1. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 5.19 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 5.19. אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְיַעֲלַת־חֵן דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּךָ בְכָל־עֵת בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד׃ | 5.19. A lovely hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; With her love be thou ravished always." |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Lamentations, 2.9 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
| 2.9. טָבְעוּ בָאָרֶץ שְׁעָרֶיהָ אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר בְּרִיחֶיהָ מַלְכָּהּ וְשָׂרֶיהָ בַגּוֹיִם אֵין תּוֹרָה גַּם־נְבִיאֶיהָ לֹא־מָצְאוּ חָזוֹן מֵיְהוָה׃ | 2.9. Her gates are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars; Her king and her princes are among the nations, Instruction is no more; Yea, her prophets find No vision from the LORD." |
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3. Septuagint, 2 Maccabees, 2.4-2.8 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 2.4. It was also in the writing that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.' 2.5. And Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and he sealed up the entrance.' 2.6. Some of those who followed him came up to mark the way, but could not find it.' 2.7. When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: 'The place shall be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy.' 2.8. And then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated.' |
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4. Anon., 2 Baruch, 6.7-6.9 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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5. Mishnah, Middot, 1.4, 2.6 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 1.4. There were seven gates in the courtyard: three in the north and three in the south and one in the east. In the south: the Gate of Kindling, and next to it the Gate of the First-borns, and then the Water Gate. In the east: the Gate of Nicanor. It had two chambers, one on its right and one on its left. One was the chamber of Pinchas the dresser and one the other the chamber of the griddle cake makers." 2.6. There were chambers underneath the Court of Israel which opened into the Court of Women, where the Levites used to keep lyres and lutes and cymbals and all kinds of musical instruments. The Court of Israel was a hundred and thirty-five cubits in length by eleven in breadth. Similarly the Court of the Priests was a hundred and thirty-five cubits in length by eleven in breadth. And a row of mosaic stones separated the Court of Israel from the Court of the Priests. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says: there was a step a cubit high on which a platform was placed, and it had three steps each of half a cubit in height. In this way the Court of the Priests was made two and a half cubits higher than that of Israel. The whole of the Court was a hundred and eighty-seven cubits in length by a hundred and thirty-five in breadth. And thirteen prostrations were made there. Abba Yose ben Ha says: they were made facing the thirteen gates. On the south beginning from the west there were the upper gate, the gate of burning, the gate of the firstborn, and the water gate. And why was it called the water gate? Because they brought in through it the pitcher of water for libation on the festival. Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says: in it the water welled up, and in the time to come from there it will come out from under the threshold of the Temple. Corresponding to them in the north beginning in the west were the gate of Yehoniah, the gate of the offering, the women's gate, the gate of song. Why was it called the gate of Yehoniah? Because Yehoniah went forth into captivity through it. On the east was the gate of Nicanor; it had two doors, one on its right and one on its left (10 +. There were further two gates in the west which had no special name (12 +." |
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6. Tosefta, Sotah, 13.1 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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7. Tosefta, Kippurim, 2.15 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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8. Babylonian Talmud, Horayot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 13b. רב פפא אמר אפילו שופתא מרא גייצי,ת"ר חמשה דברים משכחים את הלימוד האוכל ממה שאוכל עכבר וממה שאוכל חתול והאוכל לב של בהמה והרגיל בזיתים והשותה מים של שיורי רחיצה והרוחץ רגליו זו על גבי זו ויש אומרים אף המניח כליו תחת מראשותיו חמשה דברים משיבים את הלימוד פת פחמין וכל שכן פחמין עצמן והאוכל ביצה מגולגלת בלא מלח והרגיל בשמן זית והרגיל ביין ובשמים והשותה מים של שיורי עיסה ויש אומרים אף הטובל אצבעו במלח ואוכל,הרגיל בשמן זית מסייע ליה לרבי יוחנן דאמר רבי יוחנן כשם שהזית משכח לימוד של שבעים שנה כך שמן זית משיב לימוד של שבעים שנה:,והרגיל ביין ובשמים: מסייע ליה לרבא דאמר רבא חמרא וריחני פקחין:,והטובל אצבעו במלח: אמר ר"ל ובאחת כתנאי ר' יהודה אומר אחת ולא שתים רבי יוסי אומר שתים ולא שלש וסימניך קמיצה,עשרה דברים קשים ללימוד העובר תחת האפסר [הגמל] וכל שכן תחת גמל [עצמו] והעובר בין שני גמלים והעובר בין שתי נשים והאשה העוברת בין שני אנשים והעובר מתחת ריח רע של נבילה והעובר תחת הגשר שלא עברו תחתיו מים מ' יום והאוכל פת שלא בשל כל צרכו והאוכל בשר מזוהמא ליסטרון והשותה מאמת המים העוברת בבית הקברות והמסתכל בפני המת ויש אומרים אף הקורא כתב שעל גבי הקבר,ת"ר כשהנשיא נכנס כל העם עומדים ואין יושבים עד שאומר להם שבו כשאב ב"ד נכנס עושים לו שורה אחת מכאן ושורה אחת מכאן עד שישב במקומו כשחכם נכנס אחד עומד ואחד יושב עד שישב במקומו בני חכמים ותלמידי חכמים בזמן שרבים צריכים להם מפסיעין על ראשי העם יצא לצורך יכנס וישב במקומו,בני ת"ח שממונים אביהם פרנס על הצבור בזמן שיש להם דעת לשמוע נכנסים ויושבים לפני אביהם ואחוריהם כלפי העם בזמן שאין להם דעת לשמוע נכנסים ויושבים לפני אביהם ופניהם כלפי העם רבי אלעזר בר ר' [צדוק] אומר אף בבית המשתה עושים אותם סניפין,[אמר מר] יצא לצורך נכנס ויושב במקומו אמר רב פפא לא אמרו אלא לקטנים אבל לגדולים לא הוה ליה למבדק נפשיה מעיקרא דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב לעולם ילמד אדם עצמו להשכים ולהעריב כדי שלא יתרחק (אמר רבא) האידנא דחלשא עלמא אפילו לגדולים נמי,רבי אלעזר ב"ר [צדוק] אומר אף בבית המשתה עושים אותם סניפים אמר רבא בחיי אביהם בפני אביהם,א"ר יוחנן בימי רשב"ג נישנית משנה זו רבן שמעון בן גמליאל נשיא רבי מאיר חכם רבי נתן אב"ד כי הוה רשב"ג התם הוו קיימי כולי עלמא מקמיה כי הוו עיילי רבי מאיר ורבי נתן הוו קיימי כולי עלמא מקמייהו אמר רשב"ג לא בעו למיהוי היכרא בין דילי לדידהו תקין הא מתניתא,ההוא יומא לא הוו רבי מאיר ורבי נתן התם למחר כי אתו חזו דלא קמו מקמייהו כדרגילא מילתא אמרי מאי האי אמרו להו הכי תקין רשב"ג,אמר ליה ר"מ לרבי נתן אנא חכם ואת אב"ד נתקין מילתא כי לדידן מאי נעביד ליה נימא ליה גלי עוקצים דלית ליה וכיון דלא גמר נימא ליה (תהלים קו, ב) מי ימלל גבורות ה' ישמיע כל תהלתו למי נאה למלל גבורות ה' מי שיכול להשמיע כל תהלותיו נעבריה והוי אנא אב"ד ואת נשיא,שמעינהו רבי יעקב בן קרשי אמר דלמא חס ושלום אתיא מלתא לידי כיסופא אזל יתיב אחורי עיליתיה דרשב"ג פשט גרס ותנא גרס ותנא,אמר מאי דקמא דלמא חס ושלום איכא בי מדרשא מידי יהב דעתיה וגרסה למחר אמרו ליה ניתי מר וניתני בעוקצין פתח ואמר בתר דאוקים אמר להו אי לא גמירנא כסיפיתנן,פקיד ואפקינהו מבי מדרשא הוו כתבי קושייתא [בפתקא] ושדו התם דהוה מיפריק מיפריק דלא הוו מיפריק כתבי פירוקי ושדו אמר להו רבי יוסי תורה מבחוץ ואנו מבפנים,אמר להן רבן [שמעון בן] גמליאל ניעיילינהו מיהו ניקנסינהו דלא נימרו שמעתא משמייהו אסיקו לרבי מאיר אחרים ולר' נתן יש אומרים אחוו להו בחלמייהו זילו פייסוהו [לרבן שמעון ב"ג] רבי נתן אזל רבי מאיר לא אזל אמר דברי חלומות לא מעלין ולא מורידין כי אזל רבי נתן אמר ליה רשב"ג נהי דאהני לך קמרא דאבוך למהוי אב ב"ד שויניך נמי נשיא,מתני ליה רבי לרבן שמעון בריה אחרים אומרים אילו היה תמורה | 13b. bRav Pappa said: They gnaw even on the handle of a hoe. /b,§ bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: There are bfive factorsthat bcauseone to bforgethis Torah bstudy: One who eats from that which a mouse eats and from that which a cat eats, and one who eats the heart of an animal, and one who is accustomed toeating bolives, and one who drinks water that remains from washing, and one who washes his feetwith bthisfoot batop thatfoot. bAnd some say: Also one who places his garments under his head.Correspondingly, there are bfive factorsthat brestoreforgotten Torah bstudy:Eating bbread baked on coals and all the more soone who warms himself with the heat of the bcoals themselves, and one who eats a hard-boiled egg [ ibeitza megulgelet /i] without salt, and one who is accustomed toeating bolive oil, and one who is accustomed todrinking bwine andsmelling bspices, and one who drinks water that remains fromkneading bdough. And some say: Also one who dips his finger in salt and eatsit.,The Gemara elaborates on the ibaraita /i: bOne who is accustomed toeating bolive oilrestores forgotten Torah study. The Gemara notes: This bsupportsthe opinion of bRabbi Yoḥa, as Rabbi Yoḥa said: Just aseating ban olive causesone bto forget seventy years’ worth ofTorah bstudy, olive oil restores seventy years’ worth ofTorah bstudy. /b,The ibaraitacontinues: bAnd one who is accustomed todrinking bwine andsmelling bspicesrestores forgotten Torah study. The Gemara notes: This bsupportsthe opinion of bRava, as Rava said: Wine and spices rendered me wise. /b,The ibaraitacontinues: bOne who dips his finger in saltand eats it restores forgotten Torah study. bReish Lakish says: Andthat is the case bwith regard to onefinger. The Gemara notes: This is bparallel toa dispute between itanna’im /i. Rabbi Yehuda says: Onefinger bbut not two. Rabbi Yosei says: Twofingers bbut not three. And your mnemonicfor the fact that the dispute is between one and two fingers is ikemitza /i,i.e., the ring finger. When one