Talmud su Ecclesiaste 7:78

Rebbi Yasa stated before Rebbi Joḥanan: Just as one defiles himself for a corpse of obligation, so one defiles himself for a limb of a corpse of obligation¹⁵This contradicts the preceding statement.. Rebbi Joḥanan answered him: Is that so? Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Ze‘ira: Explain it if he returns¹⁶If a Cohen was burying a corpse of obligation and later found another limb of the same corpse, he may bury the limb since he already is impure and the prohibition of Lev. 21:1 refers only to him becoming impure, not to what he does once he is impure. In the Babli, 43b, this is a tannaïtic statement ascribed to R. Jehudah.. It was stated: Rebbi Yose said, nobody has to defile himself for a limb from his living father, but one has to defile himself for bone the size of a barley corn from his father. Rebbi Jehudah says, just as one has to defile himself for bone the size of a barley corn from his father, so one has to defile himself for a limb from his living father¹⁷Śemaḥot 4:27. In the Babylonian sources, Babli 43b, Sifra Emor Introduction 13, R. Jehudah represents the opinion ascribed here to R. Yose, while R. Yose denies that a Cohen defiles himself for a piece of his father’s bone. The reason given is Lev. 21:3 (speaking of the Cohen’s unmarried sister): “For her he has to defile himself,” interpreted as “for her body, but not for her body parts.”. ¹⁸Sifra Emor Introduction 14. Śemaḥot 4:28 (יוסף פסקס), Yalqut Qohelet 976 (יוסף הכהן). It is clear from the story that one speaks of a priestly family.“It happened that Yose ben Paxas developed a growth¹⁹Greek νομή “cancerous growth”. on his foot. When the surgeon came to remove it, he told him to inform him when only a hair’s breadth was left²⁰Connecting the growth to his body.. He²¹The surgeon. cut until only a hair’s breadth was left, and informed him. He²²Yose ben Paxas. addressed his son Onias and told him, Onias my son, up to now you had to care for me, but leave now since nobody has to defile himself for a limb from his living father²³Since the growth, once separated from his body, is impure in the impurity of the dead (Mishnah Ahilut 2:1).. When this came before the Sages, they said, about him it was said: “It happens that a just man is lost in his merit²⁴Eccl. 7:15. The implication is that practice follows R. Yose.;” the just is lost and his merit accompanies him.

