שבת 104:1 — Soncino English Talmud

it['s sanctity] is enhanced, for R. Hisda said: The mem and the samek which were in the Tables stood [there] by a miracle. But as for a closed letter which is written open, it['s sanctity] is diminished, for R. Jeremiah-others state, R. Hiyya b. Abba-said [The double form of] manzapak was declared by the Watchmen [prophets]. (But, is that reasonable: surely is is written, These are the commandments, [teaching] that a prophet may henceforth [i.e., after Moses] make no innovations! — Rather they were in existence, but it was not known which were [to be used] medially and which finally, and the Watchmen came and fixed [the mode of their employment]). But still, 'these are the commandments' [teaches] that a prophet may henceforth make no innovations? — Rather they had forgotten them, and they [the Watchmen] reinstituted them. It was stated above, R. Hisda said: The mem and the samek which were in the Tables stood [there] by a miracle. R. Hisda also said: The writing of the Tables could be read from within and without, e.g., nebub [hollow] would be read buban; — behar [in the mountain] [as] rahab; saru [they departed] [as] waras. The Rabbis told R. Joshua b. Levi: Children have come to the Beth Hamidrash and said things the like of which was not said even in the days of Joshua the son of Nun. [Thus:] alef Beth [means] 'learn wisdom [alef Binah]; Gimmel Daleth, show kindness to the Poor [Gemol Dallim]. Why is the foot of the Gimmel stretched toward the Daleth? Because it is fitting for the benevolent to run after [seek out] the poor. And why is the roof of the Daleth stretched out toward the Gimmel? Because he [the poor] must make himself available to him. And why is the face of the Daleth turned away from the Gimmel? Because he must give him [help] in secret, lest he be ashamed of him. He, Waw, that is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He; Zayyin, Heth, Teth, Yod, Kaf, Lamed: [this sequence teaches,] and if thou doest thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, will sustain [Zan] thee, be gracious [Hen] unto thee, show goodness [meTib] to thee, give thee a heritage [Yerushah], and bind a crown [Kether] on thee in the world to come. The open Mem and the closed Mem [denote] open teaching [Ma'amar] and closed [esoteric] teaching. The bent Nun and the straight Nun: the faithful [Ne'eman] if bent [humble], [will ultimately be] the faithful, straightened. Samek, 'ayyin: support [Semak] the poor ['aniyyim]. Another interpretation: devise ['aseh] mnemonics [Simanin] in the Torah and [thus] acquire [memorize] it. The bent pe and the straight pe [intimate] an open mouth [peh], a closed mouth. A bent zadde and a straight zadde: the righteous [zaddik] is bent [in this world]; the righteous is straightened [in the next world]. But that is identical with the faithful bent [and] the faithful straightened? — The Writ added humility to his humility; hence [we learn that] the Torah was given under great submissiveness. Kuf [stands for] Kadosh [holy]; Resh [for] Rasha' [wicked]: why is the face of the Kuf averted from, the Resh? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I cannot look at the wicked. And why is the crown of the Kuf turned toward the Resh? The Holy One, blessed be He, saith: If he repents, I will bind a crown on him like Mine. And why is the foot of the Kuf suspended? [To show] that if he repents, he can enter and be brought in [to God's favour] through this [opening]. This supports Resh Lakish, for Resh Lakish said: What is meant by, Surely he scorneth the scorners, But he giveth grace unto the lowly? If one comes to defile himself, he is given an opening; if one comes to cleanse himself, he is helped. SHin [stands for] SHeker [falsehood]; Taw [for] emeTH [truth]: why are the letters of SheKeR close together, whilst those of 'eMeTH are far apart? Falsehood is frequent, truth is rare. And why does falsehood [stand] on one foot, whilst truth has a brick-like foundation? Truth can stand, falsehood cannot stand. AT BaSh: he that rejects Me [othi Ti'ew], shall I desire [eTh'aweh] him? BaSH: he that delighteth not in Me [Bi lo haSHak], shall My Name [SHemi] rest upon him? GaR: he has defiled his body [Gufo] — shall I have mercy [arahem] upon him? DaK: he has closed My doors [Dalthothay] shall I not cut off his horns [Karnaw]? Thus far is the exegesis for the wicked, but the interpretation for the righteous is: AT BaSH: If thou are ashamed [to sin] [aTTah BoSh], then GaR DaK [i.e.,] dwell [GuR] in heaven [DoK]. HaZ WaF: there will be a barrier [HaZiZah] between thee and wrath [aF]. Za' HaS TaN: nor wilt thou tremble [miZda' aZe'a] before Satan [SaTaN]. YaM KoL: the prince