כתובות 5 — Soncino English Talmud

¹Because of accounts. Said Abaye to him: And are accounts of a religious nature forbidden? Surely R. Hisda and R. Hamnuna both said: Accounts of a religious nature, one is allowed to calculate them on Sabbath; and R. Eleazar said: One may assign charity to the poor on Sabbath; and R. Jacob said [that] R. Johanan said: One may go to synagogues and to schoolhouses to watch over public affairs on Sabbath; and R. Jacob the son of Idi said [that] R. Johanan said: One may do any work to save a life on Sabbath; and R. Samuel the son of Nahmani said [that] R. Jonathan said: One may go to theatres and circuses to watch over public affairs on Sabbath; and [a scholar] of the school of Menashia taught: One may negotiate about the girls to be betrothed on Sabbath and about a boy to teach him the book and to teach him a trade? — But, said R. Zera, it has been prohibited lest he might slaughter a fowl. Said Abaye to him: But if this were so, then the Day of Atonement which fell on the second day of the week should be postponed for fear lest he might slaughter a fowl? — There, that [he has to prepare only] for himself he is not troubled [so much], [but] here, that [he has to prepare] for others, he is troubled. Or: there, he has an interval, [but] here, he has no interval. Now that you have come so far, the eve of Sabbath also is prohibited for fear lest he might slaughter a fowl. The question was asked: [Does the Mishnah mean:] A maiden is married on the fourth day [of the week], and the intercourse takes place on the fourth day, and we are not afraid that he might be pacified? Or perhaps [the meaning is] a maiden is married on the fourth day [of the week], and the intercourse takes place on the fifth day because we are afraid that he might be pacified? — Come and hear: Bar-Kappara taught: A maiden is married on the fourth day [of the week] and the intercourse takes place on the fifth day because on it [the fifth day] the blessing for the fishes was pronounced. A widow is married on the fifth day [of the week] and the intercourse takes place on the sixth day because on it [the sixth day] was pronounced the blessing for man. [We thus see that] the reason is on account of the blessing, but as to [his] being pacified we are not afraid. If so, [in the case of] a widow also the intercourse should take place on the fifth day [of the week], because on it [the fifth day] was pronounced the blessing for the fishes? — The blessing for man is better for him. Or on account of 'they have watched,' for it has been taught: Why did they say [that] a widow is married on the fifth day [of the week] and the intercourse takes place on the sixth day? Because, if you will say that the intercourse should take place on the fifth day, in the morning he will rise and go to his work; therefore the Sages watched over the welfare of the daughters of Israel that he should rejoice with her three days, [namely] on the fifth day of the week, on the eve of Sabbath and [on] Sabbath. What is the difference between 'the blessing' and 'they have watched'? The difference is this: [in the case of] a man of leisure, or [in the case] when a festival falls on the eve of Sabbath. Bar-Kappara expounded: The work of the righteous is greater than the work of heaven and earth, for in [regard to] the creation of heaven and earth it is written, Yea, My hand hath laid the foundation, of the earth, and My right hand hath spread out the heavens, while in [regard to] the work of the hands of the righteous it is written, The place which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, O Lord, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. Replied one Babylonian, and R. Hiyya [was] his name: [It is written.] And the dry land his hands formed? — It is [to be] written, 'His hand'. But it is written, they formed? — Said R. Nahman b. Isaac: 'His fingers formed,' as it is written. When I behold Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast established. An objection was raised: [It is written,] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the work of His hands the firmament shows? — Thus he said: The handiwork of the righteous, who shews [it]? The firmament. And what is it? Rain. Bar-Kappara [also] expounded: What [is the meaning of what] is written. And thou shalt have a peg among thy implements? Do not read, thy implements, but 'upon thy ear'; [this means to say] that if a man hears an unworthy thing^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ^ᵇᶜ^ᵇᵈ^ᵇᵉ^ᵇᶠ^ᵇᵍ^ᵇʰ^ᵇⁱ^ᵇʲ^ᵇᵏ^ᵇˡ^ᵇᵐ

^ᵃnote:If he will consummate the marriage in the night following the Sabbath he will give a dinner in the evening and he will make accounts (in his mind) on Sabbath as to the cost of that festive meal.
^ᵇnote:I.e., is it forbidden to make calculations for a religious purpose on Sabbath?
^ᶜnote:Lit., 'the affairs of many'.
^ᵈnote:Lit., 'one removes a person' from under debris. The meaning is: One may do any work on Sabbath to save a life.
^ᵉnote:Theatres and circuses were also places of general assemblies. in the same way public meetings were also held in synagogues and schoolhouses.
^ᶠnote:I.e., one may negotiate the betrothal of them on Sabbath.
^ᵍnote:I.e., the book, the Bible.
^ʰnote:Lit., 'a preventive measure'. To have the first intercourse in the night following the Sabbath.
^ⁱnote:Lit., 'the child of a fowl', that is a young fowl. There is also the reading [H] 'on it' i.e., on Sabbath for [H]. He would be so busy thinking of the festive meal on Sabbath night that he might forget that it was Sabbath and slaughter a fowl for the dinner in the evening.
^ʲnote:For one day; v. Rashi.
^ᵏnote:'As a preventive measure'.
^ˡnote:On Sabbath, since he would be busy thinking of the preparations for the meal on Sunday, which would be the eve of the Day of Atonement. On the eve of the Day of Atonement it is a religious duty to have a festive meal.
^ᵐnote:In the case of the Day of Atonement.
^ⁿnote:And he will not forget that it is Sabbath and he will not slaughter a fowl on Sabbath.
^ᵒnote:In the case of the wedding-feast on Sabbath night.
^ᵖnote:For the guests of the evening.
^ᵠnote:And he might forget that it is Sabbath and he might slaughter a fowl on Sabbath.
^ʳnote:Sabbath night and Sunday morning. He does not have the important meal before midday or later on the day of the eve of the Atonement Day.
^ˢnote:The wedding-dinner would take place on Sabbath night as soon as Sabbath is out.
^ᵗnote:To this result, namely that he must not perform the first intercourse in the night following the Sabbath because he might profane the Sabbath by slaughtering a fowl on Sabbath.
^ᵘnote:Friday night.
^ᵛnote:To have the first intercourse.
^ʷnote:On Friday evening, after Sabbath had already begun.
^ˣnote:Lit., 'it was asked by them'.
^ʸnote:Lit., 'cooling off to the (his) mind.' That is, if he has intercourse on Wednesday and he has reason to complain as to virginity, his anger might cool off by Thursday morning and he might not go on Thursday to the court of justice; v. supra 2a.
^ᶻnote:I.e., Wednesday evening, which belongs to the fifth day.
^ᵃᵃnote:Lit., said (by God).' Cf. Gen. I, 20-23, especially 22.
^ᵃᵇnote:Thursday evening. v. n. 13.
^ᵃᶜnote:Cf. Gen. I, 26-28, especially 28.
^ᵃᵈnote:If the reason is on account of the blessing.
^ᵃᵉnote:It means this: If the reason is the blessing, why should not intercourse, in the case of a widow, take place on the same day as the marriage, namely on the fifth day? And on the fifth day there was the blessing for the fishes. And if that blessing is good enough for a maiden it should be good enough for a widow.
^ᵃᶠnote:For Bar Kappara. He considered the blessing for man a stronger reason. In the case of a maiden it is different, as, if her intercourse should take place on Friday, we should he afraid that he might be appeased by Monday, the first court-day after Friday. 'Therefore the blessing for the fishes has to suffice in the case of the maiden.
^ᵃᵍnote:Shakedu, v. supra pp. 2 and 8. The ordinance that in the case of a widow the intercourse should take place on Friday was made in the interests of the daughters of Israel.
^ᵃʰnote:The Sages.
^ᵃⁱnote:The next morning. In case of a widow the marriage festivities last only one day. V. infra 7a bottom.
^ᵃʲnote:Lit., 'he rises unto his trade (work) and goes his way. That is, he walks out of the house and leaves the whole wedding atmosphere behind him. This had to be prevented.
^ᵃᵏnote:Lit., 'ordinance (for the welfare).'
^ᵃˡnote:With the widow-bride.
^ᵃᵐnote:The day of the marriage.
^ᵃⁿnote:Friday, the day of the intercourse.
^ᵃᵒnote:The religious day of rest.
^ᵃᵖnote:What is the difference between these two reasons?
^ᵃᵠnote:Lit., 'there is between them.'
