Talmud zu Mischlej 30:37

MISHNAH: From where that a ship is pure⁴While a ship is a vessel, it is not subject to the impurity of vessels. This not only applies to large vessels which are not subject to impurity if they are so large that they cannot be moved by a single human empty or loaded but even small boats if they are never used on land.? For it is said⁵Prov. 30:19., the way of a ship in the heart of the Sea. From where that a garden bed that is six by six hand-breadths one may sow with five kinds of seeds, four at its four sides and one in the middle⁶The problem is that of kilaim, the prohibition to grow different kinds of produce on the same field. Different kinds if grown on parallel fields must be separated by an uncultivated strip, but such fields may touch one another at a single point. The minimum size of a plot that can be planted with several kinds is a 6-by-6 hand-breadths plot, cf. Mishnah Kilaim 3:1 Notes 1–2; the configuration envisaged by the Mishnah is shown there in fig. 3–1. It is suggested that one divide the plot into 36 squares of one hand-breadth edge length each. Along the four edges, the corner squares are left fallow. Then on each edge, a rectangle, 4 long and 1 wide, can be planted. These 4 rectangles may be planted with 4 different kinds since they meet only at a pair of vertical angles. Together, they contain 16 of the 1-by-1 squares. The interior edges of the rectangles enclose a 4-by-4 square. In this square, a square can be planted in the shape of a diamond, having its vertices at the midpoints of the inner edges of the rectangles. This is permitted as רֹאשׁ תּוֹר. The diagonals of the diamond have length 4; it covers exactly half of the internal square of 16 square hand-breadths. Hence, the entire cultivated area is 8 + 16 = 24 hand-breadths square. [If instead we assume that the fallow squares at the corners have edge length a, then the total cultivated area, in square handbreadths, is
f(a) = 4a(6 - 2a) + 0.5(6 - 2a)².
A simple computation then shows that the maximum is attained for a = 1, f(1) = 24. One third of the total area must lie fallow.]? For it is said⁷Is. 61:11., for like the earth it will bring out its plants and like a garden it will cause it to grow its sown seeds.

Rebbi Ḥananiah the colleague of the rabbis asked, does the Holy One, praise to Him, not see what is going to be? He did not hear what Rebbi Simon said in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: The Holy One, praise to Him, only judges a person according to his present state. What is the reason: Do not fear, for God heard the lad’s voice as he is there²²³Gen. 21:17, the main point of the Torah reading of the first day of the New Year. Babli 16b.. Rebbi Levi said, it is written, rakes will not stand before Him²²⁴Ps. 5:6.. Why? You hated all evil-doers²²⁴Ps. 5:6.. Rebbi Issachar from Kefar-Mendi preached: For He knows lying people, he saw wickedness, would He not understand²²⁵Job11:11. A adds (p. 37 l. 16): The Holy One, praise to Him, knows that criminals will be sinning but He does not consider their bad deeds up to the time they are acting on them and then He judges them.? <He will watch over you, bring peace into your virtuous home.²²⁶Job8:6.>²²⁷The bracketed text was added from G; it is the introduction to R. Joshua ben Levi’s statement. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, it is not written, “if you were pure and straight”, but if you are pure and straight^226,Job8:6.²²⁹Prov. 30:31.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, the strong of loins and the bellwether; the king, there is no standing with him²²⁹Prov. 30:31.. Usually every one tried to win over the other’s strength, but the Holy One, praise to Him, is not so but the King, there is no standing with him, He does not insist on His standing. [For]²³⁰Corrector’s addition, neither in the text nor in Psalms. not eternally He will fight²³¹Ps. 103:9, a pun of two different roots נצח “permanent” or “victorious”. God prefers people to become virtuous so He does not have to judge them. Babli Pesaḥim119a., He will not fight to be victorious.

BARAITHA. Do not incur shame from your teeth by overeating.
GEMARA. This refers to the evil inclination; and so Scripture declares, Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.⁹¹Prov. 25, 19. Perhaps the Baraitha speaks of the eating of stolen food?⁹²And has no reference to sexual desire. [If it is argued,] It cannot enter your mind that the Baraitha alludes to sin, because if it did it should have taught ‘lest thou come to sin’!⁹³Instead of ‘by over-eating’. [the reply is,] It uses a euphemism, as it is written, She eateth, and wipeth her mouth.⁹⁴Prov. 30, 20, where eateth clearly denotes sexual sin.

