wooden

MISHNAH: How does the reading of the king proceed? At the end of the last day of Tabernacles, on the eighth, at the end of the Sabbatical year, one makes a wooden platform for him and he sits on it, as it is said: “At the end of seven years, at the assembly of the Sabbatical years at the festival of Tabernacles, when all of Israel appears.” The organizer of the synagogue takes a Torah scroll and gives it to the president of the synagogue; the president of the synagogue gives it to the Second; the Second gives it to the High Priest, the High Priest gives it to the king. The king stands to receive it, he reads sitting down. King Agrippas stood to receive, he read while standing, and the Sages praised him. When he reached “you cannot put over yourselves a strange man who is not your brother”, tears flowed from his eyes. They said to him, do not fear Agrippas, you are our brother, you are our brother.

The preparation of the anointing oil. “Take for yourself select spices: Flowing myrrh 500, etc., and casia 500 in Temple sheqel, altogether 1500 parts. “And olive oil one hin,” that is twelve log, in which the roots were cooked, the words of Rebbi Meïr. Rebbi Jehudah says, they cooked in water, then poured the oil on them, and when it had absorbed the fragrance one removed it, just as the perfumers do. That is what is written: “Make it into holy anointing oil.” “That will be for Me for your generations.” It was stated, Rebbi Jehudah bar Ilaï says: The anointing oil made by Moses in the desert was from the start to the end a work of wonders, since there were only twelve log to start with, as it was said, “and olive oil one hin”. It would not have been enough to rub the wooden planks with it; so much more since the fire swallows, wood absorbs, and the kettle absorbs! From it the Tabernacles and all its vessels were anointed, the table and its vessels, the candelabra and all its vessels. From it Aaron and his sons were anointed all of the seven days of induction, from it all high priests and kings were anointed. A king who is first needs anointing, a king who is a king’s son does not need anointing, for it is said: “Do anoint him, for this one is it,” this one needs anointing but his son does not need anointing. But a High Priest who is the son of a High Priest needs anointing, even for ten generations. Nevertheless, it is all there for the future, as it was said, “a holy anointing oil will this be for Me, for all your generations.”

“Which corpse has decay? One who was buried naked in a marble coffin, or on a stone floor, or on a marble table. But if he was buried in a wooden casket or on a woooden plank; that is not decay but graves’ dust and needs somewhat more than a spoonful.” Rebbi Joḥanan said, if even the smallest attachment was buried with him, there is no decay. Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Of two corpses which were buried together, each one becomes an attachment for the other. This is automatic; could one alone be an attachment to another? Abba bar Nathan objected: Think of it, that somebody brought half a spoonful from one and half a spoonful from the other! He was considering it when he was seen laughing; he was offended by him and he died. Rebbi Yose said, there this man is gone and we did hear nothing about it. What about it? There, neither of them will produce a spoonful of decayed matter, but here, each of them can generate a spoonful of decay.

MISHNAH: The drain pipe does not represent a right of possession; its location represents a right of possession. The leader represents a right of possession. An Egyptian ladder does not represent a right of possession; a Tyrian one represents a right of possession. An Egyptian window does not represent a right of possession; a Tyrian one represents a right of possession. What is an Egyptian window? Any where a man’s head cannot enter. Rebbi Jehudah says, if it has a wooden frame it represents a right of possession even if a man’s head cannot enter.

“Nor the roof if it has a railing ten handbreadths high.” Is a railing the last word? If it was surrounded by back walls of houses, if there were pillars and wooden superstructures on top of them? Let us hear from the following: “Rebbi Jehudah says, if its entry point is shaped like a door it is not sold even if its railing is not ten handbreadths high.” They said, only if it has a railing ten handbreadths high.

HALAKHAH: “Not only this,” etc. It was stated: If somebody transports a coffin from one place to the other, the rules of collecting bones do not apply. Rebbi Aḥa said, this means in a marble coffin. But in a wooden coffin, the rules of collecting bones do apply. Rebbi Yose said, even for a wooden coffin the rules of collecting bones do not apply. What is “collecting bones”?

HALAKHAH: “Not only this,” etc. It was stated: If somebody transports a coffin from one place to the other, the rules of collecting bones do not apply. Rebbi Aḥa said, this means in a marble coffin. But in a wooden coffin, the rules of collecting bones do apply. Rebbi Yose said, even for a wooden coffin the rules of collecting bones do not apply. What is “collecting bones”?

HALAKHAH: “A murderer who attacked someone,” etc. It is written: If he hit him with a lethal stone in his hand so that he died, (the hitter shall die, he is a murderer,)the murderer shall be put to death. Or he hit him with a lethal wooden implement in his hand so that he died, the murderer shall be put to death. When He comes to iron, He does not speak of lethal or not lethal, but even a small hook when applied to the esophagus could kill him; but a stone must be lethal, wood must be lethal. If he put him in front of a horse, in front of an arrow, in front of a spear, put him out in the cold, gave him bad water to drink, removed the ceiling over him and the rains came down and killed him, or he opened a water canal whose waters swept over him.

