Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 6, scan section 45

meant by pure? When he has first married a wife, and then studies. It is written [ibid. 8] : " The testimony of the Lord is sure." Said R. Hiya b. Abba : The Torah is itself a trusted witness against the students (about the manner in which they had studied it). " TAe Urim and Tumim were inquired of" etc. When R. Dimi came from Palestine, he said: The clothes which the high-priest wore, the priest anointed for war could also wear. Whence is it deduced ? Because it is written [Ex. xxix. 29] : •'And the holy garments belonging to Aaron shall be for his sons after him." What is meant by " after him " ? Next to him in oflSce, and that was the one anointed for war. R. Adda b. A'hba, according to others K'di objected : We have learned in a Boraitha: Shall we assume that the son of the priest anointed for war shall succeed to the ofifice of his father, as the high-priest's son does? Therefore it is written [Ex. xxix. 30] : Seven days shall that one of his sons put them on who is to be priest in his place, who is to go into the taber- nacle of the congregation. That means, he who is fit to enter the tabernacle of the congregation on the Day of Atonement, which is the high-priest. (If it be according to R. Dimi, that the eight garments of the high-priest may be used by the priest anointed for war during the whole year, and that hence he is also fit to enter the tabernacle of the congregation, why should TRACT YOMAH (DAY OF ATONEMENT). 109 the Boraitha say it is only the high-priest?) Said R. Na'hman b. Itz'hak : This is meant. " Who is to go into the tabernacle of the congregation " means, him who has been anointed for this, whereas that one has been anointed for war. An objection was raised : We have learned : The priest anointed for war may neither put on the four garments, like a common priest, nor the eight, like the high-priest. Said Abayi to R. Na'hman : Do you want to make of him a layman? The Boraitha means this : Like a high-priest he is not attired, to pre- vent rivalry ; and not like a common priest, because of the rule : In holiness one increases, but does not decrease. As while anointed for war he had eight garments on, he cannot be de- graded to the level of a common priest. R. Abahu was sitting, and said the Halakha of R. Dimi in the name of R. Johanan : R. Ami and R. Ashi turned away their faces from him (to indi- cate that R. Johanan had not said it). When Rabbin came from Palestine, he said : It has not been said that the priest anointed for war may put on the garments, but only when he goes to consult the Urim and Tumim. We have also learned the same in the following Boraitha : The garments in which the high-priest performs the service may be used by the priest anointed for war when he consults the Urim and Tumim. The rabbis taught : How was the ceremony of inquiring of the Urim and Tumim ? The inquirer turned his face toward the priest (who inquires), but the priest's face is turned toward the Shekhina. The inquirer asks, as e.g. in i Samuel xxx. 8 : " Shall I pursue after this troop ? " And the priest answers him : " So has said the Lord. Go, and thou wilt succeed." R. Jehu- dah, however, said : He need not say : " So has said God." He has only to say : "Go, and thou wilt succeed." One must not ask in a loud voice, as it is written [Num. xxvii. 21] : " And he shall ask of him " ; no one else need hear. He should not have the question merely in his mind either, because it is written: "He shall ask of him before the Lord." (How shall he speak ?) He shall ask as Hanna prayed [i Sam. »• 13]- Two inquiries should not be made at once ; and if he has made two inquiries, only one is answered, and the first. As it is written [ibid, xxiii. 11, 12] : " Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me into his hand ? Will Saul come down ? " etc. And the Lord said : " He will come down." But you have said, Only the first question is answered ? David asked them in a wrong no THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. order, and he was answered in the right order. Then, when David perceived this, he asked the second question : "Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me and my men ? " And he was an- swered : " They will surrender." When, however, two questions must be asked at once, else it cannot be clearly understood, then the two questions are both answered. As it is written [ibid. xxx. 8] :" Shall I pursue after this troop ? shall I overtake them?" And the reply is: " Pursue, for thou wilt surely overtake them, and certainly recover." And although the decision of a prophet can be revoked, the decision of the Urim and Tumim cannot be changed, as it is written [Num. xxvii, 21] : "The judgment of the Urim." Why were they called Urim and Tumim ? Urim, because they illuminate their words ; Tumim, because they give a com- plete answer. It will be asked, Why were the Israelites beaten by the Benjamites of Gib'ah, though bidden to go to the battle by the Urim and Tumim ? Because those people did not think to ask whether they would be victorious or defeated. They were answered, " Go," and they were beaten ; but later, when they understood how to inquire, they received a right reply, as it is written [Judges xx. 28] : " And Phinehas the son of El'azar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days, saying : Shall I yet continue to go out to battle with the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I forbear ? And the Lord said : Go up, for to-morrow will I deliver him into thy hand." How did the priest receive the reply ? R. Johanan says : The letters constituting the reply became more prominent. Resh Lakish says : Nay, the letters composing the words came near each other. In the Urim and Tumim were only the names of the tribes, hence there was not the letter Tsadhe. Said R. Samuel b. R. Itz'hak : The names of " Abraham," " Itz'hak," and " Jacob " were also written there. But there was not the letter Teth ? There were likewise the words " Shibtei Jeshurun " ("The Tribes of Israel": hence there was a/). An objection was raised : We have learned that a priest on whom the She- khina does not rest, and is not inspired by the Holy Spirit, need not be inquired through. (How, then, is it said, the letters pro- jected, or arranged themselves together?) Why? We see that when Zadok inquired he was answered, and Ebiathar received no reply, as it is written [2 Sam. xv. 24] : " And Ebiathar went up, until all the people had finished passing out of the city." "Went up." He resigned. The Holy Spirit enabled him to TRACT YOMAH (DAY OF ATONEMENT). iii perceive the letters that projected, which he could not do other- wise. '■^Inquiries are not made except for a king.'" Whence do we deduce this ? Said R. Abahu : As it is written [Num. xxvii. 21] :