Commentary for Shabbat 133:18

לאדרא לימא הכי ננעצתא כמחט ננעלתא כתריס שייא שייא

AND ROYAL CHILDREN MAY GO OUT WITH BELLS. Who is the authority [for this ruling]? — Said R. Oshaia: It is R. Simeon, who maintained: All Israel are royal children. Raba said: It means that it is woven [sewn] into his garment; thus it agrees with all. <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. ONE MAY GO OUT WITH A HARGOL'S EGG,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hargal is a species of locust. ');">¹⁶</span> A FOX'S TOOTH, AND A NAIL FROM [THE GALLOWS OF] AN IMPALED CONVICT AS A PROPHYLACTIC: THIS IS R. MEIR'S VIEW; BUT THE SAGES FORBID THIS EVEN ON WEEKDAYS ON ACCOUNT OF 'THE WAYS OF THE AMORITE.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' These are forms of heathen magic, forbidden in neither shall ye walk in their statutes, Lev. XVIII, 3. ');">¹⁷</span> <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. ONE MAY GO OUT WITH A HARGOL'S EGG, which is carried for ear-ache; AND WITH A FOX'S TOOTH, which is worn on account of sleep: a living [fox's] for one who sleeps [too much], a dead [fox's] for him who cannot sleep. AND A NAIL FROM [THE GALLOWS OF] AN IMPALED CONVICT. It is applied to an inflammation, AS A PROPHYLACTIC: THIS IS R. MEIR'S VIEW. Abaye and Raba both maintain: Whatever is used as a remedy is not [forbidden] on account of the ways of the Amorite.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., where its remedial character is obvious, in contrast to magic. ');">¹⁸</span> Then if it is not an [obvious] remedy, is it forbidden on account of the ways of the Amorite? But surely it was taught: If a tree casts its fruit, one paints it with sikra<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A red paint. ');">¹⁹</span> and loads it with stones. Now, as for loading it with stones, that is in order to lessen its strength.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It casts its fruit because they grow too heavy, owing to the tree's super-vitality. ');">²⁰</span> But when he paints it with sikra, what remedy does he effect?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely it is only magic? ');">²¹</span> — That is in order that people may see and pray for it. Even as it was taught: And he [the leper] shall cry, 'Unclean, unclean':<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIII, 45. ');">²²</span> he must make his grief publicly known, so that the public may pray for him. Rabina observed: In accordance with whom do we suspend a cluster of dates on a [sterile] date tree? In accordance with this Tanna. A tanna recited the chapter of Amorite practices<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Chapters seven and eight of the Tosefta on Sabbath, which deals with these. ');">²³</span> before R. Hiyya b. Abin. Said he to him: All these are forbidden as Amorite practices, save the following: If one has a bone in his throat, he may bring of that kind, place it on his head, and say thus: 'One by one go down, swallow, go down one by one': this is not considered the ways of the Amorite. For a fish bone he should say thus: 'Thou art stuck in like a pin, thou art locked up as [within] a cuirass; go down, go down.'

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