El Talmud babilónico en la selección

THE BABYLONIAN

[figure]

TALMUD

IN SELECTION

Edited and translated from the original

Hebrew and Aramaic by

LEO AUERBACH

Second Edition

PHILOSOPHICAL LIBRARY

NEW YORK

[1944]

The Babylonian Talmud in Selection

[figure]

PAGE

Introduction—The Story of the Talmud

7

Fathers of the Mishna

23

The Portion of the Poor

49

Sabbath

57

Passover

79

The Day of Atonement

107

Days of Fasting

131

Childless Widows

151

The Marriage Contract

157

Adultery

171

Divorces

175

Betrothals

181

Civil Law

207

Law of Procedure

231

Flogging

261

Oaths

271

Glossary

285

THE STORY OF THE TALMUD

[figure]

p. 7

THE STORY OF THE TALMUD

Introduction

THE word Talmud means study. The Talmud is a record of about a thousand years of accumulated Jewish learning and wisdom in all fields of endeavor: Law, religion, ethics, history, science and folklore.

This lore is called Oral Law, in contra-distinction to the Bible, which is the Written Law. Tradition has it that this Oral Law was indicated to Moses and handed down by him to future generations; in each generation the great teachers of the period in turn handed it down, amplified but still in oral form, to the next generation.

Early in the history of the Jewish people it was found necessary to expound and interpret the laws as given by Moses; this law-giver himself appointed judges throughout Israel for this very purpose. Particularly true was this after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity, when, through the effort of Ezra, the Torah became the law and the guiding spirit of all the people. Its reading in public three times a week, with explanations and translations into Aramaic (the vernacular of the people), was at this time made mandatory.

p. 8

The transgression of the laws was severely punished by the court or by "death at the hands of the Lord". However, life in this new Jewish society was more complex than in the olden days. Some of the laws became obsolete, while others had to be reinterpreted to conform to new conditions.

The Torah, however, was the Law, which could not be altered. Therefore the scribes and the members of the Great Assembly busied themselves in probing and searching every sentence and every word of the Scriptures, to find solutions to the vexing problems by interpretations of each law. This method of analysis and exposition was called from the Hebrew word darash, to search, to probe, Midrash.

The Midrashim are of two kinds. Some are concerned with the strict and terse interpretation of the laws and statutes as found in the Scriptures, mainly in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. These are called Halachoth. The others, called Haggadoth, are homiletic in style; they took as their topic the narrative parts of the Bible and used them as vehicles for the expounding of ethical precepts, proverbs, parables, and history.

It was the custom to recite a passage of the Scriptures, which served as a thread upon which the expounder could string all sorts of interpretations, and by skillful and often dialectic argumentation, make the law serve new essential purposes. Thus the Law was kept effective in the life of the community, its scope widened as society grew complex.

Particularly popular with the people were the Haggadic Midrashim. These were especially adaptable to preaching in the Synagogues or the great open-air gatherings.

p. 9

[paragraph continues] On several occasions, however, the sages voiced opposition to the Haggadah, particularly to those parts that are given to exaggeration and triviality; nonetheless, they also recognized its charm for the masses and its great moral force, and accorded it to the same importance as the Halachah.

The great teachers of antiquity among the Hebrews were the scribes, to whom many of the earlier Midrashic interpretations could probably be traced. They flourished for some two centuries after 500 B.C. and were followed by the Pharisees who headed the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were more lenient and liberal in their interpretations of the laws than the Saducees, the aristocrats who adhered to a more literal and strict interpretation of the Scriptures, and therefore the Pharisees were more popular with the people and exerted a greater influence as the dominating force in the life of Jewry. Their influence became even greater as the government and the degenerating aristocracy became corrupt and oppressed the people.

The first chapter of the tractate Aboth, Fathers of the Mishnah, traces the chronological order of these great teachers. The most prominent of them was Hillel, the Prince. He headed the contingent of the Sages who were known as the House of Hillel. These were opposed by Shamai and his colleagues. Their strife evoked a great interest in the contemporary Jewish world, but, as the rivalry was purely intellectual, it spurred them on to greater activity, and fostered learning.

