narratives of the talmud - volume 4

7/23/2019 Narratives of the Talmud - Volume 4

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N A R R A T I V E S

OF

T H E

T A L M U D

T R A C T A T E S H A B B A T

A

collection

of the narratives recounted in the

Babylonian and

Yerushalmi

Talmud and

tosefta

Written

by

R .

Moshe

Basri

Translated by AvrahamLeader

Volume

4

Tractate

Shabbat

Babylonian Talmud,Chapters 13-24

www.hebrewb ooks. org

Published by Haktav Institute

Jerusalem,Israel

5763- 2002
http://www.hebrewb/http://www.hebrewb/


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>

,

We

dedicate

this book to our children

Hannah, Ever and

Michal

With

the prayer that Torah learning always be

with

them


4/207

First published 2002

Copyright

2002, Haktav Institute

A l l rights reserved, including the right to

translate

this book

or sections thereof. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in

any

form

or by any

means,

electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior

permission, inw r i t i n g ,

o f

the copyright owners.

Published w i t h the assistance of the Israeli Ministry of

Religion,Department of Torah Institutions.

o^r0ty\h Rescue

/ nd die

pub c /


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Introduction

Hallelujah

Praise

God in his sanctuary

Praise

him in the

firmament

of his power

Praise

him for his mighty acts

Praise

him according

to

his exceeding

greatness

Praise

him

w i t h

the sound of the shofar

Praise

him

wi th

the harp and the lyre

Praise

him

w i t h

the tambourine and dance

Praise

him

wi th

stringed instruments and the pipe

Praise

him

w i th

sounding cymbals

Praise

him

wi th

loudclashing cymbals

Leteverythingthat

breathes

praise the

Lord

Hallelujah

Psalm 150, the concluding psalm

Hallelujah

- This

word, which

was coined by our

master,

K i n g

David, may he rest in peace, is

mentioned

twenty-four times in the

bible,

all of them

in the book of Psalms. "Hallelujah", the word w i th

which

he concluded this book of praises, is a

call

to all

the inhabitants of the earth throughouttime.It is both

a

privilege

and an obligation to praise the Creator of

the

wor ld

at all times,

w i t h

every breath. In

truth,

this

word

expresses

the

essence

of the entire book of

Psalms.

Happy is the man who constantly thanks and

praises

his Creator, prunes the w i l d thorns that surround the

Supernal Rose, and

praises

his Creator for the very


6/207

Introduction

opportunity

He has given him to

praise H i m

The fact

that this psalm concludes the book ofPsalmsimplies

that the ultimate

purpose

of aman's existence in this

wor ld is to thank, laud, and praise. As the biblical

verse

says, "a created people

w i l l praise

the L o r d " -

the people of Israel was created in order to

praise

the

Blessed One. As we say in our daily prayers, "And

holy

ones

w i l l

praise

you

daily,

Selah".

The word "praise" is mentioned twelve times in this

psalm, parallel to the twelve months of the

year.

When

it

is mentioned for the sixth time, parallel to the sixth

month

E lu l ,

the verse says "praise Him

w i t h

the

blowingof the Shofar", hintingat the custom to begin

blowing

the shofar during the month of

E lu l .

This is in

order to teach us that throughout the entire

year,

we

must

praise

the Lord ,and then again,

praise

Him even

more.

So said R. Yossi: "May my portion be among those

who

complete the order ofpraisesdaily" Concerning

this,the

Ben Ish Hai

(first

year

discourses,

the section

on

a

yegash siman 12) writes: "He should be careful

that when he recites the twopsalmsthat begin

w i t h

the

words, "Praise God

from

the heavens", and "Praise

G od

from His holy place", to say them

wi th

deliberation

and concentration; for concerning them

the Rabbis said in the Talmud (118b), "May my

portion be among those who complete the order of

praisesdaily"(this story can be found in this volume,

aggadatah72).


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Introduction

f we delve more profoundly

into

the matter of

praising, we discover that the last letters of the final

verse -

kol haneshama Vhallel

- create the

word

hallel.

which has the

same

numerical value as God's

name

Adonai

(65). This is the divine name which

represents the Shechina, God's divine presence (the

sfira

of

malhut),

Who is w i t h us in

exile,

and for

Whose

sake

we w i l lbe liberated (see

Maate Thilla

by

R .

Y. Rekah on Pslams).

The Rabbis said (Eruvin 18b), "Since the day the

Temple

was destroyed, it is enough for the w o r l d to

use the two letters Y'(yod)and H (he) ( Ya h) .This is

the meaning of "all souls" - all souls are equal in

praising,

as they must all praise using

hal f

of God's

divine

name. In the future, instead of God's name

Y H ' V H , we w i l l call Him Y H ' Y H , for at that

time,

man w i l l attain that part of the soulwhich wil l

praise the L o r d ( Ya h) ,HalleluYah.This is why itsays

O n that day, the L o r d w i l l be One, and His name wil l

be One (Yihyeh

Y

H

' Y

H ) ehad ,as the name

Y

H

' V

H

w i l l become

Y

H

' Y

H .

This is also why

the roothallel(praise) is mentioned thirteen times in

thispsalm, as the numerical value of the

word

ehad

(one) is thirteen (see Hakatuv L'Hayitri\ by the

gaon R.

Hayim

Falangi).

According to this explanation, one can say that the

Hebrew expression

Haya, Hove, ve'Yihyeh

- He

was, He is, and He w i l l be", indicates that Hayah

( H ' Y H - He was), is related to the

past,

as itsays,


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Introduction

For

a hand is on the throne of the L o r d

(Y ah - Y H ) .

Ho\e ( H V H Is) is related to the name Y H V H ,

whichcauseseverything to be at every given moment,

while the name

Yihyeh

( Y H Y H He w i l l be) is

used to indicate the future. This is in

line w i t h

the idea

that we presented previously, that in the future the

divine

name

wi l l

be twice

Y H .

It therefore

follows

that the

names

we use in ourholytongue to note

past,

present, and future actually derive

from

rearranging

letters of the divine name of God. The intention that

we have when saying the name of God -

Y H V H

that He was, is, and

wi l l

be, is not a

secret

hidden

meaning,

but the actual simple interpretation of the

divine name. And since the entire Torah is God's

names,

the letters

Y ' H ' V

are used more than any

other letters in the

bible.

We also

find

in theYalqut Reuveini,in the section on

Ki

Tisa,concerning the

verse

"And he saw the calf

and the dancing" (Ex. 32:19), that in this psalm

(Psalm 150) there are seven types of song that are

mentioned,

which

parallel the seven planets, Saturn,

Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and theMoon

(see story 94). The

lyre

is Saturn, the tambourine -

Jupiter,

dance

- Mars, string instruments - the Sun,

pipe - Venus, sounding cymbals - Mercury, loud

clashing cymbals - theMoon.

We add to

these

the shofar and the harp, so that all

together there are nine,whichare parallel to the nine

heavenly bodies. Musicians know how to tune each


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Introduction

instrument (this is the reason that this psalm is read

when

sanctifying the moon, for we are thanking God

for

creating the seven planets and the nine cosmic

wheels - Hakatuv Le'Hayim). This is whydance is

mentioned

more than other types of instruments, for

danceparallels Mars, and the children of Israel were

in

thedesert,a dry and desolate place, where the sign

o f

this

planet rules.

Thisalso explains why the

prophetess

M i r i a m - who

is specifically called the sister of

Aaron

took the

tambourine in her hand, as Aaron

typifies

justice

(tzedek-

Jupiter). There were also other women there,

whose intention was not for the

sake

of heaven, and

they too took tambourines and danced, paralleling

Mars.

However,of

a ll

theseinstruments, Moses

only

saw the

dancing(mehot),

which

hinted at the fact that in the

future,

God was to

forgive

(mehila)them.

From

all

these

sources

we see that the entire universe

sings the praises of the

L o r d ,

"The

heavens

tel l the

glory

of God, and the works of His

hands

are

to ld

by

the sky" (Psalms 19:2).

Concerning

K i n g David,

the rabbis said: When he

finished w r i t i n g

the book of Psalms, he

felt

very good.

He

said: Master of the

W o r l d :

Is there anything in the

w o r l d

that can sing

Your

praises as

w e l l

as I can?

Thereupon he saw af rog,who said to

h i m :

Do not

feel


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Introduction

so smug, for I sing more than you do, and for every

song

I sing, I spin three thousand parables...(Yalkut

Shimonion

Psalms,899).

