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Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.1.1 | {
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} | MISHNA: The Megilla is read on the eleventh, on the twelfth, on the thirteenth, on the fourteenth, or on the fifteenth of the month of Adar, not earlier and not later. The mishna explains the circumstances when the Megilla is read on each of these days. Cities [kerakin] that have been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read the Megilla on the fifteenth of Adar, whereas villages and large towns that have not been walled since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read it on the fourteenth. However, the Sages instituted that the villages may advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Monday or Thursday, when the rabbinical courts are in session and the Torah is read publicly, and the villagers therefore come to the larger towns. How so? If the fourteenth of Adar occurs on Monday, the villages and large towns read it on that day, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the fifteenth. If the fourteenth occurs on Tuesday or Wednesday, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Monday, the twelfth or thirteenth of Adar; the large towns read it on that day, i.e., the fourteenth of Adar, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the fifteenth. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.1.2 | {
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} | If the fourteenth occurs on Thursday, the villages and large towns read it on that day, the fourteenth, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the fifteenth. If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat eve, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, the thirteenth of Adar; and the large towns and the walled cities read it on that day, i.e., the fourteenth of Adar. Even the walled cities read the Megilla on the fourteenth rather than on the fifteenth, as they do not read it on Shabbat. If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat, both the villages and large towns advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, the twelfth of Adar; and the walled cities read it on the day after Purim, the fifteenth. If the fourteenth occurs on Sunday, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, the eleventh of Adar; and the large towns read it on that day, i.e., the fourteenth of Adar; and the walled cities read it on the next day, the fifteenth. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.1 | {
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} | GEMARA: We learned in the mishna: The Megilla is read on the eleventh of Adar. The Gemara asks: From where do we derive this halakha? The Gemara expresses surprise at the question: What room is there to ask: From where do we derive this halakha? The reason is as we intend to say further on: The Sages were lenient with the villages and allowed them to advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, so that they would be free to supply water and food to their brethren in the cities on the day of Purim. Accordingly, the Megilla is read on the eleventh due to a rabbinic enactment. The Gemara explains: This is what we said, i.e., this is what we meant when we asked the question: Now, all of these days when the Megilla may be read were enacted by the members of the Great Assembly when they established the holiday of Purim itself. As, if it enters your mind to say that the members of the Great Assembly enacted only the fourteenth and fifteenth as days for reading the Megilla, is it possible that the later Sages came and uprooted an ordinance that was enacted by the members of the Great Assembly? Didnt we learn in a mishna (Eduyyot 1: 5) that a rabbinical court cannot rescind the statements of another rabbinical court, unless it is superior to it in wisdom and in number? No subsequent court was ever greater than the members of the Great Assembly, so it would be impossible for another court to rescind the enactments of the members of the Great Assembly. Rather, it is obvious that all these days were enacted by the members of the Great Assembly, and the question is: Where is the allusion to this in the Bible? The Megilla itself, which was approved by the members of the Great Assembly, mentions only the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.2 | {
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} | The Gemara objects: But still, the plural term is necessary to indicate that the time of this walled city is not the same as the time of that unwalled town, i.e., Purim is celebrated on different days in different places. The Gemara answers: If so, let the verse say: Their time, indicating that each place celebrates Purim on its respective day. What is the significance of the compound plural their times? Learn from this term that although the verse (Esther 9: 21) specifies only two days, the Megilla may, at times, be read on all of the days enumerated in the mishna. The Gemara asks: If so, say that the plural term indicates many times, and the Megilla may be read even earlier than the eleventh of Adar. The Gemara rejects this argument: The compound plural their times, should be understood as similar to the simple plural term, their time. Just as the term their time can be understood to refer to two days, indicating that each location reads the Megilla in its respective time on the fourteenth or the fifteenth of Adar, so too, their times should be understood as referring to only two additional days when the Megilla may be read. Rav Shemen bar Abba said that Rabbi Yohanan said: It is alluded to when the verse states: To confirm these days of Purim in their times (Esther 9: 31) . The phrase in their times indicates that they enacted many times for them and not only two days. The Gemara objects: This verse is necessary for its own purpose, to teach that the days of Purim must be observed at the proper times. The Gemara responds: If so, let the verse say: To confirm these days of Purim in its time. What is the significance of the term their times, in the plural? It indicates that many times were established for the reading of the Megilla. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.3 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Say that these two added days are the twelfth and the thirteenth of Adar. How is it derived that the Megilla may be read on the eleventh as well? The Gemara answers: It is as Rav Shmuel bar Yitzhak said in a different context: The thirteenth of Adar is a time of assembly for all, as it was on that day that the Jews assembled to fight their enemies, and the main miracle was performed on that day. Consequently, there is no need for a special derivation to include it as a day that is fit for reading the Megilla. Here too, since the thirteenth of Adar is a time of assembly for all, there is no need for a special derivation to include it among the days when the Megilla may be read. The Gemara objects: And say that the two additional days are the sixteenth and the seventeenth of Adar. The Gemara responds: It is written: And it shall not pass (Esther 9: 27) , indicating that the celebration of Purim is not delayed until a later date. Having cited and discussed the opinion of Rav Shemen bar Abba, the Gemara cites another answer to the question of where the verses allude to the permissibility of reading the Megilla on the days enumerated in the mishna. And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said: These dates are alluded to when the verse states: As the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies (Esther 9: 22) . The term days is referring to the two days that are explicitly mentioned in the previous verse, i.e., the fourteenth and the fifteenth. The term as the days comes to include two additional days, i.e., the eleventh and twelfth of Adar. The Gemara asks: And say that the two additional days are the twelfth and thirteenth of Adar. How is it derived that the Megilla may be read on the eleventh as well? In answer to this question, Rav Shmuel bar Yitzhak said: The thirteenth of Adar is a time of assembly for all, and there is no need for a special derivation to include it as a day fit for reading. The Gemara objects: Say that these additional days are the sixteenth and seventeenth of Adar. This suggestion is rejected: It is written: And it shall not pass. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.4 | {
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} | Since two derivations were offered for the same matter, the Gemara asks: What is the reason that Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani did not state that the days enumerated in the mishna are fit for reading the Megilla based upon the term in their times, in accordance with the opinion of Rav Shemen bar Abba? The Gemara answers: He does not learn anything from the distinction between the terms time, their time, and their times. Therefore, the verse indicates only that there are two days when the Megilla may be read. The Gemara asks: And what is the reason that Rav Shemen bar Abba did not state that the days enumerated in the mishna are fit for reading the Megilla based upon the term as the days, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani? The Gemara answers: He could have said to you: That verse is written as a reference to future generations, and it indicates that just as the Jews rested on these days at that time, they shall rest and celebrate on these days for all generations. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.5 | {
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} | With regard to the mishnas ruling that the Megilla may be read on the day of assembly, Rabba bar bar Hana said that Rabbi Yohanan said: This is the statement of Rabbi Akiva the unattributed. Most unattributed statements of tannaim were formulated by Rabbi Akivas students and reflect his opinions. As, he derives halakhot based on the distinction that he draws between the terms time, their time, and their times. However, the Sages say: One may read the Megilla only in its designated time, i.e., the fourteenth of Adar. The Gemara raises an objection based upon the following baraita. Rabbi Yehuda said: When is one permitted to read the Megilla from the eleventh to the fifteenth of Adar? One may read on these dates at a time when the years are established properly and the Jewish people dwell securely in their own land. However, nowadays, since people look to the reading of the Megilla and use it to calculate when Passover begins, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time, so as not to cause confusion with regard to the date of Passover, which is exactly one month from the day after Purim. The Gemara analyzes this baraita: In accordance with whose opinion did Rabbi Yehuda issue his ruling? If we say that it is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, whose opinion is expressed in the mishna, there is a difficulty, as Rabbi Akiva holds that even nowadays this ordinance applies. According to Rabbi Akiva, it is permitted for residents of villages to read the Megilla on the day of assembly even nowadays, as he did not limit his ruling to times when the Jewish people dwell securely in their land. Rather, is it not in accordance with the opinion of the Sages, who disagreed with Rabbi Akiva? And, nevertheless, at least when the years are established properly and the Jewish people dwell securely in their land, the Megilla is read even prior to the fourteenth, as the Sages disagree only about the halakha nowadays. This contradicts the statement of Rabbi Yohanan, who holds that the Megilla could never be read earlier than the fourteenth of Adar. The Gemara concludes: The refutation of the opinion of Rabbi Yohanan is indeed a conclusive refutation. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.6 | {
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} | There are those who say a different version of the previous passage. Rabba bar bar Hana said that Rabbi Yohanan said: This is the statement of Rabbi Akiva, the unattributed. However, the Sages said: Nowadays, since people look to the reading of the Megilla and use it to calculate when Passover begins, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time. The Gemara comments: This is also taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yehuda said: When is one permitted to read the Megilla from the eleventh to the fifteenth of Adar? At a time when the years are established properly and the Jewish people dwell securely in their own land. However, nowadays, since people look to the reading of the Megilla and use it to calculate when Passover begins, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time. According to this version, Rabbi Yehudas statement is consistent with the opinion of the Sages, as cited by Rabbi Yohanan. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.7 | {
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} | The Gemara adds: Rav Ashi poses a difficulty based on an apparent contradiction between the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda in the aforementioned baraita and a ruling cited in a mishna in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, and he establishes the baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda, rather than Rabbi Yehuda. The Gemara explains the apparent contradiction: And did Rabbi Yehuda actually say that nowadays, since people look to the reading of the Megilla and use it to calculate when Passover begins, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time? The Gemara raises a contradiction from a mishna (5a): Rabbi Yehuda said: When is one permitted to read the Megilla from the eleventh of Adar? In a place where the villagers generally enter town on Monday and Thursday. However, in a place where they do not generally enter town on Monday and Thursday, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time, the fourteenth of Adar. The mishna indicates that, at least in a place where the villagers enter town on Monday and Thursday, one may read the Megilla from the eleventh of Adar even nowadays. And due to this contradiction, Rav Ashi establishes the baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.8 | {
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} | The Gemara expresses surprise: Because Rav Ashi poses a difficulty due to the apparent contradiction between the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda in the baraita and the opinion cited in a mishna in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, he establishes the baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda? How could he have emended the text just because he had a difficulty that he did not know how to resolve? The Gemara explains: Rav Ashi heard that there were those who taught the baraita in the name of Rabbi Yehuda, and there were those who taught it in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda. And since he had a difficulty with the apparent contradiction between one ruling of Rabbi Yehuda and another ruling of Rabbi Yehuda, he said: The one who taught it in the name of Rabbi Yehuda is not precise, whereas the one who taught it in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda is precise, and in this way he eliminated the contradiction. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.9 | {
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} | We learned in the mishna: Cities that have been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, read the Megilla on the fifteenth of Adar. The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived, as they are not stated explicitly in the Megilla? Rava said: It is as the verse states: Therefore the Jews of the villages, who dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting (Esther 9: 19) . From the fact that the unwalled towns celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, it may be derived that the walled cities celebrate Purim on the fifteenth. The Gemara challenges this answer: Say that the unwalled towns celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, as indicated in the verse, and the walled cities do not celebrate it at all. The Gemara expresses astonishment: And are they not Jews? And furthermore: It is written that the kingdom of Ahasuerus was from Hodu until Cush (Esther 1: 1) , and the celebration of Purim was accepted in all of the countries of his kingdom (Esther 9: 2023) . Rather, the following challenge may be raised: Say that the unwalled towns celebrate Purim on the fourteenth and the walled cities celebrate it on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth, as it is written: That they should keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and the fifteenth day of the same, in every year (Esther 9: 21) . This verse can be understood to mean that there are places where Purim is celebrated on both days. The Gemara rejects this argument: If it had been written in the verse: The fourteenth day and [ve] the fifteenth, it would be as you originally said. However, now that it is written: The fourteenth day and [veet] the fifteenth day, the particle et used here to denote the accusative comes and interrupts, indicating that the two days are distinct. Therefore, residents of these locations celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, and residents of those locations celebrate it on the fifteenth. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.1.10 | {
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} | The Gemara suggests: Say that residents of unwalled towns celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, as stated in the verse, and with regard to residents of walled cities, if they wish they may celebrate it on the fourteenth, and if they wish they may celebrate it on the fifteenth. The Gemara responds: The verse states: In their times (Esther 9: 31) , indicating that the time when the residents of this place celebrate Purim is not the time when the residents of that place celebrate Purim. The Gemara raises another challenge: Say that the walled cities should celebrate Purim on the thirteenth of Adar and not on the fifteenth. The Gemara answers: It stands to reason that the residents of walled cities, who do not celebrate Purim on the fourteenth, celebrate it as it is celebrated in Shushan, and it is explicitly stated that Purim was celebrated in Shushan on the fifteenth. The Gemara comments: We found a source for observing the holiday of Purim on the fourteenth of Adar in unwalled towns and on the fifteenth of Adar in walled cities; from where do we derive that remembering the story of Purim through the reading of the Megilla takes place on these days? The Gemara explains that the verse states: That these days should be remembered and observed (Esther 9: 28) , from which it is derived that remembering is compared to observing. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.1 | {
