Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 33

for a person to turn over the bed places,* but the sages do not coincide with him. Rabbon Simeon ben Gamaliel said: Never were there any more joyous festivals in Israel than the 15th of Abh and the Day of Atonement, for on them the maidens of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments — borrowed ones, however, in order not to cause shame to those who had none of their own. These clothes were also to be previously immersed, and thus the maidens went out and danced in the vineyards, saying: Young men, look and observe well whom you are about to choose (as a spouse) ; regard not beauty alone, but rather look to a virtuous family, for" false is grace, and vain is beauty: a woman only that feareth the Lord shall indeed be praised " [Proverbs, xxxi. 30]; and it is also said [ibid. 31]: " Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in her gates." Thus also is it written (alluding to that custom): " Go forth and look, O ye daughters of Zion, on King Solomon, with the crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him on the day of his espousals, and on the day of the joy of his heart " [Solomon's Song, iii. 11]. " The day of the espousals" refers to the day on which the Law was given, and " the day of the joy of his heart" was that when the building of the Temple was com- pleted. May it soon be rebuilt in our days! * It was the general custom among the Israelites of that day to turn over the couches on which they sate during the day, and slept during the night, on any occa- sion of mourning and also as a sign of their being in actual mourning. TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 8i GEMARA: " At three periods of the year" etc. Is there then an additional prayer on fast-days and for the standing men ? The Mishna is not complete, and should read thus: " At three periods of the year the priests shall raise their hands (to bless the people) at each prayer, and among such periods there are days when this is done four times during the day: viz., during the morning, the additional, the afternoon, and the closing prayers ; and the three periods of the year are on fast- days, on the fast of the standing men, and on the Day of Atone- ment." Said R. Na'hman in the name of Rabba bar Abbahu : " Such is the dictum of R. Meir. But the sages maintain that during the morning and additional prayers the priests raise their hands; but not during the afternoon and closing prayers." Whose opinion is that attributed to the sages ? That is the opinion of R. Jehudah, as we have learned in the following Bo- raitha: '■ In all the four prayers mentioned above, the priests are to raise their hands. This is the dictum of R. Meir, but R. Jehudah said that this is not done in the afternoon and closing prayers, while R. Jose maintains that it is not done in the after- noon prayer, but it is done in the closing prayer." Said R. Na'hman: " The Halakha prevails according to the opinion of R. Jose." And so it remains. Why is it, then, the custom at present that the priests raise their hands in the afternoon prayer of a fast-day ? Because the afternoon prayer is said very near to the time of sunset, it is regarded the same as the closing prayer. These standing men ," etc. How is the Mishna to be under- stood ? The Mishna means to say: "These are the standing men, and the reason of their institution is because it is written," etc. The rabbis taught: " There are twenty-four watches in the Land of Israel, and of these there are twelve in Jericho. When the watches were to go up to the Temple, half went up from all parts of the Land of Israel to Jerusalem, and the other half from Jericho." Why were half of them in Jericho? Because they had to prepare food and drink for their brethren in Jerusalem. R. Jehudah said in the name of Samuel: Priests, Levites, and Israelites that compose the division of the standing men prevent, in the event of their absence, the offering of the sacri- fices. In a Boraitha we have learned: R. Simeon ben Elazar said: "The priests, Levites, and the musical instruments pre- vent, by their absence, the offering of the sacrifices," because he 6 82 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. holds that the chanting at the offering of the sacrifices must be accomplished mainly through the musical instruments, and not vocally. R. Hama bar Guria said in the name of Rabh : Moses estab- lished for the Israelites only eight watches; viz., four for the descendants of Elazar the priest and four for those of Ithamar. Subsequently Samuel the prophet increased the number to six- teen, and finally David further increased them to twenty-four, as it is written [I Chronicles, vi. 26] : " In the fortieth year of David were they inquired into, and there were found among them mighty men of valor at Ya'zer and Gil'ad." The rabbis taught: " Four watches went up out of exile, and they are: Yida'yah, Harim, Pash'hor, and Imar. And the prophets who went with them increased them to twenty-four." How was this done ? They threw lots into an urn, and Yida'yah came and drew lots for himself and companions to the number of six. Then came Harim, and drew lots for himself and for his companions to the number of six. Likewise did Pash'hor, and thus also Imar; and the prophets also enacted that, even should Jehoyoreb, the chief of the watches, come up out of exile, he should not displace Yid'ayah, but Yid'ayah should be first, and Jehoyoreb act merely as an additional (to Yid'ayah). The rabbis taught : The men of the watch would pray that the sacrifices of their brethren should be favorably accepted ; and the standing men would congregate in the synagogues and fast four fast-days; viz., from Monday until Thursday, inclusive. On the first fast-day they would fast for those who plied the seas; on the second, for those who traverse the desert; the third, that the children might be saved from the disease of croup; and the last day, for pregnant women and for those suckling their babes — that the former might be happily deliv- ered and the latter retain their strength. On the day preceding the Sabbath they would not fast, in honor of the Sabbath, and most assuredly not on the Sabbath itself. Why did they not fast on Sunday? Said R. Samuel ben Na'hmeni: "Because that is the third day (after man was created) " ; and Resh La- kish said: " Because of the second soul that is given to man on the Sabbath, and which leaves him at the close of the Sabbath day" (hence he would be too weak to fast on the following day). ' ' On Sunday the standing men read, i In the beginning, ' ' ' etc. We have learned in a Boraitha: The first section, i.e., from the TRACT TAANITH (FASTING). 83 passage commencing, " In the beginning," until that commenc- ing, " Let there be an expansion," was read by two men, while