Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 7, scan section 65

* Rashi explains this that Hillel said so in the name of the Shekhina — that the Shekhina says : " As long as I am in the Temple, all are here ; but if I am not here, who shall be here?" In the Palestinian Talmud, however, it is explained that he says it of himself ; Tosphoth, however, said that the second part based on the verse shows that Rashi's explanation is correct. TRACT SUCCAH. ' 85 ing. But this is not so? Did not R. Johanan say : If one says : I swear I will not sleep three days, he shall get stripes for a false oath, and shall go to sleep immediately ? He meant to say : We have not tasted any sleep, for we slept each on the other's shoulders. '' Fifteen songs of degrees," etc. Said R. Hisda to one of the rabbis who read the Agada (legends) before him : Have you heard of the fifteen songs of the degrees, for what purpose David com- posed them? He answered: So said R. Johanan: When David was mining under the altar to get water, water burst out ready to overflow the world ; there he composed the fifteen songs of degrees, and therewith checked it. '' We belong to God and we raise our eyes to God!' This is not so ? Did not R. Zera say : One who said twice, '' Shema, Shema," is the same as if he had said, '' Modirn, Modim^ "^ of which a Mishna says, that he must be silenced? The Mishna meant thus : Our ancestors bowed toward the east to the sun, but only to God we bow, and our eyes we raise in hope to God. MISHNA: In the Temple they never blew the trumpet less than twenty-one times a day, nor oftener than forty-eight times. They daily blew the trumpet twenty-one times : thrice at opening the gates, nine times at the daily morning offering, and nine times at the daily evening offering. When additional offerings were brought, they blew nine times more. On the eve of the Sabbath, they blew six times more : thrice to interdict the peo- ple from doing work, and thrice to separate the holy day from the work day. But on the eve of the Sabbath, during the festi- val (of Tabernacles) they blew forty-eight times : thrice at the opening of the gates, thrice at the upper gate, thrice at the lower gate, thrice at the drawing of water, thrice over the altar, nine times at the daily morning offering, nine times at the daily even- ing offering, nine times at the additional offerings, thrice to inter- dict the people from doing work, and thrice to separate the holy day from the work day. GEMARA : Our Mishna is not in accordance with R. Jehu- dah of the following Boraitha : According to those who say they were few, they were not less than seven ; and according to those who say that they were many, they were not more than sixteen. What is the point on which they differ? R. Jehudah holds that blowing and alarming are one and the same thing, while ♦ This is explained in Tract Berachoth, Chap. V., Mishna 3. 86 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. the sages hold that they are two separate things. But what Is the reason of R. Jehudah ? Because it is written [Num. x. 5] : " And when ye blow an alarm." The rabbis, however, maintain that the passage means to say, that before and after the alarm- ing a common blowing must be used. What is the reason of the rabbis' decree? Because it is written [ibid, 7]: "But at the as- sembling of the assembly, ye shall blow, but he shall not sound an alarm " ; hence blowing and alarming are two separate things, for if they were not, how could the Merciful One command to do only half of the merit. According to whom would be the saying of R, Kahana that there is no difference between a Tekiah (a blowing) and a Teruah (an alarming) whatever? This is certainly in accordance with R. Jehudah, " But on the eve of Sabbath, during the festival!' The Mishna does not count the times that they blew when they ascended the tenth step, and therefore we must assume the Mishna is in ac- cordance with R. Eliezer b. Jacob from the following Boraitha : Three times they blew, when they ascended the tenth step. R. Eliezer b. Jacob, however, said : These three times they blew over the altar. From this we see that those who said it was blown over the altar, do not hold it was blown on the tenth step ; and he who says it was blown on the tenth step, does not mean to say it was blown over the altar. What is the reason of Eliezer b. Jacob? He meant, when it was blown at the opening of the gates, it was not necessary to blow again on the tenth step. And what is the reason of the rabbis ? They hold that when it was blown at the drawing of the water, it was unnecessary to blow over the altar. And therefore they gave preference to the ascending of the tenth step. When R. A'ha bar Hanina came from the South, he brought a Boraitha with him, thus : It is written [Num, x. 8] : " And the sons of Aaron the priest shall blow with the trumpets." This verse is superfluous, because there it is already written [ibid. 10] : '' Shall ye blow with the trumpets over your burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings." And why is the first-cited verse needed ? To signify that they have to blow when there are additional sacri- fices. He taught the Boraitha, and he explained it that it meant to say, that it was a duty to blow at every additional sacrifice. An objection was raised based upon our Mishna : But on the eve of Sabbath during the festival they blew forty-eight times. Now, if it was so (to blow at each additional sacrifice) TRACT SUCCAH. 87 let the Mishna state that if the Sabbath falls during the festival there were fifty-one (because there was one additional sacrifice) ? Said R. Zera : Because they did not blow at the opening of the gates on Sabbath. Said Rabha : Who is that who is not careful in his statements? The saying of R. Zera cannot hold good at all events. First, the Mishna states that there was blowing every day, which certainly includes Sabbath, and, secondly, even if the Sabbath, falling during the festival, were equal to the eve of Sabbath (in regard to blowing), the Mishna would not mention the eve of Sabbath, instead of the Sabbath itself, of which we could learn two things : that of R. Eliezer b. Jacob, that the blowing was not on the tenth step, but over the altar, and, secondly, what R. A'ha b. Hanina stated above, that they blew at each additional sacrifice. Therefore said Rabha that the reason (for not mentioning Sabbath in our Mishna) is because they did not draw water on Sabbath, but on the eve of Sabbath, as stated supra; and then there were many blowings less (namely, the blowing when they reached the upper and the lower gate, the water-gate, and over the altar). But let the Mishna state, when New Year falls on a Sabbath, when there are three additional sacrifices, namely, the New Year,