of Gehenna said to the Holy One, blessed be He, Sovereign of the Universe! To the sea [YaM] let all [KoL] be consigned. But the Holy One, blessed be He, replieth, AHaS, BeTa, GiF. I [ani] spare [HaS] them, because they have spurned [Ba'aTu] sensual pleasures [GiF]. DaKaZ: they are contrite [Dakkim]; they are true [Kenim]; they are righteous [Zaddikim]. HaLaK: thou hast [LaK] no portion [HeLeK] in them. UMaRZaN SHeTH: the Gehenna cried out before Him, Sovereign of the Universe! My Lord [MaRi]! Satiate me [ZeNini] with the seed of SHeTH. [But] He retorted, aL BaM [thou hast nought in them]; GaN DaS: Whither shall I lead them? to the Garden [GaN] of myrtles [haDaS]. Ha! WaF: the Gehenna cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, Sovereign of the Universe! I am faint ['ayeF] [with hunger]. [To which He replied,] ZaZ HaK: these are the seed [Zar'o] of Isaac [YiZHaK]. TaR YeSH KaT: Wait [TaR]! I have [YeSH] whole companies [KiToth] of heathens whom I will give thee.^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

^ᵃnote:The engraving of the Tables went right through from side to side. Consequently the completely closed letters, viz., the mem and the samek, should have fallen out, and the fact that they did not was a miracle. This assumes that only the closed mem was then in use, for it is now assumed that the employment of distinct medial forms was a later innovation. Hence if one writes a closed mem instead of an open one, he enhances its sanctity, since that is the older form. This is historically correct: the present medial forms were probably introduced in order to make it possible to join them to the next letter, and since this was unnecessary in the case of final letters, they were left in their original state. V.J.E., art. Alphabet, Vol. 1, 443.
^ᵇnote:I.e., mem, nun, zadde, pe, and kaf ([H]). V. Meg., Sonc. ed., p. 8, n. 5.
^ᶜnote:Hence the open letters, dating from a later period, are less sacred.
^ᵈnote:Lev. XXVII, 34.
^ᵉnote:Even such definitive fixing, where none existed before, is held to be an innovation. Weiss, Dor, II, p. 8 maintains that this exegesis was directed against Paul's claim to abrogate the Torah.
^ᶠnote:Hence both forms are of equal sanctity.
^ᵍnote:I.e., from both sides.
^ʰnote:These words do not actually occur in the Ten Commandments written on the Tables, but are given as examples of what words might be legible backwards. For the writing would naturally appear backwards as seen from without and the letters of the words given as examples are fairly easy to read thus. Maharsha assumes that R. Hisda found some meaning in these reversed readings.
^ⁱnote:Here follows an homiletic interpretation of the names of the Hebrew letters in alphabetical order.
^ʲnote:Lit., 'the way of'.
^ᵏnote:Lit.,'foot'.
^ˡnote:And not trouble his benefactor too much, to find him.
^ᵐnote:As though with averted face.
^ⁿnote:These letters form part of the Tetragrammaton.
^ᵒnote:Such which men are forbidden to seek.
^ᵖnote:I.e., upright in the world to come. (Rashi): Jast. (s.v. [H] faithful when bent, faithful when straightened.
^ᵠnote:Cf. 'Er. 54b.
^ʳnote:The medial (bent) pe is almost closed ([H]). — 'A time to keep silence, and a time to speak' (Eccl. III, 7).
^ˢnote:Or, righteous when bent, righteous when straight: cf. n. 8.
^ᵗnote:Lit., 'bending'.
^ᵘnote:I.e., particularly emphasized the virtue of humility.
^ᵛnote:Lit., 'with bent head'
^ʷnote:The upward turn of the 'tittle' or 'dagger' on the upper line of the Kuf.
^ˣnote:Not joined to the rest of the letter.
^ʸnote:Prov. III, 34.
^ᶻnote:I.e., he is permitted, but not actively helped.
^ᵃᵃnote:The three letters of Sheker, [H] occur together; whereas the three of emeth, [H] are far apart, [H] being the first, [H] the middle, and [H] the last letters of the alphabet.
^ᵃᵇnote:I.e., Instances of truth are found only at distant intervals.
^ᵃᶜnote:I.e., each of the letters of [H] is insecurely poised on one leg ([H] was anciently written [H]) with a narrow pointed bottom) whereas those of [H] are firmly set, each resting on two ends, the [H] too resting on a horizontal bar.
^ᵃᵈnote:Here follows an interpretation of the letters coupled, the first with the last, the second with the last but one, and so on.
^ᵃᵉnote:Or the passages may be understood affirmatively: though he has rejected Me, yet shall I desire him; etc.
^ᵃᶠnote:Rashi: 'all' — i.e., including Israel; the sea, i.e., Gehenna.
^ᵃᵍnote:A combination of letters wherein the first, eighth. and fifteenth are grouped together; similarly the second, ninth and sixteenth, and so on.
^ᵃʰnote:I.e., with all, both Jews and non-Jews.
^ᵃⁱnote:I.e., of Eden, probably so called here on account of its fragrance: cf. B.B. 75a.