Daf Ditty Yoma 73: “inuy” 1 MISHNA: On Yom Kippur, the day on which there is a mitzva by Torah law to afflict oneself, it is prohibited to engage in eating and in drinking, and in bathing, and in smearing oil on one’s body, and in wearing shoes, and in conjugal relations. However, the king, in deference to his eminence, and a new bride within thirty days of her marriage, who wishes to look especially attractive at the beginning of her relationship with her husband, may wash their faces on Yom Kippur. A woman after childbirth, who is suffering, may wear shoes because going barefoot causes her pain. This is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. The Rabbis prohibit these activities for a king, a new bride, and a woman after childbirth. The Mishna elaborates: One who eats a large date-bulk of food, equivalent to a date and its pit, or who drinks a cheekful of liquid on Yom Kippur is liable to receive the punishment of karet for failing to fulfill the mitzva to afflict oneself on Yom Kippur. All foods that one eats join together to constitute a date-bulk; and all liquids that one drinks join together to constitute a cheekful. However, if one eats and drinks, the food and beverage do not join together to constitute a measure that determines liability, as each is measured separately. § The Gemara’s initial assumption is that the mishna’s use of the word prohibited is referring to a transgression not punishable by karet. The Gemara asks: And anywhere that it teaches that 2 transgressing is punishable by karet, does it never teach using the word prohibited? Was it not taught in a baraita: Although they said the word prohibited with all of the five Yom Kippur afflictions, they said that the punishment of karet applies only to one who eats, or drinks, or performs prohibited labor. This means that the word prohibit is used with transgressions punishable by karet as well. The Gemara rejects this. This is what the baraita is saying: When they said that those five activities are prohibited, they said that only with regard to a half- measure; but a full measure is punishable by karet. And although a violation is punishable by karet, it is punishable by karet only if one eats, or drinks, or performs prohibited labor; these alone are the cases where karet is incurred. And if you wish, say instead that when it is taught in the Mishna using the language of prohibited, it is referring to the other transgressions, which do not incur karet. As Rabba and Rav Yosef taught this in other books of Rav’s school, i.e., the Sifrei, the halakhic midrash on Numbers and Deuteronomy: From where is it derived that it is prohibited to engage in bathing, and in smearing oil on one’s body, and in wearing shoes, and in having relations on Yom Kippur? The verse states: It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall 31 אל תַבַּשׁ ןוֹתָבַּשׁ איִה כָל ,םֶ נִּﬠְ ו םֶתיִ תֶא - .afflict your souls; it is a statute forever ַנ םֶכיֵתֹשְׁפ -- ,תַקֻּח .םָלוֹע ,תַקֻּח Lev 16:31 “Shabbaton”, meaning resting and refraining from certain activities. Therefore, the word prohibit is used with these activities, but they are not punishable by karet. § After clarifying the wording of the Mishna, the Gemara brings a halakhic midrash to analyze the mishna’s laws. The Sages taught: The verse states: And it shall be a statute forever unto you: in the seventh 29 טכ הָתְיָהְו ,םֶכָל תַקֻּחְל :םָלוֹע שֶׁדֹחַבּ שֶׁדֹחַבּ month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your יִﬠיִבְשַּׁה רוֹשָׂﬠֶבּ שֶׁדֹחַל וּנַּﬠְתּ תֶא - 3 souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or ,םכפתשְָׁלכו ְֵֶֹיַנ - ֲַﬠתשׂוּ אל הכ ֹ ְָָמאל -- .the stranger that sojourneth among you ָה ,ְחרזֶא רַהגְָּהו כרַבּגֵּ ְֶ.ְםכָוֹת כרַבּגֵּ רַהגְָּהו ,ְחרזֶא Lev 16:29 “And this shall be a statute to you forever: In the seventh month on the tenth day of the month you shall afflict your souls” I might have thought that one should sit in the sun or in the cold to suffer and afflict his soul; therefore the continuation of the verse states: and shall do no manner of work ,חְרֶזָהא ְרגַּהגַּהָו רבֵּ ֶ.ְםְכוֹתָכ .