⁵⁶The legend of Aḥer is also found in Ruth rabba 6(6), Eccl. rabba 7(18); partially Babli 15a/b. Note that Aḥer’s birth is dated both to Jerusalem before the first war against the Roman as also to the ascendancy of RR. Eliezer and Joshua after the death of Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai about 80CE. His apostasy is dated to the Hadrianic persecutions after 130, and his unmarried daughters appear before Rebbi not before 180. Rebbi Meïr was sitting and preaching in the House of Study of Tiberias when his teacher Elisha passed by riding on a horse on the Sabbath. They came and told him, your teacher is outside. He stopped his sermon and went out to him. He asked him, what did you preach today? He told him, and the Eternal blessed the end⁵⁷Job 42:12. etc. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He answered him, and the Eternal added double all that Job had owned⁵⁸Job 42:10.; that he doubled his money. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the Eternal blessed the end of Job from his beginning, by the merit of commandments and good works which were in his hand from his beginning. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, the end of a matter is better than the beginning⁵⁹Eccl. 7:8.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? For example, a man who had children in his youth but they died, and in his old age they lived; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who traded in his youth and lost, and in his old age and gained; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who studied Torah in his youth and forgot, in his old age he remembered; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the end of a matter is good from the beginning, in case it is good from the start, and this applies to me. My father Abuya was one of the leading Jerusalemites. On the day he came to circumcise me he invited all the leading Jerusalemites and sat them in one room, and Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua in another room⁶⁰Cf. Note 56.. After they ate and drank they started to clap with their hands and dance. Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua said, while they are occupied in theirs let us be occupied with ours. They sat occupied with words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs. Fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them. Abuya told them, my teachers! Why do you come to burn down my house? They told him, Heaven forbid! But we were sitting reviewing the words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs, and the words were joyful as at their giving on Sinai. And was the main giving on Sinai not in fire? And the Mountain burns in the fire up to the heart of Heaven⁶¹Deut. 4:11.. My father Abuya told them, my teachers! If that is the power of Torah, if this son of mine survives I dedicate him to Torah. Because his intent was not for Heaven, it did not succeed with this man. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, it cannot be valued by gold or glass⁶²Job 28:17.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He told him, the words of the Torah are as difficult to acquire as golden vessels, and as easy to lose as glass vessels. And like golden and glass vessels when they are broken he can make them vessels as before, also the student of the Sages who forgot his learning can learn it anew. He said to him, this is enough, Meïr, up to here is the Sabbath domain. He asked him, how do you know? He told him, from the horse’s hooves which I continuously counted for 2’000 cubits. He said to him, all that wisdom is in you and you do not repent? He told him, I cannot. He asked him, why? He told him, once I was passing by the Holiest of Holies riding on a horse on the Day of Atonement which fell on a Sabbath and I heard an unembodied voice coming from the Holiest of Holies, saying, return, erring children⁶³Jer. 3:14,22., except for Elisha ben Abuya who knew My power and rebelled against Me. And all that came to him because he was sitting memorizing in the valley of Genezareth and saw a man climbing to the top of a date palm taking the mother with the chicks and descending safely. The next day he saw another man climbing to the top of a date palm, taking the chicks and sending away the mother. When climbing down he was bitten by a snake, and he died. He said, it is written⁶⁴Deut. 22:7., sending away you shall send the mother, but the chicks you may take for yourself, so it will be good for you and prolong your days. Where is the good for this one? Where is the prolongation of days of this one? He did not know that Rebbi Jacob had explained it preceding him⁶⁵Tosephta Ḥulin 10:16., so it will be good for you in the future world which is all good, and prolong your days, in the future which is all long. But some are saying, because he saw the tongue of Rebbi Jehudah the baker in the mouth of a dog, oozing blood. He said, is this the Torah and this is its reward? This is the tongue which was delivering the words of the Torah correctly; this is the tongue which occupied itself with Torah all its days; [is this the Torah and this is its reward?] It appears that there is no reward and no resurrection of the dead. But some are saying, when his mother was pregnant with him she passed by pagan temples and smelled of this kind. And this smell was bubbling in her body like the poison of a viper. Later Elisha fell sick. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher is sick. He went to visit him and found him sick. He asked him, are you not repenting? He asked, and if one repents, is one accepted? He told him, is it not written, man shall repent up to extinction⁶⁶Ps. 90:3., one receives up to the extinction of the breath. At that moment Elisha cried, passed away, and died. Rebbi Meïr was happy internally and said, it seems that my teacher passed away repentant. After they buried him, fire descended from Heaven and burned his grave. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher’s grave is on fire. He went to visit it and found it burning. What did he do? He took his kaftan and spread it over it. He said, stay for the night⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., etc. Stay for this world which compares to the night, and it will be in the morning, this is the Future World which is all morning, if the Good One will redeem, this is the Holy One, praise to Him, who is Good, as it is written⁶⁸Ps. 145:9., the Eternal is good to all, and His mercies are on all His creatures. And if He does not want to redeem you I shall redeem you, living is the Eternal⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., and it was extinguished. They asked Rebbi Meïr, if they ask you in that World, whom do you want to visit, your father or your teacher? He told them, I shall visit my teacher first and afterwards my father. They said, will they listen to you? He told them, did we not state⁶⁹Mishnah Šabbat 16:2., “one saves the case of a scroll with the scroll, and the case of phylacteries with the phylacteries”? One saves Elisha Aher by the merit of his Torah. Later his daughters went to take charity from Rebbi. Rebbi decided and said, nobody shall show him grace nor be friendly to his orphans⁷⁰Ps. 109:12.. They told him, Rebbi. Do not look at his deeds, do look at his Torah. At this moment Rebbi cried and decided for them that they be provided for⁷¹This usually means to be given a dowry for a decent marriage.. He said, if this one who toiled in Torah not for Heaven’s sake, see what he produced⁷²He raised a good Jewish family.; one who toils in the Torah for itself not so much more?

