v

HALAKHAH: Rebbi Hoshaiah asked Cahana: From where that these are subject to ḥallah but exempt from tithes? He said to him, do not tell me (Num. 15:19): “you shall lift”; (v. 20) “so you shall lift.” He came back and said, from 14 [years]. Just as in the 14 years they were subject to ḥallah but exempt from tithes, so these are subject to ḥallah but exempt from tithes.

They wanted to ordain Rebbi Zeïra but he did not want to take it upon himself. When he heard a Tanna stating: “For an ordained person, a bridegroom, a patriarch, the dignity deletes [his sins],” he accepted being ordained. An ordained person: (Lev. 19:32): “Before a white head you shall rise, give respect to an Elder, and fear your God, I am the Eternal.” What is written after that (v. 33): “If a proselyte lives in your land, you shall not trick him.” Just as all his sins are forgiven to the proselyte, so all sins are forgiven to one being ordained. The bridegroom: (Gen. 28:9) “Esaw went to Ismael and married Maḥalat bat Ismael.” But was her name Maḥalat, was it not Basemat? But all his sins were forgiven him. The president: (1S. 13:1) “Saul was one year old when he became king.” Was he one year old when he became king? But all his sins were forgiven him as to a baby of one year.

MISHNAH: The fife beats before them until they arrive at the Temple Mount. Arrived at the Temple Mount, even king Agrippas takes the basket on his own shoulder and enters until he arrives at the Temple courtyard. When they arrived at the Temple courtyard, the Levites sang (Ps. 30:2): “I shall elevate You, Eternal, for You drew me up and You did not make my enemies happy because of me.” The pigeons on the baskets were elevation sacrifices and what was in their hands they gave to the Cohanim. As long as the basket is still on his shoulder he reads from (Deut. 26:3) “I am declaring today before the Eternal, your God” until he finishes the entire paragraph. Rebbi Jehudah says, until (v. 5): “My father was a wandering Aramean.” When he comes to “my father was a wandering Aramean”, he takes the basket down from his shoulder, holds it by its rim, and the Cohen puts his hand under it and weaves it. Then he reads from “my father was a wandering Aramean” until he finishes the entire paragraph, he puts it down next to the altar, prostrates himself, and leaves. In earlier times, everybody who knew how to read, read, and everybody who did not know how to read, had someone read before him. When they refrained from bringing they instituted that one read before him who knew and him who did not know. Rich people bring their First Fruits in bowls of silver and gold but poor people bring them in baskets of stripped willow twigs. Baskets and First Fruits are given to the Cohanim.

There, we have stated: Rebbi Jehudah says, the heave given by a minor who has not yet grown two pubic hairs is heave. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: His heave is never heave unless he grew two pubic hairs. Rebbi Abin, Cahana in the name of the Rebbi Hila (Num.18:32): “You should not carry guilt because of it.” He who may carry guilt can give heave, he who cannot carry guilt cannot give heave. They objected: But a Gentile cannot incur guilt, and he may give heave! Rebbi Yose in the name of Rebbi Hila (Num. 18:27): “Your heave will be credited to you”, (v. 26) “and you shall lift”. Anybody for whom “thought” is written may give heave. But anybody for whom “thought” is not written cannot give heave. They objected: But “thought” is not written for Gentiles, and he may give heave! Rebbi Hoshaia stated: Gentiles have no “thought” whether for preparation or for heave.

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: Then he starts writing the scroll. From where does he start writing? (Num. 5:19) “If no man has lain with you, …” (v. 20) “but if you deviated from under your husband,” etc. He does not write (v. 21) “the Cohen has to administer the oath of curse to the woman,” but he writes “may the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal will make your hips diminish and your belly inflate.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines to inflate belly and diminish hips.” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.” Rebbi Yose says, he does not interrupt. Rebbi Jehudah said he does not write anything but (Num. 5:21): “May the Eternal make you a curse and a swear-word among your people when the Eternal makes your hips diminish and your belly swell.” (v. 22) “This curse-water would come into your intestines …” He does not write (v. 22) “the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.”

MISHNAH: If somebody paid off part of his debt, deposited his bond with a third party, and told him, if I have not paid him by date x, return the bond to him. If the time has passed while he did not pay, Rebbi Yose says, he shall return it; Rebbi Jehudah says, he shall not return it. If somebody’s bond became illegible, he presents witnesses about it to the court and they confirm for him: The bond of Mr. X, son of Mr. Y, dated from day Z became illegible; U and V were his witnesses.

