Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 6, scan section 50

to excess of the heave-offering must only pay the costs, but not one-fifth more ; because it is written [ibid. xxii. 14] : " If a man eat.'' But eating to excess, to one's hurt, is not called eating. ^* Food and beverage are not reckoned together'' Who is the Tana who says so ? Said R. Hisda, and also Resh Lakish : In this differ the Tanaim, in Tract M'ilah, and our Mishna is accord- ing to R. Joshua. R. Johanan says : It may be even according to the rabbis, but there they differ from R. Joshua on the point of defilement, but not from our Mishna, where the question is about appeasing hunger or thirst, for which purposes foods and beverages are not to be reckoned together. MISHNA: If one has eaten and drunk through forgetful- ness, he must bring only one sin-offering. If he has eaten and also done work, he must bring two. If he has eaten food not fit for eating, or drunk liquids not fit for drinking, as brine or fish-lye, he is not guilty. GEMARA : Resh Lakish said : Why is there no positive com- mand to afflict one's self ? It is only said : " Every soul that TRACT YOMAH (DAY OF ATONEMENT). 123 will not afflict itself, will be cut off." It could not be otherwise: If it were written, " shall not eat," instead of " will not afflict itself," then we might think, eating food of the size of an olive was also a sin. Then, should it have been written : " Beware lest you should not afflict yourselves," we might think, beware not to afHict ourselves, but go and eat ! — The disciples of R. Ishmael have taught : (It is an analogy of expression.) Here it is written, " affliction," and [Deut. xxii. 24], " because he has afflicted (done violence to ; in Hebrew it is the same term) the wife of his neighbor." As the penalty is preceded by a warning previ- ously, so here the penalty (of being cut off) must have been pre- ceded by a warning. R. A'ha b. Jacob says : (There is another analogy of expression.) Here it is written, " A Sabbath of rest," so it is like all Sabbaths ; and as in cases of Sabbath there is a warning, so there must have been a warning (positive pro- hibition) here. R. Papa says: The Day of Atonement itself is considered as a Sabbath, as it is written [Lev. xxiii. 32] : " Your Sabbath." [It is right if R. Papa says differently from R. A'ha b. Jacob, because he does not deduce it, but finds it ex- pressed in the same passage. But why does R. A'ha b. Jacob not say as R. Papa ? R. A'ha b. Jacob requires that verse for what we have learned in the following Boraitha : It is written [ibid., ibid.] : " Ye shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month." Shall we assume that we should begin to fast on the ninth? Therefore it is written, " at evening." We might think, when it became entirely dark ? Hence it is written, " the ninth." How then? One shall begin to fast while it is yet day. From this we infer that something from the profane must be added to the holy. This is when the Day of Atonement arrives, but how do we know that is so when it departs ? Therefore it is written, " from evening to evening." This we know about the Day of Atonement, but about other Sabbaths ? Therefore it is written further, " shall ye rest " (Tishb'thu). How do we know about other holidays? Because it is written, "your Sabbaths." From this we deduce that whenever " rest " is enjoined, some portions of the profane day must be super- added to the holy days. But that Tana who infers all these things from the following verse [ibid. 28], " No manner of work shall ye do on this same day," that the penalty is due for violat- ing the day itself, but not the additions made thereto, and this above implies that there are additions, what will he make of these verses ? He needs these verses for what R. Hiya b. 124 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. Rabh of Diphthi has taught, as follows : It is written : " Ye shall fast on the ninth." Do we fast on the ninth? We fast on the tenth. This comes to teach, that he who eats and drinks on the ninth, the verse makes him equal (in merit) to him who would fast the ninth and the tenth.] " If he has eaten food not fit for eating.'" Rabha said : If he has chewed pepper or ginger during the Day of Atonement, he is not culpable. The rabbis taught : If he has eaten leaves of reeds he is guiltless ; but twigs of vines, he is guilty. What is meant by twigs of vines ? Said R. Itz'hak of Magdala : Those that flourish between the first day of the year and the Day of Atone- ment. R. Kahna says : All the thirty days. We have learned in a Boraitha, as R. Itz'hak of Magdala has said: If he has eaten leaves of reeds he is guiltless ; of twigs of vines, he is guilty. What are twigs of vines? Such as flourish between the begin- ning of the year and the Day of Atonement. "■ If he has drunk . . . brme as fish-lye'' How if he has drunk vinegar? He is guilty? We must say our Mishna is according to Rabbi in a Boraitha which says vinegar refreshes a man. R. Gidel b. Menasseh of Biri d'Narash once lectured : The Halakha does not prevail according to Rabbi : when the Day of Atonement arrived, the whole world mixed vinegar with water, and drank. R. Gidel heard of this ; he became indignant. He said : I have said, when it has been drunk already, one is not culpable, but have not recommended it. I meant a little, but did not mean much. I spoke of vinegar, but not of mixed vinegar. MISHNA : Children are not made to fast on the Day of Atonement, but when one or two years old they are accustomed to do it, so that they become habituated to obey the religious commandments. GEMARA: If it is stated " two years," ^«^ is understood? Said R. Hisda : It presents no difficulty. The one applies to a healthy child ; the other, to a weakly child. R. Huna said : When the child is eight or nine years old, it may be accustomed to fast some hours. When it becomes ten or eleven years old, it may be made to fast rabbinically the whole day. A girl must fast biblically at the age of twelve. R. Na'hman, however, said: When nine or ten years old — some hours ; at eleven or twelve — rabbinically the whole day ; at thirteen — biblically, a boy. R. Johanan says: So long as it is rabbinical, they need not fast the entire day. Only at ten or eleven they must be habituated to TRACT YOMAH (DAY OF ATONEMENT). 125 fast for hours, and at twelve they must fast the whole day bibli- cally. MISHNA: A pregnant woman, who longs for food which she smells, should be fed until relieved. An invalid is fed by the direction of persons possessing medical knowledge ; if there be none such, he is to be fed at his own desire, till he says, "Enough." The rabbis taught : If a pregnant woman has smelled sacred meat, or pork, something should be dipped in the sauce thereof,