… ְוָכל - אלﬠתשׂוּ הכ ְָָמַאלֲֹ הכ אלﬠתשׂוּ “And you shall not do any labor, the home-born, or the stranger that lives among you” This teaches that just as prohibited labor is a mitzva that requires one to sit and do nothing, as one is commanded to refrain from action, so too, affliction of one’s soul is also a mitzva requiring one to sit and do nothing. One is not commanded to be proactive in order to afflict his soul. Rather, one must refrain from specified actions such as eating and drinking. It was taught in another baraita that as the verse states: “You shall afflict your souls” (Leviticus 16:29), I might have thought that one must sit in the sun or the cold and be uncomfortable; therefore, the continuation of the verse states: “And you shall not do any labor” (Leviticus 16:29). Just as prohibited labor is something that incurs karet in other circumstances, like Shabbat, so too, affliction relates to acts that in other circumstances incur karet. And what is that circumstance? That is referring to piggul and notar, which lead to karet if eaten, and which therefore may not be eaten on Yom Kippur. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught the following concerning the nature of Yom Kippur: The word affliction is stated here with regard to Yom Kippur, and the word affliction is stated further on in a different place, concerning the Jews in the desert: And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and 3 ג את ֶַויּלכ•א ַוְיֲַוﬠַיּרﬠב•, ְְְִֶַַנּ•,ִ - ָשׁןאַהמּ ר ֲֶ ר ָשׁןאַהמּ fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did ֹל א - ֲֶֹיב•תא: וְָיעדוּן ְָיﬠתֹּדאל ְַָ, ְַלמ ןַﬠ ןַﬠ 4 thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man דוֹה ,•ֲﬠיִ יִ כּ ֹל א לַ ﬠ - ֶםבחלַהלּ וֶֹדּיְ הְיִחַ ֶ הְיִחַ וֶֹדּיְ ֶםבחלַהלּ doth not live by bread only, but by everything that ָָםדָהא -- יִכּלﬠ ַ - ָכּל - צוֹמ ָ א ִ פ י - ְִיֶיחה ְיָהוה, ְִיֶיחה .proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live ָ.ָםדָהא Deut 8:3 “And He afflicted you and caused you to hunger” Just as further on the meaning of affliction is hunger, so too, here, the meaning of the word affliction is hunger. Summary A set of fascinating ideas today. First, the rabbis explore the differences between a High Priest and the priest who is anointed for war. Both are subject to similar prohibitions and permissions. The rabbis note that a High Priest might be offended by a lower-level priest who is adorned like a High Priest. Like the High Priest, the priest anointed for war is subject to laws regarding his hair, symbols of mourning, ritual impurity as a mourner, whom he can marry (a virgin - and his is prohibited from marrying a widow), and possibly that his death will allow the return of an accidental murderer from the city of refuge. In addition to these, the High Priest is also subject to numerous other prohibitions and obligations, including the rites of the bull for all mitzvot, the bull of Yom Kippur, the daily offering of 1/10th of an ephah, sacrificing offerings even as an acute mourner - though not eating/taking a portion from them, the right to first sacrifice, wearing eight garments, exemption from certain offerings, validating all Yom Kippur rituals, and the right to continue using this privilege once retired as a High Priest. When learning about this, Ravvi Ami and Rabbi Asi turned their faces away from their teacher. We learn from this that turning one's face away is a respectful sign of disagreement. Honour was given to all governmental leaders, even through secular and otherwise non-Jewish governments. It makes sense to me that the rabbis would wish to honour other codes of hierarchical rule. As they were establishing their own relevance and authority, similar displays of respect to other examples of hierarchical rule would only lend credence to their own supremacy. I had never before learned of the ritual of Urim Vetummim. Apparently, certain leaders (kings, commanders of war, leaders of the Jewish people) could ask the High Priest to answer one or two questions using Urim Vetummim. This ritual involved both individuals facing each other in the 5 Temple by the Ark. Following the question being asked, the High Priest would look to the breastplate for letters to stand out, light up, or otherwise come together to answer the question(s). Rabbis wondered whether small pieces of paper were used behind the breast plate. They also go to great difficultly proving that all letters of the Hebrew aleph-bet were represented on the breast plate. And they agreed that a rabbi who did not have the 'Divine Spirit'; who could not see the answers, was fit to be removed from the High Priesthood. Unless there was some kind of magic being used that I am unaware of, that means that any rabbi who was honest and reported that he did not see an answer in the breastplate was denied a very special status. Makes me think of the ritual facing the sota. Also makes me think of the Monty Python sketch where a woman is accused of being a witch through logic that includes comparing her to a duck and thinking of things that burn.