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} | The Gemara notes that the mishna is not in accordance with the opinion of this tanna, as it is taught in the Tosefta (1: 1) that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha says: Cities that have been surrounded by a wall since the days of Ahasuerus read the Megilla on the fifteenth. According to the Tosefta, the status of walled cities is determined based upon whether they were walled in the time of Ahasuerus rather than the time of Joshua. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha? The Gemara explains that the Megilla is read on the fifteenth in cities that are like Shushan: Just as Shushan is a city that was surrounded by a wall since the days of Ahasuerus, and one reads the Megilla there on the fifteenth, so too every city that was walled since the days of Ahasuerus reads the Megilla on the fifteenth. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for the opinion of the tanna of our mishna? The Gemara explains: It is derived through a verbal analogy between one instance of the word unwalled and another instance of the word unwalled. It is written here: Therefore the Jews of the villages, who dwell in the unwalled towns (Esther 9: 19) , and it is written there, in Moses statement to Joshua before the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisrael: All these cities were fortified with high walls, gates and bars; besides unwalled towns, a great many (Deuteronomy 3: 5) . Just as there, in Deuteronomy, the reference is to a city that was surrounded by a wall from the days of Joshua, son of Nun, so too here it is referring to a city that was surrounded by a wall from the days of Joshua, son of Nun. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.2 | {
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} | The Gemara continues: Granted that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha did not state his explanation in accordance with the opinion of the tanna of our mishna because he did not hold that a verbal analogy can be established between one verse that employs the word unwalled and the other verse that employs the word unwalled. However, what is the reason that the tanna of our mishna did not state his explanation in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha? The Gemara expresses astonishment: What is the reason? Isnt it because he holds that it is derived from the verbal analogy between one usage of the word unwalled and the other usage of the word unwalled? The Gemara explains: This is what he said, i.e., this was the question: According to the tanna of our mishna, in accordance with whom does Shushan observe Purim? Shushan is not like the unwalled towns and not like the walled cities, as residents of Shushan celebrate Purim on the fifteenth, but the city was not surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua. Rava said, and some say it unattributed to any particular Sage: Shushan is different since the miracle occurred in it on the fifteenth of Adar, and therefore Purim is celebrated on that day. However, other cities are only considered walled cities and read the Megilla on the fifteenth of Adar if they were walled since the days of Joshua. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.3 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Granted, according to the tanna of our mishna, this is the meaning of what is written: And these days should be remembered and observed throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city (Esther 9: 28) . The phrase every province [medina] is expressed in the verse using repetition, so that it reads literally: Every province and province, and therefore contains a superfluous usage of the word province, is meant to distinguish between cities that were surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, where the Megilla is read on the fifteenth, and a city that was surrounded by a wall since the days of Ahasuerus, where the Megilla is read on the fourteenth. The phrase every city, which is similarly expressed through repetition and contains a superfluous usage of the word city, also serves to distinguish between Shushan and other cities, as Purim is celebrated in Shushan on the fifteenth despite the fact that it was not walled since the time of Joshua. However, according to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha, granted that the phrase every province comes to distinguish between Shushan and other cities that were not walled since the days of Ahasuerus; but what does the phrase every city come to teach? |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.4 | {
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} | The Gemara explains that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha could have said to you: According to the tanna of our mishna, does it work out well? Since he holds that it is derived from the verbal analogy between one verse that employs the word unwalled and the other verse that employs the word unwalled, why do I need the phrase every province? Rather, the verse comes for a midrashic exposition, and it comes to indicate that the halakha is in accordance with the ruling issued by Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A walled city, and all settlements adjacent to it, and all settlements that can be seen with it, i.e., that can be seen from the walled city, are considered like the walled city, and the Megilla is read there on the fifteenth. The Gemara asks: Up to what distance is considered adjacent? Rabbi Yirmeya said, and some say that it was Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba who said: The limit is like the distance from the town of Hamtan to Tiberias, a mil. The Gemara asks: Let him say simply that the limit is a mil; why did he have to mention these places? The Gemara answers that the formulation of the answer teaches us this: How much distance comprises the measure of a mil? It is like the distance from Hamtan to Tiberias. |
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} | Having cited a statement of Rabbi Yirmeya, which some attribute to Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, the Gemara cites other statements attributed to these Sages. Rabbi Yirmeya said, and some say that it was Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba who said: The Seers, i.e., the prophets, were the ones who said that the letters mem, nun, tzadi, peh, and kaf [mantzepakh] , have a different form when they appear at the end of a word. The Gemara asks: And how can you understand it that way? Isnt it written: These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai (Leviticus 27: 34) , which indicates that a prophet is not permitted to initiate or change any matter of halakha from now on? Consequently, how could the prophets establish new forms for the letters? And furthermore, didnt Rav Hisda say: The letters mem and samekh in the tablets of the covenant given at Sinai stood by way of a miracle? The Gemara answers: Yes, two forms of these letters did exist at that time, but the people did not know which one of them was to be used in the middle of the word and which at the end of the word, and the Seers came and established that the open forms are to used be in the middle of the word and the closed forms at the end of the word. The Gemara asks: Ultimately, however, doesnt the phrase these are the commandments (Leviticus 27: 34) indicate that a prophet is not permitted to initiate any matter of halakha from now on? Rather, it may be suggested that the final letters already existed at the time of the giving of the Torah, but over the course of time the people forgot them, and the prophets then came and reestablished them. |
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} | The Gemara cites another ruling of Rabbi Yirmeya or Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba. Rabbi Yirmeya said, and some say that it was Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba who said: The Aramaic translation of the Torah used in the synagogues was composed by Onkelos the convert based on the teachings of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. The Aramaic translation of the Prophets was composed by Yonatan ben Uzziel based on a tradition going back to the last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Gemara relates that when Yonatan ben Uzziel wrote his translation, Eretz Yisrael quaked over an area of four hundred parasangs [parsa] by four hundred parasangs, and a Divine Voice emerged and said: Who is this who has revealed My secrets to mankind? |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.7 | {
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} | Yonatan ben Uzziel stood up on his feet and said: I am the one who has revealed Your secrets to mankind through my translation. However, it is revealed and known to You that I did this not for my own honor, and not for the honor of the house of my father, but rather it was for Your honor that I did this, so that discord not increase among the Jewish people. In the absence of an accepted translation, people will disagree about the meaning of obscure verses, but with a translation, the meaning will be clear. And Yonatan ben Uzziel also sought to reveal a translation of the Writings, but a Divine Voice emerged and said to him: It is enough for you that you translated the Prophets. The Gemara explains: What is the reason that he was denied permission to translate the Writings? Because it has in it a revelation of the end, when the Messiah will arrive. The end is foretold in a cryptic manner in the book of Daniel, and were the book of Daniel translated, the end would become manifestly revealed to all. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.8 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Was the translation of the Torah really composed by Onkelos the convert? Didnt Rav Ika bar Avin say that Rav Hananel said that Rav said: What is the meaning of that which is written with respect to the days of Ezra: And they read in the book, the Torah of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, and they caused them to understand the reading (Nehemiah 8: 8) ? The verse should be understood as follows: And they read in the book, the Torah of God, this is the scriptural text; distinctly, this is the translation, indicating that they immediately translated the text into Aramaic, as was customary during public Torah readings. And they gave the sense, these are the divisions of the text into separate verses. And they caused them to understand the reading, these are the cantillation notes, through which the meaning of the text is further clarified. And some say that these are the Masoretic traditions with regard to the manner in which each word is to be written. This indicates that the Aramaic translation already existed at the beginning of the Second Temple period, well before the time of Onkelos. The Gemara answers: The ancient Aramaic translation was forgotten and then Onkelos came and reestablished it. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.9 | {
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} | And with regard to that verse, Rav Yosef said: Were it not for the Aramaic translation of this verse, we would not have known what it is saying, as the Bible does not mention any incident involving Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. The Aramaic translation reads as follows: On that day, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Ahab, son of Omri, who was slain by Hadadrimmon, son of Tavrimon, in Ramoth-Gilead, and like the mourning for Josiah, son of Amon, who was slain by Pharaoh the lame in the valley of Megiddon. The translation clarifies that the verse is referring to two separate incidents of mourning, and thereby clarifies the meaning of this verse. The Gemara asks: What is different about the translation of Prophets? Why is it that when Onkelos revealed the translation of the Torah, Eretz Yisrael did not quake, and when he revealed the translation of the Prophets, it quaked? The Gemara explains: The meaning of matters discussed in the Torah is clear, and therefore its Aramaic translation did not reveal the meaning of passages that had not been understood previously. Conversely, in the Prophets, there are matters that are clear and there are matters that are obscure, and the Aramaic translation revealed the meaning of obscure passages. The Gemara cites an example of an obscure verse that is clarified by the Aramaic translation: As it is written: On that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon (Zechariah 12: 11) . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.10 | {
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} | The Gemara introduces another statement from the same line of tradition. The verse states: And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great trembling fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves (Daniel 10: 7) . Who were these men? The term men in the Bible indicates important people; who were they? Rabbi Yirmeya said, and some say that it was Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba who said: These are the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Gemara comments: In certain ways they, the prophets, were greater than him, Daniel, and in certain ways he, Daniel, was greater than them. They were greater than him, as they were prophets and he was not a prophet. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were sent to convey the word of God to the Jewish people, while Daniel was not sent to reveal his visions to others. In another way, however, he was greater than them, as he saw this vision, and they did not see this vision, indicating that his ability to perceive obscure and cryptic visions was greater than theirs. The Gemara asks: Since they did not see the vision, what is the reason that they were frightened? The Gemara answers: Even though they did not see the vision, their guardian angels saw it, and therefore they sensed that there was something fearful there and they fled. Ravina said: Learn from this incident that with regard to one who is frightened for no apparent reason, although he does not see anything menacing, his guardian angel sees it, and therefore he should take steps in order to escape the danger. The Gemara asks: What is his remedy? He should recite Shema, which will afford him protection. And if he is standing in a place of filth, where it is prohibited to recite verses from the Torah, he should distance himself four cubits from his current location in order to escape the danger. And if he is not able to do so, let him say the following incantation: The goat of the slaughterhouse is fatter than I am, and if a calamity must fall upon something, it should fall upon it. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.11 | {
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} | After this digression, the Gemara returns to the exposition of a verse cited above. Now that you have said that the phrases every province and every city appear for the purposes of midrashic exposition, for what exposition do the words every family appear in that same verse (Esther 9: 28) ? Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: These words come to include the priestly and Levitical families, and indicate that they cancel their service in the Temple and come to hear the reading of the Megilla. As Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: The priests at their Temple service, the Levites on their platform in the Temple, where they sung the daily psalm, and the Israelites at their watches, i.e., the group of Israelites, corresponding to the priestly watches, who would come to Jerusalem and gather in other locations as representatives of the entire nation to observe or pray for the success of the Temple service, all cancel their service and come to hear the reading of the Megilla. This is also taught in a baraita: The priests at their service, the Levites on the platform, and the Israelites at their watches, all cancel their service and come to hear the reading of the Megilla. The Sages of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi relied upon the halakha stated here and determined that one cancels his Torah study and comes to hear the reading of the Megilla. They derived this principle by means of an a fortiori inference from the Temple service: Just as one who is engaged in performing service in the Temple, which is very important, cancels his service in order to hear the Megilla, is it not all the more so obvious that one who is engaged in Torah study cancels his study to hear the Megilla? |
