Nedarim 98

כמאן מצלינן על קצירי ועל מריעי [כמאן כר' יוסי] מדאמר קצירי ומריעי שמע מינה קצירי קצירי ממש מריעי רבנן:

In accordance with whom is it that we pray for the invalid and the sick?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In our daily prayers; v. P.B. p. 47. ');">¹</span> In accordance with R. Jose.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. R.H. 16a. The Rabbis there maintain that a man is judged on New Year, and once he is sentenced, whether to life or death, the verdict cannot be reversed. Consequently, in their opinion it would be futile to pray for the recovery of the sick during the year. Hence the practice of praying for them accords with R. Jose's view, that man is judged every day. ');">²</span>

ומותר בעבה: מתני' דלא כבבלאי דאמר ר' זירא בבלאי טפשאי דאכלי לחמא בלחמא

Since he said, 'the invalid and the sick,' It follows that 'invalid' is literal, and 'the sick' [metaphorically] means the Rabbis.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who are weakened by their intensive studies. ');">³</span> BUT IS PERMITTED [TO PARTAKE] OF A DISH SOLIDLY PREPARED. Our Mishnah does not agree with the Babylonians, for R. Zera said: The Babylonians are fools, eating bread with bread.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I. e., even food solidly prepared is eaten by them with bread consequently such would be included in the term 'tabhshil' and forbidden. ');">⁴</span>

א"ר חסדא דמשאיל להון להלין נקדני דהוצל הדין דייסא היכין מעלי למיכלה דחיטי בלחמא דחיטי ודשערי בלחמא דשערי או דלמא דחיטי בדשערי ודשערי בדחיטי

R. Hisda said: There is none<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So the text as emended by BaH. Asheri reads: Is there any one etc. ');">⁵</span> to make enquiries of the epicureans<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'those who are very careful in their eating'. Rashi and one version of the Ran. Others: the fastidious. ');">⁶</span>

רבא אכליה בחסיסי רבה בר רב הונא אשכחי' לרב הונא דקאכיל דייסא באצבעתיה אמ' ליה אמאי קאכיל מר בידיה א"ל הכי אמר רב דייסא באצבעתא בסים וכל דכן בתרתין וכל דכן בתלת

of Huzal<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A very old town lying below Nehardea, but nearer to Sura and belonging to the judicial circuit of the latter: Obermeyer, p. 299. ');">⁷</span> how porridge is best eaten, whether a wheat porridge with wheaten bread, and a barley porridge with barley bread, or perhaps [they are best reversed,] wheat with barley, and barley with wheat. Raba ate it with stunted [parched] grains. Rabbah son of R. Huna found R. Huna eating porridge with his fingers. So he said to him, 'Why do you eat with your hands?' He replied, Thus did Rah say, [To eat] porridge with [one] finger is well: how much more so with two or three! Rab said to his son Hiyya, and R. Huna said the same to his son Rabbah, 'If you are invited to eat porridge, [you may even go] a <i>parasang</i><span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">⁸</span>

אמר ליה רב לחייא בריה וכן אמר ליה רב הונא לרבה בריה מזמנים לך למיכל דייסא עד פרסה למיכל בישרא דתורא עד תלתא פרסין אמר ליה רב לחייא בריה וכן א"ל רב הונא לרבה בריה כל מידעם לא תפלוט קמיה רבך לבר מן קרא ודייסא שהן דומין לפתילתא של אבר ואפילו קמי שבור מלכא פלוט

for it; to eat beef, even three parasangs. Rab said to his son Hiyya, and R. Huna said likewise to his son Rabbah: You must never expectorate before your teacher, save [after eating] a pumpkin or porridge, because they are like lead pellets:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., it is dangerous to swallow the saliva left in the mouth after eating these. ');">⁹</span> expectorate this even in the presence of King Shapur.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Known otherwise as Shapur I. He was King of Persia and a friend of Samuel; Ber. 56a ');">¹⁰</span>

רבי יוסי ורבי יהודה חד אכיל דייסא באצבעתיה וחד אכיל בהוצא א"ל דאכיל בהוצא לדאכיל באצבעתיה עד מתי אתה מאכילני צואתך אמר ליה דאכיל באצבעתיה לדאכיל בהוצא עד מתי אתה מאכילני רוקך

R. Jose and R. Judah, — one ate porridge with his fingers, and one with a prick.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Used as a fork. ');">¹¹</span> He who was eating with the prick said to him who was eating with the fingers, 'How long will you make me eat your filth?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They were both eating out of the same dish. ');">¹²</span>

רבי יהודה ורבי שמעון אייתו לקמייהו בלוספיין רבי יהודה אכל ר' שמעון לא אכל א"ל רבי יהודה מאי טעמא לא אכיל מר אמר ליה ר' שמעון אלו אין יוצאין מבני מעים כל עיקר אמר ליה רבי יהודה כ"ש שנסמוך עליהן למחר

The other replied, 'How long will you feed me with your saliva?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because the thorn was not wiped each time after being put into his mouth. ');">¹³</span> Lesbian figs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jast. These are very difficult to digest. ');">¹⁴</span>

רבי יהודה הוה יתיב קמיה דר' טרפון אמר ליה רבי טרפון היום פניך צהובין אמר ליה אמש יצאו עבדיך לשדה והביאו לנו תרדין ואכלנום בלא מלח ואם אכלנום במלח כל שכן שהיו פנינו צהובין

were placed before R. Judah and R. Simeon. R. Judah ate; R. Simeon did not. [Whereupon] R. Judah asked him, 'Why are [you], Sir not eating?' He replied. 'These never pass out at all from the stomach.' But R. Judah retorted, 'All the more [reason or eating them], as they will sustain us tomorrow.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As such below, R. Judah was extremely poor; hence this was a consideration to him, though there is probably an element of humour in his retort. ');">¹⁵</span> R. Judah was sitting before R. Tarfon, who remarked to him, 'Your face shines to-day.' He replied. 'Your servants went out to the fields yesterday and brought us beets, which we ate unsalted, had we salted them, my face would have shone even more.

אמרה ההיא מטרוניתא לרבי יהודה מורה ורוי אמר לה הימנותא בידא דההיא איתתא אי טעימנא אלא קידושא ואבדלתא וארבעה כסי דפסחא וחוגרני צידעי מן הפסח עד העצרת אלא (קהלת ח, א) חכמת אדם תאיר פניו

A certain matron<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is mostly used of Roman ladies of noble birth. ');">¹⁶</span> said to R. Judah, 'A teacher and drunkard!'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] I.e., you are a Sage, yet you are drunk! His faces was always red and shining, giving that impressions. ');">¹⁷</span>

אמר לי' ההוא צדוקי לרבי יהודה פניך דומין אי כמלוי רבית אי כמגדלי חזירין א"ל ביהודאי תרוייהו אסירן אלא עשרים וארבעה בית הכסא אית לי מן ביתא עד בי מדרשא וכל שעה ושעה אני נכנס לכל אחד ואחד

He replied, You may well believe me that<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'My faith in the hand of this woman if&nbsp;…' ');">¹⁸</span> I taste [no wine] but that of Kiddush and Habdalah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Kiddush: a short blessing of sanctification, recited at the commencement of Sabbaths and festivals. Habdalah, lit., 'separation', a benediction said at the end of Sabbaths and festivals, thanking God for the distinction He created between holy and non-holy days. Both are recited over wine, which is drunk. ');">¹⁹</span>

ר' יהודה כד אזיל לבי מדרשא שקיל גולפא על כתפיה אמר גדולה מלאכה שמכבדת את בעליה רבי שמעון שקיל צנא על כתפיה אמר גדולה מלאכה שמכבדת את בעליה

and the four cups of Passover,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Four cups of wine are drunk at the meals on the first evening (without Palestine, two evenings) of Passover. ');">²⁰</span> on account of which I have to bind my temples from Passover until Pentecost;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They gave him such a headache! Doubtlessly a metaphorical exaggeration. ');">²¹</span>

דביתהו דרבי יהודה נפקת נקטת עמרא עבדה גלימא דהוטבי כד נפקת לשוקא מיכסיא ביה וכד נפיק רבי יהודה לצלויי הוה מיכסי ומצלי וכד מיכסי ביה הוה מברך ברוך שעטני מעיל

but a man's wisdom maketh his face shine.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ecc. VIII, 1. ');">²²</span> A min<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [So MS.M. (v. Glos.), cur. edd. 'Sadducee'.] ');">²³</span>

זימנא חדא גזר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל תעניתא ר' יהודה לא אתא לבי תעניתא אמרין ליה לא אית ליה כסויא שדר ליה גלימא ולא קביל

said to R. Judah. 'Your face is like that of a moneylender or pig breeder.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Their faces are always shining because of their great profits! ');">²⁴</span> He replied, 'Both of these are forbidden to Jews; but there are twenty-four conveniences between my house and the School, and every hour I visit one of them.' When R. Judah went to the Beth ha-Midrash,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' School House. ');">²⁵</span> he used to take a pitcher on his shoulders [to sit on], saying. 'Great is labour, for it honours the worker.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'its master'. Otherwise he would have had to sit on the floor. It is not clear whether the school was so deficient in equipment that this was really necessary, or he himself wished to shew his appreciation of labour. In the story of the deposition of R. Gamaliel (Ber. 50b-28a). It is stated that many additional seats were placed for the great accretion of new disciples, proving that it was not customary to sit on the floor. R. Judah belonged to the following generation. ');">²⁶</span> R. Simeon used to carry a basket upon his shoulders, saying likewise, 'Great is labour, for it honours the worker.' R. Judah's wife went out, brought wool, and made an embroidered cloak. On going to market she used to put it on, whilst when R. Judah went [to synagogue] to pray he used to wear it. When he donned it, he uttered the benediction, Blessed be He who hath robed me with a robe.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' There is no such benediction in the statutory liturgy, and R. Judah probably uttered this without the use of the Divine Name and without mention of God's sovereignty. Through the omission of these it is not really a benediction at all, hence R. Judah might recite it. (Real benedictions may not be uttered save where the Rabbis have prescribed them). ');">⁵⁰</span> Now, it happened once that R. Simeon b. Gamaliel proclaimed a fast,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Over and above the statutory fasts special fasts were proclaimed in times of drought or on account of national disasters, such as pestilence, evil decrees, etc.; Ta'an. 19a. ');">²⁸</span> but R. Judah did not attend the fast-service.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A special service was held: Ta'an. 15a. ');">²⁹</span> Being informed that he had nothing to wear, he [R. Simeon b. Gamaliel] sent him a robe, which he did not accept.