¹³¹A short version of this is in Babli, 105a. There, Levi actually did not know how to respond. The Yerushalmi version is also in Gen. rabba 81(2). The people of Simonia came to Rebbi and told him, please give us a man who preaches, judges, runs the synagogue, teaches reading, teaches Mishnah, and looks after all our needs. He gave them Levi bar Sisi. They made him a big platform¹³²Greek βῆμα “speaker’s platform”. and sat him on it. They came and asked him, how does the handless [woman] perform ḥalîṣah? He did not respond. If she spat blood” He did not respond. They said, maybe he is not competent in studies, let us ask him in homiletics. They came and asked him, what is that which is written: “Truly, I shall tell you what is traced in writing, it is true.¹³³Dan. 10:21.” If it is true, why is it traced, and if traced, why is it true? He did not respond. They came to Rebbi and told him, that required one we asked you for? He told them, by your lives, I gave you one who is my equal! He sent to bring him and examined him. He asked him, what if she spat blood. He said, if it contains some fluid of spittle it is valid. How does the handless [woman] perform ḥalîṣah? He said, with her teeth. What is that which is written: “Truly, I shall tell you what is traced in writing, it is true.” If it is true, why is it traced, and if traced, why is it true? He said, until the decision of the court is sealed, it is traced. After it has been sealed, it is true. He asked him, and why did you not give any answers? He said to him, they made me a big platform and sat me on it; by that my spirit became bloated¹³⁴He forgot all he knew.. He quoted about him: “If you became subject to contempt when you rose, if you planned, hand to mouth¹³⁵Prov. 30:32.”; why did you become contemptible in the words of the Torah? That you used them to aggrandize yourself.

The following are written with a he which is not pronounced: when I saw;²⁵Josh. 7, 21, written wa’er’eh and read wa’erë’. and I brought;²⁶ibid. XXIV, 8, written wa’abih and read wa’abi. the lion²⁷2 Sam. 23, 20, written ha’aryeh and read ha’ari. in the Book of Samuel;²⁸This excludes the parallel passage in 1 Chron. 11, 22 where ha’ari is both written and read. was he found;²⁹Jer. 48, 27, written nimẓa’ah but the reading is nimẓa’. and … saw;³⁰ibid. III, 7, written wattir’eh and read watter’ë’. this [city];³¹ibid. XXVI, 6, written hazzothah and read hazzoth. evil;³²Micah 3, 2, written ra‘ah and read ra‘. [the] evil;³³Jer. 18, 10, written hara‘ah and read hara‘. gone down;³⁴ibid. XV, 9, written ba’ah and read ba’. and he shall come;³⁵ibid. XLIII, 11, written uba’ah and read uba’. and a line;³⁶1 Kings 7, 23, written weḳaweh and read weḳaw. and a line;³⁷Zech. 1, 16, as in the preceding note. thoroughly;³⁸V incorrectly gives the keyword as wera‘. Ps. 51, 4, written harbeh and read hereb. them that love me;³⁹Prov. 8, 17, written ’ohabehah and read ’ohabai. and … friend;⁴⁰ibid. XXVII, 10, written were‘eh and read were‘a. deal;⁴¹Ruth 1, 8, written ya‘aseh and read ya‘as. open;⁴²Dan. 9, 18, written piḳḥah and read peḳaḥ. a lion;⁴³Lam. 3, 10, written ’aryeh and read ’ari. V incorrectly connects this with the next word joining them together as one. these;⁴⁴Ezra 5, 15, written ’elleh and read ’el. venison.⁴⁵V incorrectly reads ẓur. Gen. 27, 3, written ẓedah and read ẓayid.
The reverse is the case with the following:⁴⁶In the preceding a written he is not pronounced, but the following are spelt without a he which is to be pronounced. and multiplied;⁴⁷Josh. 24, 3, written wa’ereb and read wa’arbeh. on the housetop;⁴⁸1 Sam. 9, 26, written haggag and read haggagah. and they;⁴⁹2 Sam. 21, 9, written wehem and read wehemmah. be he;⁵⁰1 Kings 1, 37, written yehi and read yihyeh. and … shal be;⁵¹2 Kings 9, 37, written wehayath and read wehayethah. and behold;⁵²Isa. 41, 23, written wenerë and read wenireh. behold;⁵³ibid. LIV, 16, written hen and read hinneh. planted;⁵⁴In Jer. 17, 8, referring to yireh (shall … see) which is spelt without the final hei. Gedaliah;⁵⁵ibid. XL, 16, referring to ta‘aseh (do) which is without the final hei. and … she doted;⁵⁶Ezek. 23, 16, written watta‘gob and read watta‘gebah. the measure;⁵⁷ibid. XLV, 3, where ḥamesh (five) is written and ḥamishshah read. and I shall be glorified;⁵⁸Hag. 1, 8, written we’ekkabed and read we’ekkabedah. three;⁵⁹In Prov. 30, 18, we’arba‘ (yea, four) is written and we’arba‘ah read. she considereth;⁶⁰ibid. XXXI, 16, naṭa‘ (planteth) is written and naṭ‘ah read. she perceiveth;⁶¹ibid. 18, ballayil (by night) is written and ballayelah read. arise;⁶²In Lam. 2, 19, the same variant occurs as in the preceding. remember;⁶³ibid. V, 1, habbeṭ (behold) is written and habbiṭah read. turn Thou us;⁶⁴ibid. 21, wenashub (and we shall be turned) is written and wenashubah read. thou hast declared;⁶⁵1 Sam XXIV, 19, we’at is written and we’attah read. thou … hast cursed;⁶⁶Eccles. 7, 22, where the same variant occurs as in the preceding. Thou hast set;⁶⁷Ps. 90, 8, written shatta and read shattah. Thou hast made;⁶⁸Neh. 9, 6, written ’at and read ’attah. is sore affrighted;⁶⁹In Ps. 6, 4 the same variant occurs as in the preceding. the carved work thereof;⁷⁰ibid. LXXIV, 6, written we‘at and read we‘attah. with her harlotries;⁷¹In Ezek. 23, 43, written ‘at and read ‘attah. turn back;⁷²In Ruth 1, 12, lekna (go your way) omits the final hei. disclose;⁷³ibid. IV, 4, where we’eda‘ (that I may know) is written and read we’ede‘ah. Thou [hast] made an hedge;⁷⁴In Job 1, 10, ’at (Thou) is written and ’attah read. and [he] saw.⁷⁵ibid. XLII, 16, written wayyar and read wayyireh.

Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Abba bar Cahana: It is written (Prov. 5:6): “She does not smooth the way of life, her tracks deviate and you will not notice it.” The Holy One, praise to Him, moved the rewards of those who fulfill the commandments (to the future world) so that they should act in faith. Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Isaac: It is written (Prov. 4:23): “Observe carefully everything which must be kept, for from it comes life,” observe carefully all the things you were told in the Torah, for you do not know from which of them life will come to you. Rebbi Abba bar Cahana said, the verse equals the easiest commandment with the most difficult one. The easiest commandment is sending away [the mother] from the nest. The most difficult one is honoring father and mother. For both of them it is written: “Your days will be lengthened.” Rebbi Abun said, if for anything that is repayment of debt it is written (Deut. 5:16): “That you shall be well and that your days shall be lengthened,” so much more something that involves monetary loss and personal danger. Rebbi Levi said, this one is greater; repaying a debt is greater than fulfilling an obligation that does not involve repaying a debt. Rebbi Simeon ben Ioḥai stated: Just as their rewards are the same, so their punishments are identical. (Prov. 30:17) “The eye that scoffs at the father and despises to obey the mother,” the eye that scoffs about honoring father and mother and despises the commandment not to take the mother with the chicks, “the river ravens should pick it out,” the cruel raven should come, pick it out, and not have any enjoyment from it, “the sons of the eagle should eat it,” the merciful eagle should come and enjoy it.

Whoever abases [mithnabbel] himself in connection with words of Torah⁹i.e. is not ashamed to ask questions which may at first sound foolish; cf. Ber. 63b (Sonc. ed., p. 402). will in the end be exalted on its account, as it is stated If thou hast done foolishly [nabalta] in lifting up thyself,¹⁰Prov. 30, 32. [which means,] if you have abased yourself for words of the Torah, in the end you will be exalted.

Hate power. How so? This teaches that a person should not place a crown on his own head. But others can place it upon him, as it says (Proverbs 27:2), “May a stranger praise you, but not your own mouth; a foreigner, but not your own lips.”
Rabbi Akiva said: Anyone who raises himself above the words of Torah is like a carcass cast off on the side of the road. Everyone who passes it sits down and puts his hand out to check for breath, and then backs away from it and leaves, as it says (Proverbs 30:32), “If you degrade yourself with arrogance, and if you scheme, a hand to your mouth.” [(Ben Azzai said: Learn this idea out of the verse itself:)] If a person degrades himself for words of Torah by eating rotten dates, and dressing in filthy clothes, and sitting and watching at the door of the sages, then all who pass by will say, “Perhaps he is an idiot.” But in the end, you will find that he has the whole Torah with him. (Rabbi Yosei would say:) Anyone who raises himself above the words of Torah, in the end they will debase him; but anyone who debases himself for the sake of the words of Torah, in the end they will elevate him.

Solomon had six names: Shlomo, Yedidya, Kohelet, Ben Yakeh, Agur, and Lemuel.