Nedarim 74

אם אבדו אינו חייב באחריותן ואם היה שכיר שבת שכיר חדש שכיר שנה שכיר שבוע נותן לו שכר שבת לפיכך אם אבדו חייב באחריותן

if they are lost [or harmed] [on the Sabbath], he is not responsible. But if he was engaged by the week, month, year or septennate, he is paid for the Sabbath; consequently, if they are lost, he is responsible.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Thus we see that the Sabbath may be paid for providing it is included in the general weekly agreement. Hence, though the main work in teaching lies in the first reading, this should be permitted on the Sabbath, since the fee is included in the general arrangements. ');">¹</span> But in the matter of the Sabbath a new passage may not be studied for the first time for this reason: that the parents of the children may be free for the observance of the Sabbath. An alternative answer is this: because on the Sabbath they eat and drink [more than on weekdays] and feel sluggish;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Hence are not fit to study a portion for the first time. ');">²</span>

אלא גבי שבת היינו טעמא דאין קוראין בתחילה משום דיפנו אבהתהון דינוקי למצותא דשבתא ואיבעית אימא משום דבשבתא אכלין ושתין ויקיר עליהון עלמא כדאמר שמואל שינוי וסת תחילת חולי מעיים

as Samuel said: The change in one's regular diet is the beginning of digestive trouble.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'disease of the bowels'. The Sabbath being a day of delight, the parents naturally wish to play and amuse themselves with their children thereon. But if the children study a new passage on that day, since this requires great concentration, the parents may be afraid of distracting their attention. It is interesting to observe from actual life what the Sabbath meant to the people. In spite of the innumerable restrictions pertaining to that day, and on account of which the Sabbath has been severely criticised as an intolerable burden, right from the New Testament times down to the present day, this simple statement, teaching no doctrine or view of the Sabbath, but recording a simple fact, vividly illustrates the utter shallowness of all that misinformed criticism. Cf. Schechter, Studies in Judaism ('The Law and Recent Criticism, pp. 296f). — 'On the one side, we hear the opinions of so many learned professors, proclaiming ex cathedra that the Law was a most terrible burden, and the life under it the most unbearable slavery&nbsp;… On the other side we have the testimony of a literature extending over about twenty-five centuries, and including all sorts and conditions of men, scholars, poets, mystics, lawyers&nbsp;… schoolmen, tradesmen, workmen, women, simpletons, who all&nbsp;… give unanimous evidence in favour of this Law, and of the bliss and happiness of living and dying under it, — and this, the testimony of people who were actually living under the Law, not merely theorising upon it'. ');">³</span> Now, he who maintains that remuneration is for the teaching of accentuation, — why does he reject the view that it is for acting as guardian? — He reasons: Do daughters then need guarding?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Girls are generally at home and do not venture into the streets; hence require no guarding. Now the Mishnah states in general terms that he may not teach Scripture. Though this, as explained, refers to a minor, yet even so the law holds good both of boys and of girls, since no limitations are given. But if payment is for guardianship, he should be permitted to teach girls, who do not need it. — Another reading is: does an adult need guarding? According to this, the explanation that the Mishnah refers to a minor is rejected as being too farfetched. ');">⁴</span>

ולמאן דאמר שכר פיסוק טעמים מאי טעמא לא אמר שכר שימור קסבר בנות מי קא בעיין שימור

And he who maintains that the fee is for guardianship, — why does he reject the view that it is for teaching accents? — He holds that accents are also Biblical;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the system of accentuations goes back to Moses: consequently it was included in Moses' prohibition. ');">⁵</span> for R. Ika b. Abin said in the name of R. Hananel in Rab's name: What is the meaning of, And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly, and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Neh. VIII, 8. ');">⁶</span>

ולמאן דאמר שכר שימור מאי טעמא לא אמר שכר פיסוק טעמים קסבר (שכר) פיסוק טעמים דאורייתא הוא

'They read in the book, it, the law of God,' refers to Scripture; 'distinctly,' to Targum;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Targum, 'translation', generally refers to the Aramaic translation of the Bible. In Mishnaic phraseology it might refer to a translation from Hebrew or the Bible into any language, (v. J. Kid. 59a, where it denotes a Greek version of Aquila; Meg. II, 1; Shab. 115a), but the word Targum by itself was restricted to the Aramaic version of the Bible. This Aramaic translation was publically read in the synagogue, along with the original text, and rules for reading it were formulated (v. Meg. II, 1; Tosef. Meg. II, V). This practice was an ancient institution, dating back to the Second Temple, and according to Rab, going back to Ezra, v. J.E., XII, p. 57. ');">⁷</span> 'and they gave the sense', to the division of sentences; 'so that they understood the reading,' to the accentuation; others say, to the masoroth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Masoroth: Tosaf and Asheri refer this to the plene and defective readings, e.g., where the 'o' is represented by waw (plene) and where it is missing (defective); where the 'i' is shewn by yod, and where not. Ran simply states: the traditional readings. The term 'masorah' occurs in Ezek. XX, 37, and means 'fetter'. Thus the masorah is a fetter upon the text, i.e., it fixes its reading. In course of time it was connected with masar (to hand down), and thus came to mean traditional reading. The old Hebrew text was in all probability written without any breaks. it was the work of the Masorites to make the divisions into words, books, sections, paragraphs, etc., and fix the orthography and pronunciation. The traditionally fixed text, especially with a view to its orthography, was called masoreth; the division into sense-clauses, pisuk te'ammim; the traditional pronunciation, mikra. V. J.E. s.v. Masorah. ');">⁸</span>

דאמר רב איקא בר אבין אמר רב חננאל אמר רב מאי דכתיב (נחמיה ח, יח) ויקראו בספר תורת האלהים מפורש ושום שכל ויבינו במקרא ויקראו בספר תורת האלהים זה מקרא מפורש זה תרגום ושום שכל אלו הפסוקים ויבינו במקרא זה פיסוק טעמים ואמרי לה אלו המסורות

R. Isaac said: The textual reading,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. preceding note. ');">⁹</span> as transmitted by the Soferim, their stylistic embellishments, [words] read [in the text] but not written, and words written but omitted in the reading, are all <i>halachah</i> from Moses at Sinai.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., though these were established by the Soferim (v. Glos.) they are based on usage going back to Moses. ');">¹⁰</span>

אמר רבי יצחק מקרא סופרים ועיטור סופרים וקריין ולא כתיבן וכתיבן ולא קריין הלכה למשה מסיני

By textual reading is meant words as erez, shamayim, mizraim.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In pause (viz., an ethnahta or sof pasuk) the tone-vowels are lengthened. Since there is nothing in the lettering to indicate this grammatical change, it was the work of the Soferim to teach it. ');">¹¹</span> Stylistic embellishments: e.g., [and comfort ye your hearts;] after that ye shall pass on.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. XVIII, 5. ');">¹²</span>

מקרא סופרים אָרֶץ שָׁמַיִם מִצְרַיִם

[Let the damsel abide with its a few days, at least ten:] after that she shall go. [Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites;] afterwards, shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXXI, 2. ');">¹³</span> [The singers went before,] the players on instruments followed after.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXVIII, 26. ');">¹⁴</span>

עיטור סופרים אחר תעבורו (בראשית יח, ה) אחר תלכו (בראשית כד, נה) אחר תאסף (במדבר יב, יד) קדמו שרים אחר נוגנים (תהלים סח, כו) צדקתך כהררי אל (תהלים לו, ז)

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. XXXVI, 7. In all these examples 'after' is strictly speaking superfluous, for the verses would have made the same sense without it (presumably by the use of the copulative). In the last example, the comparative kaf (like) is also unnecessary, being omitted in the parallel stich: thy judgements are a great deep. But they are inserted in the text in order to give it a smoother flow. Ran: In all these cases, 'after' (Heb. ahar). and in the last example, 'like the mountains' (Heb. keharere) bear a disjunctive accent, so as to elucidate the meaning. E.g., the first example (disregarding the accents) might read, 'and comfort ye your hearts after ye shall have passed', and so the other examples. The last example, owing to the disjunctive of ke-harere, is according to Ran to be translated: Thy righteousness, O God, is as (manifest as) the mountains. These disjunctives are referred to as the embellishments of the Soferim. Goldschmidt, Nedarim a.l. (p. 442, n. 84) observes that a copulative word has been omitted in all these texts, as is shewn by the Samaritan text and some MSS. ');">¹⁵</span> [Words] read [in the text] but not written: [the word] 'Euphrates' in [the verse] as he went to recover his border at the river [Euphrates];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. VIII, 3. ');">¹⁶</span>

קריין ולא כתיבן פרת דבלכתו (שמואל ב ח, ג) איש דכאשר ישאל איש בדבר האלהים (שמואל ב טז, כג) באים דונבנתה (ירמיהו לא, לח) לה דפליטה (ירמיהו נ, כט) את דהגד הוגד (רות ב, יא) אלי דהגורן (רות ג, ה) אלי דהשעורים (רות ג, יז) הלין קריין ולא כתבן

[the word] 'man' in [the verse] And the counsel of Ahitophel&nbsp;… was as if a [man] had enquired of the oracle of God;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XVI, 23. ');">¹⁷</span> [the word] 'come' in [the verse] Behold, the days [come], saith the Lord, the city shall be built etc.;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XXXI, 38. ');">¹⁸</span>

וכתבן ולא קריין נא דיסלח (מלכים ב ה, יח)

'for it' in [the verse] let there be no escape [for it]:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. L. 29. ');">¹⁹</span> 'unto me' in [the verse] All that thou sayest [unto me] I will do; 'to me' [in the verse] And she went down unto the floor;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ruth III, 5. ');">²⁰</span> 'to me' in [the verse] And she said, These six measures of barley gave he unto me; for he said [to me],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 17. ');">²¹</span> All these [words] are read but not written.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Wilna Gaon adds the following examples, given in some editions, and also in Soferim VI, 8: But (the children of) Benjamin would not hearken (Jud. XX, 13); Because (Heb. Ki 'al ken: ken is read but not written) the king's son is dead (II Sam. XVIII, 20); The seal of the Lord of (hosts) (II Kings XIX, 31); Adrammelech and Sharaezer (his sons) smote him (Ibid. 37). ');">²²</span> The following are written but not read: [the word] 'pray' in forgive;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings V, 18. ');">²³</span>