Talmud for Deuteronomy 1:28
אָנָ֣ה ׀ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ עֹלִ֗ים אַחֵינוּ֩ הֵמַ֨סּוּ אֶת־לְבָבֵ֜נוּ לֵאמֹ֗ר עַ֣ם גָּד֤וֹל וָרָם֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ עָרִ֛ים גְּדֹלֹ֥ת וּבְצוּרֹ֖ת בַּשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְגַם־בְּנֵ֥י עֲנָקִ֖ים רָאִ֥ינוּ שָֽׁם׃
Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.’
Jerusalem Talmud Maasrot
New section. “Pomegranates when they get soft.” Rebbi Zeïra in the name of Rebbi Assi: When the food gets soft in his hand. Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: From when half the juice is in them. Rebbi Jonah asked: Maybe he understood that from teachers of homilies? (Deut. 1:28) “Our brethren made our hearts melt,” they split our hearts in two59This interpretation, taking the hiph‘il of מסס as Greek ἥμισυς “half”, is not recorded in any Targum or known Midrash. From the homily one might infer that the local pronunciation of הֵמַסּוּ was הֵמִסּוּ or that the short vowels a,i were practically indistinguishable.
R. Jonah’s objection determines practice according to R. Zeïra..
R. Jonah’s objection determines practice according to R. Zeïra..
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