Pesachim 4

הא מדקאמר ובלילה יהי כגנב אלמא אור יממא הוא התם הכי קאמר אי פשיטא לך מילתא כנהורא דאנפשות קאתי רוצח הוא וניתן להצילו בנפשו ואי מספקא לך מילתא כליליא יהי בעיניך כגנב ולא ניתן להצילו בנפשו

Now since he states, 'and in the night he is as a thief,' it follows that 'or' is day? - The meaning there is th if the matter is as clear as light to you that he [the thief] comes [even] to take life, he is a murderer, and h [the victim] may be saved at the cost of his [the thief's] life; but if you are doubtful about it, like [the darkness of] the night, you must regard him [only] as a thief, and he [the victim] must not be saved at the cost of his life.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Ex. XXII, 1; the present verse lays down the conditions for the law stated there to be applicable.');">¹</span> An objection is raised: Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark: let him look for light [or], but have none; neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job. III, 9.');">²</span>

מיתיבי (איוב ג, ט) יחשכו כוכבי נשפו יקו לאור ואין ואל יראה בעפעפי שחר מדקאמר יקו לאור ואין אלמא אור יממא הוא התם מילט הוא דקא לייט ליה איוב למזליה אמר יהא רעוא דליצפיה הך גברא לנהורא ולא לישכחיה

Since he says, 'let him look for light, but have none, follows that 'or' is day? - There Job indeed curses his destiny<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Mazzal is the constellation which controls one's destiny.');">³</span> and exclaims, Heaven grant that that man [sc. himself] look for light, but have none.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But 'light' there is not parallel to or synonymous with morning.');">⁴</span>

מיתיבי (תהלים קלט, יא) ואומר אך חשך ישופני ולילה אור בעדני אלמא אור יממא הוא התם הכי קאמר דוד אני אמרתי אך חשך ישופני לעוה"ב שהוא דומה ליום עכשיו העולם הזה שהוא דומה ללילה אור בעדני

An objection is raised: If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, and the light [or] about me shall be night:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. CXXXIX, 11.');">⁵</span> this proves that 'or' is day?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since it is contrasted with night.');">⁶</span>

מיתיבי ר' יהודה אומר בודקין אור (לארבעה) עשר ובארבעה עשר שחרית ובשעת הביעור מדקאמר רבי יהודה בודקין אור ארבעה עשר ובארבעה עשר שחרית אלמא אור אורתא הוא ש"מ

- There David said thus: I thought, surely darkness shall overwhelm me in the future world, which resembles day; but now, even this world, which resembles night,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' By contrast, with the next; but not absolutely, Judaism being far too robust and optimistic a religion for such a view; cf. Hertz, Genesis, Additional Note A, III, p. 57.');">⁷</span> is light about me.

מיתיבי מאימתי ארבעה עשר אסור בעשיית מלאכה ר' אליעזר בן יעקב אומר משעת האור רבי יהודה אומר משעת הנץ החמה

An objection is raised: R'Judah said: We search [for leaven] in the evening ['or'] of the fourteenth, in th morning of the fourteenth, and at the time of removal:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When the leaven must be destroyed.');">⁸</span> Now since R'Judah says, 'We search in the evening ['or'] of the fourteenth and in the morning of the fourteenth,' it follows that 'or' is evening.

אמר ליה ר"א בן יעקב לרבי יהודה וכי היכן מצינו יום שמקצתו אסור בעשיית מלאכה ומקצתו מותר בעשיית מלאכה אמר ליה הוא עצמו יוכיח שמקצתו מותר באכילת חמץ ומקצתו אסור באכילת חמץ

This proves it. An objection is raised: From when is work forbidden on the fourteenth [of Nisan]?

מדקאמר רבי יהודה משעת הנץ החמה אלמא אור דקאמר ר"א בן יעקב אורתא הוא לא מאי אור עמוד השחר

R'Eliezer B'Jacob said: From the time of the 'or';<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But even if it is the practice in a community to cease work earlier, this has no binding force; v. infra 50a.');">⁹</span> R'Judah said: From the [first] sparklings of the [rising] sun.