It was stated: From earlier times, one was writing documents of ḥalîṣah: Before X and V did Z daughter of U perform ḥalîṣah for V son of W, by coming before us, removing his shoe from his right foot, spitting before us visible spittle on the ground, and saying: So shall be done to the man unwilling to build his brother’s house.

It was stated: From earlier times, one was writing documents of ḥalîṣah: Before X and V did Z daughter of U perform ḥalîṣah for V son of W, by coming before us, removing his shoe from his right foot, spitting before us visible spittle on the ground, and saying: So shall be done to the man unwilling to build his brother’s house.

It was stated: From earlier times one was writing documents of repudiation: Before X and Y did Z daughter of U repudiate V son of W, by coming before us: I do not like him, I do not want to stay with him, I do not agree to be married to him.

MISHNAH: If they found him innocent, they free him, otherwise he is led to be stoned. The herald goes before him: “X ben Y is led to be stoned because he committed crime Z; U and V testified against him. Anybody who knows of his innocence shall come and argue.”

Rebbi Ḥiyya said that Rebbi Yasa asked: We have stated: “The herald goes before him: ‘X ben Y is led to be stoned because he committed crime Z; U and V testified against him. Anybody who knows of his innocence shall come and argue.’ ” We inferred that he who hears from one who heard has to rend. Does he who hears from one who heard from one who heard have to rend?

I quote the following against our Mishnah : From what time may we begin to read the Shema' in the evening? From the time that people go home to eat their bread on the Sabbath-eve. These are the words of R. Meir ; but the Sages say : From the time the priests are entitled to partake of their Terumah. A sign for the matter is the appearance of the stars, and although there is no proof of this, yet is there some indication ; as it is said, "So we wrought in the work : and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared" (Neh. iv. 15), and it continues "That in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labour in the day" (ibid. v. 16).

R. Johanan said: Why is there no verse beginning with the letter N in that Psalm ? Because it would refer to the downfall of Israel's enemies; as it is written, "Fallen (Naphelah) is the virgin of Israel, she shall no more rise" (Amos v. 2).

R. Isaac said : Whoever reads the Shema' upon his bed is as though he holds a two-edged sword in his hand; as it is said, "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand" (Ps. cxlix. 6). How is this inferred ? Mar Zotra (another version : Rab Ashe) said : From what precedes ; for it is written, "Let the saints exult in glory, let them sing for joy upon their beds" (ibid. v. 5), and this is followed by "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand."

R. Isaac also said : Whoever reads the Shema' upon his bed, the evil spirits flee from him ; as it is said, "And the sons of Reshef fly upwards ['uf] " (Job v. 7). 'Uf means nothing else than Torah ; as it is said, "Wilt thou set [hata'if] thine eyes upon it? It is gone" (Prov. xxiii. 5). And Reshef means nothing else than "evil spirits"; as it is said, "The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt [Reshef] and bitter destruction" (Deut. xxxii. 24).

Does, then, the Holy One, blessed be He, glory in the praises of Israel ? Yes, for it is written, "Thou hast avouched the Lord this day" (Deut. xxvi. 17) and "The Lord hath avouched thee this day " (ibid. v. 18). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "You have made Me the only object of your love in the world, so I shall make you the only object of My love in the world."

He answered : [It contains the following :] "For what great nation is there," etc. (Deut. iv. 7), "And what great nation is there," etc. (ibid, v. 8), "Happy art thou, O Israel " etc. (ibid, xxxiii. 29), "Or hath God assayed to go" etc. (ibid. iv. 34), and "To make thee high above all nations" etc. (ibid. xxvi. 19).

R. Johanan said : When the Holy One, blessed be He, enters a Synagogue and does not find there ten. He is immediately filled with wrath ; as it is said, "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man ? When I called, was there none to answer ?" (ibid. v. 2).

R. Johanan said : Also with the evening prayer [must a man be careful] ; as it is said, "Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Ps. cxli. 2). Rab Nahman b. Isaac said : Also with the morning prayer [must a man be careful] ; as it is said, "O Lord, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice ; in the morning will I order my prayer unto Thee, and will look forward" (ibid. v. 4).