Rebbi Zeïra bent down during a eulogy. They wanted to straighten him up and found that he tarried. They said to him, what is this? He said to them, because we will go there, following (Eccl. 7:2): “Let the one who is alive take it to heart.”

Rebbi Zeïra bent down¹¹⁹Most commentators explain that Rebbi Zeïra fell down. But the parallels quoted in Levy’s dictionary show that Aramaic שרע is the parallel of biblical Hebrew סרח, “overhanging”. The speaker was leaning down over the railing of his pulpit. during a eulogy. They wanted to straighten him up and found that he tarried¹²⁰The Aramaic עני may mean 1) to become poor, 2) to take one’s time, tarry, 3) to empty oneself. In Yerushalmi sources, the form איעני is found only in meaning 2). The verse quoted reads in full: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a wedding. Since that is the end of all humanity, let the one who is alive take it to heart.”. They said to him, what is this? He said to them, because we will go there, following (Eccl. 7:2): “Let the one who is alive take it to heart.”

Rebbi Jeremiah asked: May he who ate vegetable recite Grace? Rebbi Jeremiah seems to contradict himself⁷⁸The contradiction will be explained in the following lengthy story.! It has been stated: 300 nezirim⁷⁹People who made a vow to abstain from all grape products, let their hair grow, and kept themselves in strict ritual purity for a certain amount of time. At the end of that time, the nazir could terminate his vow only if he offered a sheep as holocaust sacrifice, a female sheep for a sin-offering, and a goat for a family sacrifice (Num. 6). Most of these nezirim were poor people who relied on charity to fulfill their obligations in the Temple. came in the days of Simeon ben Shetaḥ⁸⁰President of the Synhedrion in the times of the Hasmonean king Alexander Yannai and brother of queen Shlomẓion (Salome Alexandra).. For 150 of them he found an opening⁸¹An “opening of regrets”, an argument that made the nazir regret his original decision to become a nazir; this invalidates the vow retroactively so that no sacrifice may be brought., for 150 of them he did not find an opening. He came to king Yannai and said to him: There are here 300 nezirim who need 900 sacrifices. You should give half of them from your side, I shall give half from my side. The king sent him 450 animals. An informer went around and said that the other one had not given anything from his own money. King Yannai heard about it and got angry. Simeon ben Shetaḥ feared and fled⁸²In the parallel in the Babli (48ab), Simeon ben Shetaḥ went into hiding because Alexander Yannai sided with the Sadducees when it was reported to him that some Pharisees thought him to be unfit as priest.. After some time, important people from the Persian empire came to king Yannai⁸³During all of the Second Commonwealth and certainly during the reign of Alexander Yannai, the Jewish state relied on contributions from the Jews in the diaspora, both from Rome and from Persia (then, Parthia). It may be assumed that the delegation brought the yearly subsidy and, therefore, was in a position to enforce their will.. At the meal, they said to him: We remember that there was here an old man who gave us a rabbinic discourse. He told them what had happened. They said to him, send and bring him! He sent and gave him his word⁸⁴That it was safe and nothing would happen to him. In the Babli, it was the queen, Simeon’s sister, who arranged matters.; he came and sat between king and queen. He said to him, why did you trick me? He said, I did not trick you; you with your money and I with my learning, as it is written (Eccl. 7:12) “In the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money⁸⁵Wisdom and money are equivalent to give protection..” He said to him, why did you disappear? He said to him, I heard that my lord was angry with me and I wanted to fulfill the verse (Is. 26:20) “Hide a little bit until the rage passes;” he used about himself (Eccl. 7:12): “Knowledge is an advantage, wisdom lets its possessor live.” He said to him, why did you sit between king and queen? He said to him, it is written in the book of Ben Sirach⁸⁶This verse cannot be reconstructed with confidence, since the manuscripts of the Babli and parallel sources all have different versions.: “Esteem it and it will raise you and set you between princes.” He said, bring him a cup that he may recite Grace. He took the cup and said: “Let us give praise for the food that Yannai and his company ate.” He said to him, are you still obstinate as ever? He said to him, what should I say, “for the food that we did not eat?” He said, bring him something that he may eat. They brought, he ate and recited: “For the food that we ate.” Rebbi Yoḥanan said, his colleagues disagree with Simeon ben Shetaḥ. Rebbi Jeremiah said, about the first action⁸⁷That he tricked Yannai to give the animals for sacrifices under false pretenses, even though formally Simeon ben Shetaḥ was correct. The second action was that he refused to recite Grace without having eaten at least a minimal meal.
The text here is clearly corrupt since by the statement of the Talmud, Rebbi Jeremiah disagrees with Simeon ben Shetaḥ about the recitation of Grace. The correct text, that R. Abba refers to the first action and R. Jeremiah to the second, is in the Yerushalmi source Midrash Bereshit rabba 51. [In the Babli, 48a, it is R. Abba the son of R. Ḥiyya bar Abba in the name of R. Yoḥanan who declares that Grace cannot be recited by someone who did not eat bread. But the Babli cannot be used for the text of the Yerushalmi.]; Rebbi Abba said, about the second action. Rebbi Jeremiah seems to contradict himself! There he wondered about it and here⁸⁸In his theoretical question he wonders, in his critique of Simeon ben Shetaḥ following R. Yoḥanan he is certain. it is obvious for him! He wondered following the Sages; it is obvious for him following Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel. We have stated about this: If one was lying on a couch and ate⁸⁹In the Midrash, the Rome manuscript, the Tosephta, (and the Babli) “dipped (some vegetable in broth)”. Both in the Yerushalmi, here and Nazir 5:5, and the prints of the Midrash, this is labelled “words of the Sages.” But in the Tosephta (5:20) and manuscripts of the Midrash (and in the Babli 48a), the statement is attributed to Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel. It seems that the attribution here to the Sages is a scribal error since the opinion attributed to Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel in the last baraita is the one given in the Tosephta and R. Jeremiah is reported as following the latter’s opinion in the interpretation of the story of Simeon ben Shetaḥ. with them, even if he did not eat grain the volume of an olive one ‘invites’ with him, the words of the Sages. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Yoḥanan: One never ‘invites’ anyone unless he had eaten grain the volume of an olive⁹⁰In the restrictive spirit of the Yerushalmi as explained earlier.. But did we not formulate, “two bread and one vegetable, then one ‘invites’?” This baraita follows Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel.