אי הכי דקאמר ליה היכן מצינו יום שמקצתו מותר בעשיית מלאכה ומקצתו אסור בעשיית מלאכה נימא איהו לנפשיה הא איכא לילה דקא שרי ר"א בן יעקב

Said R'Eliezer B'Jacob to R'Judah: Where then do we find a day during part of which work is forbidden while during [the other] part it is permitted? He replied, Let that [day] itself prove [this possibility], for during part of it t eating of leaven is permitted, whereas during the other part it is forbidden.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra 11b.');">¹⁰</span>

ה"ק בשלמא לדידי אשכחנא דקא פלגי רבנן בין יממא לליליא (דתנן) גבי תענית צבור עד מתי אוכל ושותה עד שיעלה עמוד השחר דברי ר' אליעזר בן יעקב ר' שמעון אומר עד קרות הגבר אלא לדידך היכא אשכחנא יממא גופיה דפלגי ביה רבנן

Now since R'Judah maintains, From the [first] sparklings of the [rising] sun, it follows that by 'or' R'Eliezer B'Jacob means evening? No; what does 'or' mean?

אמר ליה הוא עצמו יוכיח שמקצתו מותר באכילת חמץ ומקצתו אסור באכילת חמץ שפיר קאמר ליה ר' יהודה לר"א הכי קאמר ליה רבי אליעזר אמינא לך אנא מלאכה דרבנן ואת אמרת לי חמץ דאורייתא דעד הכא אסר רחמנא ועד הכא שרא רחמנא

The morning dawn. If so, when he says to him, 'Where then do we find a day during part of which work is forbidden while during [the other] part it is permitted,' let him answer himself: surely there is the night, which is permitted?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though night is part of the day.');">¹¹</span>

ואידך שעות דרבנן

- R'Eliezer B'Jacob argues thus: As for my view, it is well; we find that the Rabbis drew a distinction between night and day, for it was taught in respect of a public fast: Until when may one eat and drink? Until the commencement<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'ascending'.');">¹²</span>

ואידך הרחקה הוא דעבוד רבנן לדאורייתא

of dawn: this is R'Eliezer B'Jacob's view. R'Simeon maintained: Until cockcrow.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The prohibition of work on the fourteenth is likewise merely Rabbinical.');">¹³</span>

מיתיבי אין משיאין משואות אלא על החדש שנראה בזמנו לקדשו ואימתי משיאין משואות לאור עבורו אלמא אור אורתא הוא ש"מ

But on your view: where do we find that the Rabbis drew a distinction in the day itself? [To which] he replied, Let that [day] itself prove it, for during part thereof th eating of leaven is permitted while during part thereof it is forbidden?

מיתיבי היה עומד כל הלילה ומקריב על המזבח לאורה טעון קידוש ידים ורגלים דברי רבי אורה שאני:

R'Judah answers R'Eliezer rightly?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely he must have perceived the answer himself!');">¹⁴</span> R'Eliezer says thus to him: I speak to you of work, which is [prohibited] by the Rabbis, while you answer me about leaven [on the fourteenth day], which is [prohibited] by Scripture; thus far<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Up to a certain hour.');">¹⁵</span>

מיתיבי מר זוטרא

the Divine Law permits, and from then Scripture forbids. And the other?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Does he not admit the distinction?');">¹⁶</span> - The [additional] hours are Rabbinical.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra ');">¹⁷</span> And the other? - The Rabbis [merely] erected a safeguard for a Scriptural law.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lest the day is cloudy and one does not know exactly when it is midday; therefore they added two hours. But when the law is entirely Rabbinical, they would not apply it to part of the day only.');">¹⁸</span> An objection is raised: Bonfires are lit only for a new moon that is visible in its [due] time, in order to sanctify it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Jewish month, which is lunar, consists of either twenty-nine or thirty days. During the early Talmudic age');">¹⁹</span> And when were the bonfires lit? on the evening ['or'] following the intercalated day.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The additional day is the thirtieth, whereby the month is full; the bonfire is lit on the evening of the thirty-first.');">²⁰</span> This proves that 'or' is evening. This proves it. An objection is raised: If he [the priest] was standing all night and offering [the fats of sacrifices] on t altar, at daybreak [orah] he must wash his hands and feet:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'he needs the sanctification of his hands and feet (from the laver) ', v. Ex. XXX, 17.');">²¹</span> this is Rabbi's view?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Thus 'orah' denotes daybreak, and it is now assumed that 'or' and 'orah' are identical.');">²²</span> - Orah is [a] different [word]. Mar Zutra raised an objection: