Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 1, scan section 29

Shekhina." Resh Lakish said: What does the verse, " The trust of thy times shall be the strength of salvation, wisdom, and knowl- edge," etc. [Isa. xxxiii. 6] — what does this mean ? (I think that this can be a biblical support to the six divisions of the Mishna which we possess.*) "The trust" comes within the section of " Zeraim " (seeds); " thy times" in " Moed " (fes- tivals); "strength" in " Nashim " (women); "salvation" in " Nezikin " (jurisprudence); " wisdom " in " Qodoshim " (holi- ness), and " knowledge " in section " Taharith " (purity). And yet " the fear of the Lord is his treasure " {i.e., all these do not avail where there is not the fear of the Lord).t • Rabha said: When a man comes before the (divine) judg- ment,, he is asked: "Hast thou traded in good faith? Hast thou apportioned regular times for study ? Hast thou produced children ? Didst thou hope for salvation? Hast thou discussed subjects of wisdom? Hast thou formed (logical) conclusions from the things thou hast learned ?" After all this (if he can afifirm all these questions), if he possessed the fear of the Lord, it was well ; if not, it was not so. This is like a man who ordered his agent to store a measure of wheat in the attic. The agent did so. Then the man asked him whether he had mixed some dry dust with the wheat (for protection against weevils), and he answered nay. " It were better," said the merchant, "if thou hadst not stored it." Rabba b. R. Huna said: " A man who possesses learning, * The six departments enumerated here are those of the Mishna, into which the rabbis have divided all the subjects touched upon in the Bible. f " Trust " comes within the department of " Seeds" because the tithe due the priests and Levites by the farmers was not fixed legally as to quantity, but was trusted to the honesty of the donor. " Thy times " comes within " Festivals" for self-evident reasons. " Strength" comes within " Women," for the reason that the Hebrew word, "chosen," also means inheritance, and heirs are naturally produced by women (this is the opinion of Rashi). " Salvation "in " Jurisprudence ": all laws pertaining to the saving of life and property. " Wisdom "in " Holiness ": the holy sacrifices requiring the exercise of much wisdom. "Knowledge" in "Purity": the determining of pure and defiled things necessarily demanded thorough knowl- edge of the subject. 52 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. but has no fear of Heaven, is like the manager (of a palace) who has the keys to the inside apartments, but lacks the one which opens the outside gate. How can he enter ? " R. Janai proclaimed: " Alas for him who has no dwelling, yet strives to make the door of a dwelling! " R. Jehudah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, created the world only for the purpose that man should fear Him, for it is written: "God hath so made it, that (men) should fear him " [Eccl. iii. 14]. R. Simon and R. Elazar were sitting together as R. Jacob b. Aha came passing by. Said one of them: " Come, let us arise before him, for he is a man that fears sins." Said the other: " Aye; let us arise before him, for he is a son of en- lightenment (a scholar)." Said the former: I tell thee that he is a man that is afraid of sins, and thou sayest he is a scholar. Thou shouldst be mindful of what R. Elazar said : The Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing better in the world than (men who possess) the fear of Heaven, for thus it is written: " And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God " [Deut. x. 12]. R. Ulla lectured: What does the passage mean, " Be not wicked over much " [Eccl. vii. 17]. Is it allowed to be wicked at all ? Nay, but the passage means this: If one has eaten gar- lic and has acquired a bad odor, he must not eat more garlic because the bad odor is (about him) already. Rabba b. R. Ulla lectured: It is written: " For there are no fetters in them, but their strength is firm" [Psalms, Ixxiii. 4]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: " It is not enough that the wicked do not trouble for nor fear the day of their death, but that their heart within them is as strong as a strong fortress." Which is similar to Rabba's explanation of the passage: "This is their way; their folly " [ibid. xlix. 14]. The wicked know that their man- ner (of living) leads them to death, and still their kidneys wax fat (implying their blindness to the fact). Perhaps thou wilt attribute this to their forgetfulness ? Therefore it is written: " What will happen after their lives is the subject of their say- ings," whence we conclude that while they do not repent, they continually speak of their death. To spare the lanipy' etc. With whom does R. Jose agree ? If he agrees with R. Jehudah, he should declare culpable even these ; and if he agrees with R. Simeon, he should declare free even (the man who extinguishes the lamp) for the purpose of saving the wick. Said Ulla: By all means R. Jose agrees with TRACT SABBATH. 53 R. Jehudah, but he holds that if one destroys in order to rebuild in the same place, he is guilty (of the act) of breaking; but if one destroys, not intending to rebuild in the same place, he is not (guilty of) breaking. R. Johanan, however, maintains that he holds as R. Simeon; but in the case of this wick it is differ- ent, as R. Hamnunah or R. Ada b. A'haba interpreted our Mishna that it reads " from a wick which needs singeing," and it is such a case. R. Simeon also agrees that it is prohibited because it is considered that he repairs a vessel. Said Rabha: It seems that this explanation is right, as the Mishna states " to be formed," and not a cinder is formed (already). MISHNA VII. : For three sins women die of childbirth: for negligence (of the laws) during their menstruation, neglect of separating the first dough, and for neglecting to light the (Sab- bath) lamp. GEMARA: Why so ? Thus a Galilean master lectured before R. Hisda: The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I have created you with power of blood ; I have warned you concern- ing blood; I have called you " the first produce" [Jer. ii. 3], and charged you to sacrifice the " first of your dough " [Numb, xvi. 21] ; the soul that I gave you is called a light, and I have charged you concerning the (Sabbath) light. If you observe these things, it is well; if not, I shall take your souls. But why should this happen at the time of childbirth ? Said Rabha: When the ox falls or is felled, it is time to sharpen the knife.* And when are the sins of men passed upon ? Said Resh Lakish: When they pass a dangerous place that is like a bridge (which is unsafe). Rabh would not embark on a ship that car- ried an idolater. Said he: " His time to be punished may come, and I (being on the same vessel) may have to suffer with