Nedarim 100

ומן אשתו של טורנוסרופוס ומן קטיעא בר שלום:

The wife of Turnusrufus.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Tineius Rufus, a Roman governor of Judea. After her husband's death she became a convert and married R. Akiba, bringing him in much wealth. V.'A. Z. 20a. ');">¹</span>

רב גמדא יהיב ד' זוזי לספונאי לאתויי בהון מידעם לא אשכחו אתיוה ליה בהון קופא אישתמיט על לחרתא חפרו בתריה אשכחוה דרביע על מרגלייתא אייתינון ליה כולהון

[vi] From Keti'a b. Shalom.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Keti'a b. Shalom was condemned to death by a Roman emperor — probably Hadrian — for giving counsel against the emperor and in favour of the Jews. He made R. Akiba his heir. — 'A.Z. (Sonc. ed.) 10b, pp. 53ff. ');">²</span>

אמרה ליה בת קיסר לרבי יהושע בן חנניה תורה מפוארה בכלי מכוער א"ל למדי מבית אבוך במה מניחין יין אמרה ליה במאני דפחרא אמר לה כולי עלמא בפחרא ואתון במאני דפחרא אתון אחיתון במאני דכספא ודהבא

R. Gamada gave four <i>zuz</i> to sailors to bring him something. But as they could not obtain it, they brought him a monkey for it. The monkey escaped, and made his way into a hole. In searching for it, they found it lying on precious stones, and brought them all to him.

אזלת ורמת חמרא במאני דכספא ודהבא וסרי אמר לה אף אורייתא כן והאיכא שפירין וגמירין אמר לה אי הוו סנו הוו גמירין טפי

The Emperor's<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Hadrian: v. J.E. VII. 291. ');">³</span>

ההיא דאתיא לקמיה דרב יהודה מנהרדעא לדינא ואיתחייבת מן דינא אמרה ליה שמואל רבך הכי דנן אמר לה ידעת ליה אמרה ליה אין גוצא ורבה כריסיה אוכם ורבה שיניה אמר לה לבזוייה קאתית תיהוי ההיא אתתא בשמתא פקעה ומתה:

daughter said to R. Joshua b. Hananiah: 'Such comely wisdom in an ugly vessel!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He was very ugly. ');">⁴</span>

ומותר בביצה טורמיטא: מאי ביצה טורמיטא אמר שמואל עבדא דעביד לה שוי אלפא דינרי ומעייל לה אלפא זימני במיא חמימי ואלפא זימני במיא קרירי עד דמתזוטרא כי היכי דבלעיתה ואם אית כיבא סריך עלה וכד נפקא ואתיא ידע אסיא מאי סמא מתבעי ליה ובמאי מתי

He replied. 'Learn front thy father's palace. In what is the wine stored?' 'In earthern jars.' she answered. 'But all [common] people store [wine] in earthern vessels and thou too likewise! Thou shouldst keep it in jars of gold and silver!' So she went and had the wine replaced in vessels of gold and silver, and it turned sour. 'Thus,' said he to her, 'The Torah is likewise!' 'But are there not handsome people who are learned too?' 'Were they ugly they would be even more learned,' he retorted.

שמואל הוה בדיק נפשיה בקולחא עד דמסתרין אינשי ביתיה עליה שעריהון

A certain woman of Nehardea came before Rab Judah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [At Pumbeditha where he had his school.] ');">⁵</span>

תנן התם היה עושה בכלופסין לא יאכל בבנות שבע בבנות שבע לא יאכל בכלופסין מאי כלופסין מינא דתאיני דעבדין מנהון לפדי

for a lawsuit, and was declared guilty by the court. 'Would your teacher Samuel<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' R. Judah was for a short time a pupil of Samuel, after the death of Rab and R. Asst: v. Yeb. 18a.] ');">⁶</span>

ההוא גברא דיהב עבדא לחבריה לאגמוריה אלפא מיני לפדי אגמריה תמני מאה אזמניה לדינא לקמיה דרבי אמר רבי אבותינו אמרו נשינו טובה אנו אפילו בעינינו לא ראינו

have judged thus?' she said. 'Do you know him then?' he asked. 'Yes, He is short and big-stomached, black and large teethed.' 'What, you have come to insult him! Let that woman be under the ban!' he exclaimed. She burst and died.

רבי עבד ליה הלולא לר"ש ברבי כתב על בית גננא עשרין וארבעה אלפין ריבואין דינרין נפקו על בית גננא דין ולא אזמניה לבר קפרא אמר ליה אם לעוברי רצונו כך לעושי רצונו על אחת כמה וכמה אזמניה אמר לעושי רצונו בעולם הזה כך לעוה"ב עאכ"ו:

HE MAY ALSO EAT A WELL-BOILED EGG [BEZA TURMITA] — What is beza turmita? — Samuel said: The slave who can prepare one is worth a thousand <i>denarii</i>. For it must be placed a thousand times in hot water and a thousand times in cold, until small enough to be swallowed whole. If one is ulcerated, it attracts the matter to itself, and when it passes out the doctor knows what medicine is required and how to treat him. Samuel used to examine himself with Kulha,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A stalk of some plant, which acted in the same way as the beza turmita. ');">⁷</span>

יומא דמחייך ביה רבי אתיא פורענותא לעלמא א"ל לבר קפרא לא תבדיחן ויהיבנא לך ארבעין גריוי חיטי א"ל ליחזי מר

[which weakened him so] that his household tore their hair [in despair]. We have learnt elsewhere: If one is working among kelusfin, [Lesbian figs], he may not eat of benoth sheba';<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A different species of figs. The reference is to Deut. XXIII, 25: When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes until thy fill at thin own pleasure. The Rabbis interpret this as referring to workers, who may eat any of the fruit — not particularly grapes — upon which they are engaged, but must confine themselves thereto. ');">⁸</span> among benoth sheba', he may not eat of kelusfin. What are kelusfin? — A species of figs of which pap is made. A certain man once gave his slave to his friend to teach him a thousand different ways of making pap, but he taught him only eight hundred. So he summoned him to a lawsuit before Rabbi. Rabbi remarked, 'Our fathers said, "We have forgotten prosperity,"9 but we have never even seen it!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., it is extraordinary that in these bad times he should know as many as he did. ');">¹⁰</span> Rabbi made a wedding feast for his son Simeon, (and did not invite Bar Kappara).<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The bracketed phrase is transposed its our editions. ');">¹¹</span> He wrote above the banqueting-hall,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Where the festivities took place. ');">¹²</span> 'Twenty-four thousand myriad <i>denarii</i> have been expended on these festivities 'Thereupon Bar Kappara said, 'If it is thus with those who transgress His will,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A reference to the wrong done in not inviting him. ');">¹³</span> how much more so with those who do His will!' When he [subsequently] invited him, he observed, 'If it is thus with those who do His will in this world, how much more so [will it be] in the world to come!' On the day that Rabbi laughed, punishment would come upon the world.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbi suffered internal pains for thirteen years, during which there was never a drought. — B.M. 85a. ');">¹⁴</span> So he said to Bar Kappara [who was a humorist]. 'Do not make me laugh, and I will give you forty measures of wheat.' He replied. 'But let the Master see