Thus Iw i l lpraisethenameof the

L o r d wi th

song, and

w i l l

make

Him

great w i t h

thanksgiving, for all the

goodnessHe has donefor mesincethe day I was born

until this day - Hiskindness and truth

have

never left

me. What could I possibly give Him, how could I

possibly

repay

Him, for giving me life and good

health, so that I am privileged to see the publication of

the fourth volume of this

series

ofbooks "Narratives

of the Talmud'',

on the last twelve

chapters

of the

tractate

of

Shabbat

of the Babylonian Talmud.

A nd this is for thanksgiving" this time I w i l l thank

the L o r d ,my lipsw i l l rejoice, and my mouth w i l l sing

thepraiseof the fourcorners o f thishouse,whichrests

securely

on its foundation, reminiscent of the menorah

with

its four

cups,

adorned

w i t h

almond engravings,

and bright. May it be His w i l l to give me strength and

power to continue this

series

of books, so that I may

fulfill the verse "And you shall expand to the west,

and to the east, to the north and to the south". May

these four be my

faithful

companions

as I

proceed

to

the coming volumes, which,

w i t h God's

help, w i l l be

published more frequently.


11/207

Introduction

So that the

scope

of this book

would

include not

only

the longer stories, but also narrative fragments, br ie f

stories were presented after a short

introduction

to the

topic being discussed. This may create difficulty for

the

reader

who wants to find easytoread stories

quickly.

I

would

recommend that these readers not

lose heart, but proceed

directly

to the next story,

which

may be

easier

to read.

In

this volume we have also added an index to all the

biblical verses

that

appear

in the

four

previous

volumes,

in order to make it

easy

to

access

a story that

isrelated to the weekly Torah

portion

or the

haftorah,

or any other place in the Bible.This is in addition to

the index of

names

and subjects at the end

o f

the book,

justas there was in the previous volumes.

In

the introduction to the previous volume I wrote

about the proper approach to Talmudic legends, and I

recommend re-reading that

introduction.

I

would

also

liketo mention something I did not

previously

note it

is

highly

recommended to read the Rambam's

introduction

to his

Commentary on the

Mishna, in

addition

to the introduction of the author of the

commentary

Etz Yosef\

who

presents

three

important

rules that clarify many of the Rabbi's

comments. I

would

also recommend reading

Ways of

AggadaandDiscourses

by the

holy

Shilah, R. Moshe

Hayim

Lutzato's discourse on Aggada, and

Introduction

to Aggada by

Maharif'z

Hayot,

which

are published at the beginning

o f

in

Yaakov.


12/207

Introduction

must apologize to the many

dear readers

who waited

so

long

for this volume to be published, along

w i t h

all

those who supported me and encouraged me to

continue.

I thank them for their forbearance, and for

taking

every opportunity to encourage me to continue.

would l iketo especially thank our honorableteacher

and rabbi, the crown of our head, the grandeur and

beauty of our generation, our master the Rishon

Letziyon,

the gaon Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, may he

live

many more

years

in happiness and contentment. At

every opportunity, he urged me to continue

w i t h

this

holy

task. His condescension has made me great, and

hisrighthand supported me. May it be God's w i l l that

he reign over his kingdom for many long years, and

may the biblical verse "May they

still

speakin their

old age" be said about him, and may he continue to

lead

usunt i lthearrivalofthe Redeemer.

M y

lips

cannot

find

sufficient

words to thank my

father, my teacher and my master, the crown of our

head, the gaon Rabbi Ezra Basri, may he l ive long

years inhappiness and contentment, the Head of the

Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem, the dean of both our

holy

yeshiva "Amalei Torah"and the kol le l

"Keter

Shoshanim",

and the director of"Machon Haktav",

this

book's publishing house. May he, together

wi th

my mother, my

teacher,

Rabanit Sima, may she

live

long

years in happiness and contentment, merit


13/207

Introduction

profound satisfaction from all of their children, and

many they continue the

blessed

work

they are doing

on behalf of the Jewish people. May they be

blessed

withstrength, power, good health, and all good things.

would also like to thank my

wife , Mir iam

Yehudit,

and my precious children, may God give them

strength and protect them, who sacrificed their time

with

me so that I could continue this

sacred

task.

May

Y o u ,o God, protect them in safety, and encircle them

with

favor as a shield.

Those whose help made this book's publication

possible - both the Hebrew version and the

translations into other languages deserve a special

blessing. I

would also

like to thank all those who

assisted me wi th this work of

heaven

. R

David

Azulaishlit a,who did the editing, R. Yehuda Ovadia

shlit aand R. Eliyahu Levineshlit a> who proofread

and provided invaluable comments, my daughter Leah

Tzivya,may she livelong, and mydearson-in-law R.

Yitzhak

A v a r g i l

shlit a,who arranged the indexes,

and the entire staff of Machon Haktav, who did

wonderful work, may they receive their full reward

from the L or d .

M y prayer to You, o God, at a time of g o o d wi l l :

Deliverand redeem the remainder of the flock,gather

the lost

sheep

from

the four corners of this

fourth

exile

at the

hands

of the nations, andsaveus from the

hands

o fMoavandHagrim,Edom and Ishmael, who

oppress


14/207

Introduction

us

wi th

catastrophes and terror worse than the four

types of injury and all their

sub-categories.

May he

that started the fire, he whocomes

w i t h

four hundred

men, surely pay; four

sheep

for every lamb that he

tortured, oppressed, and scattered to the four

corners

of

the earth. May He who dwells in the heavens,

gather

in the exiles,

and

bui ld

the four-cornered Sanctuary,

and speedily return me mydignity,

and

gather

inZ ionmy city

theservantof God my rock,

Who delivers me when all is blocked

(b'tzari)

Moshe the son of ourmasterR. Ezra Basri

Adar 5762


15/207

Introduction

Translator'sNote

The original Hebrew version of the fourth volume of

"Narratives of the Talmud" on Tractate Shabbatof the

Babylonian Talmud includes an extensive

commentary on the Talmudic discourse written by

Rabbi Moshe Basri. The translation does not include

these

learned comments; it

does,

however, add some

basic explanations of the original text so as to

facilitate

an

easier

reading f low. As such, it

does

not

constitute a

literal

rendition of the original Talmudic

text.

In

addition, this volume includes asubjectsand

names

index. There is

also

an index ofbiblical

quotes

that

pertains to all four published volumes of "Narratives

o f

the Talmud".

A n y errors that may

have

unintentionally crept into

the English version reflect oversights on the part of

the translator.

Avraham

Leader


16/207

The

Babylonian

Talmud

Tractate

Shabbat

Chapter

13

Heb.

Page Aggadatah pg.

105b 61. Getting Angry Without Anger 1

62. Joshua

theLeadernot Properly

Eulogized 2

106b 63. Is the Study ofTorahLikeSinging

aSong? 4

Chapter14

108a 64. Heed the Coals of the Wise 4

Rav, Shmuel, and Kama 5

R. Yehoshua and the Boethusian 7

108b 65.Curesand Medicines 8

The Dead Sea 8

Dressing for theEyes 9

Even

for the

B l i n d

10

AreYou Stricter thanYourTeacher? 10

For the Delicate, Wine is

Like

Vinegar 11


17/207

Contents

Heb. Pg. Aggadatah pg.

109b

Cures for Snakebites 13

" A n dHe who Breaks Fences wi l l

be

Bitten

by a Snake" 14

110b Jaundice 14

Chapter 15

112a 66. The Knot of the Sandal 16

OutofPoverty 16

Being Careful

about

Carrying

Sandals 17

112b 67. TheEarlierGenerationsare

Like

Angels

18

113b 68.Earthas

Medicine

19

HisLoss was Greater than his

Gain

19

BabylonianEarth - Earth Made

o f

Meat 20

A

Plant in the Stomach 21

69. Ruth theMoabite 21

115a 70. Altering

Speech

so as to be

Listened To 25

Chapter 16

116a 71. The Christians and their

Books

A

House ofIdo lWorshipRather

Thana House ofChristians

26

26


18/207

Contents

Heb.Pg. Aggadatah pg.

TheHouseofAvidan 27

The Evangeline 27

The Donkey and theCandelabra 29

118b 72. The Ways ofmyGod, myKing

inthe Sanctuary 31

R .Yossi's Ways:

Three Meals 31

Hallel 31

TheyW i llFear

You with

the Sun 31

Intestinal

Disorders 32

Onthe Way to Performing aMitzvah 32

Adding

on toShabbat 32

LetMe Sit in theHouseoftheLord 33

The Responsibility of

Those

who

Distribute

Charity 33

Suspicion 33

Five

Cedars 33

ElegantSpeech 34

Modesty 34

The Words

of

m y

Colleagues

35

Never Go Back on

M y

Words 35

TheWays of the Righteous:

The Three Meals 36

Focused Prayer

36

Tefillin

36

Tzizit 36

The Love

o f

the

Sages

37

119a 73. Greeting the Sabbath 38

74. Yosef who Honored the Sabbath 40


19/207

Contents

Heb.