"And He said, Thou canst not see My face" (ibid. v. 20). It has been taught in the name of R. Joshua b. Karhah : Thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses, "When I was willing [that thou shouldest see My face] thou wert not willing ; so now that thou art willing, I am not willing."

Whence do we learn this ? From Moses our teacher; as it is said, "Let Me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven ; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they" (Deut. ix. 14). Although Moses supplicated God against this decree and averted it, nevertheless He fulfilled [the blessing contained therein] in his seed ; as it is said, "The sons of Moses : Gershom and Eliezer" (I Chron. xxiii. 15), and then "And the sons of Eliezer were : Rehabiah the chief. And Eliezer had no other sons ; but the sons of Rehabiah were very [lema'alah] many" (ibid. v. 17).

But as for my son, although Joseph forcibly deprived him of his birthright — as it is written, 'But, forasmuch as he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph' (I Chron. v. 1 ) — nevertheless he was not jealous of him; for it is written, 'And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand' (Gen. xxxrii. 21)."

R. Johanan also said in the name of R. Simeon b. Johai : More painful is filial impiety in a man's house than the wars of Gog and Magog; as it is said, "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son" (ibid. iii. 1), after which it is written, "Lord, how many are mine adversaries become ! Many are they that rise up against me" (ibid. v. 2), But in connection with the wars of Gog and Magog it is written, "Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain?" (ibid. ii. 1); but it is not written, "How many are mine adversaries become!"

This is like what R. Joshua b. Levi said to his sons : Rise early and stay up late to enter the Synagogue, so that you may prolong your life. R. Aha b. R. Hannina asked, What is the Scriptural authority for this ? "Happy is the man that hearkeneth to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors" (Prov. viii. 34), after which it is written, "For whoso findeth me findeth life" (ibid. v. 35).

R. 'Akiba said to him, "But has it not already been stated, 'Ye shall eat it in haste' (ibid. v. 11) — i.e. until the time of hastening?" R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah asked, "If so, why is there a teaching to state 'in that night'?" R. 'Akiba answered, "One might otherwise have thought that the Paschal offering could be eaten like the other holy offerings during the day ; therefore there is a teaching to state 'in that night,' meaning

R. Abba said : Everybody admits that the Israelites were only redeemed from Egypt at even ; as it is said, "The Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night" (ibid. v. I); but they actually left Egypt by day ; as it is said, "On the morrow after the Passover, the children of Israel went out with a high hand " (Nam. xxxiii. 3).

[the righteous one] 'And they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them' (Gen. xv. 13) He did fulfil in them, but 'and afterward shall they come out with great substance' (ibid. v. 14) He did not fulfil in them."

He sucked at his mother's breast, gazed at her nipples, and composed a song ; as it is said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits" (ibid. v. 2).

He reflected on the day of death and composed a song ; as it is said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul : O Lord my God, Thou art very great, Thou art clothed with glory and majesty" (ibid. v. 1).

How is it understood that this verse speaks of the day of death? Rabbah b. Rab Shela answered : From the continuation ; as it is written, "Thou hidest Thy face, they vanish ; Thou withdrawest their breath, they perish, and return to the dust" (ibid. v. 29).

R. Hanan said : Even if the lord of dreams inform a man that he will die on the morrow, he should not despair of [the divine] mercy; as it is said, "For through the multitude of dreams and vanities there are also many words ; but fear thou God" (Eccles. v. 6),

"A holy man." R. Jose b. R. Hannina said : He is holy, but not his servant : as it is said, "Gehazi came near to thrust her away" (ibid. v. 27). R. Simeon b. Lakish said: He seized her by the breast.

"That passeth by us continually" (ibid. v. 9). R. Jose b. R. Hannina said in the name of R. Eliezer b. Jacob : Whoever invites a disciple of the wise as a guest to his house and lets him enjoy his possessions, the Scriptures ascribe it to him as though he had brought continual offerings.

R. Eliezer said : Even if he used the phrase "holy God," he has complied with the requirements of the law ; as it is said, "But the Lord of hosts is exalted through justice, and the holy God is sanctified through righteousness" (Is. v. 16). When is "the Lord of hosts exalted through justice"? During the ten days from the New Year until the Day of Atonement, and yet it is stated thereby "the holy God" !