¹¹⁸Berakhot 7:2, Notes 79–90. It has been stated: 300 nezirim came in the days of Rebbi Simeon ben Shetaḥ. For 150 of them he found an opening, for 150 of them he did not find an opening. He came to king Yannai and said to him: There are here 300 nezirim who need 900 sacrifices. You should give half of them from your side, I shall give half from my side. The king sent him 450 animals. An informer went around and said that the other one had not given anything from his own money. King Yannai heard about it and got angry. Simeon ben Shetaḥ heard and fled. After some time, important people from the Persian empire came to king Yannai. They said to him: We remember that there was an old man who gave us a rabbinic discourse. They said to him, send and bring him! He sent and gave him his word; he came and sat between king and queen. He said to him, why did you trick me? He said, I did not trick you; you with your money and I with my learning, as it is written (Eccl. 7:12) “In the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money.” He said to him, why did you disappear? He said to him, I heard that my lord was angry with me and I wanted to fulfill the verse (Is. 26:20) “Hide a little bit until the rage passes;” he used about himself (Eccl. 7:12): “Knowledge is an advantage, wisdom lets its possessor live.” He said to him, why did you sit between king and queen? He said to him, it is written in the book of Ben Sirach: “Esteem it and it will raise you and seat you among princes.” He said, bring him a cup that he may recite Grace. They brought him a cup and he said: “Let us give praise for the food that Yannai and his company ate.” He said to him, what should I say, “for the food that we did not eat?” He said, bring him something that he may eat. They brought, he ate and recited: “For the food that we ate.” ¹¹⁹This paragraph has no place here, it refers to the discussion in Berakhot. Rebbi Yoḥanan said, his colleagues disagree with Simeon ben Shetaḥ. Rebbi Jeremiah said, about the first action; Rebbi Abba said, about the second action. Rebbi Jeremiah seems to contradict himself! There he wondered about it and here it is obvious for him! He wondered following the Sages; it is obvious to him following Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel. We have stated about this: If one came, was lying on a couch, and dipped with them, even if he did not eat grain the volume of an olive one ‘invites’ with him, the words of the Sages. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Yoḥanan: One never ‘invites’ anyone unless he has eaten grain the volume of an olive. But did we not formulate, “two [eating] bread and one [eating] vegetable, then one ‘invites’?” This baraita follows Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel.

BARAITHA.⁷⁵In V the Baraitha and Gemara are intermingled. They have been separated for the sake of clarity. Be not like a large door which lets in the wind⁷⁶‘Wind’ signifies pride: do not be haughty. Cf. Prov. 17, 19, He that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. [or like a small door which disregards precious friends];⁷⁷‘Small door’ signifies impatience which may drive away precious friends. be like a lower sill on which all tread.
GEMARA. [‘Be not like a small door’]: Be not impatient, because [impatience] alienates you from your fellow-men. ‘Be like a lower sill’: If a house has no lower sill it appears like a defective [or] deserted [building]; so must you be meek. Even if you possess all other virtues but lack humility, you are a defective person; for people will say, ‘So-and-so would be a great man but for his pride’. To teach you that it is so, [Scripture declares,] For he that feareth God shall discharge himself of them all.⁷⁸Eccl. 7, 18. Raba said: In the same way that the sill guides the doors to close and open, so humility is a fence to wisdom.

If you make yourself a surety [for another] it should be with the object of paying [that surety];¹²If called upon to do so. or if you become a guarantor it should be with the object of paying [the guarantee].¹³Therefore do not offer to become a guarantor lightheartedly. If you borrow [money] it should be with the object of repaying [the loan];¹⁴So borrow only if you are in a position to repay. and if you lend money bear in mind that you may have to claim it¹⁵And have difficulty in collecting it. and that you might [even] have to make a settlement.¹⁶And lose part of the sum loaned. Another reading is lehafsid, ‘lose the sum’.
If one has acquired for himself a good name,¹⁷Cf. Prov. 22, 1; Eccl. 7, 1; Aboth II, 8 (Sonc. ed., II, 7, p. 17). he has acquired it for himself.¹⁸In the sense that, unlike any other possession, it cannot be transmitted to another. If one has acquired for himself words of Torah, he has acquired for himself the life of the World to Come.

¹¹⁵A fundraiser’s sermon Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Tanḥum ben Rebbi Ḥiyya. If somebody studied and taught, kept and did, and it was in his power to strengthen¹¹⁶To give financial support to institutions of Torah learning., but he did not strengthen, that one is in the set of the cursed. Rebbi Jeremiah in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: If somebody did not study, did not teach, did not keep and did not do, and it was not in his hand to strengthen but he did strengthen¹¹⁷He gave financial support to institutions of Torah learning even though he was not rich., that one is in the set of the blessed. And Rebbi Ḥana, Rebbi Jeremiah, said in the name of Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: In the future [world], the Holy One, praise to Him, will make shadow of those who perform commandments¹¹⁸They give money to charity. A similar statement in the name of R. Joḥanan is in the Babli, Pesaḥim 53b. in the shadow of those who study Torah. What is the reason? “For in the shadow of Torah, in the shadow of money¹¹⁹Eccl. 7:12”. And it is said, “it¹²⁰The Torah (taken here as symbol for the institutions of Torah study). is a tree of life for those who support it.¹²¹Prov. 3:18. Midrash rabba Lev.25(1): “It does not say ‘it is a tree of life for those who study it’, but ‘who support it’.”

