abbai

Rebbi Jacob bar Abbai in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: (Eccl. 4:17) “Watch you feet when you go to God’s house”; watch yourself when you are called to God’s house that you should be pure and innocent. Rebbi Abba said: (Prov. 5:18) “Your fountain shall be blessed”, your being called to the grave shall be blessed. Rebbi Berekhiah said (Eccl. 3:1): “A time to be born and a time to die”, hail to the man whose hour of death is like the hour of his birth; just as at the hour of his birth he was innocent so at the hour of his death may he be innocent.

If he planted and died, may his son keep it? Rebbi Jacob bar Abbai stated from Bar Delaiah: If he planted and died, his son may not keep it. This follows the one who says because of the suspicion, but because of the building of the father, his son may build.

HALAKHAH: Rebbi Yudan bar Pazi and Rebbi Ayvo bar Naggari were sitting and saying: We did state “after they conceded”; who conceded to whom? The House of Shammai to the House of Hillel or the House of Hillel to the House of Shammai? They said, let us go out and study. The went out and heard Rebbi Ḥizqiah, Rebbi Aḥa in the name of Rebbi Jehudah bar Ḥanina: We never find the House of Shammai conceding to the House of Hillel except in this matter. Rebbi Jonah in the name of Rebbi Abbai understood it from the following: “If someone pours from vessel to vessel and a ṭevul yom touches it, it should be lifted by 101.” If you say that the House of Hillel conceded to the House of Shammai that it cannot be lifted, who is the Tanna here, neither the House of Shammai nor the House of Hillel! Rebbi Ḥanina the son of Rebbi Hillel said, we might say that the House of Hillel stated that before they conceded. Rebbi Yose said, the Mishnah said so: “After they conceded, Rebbi Eliezer said it should be lifted and burned”, and is Rebbi Eliezer not a follower of Shammai? Rebbi Ḥinena said, the Mishnah said so, after they conceded one to another, the House of Shammai recused themselves and the others teach us. Rebbi Abin says, there is another answer, following what Rebbi Hoshaia stated: Since pure [heave], which for outsiders is forbidden as deadly sin, can be lifted, certainly also impure [heave] which is [prohibited] as positive commandment for Cohanim.

Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish asked, does cutting the `omer during daytime push aside the Sabbath? Rebbi Abbai objected, did we not state, “its obligation is to harvest during nighttime. If it was cut during daytime it is qualified and pushes the Sabbath aside.” But he did not accept it. Rebbi Aḥa said, Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish changed his opinion about this. “After nightfall he says to them, did the sun set? They say, yes. Did the sun set? They say, yes.” Where do we hold? If about nighttime, that already was said. But if it does not refer to nighttime, let it refer to daytime; it is a matter that pushes aside the Sabbath during daytime. Do the preparations push aside the Sabbath during nighttime? Did we not state, “they made the maker of pan-baked breads make pan-baked breads.” Explain it, on a weekday. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Ada stated, “this is the daily order of service of our God’s Temple,” whether on a weekday or a Sabbath. But did we not state, “they harvested it and put it in boxes, brought it to the Temple courtyard, and were parching it in fire to fulfill the commandment of roasting, [the words of Rebbi Meïr. Rebbi Yose says], since he started the meritorious work, one tells him to complete it.” Rebbi Judah from Kappadokia objected before Rebbi Yose: Think of it, if it came from storage. Since he started the meritorious work, there is no reason to tell him to complete it. Rebbi Jacob bar Sosai objected, did we not state, “for on a distance of walking a night and a day one desecrates the Sabbath and goes for testimony of the new moon”? He said to them, since the daytime needs the nighttime and the nighttime needs the daytime, it is as if it were all daytime. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, is it not sanctified retroactively? Since it is sanctified retroactively there is no difference between day and night.

