Parallel
עירובין 43:2
Soncino English Talmud · Berean Standard Bible
but is forbidden to drink wine on any of the weekdays. Now, if it is granted that the law of Sabbath limits is applicable, it is quite intelligible why the man is permitted [to drink wine] on Sabbaths and festival days; but if it be contended that the law of Sabbath limits is inapplicable why [it may be asked] is it permitted [for the man to drink wine] on Sabbaths and festival days? — There the case is different since Scripture said: Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet etc. and Elijah, surely, did not come on the previous day. If so, even in the case of weekdays, [the drinking of wine] should be permitted on any day since Elijah did not come on the previous day? But the fact is that we assume that he appeared before the high court, then why should we not here also assume that he appeared before the high court? — Israel has long ago been assured that Elijah would not come either on Sabbath eves or on festival eves owing to the people's pre-occupation. Assuming that as Elijah would not come the Messiah also would not come, why should not [the drinking of wine] be permitted on a Sabbath eve? — Elijah would not, but the Messiah might come because the moment the Messiah comes all will be anxious to serve Israel. [But why should not the drinking of wine] be permissible on a Sunday? May it then be derived from this that the law of Sabbath limits is inapplicable for had it been applicable [the drinking of wine] should have been permissible on a Sunday since Elijah did not arrive on the preceding Sabbath? — That Tanna was really in doubt as to whether the law of Sabbath limits was or was not applicable, and his ruling is just a restriction. On what day, however, did the man make his vow? If it be suggested that he did it on a weekday [the difficulty would arise:] Since the naziriteship had once taken effect how could the Sabbath subsequently annul it? — The fact is that the man is assumed to have made his vow on a Sabbath or on a festival day, and it is on that day only that he is permitted [to drink wine]. Subsequently however, this is forbidden to him. ONCE [ON A SABBATH] THEY DID NOT ENTER THE HARBOUR etc. A Tanna taught: R. Gamaliel had a tube through which he could see at a distance of two thousand cubits across the land and a corresponding distance across the sea. If a man desires to ascertain the depth of a ravine let him use a tube and by looking through it be in a position to ascertain the depth of the ravine, and if he wishes to ascertain the height of a palm-tree let him measure his own height and the length of his shadow as well as that of the shadow of the tree, and he will thus ascertain the height of the palm-tree. If a man desires to prevent wild beasts from sheltering in the shadow of a grave [mound] let him insert a rod [in the ground] during the fourth hour of the day and observe in which direction its shadow inclines and then make [the mound] slope [from the ground] upwards and [from its top] downwards. Nehemiah son of R. Hanilai was [once on a Sabbath day] absorbed in an oral study and walked out beyond the Sabbath limit. ‘Your disciple Nehemiah’, said R. Hisda to R. Nahman, ‘is in distress’. ‘Draw up for him’, the other replied: ‘a wall of human beings and let him re-enter’. R. Nahman b. Isaac was sitting behind Raba while the latter sat before R. Nahman when R. Nahman b. Isaac said to Raba: What exactly was the point that R. Hisda raised? If it be suggested that we are dealing [here with a case where the distance could be] fully lined with men and that the point he raised was whether the halachah was in agreement with R. Gamaliel39
—