spoon and its covering. They blessed the people with a single blessing, except in the country they recited it as three blessings, in the Temple as one. In the Temple they pronounced the divine name as it is written, but in the country by its substitute. In the country the priests raised their hands as high as their shoulders, but in the Temple above their heads, except the high priest, who did not raise his hands above the diadem. Rabbi Judah says: the high priest also raised his hands above the diadem, since it says, “And Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them” (Leviticus 9:22)." |
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23. Mishnah, Yoma, 7.1 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 7.1. The high priest [then] came to read. If he wished to read in linen garments, he reads, and if not he reads in his own white cloak. The synagogue attendant would take a Torah scroll and give it to the head of the synagogue, and the head of the synagogue gives it to deputy high priest, and the deputy high priest gives it to the high priest, and the high priest stands and receives it, and reads, [section] beginning] “After the death …” (Leviticus 16:1-34) and “But on the tenth…” (Leviticus 23:26-32). Then he would roll up the Torah scroll and put it in his bosom and say, “More than what I have read out before you is written here.” And “On the tenth …” (Numbers 29:7-11) which is in the Book of Numbers he recites by heart. And he recites on it eight benedictions: “For the law”, “For the Temple service,” “For thanksgiving,” “For the forgiveness of sins” and “For the Temple” on its own, and “For Israel” on its own and “For Jerusalem” on its own, “For the priests” on their own and “For the rest of the prayer.”" |
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24. Mishnah, Zevahim, 6.2 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 6.2. The hatat of a bird was sacrificed by the southwest horn [of the altar]. It is valid [if done] in any place, but this was its [particular] place. That horn served for three things below, and three things above: Below: for the hatat of the bird, For the presenting [of meal-offerings]. And for the residue of the blood. Above: for the pouring out of wine and water, and for the olah of a bird when there was too much on the east." |
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25. New Testament, Acts, 3.1, 13.14-13.15, 15.21, 19.29 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 3.1. Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 13.14. But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. 13.15. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak. 15.21. For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath. 19.29. The whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel. |
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26. New Testament, John, 7.38 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 7.38. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water. |
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27. New Testament, Luke, 4.16-4.22 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 4.16. He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 4.17. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written 4.18. The Spirit of the Lord is on me, Because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to the captives, Recovering of sight to the blind, To deliver those who are crushed 4.19. And to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 4.20. He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 4.21. He began to tell them, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 4.22. All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son? |
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28. New Testament, Matthew, 6.5, 23.1-23.6 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 6.5. When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 23.1. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples 23.2. saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses' seat. 23.3. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don't do their works; for they say, and don't do. 23.4. For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 23.5. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments 23.6. and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues |
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29. Suetonius, Tiberius, 32.2 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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30. Tosefta, Ketuvot, 4.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 4.9. Hillel the Elder would explain lay-language [of contracts as if it were the biblical text]. When the people of Alexandria would betroth wives, another would come and seize her from the street. The matter came to the Sages. They sought to make their children bastards [since the betrothal was valid, so when they are married to others in the meantime their children will be illegitimate]. Hillel the Elder said to them: \"Bring to me the ketubah of your mothers.\" They brought them for him, and it was written in it \"When you enter my house, you will be my wife according to the law of Moshe and Yisrael\" [in other words, based on a fine reading of the ketubah text, the betrothal only takes full effect when she enters his house, which means that the other husband was not illegitimate and her children aren't bastards]." |
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31. Tosefta, Megillah, 3.21 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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32. Tosefta, Peah, 4.6 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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33. Tosefta, Shabbat, 2.3 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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34. Tosefta, Sukkah, 3.1, 3.3, 3.8, 3.11-3.12, 3.14-3.16, 3.18, 4.1-4.5, 4.7-4.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