Hillel, who advocated a wider and more liberal application of laws, was invariably successful in having his laws adopted. He was the author of the law known as

p. 10

[paragraph continues] Prosbul (before the court). According to the "Law of the Seventh year" Deuteronomy XV, all indebtedness became automatically cancelled in the sabbatical year. Because of this law, the rich refused to lend money to the traders and that brought stagnation to business. By a very ingenious interpretation of the passages in the Scriptures referring to this law, Hillel was able to devise the enactment of the Prosbul, by which a document was executed transferring the debt to the court, thus making the law of the seventh year not applicable to the specified loan. In a similar manner he enacted a law by which a man who sold his house in a walled city could redeem it from the buyer before one year was over, by depositing its value with the court.

Hillel also inaugurated the seven standard methods of scriptural analysis, which were later, by Rabbi Ishmael, increased to thirteen. These methods served as a scientific basis for the study and analysis of the Torah. Hillel is also credited with being the first one to make an attempt to collect and arrange the laws in a systematic order.

With the domination of foreign powers and the consequent decline of the government, the Jews rallied more and more around the Sages and their academies. It was with Hillel that the presidency of the Sanhendrin was made hereditary.

Toward the end of the 1st Century B.C. the country was in a deplorable condition, under a weak and decadent government. The puppet kings were tools of the Roman leaders, who through them manipulated the election and controlled the office of the high priests.

The population was torn by the strife of many warring parties within and an enemy from without. The Jews

p. 11

fought bravely, many of their illustrious Sages and the flower of their youth fell on the fields of battle, but they were no match for the powerful and well organized Roman armies. The great Master of this period was Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai. Foreseeing the tragic end of the struggle against the Romans, he counselled submission, but his advice was unheeded.

One night, smuggled out of the city by his disciples, he presented himself before the Roman commander to ask for permission to establish his academy in Yabneh, and to plead for the safety of its disciples. Upon the fall of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yohanan re-established the Sanhedrin in Yabneh, to which city and its academy the center of Jewish law and thought was transferred.

The Sages realized that with the Temple gone and the Hebrews leaving the world stage as a politically independent nation, it was encumbent upon them to find some standard around which to rally and bind the People of Israel. There were the Scriptures, which long ago Ezra and the scribes had made popular among the people, and the study and worship of which the Pharisees had endeared. Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai and his followers made it their concern to emphasize the paramount importance of the Bible and its study in the life of the Jews. Rabban Gamaliel II, the legitimate heir to the presidency of the Sanhedrin, succeeded Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakai. With his accession, its authority was soon recognized by the Romans and accepted by Jewry within Palestine and without. Rabban Gamaliel II is remembered also for discarding the custom of lavish and excessively ceremonious and costly funerals; he inaugurated the use of the simple pine coffin and plain shroud that still predominate today.

p. 12

[paragraph continues] Turbulent conditions forced the seat of the Sanhedrin to move from place to place many times, but it survived as an institution until 425 A.D.

This was the most fruitful and far-reaching period in the post-Biblical history of the Jews. The Rabbis succeeded in moulding a unified and homogeneous people out of the remnants of scattered Jewry. They enacted laws, and fostered ideas and ideals. They compiled, arranged, and systematized their many laws, and bequeathed them to future generations in such a manner that most of them have survived and are valid to this day among the Jews throughout the world. Through the Romans and the early Christians these ideas, laws and customs likewise penetrated other cultures. Many of the laws inaugurated in those days form the basis of the laws by which we are guided today.

TALMUDIC LITERATURE

All the interpretations and commentaries on the Law were retained in oral form. Many of the scholars, however, in order to refresh their memories, privately made notes and jotted down some of these laws. There are many collections of the midrashim, attributed to different scholars whose names appear in the Talmud. The most important of these collections are:

1. The Mekilta, a commentary on the book of Exodus, beginning with chapter 12 and ending with the Sabbatical laws in Chapter 35. This is attributed to Rabbi Ishmael, who lived during the first century A.D. There is also a Mekilta attributed to Rabbi Yohai.

p. 13

2. Sifra, a midrashic interpretation of Leviticus. This was probably compiled in the school of Rabbi Akiba, the great sage who was born about 50 A.D. and died as a martyr in 136, during the rebellion of Bar Kochba.

