Bava Batra 41

סיפא אתאן לתינוקות של בית רבן ומתקנת יהושע בן גמלא ואילך

the concluding words refer to school children, from the time of the regulation of Joshua b. Gamala,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A High Priest in the decade before the destruction of the Temple. ');">¹</span>

דאמר רב יהודה אמר רב ברם זכור אותו האיש לטוב ויהושע בן גמלא שמו שאלמלא הוא נשתכח תורה מישראל שבתחלה מי שיש לו אב מלמדו תורה מי שאין לו אב לא היה למד תורה מאי דרוש (דברים יא, יט) ולמדתם אותם ולמדתם אתם

of whom Rab Judah has told us in the name of Rab: Verily the name of that man is to be blessed, to wit Joshua ben Gamala, for but for him the Torah would have been forgotten from Israel. For at first if a child had a father, his father taught him, and if he had no father he did not learn at all. By what [verse of the Scripture] did they guide themselves? — By the verse, And ye shall teach them to your children.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XI, 19. ');">²</span>

התקינו שיהו מושיבין מלמדי תינוקות בירושלים מאי דרוש (ישעיהו ב, ג) כי מציון תצא תורה ועדיין מי שיש לו אב היה מעלו ומלמדו מי שאין לו אב לא היה עולה ולמד התקינו שיהו מושיבין בכל פלך ופלך ומכניסין אותן כבן ט"ז כבן י"ז

laying the emphasis on the word 'ye'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Tosaf. ');">³</span>

ומי שהיה רבו כועס עליו מבעיט בו ויצא עד שבא יהושע בן גמלא ותיקן שיהו מושיבין מלמדי תינוקות בכל מדינה ומדינה ובכל עיר ועיר ומכניסין אותן כבן שש כבן שבע

They then made an ordinance that teachers of children should be appointed in Jerusalem. By what verse did they guide themselves? — By the verse, For from Zion shall the Torah go forth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. II, 3. ');">⁴</span>

אמר ליה רב לרב שמואל בר שילת עד שית לא תקביל מכאן ואילך קביל ואספי ליה כתורא וא"ל רב לרב שמואל בר שילת כי מחית לינוקא לא תימחי אלא בערקתא דמסנא דקארי קארי דלא קארי ליהוי צוותא לחבריה

Even so, however, if a child had a father, the father would take him up to Jerusalem and have him taught there, and if not, he would not go up to learn there. They therefore ordained that teachers should be appointed In each prefecture,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The district under an 'Eparchas', which might be either a town or a province. ');">⁵</span>

מיתיבי אחד מבני חצר שביקש לעשות רופא אומן וגרדי ומלמד תינוקות בני חצר מעכבין עליו הכא במאי עסקינן בתינוקות דעכו"ם

and that boys should enter school at the age of sixteen or seventeen. [They did so] and if the teacher punished them they used to rebel and leave the school. At length Joshua b. Gamala came and ordained that teachers of young children should be appointed in each district and each town. and that children should enter school at the age of six or seven.

תא שמע שנים שיושבין בחצר וביקש אחד מהן לעשות רופא יאומן וגרדי ומלמד תינוקות חבירו מעכב עליו ה"נ בתינוקות דעכו"ם

Rab said to R. Samuel b. Shilath:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra p. 38. ');">⁶</span>

תא שמע מי שיש לו בית בחצר השותפין ה"ז לא ישכירנו לא לרופא ולא לאומן ולא לגרדי ולא לסופר יהודי ולא לסופר ארמאי הכא במאי עסקינן בסופר מתא

Before the age of six do not accept pupils; from that age you can accept them. and stuff them with Torah like an ox. Rab also said to R. Samuel b. Shilath: When you punish a pupil, only hit him with a shoe latchet.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., do not hurt him too much. ');">⁷</span>

אמר רבא מתקנת יהושע בן גמלא ואילך לא ממטינן ינוקא ממתא למתא אבל מבי כנישתא לבי כנישתא ממטינן ואי מפסק נהרא לא ממטינן ואי איכא תיתורא ממטינן ואי איכא גמלא לא ממטינן