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} | The Gemara asks: Is the Temple service more important than Torah study? Isnt it written: And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went over to him and said to him: Are you for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, No, but I am captain of the host of the Lord, I have come now. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down (Joshua 5: 1314) . The Gemara first seeks to clarify the incident described in the verse. How did Joshua do this, i.e., how could he bow to a figure he did not recognize? Didnt Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say: It is prohibited for a person to greet his fellow at night if he does not recognize him, as we are concerned that perhaps it is a demon? How did Joshua know that it was not a demon? The Gemara answers: There it was different, as the visitor said to him: But I am captain of the host of the Lord. The Gemara asks: Perhaps this was a demon and he lied? The Gemara answers: It is learned as a tradition that demons do not utter the name of Heaven for naught, and therefore since the visitor had mentioned the name of God, Joshua was certain that this was indeed an angel. As for the angels mission, the Gemara explains that the angel said to Joshua: Yesterday, i.e., during the afternoon, you neglected the afternoon daily offering due to the impending battle, and now, at night, you have neglected Torah study, and I have come to rebuke you. Joshua said to him: For which of these sins have you come? He said to him: I have come now, indicating that neglecting Torah study is more severe than neglecting to sacrifice the daily offering. Joshua immediately determined to rectify the matter, as the verses states: And Joshua lodged that night (Joshua 8: 9) in the midst of the valley [haemek] (Joshua 8: 13) , and Rabbi Yohanan said: This teaches that he spent the night in the depths [beumeka] of halakha, i.e., that he spent the night studying Torah with the Jewish people. And Rav Shmuel bar Unya said: Torah study is greater than sacrificing the daily offerings, as it is stated: I have come now (Joshua 5: 14) , indicating that the angel came to rebuke Joshua for neglecting Torah study and not for neglecting the daily offering. Consequently, how did the Sages of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi determine that the Temple service is more important than Torah study? |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.13 | {
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} | This teaches that he spent the night in the depths [beumeka] of halakha, i.e., that he spent the night studying Torah with the Jewish people. And Rav Shmuel bar Unya said: Torah study is greater than sacrificing the daily offerings, as it is stated: I have come now (Joshua 5: 14) , indicating that the angel came to rebuke Joshua for neglecting Torah study and not for neglecting the daily offering. Consequently, how did the Sages of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi determine that the Temple service is more important than Torah study? The Gemara explains that it is not difficult. This statement, with regard to the story of Joshua, is referring to Torah study by the masses, which is greater than the Temple service. That statement of the Sages of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is referring to Torah study by an individual, which is less significant than the Temple service. The Gemara asks: Is the Torah study of an individual a light matter? Didnt we learn in a mishna: On the intermediate days of a Festival, women may lament the demise of the deceased in unison, but they may not clap their hands in mourning? Rabbi Yishmael says: Those that are close to the bier may clap. On the New Moon, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, which are not mandated by Torah law, they may both lament and clap their hands in mourning. However, on both groups of days, they may not wail responsively, a form of wailing where one woman wails and the others repeat after her. And Rabba bar Huna said: All these regulations were said with regard to an ordinary person, but there are no restrictions on expressions of mourning on the intermediate days of a Festival in the presence of a deceased Torah scholar. If a Torah scholar dies on the intermediate days of a Festival, the women may lament, clap, and wail responsively as on any other day, and all the more so on Hanukkah and Purim. This indicates that even the Torah study of an individual is of great importance. The Gemara rejects this argument: You speak of the honor that must be shown to the Torah, and indeed, the honor that must be shown to the Torah in the case of an individual Torah scholar is important; but the Torah study of an individual in itself is light and is less significant than the Temple service. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.14 | {
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} | Rava said: It is obvious to me that if one must choose between Temple service and reading the Megilla, reading the Megilla takes precedence, based upon the exposition of Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina with regard to the phrase every family (Esther 9: 28) . Similarly, if one must choose between Torah study and reading the Megilla, reading the Megilla takes precedence, based upon the fact that the Sages of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi relied on Rabbi Yosei bar Haninas exposition to rule that one interrupts Torah study to hear the reading of the Megilla. Furthermore, it is obvious that if one must choose between Torah study and tending to a corpse with no one to bury it [met mitzva] , the task of burying the met mitzva takes precedence. This is derived from that which is taught in a baraita: One cancels his Torah study to bring out a corpse for burial, and to join a wedding procession and bring in the bride. Similarly, if one must choose between the Temple service and tending to a met mitzva, tending to the met mitzva takes precedence, based upon the halakha derived from the term or for his sister (Numbers 6: 7) . As it is taught in a baraita with regard to verses addressing the laws of a nazirite: All the days that he consecrates himself to the Lord, he shall not come near to a dead body. For his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, he shall not make himself ritually impure for them when they die (Numbers 6: 67) . What is the meaning when the verse states or for his sister? The previous verse, which states that the nazirite may not come near a dead body, already prohibits him from becoming impure through contact with his sister. Therefore, the second verse is understood to be teaching a different halakha: One who was going to slaughter his Paschal lamb or to circumcise his son, and he heard that a relative of his died, one might have thought that he should return and become ritually impure with the impurity imparted by a corpse. You said: He shall not become impure; the death of his relative will not override so significant a mitzva from the Torah. One might have thought: Just as he does not become impure for his sister, so he does not become impure for a corpse with no one to bury it [met mitzva] . The verse states: Or for his sister; he may not become impure for his sister, as someone else can attend to her burial, but he does become impure for a met mitzva. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.15 | {
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} | On the basis of these premises, Rava raised a dilemma: If one must choose between reading the Megilla and tending to a met mitzva, which of them takes precedence? Does reading the Megilla take precedence due to the value of publicizing the miracle, or perhaps burying the met mitzva takes precedence due to the value of preserving human dignity? After he raised the dilemma, Rava then resolved it on his own and ruled that attending to a met mitzva takes precedence, as the Master said: Great is human dignity, as it overrides a prohibition in the Torah. Consequently, it certainly overrides the duty to read the Megilla, despite the fact that reading the Megilla publicizes the miracle. |
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} | The Gemara examines the matter itself cited in the course of the previous discussion. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A walled city, and all settlements adjacent to it, and all settlements that can be seen with it, i.e., that can be seen from the walled city, are considered like the walled city, and the Megilla is read on the fifteenth. It was taught in the Tosefta: This is the halakha with regard to a settlement adjacent to a walled city, although it cannot be seen from it, and also a place that can be seen from the walled city, although it is not adjacent to it. The Gemara examines the Tosefta: Granted that with regard to a place that can be seen from the walled city, although it is not adjacent to it, you find it where the place is located on the top of a mountain, and therefore it can be seen from the walled city, although it is at some distance from it. However, with regard to a settlement that is adjacent to a walled city although it cannot be seen from it, how can you find these circumstances? Rabbi Yirmeya said: You find it, for example, where the place is located in a valley, and therefore it is possible that it cannot be seen from the walled city, although it is very close to it. |
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} | And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A walled city that was initially settled and only later surrounded by a wall is considered a village rather than a walled city. What is the reason? As it is written: And if a man sells a residential house in a walled city (Leviticus 25: 29) . The wording of the verse indicates that it is referring to a place that was first surrounded by a wall and only later settled, and not to a place that was first settled and only later surrounded by a wall. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A walled city that does not have ten idlers, i.e., individuals who do not work and are available to attend to communal needs, is treated as a village. The Gemara asks: What is he teaching us? We already learned in a mishna (5a): What is a large city? Any city in which there are ten idlers; however, if there are fewer than that, it is a village. The Gemara answers: Nevertheless, it was necessary for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi to teach this halakha with regard to a large city, to indicate that even if idlers happen to come there from elsewhere, since they are not local residents, it is still considered a village. |
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} | And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi also said: A walled city that was destroyed and then later settled is considered a city. The Gemara asks: What is meant by the term destroyed? If we say that the citys walls were destroyed, and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi comes to teach us that if it was settled, yes it is treated as a walled city, but if it was not settled, it is not treated that way, there is a difficulty. Isnt it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer bar Yosei says: The verse states: Which has [lo] a wall (Leviticus 25: 30) , and the word lo is written with an alef, which means no, but in context the word lo is used as though it was written with a vav, meaning that it has a wall. This indicates that even though the city does not have a wall now, as the wall was destroyed, if it had a wall before, it retains its status as a walled city. Rather, what is meant by the term destroyed? That it was destroyed in the sense that it no longer has ten idlers, and therefore it is treated like a village. However, once it has ten idlers again, it is treated like a city. |
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} | And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The cities Lod, and Ono, and Gei HeHarashim are cities that have been surrounded by walls since the days of Joshua, son of Nun. The Gemara asks: Did Joshua, son of Nun, really build these cities? Didnt Elpaal build them at a later date, as it is written: And the sons of Elpaal: Eber, and Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with its hamlets (I Chronicles 8: 12) ? The Gemara counters: According to your reasoning, that this verse proves that these cities were built later, you can also say that Asa, king of Judah, built them, as it is written: And he, Asa, built fortified cities in Judah (see II Chronicles 14: 5) . Therefore, it is apparent that these cities were built more than once. Rabbi Elazar said: These cities were surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, and they were destroyed in the days of the concubine in Gibea, as they stood in the tribal territory of Benjamin, and in that war all of the cities of Benjamin were destroyed (see Judges, chapters 1921) . Elpaal then came and built them again. They then fell in the wars between Judah and Israel, and Asa came and restored them. The Gemara comments: The language of the verse is also precise according to this explanation, as it is written with regard to Asa: And he said to Judah: Let us build these cities (II Chronicles 14: 6) , which proves by inference that they had already been cities at the outset, and that he did not build new cities. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, learn from this that it is so. |
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} | And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi also said: Women are obligated in the reading of the Megilla, as they too were significant partners in that miracle. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi also said: When Purim occurs on Shabbat, one asks questions and expounds upon the subject of the day. The Gemara raises a question with regard to the last halakha: Why was it necessary to specify Purim? The same principle applies also to the Festivals, as it is taught in a baraita: Moses enacted for the Jewish people that they should ask questions about and expound upon the subject of the day: They should occupy themselves with the halakhot of Passover on Passover, with the halakhot of Shavuot on Shavuot, and with the halakhot of the festival of Sukkot on the festival of Sukkot. |
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} | The Gemara notes that this ruling was also stated by another amora, as Rabbi Helbo said that Ulla Biraa said: A person is obligated to read the Megilla at night and then repeat it during the day, as it is stated: So that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent; O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever (Psalms 30: 13) . The dual formulation of singing praise and not being silent alludes to reading the Megilla both by night and by day. The Gemara answers: It was necessary for Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi to mention Purim, lest you say that when Purim falls on Shabbat we should decree that it is prohibited to expound upon the halakhot of the day due to the concern of Rabba, who said that the reason the Megilla is not read on a Purim that falls on Shabbat is due to a concern that one carry the Megilla in the public domain. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi therefore teaches us that expounding the halakhot of the day is not prohibited as a preventive measure lest one read the Megilla on Shabbat. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi further said with regard to Purim: A person is obligated to read the Megilla at night and then to repeat it [lishnota] during the day, as it is stated: O my God, I call by day but You do not answer; and at night, and there is no surcease for me (Psalms 22: 3) , which alludes to reading the Megilla both by day and by night. Some of the students who heard this statement understood from it that one is obligated to read the Megilla at night and to study its relevant tractate of Mishna by day, as the term lishnota can be understood to mean studying Mishna. Rabbi Yirmeya said to them: It was explained to me personally by Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba himself that the term lishnota here has a different connotation, for example, as people say: I will conclude this section and repeat it, i.e., I will review my studies. Similarly, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levis statement means that one must repeat the reading of the Megilla by day after reading it at night. |
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} | We learned in the mishna that residents of unwalled towns read the Megilla on the fourteenth of Adar; however, residents of villages may advance their reading to the day of assembly, the Monday or Thursday preceding Purim. Rabbi Hanina said: The Sages were lenient with the villages and allowed them to advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, so that they could be free to provide water and food to their brethren in the cities on the day of Purim. If everyone would be busy reading the Megilla on the fourteenth, the residents of the cities would not have enough to eat. The Gemara asks: Is that to say that this ordinance is for the benefit of the cities? Didnt we learn in the mishna that if the fourteenth occurred on a Monday, the residents of villages and large towns read it on that very day? If it is so, that the ordinance allowing the villagers to sometimes advance their reading of the Megilla is for the benefit of the cities, let the villagers advance their reading to the previous day of assembly even when the fourteenth occurs on a Monday. The Gemara responds: That would mean that Megilla reading for them would take place on the tenth of Adar, and the Sages did not establish the tenth of Adar as a day that is fit to read the Megilla. |
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} | The Gemara continues: Come and hear a proof from a different statement of the mishna: If the fourteenth occurs on a Thursday, the villages and large towns read it on that day, the fourteenth, and the walled cities read it on the next day, the fifteenth. If it is so, that the ordinance is for the benefit of the cities, let the villagers advance their reading of the Megilla to the previous day of assembly, i.e., the previous Monday, as it is the eleventh of Adar. The Gemara responds: We do not defer the reading of the Megilla from one day of assembly to another day of assembly. The Gemara continues: Come and hear that which was taught in the following mishna (5a): Rabbi Yehuda said: When is the Megilla read from the eleventh of Adar and onward? In a place where the villagers generally enter town on Monday and Thursday. However, in a place where they do not generally enter town on Monday and Thursday, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time, the fourteenth of Adar. The Gemara infers: If it enters your mind to say that the ordinance is for the benefit of the cities, would it be reasonable to suggest that because the villagers do not enter town on Monday and Thursday the residents of the cities should lose out and not be provided with food and water? The Gemara accepts this argument: Do not say that the Sages allowed the villages to advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly so that they can be free to provide water and food to their brethren in the cities on the day of Purim. Rather, say that the Sages were lenient with them because the villages supply water and food to their brethren in the cities. This ordinance was established for the benefit of the villagers so that they should not have to make an extra trip to the cities to hear the reading of the Megilla. However, in a place where the villages do not go to the cities, advancing their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly will not benefit them, and therefore they must read on the fourteenth. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.24 | {
