ח א"ל אנא כהא סבירא לי דאמר ר"א אמר רבי אושעיא הפוחת לא יפחות מג' והמוסיף לא יוסיף על ז' אמר ליה
8 'My servant has acted of his own accord,' replied he.' Had he not heard it thus from you,'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'The Master'.');"><sup>14</sup></span> he retorted, 'he would not have done it.' Said he to him: 'Do you then not hold, [To employ] a torch for habdalah is the best way of performing the precept? ' Then he commenced [habdalah] and recited: 'He who makes a distinction between holy and non-holy, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six working days.' Said he to him: 'Why do you need all this? Surely Rab Judah said in Rab's name: "He who makes a distinction between holy and non-holy," was the formula of habdalah as recited by R'Judah ha-Nasi? ' 'I hold with the following,' answered he.' For R'Eleazar said in R'Oshaia's name: He who would recite but few [distinctions] must recite not less than three; while he who would add, must not add beyond seven.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., not less than three points of distinction and not more than seven must be recited in the habdalah.');"><sup>15</sup></span> Said he to him: