1 and Raba bend over to one side. ON FESTIVALS FIVE READ, ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT SIX etc. Whose view does the Mishnah embody? It is neither that of R. Ishmael nor of R. Akiba, as it has been taught: ‘On festivals five read, on the Day of Atonement six, and on Sabbath seven. This number may neither be increased nor diminished. So R. Ishmael. R. Akiba says: On festivals five read, on the Day of Atonement seven and on Sabbath six. This number may not be diminished but it may be increased’. Whom [does the Mishnah follow]? If R. Ishmael, it conflicts with him over the additional number, if R. Akiba, it conflicts with him over the question of six and seven! — Raba said: The view is that of a Tanna of the school of R. Ishmael, since in the school of R. Ishmael it was stated: ‘On festivals five, on the Day of Atonement six, on Sabbath seven; this number may not be diminished but it may be increased. So R. Ishmael.’ R. Ishmael is now in conflict with himself! — Two Tannaim report R. Ishmael differently. Who is responsible for the statement which has been taught: ‘On festivals people come late to synagogue and leave early. On the Day of Atonement they come early and leave late. On Sabbath they come early and leave early’? Shall I say it is R. Akiba who makes an extra man [read on the Day of Atonement]? — You may also say it is R. Ishmael, [his reason being that] the order [of the service] of the day is very long. What do these three, five and seven represent? — Different answers were given by R. Isaac b. Nahmani and one who was with him, namely, R. Simeon b. Pazzi, or, according to others, by R. Simeon b. Pazzi and one who was with him, namely, R. Isaac b. Nahmani, or according to others, R. Samuel b. Nahmani. One said that [these represent] the [respective number of Hebrew words in the three verses of the] Priestly benedictions, while the other said ‘the three keepers of the door’. [The five represent] ‘five of them that saw the king's face’ [and the seven] ‘seven men of them that saw the king's face’. R. Joseph learnt: Three, five and seven: ‘three keepers of the door’, five of them that saw the king's face’, and ‘seven that saw the king's face’. Said Abaye to him: Until to-day your honour never explained the reason to us, he replied: I never knew that you wanted to know. Did you ever ask me anything which I did not tell you? Jacob the Min asked R. Judah: What do the six of the Day of Atonement represent? — He replied: The six who stood at the right of Ezra and the six who stood at his left, as it says, And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood which they had made for the purpose, and beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, Meshullam. But these last are seven? — Zechariah is the same as Meshullam. And why is he called Meshullam? Because he was blameless [mishlam] in his conduct. Our Rabbis taught: All are qualified to be among the seven [who read], even a minor and a woman, only the Sages said that a woman should not read in the Torah out of respect for the congregation. The question was raised: Should the Maftir be counted among the seven? — R. Huna and R. Jeremiah b. Abba answered differently. One said that he does count and the other that he does not count. The one who says he does count points to the fact that he actually reads [from the Torah also], while the one who says he does not count relies on the dictum of ‘Ulla, who said: Why is it proper for the one who reads the haftarah from the Prophet to read in the Torah first? To show respect for the Torah. Since then he reads [only] out of respect for the Torah, he should not be counted to make up the seven. The following was cited in objection to this: ‘He who says the haftarah from the Prophet should read not less than twenty-one verses, corresponding to [those read by] the seven who have read in the Torah’. Now if it is as you say, there are twenty-four? — Since it is only out of respect for the Torah [that he reads],ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐ
2 no corresponding verses [to those read by him] are required [in the prophetical reading]. Raba strongly demurred to this: There is, he said, [the haftarah of] ‘Add your burnt-offerings’ in which there are not twenty-one verses, and yet we read it! — The case is different there, because the subject is completed [before twenty-one verses]. But where the subject is not completed, do we then not [read less than twenty-one]? Has not R. Samuel b. Abba said: Many times I stood before R. Johanan, and when I had read ten verses he said, ‘Stop [both of] you’? — In a place where there is a translator it is different, since R. Tahlifa b. Samuel has taught: This rule was laid down only for a place where there is no translator, but where there is a translator a stop may be made [earlier]. MISHNAH. THE INTRODUCTION TO THE SHEMA IS NOT REPEATED, NOR DOES ONE PASS BEFORE THE ARK, NOR DO [THE PRIESTS] LIFT THEIR HANDS, NOR IS THE TORAH READ [PUBLICLY] NOR THE HAFTARAH READ FROM THE PROPHET, NOR ARE HALTS MADE [AT FUNERALS], NOR IS THE BLESSING FOR MOURNERS SAID, NOR THE COMFORT OF MOURNERS, NOR THE BLESSING OF THE BRIDEGROOMS, NOR IS THE NAME [OF GOD] MENTIONED IN THE INVITATION TO SAY GRACE, SAVE IN THE PRESENCE OF TEN. FOR REDEEMING SANCTIFIED PROPERTIES NINE AND A PRIEST [ARE SUFFICIENT], AND SIMILARLY WITH HUMAN BEINGS. GEMARA. Whence these rules? — R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan: Because Scripture says, But I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: every act of sanctification requires not less than ten. How does the verse denote this? — As R. Hiyya taught: We explain the word ‘among’ here by reference to its use in another place. It is written here, ‘But I will be hallowed among the children of Israel’, and it is written elsewhere, Separate yourselves from among this congregation; and we further explain the word ‘congregation’ here by reference to what is written in another place, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation. Just as there ten are indicated, so here. NOR ARE HALTS MADE [AT FUNERALS]. Since [the conductor of the funeral] requires to say, ‘stand, dear friends, stand; sit, dear friends, sit’, it is not proper [to have less than ten]. NOR IS THE BLESSING OF MOURNERS NOR THE BLESSING OF BRIDEGROOMS SAID etc. What is the blessing of mourners? The blessing of the public square, since R. Isaac said in the name of R. Johanan: The blessing of mourners requires the presence of ten, the mourners not being counted; the blessing of bridegrooms requires the presence of ten, the bridegroom being counted. THE NAME [OF GOD] IS NOT MENTIONED IN THE INVITATION TO SAY GRACE WITH LESS THAN TEN. Since the one who invites has to say, ‘Let us bless our God’,it is not seemly to do so with less than ten. FOR REDEEMING PROPERTIES NINE AND A PRIEST. Whence is this rule derived? — Samuel said: Ten priests are mentioned in the section [dealing with sanctifications], one for the actual priest required (and [the first] one [after] to limit), and the rest constitute a limitation after a limitation, and a limitation after a limitation has the force of an addition, to include, namely, nine Israelites and one priest. But cannot I [rather] say five priests and five Israelites? — This is indeed a difficulty. AND SIMILARLY WITH HUMAN BEINGS. But can a human being become sanctified? — R. Abbahu said: It refers to one who says, ‘My money [value] be upon me’, as it has been taught: ‘If a man says, My money [value] be upon me, we estimate his value as we would that of a slave’. And a slave is put on the same footing as landed property, as it is written, And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession. MISHNAH. ONE WHO READS THE TORAH [IN SYNAGOGUE] SHOULD READ NOT LESS THAN THREE VERSES, AND HE SHOULD NOT READ TO THE TRANSLATOR MORE THAN ONE VERSE [AT A TIME].29ⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰᵃⁱᵃʲᵃᵏᵃˡᵃᵐᵃⁿᵃᵒᵃᵖ