Quite right that three of these are explicitly stated therein ; viz. : the yoke of the commandments, as it is written, "That ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord" (ibid. xv. 39) ; the command of Fringes, as it is written, "That they make for themselves fringes" (ibid. v. 38) ; the exodus from Egypt, as it is written, "I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God ; I am the Lord your God" (ibid. 5:41). But where is there reference to heretical opinions and lustful imagination and idolatrous longing ?

There is a teaching : "After your heart" (ibid. v. 39) means heresy; for thus the Scriptures state, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Ps. xiv, 1). "After your own eyes" (Num. I.c.) means lustful imagination ; as it is said, "And Samson said unto his father. Get her for me, for she is pleasing in my eyes" (Judg. xiv. 3). "After which ye use to go astray" (Num. I.c.) means idolatrous longing; for thus the Scriptures state, "The children of Israel again went astray after the Baalim " (Judg. viii. 33).

MISHNAH V The exodus from Egypt must be mentioned at night. R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah said : Behold I am like one seventy years old, and I have never been worthy [to hear the reason] why the exodus from Egypt should he mentioned at night, until Ben Zoma expounded it [as follows].

In her case the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be" (ibid. v. 15).

And what is the reason of the Sages? The text states, "Hear, O Israel" (ibid. v. 4); i.e. in any language which thou hearest.

'Ulla said : Whoever reads the Shema' without Tefillin is as though he spoke false testimony against himself. R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : It is as though he had offered a burnt-offering without a meal-offering (cf. Num. xxviii. 5) and a sacrifice without drink-offerings (ibid. v. 14).

It is certainly in agreement with R. Judah, even though it be ab initio ; and there is no contradiction. The latter is his own opinion, the other the opinion of his teacher. For there is a teaching : R. Judah says in the name of R. Eleazar b. 'Azariah : When one reads the Shema' he must make it audible to his ear ; as it is said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. vi. 4). R. Meir said to him : Behold the Scriptures state, "And these words which I command thee this day shall be upon thy heart" (ibid. v. 6), i.e. the words depend on the Kawwanah of the heart. Since thou hast reached so far, thou mayest even suppose that

Raba said to him : Should one ask thee whose teaching this is, it is R. Judah's; for he stated with reference to the woman suspected of adultery : One writes the curses but not the words of the command, because in this connection it is written, "And the priests shall write these curses in a scroll" (Num. v. 23), but here [in connection with Tefillin] it is written, "And thou shalt write them," i.e. even the words of the command.

R. Eleazar said : what means that which is written, "So will I bless Thee as long as I live ; in Thy name will I lift up my hands" (Ps. Ixiii. 5)? "So will I bless Thee as long as I live" refers to the reading of the Shema' ; "in Thy name will I lift up my hands" refers to Tefillah. If one act thus, of him the text saith, "My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness" (ibid. v. 6) ; and not only that, but he will inherit two worlds, this world and the world to come, as it is said, "And my mouth will praise Thee with joyful lips" (ibid.).

It is here at any rate taught that [the mourner, although he is not in the same room as the body,] is exempt from reading the Shema', from Tefillah, Tefillin, and all the commandments mentioned in the Torah ! Rab Pappa replied : [The Baraita] is to be interpreted as referring to one who turns his face from the body and eats. Rab Ashe said : Since the duty of burying rests upon him, it is to be regarded as though the body was lying before him; as it is said, "And Abraham rose up from before his dead" (Gen. xxiii. 3) and it is said "That I may bury my dead from before me" (ibid. v. 4), i.e. so long as the duty of burial rested upon him, it was as though the body was actually before him.

The first said to him, "But does he not know ; for behold it is written, 'But his flesh grieveth for him, and his soul mourneth over him' (ibid. v. 22)? And R. Isaac has said : The worm is as painful to the flesh of the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living !"

Rab Joseph said : What is the Scriptural authority for this ? As it is said, "We should have been as Sodom" (Is. i. 9) ; and what did the prophet reply to them? "Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom" (ibid. v. 10).

But, said Raba, [the correct reason why they have to "sanctify" the Sabbath is because] the Scriptures declare, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" (Exod. xx. 8) and "Observe the Sabbath to keep it holy" (Deut. v. 12) — everyone who has to "observe" must likewise "remember"; and since women must "observe," so must they "remember."