Pg. Aggadatah pg.

75. Honoring the Sabbath

41

A

Spice named

Sabbath

43

SabbathDelight 44

119b

The Fourth Meal 45

76. The Reasons for the Destruction

of the

First

Temple

45

Desecrating the

Sabbath

45

Reading theShma 46

Schoolchildren 47

Shame

47

The

Peoplewil l

be

LikePriests

47

Rebuke

48

Despising the

Sages

48

Breath without Sin 49

TrustworthyPeople

49

121a 77. TheRainthat Extinguished the

Fire 51

121b 78.

Killing

Dangerous Entities on the

Sabbath

52

HurtH im

Like

H im

53

The Torah

Protects

H im

54

79. The Prince

,

s House

55

Chapter

17

123b 80. Muktzeh

56

124b

It is Permissible for Everyone Else,

foryou its is Forbidden 57

Learn and Teach 58

125b

One Word of Rabbi 58


20/207

Contents


Chapter 18

127b 81.Finding Merit 59

129a 82.Bloodletting 64

129b The Day of the Moustaches 68

Chapter 19

130a 83. Circumcision 69

A l l According to Local Custom 69

Circumcision

w i t h

Joy and Marriage

Contract

w i t h

Strife - at the Moment

For all Time 70

AcceptingCommandments

w i t h

Dedication - Blessingsfor all Time 70

Memory of that which was Learned

Through

Constant

Review 71

133b RavaRevealsMedicalSecrets 72

134a Abolishing Something in

One's

Lifetime

73

Abaye'sFosterMother 74

Named for Natan of Babylonia 74

134b Rava- Fearful of Deciding the Law 75

135a The Baby that was Born Circumcised 76

136a 84.

Possible

Miscarriage

77


21/207

Contents


Chapter 20

139a 85.

Permissible

for One but not for the

Other astheyare not TorahScholars 79

139b PermissibleTrickery 81

Transfusion ofLiquids 82

140a MustardPaste 82

The

Difference between

A n o m l in

An d Alon t i t 82

The

Difference between

Beginning

H i l t i t

and

Continuing

It 83

BetweentheSheetand the

Nightgown

85

140b 86. RavHisda's Advice 86

ForPoor Yeshiva Students 86

His Adviceto His Daughters 89

Chapter 22

145b 87. BetweenBabylonia and Israel 89

146b 88. Respectfor aSage 94

147a 89. May

Peace

Flow Like a River

for

Those

who Keep theSabbath 95

ShakingOut One's Clothes 95

Babylonian

Capes

96

Was R.Meirso Meticulous? 97

147b 90. Exile Yourself to aPlaceof Torah 98

The

Ten Tribes 98

Was

Their

Heart Deaf? 98


22/207

Contents

Heb.

Pg. Aggadatah pg.

148a

Mortgaging

the Torah 99

The Difference Between a Sprain

and a Break 100

Chapter23

149b 91. TheFearof Nebuchadnezzer 101

151b 92. GettingOld 104

FindingandHaving 106

The World's

Turning

Wheel 106

Six

Tears

107

152a Days of

Black

and Days of

White

108

R. Yehoshua the son ofKorchaand

the Christian Eunuch 110

Those who Were Close Grew Distant 111

Barzilaithe Gileadite 112

Old

People Have Wisdom 114

And

the Caper Berry Falls 114

ForMan

Goes

to His Eternal Home 115

Comfortfor theLivingand the Dead 116

152

b

For

How Long

Do the Dead

Know

what

is Happeningwiththe

Living

117

TheParableo fthe Deposit and

the Bundle ofLife 117

A

Hundred Deaths and Not Once

Jealous 119

The Oracle Woman 121


23/207

Contents

Heb.

Pg. Aggadatah pg.

153a Being Fervent at the Eulogy 121

Afterthe Body 122

At

All

Times your Clothes Shall

be White 123

Chapter

24

93. Sabbath Rest for the Animals 125

Concealment is theGloryofGod 125

154b The Burden that was

Left

on the

Back

of

the Donkey 126

A

Slide on a Donkey's Back 127

155b The Shipo fthe Desert 128

NoOnePoorerthan a Dog,

NoOne Richer than a Pig 128

156a PreparingAnimalFodder 129

94.Luckand Astrology 130

Day

Fortune and Hour Fortune 130

Israel Has No Sign 133

156b CharitySavesfromDeath -

Shmuel andAvlat 135

CharitySavesfromDeath -

The Daughter ofR.Akiva 136

Wearing

a Head CoveringChanges

One'sLuck 137

157a 95. Measurements Related to

Mitzvoth 138


24/207

Contents

Indexof Subjects 141

Indexof Names 153

IndexofBib l icalVerses 159


25/207

The

Babylonian Talmud

Tractate

Shabbat

Chapter 13

105b

61. Getting Angry Without Anger

We

have

learned: R. Shimon the son of Elazar said in the

name

of

Halifa

the son of

Agra,

who said in the

name

of

R. Yohanan the son ofN u r i : He whotears his clothes in

anger,

and he who

breaks

vessels

out of

anger,

and he

who throws away his money out of anger, should be

regarded as an idolater; for such is the w i l e of the

evi l

inclination - one day he

says

to a person "Do this", the

next day he

says

to him, "Do that", and ultimately he

says

to him "Go worship idols" - and the man

goes

and

worships them.

R.

A v i n

said: What verse do we deduce this from?

"There shall be no strangegod among you; nor shall you

worship

any foreign deity" (Psalms 81:10). Who is the

strange god that dwells in man himself? One may

answer,

The

ev i l

inclination.But i fa mangetsangry only

in

order to frighten the

members

of his household, (so

that they w i l l behave properly, and his anger is only


26/207

2

Shabbatch. 13 , pg. 105b/Aggadatah 62

external

while

internally, he is quite calm) - this is

permissible.

Following

this instruction, R. Yehuda

would

p u l l out

threads from the fabric of his garment (feigning anger).

R. Aha the son of Yaakov broke already brokenvessels.

R.

Sheshet

poured

fish

brine on his maidservant

,

s head.

R. Abba broke the cover of an urn.

62. Joshua - theLeaderwho was not Properly

Eulogized

R. Shimon the son of Pazi said in the

nameofR.

Yehoshua

the son of Levi, who said in the

name

of The son of

Kapara: I fone

sheds

tearsfor a worthy man, the

Holy

One

blessed

be He counts them, and places them in His

treasure-house,as itsays

(Psalms

56:9): You counted my

grievings:

Place

my

tear

in Your pouch; Are they not in

Your

book?

R. Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Whoever gets lazy

about eulogizing a wise man

deserves

to be buried alive,

as it

says

(about Joshua) (Joshua 24:30): "And he was


27/207

Shabbatch. 13, p. 105b/ Aggadatah 63

3

buried

at the border of his inheritance, in Timnat

Serah

which

is in the mountain lands of Ephraim, north of the

mountain

ofGaash".This

teaches

us that God

caused

the

mountainto storm as i f to slay them. (The Hebrew word

ga'ash means tumult, suggesting that God was angry

w i t h

them for not properly eulogizing Joshua).

R .

Hiyya

the son of Abba said in the

name

of

R.

Yohanan: Anyone who is lazy about eulogizing a

sage

w i l lnot l ivea longl i fe ,

measure

formeasure.

R . Hiyya the son of Abba answered

R.

Yohanan: It

says,

" A n d

they served God all the

days

of

Joshua,

and all the

daysof the elders wholivedlong

days

after

Joshua"

R .

Yohanan answered: O Babylonian They l i v e d long

days,

not long

years"

(each individualday was long, i.e.,

long

and

ful l w i t h

contentment, not that they

l i v e d

a long

time).

Then

what about the

verse

that

says,

"In order that their

days and the daysof their children be long on the earth

that I

have

given to them". Does that also mean

days

and

notyears?"

A

blessing is different.


28/207

4

Shabbatch. 14,p . l 0 6 b 1 0 8 a /Aggadatah 63-64

106b

63. Is the Study of

Torah L i k e

Singing a Song?

R. Yosef said in the nameof R. Yehuda, who said in the

name

of Shmuel: The law is

l ike

R. Shimon the son of

Gamliel

(concerning the laws of

hunting

on the Sabbath).

