Kiddushin 59

הוה אמינא לשטן גירא בעיניך א"ל רבא לר' נתן בר אמי אדידך על צוארי דבריך משיתסר ועד עשרים ותרתי ואמרי לה מתמני סרי עד עשרים וארבעה

I would have said to Satan, An arrow in your eye.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I defy you! being absolutely free from impure thoughts. In the Bible, Satan has the general connotation of adversary (v. I Kings V, 18; I Sam. XXIX, 4; Ps. CIX, 4) , and at first he is not regarded as a distinct being. In Job, however, he does appear so, viz., as the celestial prosecutor; but even then, he cannot act independently, but requires God's permission. It is only later that he appears as an independent agent (I Chron. XXI, 2) . The early portions of the Talmud mention him very rarely. but gradually belief in him spread. the popular concepts possibly forcing their way upwards from the lower classes. V. J.E. art. Satan.');">¹</span> Raba said to R'Nathan B'Ammi: Whilst your hand is yet upon your son's neck,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' While you have yet power and influence over him.');">²</span> [marry him], viz. , between sixteen and twenty-two. Others state, Between eighteen and twenty-four.

כתנאי (משלי כב, ו) "חנ(ו)ך לנער על פי דרכו" ר' יהודה ורבי נחמיה חד אמר משיתסר ועד עשרים ותרתין וחד אמר מתמני סרי ועד עשרים וארבעה

This is disputed by Tannaim. Train up a youth in the way he should go:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XXII, 6; i.e., marry him.');">³</span> R'Judah and R'Nehemiah [differ thereon]. One maintains, ['Youth' means] between sixteen and twenty-two; the other affirms, Between eighteen and twenty-four.

עד היכן חייב אדם ללמד את בנו תורה אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל כגון זבולון בן דן שלימדו אבי אביו מקרא ומשנה ותלמוד הלכות ואגדות מיתיבי למדו מקרא אין מלמדו משנה ואמר רבא מקרא זו תורה

To what extent is a man obliged to teach his son Torah? - Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: E.g. , Zebulun, the son of Dan, whom his grandfather taught Mikra [Scripture], Mishnah, Talmud,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The discussion of the MISHNAH:');">⁴</span> halachoth and aggadoth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos.');">⁵</span> An objection is raised: If he [his father] taught him Mikra, he need not teach him Mishnah; whereon Raba said: Mikra means Torah?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Pentateuch. In the earliest terminology we find Torah and Mikra opposed, the former referring to the Pentateuch and the latter to the other Books of the Bible (v. J.E., 'Bible, Canon', III, 142) ; here they are identified.');">⁶</span> - Like Zebulun B'Dan, yet not altogether so.

כזבולון בן דן ולא כזבולון בן דן כזבולון בן דן שלמדו אבי אביו ולא כזבולון בן דן דאילו התם מקרא משנה ותלמוד הלכות ואגדות ואילו הכא מקרא לבד

Like Zebulun B'Dan, whom his grandfather taught: yet not altogether so, for whereas there [he was taught] Mikra, Mishnah, Talmud, halachoth and aggadoth, here [i.e., as a general rule] Mikra alone [suffices]. Now, is the grandfather under this obligation? Surely it was taught: And ye shall teach them your sons,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XI, 19.');">⁷</span> bbut not your sonsð sons.

ואבי אביו מי מיחייב והתניא (דברים יא, יט) ולמדתם אותם את בניכם ולא בני בניכם ומה אני מקיים (דברים ד, ט) והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך לומר לך שכל המלמד את בנו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו למדו לו ולבנו ולבן בנו עד סוף כל הדורות

How then do I interpret<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'fulfil'.');">⁸</span> [the verse], and thou shalt make them known unto thy sons, and thy sons' sons?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. IV, 9.');">⁹</span> As shewing that to him who teaches his son Torah, the Writ ascribes merit as though he had taught him, his son and his son's son until the end of all time!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'generations'.');">¹⁰</span> - He agrees with the following Tanna.