R. Judah declares : He says Grace before and after. That is to say that R. Judah is of the opinion that a Ba'al Keri is permitted to study Torah. But lo, R. Joshua b. Levi has said : Whence is it that a Ba'al Keri is forbidden to study Torah? As it is said, "Thou shalt make them known unto thy children and thy children's children" (Deut. iv. 9) and it continues, "The day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb" (ibid. v. 10) — as those who were Ba'al Keri were forbidden [in the assembly at Horeb], so are they forbidden [to occupy themselves with Torah].

How do we know that he does not use this method in any other part of the Torah ? For there is a teaching : Ben 'Azzai said : It is stated, "Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live" (Exod. xxii. 17) and it continues, "Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death" (ibid. v. 18); [the Rabbis] connect the two laws to infer that as the one who lieth with a beast is put to death by stoning, so also is the sorceress put to death by stoning.

They said : Yes, in the Book of Deuteronomy R. Judah does use this method of deduction; but the consecutive verses [quoted above] are required for another teaching of R. Joshua b. Levi who says : Whoever teaches his son Torah, the Scriptures ascribe it to him as though he had received it from Mount Horeb ; as it is said, "Thou shalt make them known unto thy children and thy children's children" (Deut. iv. 9) and it continues, "The day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb" (ibid. v. 10).

R. Assi said : [Of him the Scriptures state], "Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity" (Is. v. 18). Rab Adda b. Ahabah said : From the following, "Because he hath despised the word of the Lord" (Num. xv. 31).

If he is standing outside the [Holy] Land, he must direct his heart towards the land of Israel ; as it is said, "And pray unto Thee toward their land" (ibid. v. 48). If he is standing in the land of Israel, he must direct his heart towards Jerusalem ; as it is said, "And they pray unto the Lord toward the city which Thou hast chosen" (ibid. v. 44). If he is standing in Jerusalem, he must direct his heart towards the Temple ; as it is said, "And pray toward this house" (II Chron. vi. 32). If he is standing in the Temple, he must direct his heart towards the Holy of Holies; as it is said, "And they pray toward this place" (I Kings viii. 35). If he is standing in the Holy of Holies, he must direct his heart towards the mercy-seat. If he is standing behind the mercy-seat, he must imagine himself to be in front of it. Consequently if he is standing in the East, he must turn West ; if in the West, he must turn East ; if in the South, he must turn North ; if in the North, he must turn South. As a result, all Israel will be directing their heart to one spot.

If he is standing outside the [Holy] Land, he must direct his heart towards the land of Israel ; as it is said, "And pray unto Thee toward their land" (ibid. v. 48). If he is standing in the land of Israel, he must direct his heart towards Jerusalem ; as it is said, "And they pray unto the Lord toward the city which Thou hast chosen" (ibid. v. 44). If he is standing in Jerusalem, he must direct his heart towards the Temple ; as it is said, "And pray toward this house" (II Chron. vi. 32). If he is standing in the Temple, he must direct his heart towards the Holy of Holies; as it is said, "And they pray toward this place" (I Kings viii. 35). If he is standing in the Holy of Holies, he must direct his heart towards the mercy-seat. If he is standing behind the mercy-seat, he must imagine himself to be in front of it. Consequently if he is standing in the East, he must turn West ; if in the West, he must turn East ; if in the South, he must turn North ; if in the North, he must turn South. As a result, all Israel will be directing their heart to one spot.

But said R. Jose b. R. Hannina : [Derive it] from the following : "But as for me, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness will I come into Thy house ; I will bow down toward Thy holy Temple in the fear of Thee" (Ps. v. 8).

Rab Hamnuna said : How many weighty Halakot there are to be learnt from the passage relating to Hannah ! "Now Hannah, she spake in her heart" (I Sam. i. 13) — hence it is deduced that one who prays must direct his heart. "Only her lips moved" — hence, one who prays must pronounce [the words] with his lips. "But her voice was not heard" — hence, it is forbidden to raise the voice when praying. "Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken" — hence, it is forbidden to pray when intoxicated. "And Eli said to her. How long wilt thou be drunken?" (ibid. v. 14) — [[fol. 31 b.]] R. Eleazar said:

anything that is unseemly, he must rebuke him. "And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord" (ibid. v. 15) — 'Ulla (another version: R. Jose b. R. Hannina) declared : She said to Eli, "Thou art not 'a lord' in this affair, nor does the Holy Spirit rest upon thee, seeing thou hast suspected me of this thing."

