Commentary for Berakhot 108:26

The first word is read ashad instead of eshed, "the slopes of," in the Biblical text. As rendered here, the verse means that the hills on the Ar side of the valley inclined towards the hills on the Moab side, so that the Amorites were crushed in between. Wiesner, p. 122, points out that this Aggadah seems to have been known to the author of the Vulgate: Unde dicitur in libro bellorum Domini : Sicut fecit in Mari rubro, sic faciet in torrentibus Arnon, Scopuli torrentium inclinati sunt ut requiescereut in Ar, et recumberent in finibus Moabitarum.

"For the sake of a man" in Hebrew 'al gab ish.

I.e. they were descending but stopped half-way.

The Talmud inserts here "the children of" which is not in the Biblical text.

About 15 feet.

Which was accordingly 45 ft. from the ground.

The words in brackets are not in edd., but are added by M. They are to be found in the Mekilta ad loc. (ed. Friedmann, p. 54 b), Ta'anit 11a.

The existence of this salt-pillar is referred to in the Apocrypha, Wisdom of Solomon, x. 7. Josephus (Antiq. i. xi. 4) claims to have seen it. Edd. insert here: And the wall of Jericho which was swallowed up; as it is written, "And the wall fell down flat" (Josh. vi. 20). But it disturbs the connection and is dealt with in the following paragraph.

That a benediction should be said on beholding their site.

And a benediction would be out of place.

Usually said on hearing bad news.

For if it had fallen on its side, the obstacle would have remained the same. But the Bible states "the people went up into the city, every man straight before him," i.e. with nothing in the way. Consequently the wall must have sunk into the ground.

M. and some edd. omit "in the name of Rab."

And return in safety.

For the modern form, see Singer, p. 148.

M.: Raba.

M. assigns this remark to Rabina.

M.: Huna.

Perhaps the modern Eski Bagdad in Babylon; Neubauer, p. 360.

Against evil spirits.

M. omits.

On the belief that women in childbirth are liable to attack by evil spirits, of. Frazer, Folklore of the Old Testament, iii. pp. 472 ff.; for bridegroom and bride, i. pp. 520 ff.; and for mourners, iii. pp. 236, 298 ff.

Whom the evil spirits tempt to lapses from morality.