presses his ring finger to his palm, there remain two straight fingers on one side and one on the other., bTen factors are detrimental forTorah bstudy: One who passes beneath the bit of the camel, and all the more soone who passes bbeneath a camel itself; and one who passes between two camels; and one who passes between two women; and a woman who passes between two men; and one who passes beneatha place where there is the bfoul odor of an animal carcass; and one who passes under a bridge beneath which water has not passedfor bforty days; and one who eats bread that was not sufficiently baked; and one who eats meat from izuhama listeron /i,a utensil consisting of a spoon and a fork, used to remove the film on the surface of soup; band one who drinks from an aqueduct that passes through a cemetery; and one who gazes at the face of the dead. And some say: Also one who reads the writing that is onthe stone of ba grave. /b,§ bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bWhen the iNasi /iof the Sanhedrin benters, all the people stand and they do not sit until he says to them: Sit. When the deputy iNasi /iof the Sanhedrin benters,the people bform for him one row from here,on this side of the path that he takes, band one row from there,on the other side of it, in a display of deference, buntil he sits in his place,and then they may be seated. bWhen the iḤakham /i,who is ranked third among the members of the Sanhedrin, benters, oneperson bstandswhen he is within four cubits of the iḤakham /i, band another sits,i.e., when one is no longer within four cubits of the iḤakhamhe may sit. And all those whom the Ḥakham passes do this, buntil he sits in his place. When the multitudes require theirservices, i.e., they serve a public role, bsons of the Sages and Torah scholars may step over the heads of the peopleseated on the ground in order to reach their places in the Sanhedrin. If one of the Sages bleft forthe bpurposeof relieving himself, when he is finished bhe may enter and sit in his placein the Sanhedrin, and he need not be concerned that he is imposing upon those assembled., bWhen they have the wisdom to hearand to study, bthe sons of Torah scholars, whose fathers are appointed as leaders of the congregation, enter and sit before their fathers, and their backsare directed btoward the people. When they do not have the wisdom to hearand to study bthey enter and sit before their fathers, and their facesare directed btoward the people,so everyone sees that they are seated there in deference to their fathers but not as students. bRabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: Even ata wedding bparty one renders them attachments [ isenifin /i]and seats them adjacent to their fathers., bThe Master said:If one of the Sages bleft forthe bpurposeof relieving himself, when he is finished bhe may enter and sit in his place. Rav Pappa said:The Sages bsaidthis bonlywith regard to one who leaves bfor minorbodily functions, i.e., to urinate. bButwith regard to one who leaves bfor majorbodily functions, i.e., to defecate, bno,he may not return to his place, because bhe should have examined himself initiallyso that he would not need to leave. His failure to do so constitutes negligence and he may not impose upon others when he returns, bas Rav Yehuda saysthat bRav says: A person should always accustom himself torelieving himself bin the morning and in the evening so that he will notneed to bdistance himself during the daylight hours to find an appropriate place. bRava said: Today, when the world is weakand people are not as healthy as they once were, one may bevenreturn after he leaves bfor majorbodily functions., bRabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: Even ata wedding bparty one renders them attachments. Rava said:This applies bduring the lifetime of their fathers and in the presence of their fathers. /b,§ bRabbi Yoḥa says: This mishna,i.e., the preceding ibaraita /i, bwas taught during the days of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. Rabban Shimon ben Gamlielwas the iNasi /i, Rabbi Meirwas the iḤakham /i,and bRabbi Natanwas the bdeputy iNasi /i. When Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel was there, everyone would arise before him. When Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan would enter, everyone would arise before them. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: Shouldn’t there be a conspicuous distinction between me and themin terms of the manner in which deference is shown? Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel binstitutedthe provisions delineated in bthis ibaraita /ithat distinguish between the iNasiand his subordinates with regard to the deference shown them., bThat day,when Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel instituted these provisions, bRabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan were not there. The following day when they cameto the study hall, bthey saw thatthe people bdid not stand before them as the matter was typicallydone. bThey said: What is this?The people bsaid to them: Thisis what bRabban Shimon ben Gamliel instituted. /b, bRabbi Meir said to Rabbi Natan: I amthe iḤakhamand you arethe bdeputy iNasi /i. Let us devise a matterand do to him bas he did to us. What shall we do to him? Let us say to him: Revealto us tractate iOkatzim /i, which he does notknow. bAnd onceit is clear to all bthat he did not learn,he will not have anything to say. Then bwe will say to him: “Who can express the mighty acts of the Lord, shall make all His praises heard?”(Psalms 106:2), indicating: bFor whom is it becoming to express the mighty acts of the Lord?It is becoming for bone who is capable of making all His praises heard,and not for one who does not know one of the tractates. bWe will remove himfrom his position as iNasi /i, band I will be deputy iNasiand youwill be iNasi /i. /b, bRabbi Ya’akov ben Korshei heard themtalking, and bsaid: Perhaps, Heaven forfend,this bmatterwill bcome toa situation of bhumiliationfor Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. He did not wish to speak criticism or gossip about Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan, so bhe wentand bsat behind the upper storywhere bRabban Shimon ben Gamliellived. bHe explainedtractate iOkatzin /i; bhe studiedit aloud band repeatedit, and bstudiedit aloud band repeatedit.,Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel bsaidto himself: bWhatis this bthatis transpiring bbefore us? Perhaps, Heaven forfend, there is somethingtranspiring in bthe study hall.He suspected that Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan were planning something. bHe concentrated and studiedtractate iOkatzin /i. bThe followingday Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan bsaid to him: Let the Master come and teacha lesson bintractate iOkatzin /i. He began and statedthe lesson he had prepared. bAfter he completedteaching the tractate, bhe said to them: If I had not studiedthe tractate, byouwould have bhumiliated me. /b,Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel bcommandedthose present band they expelledRabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan bfrom the study hallas punishment. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan bwould write difficulties on a scrap of paper [ ipitka /i] and would throwthem bthereinto the study hall. Those difficulties bthat were resolved were resolved;as for those bthat were not resolved,Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan bwrote resolutionson a scrap of paper band threwthem into the study hall. bRabbi Yosei said tothe Sages: How is it that the bTorah,embodied in the preeminent Torah scholars, bis outside and we are inside? /b, bRabban Shimon ben Gamliel said to them: Let us admit theminto the study hall. bBut we will penalize themin bthat we will not cite ihalakhain their names. They citedstatements bof Rabbi Meirin the name of iAḥerim /i,meaning: Others, bandthey cited statements bof Rabbi Natanin the name of iyesh omerim /i,meaning: Some say. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan bwere showna message bin their dreams: Go, appease Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. Rabbi Natan went. Rabbi Meir did not go. He saidin his heart: bMatters of dreams are insignificant. When Rabbi Natan went, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said to him: Although theornate bbelt,i.e., the importance, bof your father was effectivein enabling you bto become deputy iNasi /i,as Rabbi Natan’s father was the Babylonian Exilarch, bwill it render you iNasias well? /b,Years later, bRabbiYehuda HaNasi btaught Rabban Shimon his sonthat iAḥerimsay: If it wasconsidered ba substitute, /b |