Abaye said to

h i m :

The law is

Tike

5

R. Shimon, meaning

that there are

those

who

disagree w i t h

him?

He retorted: What difference does it make to you? (since

at any

rate

the law is

l i ke

him).

He said to

h i m :

Is the study of Torah

l ike

singing asong?

(i.e.,

since you hinted at the fact that there are

those

who

disagree

w i t h

R. Shimon, you were emphasizing that

even so, the law is

l ike

R. Shimon,

which

is a meaningful

statement

you were not just singing a song).

Chapter

14

108a

64. Heed the Coals of the Wise

A nd

warm yourselves by the

l ight

of the

Sages;

and heed

their

coals that they are not extinguished, as their bite is the

bite

ofa

snake,

and their sting is the sting of a scorpion,


29/207

Shabbatch. 14,

p.

108a/ Aggadatah 64

5

and theirhissis thehissof a viper, and all their words are

like

coals

of

fire.

Ethics

o f

theFathers,chap. 2:10

Rav,

Shmuel, and

K a r na

Shmuel and Karna were sitting by the

banks

of the

King'sriver(whichruns

from

Israel to Babylonia.

They saw that the waters were rising and becoming

discolored.

Shmuel said to Karna: A great man is coming f rom the

west ( f rom Israel), and he is experiencing some stomach

distress,and the waters are rising to greet him.

Go,and see what sort of a person he is.

Karna went, and found Rav. He said to him: From where

do we know that

tfillin

can only be

written

on parchment

made f rom the skin of a pure animal?

He said to him: As the verse says, That the Law of the

L o r d be in your mouth" (Exodus 13:9) -

f rom

that

which

is permissible to put in your mouth.

How

do we know that blood must be red (in order to

render one

r i t u a l l y

impure)?"


30/207

6

Shabbat

ch. 14,p.108a/ Aggadatah 64

As the

versesays,

"And Moab saw the water fromacross

the

bank,

which was red as blood"

( I I

Kings 3:22).

A n d how do we know that circumcision is done in that

particular

place

(as the Torah

does

not explicitly

state

where

circumcision is

done)?

I n

the

case

of circumcision the Torah

says,

"his foreskin"

(orla),

and by the planting of fruits the Torah also says

orla (the

first

three years of its growth).

Just

as in the

case

of

trees,

the Torah speaks of something that bears

frui t , so here, too, in the

case

of circumcision, we speak

o f that organ whichbears frui t" .

Perhaps the Torah

refers

to the heart As the

verse

says,

" A n d you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart"

(Deut. 10:16). Orperhapsit

refers

to the ear As theverse

says

"Behold, your ear is uncircumcised

(Jeremiah

6:10).

We induce

orlato

from

orlato,

not

orlato

from

orla

(in

the caseof circumcision and fruits, the exactsameword,

orlato, is

used.

In the othertwocasesa different form of

the word isused).

Rav said to him: What is your

name?

Karna.


31/207

Shabbat ch. 14,

p.

108a/ Aggadatah 64

7

Rav said concerning Karna: May it be His w i l l that a

horn(keren,

l ikehis name, Karna) comes out of his eye.

Afterwards,

Shmuel took Rav into his house, gave him

barley bread and

fried

small fishto eat, and

beer

to

drink,

butdid not show him where the bathroom was, in order

toput him under pressure and cause him diarrhea (as a

way

of

healing

his intestinal distress).

Rav cursed and said: He who

causes

me pain shall not

have malechildren.And so it was.

R .

Yehoshua and the Boethusian

A Boethusian (one who believes only in the written

Torah

and not in the

oral

Torah) asked R. Yehoshua the

grits dealer: How do we know that tflllin cannot be

writtenon the

skin

ofimpure animals?

R. Yehoshua answered: As theverse

says,

" In order that

the law of the L o r d be in your mouths" (Exodus 13:9) -

thatwhich is permitted to take intoone'smouth.

I f that is the case, then you should also not write on the

skins of

naturally

dead or not properly slaughtered kosher

animals


32/207

8

Shabbat

ch. 14,p.108b/ Aggadatah 65

Hesaid to him: I w i l l answer you bymeansof a parable.

This

matter can be compared to two brothers who were

sentenced

to death by the government. One was k i l l e dby

the k i n g , the other was k i l l e d by the executioner. Whose

death was more honorable? Surely that of he who was

k i l l e d by the k i n g . (So, too,theseanimals died a natural

death, having being "executed" by their Creator,which is

preferable to being

k i l l e d

by human beings, so their skins

may certainly be used forw r i t i n gtfillinon).

I fthat is the

case,

let them also be

eaten

He

said to him, "The Torah

says,

'And you shall eat no

carcasses'

(Deut. 14:20), and you say they should be

eaten? (Boethusians believe in the written Torah, which

prohibits eating them, so there is only a question

regardingthe use oftheir skin).

The Boethusian said: "You

have

answered me w e l l " .

108b

65.

Cures

and Medicines

TheDead Sea

When R.

D i m i

came

( f rom

Israel to Babylonia) he said:

Noman ever drowned in the Sedom Sea (the Dead Sea).


33/207

Shabbatch. 14,

p.

108b/ Aggadatah 65

9

R. Yosef said: Sedom is overturned, and the statement

concerning it is overturned A man wouldnot drown in

the Dead Sea, but a wooden beam

would

sink in it?

Abaye said to him: His intention was to

emphasize

the

less

obvious: This is how his words should be

interpreted: Not only a wooden beam, which would not

sink in any of the world's

seas,

w o r l d

not sink in the

Dead Sea, but even a man, who

would

drown in all the

other

seas

of the w o r l d ,

would

not drown in the Sea of

Sedom .

Dressing for the Eyes

Mar

Ukva said in thenameof Shmuel: A man may steep

c o l l y r i u m

(an eye dressing prepared w i t h medicinal

herbs) on Friday, and then place it on his

eyes

on the

Sabbath,

and not be concerned about

violating

the laws

o f the

Sabbath,

(as it

seems

that he is simply washing his

eyes rather than trying to heal them, which would be

forbidden).

The son ofLavaiiwas standing before Mar Ukva.

Mar

Ukva saw that he was opening and closing his

eyes.

He said to him: Our master Shmuel did not make it

permissible to that extent.


34/207

10

Shabbat ch. 14,p.108b/ Aggadatah 65

R .

Yanaisentto Mar

Ukva:

I ask that the master send us

someof the eye-dressing prepared by the master Shmuel

(Shmuelwas a famous physician).

H e

sent

back to

h i m :

I

w i l l

send it to you, so that you

w i l l

not

say that I am miserly. However, this is what Shmuel

said: It is better to put a bit of something cold inone's

eyes

in the morning, and to washone's

hands

and feet in

hot

water in the evening, than all the eye dressings in the

w o r l d .

Evenfor the

Blind

R . Yosef

said: Coriander would be d i f f i cu l t to eat (for

eye pains) even for me.

R .

Sheshet

said: Mustard

seeds

-

could

even help me.

(Boththesesageswere b l ind ) .

Are

youStricterthan your

Teacher?

R . Hisda said:

Shrika

tavya(this eithermeans spreading

oils and

eggs

on the roast after the Sabbath has already


35/207

Shabbatch. 14,p.108b/ Aggadatah 65

11

begun, or straining watermelon on the Sabbath,

which

is

considered a diuretic) is permissible.

The w i f e of Z e ' i r i (who marriedHiyya the son of A s h i ,

Ze'iri 's

student, after Z e ' i r i ) ,

made

this dish for Hiyya

the son of

A s hi ,

who refused to eat it.

She said to him: I

made

it for your

teacher

and he ate it,

yet you w i l lnot eat it?

F or

the Delicate Wine is

L i k e

Vinegar

A n d

Mar

Ukva

said:

f

someone

injures his arm or leg he

may stop the bleeding w i t h wine, and need not be

concerned (about practicing medicine on the Sabbath).

The students of the House of Study were asked this

question: What about vinegar,

which

is better for

stopping the blood?

R. H i l l e l said to R. A s h i : When I was in R.

Kahana's

studyhouse,they said that vinegar could not be used.

Rava said: The people of Mahoza, since they are spoiled,

can even be healed by wine.


36/207

12

Shabbat ch. 14,

p.

108b/ Aggadatah 65

Ravina

visited R. Ashi's house. He saw that a donkey

had stepped on his

foot,

and R.

Ashi

was

sitting

and

stopping the bleedingw i t hvinegar.

