Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 5, scan section 37

tion must be pronounced. This also presents no difficulty: The former Boraitha refers to the close of the Sabbath, while the latter refers to the night of the Day of Atonement. Rabbi would as a rule scatter his benedictions at the close of the Sabbath, pronouncing them as the occasion demanded; i.e., if he perceived fire first, he would pronounce the benediction pertaining to fire, and then accordingly over spices, the goblet, etc. R. Hyya, however, would wait until the goblet was brought to him, when he would pronounce all the necessary ben- edictions together. Said R. Itz'hak bar Abdimi : "Although Rabbi would scatter his benedictions, he nevertheless repeated that over the goblet, for the purpose of fulfilling the duty of the family." Is it a fact that fire was created at the close of the Sabbath ? Have we not learned in Abhoth, where it is stated that ten things were created at twilight on theday preceding the Sabbath, that R. Nehemiah added fire and the mule to the ten things ? This presents no difficulty. The fire which we use was created at the close of Sabbath, while the fire of Gehenna was created at twilight on the eve of Sabbath. Was the fire of Gehenna then created on the eve of Sab- bath ? Have we not learned in Tract Nedarim that seven things were created even before the world was created, and among the seven was also the Gehenna ? The atmosphere of the Gehenna was created before the world, but the fire of Gehenna was created at twilight on the eve of Sabbath. Still, was the fire of Gehenna really created on the eve of Sabbath ? Did not R. Banaha the son of R. Ula say, that the reason it is not written, in the passages referring to the things created on the second day, that " the Lord saw that it was good," is because on that day the fire of Gehenna was created ? Therefore we say, that the atmosphere of Gehenna was created before the world, the fire of Gehenna was created on the second day of the week, and the fire which we use was to be created on the eve of Sabbath, but the creation was postponed; as we have learned in a Boraitha, R. Jose said: "Two things were post- poned to be created on the eve of Sabbath, but they were not created until the close of Sabbath : they are fire and the mule " ; and at the close of the Sabbath the Lord put into Adam's mind to produce fire by striking two stones against one another 94 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. and to pair two different animals (the ass and the horse) and thus produce the mule. The rabbis taught : Seven things are concealed from man : The time of his death, the time of his contentment, the depth of judgment (according to another version, the depth of divine judgment), the thoughts of others, the source of profit, the time of the reestablishment of the kingdom of David, and the time of the downfall of the kingdom of Rome. The rabbis taught : Three things were intended to be insti- tuted, and if they were not intended to be instituted, it would be well if such were still the case. They are : that a corpse should putrefy, that the dead should be forgotten after a certain period, and that grain should rot (by exposure). Others add a fourth thing, namely, that coins should be minted, for without them traffic would be impossible. MISHNA: In such places as it is customary to work on the 9th of Abh, work may be performed ; but not where such is not the custom. The scholars, however, must in every place avoid working on that day. Rabbon Simeon ben Gamaliel said : " Every man should in this respect consider himself a scholar (Talmud-chacham)." The sages, however, said: It was cus- tomary in Judaea to work until noon on the day preceding Pass- over ; but in Galilee no work was performed on that day. As for the night preceding that day, the school of Shammai prohibit work to be done thereon, while the school of Hillel permit it until sunrise (of the day following). Said R. Meir: Every occupation which had been commenced prior to the 14th (of Nissan) may be finished on that day; but no new work may be commenced, even if it can be finished on that same day. The sages, however, are of the opinion, that the three following crafts may pursue their usual calling until noon on that day, namely: tailors, barbers, and clothes-washers. R. Jose ben Jehudah says that shoemakers may also do so. GEMARA: Samuel said: "There is no fast-day, imposed by the community upon its members in Babylon, except the ninth day of Abh." * Shall we say that Samuel by this state- ment means to assert, that eating at twilight on the eve of that day is also prohibited ? Have we not heard that Samuel held to the contrary ? Shall we assume, that at twilight on the eve of * In Palestine in times of drouth especially, fast-days were imposed by the com- munity upon its members in order to pray for rain, while in Babylon there hardly ever arose the necessity for such occasions. TRACT PESACHIM (PASSOVER). 95 any fast-day imposed by the community eating is permitted ? Have we not learned in Tract Taanith, that on the day preced- ing congregational fast-days eating is permitted only while it is yet day; and thence we may adduce that as soon as dusk sets in it is prohibited? Nay; the statement that eating is only permitted while it is yet day signifies, that when night sets in eating is prohibited, but as for dusk (twilight), the prohibition does not apply. We have learned in a Boraitha: "There is no difference between the ninth of Abh and the Day of Atonement as fast- days, except that in the doubtful time of the latter eating is prohibited, while in that of the former eating is permitted." Shall we assume, that by doubtful time the Boraitha refers to the twilight, when it is not known whether it is yet day or not, and thus would be a support to the opinion of Samuel, who permits eating at twilight on the eve of the ninth of Abh? Nay; by "doubtful time" the Boraitha refers, as R. Shesha the son of R. Idi said elsewhere, to the doubt existing whether the day was really the proper day according to the calendar. Rabha preached : " Pregnant and nursing women must fast on the entire day of the ninth of Abh in the same manner as if it were the Day of Atonement ; also, that at twilight on the eve of that day eating is prohibited." This decree was also attributed to R. Johanan. How could R. Johanan have said this ? Did he not say elsewhere, that the ninth of Abh is not equal to a congregational fast-day ? Must it not be assumed that he holds eating on the eve of the ninth of Abh to be permitted ? Nay; R. Johanan means to state, that the ninth of Abh differs from a congregational fast-day only as concerns the number of bene- dictions to be recited. On a congregational fast-day the num- ber is twenty-four, while on that day it is not so.