סוכה 53

¹ A woman could sift wheat by the illumination of the place of the Water-Drawing. MEN OF PIETY AND GOOD DEEDS, etc. Our Rabbis have taught, Some of them, used to say, ‘Happy our youth that has not disgraced our old age’. These were the men of piety and good deeds. Others used to say, ‘Happy our old age which has atoned for our youth’. These were the penitents. The former and the latter, however, said, ‘Happy he who hath not sinned, but let him who hath sinned return and He will pardon him.’ It was taught, Of Hillel the Elder, It was said that when he used to rejoice at the Rejoicing at the place of the Water-Drawing, he used to recite thus, ‘If I am here, everyone is here; but if I am not here, who is here?’ He also used to recite thus, ‘To the place that I love, there My feet lead me: if thou wilt come into My House, I will come into thy house; if thou wilt not come to My House, I will not come to thy house, as it is laid, In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come unto thee and bless thee’. He moreover once saw a skull floating upon the face of the water. ‘Because’, he said to it, ‘thou didst drown others, they have drowned thee, and they that drowned thee shall be drowned too’. R. Johanan stated, A man's feet are responsible for him; they lead him to the place where he is wanted. There were once two Cushites who attended on Solomon, and these were Elihoreph and Ahyah, the sons of Shisha, scribes, of Solomon. One day Solomon observed that the Angel of Death was sad. ‘Why’, he said to him, ‘art thou sad?’ — ‘Because’, he answered him, ‘they have demanded from me the two Cushites who sit here’. [Solomon thereupon] gave them in charge of the spirits and sent them to the district of Luz. When, however, they reached the district of Luz they died. On the following day he observed that the Angel of Death was in cheerful spirits. ‘Why’, he said to him, ‘art thou cheerful?’ — ‘To the place’, the other replied, ‘where they expected them from me, thither didst thou send them!’ Solomon thereupon uttered the saying, ‘A man's feet are responsible for him; they lead him to the place where he is wanted’. It was taught: They said of R. Simeon b. Gamaliel that when he rejoiced at the Rejoicing at the place of the Water-Drawing, he used to take eight lighted torches [and throw them in the air] and catch one and throw one and they did not touch one another; and when he prostrated himself, he used to dig his two thumbs in the ground, bend down, kiss the ground, and draw himself up again, a feat which no other man could do, and this is what is meant by Kidah. Levi showed in the presence of Rabbi what Kidah is and as a result, became lame. But was this the cause of his [lameness]? Did not R. Eleazar in fact state, One should never cast reproach against Providence, for a great man cast reproach against Providence and was as a result rendered lame, and he was Levi? Both the former and the latter were the cause [of his lameness]. Levi used to juggle in the presence of Rabbi with eight knives, Samuel before King Shapur with eight glasses of wine, and Abaye before Rabbah with eight eggs or, as some say, with four eggs. It was taught: R. Joshua b. Hanania stated, When we used to rejoice at the place of the Water-Drawing, our eyes saw no sleep. How was this? The first hour [was occupied with] the daily morning sacrifice; from there [we proceeded] to prayers; from there [we proceeded] to the additional sacrifice, then the prayers to the additional sacrifice, then to the House of Study, then the eating and drinking, then the afternoon prayer, then the daily evening sacrifice, and after that the Rejoicing at the place of the Water-Drawing [all night]. But it cannot be so! For did not R. Johanan rule, He who says, ‘I take an oath not to sleep for three days’ is to be flogged and he may sleep forthwith? — The fact is that what was meant was this: ‘We did not enjoy a proper sleep’, because they dozed on one another's shoulder. FIFTEEN STEPS. R. Hisda said to a certain Rabbi who was arranging his Aggadas before him, ‘Have you heard in correspondence to what David composed his fifteen Songs of Ascent?’ — ‘Thus’, the other replied, ‘said R. Johanan: When David dug the Pits the Deep rose up and threatened to submerge the world, and David thereupon uttered the fifteen Songs of Ascent and caused its waves to subside’. But if so, [asked R. Hisda,] ought it not to be Songs of Descent, instead of Ascent? — ‘Since you have reminded me’, the other replied ‘[I may say that] it was stated thus: When David dug the Pits, the Deep arose and threatened to submerge the world. "Is there anyone", David enquired, "who knows whether it is permitted to inscribe the [Ineffable] Name^{ᵃᵇᶜᵈᵉᶠᵍʰⁱʲᵏˡᵐⁿᵒᵖᵠʳˢᵗᵘᵛʷˣʸᶻᵃᵃᵃᵇᵃᶜᵃᵈᵃᵉᵃᶠᵃᵍᵃʰ}

