Talmud zu Mischlej 6:39

¹⁰⁷This baraita exists in several versions: Babli 4a, Sifry Num. 7, Sifry Zuṭa 13, Tosephta 1:1, Tanḥuma and Tanḥuma Buber Naśo; Num. rabba 9(6).“How long is ‘touching’? Rebbi Eliezer says, [time needed] to walk around a date palm¹⁰⁸In Babli and Sifry, Sifry Zuṭa: R. Ismael.; Rebbi Joshua says, to mix a cup [of wine]¹⁰⁹In Babli and Sifry, Sifry Zuṭa: R. Eliezer.; Ben Azai says, to drink it¹¹⁰In Babli and Sifry, Sifry Zuṭa: R. Joshua. In the Tosefta: Ben Azai says, mixing a cup to drink it.; Rebbi Aqiba says, [time needed] rolling an egg¹¹¹In Babli and Sifry, Sifry Zuṭa: Ben Azai says, to fry an egg. The Tosephta, which ascribes the statement to R. Aqiba, also has: to fry an egg. The usual explanation of לגלגל is: To boil an egg softly so it can roll when taken out of its shell. A soft-boiled chicken egg is considered the egg which is most quickly prepared for human consumption [Rashi in Babli Šabbat 80b, cf. Yerushalmi 8:7 (fol. 11b line 70)].
Babli and Sifry, Sifry Zuṭa have an additional entry: R. Aqiba says, to sip one (soft-boiled) egg.; Rebbi Jehudah ben Bathyra says, to sip three rolled eggs one after the other; Rebbi Eleazar ben Phineas¹¹²In Babli and Tosephta: R. Eleazar ben Jeremiah. This reading is suspect since this name is not reported anywhere else in talmudic literarture while R. Eleazar ben Phineas is quoted several times. Because of the dependence of the Tosephta on the Babli [cf. Epilogue in the author’s edition of Ma‘aser Šeni, Ḥallah, Orlah, Bikkurim (SI 23)], Babli and Tosephta cannot be considered as two independent sources.
This and the following entries are missing in Sifry. says, [time needed] for the weaver to bind a thread; Miniamin¹¹³A student of R. Aqiba. In Babli, Tanḥuma, Tanḥuma Buber, Sifry Zuṭa: Polemon. Babli, Tosephta, and the Tanḥumas have another entry: Ḥanin ben Phineas says, that she may extract a splinter from her mouth (in Tanḥumas: Rebbi Ḥanin, Tanḥumas Buber: Ḥanan) says, that she can stretch out her hand and lift a loaf of bread from the basket. And though there is no proof, at least there is a hint: ‘For a whoring woman up to a loaf of bread.’¹¹⁴Prov. 6:26.” Rebbi Yose said, all these measurements [of time] are after she removes her underpants¹¹⁵Meaning and etymology of the word סינר are in doubt. The translation follows Arukh (s. v. סנר I) and Rashi (Šabbat 92b): “Small pants which she wears for decency”. {This meaning may be compared with Arabic سنوّر “armor”.} Maimonides (Commentary to Šabbat 10:4), following a Gaonic commentary (B. M. Levin Oṣar HaGeonim Šabbat, Oṣar HaPerušim p. 51): “sash”. It is reported in Megillah 4:1 (75a, line 30) that from the time of the return from Babylonia, Jewish women wore a sinār; according to Rashi’s tradition they wore gowns and under them pants from the hips to the knees; according to Maimonides they wore long pants and a sash covering their legs front and back down from the hips. Maimonides’s interpretation is the source of the acceptation in modern Hebrew: Apron. {Cf. Greek συνωρίς, -ίδος, ἡ, “pair of horses”, also “pair of anything (fetters, manacles)”, referring to a pair of sashes or pants? (E. G.)}
R. Yose’s remark makes all the examples given meaningless for practical applications.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, each of them judged by his own experience¹¹⁶Babli 4b.. But did Ben Azai ever marry¹¹⁷What does he know about sex? He is the example of a man studying 24 hours a day, not having time for anything else.? Some want to say, he had an erection. But some want to say, he was married and gave it up¹¹⁸This contradicts the story in the Babli, Ketubot 63a, that he was engaged to R. Aqiba’s daughter who wanted to marry him after he had become the time’s most outstanding scholar but that he died before he had attained that goal.. Some want to say, “the secret of the Eternal is for those who fear Him, to inform them about His covenant.¹¹⁹Ps. 25:14.”

