Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 5, scan section 40

Abraham and Esau the son of Isaac. So his children spoke to him and said: " Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Eter- nal is One." They said to him : " Father, as in thy heart there is but one God, so is there in our hearts but one God." As soon as Jacob our father heard this, he opened bis mouth and said: " Blessed be the name of the honor of His kingdom for ever and ever." The sages then began to deliberate whether to say this also or not. To say it would not be in accordance with the words of Moses, who did not use the verse; not to say it would be to disregard Jacob. So they finally concluded to say it in a still manner (not audibly). Said R. Itz'hak: " The disciples of R. Ami compared this to the following parable: A king's daughter, smelling the odor of savory spices, which were being cooked in the kitchen, craved for some. To order her servants to bring a dish of those spices would be to expose herself to ridicule; not to do so would be to suffer: so her servants brought her what she desired surrepti- tiously, in order that nobody should perceive it." Said R. Abbahu : " In Usha, where there was a sect of Minim,* it was ordained that the additional verse should be pro- claimed in a loud voice, in order that the adherents of that sect should not say that the verse which was said in a still manner was one praising their own Deity; but in Neherdai,f where there were no Minim, even unto this day the verse is said in a still manner." The rabbis taught : The inhabitants of Jericho were wont to do six things; three of these were done contrary to the wishes of the sages and three were done with the sanction of the sages. The following were done with the sanction of the sages : They would graft palm-trees the whole day of the 14th (of Nissan), they would read the Shema without interruption, and they would * " In Usha" is in accordance with the explanation of Rabbenu Hanancl ; for the Gemara does not mention any particular place. Ey " Minim " is meant the Jewish adherents of several different sects, who in addition to their own creed accepted the doctrines of another religion. In this instance the Nazarenes, i.e., the Jews who accepted the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, are more particularly referred to. f Neherdai was the kingdom of Persia, and the Minim Jewish Christians did not exi^t then at all. (Not, as some one claimed, that they were driven out. See our History of the Talmud.) I02 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. cut off new corn before acquitting the " omer " (first-offering) thereof. The following, however, were done contrary to the wishes of the sages, namely : They would heap up the new corn before acquitting the " omer " (first-offering) thereof; they would make breaches in the fences of their gardens and vineyards dur- ing times of famine, in order that the poor might enter and eat the fruit which had dropped off the trees on Sabbath and on festivals; and they would make use of the plants (buds) grow- ing on or near consecrated trees, carob-trees, and sycamore. Such is the dictum of R. Meir. Said R. Jehudah to him: " If thou sayest, that the first three things were done with the sanc- tion of the sages, then it will be assumed that all men may do so and that the sages allow them ; say rather, that the sages did not prevent their doing the first three things, but not that they sanctioned them. Shouldst thou, however, retort, that cutting off the new corn before acquitting the ' omer ' thereof is cer- tainly permitted (because it thus taught in a Mishna), then, say I, substitute for ' cutting off,' ' heaping up into sheaves,' and in the last three things substitute for ' they would heap up the new corn before acquitting the "omer" thereof,' 'they allowed herbs to remain in the field as Peah.' " Why did the inhabitants of Jericho make use of plants growing on or near consecrated trees ? They said : " Our ances- tors only consecrated the wood of the trees, and if other plants subsequently grew on those trees, why should we prevent the poor people from making use of them ? It does not constitute a trespass to partake of plants which subsequently grew on consecrated trees!" The sages, however, said: "A trespass- offering need not be brought if this was done, but it is a trespass nevertheless." R. Simeon ben Lakish was quoted by Ula to have said : The inhabitants of Jericho and the sages differed only con- cerning such plants as grew on the tops of trees, and the sages prohibited their use on the Sabbath or on a festival, lest they be torn off by the poor on those days, while the inhabitants of Jericho did not hold this precautionary measure to be necessary. As for unripe fruit at the foot of the trees, all agree that it may be gathered. When Rabhin, however, came from Palestine, he said in the name of R. Simeon ben Lakish to the contrary: That they differ only concerning the unripe fruit, the sages holding that what is prepared for the fowls of the air (crows) cannot be called TRACT PESACHIM (PASSOVER). 103 prepared for men, while the inhabitants of Jericho maintained that it may be considered prepared for man also. As for the shoots on the tops of the trees, however, even the latter admit that they must not be used, for they hold to the precautionary measure instituted by the sages above. "And they allowed herbs to remain in the field as Peah." The rabbis taught: " Formerly Peah was left from turnips and cabbage, and R. Jose said: "Also from leek." In another Boraitha we have learned: " Formerly Peah was left from tur- nips and leek," and R. Simeon said: " Also from cabbage." The rabbis taught : "Ben Buhain allowed herbs to remain in the field as Peah. When his father arrived he saw some poor men already standing with the bundles of herbs at the entrance of the garden, and he said to them : ' Children, throw down your bundles of herbs and I will restore twice their value to you after I shall have acquitted the tithes thereof; and I do not say this because I would grudge you the herbs, but because the sages did not permit the herbs to be left as Peah.' " The rabbis taught: " Formerly the hides of the sacrificed animals were left in the chamber of Parvah.* At night the priests ministering during that week would divide those hides among themselves. The more powerful among the priests, however, would appropriate more than their share. So it was ordered that the division should be made every eve of Sabbath in the presence of all the men comprising the twenty-four watches (shifts) of the Temple. Still the more powerful priests would appropriate more than was due them. In consequence, the persons bringing the sacrifices decided to consecrate the hides for the use of the Temple. It was said that it did not take very long before it was possible to cover the entire Temple