יומא 77 — parallel

77:1

there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. [Furthermore]: And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Now from the implication of the text: ‘And their faces toward the east’, do I not know that their backs were toward the temple of the Lord? Why then does the text state: ‘With their backs toward the temple of the Lord’? It teaches that they uncovered themselves and committed a nuisance toward that which is below. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Michael: Michael, your nation has committed sin. Michael answered: Lord of the Universe! Let the good ones among them be considered sufficient! He replied: I shall burn both them and the good ones among them! Immediately then: And he spoke unto the man clothed in linen, and said: Go in between the wheelwork, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and dash them against the city. And he went in my sight. Thereupon: And the cherub stretched forth his hand between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took thereof and put it into the hands of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out. R. Hana b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simeon the Pious: Were it not for the fact that the coals of the hand of the cherub became cold [in the process of coming] into the hands of Gabriel, there would not have been left over from the ‘enemies of Israel’ one to remain or one to escape, for it is written: And behold the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn on his side, reported, saying: ‘I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me’. R. Johanan said: In that hour Gabriel was led out behind the curtain and received forty fiery strokes, he being told: If you had not executed the command at all, well, you simply would not have executed it. But since you did execute it, why did you not do as you were commanded? Furthermore: Don't you know that: ‘One brings no report about mischief’? Thereupon Dubiel, the guardian angel of the Persians, was brought in and placed in his stead, and he officiated for twenty-one days. This is what is written: But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I was left over there beside the kings of Persia. Twenty-one provinces and the port of Mashmahig were given to him. Thereupon he said: Put down for me Israel for the polltax! They did so. Put down the Sages for the poll-tax! They did so. When they were about to sign, Gabriel came forth from behind the curtain and said: It is vain for you that ye rise early, and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of toil; so He giveth unto His beloved in sleep. (What does ‘So He giveth unto His beloved in sleep’ signify?R. Isaac said: This refers to the wives of the scholars who deny themselves sleep in this world, and acquire the world to come). No attention was paid to him. He said before Him: Lord of the Universe, if all the wise men of other nations were in one scale of the balance, and Daniel, the man of pleasant parts, in the other, would he not be found to outweigh them all? — The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Who is it that pleads the merit of my children? They replied: Lord of the Universe, it is Gabriel. He said: Let him come in, as it is written: ‘And I am come [in] because of thy words’. Having commanded that they bring him in, they brought him in. He noticed that Dubiel held the document in his hand, and he wanted to take it from him, but the former swallowed it. Some say: [The document] was written out, but not signed. Others say: It was also signed, but as he swallowed it, the signature was blotted out. Hence there are some people in the kingdom of Persia who are obliged to pay poll-tax, while others are free from it. And when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come. He cried and cried and none minded him. Or, if you like, that [abstention from] washing is considered an affliction is deducible from here. For it is written: And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: ‘Get thee to Anatoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted’. And concerning David it is written: For they said: ‘The people is hungry, and faint and thirsty in the wilderness’. ‘Hungry’ because of no bread; ‘thirsty’ because of no water; ‘faint’ because of what? Would you not say: Because of no washing? — But perhaps ‘faint’ [means] because of no sandals? — Rather said R. Isaac, [it is to be deducted] from this: As cold water to a faint soul. But perhaps it means: [Faint] from [lack of] drink? — Does Scripture read: ‘Into a faint soul’? Upon a faint soul is written! And whence is to be inferred that [abstention from wearing] sandals [is considered an affliction]? Because it is written: And David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went bare. ‘Bare’ of what? Obviously ‘of shoes’. Perhaps it means bare because without horse and whip?Rather, said R. Nahman b. Isaac, the inference comes from: Go and loose the sack-cloth from off thy loins, and put thy shoe from off thy foot, and it is written: And he did so, walking naked and bare. ‘Bare’ of what? Obviously bare of sandals. But perhaps [it means he went] in patched shoes. For, if you were not to interpret thus, ‘naked’ would also have to be explained as stark naked? Rather, must you here too explain: [naked] i.e.. in shabby garments, thus also ‘bare’ in patched sandals! — Rather, said R. Nahman b. Isaac: [It is derived] from here: Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst, i.e., withhold thyself from sin lest thy foot become unshod; withhold thy tongue from idle speech, lest thy throat become dry [faint with thirst]. Whence do we know that [abstention from] marital intercourse is considered an affliction? — Because it is written: If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, [i.e..]

