Bava Batra 14b (יד:) — the Talmud in English

Your answer: From this verse we learn

to include

the fragments of the Tablets

that Moses first shattered,

for

they too were

placed in the Ark

beneath the second Tablets.

The Gemara now returns to challenge Rabbi’s statement from this beraita, according to which the measure of a Torah scroll written on gevיל is six tefahim.

And if it should enter your mind

to say that

a Torah scroll

written on gevיל

has a circumference of six tefahim [and the Torah scroll that Moses wrote was written on gevיל],

there is a difficulty:

Granted,

since we have an established principle that

every

round object

whose circumference is three tefahim

meaning that if one were to take a cord and wrap it around the object, the cord would be three tefahim long—

has a width of one tefah!

The diameter of a circle is one-third of its circumference.

Accordingly, a Torah scroll whose circumference is six tefahim has a width [diameter] of two tefahim!

However, this measure of circumference and width applies when the Torah scroll is rolled to one side, in which case its circumference is six tefahim and its width is two tefahim—

And since the

Torah scroll

is rolled toward its middle,

meaning that it is rolled from both sides toward the center, as we learned above: “All scrolls are rolled from their beginning toward their end, but a Torah scroll is rolled toward its middle”—when the scroll is rolled from both sides,

it is greater than two tefahim,

its width being greater than two tefahim, because of

the space between them,

the airspace between the two rollers.

Accordingly, there is a difficulty:

with two pushaḵi

[tefahim],

how could it fit!?

How could the Torah scroll sit in the Ark within two tefahim, when its width—like that of a scroll rolled around two rollers—is necessarily greater than two tefahim?

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: The scroll

of the Torah that Moses wrote and that was read in the

Courtyard,

the scroll from which the king read at the Hakhel ceremony at the conclusion of the seventh year, and from which the High Priest also read on Yom Kippur—this scroll had only one roller, and

it was rolled toward its beginning.

This scroll was rolled entirely toward one side, from its end toward its beginning; therefore, its width was two tefahim.

And still,

there remains a difficulty: Even though the width of the scroll was two tefahim, nevertheless,

two

tefahim

within two

tefahim

how could it fit?

How could the two-tefaḥ width of the scroll fit into a space whose exact width was two tefahim?

Rav Ashi said:

In order for the scroll to fit within two tefahim, he did not roll the entire scroll toward one side. Rather, he rolled only most of it toward one side, and this refers to a case

where he rolled a little of it,

with a small portion of the scroll rolled separately.

And

that separate portion

he rolled above,

placing it on top of the roll containing most of the scroll.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And

for

Rabbi Yehuda,

who maintains that the Torah scroll was placed outside the Holy Ark, on top of the chest, there is a difficulty:

Before they brought it,

before they brought the

chest, where was the Torah scroll placed?

Where had the Torah scroll been kept?

And it answers:

A plank projected,

a wooden shelf projected

from it,

from the Ark,

and it sat upon it,

and the

Torah scroll was placed upon it.

It was explained in the beraita that Rabbi Yehuda maintains that the Torah scroll was not placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, but was placed beside it, as it is stated: “Take this Torah scroll and place it ‘beside’ the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord”—

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And Rabbi Meir,

who maintains that the Torah scroll was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant—

what does he do with this “

beside the Ark”

expression?

How does he interpret this verse, which explicitly indicates that the Torah scroll was placed “beside” the Ark of the Covenant?

The Gemara explains:

That

verse

is needed for him

to teach us

that the

Torah scroll

was placed

on the

side

of the Tablets inside the Ark,

and it was not placed between the Tablets,

and it was not placed between the two Tablets.

In any event,

the Torah scroll was placed

inside,

within the Ark,

to the side

of the Tablets.

Above, the beraita cited Rabbi Yehuda’s view, that the silver rollers made by Solomon lay inside the Ark of the Covenant.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And

for

Rabbi Meir,

who maintains that the Torah scroll was placed in the Ark,

where did the rollers stand?

Where were the silver rollers made by Solomon?

The Gemara explains: These rollers were

outside,

outside the Ark.

It was explained in the beraita that the verse “There was nothing in the Ark except the two Tablets of stone” comes to include something else that was in the Ark besides the Tablets. Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda dispute what that item was. Rabbi Meir maintains that besides the Tablets, there was a Torah scroll in the Ark. Rabbi Yehuda, however, maintains that besides the Tablets, the first

fragments of the Tablets were in the Ark.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And Rabbi Meir—from where does he know that the fragments of the Tablets were placed in the Ark?

