Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 3, scan section 51

could have got them in their power," because: do not read " Charuth " (engraved) but " Cheiruth " (liberty). R. Mathna said: It is written [Numbers xxi. 18]: "And from the wilderness to Mattanah," * which signifies, that if the man makes himself as a wilderness, upon which everybody treads, and does not mind it, the knowledge he gains remains with him as a present. R. Huna said : It is written [Psalms Ixviii. 1 1] Thy assem- bly dwelt therein : thou didst prepare it with thy goodness for the afflicted people, O God! (" Thy assembly " is expressed in the Hebrew by " Chaiothcha " and Chaiah means a wild beast.) If a scholar is in the manner of learning as a wild beast which devours its prey immediately after killing it, i.e., as soon as he learns a thing he repeats it again and again until he knows it thoroughly, he retains his knowledge, otherwise he does not. If * Mattanah is the Hebrew term for a present. TRACT ERUBIN. 125 he does this, however, the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, prepares a meal for him, as may be seen from the end of the passage quoted. R. Hyya bar Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : It is written [Proverbs xxvii. 18]: " Whoso guardeth the fig-tree will eat its fruit." Why are the words of the Law compared to a fig-tree ? As a fig-tree yields its fruit whenever it is shaken, so does the Law always yield new teachings whenever it is repeated. R. Samuel ben Na'hmeni said : It is written [Proverbs v. 19]: "Let her bosom satisfy thee abundantly at all times." Why is the Law compared to a bosom ? Because as at all times when the child desires to suck, the bosom yields its milk, so does the Law yield its teachings every time it is perused. Further, it is written [ibid.] : " With her love be thou ravished* continually." This means to imply as was said of R. Elazar ben P'dath, that when he was studying the Law in the lower market of Sep- phoris, his clothes were frequently found in the upper market ; so engrossed was he in his studies, that he did not even miss his clothes. Said R. Itz'hak ben Eliezer: " Once a man attempted to steal the clothes of this R. Eliezer and found an adder lying on top of them." The disciples of R. Anan taught : It is written [Judges v. 10] : " Ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and ye who walk on the way, utter praise! " " That ride on white asses" refers to scholars who go from town to town and from country to country to teach the Law and who make it clear as daylight. " That sit in judgment " refers to those who give a just verdict which is truly just. "Who walk " refers to those who study the Bible, " on the way" refers to the students of the Mishna, and " utter praise " refers to the students of the Talmud, whose every utterance is concerning the Law. R. Shezbi said in the name of R. Elazar ben Azariah : It is written [Proverbs xii. 27]: "The indolent roasteth not that which he hath caught in hunting." This signifies, that one who studies the Law superficially merely to delude people but does not study it thoroughly and repeat it often, will not retain the knowledge nor will he live long. R. Shesheth, however, said: " A man of that kind is not wicked, but merely foolish; on the other hand a prudent man, who studies many things and * The Hebrew term for " ravished " in the verse is Tishgeh, which means also " thou shalt err." 126 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. makes marks, so that he will not forget what he had learned, retains his knowledge and will have long life." When R. Dimi came from Palestine he said: The verse quoted is a simile to a man who catches birds. If he pinions the wings of those he catches, he can proceed and catch more, otherwise they will escape. The same applies to a man who studies the Law. If he reviews his learning constantly, he retains it and can proceed ; if he does not, however, he cannot retain it. Rabha in the name of Sechorah quoting R. Huna said: " It is written [Proverbs xiii. ii]: " Wealth gotten by vain deeds will be diminished ; but he that gathereth by close labor will increase it." Which means: If a man groups the ordinances he has learned, he cannot retain them ; but if he gathers them slowly and deliberately, he will constantly increase them." And Rabha said: " The Rabbis know of this and yet they pay no attention to it." Said R. Na'hman bar Itz'hak: " I have acted accordingly and in consequence I have retained my knowledge." The Rabbis taught: " How was the method of teaching the Law in the days of Moses ?" Moses learned the Law from the might of God. Then Aaron entered and Moses taught him a chapter. When Aaron had finished he sat down to the left of Moses and his children came in, when Moses would teach them the chapter again. When they had finished, Elazar would sit down to the right of Moses and Ithamar to the left of Aaron. R. Jehudah, however, said, that Aaron would always sit to the right of Moses after his children had finished. Following the sons of Aaron would come the elders of Israel and Moses would repeat the chapter to them. After the elders had finished, the rest of the Israelites who wished to learn would enter and would learn the same chapter. Thus we see, that Aaron heard the same chapter four times, his sons three times, the elders twice, and the rest of the people once. After the last reading Moses would depart and Aaron would again repeat the chapter to the others ; then he would depart and his children would teach the chapter; after them the elders would do so, so that no one heard it less than four times. From this R. Eliezer deduced, that every teacher should recite his teaching to his disciples four times, holding that as Aaron who learned from Moses, who in turn learned from the might of God, had to learn one thing four times so much more ought an ordinary man to do so when learn- ing from another. TRACT ERUBIN. 127 R. Aqiba, however, said: Whence do we adduce, that a teacher should teach his disciple until the latter knows the lesson thoroughly? From the verse [Deut. xxxi. 19]: "Now there- fore write ye for yourselves this song, and teach it the children of Israel," and whence do we infer, that a disciple must be taught until he can impart the teaching to others ? From what is written further [ibid.]: " put it in their mouth," and whence do we know, that if the reasons for the teaching can be given, this must be done ? From the verse [Exod. xxi. i] : "And these are the laws of justice which thou shalt set before them," and by setting before them is meant that they must be thor- oughly explained. Why did not all learn directly from Moses ? In order to show honor to Aaron, his children and the elders. If that be so, let Aaron learn it from Moses, Aaron's children from Aaron,