The attentive one will read [of himself]. and if one is inattentive. put him next to a diligent one.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that he will listen and gradually become studious. ');">⁸</span>

ואמר רבא סך מקרי דרדקי עשרין וחמשה ינוקי ואי איכא חמשין מותבינן תרי ואי איכא ארבעין מוקמינן ריש דוכנא ומסייעין ליה ממתא

An objection was raised [from the following against the answer of Raba]: 'If a resident in a courtyard desires to become a Mohel. a blood-letter, a tanner, or a teacher of children, the other residents can prevent him?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because all these have a great many visitors who cause a good deal of noise. ');">⁹</span>

ואמר רבא האי מקרי ינוקי דגריס ואיכא אחרינא דגריס טפי מיניה לא מסלקינן ליה דלמא אתי לאיתרשולי רב דימי מנהרדעא אמר כ"ש דגריס טפי קנאת סופרים תרבה חכמה

— The reference here is to a teacher of nonjewish children.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Instruction by whom does not come within the enactment of Joshua b. Gamala. ');">¹⁰</span>

ואמר רבא הני תרי מקרי דרדקי חד גריס ולא דייק וחד דייק ולא גריס מותבינן ההוא דגריס ולא דייק שבשתא ממילא נפקא רב דימי מנהרדעא אמר מותבינן דדייק ולא גריס שבשתא כיון דעל על

Come and hear: If two persons live in a courtyard and one of them desires to become a Mohel, a blood-letter, a tanner, or a teacher of children, the other can prevent him! — Here too the reference is to a teacher of non-Jewish children.

דכתיב (מלכים א יא, טז) כי ששת חדשים ישב שם יואב וכל ישראל עד הכרית כל זכר באדום כי אתא לקמיה דדוד אמר ליה

Come and hear: If a man has a room in a courtyard which he shares with another, he must not let it either to a Mohel, or bloodletter, or a tanner, or a Jewish teacher<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Heb. sofer [H] generally meaning 'scribe', is here taken to denote 'teacher' (Rashi). Tosaf., however, translates 'townscribe', to whom people come to have their documents written. R. Gershom renders 'hair-dresser', as though the original were [H] ');">¹¹</span> or a non-Jewish teacher! — The reference here is to the head teacher of the town [who superintends the others].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And who therefore has an exceptionally large number of visitors. ');">¹²</span> Raba said: Under the ordinance of Joshua ben Gamala. children are not to be sent [every day to school] from one town to another,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For fear they may come to harm on the way, but any parent can compel the community of his town to appoint a teacher. ');">¹³</span> but they can be compelled to go from one synagogue to another [in the same town]. If, however, there is a river in between, we cannot compel them. But if, again. there is a bridge, we can compel them — not, however, if it is merely a plank. Raba further said: The number of pupils to be assigned to each teacher is twenty-five. If there are fifty, we appoint two teachers. If there are forty, we appoint an assistant, at the expense of the town. Raba also said: If we have a teacher who gets on<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'reads', viz., the prayers or the Scripture. ');">¹⁴</span> with the children and there is another who can get on better, we do not replace the first by the second, for fear that the second when appointed will become indolent.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Having no competitor to fear. ');">¹⁵</span> R. Dimi from Nehardea, however, held that he would exert himself still more if appointed: 'the jealousy of scribes increaseth wisdom.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the jealousy of the one who has been replaced will be a stimulus to the other not to disgrace himself. ');">¹⁶</span> Raba further said: If there are two teachers of whom one gets on fast but with mistakes and the other slowly but without mistakes, we appoint the one who gets on fast and makes mistakes, since the mistakes correct themselves in time. R. Dimi from Nehardea on the other hand said that we appoint the one who goes slowly but makes no mistakes, for once a mistake is implanted it cannot be eradicated. This can be shown from the Scripture. It is written, For Joab and all Israel remained there until he had cut off every male in Edom.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 1 Kings XI, 16. ');">¹⁷</span> When Joab came before David, the latter said to him: