Sotah

THEY THEN BREAK ITS NECK WITH A HATCHET FROM BEHIND. What is the reason [that it is done from behind]? — He derives it by the analogous word 'breaking' [stated] in the case of a bird brought as a sin-offering. THE SITE MAY NEVER BE SOWN OR TILLED. Our Rabbis taught: Which is neither plowed nor sown  — this refers to the past; such is the statement of R. Joshiah. R. Jonathan says: It refers to the future. Raba said: Nobody disputes as to the future since it is written: It shall not be sown;  when they differ as to the past, R. Joshiah argues, Is it written: 'And it shall not be tilled'?  And R. Jonathan argues, Is it written: 'Which has not been tilled'?  And [how does] R. Joshiah [meet R. Jonathan's argument]? — The relative pronoun 'which' must be understood of the past.  And R. Jonathan? — 'Which' is employed in an inclusive sense. BUT IT IS PERMITTED TO CARD FLAX AND CHISEL STONES THERE. Our Rabbis taught: 'Which is neither plowed nor sown' — I have here only sowing; whence is it that the other kinds of agricultural work [are prohibited]? There is a text to state, 'which is neither plowed' — i.e., [agricultural labour] in any form. If that is so, why is it stated 'nor sown'?  Its purpose is to inform us that as sowing is special since it is connected with the soil itself, so everything which is connected with the soil itself [is forbidden], to the exclusion of carding flax and chiselling stones which are not connected with the soil itself. But argue that 'which is neither plowed' is general and 'nor sown' particular, and where there is a case of general and particular, only what is in the particular is in the general — viz. sowing only [is forbidden] but nothing else! — The term 'which' is employed in an inclusive sense. THE ELDERS OF THAT CITY THEN WASH THEIR HANDS etc. Our Rabbis taught: And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.  There was no need to state, 'whose neck was broken'!  Why, then, is 'whose neck was broken' added? [It signifies], Over the place of the heifer's neck where it was broken. They then declare, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it'. But can it enter our minds that [the members of a] Court of Justice shed blood! [The meaning of their statement is], however, [The man found dead] did not come to us for help and we dismissed him without supplying him with food, we did not see him and let him go without an escort. It has been taught: R. Meir used to say: We may compel a person to escort [a traveller],  because the reward for escorting is limitless; as it is said: And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee.  It continues, And he shewed them the entrance into the city.  What was the kindness they did to him? They slew the whole of the city at the edge of the sword, but let that man and his family go. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.  It has been taught: That is the Luz in which they dye the blue;  that is the Luz against which Sennacherib marched without disturbing it,  against which Nebuchadnezzar marched without destroying it, and even the Angel of Death has no permission to pass through it, but when the old men there become tired of life  they go outside the wall and then die. For is not the matter  an a fortiori inference? If this Canaanite, who did not utter a word or walk a step,  caused deliverance to come to himself and his seed unto the end of all generations, how much more so he who performs the act of escorting by actually going with the person! How did he show them [the way]? — Hezekiah said: He just curved his mouth for them;  R. Johanan said: He pointed for them with his finger. There is a teaching in agreement with R. Johanan, viz., Because this Canaanite pointed with his finger, he caused deliverance to come to himself and his seed unto the end of all generations. R. Joshua b. Levi said: Whoever is on a journey and has no escort should occupy [his mind] with Torah;  as it is said: For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.  R. Joshua b. Levi also said: Because of the four paces with which Pharaoh accompanied Abraham, as it is said: And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him etc.,  he [was allowed to] enslave the latter's descendants for four hundred years, as it is said: And shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years.  Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Whoever accompanies his neighbour four cubits in a city will come to no harm [when on a journey]. Rabina accompanied Raba b. Isaac four cubits in a city; danger threatened him but he was saved. Our Rabbis taught: A teacher [accompanies] his pupils until the outskirts  of a city; one colleague [accompanies] another up to the Sabbath-limit;  a pupil [accompanies] his master a distance without limit.  But how far?  — R. Shesheth said: Up to a parasang. This only applies when his master is not a distinguished scholar; but should his master be a distinguished scholar [he accompanies him] three parasangs. R. Kahana once accompanied R. Shimi b. Ashi from Pum-Nahara to Be-Zinyatha.  When they arrived there, he said to him, 'Is it true what you say, that these palms of Babylon are from the time of Adam?' He answered: 'You have reminded me of something which R. Jose b. Hanina said, viz., What means that which is written: Through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?  Since no man passed through it, how could anyone dwell there, and since nobody dwelt there how could anyone pass through it! But [the meaning is], A land concerning which Adam decreed that it should be inhabited has become inhabited, and a land concerning which Adam did not so decree has not been inhabited'.  R. Mordecai accompanied R. Ashi from Hagronia  to Be-Kafi;  another version is to Be-Dura.  R. Johanan said in the name of R. Meir: Whoever does not escort others or allow himself to be escorted is as though he sheds blood; for had the men of Jericho escorted Elisha he would not have stirred up bears against the children, as it is said: And he went up from thence unto Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.  What they said to him was, 'Go up, thou who hast made this place bald for us!'  What means 'little children'?  — R. Eleazar said: Ne'arim [children] means they were bare [menu'arim] of precepts; 'little' means they were little of faith.  A Tanna taught: They were youths [ne'arim] but they behaved like little children. R. Joseph demurred to this: But perhaps they were so called after the name of the place; for is it not written: And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid,  and the question is asked by us a maid [na'arah] and little?  And R. Pedath explained: She was a little girl from a place called Ne'uran!  — In this passage her place is not specified,  but in the other their place is specified. And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord.  What did he see? — Rab said: He actually looked upon them, as it has been taught: Rabban Simeon b. Gamaliel says: Wherever the Sages set their eyes there is either death or calamity.  Samuel said: He saw that their mothers had all become conceived with them on the Day of Atonement.  R. Isaac the smith said: He saw that their hair was plaited as with Amorites.  R. Johanan said: He saw that there was no sap of the commandments in them. But perhaps there would have been such in their descendants!  — R. Eleazar said: Neither in them nor in their descendants unto the end of all generations. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.