3. Sifreh: Two commentaries, one on Numbers and one on Deuteronomy. These two books were not composed in the same school, but are found linked together from the earliest days. The commentary on Numbers is composed almost exclusively of Halachic Midrashim, and betrays the method and style of Rabbi Ishmael, while that on Deuteronomy is full of Haggadic Midrashim and is probably the product of the school of Rabbi Akiba.

As these commentaries grew and multiplied, attempts were made to collect, then to arrange them systematically so that they could be retained in the memory. The pioneer in this work was Rabbi Akiba, who divided the Halachoth according to subject: laws dealing with women; civil laws; etc. He also classified them into categories, such as the four primary causes of damage.

Many of the followers and disciples of Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Ishmael made compilations of their own, the circulation of which brought on confusion.

The great work of compiling and arranging the laws was finally undertaken and accomplished by Rabbi Yehuda, the Prince, often referred to simply as Rabbi. Through his authority as the President of the Sanhedrin, he reduced them to writing, codified them and made them valid as the Mishna, which means "the repetition of the law." He visited many of the academies and gathered the collections and private notes that were circulated among the teachers of his day, and with the aid of a committee of his academy, established a definitive text.

p. 14

The Mishna was divided into six orders:

1. ZERAIM, dealing with agriculture.

2. MOED, dealing with festivals.

3. NASHIM, pertaining to women.

4. NEZIKIN, dealing with civil and criminal law.

5. KODASHIM, dealing with sacrifices.

6. TOHAROTH, dealing with cleanliness and purifications.

[paragraph continues] The orders were divided into tractates, sixty-three in all.

The codification of the Mishna did not preclude the further study of the Law. There were the Halachoth compiled by other Rabbis, which were not included in the Mishna. Many of these are cited in the Talmud, however, as Baraithoth "external."

Many of the disciples of Rabbi, some with his approbation, emulated him in compiling Mishnas of their own. One such compilation, ascribed to various of his followers, is the Thosafta, which means addenda, but is really an independent work arranged in six orders in the manner of the Mishna, containing new and different material.

THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD

Ever since the destruction of the First Temple and, even for some time preceding it, there was a large Jewish population in Babylonia (modern Iraq). It was concentrated in a few large cities, where they continued to live and prosper as a homogeneous community. Here developed some of the greatest lights of ancient Israel. The prophet Ezekiel lived in Babylonia; Ezra, Nehemiah, and

p. 15

the early scribes all came up from there to rebuild their country and the House of God. Hillel the Prince, together with some of the Sages, was also a Babylonian.

With the Roman conquest in 70 A.D., and later with the suppression of the rebellion of 135 A.D., many scholars were among those who fled thither from Palestine and the sword of the Romans.

Babylon was not despoiled by the Roman warriors. Remote from the war, the Jews remained there in comparative security as a recognized minority headed by the Exiliarch, a descendant of the house of David, empowered by the Babylonian government to decree laws and appoint judges.

The prosperity and liberty enjoyed by the Jews in Babylonia was conducive to intellectual growth; thus the academies established in Babylonia were renowned for their scholarship, and their learning was held in a higher esteem in the fourth and fifth centuries than that of the Palestinian Rabbis.

The most prominent of the Babylonian scholars was Abba Areka, commonly referred to as Rab. He studied under Rabbi Yehuda in Palestine for many years. Upon his return to Babylonia he founded the academy at Sura. Rab and his contemporary Mar Samuel, the head of the academy at Nehadrea, raised the scholarship and reputation of the Babylonian academies to the highest level. Though the supreme authority was vested in the Sanhedrin in Palestine, the Babylonian rulings and decisions were invariably accepted and followed. For the sake of national unity, however, the Jews of Babylonia elected to submit to the authority of the Prince and the rulings of the Palestinian Sanhedrin.

p. 16

With the abolition of the Office of the Prince, the dissolution of the Sanhedrin, and the disintegration of the Jewish community in Palestine in the 5th century, leadership and authority passed into the hands of the Babylonian Sages.