² upon a sherd, and cast it into the Deep that its waves should subside?" There was none who answered a word. Said David, "Whoever knows the answer and does not speak, may he be suffocated". Whereupon Ahitophel adduced an a fortiori argument to himself: "If, for the purpose of establishing harmony between man and wife, the Torah said, Let My name that was written in sanctity be blotted out by the water, how much more so may it be done in order to establish peace in the world!" He, therefore, said to him, "It is permitted!" [David] thereupon inscribed the [Ineffable] Name upon a sherd, cast it into the Deep and it subsided sixteen thousand cubits. When he saw that it had subsided to such a great extent, he said, "The nearer it is to the earth, the better the earth can be kept watered" and he uttered the fifteen Songs of Ascent and the Deep reascended fifteen thousand cubits and remained one thousand cubits [below the surface]’.’Ulla remarked, Deduce therefrom that the thickness of the earth's surface is one thousand cubits. But do we not see that one has but to dig a little for the waters to emerge? — R. Mesharsheya answered, That is due to the high level [of the source] of the Euphrates. TWO PRIESTS STOOD BY THE UPPER GATE WHICH LEADS DOWN etc. R. Jeremiah asked, [What is meant by] ‘THE TENTH STEP’? Does it mean that they descended five [of the fifteen] and stood upon the remaining ten, or rather that they descended ten and stood upon the five? — It cannot be decided. Our Rabbis taught, Since it is said, And their faces toward the east, is it not obvious that their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord? What then is the import of the statement, ‘their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord’? It teaches that they uncovered themselves and committed there a nuisance. WE ARE THE LORD'S AND OUR EYES ARE TURNED TO THE LORD etc. But can it be so? Did not R. Zera in fact rule, He who repeats Shema’, Shema’ is as though he said Modim, Modim [and he is silenced]? — The fact is that it was this that they used to say, "They worshipped the sun toward the east" but as for us we give thanks unto the Lord, and to the Lord do our eyes hope’. MISHNAH. THEY NEVER SOUNDED LESS THAN TWENTY-ONE BLASTS IN THE TEMPLE, AND NEVER MORE THAN FORTY-EIGHT. EVERY DAY THEY BLEW TWENTY-ONE BLASTS IN THE TEMPLE, THREE AT THE OPENING OF THE GATES, NINE AT THE DAILY MORNING SACRIFICE, AND NINE AT THE DAILY EVENING SACRIFICE. AT THE ADDITIONAL SACRIFICES THEY SOUNDED AN ADDITIONAL NINE; AND ON THE EVE OF THE SABBATH THEY ADDED SIX, THREE AS A SIGN TO THE PEOPLE TO CEASE FROM WORK AND THREE TO MARK A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE HOLY AND THE PROFANE. ON THE EVE OF THE SABBATH IN THE INTERMEDIATE DAYS OF THE [SUKKOTH] FESTIVAL, THERE WERE [THEREFORE] FORTY-EIGHT BLASTS, [VIZ.,] THREE AT THE OPENING OF THE GATES, THREE AT THE UPPER GATE, THREE AT THE LOWER GATE, THREE AT THE WATER-DRAWING, THREE AT THE ALTAR, NINE AT THE DAILY MORNING SACRIFICE, NINE AT THE DAILY EVENING SACRIFICE, NINE AT THE ADDITIONAL SACRIFICES, THREE AS A SIGN TO THE PEOPLE TO CEASE FROM WORK, AND THREE TO MARK A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE HOLY AND THE PROFANE. GEMARA. Our Mishnah does not agree with R. Judah, for it has been taught: R. Judah ruled, The minimum number of blasts is seven, and the maximum sixteen. What is the basic principle of their dispute? — R. Judah is of the opinion that Teki'ah, Teru'ah and Teki'ah are counted as one, and the Rabbis are of the opinion that the Teki'ah and the Teru'ah are separate and distinct notes. What is the reason of R. Judah? — Scripture says, And ye shall sound a Teki'ah Teru'ah, which clearly proves that the Teki'ah and the Teru'ah are regarded as one. And the Rabbis? — That verse is required to teach that the Teru'ah must be preceded and followed by a sustained blast. What then is the reason of the Rabbis? — Because it is written, And when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall sound a Teki'ah, but not a Teru'ah. Now if you could imagine that the Teki'ah and the Teru'ah form one note, would the Divine Law say, ‘Perform one half of the commandment, but not the other half’? And R. Judah? — That sounding was a mere signal. And the Rabbis? — It was indeed a signal, but the Divine Law made it into a commandment. Whose view is followed in that which R. Kahana stated, There must be no interval whatever between the Teki'ah and the Teru'ah? — In agreement with whose view [you ask]? In agreement with that of R. Judah. But is not this obvious?^{ᵃⁱᵃʲᵃᵏᵃˡᵃᵐᵃⁿᵃᵒᵃᵖᵃᵠᵃʳᵃˢᵃᵗᵃᵘᵃᵛᵃʷᵃˣᵃʸᵃᶻᵇᵃᵇᵇᵇᶜᵇᵈᵇᵉᵇᶠᵇᵍᵇʰᵇⁱᵇʲᵇᵏᵇˡᵇᵐᵇⁿᵇᵒᵇᵖᵇᵠᵇʳ}