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} | We learned in the mishna: How so? If the fourteenth of Adar occurs on Monday, the villages and large towns read it on that day. The mishna continues to explain the days on which the Megilla is read. The Gemara asks: What is different about the first clause of the mishna, which employs the order of the dates of the month, i.e., the eleventh of Adar, and the latter clause, which employs the order of the days of the week, i.e., Monday? The Gemara answers: Since the days of the week would be reversed if the latter clause was organized according to the dates of the month, as the mishna would first have to mention a case where the fourteenth occurs on a Sunday, then a case where it occurs on a Wednesday or Shabbat, and then a case where it occurs on a Friday or Tuesday, the mishna employed the order of the days of the week in order to avoid confusion. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.25 | {
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} | We learned in the mishna: If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat eve, Friday, the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, and the large towns and walled cities read it on Friday, the fourteenth of Adar. The Gemara asks: Whose opinion is expressed in the mishna? It can be either Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi or Rabbi Yosei. The Gemara explains: What is the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi? As it is taught in a baraita: If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat eve, villages and large towns advance their reading to the day of assembly, i.e., Thursday, and walled cities read it on the day of Purim, Friday. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi disagrees and says: I say that the readings in the large towns should not be deferred from their usual date, i.e., the fourteenth of Adar. Rather, both these, the large towns and those, the walled cities, read the Megilla on the day of Purim. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.26 | {
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} | The Gemara raises an objection: Say that the words in every year indicate that just as in every other year the Megilla readings in the large towns are not deferred from their usual date and they read the Megilla on the fourteenth, so too here the Megilla readings in the large towns should not be deferred from their usual date and they too should read on the fourteenth. The Gemara answers: Here it is different, as it is not possible for the large towns to fulfill all of the conditions at the same time, i.e., to read on the fourteenth and to read a day before the walled cities. The Gemara asks: And Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, what is his reason? The Gemara explains that it is also based upon the words in every year; just as in every other year the readings in the large towns are not deferred from their usual date and they read on the fourteenth, so too here, the readings in the large towns are not deferred from their usual date, but rather they read on the fourteenth. The Gemara raises an objection: Say that the words in every year indicate that just as every year the large towns precede the walled cities by one day, and read on the fourteenth, so too here the large towns precede the walled cities by one day, and read on the thirteenth. The Gemara answers: Here it is different, as it is not possible to fulfill all of the conditions at the same time, i.e., to read on the fourteenth and to read a day before the walled cities. The Gemara asks: What is the reason of the first tanna? The Gemara explains that it is as it is written: To keep these two days, according to their writing and according to their time, in every year (Esther 9: 27) , which indicates that Purim must be celebrated every year in similar fashion. Just as in every other year the large towns precede the walled cities by one day, so too here the large towns precede the walled cities by one day. Consequently, since the walled cities cannot read the Megilla on Shabbat and they are required to advance the reading to Friday, the large towns must also advance their reading a day to Thursday. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.27 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: What is the opinion of Rabbi Yosei? As it is taught in a baraita: If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat eve, the walled cities and villages advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, and the large towns read it on the day of Purim itself. Rabbi Yosei says: The walled cities never precede the large towns; rather, both these, the large towns, and those, the walled cities, read on that day, i.e., Friday, the fourteenth of Adar. The Gemara asks: What is the reason of the first tanna? As it is written: In every year; just as in every other year the large towns read the Megilla on the fourteenth, and the time for this type of settlement to read the Megilla is not the time for that type of settlement to read the Megilla, as the large towns and walled cities never read the Megilla on the same day, so too here, the large towns read the Megilla on the fourteenth, and the time for this type of settlement to read the Megilla is not the time for that type of settlement to read the Megilla. Therefore, the walled cities must advance their reading of the Megilla by two days to the day of assembly, Thursday. The Gemara raises an objection: Say that the words in every year indicate that just as in every other year the walled cities do not precede the large towns, so too here, the walled cities do not precede the large towns. The Gemara answers: Here it is different, as it is not possible to fulfill all of the conditions at the same time, i.e., that the large towns should read on the fourteenth, the large towns and the walled cities should read on different days, and the walled cities should not precede the large towns. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.28 | {
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} | What is the reason of Rabbi Yosei? It is based upon the words in every year; just as in every other year the walled cities do not precede the large towns, so too here, the walled cities do not precede the large towns. The Gemara raises a difficulty: Say that the words in every year indicate that just as in every other year, the time for this type of settlement to read the Megilla is not the time for that type of settlement to read the Megilla, so too here, the time for this type of settlement to read the Megilla is not the time for that type of settlement to read the Megilla. Therefore, since the large towns read on the fourteenth, the walled cities read on the thirteenth. The Gemara answers: Here it is different, as it is not possible to fulfill all the conditions. It is clear from these baraitot that the tanna of the mishna can either be Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi or Rabbi Yosei, but not either of two anonymous tannaim. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.29 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Does Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi really hold that one does not defer the reading of the Megilla in large towns to the day of assembly? Isnt it taught in a baraita: If the fourteenth occurs on Shabbat, the villages advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, the large towns read it on Shabbat eve, and the walled cities read it the next day, i.e., on Sunday. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: I say that since the readings in the large towns were already deferred from their usual date, i.e., the fourteenth, they are deferred to the day of assembly, i.e., to Thursday. Consequently, even Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi agrees that the reading in the large towns can be shifted to the day of assembly. Why doesnt he also hold that large towns read the Megilla on the day of assembly when the fourteenth occurs on a Friday? The Gemara responds: How can these cases be compared? There, in the second baraita, the designated time for them to read the Megilla is Shabbat, but the Megilla is not read on Shabbat, and therefore they must read it on a different day. Therefore, since the readings in the large towns have been deferred, they are deferred an additional day, and take place on Thursday, the day of assembly, at the same time as the readings in the villages. Here, their designated time is Shabbat eve, and there is no reason to move the reading from that day. The Gemara asks: In accordance with whose opinion is that which Rabbi Helbo said that Rav Huna said: When Purim occurs on Shabbat, the reading of the Megilla in all places is deferred to the day of assembly? The Gemara corrects the wording of Rav Hunas statement: Can it enter your mind to say that the reading of the Megilla in all places is deferred to the day of assembly? Arent there walled cities that perform this ceremony the next day, i.e., on Sunday? Rather, Rav Hunas statement should say as follows: All readings that are deferred are deferred to the day of assembly. In accordance with whose opinion was this stated? It is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.30 | {
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} | In any case, it is apparent from the mishna and the baraitot that everyone agrees that one does not read the Megilla on Shabbat. What is the reason for this? Rabba said: Everyone is obligated to participate in reading the Megilla on Purim and blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShana, and not everyone is proficient in reading the Megilla. Therefore, the Sages issued a rabbinic decree that the Megilla is not read on Shabbat, lest one take the Megilla in his hand and go to an expert to learn how to read it or to hear the expert read it, and, due to his preoccupation, he will carry it four cubits in the public domain, and thereby desecrate Shabbat. The Gemara comments: And this same concern for the sanctity of Shabbat is the reason that the Sages decreed that the shofar is not blown when Rosh HaShana occurs on Shabbat. And this same concern is the reason that the Sages decreed that one may not take the lulav on Shabbat. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.31 | {
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} | Rav Yosef said that there is another reason the Megilla is not read on Shabbat: Because the eyes of the poor are raised to the reading of the Megilla. The poor await the day on which the Megilla is read, because on that day gifts are distributed to the poor. If the Megilla is read on Shabbat, it will not be possible to distribute gifts to the poor, who will be deeply disappointed. The Gemara notes that this is also taught in a baraita: Even though the Sages said that the villages advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, they also collect the gifts for the poor on that day, and they distribute them to the poor on that day. The Gemara is troubled by the wording of this baraita. Does the baraita read: Even though the Sages said? On the contrary, it is because they said that the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly that the gifts must be collected and distributed to the poor on that very day. Rather, the baraita should read as follows: Since the Sages said that the villages advance their reading of the Megilla to the day of assembly, they collect the gifts for the poor on that day and they distribute them on that day, because the eyes of the poor are raised to the reading of the Megilla, and they should not be disappointed. However, the rejoicing that takes place on Purim is practiced only in its designated time, the fourteenth of Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.32 | {
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} | Rav said: One may read the Megilla in its proper time, i.e., on the fourteenth of Adar, even privately. However, when it is read not at its proper time, e.g., when the villages advance their reading to the day of assembly, it must be read with a quorum of ten, because the enactment allowing the Megilla to be read before its proper time was only made for a community. Rav Asi disagreed and said: Both at its proper time and not at its proper time, the Megilla must be read with a quorum of ten. The Gemara relates that there was an incident where Rav had to read the Megilla on Purim, and he was concerned for this opinion of Rav Asi and gathered ten men even though he was reading the Megilla in its proper time, on the fourteenth of Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.2.33 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: And did Rav actually say this, that when the Megilla is read not at its proper time, it can only be read with a quorum of ten? Didnt Rav Yehuda, son of Rav Shmuel bar Sheilat, say in the name of Rav: If Purim occurs on Shabbat, Shabbat eve is the proper time for reading the Megilla? The Gemara expresses surprise with regard to the wording of Ravs statement: Is Shabbat eve the proper time for reading the Megilla? Isnt Shabbat itself its proper time? Rather, is it not true that this is what he said, i.e., that this is the way his statement should be understood: Reading the Megilla not at its proper time is like reading it at its proper time; just as at its proper time, it can be read even privately, so too, not at its proper time, it can be read even privately. The Gemara rejects this argument: Ravs statement was not made with regard to reading the Megilla with a quorum of ten. Rather, what is the meaning of Ravs statement that Shabbat eve is the proper time? It was meant to exclude the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who said: Since the readings in the large towns were already deferred from their usual date and the Megilla was not read on the fourteenth, they are deferred to the day of assembly. This statement of Rav teaches us that Shabbat eve is the proper time for these towns to read the Megilla, as stated in the mishna. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.3.1 | {
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} | MISHNA: What is considered a large city, where the Megilla is read on the fourteenth of Adar? Any city in which there are ten idlers. However, if there are fewer than that, it is considered a village, even if it has many inhabitants. It was with regard to these times for reading the Megilla that the Sages said that one advances the reading of the Megilla before the fourteenth of Adar and one does not postpone the reading to after its proper time. However, with regard to the time when families of priests donate wood for the fire on the altar, which were times those families would treat as Festivals; as well as the fast of the Ninth of Av; the Festival peace-offering that was brought on the Festivals; and the commandment of assembly [hakhel] of the entire Jewish people in the Temple courtyard on Sukkot in the year following the Sabbatical year to hear the king read the book of Deuteronomy; one postpones their observance until after Shabbat and does not advance their observance to before Shabbat. The mishna continues: Even though the Sages said that one advances the time for reading the Megilla and one does not postpone the reading, one is permitted to eulogize and fast on these days, as they are not actually Purim; nevertheless, gifts for the poor are distributed on this day. Rabbi Yehuda said: When is the Megilla read on the day of assembly, before the fourteenth of Adar? In a place where the villagers generally enter town on Monday and Thursday. However, in a place where they do not generally enter town on Monday and Thursday, one may read the Megilla only in its designated time, the fourteenth of Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.1 | {
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} | Having mentioned a teaching of Rabbi Abba in the name of Shmuel, the Gemara cites another of his statements: And Rabbi Abba said that Shmuel said: From where is it derived that one does not count days to make up years, i.e., a year is considered to be comprised of either twelve or thirteen lunar months, and not 365 days? As it is stated: Of the months of the year (Exodus 12: 2) , which indicates that you count months to make up years, but you do not count days to make up years. The Gemara adds: And the Sages of Caesarea said in the name of Rabbi Abba: From where is it derived that one does not calculate hours to reckon the months? A lunar cycle takes approximately twenty-nine and a half days, but a calendar month is considered to be twenty-nine or thirty full days and not precisely a lunar cycle. As it is stated: Until a month of days (Numbers 11: 20) , which indicates that you calculate days to reckon the months, but you do not calculate hours to reckon the months. GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that a large city is one that has ten idlers. It was taught in a baraita: The ten idlers that are mentioned here are ten idlers that are in the synagogue, i.e., men who do not have professional responsibilities other than to sit in the synagogue and attend to communal religious needs. The presence of ten such men establishes a location as a prominent city. We learned in the mishna: It was with regard to these times for reading the Megilla that the Sages said that one advances the reading of the Megilla and one does not postpone it. The Gemara asks: What is the reason for this? Rabbi Abba said that Shmuel said: The verse states: The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all who joined themselves to them, and it shall not pass, that they should keep these two days (Esther 9: 27) , which indicates that the designated time must not pass without the reading of the Megilla. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.2 | {
