Yoma

by sections.1 NICANOR EXPERIENCED MIRACLES WITH HIS DOORS: Our Rabbis taught: What miracles happened to his doors? It was reported that when Nicanor had gone to fetch doors2 from Alexandria of Egypt, on his return a gale arose in the sea to drown him. Thereupon they took one of his doors and cast it into the sea and yet the sea would not stop its rage. When, thereupon, they prepared to cast the other into the sea, he rose and clung to it, saying: ‘Cast me in with it!’ [They did so, and] the sea stopped Immediately its raging. He was deeply grieved about the other [door]. As he arrived at the harbour of Acco, it broke through and came up from under the sides of the boat. — Others say: A monster of the sea swallowed it and spat it out on the dry land Touching this, Solomon said: The beams of our houses are cedars, and our panels are berothim [cypresses].3 Do not read ‘berothim [cypresses] but ‘brith yam’,4 I.e., covenant of the sea’. — Therefore all the gates in the Sanctuary were changed for golden ones with the exception of the Nicanor gates because of the miracles wrought with them. But some say: Because the bronze of which they were made had a golden hue.5 R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: It was Corinthian bronze,6 which shone like gold. MISHNAH. AND THESE WERE MENTIONED TO THEIR SHAME: THEY OF THE HOUSE OF GARMU WOULD NOT TEACH ANYTHING ABOUT THE PREPARATION OF THE SHEWBREAD;7 THEY OF THE HOUSE OF ABTINAS WOULD NOT TEACH ANYTHING ABOUT THE PREPARATION OF THE INCENSE; HYGROS, SON [OF THE TRIBE] OF LEVI KNEW A CADENCE8 IN SONG BUT WOULD NOT TEACH IT; BEN KAMZAR WOULD NOT TEACH ANYONE HIS ART OF WRITING.9 CONCERNING THE FORMER IT IS SAID: THE MEMORY OF THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE FOR A BLESSING;10 CONCERNING THE OTHERS IT IS SAID: BUT THE NAME OF THE WICKED SHALL ROT. GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: The house of Garmu was expert in preparing the shewbread, but would not teach it — The Sages sent for specialists from Alexandria of Egypt, who knew how to bake as well as they, but they did not know how to take [the loaves] down [from the oven] as well as the former, for they were heating the oven from without and baked from within, whereas the latter heated the oven from within and baked from within [with the result] that the bread of the latter became mouldy, whereas the bread of the former did not grow mouldy. When the Sages heard that, they quoted: Everyone that is called by My name [and whom] I have created for My glory,11 and said: Let the house of Garmu return to their office. The Sages sent for them, but they would not come. Then they doubled their hire and they came. [Until now] they used to get twelve minas for the day, [from] that day, twenty-four minas. R. Judah said: [Until then] they received twenty-four minas per day, [from] that day they received forty-eight minas. The Sages said to them: What ground did you see for refusing to teach [your art]? They said to them: In our father's house they knew that this House will be destroyed, and perhaps an unworthy man would learn it and then proceed to serve an idol with it. — For the following was their memory honoured: Never was fine bread to be found in their children's hand, lest people say: These feed from the [preparation of]12 the shewbread — Thus [they endeavoured] to fulfil [the command]: Ye shall be clear before the Lord and before Israel.13 THEY OF THE HOUSE OF ABTINAS WOUld NOT TEACH ANYTHING ABOUT THE PREPARATION OF THE INCENSE. Our Rabbis taught: The house of Abtinas were expert in preparing the incense but would not teach [their art]. The Sages sent for specialists from Alexandria of Egypt, who knew how to compound incense as well as they, but did not know how to make the smoke ascend as well as they. The smoke of the former ascended [as straight] as a stick, whereas the smoke of the latter was scattered in every direction. When the Sages heard thereof, they quoted: ‘Everyone that is called by My name, I have created for My glory’,14 as it is said: The Lord hath made everything for His own purpose,15 and [said]: The house of Abtinas may return to their [wonted] place. The Sages sent for them, but they would not come. Then they doubled their hire and they came. Every day [thitherto] they would receive twelve minas, [from] that day twenty-four. The Sages said to them: What reason did you have for not teaching [your art]? They said: They knew in our father's house that this House is going to be destroyed and they said: Perhaps an unworthy man will learn [this art] and will serve an idol therewith. — And for the following reason was their memory kept in honour: Never did a bride of their house go forth perfumed and when they married a woman from elsewhere they expressly forbade her to do so lest people say: From [the preparation of] the incense they are perfuming themselves. [They did so] to fulfil the command: ‘Ye shall be clear before the Lord and before Israel.’16 It was taught: R. Ishmael said: Once I was walking on the way and I came upon one of their children's children and I said to him: Your forefathers sought to increase their glory and to reduce the glory of the Creator, now the glory of the Creator is at its wonted place, and He has reduced their glory. R. Akiba said: R. Ishmael b. Luga related to me: One day I and one of their descendants went to the field to gather herbs and I saw him crying and laughing. I said to him: ‘Why did you cry?’ He answered: ‘I recalled the glory of my ancestors’ — ‘And why did you laugh happily?’ He replied: ‘Because the Holy One, blessed be He, will restore it to us’ — ‘And what caused you to remember?’ He said: ‘There is smoke-raiser17 before me’. ‘Show it to me!’ He said to me: ‘We are bound by oath not to show it to any person’ — R. Johanan b. Nuri said: Once I came upon an old man, who had a scroll [containing prescriptions] for frankincense in his hand. I asked him: ‘Whence are you [derived]?’ He said: ‘I come from the house of Abtinas’ — ‘What have you in your hand?’ He replied: ‘A scroll [containing prescriptions] for frankincense.’ ‘Show it to me!’ He said: ‘As long as my father's house was alive they would not surrender it to any one, but now here it is, but be very careful about it — When I came and told thereof to R. Akiba he said: ‘Henceforth it is forbidden to speak of them in dispraise’ — Referring to this18 Ben ‘Azzai said: By your name you will be called, to your place you will be restored rest intimated by initial letters. V. Blau, Einleitung in die Schrift, p. 119f. [Aliter: Do not read ‘berothim’ (oh,urc) but berithim (oh,hrc), ‘covenants’, the doors having made a covenant with each other to be together. V. Rashi and D.S. a.l.] bronze. Lev. XXIV, 5-9) were very thin and fragile. Made of some four quarts of flour, they were about one half inch in thickness, some twenty-eight inches in length, some twelve inches in breadth. There were some artistic devices at the corners, which made the preparation a highly difficult art. They would be baked on Friday, often on Wednesday, to be eaten on the Sabbath of the following week, and extraordinary skill was required to keep them fresh and well-tasting. The secret of the baking and removing them, from the oven without breaking them was kept by the house of Garmu, for failure to reveal which they are branded here. The Talmud, however, adduces some mitigating reasons for this apparent niggardliness. finale, allowing for individual margins of musical ingenuity (Baneth). even when acting rightly.