Bava Batra 6

בשנים ואיתא להא ואיתא להא

to the duration; and both are correct.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The First Temple is supposed to have stood 410 years, the Second 420. ');">¹</span>

וניעבדו תלתין אמין בבנין ואידך ניעביד פרוכת כי קאי תלתין אמהתא נמי אגב תקרה ומעזיבה הוה קאי בלא תקרה ומעזיבה לא הוה קאי

Why did they not [in the Second Temple] build a wall thirty cubits high and use a curtain for the remaining [seventy cubits]? — Even the thirty cubit wall [of the First Temple] was only sustained by the ceiling and plaster [of the room above it], but without such a ceiling and plaster it could not stand [with a breadth of only six handbreadths]. But why did they not build a wall as high as possible [with a breadth of six handbreadths] and use a curtain for the rest? — Abaye replied: It was known to them by tradition that the partition should be wholly a wall or wholly a curtain, either wholly a wall as in the First Temple, or wholly a curtain as in the Tabernacle.

וליעביד מה דאפשר בבנין וליעביד אידך פרוכת אמר אביי גמירי אי כולהו בבנין אי כולהו בפרוכת אי כולהו בבנין ממקדש אי כולהו בפרוכת ממשכן

The question was raised: [Do the measurements given in the Mishnah] apply to the material with the [outside] plaster, or to the materials without the plaster?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For which an extra allowance has to be made. ');">²</span>

איבעיא להו הן וסידן או דילמא הן בלא סידן אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק מסתברא הן וסידן דאי ס"ד הן בלא סידן ליתנייה לשיעוריה אלא לאו ש"מ הן וסידן לא לעולם אימא לך הן בלא סידן וכיון דלא הוי טפח לא תני

— R. Nahman b. Isaac replied: It is reasonable to assume that the plaster is included, since if the plaster is not included, its measurement should [also] have been specified. We may conclude therefore that the plaster is included. No! I may still say that the measurements given refer to the material without the plaster, and the reason why that of the plaster is not specified is because it is less than a handbreadth. But in the case of bricks, does it not say that one gives a handbreadth and a half and the other likewise?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which shows that measurements less than a handbreadth are specified by the Mishnah. ');">³</span>

והא קתני בלבינין זה נותן טפח ומחצה וזה נותן טפח ומחצה התם חזי לאיצטרופי

— There [half-handbreadths are mentioned] because the two halves can be combined [to form a whole one].

ת"ש הקורה שאמרו רחבה כדי לקבל אריח והאריח חצי לבינה של ג' טפחים

Come and hear [an objection to this]: 'The beam<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The beam placed across the entrance to an alley-way to enable articles to be carried in it on Sabbath. ');">⁴</span>

התם ברברבתא דיקא נמי דקתני של שלשה טפחים מכלל דאיכא זוטרא ש"מ:

of which they speak should be wide enough to hold an ariah, which is the half of a lebenah of three handbreadths'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Er. 13 b. This shows that a lebenah is three handbreadths without the plaster. ');">⁵</span>

אמר רב חסדא לא ליסתור איניש בי כנישתא עד דבני בי כנישתא אחריתי איכא דאמרי משום פשיעותא ואיכא דאמרי משום צלויי

— There it is speaking of large bricks. This is indicated also by the expression 'half a brick of three handbreadths' which implies that there is a smaller variety. Hence it is proven.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the three handbreadths of the Mishnah includes the plaster. ');">⁶</span>

מאי בינייהו איכא בינייהו דאיכא (בי כנישתא אחריתי) מרימר ומר זוטרא סתרי ובנו בי קייטא בסיתווא ובנו בי סיתווא בקייטא

R. Hisda said: A synagogue should not be demolished before another has been built to take its place. Some say the reason is lest the matter should be neglected,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that the congregation will be left without a synagogue. Lit., 'on account of transgression'. ');">⁷</span>

א"ל רבינא לרב אשי גבו זוזי ומחתי מאי אמר ליה דילמא מיתרמי להו פדיון שבויים ויהבי להו

others to prevent any interruption of religious worship.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' During the time when the second synagogue is being built. Lit., 'on account of prayer'. ');">⁸</span>

שריגי ליבני והדרי הודרי ומחתי כשורי מאי אמר ליה זמנין דמתרמי להו פדיון שבויים מזבני ויהבי להו א"ה אפילו בנו נמי אמר ליה דירתיה דאינשי לא מזבני

What practical difference does it make which reason we adopt? — There is a difference if there is another synagogue.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In which case the second reason does not apply. ');">⁹</span>

ולא אמרן אלא דלא חזי בה תיוהא אבל חזי בה תיוהא סתרי ובני כי הא דרב אשי חזא בה תיוהא בכנישתא דמתא מחסיא סתריה ועייל לפורייה להתם ולא אפקיה עד דמתקין ליה שפיכי