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} | We learned in the mishna: However, with regard to the time when families of priests donate wood for the fire on the altar, the fast of the Ninth of Av, the Festival peace-offering, and the commandment of assembly [hakhel] , one postpones their observance until after Shabbat and does not advance their observance to before Shabbat. The Gemara explains the reason for this halakha with respect to each item mentioned in the mishna. The fast of the Ninth of Av is not advanced because one does not advance calamity; since the Ninth of Av is a tragic time, its observance is postponed as long as possible. The Festival peace-offering and the commandment of assembly [hakhel] are not advanced because the time of their obligation has not yet arrived, and it is impossible to fulfill mitzvot before the designated time has arrived. It was taught in a baraita: One postpones the Festival peace-offering and the entire time period of the Festival peace-offering. The Gemara attempts to clarify this statement: Granted that when the baraita says that the Festival peace-offering is postponed, it means that if a Festival occurs on Shabbat, when the Festival peace-offering cannot be sacrificed, one postpones it until after Shabbat and sacrifices the offering on the intermediate days of the Festival. However, what is the meaning of the phrase: The time period of the Festival peace-offering? Rav Oshaya said: This is what the baraita is saying: One postpones the Festival peace-offering if the Festival occurs on Shabbat, and one postpones the burnt-offering of appearance even due to the Festival itself. Despite the fact that a Festival day is the time for sacrificing a Festival peace-offering, the burnt-offering of appearance may not be sacrificed until after the Festival day. The Gemara adds: Whose opinion is reflected in the mishna according to Rav Oshayas explanation? It is the opinion of Beit Shammai, as we learned in a mishna (Beitza 19a) that Beit Shammai say: One may bring peace-offerings on a Festival day to be sacrificed in the Temple. Most portions of a peace-offering are eaten by the priests and the individual who brought the offering. Consequently, its slaughter is considered food preparation, which is permitted on a Festival day. And one may not place his hands on the head of the offering, as that includes leaning with all ones might upon the animal, which is prohibited on a Festival. However, burnt-offerings may not be brought at all on the Festival. Since they are not eaten, their slaughter is not considered food preparation, and it therefore constitutes a prohibited labor on the Festival. Beit Hillel disagree and say: One may bring both peace-offerings and burnt-offerings on a Festival day, and one may even place his hands on them. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.3 | {
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} | Rava said that the baraita should be understood as follows: One postpones the Festival peace-offering for the entire time period of the Festival peace-offering, i.e., for the entire duration of the Festival. However, it may not be postponed for longer than this. As we learned in a mishna (Hagiga 9a): One who did not offer the Festival peace-offering on the first Festival day of the festival of Sukkot may offer the Festival peace-offering for the duration of the entire pilgrimage Festival, including the intermediate days and the last day of the Festival. If the pilgrimage Festival has passed and he did not yet bring the Festival peace-offering, he is not obligated to pay restitution for it. The obligation is no longer in force, and he therefore is not liable to bring another offering as compensation. Rav Ashi said that the baraita should be understood as follows: The Festival peace-offering may be postponed for the entire time period of a Festival peace-offering. This indicates that even if Shavuot, which is one day, occurs on Shabbat, one postpones the Festival peace-offering and offers it on one of the six days after Shavuot. As we learned in a mishna (Hagiga 17a): Beit Hillel concede that if Shavuot occurs on Shabbat, the day of slaughter is after Shabbat. Since the Festival peace-offering and the burnt-offering of appearance cannot be sacrificed on Shabbat, they are slaughtered after Shabbat. This indicates that the Festival peace-offering may be slaughtered after the Festival day of Shavuot, as is the case on the other Festivals. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.4 | {
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} | Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Hanina said: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did several unusual things: He planted a sapling on Purim, and was not concerned about performing labor and thereby possibly denigrating the day. And he bathed at the time when the wagons [kerona] were traveling through Tzippori, i.e., on the market day, when the public would know about it, on the seventeenth of Tammuz, to show that bathing is permitted on that day. And he sought to abolish the fast of the Ninth of Av. And with respect to the Ninth of Av, the Sages did not agree with him. Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said to Rabbi Elazar: My teacher, the incident did not occur in this fashion. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi never sought to abolish the fast of the Ninth of Av. Rather, it was a year when the Ninth of Av occurred on Shabbat, and they postponed it until after Shabbat. And Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said about that case: Since it has already been deferred from its usual time, let it be altogether deferred this year. And the Rabbis did not agree with him. Rabbi Elazar read the verse about Rabbi Abba bar Zavda: Two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4: 9) , meaning, it is good that you were here to provide an accurate report about that incident. The Gemara asks: And how could Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi plant a sapling on Purim? Didnt Rav Yosef teach with regard to the verse: Therefore the Jews of the villages, who dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day [yom tov] (Esther 9: 19) , that the term gladness teaches that it is prohibited to eulogize on Purim; feasting teaches that it is prohibited to fast; and the term good day [yom tov] teaches that it is prohibited to perform labor, just as on a Festival, which is also referred to as a yom tov? Rather, what happened was as follows: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was in a place that observed Purim on the fourteenth, and when he planted the sapling, he planted it on the fifteenth. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.5 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: And how could Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi plant a sapling on Purim? Didnt Rav Yosef teach with regard to the verse: Therefore the Jews of the villages, who dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day [yom tov] (Esther 9: 19) , that the term gladness teaches that it is prohibited to eulogize on Purim; feasting teaches that it is prohibited to fast; and the term good day [yom tov] teaches that it is prohibited to perform labor, just as on a Festival, which is also referred to as a yom tov? Rather, what happened was as follows: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was in a place that observed Purim on the fourteenth, and when he planted the sapling, he planted it on the fifteenth. The Gemara asks: Is that so? Wasnt Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi in Tiberias, and Tiberias was surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun. Consequently, he was obligated to observe Purim on the fifteenth. Rather, say just the opposite: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi lived in a place that observed Purim on the fifteenth, and when he planted the sapling, he planted it on the fourteenth. The Gemara asks: Was it obvious to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that the city of Tiberias was surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun? Didnt Hezekiah read the Megilla in Tiberias both on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth of Adar, because he was uncertain if it had been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, or not? The Gemara answers: Hezekiah was indeed uncertain about the matter, whereas it was obvious to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that Tiberias had been surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua. The Gemara asks further: And when it was obvious to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi that the Megilla should be read in Tiberias on the fifteenth, was it permitted to plant there on the fourteenth? Isnt it written in Megillat Taanit that the fourteenth day and the fifteenth day of Adar are the days of Purim, and one is not permitted to eulogize on them? |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.6 | {
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} | And Rava said: This statement is necessary only to prohibit those who observe Purim on this day to eulogize on that day, and those who observe Purim on that day to eulogize on this day. Since the two days are mentioned in the Bible, it was only necessary to mention them in Megillat Taanit in order to indicate that the prohibition against eulogizing applies to both days. Presumably, the same should apply to the prohibition against performing labor. Consequently, how could Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi plant a sapling on the fourteenth of Adar? The Gemara answers: That applies only to eulogies and fasting. However, labor is prohibited for only one day, either the fourteenth or the fifteenth, and no more. The Gemara asks: Is that so? Didnt Rav see a certain man planting flax on Purim, and cursed him, and the mans flax never grew. The Gemara answers: There, the man was obligated to observe Purim on that day that he planted the flax. Therefore, it was certainly prohibited to perform labor. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.7 | {
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} | This can be proven from the fact that initially, when Mordecai and Esther proposed the celebration of Purim, it is written: A day of gladness and feasting and a good day [yom tov] (Esther 9: 19) , and at the end, when the celebration of Purim was accepted by the Jewish people, it is written: That they should make them days of feasting and gladness (Esther 9: 22) , whereas the term good day [yom tov] , which alludes to a day when it is prohibited to perform labor, is not written. The people never accepted upon themselves the prohibition against performing labor on Purim as if it were a Festival, and therefore the prohibition never took effect. The Gemara asks: If labor is permitted on Purim, what is the reason that Rav cursed that man who planted the flax? The Gemara answers: It was a case of matters that are permitted by halakha, but others were accustomed to treat them as a prohibition, in which case one may not permit these actions in their presence, lest they come to treat other prohibitions lightly. In the place where that man planted his flax, it was customary to abstain from labor on Purim. However, in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasis place, it was not the custom to abstain from labor on Purim, and therefore it was permitted for him to plant the sapling even in public. And if you wish, say an alternative answer: Actually, it was the custom to abstain from labor on Purim in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasis place, and Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi engaged in a joyful act of planting, for pleasure rather than for financial benefit. As we learned in a mishna with regard to public fasts: If these fasts for rain have passed and the communitys prayers have still not been answered, and the drought continues, one decreases his business activities, as well as construction, planting, betrothals, and marriages. Rabba, son of Rava, said a different answer to the question: Even if you say that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi planted the sapling on his own day of Purim, i.e., on the day that the Megilla was read in his location, it was still permitted to plant the sapling. This is because the Jewish people accepted upon themselves the prohibitions against eulogizing and fasting on Purim, but they did not accept upon themselves the prohibition against performing labor. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.8 | {
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} | And if you wish, say an alternative answer: Actually, it was the custom to abstain from labor on Purim in Rabbi Yehuda HaNasis place, and Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi engaged in a joyful act of planting, for pleasure rather than for financial benefit. As we learned in a mishna with regard to public fasts: If these fasts for rain have passed and the communitys prayers have still not been answered, and the drought continues, one decreases his business activities, as well as construction, planting, betrothals, and marriages. And it was taught in a baraita about this mishna: When the Sages said that construction must be decreased on public fasts, they were not referring to the construction of homes for people who have nowhere to live, but to joyful construction. Similarly, when they said that planting must be decreased, they were not referring to planting food crops, but to joyful planting. What is meant by joyful construction? This is referring to one who builds a wedding chamber for his son. It was customary to build a special house where the wedding would take place, and at times the couple would also live there. What is meant by joyful planting? This is referring to one who plants trees for shade and pleasure such as one might find in a royal garden [avurneki] . Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi engaged in joyful planting on Purim, in keeping with the joyous nature of the day. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.9 | {
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} | The Gemara examines the matter itself cited in the previous discussion. Hezekiah read the Megilla in Tiberias both on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth of Adar, because he was uncertain if it had been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, or not. The Gemara asks: Was he really uncertain about the matter of Tiberias? Isnt it written: And the fortified cities were Ziddim-zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth (Joshua 19: 35) , and we maintain that Rakkath is Tiberias? The Gemara answers: This is the reason that he was uncertain: Although Tiberias was surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua, Hezekiah was uncertain about the halakha due to the fact that on one side, there was a wall of the sea, i.e., there was no physical wall, but the city was protected due to the fact that it adjoined the sea. The Gemara asks: If so, why was he uncertain? The sea is certainly not a wall. As it is taught in a baraita with regard to the sale of houses in walled cities, the phrase: Which has a wall (Leviticus 25: 30) , indicates that the city has a bona fide wall and not merely a wall of roofs. If a city is completely encircled by attached houses but there is no separate wall, it is not considered a walled city. The next verse, which is referring to cities that have no wall round about them (Leviticus 25: 31) , excludes Tiberias from being considered a walled city, as the sea is its wall on one side and it is not fully encircled by a physical wall. Consequently, Tiberias is not considered a walled city. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.10 | {
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} | The Gemara answers: With regard to the sale of houses of walled cities, Hezekiah was not uncertain. Where he was uncertain was with regard to the reading of the Megilla: What are the unwalled towns and what are the walled cities that are written with regard to the reading of the Megilla? Is the difference between them due to the fact that these unwalled towns are exposed, whereas those walled cities are not exposed? If so, since Tiberias is also exposed, as it is not entirely surrounded by a wall, it should be considered unwalled. Or perhaps the difference is due to the fact that these walled cities are protected, whereas those unwalled towns are not protected, and Tiberias is also protected by the sea and should be treated as a walled city. It was due to that reason that Hezekiah was uncertain when to read the Megilla. The Gemara relates that Rav Asi read the Megilla in the city of Huzal in Babylonia on both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar, because he was uncertain if it had been surrounded by a wall since the days of Joshua, son of Nun, or not. Huzal was an ancient city, and it was possible that it had been surrounded by a wall in the time of Joshua. Some say a different version of this report, according to which there was no uncertainty. Rav Asi said: This city of Huzal of the house of Benjamin was walled since the days of Joshua, son of Nun. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.11 | {
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} | Incidental to the previous discussion concerning Tiberias, the Gemara relates that Rabbi Yohanan said: When I was a child I said something that I later asked the Elders about, and it was found in accordance with my opinion. I said that Hammath is Tiberias. And why was it called Hammath? On account of the hot springs of [hammei] Tiberias that are located there. And I said that Rakkath is Tzippori. And why was it called Rakkath? Because it is raised above the surrounding areas like the bank [rakta] of a river. And I said that Chinnereth is Ginosar. And why was it called Chinnereth? Because its fruit are sweet like the sound of a harp [kinnor] . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.12 | {