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9. Babylonian Talmud, Keritot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 5b. וכי נס אחד נעשה בשמן המשחה והלא נסים הרבה נעשו בו מתחלתו ועד סופו תחלתו לא היה אלא י"ב לוג ובו נמשח המשכן וכליו ואהרן ובניו כל שבעת ימי המלואים ובו נמשחו כהנים גדולים ומלכים וכולו קיים לעתיד לבא,שנאמר (שמות ל, לא) שמן משחת קדש יהיה זה לי לדורותיכם זה בגימטריא י"ב לוגין הויין,ת"ר (ויקרא ח, י) ויקח משה את שמן המשחה וימשח את המשכן וגו' רבי יהודה אומר שמן המשחה שעשה משה במדבר הרבה נסים נעשו בו מתחלתו ועד סופו תחלתו לא היה אלא י"ב לוגין כמה יורה בולעת כמה עיקרין בולעין כמה האור שורף ובו נמשח משכן וכליו אהרן ובניו כל ז' ימי המלואים,ובו נמשחו כהנים גדולים ומלכים ואפי' כהן גדול בן כ"ג טעון משיחה ואין מושחין מלך בן מלך ואם תאמר מפני מה משחו את שלמה מפני מחלוקת אדוניה ואת יהואש מפני עתליה ואת יהואחז מפני יהויקים אחיו שהיה גדול מאחיו שתי שנים,אמר מר ואפי' כ"ג בן כ"ג טעון משיחה מנלן דכתיב (ויקרא ו, טו) והכהן המשיח תחתיו מבניו נימא קרא והכהן שתחתיו מבניו מאי המשיח הא קמ"ל דאפי' מבניו ההוא דמשח הוי כ"ג ואי לא משח לא הוי כ"ג,אמר מר אין מושחין מלך בן מלך מנלן אמר רב אחא בר יעקב דכתיב (דברים יז, כ) למען יאריך ימים על ממלכתו הוא ובניו כל הימים ירושה היא,ומפני מה משחו את שלמה מפני מחלוקת אדוניה מנלן דכי אתי מחלוקת בעי משיחה ולא כל דבעי מלכא מורית ליה מלכותא אמר רב פפא אמר קרא (דברים יז, כ) בקרב ישראל בזמן ששלום בישראל,תנא אף יהוא בן נמשי לא נמשח אלא מפני מחלוקת יורם בן אחאב אמאי תיפוק ליה דמלך ראשון הוא חסורי מיחסרא והכי קתני מלכי בית דוד מושחין מלכי ישראל אין מושחין ואם תאמר מפני מה משחו יהוא בן נמשי מפני מחלוקת יורם בן אחאב,אמר מר מלכי בית דוד מושחין ואין מלכי ישראל מושחין מנלן דכתיב (שמואל א טז, יב) קום משחהו כי זה הוא זה טעון משיחה ואין אחר טעון משיחה,אמר מר מפני מחלוקת יורם ומשום מחלוקת יורם בן אחאב נמעל בשמן המשחה כדאמר רב פפא באפרסמא דכיא ה"נ באפרסמא דכיא,ואת יהואחז מפני יהויקים שהיה גדול ממנו שתי שנים ומי קשיש והכתיב (דברי הימים א ג, טו) ובני יאשיה הבכור יוחנן והשני יהויקים והשלישי צדקיהו והרביעי שלום וא"ר יוחנן הוא יהואחז הוא צדקיהו הוא שלום,אלא לעולם יהויקים קשיש ואמאי קרי ליה בכור שהוא בכור למלכות ומי מוקמינן זוטא קמי קשישא והכתיב (דברי הימים ב כא, ג) ואת הממלכה נתן ליהורם כי הוא הבכור ההוא ממלא מקום אבותיו הוה,אמר מר הוא שלום הוא צדקיה והא בדרי קחשיב ומאי קרי ליה שלישי שהוא שלישי לבנים ומאי קרי ליה רביעי שהוא רביעי למלכות משום דמלך יכניה קמיה בתחלה מלך יהואחז וסוף מלך יהויקים וסוף מלך יכניה וסוף מלך צדקיה,ת"ר הוא שלום הוא צדקיה ולמה נקרא שמו שלום שהיה שלם במעשיו דבר אחר שלום ששלם מלכות בית דוד בימיו ומה שמו מתניה שמו שנאמר (מלכים ב כד, יז) וימלך את מתניה דודו תחתיו ויסב שמו צדקיה,דאמר לו יה יצדיק עליך את הדין אם תמרוד בי שנאמר (דברי הימים ב לו, י) ויביאהו בבלה וכתיב (דברי הימים ב לו, יג) וגם במלך נבוכדנאצר מלך בבל מרד אשר השביעו באלהים,ומי הוה שמן המשחה והתניא משנגנז ארון נגנז צנצנת המן וצלוחית שמן המשחה ומקלו של אהרן שקדים ופרחים,וארגז ששגרו פלשתים דורון לאלהי ישראל שנאמר (שמואל א ו, ח) ואת כלי הזהב אשר השיבותם לו אשם תשימו בארגז מצדו ומי גנזו יאשיה מלך יהודה גנזו שנאמר (דברי הימים ב לה, ג) ויאמר המלך אל הכהנים תנו את ארון הקדש,ואמר רבי אלעזר אתיא שם שם,אתיא דורות דורות,אתיא משמרת משמרת אמר רב פפא באפרסמא דכיא,ת"ר מושחין את המלכים כמין נזר ואת הכהנים כמין כי אמר רב מנשיה כמין כי יוני תני חדא בתחלה מציק שמן על ראשו ואחר כך נותן לו שמן בין ריסי עיניו ותני אחריתי בתחלה נותן לו שמן בין ריסי עיניו ואחר כך מציק לו שמן על ראשו,תנאי היא איכא למאן דאמר משיחה עדיפא ואיכא למאן דאמר יציקה עדיפא מאי טעמא דמ"ד יציקה עדיפא שנאמר (ויקרא ח, יב) ויצק משמן המשחה על ראש אהרן ומאן דאמר משיחה עדיפא קסבר שכן נתרבה אצל כלי שרת,והכתיב ויצק ולבסוף וימשח ה"ק מה טעם ויצק משום וימשח אותו לקדשו,ת"ר (תהילים קלג, ב) כשמן הטוב היורד על הראש וגו' כמין שתי טיפין מרגליות היו תלויות לאהרן בזקנו אמר רב כהנא תנא כשהוא מספר עולות ויושבות בעיקרי זקנו ועל דבר זה היה משה רבינו דואג שמא חס ושלום מעלתי בשמן המשחה,יצתה בת קול ואמרה (תהילים קלג, ג) כטל חרמון שיורד על הררי ציון מה טל אין בו מעילה אף שמן שיורד על זקן אהרן אין בו מעילה,ועדיין אהרן היה דואג שמא משה לא מעל ואני מעלתי יצתה בת קול ואמרה לו (תהילים קלג, א) הנה מה טוב ומה נעים שבת אחים גם יחד מה משה לא מעל אף אתה לא מעלת,ת"ר אין מושחין את המלכים אלא על המעיין כדי שתימשך מלכותן שנאמ' (מלכים א א, לג-לד) ויאמר המלך (אל בניהו) וגו' והורדתם אותו על גיחון (וגו') ומשח אותו שם,אמר רב אמי האי מאן דבעי לידע אי משכא שתא אי לא מייתי שרגא בהלין עשרה יומין דבין ריש שתא ליומא דכיפורי וניתלי בביתא דלא נשיב זיקא אי משיך נהוריה נידע דמסיק שתיה,ומאן דבעי נעביד עיסקי ובעי דנידע אי מצלח עיסקי אי לא נירבי תרנגולא אי שמין ושפר נידע דמצלח,האי מאן דבעי ניפוק באורחא ובעי דנידע אי הדר לביתיה ניעול ניקום בביתא דבהתא אם חזי | 5b. bAnd wasjust bone miracle performed with the anointing oil? But many miracles were performed with it, from its initialpreparation bto its end.He explains: bIts initialpreparation bwas onlythe measure of btwelve ilog /i, andeven so bthe Tabernacle and its vessels were anointed with it, andlikewise bAaron and his sonswere anointed with it ball the seven days of inauguration, and High Priests and kings were anointed with itthroughout the generations, bandyet despite the reduction in the amount of oil during its preparation process, as well as its multiple uses throughout history, bit allremains bintact forits use in bthe future. /b,Rabbi Yehuda adds that this is bas it is stated: “This [ izeh /i] shall be a sacred anointing oil to Me throughout your generations”(Exodus 30:31). The word izehhas a numerical value [ ibigimatriya /i]of btwelve,which teaches that the original twelve ilog /iof oil that existed at the outset bareextant throughout all the generations. If so, i.e., if such miracles were performed in connection with the oil, it is no wonder that its initial preparation was miraculous., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: b“And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the Tabernacleand all that was in it and sanctified them” (Leviticus 8:10). bRabbi Yehuda says:With regard to bthe anointing oil that Moses prepared in the wilderness, many miracles were performed with it, from its initialpreparation bto its end. Its initialpreparation bwas only twelve ilog /i;consider bhow muchof it ba cauldron absorbsfrom what is cooked inside it, band how muchof it the brootsof the plants babsorb, how muchof it bthe fire burns, andyet bthe Tabernacle, and its vessels,and bAaron, and his sons wereall banointed with it all seven days of the inauguration. /b,The ibaraitaadds: bAnd High Priests and kings were anointed with it, and even a High Priest, the son of a High Priest, requires anointingwith the oil. bBut one does not anoint a king, the son of a king. And if you say:If so, bfor whatreason bdid they anoint King Solomon,who was the son of King David? It was bdue to the disputeover the throne instigated by his older brother bAdonijah,who attempted to usurp the monarchy. bAndsimilarly bJoash,son of Ahaziah, was anointed king (see II Kings 11:12) bdue tothe threat of bAthaliah,his paternal grandmother, who attempted to seize the monarchy for herself (II Kings 11:1–3). bAnd Jehoahaz,son of Josiah, was anointed as king (II Kings 23:30) bdue tothe competition from bJehoiakim, his brother, who was two years older than his brother,i.e., Jehoahaz. Ordinarily the older brother succeeds the father, but Jehoahaz was more worthy of the throne.,The Gemara clarifies several aspects of this ibaraita /i. bThe Master saidearlier: bAnd even a High Priest, the son of a High Priest, requires anointing.The Gemara asks: bFrom where do wederive this ihalakha /i? It is derived from a verse, bas it is written: “And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons”(Leviticus 6:15). bLet the verse saymerely: bThe priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons. Whatis taught by the addition of the term b“anointed”? This teaches us that evenwhen the new High Priest is bfrom amongthe bsonsof the previous High Priest, only bthatpriest bwho is anointedwith oil bisthe bHigh Priest, but ifhe is bnot anointedwith oil he bis notthe bHigh Priest. /b, bThe Master saidearlier: bBut one does not anoint a king, the son of a king.The Gemara asks: bFrom where do wederive this ihalakha /i? bRav Aḥa bar Ya’akov saidthat this is bas it is written: In order that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his sons, all the daysin the midst of Israel (see Deuteronomy 17:20). The mention of a king’s sons teaches that the kingdom bis an inheritance,which does not need to be confirmed by anointing.,The ibaraitafurther taught: bAnd for whatreason bdid they anoint King Solomon? Due to the disputeover the throne instigated by his older brother bAdonijah.The Gemara asks: bFrom where do wederive bthatin a situation bwhere there is a disputethe new king brequires anointing, and thecurrent bking cannotsimply bgrant the kingship as an inheritance to whomever he desires? Rav Pappa saidthat bthe verse states:“He and his children bin the midst of Israel”(Deuteronomy 17:20). bAt a time when there is peace in Israelthe monarchy transfers smoothly to the king’s son, but not when there is a dispute.,It was btaughtin a ibaraita /i: bAlso Jehu,son of Jehoshaphat, bson of Nimshi, was anointedby Elisha the prophet bonly due tothe bdisputewith bJoram, son of Ahab,who was the incumbent king, against whose reign Jehu rebelled (see II Kings 9:1–6). The Gemara asks: bWhyis it necessary to state this reason? bLetthe itannaof the ibaraita bderivethat Jehu required anointing due to the fact bthat hewas bthe first kingof his lineage, as Jehu was not the son of a king. The Gemara answers: The ibaraita bis incomplete, and thisis what bit is teaching: One anoints the kings of the house of Davidwith the anointing oil, but bone does not anoint the kingsfrom the kingdom bof Israel. And if you say: For whatreason bdidElisha banoint Jehu,son of Jehoshaphat, bson of Nimshi?This was bdue tothe bdisputewith bJoram, son of Ahab. /b, bThe Master saidearlier: bOne anoints the kings of the house of Davidwith the anointing oil, but bone does not anoint the kings of Israel.The Gemara asks: bFrom where do wederive this ihalakha /i? It is derived from a verse, bas it is writtenwith regard to the anointing of David: b“Arise, anoint him; for this is he”(I Samuel 16:12). bThisking, i.e., any king from the house of David, brequires anointing, but anotherking, i.e., from the kingdom of Israel, whose kings were not descendants of the house of David, bdoes not require anointing. /b, bThe Master saidearlier that Jehu was anointed bdue tothe bdisputewith bJoram.The Gemara asks: bAnd due tothe bdisputewith bJoram, son of Ahab, will we misuseconsecrated property by anointing someone unnecessarily bwith the anointing oil,which is called “a sacred anointing oil” (Exodus 30:31)? After all, kings of the kingdom of Israel do not require anointing. The Gemara answers: This is bas Rav Pappa saidwith regard to Jehoahaz: They anointed him