Towards the end of the fourth century Rab Ashi, the head of the academy in Sura, proceeded to collect the accumulated literature and learning of the post-Mishnaic period. Seminaries called Kalla were held at the academy twice a year; a tractate was selected and announced in advance for each Kalla. When the scholars and their disciples gathered at the academy, a passage from the Mishna tractate was read and discussed. These discussions, recorded, constitute the Gemara.

Rab Ashi began the Gemara as a literary undertaking for its own sake. Soon, however, Jews in Babylonia were subjected to religious persecution by the Sassanian Kings, who wished to introduce the teachings of Zoroaster. Rabina, the successor of Rab Ashi, concerned over the possible disappearance of the great rabbinic literature, hurriedly edited and codified the Gemara, giving it the form it has retained to this day.

In its narrower sense of the term, the word Talmud is applied to the Mishna and the Gemara. In its wider connotation it includes also the Midrashim, the Mekilta, the Sifra, the Sifreh, the Tosefta and several less important works, already referred to.

The Babylonian Talmud, as it has come down to us, is usually printed in its original languages, in Hebrew script, in 22 folio volumes.

The Palestinian, or Jerusalem Talmud, as it is often

p. 17

called, is printed in the same manner in from four to eight volumes.

There were very cordial relations and frequent interchange of teachers between the Palestinian and Babylonian academies, so that the names of the same teachers appear in both Talmuds. The Palestinian Talmud, however, smaller in scope, has exerted little influence on Jewish life as a whole. The Babylonian Talmud, on the other hand, has been a constant and basic force in world Jewry, down to this very day. So potent has its influence been, that Jewry has had to guard against a tendency to accept all its statements as law. As the noted Christian Talmudic scholar, Herman L. Strack points out: * "The Talmud is not a law book, not a code, in which every sentence is unconditionally valid. In the Mishna itself diverging opinions are, very frequently, placed in juxtaposition, and the Gemara almost throughout takes on the nature of a lecture hall or a collection of minutes of the discussions, in which the Amoraim cleared up that which had been said of the Tannaim. Direct statements as to what is Halacha, valid law, are rare in the Mishna. Accordingly it is highly preposterous to cause all the utterances of a single rabbi found in the Talmud to stand without further ado as teaching of the Talmud, or to hold Judaism responsible for such utterances."

The Mishna was written in what was then Modern Hebrew, quite unlike that of the Bible. It is not so flowery and picturesque, but rather terse, concise and clear, suited to the legal matters with which it mainly deals.

p. 18

The Gemara is written in the main in the vernacular, a mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew, with a sprinkling of Greek, Roman and Persian words. It is marked by a disregard of grammar, and is often awkward in its lack of style, retaining always the flavor of vernacular speech. The discussions sometimes seem lengthy and pointless; occasionally they indulge in hair splitting. They may jump from subject to subject. The records appear like informal discussions, interpolated with beautiful legends, anecdotes, parables, and ethical maxims. These were often cited for the purpose of illustration, of bringing out a point, or of proving the antiquity and ancient tradition of the law discussed. Often as not, however, they had no relation to the subject under discussion, but were brought in for the sole purpose of breaking up the monotony of the lengthy discourse, and as it were, to ease the tedious study of the dry subject by something sweet and palatable. Thus the Talmud served as a storehouse of folklore, history, ancient custom, and wisdom, which, undoubtedly, would have otherwise disappeared, and which, next to the Bible itself, have preserved and helped to shape the culture and spirit and life-ways of the Jew.

*    *   *

In preparing this anthology the editor has endeavored to present the material for a first-hand acquaintance with the monumental and much discussed work, the Babylonian Talmud. He has thus made, as it were, a cross-section of its copious volumes.

p. 19

The form and arrangement of the anthology adhere to the pattern of the Talmud. First the Mishna is cited, then follows its discussion, here kept within representative limits. The legends, stories and parables appear in the same places as in the Talmud, so that its character is here preserved. The tractates follow the original order, with one exception, that of the tractate Aboth (Fathers of the Mishna), here given in its entirety at the start. In the Talmud it is included within the order of Nezikin, which deals with raw and legal procedure.