הוא דאמר כי האי תנא דתניא ולמדתם אותם את בניכם אין לי אלא בניכם, בני בניכם מנין ת"ל והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך א"כ מה ת"ל בניכם בניכם ולא בנותיכם

For it was taught: 'And ye shall teach them your sons': hence I only know, your sons. How do I know your sons sons? From the verse: 'and thou shalt make them known unto thy sons and thy sons' sons'. If so, why state, 'thy sons'? - To teach: 'thy sons, but not thy daughters.

אמר ריב"ל כל המלמד את בן בנו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קבלה מהר סיני שנאמר והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך וסמיך ליה יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' אלהיך בחורב (דברים ד, י)

R'Joshua B'Levi said: He who teaches his grandson Torah, the Writ regards him as though he had received it [direct] from Mount Sinai, for it is said; 'and thou shalt make them known unto your sons and your sons' sons', which is followed by, that is the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 10.');">¹¹</span> R'Hiyya B'Abba found R'Joshua B'Levi wearing a plain cloth upon his head<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But not a sudarium, V. supra p. 142, n. 2,');">¹²</span> and taking a child to the synagogue [for study].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Talmudic times the teaching took place in the synagogue.');">¹³</span> 'What is the meaning of all this? ' he demanded.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Why was he so hasty to go out as not to don Proper headgear? tmnut');">¹⁴</span>

רבי חייא בר אבא אשכחיה לריב"ל דשדי דיסנא ארישיה וקא ממטי ליה לינוקא לבי כנישתא א"ל מאי כולי האי א"ל מי זוטר מאי דכתיב והודעתם לבניך וסמיך ליה יום אשר עמדת לפני ה' אלהיך בחורב מכאן ואילך רבי חייא בר אבא לא טעים אומצא עד דמקרי לינוקא ומוספיה רבה בר רב הונא לא טעים אומצא עד דמייתי לינוקא לבית מדרשא

'Is it then a small thing,' he replied: 'that it is written: 'and thou shalt make them known to your sons and your sons' sons'; which is followed by, that is the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb'? From then onwards R'Hiyya B'Abba did not taste meat<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [ , a piece of grilled meat usually taken at breakfast].');">¹⁵</span> before revising [the previous day's lesson] with the child and adding [another verse]. Rabbah son of R'Huna did not taste meat until he took the child to school.

אמר רב ספרא משום ר' יהושע בן חנניא מאי דכתיב (דברים ו, ז) ושננתם לבניך אל תקרי ושננתם אלא ושלשתם

R'Safra said on the authority of R'Joshua B'Hanania: What is meant by, and thou shalt teach them diligently [we-shinnantem] unto thy children?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. VI, 7.');">¹⁶</span> Read not we-shinnantem, but we-shillashtem: [you shall divide into three]: one should always divide his years into three: [devoting] a third to Mikra, a third to Mishnah, and a third to Talmud. Does one then know how long he will live? - This refers only to days.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: two days in the week to Mikra, two to Mishnah, and two to Talmud. Tosaf., more plausibly: each day itself should be divided into three. - Actually, scholars have always confined themselves to Talmud: but as the Babylonian Talmud is an amalgam of the three, this dictum is held to be fulfilled; v. Sanh. 24a. Furthermore, the early part of the morning liturgy contains passages from all three.');">¹⁷</span> The early [scholars] were called soferim<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi quotes, and the families of scribes - Soferim - which dwelt at Jabez; I Chron. II, 55. The term is generally applied to the band of Scholars from the Babylonian exile, who propagated the knowledge of the Torah and interpreted it.');">¹⁸</span>

לעולם ישלש אדם שנותיו שליש במקרא שליש במשנה שליש בתלמוד מי יודע כמה חיי לא צריכא ליומי

because they used to count all the letters of the Torah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To safeguard the correctness of the text. Soferim is taken in the original sense of its root safar, 'to count'.');">¹⁹</span> Thus, they said, the waw in gahon<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whatsoever goeth upon the belly (iujd) - Lev. XI, 42.');">²⁰</span> marks half the letters of the Torah; darosh darash,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. X, 16: And Moses diligently enquired after - darosh darash - the goat of the sin-offering.');">²¹</span> half the words; we-hithggalah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XIII, 33: we-hithggalah, then he shall be shaven. [In M.T. the words 'he placed on him' (Lev. VIII, 8) is given as the middle verse.]');">²²</span>