HALAKHAH: It is written: The glory of the Eternal dwelt on Mount Sinai; the cloud covered it for six days; He called to Moses on the Seventh Day. Moses ascended. The Seventh after the Ten Commandments, the start of the Forty. Moses said to them, I shall be occupied on the Mountain for 40 days. When the fortieth day came and he did not come, immediately the people saw that Moses tarried in descending from the Mountain. When noontime came and he did not come, immediately the people congregated on Aaron and said to him, rise and make us gods which shall go before us, etc. The Eternal said to Moses, descend, for your people corrupted, etc. And Joshua heard the sound of the people in its dealings; he said to Moses, there is sound of war in the camp. Moses said, a man who in the future will rule over 600’000 does not know to distinguish between sound and sound? He said, there is no sound of shouts of strength nor sound of sounds of weakness, a sound of shouts I am hearing. Rebbi Yasa said, a sound of acclaim of foreign worship I am hearing. Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Yasa: There is no generation in which there is not an ounce of the sin of the Calf. It was when he approached the camp that he saw the Calf and fifes. Rebbi Ḥilkiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: From here that a person should not argue from guesses. Moses made an argument de minore ad majus. Since for the pesaḥ sacrifice, which is an isolated obligation, it is said no uncircumcised may eat from it, the Torah in which all commandments are contained not so much more? Moses got angry and he threw the tablets from his hand and broke them below the Mountain. Rebbi Ismael stated, the Holy One, praise to Him, told him to break them, [as it is said,] I shall write on the tablets the words which were on the first tablets luckily you broke. He said to him, you did well that you broke. Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets were six hand-breadths long and three wide. Moses held two hand-breadth, the Holy One, praise to Him two hand-breadth, and two hand-breadths of space were between them. When Israel sinned in that way, the Holy One wanted to seize them from Moses’s hand, but Moses’s hand had the better of it and seized them from Him. That is what the verse praises him at the end and says, and all the strong hand, peace shall be on the hand which had the better on mine. Rebbi Joḥanan in the name of Rebbi Yose ben Abbai: the tablets wanted to fly off but Moses held them, [as is written,] I grabbed the two tablets. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nehemiah, the writing itself flew off. Rebbi Ezra in the name of Rebbi Jehudah ben Rebbi Simon: The tablets were a load of forty seah but the writing was carrying them. When the writing flew off they were too heavy for Moses’s hands, they fell, and broke.

Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish asked, does cutting the `omer during daytime push aside the Sabbath? Rebbi Abbai objected, did we not state, “its obligation is to harvest during nighttime. If it was cut during daytime it is qualified and pushes the Sabbath aside.” But he did not accept it. Rebbi Aḥa said, Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish changed his opinion because of this: “After nightfall he says to them, did the sun set? They say, yes. Did the sun set? They say, yes.” Where do we hold? If about nighttime, that already was said. But if it does not refer to nighttime, let it refer to daytime; it is a matter that pushes aside the Sabbath during daytime. Do the preparations push aside the Sabbath during nighttime? Did we not state, “they made the maker of pan-baked breads make pan-baked breads.” Explain it, on a weekday. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Ada stated, “this is the daily order of service of our God’s Temple,” whether on a weekday or a Sabbath. But did we not state, “they harvested it and put it in boxes, brought it to the Temple courtyard, and were parching it in fire to fulfill the commandment of roasting. Rebbi Yose said, since he started the meritorious work, one tells him to complete it.” Rebbi Judah from Kappadokia objected before Rebbi Yose: Think of it, if it came from storage. Since he did not start the meritorious work, there is no reason to tell him to complete it. Rebbi Jacob bar Sosai objected before Rebbi Yose, did we not state, “for on a distance of walking a night and a day one desecrates the Sabbath and goes for testimony of the new moon”? He said to them, since the daytime needs the nighttime and the nighttime needs the daytime, it is as if it were all daytime. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, is it not sanctified retroactively? Since it is sanctified retroactively there is no difference between day and night.

We have stated: Jehudah ben Ṭabbai was Patriarch, and Simeon ben Shetaḥ President of the Court; there are Tannaim who switch. What happened in Alexandria supports him who said, Jehudah ben Tabbai was Patriarch. [The people of Jerusalem] wanted to appoint him Patriarch in Jerusalem. The people from Jerusalem did write: From the great Jerusalem to the small Alexandria: How long still will my betrothed live in your midst and I am sitting sorrowful about him? He took leave and started on a ship. He said, I remember the lady of the house who received us; what is she missing? One of his students told him, her eye is damaged. He told him, you have sinned twice; first that you suspected me, and second that you looked at her. Did I say that she was beautiful in looks? I only said that about her deeds. He was taking offense and he left.

So is the Mishnah: “Because he did only add for the love of the first night, when he had intercourse with her.” If he slept with her, divorced her, and took her back, the love of the first night is still there. If he slept with her, died, and she became available to the levir, the love of the first night is still there. Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa, Rebbi Alexis in the name of Ḥizqiah: Practice follows Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah who said, if they were divorced or widowed after a preliminary marriage she collects 200, after the definitive marriage she collects everything. Rebbi Ḥanania said, practice follows Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah. Rebbi Abbai said, they said to Rebbi Ḥanania, get outside to recite. Rebbi Jonah, Rebbi Ze‘ira in the name of Rebbi Jonathan said, practice follows Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah. Rebbi Yosa, Rebbi Ze‘ira in the name of Rebbi Jonathan said, practice does not follow Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah. Rebbi Yose said, we had a rule that Ḥizqiah and Rebbi Jonathan said the same thing. As it was stated: If somebody’s son went overseas and one heard that he died, [the father] went and wrote his property to somebody else, and after that, the son returned. The gift remains valid; Rebbi Simeon ben Menasia says that the gift is invalid since he would not have written the deed if he had known that his son was alive. And Rebbi Jacob bar Aḥa said, practice follows Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah, and the reason of Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah is the reason of Rebbi Simeon ben Menasia; and Rebbi Yannai said, they said to Rebbi Ḥanania, get outside to recite. And Rebbi Yose bar Ze‘ira in the name of Rebbi Jonathan said, practice does not follow Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah. An actual case was judged according to Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah.

Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ decreed three things: That a person should use his wife’s ketubah in his business dealings. And that children have to go to school. Also, he decreed impurity for glass ware. But did not Rebbi Ze‘ira, Rebbi Abuna say in the name of Rav Jeremiah: Yose ben Yo‘ezer from Ṣereda and Yose ben Joḥanan from Jerusalem decreed impurity for Gentile lands and glass ware; Rebbi Yose said, Rebbi Jehudah bar Ṭabbai? Rebbi Jonah said, Jehudah bar Ṭabbai and Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ decreed on metal vessels; Hillel and Shammai decreed on the purity of hands. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Levi: That was the current practice; they forgot it, but the later ones got up and agreed to the opinion of the earlier ones to teach you that everything the Court insists on will come to be in the end just as Moses was told on Sinai; as Rebbi Mana said (Deut. 32:47): “For it is not an empty word, from you,” if it is empty it is from you because you do not exert yourself about it. “Because it is your life,” when is it your life? At the time that you exert yourself!

Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ decreed three things: That a person should use his wife’s ketubah in his business dealings. And that children have to go to school. Also, he decreed impurity for glass ware. But did not Rebbi Ze‘ira, Rebbi Abuna say in the name of Rav Jeremiah: Yose ben Yo‘ezer from Ṣereda and Yose ben Joḥanan from Jerusalem decreed impurity for Gentile lands and glass ware; Rebbi Yose said, Rebbi Jehudah bar Ṭabbai? Rebbi Jonah said, Jehudah bar Ṭabbai and Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ decreed on metal vessels; Hillel and Shammai decreed on the purity of hands. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Levi: That was the current practice; they forgot it, but the later ones got up and agreed to the opinion of the earlier ones to teach you that everything the Court insists on will come to be in the end just as Moses was told on Sinai; as Rebbi Mana said (Deut. 32:47): “For it is not an empty word, from you,” if it is empty it is from you because you do not exert yourself about it. “Because it is your life,” when is it your life? At the time that you exert yourself!

“At a distance of four cubits from the place of stoning,” etc. “Rebbi Jehudah ben Ṭabbai said, may I never see consolation if I did not execute a perjured witness, for they were saying, until he was executed, as it is said, a life for a life. Simeon ben Shetaḥ told him, may I never see consolation if it is not held against you that you spilled innocent blood. At that time, he took it upon himself not to teach except what he heard from Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ.”

Some Tannaïm state: Jehudah ben Ṭabbai was president; some Tannaïm state, Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ was president.

What happened in Alexandria supports him who said, Jehudah ben Ṭabbai was president, since the people from Jerusalem did write: From the great Jerusalem to the small Alexandria: How long still will my husband live in your midst and I am sitting sorrowful in my house?

But what did Aḥaz do? He built a throne in the Temple Court. That is what is written: “The throne-hall which they built in the Temple,” etc. Rebbi Onias in the name of Rebbi Eleazar. Why is he called “the grabber”? For he grabbed synagogues and houses of study. To what may Aḥaz be compared? To a king who had a son whom he entrusted to his pedagogue. The latter wanted to kill him. He said, if I kill him, I will be put to death. But I shall draw his wet-nurse away from him and he will die of himself. So Aḥaz said, if there are no kid goats there are no he-goats. If there are no he-goats there are no goats. If there are no goats there is no shepherd. If there is no shepherd there is no world; if it were thinkable that there be no world. So Aḥaz was thinking, if there are no children there are no adults. If there are no adults, there are no Sages. If there are no Sages, there are no prophets. If there are no prophets, there is no Holy Spirit. If there is no Holy Spirit, there are no synagogues and no houses of study. If it were thinkable, the Holy One, praise to Him, will not let His Presence rest over Israel. Rebbi Jacob bar Abbai in the name of Rebbi Aḥa brings it from the following I shall wait for the Eternal, Who hid His Face from the House of Jacob, and put my hope in Him. There was no worse moment in the world than when the Holy One, praise to Him, said to Moses: I shall certainly hide My Face at that time. From that moment on, I put my hope in Him, Who said at Sinai, for it shall not be forgotten by his descendants. What would its use be? Behold, I and the children which the Eternal has given me. Were they his children? Were they not his students? But this teaches he loved them as if they were his sons and called them “my sons”.

[If a tree stands inside the domain but its crown is outside the domain.] [Rebbi] Abbai said, a scholar has to make his qualifications known. If he knows one collection and he comes to a place where they honor him as if he knew two, he has to tell them, I know one collection. (Rav Huna said, he says it in a soft voice and his right hand is stretched out to receive.)

In the case of a disciple of the wise, this is not necessary. But Abbai said: Even the disciple of the wise should recite a verse of supplication; for instance, "Into Thy hand I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of truth" (ibid. xxxi. 6).