As much as possible, the style and the linguistic mannerism of the original have been preserved. The King James version is followed for all Biblical quotations, save a few where that version alters the meaning of what is being discussed in the Talmud.

Thanks are due to Samuel K. Mirsky, professor of Rabbinics at the Yeshiva College of New York, who read the manuscript, for his helpful counsel and advice; to Dr. Joseph T. Shipley for his stylistic suggestions; to Sylvia Loeb, who assisted in preparing the typescript, and to Ruth Busch for the checking of the proofs.

Leo Auerbach.

Footnotes

17:* Hermann L. Strack, Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash (English translation), Jewish Publication Society, 1931, p. 89.

FATHERS OF THE MISHNA

[figure]

p. 20 p. 21

FATHERS OF THE MISHNA

TRACTATE ABOTH

p. 22 p. 23

Fathers of the Mishna

(Tractate Aboth)

I

MOSES received the Torah (the Law) at Sinai and passed it on to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets passed it on to the men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in rendering decisions; bring forth many disciples; and make a fence around the Torah.

Simon the Just was of the last of the Great Assembly. He used to say: The world exists because of three things: the Law, labor, and the performance of good deeds.

Antigonus, a man from Soco, received it from Simon the Just. He used to say: Be not as slaves, who serve the master for the reward that they receive, but be as the servants who wait upon the Rabbi without thought of recompense, and let the fear of the Lord be upon thee.

p. 24

Yosi ben Yoezer, a man of Zeredah, and Yosi ben Yohanan, a man of Jerusalem, received it from them. They would say: Let thy house be a meeting place of scholars and let thee be covered with the dust of their feet, and imbibe their words with thirst.

Yosi ben Yohanan of Jerusalem says: Let thy house be open wide and let poor people be members of thy household. Hold not lengthy discourse with the woman: this is said of one's own woman; so much the more does it apply to the woman of another man. Therefore the sages said: All of the time that a man spends in lengthy discourse with a woman, he causes evil unto himself and idles away precious time from the study of the Law, and his end shall be that he shall inherit Hell.

Joshua ben Prahiah and Nathai the Arbelite received it from them. Joshua ben Prahiah says: Take unto thyself a teacher, and acquire a friend, and judge every person in favorable light.

Nathai the Arbelite says: Keep away from a bad neighbor and associate not with an evil man, and despair not of misfortune.

Yehuda ben Tabai and Simon ben Shetah received the Law from them. Yehuda ben Tabai says: Do not constitute thyself an advocate and when litigants appear before thee let them be in thine eyes as evil men, but when they leave let them be in thine eyes as blameless, inasmuch as they have accepted the verdict.

Simon ben Shetah says: Cross-examine the witnesses thoroughly and be cautious with thy words, because from them they may learn to speak falsely.

Shemaiah and Abtalion received it from them. Shemaiah

p. 25

says: Love labor, detest officialdom, and seek not the acquaintance of the authorities.

Abtalion says: Scholars, be cautious of your words for they may cause you to be exiled to a place with polluted waters and your disciples who follow you will drink of the water and die, and the name of the Lord will be profaned.

Hillel and Shamai received the Law from them. Hillel says: Be of the disciples of Aaron; love peace and pursue peace, love humanity and bring them nearer to the Law.

He would say: A man who misuses his name shall soon lose his reputation. He who does not increase his knowledge shall lose it. He who abandons learning deserves death. He who curries favor of the Crown shall vanish.

He used to say: If I be not for myself, who shall be for me; and if I am by myself what am I? and if not now—when?

Shamai says: Make of your study a permanent habit. Say little and do much, and receive every person with courtesy.

Rabban Gamaliel used to say: Appoint a teacher for thyself, and eliminate doubt.

His son Simon says: Throughout my whole life I grew up amidst scholars and have found nothing more precious than silence; nor is the speech of importance, but the deed; and he who increases words causes sin.

Rabbi Simon ben Gamaliel says: The world exists because of three things: truth, justice, and peace, as is said: (Zechariah viii, 16) Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.

p. 26

II

RABBI says: Which is the right road that a man should select for himself? That which is glory to its maker, and will bring honor to him from men; and be just as careful with a minor precept as with a major one, because thou knowest not the worth of a precept to reckon its loss against its worth, and the reward as against the loss. Be aware of three things and thou shalt keep away from sin: know what there is above thee;—an eye that sees, and an ear that hears, and all thy deeds are inscribed in a book.

