Eruvin

he acted wrongly.1 R. Johanan further stated: Whence is it deduced that the Holy One, blessed be He, pardoned him2 for that sin?3 From [Scripture] where it says: Tomorrow shalt thou, and thy sons be with me,4 ‘with me’5 implies: In my [celestial] division. R. Abba requested: ‘Is there anyone who would enquire of the Judeans who are exact in their language whether we learned6 me'aberin or me'aberin and whether we learned7 akuzo or ‘akuzo,8 for they would know [the correct spelling]’. When they were asked they replied: Some authorities learn me'aberin while others learn me'aberin, some learn akuzo while others learn ‘akuzo. ‘The Judeans were exact in their language’. For instance?9 — A Judean once announced that he had a cloak to sell. ‘What’, he was asked: ‘is the colour of your cloak?’ ‘Like that of beet10 on the ground’, he replied. ‘The Galileans who were not exact in their language’. For instance?9 — A11 certain Galilean once went about enquiring, ‘who has amar?’12 ‘Foolish Galilean’, they said to him, ‘do you mean an "ass" for riding, "wine" to drink, "wool" for clothing or a "lamb" for killing?’ A woman13 once wished to say to her friend, ‘Come, I would give you some fat to eat’ but that what she actually said to her was, ‘My cast-away,14 may a lioness devour you’.15 A certain woman’ once appeared before a judge and addressed him as follows: ‘My master slave,16 I had a child17 and they stole you from me,18 and it is of such a size that if they had hanged you upon it, your feet would not have reached to the ground’. 19 When Rabbi's20 maid indulged in enigmatic speech she used to say this: ‘The ladle strikes against the jar,21 let the eagles fly to their nests’;22 and when she wished them to remain at table she used to tell them, ‘The crown23 of her friend24 shall be removed and the ladle will float in the jar like a ship that sails in the sea’. R. Jose b. Asiyan, when speaking enigmatically, used to say: ‘Prepare for me a bull in judgment25 on a poor mountain’;26 and when he enquired about an inn-keeper he spoke thus: ‘The man of this raw mouth27 — what comforts does he provide?’28 R. Abbahu, when indulging in enigmatic speech, used to say this: ‘Make the coals ethrog like,29 flatten out the golden cobbles,30 and prepare for me two tellers in the dark’.31 Others read: ‘And let them prepare for me on them two tellers in the dark’. The Rabbis said to R. Abbahu: ‘Show us’ where R. Elai is hiding.32 He replied: He amused himself with an Aaronide girl, his last keen companion, and she kept him awake’.33 Some say that this referred to a woman34 and others say that it referred to a tractate. 35 They said to R. Elai: Show us32 where R. Abbahu is hiding.32 He replied: He consulted the crown-maker36 and betook himself to Mephibosheth37 in the South.38 R. Joshua b. Hananiah remarked: No one has ever had the better of me except a woman, a little boy and a little girl. What was the incident with the woman? I was once staying at an inn where the hostess served39 me with beans. On the first day I ate all of them leaving nothing. On the second day too l left nothing. On the third day she over seasoned them40 with salt, and, as soon as I tasted them, I withdrew my hand. ‘My Master’, she said to me, ‘why do you not eat?’ — ‘I have already eaten’, I replied: ‘earlier in the41 day". ‘You should then’, she said to lie, ‘have withdrawn your hand from the bread’. ‘My Master’, she continued, ‘is it possible that you left42 [the dish to-day] as compensation43 for the former42 meals, for have not the Sages laid down: Nothing43 is to be left44 in the pot45 but something must be left46 in the plate?’47 What was the incident with the little girl? I was once on a journey and, observing48 a path across a field, I made my way through it, when a little girl called out to me, ‘Master! Is not this part of the field?’ — ‘No’, I replied: ‘this is a trodden path’ — ‘Robbers like yourself’, she retorted: ‘have trodden it down’ — What was the incident with the little boy? I was once on a journey when I noticed a little boy sitting at a cross-road. ‘By what road’, I asked him, ‘do we go to the town?’ — ‘This one’, he replied: ‘is short but long and that one is long but short’. I proceeded along the ‘short but long’ road. When I approached the town I discovered that it was hedged in by gardens and orchards. Turning back I said to him, ‘My son, did you not tell me that this road was short?’ — ‘And’, he replied: ‘did I not also tell you: But long?’ I kissed him upon his head and said to him, ‘Happy are you, O Israel, all of you are wise, both young and old’. R. Jose the Galilean was once on a journey when he met Beruriah.49 ‘By what road’, he asked her, ‘do we go to Lydda?’ — ‘Foolish Galilean’, she replied: ‘did not the Sages say this: Engage not in much talk with women?50 You should have asked: By which to Lydda?’ Beruriah once discovered a student who was learning in an undertone. XXVIII, 7ff). (rnj ‘an ass’) or hamar (rnj ‘wine)’. reached to the ground. (‘raw’). (V. R. Han., Tosaf. s.v. rcd a.l.). to give blue flames)’. sounds. bristling with ‘keen’ dialectical arguments. something of pastry but not of a boiled dish].