Abbai said : They outnumber us, and surround us like the ridge round a field.

Who wishes to perceive their footprints should take sifted ashes and sprinkle them around his bed. In the morning he will see something resembling the footprints of a cock. Who wishes to see them should take the after-birth of a black she-cat, the offspring of a black she-cat, the first-born of a first-born, roast it in the fire, pulverise it, then fill his eyes with it, and he will see them. He must pour the powder into an iron tube and seal it with an iron signet, lest the evil spirits steal it. He must also seal its mouth, lest he come to harm. Rab Bebai b. Abbai did this ; he saw the evil spirits and was injured. The Rabbis prayed for him and he was cured.

R. Helbo [also] said in the name of Rab Huna : When leaving the Synagogue, one should not take large steps. Abbai said: This refers only to leaving ; but to enter a Synagogue it is praise-worthy to hasten ; as it is said, "Let us eagerly strive to know the Lord" (Hos. vi. 3).

Abbai said : The merit of attending the discourse lies in the crush.

Abbai said : This applies only to one who does not turn his face towards the Synagogue ; but if he does that, we can have no objection.

One of the Rabbis said to Rab Bebai b. Abbai (another version : Rab Bebai said to Rab Nahman b. Isaac) : What means, "When vileness is exalted [kerum] among the sons of men" (ibid.)?

When is God angry? Abbai said : During the first three hours of the day when the comb of the cock is white and it stands on one foot.

And Abbai said ; At first I used to study at home and pray in Synagogue, but after hearing the statement of R. Hiyya b. Ammi in the name of 'Ulla — "Since the day the Temple was destroyed, there is left to the Holy One, blessed be He, in His Universe the four cubits of Halakah alone" I only pray where I study.

Rab Bebai b. Abbai thought to complete the Parashot of the whole year on the eve of the Day of Atonement; but Hiyya b. Rab of Difti taught him : It is written, "Ye shall afflict your souls, in the ninth day of the month at even" (Lev, xxiii. 32). Do we fast on the ninth ?

Abbai said: This only applies when the building has no other entrance ; but should it have another entrance, we can have no objection ; further it applies only when there is no other Synagogue [in the town], but should there be another Synagogue, we can have no objection ; further it applies only to one who is not carrying a load, or is not running, or is not wearing Tefillin ; but in any of such cases, we can have no objection.

Rab Huna said : The Halakah is in accord with the "others." Abbai said: [The Halakah is] in accord with the "others" with respect to the Tefillah; but with respect to the Shema' it is in accord with the Wetikin. For R. Johanan said: The Wetikin used to conclude it with the sunrise.

Abbai (another version : Rab Isaac) said : Whoever wishes to take advantage [of an offer of hospitality] may do so like Elisha ; and whoever does not wish to accept may do so like Samuel of Ramah ; as it is said, "And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house" (I Sam. vii. 17), and R. Johanan said : Wherever he went, he took his house with him.

Abbai answered : [We say] "Thou rollest away the light from before the darkness, and the darkness from before the lights."

Abbai said to him : What is there excellent in this? Behold, Rab Kahana has said in the name of Rab : One need not commence [the third paragraph at all] ; but if he has commenced it, he must finish it ! Shouldest thou argue that [to say the words] "And thou shalt say unto them" is not commencing, behold Rab Samuel b. Isaac has declared in the name of Rab : "Speak unto the children of Israel" is not considered a commencement, but "And thou shalt say unto them" is to be so regarded !

Abbai said : Therefore we commence as they commence in the West, and since we have commenced, we also complete it ; for Rab Kahana said in the name of Rab : One need not commence it ; but if he has commenced it, he must finish it.

It was a favourite saying of Abbai: A man should always be cunning in the fear [of God], giving the soft answer that turneth away wrath (cf. Prov. xv. 1), increasing peace with his brethren and relatives and with all men, even the heathen in the street ; so that he may be beloved above and popular on earth, and acceptable to his fellow-creatures.

Abbai said : A man ought not to speak thus ; for R. Simeon b. Lakish said, and it has been similarly taught in the name of R. Jose : A man should not open his mouth to Satan.

Rab Pappa asked Abbai : How were our predecessors different from us that miracles occurred for them but not for us? Is it a question of learning ? In the time of Rab Judah, their whole study was limited to the Order "Damages," whereas we study the six Orders; and when Rab Judah reached the paragraph in Mishnah 'Uksin : "If a woman presses vegetables in a pot" (some declare it was the paragraph : "Olives which are pressed with their leaves are clean"), he said, "We see here the conflicts of Rab and Samuel," whereas we study 'Uksin in thirteen lessons ! Yet, with respect to Rab Judah, when he took off one of his shoes, the rain descended ; but we afflict our souls and cry aloud and there is none that takes notice of us !