Rabban Gamaliel, the son of Yehuda the Prince, says: The study of the Torah goes well with worldly occupation, for absorption in both fields keeps a man away from sin; and all learning with no menial occupation will avail a man naught and will cause him to sin. Those who occupy themselves with community affairs must do so in the name of the Lord. The glory of their fathers sustains them, and their righteousness shall endure forever. And as for you, I bestow upon you many rewards as if you yourself had accomplished it.

Be careful in your dealings with authorities—they do not befriend you unless for their own sake; they appear as friends when it suits them, but forsake one as soon as good fortune fails him.

p. 27

He would say: Make the Lord's will thy will, so that He will make your wish His wish; sacrifice your will before His will so that He shall sacrifice the will of others for yours.

Hillel says: Do not stand aloof in thy community, and do not trust in thyself till the day of thy death, and do not judge thy friend until thou findest thyself in his position. Do not say a thing can not be understood which could be understood later. Say not, I shall study later when I am at leisure, because thou mayest not have the opportunity later.

He would say: A boor does not fear to commit sin; an ignorant man cannot be pious; he that is bashful shall not learn; he that is impatient cannot teach; he that is entirely taken up with trade cannot be wise; and in a place where there does not seem to be a man, endeavor thou to be a man.

He saw a skull floating upon the surface of the water and exclaimed to it: Since thou hast drowned, someone has drowned thee, and those who are responsible for thy drowning shall be drowned in turn.

He would say: He that increases his flesh, increases vermin; he that accumulates possession increases worry; he that increases his womenfolk increases witchcraft; he that increases maidservants increases whoring; he that increases slaves increases thievery; he that increases learning increases life; he that increases study increases wisdom; he that increases council increases understanding; he that increases charity increases peace; he has secured for himself a good name, he has secured for himself the teachings of the Law and has secured life in the world to come.

p. 28

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai received the Law from Hillel and from Shamai. He used to say: If thou hast devoted much time to learning do not pride thyself upon it, because for that purpose thou hast been created. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakai had five disciples and they were: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus, Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, Rabbi Yosi Hacohen, Rabbi Simon ben Nathaniel and Rabbi Eleazer ben Arack. He would recount their praise: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus is a plastered cistern that loses not a drop; Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah brought happiness to his bearer; Rabbi Yosi is pious; Rabbi Simon ben Nathaniel is without sin; and Rabbi Eleazer is like a spring that gathers force. He used to say: If one puts all the sages of Israel on one side of the scale and Eliezer ben Hurcanus on the other side, he will outweigh them all. Aba Saul says in his name: If you put all of the sages of Israel on one side of the scale and Eliezer ben Hurcanus be among them, and Eleazer ben Arack on the other side, he will outweigh them all.

He said to them: Go forth and see which is the right road for a man to choose? Rabbi Eliezer says: A good eye. Rabbi Joshua says: A good companion. Rabbi. Yosi says: A good neighbor. Rabbi Simon says: He that can foresee the outcome of things. Rabbi Eleazer says: A good heart. He answered them: I prefer the words of Eleazer ben Arack, for his words contain all the words of every one of you. Then he said to them: Go forth and see which is wrong, which a man should shun? Rabbi Eliezer says: An evil eye. Rabbi Joshua says: A bad colleague. Rabbi Yosi says: An evil neighbor. Rabbi Simon says: He who borrows and does not repay, for he is as if he had borrowed from the Lord, as it

p. 29

was said: (Psalms xxxvii, 21) The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth. Rabbi Eleazer says: An evil heart. He said to them: I prefer the words of Eleazer ben Arack, for his words contain all of your words.

They said three things. Rabbi Eliezer says: Let the honor of thy friend be as dear to thee as thy own. Arouse not thy anger easily. Repent a day before thou diest. Warm thyself by the light of wise men, but be cautious of their glow, lest thou be scourged; their bite is the bite of a fox; their sting is the sting of a scorpion; their hiss is the hiss of a serpent, and all their words are as burning coal.