bwith pure balsamoil, rather than with the anointing oil. bHere too,Elisha anointed Jehu bwith pure balsamoil, not the anointing oil.,It was further stated in the ibaraita /i: bAnd Jehoahaz,son of Josiah, was anointed bdue tothe competition from bJehoiakim, his brother, who was two years older than him.The Gemara asks: bAnd wasJehoiakim in fact bolderthan Jehoahaz? bBut isn’t it written: “And the sons of Josiah: The firstborn Joha, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum”(I Chronicles 3:15); band Rabbi Yoḥa says:The one who is called Joha in that verse bisalso called bJehoahaz,and the one who biscalled bZedekiah isthe same as the one called bShallum.If so, Jehoahaz is the eldest son, not Jehoiakim. Why, then, was it necessary to anoint Jehoahaz?,The Gemara answers: bRather, Jehoiakimwas bactually olderthan Jehoahaz. bAnd whydoes the verse bcallJehoahaz the bfirstborn?This is referring to the fact bthatJehoahaz was the bfirstborn with regard to the monarchy,i.e., he became king first. The Gemara asks: bAnd do we establish the youngerson as king bbefore the olderson? bBut isn’t it writtenwith regard to Jehoshaphat: b“And he gave the kingdom to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn”(II Chronicles 21:3)? The Gemara answers: Jehoram bwasone bwho filled the place of his fathers,i.e., he was fit to serve as king, and therefore as he was firstborn he received the kingship, whereas Jehoiakim was deemed unworthy of the honor, despite being the oldest among his brothers., bThe Master saidearlier: The one who biscalled bShallum isalso called bZedekiah.The Gemara objects: bBut the Torah countsthese individuals bin a row,i.e., one after the other, as I Chronicles 3:15 mentions the first, second, third, and fourth sons. This indicates that they are different people. The Gemara answers: Shallum and Zedekiah are in fact one and the same, band whatis the reason the verse bcallsZedekiah the bthird?The reason is bthat he is third of the sons,i.e., the third in order of birth. bAnd whatis the reason the verse bcallsShallum the bfourth?The reason is bthat he is fourth to the kingship, because Jeconiah reigned before him.How so? bInitially Jehoahaz reigned, and afterward Jehoiakimreigned, band afterward Jeconiahreigned, band afterward Zedekiahreigned. Accordingly, Zedekiah, called Shallum, was fourth to the kingship., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: The one who biscalled bShallum isalso called bZedekiah, and why was he called Shallum? Because he was perfect [ ishalem /i] in hisgood bdeeds. Alternatively,he was called bShallum because in his days the kingdom of the house of David was completed [ ishalam /i],as he was the last king in the Davidic dynasty. bAnd whatwas bhistrue bname? Mattaniahwas bhis name, as it is stated: “And the king of Babylonia made Mattaniah, his father’s brother, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah”(II Kings 24:17).,The ibaraitaexplains: Why did the king of Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar, call him by the name Zedekiah? The reason is bthatNebuchadnezzar bsaid to him: God will justify [ iyatzdik /i] the judgment over you if you rebel against me, as it is statedwith regard to Nebuchadnezzar and Jehoiachin: b“And brought him to Babylon”(II Chronicles 36:10), and with regard to Zedekiah it is stated: b“And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God”(II Chronicles 36:13).,§ The Gemara raises a difficulty with regard to the statement that Jehoahaz was anointed: bAnd was there anointing oilin the days of Jehoahaz? bBut isn’t it taughtin a ibaraita( iTosefta /i, iYoma2:15) that bfrom whenthe bArk was sequestered,along with it bwas sequestered the jar of mannathat was next to it (see Exodus 16:33), band the flask of the anointing oil, and Aaron’s staffwith its balmonds and blossoms(see Numbers 17:23).,The ibaraitacontinues: bAndalso sequestered with the Ark was the bchest that the Philistines sent as a gift to the God of Israelafter they captured the Ark and were stricken by several plagues, bas it is stated: “And put the jewels of gold that you return to Him for a guilt offering, in a coffer by its side,and send it away that it may go” (I Samuel 6:8). bAnd who sequesteredthe Ark? bJosiah, king of Judah, sequestered it, as it is stated: And the king said to the priests: Put the sacred Arkin the house that Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, built (see II Chronicles 35:3)., bAnd Rabbi Elazar says:How do we know that all these items needed to be sequestered together with the Ark? The ihalakhathat the jar of manna was to be kept with the Ark is bderivedthrough a verbal analogy between the words b“there”and b“there.”The word “there” is stated with regard to the Ark: “Where I will meet with you there” (Exodus 30:6), and it is also stated with regard to the manna: “And put there” (Exodus 16:33).,The ihalakhathat the anointing oil was to be kept together with the Ark is bderivedthrough a verbal analogy between the words b“generations”and b“generations.”This term is stated with regard to the jar of manna: “To be kept throughout your generations” (Exodus 16:33), and also with regard to the anointing oil: “This shall be a sacred anointing oil to Me throughout your generations” (Exodus 30:31).,Finally, the ihalakhathat Aaron’s staff was to be kept together with the Ark is bderivedthrough a verbal analogy between the terms b“to be kept”and b“to be kept.”This term is stated with regard to the jar of manna, and also with regard to Aaron’s staff: “To be kept there, for a token against the rebellious children” (Numbers 17:25). All these items, which are connected through these verbal analogies, including the anointing oil, were kept by the side of the Ark, and therefore they were sequestered together with the Ark. If so, how was Jehoahaz anointed with the anointing oil? bRav Pappa said:They did not anoint Jehoahaz with the anointing oil, but bwith pure balsam. /b,§ bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOne anoints the kingsby placing the oil around the head in a shape bsimilarto ba crown, and one anoints theHigh bPriestsby placing the oil upon the head in the shape bsimilarto bchi.In explanation of this statement, bRav Menashya says:It is placed in a shape bsimilarto the bGreekletter bchi,which looks like the letter Χ. It bis taughtin bone ibaraita /i: bFirst, one pours oil onthe bhead ofthe High Priest, band afterward one places oil between his eyelashes. And it is taughtin banother ibaraita /i: bFirst, one places oil between his eyelashes, and afterward one pours oil on his head.The ibaraitotcontradict each other.,The Gemara explains: This bisa matter of dispute between itanna’im /i,as bthere isa itanna bwho says: Anointingbetween his eyelashes is bpreferableto pouring on the head and therefore comes first, band there isa itanna bwho saysthat bpouringon the head is bpreferableto anointing between his eyelashes, and therefore comes first. bWhat is the reasoning of the one who saysthat bpouringon the head is bpreferable? As it is stated: “And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron’s headand anointed him to sanctify him” (Leviticus 8:12), which indicates that pouring is first, followed by anointing. bAndas for bthe one who saysthat banointingbetween his eyelashes is bpreferableto pouring on the head and precedes it, bhe holdsthat anointing is preferable bin thatits use bis increased,i.e., it is performed bon the service vessels,whereas pouring is not mentioned with regard to the service vessels.,The Gemara raises a difficulty: bButaccording to the opinion that anointing is preferable, bisn’t it written: “He poured,” and ultimately: “He anointed”(Leviticus 8:12)? The Gemara explains that bthisis what the verse bis saying: What is the reasonfor b“he poured”?This action was made possible bdue tothe fact that he had already: b“Anointed him to sanctify him.”In other words, the pouring came after the anointing, which is the primary act., bThe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: The verse states: b“It is like the precious oil upon the headdescending upon the beard; the beard of Aaron, that descends upon the collar of his garments” (Psalms 133:2). bTwo dropsof anointing oil shaped blike pearls hung from Aaron’s beard. Rav Kahana saysit is btaught: WhenAaron bwould speakhis beard would move, and these drops bwouldmiraculously brise and sit on the roots of his beard,so that they would not fall to the ground. bAnd with regard to this matter Moses, our teacher, was concerned,thinking: bPerhaps, God forbid, I misused the anointing oilby pouring too much, which resulted in these two additional drops., bA Divine Voice emerged and said:“It is like the precious oil upon the head, descending upon the beard; the beard of Aaron, that descends upon the collar of his garments, blike the dew of the Hermon that comes down upon the mountains of Zion”(Psalms 133:2–3). This comparison serves to teach: bJust as the Hermon’s dew is not subject to misuseof consecrated property, as it is not consecrated but can be used by all, bso too,the anointing boil that descends upon Aaron’s beard is not subject to misuseof consecrated property., bAnd still Aaron himself was concerned,thinking: bPerhaps Moses did not misuseconsecrated property bbut I misusedthe oil, as the additional oil is on my body and I derive benefit from it. bA Divine Voice emerged and said to him: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity”(Psalms 133:1). bJust asyour brother bMoses did not misuseconsecrated property, bso too, you did not misuseconsecrated property.,§ The Gemara cites a ibaraitawhich discusses the anointing of kings. bThe Sages taught: One may anoint kings only next to a spring.This is done as a fortuitous sign, bso that their kingdom should continueuninterrupted just as the waters of the spring flow uninterrupted throughout the year. bAs it is statedwith regard to the coronation of Solomon in the days of King David: bAnd the king said to Benaiah:Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, band bring him down to Gihon. Andlet Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet banoint him thereking over Israel (see I Kings 1:33–34). The Sages derived from here that all kings should be anointed near a spring.,Parenthetical to this matter of performing an act as a fortuitous sign, the Gemara cites that which bRav Ami says: One who desires to know if he willlive bthroughthis current byear or not should bringa lit bcandle during those ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur and hang it in a housethrough bwhich wind does not blow,and he should watch it carefully: bIf its light continues he shall know that he will live out his year. /b, bAnd one who desires to conduct business and wants to know ifhis bbusiness will succeed or not should raise a rooster. Ifthe rooster bgets fat and beautiful he shall know thatthe venture bwill succeed. /b, bThis one who wishes to leave on a journey and wants to know whether he will return to his home should enter a dark house. If he sees /b |