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} | Rava said: Is there anyone who says that Rakkath is not Tiberias? Isnt it true that when a great man dies here, in Babylonia, they lament his demise there, in Tiberias, as follows: Great was he in Sheshakh, i.e., Babylonia (see Jeremiah 25: 26) , and he had a name in Rakkath? Furthermore, when they bring up the casket of an important person to there, to Tiberias, they lament his demise as follows: You lovers of the remnants of the Jewish people, residents of Rakkath, go out and receive the dead from the deep, i.e., the low-lying lands of Babylonia. Similarly, the Gemara relates that when Rabbi Zeira died, a certain eulogizer opened his eulogy for him with these words: The land of Shinar, i.e., Babylonia, Rabbi Zeiras birthplace, conceived and bore him; the land of the deer, i.e., Eretz Yisrael, where Rabbi Zeira lived as an adult and rose to prominence, raised her delights. Woe unto her, said Rakkath, for she has lost her precious instrument. It is apparent from these examples that Rakkath is Tiberias. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.13 | {
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} | Rather, Rabba said: Hammath is the hot springs of Gerar that are adjacent to Tiberias; Rakkath is Tiberias; and Chinnereth is Ginosar. And why was Tiberias called Rakkath? Because even the empty ones [reikanin] of Tiberias are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate is full of seeds. Rabbi Yirmeya said: In fact, Rakkath is its real name; and why was it called Tiberias? Because it sits in the very center [tabbur] of Eretz Yisrael. Rava said: Rakkath is its real name, and why was it called Tiberias? Because its appearance is good [tova reiyyata] . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.14 | {
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} | While continuing to identify places that are mentioned in the Bible, Zeira said: The city of Kitron that is mentioned in the Bible is the city of Tzippori. And why was it called Tzippori? Because it sits on top of a mountain like a bird [tzippor] . The Gemara asks: Is Kitron really Tzippori? Wasnt Kitron in the tribal territory of Zebulun, as it is written: Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol (Judges 1: 30) ? And the tribe of Zebulun was resentful of its portion, as it is stated: Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death (Judges 5: 18) . What is the reason for their resentfulness? Because Naphtali was on the high places of the field (Judges 5: 18) . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.15 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Is Kitron really Tzippori? Wasnt Kitron in the tribal territory of Zebulun, as it is written: Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol (Judges 1: 30) ? And the tribe of Zebulun was resentful of its portion, as it is stated: Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death (Judges 5: 18) . What is the reason for their resentfulness? Because Naphtali was on the high places of the field (Judges 5: 18) . The verse should be interpreted as follows: Zebulun said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe! To my brothers, the tribes whose territory is adjacent to mine, You gave fields and vineyards, whereas to me You gave mountains and hills; to my brothers You gave lands, whereas to me You gave seas and rivers. God said back to him: Nevertheless, all will need you due to the hilazon, the small sea creature residing in your territory that is the source of the dye used in the ritual fringes [tzitzit] . As it is stated in Moses blessing to Zebulun: They shall call the people to the mountain: There they shall sacrifice offerings of righteousness; for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of the hidden treasures of the sand (Deuteronomy 33: 19) . Rav Yosef teaches about this: Treasures; this is referring to the hilazon, which is found in the waters of Zebulun. Hidden; this is referring to the tarit, a type of sardine, which is also found in Zebuluns coastal waters. Sand; this is referring to the sand from which white glass is made. Zebulun said to Him: All of these resources are indeed found in my territory, but Master of the Universe, who will inform me if others take them without permission? He said to the tribe of Zebulun: There they shall sacrifice offerings of righteousness. This shall be a sign for you that anyone who takes these items from you without making payment will not prosper at all in his business. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.16 | {
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} | And if you would say that the part of his territory that flowed with milk and honey was not as vast as that of his brothers, the other tribes, didnt Rabba bar bar Hana say that Rabbi Yohanan said: I myself have seen the land flowing with milk and honey over all of Eretz Yisrael. And the size of the fertile land was like the distance from Bei Kovei to the fortress of Tulbakni, a total of twenty-two parasangs [parsa] in length and six parasangs in width. A parasang is four mil; consequently, the area flowing with milk and honey around Tzippori was four by four parasangs, which is more than the fair share of one tribe among twelve. The Gemara answers: Even so, fields and vineyards were preferable to Zebulun. The fertile land in Zebuluns territory is in a mountainous region, which makes it more difficult to cultivate. The Gemara comments: The language of the verse is also precise according to this explanation, as it is written: And Naphtali was on the high places of the field, which indicates that Zebuluns complaint was due to the fact that Naphtali had fields. The Gemara concludes: Indeed, learn from here that this is so. It is clear from the exposition of the verse in Judges that the territory of Zebulun did not contain fields and vineyards. And if it enters your mind to say that Kitron is Tzippori, why was Zebulun resentful of his portion? Wasnt Tzippori in his territory, which was land that was vastly superior with regard to its produce? And if you would say that Zebuluns portion did not have quality land flowing with milk and honey, didnt Reish Lakish say: I myself have seen the land flowing with milk and honey around Tzippori, and it was sixteen mil by sixteen mil? |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.17 | {
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} | The Gemara continues its discussion with regard to identifying places mentioned in the Bible. Rabbi Abbahu said: And Ekron shall be uprooted (Zephaniah 2: 4) . This is an allusion to Caesarea, daughter of Edom, which is situated among the sands. Caesarea was primarily populated by Greeks and Romans, and it served as the seat of Roman rule when the Romans, who are identified with Edom in Jewish literature, ruled Eretz Yisrael. And it was a spike stuck in the side of the Jewish people already in the days of the Greeks, as it was an obstacle to the spread of Jewish settlement. When the Hasmonean monarchy prevailed and triumphed over them, they called it: The captured tower of Shir. Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: What is the meaning of that which is written: And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his detestable things from between his teeth, and he also shall be a remnant for our God; and he shall be as a chief in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite (Zechariah 9: 7) ? The verse should be understood as follows: And I will take away his blood out of his mouth; this is referring to their house of altars, where they sacrifice offerings. And his detestable things from between his teeth; this is referring to their house of piles, where they heap their ritual stones. And he also shall be a remnant for our God, these words are referring to the synagogues and study halls in Edom. And he shall be as a chief [aluf] in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite, these words are referring to the theaters [tereatrayot] and the circuses [kirkesayot] in Edom where the officers of Judah are destined to teach Torah in public. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.18 | {
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} | And he also shall be a remnant for our God, these words are referring to the synagogues and study halls in Edom. And he shall be as a chief [aluf] in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite, these words are referring to the theaters [tereatrayot] and the circuses [kirkesayot] in Edom where the officers of Judah are destined to teach Torah in public. Rabbi Yitzhak said: And the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem (Joshua 19: 47) ; this is referring to the city that was known in the Talmudic period as Pamyas. Ekron shall be uprooted (Zephaniah 2: 4) ; this is referring to Caesarea, the daughter of Edom, which was a metropolis [metropolin] , i.e., a capital city, of kings. There are those who say this means that kings were raised there, and there are those who say it means that kings were appointed from there, meaning the kings of Edom were appointed from among the residents of this city. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.19 | {
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} | The Sages said that the fortunes of Caesarea, which represents Rome, and Jerusalem are diametric opposites. If, therefore, someone says to you that both cities are destroyed, do not believe him. Similarly, if he says to you that they are both settled in tranquility, do not believe him. If, however, he says to you that Caesarea is destroyed and Jerusalem is settled, or that Jerusalem is destroyed and Caesarea is settled, believe him. As it is stated: Because Tyre has said against Jerusalem: Aha, the gates of the people have been broken; she is turned to me; I shall be filled with her that is laid waste (Ezekiel 26: 2) , and Tyre, like Caesarea, represents Rome. Consequently, the verse indicates that if this city is filled, that one is laid waste, and if that city is filled, this one is laid waste. The two cities cannot coexist. Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak said: The same idea may be derived from here, a verse dealing with Jacob and Esau: And the one people shall be stronger than the other people (Genesis 25: 23) , teaching that when one nation rises, the other necessarily falls. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.20 | {
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} | Having mentioned Edom, the Gemara cites what Rabbi Yitzhak said: What is the meaning of that which is written: Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord (Isaiah 26: 10) ? Isaac said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, let favor be shown to Esau, my beloved son. God said to him: Esau is wicked. Isaac said to God: Yet will he not learn righteousness, i.e., is there no one who can find merit in him? God said to him: In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, meaning that he is destined to destroy Eretz Yisrael. Isaac said to God: If it is so that he is that wicked, he will not behold the majesty of the Lord. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.21 | {
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} | And Rabbi Yitzhak also said: What is the meaning of that which is written: Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; further not his evil device, so that they not exalt themselves. Selah (Psalms 140: 9) ? Jacob said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, grant not to the wicked Esau the desires of his heart, as he wishes to destroy us. Further not his evil device [zemamo] ; do not remove the muzzle [zamam] that constrains him and prevents him from breaking out and gathering further strength. This is a reference to Germamya of Edom, i.e., Germany, which is near the land of Edom, i.e., Rome. As, if the Germans would go forth, they would destroy the entire world. And Rabbi Hama Bar Hanina said: There are three hundred young princes with crowns tied to their heads in Germamya of Edom, and there are three hundred and sixty-five chieftains [marzavnei] in Rome. Every day these go out to battle against those, and one of them is killed, and they are preoccupied with appointing a new king in his place. Since neither side is united, neither side is able to achieve a decisive victory. It is these wars between Rome and the Germanic tribes that act as a muzzle upon Esau-Edom-Rome and prevent it from becoming too strong. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.22 | {
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} | Rabbi Yitzhak said in the style of a previous passage: If a person says to you: I have labored and not found success, do not believe him. Similarly, if he says to you: I have not labored but nevertheless I have found success, do not believe him. If, however, he says to you: I have labored and I have found success, believe him. The Gemara comments: This applies only to matters of Torah, as success with respect to Torah study is in accordance with the toil and effort invested. But with regard to success in business, it all depends upon assistance from Heaven, as there is no correlation between success and effort. And even with regard to matters of Torah, we said this only with regard to sharpening ones understanding of Torah, as the more one labors, the deeper the understanding of the material he achieves. However, to preserve what one has learned, it is dependent upon assistance from Heaven. Not everyone achieves this, even with much effort. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.23 | {
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} | And Rabbi Yitzhak also said: If you see a wicked man whom the hour is smiling upon, i.e., who is enjoying good fortune, do not provoke him, as it is stated: Contend not with evildoers (Psalms 37: 1) . And not only that, but if you provoke him, his undertakings will be successful, as it is stated: His ways prosper at all times (Psalms 10: 5) . And not only that, but even if he is brought to court, he emerges victorious in judgment, as it is stated: Your judgments are far above him (Psalms 10: 5) , as though the trial is far removed from him and does not affect him. And not only that, but he will see his enemies fall, as it is stated: As for all his enemies, he hisses at them (Psalms 10: 5) . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.24 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Is that so? Didnt Rabbi Yohanan say in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: It is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world, as it is stated: They that forsake the Torah praise the wicked; but they who keep the Torah contend with them (Proverbs 28: 4) ? And furthermore, it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Dostai bar Matun said: It is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world, and if a person whispers to you to say that this is not so, relying on the verse: Contend not with evildoers, nor be envious against the workers of iniquity (Psalms 37: 1) , know that only one whose heart strikes him with pangs of conscience over sins that he committed says this. Rather, the true meaning of that verse is: Contend not with evildoers, to be like the evildoers; nor be envious against the workers of iniquity, to be like the workers of iniquity. And it says elsewhere: Let not your heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the Lord all the day (Proverbs 23: 17) . In this context, to be envious of sinners means to desire to be like them. Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Dostai indicate that one is permitted to provoke the wicked, against the opinion of Rabbi Yitzhak. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.25 | {
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} | And if you wish, say instead: When the hour is smiling upon him, i.e., when the wicked individual is enjoying good fortune, it is different. He is receiving divine assistance, and even the completely righteous should not provoke him. The Gemara explains: This is not difficult, as it can be understood that this, Rabbi Yitzhaks statement that one may not provoke the wicked, is referring to his personal matters, while that, the statements of Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Dostai that it is permitted to provoke them, is referring to matters of Heaven, i.e., religious matters. And if you wish, say: Both this statement and that statement are stated with regard to his own affairs, and still it is not difficult. This statement, that it is permitted to provoke the wicked, applies to a completely righteous individual; that statement, that one may not provoke them, applies to an individual who is not completely righteous. As Rav Huna said: What is the meaning of that which is written: Why do you look upon them that deal treacherously, and remain silent when the wicked devours the man that is more righteous than he (Habakkuk 1: 13) ? This verse indicates that the wicked devours one who is more righteous than he; however, he does not devour one who is completely righteous. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.3.26 | {
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} | Having mentioned Rome, the Gemara cites what Ulla said. Greek Italy, i.e., southern Italy, is the great city of Rome, and it is three hundred parasang [parsa] by three hundred parasang. It has three hundred and sixty-five markets, corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and the smallest of them all is the market of poultry sellers, which is sixteen mil by sixteen mil. And the king, i.e., the Roman emperor, dines every day in one of them. And one who resides in the city, even if he was not born there, receives an allowance for his living expenses from the kings palace. And one who was born there, even if he does not reside there, also receives an allowance from the kings palace. And there are three thousand bathhouses in the city, and five hundred apertures that let the smoke from the bathhouses out beyond the walls in a way that doesnt blacken the walls themselves. One side of the city is bordered by the sea, one side by mountains and hills, one side by a barrier of iron and one side by gravel [hulsit] and swamp. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.4.1 | {
