Bibbia Ebraica
Bibbia Ebraica

Talmud su Deuteronomio 17:18

וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֥י הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַלְוִיִּֽם׃

E sarà, quando siederà sul trono del suo regno, che gli scriverà una copia di questa legge in un libro, da quello che è davanti ai sacerdoti Leviti.

Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin

MISHNAH: He shall not add wives168Deut. 17:17., only eighteen169This is the number of wives David could have had, as explained in the Halakhah.. Rebbi Jehudah says, he may have many on condition that they not deflect his mind170Deut. 17:17 reads: And he shall not add wives, lest his mind be deflected (from his religious duties.) If the prohibition were absolute, it would not need a rationale.. Rebbi Simeon says, he should not marry even one if she deflects his mind171R. Simeon in principle objects to R. Jehudah’s argument. For him, every biblical commandment has a rationale indicated in the text, even if it is not explicit (Babli 21a). Therefore, lest his mind be deflected is a commandment in itself. Hence, 18 wives is the maximum permitted to a king under any circumstances.. Then why was it said, he shall not add wives? Even one like Abigail172Who prevented David from sinning, cf. Halakhah 3. Since she predicted that David would be king, she is counted as a prophetess (Seder Olam Chap. 2)..
He shall not add horses173Deut. 17:16., over and above what he needs for his chariots. And silver and gold he shall not add excessively168Deut. 17:17., over and above what he needs for his payroll174Greek ὀψώνιον, Latin obsonium,“victuals, allowance, gratuity”, here taken as allowances for everybody on the king’s payroll.. And he shall write a Torah scroll175Deut. 17:18. for himself. If he goes to war, it is with him; if he returns, it is with him; if he sits in court, it is with him; if he sits down for dinner, it is with him, as it is said: It shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life176Deut. 17:19..
One does not ride on his horse, nor does one sit on his throne, nor does one use his scepter. One may not see him when he is barbered, nor when he is naked, nor when he is in the bath, as it is said177Deut. 17:15.: You certainly shall put a king over you, that his fear be upon you.
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Jerusalem Talmud Megillah

Assyrian has a script but no language; Hebrew has a language but no script. They choose for themselves Assyrian script and Hebrew language285This refers to the tradition quoted in the Babli, Sanhedrin 21a: “Originally the Torah was given to Israel in Hebrew script and the Holy Language. It was given to them a second time in the days of Ezra in Assyrian script and Aramaic language. Israel chose for themselves Assyrian script and the Holy language.” For this entire passage the Babli reference is Sanhedrin 21b–22a.. Why is it called Assyrian? Because it is beautiful script; Rebbi Levi said, because they brought it with them from Assyria286In the first version the name of the script has nothing to do with Assyria. In the second it is asserted that it is the Aramaic script of what earlier was Assyria.. It was stated: Rebbi Yose said, Ezra was worthy that the Torah could have been given through him, only Moses’s generation preceded him. Even though the Torah was not given through him, but he gave writing and language285This refers to the tradition quoted in the Babli, Sanhedrin 21a: “Originally the Torah was given to Israel in Hebrew script and the Holy Language. It was given to them a second time in the days of Ezra in Assyrian script and Aramaic language. Israel chose for themselves Assyrian script and the Holy language.” For this entire passage the Babli reference is Sanhedrin 21b–22a.; and the script of the letter written in Aramaic and explained in Aramaic287Ezra 4:7.. And they could not read this script288Dan. 5:8.; this teaches that it was given on that day289The Babylonian sages could not read the script on the wall because it was new. This claims divine origin for the square script.. Rebbi Nathan says, the Torah was given in paleo-Hebrew; this follows Rebbi Yose290The Babylonian R. Nathan follows the Babylonian tradition that traces Targum Onkelos to Ezra and asserts that he transcribed the Torah into Aramaic script.. Rebbi said, the Torah was given in Assyrian, but when they sinned it was changed into paleo-Hebrew. When they merited it in the days of Ezra it was changed into Assyrian: Also today I shall return to you what was told to change291Zach. 9:12. The translation here tries to express the homily implied by the quotes.; he shall write for himself this changing Torah in a scroll292Deut. 17:18., a script which in the future is apt to change. It was stated: Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar says in the name of Rebbi Eleazar ben Protos who said it in the name of Rebbi Eleazar from Modiin, the Torah was given in Assyrian script. What is the reason? The hooks of the pillars293Ex. 27:10., that the letters vav of the Torah look like pillars294In paleo-Hebrew the letter vav, meaning “hook”, really looks like a hook on a stick. In square script the hook is lost, only the stick is left.. Rebbi Levi said, for him who said, the Torah was given in paleo-Hebrew, the letter ayin was a miracle295This does not refer to the Torah but to the stone tablets. From the description that the tablets were written on both sides it is inferred that the letters pierced the stone; the same letters were visible on both sides. This creates a problem for circular shaped letters, ayin in paleo-Hebrew and samekh in square script.. He who said, the Torah was given Assyrian, the letter samekh was a miracle. Rebbi Jeremiah in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba and Rebbi Simon both were saying, in earlier copies of the Torah neither he nor final mem were closed296The open final mem is exemplified in the Aramaic inscription of King Uziahu’s ossuary. In early Medieval mss. the he looks like a ח, only that the left leg is not at the left end but touching the vertical bar somewhat to the right. The open he is recommended in the Babli, Menaḥot 29b. For a thorough discussion, cf. S. Liebermann, Tarbiz 4 (1933) pp. 292–293.. Therefore samekh was closed297This justifies R. Levi’s remark that only samekh but not final mem represented a problem..
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