| 3.1. The lulav suspends the Sabbath in the beginning of its duty, and the willow in the end of its duty. There is a story that some Boethusians once hid the willows under some great stones on the Sabbath eve; but when this had become known to the common people they came and dragged them out from under the stones on the Sabbath, for the Boethusians do not acknowledge that the beating of the willow suspends the Sabbath." 3.3. Why is the name \"Water Gate\"? It is so called because through it they take the flask of water used for the libation at the Feast. R. Eliezer b. Jacob says of it, \"The waters are dripping, intimating that water oozing out and rising, as if from this flask, will in future days come forth from under the threshold of the Temple, and so it says, ‘When the man went forth eastward with the line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles, intimating that a man can pass through waters up to his ankles ; and again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees, intimating that a man can pass through waters up to his knees.’”Another interpretation of waters that were to the knees, \"intimating that after they have been blessed, they flow out. Again, he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the loins, intimating that a man can pass through waters up to his loins. Afterwards he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through. Though one cannot cross it on foot, yet one may be able to do so by swimming; though one cannot cross it in a small boat, as we learn from the Scripture, For the waters were risen, waters to swim in they were risen too high for swimming. Though one cannot cross it in a small boat, yet one may be able to do so in a large boat, as we learn from the Scripture, There shall not go thereon any rowing ship. Though one cannot cross it in a large boat, yet one may be able to do so in a fast sailing vessel, as we learn from the Scripture, And gallant ship shall not pass over it. 2 And so it is said, And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea ; in summer and in winter shall it be. It may be other fountains will be mixed with them, as we learn from the Scripture, In that day shall there be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Whither do the waters go ? To the Mediterranean, and to the sea of Tiberias, and to the Dead Sea, that their waters may be healed, as it is said : And he said to me, These waters issue forth towards the eastern region that is the Dead Sea ; and shall go down into the Arabah that is the Sea of Tiberias ; and they shall go towards the other sea that is the Mediterranean Sea ; and the waters shall be healed ; and it shall come to pass that every living creature that swarms, in every place whither the river comes, shall live ; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters are come hither, that all things may be healed and live, whithersoever the river cometh. And it also says : And it shall come to pass that fishers shall stand by it ; from Engedi even unto Englaim shall be a place for the spreading of nets ; their fish shall be after their kinds, as the fish of the Great Sea, exceeding many. And it also says : But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof, shall not be healed ; they shall be given for salt. And also : By the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow every tree for meat, whose leaf shall not wither, neither shall the fruit thereof fail ; it shall bring forth first-fruits every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary ; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for healing intimating that all \"the waters of creation\" will come forth as from the mouth of this flask. So the well, which was with Israel in the wilderness, was like a rock of the size of a k'bara, 6 and was oozing out and rising as from the mouth of this flask, travelling with them up the mountains and going down with them to the valleys. Wherever Israel encamped it encamped opposite them before the door of the Tabernacle. The princes of Israel with their slaves surrounded it, and said over it this song, Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it. Then the waters bubbled forth, and rose on high like a pillar; and every one drew out the staff of his tribe and family, as it is said, The well which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the sceptre and with their staves. And from Mattanah to Nahaliel ; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth ; and from Bamoth to the valley, etc. going round every camp of the Lord, and watering all Jeshimon ; and it made mighty streams, as it is said, And streams overflowed. 3 And they were sitting in skiffs, going from place to place, as it is written, They ran in the dry places like a river. If Israel went up on the right, it would come down on the right ; if on the left, it would come down on the left. The waters which emptied themselves from it became a great river, pouring themselves into the Mediterranean, and bringing thence all the precious things of the world, as it is said, These forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee ; thou hast lacked nothing." 4.1. Formerly when they were beholding the joy at the ceremony of the water drawing, the men were beholding it from within the Temple precincts and the women from without. But when the supreme court saw that they behaved in a frivolous manner they erected three balconies in the court, facing the three sides, that from them the women might behold the rejoicing at the ceremony. So when they were beholding the rejoicing at the ceremony the sexes were not mixed up together." 4.2. Saints and pious men were dancing before them with torches, and saying words of praise. What were they saying? Happy is he who has not sinned, and whoever has sinned shall be forgiven. Some of them were saying, Happy am I whose youth has not shamed my old age, this was said by the pious men. And others of them were saying, Happy am I whose old age can atone for my youth, this was said by the penitents.Hillel the Elder used to say : To the place which my heart loves, there my feet lead me. If you come to my house (says God), I will go to there. If you do not come to My house, then I will not go to there. For it is said, “In every place where I record My name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.”" 4.3. There is a story of Rabbi Shim’on ben Gamliel: he was dancing with eight lighted torches, and as he did so none of them fell to the ground. And when he prostrated himself he put his finger on the pavement, bending himself and kissing it, and then stood upright again. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Haiah said: All the days of the rejoicing at the water-drawing our eyes had no sleep, for we rose early in the morning for the morning sacrifice. We went to the synagogue, then to the college, then to do additional prayers, then to eat and drink, then to afternoon prayer, then to the evening sacrifice, then to the rejoicing of the water-drawing." 