Bava Batra 147

וגנו אפרקיד והוה זקיפא ברכיה דחד מינייהו ועייל טייעא תותי ברכיה כי רכיב גמלא וזקיפא רומחיה ולא נגע ביה פסקי חדא קרנא דתכלתא דחד מינייהו ולא הוה מסתגי לן אמר לי דלמא שקלת מידי מינייהו אהדריה דגמירי דמאן דשקיל מידי מינייהו לא מסתגי ליה אזלי אהדרתיה והדר מסתגי לן

They slept on their backs; and the knee of one of them was raised, and the Arab merchant passed under the knee, riding on a camel with spear erect, and did not touch it. I cut off one corner of the purple-blue shawl<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] (viz., the Tallith, [H]), which may signify any garment, cloak or covering, if the Tallith had four corners, a show fringe had to be made in every corner, each fringe containing a thread of purple-blue. Cf. Num. XV. 38; Deut. XXII, 12. ');">¹</span> of one of them; and we could not move away. He said unto me: '[If] you have, peradventure, taken something from them, return it; for we have a tradition that he who takes anything from them cannot move away.' I went and returned it; and then we were able to move away. When I came before the Rabbis they said unto me: Every Abba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Abba was the name of Rabbah b. Bar Hana; Rabbah equals Rab Abba. ');">²</span> is an ass and every Bar Bar Hana is a fool. For what purpose did you do that?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cutting off the corner of the Tallith. ');">³</span>

כי אתאי לקמיה דרבנן אמרו לי כל אבא חמרא וכל בר בר חנה סיכסא למאי הלכתא עבדת הכי למידע אי כבית שמאי אי כבית הלל איבעי לך למימני חוטין ולמימני חוליות

Was it in order to ascertain whether [the Law] is in accordance with the [decision of] Beth Shammai or Beth Hillel?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the dispute between the two schools on the question of the threads of the show fringes. v. Men. 41b. ');">⁴</span> You should have counted the threads and counted the joints.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Each plaited fringe contains four joints or sections separated by double knots. ');">⁵</span> He<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Arab merchant. ');">⁶</span>

א"ל תא אחוי לך הר סיני אזלי חזאי דהדרא ליה עקרבא וקיימא כי חמרי חוורתי שמעתי בת קול שאומרת אוי לי שנשבעתי ועכשיו שנשבעתי מי מפר לי

said unto me: 'Come and I will show you Mount Sinai.' [When] I arrived I saw that scorpions<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The reading of the current editions, [H], a mixture of singular and plural, is obviously erroneous. Read with Bomberg ed. [H] etc. ');">⁷</span> surrounded it and they stood like white asses. I heard a <i>Bath Kol</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">⁸</span> saying: 'Woe is me that I have made an oath<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To send Israel into exile. ');">⁹</span>

כי אתאי לקמיה דרבנן אמרו לי כל אבא חמרא כל בר בר חנה סיכסא היה לך לומר מופר לך והוא סבר דלמא שבועתא דמבול הוא ורבנן א"כ אוי לי למה

and now that I have made the oath, who will release me?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'who will break [nullify] it for me'. ');">¹⁰</span> When I came before the Rabbis, they said unto me: 'Every Abba<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra n. 2. ');">¹¹</span> is an ass and every Bar Bar Hana is a fool. You should have said, Mufar lak.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] thy oath, or vow, is void[H], a formula used by an authorised person for remitting vows and oaths. ');">¹²</span>

א"ל תא אחוי לך בלועי דקרח (במדבר טז, לב) חזאי תרי ביזעי והוו קא מפקי קוטרא שקל גבבא דעמרא ואמשינה במיא ודעציתה בראשה דרומחא ועייליה התם וכי אפיק הוה איחרך איחרוכי אמר לי אצית מאי שמעת ושמעית דהוו אמרין משה ותורתו אמת והן בדאין אמר לי כל תלתין יומי מהדר להו גיהנם להכא כבשר בקלחת ואמרי הכי משה ותורתו אמת והן בדאין

