Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 5, scan section 36

not in places where this is not customary. Large cattle must not be sold to Gentiles at all,* nor calves nor foals of asses, either sound or broken-legged. R. Jehudah permits the sale of the latter and Ben Bathyra permits the sale of a horse. In places where it is customary to eat roasted meat on the night of the Passover, it may be eaten, but not in places where this custom is not observed. In places where it is usual to burn a light on the night of the Day of Atonement, it may be done; but not in places where this custom does not exist. The synagogues and colleges, however, may be lighted, as may also dark alleys and (rooms) occupied by sick people. GEMARA : R. Jehudah said in the name of Rabh : " A man must not say: ' This animal shall serve for the Passover meal,' because, by thus specifying the purpose for which he intends to use it, he virtually consecrates the animal, and consecrated things must not be eaten outside of the Temple." Said R. Papa: " This refers only to flesh, but wheat may be designated for use on the Passover; (because by being thus designated it will not become consecrated, but it will simply be preserved)." An objection was raised: Flesh must not be designated ? Have we not learned that R. Jose said: " Thodos of Rome instituted the custom among his co-religionists in Rome, that they should eat roasted goat-meat on Passover, and the sages sent him the following message: ' Wert thou not Thodos, thou wouldst have been put under a ban for thy action, since thou * This is a precautionary measure, lest the Gentiles put the cattle to work on Sab- Uath ; but in the Schulchan Aruch this lav; is revoked. TRACT PESACHIM (PASSOVER). 91 inducest Israelites to eat consecrated things outside of Jerusa- lem '? How can they say consecrated things? Say rather, simi- lar to consecrated things." Hence we see, that only roasted flesh may be considered as consecrated ; but how can this refer to raw flesh ? When roasted flesh is eaten it appears of itself as if it were consecrated, without being designated expressly for use on the Passover, whereas raw flesh is considered so only when it is expressly specified. The schoolmen propounded a question: " Was Thodos really a great (learned) man or was he simply a very influential citizen, and hence the sages were afraid to put him under a ban ? " Come and hear: " Furthermore related Thodos, the man of Rome: ' What justified Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to per- mit themselves to be thrown into the fiery furnace ? They derived their justification from the following a fortiori conclu-' sion: As the frogs [mentioned Exod. vii. 28], which were in no wise obliged to honor the name of the Lord, did not hesitate to enter the ovens which, as they still contained the dough, were hot, so much the more should a man who is in duty bound to honor the name of the Lord not hesitate to throw himself into a fiery furnace.' " R. Jose bar Abhin said: " Thodos of Rome would give wares to the scholars in order to enable them to procure a livelihood by trafific, and R. Johanan said, that he who gives wares to scholars, so that they are enabled to gain a livelihood and study in peace, will merit the privilege of sitting in the colleges of learning in the world to come, as it is written [Ecclesiastes vii. 12]: ' For under the shadow of wisdom (a man is equally well as) under the shadow of money.' " " hi places where it is usual to burn a light," etc. Said R. Jehoshua: Rabha lectured: It is written [Isaiah Ix. 21]: " And thy people, they all will be righteous, forever shall they possess the land." From this may be inferred, that all the people were righteous ; and those that burned a light on the night of the Day of Atonement as well as those that did not, all had the same purpose in view, namely, to prevent a man from having inter- course with his wife on that night (some believing that when there was a light this would be avoided, while others thought that the light would rather stimulate the desire). Ula rode on an ass. R. Abba walked to the right of him and Rabba bar bar Hana to the left. Said R. Abba to Ula: "Is it true that both of you, thou and Rabba bar bar Hana, 92 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. said in the name of R. Johanan, that a benediction is not pro- nounced over fire except at the close of the Sabbath-day, for at that time was fire created?" Ula glared at Rabba bar bar Hana and said to R. Abba: I did not quote R. Johanan in this connection, but in the following instance : A certain Tana taught in the presence of R. Johanan: " R. Simeon ben Elazar said: ' When the Day of Atonement falls on a Sabbath, even in such places where it is not customary to burn a light on the night of the Day of Atonement, this should be done in honor of the Sabbath.' " R. Johanan, however, replied that the sages pro- hibit this. Rabba bar bar Hana assented, and said: "Yea; such was the statement made by R. Johanan." Commenting upon this, R. Joseph applied to these two sages the passage [Proverbs xx. 5] : " Like deep water is counsel in the heart of man; but the man of understanding will draw it out." " Like deep water," R. Joseph compares to Ula, who, though not knowing what Rabba bar bar Hana might have said, did not reprove him, but merely glared at him; and "the man of understanding will draw it out" is applied to Rabba bar bar Hana, who immedi- ately understood what was passing in Ula's mind and at once assented to his statement. If, then, R. Johanan did not make the statement attributed to him by R. Abba, whence do the people adduce that a bene- diction must be pronounced over a light at the close of Sabbath ? From the statement of R. Benjamin ben Japheth, who said in the name of R. Johanan : " A benediction must be made over a light both at the close of Sabbath and on the night of the Day of Atonement." And such is the general custom. An objection was made : Have we not learned, that a ben- ediction over a light should be made only at the close of Sab- bath, because at that time fire was created, and as soon as fire is perceived the benediction must be pronounced ? R. Jehudah, lowever, said, that at the time the benediction which is made over the goblet (of wine) the one over the light should also be made, and R. Johanan declared the Halakha prevails according to R. Jehudah ? This presents no difficulty: On the night of the Day of Atonement, according to R. Johanan, a benediction should be pronounced over a light that had been burning all day, but not over one that had just then been made. We have learned in one Boraitha that over fire arising from TRACT PESACHIM (PASSOVER). 93 wood or stone a benediction should be pronounced, while in another Boraitha we are taught to the contrary, that no benedic-