4.4. Rabbi Yehudah said: Whoever has not seen the basilica-synagogue of Alexandria has never seen the great glory of Israel. It is something like a large colonnade, with porches within porches, and accommodating sometimes double the number of those that followed Moses from Egypt. There were seventy-one golden chairs there, corresponding to the seventy-one elders, and each of the chairs was worth twenty-five myriad talents of gold. In the center was a wooden dais, and the sexton stood upon it with a scarf (as a flag) in his hand. At the close of each benediction he waved the scarf, and all the people answered “Amen”. The people were not seated together, but the goldsmiths were by themselves, the blacksmiths by themselves, the embroiderers by themselves, so that when a poor man came in he joined his fellow tradesmen, and in this way was enabled to obtain a means of livelihood." 4.5. And the Levites with their harps and lyres and cymbals and all manner of musical instruments without number were there, saying, “Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord.” Some were saying, Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, and bless ye the Lord. When they parted they said to one another, The Lord bless thee out of Zion, and see thou the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. You should see your children's children. The herald cried out: they sounded a plain note, a tremolo, and a plain note. Rabbi Yehudah said: They did not sound less than seven nor more than thirteen times at the opening of the Temple gates. He who blew at their opening did not do so at their closing. Three times they sounded before the altar. He who blew before the altar did not do so on the tenth step, and he who blew on the tenth step did not do so before the altar." 4.7. Why did they blow three blasts? To make the distinction between the holy and the mundane day. The sexton took the trumpets, and went to the top of the highest roof in the city. When he sounded, those who were removing broth from a pot, or were keeping warm a boiler, or were lighting a lamp, ceased to do so, even if the boiler were in one's hand he did not keep it warm, but put it on the ground, even if the lamp were in one's hand, he did not put it on the lamp-stand, but lay it on the ground. The sexton lay the trumpets on the top of the roof, came down, and went away. Rabbi Yose said, “He who wishes to light his lamp after six soundings may do so.” The (sages) said to him, “Your rule would vary according to circumstances, but there was a place on the top of the roof where the sexton lay the trumpets.”" 4.8. Should the first day fall on the eve of Sabbath they sound a plain note, but do not sound a tremolo. How do they sound? With a single plain, and not a tremulous, note. “The flute-playing supersedes the Sabbath” - the words of Rabbi Yose ben Rabbi Yehudah. But the sages say, “It does not supersede even the festival itself.”" 4.9. All the divisions on duty were treated alike and divided into three lots for the bullocks, except two who were treated alike but not divided into three lots. Rabbi Eleazar ben Parata and Rabbi Eleazar ben Yacov said, “There was no balloting for the fat of the goat, but whoever offered the limbs offered also the fat.” Rabbi Haninah ben Antigonus said, “There was no balloting except for the leaders of the guards. The rest of all the guards took turns all round.” Abba Yose ben Hanin said, “There was balloting on the first day of the festival only, and all the remaining days they were taking turns all round.” How was the ballot conducted? They gathered at the cell of Gazith, where they stood closely together like a cochlear. An officer came and took the turban of one of them, for they knew that from him the lot began. Individuals among them drew out two, but did not count them more than one." |
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35. Anon., Sifre Numbers, 140 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
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36. Palestinian Talmud, Sukkah, None (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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37. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 26b. למישתא ביה שיכרא שפיר דמי,רבינא הוה ליה ההוא תילא דבי כנישתא אתא לקמיה דרב אשי אמר ליה מהו למיזרעה אמר ליה זיל זבניה משבעה טובי העיר במעמד אנשי העיר וזרעה,רמי בר אבא הוה קא בני בי כנישתא הוה ההיא כנישתא עתיקא הוה בעי למיסתריה ולאתויי ליבני וכשורי מינה ועיולי להתם יתיב וקא מיבעיא ליה הא דרב חסדא דאמר רב חסדא לא ליסתור בי כנישתא עד דבני בי כנישתא אחריתי התם משום פשיעותא כי האי גוונא מאי אתא לקמיה דרב פפא ואסר ליה לקמיה דרב הונא ואסר ליה,אמר רבא האי בי כנישתא חלופה וזבונה שרי אוגורה ומשכונה אסור מאי טעמא בקדושתה קאי,ליבני נמי חלופינהו וזבונינהו שרי אוזופינהו אסור הני מילי בעתיקתא אבל בחדתא לית לן בה,ואפילו למאן דאמר הזמנה מילתא היא ה"מ כגון האורג בגד למת אבל הכא כטווי לאריג דמי וליכא למאן דאמר,מתנה פליגי בה רב אחא ורבינא חד אסר וחד שרי מאן דאסר בהאי תפקע קדושתה ומאן דשרי אי לאו דהוה ליה הנאה מיניה לא הוה יהיב ליה הדר הוה ליה מתנה כזביני,ת"ר תשמישי מצוה נזרקין תשמישי קדושה נגנזין ואלו הן תשמישי מצוה סוכה לולב שופר ציצית ואלו הן תשמישי קדושה דלוסקמי ספרים תפילין ומזוזות ותיק של ס"ת ונרתיק של תפילין ורצועותיהן,אמר רבא מריש הוה אמינא האי כורסיא תשמיש דתשמיש הוא ושרי כיון דחזינא דמותבי עלויה ס"ת אמינא תשמיש קדושה הוא ואסור,ואמר רבא מריש הוה אמינא האי פריסא תשמיש דתשמיש הוא כיון דחזינא דעייפי ליה ומנחי סיפרא עלויה אמינא תשמיש קדושה הוא ואסור,ואמר רבא האי תיבותא דאירפט מיעבדה תיבה זוטרתי שרי כורסייא אסיר ואמר רבא האי פריסא דבלה למיעבדיה פריסא לספרי שרי לחומשין אסיר,ואמר רבא הני זבילי דחומשי וקמטרי דספרי תשמיש קדושה נינהו ונגנזין פשיטא מהו דתימא הני לאו לכבוד עבידן לנטורי בעלמא עבידי קמ"ל,ההוא בי כנישתא דיהודאי רומאי דהוה פתיח לההוא אידרונא דהוה מחית ביה מת והוו בעו כהני למיעל לצלויי התם אתו אמרו ליה לרבא אמר להו דלו תיבותא אותבוה דהוה ליה כלי עץ העשוי לנחת וכלי עץ העשוי לנחת אינו מקבל טומאה וחוצץ בפני הטומאה,אמרו ליה רבנן לרבא והא זמנין דמטלטלי ליה כי מנח ספר תורה עלויה והוה ליה מיטלטלא מלא וריקם אי הכי לא אפשר,אמר מר זוטרא מטפחות ספרים שבלו עושין אותן תכריכין למת מצוה וזו היא גניזתן,ואמר רבא ספר תורה שבלה גונזין אותו אצל תלמיד חכם ואפילו שונה הלכות אמר רב אחא בר יעקב ובכלי חרס שנאמר (ירמיהו לב, יד) ונתתם בכלי חרש למען יעמדו ימים רבים,(ואמר) רב פפי משמיה דר' מבי כנישתא לבי רבנן שרי מבי רבנן לבי כנישתא אסיר ורב פפא משמיה דרבא מתני איפכא אמר רב