Rabbi Joshua says: An evil eye and an evil impulse, and the hatred of mankind, put a man out of the world.

Rabbi Yosi says: Let the money of thy friend be as valuable to thee as thy own, and set thyself to learn the Law which is not thy heritage, and all thy deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven.

Rabbi Simon says: Be careful in the reading of the Shema (Hear, Oh Israel) and in thy prayers, and when thou sayest thy prayers make not thy prayer a routine, but pray with compassion and supplication before the Lord, as was said: (Jonah iv, 2) Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. And be not wicked in thine own eyes.

Rabbi Eleazer says: Be diligent in thy study of the Law, and know what to answer to the unbeliever, and know for whom thou strivest, and be confident of thy master that he will reward thee for thy effort.

Rabbi Tarphon says: The day is short, and the task

p. 30

is great; the workers are lazy; the fee is large, and the master is persistent.

He would say: It is not for thee to complete the work, but neither art thou free to abandon it. If thou hast learned much of the Torah thou shalt be rewarded for it; thy master is sure to reward thee justly for thy work, and know that the reward of the righteous is in the future to come.

p. 31

III

AKABIAH ben Mahalalel says: Consider three things before thou committest a transgression: whence cometh thou, and whither art thou going, and before Whom thou shalt give an accounting. Whence cometh thou? from a putrid drop; and where art thou going? to dust and vermin; and before Whom shalt thou give an accounting? before the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Rabbi Hanina the priest says: Pray for peace of the rulers, because if it were not for the fear of them, each would devour the other alive. Rabbi Hanina ben Tardion says: Two who sit without words of learning between them are as a session of scoffers, as was said: (Psalms i, 1) Nor sitteth in the seat of the scoffers. But two who sit and entertain words of the Torah,—the spirit of the Lord rests among them, as was said: (Malachi iii, 16) Then they that feared the Lord spake often, one to the other and the Lord hearkened, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name. Of two it is spoken, but even one who sits by himself and studies the Law, the Lord, blessed be He, designates his reward, as was said: (Lamentations iii, 28) He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.

p. 32

Rabbi Simon says: Three that ate at a table and spoke not the words of the Law are as if they ate of the sacrificial offerings of the death, as it was spoken: (Isaiah xxviii, 8) For all the tables are full of vomit and filthiness so there is no place clean. But three who are at one table and spoke the words of the Torah there, are as if they ate from the table of the Lord, as was said: (Ezekiel xli, 22) And he said unto me, "This is the table that is before the Lord."

Rabbi Haninah ben Hachinai says: He that awakens in the night, who walketh on the road alone and turns his heart to vanity, he is liable with his life.

Rabbi Nehonia ben Hachinah says: He who accepts upon himself the burdens of the Law receives exoneration from the duties of the Government and the duties of worldly care.

Rabbi Halafta from the village of Haniniah says: Ten that sit and study the Torah, the spirit of the Lord hovers among them, as was spoken: (Psalms lxxii, 1) God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; And even if five, as was said: (Amos lx, 6) And hath founded his troops in the earth; and even if three, as is said: (Psalms lxxxii, 1) He judgeth among the gods; and even if two, as is said: (Malachi iii, 16) Then they that feared the Lord spoke often to one another and the Lord hearkened and heard it; and even if one, as is said: (Exodus xx, 24) In all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee.

Rabbi Eleazar from Bartutha says: Give unto Him of His own, because thou and all thou possess are from Him; and thus spoke David: (I Chronicles xxix, .14) For all things come of Thee and of Thine own have we

p. 33

given Thee. Rabbi Simon says: He that walketh in the road and interrupts his study and says, "How beautiful is this tree and how beautiful are these fields," the Scriptures reckon it as if he were liable with his life.

Rabbi Dostai ben Rabbi Jana says in the name of Rabbi Meir: He that forgets one word of his studies brings upon himself the Scriptures as if he were guilty of his life, as is said: (Deuteronomy iv, 9) Only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen. Does this refer to one even if his study was too difficult for him? The Scriptures say: (Deuteronomy iv, 9) Lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.