Rab Adda b. Ahabah said : Women are under the obligation to recite the Sanctitication of the [Sabbath] day by the ordinance of the Torah. But why, since it is a command the observance of which is dependent upon a certain point of time, and women are exempt from all commands of this class ! Abbai answered : [The Sanctification by women] is a Rabbinical ordinance.

Rab Joseph quoted in objection : "When thou liest down and when thou risest up" (Deut. vi. 7)! Abbai answered him: That is written with reference to words of Torah.

Abbai said : Ezra ordained forty Saot for a healthy person whose emission was voluntary and nine Kabs for a healthy person when it was involuntary. Then came the Amoraim and differed as to a person indelicate health. Some were of the opinion that the delicate person whose emission was voluntary is like the healthy man whose emission was voluntary [and requires forty Saot], and the delicate person when it was involuntary like the healthy man when it was involuntary [and requires nine Kabs]. Others, however, were of opinion that the delicate person whose emission was voluntary is like a healthy man whose emission was involuntary [and requires nine Kabs], and the delicate person when it was involuntary is exempt therefrom altogether.

Abbai said : This teaching only applies when the bag is reserved for that purpose ; but if it is not reserved for that purpose, it may be even less than a handbreadth in size.

But according to Abbai who said that the assignment is the criterion, if he assigned to deposit his Tefillin in the cloth, although he has not actually done so — or having bound them therein, if he thereupon assign it for the purpose — then it is forbidden [to tie up money therein] ; but if he has not made that assignment, it is not [forbidden].

It has been reported : If manure is being carried past a person, Abbai said : It is permitted to read the Shema' ; Raba said : It is prohibited to read it.

Abbai said : Whence do I derive my opinion ? For there is a Mishnaic teaching : If a ritually unclean person is standing under a tree and a person who is ritually clean passes by him, the latter also becomes defiled. If, however, a person ritually clean is standing under a tree and an unclean person passes by, the former remains in his state of purity; but should [the unclean person] remain standing there, then the former becomes unclean. The same law holds good with a stone which has become infected.

Abbai said to him : What seest thou that thou reliest upon this; rely upon that which Rabbah b. Rab Huna said in the name of Rab : It is forbidden [to read the Shema' near] excrement even when it is like earthenware.

It has been reported : If his heel sees his nakedness, it is permitted [to read the Shema']. If the heel touches, Abbai says : It is forbidden [to read] ; Raba says : It is permitted. So Rab Zebid taught this subject. Rab Hinnana b. Rab Ika, however, taught it thus : If the heel touches, all agree that it is forbidden [to read] ; but if the heel sees [the nakedness], Abbai says : It is forbidden ; Raba says : It is permitted, because the Torah was not given to the ministering angels. The Halakah is : If the heel touches, it is forbidden ; if it sees, it is permitted.

It has been reported : If his heel sees his nakedness, it is permitted [to read the Shema']. If the heel touches, Abbai says : It is forbidden [to read] ; Raba says : It is permitted. So Rab Zebid taught this subject. Rab Hinnana b. Rab Ika, however, taught it thus : If the heel touches, all agree that it is forbidden [to read] ; but if the heel sees [the nakedness], Abbai says : It is forbidden ; Raba says : It is permitted, because the Torah was not given to the ministering angels. The Halakah is : If the heel touches, it is forbidden ; if it sees, it is permitted.

Abbai said : Should the excrement be but a minute quantity, one can nullify it [by covering it] with spittle. Raba said : It must be with thick spittle. Raba said : If excrement be in a hole, he may place his sandal over it and read the Shema'. Mar b. Rabina asked : How is it if excrement adheres to his sandal ? The question remained unanswered.

Rab Joseph said : I asked Rab Huna, "If a bed is less than three [hand breadths] high, it is evident to me that it is to be regarded as solid [with the ground]; but how is it with three, four, five, six, seven, eight or nine?" He replied, "I do not know." There was certainly no need for me to ask about ten. Abbai said [to Rab Joseph], "Thou hast done well not to ask [about ten hand breadths] ; for every ten constitute a separate stratum."

Abbai said : This teaching applies only to a receptacle which is not used expressly for that purpose ; but if it is used for that purpose, even ten receptacles are only to be considered as one. Raba said : A cloth

That cannot be correct, because Abbai permitted Rab Dimai b. Liwai to fumigate baskets!

It is in accord with him who declared that the evening-Tefillah is voluntary; for Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: As for the evemng-Tefillah, Rabban Gamaliel declares it to be obligatory, but R. Joshua declares it to be voluntary. Abbai said : The Halakah is in agreement with him who declares it to be obligatory ; but Raba said : The Halakah is in agreement with him who declares it to be voluntary.

