תלמוד על משלי 10:7

May one write two or three words from a verse⁶³Is it permitted to use parts of verses to make a point in a letter, implying that the words were written without the required ruled lines and not in square script. Instead of a reasoned answer it is pointed out that not only did Amoraim of all generations use biblical quotes in their letters but also that they did not adhere closely to the text.? Mar Uqba sent a letter to the Head of the Diaspora who went to sleep and got up with song: Israel, do not enjoy like the Gentiles⁶⁴Hos. 9:1.. Rebbi Aḥa wrote, the remembrance of the just is a blessing⁶⁵Prov. 10:7.. Rebbi Ze`ura wrote, Joash the King did not remember⁶⁶2Chr. 24:22.. Rebbi Jeremiah sent a letter to Rebbi Jehudah Nesia, to hate your lovers, to love your hater⁶⁷2S. 19:10. The order of the quotes is inverted.. Rebbi Ḥiyya, Rebbi Yasa, and Rebbi Immi judged Tamar. She went and complained about them to the prefect⁶⁸Greek ’ανθύπατος. of Sepphoris. They sent and wrote to Rebbi Abbahu⁶⁹Who was Rabbi of Caesarea Philippi, residence of the prefect’s superior. The judgment rendered by the three rabbis could be interpreted by the Roman authorities as an act of rebellion, usurping the role of Roman criminal courts. Since the Talmudim do not indicate that the rabbis were killed or jailed, R. Abbahu must have been more successful than he indicates in his letter., who wrote back to them, (twice) [already]⁷⁰The reading of the (scribe) has to be preferred over that of the [corrector]. we pacified the three informers⁷¹Reading delatores with Graetz., the well born, the well learned, and Tarshish, Eutokos, Eumathes, Thalassios⁷²Conjectured name.; but the rebellious Tamar remains in her rebellious state; we tried to soften her but in vain did one smelt to refine⁷³Jer. 6:29.. Rebbi Mana sent a letter to Rebbi Hoshaia ben Rebbi Shammai, your beginnings were small, your future may be much expanding⁷⁴Job8:7. In the second half of the verse, the word order and spelling are changed..

What are “the families of the pestle stealers and the fig hackers”? ¹⁹⁵In the Babli 28a, the story is told of the Roman government “acting in the manner of Jeroboam”. In the Tosephta 3:7 it is “Greek government acting in the manner of Jeroboam.” In both Babylonian sources the occurrences are dated to the Second commonwealth, which is a more reasonable scenario. But when Jeroboam ben Nabat installed border guards on the roads which did not permit Israel to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, everybody who was qualified and sin-fearing in that generation brought his first fruits, put them in a basket, covered them with dried figs and took the pestle. He takes the basket on his shoulder and the pestle in his hand. When he reaches that guard-post they were asking him, where are you going? He answered him, I am only going to make these few dried figs into a single fig cake with this pestle in my hand. After he had passed this guard, he adorned them and brought them to Jerusalem. ¹⁹⁶Babli 28a, Tosephta 3:8, as before. Why does one say, the family of Salmai¹⁹⁷In both Babylonian texts, Salmay from Netofa. The reference probably is to “the family of Salma from Bethlehem and Netofa” (1Chr. 2:54), Calebites. This makes sense for the Babylonian texts which date the story to the Second Commonwealth, but not for the Yerushalmi version. the puller-down? But anybody who was volunteering logs and firewood for the altar brought wood and makes them into a kind of steps, assembles them into a kind of ladder, and puts them on his shoulder. When he reaches that guard he asks him, where are you going? He answers him, I am only going to bring two pigeon chicks from this dovecote over there using the ladder on my shoulder. After he had passed this guard, he disassembled {his package} and brought it to Jerusalem. Since they put themselves in danger for the meritorious deed that merited a good reputation in the world, and about them he says¹⁹⁸Prov. 10:7., the remembrance of the just is a blessing.

R. Berekiah, quoting R. Jeremiah who had it from R. Ḥiyya, who reported it in the name of R. Joḥanan, said: When R. Jonathan came to the verse, Whom Nebuchadnezzar … had carried away,¹⁵Esth 2, 6. he used to exclaim, ‘O the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, may his bones be crushed! the good is rewarded¹⁶lit. ‘to mix’ (drinks), hence ‘to serve drinks’ and, metaphorically, ‘retribution, recompense’. according to his goodness and the wicked according to his wickedness, as it is stated, The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing; but the name of the wicked shall rot’.¹⁷Prov. 10, 7. This verse justifies the execration of Nebuchadnezzar and (in Rule 6) of Haman.