Avodah Zarah

Come and hear: And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God!  — What is meant by the best is the price of the best.  Then why bring the best? — So that they find eager buyers. Come and hear: And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the King take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold the oxen for the burnt offering and morigim [the threshing instruments] and the furniture of the oxen for the wood.  — Said R. Nahman: Araunah was a resident alien.  What are morigim? — Said 'Ulla: It is a 'turbil bed'.  And what is a 'turbil bed'? — A 'goat with hooks' wherewith one threshes.  Said R. Joseph: What is the scriptural [evidence]? — Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument [Heb. morag] having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.  A [further] objection was raised: And the kine they offered as burnt offering unto the Lord!  — This was a special ruling for that occasion.  Common sense, indeed, proves it; for had not that been the case, how could a female be used as a burnt offering?  What difficulty does this present? We could say that it referred to a private 'high place,'  in accordance with the opinion of R. Adda b. Ahaba; for R. Adda b. Ahaba said: Whence can it be deduced that a female is fit as a burnt offering on a private high-place? From what is said in Scripture, And Samuel took one sucking lamb and offered it for a burnt offering.  [But is not] the wording, and offered him, that is to say a male! — Said R. Nahman b. Isaac: It is written, and offered her. R. Johanan said:  There are limits.  Under the age of three years [an animal] becomes mutilated,  but from the age of three years it does not become mutilated. When all the above verses were cited to him in refutation, he replied that they referred to animals under the age of three years. Come then and hear: And the kine they offered as a burnt offering unto the Lord!  — This, too, refers to those under the age of three years. To this R. Huna the son of R. Nathan strongly objected. In that case the words, and their calves they shut up at home,  [refer to those of kine] under three years; but does a cow under three years bear at all? Have we not learnt: In the case of a cow or of an ass which is three years old [the one born] certainly belongs to the priest; from that age upward this is doubtful?  — The answers given previously are therefore best. And the kine took the straight way [wa-yishsharnah] by the way to Beth-Shemesh etc.  What is the meaning of the word 'wa-yishsharnah'? — Said R. Johanan in the name of R. Meir: They rendered song. R. Zutra b. Tobiah said in the name of Rab: They directed their faces towards the Ark and rendered song.  And what did they sing? — It was stated in the name of R. Johanan on behalf of R. Meir: [The song beginning with] Then sang Moses and the Children of Israel.  R. Johanan, however, gave it as his own opinion that they sang: And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His doings among the peoples etc.  R. Simeon b. Lakish said: [They sang] the 'Orphaned' Psalm: A Psalm. O sing unto the Lord a new song, for He hath done marvellous things; His right hand, and His holy arm, hath wrought salvation for Him.  R. Eliezer said: The Lord reigneth, let the peoples tremble.  R. Samuel b. Nahmani said: The Lord reigneth; He is apparelled with majesty.  R. Isaac Nappaha said: [They sang:] R. Ashi connected this [song cited] by R. Isaac with the following: [Scripture says,] And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Lord etc.  What did the Israelites say? — Said R. Isaac: 'Sing, O sing, acacia tree, etc.' Said Rab:  What analogy is there for the Persians calling a book 'Debir'?  — This: Now the name of Debir before time was Kiriath-sepher.  R. Ashi said: What analogy is there for the Persians calling a menstruous woman 'Dashtana'? This: For the manner of woman is upon me.