It is related of Joseph [the son of] Pisḳas⁵¹Cf. j.Nazir VII, 1, 55d. The text here is corrupt and the reading of GRA which agrees with the Talmud is followed. who had a swelling on his foot that a doctor came to remove it. He said to him, ‘When you have left as much as a single hair, tell me’. He cut the abscess, and when he had left only as much as a single hair,⁵²i.e. the swelling was hanging from the foot as by a hair. he informed him. He called his son Neḥunia and said to him, ‘My son, until now it was your duty to attend to me, but now go your way; for the Sages said, “One must not defile himself for a limb that was severed from a living person, even if it be his father’s” ’.⁵³Joseph was a kohen. When the Sages heard of it they said, ‘Of such a man as he it has been stated, My soul is continually in my hand; yet have I not forgotten Thy law;⁵⁴Ps. 119, 109. [and it further states,] There is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness⁵⁵Although Joseph was in danger of dying under the operation, he remembered to warn his son of the law of defilement which devolved upon a kohen. and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing.’⁵⁶Eccl. 7, 15.

HALAKHAH: ¹²²This paragraph should belong to the next Halakhah, discussion of Mishnah 5. From where that one may feed him fig cake and raisins of heave? From this: They gave him a slice of fig cake and two raisins¹²³1Sam. 30:12. Since the verse reports that the Egyptian recovered from having been without food for 72 hours, this sugary food is proven antidote to boulimy and may be given even from prohibited food.. Rebbi Ḥuna said, the twenty-four esronot which David ate, he ate in hunger¹²⁴He implies that Ahimelekh gave to David all shew breads of the Tabernacle (1Sam. 21:7) and he ate all of them. There are 12 breads, each of them 2 esronot(Lev.24:5). 24 esronot are 2.4 epha, or 7.2 seah, a volume of about 92 liter of flour. (Cf. S. Abramson, Sinai 63(1968), pp. 193–197.). This happened to Rebbi Joḥanan¹²⁵An attack of boulimy. and he ate everything which happened to be before him. They quoted about him, wisdom revives its possessor¹²⁶Eccl. 7:12.. It was stated: “One feeds him the least forbidden¹²⁷If no kosher food is available at the moment. Babli 83a, Tosephta 4:4.. Carcass meat or heave, one feeds him heave. Ṭevel and sabbatical produce¹²⁸While illegitimate use of heave oil for anointing is prohibited, it is mentioned in the framework of the farmer’s declaration in the Temple, which is a positive commandment. Overstepping the prohibition of anointing when it is forbidden legally is overstepping a positive commandment not under the scope of biblical penal law., one feeds him Šabbatical produce.” Ḥallah and ˋorlah is problematic¹²⁹Ḥallah as heave is a sanctum, forbidden to non-Cohanim. Its improper ingestion is a deadly sin. Usufruct of ˋorlah is forbidden to everybody as a simple prohibition.. Rebbi Yose said, I questioned before Rebbi Ba: Heave is a deadly sin, carcass meat a prohibition¹³⁰Eating non-kosher meat is a simple prohibition punishable by 39 lashes., and you are saying so? Following him who said, they accepted the tithes voluntarily¹³¹In this opinion, tithes, heave, and Sabbatical produce are biblical obligations only if all 12 tribes are on their ancestral lands; today all these obligations were voluntarily accepted by the returnees from Babylon and have only rabbinic status.; Ševiˋit 6:1, Notes 11–13. But non-kosher food is biblically forbidden...

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.