^ᵃʳnote:Lit., 'an idle man.' 'They have watched' would not apply to a man of leisure, as he need not go to work next day. But the intercourse would have to take place on Friday if the reason was 'the blessing'.
^ᵃˢnote:In which case Friday is a religious day of rest, and he would not go to work. But the reason of 'the blessing' would still operate for intercourse on Friday.
^ᵃᵗnote:Pious men.
^ᵃᵘnote:The creation.
^ᵃᵛnote:Isa. XLVIII, 13. There 'My hand' is written.
^ᵃʷnote:Ex. XV, 17. In regard to the sanctuary, which is the work of the hands of pious men, 'Thy hands' is written.
^ᵃˣnote:I.e., objected.
^ᵃʸnote:Ps XCV, 5.
^ᵃᶻnote:[The kethib in some texts is [H] ('his hand').]
^ᵇᵃnote:[In the plural. so that the subject 'hand' must also be in the plural.]
^ᵇᵇnote:'Fingers' is implied as subject.
^ᵇᶜnote:Ps. VIII, 4.
^ᵇᵈnote:Ps. XIX, 2. [Thus we have 'hands' written also in connection with creation.]
^ᵇᵉnote:Thus the Psalmist meant.
^ᵇᶠnote:Lit., 'the work of their hands.'
^ᵇᵍnote:Who tells them, announces them?
^ᵇʰnote:Rain comes because the pious pray for it. The handiwork of the righteous is called the 'work of His hands', because in the rain the work of God and the work of the righteous meet. The rain is the work of God, but it comes as the result of the good deeds of the pious, whose prayers God fulflls.
^ᵇⁱnote:Deut. XXIII, 14.
^ᵇʲnote:[In the sense of 'render'.]
^ᵇᵏnote:From [H] 'implement, tool'.
^ᵇˡnote:As if from [H] 'ear'.
^ᵇᵐnote:Lit., 'a thing (or, a word) that is not worthy', not fit to be heard.

²he shall plug his finger into his ears. And this is the same that R. Eleazar said: Why do the fingers of man resemble pegs? Why? Shall I say because they are divided? [Surely] each one has been made for its own purpose! Our Rabbis taught: A man shall not let his ears hear idle things, because they are burnt first of [all] the organs. The question was asked: Is it allowed to perform the first marital act on Sabbath? Is the blood [in the womb] stored up, or is it the result of a wound?22 And if you will say [that] the blood is stored up [in the womb, then the question arises:] is he concerned about the blood, and it is allowed: or is he concerned ^ᵇⁿ^ᵇᵒ^ᵇᵖ^ᵇᵠ^ᵇʳ^ᵇˢ^ᵇᵗ^ᵇᵘ^ᵇᵛ^ᵇʷ^ᵇˣ^ᵇʸ

^ᵇⁿnote:The finger is pointed like a peg.
^ᵇᵒnote:Lit., 'what is the reason?' I.e., what is the meaning of the question? With regard to what are the fingers of man like pegs?
^ᵇᵖnote:I.e., shall I say that the question is: Why are the fingers divided? They might have been joined together.
^ᵇᵠnote:Lit., 'for its thing.'
^ᵇʳnote:Not only unworthy things. but even idle things a man should not hear, e.g tittle-tattle.
^ᵇˢnote:Lit., 'of the limbs.' 'Because they are burnt first of (all) the organs' seems to have a figurative meaning. From hearing unworthy or idle things he may proceed to speak unworthy or idle things and then to do unworthy or idle things. The ear is thus the first organ to 'be burnt', to 'catch fire'. c.f. Prov. VI, 27-28. If. the English phrase, 'to burn one's fingers.'
^ᵇᵗnote:Lit., 'How is it?
^ᵇᵘnote:When the intercourse could not take place before Sabbath, (Tosaf.)
^ᵇᵛnote:And the intercourse would he allowed, since the blood flows out of its own accord, no wound having been made.
^ᵇʷnote:Lit., 'or is it wounded?' And the intercourse would be forbidden.
^ᵇˣnote:Lit., 'And if you should he able to say.'
^ᵇʸnote:Is his aim to release it? Lit., 'is it the blood he requires?' [According to Tosaf.: In order to see whether she is a virgin.]