‘If you have done a little evil’, etc. This has already been taught in a previous Baraitha!⁹⁰Cf. Baraitha 12, ‘If men have done you much evil, let it be little in your eyes’. The questioner erroneously assumed that the two Baraithoth speak of the same person. Here it refers to [doing evil to] one’s neighbour, but there [to others having done evil] to him. Know [that this is so because of the words in the previous Baraitha], ‘I have merited more’.
BARAITHA. Let your fellow-man be your mirror; and in money matters too let your fellow-man’s money be as dear to you as your own.⁹¹Aboth II, 17 (Sonc. ed., II, 12, p. 22). And with regard to honour let your fellow-man’s honour be as dear to you as your own.⁹²ibid. 15 (Sonc. ed., 10, p. 20). Honour all men; love him who reproves you and hate him who honours you.
GEMARA. ‘Let your fellow-man be your mirror’—what does he [mean] to say? This is what he says: Whenever you speak of your fellow let his image be before you.⁹³Imagine that he is present, and you will never speak ill of him.
BARAITHA. Do not say, ‘I will flatter this man that he may give me to eat; I will flatter this man that he may give me to drink; I will flatter this man that he may clothe me’.
GEMARA. What is the reason? For such is the conduct of false prophets. They say to one man, ‘There is no one like you and who can be compared to you?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘For the sake of food you honour them, [as it is written,] That cry: “Peace”, when their teeth have anything to bite.⁹⁴Micah 3, 5, spoken of the false prophets. Behold, I will feed them with wormwood.⁹⁵Jer. 23, 15, which also relates to the false prophets. They flatter them but forsake Me, [as it is written,] For from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodliness gone forth into all the land’.⁹⁶ibid.
BARAITHA. Let not your lips put you to shame; let not your mouth despise you; let not your tongue curse you; let not your teeth disgrace you. Do not insinuate yourself with your fellow-man.
GEMARA. As it is written, Thou art snared by the words of thy mouth.⁹⁷Prov. 6, 2.
BARAITHA.⁹⁸The translation follows the Baraitha as reconstructed by H (p. 266 in his edition). Love the Torah, love righteous deeds, rebukes and upright actions; and know the difference between what is yours and what is not yours, for what is yours is [in reality] not yours.
GEMARA. ‘Love the Torah’—but this has already been taught!⁹⁹Cf. III, 17. There it speaks of loving [the study of the Torah] even without companions,¹⁰⁰i.e. he has companions but they are not interested in the study of the Torah; in spite of them he should love the Torah and study it by himself. and here when one has no companions he tells you, ‘Let this not¹⁰¹Reading לא for לך. cause you [to abandon the study of the Torah]’. And do not say that this [advice] applies to Torah alone and not to the performance of righteous deeds; and do not say, ‘I have done all these¹⁰²Recommendations in the Baraitha. and yet [my fellow-man] reproves me!’ because every man looks good in his own eyes.¹⁰³A person rarely sees his own faults.
[Come and hear: ‘[Love] rebukes’:]¹⁰⁴Inserted by H. Do not say, ‘Where you are reproved because of secular affairs [you need not listen to a rebuke]’.¹⁰⁵In the mistaken belief that the duty of listening to reproof is confined to religious matters. Come and hear: ‘[Love] upright actions’:¹⁰⁶Correcting the text in agreement with the Baraitha. Know [that one has to listen to reproof on secular matters] because the Baraitha teaches, ‘What is yours and what is not yours’. Everything belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He, and [material things] are given only to test human beings so that the Garden of Eden should take its portion of them and Gehinnom its portion.
BARAITHA. Be submissive and beloved; be like a split bottle.