HALAKHAH: “By the measure a person measures one measures him,” etc. ²⁴⁸Tosephta 3:1, Babli 8b. Midrash Tehillim 81(2), Num. rabba 9(23). It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: By the measure a person measures one measures him²⁴⁹The maxim “measure for measure” is found many times; e. g. Babli Šabbat 105b, Megillah 12b, Sanhedrin 90a, Sifry Num. 106 (cf. Halakhah 9), Mekhilta dR. Ismael (ed. Horovitz-Rabin) pp. 78,81,131; Gen. rabba 9(13), Ex. rabba 25(13) [shortened 9(9)]; Tanḥuma Noaḥ 13, Wa’era 14, Bešallaḥ 2,4, Tazria‘ 6; and very frequently in the Gaonic literature.. What is the reason? בְּסַאסְּאָה.²⁵⁰1s. 27:8., seah for seah. Not only a seah, from where a three-qab²⁵¹A seah is a Roman urna, 12.85 1. The seah contains 6 qab (κάβος); a terqab is half a seah (Gaonic Commentary to Mishnah Kelim 12:3; misinterpreted as תְּרֵיקָב “two qab” in Graetz, Geschichte der Judäer⁴ vol. 3, p. 443.), half a three-qab, half a qab, a quarter [qab], a toman²⁵²A toman is 1/8 qab, identical to a Roman hemina, Greek ἡμίνα, ½sextarius., half a toman, or an ukla²⁵³In the Babli עוכלא; a quarter toman, a Roman acetabulum, 6.6 cl. Qalir (Silluq Šabbat Šeqalim) calls it כלה and reports that it is slightly less than a hundredth of a seah.? The verse says, “for all that is in a seah, breaks the seah noisily²⁵⁴1s. 9:4.;” he added many seot here. Not only things that can be measured, from where that small coins add up to a large bill? The verse says, “one to one, to find the bill.²⁵⁵Eccl. 7:27. This is the end of the Tosephta and the parallel in the Babli.” It happens in the world that a person stumbles in a sin for which one would be punished by death by the hands of Heaven. His ox dies, his hen is lost, his flask breaks, and he hurts his finger, by that the bill is paid in full. Another explanation: One is filled into the next and the bill is established. And what is the fulfillment of the bill? Once²⁵⁶This explanation is the opposite of the first, that many small sins add up to one huge bill presented to a man by the Heavenly court..