From where does he derive this? According to his view, do we not derive from the verse only that the Torah scroll was in the Ark?

The Gemara explains:

He derives it

from Rav Huna.

As Rav Huna said: What is the meaning of that which is written [II Samuel 6:2] concerning the Ark of the Covenant: “Which is called by the Name, the Name of the Lord of Hosts, Who sits upon the cherubim”?

Why does the verse repeat the word “Name”?

It is called

the Name, the Name of the Lord of Hosts, Who sits upon the cherubim

Why does the verse repeat the word “Name”?

It teaches that the Tablets and the fragments of the Tablets were placed in the Ark.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And the other one,

Rabbi Yehuda, who derives from another verse that the fragments of the Tablets were placed in the Ark—what does he derive from this verse, in which the word “Name” appears twice?

The Gemara explains:

That

verse, “Which is called by the Name, the Name of the Lord of Hosts,”

is needed for him for the teaching of Rabbi Yoḥanan,

as he derives from it what Rabbi Yoḥanan taught—

As Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai—

The verse states that in the Ark there was “the Name, the Name of the Lord of Hosts.”

This teaches that the Name

the Explicit Name

and all its appellations,

all seventy Names of the Holy One, blessed be He, were

placed in the Ark.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And the other one,

Rabbi Meir,

also needs it for this,

as he too requires this verse to derive that the Explicit Name was in the Ark. How, then, does he derive from this verse that the fragments of the Tablets were in the Ark?

The Gemara explains:

Indeed, that is so!

Rabbi Meir too derived from this verse that the Explicit Name was in the Ark.

Rather,

the question returns:

The fragments of the Tablets

that were placed in the Ark—from where does he derive them?

This fact, that the fragments of the Tablets were in the Ark,

he derives

from what

Rav Yosef taught.

As Rav Yosef taught—

After Moses our teacher broke the Tablets, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Deuteronomy 10:1–2]: “Carve for yourself two Tablets of stone … and I will write upon the Tablets the words that were upon the first Tablets,

which you broke, and you shall place them

in the Ark.”

The words “which you broke” are superfluous, since once the Holy One, blessed be He, said “the first Tablets,” we know that the reference is to the Tablets that Moses broke. It is necessarily the case that these words were written in order to expound them—

It teaches

that the verse

the Tablets and the fragments of the Tablets were placed in the Ark.

For it says “which you broke,” and immediately afterward it says “and you shall place them in the Ark.” The Sages expounded the intent of the verse as follows: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “The Tablets that you broke—you shall place in the Ark.”

And the other one,

Rabbi Yehuda, who derives from another verse that the fragments of the Tablets were placed in the Ark, what does he expound from the words “which you broke”?

The Gemara explains:

That verse is needed for him

to derive

the teaching of Reish Lakish.

As Reish Lakish said: “

Which you broke”—

the Holy One, blessed be He, said

to Moses: May your strength be true, for you broke them!” [The Sages expounded the word “which” in the sense of “fortunate”; see note.]

The Sages expounded the word “that” in the sense of “fortunate”; see note ].

This was one of the things Moses did on his own initiative, and his judgment accorded with the judgment of the Holy One, blessed be He.

The Sages taught: The order of the Prophets

is as follows:

Joshua and Judges; Samuel and Kings; Jeremiah and Ezekiel; Isaiah and the Twelve.

Therefore, a scribe who writes the books of the Prophets must write them in this order.

The Gemara now analyzes these words of the beraita, before it has finished citing all of the beraita:

Granted,

since

Hosea preceded

some of the Prophets listed in the beraita [as will be explained below],

as it is written [Hosea 1:2]: “

The beginning of the word of the Lord through Hosea.”

Apparently, the meaning of this verse is that Hosea was the first of the Prophets, and that the beginning of the Holy One, blessed be He, speaking with the Prophets was with him—

But this cannot be the intent of the verse, because:

Was it with Hosea that He spoke

the Holy One, blessed be He,

first?

But from Moses until Hosea there were many Prophets,

all of whom prophesied before Hosea!

And

in response

Rabbi Yoḥanan

said:

The intent of the verse is to say

that

Hosea was prophesying

first among four Prophets who prophesied in the same period,

for four Prophets prophesied during that era,

and these are they: Hosea and Isaiah, Amos

and Micah.

Hosea was the first among them.

