Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 3, scan section 52

and the elders from the children, then the people from the elders ? Because Moses learned from the might of God, all wished to hea'r it from him. R. Preida had a disciple, whom he would teach a thing four hundred times and then the disciple would understand it. One day R. Preida was invited to attend the celebration of a circum- cision and as he was just teaching his disciple, he finished the teaching for the four hundredth time but still the disciple did not understand. So he asked him: " What is the difficulty ?" and the disciple replied, that from the moment the master was invited to the celebration, he could not pay proper attention, thinking that every moment he would be going away. So R. Preida said: "Pay proper attention and I will teach thee again," and he accordingly repeated the teaching another four hundred times. A heavenly voice was heard at that time which said: " What wouldst thou rather, that thou live another four hundred years, or that thou and the entire generation in which thou livest should be given a share in the world to come." R. Preida answered: " I would rather accept the latter proposition." Said the Holy One, blessed be He: " Give him both." R. Hisda said: The law cannot be retained except through signs, as it is written (as quoted previously): " Put it in their mouth." Read: " Put it with signs in their mouth." R. Tachlipha of Palestine heard this and on his arrival home repeated it in the presence of R. Abbahu. Said R. Abbahu: Ye learn this from that verse, but we derive the same from the verse [Jeremiah xxxi. 21]: " Set thyself up way-marks," mean- 128 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. ing, set up way-marks to the Law ; this is in accordance with the dictum of Abhdimi bar Hama bar Dosa, viz. : It is written [Deut. XXX. 12], " It is not in heaven," meaning if it were even in heaven, one would have to get it from there, and [ibid. 13]: "Neither is it beyond the sea" implies that even were ic beyond the sea, one would have to go after it there. Rabha, however, said: "It is not in heaven" means, that knowledge cannot be found in a man who holds himself as high as heaven ; and " Neither is it beyond the sea " means, that knowledge can- not be found in a man who considers his opinions as vast as the sea. R. Johanan said the first statement refers to those who are great in their own estimation, and the last statement to those who ply the seas and are constantly engaged in traffic. The Rabbis taught : How are the boundaries of a town ex- tended ? A town that is oblong remains as it is. A town in the form of a circle is provided with corners. One that is in the form of a square need not be made equiangular. If it was nar- row on one side and wide on another it must be made even all around (through the formation of a parallelogram). If a house or row of buildings protruded from one of the walls of the town, a straight line is drawn from the extreme end of such protruding buildings parallel to the wall and thence two thou- sand ells are measured. If the town was in the form of an arch or a right angle it should be considered as if the entire space enclosed by the arch or right angle were filled with houses and two thousand ells should be measured from the extreme ends. R. Huna said : If a town was in the form of an arch and the distance between the two ends of the arch was less than four thousand ells, the enclosed space is considered as filled with houses and two thousand ells may be measured from the extreme ends. If the distance was more than four thousand ells, the two thousand ells must be measured from the centre of the arch. What distance should a man have from his house to the end whence the two thousand ells are measured. Rabba bar R. Huna said : " Two thousand ells " and Rabha the son of Rabba bar R. Huna said: " Even more than two thousand ells." Said Abayi: "It seems to me that the latter opinion is correct, because, if the man chose, he could go through all the houses in the arch to that end, then why should he not be permitted to cross over the space between his house and the end of the arch ? ' ' Or if fragments of a wall ten spans high, etc. What is TRACT ERUBIN. 129 meant by this ? R. Jehudah said: " This means, if there were three partitions without a roof." A question was propounded: How was it if there were two partitions with a roof ? Come and hear: These are the things that are counted in together with the town: A monument covering four square ells, a bridge, a mausoleum, a synagogue that has a dwelling for an attendant, a church with a vestry, stables, and barns that have a dwelling attached for the keeper, huts in the field and houses built on islands of a lake, which are not more than seventy and two-thirds ells away from the town. All these are counted in together with the town, and following are the things that must not be counted in with the town : A monument partly demolished on both sides, a bridge, a burying ground without a dwelling on it, a synagogue or church that has no dwelling for the sextons, a stable or barn that has no dwelling for the keeper, a pit, a cavern, a fence, a dove-cot, and a boathouse; all these are not counted in with the town." We see then, that a monument which had been partially destroyed on both sides, must not be counted in with the town ? Must we not assume that it still retained its roof ? Nay, this refers to a monument that did 7tot retain its roof. Of what use is a house built on an island ? Said R. Papa: " Those houses are used to unload the utensils of a ship." It is said " a cavern is not to be counted in with the town " ? Did not R. Hyya teach that it should? Said Abayi: " R. Hyya refers to a cavern, that has a building above it." If that is the case, why mention the cavern ? The building itself must be counted in ? Here the meaning is, if a building was above the cavern, no matter how far the cavern extended, it is regarded as a foundation for the house and should be counted in. R, Huna said: Those who live in huts made of twigs may measure the limit only from their doors (even if there are a number of those that extend for over one hundred ells). Said Hinana the son of R. Kahana in the name of R. Ashi: If in the street where the huts stood there were three courts each contain- ing two ordinary buildings, the huts are given the privileges of a town. R. Jehudah said in the name of Rabh: Those who dwell in huts and those who travel in the deserts do not enjoy life and their wives and children are not their own. We have also learned the same in a Boraitha: Eliezer the man of Biria said: Those who live in huts are the same as those in a grave and con- cerning their daughters it is said [Deut. xxvii. 21]: " Cursed be