sponge

Now, whilst I was marvelling [at these things], I saw another angel coming from a distance in wrath, and he stood up by the fountain which was filled with dew; he wept, and his eyes dropped blood into the fountain which was full of dew. For he was filled with wrath against all mankind, and the whole of the place trembled and shook when he stood up there. Then the heavens opened on this side and on that and everywhere, and I saw a great and mighty angel come forth from the heavens, and they called his name Michael, and he was girt about the loins with a girdle of gold. There was a sponge in his hand, wherewith he wiped away all the tears of the angel of wrath, and he drove the Angel of Wrath afar off, saying, 'Get thee gone from this fountain, thou Angel of Wrath, for thou wishest to bring a famine upon the earth.'

And on the Third Day God commanded the waters that were below the firmament (Réki‘a) to be gathered together in one place, and the dry land to appear. And when the covering of water had been rolled up from the face of the earth, the earth showed itself to be in an unsettled and unstable state, that is to say, it was of a damp (or moist) and yielding nature. And the waters were gathered together into seas that were under the earth and within it, and upon it. And God made in the earth from below, corridors, and shafts, and channels for the passage of the waters; and the winds which come from within the earth ascend by means of these corridors and channels, and also the heat and the cold for the service of the earth. Now, as for the earth, the lower part of it is like unto a thick sponge, for it resteth on the waters. And on this Third Day God commanded the earth, and it brought forth herbs and vegetables, and it conceived in its interior trees, and seeds, and plants and roots.

And they handed out to Finn vinegar and gall in a sponge. By the vinegar which they gave unto Him it was made known concerning them that their will was changed from what it had been formerly, and that they had turned themselves from integrity to wickedness, and by the gall was made known the bitterness of the accursed serpent which was in them. And they showed that they also had belonged to that good vineyard from which prophets, and kings, and priests, and they themselves had drunk; but because they had become wicked heirs, who would not labour in the vineyard of my beloved, they produced husks instead of grapes, and the wine which they pressed out therefrom was sour. And having trucified the Heir on the Wood, they mixed some of the impurity of their wickedness with their sour wine, and gave Him to drink of the wine from the vineyard of the Gentiles; but He would not drink [saying], ““ Give me of that vine which My Father brought out of Egypt.” For Christ knew that the prophecy of Moses which had been prophesied concerning them had been fulfilled in them; for Moses said, “‘ Your grapes are grapes of gall, your clusters are bitter. Your poison is the poison of the serpent, and their head is that of a malignant viper. These are the things which ye render unto the Lord”’ (Deut. xxxii. 32, 33).

Observe, O my brother Nemesius, that the blessed Moses with the eye of the Spirit foresaw the things which they were going to do to Christ [and said], ‘‘ These are the things which ye render to the Lord.” The congregation of the crucifiers was a decayed vine, its daughters were bitter grapes, and its sons were clusters of gall. Their head was Caiaphas, the malignant viper, and they were all evil serpents, and all of them were filled with the venom of Satan, whois the Evil Serpent. Instead of the water of the rock which had been given them to drink in the wilderness, they gave Him vinegar to drink, and instead of manna, the gall of the quail. They did not give Him a cup to drink from, but a sponge, so that they might show that the blessing of their fathers had been swept away from them. Now this is evident from what follows: When a vessel is empty and there is no wine in it, they wash and wipe it with a sponge. Even so did the Jews do when they crucified Christ, [for] with a sponge they wiped away and removed from themselves royalty, and priesthood, and prophecy, and the religion of Christ, and gave them to Christ, and the vessels of their bodies washed and empty remained only.

Observe, O my brother Nemesius, that the blessed Moses with the eye of the Spirit foresaw the things which they were going to do to Christ [and said], ‘‘ These are the things which ye render to the Lord.” The congregation of the crucifiers was a decayed vine, its daughters were bitter grapes, and its sons were clusters of gall. Their head was Caiaphas, the malignant viper, and they were all evil serpents, and all of them were filled with the venom of Satan, whois the Evil Serpent. Instead of the water of the rock which had been given them to drink in the wilderness, they gave Him vinegar to drink, and instead of manna, the gall of the quail. They did not give Him a cup to drink from, but a sponge, so that they might show that the blessing of their fathers had been swept away from them. Now this is evident from what follows: When a vessel is empty and there is no wine in it, they wash and wipe it with a sponge. Even so did the Jews do when they crucified Christ, [for] with a sponge they wiped away and removed from themselves royalty, and priesthood, and prophecy, and the religion of Christ, and gave them to Christ, and the vessels of their bodies washed and empty remained only.

