שבועות 17:1 — Soncino English Talmud

Or, perhaps the tradition is that within [the Temple] tarrying is necessary, no matter whether for sacrifice or for stripes? It remains undecided. Raba queried: If he suspended himself in the air in the Temple, what is the ruling? Is the tradition that tarrying makes him liable only in the case of such tarrying as may be used for prostration, but for such tarrying which cannot be used for prostration there is no tradition [that he is liable]? Or perhaps the tradition is that within [the Temple] tarrying makes him liable, no matter whether it may be used for prostration or not? It remains undecided. R. Ashi queried: If he defiled himself wilfully, what is the ruling? For an accidental defilement there is a tradition that tarrying is necessary, but for wilful defilement there is no tradition that tarrying is necessary? Or perhaps the tradition is that within [the Temple] tarrying is necessary, no matter whether for accidental or wilful defilement? It remains undecided. R. Ashi queried: Does a Nazirite at a grave require tarrying for stripes or not? Within [the Temple] there is a tradition that tarrying is necessary, but outside there is no tradition that tarrying is necessary? Or perhaps for accidental uncleanness there is a tradition that tarrying is necessary, no matter whether inside or outside? It remains undecided. IF HE WENT OUT THE LONGER WAY, HE IS LIABLE; THE SHORTER WAY, HE IS EXEMPT, etc. Raba said: THE SHORTER WAY which they said [exempts him, implies] even [walking] heel to toe, and even the whole day. Raba queried: Can pauses be combined? — Let him solve it from his own statement! — There [he is exempt only] if he did not pause. Abaye inquired of Rabbah: If he went out the longer way in the time taken for the shorter way, what is the ruling? Is the tradition that the time taken [is the essential factor], and if he went out the longer way in the time taken for the shorter way, he is exempt; or, is the tradition definite that for the longer way he is liable, and for the shorter way he is exempt? — He said to him: [The law that for] the longer way [he is liable] was not given that it should be suspended for him. R. Zera objected strongly to this: Now, it is established with us that an unclean [priest] who officiated is punished by death. How can this be possible? If he did not tarry, how could he do the service? If he tarried, he is liable to kareth! Granted, if you would say that the tradition is that time [is the essential factor], then it is possible, if he strained himself in the shorter way, after he had done the service;18^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ

^ᵃnote:When one becomes unclean within the Temple accidentally, the punishment, whether of sacrifice or of stripes, is not inflicted, unless one tarries the period of prostration.
^ᵇnote:For example, on becoming unclean, he immediately caught hold of a rope in the ceiling, and remained suspended thus for the tarrying period.
^ᶜnote:I.e., when he is on the ground; but since he cannot prostrate himself in the air, he is not liable, even if he remains thus suspended for the period of tarrying.
^ᵈnote:If Raba's question (whether tarrying is necessary for stripes) should be decided in the affirmative, that may be because he became unclean accidentally, though he tarried wilfully; but if he became unclean wilfully, perhaps he is liable for stripes, though he does not tarry.
^ᵉnote:If a Nazirite (who must avoid defilement by the dead, Num. VI, 6) was borne aloft in the cemetery in a closed carriage (not, thereby, becoming unclean), and when there the top of the carriage was removed, thus making him unclean from the air of the cemetery; and he was warned to leave, but he remained, though not the period of tarrying, is he liable for stripes? This example is similar to that of a person entering the Temple while clean, and becoming unclean inside.
^ᶠnote:Because tarrying is measured as the duration of full prostration; this measure of duration is appropriate for the Temple, but not outside; and therefore the Nazirite is liable even if he did not tarry.
^ᵍnote:The Nazirite became unclean accidentally, and is therefore not liable unless he tarries.
^ʰnote:Taking very short steps, so that the toe of one foot touches the heel of the foot in front.
^ⁱnote:Walking out by the shorter route, he paused a while, then continued walking; then paused again; the combined moments of pausing being equal to the tarrying period. Is he liable in such case, or is he liable only when the tarrying period is one uninterrupted pause?
^ʲnote:For he holds that even if he walks very slowly, occupying the whole day, he is still exempt; though the time occupied is more than the tarrying period.
^ᵏnote:Though he occupied the whole day, he did not stop walking.
^ˡnote:He ran quickly, so that the time taken in going out the longer way was only as much as would be taken in going out the shorter way at a medium pace.
^ᵐnote:Even if he runs; hence, by the longer route he is always liable, even if he runs; by the shorter he is exempt, even if he walks slowly.
^ⁿnote:By divine intervention, ohna hshc v,hn, not by a human tribunal; the priest must have become unclean in the Temple, for, if he became unclean outside, he is liable to the punishment of kareth (which is severer than ohna hshc v,hn) for entering.
^ᵒnote:Which priestly service, however minute, could he possibly do in less time than the period of prostration?
^ᵖnote:That the periods of duration mentioned in the Mishnah are simply measurements of time: the time duration of tarrying the period of prostration, and the time duration of going out by the longer route; and that he is exempt only if he does not tarry the period of prostration and goes out the shorter route, i.e., the time he spends in the Temple must be less than the combined times of the period of prostration and that occupied in walking out the shorter route at a medium pace.
^ᵠnote:To have a case of an unclean priest officiating and tarrying the period of prostration, and yet not being liable for kareth, but for death by divine intervention.
^ʳnote:He ran out very quickly by the shorter route, so that, although he had tarried the period of prostration, the time he had spent altogether in the Temple was less than the combined times of prostration and walking out the shorter route at a medium pace.