אחא | 26b. bto drink beer withthe proceeds bseems welland is permitted. The seven representatives have the authority to annul the sanctity of the synagogue, and therefore the proceeds of its sale do not retain any sanctity.,The Gemara relates: bRavina had a certainpiece of land on which stood ba moundof the ruins bof a synagogue. He came before Rav Ashiand bsaid to him: What isthe ihalakhawith regard bto sowingthe land? bHe said to him: Go, purchase it from the seven representatives of the town in an assembly of the residents of the town, andthen you may bsow it. /b, bRami bar Abba wasonce bbuilding a synagogue. There was a certain old synagoguethat bhe wished to demolish, and bring bricks and beams from it, and bring them to there,to construct a new synagogue. bHe sat and considered that which Rav Ḥisdasaid, bas Rav Ḥisda said: One should not demolish a synagogue until one has built another synagogue.Rami bar Abba reasoned that Rav Ḥisda’s ruling bthereis bdue toa concern of bnegligence,as perhaps after the first synagogue is demolished, people will be negligent and a new one will never be built. However, in ba case like this,where the new synagogue is to be built directly from the materials of the old one, bwhatis the ihalakha /i? bHe came before Rav Pappato ask his opinion, band he prohibited himfrom doing so. bHethen came bbefore Rav Huna, and healso bprohibited himfrom doing so., bRava said:With regard to bthis synagogue, exchanging itfor a different building bor selling itfor money bis permitted,but brenting itout bor mortgaging it is prohibited. What is the reasonfor this? When a synagogue is rented out or mortgaged, it bremains in its sacred state.Therefore, it is prohibited to rent it out or mortgage it, because it will then be used for a non-sacred purpose. However, if it is exchanged or sold, its sanctity is transferred to the other building or to the proceeds of the sale, and therefore the old synagogue building may be used for any purpose.,The same ihalakhais balsotrue of the bbricksof a synagogue; bexchanging them or selling them is permitted,but brenting them out is prohibited.The Gemara comments: bThis applies to oldbricks that have already been part of a synagogue, bbut as for newbricks that have only been designated to be used in a synagogue, bwe have noproblem bwith itif they are rented out for a non-sacred purpose., bAnd even according to the one who saidthat mere bdesignation is significant,i.e., although a certain object was not yet used for the designated purpose, the halakhic ramifications of using it for that purpose already take hold, bthis appliesonly in a case where it was created from the outset for that purpose, bfor example, one who weaves a garmentto be used as shrouds bfor a corpse. However, herethe bricks are bcomparable toalready bspunthread that was then designated to be used bto weaveburial shrouds. Concerning such designation, where nothing was specifically created for the designated purpose, bthere is no one who saidthat the designation is significant., bRav Aḥa and Ravina disagree aboutwhether it is permitted to give away a synagogue as ba giftto then be used for a non-sacred purpose. bOneof them bprohibitedit, bandthe other bone permittedit. bThe one who prohibitsit says: Is it possible that bwith thisact of giving alone bits sanctity is removed?This cannot be the case. Since the synagogue was not exchanged for anything else, there is nothing to which the sanctity may be transferred. Consequently, the synagogue remains sacred. bAnd the one who permittedit does so because he reasons that bifthe donor bdid notreceive any bbenefit fromgiving the synagogue, bhe would not have given it.Therefore, bthe gift has reverted to being like a sale,and the sanctity is transferred to the benefit received.,§ bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bArticlesused in the performance bof a mitzva may be thrown outafter use. Although these items were used in the performance of a mitzva, they are not thereby sanctified. However, barticlesassociated with the bsanctityof God’s name, i.e. articles on which God’s name is written, and articles that serve an article that has God’s name written on it, even after they are no longer used, bmust be interredin a respectful manner. bAnd theseitems bareconsidered barticles of a mitzva: A isukka /i; a ilulav /i; a ishofar /i;and britual fringes. And theseitems bareconsidered barticles of sanctity: Casesof bscrolls,i.e. of Torah scrolls; bphylacteries; and imezuzot /i; and a container for a Torah scroll; and a cover for phylacteries; and their straps. /b, bRava said: Initially, I used to saythat bthis lecternin the synagogue upon which the Torah is read bisonly ban article of an articleof sanctity, as the Torah scroll does not rest directly upon the lectern but rather upon the cloth that covers it. bAndthe ihalakhais that once an article of an article of sanctity is no longer used, bit is permittedto throw it out. However, bonce I saw that the Torah scroll issometimes bplaceddirectly buponthe lectern without an intervening cloth. bI saidthat bit is an articleused directly for items bof sanctity, andas such bit is prohibitedto simply discard it after use., bAnd Ravasimilarly bsaid: Initially, I used to saythat bthis curtain,which is placed at the opening to the ark as a decoration, bisonly ban article of an articleof sanctity, as it serves to beautify the ark but is not directly used for the Torah scroll. However, bonce I saw thatsometimes the curtain bis folded over and a Torah scroll is placed upon it. I saidthat bit is an articleused directly for items bof sanctity andas such bit is prohibitedto simply discard it after use., bAnd Ravafurther bsaid:With regard to bthis ark that has fallen apart, constructing a smaller arkfrom its materials bis permitted,as both have the same level of sanctity, but to use the materials to construct ba lectern is prohibitedbecause the lectern has a lesser degree of sanctity. bAnd Ravasimilarly bsaid:With regard to bthis curtainused to decorate an ark bthat has become worn out, to fashion itinto ba wrapping cloth forTorah bscrolls is permitted,but to fashion it into a wrapping cloth bfora scroll of bone of the fivebooks of the Torah bis prohibited. /b, bAnd Ravaalso bsaid:With regard to bthese cases forstoring scrolls of bone of the fivebooks of the Torah band sacks forstoring Torah bscrolls, they areclassified as barticles of sanctity.Therefore, bthey are to be interredwhen they are no longer in use. The