Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 8, scan section 70

Whence it is inferred that each must be read on the appointed festival to which it refers. GEMARA: The rabbis taught: On Passover should be read the portions referring to this festival, and the portions from the Prophets should be from Joshua, v. 9, about Gilgal, etc. ; and at present in exile, when we keep two days as festivals, the first day should be about Gilgal ; the second day from II Kings, xxiii., about Joshiah ; the last days of Passover should be selected small portions in which it is spoken about Passover. What are they ? (This will be explained further on.) And the last days of Pass- 86 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. over — on the first of them should be read [Ex. xiii. 17], " And it came to pass when Pharaoh," and the portion from the Prophets should be from II Samuel, xxii., " And David spoke " ; and on the next day [Deut. xv. 19], " All the first-born males," and from the Prophets, in Isaiah, x. 32, " As yet to-day will he remain at Nob." Said Abayi : And now people have the custom to read as follows :" Draw out " [Ex. xii. 21], " When a bullock " [Lev. xxii. 27], " Sanctify" [Ex. xiii. 2], " If thou lend" [ibid. xxii. 24], and " Hew thyself " [ibid, xxxiv. 1], "And the Lord spoke" [Num. ix. 1], and " It came to pass" [Ex. xiii. 17], and then " All the first-born" [Deut. xv. 19]. On Pentecost, " Seven weeks shalt thou number " [Deut. xvi. 9], and from the Prophets, in Habakkuk, iii. An anonymous teacher says [Ex. xix.] : " In the third month," and the portion from the Prophets should be from Ezekiel, i., about the Divine Chariot. And now when in exile we keep two days Pentecost, we do as both have said, but reverse it on the first day of the New Year, as the anonymous teacher, and on the second as above. In the days of the New Year, "In the seventh month" [Num. xxix.], and from the Prophets, "Is not Ephraim a dear son" [Jerem. xxxi. 20]. According to others, "And the Lord visited Sarah" [Gen. xxi.], and from the Prophets, about Hannah [I Sam. i.]. And now when we keep two days, we read on the first about Sarah, and the second, " God did tempt Abraham " [Gen. xxii.], and the portion from the Prophets, " Is not Ephraim " [Jer. xxxi. 20]. On the Day of Atonement we read [Lev. xvi.], " After the death," and from the Prophets [Is. lvii. 15], " For thus hath said the High," etc. And in the Min'ha prayer, we read about the laws of legal marriage [Lev. xviii.], and from the Prophets, Jonah. [R. Johanan said : In nearly every place where you find the might of the Holy One, blessed be He, you find also His mod- esty. This is written in the Pentateuch, and repeated in the Prophets, and mentioned a third time in the Hagiographa. In the Pentateuch [Deut. x. 17]: " For the Lord your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of lords"; and the next verse, ' Who executeth justice for the fatherless and the widow." It is repeated in the Prophets [Is. lvii. 15]: " Thus hath said the High and Lofty One, who inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy " ; and the end of this verse is " yet also with the contrite and humble in spirit." The third time in Hagiographa [Ps. lxviii. 5] : " Extol him who rideth upon the heavens." " The TRACT MEGILLA. 87 Everlasting is his name," and the next verse is " A father of the fatherless, and the judge of the widows."] The first festival day of the Feast of Tabernacles should be read the portion about this feast in Leviticus; and from the Prophets [Zechariah, xiv. 1]: "Behold, a day is coming unto the Lord." Now when we keep two days, we read on the sec- ond the same as on the first, but from the Prophets [I Kings, viii. 2]: " And all the men of Israel assembled." And on the remaining days of the festival we read about the sacrifices of the festival, and on the last day we read " All your first-born," to the end of the chapter, and from the Prophets [ibid. iv. 1] : "And it came to pass when Solomon had finished"; and on the morrow, "And this is the blessing" [Deut. xxxiii.], and from the Prophets [I Kings, viii. 22]: " And Solomon stood." R. Huna said in the name of Rabh: On the Sabbath in the intermediate days of the festivals, whether Passover or that of Tabernacles, should be read Ex. xxxiii. 12; and from the Prophets [Ezek. xxxvii.], about the dry bones, and on Feast of Tabernacles [Ezek. xxxviii.], about Gog and Magog. During Hanuka the portion in Num. vii. about the offerings of the princes, and from Prophets [Zechariah, Hi.], about the candle- sticks. And when it happens there are two Sabbaths in the eight days of Hanuka, on the first Sabbath the candlesticks of Zechariah, on the last Sabbath from I Kings, vii. 49, about the candlesticks of Solomon. On Purim [Ex. xvii.], " And Amalek came," and "On the beginnings of your months " [Num. xxviii.]. And if the first of the month falls on Sabbath, it should be read from Isaiah, lxvi. 23 : " And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to the other." And when the first of the month falls on Sunday, the preceding Sabbath it should be read from the Prophets [I Sam. xx. 5]: "And Jonathan said unto David, to-morrow is the new moon." R. Huna said: If the first of the month Ab falls on Sabbath, it should be read from the Prophets in Is. i. 14: "Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth." On the ninth of Ab itself ? What portion do we read from the Proph- ets ? Said Rabh: Is. i. 21 : " How became a whore the faithful city?" Said Abayi: And now people have the usage to read from the Pentateuch [Deut. iv. 24]: " When thou begettest chil- dren " ; and from the Prophets in Jerem. viii. 13: "I will make an end of them." " On the fast of the standing men" Whence do we deduce S& THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD. this ? (Rashi explains it that the question is what connection there is between the creation and these fasts.) Said R. Ami : If not the standing men, the heaven and earth would not abide; as is written [Jerem. xxxiii. 25]: " If my covenant be not with day and night, I would not appoint the ordinances of heaven and earth." And it is also written [Gen. xvi. 8]: "And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it ?" Said Abraham before the Holy One, blessed be He: Creator of the Universe, perhaps if Israel will sin before Thee, Thou wilt destroy them as the generation at the time of the Flood and of the Dispersion of Babel. And He answered : Nay. Said Abra- ham : Whereby will I know it ? And the Lord said: Take Me a heifer three years old (i.e., the sacrifices will forgive their sins). Then Abraham said again : Creator of the Universe, this will be as long as the Temple exists, but what will be when the Temple will be destroyed ? And the Lord answered: I have therefore ordained to them the order of the sacrifices, and every time they