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} | MISHNA: If the people read the Megilla during the first Adar and subsequently the year was then intercalated by the court and now the following month will be the second Adar, one reads the Megilla again during the second Adar. The Sages formulated a principle: The difference between the first Adar and the second Adar with regard to the mitzvot that are performed during those months is only that the reading of the Megilla and distributing gifts to the poor are performed in the second Adar and not in the first Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.1 | {
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} | GEMARA: The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of the sequence of Torah portions read each year on two Shabbatot before Purim, the portions of Shekalim and Zakhor, and on two Shabbatot after Purim, Para and HaHodesh, this, the first Adar, and that, the second Adar are equal, in that reading them during the first Adar exempts one from reading them in the second Adar. The Gemara asks: If so, whose opinion is taught in the mishna? It is neither the opinion of the anonymous first tanna of the following baraita, nor that of Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, nor that of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, as it is taught in a baraita: If they read the Megilla during the first Adar and the year was then intercalated, they read it during the second Adar, as all mitzvot that are practiced during the second Adar are practiced in the first Adar, except for the reading of the Megilla. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, says: They do not read it again during the second Adar, as all mitzvot that are practiced during the second Adar are practiced during the first Adar. Once the Megilla was read during the first Adar, one need not read it again during the second Adar. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Yosei: They even read it again during the second Adar, as all mitzvot that are practiced during the second Adar are not practiced during the first Adar. And they all agree with regard to eulogy and with regard to fasting that they are prohibited on the fourteenth and the fifteenth days of this month of the first Adar and on that month of the second Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.2 | {
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} | The Gemara analyzes the baraita. The opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is identical to that of the first tanna. What novel element does he introduce? Rav Pappa said: There is a practical difference between them with regard to the sequence of four Torah portions, as the first tanna maintains: They should read those portions during the second Adar, ab initio. However, if they did so during the first Adar, they did so; and they fulfilled their obligation and need not read them again during the second Adar, except for the reading of the Megilla, as even though they already read it during the first Adar, they read it again during the second Adar. And Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, maintains that even the reading of the Megilla may be performed during the first Adar, ab initio, and they need not read it again during the second Adar. And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel maintains: Even with regard to the sequence of four Torah portions, if they read them during the first Adar, they read them again during the second Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.3 | {
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} | Returning to the original question, according to whose opinion is the mishna taught? If it is the opinion of the first tanna, the halakha of gifts to the poor is difficult. The first tanna does not mention these gifts, indicating that he maintains that if gifts were distributed during the first Adar one need not distribute gifts to the poor during the second Adar. And if the mishna was taught according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, the reading of the Megilla is also difficult. And if it is the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the sequence of Torah portions is difficult. The Gemara answers: Actually, the mishna is according to the opinion of the first tanna, and he taught the halakha with regard to the reading of the Megilla, and the same is true with regard to gifts to the poor, as this mitzva is dependent upon that one. The Gemara already explained that the gifts to the poor are distributed on the day that the Megilla is read. And if you wish, say instead: Actually, the mishna is according to the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, and the mishna is incomplete and is teaching the following: The difference between the fourteenth day of the first Adar and the fourteenth day of the second Adar is only with regard to the reading of the Megilla and distributing gifts to the poor. The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of eulogy and fasting, this, the first Adar, and that, the second Adar are equal, while about the sequence of Torah portions, the mishna does not speak at all. The mishna limits its discussion to the halakhot of Purim. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.4 | {
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} | Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin said that Rabbi Yohanan said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who said it in the name of Rabbi Yosei. Rabbi Yohanan said: And both of them, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, interpreted the same verse differently, leading them to their conclusions. It is written: To enjoin upon them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and the fifteenth day of the same, in each and every year (Esther 9: 21) . Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, maintains: In each and every year teaches that Purim must be celebrated the same way each year, even if it is intercalated: Just as each and every year Purim is celebrated during Adar that is adjacent to Shevat, so too here in an intercalated year Purim is celebrated during Adar that is adjacent to Shevat. And Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel maintains: In each and every year teaches that just as each and every year Purim is celebrated in Adar that is adjacent to Nisan, so too here, in an intercalated year, Purim is celebrated during Adar that is adjacent to Nisan. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.5 | {
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} | The Gemara asks: Granted, according to Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, the reason for his opinion is logical, based on the principle that one does not forego performance of the mitzvot; rather, when presented with the opportunity to perform a mitzva, one should do so immediately. However, with regard to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, what is the reason for his opinion? Rabbi Tavi said: The reason for the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is that juxtaposing the celebration of one redemption, Purim, to the celebration of another redemption, Passover, is preferable. Rabbi Elazar said: The reason for the opinion of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is derived from here, as it is written: To confirm this second letter of Purim (Esther 9: 29) , indicating that there are circumstances where the Megilla is read a second time (Jerusalem Talmud) , i.e., when the year was intercalated after the Megilla was read in the first Adar. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.6 | {
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} | The Gemara comments: And it was necessary to write the term: The second, and it was also necessary to write the phrase: In each and every year; proof from one of the verses would have been insufficient. As, if I had derived the halakha only from the phrase: In each and every year, I would have said my conclusion according to our question raised earlier: Why not celebrate Purim in the Adar adjacent to Shevat? Therefore, it teaches us using the term: The second. And had it taught us only the term: The second, I would have said that Purim must be celebrated both in the first Adar and in the second Adar, ab initio. Therefore, it teaches us: In each and every year, indicating that even in an intercalated year, just as in an ordinary year, Purim is to be celebrated only once. The Gemara asks: And Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei, what does he do with this term: The second? Since he holds that the Megilla is read in the first Adar, what does he derive from the verse? The Gemara answers: He requires the term to derive that statement of Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda, as Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda said: Initially, they established the observance of Purim in the city of Shushan alone, and ultimately they established it throughout the world, according to the second letter of Purim. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.7 | {
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} | Apropos the statement of Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda with regard to the establishment of the holiday of Purim, the Gemara cites a related statement. Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda said: Esther sent to the Sages: Establish me for future generations. Esther requested that the observance of Purim and the reading of the Megilla be instituted as an ordinance for all generations. They sent to her: You will thereby arouse the wrath of the nations upon us, as the Megilla recounts the victory of the Jews over the gentiles, and it is best not to publicize that victory. She sent back to them: I am already written in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia, and so the Megilla will not publicize anything that is not already known worldwide. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.8 | {
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} | It was related that Rav and Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Yohanan and Rav Haviva taught the statement cited below. The Gemara comments: Throughout the order of Moed, wherever this latter pair of Sages is mentioned, exchange Rabbi Yohanan and insert Rabbi Yonatan in his place. They said: Esther sent to the Sages: Write me for future generations and canonize my book as part of the Bible. They sent to her that it is written: Have I not written for you three times (Proverbs 22: 20) , indicating that Israels battle with Amalek is to be mentioned three times in the Bible and not four times? Since it is already mentioned three times (Exodus 17: 816; Deuteronomy 25: 1719; I Samuel 15) , there is no need to add a fourth source. The Sages did not accede to Esthers request until they found a verse written in the Torah: Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: That I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens (Exodus 17: 14) . The Sages interpreted the verse: Write this, that which is written in the Torah here in Exodus, and in Deuteronomy; a memorial, that which is written in the Prophets, i.e., in I Samuel, on this matter; in the book, that which is written in the Megilla. The Megilla is the third mention of Amalek and not the fourth, as both mentions in the Torah pertaining to Amalek are considered one; therefore, Esther would be the third, not the fourth source. The Gemara comments: This matter is parallel to a dispute between the tannaim, as it was taught in a baraita: Write this, that which is written here, in the book of Exodus; a memorial, that which is written in Deuteronomy; in the book, that which is written in the Prophets; this is the statement of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar HaModai disagrees and says: Write this, that which is written in the Torah here in Exodus, and in Deuteronomy; a memorial, that which is written in the Prophets on this matter; in the book, that which is written in the Megilla. Here too, the tannaim disagreed whether or not the book of Esther has the same force and sanctity as that of the canonized books of the Bible. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.9 | {
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} | Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: The book of Esther does not render the hands ritually impure. Although the Sages issued a decree that sacred scrolls render hands ritually impure, the book of Esther was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls. The Gemara asks: Is this to say that Shmuel maintains that the book of Esther was not stated with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit? But didnt Shmuel himself say elsewhere that the book of Esther was stated with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit? The Gemara answers: It was stated with the Divine Spirit that it is to be read in public; however, it was not stated that it is to be written. Therefore, the text was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls. The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita. Rabbi Meir says: The book of Ecclesiastes does not render the hands ritually impure, as it was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls; however, there is a dispute with regard to whether or not the Song of Songs renders the hands impure. Rabbi Yosei says: The Song of Songs renders the hands ritually impure, but there is a dispute with regard to the book of Ecclesiastes. Rabbi Shimon says: The ruling with regard to Ecclesiastes is among the leniencies of Beit Shammai and among the stringencies of Beit Hillel, as according to Beit Hillel it renders the hands impure and according to Beit Shammai it does not. However, everyone agrees that the books of Ruth, and the Song of Songs, and Esther render the hands ritually impure, contrary to the opinion of Shmuel. The Gemara answers: It was Shmuel who stated his opinion in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua cited earlier that the book of Esther was not accorded the sanctity of sacred scrolls. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.10 | {
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} | It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: The book of Ecclesiastes does not render the hands ritually impure because it is the wisdom of Solomon, and not divinely inspired. They said to him: It was certainly divinely inspired and that is the reason that the book of Ecclesiastes was added to the canon; as was it this alone that Solomon said? Wasnt it already stated: And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his poems were a thousand and five (I Kings 5: 12) ? Solomon spoke many proverbs, but only a portion of them were canonized in the Bible. Apparently, what is unique about those in Ecclesiastes is that they were divinely inspired. And it says: Add you not unto his words (Proverbs 30: 6) . The Gemara asks: What is added by the proof introduced with the phrase: And it says? Why wasnt the first proof sufficient? The Gemara answers: And if you would say that in terms of what he said, he said a great deal, with regard to which, if he so desired, it was written, and if he so desired, it was not written; then that is why not all of his statements were preserved. Therefore, come and hear: Add you not unto his words. Apparently, the reason that it is prohibited to add to the proverbs is that the book of Ecclesiastes was divinely inspired. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.11 | {
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} | It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: The book of Esther was said with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: And Haman thought in his heart (Esther 6: 6) . If the book of Esther was not divinely inspired, how was it known what Haman thought in his heart? Rabbi Akiva says: The book of Esther was said with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all those who looked upon her (Esther 2: 15) ; this could have been known only through divine inspiration. Rabbi Meir says: The book of Esther was said with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, as it is stated with regard to the conspiracy of Bigtan and Teresh against Ahasuerus: And the thing became known to Mordecai (Esther 2: 22) . This too could have been known only through divine inspiration. Rabbi Yosei ben Durmaskit says: The book of Esther was said with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, as it is stated: But they did not lay their hands on the plunder (Esther 9: 15) . The only way that could have been stated with certainty is through divine inspiration. Shmuel said: Had I been there among the tannaim, I would have stated a matter that is superior to them all, as it is stated: They confirmed, and took upon themselves (Esther 9: 27) , which was interpreted to mean: They confirmed above in heaven what they took upon themselves below on earth. Clearly, it is only through divine inspiration that this could have been ascertained. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.12 | {
