Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 6, scan section 61

dren brought ? Only that those who brought them should be rewarded. And he rejoined : You have had a good pearl in your hand and you wanted to deprive me of it. He also lectured on the verse Deut. xxvi. 17. (See Bera- *The expression " Ylmdu," which means "to learn "; and Mar Zutra said it should be read " Yelamedu," which means " to teach." 4 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. choth.) The same lectured again : It is written [Eccl. xii. 2] : " The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails planted * are the words of the men of the assemblies which are given by one shepherd." As the goad keeps the animal which ploughs (to make it straight) furrows, so as to produce sustenance for the world, so also the words of the Law (keep those who study them) away from the ways of death for the ways of life. But if you would say, that as the goad is movable so also the words of Law. Therefore it is written : " Nails." But if you will say, as the nail (makes a hole in the wall and) diminishes (and does not add to it), so also the words of the Law diminish and do not add. Therefore it is written: "Planted"; as a plant is fruitful and multiplies, so also the words of the Law. " The men of assemblies," which means the scholars who sit in assembly, studying the Law and discussing — these make clean, the others make unclean, these prohibit and those allow, these make valid, those make invalid. But if one may say : If it is so, how can I learn the Torah ? Therefore it is written : " Given by one shepherd." One God gave them, and one Master (Moses) said it fr«m the mount of the Lord of all creatures, blessed be He, as it is written [Ex. xx. i]: "And God spoke all these words." And therefore you must make your ears as an ETtixvaii (a kind of strainer which receives but lets not out), and gain an under- standing heart to comprehend the reason why these make un- clean, those clean, etc. Then R. Jehoshua rejoined : I tell you, it is not an orphan generation in the midst of which R. Elazar b. Azariah lives. Why did they not tell him at once the news in the house of learning? Because of the occurrence stated in the following Boraitha : It happened once that R. Jose, the son of a Damascene woman, went to visit R. Eliezer in the city of Luda, and R. Ela- zar asked him : What news was there in the house of learn- ing to-day? And he answered j It was voted, and the decision was that in the lands of Amman and Moab the tithe to the poor is to be given on the Sabbatical year (this is explained in Tract Maasroth), and he told him : Jose, stretch out your hand, and take out your eyes. And he did so. Then R. Elazar wept and said: It is written [Ps. xxv. 14]: "The sacred coun- sel of the Lord is for those that fear him, and his covenant to make it known to them." And he said to R. Jose : Go and tell * Netuim, " planted " or "fastened." TRACT HAGIGA (HOLOCAUST). 5 them, you should not doubt about your conclusion to-day, be- cause I have a tradition from R. Johanan b. Zakkai, who heard it from his master, and his master from his master, etc., up to Moses on Sinai, that the land of Amman and Moab may give the tithe to the poor on the Sabbatical year. [The reason is because those who went out of Egypt subjugated many fortified cities, but those who went out from Babylon did not, and the first sanctification had sanctified the land only for that time, but not for the future. And those who went out from Babylon left these lands for the poor ; they should be supported on them on the Sabbatical year. In another Boraitha it was taught : After R. Elazar became calm he prayed that it should be the will of God that Jose's eyes be cured, and they were cured.] The rabbis taught: What is called a fool ? He who goes out alone in the night, and who sleeps in a cemetery, and who tears the clothes he wears. It was taught: R. Huna said: It is only when he does all these things together. How is the case ? If because he is a fool, then any of these is sufificient, and if he does it not through folly, what is the proof of all these ? It is meant he does it through folly ; but when he does all these things, he is like an ox goring another ox, a camel, and an ass, after which he is considered vicious as to all creatures, so he is considered a fool in all respects. Said R. Papa : If R. Huna had heard the following Boraitha, which states, Who is a fool? When he destroys all things that are given to him, he would have retracted his decree. '* One of doubtful sex, '"' etc. The rabbis taught: It could be written [Deut. xvi. 16] : " The males," which would exclude only the women, but it is written " Thy males," which means to exclude also those of doubtful as of double sex. But why is needed a verse to exclude the women? Is not this a commandment which is dependent upon the time ? and it is known that of all commandments which are dependent upon the time the women are exempt. This verse is needed, for at the first glance one might say that it shall be drawn from an analogy of expression, " the assembly " ; as to the assembly women are also bound, so would be the case here, therefore, it comes to teach us. The master said : " All thy males " to include the minors. But did not we learn in our Mishna, " Except a deaf man, a fool, and a minor?" Said Abayi: It presents no difficulty : There is the case of a minor who has not arrived at the age of education yet, and here is the case when he has arrived at such age. When a 6 BABYLONIAN TALMUD. minor who has arrived at such age, his duty is only rabbinical. Why then is needed a verse ? Yea, it is only rabbinical, and the verse is only a support. But to what else does the verse apply? To that of the following Boraitha: Anonymous teachers said: Those whose work imparts to them a bad odor which accom- panies them wherever they go, are exempt from the holocaust, because it is written, ^^ All thy males," i.c.^ all that can go together with others, but not such as cannot be in others' com- pany. " Women and bondsmen^ This is correct as to women, as it was said above, but whence do we deduce about bondsmen ? Said R. Huna: Because it is written there [ibid, ibid.] : " Before the Lord thy God," which means one who has only one Lord, but not such as has another lord. Let us see : To what purpose is needed a separate verse ? It is known that all the command- ments which are obligatory to a woman are so also to a bonds- man and all the commandments from which a woman is exempt a bondsman is also exempt, and this is inferred from an analogy of expressions [Deut. xxiv. i] : " Write her," and [Lev. xix. 20] " Her freedom given her," hence a woman and bondsman are equal in duties. Said Rabhina: The verse is needed for one