Observe, O my brother Nemesius, that the blessed Moses with the eye of the Spirit foresaw the things which they were going to do to Christ [and said], ‘‘ These are the things which ye render to the Lord.” The congregation of the crucifiers was a decayed vine, its daughters were bitter grapes, and its sons were clusters of gall. Their head was Caiaphas, the malignant viper, and they were all evil serpents, and all of them were filled with the venom of Satan, whois the Evil Serpent. Instead of the water of the rock which had been given them to drink in the wilderness, they gave Him vinegar to drink, and instead of manna, the gall of the quail. They did not give Him a cup to drink from, but a sponge, so that they might show that the blessing of their fathers had been swept away from them. Now this is evident from what follows: When a vessel is empty and there is no wine in it, they wash and wipe it with a sponge. Even so did the Jews do when they crucified Christ, [for] with a sponge they wiped away and removed from themselves royalty, and priesthood, and prophecy, and the religion of Christ, and gave them to Christ, and the vessels of their bodies washed and empty remained only.

The following are liable for tithes, but exempt from hallah: rice, millet, poppy-seed, sesame seeds, pulse, and less than five-fourths [of a kab] of [the five kinds of] grain, sponge-cakes, honey-cakes, dumplings, a cake [cooked] in a pan and medumma are exempt from hallah.

Dough which was originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, and in the end is [cooked as] sponge-cake, is exempt from hallah. [If it was] originally [ordinary] dough, but in the end [cooked as] sponge-cakes, [or if it was] originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, but finally [cooked as ordinary] dough, it is subject to hallah. Similarly, bread crumbs (kenuvkaot) are subject [to hallah].

Dough which was originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, and in the end is [cooked as] sponge-cake, is exempt from hallah. [If it was] originally [ordinary] dough, but in the end [cooked as] sponge-cakes, [or if it was] originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, but finally [cooked as ordinary] dough, it is subject to hallah. Similarly, bread crumbs (kenuvkaot) are subject [to hallah].

Dough which was originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, and in the end is [cooked as] sponge-cake, is exempt from hallah. [If it was] originally [ordinary] dough, but in the end [cooked as] sponge-cakes, [or if it was] originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, but finally [cooked as ordinary] dough, it is subject to hallah. Similarly, bread crumbs (kenuvkaot) are subject [to hallah].

Dough which was originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, and in the end is [cooked as] sponge-cake, is exempt from hallah. [If it was] originally [ordinary] dough, but in the end [cooked as] sponge-cakes, [or if it was] originally [intended for] sponge-cakes, but finally [cooked as ordinary] dough, it is subject to hallah. Similarly, bread crumbs (kenuvkaot) are subject [to hallah].

Bet Shammai says: one may remove bones and nutshells from the table; But Beth Hillel says: one must remove the whole board and shake it off. One may remove from the table crumbs less than the size of an olive and the husks of beans and lentils, because they are food for animals. A sponge, if it has a handle, one may wipe [the board] with it; If not, one may not wipe [the board] with it. The sages say: in either case it may be handled on Shabbat and it is not susceptible to defilement.

There are four types among those who sit before the sages: a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge, soaks up everything; A funnel, takes in at one end and lets out at the other; A strainer, which lets out the wine and retains the lees; A sieve, which lets out the coarse meal and retains the choice flour.

There are four types among those who sit before the sages: a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge, soaks up everything; A funnel, takes in at one end and lets out at the other; A strainer, which lets out the wine and retains the lees; A sieve, which lets out the coarse meal and retains the choice flour.

One whose eyes are as large as a calf's or as small as those of a goose; Or whose body is [unduly] large for his limbs, [unduly] small for his limbs; or whose nose is [unduly] large for his limbs, or whose nose is [unduly] small for his limbs; A tzimem and a zimea. What is tzimea? One whose ears are very small. What is tzimem? One whose ears resemble a sponge.

A sponge which had absorbed unclean liquids and its outer surface became dry and it fell into the air-space of an oven, the oven is unclean, for the liquid would eventually come out. And the same with regard to a piece of turnip or reed grass. Rabbi Shimon says: the oven is clean in both these cases.

