SHABBOS – 32a-65b 12b The Soncino Babylonian Talmud Book II Folios 32a-65b SHABBOS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH WITH NOTES B Y R A B B I D R . H. FREEDMAN, B.A., Ph.D. UNDER THE EDITORSHIP OF R A B B I D R I. EPSTEIN B.A., Ph.D., D. Lit. Reformatted by Reuven Brauner, Raanana 5771 www.613etc.com 1 SHABBOS – 32a-65b and be quit. 11 Said Mar 'Ukba, Which verse Shabbath 32a [teaches this]? If any man fall mimmenu; 12 It is from him [mimmenu] that proof must be 13 I designated you the first; 1 wherefore I brought. The School of R. Ishmael taught: commanded you concerning the first. 2 The 'If any man [hanofel] fall from thence': this soul which I placed in you is called a lamp, man was predestined to fall since the six days wherefore I commanded you concerning the of Creation, for lo! he has not [yet] fallen, lamp. 3 If ye fulfill them, 'tis well; but if not, I and the Writ [already] calls him nofel [a will take your souls. faller]. 14 But reward [zekut] is brought about through a person of merit [zakkai], and And why particularly in childbirth? — Raba punishment [hobah] through a person of- said, When the ox is fallen, sharpen the knife. guilt. 15 Abaye said, Let the bondmaid increase her rebellion: it will all be punished by the same Our Rabbis taught: if one falls sick and his rod. R. Hisda said, Leave the drunkard life is in danger, 16 he is told, Make confession, alone: he will fall of himself. Mar 'Ukba said, for all who are sentenced to death make When the shepherd is lame, and the goats are confession. When a man goes out into the fleet, at the gate of the fold are words, and in street, let him imagine that he is given in the fold there is the account. R. Papa said, At charge of an officer; 17 when he has a the gate of the shop there are many brothers headache, let him imagine that he is put in and friends; at the gate of loss4 there are irons; when he takes to bed, let him imagine neither brothers nor friends. 5 that he ascended the scaffold to be punished. For whoever ascends the scaffold to be And when are men examined? — Said Resh punished, if he has great advocates he is Lakish: When they pass over a bridge. 6 A saved, but if not he is not saved. And these bridge and nothing else? — Say, that which is are man's advocates: repentance and good similar to a bridge. Rab would not cross a deeds. And even if nine hundred and ninety- bridge where a heathen was sitting; said he, nine argue for his guilt, while one argues in Lest judgment be visited upon him, and I his favor, he is saved, for it is said, If there be beseized together with him. Samuel would with him an angel, an advocate, one among a cross a bridge only when a heathen was upon thousand, To show unto man what is right it, saying, Satan has no power over two for him; Then he is gracious unto him, and nations [simultaneously]. R. Jannai examined saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, [the bridge] and then crossed over. R. Jannai etc. 18 R. Eliezer the son of R. Jose the [acted] upon his views, for he said, A man Galilean said: Even if nine hundred and should never stand in a place of danger and ninety-nine parts of that angel are in his say that a miracle will be wrought for him, disfavor and one part is in his favor, be is lest it is not. And if a miracle is wrought for saved, for it is said, 'an advocate, one part in him, it is deducted from his merits. 7 R. Hanin a thousand'. said, Which verse [teaches this]? I am become diminished 8 by reason of all the Our Rabbis taught: For three sins women die deeds of kindness and all the truth. 9 R. Zera in childbirth. R. Eleazar said: women die would not go out among the palm-trees on a young. 19 R. Aha said, As a punishment for 20 day of the strong south wind. 10 washing their children's napkins on the Sabbath. Others say, Because they call the R. Isaac the son of Rab Judah said: Let one holy ark a chest. always pray for mercy not to fall sick; for the falls sick he is told, Show thy merits [rights] It was taught, R. Ishmael b. Eleazar said: On account of two sins 'amme ha-arez 21 die: 2 SHABBOS – 32a-65b because they call the holy ark a chest, and 20. Lit., 'excrement'. because they call a synagogue beth-'am. 22 21. Pl. of 'am ha-arez, q.v. Glos, 22. Lit., 'house of the people'-a contemptuous It was taught, R. Jose said: Three death designation. 