Menachot

when the suppression of the Torah may be the foundation of the Torah,1 for it is written, ‘Which thou didst break’: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, ‘Thou didst well to break’! 2 Resh Lakish also said, A scholar who has committed a misdeed must not be reproached3 publicly, for it is written, Therefore shalt thou stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night,4 that is to say, keep it dark,5 like night. Resh Lakish further said,6 He who forgets one word of his study transgresses a negative precept, for it is written, [Only] take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things.7 This being in accordance with the rule laid down by R. Abin in the name of R. Ila'a; for R. Abin said in the name of R. Ila'a, Wherever there occur in Holy Writ the expressions ‘take heed’,8 ‘lest’, or ‘do not’, they are negative precepts. Rabina said, [He transgresses two negative precepts for] ‘take heed’ and ‘lest’ are two negative precepts. R. Nahman b. Isaac said, [He transgresses] three [negative precepts], for it is written, ‘[Only] take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things’. One might suppose that this is so even when he forgets it through no fault of his; the text therefore states, ‘And lest they depart from thy heart’:7 Scripture thus speaks only of him who of set purpose puts them away from his heart. R. Dosethai son of R. Jannai said, One might further suppose that this is so even when his study has been too hard for him; the text therefore states, Only. 9 R. Johanan and R. Eleazar both said, The Torah was given in forty days and the soul is formed in forty days:10 whosoever keeps the Torah his soul is kept, and whosoever does not keep the Torah his soul is not kept. A Tanna of the School of R. Ishmael taught: It is like the case of a man who entrusted a swallow to the care of his servant and said to him, ‘Do you think that if you suffer it to perish I will take from you an issar11 for its value? [No,] I will take your soul from you’. MISHNAH. THERE WERE TWO TABLES INSIDE THE PORCH AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE HOUSE, THE ONE OF MARBLE12 AND THE OTHER OF GOLD. ON THE TABLE OF MARBLE THEY LAID THE SHEWBREAD WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT IN, AND ON THE TABLE OF GOLD THEY LAID THE SHEWBREAD WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT OUT, SINCE WHAT IS HOLY WE MUST RAISE [IN HONOUR] BUT NOT BRING DOWN. AND WITHIN [THE SANCTUARY] WAS A TABLE OF GOLD WHEREON THE SHEWBREAD LAY CONTINUALLY. FOUR PRIESTS ENTERED, TWO BEARING THE TWO ROWS [OF THE SHEWBREAD] IN THEIR HANDS AND TWO BEARING THE TWO DISHES [OF FRANKINCENSE] IN THEIR HANDS; AND FOUR WENT IN BEFORE THEM, TWO TO TAKE AWAY THE TWO ROWS [OF THE SHEWBREAD] AND TWO TO TAKE AWAY THE TWO DISHES [OF FRANKINCENSE]. THOSE WHO BROUGHT THEM IN STOOD AT THE NORTH SIDE WITH THEIR FACES TO THE SOUTH, AND THOSE WHO TOOK THEM AWAY STOOD AT THE SOUTH SIDE WITH THEIR FACES TO THE NORTH.13 THESE WITHDREW [THE OLD] AND THE OTHERS LAID DOWN [THE NEW], THE HANDBREADTH OF THE ONE BEING BY THE SIDE OF THE HANDBREADTH OF THE OTHER,14 FOR IT IS WRITTEN, BEFORE ME CONTINUALLY.15 R. JOSE SAYS, EVEN IF THESE [FIRST] TOOK AWAY [THE OLD] AND THE OTHERS LAID DOWN [THE NEW LATER ON], THIS TOO FULFILS THE REQUIREMENT OF CONTINUALLY’. THEY WENT AND LAID [THE OLD BREAD] ON THE TABLE OF GOLD THAT WAS IN THE PORCH. THE DISHES [OF FRANKINCENSE] WERE THEN BURNT AND THE CAKES WERE DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE PRIESTS.16 IF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT FELL ON A SABBATH THE CAKES WERE DISTRIBUTED IN THE EVENING.17 IF IT FELL ON A FRIDAY THE HE-GOAT OF THE DAY OF ATONEMENT18 WAS CONSUMED IN THE EVENING.19 THE BABYLONIAN [PRIESTS] USED TO EAT IT RAW FOR THEY WERE NOT FASTIDIOUS.20 GEMARA: It was taught: R. Jose says, Even if the old [Shewbread] was taken away in the morning and the new was set down in the evening there is no harm. How then am I to explain the verse, ‘Before me continually’? [It teaches that] the table should not remain overnight without bread. R. Ammi said, From these words of R. Jose21 we learn that even though a man learns but one chapter in the morning and one chapter in the evening he has thereby fulfilled the precept of ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth’.22 R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai, Even though a man but reads the Shema’23 morning and evening he has thereby fulfilled the precept of ‘[This book of the law] shall not depart’. It is forbidden, however, to say this in the presence of ‘amme ha-arez.24 But Raba said, It is a meritorious act to say it in the presence of amme ha-arez.25 Ben Damah the son of R. Ishmael's sister once asked R. Ishmael, May one such as I who have studied the whole of the Torah learn Greek wisdom?26 He thereupon read to him the following verse, This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.27 Go then and find a time that is neither day nor night and learn then Greek wisdom. This, however, is at variance with the view of R. Samuel b. Nahmani. For R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan, This verse is neither duty nor command but a blessing. For when the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the words of the Torah were most precious to Joshua, as it is written, His minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent,28 He said to him, ‘Joshua, since the words of the Torah are so precious to thee, [I assure thee,] ‘this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth’! A Tanna of the School of R. Ishmael taught: The words of the Torah should not be unto thee as a debt,29 neither art thou at liberty to desist from it. 30 Hezekiah said, What is the meaning of the verse, Yea, He hath allured thee out of the mouth of straits into a broad place, where there is no straitness?31 Come and see that the manner of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like that [of men] of flesh and blood. A man of flesh and blood allures another out of the ways of life into the ways of death;32 but the Holy One, blessed be He, allures man out of the ways of death into the ways of life,33 as it is written, ‘Yea, He hath allured thee out of the mouth of straits’, that is, out of Gehenna, whose mouth is narrow so that its smoke is stored up sometimes the fulfilment of the Torah and brings with it a reward (Rashi). ,rcaa(ljf) rahh. from east to west. bread. eaten during that day (i.e., on the Sabbath) and the night until midnight. under no circumstances was the time for the eating extended. was consumed by the priests. evening, that can be said to be ‘continually’. in the study of the Torah, seeing that the Scriptural precept is fulfilled by the twice daily recital of the Shema’. make thy ways prosperous and then thou shalt have good success’ (Jos. ibid.), how great shall be the reward for those that devote their whole time to the study of the Torah! that learn Greek wisdom. V. Tosaf. l.c, s.v. rurt.