Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 1, scan section 45

wrought for him. Said Abayi to him : On the contrary, Behold how bad the man must have been that the nature of mankind changed in him and nothing occurred to enable him to earn enough money to pay a nurse. Says R. Jehudah : Come and see how hard it is for heaven to change the fate of a man concern- ing his livelihood, that the nature of the world was changed, but not his fate. Said R. Na'hman : It is proven by this fact that 96 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. a miracle occurred, but he was not provided with means for pay- ing a wet-nurse. The rabbis taught " It happened once that a man wedded a woman with a mutilated hand, and did not discover it until she died." Said Rabh : " Behold how chaste this woman must have been, for even her husband did not discover it." R. Hyya retorted: " This is nothing! It is natural with women to hide their defects, but note the modesty of the man, who did not discover it in his wife." " Rams may go out with (leather) bands around their pri- vates." What kind of bands? Said R. Huna: " Hobbles." Ulla said they were leather bands tied around their breasts to prevent them from the attack of wolves. Do wolves attack only the males and never the females ? It is because the males always go ahead of the flocks. Do wolves attack only the advance of a flock and never the rear ? It is because the males are usually fat. Are there no fat sheep among the females ? Moreover, how can the wolves know which is which ? It is because the males generally lift their heads and look around cautiously. R. Na'hman b. Itz'hak said they wore leather bands tied around their privates to prevent them from having coition with the females. Whence this inference ? From the last clause of the Mishna, " The sheep may go out with their tails tied up," in order that the males may have coition with them; hence we infer that the first clause is for the purpose of prevent- ing them. " She-goats may go out with a bag tied around their udders. " It was taught : Rabh said that the Halakha prevails in accord- ance with R. Jehudah; and Samuel held it to be in accordance with R. Jossi. Others taught : Rabh and Samuel did not directly cite the opinions of the Tanaim just mentioned, but they themselves decreed as follows: Rabh held that she-goats may go out with their udders tied up for the purpose of pre- venting lactation, but not to save the milk. Samuel, how- ever, prohibited this in both cases. Others again say: R. Jehudah b. Bathyra long ago decided the same as Rabh, but added that on account of the impossibility of determining what purpose the tying up of the udders would serve, it is entirely prohibited. Thereupon Samuel decided that the Halakha pre- vails with him. Rabbin upon his arrival in Babylon said that R. Johanan said that the Halakha prevails in accordance with the first Tana. TRACT SABBATH. 97 MISHNA ///. : And what must (animals) not go about in ? The camel with a crupper, nor with hobbles on both legs, nor with the front leg hobbled with the hind. This law is applied to all other animals. It is not allowed to tie camels together with a rope and then lead them ; but one is permitted to hold in his hand the several ropes on the camels and lead them, pro- vided the ropes are not twisted into one. GEMARA: A Boraitha in addition to this Mishna states: " If the crupper is fastened to the hump as well as to the tail of the camel, it may go about." Rabba b. R. H una says: A camel may go about with a pad under its tail (to prevent friction). " One is not to tie camels." What is the reason ? Said R Ashi: Because it looks like leading them to market. "But one is permitted to hold in his ha7id" etc. Said R. Ashi : This law was stated only concerning (Kilaim), and hence the teacher means to say, provided he does not tie or twist them. Samuel said: And provided the cords do not protrude from his hand as much as the length of a span. Was it not taught at the school of Samuel, two spans ? Said Abayi: From the difference between Samuel himself and his school we infer that Samuel came to teach us how to practise. But did not a Boraitha state : Provided he lifts (the cords) from the ground one span (but there is no restriction as to the quantity protruding from his hands) ? The non-restriction of the quan- tity of cord applies only to the amount of cord used for the dis- tance between the animal and the man's hand. (In that case the quantity is unlimited. The quantity of cord, however, pro- truding from the man's hand must not exceed one span; so also the distance from the ground to the cords must be at least one span.) MISHNA IV. : The ass is not to go out with a rug, unless fastened, neither with a bell that has been muffled, nor with a collar on his neck, nor with ankle-boots. The hens are not to go out with cords tied to them, nor with straps on their feet. Rams are not to go out with carts tied to their tails ; nor sheep with sneezing-wood ; the calf with the reed yoke, nor the cow with the skin of a hedgehog (tied to the udder), nor with a strap (between her horns). The cow of R. Elazar b. Azarya went out with a strap between the horns against the approval of the rabbis. GEMARA: "Neither with a bell that has been muffled." For it looks like bringing it to market. VOL. I. — 7 98 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. '* Nor zvith a collar on his neck." Said R. Huna: With a collar underneath his jowls. What was the collar intended for ? To prevent irritation of any wounds that may have been on the neck. "Nor with ankle-boots." To prevent injury from kicking one foot against the other. " The hens with cords." As a distinguishing mark. " Nor with straps on their feet." To prevent damage arising from jumping. " The rqms with carts." To prevent the ends of their tails from damage through trailing on the ground. "Nor sheep with sneezitig-wood." (What is it?) Said R. Huna: " In seaports there is to be found a kind of tree called 'Hanun, which produces sneezing-wood, which when held under a sheep's nose produces sneezing, and while sneezing such ver- min as may have lodged in the sheep's head are expelled. If such be the case, may rams not go out with it either ? For rams sneezing-wood is not used at all. They butt with their heads, therefore vermin drops out of its own accord. " Nor the cow with the skin of the hedgehog" etc. To pre- vent leeches from sticking to the udder. " Nor with the strap between the horns." Why not ? Either in accordance with Rabh, who forbids it at any rate, or in accord- ance with Samuel, who forbids it as an ornament. " The cow of R. Elazar b. Azarya" etc. Had he only one cow ? Did not Rabh, or R. Jehudah in the name of Rabh, say that R. Elazar b. Azarya gave yearly as tithes from his herds