23. Cf. n. 2.. scrutineers were created in woman; others 24. 'Death scrutineers' connotes sins which state: Three causes 23 of death: niddah , hallah , scrutinize a woman when she is in danger, sc. at and the kindling of the [Sabbath] lights. One childbirth; thus this agrees with the Rabbis, agrees with R. Eleazar, and the other with 'Causes' implies avenues to premature death, the Rabbi's. 24 thus agreeing with R. Eleazar's dictum, 'women die young'-The translation of the first follows It was taught, R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: Rashi. last.: breaches through which death enters, i.e., sins for which one is visited with 25 The laws of hekdesh, terumoth and tithes death. are indeed essential parts of the law, 25. V. Glos. 1. Jer. II, 3: Israel was holiness unto the Lord, the Shabbath 32b first-fruits of his increase. 2. Sc. the first portion of the dough, which is 1 hallah ; Num. XV, 20. and they were entrusted to the ignorant. 3. Sc. the Sabbath lights. 4. Rashi. Levi, Worterbuch s.v. [H] conjectures It was taught, R. Nathan said: A man's wife that [H] should be read instead of [H]: he dies in punishment for [his unfulfilled] vows, translates as Rashi: where there is loss. Jast.: at for it is said. If thou, hast not wherewith to the prison gate, Krauss in T.A. II, p. 699, n. 435 pay [thy vows], why should he take away thy appears to translate: at the toll-gate, and this is 2 a reference to the severity with which tolls were bed [i.e., wife]from under thee? Rabbi said, exacted. For the sin of [unfulfilled] vows one's 5. These are a series of proverbs, the general tenor children die young, for it is said, Suffer not of which is that when danger is near, one's faults thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, neither are remembered and punished. Childbirth is say thou, before the angel, that it was an dangerous, and that is when a woman is punished for her transgressions. — Mar 'Ukba's error: wherefore should God be angry at thy proverb means: the shepherd waits until the voice, and destroy the work of thine hands. 3 goats are by the gate of the fold or pen, and then What is the work of a man's hands? Say, it is rebukes and punishes them. a man's sons and daughters. 6. That involves danger, and then they are liable to be punished for their misdeeds, Our Rabbis taught: Children die as a 7. The miracle is a reward for some of his merits, punishment for [unfulfilled] vows: this is the and so he has now less to his credit. 8. I.e., I have less merit to my credit. view of R. Eleazar b. R. Simeon. R. Judah the 9. Gen, XXXII, 10. Nasi said: For the sin of neglect of Torah 10. Aruch: east wind. [study]. As for the view that it is for the sin of 11. I.e., he must prove by what merit he is entitled vows, it is well, even as we have said. But on to regain his health. 12. Deut. XXII, 8. the view that it is for the sin of neglect of 13. Of merit, that he is entitled to recover from his Torah, what verse [teaches this]? — For it is injuries. written, Have I smitten your children for 14. The lit. translation of the verse is: if the faller nought? They received no instruction! 4 R. falls. But before he starts falling he should not Nahman b. Isaac said: The view that it is for be designated the faller. 15. And this man who builds a house without a the sin of vows is also [deduced] from this: parapet is guilty therein, and he is used as the For vain [utterance] have I smitten your Divine instrument for fulfilling the other man's children, i.e., on account of vain (neglected] destiny to fall as a punishment. vows. 5 Consider: R. Judah the Nasi is 16. Lit., 'inclines to death'. identical with Rabbi, whereas Rabbi said that 17. To be bought to trial. 18. Job. XXXIII, 23f. is it for the sin of vows? — He said that after 19. For these three sins. The variants involve but a he had heard it from R. Eleazar son of R. change of vocalization in the Hebrew text. Simeon. 6 3 SHABBOS – 32a-65b R. Hiyya b. Abba and R.