Shabbat 26

ושימש תלמידי חכמים הרבה מפני מה מת בחצי ימיו ולא היה אדם מחזירה דבר פעם אחת נתארחתי אצלה והיתה מסיחה כל אותו מאורע ואמרתי לה בתי בימי נדותך מה הוא אצלך אמרה לי חס ושלום אפי' באצבע קטנה לא נגע [בי] בימי לבוניך מהו אצלך אכל עמי ושתה עמי וישן עמי בקירוב בשר ולא עלתה דעתו על דבר אחר ואמרתי לה ברוך המקום שהרגו שלא נשא פנים לתורה שהרי אמרה תורה (ויקרא יח, יט) ואל אשה בנדת טומאתה לא תקרב כי אתא רב דימי אמר מטה חדא הואי במערבא אמרי אמר רב יצחק בר יוסף סינר מפסיק בינו לבינה:

and served scholars much, why did he die in middle age? and no man could answer her. On one occasion I<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Elijah, the supposed author of the Tanna debe Eliyahu; v. n. 1. ');">¹</span> was a guest at her house,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Elijah was believed to visit the earth and speak to people. ');">²</span> and she related the whole story to me. Said I to her, 'My daughter! how was he to thee in thy days of menstruation?' 'God forbid!' she rejoined; 'he did not touch me even with his little finger.' 'And how was he to thee in thy days of white [garments]?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When a niddah's discharge ceased, she donned white garments and examined herself for seven consecutive days, which had to pass without any further discharge of blood before she became clean. During this time she was forbidden to her husband. ');">³</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> ואלו מן ההלכות שאמרו בעליית חנניה בן חזקיה בן גרון שעלו לבקרו נמנו ורבו ב"ש על ב"ה וי"ח דברים גזרו בו ביום:

'He ate with me, drank with me and slept with me in bodily contact, and it did not occur to him to do other.' Said I to her, 'Blessed be the Omnipresent for slaying him, that He did not condone on account of the Torah!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He showed no unfair favoritism because of the man's learning. ');">⁴</span> For lo! the Torah hath said, And thou shalt not approach unto a woman as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lev. XVIII, 19. ');">⁵</span> When R. Dimi came,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. p. 12, n. 9. ');">⁶</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> א"ל אביי לרב יוסף אלו תנן או ואלו תנן ואלו תנן הני דאמרן או אלו תנן דבעינן למימר קמן תא שמע אין פולין לאור הנר ואין קורין לאור הנר ואלו מן ההלכות שאמרו בעליית חנניה בן חזקיה בן גרון ש"מ ואלו תנן ש"מ:

he said, It was a broad bed. In the West [Palestine] they said, R. Isaac b. Joseph said: An apron interposed between them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But they were not actually in bodily contact. ');">⁷</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. AND THESE ARE OF THE HALACHOTH WHICH THEY STATED IN THE UPPER CHAMBER OF HANANIAH B. HEZEKIAH B. GARON, WHEN THEY WENT UP TO VISIT HIM. THEY TOOK A COUNT, AND BETH SHAMMAI OUTNUMBERED BETH HILLEL.; AND ON THAT DAY THEY ENACTED EIGHTEEN MEASURES.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Scholars are divided as to when this took place. Z. Frankel, Darke ha-Mishnah assigns it to the beginning of the division of the two schools. Graetz maintains that it took place about four years before the destruction of the Temple; Weiss favours the last generation before the destruction, not long after the death of Agrippa I. V. also Halevi, Doroth, 1, 3, 580 seq. ');">⁸</span> <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. Abaye said to R. Joseph: Did we learn, THESE ARE or AND THESE ARE? Did we learn AND THESE ARE [viz,] those that we have stated [in the former Mishnah]; or did we learn THESE ARE [viz.,] those that are to be stated soon?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'before us'. The actual eighteen were forgotten in course of time-hence Abaye's question. ');">⁹</span>

ת"ר מי כתב מגילת תענית אמרו חנניה בן חזקיה וסיעתו שהיו מחבבין את הצרות

— Come and hear: One may not search his garments by the light of a lamp, nor read by the light of a lamp; and these are of the halachoth stated in the upper chamber of Hananiah b. Hezekiah b. Garon. This proves that we learnt, AND THESE ARE;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the halachoth quoted are given in the previous Mishnah. ');">¹⁰</span> this proves it. Our Rabbis taught: Who wrote Megillath Ta'anith?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'The scroll of fasting', containing a list of the days on which fasting is forbidden. Thirty five days are listed; on fourteen public mourning was forbidden, whilst fasting was prohibited on all. V. J.E. VIII, 427. ');">¹¹</span>