Rabbi Haninah ben Dosa says: He that puts the fear of sin above his wisdom, his wisdom will endure, but he that puts his wisdom above the fear of sin, his wisdom will not endure. He would say: He whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, his wisdom will endure, but he whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, his wisdom will not endure.

He used to say: He that gives satisfaction to men, satisfied the Lord, but he with whom mankind is not satisfied, does not satisfy the Lord. Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinus says: Morning sleep, midday wine, childish talk, and sitting in the company of ignorant men, put a man out of the world.

Rabbi Eleazar of Modeim says: He that desecrates that which is holy, that profanes the feast days and shames his fellowman in public, that breaks the covenant of our father Abraham; he that interprets the Law not in accordance with the statutes—even if he possesses

p. 34

learning and good deeds—shall not have a share in the world to come.

Rabbi Ishmael says: Be swift before a superior, be kind to the young, and receive every person with cheerfulness.

Rabbi Akiba says: Laughter and light-headedness bring a man to lewdness. Tradition is a fence around the Law. Taxes (Tithes) are a fence around riches, vows are a fence around purity; a fence around wisdom is silence.

He would say: Blessed is man because he was born in the image of the Lord; blessed, indeed, is man because he was born in the Image, as is said: (Genesis ix, 6) For in the image of God, made he man. Beloved are the children of Israel because they were called children of the Lord, as was said: (Deuteronomy xiv, 1) Ye are the children of the Lord, your God. A greater love is bestowed upon them because they were favored with a precious instrument. It is known to them that they were given an instrument with which the world was created. As it is said: (Proverbs iv, 2) For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not My law.

All is foreseen but freedom of choice is granted, and the world is judged with charity and all is measured by the number of good deeds.

He would say: All is given against a pledge and a net is spread over all living, and the shop is open, and the storekeeper allows credit, and the ledger is open, and the hand inscribes, and whosoever wants credit shall come and borrow. But the collectors make their rounds regularly each day and exact payment from each man whether he is aware of it or not, and they have the things on

p. 35

which to rely, and the judgment is a true judgment, and everything is ready for the banquet.

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says: If there is no learning, there is no good breeding. If there is no good breeding, there is no learning. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear. If there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge. If there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. If there is no bread, there is no learning; and if there is no learning, there is no bread. He used to say: He whose wisdom is in excess of his deeds is likened to the tree whose branches are many and its roots are few. A wind comes and uproots it and turns it over, as is said: (Jeremiah xvii, 6) For he shall be like the heat in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, and in a salt land and not inhabited. But he whose deeds are in excess of his wisdom is like a tree whose branches are few but its roots are many. Though all the winds of the world may come and blow at it, they shall not stir it from its place, as is said: (Jeremiah xvii, 8) For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green and shall not be careful in the year of draught, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hisma says: Nests, and the onset of menstruation: those are the essentials of law; calculations of the calendar and geometry are the sweetmeats of wisdom.

p. 36

IV

BEN Zoma says: Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as was said: (Psalms cxix, 99) I am learned beyond any of my teachers. Who is mighty? He who can master his passions, as was said: (Proverbs xvi, 32) He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Who is rich? He that is happy with his portion, as was said: (Psalms cxxviii, 2) For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Happy in this world and happy in the world to come. Who is honored? He that honors his fellowman, as was said: (I Samuel ii, 30) For them that honor Me, I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

Ben Azzai says: Run to fulfill a minor precept as if it were a major precept, and run away from transgression, for a precept draws another precept, and a transgression draws another transgression. The reward of a precept is another precept, and the reward of a transgression is another transgression.

He used to say: Despise no one and discriminate not against a thing; for there is not a man but has his hour, and there is not a thing but has its place.

Rabbi Levitas of Yabne says: Be lowly in spirit, for the expectation of a man is but the worm. Rabbi Yohanan

p. 37

ben Berocca says: Whosoever profanes the name of God in secret, shall have the penalty exacted from him in public. Whether one errs, or whether one profanes deliberately.

Rabbi Ishmael says: He who learns in order to teach is given the opportunity to learn and to teach. He who learns in order to practice is given the opportunity to learn, to teach, to observe and to practice.