Taanit

because he has plenty of verses at his disposal.1 TWO PERSONS READ A LONG SECTION . . . AT SHAHARITH, MUSAF AND MINHAH THEY READ [THE REQUISITE] SECTION BY HEART etc. The question was raised: How is this Mishnah to be understood? [Does it mean] that at Shaharith and Musaf [the section] is read from a Scroll of the Law and at Minhah by heart in the same manner as people recite the Shema’? Or, it means this: At Shaharith it is read from a Scroll of the Law and at Musaf and Minhah by heart in the same manner as people recite the Shema’? — Come and hear: At Shaharith and Musaf they assemble in the synagogue and read [from the Scroll of the Law] in the same way as all the year round, but at Minhah an individual reads it by heart. — R. Jose asked: May then an individual read by heart in public words of the Law? It must surely be that all assemble [in the synagogue] and read it by heart in the same way as the Shema’ is recited. ON ANY DAY WHEN HALLEL WAS RECITED THERE WAS NO MA'AMAD etc. What is the difference between the one and the other?2 — The one [Minhah] is a Biblical injunction and the other [Ne'ilah] is a rabbinic institution.3 THE WOOD-FESTIVAL OF THE PRIESTS AND OF THE PEOPLE etc. Our Rabbis have taught: Why was it necessary [to fix special days for] the Wood-Festival of the Priests and of the People? It is reported that when the exiles returned [to Palestine] they found no wood in the [Temple wood] chamber and the families here mentioned came forward and offered wood of their own. The prophets amongst them thereupon made it a condition that even should at any time the chamber be full of wood they should still continue their offerings, as it is said, And we cast lots the priests, the Levites and the people, for the wood-offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses at times appointed, year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is written in the Law.4 AND WITH THEM WERE THE PRIESTS AND THE LEVITES AND ALL THOSE WHO etc. Our Rabbis have taught: What is the incident connected with the Bene Gonbe ‘Ali and the Bene Koze Kezi'oth? It is reported that once the ruling power made a decree that Israel should not bring wood to the altar, nor bring their first-fruit to Jerusalem, and placed guards on the roads as Jeroboam the son of Nebat had done to prevent Israel from going on pilgrimage. What did the pious and sin-fearing men of that generation do? They took the baskets of the first-fruit and covered them with dried figs and carried them with a pestle on their shoulders, and when they reached the guards they were asked: Whither are you going? They replied: With the pestle on our shoulders we are going to make two cakes of pressed figs in the mortar we have yonder. When they had gone away from the guard they decorated the baskets and brought them to Jerusalem.5 It has been taught: The family of Salami Netofah acted in a similar way. Our Rabbis have taught: What is the incident connected with the family of Salami Netofah? It is reported that once the ruling power decreed that Israel should not bring wood to the altar and they placed guards on the roads as Jeroboam the son of Nebat had done to prevent Israel from going on pilgrimage. What did the God-fearing men of that generation do? They took the logs of wood and made them into ladders which they carried on their shoulders and proceeded on their journey; when they reached the guards they were asked: Whither are you going? They replied: [We are going] with the ladders on our shoulders to take down young pigeons from the dovecot at a place further on. When they had gone away from the guards they dismantled [the ladders] and brought them to Jerusalem.6 And it is of them and of men like them that Scripture says, The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing;7 and of Jeroboam and his companions the verse adds, But the name of the wicked shall rot. ON THE TWENTIETH OF THE SAME MONTH THE FAMILY OF PAHATH MOAB: A Tanna taught: The sons of Pahath Moab b. Judah are identical with the sons of David the son of Judah; this is the opinion of R. Meir. R. Judah says: They are identical with the sons of Joab b. Zeraiah. ON THE TWENTIETH OF ELUL THE FAMILY OF ADIN THE SON OF JUDAH: Our Rabbis have taught: The sons of Adin the son of Judah are the same as the sons of David the son of Judah; this is the opinion of R. Judah. R. Jose says: They are the same as the sons of Joab the son of Zeraiah. ON THE FIRST OF TEBETH THE FAMILY OF PAROSH A SECOND TIME etc. With whose view does the Mishnah agree? It is neither with the view of R. Meir nor with that of R. Judah, nor with that of R. Jose. If it were in agreement with the view of R. Meir then [the Mishnah] would read, ‘the sons of David b. Judah a second time’; should it be with that of R. Judah then it should read ‘the sons of David b. Judah a second time’; if with that of R. Jose then it should read ‘the sons of Joab b. Zeraiah a second time’! — [The Mishnah actually] agrees with the view of R. Jose, but there are two Tannaim in dispute as to what R. Jose's view was.8 ON THE FIRST OF TEBETH THERE WAS NO MA'AMAD etc. Mar Kashisha the son of R. Hisda asked R. Ashi v. Meg., Sonc. ed. p. 133f. Wood-Festival cannot supersede the Ma'amad in connection with it, whereas Ne'ilah is a rabbinic institution and therefore the festive day can supersede it. (So Rashi). V. however, Tosaf. ad loc. for an alternative interpretation of the passage. the Baraitha) with that of Joab.