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10. Babylonian Talmud, Megillah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 3a. בנס היו עומדין,אין מהוה הוו ולא הוו ידעי הי באמצע תיבה והי בסוף תיבה ואתו צופים ותקינו פתוחין באמצע תיבה וסתומין בסוף תיבה,סוף סוף אלה המצות שאין נביא עתיד לחדש דבר מעתה אלא שכחום וחזרו ויסדום,וא"ר ירמיה ואיתימא רבי חייא בר אבא תרגום של תורה אונקלוס הגר אמרו מפי ר' אליעזר ור' יהושע תרגום של נביאים יונתן בן עוזיאל אמרו מפי חגי זכריה ומלאכי ונזדעזעה ארץ ישראל ארבע מאות פרסה על ארבע מאות פרסה יצתה בת קול ואמרה מי הוא זה שגילה סתריי לבני אדם,עמד יונתן בן עוזיאל על רגליו ואמר אני הוא שגליתי סתריך לבני אדם גלוי וידוע לפניך שלא לכבודי עשיתי ולא לכבוד בית אבא אלא לכבודך עשיתי שלא ירבו מחלוקת בישראל,ועוד ביקש לגלות תרגום של כתובים יצתה בת קול ואמרה לו דייך מ"ט משום דאית ביה קץ משיח,ותרגום של תורה אונקלוס הגר אמרו והא אמר רב איקא בר אבין אמר רב חננאל אמר רב מאי דכתיב (נחמיה ח, ח) ויקראו בספר תורת האלהים מפורש ושום שכל ויבינו במקרא ויקראו בספר תורת האלהים זה מקרא מפורש זה תרגום,ושום שכל אלו הפסוקין ויבינו במקרא אלו פיסקי טעמים ואמרי לה אלו המסורת שכחום וחזרו ויסדום,מאי שנא דאורייתא דלא אזדעזעה ואדנביאי אזדעזעה דאורייתא מיפרשא מלתא דנביאי איכא מילי דמיפרשן ואיכא מילי דמסתמן דכתיב (זכריה יב, יא) ביום ההוא יגדל המספד בירושלם כמספד הדדרימון בבקעת מגידון,ואמר רב יוסף אלמלא תרגומא דהאי קרא לא ידענא מאי קאמר ביומא ההוא יסגי מספדא בירושלים כמספדא דאחאב בר עמרי דקטל יתיה הדדרימון בן טברימון ברמות גלעד וכמספדא דיאשיה בר אמון דקטל יתיה פרעה חגירא בבקעת מגידו,(דניאל י, ז) וראיתי אני דניאל לבדי את המראה והאנשים אשר היו עמי לא ראו את המראה אבל חרדה גדולה נפלה עליהם ויברחו בהחבא מאן נינהו אנשים אמר ר' ירמיה ואיתימא רבי חייא בר אבא זה חגי זכריה ומלאכי,אינהו עדיפי מיניה ואיהו עדיף מינייהו אינהו עדיפי מיניה דאינהו נביאי ואיהו לאו נביא איהו עדיף מינייהו דאיהו חזא ואינהו לא חזו,וכי מאחר דלא חזו מ"ט איבעיתו אע"ג דאינהו לא חזו מזלייהו חזו,אמר רבינא שמע מינה האי מאן דמיבעית אע"ג דאיהו לא חזי מזליה חזי מאי תקנתיה ליקרי ק"ש ואי קאים במקום הטנופת לינשוף מדוכתיה ארבע גרמידי ואי לא לימא הכי עיזא דבי טבחי שמינא מינאי:,והשתא דאמרת מדינה ומדינה ועיר ועיר לדרשה משפחה ומשפחה למאי אתא אמר רבי יוסי בר חנינא להביא משפחות כהונה ולויה שמבטלין עבודתן ובאין לשמוע מקרא מגילה,דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב כהנים בעבודתן ולוים בדוכנן וישראל במעמדן כולן מבטלין עבודתן ובאין לשמוע מקרא מגילה,תניא נמי הכי כהנים בעבודתן ולוים בדוכנן וישראל במעמדן כולן מבטלין עבודתן ובאין לשמוע מקרא מגילה מכאן סמכו של בית רבי שמבטלין תלמוד תורה ובאין לשמוע מקרא מגילה קל וחומר מעבודה ומה עבודה שהיא חמורה מבטלינן תלמוד תורה לא כל שכן,ועבודה חמורה מתלמוד תורה והכתיב (יהושע ה, יג) ויהי בהיות יהושע ביריחו וישא עיניו וירא והנה איש עומד לנגדו [וגו'] וישתחו (לאפיו),והיכי עביד הכי והאמר רבי יהושע בן לוי אסור לאדם שיתן שלום לחבירו בלילה חיישינן שמא שד הוא שאני התם דאמר ליה כי אני שר צבא ה',ודלמא משקרי גמירי דלא מפקי שם שמים לבטלה,אמר לו אמש בטלתם תמיד של בין הערבים ועכשיו בטלתם תלמוד תורה אמר לו על איזה מהן באת אמר לו עתה באתי מיד (יהושע ח, ט) וילן יהושע בלילה ההוא בתוך העמק אמר רבי יוחנן | 3a. bstood by way of a miracle? /b,The Gemara answers: bYes,two forms of these letters bdid existat that time, bbutthe people bdid not know whichone of them was to be used bin the middle of the word and which at the end of the word, and the Seers came and establishedthat bthe openforms are to used be bin the middle of the word and the closedforms bat the end of the word. /b,The Gemara asks: bUltimately,however, doesn’t the phrase b“these are the commandments”(Leviticus 27:34) indicate bthat a prophet is not permitted to initiate any matterof ihalakha bfrom now on? Rather,it may be suggested that the final letters already existed at the time of the giving of the Torah, but over the course of time the people bforgot them,and the prophets bthencame and breestablished them. /b,§ The Gemara cites another ruling of Rabbi Yirmeya or Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba. bRabbi Yirmeya said, and some saythat it was bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abbawho said: bTheAramaic btranslation of the Torahused in the synagogues bwas composed by Onkelos the convert based onthe teachings of bRabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. TheAramaic btranslation of the Prophets was composed by Yonatan ben Uzziel based ona tradition going back to the last prophets, bHaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.The Gemara relates that when Yonatan ben Uzziel wrote his translation, bEretz Yisrael quakedover an area of bfour hundred parasangs [ iparsa /i] by four hundred parasangs,and ba Divine Voice emerged and said: Who is this who has revealed My secrets to mankind? /b, bYonatan ben Uzziel stood up on his feet and said: I am the one who has revealed Your secrets to mankindthrough my translation. However, bit is revealed and known to You that I did this not for myown bhonor, and not for the honor of the house ofmy bfather, but ratherit was bfor Your honorthat bI did this, so that discord not increase among the Jewish people.In the absence of an accepted translation, people will disagree about the meaning of obscure verses, but with a translation, the meaning will be clear., bAndYonatan ben Uzziel balso sought to reveal a translation of the Writings,but ba Divine Voice emerged and said to him: It is enough for youthat you translated the Prophets. The Gemara explains: bWhat is the reasonthat he was denied permission to translate the Writings? bBecause it has in ita revelation of bthe end,when the bMessiahwill arrive. The end is foretold in a cryptic manner in the book of Daniel, and were the book of Daniel translated, the end would become manifestly revealed to all.,The Gemara asks: bWas the translation of the Torahreally bcomposed by Onkelos the convert? Didn’t Rav Ika bar Avin saythat bRav Ḥael saidthat bRav said: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is writtenwith respect to the days of Ezra: b“And they read in the book, the Torah of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, and they caused them to understand the reading”(Nehemiah 8:8)? The verse should be understood as follows: b“And they read in the book, the Torah of God,” this is thescriptural btext; “distinctly,” this is the translation,indicating that they immediately translated the text into Aramaic, as was customary during public Torah readings., b“And they gave the sense,” these arethe divisions of the text into separate bverses. “And they caused them to understand the reading,” these are the cantillation notes,through which the meaning of the text is further clarified. bAnd some saythat bthese are theMasoretic btraditionswith regard to the manner in which each word is to be written. This indicates that the Aramaic translation already existed at the beginning of the Second Temple period, well before the time of Onkelos. The Gemara answers: bTheancient Aramaic translation bwas forgotten and thenOnkelos came and breestablished it. /b,The Gemara asks: bWhat is differentabout the translation of Prophets? Why is it that when Onkelos revealed the translation bof the Torah,Eretz Yisrael bdid not quake, andwhen he revealed the translation bof the Prophets, it quaked?The Gemara explains: bThemeaning of bmattersdiscussed bin the Torah is clear,and therefore its Aramaic translation did not reveal the meaning of passages that had not been understood previously. Conversely, in bthe Prophets, there are matters that are clear and there are matters that are obscure,and the Aramaic translation revealed the meaning of obscure passages. The Gemara cites an example of an obscure verse that is clarified by the Aramaic translation: bAs it is written: “On that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon”(Zechariah 12:11)., bAndwith regard to that verse, bRav Yosef said: Were it not for theAramaic btranslation of this verse, we would not have known what it is saying,as the Bible does not mention any incident involving Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. The Aramaic translation reads as follows: bOn that day, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Ahab, son of Omri, who was slain by Hadadrimmon, son of Tavrimon, in Ramoth-Gilead, and like the mourning for Josiah, son of Amon, who was slain by Pharaoh the lame in the valley of Megiddon.The translation clarifies that the verse is referring to two separate incidents of mourning, and thereby clarifies the meaning of this verse.,§ The Gemara introduces another statement from the same line of tradition. The verse states: b“And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great trembling fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves”(Daniel 10:7). bWho were these men?The term “men” in the Bible indicates important people; who were they? bRabbi Yirmeya said, and some saythat it was bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abbawho said: bThese arethe prophets bHaggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. /b,The Gemara comments: In certain ways bthey,the prophets, bwere greater than him,Daniel, and in certain ways bhe,Daniel, bwas greater than them. They were greater than him, as they were prophets and he was not a prophet.Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were sent to convey the word of God to the Jewish people, while Daniel was not sent to reveal his visions to others. In another way, however, bhe was greater than them, as he sawthis vision, band they did not seethis vision, indicating that his ability to perceive obscure and cryptic visions was greater than theirs.,The Gemara asks: bSince they did not seethe vision, bwhat is the reason that they were frightened?The Gemara answers: bEven though they did not seethe vision, btheir guardian angels sawit, and therefore they sensed that there was something fearful there and they fled., bRavina said: Learn fromthis incident that with regard to bone who is frightenedfor no apparent reason, balthough he does not seeanything menacing, bhis guardian angel seesit, and therefore he should take steps in order to escape the danger. The Gemara asks: bWhat is his remedy? He should recite iShema /i,which will afford him protection. bAnd if he is standing in a place of filth,where it is prohibited to recite verses from the Torah, bhe should distance himself four cubits from hiscurrent blocationin order to escape the danger. bAnd ifhe is bnotable to do so, blet him say the followingincantation: bThe goat of the slaughterhouse is fatter than I am,and if a calamity must fall upon something, it should fall upon it.,§ After this digression, the Gemara returns to the exposition of a verse cited above. bNowthat byou have saidthat the phrases b“every province” and “every city”appear bforthe purposes of midrashic bexposition, for whatexposition do the words b“every family”appear in that same verse (Esther 9:28)? bRabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said:These words come bto include the priestly and Levitical families,and indicate bthat they cancel their servicein the Temple band come to hear the reading of the Megilla. /b, bAs Rav Yehuda saidthat bRav said: The priests at theirTemple bservice, the Levites on their platformin the Temple, where they sung the daily psalm, band the Israelites at their watches,i.e., the group of Israelites, corresponding to the priestly watches, who would come to Jerusalem and gather in other locations as representatives of the entire nation to observe or pray for the success of the Temple service, ball cancel their service and come to hear the reading of the Megilla. /b, bThis is also taughtin a ibaraita /i: bThe priests at their service, the Levites on the platform, and the Israelites at their watches, all cancel their service and come to hear the reading of the Megilla.The Sages of bthe house of RabbiYehuda HaNasi breliedupon the ihalakhastated bhereand determined bthat one cancels his Torah study and comes to hear the reading of the Megilla.They derived this principle by means of ban ia fortiori /iinference bfrom theTemple bservice: Just asone who is engaged in performing bservicein the Temple, bwhich isvery bimportant, cancelshis service in order to hear the Megilla, is it bnot all the more soobvious that one who is engaged in bTorah studycancels his study to hear the Megilla?,The Gemara asks: bIs theTemple bservice more important than Torah study? Isn’t it written: “And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood over against himwith his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went over to him and said to him: Are you for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, No, but I am captain of the host of the Lord, I have come now. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, band bowed down”(Joshua 5:13–14).,The Gemara first seeks to clarify the incident described in the verse. bHow didJoshua bdo this,i.e., how could he bow to a figure he did not recognize? bDidn’t Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say: It is prohibited for a person to greet his fellow at nightif he does not recognize him, as bwe are concerned that perhaps it is a demon?How did Joshua know that it was not a demon? The Gemara answers: bThere it was different, asthe visitor bsaid to him: But I am captain of the host of the Lord. /b,The Gemara asks: bPerhapsthis was a demon band he lied?The Gemara answers: It bis learnedas a tradition that demons bdo not utter the name of Heaven for naught,and therefore since the visitor had mentioned the name of God, Joshua was certain that this was indeed an angel.,As for the angel’s mission, the Gemara explains that the angel bsaid toJoshua: bYesterday,i.e., during the afternoon, byou neglected the afternoon daily offeringdue to the impending battle, band now,at night, byou have neglected Torah study,and I have come to rebuke you. Joshua bsaid to him: For which of thesesins bhave you come? He said to him: I have come now,indicating that neglecting Torah study is more severe than neglecting to sacrifice the daily offering. Joshua bimmediatelydetermined to rectify the matter, as the verses states: b“And Joshua lodged that night”(Joshua 8:9) b“in the midst of the valley[iha’emek/b]” (Joshua 8:13), and bRabbi Yoḥa said: /b |
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11. Babylonian Talmud, Moed Qatan, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 28a. אלא חיה אבל שאר נשים מניחין,ר' אלעזר אמר אפילו שאר הנשים דכתיב (במדבר כ, א) ותמת שם מרים ותקבר שם סמוך למיתה קבורה,ואמר ר' אלעזר אף מרים בנשיקה מתה אתיא שם שם ממשה ומפני מה לא נאמר בה על פי ה' מפני שגנאי הדבר לאומרו,א"ר אמי למה נסמכה מיתת מרים לפרשת פרה אדומה לומר לך מה פרה אדומה מכפרת אף מיתתן של צדיקים מכפרת א"ר אלעזר למה נסמכה מיתת אהרן לבגדי כהונה מה בגדי כהונה מכפרין אף מיתתן של צדיקים מכפרת,ת"ר מת פתאום זו היא מיתה חטופה חלה יום אחד ומת זו היא מיתה דחופה ר' חנניא בן גמליאל אומר זו היא מיתת מגפה שנאמר (יחזקאל כד, טז) בן אדם הנני לוקח ממך את מחמד עיניך במגפה וכתיב (יחזקאל כד, יח) ואדבר אל העם בבקר ותמת אשתי בערב,שני ימים ומת זו היא מיתה דחויה ג' גערה ארבעה נזיפה חמשה זו היא מיתת כל אדם,א"ר חנין מאי קרא (דברים לא, יד) הן קרבו ימיך למות הן חד קרבו תרי ימיך תרי הא חמשה הן חד שכן בלשון יוני קורין לאחת הן,מת בחמשים שנה זו היא מיתת כרת חמשים ושתים שנה זו היא מיתתו של שמואל הרמתי ששים זו היא מיתה בידי שמים,אמר מר זוטרא מאי קרא דכתיב (איוב ה, כו) תבא בכלח אלי קבר בכלח בגימטריא שיתין הוו,שבעים שיבה שמונים גבורות דכתיב (תהלים צ, י) ימי שנותינו בהם שבעים שנה ואם בגבורות שמונים שנה אמר רבה מחמשים ועד ששים שנה זו היא מיתת כרת והאי דלא חשיב להו משום כבודו של שמואל הרמתי,רב יוסף כי הוה בר שיתין עבד להו יומא טבא לרבנן אמר נפקי לי מכרת א"ל אביי נהי דנפק ליה מר מכרת דשני מכרת דיומי מי נפיק מר א"ל נקוט לך מיהא פלגא בידך,רב הונא נח נפשיה פתאום הוו קא דייגי רבנן תנא להו זוגא דמהדייב לא שנו אלא שלא הגיע לגבורות אבל הגיע לגבורות זו היא מיתת נשיקה,אמר רבא חיי בני ומזוני לא בזכותא תליא מילתא אלא במזלא תליא מילתא דהא רבה ורב חסדא תרוייהו רבנן צדיקי הוו מר מצלי ואתי מיטרא ומר מצלי ואתי מיטרא,רב חסדא חיה תשעין ותרתין שנין רבה חיה ארבעין בי רב חסדא שיתין הלולי בי רבה שיתין תיכלי,בי רב חסדא סמידא לכלבי ולא מתבעי בי רבה נהמא דשערי לאינשי ולא משתכח,ואמר רבא הני תלת מילי בעאי קמי שמיא תרתי יהבו לי חדא לא יהבו לי חוכמתיה דרב הונא ועותריה דרב חסדא ויהבו לי ענותנותיה דרבה בר רב הונא לא יהבו לי,רב שעורים אחוה דרבא הוה יתיב קמיה דרבא חזייה דהוה קא מנמנם א"ל לימא ליה מר דלא לצערן א"ל מר לאו שושביניה הוא א"ל כיון דאימסר מזלא לא אשגח בי א"ל ליתחזי לי מר איתחזי ליה א"ל הוה ליה למר צערא א"ל כי ריבדא דכוסילתא,רבא הוה יתיב קמיה דר"נ חזייה דקא מנמנם א"ל לימא ליה מר דלא לצערן א"ל מר לאו אדם חשוב הוא א"ל מאן חשיב מאן ספין מאן רקיע,א"ל ליתחזי לי מר אתחזי ליה א"ל ה"ל למר צערא א"ל כמישחל בניתא מחלבא ואי אמר לי הקב"ה זיל בההוא עלמא כד הוית לא בעינא דנפיש בעיתותיה,רבי אלעזר הוה קאכיל תרומה איתחזי ליה א"ל תרומה קא אכילנא ולאו קודש איקרי חלפא ליה שעתא,רב ששת איתחזי ליה בשוקא אמר ליה בשוקא כבהמה איתא לגבי ביתא,רב אשי איתחזי ליה בשוקא א"ל איתרח לי תלתין יומין ואהדרי לתלמודאי דאמריתו אשרי מי שבא לכאן ותלמודו בידו ביום תלתין אתא אמר ליה מאי כולי האי קא דחקא רגליה דבר נתן ואין מלכות נוגעת בחבירתה אפילו כמלא נימא,רב חסדא לא הוה יכיל ליה דלא הוה שתיק פומיה מגירסא סליק יתיב בארזא דבי רב פקע ארזא ושתק ויכיל ליה,ר' חייא לא הוה מצי למיקרבא ליה יומא חד אידמי ליה כעניא אתא טריף אבבא א"ל אפיק לי ריפתא אפיקו ליה א"ל ולאו קא מרחם מר אעניא אההוא גברא אמאי לא קא מרחם מר גלי ליה אחוי ליה שוטא דנורא אמצי ליה נפשיה: | 28a. with regard to ba womanwho died bin childbirth,and therefore continues to bleed. bButthe biers of bother women may be set downin the street., bRabbi Elazar said: Eventhe biers of bother womenmust not be set down in the street, bas it is written: “And Miriam died there and was buried there”(Numbers 20:1), which teaches that bthesite of her bburial was close tothe place of her bdeath.Therefore, it is preferable to bury a woman as close as possible to the place where she died.,With regard to that same verse bRabbi Elazar saidfurther: bMiriam also died bythe divine bkiss,just like her brother Moses. What is the source for this? bThis is derivedthrough a verbal analogy between the word b“there”stated with regard to Miriam and the word b“there”mentioned bwith regard to Moses.With regard to Moses it says: “So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab by the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 34:5). bFor whatreason bwas it notexplicitly bstated with regard to her,as it is stated with regard to Moses, that she died b“by the mouth of the Lord”?It is bbecause it would be unseemly to say such a thing,that a woman died by way of a divine kiss, and therefore it is not said explicitly., bRabbi Ami said: Why wasthe Torah portion that describes the bdeath of Miriam juxtaposed to the portiondealing with bthe red heifer? To tell you: Just as the red heifer atonesfor sin, bso too, the death of the righteous atonesfor sin. bRabbi Elazar said: Why wasthe Torah portion that describes the bdeath of Aaron juxtaposed tothe portion discussing bthe priestly garments?This teaches that bjust as the priestly garments atonefor sin, bso too, the death of the righteous atonesfor sin.,§ bThe Sages taughtthe following ibaraita /i: If one bdies suddenlywithout having been sick, bthis is deaththrough bsnatching.If he bbecame sick for a day and died, this is an expedited death. Rabbi Ḥaya ben Gamliel says: This is death at a stroke, as it is stated: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes at a stroke”(Ezekiel 24:16). bAndwhen this prophecy is fulfilled bit is written: “So I spoke to the people in the morning and at evening my wife died”(Ezekiel 24:18).,If he was sick for btwo days and died, this is a quickened death.If he was sick for bthreedays and died, this is a death of brebuke.If he died after being sick for bfourdays, this is a death of breprimand.If one died after a sickness lasting bfivedays, bthis is theordinary bdeath of all people. /b, bRabbi Ḥanin said: What is the versefrom which this is derived? It is stated: b“Behold, your days approach that you must die”(Deuteronomy 31:14). This verse is expounded in the following manner: b“Behold [ ihen /i]”indicates bone; “approach [ ikarvu /i],”a plural term, indicates btwo; “your days [ iyamekha /i],”also a plural term, indicates another btwo;and therefore in total bthis is five.How does the word ihen /iindicate bone? Because in the Greek language they callthe number bone ihen /i. /b,The Gemara discusses the significance of death at different ages: If one bdies whenhe is bfifty yearsold, bthis is death through ikaret /i,the divine punishment of excision, meted out for the most serious transgressions. If he dies when he is bfifty-two yearsold, bthis is the death of Samuel from Ramah.If he dies at the age of bsixty, this is death at the hand of Heaven. /b, bMar Zutra said: What is the versefrom which this is derived? bAs it is written: “You shall come to your grave in a ripe age [ ibekhelaḥ /i]”(Job 5:26). The word b“ripe age” [ ibekhelaḥ /i] has the numerical value of sixty,and it is alluded to there that dying at this age involves a divine punishment.,One who dies at the age of bseventyhas reached bold age.One who dies at the age of beightydies in bstrength, as it is written: “The days of our years are seventy, or if by reason of strength, eighty years”(Psalms 90:10). bRabba said:Not only is death at the age of fifty a sign of ikaret /i, but even death bfrom fifty to sixty yearsof age bis death by ikaret /i. Andthe reason that ball of these years were not countedin connection with ikaretis bdue to the honor of Samuel from Ramah,who died at the age of fifty-two.,The Gemara relates that bwhen Rav Yosef turned sixty he made a holiday for the Sages.Explaining the cause for his celebration, bhe said: I have passedthe age of ikaret /i. Abaye said to him: Master,even bthough you have passed the ikaretof years, have you, Master, escaped the ikaretof days?As previously mentioned, sudden death is also considered to be a form of ikaret /i. bHe said to him: Grasp at least half in your hand,for I have at least escaped one type of ikaret /i.,It was related that bRav Huna died suddenly,and bthe Sages were concernedthat this was a bad sign. The Sage bZuga from Hadayeiv taught themthe following: bThey taughtthese principles bonly whenthe deceased bhad not reachedthe age of bstrength,i.e., eighty. bBut if he had reachedthe age of bstrengthand then died suddenly, bthis is death by way of adivine bkiss. /b, bRava said:Length of blife, children, and sustece do not depend onone’s bmerit, but rather they depend upon fate. As, Rabba and Rav Ḥisda were both pious Sages;one bSagewould bprayduring a drought band rain would fall, andthe other bSagewould bpray and rain would fall. /b,And nevertheless, their lives were very different. bRav Ḥisda lived for ninety-two years,whereas bRabba lived foronly bfortyyears. bThe house of Rav Ḥisdacelebrated bsixty wedding feasts,whereas the bhouse of Rabbaexperienced bsixty calamities.In other words, many fortuitous events took place in the house of Rav Ḥisda and the opposite occurred in the house of Rabba., bIn the house of Rav Ḥisdathere was bread from bthe finest flour [ isemida /i]even bfor the dogs, and it was not asked after,as there was so much food. bIn the house of Rabba,on the other hand, there was coarse bbarley breadeven bfor people, and it was not foundin sufficient quantities. This shows that the length of life, children, and sustece all depend not upon one’s merit, but upon fate.,Apropos Rav Ḥisda’s great wealth, the Gemara reports that bRava said: These three things I requested from Heaven, twoof which bwere given to me,and bone was not given to me:I requested the bwisdom of Rav Huna and the wealth of Rav Ḥisda and they were given to me.I also requested the bhumility of Rabba bar Rav Huna,but bit was not given to me. /b,The Gemara continues its discussion of the deaths of the righteous. bRav Seorim, Rava’s brother, sat before Rava,and bhe saw thatRava bwas dozing,i.e., about to die. Rava bsaid tohis brother: bMaster, tell him,the Angel of Death, bnot to torment me.Knowing that Rava was not afraid of the Angel of Death, Rav Seorim bsaid tohim: bMaster, are you not a friend ofthe Angel of Death? Rava bsaid to him: Sincemy bfate has been handed overto him, and it has been decreed that I shall die, the Angel of Death bno longer pays heed to me.Rav Seorim bsaid toRava: bMaster, appear to mein a dream after your death. And Rava bappeared to him.Rav Seorim bsaid toRava: bMaster, did you have painin death? bHe said to him: Like the prickof the knife bwhen letting blood. /b,It was similarly related that bRava sat before Rav Naḥman,and bhe saw thatRav Naḥman bwas dozing,i.e., slipping into death. Rav Naḥman bsaid toRava: bMaster, tellthe Angel of Death bnot to torment me.Rava bsaid to him: Master, are you not an important personwho is respected in Heaven? Rav Naḥman bsaid to him:In the supernal world bwho is important? Who is honorable? Who is complete? /b,Rava bsaid toRav Naḥman: bMaster, appear to mein a dream after your death. And bhe appeared to him.Rava bsaid to him: Master, did you have painin death? Rav Naḥman bsaid to him: Like the removal of hair from milk,which is a most gentle process. But nevertheless, bwere the Holy One, Blessed be He, to say to me: Goback bto that world,the physical world, bas you were, I would not want to go, for the fear ofthe Angel of Death bis great.And I would not want to go through such a terrifying experience a second time.,The Gemara relates that bRabbi Elazar wasonce beating iteruma /i,when the Angel of Death bappeared to him. He said tothe Angel of Death: bI am eating iteruma /i; is it not called sacred?It would be inappropriate for me to die now and thereby defile this sacred iteruma /i. The Angel of Death accepted his argument and left him. bThe moment passed,and he lived for some time afterward.,It was similarly related that the Angel of Death once bappeared to Rav Sheshet in the marketplace.Rav Sheshet bsaid tothe Angel of Death: Shall I die bin the market like an animal? Come tomy bhouseand kill me there like a human being.,So too, the Angel of Death bappeared to Rav Ashi in the marketplace.Rav Ashi bsaid tothe Angel of Death: bGive me thirty days so that I may review my studies, for you sayabove: bFortunate is he who comes hereto Heaven bwith his learning in his hand. On the thirtieth daythe Angel of Death bcameto take him. Rav Ashi bsaid tothe Angel of Death: bWhat is all of this?Why are you in such a hurry to take me? Why can you not postpone my death? He said to him: bThe foot ofRav Huna bbar Natan is pushingyou, as he is ready to succeed you as the leader of the generation, band one sovereignty does not overlap with its counterpart, evenby bone hairbreadth.Therefore, you cannot live any longer.,The Angel of Death bwas unableto take bRav Ḥisda because his mouth was never silent from study.So the Angel of Death bwentand bsat on the cedarcolumn that supported the roof of bthe study hall of the Sages. The cedar cracked andRav Ḥisda bwas silentfor a moment, as he was startled by the sound. At that point the Angel of Death was bable totake bhim. /b,The Angel of Death bcould not come near Rabbi Ḥiyya,owing to his righteousness. bOne daythe Angel of Death bappeared to him as a poor person. He came and knocked on the door. He said toRabbi Ḥiyya: bBring out bread for me,and bhe took outbread bfor him.The Angel of Death then bsaidto Rabbi Ḥiyya: bMaster, do you not have mercy on a poor person? Why, then, do you not have mercy upon that man,i.e., upon me, and give me what I want? The Angel of Death then brevealedhis identity bto him,and bshowed him a fiery rodin order to confirm that he was the Angel of Death. At this point Rav Ḥiyya bsurrenderedhimself bto him. /b |
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12. Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 48b. כמין שני חוטמין דקין (ואחד) מעובה ואחד דק כדי שיהו שניהם כלין בבת אחת מערבו של מים מזרחו של יין עירה של מים לתוך של יין ושל יין לתוך של מים יצא,ר' יהודה אומר בלוג היה מנסך כל שמונה ולמנסך אומר לו הגבה ידך שפעם אחד נסך אחד על גבי רגליו ורגמוהו כל העם באתרוגיהן,כמעשהו בחול כך מעשהו בשבת אלא שהיה ממלא מערב שבת חבית של זהב שאינה מקודשת מן השילוח ומניחה בלשכה נשפכה נתגלתה היה ממלא מן הכיור שהיין והמים מגולין פסולין לגבי מזבח:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big מנא הנ"מ אמר רב עינא דאמר קרא (ישעיהו יב, ג) ושאבתם מים בששון וגו',הנהו תרי מיני חד שמיה ששון וחד שמיה שמחה א"ל ששון לשמחה אנא עדיפנא מינך דכתיב (ישעיהו לה, י) ששון ושמחה ישיגו וגו' א"ל שמחה לששון אנא עדיפנא מינך דכתיב (אסתר ח, יז) שמחה וששון ליהודים א"ל ששון לשמחה חד יומא שבקוך ושויוך פרוונקא דכתיב (ישעיהו נה, יב) כי בשמחה תצאו א"ל שמחה לששון חד יומא שבקוך ומלו בך מיא דכתיב ושאבתם מים בששון,א"ל ההוא מינא דשמיה ששון לר' אבהו עתידיתו דתמלו לי מים לעלמא דאתי דכתיב ושאבתם מים בששון א"ל אי הוה כתיב לששון כדקאמרת השתא דכתיב בששון משכיה דההוא גברא משוינן ליה גודא ומלינן ביה מיא:,עלה בכבש ופנה לשמאלו כו': ת"ר כל העולים למזבח עולין דרך ימין ומקיפין ויורדין דרך שמאל חוץ מן העולה לשלשה דברים הללו שעולין דרך שמאל וחוזרין על העקב ואלו הן ניסוך המים וניסוך היין ועולת העוף כשרבתה במזרח:,אלא שהיו משחירין: בשלמא דיין משחיר דמיא אמאי משחיר כיון דאמר מר עירה של מים לתוך של יין ושל יין לתוך של מים יצא של מים אתי לאשחורי:,ומנוקבים כמין ב' חוטמין וכו': לימא מתניתין ר' יהודה היא ולא רבנן דתנן רבי יהודה אומר בלוג היה מנסך כל שמונה דאי רבנן כי הדדי נינהו,אפי' תימא רבנן חמרא סמיך מיא קליש,הכי נמי מסתברא דאי רבי יהודה רחב וקצר אית ליה דתניא רבי יהודה אומר שני קשוואות היו שם אחד של מים ואחד של יין של יין פיה רחב של מים פיה קצר כדי שיהו שניהם כלין בבת אחת ש"מ:,מערבו של מים: ת"ר מעשה בצדוקי אחד שניסך על גבי רגליו ורגמוהו כל העם באתרוגיהן ואותו היום נפגמה קרן המזבח והביאו בול של מלח וסתמוהו לא מפני שהוכשר לעבודה אלא מפני שלא יראה מזבח פגום | 48b. with btwo thinperforated bnose-likeprotrusions. bOneof the basins, used for the wine libation, had a perforation that was bbroad, and one,used for the water libation, had a perforation that was bthin, so thatthe flow of bboththe water and the wine, which do not have the same viscosity, would bconclude simultaneously.The basin to the bwest ofthe altar was bfor water,and the basin to the beast ofthe altar was bfor wine.However, if bone pouredthe contents of the basin bof water intothe basin bof wine, orthe contents of the basin bof wine intothe basin bof water, he fulfilledhis obligation, as failure to pour the libation from the prescribed location does not disqualify the libation after the fact., bRabbi Yehuda says:The basin for the water libation was not that large; rather, bone would pourthe water bwitha vessel that had a capacity of bone ilog /ion ball eightdays of the Festival and not only seven. bAndthe appointee bsays to the one pouringthe water into the silver basin: bRaise your hand,so that his actions would be visible, bas one timea Sadducee priest intentionally bpouredthe water bon his feet,as the Sadducees did not accept the oral tradition requiring water libation, and in their rage ball the people pelted him with their ietrogim /i. /b,Rabbi Yehuda continues: bAs its performance during the week, so is its performance on Shabbat, exceptthat on Shabbat one would not draw water. Instead, bon Shabbat eve, one would fill a golden barrel that was not consecratedfor exclusive use in the Temple bfrom the Siloampool, band hewould bplace it in theTemple bchamberand draw water from there on Shabbat. If the water in the barrel bspilled,or if it bwas exposedovernight, leading to concern that a snake may have deposited poison in the water, bone would fillthe jug with water bfrom the basinin the Temple courtyard, bas exposed wine or water is unfit for the altar.Just as it is prohibited for people to drink them due to the potential danger, so too, they may not be poured on the altar., strongGEMARA: /strong With regard to the customs accompanying the drawing of the water, the Gemara asks: bFrom where are these mattersderived? bRav Eina saidthat it is bas the verse states: “With joy [ isason /i] you shall draw waterout of the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), indicating that the water was to be drawn from the spring and the rite performed in extreme joy.,Apropos this verse, the Gemara relates: There were bthese two heretics, one named Sason and one named Simḥa. Sason said to Simḥa: I am superior to you, as it is written: “They shall obtain joy [ isason /i] and happiness [ isimḥa /i],and sorrow and sighing shall flee” (Isaiah 35:10). The verse mentions joy first. bSimḥa said to Sason,On the contrary, bI am superior to you, as it is written: “There was happiness [ isimḥa /i] and joy [ isason /i] for the Jews”(Esther 8:17). bSason said to Simḥa: One day they will dismiss you and render you a messenger [ iparvanka /i], as it is written: “For you shall go out with happiness [ isimḥa /i]”(Isaiah 55:12). bSimḥa said to Sason: One day they will dismiss you and draw water with you, as it is written: “With joy [ isason /i] you shall draw water.” /b,The Gemara relates a similar incident: bA certain heretic named Sason said to Rabbi Abbahu: You areall bdestined to draw water for me in the World-to-Come, as it is written: “With isasonyou shall draw water.”Rabbi Abbahu bsaid to him: If it had been written: For isason /i,it would have been bas you say; now that it is written: With isason /i,it means that bthe skin of that man,you, bwill be rendered a wineskin, and we will draw water with it. /b,§ The mishna continues: The priest bascended the rampof the altar band turned to his left. The Sages taught: All who ascend the altar ascendand turn bviathe bright, and circlethe altar, band descend viathe bleft.This is the case bexcept for one ascendingto perform one of bthese three tasks, asthe ones who perform these tasks bascend viathe bleft, andthen bturn ontheir bheel and returnin the direction that they came. bAndthese tasks bare: The water libation, and the wine libation, and the birdsacrificed as ba burnt-offering when there weretoo bmanypriests engaged in the sacrifice of these burnt-offerings bin thepreferred location beastof the altar. When that was the case, additional priests engaged in sacrificing the same offering would pinch the neck of the bird west of the altar.,The mishna continues: Rabbi Yehuda said that they were limestone, not silver, basins, bbut they would blackendue to the wine. The Gemara asks: bGranted,the basin bfor wine blackeneddue to the wine; however, bwhy did thebasin bfor water blacken?The Gemara answers: bSince the Master saidin the mishna: However, if boneinadvertently bpouredthe contents of the basin bof water intothe basin bof wine orthe contents of the basin bof wine intothe basin bof water, he fulfilledhis obligation. Then even the basin bfor waterwould bcome to blackenover the course of time as well.,§ The mishna continues: bAndthe two basins were bperforatedat the bottom with btwo thin,perforated, bnose-likeprotrusions, one broad and one thin. The Gemara asks: bLet us saythat bthe mishna isin accordance with the opinion of bRabbi Yehuda and notwith that of bthe Rabbis, as we learnedin the mishna that bRabbi Yehuda says: One would pourthe water bwitha vessel that had a capacity of bone ilog /ion ball eightdays of the Festival, unlike the wine libation, for which a three- ilogbasin was used. According to his opinion, there is a difference between the capacity of the wine vessel and that of the water vessel; therefore, it is clear why the opening in the wine vessel was broader. bAs, ifthe mishna is in accordance with the opinion of bthe Rabbis, they are the sameas the capacity of the water basin, three ilog /i. Why, then, were there different sized openings?,The Gemara answers: bEvenif byou saythat the mishna is in accordance with the opinion of bthe Rabbis,the reason for the different-sized openings is that bwine is thickand bwater is thin,and therefore wine flows more slowly than water. In order to ensure that the emptying of both basins would conclude simultaneously, the wine basin required a wider opening., bSo too, it is reasonableto establish that the mishna is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis, bas, ifit is in accordance with the opinion of bRabbi Yehuda,unlike the description of the two openings in the mishna as broad and thin, elsewhere he bis ofthe opinion that the openings bas wide and narrow, as it was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Yehuda says: There were twosmall bpipes there, one for water and one for wine. The mouth ofthe pipe bfor wine was wide and the mouth ofthe pipe bfor water was narrow, so thatthe emptying of both basins bwould conclude simultaneously.The disparity between wide and narrow is greater than the disparity between broad and thin, thereby facilitating the simultaneous emptying of the three- ilogand one- ilogbasins according to Rabbi Yehuda. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, blearn from itthat the mishna is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda.,§ The mishna continues: The basin to the bwest ofthe altar was bfor water,and the basin to the east of the altar was for wine, and they would tell the one pouring the water to raise his hand. bThe Sages taught:There was ban incident involving one Sadduceepriest bwho pouredthe water bon his feet,and in anger ball the people pelted him with their ietrogim /i. And that day, the horn of the altar was damagedas a result of the pelting and the ensuing chaos. bThey brought a fistful of salt and sealedthe damaged section, bnot because it renderedthe altar bfit for theTemple bservice, butin deference to the altar, bso that the altar would not be seenin its bdamagedstate. |
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13. Anon., Pesikta Rabbati, 26
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