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77:2

‘if thou shalt afflict’ by denying conjugal duty, ‘if thou shalt take’ refers to rivals. But say [perhaps]: Both [afflictions due] to rival women? — Does Scripture say: ‘If thou shalt take’, it reads: ‘And if thou shalt take’. But perhaps both refer to affliction through rivals; one through rivalries among them, the other through rivalries of new wives, so that [‘if thou shalt afflict’] would be the same as ‘if thou shalt take’. Does Scripture say: ‘If thou wilt take and afflict’? It reads: If thou shalt afflict and thou shalt take. R. Papa said to Abaye: But intercourse in itself is described as affliction, for it is written: And he lay with her and afflicted her? He answered: He afflicted her through other [forms of] intercourse. Our Rabbis taught: It is forbidden to wash part of the body [on the Day of Atonement], as [it is forbidden to wash] the whole body. But if one was soiled with mud or excrement, he may wash in his usual way without any fear. It is forbidden to anoint part of the body [as it is forbidden to anoint] the whole body. If, however, one was sick or had scabs on his head, he may anoint himself in his usual way without any fear. The School of R. Menasseh taught: R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: A woman may wash one of her hands in water to give bread to an infant without any fear. It was reported about the older Shammai that he would not [hand food] to be eaten even with one hand, whereupon the Rabbis decreed that he must do so with both hands. Why that? Abaye said: Because of Shibta. Our Rabbis taught: One who goes to visit his father or his teacher, or his superior, may walk through water up to his neck without any fear. They asked: How about a master who visits his disciple? — Come and hear: For R. Isaac b. Bar Hana said: I saw Ze'iri who went to R. Ashi, his disciple. R. Ashi said: That was R. Hiyya b. Ashi, who went to Ze'iri, his master. Raba permitted the people of ‘Ibar Jemina to walk through water for the purpose of guarding [fruits] the crop. Abaye said to Raba: I know a teaching that supports you [your decision]: Those who guard the crop may walk up to the neck through water without any fear. R. Joseph permitted the people of Be Tarbu to walk through the water in order to go to the lecture [of the Day of Atonement] but he did not permit them to return [in the same fashion]. Abaye said to him: If so, you will put a stumbling-block in their way for the future. Some say: He permitted them to go and to return [through water], whereupon Abaye said: Quite right [to permit them] to do so on the way to the lecture, but why the permission on their return? — Lest you put a stumbling-block in their way for the future. Rab Judah and R. Samuel son of R. Judah were standing at the bank of Nehar Papa, at the ford of Hazdad, and Rami b. Papa was standing on the other bank. He shouted across: How about going over to you to inquire about a decision of the Law? Rab Judah answered; Rab and Samuel both agree: One may come over, provided one take not one's hand out of the bosom of his shirt. Some say: It was R. Samuel, son of Rab Judah who said: We were taught, He may come over, provided he take not his hand out of the bosom of his shirt. R. Joseph demurred: But, even on a weekday is such action permitted? Does not Scripture say: He measured a thousand cubits and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles; hence we infer that it is permitted to pass through water up to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were up to the knees; hence we learn that it is permitted to pass through waters up to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and caused me to pass through waters that were to the loins; hence we know that it is permissible to pass through water up to the loins. Henceforth: Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I would not pass through. Abaye said: It is different with a river whose waters run rapidly. One might have assumed that it is permissible to swim across such a river, therefore the text reads: For the waters were risen, waters to swim in. What does ‘sahu’ mean? — ‘Swim’, for a swimmer is called ‘sayaha’. One might have assumed that it is permissible to pass through such [river] in a small Liburnian boat, therefore the text reads: Wherein, shall go no galley with oars. One might have assumed that one may cross it in a big Liburnian ship, therefore Scripture says: Neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. How does that follow from the text? — As R. Joseph interprets it: No fisher's boat goes thereon, no big boat traverses it. R. Judah b. Pazzi said: Even the Angel of Death has no permission to cross it, for here it is said: ‘Wherein shall go no galley with oars [shayit].’ and there it reads: From going [shut] to and fro in the earth. R. Phinehas in the name of R. Huna of Sepphoris said: The spring that issues from the Holy of Holies in its beginning resembles the antennae of locusts; as it reaches the entrance to the Sanctuary it becomes as the thread of the warp; as it reaches the Ulam, it becomes as the thread of the woof; as it reaches the entrance to the [Temple] court, it becomes as large as the mouth of a small flask, that is meant by what we learned: R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: [Hence] go forth the waters

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