Shabbat 19

התם לא שכיחא שכרות הכא שכיחא שכרות א"נ במנחה כיון דקביעא לה זימנא מירתת ולא אתי למפשע ערבית כיון דכולא ליליא זמן ערבית לא מירתת ואתי למפשע מתקיף לה רב ששת טריחותא למיסר המייניה ועוד ליקו הכי וליצלי משום שנא' (עמוס ד, יב) הכון לקראת אלהיך ישראל

— There<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' At minhah time. ');">¹</span> drinking is rare; here it is usual.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was not customary to drink much by day; but the evening meal was often prolonged through drinking; therefore, on the view that the evening service is obligatory, one must refrain from his meal even if he has removed his girdle. ');">²</span> Alternatively, as for minhah, since it has a fixed time, one is afraid<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Careful not to overstep it. ');">³</span>

רבא בר רב הונא רמי פוזמקי ומצלי אמר הכון לקראת וגו' רבא שדי גלימיה ופכר ידיה ומצלי אמר כעבדא קמיה מריה אמר רב אשי חזינא ליה לרב כהנא כי איכא צערא בעלמא שדי גלימיה ופכר ידיה ומצלי אמר כעבדא קמי מריה כי איכא שלמא לביש ומתכסי ומתעטף ומצלי אמר הכון לקראת אלהיך ישראל

and will not come to transgress; but as for the evening service, since there is time for it all night, he is not afraid, and may come to transgress. R. Shesheth demurred: Is it any trouble to remove the girdle!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Surely you cannot maintain that by that slight act he has commenced his meal. ');">⁴</span> moreover, let him stand thus [ungirdled] and pray? &amp;mdash Because it is said, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Amos IV, 12. When it is customary to wear a girdle, it is not fitting to pray without one. ');">⁵</span>

רבא חזייה לרב המנונא דקא מאריך בצלותיה אמר מניחין חיי עולם ועוסקים בחיי שעה והוא סבר זמן תפלה לחוד וזמן תורה לחוד ר' ירמיה הוה יתיב קמיה דר' זירא והוו עסקי בשמעתא נגה לצלויי והוה קא מסרהב ר' ירמיה קרי עליה ר' זירא (משלי כח, ט) מסיר אזנו משמוע תורה גם תפלתו תועבה

Raba son of R. Huna put on stockings and prayed, quoting, 'prepare to meet etc.' Raba removed his cloak,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: divested himself of his costly upper cloak as a mark of humility. ');">⁶</span> clasped his hands and prayed, saying, '[I pray] like a slave before his master.' R. Ashi said: I saw R. Kahana, when there was trouble in the world, removing his cloak, clasp his hands, and pray, saying, '[I pray] like a slave before his master.' When there was peace, he would put it on, cover and enfold himself and pray, quoting, 'Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' On these preparations for prayer cf. MGWJ. 1935 Vol. 4, pp. 330f. ');">⁷</span> Raba saw R. Hamnuna prolonging his prayers.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Though the general order and contents of the service, e.g., the Eighteen Benedictions (v. Elbogen, op. cit. pp. 5, 27: [H] and [H] refer to these) was settled, the actual text was left to each individual (ibid, pp. 41 seqq.), and R. Hamnuna may have thus prayed at great length; or perhaps this length was due to devotional intensity. ');">⁸</span>

מאימתי התחלת דין רב ירמיה ורבי יונה חד אמר משיתעטפו הדיינין וחד אמר משיפתחו בעלי דינים ולא פליגי הא דעסקי ואתו בדינא הא דלא עסקי ואתו בדינא

Said he, They forsake eternal life and occupy themselves with temporal life.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They spend time in prayer which might be more usefully employed in study: the former, which is a petition for health, sustenance, etc., he called temporal life — not with great exactitude, as it also contains prayers for knowledge, repentance, and forgiveness. This is interesting as shewing the high place occupied by study as a religious observance in itself, ');">⁹</span> But he [R. Hamnuna] held, The times for prayer and [study of the] Torah are distinct from each other. R. Jeremiah was sitting before R. Zera engaged in study; as it was growing late for the service, R. Jeremiah was making haste [to adjourn]. Thereupon R. Zera applied to him [the verse], He that turneth away from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Prov. XXVIII, 9. ');">¹⁰</span> When is the beginning of a lawsuit? R. Jeremiah and R. Jonah one maintains: When the judges wrap themselves round;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In their praying shawls (tallith), that they might be duly impressed with the solemnity of dispensing justice, ');">¹¹</span>