Ravina

said to him: Does the master not

hold l ike

the

opinion

of R.

H i l l e l ,

who said that vinegar may not be

used?

He said to

h im :

The back of the hand and the back of the

foot

are different (as they are serious

injuries,

and it is

therefore permissible todesecratethe Sabbath for them).

Some say: He saw that he was stopping the foot's

bleeding w i th wine,and said to h im :Does the master not

agree

w i t h

Rava, who said that the people of Mahoza are

spoiled and therefore even wine cures them - is the

master also spoiled?

He said to him: The back of the

foot

and the back of the

hand are different, as R. Ada the son of Matna said in the

name of Rav: Wounds on the back of the hand and the

back of the

foot

are can be

fatal,

and one may therefore

desecratethe Sabbath to cure them.


37/207

Shabbatch.14,p.

109b/

Aggadatah 65 13

109b

Cures

for Snakebites

Themother of R.

Ahadvoi

the son ofAmai prepared a

potionof a rose and a cup of beer for a certain man (who

had drunken exposed water that a snake had put his

venom

i n t o ) .

She cooked them together, gave it to him to

drink,heated up the oven, raked it, and placed abrickin

i t

(for him to sit on). He vomited up the venom that he

had

swallowed,

and it came up out of

h i m

looking

l ike

a

greenpalm frond.

I f someone

swallows

a snake, he should be given to eat

cuscuta w i t hsalt, andforced to run threemils.

R.

Shimi

the son of

Ashi

saw a man that had

swallowed

a

snake. He acted as i fhe were a horseman (who had come

to

arrest

h im ) .

He

forced

him to eat cuscuta

w i t h

salt, and

made him run threemilsbefore h im .The snake came out

o f h i m

in pieces.

Some say: R.

Shimi

the son of

Ashi swallowed

a snake.

E l i j a h

the prophet came disguised as a horseman, made


38/207

14

Shabbatch. 14,

p.

109b/ Aggadatah 65

h i m eat cuscuta w i t h salt, caused him to run three mils,

and the

snake

cameout ofh i m in

pieces.

"AndHe who Breaks Fenceswillbe Bitten

by a Snake"

I f

someone

was bitten by a

snake,

he should take the

embryo of a white

she-ass,tear

it open, and be

made

to

sit

on it; but this is effective only when the mother was

not going to die anyway.

The Pumbidita tax collector was bitten by asnake.

There were thirteen white

she-asses

in Pumbidita. They

were all torn open, and it was discovered that they all

would have died anyway. There was another one in

another part of Pumbidita, but before they went and

brought it, a

l i on

consumed it.

Abaye said: It is possible that a

"snake

of the

Sages"

bit

h i m ,

for

which there

is no cure (a man whogoes against

the edict of the

Sages

is bitten by a

snake

and cannot be

cured), as it says, "And the breaker of fences shall be

bitten

by a

snake".

They said to him: This is true, my Rabbi, for when Rav

passed

away, R. Yitzhak the son of Bisna

decreed

that

during

the year of mourning, myrtle and palm fronds


39/207

Shabbat

ch. 14,p.110b/ Aggadatah 65 15

accompanied by the beating of drums should not be

brought to wedding celebrations. This man went and

brought myrtles and palm

branches

accompanied by

drums to a wedding celebration. A snakebit him and he

died.

110b

Jaundice

R. Yohanan said: I f

someone

wants to warm a jaundice

patient up (so as to heal him), he should wrap him up

w e l l

in his own

sheet.

R. Aha the son of Yosef was sick w i t h jaundice. R.

Kahana practiced this cure on him and he was healed.

A n

Arab was sick w i t h jaundice. He said to thegardener,

Take my robe, and in

exchange

for it, give me a row of

leeks (which are very

sharp

to the pallet and would

therefore warm him up).

Thegardener gavethe Arab the leeks.


40/207

16

Shabbatch. 15, p.l 12a/ Aggadatah 66

The Arab said to the gardener: Lend me the robe that I

sold

you so that I may

sleep

in it. He wrapped himself up

in

it and went to

sleep.

When he got up, the

coat

was so hot that it fel l offh i m in

pieces.

Chapter

Fifteen

112a

66. The Knot of the Sandal

Out

of Poverty

R. Yehuda, the brother of R. Sala the Pious, owned one

pair of sandals.

Sometimes

he would go out wearing

them,

sometimes

his young son would go out wearing

them.

He

came

to Abaye and askedhim: What is the law in this

case?

(is it permissible to tie and untie the knot of the

sandalson the

Sabbath

so as to suit them to the different

size

feet?)

Abaye answered: He said to him: He who does so must

bringa sin offering.

R. Yehuda replied: To say that

"there

is no punishment

but it is forbidden" was

d i f f i c u l t

for me to understand, (as


41/207


17

he did not understand why it was forbidden). Now you

say that a sin offeringneedsto be brought?

Why

is this so

d i f f icul t

for you tounderstand?

He

answered:

Because even during the weekdays,

sometimes

I go out wearing them,

sometimes

my son

does

(so the knot is not

permanent

and may therefore be

tiedand untied on the Sabbath).

Abaye retorted: I f that is the

case,

then it is entirely

permissible.

BeingCarefulAboutCarryingSandals

R. Yermiya was walking behind R. Abahu in an areain

which it is forbidden to carry due to an injunction of the

Sages.The strapof hissandalstore.

He said to him: What should I do

w i t h

it (in order to fix it

i n a permissible way so that he could wear it rather than

carry it, which was forbidden).

R. Abahu answered: Take a moist reed that could be

eaten by an animal (and is therefore not "muktza") and

tieit

w i t h

that.


42/207

18

Shabbatch. 15,p . l12b/ Aggadatah67

Abayewas

standing

in

front

of

R. Yosef in

his

yard

and

his strap tore.

He said

to

h im :What should

I do

( w i t h

thesandal)?

He answered: Leave itwhereit is.

Why

is

this

case

different than

the case o f R.

Y i rm i y a

(whowasadvisedtomendhissandal w i t hamoistreed)?

I n thatcase, thesandal wouldnothave beenguarded (and

might

have beentaken, thereby incurring

a

loss),

whilein

thiscase it isprotected.

112b

67. The

E ar l ier

Generations are like Angels

(Once Hizkiya was not certain about one o f the laws

concerning ritual

purity

and impurity. R. Yohanan

reminded

him

of

one of his own teachings that

had

direct

bearing

on the

question

he had in

this instance. Hizkiya

was amazed

and

said about him):

He is not a

human

being,he is an

angel

Others

say

that this

is

what

he

said: This

is how a man

should

be


43/207

Shabbat ch. 15, p. l 13b/ Aggadatah 68

19

R.

Zaira said in the name of Rava the son of Zamina: I f

those of the earlier generations were the

sons

of angels,

then

we are the

sons

o f man. I f those of earlier

generations were l ike the

sons

of man, then we are l i ke

donkeys not l ike the donkeys of R. Hanina the son of

Dosa and R. Pinhas the son of

Yair,

but l ike other

donkeys.

(Concerning

the donkey of R. Hanina it was

t o l d

that R.

Hanina

rented him out for jobs - they

would

put his fee

on

his back and send him home. I f the fee was too small

or

too large, he

would

not budge

u n t i l

it was exact. Once

someone

le f t

a pair ofsandalson his back, and he would

not leave u n t i l they were removed. As for the donkey of

R. Pinhas the son ofYair, it was said that he would not

eat produce that had not been definitely

tithed.

113b

68.

E a r th

as Medicine

His

Loss

wasGreaterthan his Gain

Rabbi

asked R. Yishmael the son of R. Yossi: Can one

eat earth on the Sabbath (for medicinalreasons)?


44/207

20

Shabbatch. 15, p.l 13b/ Aggadatah 68

He answered him: And on the weekday is it permissible?

say that even during the weekdays it is forbidden since,

although

it may be a cure, it is also dangerous.

BabylonianEar th- Ear thMade of Meat

R. Ami said: Anyone who

eats

the earth of

Babylonia

- it

is

as i f he

eats

the flesh of his

ancestors

who died there

during the exile. Some say, it is as i f he eats

abominations and insects, as it says (concerning the

Flood):

"And He obliterated all that exists on the face of

the earth, fromman to

beast,

to insects, to the birds of the

heavens,

and they were

erased

from

the earth". (Genesis

7:23) (Babylonia is located in adeepvalley, so the waters

o fthe f loodbrought all thecarcassesthere).

Reish Laqish said: Why is Babylonia called "Shinar"?

Since all those who died in the f lood were shaken

(ninaru)

to there".

R. Yohanan said: Why is Babylonia called "Metzula"? -

Since all

those

who died in the f lood sunk

(nitztalalu)

there.


45/207


21

A

Plant in the Stomach

" A n d somesay it is as i fhe ate abominations and

insects"

By this time they must have become totally

decomposed

(and not part

o f

the earth)

However, sinceit isdangerous,the Rabbis madeadecree

against eating it. For there was a man who ate earth and

cress,and thecressgrew into hisheartand he died.

69. Ruth the Moabite

"Give to the wise man and he becomes wiser" (Prov.

9:9). R. Elazar said: This refers to Ruth the Moabite and

Shmuel Haramati (the prophet Samuel).

Ruth

- for Naomi

t o l d

her "And you should wash

yourself, and anoint yourself, and put on your

dress,

and

go down to the threshing floor"(Ruth 3:3). When she

actually went, however,

f i rst

it

says,

"She went down to

the threshing

floor"

and only then "And she did

everything that her mother-in-law instructed her" (so as

not to go out

dressed

in all her finery so as not to attract

men - she wisely

reversed

the order of what Naomi

to ld

her).


46/207

22

Shabbat ch. 15, p.l 13b/ Aggadatah

69

Samuel

- Eli

said

to him

(when

he

heard God's voice

calling

him),

"Go lie

down,

and i f He

calls again,

say

'Speak

O

L o r d ,

for

Your

servant is listening"( I Sam.

3:9).

When

he

did

so, it says

'And

the

L o r dcame,

and He

stood,

and he

called Samuel, Samuel,

and

Samuel said,

'Speak, for

Your

servant is listening"- he did not say

'Speak

o L o r d ' (as hecouldnot becertain that thiswas

actually

God speaking

to

him).

" A n d

she

went

and she

came,

and she

gleaned

in the

f i e ld" (Ruth

2:3). R.

Elazar said:

She

came

and

went,

came

andwent,

u n t i l

she found decent menamong the

harvesters toaccompanyher.

" A n d

Boaz said to his ladthat wasresponsible for the

reapers,

'Whose g i r l is this?'"

( i b i d .

5). Was it Boaz's

way

to ask after maidens?" R. Elazar said: He saw

something exceedingly wise about her behavior. She

gleaned twoears ofgrain, shedidnotglean three ears of

grain.As welearned, (Peah 6:5): "Twoears ofgrain that

have

fallen

on the

ground

are

considered

"leqet" (to be

gathered

by the

poor). Three

sheaves are not

considered

"leqet.

I na

breita

wef i nd :He sawsomething very modest about

her: Shegleaned standing ears while standing, ears that

had

fallen

on the

ground

she

gathered

while sitting.


47/207

Shabbat ch. 15,

p.113b/

Aggadatah 69 23

"So you shallcling to my maidens" (Ruth 2:8) - Was it

Boaz's way to cleave to women?

R. Elazar said: Since he saw that "And Orpah kissed her

mother-in-law,

but Ruth clung to her"

( i b i d .

1:14), he

said, 'It is permissible to grow attached to such a

woman

5

.

And

Boaz said to her at the time of

eating;

Come

here

and

eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar. And

she sat beside the

reapers,

and hepassedher roasted corn,

and she ate, and she was satisfied, and she

left

over."

ibid.

2:14

" A n d

Boaz said to her at the time of eating, Come here"

R. Elazar said: He hinted to her that the kingdom of the

House of David would descend from her, as it says

"here" (halom), just

l ike

it is written (II Sam. 7:18):

" A n d K i n g David cameand sat before God, and he said,

Who

am I o

L o r d

my God, and who is my house, that you

have brought me here" (halom)

" A n d

youw i l l dip your morsel in vinegar" R. Elazar said:

From

here

we derive that vinegar is beneficial during a

heatwave.


48/207

24


R. Shmuel the son o fNahmanisaid: He hinted to her that

i n

the future a son would

descend

from

her whose

deeds

would be as harsh as vinegar. Who is he?

( K i n g )

Menashe.

" A n d she sat

beside

the reapers"- R. Elazar said: At the

side of the

reapers,

not in the midst of the

reapers.

He

hinted

to her that in the future the kingdom of the House

o fDavid wouldbe divided.

" A n d

he

passed

her parched corn, and she ate, and she

was satisfied, and she left over" - R. Elazar said: "And

she ate - in the

days

of

David",

"and she was satisfied" -

in

thedaysof Solomon, "and she

left

over" - in thedays

o fHezekiah.

A n d

some say: "And she ate - in the daysofDavid and

Solomon,

"and she was satisfied" - in the

days

of

Hezekiah, "and she left over" - in the daysof

Rabbi.

As

the Master said, The stable

keepers

of Rabbi (who was of

the Davidicline)were richer than K i n gShavur of Persia.

We f ind in thebrelta:"And she ate" - in this w o r l d , "and

she was satisfied" - in the

days

of the Messiah, "and she

left over" - in the w o r ldto come.


49/207

Shabbat ch. 15,p.115a/ Aggadatah 70 25

115a

70. Altering Speech so as to be Listened to

R . Hiyya

the son of Abba said in the name of R.

Yohanan:

I f Yom

Kippur falls

on a weekday, it is

permissible

to crack open nuts and to take the seedsout

o f pomegranates

from

the time of the afternoon prayer

(minha)

onward, because of one's mental suffering

(some say that this is permitted since he is hungry and

not able to eat the food he is preparing, and he therefore

suffers, which is the intention ofY o m Kippur. Others say

the opposite - it is permissible to do so that he w i l l not be

perturbed by the thought that he w i l l have to waste time

preparingthe foodafter YomKippurbefore he can eat).

I n

the

house

of R. Yehuda theywouldcut up

cabbage.

In

thehouseof Rabah they

would

grate pumpkinsquash.

Since the Rabbis saw that people started too early (before

the time of the afternoon prayer) they said to the people

o f

their household: A letter

came f rom

the west that

says

in

R. Yohanan's name that this is forbidden, (we see that

in order to prevent people f rom sinning, it is permissible

to t e l l such a story so as to be listened to).


50/207

26

Shabbat

ch. 16,

p.

116a/ Aggadatah 71

Chapter

Sixteen

116a

71. The

Christians

and their Books

A

House ofIdolWorship Rather than a

House of

Christians

Parts of Torah scroll parchments that are not

written

on,

or Torah scrolls

written

by the early Christians, should

not besaved

from

fire.

R

Yossi said: On weekdays one should cut out God's

name from them, hide them, and burn the

rest.

R. Tarfon said: May I lose my children if, when I

have

such Torah scrolls, I do not burn them entirely, including

theplaceswhere God's

name

is mentioned. For even i f a

man is being pursued by another man who wants to ki l l

h i m ,

and a snake is coming towards him to bite him, he

may seekrefuge in a temple of

i d o l

worship, but not in a

(Christian)temple. Fortheseknow (the Torah) and reject

i t ,

while the others reject the Torah without being

familiar w i t hit.

Concerning them the

verse says:

(Is. 57:8) "And behind

the doors and the doorposts you have placed your

memorial." (comparing them to a licentious woman,


51/207

Shabbat ch. 16,p.116a/ Aggadatah 71

27

who, even when she is at home, is thinking of the

adulterers she

left

outside her door. So too,these people

are thinkingofi d o lworship even when they are in God's

temple).

R .

Yishmael said: This can be deduced in the f o l l o w i n g

manner: I f

in

order to make

peace

between a man and his

w i f e

the Torah said, My Name,

which

was

written

in

holiness andpurity,should be erasedin the water that an

unfaithful woman drinks; in the case of these people,

who

createjealousy,

hostility,

and wrath between Israel

and their Father in Heaven, how much more so

Concerning

them David said (Psalms 139:21-22): "For

those who hate you o

L o r d ,

I

w i l l

hate, and those who

rise up against You I w i l l contend w i t h ; I

hate

them

w i t h

a

deep

hatred, they have become my enemies". And just

as we may not rescue them f rom a

f i re ,

so we may not

rescue them f rom buildings that have collapsed or f r o m

water, or f rom anything else that

causes

them to be

destroyed.

The House of

Avidan

Yosef

the son ofHaninasked R. Abahu: As for the books

o f thehouseofAvidan,should they be saved f rom f i re or

not?


52/207

28


Yes, no, and uncertain (since the house of Avidan

debated w i t h all religions, and had Torah scrolls whose

authorship was uncertain, R. Abahu was uncertain as to

whether they should besavedor not).

Rav

would

not go to the

house

of

Avidan

and certainly

not to the house of N i t z r a f i (another place where there

was i d o lworship).