אמר רשב"ג אף אנו מחבבין את הצרות אבל מה נעשה שאם באנו לכתוב אין אנו מספיקין

Said they, Hananiah b. Hezekiah and his companions, who cherished their troubles.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the days of victorious release from their troubles, and declared the minor festivals. ');">¹²</span> R. Simeon b. Gamaliel observed: We too cherish our troubles, but what can we do? For if we come to write [them down], we are inadequate.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Every day marks the release from some trouble. ');">¹³</span> Another reason is: a fool is not assailed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., he does not perceive the troubles which surround him. So we too do not perceive our miraculous escapes. ');">¹⁴</span>

ד"א אין שוטה נפגע

Another reason: the flesh of the dead does not feel the scalpel. But that is not so, for did not R. Isaac say, Worms are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living, for it is said, But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job XIV, 22. ');">¹⁵</span> Say: The dead flesh in a living person does not feel the scalpel. Rab Judah said in Rab's name: In truth, that man, Hananiah son of Hezekiah by name, is to be remembered for blessing:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'for good'. ');">¹⁶</span>

ד"א אין בשר המת מרגיש באיזמל איני והאמר רב יצחק קשה רימה למת כמחט בבשר החי שנא' (איוב יד, כב) אך בשרו עליו יכאב ונפשו עליו תאבל אימא אין בשר המת שבחי מרגיש באיזמל

but for him, the Book of Ezekiel would have been hidden,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The technical term for exclusion from the Canon' ');">¹⁷</span> for its words contradicted the Torah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g. Ezek. XLIV, 31; XLV, 20, q.v. ');">¹⁸</span> What did he do? Three hundred barrels of oil were taken up to him and he sat in an upper chamber and reconciled<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'expounded them'. ');">¹⁹</span>

אמר רב יהודה אמר רב ברם זכור אותו האיש לטוב וחנניה בן חזקיה שמו שאלמלא הוא נגנז ספר יחזקאל שהיו דבריו סותרין דברי תורה מה עשה העלו לו ג' מאות גרבי שמן וישב בעלייה ודרשן:

them. AND ON THAT DAY THEY ENACTED EIGHTEEN MEASURES. What are the eighteen measures? — For we learnt: The following render <i>terumah</i> unfit:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For terumah v. Glos. 'Unfit' denotes that it may not be eaten on account of defilement, but does not defile any other terumah by its contact; 'unclean' denotes that it defiles other food too by its touch. ');">²⁰</span> one who eats food of the first degree or the second degree, or who drinks unclean liquid;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Various degrees of uncleanness are distinguished. The greatest of all is that of a human corpse, called the prime origin (lit., 'father of fathers') of uncleanness; this is followed in successively decreasing stages by 'origin' (lit., 'father') of uncleanness, first, second, third and fourth degrees of uncleanness. When an object becomes unclean through contact with another, its degree of defilement is one stage below that which defiles it. By Biblical law unclean food or drink does not defile the person who cats it; but the Rabbis enacted that it does, and so he in turn renders terumah unfit by contact.-Ordinary unsanctified food (hullin) does not proceed beyond the second degree; i.e., if second degree hullin touches other hullin the latter remains clean; but if it touches terumah, it becomes a third degree. Again, terumah does not go beyond the third degree (hence it is then designated 'unfit', not 'unclean' in respect of other terumah); but if it touches flesh of sacrifices (hekdesh) it renders this unfit, and it is called 'fourth degree'. ');">²¹</span>

ושמנה עשר דבר גזרו: מאי נינהו שמנה עשר דבר דתנן אלו פוסלין את התרומה האוכל אוכל ראשון והאוכל אוכל שני והשותה משקין טמאין והבא ראשו ורובו במים שאובין וטהור שנפלו על ראשו ורובו שלשה לוגין מים שאובין והספר והידים והטבול יום והאוכלים והכלים שנטמאו במשקין

one who enters with head and the greater part of his body into drawn water;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Water which had passed through a vessel, as opposed to 'living water', i.e., well water, river water, or rain water collected in a pit. ');">²²</span> a clean person upon whose head and the greater part of his body there fell three logs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 1 log = 549.4 cu. centimetres; v. J.E. Weights and Measures. ');">²³</span> of drawn water; a Book;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Any of the Books of the Bible. ');">²⁴</span>

מאן תנא האוכל אוכל ראשון והאוכל אוכל שני מפסל פסלי טמויי

one's hands;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Before washing. ');">²⁵</span> a tebul yom;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">²⁶</span> and food or utensils which were defiled by a liquid.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All these render terumah unfit-they are all discussed in the Gemara. ');">²⁷</span> which Tanna [holds that] one who eats food of the first or of the second degree [merely] renders unfit