רב אמי ורב אסי הוו יתבי וגרסי ביני עמודי וכל שעתא ושעתא הוו טפחי אעיברא דדשא ואמרי אי איכא דאית ליה דינא ליעול וליתי רב חסדא ורבה בר רב הונא הוו יתבי בדינא כולי יומא הוה קא חליש לבייהו תנא להו רב חייא בר רב מדפתי (שמות יח, יג) ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב וכי תעלה על דעתך שמשה יושב ודן כל היום כולו תורתו מתי נעשית אלא לומר לך כל דיין שדן דין אמת לאמיתו אפילו שעה אחת מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו נעשה שותף להקדוש ברוך הוא במעשה בראשית כתיב הכא ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב וכתיב התם (בראשית א, ה) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד

and the other says: When the litigants commence [their pleas]. And they do not differ: the latter means when they are already engaged in judging;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Having started earlier with a different suit. ');">¹²</span> the former, when they are not already engaged in judging. R. Ammi and R. Assi were sitting and studying between the pillars;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of the Beth Hamidrash. ');">¹³</span>

עד מתי יושבין בדין אמר רב ששת עד זמן סעודה אמר רב חמא מאי קרא דכתיב (קהלת י, טז) אי לך ארץ שמלכך נער ושריך בבקר יאכלו אשריך ארץ שמלכך בן חורים ושריך בעת יאכלו בגבורה ולא בשתי בגבורה של תורה ולא בשתייה של יין

every now and then they knocked at the side of the door and announced: If anyone has a lawsuit, let him enter and come. R. Hisda and Rabbah son of R. Huna were sitting all day [engaged] in judgments, and their hearts grew faint,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: they grieved at not being able to study. Or literally, because they had not eaten all day. ');">¹⁴</span> [whereat] R. Hiyya b. Rab of Difti<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A town probably to be identified with Dibtha, in the vicinity of Wasit on the Tigris; Obermeyer, p. 197. ');">¹⁵</span> recited to them, and the people stood about Moses from the morning into the evening;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XVIII, 13. ');">¹⁶</span>

תנו רבנן שעה ראשונה מאכל לודים שניה מאכל לסטים שלישית מאכל יורשין רביעית מאכל פועלים חמישית מאכל כל אדם

now, can you really think that Moses sat and judged all day? when was his learning done? But it is to teach you, Every judge who judges with complete fairness<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'who judges a true judgment according to its truth'. V. Sanh., Sonc. ed., p. 27, n. 8. ');">¹⁷</span> even for a single hour, the Writ gives him credit as though he had become a partner to the Holy One, blessed be He, in the creation.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'work of the Beginning'. ');">¹⁸</span> [For] here it is written, 'and the people stood about Moses from the morning into the evening'; whilst elsewhere it is written, and there was morning, and there was evening, one day.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. 1, 5. The deduction is based on the similarity of the phrases used in both cases.-Thus, according to Rashi's first reason for their faintness (v. n. 4) he comforted them with the assurance of great reward. According to the second, he told them that they were not bound to sit and judge all day. ');">¹⁹</span>

איני והאמר רב פפא רביעית זמן סעודה לכל אדם אלא רביעית מאכל כל אדם חמישית מאכל פועלים ששית מאכל ת"ח מכאן ואילך כזורק אבן לחמת אמר אביי לא אמרן אלא דלא טעים מידי בצפרא אבל טעים מידי בצפרא לית לן בה

Until when must they [the judges)sit at judgment? — R. Shesheth said: Until the time of the [main] meal [of the day]. R. Hama observed, What verse [teaches this]? For it is written, Woe to thee,  land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Happy art thou,  land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Eccl. X, 16f. ');">²⁰</span> [i.e.,] in the strength of the Torah and not in the drunkenness of wine.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Translating: thy princes, viz., judges, do not eat the first thing in the morning, but sit and judge until the proper time for eating. ');">²¹</span> Our Rabbis taught: The first hour [of the day]<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which was reckoned from six a.m. to six p.m. ');">²²</span>

אמר רב אדא בר אהבה מתפלל אדם תפלתו בבית המרחץ מיתיבי הנכנס לבית המרחץ מקום שב"א עומדין לבושין יש שם מקרא ותפלה ואין צריך לומר שאילת שלום ומניח תפילין ואין צריך לומר שאינו חולץ

is the mealtime for gladiators;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Whose diet required special attention (Jast.); or perhaps, circus attendants. ');">²³</span> the second, for robbers;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi in Pes. 12b: both are rapacious, hence they eat so early; but robbers, being awake all night, sleep during the first hour of the day. ');">²⁴</span> the third, for heirs;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not having to earn a living, they can eat earlier than others. ');">²⁵</span>

מקום שבני אדם עומדים ערומים ולבושין יש שם שאילת שלום ואין שם מקרא ותפלה ואינו חולץ תפילין ואינו מניח לכתחלה

the fourth, for labourers,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the field. ');">²⁶</span> the fifth, for all [other] people. But that is not so, for R. Papa said: The fourth [hour] is the mealtime for all people? — Rather the fourth hour is the mealtime for all [other] people, the fifth for [agricultural] labourers, and the sixth for scholars. After that it is like throwing a stone into a barrel.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: no benefit is derived. ');">²⁷</span> Abaye said: That was said only if nothing at all is eaten in the morning; but if something is eaten in the morning, there is no objection.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To postponing the main meal, ');">²⁸</span>

מקום שבני אדם עומדין ערומים אין שם שאילת שלום ואין צריך לומר מקרא ותפלה וחולץ תפילין ואין צריך לומר שאינו מניחן

R. Adda b. Ahabah said: One may recite his prayers [the Eighteen Benedictions] at the baths. An objection is raised: If one enters the baths in the place where people stand dressed,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the outer chamber. ');">²⁹</span> both reading [the <i>shema'</i>] and prayer [the Eighteen Benedictions] are permissible, and a greeting of 'Peace'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' ) Lit., 'enquiring after one's Peace.' ');">³⁰</span> goes without saying; and one may don the phylacteries there,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Talmudic times these were worn all day, not only at the morning service as nowadays. ');">³¹</span>

כי קאמר רב אדא בר אהבה במרחץ שאין בו אדם והא אמר רבי יוסי בר חנינא מרחץ שאמרו אע"פ שאין בו אדם בית הכסא שאמרו אע"פ שאין בו צואה

and it goes without saying that he need not remove them [if already wearing them]; in the place where people stand undressed,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the inner chamber. ');">³²</span> a greeting of 'Peace' is not permissible there<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. infra. ');">³³</span> and reading and praying goes without saying; the phylacteries must be removed, and it goes without saying that they must not be donned!-When R. Adda b. Ahabah made his statement it referred to baths in which no one is present. But did not R. Jose b. Hanina say: The baths of which they [the Rabbis] spoke are even those in which none are present; the privy closet of which they spoke<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the same connection. ');">³⁴</span>

אלא כי קאמר רב אדא בחדתי והא מבעיא בעא ליה רבינא הזמינו לבית הכסא מהו יש זימון או אין זימון ולא איפשיטא ליה לאו הוא הדין למרחץ לא דילמא

means even such as contains no excrement? — Rather, when R. Adda stated [his ruling] it was in reference to new [baths].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., which had never been used, but merely (designated for baths ');">³⁵</span> But surely [this is just what] Rabina propounded: What if a place is designated for a privy closet; is designation recognized or not?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Does designation subject the place to the laws appertaining to a privy? ');">³⁶</span> and it was not solved. Now did not the same [query of his] apply to baths?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But surely he could have solved it on the latest interpretation from R. Adda's ruling. ');">³⁷</span> No. Perhaps