Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 1, scan section 49

have found that such a city is in Greece. f The text states : " And that is Nathan of Zuzitha " ; and Rashi tried to explain the word Zuzitha " with sparks," or because the angel took him by the Zizith (locks) of his head. We have omitted this because it is proved jy Abraham Krochmal in his " Remarks to the Talmud," article " The Chain of the Exilarch," that Ne'hemiah the Exilarch and Nathan the Exilarch were of two different times, many generations apart. (See there.) CHAPTER VI. REGULATIONS CONCERNING WHAT GARMENTS (SERVING AS ORNA- MENTS) WOMEN MAY GO OUT WITH ON THE SABBATH. MISHNA /. : In what (ornamental) apparel may a woman go out, and in what may she not go out ? A woman is not allowed to go out (even in private ground) either with woollen or linen bands or with straps on her head to keep her hair in tresses (as a precaution lest she enter public ground and take off the bands to show to her friends, thereby becoming guilty of carrying movable property for a distance of four ells or more). Nor is she to bathe herself with the bands on unless loosened. Nor is she to go out with either Totaphoth or Sarbitin on, unless they are fastened;'^ nor with a hood in public ground, nor with gold ornaments, nor with nose-rings, nor with finger- rings that have no seal, nor with pins. But if she did go out with these things, she is not bound to bring a sin-offering (as they are ornaments and not burdens). GEMARA: " Bathifig." Where is bathing referred to (and what has it to do with the Sabbath) ? Said R. Na'hman b. Itz'hak in the name of Rabba b. Abuhu : The Mishna means to say : What is the reason that a woman is not allowed to go out with either woollen or linen bands ? Because the sages have decided that she is not to bathe herself with them on, even on week days, unless loosened ; therefore she shall not (go out with them on) on the Sabbath at all, lest it happen that she become in duty bound to bathe herself,t and, while untying her hair, be forced to carry the bands in public ground for a distance of four ells or more. * In the Mishna the Hebrew word for "fastened" is " Tephurim," literally meaning " sewed " or "embroidered " ; i.e., the Totaphoth and Sarbitin as worn by the wealthy were ornaments made of gold or silver with inscriptions engraved on them, but the poor made them of various colored materials (as explained in the Gemara farther on) and embroidered the inscriptions on them. The prohibition of the Mishna therefore refers only to the wearing of such ornaments before the inscrip- tions were either engraved or embroidered on them. Such is our explanation in our " History of Amulets," pp. 11-15. f After menstruation. Ste Leviticus, xv. io8 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. R. Kahana questioned Rabh: "What about a hair-net?" Answered Rabh: "You mean to say a woven one? Every- thing woven has not been restricted." This was also taught in the name of R. Huna b. R. Joshua. According to others the same said: " I have seen that my sisters were not particular to take it off while bathing." And the difference between the two versions is when it was dirty; according to the first version, it does not matter, as everything woven was not restricted ; and the second version, where particularity is the case, if they were dirty, they would certainly be particular to take them off. An objection was raised from Mishna [Miqvaoth, IX. 8]: " When a person bathes, the following objects cause ' interven- tion ' (Chatzitzah): Woollen and linen bands and headstraps (used by maidens). " R. Jehudah says woollen and hair bands do not cause " intervention," because water soaks through them. (Now we see that although woollen and linen bands are woven, yet they are an intervention.) Said R. Huna: "All this concerns only maidens." (And they are an intervention only because they are particular about it.) R. Joseph in the name of R. Jehudah said that Samuel said that the Halakha prevails according to R. Jehudah in the case of hair bands only. Said Abayi: From the expression " the Halakha prevails" we must infer that there is a controversy between R. Jehudah and the Tana of the above Boraitha. (The Tana said nothing about hair bands.) Shall we assume that because R. Jehudah declares hair bands not to be objects of " intervention," he must have heard the previous Tana men- tion them ? Even if such be the case, it is not probable that R. Jehudah heard that the Tana agrees with him on that point, and hence he says: " If he agrees with me on this point, why not in the other instances also?" Said R. Na'hman in the name of Samuel : Read, The sages agree with R. Jehudah with respect to hair bands. This is supported by a Boraitha. Woollen bands cause inter- vention, but hair bands do not. R. Jehudah, however, said: " Neither of them causes intervention." Said R. Na'hman b. Itz'hak: It seems to be so from the expression of our Mishna: "A woman may go out with hair bands, be they her own or her friends'." Whose opinion does this Mishna represent ? Can we say R. Jehudah's ? He per- mits even woollen bands. We must say it is in accordance with the above rabbis ; hence they do not differ as regards hair bands. TRACT SABBATH. 109 *' Nor with Totaphotk." What are " Totaphoth " ? Said R. Joseph: " A balm bandage for sanitary use {Humrate diqe- tipJitd). ' ' * Said Abayi to him: " Then let it be permitted as an amulet made by a reliable expert." (During Abayi's time this diffi- culty was not solved.) R. Jehudah, however, in the name of Abayi said : f " It is an Absayim " (a gold ornament). This is supported in the following Boraitha : " A woman may go out with a gilded hair-net, and Totaphoth or Sarbitin when fastened to the hair-net." What are Totaphoth and what Sarbitin ? Said R. Abuhu : " The former are bands that reach from ear to ear, and the latter bands that reach from temple to temple." R. Hunasaid: "The poor make them of all kinds of colored material, and the rich make them of gold or silver." " Nor zvith a hood.'' Said R. Yanai : " I cannot understand what kind of a hood the Mishna means; is it a slave's hood that it prohibits and permits a woollen hood, or does it prohibit woollen hoods and so much more slaves' hoods ? Said R. Abuhu : It seems that a woollen hood is meant. And so we have learned plainly in the following Boraitha: " A woman may go out with a hood and.head ornament in her yard." R. Simeon b. Elazar says: With a hood even in a public ground. " It is a rule," said he, " that anything below the ' Shebha'ha ' (hair- net) is permitted to be worn, but anything above it is not. Samuel, however, said the Mishna alludes to the slave's hood. Did, indeed, Samuel say so ? Did he not say the slave may go out with the mark (he wears) around his neck, but not with