Rab Iwya was ill and did not attend Rab Joseph's discourse. The next day when he arrived, Abbai wished to set Rab Joseph's mind at rest ; so he said to him, "For what reason did not the master attend the discourse?" He replied, "My heart was faint and I could not." He asked him, "Why didst thou not eat something and come?" He answered, "Does not the master agree with the opinion of Rab Huna who said : It is forbidden a man to eat anything before praying the additional Tefillah?" He replied, "Then the master should have said the additional Tefillah by himself and eaten something and attended." He said to him, "Does not the master agree with the opinion of R. Johanan who declared : A man is forbidden to anticipate the congregational Tefillah by praying alone?" He replied, "But has it not been reported in this connection : R. Abba said : This teaching applies only when he is with the Congregation?"

But there may be a fear that perhaps he had apostatized ! Abbai said : We have a tradition that a good man does not become bad.

Abbai said : Johanan is the same person as Januaeus. Raba said : They are different persons ; and Jannaeus was originally wicked, but Johanan originally righteous. That is quite right according to Abbai ; but it is in contradiction with Raba's view.

Abbai said : Johanan is the same person as Januaeus. Raba said : They are different persons ; and Jannaeus was originally wicked, but Johanan originally righteous. That is quite right according to Abbai ; but it is in contradiction with Raba's view.

Abbai cursed him who says the prayer "Give us understanding."

Rab Bebai b. Abbai said : The whole of the year one may say the prayer "Give us understanding" except during the rainy season, because it is necessary to add the request [for rain] in the benediction of "the Years." Mar Zotra objected : Let it be included in brief in the [shortened] prayer thus : "Satiate us on the pastures of Thy land, and give dew and rain" !

Abbai b. Abin and R. Hannina b. Abin both said : [His prayer is keba'] who does not pray at dawn and sunset ; for R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : It is a religious duty to pray at dawn and sunset. R. Zera said : What Scriptural authority is there for this? "They shall fear Thee with the sun and before the moon throughout all generations" (Ps. Ixxii. 5). In the West, they cursed anyone who prayed at those times. Why? Perhaps the time will be unsuitable for him.

Abbai said : Always

Abbai was sitting in the presence of Rabbah, and noticed that he was very merry. He said to him, "It is written, 'Rejoice with trembling'!"

Abbai said : Like that of R. Zera who stated : The daughters of Israel are very strict with themselves ; for if they see even a drop of menstrual flow as small as a mustard seed, they wait seven clear days after it.

"And Moses besought the Lord." There is a teaching : R. Eliezer the Elder said : This teaches that Moses stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, until ahilu seized him. What means ahilu? R. Eleazar said : The fire of the bones. What means "fire of the bones"? Abbai said: Eshshata degarme.

A certain man went down [to the Ark] in the presence of Rabbah and said, "Thou hast compassion on a bird's nest ; do Thou have compassion and mercy upon us." Rabbah exclaimed, "How this Rabbinical scholar knows how to find favour with his Lord!" Abbai said to him, "Lo, we have learnt in the Mishnah: We silence him!"

But Rabbah merely wished to test Abbai.

Rab Pappa asked Abbai : But perhaps he at first did not direct his mind and finally did so!

Rab Hiyya b. Rab Huna said : I saw Abbai and Raba just recline on their side.

Abbai said : Many acted in accord with the teaching of R. Ishmael and it proved efficacious ; but he who acted in accord with R. Simeon b. Johai did not find it so.

Abbai quoted in objection: The top-piece of a pomegranate is reckoned in but not the blossom; and since it is stated that the blossom is not reckoned in, conclude that it is not food. And we have a Mishnaic teaching with reference to 'Orlah : The skins of the pomegranate and its blossom, and the shells of nuts and the kernels are subject to 'Orlah !

Abbai said to him : But according to the Tanna of the school of R. Ishmael who declared, "He must crumble [the meal-offerings] until they return to the condition of flour [before eating thereof]," it would then be unnecessary to pronounce the benediction "...Who bringest forth bread from the earth." And if thou sayest that is so, lo there is a teaching : If he gathered together from all of them about the size of an olive and ate them, should it be leaven he incurs the penalty of excision, and if unleaven, a man can therewith comply with the requirements of the law during Passover!

Troknin is subject to Hallah. When Rabin came, R. Johanan said: It is exempt from Hallah. What is Troknin ? Abbai said : Dough baked in a cavity made in the ground.

Abbai also said : Tarita is exempt from Hallah. What is Tarita? Some say : A scalded puff-pastry. Others declare it to be Indian bread. Yet others declare it to be bread made into Kuttah.

If he made them into cakes, they are subject [to Hallah]; but if he made them into "shingles," they are exempt. Abbai asked Rab Joseph : Which benediction is to be said over dough baked in a cavity made in the ground ? He said to him : Dost thou consider it to be bread ? It is only a thick mass, and the benediction is "...Who createst various kinds of foods."

Abbai said to him : Art thou not of the opinion [that it is permitted to compound a remedy on the Sabbath] ? Lo, there is a Mishnaic teaching : All foods may be eaten as a remedy, and likewise all liquids may be drunk ! What is there for thee to say? The man intended it as a food [and therefore it may be prepared on the Sabbath] ; so here also [in the case of the Shattit] the man intended it as a food.