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} | Rava said: There is a refutation for all of these proofs, except for the proof cited by Shmuel, for which there is no refutation. The Gemara elaborates. That which Rabbi Eliezer said with regard to knowledge of what Haman was thinking in his heart can be refuted, as it is based on logical reasoning to conclude that this was his thinking. There was no other person as important to the king as he was; and the fact is that when he elaborated extensively and said: Let the royal apparel be brought (Esther 6: 8) , he said it with himself in mind. That which Rabbi Akiva said with regard to the knowledge that Esther found favor in the eyes of all, perhaps it can be understood and refuted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Elazar, who said: This teaches that she appeared to each and every one as one of his nation, and they expressed that sentiment aloud. And that which Rabbi Meir said, i.e., that the divine inspiration of the book of Esther is clear from the fact that Mordecai exposed the conspiracy against Ahasuerus, perhaps this can be explained and refuted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, who said: Bigtan and Teresh were both members of the Tarsi people and conversed in their own language. Mordecai, who was a member of the Sanhedrin and therefore fluent in many languages, understood what they were saying. And that which Rabbi Yosei ben Durmaskit said with regard to the knowledge that no spoils were taken, perhaps this can be explained and refuted by the fact that they dispatched messengers who informed them of the situation. However, with regard to Shmuels proof from the fact that they confirmed above what they took upon themselves below, there is certainly no refutation. Ravina said: This explains the folk saying that people say: One sharp pepper is better than a basketful of pumpkins, as the quality of the peppers taste is more significant than the quantity of the pumpkins. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.13 | {
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} | Rav Yosef said: Proof that the book of Esther was divinely inspired may be cited from here: And these days of Purim shall not cease from among the Jews (Esther 9: 28) , an assertion that could have been made only with divine inspiration. Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak says: Proof may be cited from here, at the end of that verse: Nor the memorial of them perish from their seed (Esther 9: 28) . |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.14 | {
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} | The mishna mentions: And gifts distributed to the poor. Rav Yosef taught a baraita that the verse states: And of sending portions one to another (Esther 9: 22) , indicating two portions to one person. The verse continues: And gifts to the poor (Esther 9: 22) , indicating two gifts to two people. The Gemara relates that, on Purim, Rabbi Yehuda Nesia sent to Rabbi Oshaya the leg of a third-born calf and a jug of wine. Rabbi Oshaya sent him a message of gratitude: You have fulfilled two mitzvot through us, our teacher: The mitzva of: And sending portions one to another, and the mitzva of: And gifts to the poor, as Rabbi Oshaya was poor and this was a substantial gift. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.15 | {
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} | The Gemara relates that Rabba sent Purim portions from the house of the Exilarch to Marei bar Mar in the hands of Abaye, who was his nephew and student. The Purim portions consisted of a sack [taska] full of dates [kashva] and a cupful of roasted flour [kimha deavshuna] . Abaye said to him: Now, Mari will say the popular expression: Even if a farmer becomes the king, the basket does not descend from his neck. Rabba was named the head of the yeshiva in Pumbedita, and nevertheless, he continued to send very plain gifts, because he was impoverished. Marei bar Mar sent back to him a sack full of ginger and a cupful of long peppers [pilpalta arikha] , a much more expensive gift. Abaye said to him: The master, Rabba, will now say: I sent him sweet items and he sent me pungent ones. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.16 | {
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} | In describing that same incident, Abaye said: When I left the house of the master, Rabba, to go to Marei bar Mar, I was already satiated. However, when I arrived there at Marei bar Mars house, they served me sixty plates of sixty kinds of cooked dishes, and I ate sixty portions from each of them. The last dish was called pot roast, and I was still so hungry that I wanted to chew the plate afterward. And in continuation Abaye said: This explains the folk saying that people say: The poor man is hungry and does not know it, as Abaye was unaware how hungry he had been in his masters house. Alternatively, there is another appropriate, popular expression: Room in the stomach for sweets can always be found. The Gemara relates that Abaye bar Avin and Rabbi Hanina bar Avin would exchange their meals with each other to fulfill their obligation of sending portions on Purim. |
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} | Rava said: A person is obligated to become intoxicated with wine on Purim until he is so intoxicated that he does not know how to distinguish between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordecai. The Gemara relates that Rabba and Rabbi Zeira prepared a Purim feast with each other, and they became intoxicated to the point that Rabba arose and slaughtered Rabbi Zeira. The next day, when he became sober and realized what he had done, Rabba asked God for mercy, and revived him. The next year, Rabba said to Rabbi Zeira: Let the Master come and let us prepare the Purim feast with each other. He said to him: Miracles do not happen each and every hour, and I do not want to undergo that experience again. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.18 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.4.18",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.9"
]
} | Rava said: A Purim feast that one ate at night did not fulfill his obligation. What is the reason? Days of feasting and gladness (Esther 9: 22) is written, i.e., days and not nights. The Gemara relates: Rav Ashi was sitting before Rav Kahana his teacher on Purim, and it grew dark and the Sages who usually came to study with him did not come. Rav Ashi said to him: What is the reason that the Sages did not come today? Rav Kahana answered: Perhaps they are preoccupied with the Purim feast. Rav Ashi said to him: Wasnt it possible for them to eat the feast at night on Purim, instead of being derelict in their Torah study on Purim day? Rav Kahana said to him: Didnt the master learn that which Rava said: A Purim feast that one ate at night did not fulfill his obligation? Rav Ashi said to him: Did Rava say that? Rav Kahana said to him: Yes. Rav Ashi then learned it from him forty times until he remembered it so well that it seemed to him as if it were placed in his purse. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.5.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.5.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.10"
]
} | MISHNA: The previous mishna concluded with the formula: The difference between...is only, thereby distinguishing between the halakhot in two different cases. The following mishnayot employ the same formula and distinguish between the halakhot in cases unrelated to Purim and the Megilla. The first is: The difference between Festivals and Shabbat with regard to the labor prohibited on those days is only in preparing food alone. It is permitted to cook and bake in order to prepare food on Festivals; however, on Shabbat it is prohibited. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.5.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.5.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.11",
"Megillah.7b.12",
"Megillah.7b.13",
"Megillah.7b.14",
"Megillah.7b.15"
]
} | GEMARA: The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of actions that facilitate preparation of food, e.g., sharpening a knife for slaughter, this, Shabbat, and that, Festivals, are equal, in that actions that facilitate preparation of food are prohibited. The Gemara comments: If so, the mishna is not in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, as it is taught in a baraita: The difference between Festivals and Shabbat is only preparing food. Rabbi Yehuda permits even actions that facilitate preparation of food on Festivals. The Gemara elaborates. What is the reason for the opinion of the first tanna? It is as the verse states: Except that which every person must eat, only that may be done for you (Exodus 12: 16) . That is permitted, and not actions that facilitate it. And Rabbi Yehuda says: For you means for you, for all your needs. The Gemara asks: And for the other, first, tanna too, isnt it written: For you? The Gemara answers: He infers: For you, and not for gentiles; for you, and not for dogs. It is forbidden to perform labors for the sake of gentiles, or for animals, even if it is to feed them. The Gemara asks further: And for the other tanna, Rabbi Yehuda, too, isnt it written: That, which is a restrictive term that limits the application of a particular halakha? The Gemara answers: It is written: That, which is restrictive, and it is written: For you, which is inclusive. Rabbi Yehuda resolves the conflict between the two: Here, the word: That, is referring to actions that facilitate, in which it is possible to perform them on the Festival eve but which are prohibited on the Festival; there, the phrase: For you, is referring to actions that facilitate, in which it is impossible to perform them on the Festival eve and which are permitted even on the Festival. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.6.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.6.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.16"
]
} | MISHNA: The difference between Shabbat and Yom Kippur with regard to the labor prohibited on those days is only that in this case, i.e., Shabbat, its intentional desecration is punishable at the hand of Man, as he is stoned by a court based on the testimony of witnesses who forewarned the transgressor; and in that case, i.e., Yom Kippur, its intentional desecration is punishable at the hand of God, with karet. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.6.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.6.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.17",
"Megillah.7b.18",
"Megillah.7b.19"
]
} | GEMARA: The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of payment of damages, both this, Shabbat, and that, Yom Kippur, are equal in that one is exempt in both cases. If one performs an action on Shabbat that entails both a prohibited labor and damage to anothers property, since his transgression is punishable by death, he is exempt from paying damages. Apparently, according to the mishna, the same halakha applies to Yom Kippur. The Gemara asks: According to whose opinion is the mishna taught? The Gemara answers: It is according to the opinion of Rabbi Nehunya ben HaKana, as it is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Nehunya ben HaKana would render Yom Kippur like Shabbat with regard to payment of damages. Just as in the case of one who intentionally desecrates Shabbat he is liable to receive the death penalty and is therefore exempt from the obligation of payment of damages caused while desecrating Shabbat, so too, in the case of one who intentionally desecrates Yom Kippur, he is liable to receive the death penalty and is therefore exempt from the obligation of payment of damages caused while desecrating Yom Kippur. We learned there in a mishna (Makkot 23a): All those liable to receive karet who were flogged in court were exempted from their karet, which is imposed by heaven. Most transgressors are liable to receive karet for violating prohibitions that are punishable by flogging. If they are flogged, they are exempt from karet, as it is stated with regard to one liable to receive lashes: Then your brother shall be dishonored before you (Deuteronomy 25: 3) , indicating that once he was flogged he is like your brother, and his sins have been pardoned; this is the statement of Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliel. Rabbi Yohanan said: Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliels colleagues disagree with him on this issue. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.6.2 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.6.2",
"sections": [
"Megillah.7b.20",
"Megillah.7b.21",
"Megillah.7b.22"
]
} | Rava said that the Sages of the school of Rav said: We learned: The difference between Yom Kippur and Shabbat is only that in this case, Shabbat, its intentional desecration is punishable at the hand of Man; and in that case, Yom Kippur, its intentional desecration is punishable with karet. And if the statement of Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliel is so, in both this case, Shabbat, and that case, Yom Kippur, the punishment is at the hand of Man. Rav Nahman said: There is no proof from here that Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliels colleagues disagree with him, as in accordance with whose opinion is this mishna taught? It is according to the opinion of Rabbi Yitzhak, who said: There are no lashes in cases of those liable to receive karet, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yitzhak says: All those liable to receive karet in cases of incest were included in the principle: For whoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the persons that commit them shall be cut off from among their people (Leviticus 18: 29) . And why was karet administered to ones sister excluded from this verse and mentioned independently (Leviticus 20: 17) ? It is to sentence her to the punishment of karet and not to the punishment of lashes. This serves as a paradigm; wherever one is liable to receive karet, there are no lashes. Rav Ashi said: Even if you say that the mishna is according to the opinion of the Rabbis who disagree with Rabbi Yitzhak and hold that there are lashes even in cases where there is liability for karet, there is no proof that Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliels colleagues disagree with him. The mishna can be understood as follows: In this case, Shabbat, the primary punishment for its intentional desecration is at the hand of Man; and in that case, Yom Kippur, the primary punishment for its intentional desecration is with karet. If, however, he was flogged, he is exempt from karet. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.7.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.7.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.8a.1"
]
} | MISHNA: The difference between one for whom benefit from another is forbidden by vow and one for whom benefit from anothers food is forbidden by vow is only with regard to stepping foot on his property, and with regard to borrowing utensils from him that one does not use in the preparation of food, but for other purposes; as those two benefits are prohibited to the former, but permitted to the latter. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.7.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.7.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.8a.2",
"Megillah.8a.3"
]
} | GEMARA: The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of utensils that one uses in preparation of food, both this, one who vowed that any benefit is forbidden, and that, one who vowed that benefit from food is forbidden, are equal. It is prohibited for both to derive benefit from utensils used in the preparation of food. The mishna stated that for one for whom benefit from another is forbidden by vow, stepping foot on the latters property is prohibited. The Gemara asks: What benefit is that? Arent people not particular about other people treading on their property? Rava said: In accordance with whose opinion is this mishna taught? It is the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, who said: Overlooking is prohibited in the case of one for whom benefit is forbidden by vow. For one for whom benefit from another is forbidden by vow, benefit is forbidden even in matters with regard to which one is typically not particular and overlooks others use of his property, e.g., stepping foot on it. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.8.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.m.8.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.8a.4"
]
} | MISHNA: The difference between animals consecrated to the Temple as vow offerings and animals consecrated as gift offerings is only that in the case of vow offerings, if they died or were lost before being sacrificed on the altar, one is obligated in the responsibility to replace them, and in the case of gift offerings, if they died or were lost, one is not obligated in the responsibility to replace them. |
Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.8.1 | {
"sugya": "Talmud.Bavli_and_Mishnah.Moed.Megillah.Bavli.1.g.8.1",
"sections": [
"Megillah.8a.5",
"Megillah.8a.6",
"Megillah.8a.7",
"Megillah.8a.8"
]
} | GEMARA: The Gemara infers that with regard to the matter of the prohibition: Do not be slack to pay ones pledges, both this, a vow offering, and that, a gift offering, are equal. If one delayed bringing either a vow offering or a gift offering, he violates the prohibition. We learned in a mishna there: Which is the case of a vow offering? It is one who says: It is incumbent upon me to bring a burnt-offering. Which is the case of a gift offering? It is one who says: This animal is a burnt-offering. And what is the difference between a vow offering and a gift offering? With regard to vow offerings, if the animals died or were stolen or were lost, the one who vowed is obligated in the responsibility to replace them, as he undertook to bring a burnt-offering and he is not absolved of his obligation until he brings the offering. With regard to gift offerings, however, if the animals died or were stolen or were lost, the one who vowed is not obligated in the responsibility to replace them. The Gemara asks: From where are these matters derived? The Gemara answers: It is as the Sages taught in a baraita with regard to a burnt-offering, that the verse states: And it shall be accepted for him to make atonement upon him (Leviticus 1: 4) . Rabbi Shimon says: That which is incumbent upon him, i.e., which he accepted as a personal obligation, he bears responsibility to replace it if it died or was stolen; however, that which is not incumbent upon him, i.e., that which he did not accept as a personal obligation but which he designated as an offering, he does not bear responsibility to replace it. The Gemara asks: From where may that conclusion be inferred from the verse? Rabbi Yitzhak bar Avdimi said: Since he said it is incumbent upon me to bring a burnt-offering, he is considered as one who bears it upon his shoulders. The expression: Upon me, indicates an assumption of responsibility to bring an offering. |
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