Gemara asks: bIsn’tthat bobvious?The Gemara answers: bLest you saythat since btheseitems bare not made for the honorof the scrolls but rather bare made merely toprovide bprotection,they should not be classified as articles of sanctity, Rava therefore bteaches usthat although they are indeed made to protect the scrolls, they also provide honor and are therefore to be classified as articles of sanctity.,The Gemara relates: There was ba certain synagogue of the Jews of Rome that opened out into a room in which a corpse was lying,thereby spreading the ritual impurity of the corpse throughout the synagogue. bAnd the priests wished to enterthe synagogue bin order to pray there.However, it was prohibited for them to do so because a priest may not come in contact with ritual impurity of a corpse. bThey came and spoke to Rava,about what to do. bHe said to them: Lift up the ark and put it downin the opening between the two rooms, bas it is a wooden utensil that is designated to restin one place and not be moved from there, bandthe ihalakhais that ba wooden utensil that is designated to rest is not susceptible to ritual impurity, andtherefore it bserves as a barrier toprevent britual impurityfrom spreading., bThe Rabbis said to Rava: But isn’tthe ark bsometimes moved when a Torah scroll isstill bresting inside it, andtherefore bit isa utensil that bis movedboth bwhen it is full and when it is empty;such a utensil is susceptible to ritual impurity and cannot prevent ritual impurity from spreading. He said to them: bIf so,if it is as you claim, then bit is not possibleto remedy the situation., bMar Zutra said:With regard to bwrapping cloths ofTorah bscrolls that have become worn out, they may be made into shrouds for a corpse with no one to bury it [ imet mitzva /i], and this is theirmost appropriate manner for being binterred. /b, bAnd Rava said: A Torah scroll that became worn out is interredand buried bnext to a Torah scholar, andin this regard, a Torah scholar is defined bevenas bone whoonly bstudies the ihalakhot /iin the Mishna and the ibaraitotbut is not proficient in their analysis. bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: Andwhen it is buried, it is first placed bin an earthenware vessel, as it is stated: “And put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for many days”(Jeremiah 32:14).,§ bAnd Rav Pappi said in the name of Rava:To convert a building bfrom a synagogue into a study hallis bpermitted,but bfrom a study hall into a synagogueis bprohibited,as he holds that a study hall has a higher degree of sanctity than a synagogue. bAnd Rav Pappa in the name of Rava teaches the opposite,as he holds that a synagogue has a higher degree of sanctity than a study hall. bRav Aḥa said: /b |
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38. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 72b. נתכוין להגביה את התלוש וחתך את המחובר פטור לחתוך את התלוש וחתך את המחובר רבא אמר פטור אביי אמר חייב רבא אמר פטור דהא לא נתכוון לחתיכה דאיסורא אביי אמר חייב דהא קמיכוין לחתיכה בעלמא,אמר רבא מנא אמינא לה דתניא חומר שבת משאר מצות וחומר שאר מצות משבת חומר שבת משאר מצות שהשבת עשה שתים בהעלם אחד חייב על כל אחת ואחת מה שאין כן בשאר מצות וחומר שאר מצות משבת שבשאר מצות שגג בלא מתכוין חייב מה שאין כן בשבת:,אמר מר חומר שבת משאר מצות שהשבת עשה שתים בהעלם אחד חייב על כל אחת ואחת מה שאין כן בשאר מצות היכי דמי אילימא דעבד קצירה וטחינה דכוותה גבי שאר מצות אכל חלב ודם הכא תרתי מיחייב והכא תרתי מיחייב אלא שאר מצות דלא מיחייב אלא חדא היכי דמי דאכל חלב וחלב דכוותה גבי שבת דעבד קצירה וקצירה הכא חדא מיחייב והכא חדא מיחייב,לעולם דעבד קצירה וטחינה ומאי מה שאין כן בשאר מצות אע"ז וכדרבי אמי דא"ר אמי זיבח וקיטר וניסך בהעלמה אחת אינו חייב אלא אחת,במאי אוקימתא בע"ז אימא סיפא חומר בשאר מצות שבשאר מצות שגג בלא מתכוין חייב מה שאין כן בשבת האי שגג בלא מתכוין דע"ז היכי דמי אילימא כסבור בית הכנסת הוא והשתחוה לה הרי לבו לשמים ואלא דחזי אנדרטא וסגיד לה היכי דמי אי דקבלה עליה באלוה מזיד הוא ואי דלא קבלה עליה באלוה לאו כלום הוא,אלא מאהבה ומיראה הניחא לאביי דאמר חייב אלא לרבא דאמר פטור מאי איכא למימר אלא באומר מותר משא"כ בשבת דפטור לגמרי,ע"כ לא בעא מיני' רבא מרב נחמן אלא אי לחיובי חדא אי לחיובי תרתי אבל מפטרי לגמרי לא | 72b. bOne who intended to lifta plant bdetachedfrom the ground on Shabbat bandmistakenly bsevereda plant still battachedto the ground, which under other circumstances constitutes performance of the prohibited labor of reaping, bis exemptfrom bringing a sin-offering for his mistaken act, since he did not intend to perform an act of cutting. One who performs an action unawares [ imitasek /i], i.e., he had no intention to perform the act at all, incurs no liability whatsoever. One who intended bto cuta bdetachedplant bandunwittingly bsevereda plant still battachedto the ground, bRava said:He too bis exempt. Abaye said: He is liable.The Gemara elaborates: bRava saidthat bhe is exempt becausehe bdid not intendto perform an act of bprohibited severing.He intended to perform an action completely permitted on Shabbat. He had no misconception with regard to the ihalakhotof Shabbat. It was merely a mistaken act. And bAbaye saidthat bhe is liable because he intendedto perform a bstandardact bof cutting.Since he intended to perform that act, and he carried out his intent, the Torah characterizes it as unwitting and not as unawares., bRava said: From where do Iderive to bsay thisopinion? bAs it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: There is ba stricturewith regard to the prohibitions of bShabbatthat is greater bthanthe stricture with regard to bother mitzvot, and a stricturewith regard to bother mitzvotthat is greater bthanthe stricture with regard to bShabbat.The Gemara elaborates: bA stricturewith regard to bShabbatthat is greater bthanthe stricture with regard to bother mitzvotis bthat,with regard to bShabbat, one who performed twotransgressions on Shabbat, even if he did so binthe course of bone lapse of awareness, is liableto bring a sin-offering bfor each and every one, which is notthe case bin other mitzvot.In other mitzvot, if an individual commits a transgression several times in the course of one lapse of awareness, he is liable to bring only one sin-offering. bAnd a stricturewith regard to bother mitzvotthat is greater bthanthe stricture with regard to bShabbatis bthat,with regard to bother mitzvot,one who performs an act bunwittingly without intent is liable, which is notthe case bwithregard to bShabbat.Apparently, the phrase unwittingly without intent refers to the case disputed by Abaye and