Over vegetables one says : He teaches that vegetables resemble bread [in this respect] : as bread is changed by the fire [in appearance, but the benediction remains unaltered], so also are vegetables changed by the fire [but the benediction is the same]. Rabbanai said in the name of Abbai : This means that the benediction over boiled vegetables is "...Who createst the fruit of the ground." (From whence is this derived ? Since he taught that vegetables resemble bread.)

Rab Hisda said : The broth of beet is pleasant to the heart and good for the eyes, how much more so for the bowels. Abbai said : That is only so when it remains on the stove and makes the sound Tuk, Tuk.

It was stated above : "Rab said : A benediction which contains no mention of the Divine Name is no benediction." But R. Johanan has said : A benediction which contains no reference to the Divine Kingship is no benediction! Abbai said: Rab's opinion seems more probable ; for there is a teaching : [It is written] "I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten" (Deut. xxvi. 13) — "I have not transgressed," i.e. by omitting the benediction, "neither have I forgotten," i.e. to mention Thy Name thereby ; but he does not teach here [that it is necessary to refer to] the Kingship.

Abbai replied: These grow from the earth but do not derive their nutriment therefrom.

Abbai declared : We also add : A benediction [immediately alights upon him who entertains] disciples of the wise ; as it is said, "The Lord hath blessed me for thy sake" (Gen. xxx. 27); or, if thou wilt, from this passage, as it is said, "The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake " (ibid. xxxix. 5).

Rab Isaac b. Joseph visited the house of Abbai on a Festival and noticed that he pronounced the benediction over each cup. He said to him, "Does not the master agree with the opinion of R. Joshua b. Levi ?" He replied, "It only just occurred to me."

Abbai asked Rab Dimai : What is the one benediction which is an abstract of three? He replied : For the fruit of the tree it is: "[Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe,] for the tree and the fruit of the tree and for the produce of the field; for the desirable, good and ample land which Thou didst give as an heritage unto our fathers, that they might eat of its fruits and be satisfied with its goodness. Have mercy, O Lord our God, upon Israel Thy people, upon Jerusalem Thy city, upon Thy Sanctuary and altar. Rebuild Jerusalem, Thy holy city, speedily in our days ; lead us up thither and make us rejoice in its rebuilding ; for Thou art good and beneficent unto all."

Abbai said : [It means vegetables] without meat; and Raba said : Without wine. It has been reported: Rab said: [It means vegetables] without meat; Samuel said: Without wood; and R. Johanan said : Without wine.

R. Tarphon says : "...Who createst many living beings and their wants." Raba b. Rab Hanan said to Abbai (another version : to Rab Joseph) : How is the Halakah? He replied : Go and see how the people act.

It was stated above : "Rab Dimai b. Joseph said in the name of Rab : If three ate together and one of them went into the street, they call to him and include him for Zimmun." Abbai said : That is only if they called to him and he makes the responses.

Abbai said : We have it by tradition that if two ate together, it is a meritorious act on their part to separate. There is a teaching to the same effect : If two ate together, it is a meritorious act on their part to separate. Of what does it speak here ? When both of them are learned ; but if one is learned and the other illiterate, the former says Grace and the other fulfils his obligation [by listening].

Abbai responded ["Amen" to his benediction "Who...rebuildest Jerusalem"] with a loud voice for the day-labourers to hear and stand up, because "Who art kind and dealest kindly" is not ordained by the Torah. Rab Ashe used to make that response softly, so that the day-labourers should not hold "Who art kind and dealest kindly" in contempt.

To where does he return? Rab Zebid said in the name of Abbai : He returns to the commencement ; but the Rabbis say : To the place where he made the interruption. The Halakah is — He returns to the place where he made the interruption.

Rabin and Abbai were journeying along a road ; the ass of Rabin went in front of Abbai's, and he did not say to him, "Let the master go [first]." Abbai said [to himself], "Since this young Rabbi has come from the West, he has grown very conceited." When he reached the entrance of the Synagogue, Rabin said to him, "Let the master enter [first]." He retorted, "And up to now have I not been master !" He replied, "Thus spake R. Johanan ; We only honour a man [by making way for him] in the case of a door which has a Mezuzah."

Rabin and Abbai were journeying along a road ; the ass of Rabin went in front of Abbai's, and he did not say to him, "Let the master go [first]." Abbai said [to himself], "Since this young Rabbi has come from the West, he has grown very conceited." When he reached the entrance of the Synagogue, Rabin said to him, "Let the master enter [first]." He retorted, "And up to now have I not been master !" He replied, "Thus spake R. Johanan ; We only honour a man [by making way for him] in the case of a door which has a Mezuzah."