GEMARA. ‘Be submissive’—we have already learnt this in another chapter!¹⁰⁷III, 3. There it refers towards all one’s friends, and here towards the members of one’s family. ‘Be like a split bottle’—what need is there to teach this here?¹⁰⁸Since it occurs in III, 5. It is necessary because you might think that there it refers only to Torah and religious precepts and not to things that perish.¹⁰⁹i.e. matters of passing value. Hence it teaches [that it does also apply to such matters].

Great is the Torah for it gives life to those who keep it, both in this world and in the World to Come, as it is stated, For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh;³⁷Prov. 4, 22. and it states, It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones;³⁸ibid. III, 8. [and it states,] Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;³⁹ibid. 17. and it states, She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdeth her fast;⁴⁰ibid. 18. and it states, She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; a crown of glory will she bestow on thee;⁴¹ibid. IV, 9. and it states, For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and a necklace about thy neck;⁴²ibid. I, 9. and it states, Length of days is in her right hand; in her left are riches and honour;⁴³ibid. III, 16. and it states, For length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to thee.⁴⁴ibid. III, 2.
R. Simeon b. Judah said in the name of R. Simeon [b. Yoḥai]: Beauty, strength, riches, wisdom, old age, hoariness, honour and children are becoming to the righteous and becoming to the world; as it is stated, The hoary head is a crown of glory, it is found in the way of righteousness;⁴⁵ibid. XVI, 31. and it states, Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of the children are their fathers;⁴⁶ibid. XVII, 6. and it states, The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the hoary head;⁴⁷ibid. XX, 29. and it states, And before His elders shall be glory.⁴⁸Isa. 24, 23. R. Simeon b. Menasia said: The seven qualifications which the Sages associated with the righteous were all realized in Rabbi [Judah the Prince] and his sons.
⁴⁹This paragraph is not in the text, but is inserted because it is referred to in the Gemara. The translation follows the text of H. [R. Jose b. Ḳisma said: Once I went on a journey when a man met me and greeted me.⁵⁰R. Jose did not return the man’s salutation. Cf. the Gemara. He asked me, ‘Rabbi, from which place do you come?’ I replied, ‘From a great city of scholars and scribes’. He said to me, ‘Rabbi, if you agreed to dwell with us in our place, I would give you a thousand thousand golden dinars and precious stones and pearls’. I replied, ‘My son, were you to give me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world, I would not dwell in any place but in a place of Torah. Because in the hour of a man’s departure [from the world], neither silver nor gold nor precious stones and pearls accompany him but only Torah and good deeds; as it is stated, When thou walkest, it shall lead thee, when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.⁵¹Prov. 6, 22. When thou walkest, it shall lead thee—in this world; when thou liest down, it shall watch over thee—in the grave; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee—in the World to Come. And so it is written in the Book of Psalms of David, king of Israel, The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver;⁵²Ps. 119, 72. and it states, Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold, saith the Lord of hosts.]⁵³Hag. 2, 8.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel then added to what he said: One who studies Torah in his youth is like a young man who married a young woman. She was a good match for him, and he a good match for her. And she cast herself upon him, and he cast himself upon her. One who studies Torah in his old age, what is he like? Like an old man who married a young woman. She was a good match for him, but he was not a good match for her. She cast herself upon him, but he kept his distance from her, as it says (Psalms 127:4–5), “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are children of youth.” And immediately afterward it says, “Happy is the man who fills his quiver with them.” One who learns and then forgets is like a woman who gives birth to children and then buries them, as it says (Hosea 9:12), “Even though they raise children, I will bereave people of them.” Do not read “bereave” (v’sikaltim), but rather, “cause them to forget” (v’shikhahtim).
(Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar would say: One who studies Torah in his youth is like a doctor who is treating a wound, and has a scalpel to cut into it and medicine to heal it. One who studies Torah in his old age is like a doctor who is treating a wound, and has a scalpel to cut into it but no medicine to heal it. So it is with words of Torah: they) are marked [in order for an individual] to distinguish one from one another, and then arranged side by side, as it says (Proverbs 7:3), “Tie them to your fingers and write them on the tablet of your heart.” And also (Proverbs 6:21), “Tie them to your heart always, and fasten them around your throat.”