Rava. Therefore, this is proof for Rava’s opinion that, with regard to Shabbat, one who acts unawares, i.e., whose action resulted from involvement in another matter and who had no intention to perform an action that is prohibited, is not considered to have performed an unwitting act.,Before the Gemara discusses the ibaraitain the context of the dispute between Abaye and Rava, the Gemara analyzes its text. bThe Master saidin the ibaraita /i: bA stricturewith regard to bShabbatthat is greater bthanthe stricture with regard to bother mitzvotis bthat,with regard to bShabbat, one who performed twotransgressions on Shabbat, even binthe course of bone lapse of awareness, is liableto bring a sin-offering bfor each and every one, which is notthe case bwithregard to bother mitzvot.The Gemara asks: bWhat are the circumstances? If you say that heunwittingly bperformedacts of breaping and grindingon Shabbat, bthe correspondingsituation with regard to bother mitzvotis a case where bhe ate forbidden fat and blood.If so, there is no difference between Shabbat and other mitzvot. bHereone bis liable tobring btwosin-offerings band hereone bis liable tobring btwosin-offerings. bRather, what are the circumstancesin bother mitzvot where he is liable tobring bonly onesin-offering? It is in a case bwherehe bate forbidden fat andagain ate bforbidden fatwithin one lapse of awareness. bThe correspondingsituation with regard to bShabbatis a case where bone performedan act of breaping andperformed another act of breapingwithin one lapse of awareness. However, in that case too there is no difference between Shabbat and other mitzvot. bHereone bis liable tobring bonesin-offering, band hereone bis liable tobring bonesin-offering.,The Gemara explains: bActually,it is referring to a case bwhereone bperformedacts of breaping and grinding. And whatis the meaning of the phrase: bWhich is notthe case bwithregard to bother mitzvot?It is not referring to all mitzvot in general. It is referring to the prohibition of bidolatry,which is comprised of separate component prohibitions, each of which incurs independent liability. This is bin accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Ami, as Rabbi Ami said: One who sacrificedto idolatry, band burnedincense before it, band pouredwine as a libation before it in the course of bone lapse of awareness is liable tobring bonly onesin-offering. That is the ruling, even though, had he performed those rites separately, he would be liable to bring a sin-offering for each. That, then, is the stricture of other mitzvot relative to Shabbat.,The Gemara asks: bIn whatcase bdid you establishthe ibaraita /i, binthe case of bidolatry?If so, bstate the latterclause and determine whether that explanation applies there as well. The latter clause states: bA stricturewith regard to bother mitzvotthat is greater than the stricture with regard to Shabbat is bthat,with regard to bother mitzvot,one who performs an act bunwittingly without intent is liable, which is notthe case bwithregard to bShabbat.One who acts unawares with no intent to perform a prohibited act is not considered to have performed an unwitting act. bThatcase of performing an act bunwittingly without intent withregard to bidolatry, what are the circumstances? If you saythat it is referring to a case bwhere he thoughtthat bit was a synagogue and bowed to it,and it turned out that he bowed to idolatry, he committed no transgression. Since bhis heart wasdirected btoward Heaven,it is not even an unwitting transgression. bRather,it is referring to a case bwhere he saw a statue [ iandarta /i]in the image of the king band bowed to it. What are the circumstances? Ifthe ibaraitais referring to a case bin whichhe bowed because bhe acceptedthat image bupon himself as a god, heworshipped idolatry bintentionallyand is not liable to bring a sin-offering. bAnd if he did not acceptthat image bupon himself as a godand bowed merely in deference to the monarch, bit is meaninglessand is not an act of idolatry., bRather,it is referring to a case where one bowed bdue to loveof someone who requested that he bow before the statue band due to fearof someone coercing him to do so. He is under the impression that unless he wholeheartedly has the intention to worship the idol, there is no prohibition involved. bThisworks out bwell according tothe opinion of bAbaye, who said:One who bows due to love or fear bis liableto bring a sin-offering. bHowever, according tothe opinion of bRava, who said:One who bows due to love or fear bis exemptfrom bringing a sin-offering, bwhat can be said?According to Rava’s opinion, the problem remains. There is no case in which there is a difference between the ruling in the case of idolatry and the ruling in the case of Shabbat. bRather,it is referring to a case bwhere one saysto himself that this bis permitted.He is under the impression that idolatry is permitted, and his unwitting act was the result of ignorance, not forgetfulness. The statement in the ibaraita /i: bWhich is notthe case bwithregard to bShabbat,is referring to one who was under the impression that performing labors on Shabbat is permitted. One bwhoperforms prohibited labors under those circumstances bis completely exempt. /b,That conclusion contradicts another statement of Rava. With regard to one who is unaware of both the essence of Shabbat and the individual prohibited labors, bRava raised a dilemma before Rav Naḥman only whether to deem him liable tobring bone or whether to deem him liable tobring btwosin-offerings. bHowever,the possibility bto exempt him completelydid bnotenter Rava’s mind. That explanation of the ibaraitais incompatible with Rava’s opinion. |
