Talmud for Shabbat 23:12

ת"ר הנכנס לבקר את החולה אומר שבת היא מלזעוק ורפואה קרובה לבא ור"מ אומר יכולה היא שתרחם

Our Rabbis taught: One must not search [his garments] in the street out of decency. In like way R. Judah-others state, R. Nehemiah-said: One must not cause himself to vomit in the street, out of decency. Our Rabbis taught: If one searches his garments [on the Sabbath] he may press [the vermin] and throw it away, providing that he does not kill it. Abba Saul said: He must take and throw it away, providing that he does not press it. R. Huna said, The halachah is, he may press and throw it away, and that is seemly, even on weekdays. Rabbah killed them, and R. Shesheth killed them.21 Raba threw them into a basin of water. R. Nahman said to his daughters, 'Kill them and let me hear the sound of the hated ones.'22 It was taught, R. Simeon b. Eleazar said: Vermin must not be killed on the Sabbath: this is the view of Beth Shammai; while Beth Hillel permit it. And R. Simeon b. Eleazar said likewise on the authority of R. Simeon b. Gamaliel: One must not negotiate for the betrothal of children [girls],23 nor for a boy, to teach him the book<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., for his elementary education. The obligation of a child's education lies primarily upon his father (Kid. 30a), and was left to him originally, public instruction being given to adults only. By the reforms of R. Simeon b. Shetah and Joshua b. Gamala elementary schools were set up for children from the age of six or seven and upwards (J. Keth VIII, ad fin.). From this passage we may conclude that the system of engaging private teachers was also in vogue in the education of girls, v. Kid., Sonc. ed., p. 141, n. 1 and Ned., p. 107, n. 2. It may be observed that only boys are referred to here. ');">24 and to teach him a trade,25 nor may mourners be comforted, nor may the sick be visited on the Sabbath:26 that is the ruling of Beth Shammai; but Beth Hillel permit it. Our Rabbis taught: If one enters [a house] to visit a sick person [on the Sabbath], he should say, 'It is the Sabbath, when one must not cry out, and recovery will soon come.' R. Meir said, [One should say] 'It [the Sabbath] may have compassion.'27

Jerusalem Talmud Shabbat

Mishnah²¹⁶Quote from Mishnah 6. The entire paragraph is repeated in Chapter 6, on Mishnah 3. “He should not check his garments for lice nor read by candlelight,” etc. Even on weekdays it is forbidden since it is not decent²²⁹It seems that one should read with the Tosephta (16:22 ed. Liebermann) “On weekdays it is forbidden in public”. Opposed in the Babli 12a by Rav Huna.. It was stated²³⁰Babli 12a, Tosephta (16:22 ed. Liebermann). In these sources the statements of the anonymous Tanna and Abba Shaul are switched.: One who checks his garments takes and throws away; only he should not rub²³¹If he caught a louse, he should throw it away and not kill it by rubbing it between thumb and a finger.. Abba Shaul says, he may rub and throw away, only he should not kill. Ḥizqiah said, one who kills a louse is like one who kills a camel²³²Babli 12a, in the name of the Tanna R. Eliezer. Since mammals were slaughtered in the Tabernacle, killing a mammal on the Sabbath certainly is a capital crime. Babli 107b.. Samuel broke off its hands and feet and gave if to the children²³³Since underage children do not have religious obligations, they may kill lice with impunity. The Babli, 12a, reports the same from R. Naḥman.. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun put it in a flask²³⁴To kill the lice after the end of Sabbath.. Rebbi Simeon ben Ḥalafta said, did we not understand this from the purple snail? Does the purple snail have sinews and bones? But was it not stated: Any which has neither sinews nor bones does not live more than six months²³⁵While murder is always forbidden, killing a person who according to medical science does not have 12 months to live is not prosecutable. On the other hand, purple dye was used in creating the priestly vestments and the gobelins of the Tabernacle; therefore killing a purple snail for the production of dye is a capital crime. If a louse does not live a full year, killing it is a capital crime according to the second argument and does not create liability by the first. The two rules appear to be inconsistent. Cf. Babli Ḥulin 58a.? For Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said in the name of Rav²³⁶Red: Rebbi. Zevid, the Holy One, praise to Him, turns around His world once in seven years²³⁷While a louse qua louse cannot live a full year, it may morph into something which can; therefore killing it is forbidden on the Sabbath.. ²³⁸These sentences are difficult to understand. There exists a parallel in the Babli Bava qamma 16a where R. Ḥananel quotes the Yerushalmi in extenso:
ר׳ יוסי ב״ר בון בשם ר׳ זביד אחת לשבה הקב״ה מחליף עולמו ממוחו דרישא מתעבד עקרב ודמעיא סממה תולעתא דסוסיא מתעבדא עוראי. ודתורתא מתעבדא דברי עכברא דתורא מתעבד חזיר בר. שיזרתא דנונא מתעבדא נדל. דתניא צבוע זכר לאחר ז׳ שנִים נעשה ערפד ערפד לאחר ז׳ שנִים נעשה קימוש. קימוש לאחר ז׳
שנִים נעשה חיה ויש אומרים חוה חוה לאחר ז׳ שנִים נעשה שד שדרתו של אדם לאחר ז׳ שנִים נעשה נחש והני מילי בההוא דלא כרע במודים.
Rebbi Yose ben R. Abun in the name of R. Zevid: the Holy One, praise to Him, turns around His world once in seven years. The marrow in the head becomes a scorpion and that of innards a lizard. A horse worm turns into a wasp, that of cattle into a bee. The spine of a fish turns into a centipede. As is stated, a male hyena after seven years turns into a bat, a bat after seven years turns into a hedgehog, a hedgehog after seven years turns into a wild animal; some say a snake. A snake after seven years turns into a demon. A human’s spine after seven years turns into a snake; this refers to one who does not bow down at “we thank”.
Since all words in this version are identifiable, it has to be considered as lectio facilior. In the original version, קמקמה is unidentified (unlikely قمقام “moth”). Kohut proposes Farsi خمخم “crab”. Liebermann reads קמוסא “hedgehog”. The three words חו רב פדה should be read as one, חרפדה which is the same as ערפד “bat”. חר אפר again is a corruption of the same word. דמנייא seems to be a corruption of the word דמעיא quoted by R. Ḥananel. Also שר seems a misreading for שד “demon”.
The last sentence refers to the penultimate benediction in the Amidah, the main prayer, where one is required to bow down while reciting “we are thanking You”. This last statement is quoted in many Medieval liturgical tractates, starting with R. Amram Gaon’s Siddur.Qamqama turns into Ḥu-Rav-Padah. Ḥar-Efer turns into Šer. The head louse turns into a scorpion and the one of garments into a lizard. A horse worm turns into a wasp, that of cattle into a bee. A male hyena turns into a female, a field rat turns into a wild boar. The spine of a fish turns into a centipede, of a human into a snake. When? If he does not bow down with his entire spine²³⁹Babli 12b. While the Mishnah forbids investigating one’s garments for lice Friday nights, he permits investigating food..

Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy

Previous Verse Full Chapter Next Verse