The colleagues asked before Rebbi Samuel ben Naḥman: He was a priest of idol worship and lived so long? He said to them, because he was grudging to his idol. How was he grudging to his idol? If a man came to sacrifice an ox, a sheep, or a goat to the idol and told him: Make it favorably inclined towards me, he would say, what use does it have for you? It never eats, nor drinks, nor does good or evil. He said to him, what should we do? He said to him, go, make, and bring me a wooden vessel full of fine flour and put on it ten eggs, then I shall make it favorably inclined towards you. After he left, he would eat it. One day, a son of pashas came and he said that to him. He said to him, if it is of no use, what are you doing here? He answered him, because of my livelihood.

It was stated: Rebbi Jehudah bar Ilai says: The anointing oil made by Moses on the Mountain was from beginning to end a series of miracles since there were only twelve log to start with, as it was said: and olive oil one hin. It would not have been enough to rub the wooden planks with it; so much more since the fire swallows, the kettle swallows, wood absorbs! From it the Tabernacle and all its vessels were anointed, the altar and all its vessels, the candelabra and all its vessels, the wash basin and its base. From it Aaron the High Priest and his sons were anointed all of the seven days of induction; from it all high priests and kings were anointed. A king who is first needs anointing; a king who is a king’s son does not need anointing, for it is said: Do anoint him, for this one is it, this one needs anointing, but his son does not need anointing. But a High Priest who is the son of a High Priest needs anointing even for ten generations. Nevertheless, it is there for the future, as it was said: a holy anointing oil will this be for Me, for all your generations.

Mishnah: They may make skhakh out of wooden planks, the words or Rabbi Judah. Rabbi Meir forbids. If one places on top of [the sukkah] a plank four handbreadths wide, it is valid provided that he does not sleep under it.

Mishnah: A [wooden] roof that has no plastering: Rabbi Judah says: Bet Shammai say that he should loosen [the planks] and remove one from between each two. And Bet Hillel say he should either loosen [the planks] or remove one from between two. Rabbi Meir says, he removes one from between two, but he does not loosen [the planks].

Raba said: drinking vessels may be kept in the Sukkah, eating vessels outside the Sukkah Earthenware pitchers and wooden pails [must be kept] outside the Sukkah. A lamp [may be kept] within the Sukkah, while some say [that it must be kept] outside the Sukkah; but they do not disagree, here refers to a large Sukkah and here refers to a small one.

It has been taught: R. Judah stated: He who has not seen the double colonnade of Alexandria in Egypt has never seen the glory of Israel. It was said that. it was like a huge basilica, one colonnade within the other, and it sometimes held twice the number of people that went forth from Egypt. There were in it seventy-one chairs of gold, corresponding to the seventy-one members of the Great Sanhedrin, not one of them containing less than twenty-one talents of gold. And a wooden platform was in the middle on which the attendant of the Synagogue stood with a scarf in his hand. When the time came to answer Amen, he waved his scarf and all the congregation would respond “Amen.”

There was a synagogue of the Roman Jews which opened out into a room where a dead body had been put. The kohanim wanted to go in there to pray. They came and told Rava. He said: Take the ark and put it down there, since it is a wooden vessel which is meant to be stationary, and every wooden vessel which is meant to be stationary is not susceptible to defilement and forms a partition to prevent the passage of defilement.

There was a synagogue of the Roman Jews which opened out into a room where a dead body had been put. The kohanim wanted to go in there to pray. They came and told Rava. He said: Take the ark and put it down there, since it is a wooden vessel which is meant to be stationary, and every wooden vessel which is meant to be stationary is not susceptible to defilement and forms a partition to prevent the passage of defilement.

R. Tanchum said, He that is lame in one foot is exempt from the holocaust, as it is said, "footgoing times." And this expression, "footgoing times," must mean to exempt men with wooden legs. This comes out of the expression "steps," for there is a Baraitha, viz., Steps are not steps but feet, and so He says, "The foot shall tread it down, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy" (Is. xxvi. 6), and He says, "How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince's daughter!" (Cant. vii. 1). Rabba expounds thus, What is the meaning of that which is written, "How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince's daughter"? It means, How comely are the feet of Israel at the time when they go up to the feast! "Prince's daughter" means daughter of Abraham our father, who is called prince, as it is said, "The princes of the peoples are gathered together to be the people of the God of Abraham:" (Ps. xlvii. 9) "God of Abraham," and not God of Isaac and Jacob, but "God of Abraham"; for he was the first of the proselytes.

And the lame man and the blind man and the sick man and the old man. Our Rabbis have taught, The expression "steps" excludes people with wooden legs. Another explanation is, The expression "steps" excludes the lame man, and the sick man, and the blind man, and the old man, and the one who is not able to go up on his feet. And the one who is not able to go up on his feet, what is this expression to include? Rabba said, It is to include