Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 7, scan section 84

of the child he died. The funeral orator on this occasion de- claimed the following elegy : Parental joy was changed to hopeless pain : Where bliss had entered, grief was doomed to reign ; For in the moment of his hope fulfilled. The joyful beating of that heart was stilled. The child was named Hanin after his father. When R. Johanan died, R. Itz'hak b. Elazar began the eulogy as follows : " This day is as momentous to Israel as the day of which the prophet 44 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. spoke [Amos, viii. 9] : ' And it shall come to pass in that day that I will cause the sun to go down at noon,' " which R. Johanan explained to have reference to the day of the death of the King Josiah. When R. Johanan departed, R. Ami observed both the seven and the thirty days (of mourning). Said R. Abba the son of R. Hyya bar Abba : '' R. Ami stands alone in his action, for so said my father in the name of R. Johanan : ' Even over an instructor in science one need not mourn more than one day.' " When R. Zera departed, the funeral orator delivered the follow- ing oration : In Babylon this noble sage was born, In Palestine he was admired and cherished ; "Woe unto me ! " doth Reketh * sadly mourn, " For my most precious jewel now has perished." When R. Abuhu died, the pillars of Kisri shed tears ; when R. Jose died, the gutters of Sepphoris were overrun with blood ; when R. Jacob died, the stars were seen in the day-time ; when R, Assi, all the trees were rooted out ; when R. Hyya, fire-balls fell from heaven ; when R. Mena'ham (ben R. Simai), all the images became obliterated and as smooth as if passed upon with a roller ; when R. Tan'hum bar Hyya died, all the impressions upon the images were effaced ; when R. Eliashib, seventy bur- glaries were committed in Nehardea ; when R. Hamnuna, hail- stones fell from heaven ; when Rabba and R. Joseph died, the bridge-arches of Euphrates collapsed ; when Abayi and Rabha, the bridge-arches of Hiddekel collapsed ; when R. Mesharshia died, the trees were laden with thorns (instead of fruit). f MISHNA: The food for the funeral meal is not placed before the mourners on a table, nor in a silver tureen, nor in a dish, but in wicker baskets. The mourning prayers must not be pronounced on the middle days, but the rows are formed and the consolation is pronounced and the people assembled are at once dismissed. The bier must not be set down in any public place, that the mourning may not spread (in the middle days). The bier of women must at no time be there set down, on ac- count of respect (to the sex of the deceased). J T/ie bier must 7iot be set down in ariy public street. ' ' Said R. * Reketh is Tiberias. (Rashi.) f AH this must not be understood literally but allegorically. X The Gemara belonging to this Mishna, which properly does not < o ne in here, will be found in its proper place. TRACT MOED KATAN (MINOR FESTIVALS). 45 Papa : " No middle days are considered in regard to a scholar (Talmid-Hakham), and so much the more so the half-feast of Hanuka or Purim. This, however, is the case only in the pres- ence of the corpse." This is not so? Has not R. Kahana lamented over the death of R. Zbhid of Nehardea on the banks of the river (and surely the corpse was not there) ? Said R. Papa: " That was on the very day he received the information, which is equivalent to the presence of the corpse." MISHNA: The mourning women may wail during the mid- dle days, but not clap (their palms together), R. Ishmael said : The nearest to the bier may clap. On the days of the New Moon, on the half-festivals of Hanuka and Purim, they may wail and clap, but must not sing lamentations ; but when the corpse is interred, they must neither wail aloud nor clap. What is meant by wailing ? When all of them join in one chorus. What is meant by lamentation ? When one recites and the others respond, as it is written [Jer. ix. 20] : " Teach your daughters wailing and every one her neighbor lamentation." But of the age that is to come it is written [Isa. xxv. 8] : *' He will destroy death to eternity ; and the Lord Eternal will wipe away the tear from off all faces." GEMARA : R. Levi bar Hitha said : One who takes leave of the dead shall not say, " Go in peace," but '' Go wit/i peace," as it is written [Gen. xv. 15] : '' But thou shalt come to thy fathers ttz/VA peace " (^^sholom) ; but the contrary must be said when taking leave of the living. When David said to Absalom : " Go wM peace" [II Sam. xv. 9], the latter hanged himself; while, when Jethro said to Moses [Exod. iv. 18]: ''Go in peace" (Z^sholom), Moses went and was successful. R. Levi further said : One who goes from the college to the prayer-house, and vice versa, is rewarded by receiving the appearance of the She- khina, as it is written [Psalms, Ixxxiv. 8] : " They go from strength (college) to strength (the prayer-house) ; each of them appeared before God in Zion." R. Hyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rabh : " Scholars (Talmide-Hakhamim) have no rest even in the world to come, as it is written [ibid.] : ' They go from strength to strength ; each of them appeareth before God in Zion.' " END OF TRACT MOED KATAN (MINOR FESTIVALS). Princeton Theological Seminat7 Libraries 1 1012 01249 6891