לפיכך נקראו ראשונים סופרים שהיו סופרים כל האותיות שבתורה שהיו אומרים וא"ו (ויקרא יא, מב) דגחון חציין של אותיות של ס"ת (ויקרא י, טז) דרש דרש חציין של תיבות (ויקרא יג, לג) "והתגלח" של פסוקים (תהלים פ, יד) יכרסמנה חזיר מיער עי"ן דיער חציין של תהלים (תהלים עח, לח) והוא רחום יכפר עון חציו דפסוקים

half the verses. The boar out of the wood [mi-ya'ar] doth ravage it:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXX, 14. rgh');">²³</span> the 'ayin of ya'ar<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' .');">²⁴</span> marks half of the Psalms.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It is not stated whether letters or words are meant: S. Strashun observes that he counted the words, and found that the first half exceeds the second by nearly 2,000; hence the reference is to letters, and there is such a reading too.');">²⁵</span>

בעי רב יוסף וא"ו דגחון מהאי גיסא או מהאי גיסא א"ל ניתי ס"ת ואימנינהו מי לא אמר רבה בר בר חנה לא זזו משם עד שהביאו ספר תורה ומנאום א"ל אינהו בקיאי בחסירות ויתרות אנן לא בקיאינן

But he, being full of compassion, forgiveth their iniquity,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXXVIII, 38.');">²⁶</span> half of the verses. R'Joseph propounded: Does the waw of gahon belong to the first half or the second? Said they [the scholars] to him, Let a Scroll of the Torah be brought and we will count them! Did not Rabbah B'Bar Hanah say,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On another occasion.');">²⁷</span>

בעי רב יוסף והתגלח מהאי גיסא או מהאי גיסא א"ל אביי פסוקי מיהא ליתו לימנוי' בפסוקי נמי לא בקיאינן דכי אתא רב אחא בר אדא אמר במערבא פסקי ליה להאי קרא לתלתא פסוקי (שמות יט, ט) ויאמר ה' אל משה הנה אנכי בא אליך בעב הענן

They did not stir from there until a Scroll of the Torah was brought and they counted them? - They were thoroughly versed in the defective and full readings,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., the long i and long o are sometimes indicated by a yod and waw respectively; then the reading is called 'full'; sometimes they are omitted; then it is called defective.');">²⁸</span> but we are not. R'Joseph propounded: Does wehithgalah belong to the first half or the second? Said Abaye to him, For the verses, at least, we can bring [a Scroll] and count them! - In the verses too we are not certain.

תנו רבנן חמשת אלפים ושמונה מאות ושמונים ושמונה פסוקים הוו פסוקי ס"ת יתר עליו תהלים שמונה חסר ממנו דברי הימים שמונה

For when R'Aha B'Adda came,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' From Palestine to Babylon.');">²⁹</span> he said: In the West [Palestine] the following verse is divided into three: And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud [etc.].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XIX, 9.');">³⁰</span> Our Rabbis taught: There are five thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eight verses in the Torah;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Pentateuch. In M.T. we have 5,845. [The difference is explained by the fact that the Palestinian had more verses than the Babylonian. v. Ned. (Sonc. ed.) p. 118. n. 7. and Graetz MGWJ XXXIV. pp. 97ff.]');">³¹</span> the Psalms exceed this by eight;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tosaf. observes that even if the Psalms are divided into verses of three words, there are still more in the Pentateuch. [The M.T. has 2,527, and the difference could be accounted as in the case of the Pentateuch. The difficulty however remains in regard to Chronicles where M.T. has only 1,765.]');">³²</span>

תנו רבנן ושננתם שיהו דברי תורה מחודדים בפיך שאם ישאל לך אדם דבר אל תגמגם ותאמר לו אלא אמור לו מיד שנאמר

while Chronicles<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Wilna Gaon emends: Daniel and Chronicles.');">³³</span> are less by eight. Our Rabbis taught: And thou shalt teach them diligently<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Weshinnantam< shannen, to be keen.');">³⁴</span> [means] that the words of the Torah shall be clear-cut in your mouth, so that if anyone asks you something, you should not shew doubt and then answer him, but [be able to] answer him immediately, for it is said,