One who mixes the water in a trough while a bucket was in it, even though its neck was narrow as can be, the waters in it are prepared. If there was a sponge in the trough, the water in it is invalid. What should he do? He should empty out the water until he gets to the sponge. If one touched the sponge, however much the water that washes over it, the water becomes invalid.

One who mixes the water in a trough while a bucket was in it, even though its neck was narrow as can be, the waters in it are prepared. If there was a sponge in the trough, the water in it is invalid. What should he do? He should empty out the water until he gets to the sponge. If one touched the sponge, however much the water that washes over it, the water becomes invalid.

One who mixes the water in a trough while a bucket was in it, even though its neck was narrow as can be, the waters in it are prepared. If there was a sponge in the trough, the water in it is invalid. What should he do? He should empty out the water until he gets to the sponge. If one touched the sponge, however much the water that washes over it, the water becomes invalid.

If a sponge or a bucket containing three logs of water fell into a mikveh, they do not make it invalid, because they have only said: "if three logs fell in."

“And who harvests.” Rebbi Ḥiyya stated: “One who cuts grain, harvests grapes, harvests olives, cuts tree branches, tears out, plucks fruits, are all because of harvesting.” One who cuts sponge, papyrus, or corals is liable for harvesting and planting. One who cuts coriander, leeks, celery, rocket, endives, sesame, mint, is liable for harvesting and sowing. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish, one who puts a flowerpot with a hole on a flowerpot with a hole is liable for harvesting and sowing. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish, one who cuts down the stem of a sycamore is liable three for it. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, they do not disagree. One who cuts it is liable for harvesting and for sowing. One who planes it is liable for hitting with a hammer. The rabbis of Caesarea say, one who catches a fish or anything by which he separates it from the environment it needs to live is liable because of harvesting.

Even though they said, one reads Hagiographa only after the afternoon prayers, nevertheless one studies and preaches about them. If he needs it, he takes and checks. An example: Rebbi, the Elder Rebbi Ḥiyya, and Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose were sitting and explaining the plain sense of a scroll of Lamentations on a Ninth of Av which fell on a Sabbath (after the afternoon prayers.) They left over one alphabetic poem. They said, we shall come tomorrow and finish it. When Rebbi was on the way home, he hurt his finger and recited about himself, many are the evildoer’s hurts. [The Elder] Rebbi Ḥiyya said to him, it is our fault that this happened to you, as it is written, our spirit, the Eternal’s anointed, was caught by their corruption. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose told him, that could have been said about us if we had not occupied ourselves with it; so much more since we did occupy ourselves with it. He went home, put a dry sponge on it and tied it from the outside with bast. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose said, from this we learned three things: A sponge does not heal but protects; bast is prepared, and one recites from Hagiographa only after afternoon prayers.

Even though they said, one reads Hagiographa only after the afternoon prayers, nevertheless one studies and preaches about them. If he needs it, he takes and checks. An example: Rebbi, the Elder Rebbi Ḥiyya, and Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose were sitting and explaining the plain sense of a scroll of Lamentations on a Ninth of Av which fell on a Sabbath (after the afternoon prayers.) They left over one alphabetic poem. They said, we shall come tomorrow and finish it. When Rebbi was on the way home, he hurt his finger and recited about himself, many are the evildoer’s hurts. [The Elder] Rebbi Ḥiyya said to him, it is our fault that this happened to you, as it is written, our spirit, the Eternal’s anointed, was caught by their corruption. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose told him, that could have been said about us if we had not occupied ourselves with it; so much more since we did occupy ourselves with it. He went home, put a dry sponge on it and tied it from the outside with bast. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose said, from this we learned three things: A sponge does not heal but protects; bast is prepared, and one recites from Hagiographa only after afternoon prayers.

MISHNAH: The House of Hillel say, one removes from the table bones and shells, but the House of Shammai say, one removes the entire table and shakes it. One removes from the table crumbs less than olive size, hair of chick-peas and lentils, since it is animal feed. One cleans with a sponge if it has a leather handle; otherwise one does not clean with it. The Sages say in any case it may be taken on the Sabbath and is impervious to impurity.

MISHNAH: If an amphora broke, one saves from it food for three meals and tells others: come and save for yourselves; only one may not absorb it in a sponge. One does not squeeze fruits to extract their juice and if it seeped out by itself it is forbidden. Rebbi Jehudah says, if they are solid food, what comes from them is permitted, but if they are for drinks, what comes from them is forbidden. What flows from itself from honeycombs which he crushed on Friday is forbidden, but Rebbi Eliezer permits it.