Taanit

and on such festive days as are enumerated in the Scroll of Fasts.1 The Rabbis have taught: Let not a man say, ‘I am but a disciple and I am therefore not worthy to consider myself a yahid’, since all Disciples of the Wise are accounted yehidim. Who is a yahid? And who is a disciple? A yahid is one worthy to be appointed Leader of the Community; a disciple is one who is asked any question of halachah connected with his studies and can answer it — even though it is on a subject dealt with in the Tractate Kallah.2 Our Rabbis have taught: Not everyone desirous to consider himself a yahid may do so;3 a disciple however may do so; this is the opinion of R. Meir. R. Jose says: Anyone may do so, and may he be remembered for good, because it is not an advantage to him but a hardship. Another [Baraitha] teaches: Not everyone desirous to consider himself a yahid may do so; a disciple however may do so; this is the opinion of R. Simeon son of R. Eliezer. R. Simeon b. Gamaliel says: This only applies to things which are to his distinction4 but in things which cause him hardship any one may do so and may he be remembered for good, because it is not an advantage to him but a hardship. Our Rabbis have taught: If one fasted on account of some visitation and it passed, or for a sick person and he recovered, he should nevertheless complete his fast. If one journeys from a place where they do not fast to a place where they do, he should fast with them; from a place where they do fast to a place where they do not, he should nevertheless complete his fast. If he forgot and ate and drank let him not make it patent in public nor may he indulge in delicacies, as it is written, And Jacob said to his sons: Why should you show yourself?’5 Jacob conveyed thereby to his sons’ ‘When you are fully sated do not show yourselves either before Esau or before Ishmael that they should not envy you’. See that ye fall not out by the way. R. Eleazar said: Joseph said to his brethren, ‘Do not busy yourselves with questions of law lest the road become uncertain for you [you lose the way]’.6 Is it really so; did not R. Elia b. Berackiah say: Two scholars who are journeying on the road and they do not discuss words of Torah merit to be devoured by fire, as it written, And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them asunder?7 — [They parted asunder] only because they talked [of Torah] but if they had not talked they would have merited to be devoured by fire! — There is no contradiction. The latter case speaks of repeating one's studies, and the former of cogitation. A Tanna taught: [Joseph said to his brethren] ‘Do not take big strides and bring the sun into the city’. ‘Do not take big strides’: For a Master said: Big strides rob a man of one five-hundredth part of his eyesight. ‘And bring the sun into the city’: As Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Let a man always leave [the city by ‘daylight’,8 and enter it by ‘daylight, as it is said, As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away.9 Rab Judah said10 in the name of R. Hiyya: He who journeys on the road should not eat more than one eats in years of famine. Why? Here [in Babylonia] they explained the reason to be in order to prevent digestive troubles11 but in Palestine they said, in order [to make] his provisions last [throughout the whole journey]. What is the difference between the two [reasons]? — The difference is fasting is forbidden. The Scroll was written between 66-70 C.E. V. Zeitlin, Megillat Taanit. studied. (b) The term signifies the half-yearly assemblies in the Babylonian schools in Adar and Elul when a particular tractate was studied and the lecture sessions thrown open to all. V. Shab. 114a and commentaries ad loc.; J.E. VII, 423. and Kid., Sonc. ed. p. 247 n. 4.