He,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbah b. Bar Hana. ');">¹³</span> however, thought that perhaps it was the oath in connection with the Flood.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That oath was in favour of mankind. Cf. Isa. LIV, 9: For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth etc. Cf. also Gen. IX, 11ff. ');">¹⁴</span> And the Rabbis?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why did they deride Rabbah b. Bar Hana? ');">¹⁵</span>

אמר לי תא אחוי לך היכא דנשקי ארעא ורקיעא אהדדי שקלתא לסילתאי אתנחתא בכוותא דרקיעא אדמצלינא בעיתיה ולא אשכחיתה אמינא ליה איכא גנבי הכא אמר לי האי גלגלא דרקיעא הוא דהדר נטר עד למחר הכא ומשכחת לה

— If so;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If the reference were to the oath of the Flood. ');">¹⁶</span> why, 'woe is me'? He said unto me: 'Come, I will show you the men of Korah that were swallowed up.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Num. XVI, 32ff. ');">¹⁷</span>

רבי יוחנן משתעי זימנא חדא הוה קא אזלינן בספינתא וחזינן ההוא כוורא דאפקיה לרישיה מימא ודמיין עייניה כתרי סיהרי ונפוץ מיא מתרתי זימיה כתרי מברי דסורא רב ספרא משתעי זימנא חדא הוה קא אזלינן בספינתא וחזינן ההוא כוורא דאפקיה לרישיה מימא והוה ליה קרני וחקיק עליה אנא בריה קלה שבים והוינא תלת מאה פרסי ואזילנא לפומא דלויתן אמר רב אשי ההוא עיזא דימא הוא דבחישא ואית לה קרני

I saw two cracks that emitted smoke. I took a piece of clipped wool, dipped it in water, attached it to the point of a spear and let it in there. And when I took it out it was singed. [Thereupon] he said unto me: 'Listen attentively [to] what you [are about to] hear.' And I heard them say: 'Moses and his Torah are truth and we<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'and they'. ');">¹⁸</span> are liars.' He said unto me: 'Every thirty days Gehenna<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] place of punishment for the wicked after death. Originally the name of a glen near Jerusalem, [H] where children were burned in the worship of Moloch. ');">¹⁹</span> causes them to turn back here as [one turns] flesh in a pot,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They are stirred in Hell as meat is stirred round and round in a boiling pot. ');">²⁰</span>

רבי יוחנן משתעי זימנא חדא הוה קא אזלינן בספינתא וחזינן ההיא קרטליתא דהוו קא מקבעי בה אבנים טובות ומרגליות והדרי לה מיני דכוורי דמקרי כרשא נחית

and they say thus: "Moses and his law are truth and we<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'and they'. ');">¹⁸</span> are liars".' He said unto me: 'Come, I will show you where heaven and earth touch one another.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'kiss'. ');">²¹</span> I took up my [bread] basket and placed it in a window of heaven. When I concluded my prayers I looked for it but did not find it. I said unto him: 'Are there thieves here?' He replied to me: 'It is the heavenly wheel revolving. Wait here until tomorrow and you will find it.' R. Johanan related: Once we were travelling on board a ship and we saw a fish that raised its head out of the sea. Its eyes were like two moons, and water streamed from its two nostrils as [from] the two rivers of Sura.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So Rashb. [Another rendering: 'And water gushed forth from its nostrils at (a height) as (the length) of two Sura-canoes'. i.e., the ferry boats that sailed about in the canal of Sura, v. Obermeyer. op. cit. 292.] ');">²²</span> R. Safra related: Once we travelled on board a ship and we saw a fish that raised its head out of the sea. It had horns on which was engraven: 'I am a minor creature of the sea, I am three hundred parasangs [in length] and I am [now] going into the mouth of Leviathan.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To supply his daily meal. Leviathan, cf. Ps. CIV, 26 and Job XL, 25. In the Talmud, a legendary monster fish reserved for the righteous in the world to come. ');">²³</span> R. Ashi said: It was a sea-goat which searches [for its food] and [for that purpose] has horns. R. Johanan related: Once we were travelling on board a ship and we saw a chest in which were set precious stones and pearls and it was surrounded by a species of fish called Karisa.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Probably, shark. ');">²⁴</span> There went down