Rab Pappa said to Abbai : In that case, even if [the Levite] anticipated [and separated his tithe] from the corn-heap, it would likewise [be exempt from the great Terumah] ! He replied : To meet thy objection the Scriptures state,

Abbai said : It refers to a Samaritan who is a Haber. Raba said : Thou mayest even suppose that it refers to a Samaritan who is an 'Am ha'ares, and we are here dealing with the 'Am ha'ares so designated by the Rabbis who disagree in this matter with R. Meir. For there is a teaching : Who is an 'Am ha'ares? Whoever does not eat his non-holy food in a condition of ritual purity — these are the words of R. Meir ; but the Sages say : Whoever does not properly tithe his fruits. These Samaritans, however, do properly apportion the tithe, for they are careful to observe what is written in the Torah. The teacher has said : The commandments to which the Samaritans adhere they observe more scrupulously than the Israelite.

The first tithe from which Terumah has not been taken. That is evident ! No ; it is necessary [to mention it] for the case where [the Levite] anticipated [the priest by taking the tithe] from the corn-heap. Thou mayest argue that it is as Rab Pappa said to Abbai. Therefore we are informed that it is as Abbai answered him.

The first tithe from which Terumah has not been taken. That is evident ! No ; it is necessary [to mention it] for the case where [the Levite] anticipated [the priest by taking the tithe] from the corn-heap. Thou mayest argue that it is as Rab Pappa said to Abbai. Therefore we are informed that it is as Abbai answered him.

Abbai and Raba were sitting in the presence of Rabbah. He asked them, "To Whom do we say Grace?" They replied, "The All-merciful." "And where does the All-merciful dwell?" Raba pointed upwards to the ceiling ; Abbai went outside and pointed towards the heavens. Rabbah said to them, "Both of you are Rabbis ; for that is what the proverb says, 'Every pumpkin is known by its stem'."

Abbai and Raba were sitting in the presence of Rabbah. He asked them, "To Whom do we say Grace?" They replied, "The All-merciful." "And where does the All-merciful dwell?" Raba pointed upwards to the ceiling ; Abbai went outside and pointed towards the heavens. Rabbah said to them, "Both of you are Rabbis ; for that is what the proverb says, 'Every pumpkin is known by its stem'."

R. Johanan said: The statement must be reversed. Abbai said : There is certainly no necessity to reverse it ; for here they differ in the interpretation of Scripture : R. Meir holds, "And thou shalt eat" (Deut. viii. 10) — i.e. eating; "and thou shalt be satisfied" — i.e. drinking ; and "eating" means the minimum quantity of the size of an olive. R. Judah, on the other hand, holds, "And thou shalt eat and be satisfied" — i.e. eating wherein is some satisfaction; and what is that? That is the minimum quantity of the size of an egg.

Abbai said to Rab Dimai : But it is written, "And from Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever" (II Sam. vii, 29) ! With a petition it is different. With a petition likewise it is written, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps. Ixxxi. 11) ! This is written in connection with words of Torah.

Rab Judah said the benediction over the light in the house of Ada the waiter. Raba said it over the light in the house of Guria b. Hamma. Abbai said it over the light in the house of Bar Abbuha.

What benediction should he utter? Rab Judah said, "Blessed ...Who bestowest lovingkindnesses." Abbai said : It is necessary for him to offer his thanksgiving in the presence of ten ; for it is written, "Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people" etc. (ibid. 5:32). Mar Zotra said : Two of them must be Rabbis ; as it is said, "And praise Him in the seat of the elders" (ibid.).

But lo, Abbai said : He must offer thanksgiving in the presence of ten ! There were ten present. But it was not he who uttered thanksgiving ! It was not necessary, because he responded "Amen" after them.

Bar Hedja was an interpreter of dreams. When one paid him a fee, he interpreted [the dream] favourably ; but if no fee was given him, he interpreted it unfavourably. Abbai and Raba had a dream ; Abbai gave him a Zuz but Raba gave him nothing. They said to him : We were made to read in our dream the words "Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 31). To Raba he said : Thy business will fail, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the grief of thy heart. To Abbai he said : Thy business will prosper, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the joy of thy heart.

Bar Hedja was an interpreter of dreams. When one paid him a fee, he interpreted [the dream] favourably ; but if no fee was given him, he interpreted it unfavourably. Abbai and Raba had a dream ; Abbai gave him a Zuz but Raba gave him nothing. They said to him : We were made to read in our dream the words "Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 31). To Raba he said : Thy business will fail, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the grief of thy heart. To Abbai he said : Thy business will prosper, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the joy of thy heart.

Bar Hedja was an interpreter of dreams. When one paid him a fee, he interpreted [the dream] favourably ; but if no fee was given him, he interpreted it unfavourably. Abbai and Raba had a dream ; Abbai gave him a Zuz but Raba gave him nothing. They said to him : We were made to read in our dream the words "Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 31). To Raba he said : Thy business will fail, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the grief of thy heart. To Abbai he said : Thy business will prosper, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the joy of thy heart.