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39. Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 34a. אבא שאול אומר ערבי שתים אחת ללולב ואחת למקדש,ורבנן למקדש מנא להו הלכתא גמירי להו דא"ר אסי א"ר יוחנן עשר נטיעות ערבה וניסוך המים הלכה למשה מסיני,ת"ר ערבי נחל הגדילות על הנחל פרט לצפצפה הגדילה בין ההרים א"ר זירא מאי קראה (יחזקאל יז, ה) קח על מים רבים צפצפה שמו,א"ל אביי ודילמא פרושי קא מפרש קח על מים רבים ומאי ניהו צפצפה א"כ מאי שמו א"ר אבהו אמר הקב"ה אני אמרתי שיהו ישראל לפני כקח על מים רבים ומאי ניהו ערבה והן שמו עצמן כצפצפה שבהרים,איכא דמתני לה להאי קרא אמתניתא קח על מים רבים צפצפה שמו מתקיף לה ר' זירא ודילמא פרושי קא מפרש קח על מים רבים מאי ניהו צפצפה אם כן מאי שמו א"ר אבהו אמר הקב"ה אני אמרתי שיהו ישראל לפני כקח על מים רבים ומאי ניהו ערבה והן שמו עצמן כצפצפה שבהרים,ת"ר אי זהו ערבה ואיזהו צפצפה ערבה קנה שלה אדום ועלה שלה משוך ופיה חלק צפצפה קנה שלה לבן ועלה שלה עגול ופיה דומה למגל והא תניא דומה למגל כשר דומה למסר פסול אמר אביי כי תניא ההיא בחילפא גילא,אמר אביי שמע מינה האי חילפא גילא כשר להושענא פשיטא מהו דתימא הואיל ואית ליה שם לווי לא נתכשר קמ"ל,ואימא הכי נמי ערבי נחל אמר רחמנא מכל מקום,אמר רב חסדא הני תלת מילי אשתני שמייהו מכי חרב בית המקדש חלפת' ערבתא ערבתא חלפתא מאי נ"מ ללולב,שיפורא חצוצרתא חצוצרתא שיפורא מאי נפקא מינה לשופר של ראש השנה,פתורתא פתורא פתורא פתורתא למאי נפקא מינה למקח וממכר,אמר אביי אף אני אומר בי כסי הובלילא הובלילא בי כסי,למאי נפקא מינה למחט הנמצא בעובי בית הכוסות,אמר רבא בר יוסף אף אני אומר בבל בורסיף בורסיף בבל למאי | 34a. bAbba Shaul says: “Willows”in the plural teaches that there are btwomitzvot that involve use of the willow branch. bOneis the willow branch bfor the ilulav /i, and one isthe willow branch taken bfor the Temple,with which the people would circle the altar on iSukkot /i., bAnd the Rabbis,who do not interpret the verse that way, bfrom wheredo btheyderive the mitzva of the willow branch bfor the Temple?It is ba ihalakha /itransmitted to Moses from Sinai that bthey learned through traditionand not from a verse, bas Rabbi Asi saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said:There are three ihalakhotfor which the Sages unsuccessfully sought a Torah source. The first is the ihalakha of bten saplings.There is a mitzva by Torah law to extend the sanctity of the Sabbatical Year and to begin refraining from plowing thirty days before the Sabbatical Year begins. However, one may plow around individual saplings to sustain them. In a field that is one ibeit se’a /i, fifty by fifty cubits, in which there are ten evenly spaced saplings, it is permitted to plow the entire field until the onset of the Sabbatical Year to sustain the saplings. The second ihalakhais the mitzva of the bwillow branchin the Temple. bAndthe third ihalakhais the mitzva of bthe water libationon the altar, which accompanies the daily offerings each day of iSukkot /i, together with the daily wine libation. No Torah source was found for these ihalakhot /i, as each is a ihalakha /itransmitted bto Moses from Sinai. /b, bThe Sages taughtan additional ibaraita /i: b“Willows of the brook”is referring to those bthat grow by the river,which comes bto exclude a itzaftzafa /i, which grows among the mountainsand not near a brook. bRabbi Zeira said: What is the versefrom which the fact that the itzaftzafais unfit is derived? It is derived from the reprimand that is written: b“He placed it by great waters, and set it as a itzaftzafa /i”(Ezekiel 17:5). The Jewish people were planted like a willow on great waters, but ultimately became like a itzaftzafa /i. Apparently, a itzaftzafadoes not grow on great waters., bAbaye said toRabbi Zeira: bAnd perhapsthe second part of the verse bismerely bexplainingthe first part, and it means: bHe placed it by great waters, and what is itthat He placed there? It is ba itzaftzafa /i.Rabbi Zeira answered: bIf so,and that is the meaning of the verse, bwhat isthe meaning of the term b“set it”?Rather, the verse means that the willow branch was transformed into a itzaftzafa /i. That is how Rabbi Abbahu explained the verse, as bRabbi Abbahu saidthat bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I said that the Jewish people should be before Me asa plant bplaced by great waters, and what isthat plant? It is ba willow. And they set themselves as a itzaftzafaof the mountains. /b, bSome taught this verse asthe conclusion of bthe ibaraita /iand Rabbi Zeira raised the objection, and the response to his objection is unattributed: bHe placed it by great waters, and set it as a itzaftzafa /i. Rabbi Zeira strongly objects: And perhapsthe second part of the verse bismerely bexplainingthe first part, and it means: bHe placed it by great waters, and what is itthat He placed there? It is ba itzaftzafa /i.The Gemara rejects this suggestion: bIf so,and that is the meaning of the verse, bwhat isthe meaning of the term b“set it”? Rabbi Abbahu saidthat bthe Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I said that the Jewish people should be before Me asa plant bplaced by great waters, and what isthat plant? It is ba willow. And they set themselves as a itzaftzafaof the mountains. /b,Apropos the defining characteristics of the willow branch, in contrast to similar species that are unfit, bthe Sages taught: What is a willow and what is a itzaftzafa /i?With regard to ba willowbranch, bits stem is red, and its leaf is elongated, andthe bedgeof bitsleaf bis smooth.With regard to ba itzaftzafa /i, its stem is white, its leaf is round, andthe bedgeof bitsleaf bis serrated like a sickle.The Gemara objects: bBut isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita /i: If the edge of its leaf is serrated blike a sickle it is fit,but if it is serrated blike a saw,whose teeth are uneven in both size and sequence, bit is unfit? Abaye said: When that ibaraita bwas taught, it wasreferring btoa particular type of willow called iḥilfa gila /i,whose leaves are serrated. However, all other types of willow branches have leaves with a smooth edge., bAbaye said: Conclude from itthat bthis iḥilfa gilais fit foruse in bthe ihoshana /iof the four species. The Gemara wonders: That is bobvious.The Gemara answers: bLest you say that since itsname is accompanied by ba modifier,as it is called iḥilfa gila /i, bit should not be fit.Therefore, Abaye bteaches usthat it is fit.,The Gemara asks: bAnd say it is indeed so,that since its name is accompanied by a modifier it is unfit. The Gemara answers: bThe Merciful One states: “Willows of the brook,”in the plural, teaching that the branches of willows are fit bin any case. /b,Apropos the branches of the willow and the itzaftzafa /i, the Gemara cites what bRav Ḥisda said: These three objects’ names changed since the Temple was destroyed.That which was called bwillowwas called in later generations iḥalfata /i,which is another name for itzaftzafa /i, and that which was called iḥalfatawascalled bwillow.The Gemara asks: bWhat is thepractical halakhic bdifferencethat emerges from the name change? The Gemara answers: It is with regard btothe mitzva of taking the ilulav /i,as one of the species bound with the ilulavis a willow branch, which is now called itzaftzafa /i.,In addition, that which was called btrumpetwas called ishofar /iin later generations, and that which was called ishofar /iwas called btrumpetin later generations. The Gemara asks: bWhat is thepractical halakhic bdifferencewhether