Shmuel

would

not go to thehouseof

N i t z r a f i ,

but

would

go to thehouseofAvidan.

The wise men of the nations asked Rava: What is your

reasonfor not coming to the House o f Avidan?

He said to them: There is a certain palmtreeon the way

there, and it isd i f f i cu l t for me topassit.

Then we w i l luproot it

I t is d i f f icu l t for me towalkby its very location.


53/207

Shabbat

ch. 16, p.l 16a/ Aggadatah 71

29

Mar the son ofYosef said:

I

am one of the

debaters

of

the House of

Avidan,

and I am not concerned about

them".

Once he went there, and they wanted tocausehim

harm.

TheEvangeline

R.

Meir

would call

the Evangeline -

aven

gilion

-sheets

o f deception.

R. Yohananwould callit'avongilion -sheetsof sin.

The

Donkey and the

Candelabra

ImmaShalom, the

w i f e

of R. Eliezer, was the sister of R.

Gamliel. There was a philosopher and a judge in his

neighborhood that had a reputation for not accepting

bribes.

R. Gamliel wanted to mock him. Ima Shalom secretly

brought him a golden candelabrum, and then

came

before

h i m

w i t h

R. Gamliel, so that he should decide a seeming

inheritance dispute.

She said to him: I want to share the property of my

father's

house.

He said to them:Divideit up.


54/207

30

Shabbatch. 16, p. l 16a/ Aggadatah 71

R. Gamliel said to the judge: In our Torah it is written

that when there is a son, the daughter doesnot inherit.

He said to him: Since the day that you were exiled f r o m

your

land the Torah of Moses has

been superseded.

The

Evangeline was given, in which it says " A son and a

daughter 1inherit equally".

The next day R. Gamlielcame back and brought him a

rare

Libyan

donkey.

The judge said to him: I read to the end of the

Evangeline, and it

says:

I

have

not come to detract f r o m

the Torah of Moses, and I

have

not come to add to the

Torahof Moses". And in the Torah of Moses itsaysthat

whenthere is a son, the daughter doesnot inherit.

Imma

Shalom said to the judge: Let your l i g h t shine l ike

a candelabra

R. Gamliel said to him: A donkey came and kicked the

candelabra over...


55/207

Shabbat

ch. 16, p.l 18b/ Aggadatah 72

31

118b

72. The Ways of my God, myKing

in

the Sanctuary

R .Yossfs Ways

Three

Meals

R. Yossi said: May my portion be among those who eat

three meals on the Sabbath.

M a l l e i

R. Yossi said: May my portion be w i t h those who

complete the

Hallel

prayer

daily.

Is this really the case?The Master has already said that

someone who

reads Hallel

every day

blasphemes

and

insults

the

Divine

Name

Weare referring to the verses of song that are recited at

the beginningo fthedaily prayers.

They

will

Fear Youwith the Sun

R. Yossi said: May my portion be

w i t h

thosewho pray at

the redglowat therisingand setting of the sun.


56/207

32

Shabbat

ch. 16,p.118b/ Aggadatah 72

R. Hiyya the son of Abba said in the

name

of R.

Yohanan: It is good to pray at dusk and at dawn. R Zeira

said: What is the

verse

that hints at this? "May they fear

Y o u

at the time of the sun, and before the moon,

throughout all generations" (Psalms72:5).

Intestinal

Disorders

A n d R. Yossi said: May my portion be w i t h

those

who

die of intestinal disorders. As the Master said: Most

righteous people die of intestinal disorders.

Onthe Way to Performing a Mitzvah

A n d R. Yossi said: May my portion be w i t h

those

who

die on the way to performing a mitzvah.

Adding on to Shabbat

A n d


w i t h

theoneswho

usher in the Sabbath in Tiberius (as Tiberius is in a

valley,

the sun

appears

to set earlier, causing them to

usher

the Sabbath in early), and w i t h

those

who bid

farewell

to the Sabbath inTzipori (which is located on a

mountaintop, so there is l i g h t even after the sun has set,

causing them to remain in the Sabbathlonger).


57/207

Shabbat

ch. 16,p .118b/ Aggadatah 72

33

L et

me Sit in the House of the

L o r d

A n d R. Yossi said: May my portion be w i t h they who

invitethe studentsin the study

hall

to sit down (and begin

their

studies), and not

w i t h

those who ask them to stand

up (and go eat or leave).

The

Responsibility of Those who Distribute

Charity

A n d


w i t h

they that

collect alms for the poor and not w i t h

those

that

distributethe money to the poor (due to the responsibility

todecide who is worthy of receiving and who is not).

Suspicion

A n d


w i t h

those who

are

suspected

of something even though they are

innocent.

R. Papa said: I was once suspected of something for no

reason.

FiveCedars

A n d R. Yossi said: Five times I was w i t h my w i f e , and I

planted five

cedars

in Israel. Who are they? R. Yishmael


58/207

34

Shabbat ch. 16,

p.

118b/ Aggadatah 72

the son of R. Yossi, R. Eliezer the son of R, Yossi, R.

Halafta

the son of R. Yossi, R. Avtilas the son of R.

Yossi,and R. Menahem the son of

R.

Yossi.

Was there not another son, Vardimas?

Vardimasand Menahem are identical.Why was he called

Vardimas? Since his face was

l ike

a

rose

(yered).

Does this mean to say that R. Yossi did not keep the

commandment of being w i t h his

w i f e

at

f ixed

times

(since he testified to having been

w i t h

her only five

times)?

Weshould rather read it in this fashion: Five times I was

w i t h

my w i f e and then immediately

w i t h

her again (a

wayof ensuring the

b i r t h

of male children).

Elegant

Speech

R. Yossi said: I never called myw i fe "myw i f e " or my ox

"my ox". Instead, I called my w i f e "my home" and my

ox"my f ie ld" .

Modesty

A n d

R. Yossi said: I never gazed at the place of my

circumcision.

Is this in fact thecase?Have they not asked

Rabbi,

What is the reason that you are called "Our

holy


59/207

Shabbat ch. 16,p.118b/ Aggadatah 72 35

Rabbi"? He answered them, I have never looked at the

place of my circumcision" (therefore, R. Yossi should

also have been called "our

holy

Rabbi" for the same

reason).

There is an additional reason why Rabbi was called "our

holyRabbi". He never put his hand under his cloak (also

a sign of modesty).

A n dR. Yossi said: The walls of myhousenever saw the

inner

liningsof my

robes

(since he always got undressed

underneath his

sheets).

TheWords of my Colleagues

A n d

R. Yossi said: I never went against the words of my

colleagues I know that I am not a priest, but i f my

colleagues were to say to me, 'Go up to the place where

the priests

bless

the congregation\ Iwouldgo.

Never GoBackon my Words

A n d

R. Yossi said: I never said something and later

retracted it.


60/207

36


The

Ways of the Righteous

The

Three Meals

R. Nahman said: I w i l l be

blessed

in the merit of my

having been

diligent about eating three meals on the

Sabbath.

Focused

Prayer

R. Yehuda said: I w i l l be

blessed

for having focused my

heart on my prayer.

R. Huna the son of R. Yehoshua said: I

w i l l

be

blessed

for not walking four cubits without having my head

covered.

Tefdlin

R.Sheshetsaid: I

w i l l

be

blessed

for keeping the mitzvah

o f

tefillin.

Tzizit

A n d

R. Nahman said: I

w i l l

be

blessed

for keeping the

mitzvahoftzitzit


61/207

37

R. Yosef said to R. Yosef son of Rabbah: What was your

father the most careful about?

He said to him: Concerning tzitzit One day he was

climbing up a ladder, and a thread of histzitzit tore. He

would not come down

u n t i l

a new thread was tied in his

garment.

The

Love of the

Sages

A n d Abaye said: I w i l l be blessed, for when I see asage

who has completed a tractate of the Talmud, I make a

celebration for all the

sages.

Rava said: I w i l l beblessed,for when asage

comes

to me

for judgment, I do not lay myheadon my

p i l l o w

tosleep

u n t i l

I f i ndpoints in his favor.

M ar

the son of R.

Ashi

said: I disqualify myself

f r o m

judging sages.What is the

reason

for this? I love them as

love myself, and a person does not see to their own

disadvantage.


62/207

38

Shabbat ch. 16, p.l 19a/ Aggadatah 73

119a

73.

Greeting the Sabbath

R. Hanina would

dress himself

in

fine

garments and

stand on Friday at dusk and say: Come let us go out and

greet the Sabbath queen.

R.

