Yoma

is there anything that we ourselves are unable to perform1 and our messengers can perform?2 — Rather this is what they said to him: We adjure you according to our mind and in the mind of the Beth din.3 HE TURNED ASIDE AND WEPT AND THEY TURNED ASIDE AND WEPT. He turned aside and wept because they suspected him of being a Sadducee,4 and they turned aside and wept, for R. Joshua b. Levi said: Whosoever suspects good folks will suffer [for it] on his own body.5 Why was all this [solemn adjuration] necessary? Lest he arrange the incense outside and thus bring it in, in the manner of the Sadducees.6 Our Rabbis taught: There was a Sadducee who had arranged the incense without, and then brought it inside.7 As he left he was exceedingly glad. On his coming out his father met him and said to him: My son, although we are Sadducees, we are afraid of the Pharisees. He replied: All my life was I aggrieved because of this scriptural verse: For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.8 I would say: When shall the opportunity come to my hand so that I might fulfil it.9 Now that such opportunity has come to my hand, should I not have fulfilled it? It is reported that it took only a few days until he died and was thrown on the dungheap and worms came forth from his nose. Some say: He was smitten as he came out [of the Holy of Holies]. For R. Hiyya taught: Some sort of a noise was heard in the Temple Court, for an angel had come and struck him down on his face [to the ground] and his brethren the priests came in and they found the trace as of a calf's foot on his shoulder,10 as it is written: And their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot.11 R. ZECHARIAH, THE SON OF KEBUTAL, SAID etc.: R. Hanan, the son of Raba, repeated to Hiyya, the son of Rab in the presence of Rab: R. Zechariah the son of Kefutal, whereupon Rab indicated to him with [a gesture of] the hand: [that it should be] Kebutal. Why did he not speak to him? — He was reading the Shema’.12 But is such [interruption] permitted, has not R. Isaac b. Samuel b. Martha said: He who reads the Shema’ may neither blink with his eyes, nor gesticulate with his lips, nor point with his fingers; and it has also been taught: R. Eleazar Hisma said concerning him who whilst reading the Shema’ blinks with his eyes, gesticulates with his lips or points with his fingers, Scripture has said: Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob?13 — There is no difficulty; one view refers to the first portion of the Shema’, the other to the second portion. 14 Our Rabbis have taught: And thou shalt speak of them,15 ‘of them’, but not during prayer;16 of them thou mayest speak, but not of other things.17 R. Aha said: ‘And thou shalt speak of them’, i.e. make them a regular programme, and not a casual topic. Raba said: One who engages in profane talk transgresses a positive command, for it is written: ‘And thou shalt speak of them’, ‘of them’, but not of other matters. R. Aha b. Jacob said: He transgresses against a prohibition, for it is said: All things toil to weariness; man cannot utter it.18 MISHNAH. IF HE SOUGHT TO SLUMBER, YOUNG19 PRIESTS WOULD SNAP THEIR MIDDLE FINGER20 BEFORE HIM AND SAY: SIR HIGH PRIEST, ARISE AND DRIVE THE SLEEP AWAY21 THIS ONCE ON THE PAVEMENT. THEY WOULD KEEP HIM AMUSED UNTIL THE TIME FOR THE SLAUGHTERING [OF THE DAILY MORNING OFFERING] WOULD APPROACH. GEMARA. What is ‘zeredah?’ — Rab Judah said: The rival of this one, which is it? the thumb.22 R. Huna demonstrated it and its sound could be heard in the whole academy. AND THEY WOULD SAY: SIR HIGH PRIEST, ARISE AND DRIVE THE SLEEP AWAY THIS ONCE. R. Isaac said: [Show us] something new.23 What was that? — They said to him: Show us the kidah.24 AND THEY WOULD KEEP HIM AMUSED UNTIL THE TIME FOR THE SLAUGHTERING WOULD APPROACH. A Tanna taught: They kept him amused neither with the harp nor with the lyre, but with the mouth. What were they singing? Except the Lord build a house, they labour in vain that build it.25 Some of the worthiest of Jerusalem26 did not go to sleep all the night in order that the high priest might hear the reverberating noise,27 so that sleep should not overcome him suddenly. It has been taught: Abba Saul said: Also in the country28 they used to do so29 in memory of the Temple, but they used to commit sin.30 Abaye, or, as some say, R. Nahman b. Isaac, interpreted that to refer to Nehardea. For Elijah said to Rab Judah, the brother of R. Sila the Pious: You have said: Why has not Messiah come? Now to-day is the Day of Atonement and yet how many virgins were embraced in Nehardea! He answered: What did the Holy One, blessed be He, say? — He answered: oath in the sense as understood by them. (V. Ned. 24b-25a).] so that he would enter it with the pan asmoke. Many priests were suspected of adhering to that sect, hence the necessity of that solemn adjuration that the high priest would make no change. when he would bring it to them, hence he was smitten with leprosy. But the leprosy there was neither meant as punishment, nor abiding, the verses are used illustratively rather than logically for the present purpose. (of the incense) upon the ark-cover. The whole verse, according to them is to mean: Let him not come into the holy place except with the cloud (of incense), for only thus, with the cloud, am I to be seen on the ark-cover. Hence the Sadducees’ effort to enter the Holy of Holies with the fire pan asmoke, prepared and lit outside. Holies (v. infra 52b). When he reached the threshold and his back first emerged behind the curtain, the angel who was outside the curtain struck him on his back between the shoulders and threw him down, making him fall forward into the Holy of Holies with his face to the ground. There he lay till his brother priests came and threw him out. Cf. J. Yoma, I, 5. Lauterbach J.Z. HUCA IV, p. 193.] creatures’ are identified with angels. necessary for such prayer to be properly read. Deut. VI, 6. The second portion, ibid XI, 13-22, contains no such special emphasis, hence no such restriction applies. the brood. sound), thus ‘the snapping finger’. Baneth (Mo'ed, a.l.) would connect it with ‘strideo’ (Engl. a ‘strident’ note). But since ‘makkeh’ is used for playing on a musical instrument, it may be that ‘they played before him with the snapping finger’, to keep him amused: or, cf. the Roman ‘crepitus digitorum’, it may have been a sign of command: Arise! i.e., the sound is produced with these two fingers (Jast.). this difficult performance was called the kidah-the bowing to the ground. ,usvhv hgsn I (1926) p. 74ff.]