BARAITHA. One should not be joyous when in the presence of those who weep, or weep in the presence of those who rejoice. One should not be awake among those who sleep or asleep among those who are awake.
GEMARA. On what grounds does the Baraitha first teach, ‘One should not be joyous’? Let it first teach, ‘Or weep’, etc.! Firstly, because one should not begin with unfortunate circumstances,²¹lit. ‘matters of punishment’, here people who have cause to weep. but on the contrary, priority should be given to the majority.²²And the majority rejoice rather than weep. [The Baraitha] follows the teaching of Solomon [who wrote], It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting.²³Eccl. 7, 2. Here mourning is mentioned first. Here is an additional proof: [The Baraitha] reads, ‘One should not be joyous’ and not ‘One should not make merry’, and then ‘or weep’ and not ‘be serious’.²⁴The wording of the Baraitha proves that, like Ecclesiastes, it does not deal with ordinary merry-making and seriousness, but with rejoicings at a marriage-feast and the anguish one feels in a house of mourning.
BARAITHA. One should not be impatient at meals.
GEMARA. One should not be [impatient] at meals; [is it then to be inferred from this] that in giving an exposition [of Torah], in studying and in other matters one may be [impatient]? Did not Beth Hillel cite this and say to Shammai, ‘Although you are hot-tempered and consequently overawe your fellow-beings, yet do not display impatience [towards the members of your household]²⁵On terrorizing one’s household, cf. Giṭ. 6b-7a (Sonc. ed., p. 21). lest you hinder them from performing good deeds’?
²⁶For the story, cf. Shab. 31a (Sonc. ed., pp. 138f.).It once happened that two²⁷V has ‘three’. men made a wager with each other, saying, ‘He who goes and makes Hillel angry shall receive four hundred zuz’. Said one, ‘I will go and incense him’.²⁸V has ‘etc.’ The anecdote is here reproduced in full from the Soncino version. That day was the Sabbath-eve, and Hillel was washing his head. He went, passed by the door of his house and called out, ‘Is Hillel here, is Hillel here?’^28a(28a) He spoke rudely, without addressing Hillel by his title. Thereupon he robed and went out to him, saying, ‘My son, what do you require?’ ‘I have a question to ask,’ he said. ‘Ask, my son,’ he prompted. Thereupon he asked, ‘Why are the heads of the Babylonians²⁹Hillel was a Babylonian, and so the question was intended as a personal insult. round?’ ‘My son, you have asked a great question,’ replied he; ‘because they have no skilful midwives.’ He departed, tarried a while, returned and called out, ‘Is Hillel here, is Hillel here?’ He robed and went out to him, saying, ‘My son, what do you require?’ ‘I have a question to ask,’ said he. ‘Ask, my son,’ he prompted. Thereupon he asked, ‘Why are the eyes of the Palmyreans bleared?’ ‘My son, you have asked a great question,’ replied he; ‘because they live in sandy places.’ He departed, tarried a while, returned and called out, ‘Is Hillel here, is Hillel here?’ He robed and went out to him, saying, ‘My son, what do you require?’ ‘I have a question to ask,’ said he. ‘Ask, my son,’ he prompted. He asked, ‘Why are the feet of the Africans wide?’ ‘My son, you have asked a great question,’ said he; ‘because they live in watery marshes.’³⁰To enable them to walk with ease. ‘I have many questions to ask,’ said he, ‘but fear that you may become angry.’ Thereupon he robed, sat before him and said, ‘Ask all the questions you have to ask’. ‘Are you the Hillel who is called the Nasi’ of Israel?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘If that is so,’ he retorted, ‘may there not be many like you in Israel.’ ‘Why, my son?’ queried he. ‘Because I have lost four hundred zuz through you,’ complained he. ‘Be careful of your moods,’ he answered, ‘Hillel is worth it that you should lose four hundred zuz and yet another four hundred zuz through him, yet Hillel shall not lose his temper.’
³¹For a parallel to the story, cf. Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations, I, 1, §4 (Sonc. ed., pp. 74f.).It once happened that R. ‘Aḳiba, accompanied by an Athenian, went on a journey and chanced to stay with a Gentile. He prepared for them four beds, laid an abundant meal before them and gave them wine to drink. They said, ‘We discern that this wine [has the flavour of]the dead’. He brought them meat and they said, ‘This meat is dog’s flesh’. He brought them pickle and they said, ‘It contains urine’. He brought them mustard and they said, ‘It contains beetles’. [The host] went to the tavern-keeper and asked, ‘What happened to the wine?’ He replied, ‘Nothing’. He said, ‘I adjure you to tell me’. He replied, ‘The wine comes from my father’s vineyard where he is buried’. He went to the butcher who told him, ‘It was the meat of a lamb whose dam died and I made her suck from a bitch’. He went to the pickle-maker who told him, ‘One night I was drunk and [my family] locked me in. I wanted to pass water but was unable to go out, so I opened this [jar of pickle] and poured the urine into it’. He went to the mustard-maker who told him, ‘One night I left [the mustard] uncovered and beetles got into it’. He then took the trouble to prepare [another] meal for them. They said one to another, ‘We notice that the host’s legs are like those of a clown’. The host overheard this and said [to himself], ‘Perhaps these men speak the truth’. So he pretended to be very ill and people came to visit him. He said to his mother, ‘If you disclose to me the name of my father I will recover’. She told him, but he said to her, ‘You are telling a lie’. Since she noticed that he was grieved she said to him, ‘My son, once my husband brought a clown to me; I misconducted myself with him and conceived you’. He went and embraced them, bowed to them and exclaimed, ‘In truth you are the people of the Holy God’. This is what Solomon said, For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.³²Eccl. 1, 18. The information which he obtained from his mother caused him sorrow.
³³Cf. Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations, I, 1, §7 (Sonc. ed., p. 77).A man once entered a school and said to a child, ‘Take this money and bring me something of which we can eat our fill and leave some over to take home’. He brought him salt and said to him, ‘Sir, you may eat your fill and leave some over to take home’.

The following was the practice of the Brotherhoods¹⁶Associations organized for the purpose, inter alia, of attending to the dead and mourners. Cf. Krauss, Talmudische Archäologie, II, p. 63 and p. 480, n. 459. in Jerusalem: Some went to the house of mourning, others to the house of feasting,¹⁷A marriage feast. some went to a circumcision¹⁸lit. ‘the week of the son’, a disguised term for the circumcision ceremony which was adopted during the Hadrianic persecution when the rite was prohibited; cf. B.B., Sonc. ed., p. 246, n. 8. and others to gather bones. [In the choice between going] to the house of mourning and the house of feasting, the house of feasting takes precedence; to a circumcision and to gather bones, the circumcision takes precedence. The pious men of olden days, however, gave precedence to the house of mourning over the house of feasting, for it is stated, It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart.¹⁹Eccl. 7, 2. Whoever follows the bier should say, ‘I, too, will follow this one [to the grave]’.