Yanaiwould

dress

in

fine

garments on Friday and say:

Come, o bride, come o bride.

Raba the son of R. Huna

came

to the

house

of Raba the

son of R. Nahman. He was served three

seahs

ofcakes

glazed

w i t h

oil and honey.

He said to them: Did you know that I was coming?

They

retorted: Do we prefer you to her? As the verse

says." And you shallcall the Sabbath a pleasure (in other

words, the delicacies had been prepared in honor of the

Sabbath).

R. Abba bought meat

from

thirteen butchers for thirteen

simple Roman coins (isters). He paid the butchers the


63/207

Shabbat

ch. 16, p.l 19a/ Aggadatah 73

39

moment they arrived at the threshold of his house and

said to them:

Prepare

itquickly,

prepare

itquickly

R. Abahu, a man ofmeans,

would

sit on an i v o r y chair

and fan the flames (of the

fire

cooking food for the

Sabbath.

R. Anan

would

wear black clothes

(work

clothes) when

preparing for the Sabbath. As it was said in the study

houseof R. Yishmael: The clothes that one wore to cook

food

for his teacher should not be worn to pour a cup of

winefor his

teacher.

R. Safra would cook the head of an animal (for the

Sabbath) himself. Rava himselfwould salt large

fish

for

the Sababth.

R. Huna

would

l i g h tcandles (besidesthecandleshis w i f e

would

l i g h t ) . R.

Papa would

weave wicks. R. Hisda

would

cutbeets.Rabaand R. Yosef

would

split wood. R.

Zeira

would

kindle the

fire.

On Fridays, R. Nahman the son of Yitzhakwould carry

things on his shoulders in and out, in and out. He said: I f

my

teachersR. Ami and R. Asi were to v i s i tme,

would

I

not carry things on my shoulders forthem?

Some said it this way: R. Ami and R. Asi would carry

things on their shoulders and go in and out, in and out.


64/207

40


They

said: I f R. Yohanan were to come v i s i t us, would

we not carry things on our shoulders for him?

74. Yosef who Honored the Sabbath

The HolyOne,blessedbe He, said to Israel: My children,

borrow

on

M y

account and sanctify the (Sabbath) day, trust

Me that Iwillpay back the debt.

Tractate Beitza 15b

Yosef who honored the Sabbath had a non-Jewish

neighbor who was very wealthy and owned a lot of

property.

Astrologers said to this non-Jew: A l lyour properties w i l l

be consumed by Yosef who honors the Sabbath.

He went, sold all hispossessions, and brought a precious

gem,whichhe sewed into the l i n i n gof his hat.

As he was standing on a bridge, a

w i n d

came, blew his

hat off, and threw it into the water. A fish came and

swallowedit.

Fishermen caught the

fish

and brought it back to

shore

Fridayat dusk.


65/207

Shabbatch. 16,p.119a/ Aggadatah 75

41

Theysaid: Whow i l l buy it at such a late hour?

People said to them: Go take it toYosef who honors the

Sabbath, he is accustomed tobuying, even at such a late

hour.

Theybrought it to him and he bought it.

H e tore it open and foundthe precious gem in it. He sold

i tfor thirteenvessels full ofgolddinars.

A n

old man met him and said: Whoever lends money to

the Sabbath (i.e. buys things to honor it) is repaid by the

Sabbath.

75. Honoring the Sabbath

Rabbi asked R. Yishmael the son of R. Yossi: For what

reason

do the r i c h of the Land of Israel merit such

wealth?

H e answered him:

Because

they tithe, as it

says,

(Deut.

14:22):"You shall surely tithe" - tithe in order that you

become

r ich .

A n d

the

r i c h

of Babylonia, why do they merit their

wealth?


66/207

42


He

answered

h i m :

Becausethey honor the Torah.

A n d the r i c h of other countries, why have they merited

their

wealth?

He answered h i m :

Because

they honor the Sabbath.

As

R.

Hiyya

the son of Abba said: I was once a guest at

the

house

of someone in Laodicia, and they brought

before him a golden table that needed to be carried by

sixteen men, and sixteen chains of pure silver were

embedded in it. Cups and pitchers and saucers were

attached to that table, and all sorts offood and delicacies

and

spices

were on it, and whenever they place it before

h i m

they say: To God is the earth and the fullness

thereof, the

w o r l d

and its inhabitants (Psalms 24:1) (so

we must bless God before eating), and whenever they

take the table away they say "Theheavensare God's and

the earth He has given to the children of man

( ib id .

115:16).

said toh im :My son, for what reason did you merit this?

He

said to me: I was a butcher, and whenever a good-

lookinganimalcameto me, I said, This one should be for

eating on the Sabbath.


67/207

Shabbatch. 16, p. l 19a/ Aggadatah 75

43

said to him, You are most fortunate, for you

have

merited, and

blessed

is the One Who has youmadeyou

so fortunate.

A

Spice Named Sabbath

Caesarsaid to R. Yehoshua the son of Hananya: Why do

the cooked Sabbath

dishes

have

such a fragrant

aroma?

He answered him: We

have

a spice whose name is

"shevef

that we put into our

food,

and it has a very

fragrant aroma.

He said to

h im :

Give it to us

He answered him: It is only useful for he who

observes

the Sabbath - it isuseless for he who

does

not observe

the Sabbath.

"And

you shallcallthe Sabbath ajoy,to sanctity God the

Honorable,

and honor

it

by refrainingfrom your ways"

Isaiah 58:13

" A n d

honor it " - Rav

says

that this

means

to make the

time

of the Sabbath meal earlier than that of the weekday


68/207

44


meal.

Shmuel says that this means to make the time of

the Sabbath meal later, so that the appetite is greater.

The

sons

of R. Papa the son of Abba said to R. Papa:

Whatof people l ike ourselves, who have meat and wine

every day, how can we make a change and honor the

Sabbath more than other

days?

He said to them: I f you are used to eating early (in the

morning),

then eat later. And i f you are used to eating

late in the

morning,

then eat earlier.

SabbathDelight

During the summer, R. Sheshet would sit the Sages

where the sun was, and during the winter he would sit

them down in the shade, so that they would get up

quickly

(out of discomfort, and go eat their Sabbath

meal).

R. Zeirawould go after pairs of Rabbis

whom

he would

see discussing the Torah, and say to them:Please,do not

desecratethe Sabbath (by not enjoying i t) .


69/207

Shabbat

ch. 16, p.l 19b/ Aggadatah 76

45

119b

The Fourth

Meal

A person should always set his table on Saturday night,

even though he

does

nothaveto eat more than a morsel.

They

would

prepare

a choice

c a l f

for R. Abahu to eat on

Saturday night. He

would

eat one kidney of it.

When A v im i his son grew up, he said to him: Why

should

you waste so much? We can leave over a kidney

f rom the c a l f cooked for the Sabbath on Friday for

Saturday night

They left

it over, and a

l i o n

cameand ate it.

76. The Reasons for the Destruction

of the

First

Temple

Desecrating the Sabbath

R. Yehuda the son ofR . Shmuel said in the

name

of Rav:

A fire w i l l only occur in a place where the Sabbath was

desecrated,

as itsays,(Jeremiah 17:27): "And i f you w i l l

not

listen to Me, to sanctify the Sabbath day, and not to

carry

burdens and come into the

gates

of Jerusalem on

the Sabbath day, then I w i l l set

fire

to itsgates,and it w i l l


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46

Shabbat ch. 16, p.l 19b/ Aggadatah 76

consume the palaces of Jerusalem, and w i l l not be

extinguished".

What is

meant

by "and it

w i l l

not be extinguished?"

R. Nahman the son of Yitzhak said: Itmeansit w i l l burn

at a time when people w i l l not beableto extinguish it (on

the

Sabbath

day).

Abaye said: Jerusalem was destroyed only because the

Sabbathwas

desecrated

in it, as itsays, (Ezekiel 22:26):

"They hid their eyes

from

my Sabbaths, and I was

desecratedin their midst".

Reading the

Shma

R. Abahu said: Jerusalem was destroyed becauseof not

reading the

shma

in the morning and the evening, as it

says (Isaiah 5:11): "Woe to them who wake up in the

morning,

that they may pursue strong drink, they

continue u n t i l night, t i l l wine inflame them. And it

goes

on to say

( i b i d .

12): "And the lyre, and the lute, the

tambourine, and pipe, and wine, are at their parties, and

they do not consider the work of God, and they do not

see the work of hishands"

A n d

it

says,

( i b i d .

13): "Therefore My people was exiled,

for lack of knowledge..."

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