a ishofaris called ishofaror trumpet? The Gemara answers: It is significant with regard btothe ihalakhotof ishofarof Rosh HaShana.On Rosh HaShana, one fulfills his obligation only by sounding a ishofar /i. If one comes today and asks what instrument he should use to sound the requisite blasts, he should be told to use a trumpet.,Also, that which was called ipetorata/b, originally meaning a small table, was called in later generations ipetora /i,and that which was called ipetora /i, originally meaning a large table, was called ipetorata /iin later generations.The Gemara asks: bWhat is thepractical halakhic bdifferencethat emerges from the change of name? The Gemara answers: It is with regard btothe laws of bbuying and selling.One who orders a ipetorashould know that he ordered a small table and not a large one., bAbaye said: I tooshall bspeakof changes in the meaning of terms in this generation. That which was called ihuvlila /i,the first compartment of the stomach of animals that chew their cud, is, in recent generations, called ibei kasei /i,the name of the second compartment of the animal’s stomach. Similarly, that which was once called ibei kasei /iis called ihuvlila /iin recent generations., bWhat is thepractical halakhic bdifferencethat emerges from this change of names? It is bwith regard to a needle that is found in the thickwall bof the second compartment of the stomach.In the ihalakhotof itereifot /i, it is prohibited to eat animals with a life expectancy of less than a year. It was established that if a needle punctures the wall of the second compartment of the stomach from only one side, the animal is kosher. If the needle penetrates the wall in a manner visible from both sides, the animal assumes the halakhic status of a itereifa /i. In the first stomach, even if the needle penetrated only one side of the wall, the animal assumes the halakhic status of a itereifa /i. Therefore, it is crucial to distinguish between the first and the second compartments of the stomach., bRava bar Yosef said: I tooshall bspeakof changes in the meaning of terms in this generation. The city that in biblical times was called bBabylonwas called bBursifin later generations, and bBursifwas called bBabylonin later generations. The Gemara asks: bWhat is /b |
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40. Anon., Exodus Rabbah, 43.4 (4th cent. CE - 9th cent. CE)
| 43.4. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וַיְחַל משֶׁה, מַהוּ כֵן, אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק, שֶׁהִתִּיר נִדְרוֹ שֶׁל יוֹצְרוֹ. כֵּיצַד, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָעֵגֶל עָמַד משֶׁה מְפַיֵּס הָאֱלֹהִים שֶׁיִּמְחֹל לָהֶם. אָמַר הָאֱלֹהִים, משֶׁה, כְּבָר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי (שמות כב, יט): זֹבֵחַ לָאֱלֹהִים יָחֳרָם, וּדְבַר שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁיָּצָא מִפִּי אֵינִי מַחֲזִירוֹ. אָמַר משֶׁה רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא נָתַתָּ לִי הֲפָרָה שֶׁל נְדָרִים, וְאָמַרְתָּ (במדבר ל, ג): אִישׁ כִּי יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַה' אוֹ הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל נַפְשׁוֹ לֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ, הוּא אֵינוֹ מוֹחֵל אֲבָל חָכָם מוֹחֵל אֶת נִדְּרוֹ בְּעֵת שֶׁיִּשָּׁאֵל עָלָיו, וְכָל זָקֵן שֶׁמּוֹרֶה הוֹרָאָה אִם יִרְצֶה שֶׁיְקַבְּלוּ אֲחֵרִים הוֹרָאָתוֹ צָרִיךְ הוּא לְקַיְמָהּ תְּחִלָּה, וְאַתָּה צִוִּיתַנִי עַל הֲפָרַת נְדָרִים, דִּין הוּא שֶׁתַּתִּיר אֶת נִדְרְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתַנִי לְהַתִּיר לַאֲחֵרִים. מִיָּד נִתְעַטֵּף בְּטַלִּיתוֹ וְיָשַׁב לוֹ כְּזָקֵן, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד כְּשׁוֹאֵל נִדְרוֹ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברים ט, ט): וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁהָיָה משֶׁה יוֹשֵׁב וְהָאֱלֹהִים יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ עוֹמֵד, אָמַר רַבִּי דְּרוּסָאי קָתֶדְרָא עָשָׂה לוֹ כְּקָתֶדְרָא שֶׁל אַסְטָלִיסְטָקִין הַלָּלוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵן נִכְנָסִין לִפְנֵי הַשִּׁלְטוֹן וְהֵן נִרְאִין עוֹמְדִין וְאֵינָן אֶלָּא יוֹשְׁבִין, וְאַף כָּאן כָּךְ, יְשִׁיבָה שֶׁהִיא נִרְאָה עֲמִידָה, הֱוֵי: וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וְכִי יֵשׁ יְשִׁיבָה לְמַעְלָה, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא שֶׁכֻּלָּם עוֹמְדִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ו, ב): שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ, וְכֵן (יחזקאל א, כד כה): בְּעָמְדָם תְּרַפֶּינָה כַנְפֵיהֶם, וְכֵן (דניאל ז, טז): קִרְבֵת עַל חַד מִן קָאֲמַיָּא, וְכֵן אֲפִלּוּ משֶׁה כְּשֶׁעָלָה לַמָּרוֹם הָיָה עוֹמֵד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים י, י): וְאָנֹכִי עָמַדְתִּי בָהָר, וּכְתִיב (דברים ה, ה): אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם, וְאֵין יוֹשֵׁב שָׁם אֶלָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבַדּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברי הימים ב יח, יח): רָאִיתִי אֶת ה' יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסְאוֹ, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר וָאֵשֵׁב בָּהָר, וּמַהוּ כֵן, אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בַּר אַחָא שֶׁיָּשַׁב לְהַתִּיר נִדְרוֹ שֶׁל יוֹצְרוֹ, וּמָה אָמַר לוֹ דָּבָר קָשֶׁה, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן דָּבָר קָשֶׁה אָמַר לְפָנָיו תָּהִיתָ אֶתָמְהָא, אָמַר לוֹ תּוֹהֶא אֲנָא עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמִּי, אוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר משֶׁה מֻתָּר לָךְ מֻתָּר לָךְ, אֵין כָּאן נֶדֶר וְאֵין כָּאן שְׁבוּעָה, הֱוֵי: וַיְחַל משֶׁה, שֶׁהֵפֵר נִדְרוֹ לְיוֹצְרוֹ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (במדבר ל, ג): וְלֹא יַחֵל דְּבָרוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ לְפִיכָךְ נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים, לוֹמַר שֶׁהִתִּיר נֶדֶר לָאֱלֹהִים, וְכֵן וַיְחַל משֶׁה. | |
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41. Anon., Midrash Psalms, 93 (4th cent. CE - 9th cent. CE)
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42. John Chrysostom, Against The Jews, 1.3.3 (4th cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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43. Theodosius Ii Emperor of Rome, Theodosian Code, 16.8.2, 16.8.13 (5th cent. CE - 5th cent. CE)
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44. Anon., Avot Derabbi Nathan A, 35 (6th cent. CE - 8th cent. CE)
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