Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 65

seems to be according to R. Papi, because so said R. Joshua b. Levi : A prayer-house may be turned into a learning-house. Infer from it that it is so. ' ' // will not be lawful to buy books of the Prophets, ' ' etc. The schoolmen propounded a question : May old Holy Scrolls be sold, to purchase with the money new ones ? Shall we assume that as the new ones have no preference over the old ones, they may not be sold ; or that if the old ones are not sold, the new ones cannot be had, therefore it may be done ? Come and hear: Rabba bar bar Hana said in the name of R. Johanan, quoting R. Simeon b. Gamaliel: One must not sell old scrolls for the purpose of buying new ones. There it is different: It is a pre- cautionary measure lest he sell the old ones without buying new ones; but here the question is about such as are already written, and lie ready for us to be obtained when the money is had. How is the law ? Come and hear: R. Johanan said in the name of R. Meir : In any case the Holy Scrolls must not be sold, except for the purpose of using the money for study, or for marriage. TRACT MEGILLA. 73 From this we see that to exchange the Law for study, one may; so to exchange old scrolls for new ones, one may also. But per- haps it is different, because from studying he will know how to act; and marrying, because it is written [Is. xlv. 18]: " Not for naught did he create it; to be inhabited did he form it." But to exchange old Holy Scrolls for new ones, perhaps one may not ? (This question is not decided.) The rabbis taught : A man shall not sell Holy Scrolls, even when he does not need them ; furthermore, says R. Simeon b. Gamaliel, even when he has nothing to eat, and has sold the Holy Scrolls, or his daughter for a slave, he will not see a sign of blessing all his life. Even when he has sold them, and bought new ones instead at a lower price, he will not see a sign of bless- ing in the remainder of the money. Said Rabha: The case is only when old Holy Scrolls have been sold, and new ones bought, so that some money was left ; but when money was col- lected for this purpose and Holy Scrolls were bought, but some money was left, it may be used for all purposes. And even in the first instance it is so only when the old Holy Scrolls had been bought by the seven elders of the town, in the presence of townsmen, without any condition ; but if it was bought condi- tionally, it may be used even for Duksusia. Said Abayi to one of the rabbis, who arranged Boraithoth be- fore R. Shesheth (who was blind): Hast thou not heard from R. Shesheth what is meant by Duksusia ? He answered: So said R. Shesheth: A rider, whom the people of the town hire for their needs. Said Abayi again: Therefore if a young scholar heard something and does not know it, he should ask a man who usually goes before the great rabbis, because it is impos- sible that he should not have heard an explanation from the great men. R. Johanan said in the name of R. Meir: When inhabitants of one town went away to another town, and the elders of that town ordered them to give charity for the poor of that town, they should give (that it should not be suspected they give no charity); but when they return, they may take it back, to sup- port therewith the poor of their own town. The same we have learned in a Boraitha. But if an individual went to another town, and was ordered to give charity there, it should be given away to the poor of that town. R. Huna ordered a congregational fast. Came to him R. Hana bar Hanilai, with many inhabitants of his town : he ordered 74 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. them to give chanty, and they did so. When they had to return, they said : Let the Master give us back the money, that we may support therewith the poor of our own town. He said to them: We have learned in a Boraitha: When must it be given back ? Where there is no scholar in their town who occupies himself with the public needs; but if there is such a man, it must be given to him, that he should dispose thereof. According to this judgment, so much the more the poor of my town and yours, all are supported through me. MISHNA: Sacred public property must not be sold to private individuals, because the sanctity thereby becomes low- ered. This is according to R. Meir. The sages, however, said : If so, it would also be prohibited for a large town to sell sacred things to a smaller one. A prayer-house may be sold, according to R. Meir, only con- ditionally (that if they want it, it shall be returned to them). But the sages permit it to be sold permanently, except for the four following uses: to be made a bathing-house, a tanning- place, a legal diving-bath, or laundry. R. Jehudah says: It may be sold on the condition that it be made an open court, and then the purchaser is at liberty to turn it to what purpose he pleases. GEMARA: " But the sages permit to be sold permanently ." Said R. Jehudah in the name of Samuel: A man may let water within four ells of a prayer-house. Said R. Joseph, what does he come to teach us ? We have learned this in a Mishna, R. Jehudah said, he may sell it for a court-yard, and the buyer can do what he pleases. And even according to the rabbis, who for- bid it, it is only in case of a prayer-house whose sacredness is permanent ; but in regard to the four ells before the prayer- house, which have no sacredness, even the rabbis admit. One Tana taught in the presence of R. Na'hman: One who prays, and wants to let water, shall step away four ells and do so; and he who has done so must walk away four ells before he may pray. Said R. Na'hman to him: "The last teaching is right, because we have learned in a Mishna that he must withdraw from such things to a distance of four ells; but that he who prays should go away four ells, why is this ? By this teaching you make all streets of Nahardea sacred, for there is no place there where men have not prayed ; hence letting water would be unlawful in them ? Therefore teach, he must tarry for the length of time required for walking four ells, but need not walk." TRACT MEGILLA. 75 It is right that he who has let water should wait as long as walk- ing four ells requires, because the feet can be besprinkled and he must wait till they dry; but why shall he who has prayed wait for that time ? Said R. Ashi : Because for that length of time the prayer is still in his mind and his lips still keep moving, if he had been praying. The disciples of R. Zakkai asked him: In reward of what have you been living so many years ? He replied : I never let water within four ells from a prayer-house, and I never called my neighbor nicknames. It never happened I should pronounce the morning benediction of the Sabbath with-