Meremar and Mar Zutra pulled down and rebuilt a summer synagogue in winter and a winter synagogue in summer.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the summer a more airy building was used to escape the heat. ');">¹⁰</span>

ובבא בן בוטא היכי אסביה ליה עצה להורדוס למיסתריה לבית המקדש והאמר רב חסדא לא ליסתור איניש בי כנישתא עד דבני בי כנישתא אחריתא אי בעית אימא תיוהא חזא ביה איבעית אימא מלכותא שאני דלא הדרא ביה דאמר שמואל אי אמר מלכותא עקרנא טורי עקר טורי ולא הדר ביה

Rabina asked R. Ashi: Suppose money for a synagogue has been collected and is ready for use, is there still a risk?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That the building of the new one may be neglected. ');">¹¹</span>

הורדוס עבדא דבית חשמונאי הוה נתן עיניו באותה תינוקת יומא חד שמע ההוא גברא בת קלא דאמר כל עבדא דמריד השתא מצלח קם קטלינהו לכולהו מרותיה ושיירה לההיא ינוקתא כי חזת ההיא ינוקתא דקא בעי למינסבה סליקא לאיגרא ורמא קלא אמרה כל מאן דאתי ואמר מבית חשמונאי קאתינא עבדא הוא דלא אישתיירא מינייהו אלא ההיא ינוקתא וההיא ינוקתא נפלה מאיגרא לארעא

— He replied: They may be called upon to redeem captives and use it for that purpose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The redemption of captives was regarded as a mizwah of very great importance, and would take precedence of the building of a synagogue. Hence even in this case the old should not be demolished till the new is ready. ');">¹²</span>

טמנה שבע שנין בדובשא איכא דאמרי בא עליה איכא דאמרי לא בא עליה דאמרי לה בא עליה הא דטמנה ליתוביה ליצריה ודאמרי לה לא בא עליה האי דטמנה כי היכי דנאמרו בת מלך נסב

[Rabina asked further]: Suppose the bricks are already piled up and the lathes trimmed<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For the roof. ');">¹³</span>

אמר מאן דריש (דברים יז, טו) מקרב אחיך תשים עליך מלך רבנן קם קטלינהו לכולהו רבנן שבקיה לבבא בן בוטא למשקל עצה מניה

and the beams ready, what are we to say? — He replied: It can happen that money is suddenly required for the redemption of captives, and they may sell the material for that purpose. If they could do that, [he said], they could do the same even if they had already built the synagogue?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And therefore they should never pull down the old one. ');">¹⁴</span> — He answered: People do not sell their dwelling-places.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And much less a synagogue. ');">¹⁵</span> This rule [about pulling down a synagogue] only applies if no cracks have appeared in it, but if cracks have appeared, they may pull down first and build afterwards. A case in point is that of R. Ashi, who, observing cracks in the synagogue of Matha Mehasia,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [A suburb of Sura which attained fame as a centre of learning in the days of R. Ashi. v. Obermeyer, Die Landschaft Babyloniens, 289.] ');">¹⁶</span> had it pulled down. He then took his bed there and did not remove it until the very gutters [of the new building] had been completed. But how could Baba b. Buta have advised Herod to pull down the Temple,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra. ');">¹⁷</span> seeing that R. Hisda has laid down that a synagogue should not be demolished until a new one has been built to take its place? — If you like I can say that cracks had appeared in it, or if you like I can say that the rule does not apply to Royalty, since a king does not go back on his word. For so said Samuel: If Royalty says, I will uproot mountains, it will uproot them and not go back on its word. Herod was the slave of the Hasmonean house, and had set his eyes on a certain maiden [of that house].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Mariamne, the daughter of Alexander, a son of Aristobulus II. According to Josephus, she was put to death by Herod after being married to him several years. ');">¹⁸</span> One day he heard a <i>Bath Kol</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A voice from heaven. V. Gloss. ');">¹⁹</span> say, 'Every slave that rebels now will succeed.' So he rose and killed all the members of his master's<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [V. D.S. a.l.] ');">²⁰</span> household, but spared that maiden. When she saw that he wanted to marry her, she went up on to a roof and cried out, 'Whoever comes and says, I am from the Hasmonean house, is a slave, since I<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'this maiden'. ');">²¹</span> alone am left of it, and I am throwing myself down from this roof.' He preserved her body in honey for seven years. Some say that he had intercourse with her, others that he did not. According to those who say that he had intercourse with her, his reason for embalming her was to gratify his desires. According to those who say that he did not have intercourse with her, his reason was that people might say that he had married a king's daughter. Who are they, he said, who teach, <i>From the midst of thy brethren thou shalt set up a king over thee</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XVII, 15. ');">²²</span> [stressing the word <i>'brethren'</i>]? The Rabbis! He therefore arose and killed all the Rabbis, sparing, however, Baba b. Buta, that he might take counsel of him.