"And she vowed a vow and said, O Lord of hosts" (ibid. v. 11) — R. Eleazar said : From the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, created His universe, there was nobody who called Him "[Lord of] hosts" until Hannah came and gave Him that designation.

'Then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed'" (Num. v. 28).

"For this child I prayed" (ibid. v. 27). R. Eleazar said : Samuel was one who decided a Halakah in the presence of his master ; as it is said, "And when the bullock was slain, the child was brought to Eli" (ibid. v. 25). Because "the bullock was slain," therefore "the child was brought to Eli"!

"For this child I prayed" (ibid. v. 27). R. Eleazar said : Samuel was one who decided a Halakah in the presence of his master ; as it is said, "And when the bullock was slain, the child was brought to Eli" (ibid. v. 25). Because "the bullock was slain," therefore "the child was brought to Eli"!

Rab Pappa said : [It may also be learnt] from this passage: "And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes" (ibid. v. 27).

"And Moses besought [wayyehal] the Lord his God" (ibid. v. 11). R. Eleazar said : This teaches that Moses stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, until he wore Him out [hehelehu]. Raba said : [Moses besought Him] until He annulled His vow for him ; for it is written here wayyehal "and he besought," and elsewhere it is written, "he shall not break [yahel] his word" (Num. 30:3) ; and a teacher has said : [He who makes a vow] cannot break it himself, but others can break it on his behalf.

"Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self" (ibid. v. 13). What means "By Thine own self" ? R. Eleazar said : Moses spake before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Lord of the universe ! If Thou hadst sworn to them by heaven and earth, I might have said that as heaven and earth will be annulled, so will Thine oath be annulled ; but now that Thou hast sworn to them by Thy great name, as Thy great name lives and endures for all eternity, so must Thine oath endure for all eternity."

R. Johanan said : Whence is it that the Holy One, blessed be He, afterwards yielded to Moses? As it is said, "And the Lord said, I have forgiven according to thy word" (ibid. v. 20). The school of R. Ishmael taught : "According to thy word" — the nations of the world will say thus,

"But in very deed, as I live" (ibid. v. 21) — Raba said in the name of Rab Isaac : This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Moses, thou hast made Me to survive [in the estimation of the peoples] with thy word."

R. Simlai expounded : A man should always recount the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, and thereafter pray [for his needs]. Whence have we this? From Moses; for it is written, "And I besought the Lord at that time, saying" (Deut. iii. 23). Then it is written, "O Lord God, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand ; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts ?" (ibid. v. 24). And after that it is written, "Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land" etc. (ibid. v. 25).

R. Simlai expounded : A man should always recount the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, and thereafter pray [for his needs]. Whence have we this? From Moses; for it is written, "And I besought the Lord at that time, saying" (Deut. iii. 23). Then it is written, "O Lord God, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand ; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts ?" (ibid. v. 24). And after that it is written, "Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land" etc. (ibid. v. 25).

R. Eleazar said : Greater is prayer than good deeds ; for thou hast no one greater in good deeds than Moses, our teacher, nevertheless he was only answered through prayer ; as it is said, "Speak no more unto Me of this matter" (ibid. v. 26), which is followed by, "Get thee up into the top of Pisgah" (ibid. v. 27).

R. Eleazar said : Greater is prayer than good deeds ; for thou hast no one greater in good deeds than Moses, our teacher, nevertheless he was only answered through prayer ; as it is said, "Speak no more unto Me of this matter" (ibid. v. 26), which is followed by, "Get thee up into the top of Pisgah" (ibid. v. 27).

R. Eleazar also said : Greater is prayer than sacrifices ; as it is said, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?" (Is. i. 11), and it is written, "And when ye spread forth your hands" (ibid. v. 15).

R. Johanan said : Even [if it see] a fixed court [it is subject to the tithe] ; as it is said, "That they may eat within thy gates and be satisfied" (ibid. v. 12).

GEMARA What is Rabban Gamaliel's reason? Because it is written, "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates" (Deut. viii. 8), and it is written, "A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness" (ibid. v. 9), and it is written "And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord thy God" (ibid. v. lO).

GEMARA What is Rabban Gamaliel's reason? Because it is written, "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates" (Deut. viii. 8), and it is written, "A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness" (ibid. v. 9), and it is written "And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord thy God" (ibid. v. lO).

and made caves for themselves in which they hid, saying, "When the Israelites pass here we will kill them." But they knew not that the Ark was journeying before Israel and was lowering the rocks in front of them ; so when the Ark reached [the spot where the Amorites were in hiding], the rocks clave together, killing them, and their blood descended into the valleys of Arnon. When Et and Heb came and saw blood issuing from between the rocks, they went and told the Israelites and uttered a song. That is what is written, "And he poured out the valleys that incline toward the seat of Ar and lean upon the border of Moab" (ibid. v. 15).

R. Levi said : A man should always wait up to twenty-two years for [the fulfilment of] a good dream. Whence is this learnt ? From Joseph ; for it is written, "These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old" etc. (ibid. v. 2), and it is written, "And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh" (ibid. xli. 46). From seventeen to thirty — how many years is it? Thirteen ; add the seven years of plenty and two of famine, hence we get twenty-two.

Is there such a Scriptural passage as "All dreams follow the mouth"? Yes; and it is like the statement of R. Eleazar who said : Whence is it that all dreams follow the mouth ? As it is said, "And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was" (Gen. xli. 13). Raba said : That is only so if he interprets it from the content of the dream; as it is said, "To each man according to his dream he did interpret" (ibid. v. 12).

R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan : A man is only shown [in a dream what emanates] from the thoughts of his heart ; as it is said, "As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed" (Dan. ii. 29). Or if thou wilt I can say from this passage, "That thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart" (ibid. v. 30). Raba said : Thou mayest know this from the fact that a man is never shown [in a dream] a golden date-palm or an elephant entering the eye of a needle.

[They said to him : In our dream] we were made to read the words "Thy sons and thy daughters shall he given unto another people " (ibid. v. 32), To Abbai he said : Thy sons and daughters will be many ; thou wilt say [they should marry] thy relatives, but [thy wife] will say they [should marry] her relatives, and she will compel thee to give them to her relatives, and it will seem [as though they had been given] to another people. To Raba he said : Thy wife will die, and thy sons and daughters will come under the control of another wife. For Raba said in the name of R. Jeremiah b. Abba in the name of Rab : What means that which is written, "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people"? This refers to a stepmother.

We were made to read the words "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and they shall be afraid of thee" (ibid. v. 10). To Abbai he said : Thy fame will go forth as the Principal of the College and the fear of thee will be widespread in the world. To Raba he said : The king's treasury will be broken into and thou wilt be arrested as one of the thieves, and everybody will draw an inference from thee. The next day the king's treasury was broken into, and they came and arrested Raba.

Our Rabbis have taught : Who dreams of a reed [kaneh] may hope for wisdom ; as it is said, "Get [keneh] wisdom" (Prov. iv. 5). Who dreams of reeds may hope for understanding ; as it is said, "With all thy getting get understanding" (ibid. v. 7). R. Zera said: A pumpkin [kara], a palm-heart [kora], wax [kira] and a reed [kanya] are all auspicious in a dream. There is a teaching : Nobody is shown a gourd [in a dream] except him who is a fearer of Heaven with all his strength.

'Ulla and Rab Hisda were journeying along the road. When they reached the entrance of the house of Rab Hanna b. Hanilai, Rab Hisda broke down and sighed. 'Ulla asked him, "Why dost thou sigh? For lo, Rab has said : A sigh breaketh half the body of a man ; as it is said, 'Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins,' etc. (Ezek. xxi. 11); and R. Johanan has said : It even breaks the whole body ; as it is said, 'And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou ? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh ; and every heart shall melt' etc. (ibid. v. 12)."

He said to him, "Thus spake R. Johanan : From the day the Temple was destroyed, a decree was issued that the houses of the righteous should be destroyed ; as it is said, 'In mine ears said the Lord of hosts : Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant' (Is. v. 9). Also said R. Johanan: The Holy One, blessed be He, will restore them to habitation ; as it is said, 'A Song of Ascents. They that trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion' (Ps. cxxv. 1) — just as the Holy One, blessed be He, will restore Mount Zion to habitation, so will He restore the houses of the righteous to habitation." He perceived that his mind was still not at rest, so he said to him, "It is enough for the slave to be like his master."

Samuel asked : It is written "Who maketh the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades" (Job ix. 9) and it is written "That maketh the Pleiades and Orion" (Amos v. 8) ! How is that ? Were it not for the heat of Orion, the world could not exist because of the coldness of the Pleiades, and were it not for the coldness of the Pleiades, the world could not exist because of the heat of Orion.

Rab Kattina himself explained [that the phenomenon was due to God] clapping His hands ; as it is said, "I will also smite My hands together, and I will satisfy My fury" (Ezek. xxi. 22). R. Nathan says : The rumbling is due to His sighing; as it is said, "I will satisfy My fury upon them, and I will be eased" (ibid. v. 13). The Rabbis say : He treads upon the firmament ; as it is said, "He giveth a noise, as they that tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth" (Jer. xxv. 30). Rab Aha b. Jacob said : He presses His feet beneath the Throne of Glory ; as it is said, "Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool" (Is. Ixvi. 1).

Rab Joseph said: What is the Scriptural authority? For it is written, "We should have been as Sodom, we should have been like unto Gomorrah" (Is, i. 9). What did the prophet answer them? "Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom" (ibid. v. 10).

Rab Huna stated that Rab said in the name of R. Meir : A man's words should always be few before the Holy One, blessed be He ; as it is said, "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God ; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few" (Eccles. v. 1).

It is quite right according to him who said it was a tail ; that is what is written, "And He made [lit. built]" (ibid. v. 22). But according to him who said it was a face, what means "He made"?

"If it be the Lord that hath stirred thee up against me, let Him accept an offering" (I Sam. xxvi. 19). R. Eleazar said: Thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, to David, Thou callest Me a "stirrer-up," behold I will cause thee to stumble in a matter which even school-children know ; for it is written, "When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to their number, then shall they give every man a ranson for his soul unto the Lord... that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them" (Exod. xxx. 12). Immediately "Satan stood up against Israel" (I Chron. xxi. 1); for it is written, "He stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah" (II Sam. xxiv. 1). But when he numbered them, he took no ransom from them ; and it is written, "So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed" (ibid. v. 15).

"And He said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough [rab]" (ibid. v. 16). R. Eleazar said: Thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, to the angel, Take for me the chief [rab] among them, so that through him I can punish them for their sins. At that moment Abishai b. Zeruiah died, who was equal [in worth] to the majority of the Sanhedrin.

Hezekiah b. R. Parnak said in the name of R. Parnak in the name of R. Johanan : Why does the section of the woman suspected of adultery adjoin the section of the offerings and tithes ? To tell thee that whoever has offerings and tithes and does not hand them to the priest will in the end require the services of a priest in the matter of his wife; as it is said, "And every man's hallowed things shall be his" (Num. v. 10) and next to it is, "If any man's wife go aside" (ibid. v. 12). Not only that, but in the end he will be in need of the offerings and tithes ; as it is said, "And every man's hallowed things shall be his."

Hezekiah b. R. Parnak said in the name of R. Parnak in the name of R. Johanan : Why does the section of the woman suspected of adultery adjoin the section of the offerings and tithes ? To tell thee that whoever has offerings and tithes and does not hand them to the priest will in the end require the services of a priest in the matter of his wife; as it is said, "And every man's hallowed things shall be his" (Num. v. 10) and next to it is, "If any man's wife go aside" (ibid. v. 12). Not only that, but in the end he will be in need of the offerings and tithes ; as it is said, "And every man's hallowed things shall be his."

Rab Nahman b. Isaac said : Should he duly hand them over, in the end he will grow rich ; as it is said, "Whatever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his" (Num. v. 10) — i.e. much wealth shall be his.

"And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face" (ibid. v. 11). R. Isaac said : The Holy One, blessed be He, spake unto Moses, "Moses, I and thou will discuss aspects of Halakah." Another version : Thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, unto Moses, "In the same manner that I have shown thee a cheerful countenance, do thou likewise show Israel a cheerful countenance, and restore the tent to its place."

as it is said, "Peullethai the eighth son" (I Chron. xxvi. 5), and it is written "For God blessed him" (ibid.), "All these were the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, able men in strength for the service ; threescore and two of Obed-Edom" (ibid. v. 8)[3].

"Great peace have they that love Thy law; and there is no stumbling for them" (Ps. cxix. 165). "Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces" (ibid, cxxii. 7). "For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee" (ibid. v. 8). "For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good" (ibid. v. 9). "The Lord will give strength unto His people ; the Lord will bless His people with peace" (ibid. xxix. 11)[2]