And if so, since Hosea preceded Isaiah, there is a difficulty:

Why not place Hosea first?

Why is Hosea not placed before Isaiah and Jeremiah in the order of the Prophets, who came after him?

The Gemara explains:

Since his prophecy

of Hosea is included in the book of the Twelve,

together

with the prophecies of

Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

And Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were the end

of the period of the

Prophets,

in the days of the Second Temple, and therefore their books are the last books in the Prophets.

Therefore, since the book of Hosea too is included in the Twelve [for the reason that will be explained below],

it is counted together with them.

That is, although Hosea preceded Isaiah, it was placed at the end of the books of the Prophets because his book was included in the Twelve, together with the prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who were the last of the Prophets.

But it still must be explained why the book of Hosea was included in the book of the Twelve in the first place, and therefore placed at the end of the books of the Prophets despite having preceded Isaiah.

Let them write it

the book of Hosea

by itself,

as a separate book,

and place it first!

Then it could be placed before the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah.

The Gemara explains:

Since it is small,

since the book of Hosea is small in volume, there is concern that if they write it as a separate book,

it will be lost,

and the book will disappear. Therefore, they included it in the book of the Twelve, together with all the prophecies that are small in volume.

But the Gemara raises a difficulty:

Granted,

since

Isaiah preceded Jeremiah and Ezekiel,

for Isaiah prophesied in the days of Uzziah, after him Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem in the days of Josiah and his sons, and after him Ezekiel prophesied in the exile in the days of Zedekiah.

And since Isaiah was the first of the three,

why not place Isaiah first?

Why did they not place the book of Isaiah before the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel?

The Gemara explains:

Since the

book of

Kings ends with destruction,

its conclusion deals with the destruction [the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuzaradan, chief executioner, the destruction of the city, and the exile of the people],

and

the book of

Jeremiah is entirely destruction,

dealing in its entirety with matters of destruction,

and

the book of

Ezekiel begins with destruction

and at its beginning deals with matters of destruction,

but ends with consolation,

and at its conclusion deals with matters of consolation,

and

the book of

Isaiah is entirely consolation,

dealing in its entirety with matters of consolation.

Therefore, they placed the book of Jeremiah next to the book of Kings, because

we place destruction next to destruction.

Matters of destruction should be placed together. For this reason, although Jeremiah came after Isaiah, its book was nevertheless placed before the book of Isaiah, in order to place the destruction in Jeremiah next to the destruction in the book of Kings.

For the same reason, they placed the book of Ezekiel before the book of Isaiah, despite Isaiah having preceded Ezekiel: destruction should be placed next to destruction, and the beginning of the book of Ezekiel deals with matters of destruction; it is thus connected with the book of Jeremiah, which also deals with matters of destruction—

And

after the Book of Ezekiel, the Book of Isaiah was arranged, as one should place

one consolation next to another.

For the end of the Book of Ezekiel deals with consolation, and adjacent to it is the Book of Isaiah, which deals entirely with consolation.

The Gemara now cites the continuation of the beraita, concerning the order of the Writings:

This is

the order of the Writings —

The Book of

Ruth.

For Ruth preceded them all, as she lived in the days of the Judges.

And the Book of Psalms,

which King David wrote.

And Job .

And Job .

And

after them come the three books of King Solomon—

Proverbs and Ecclesiastes ,

and

Song of Songs,

the last of Solomon’s books, which he wrote in his old age.

And

after them comes the Book of

Lamentations,

the Book of Lamentations written by Jeremiah, who lived after King Solomon.

And after it comes the Book of

Daniel,

who lived after Jeremiah, in the exile under Nebuchadnezzar.

And the Book of Esther,

which came after Daniel, in the days of Ahasuerus.

And after it comes the Book of

Ezra

which lived in the days of King Darius II, who reigned after Ahasuerus,

and Chronicles.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

But according to the one who says

who holds

that Job lived in the days of Moses,

if so,

let us place Job first!

Why was the book of Job not placed at the beginning of all the books of the Writings? According to that opinion, he was the first of them all.

The Gemara explains: Although Job preceded all the prophets, nevertheless the books of the Writings should not begin with him, because the Book of Job deals with calamity. And

we do not begin with calamity.

One must not begin the order of the Writings with matters of calamity .

The Gemara raises a difficulty: If so, why is the Book of Ruth first among the books of the Writings? Surely the Book of

Ruth is also a calamity.

It too deals with matters of calamity [the famine, the deaths of Elimelech and his two sons, the loss of his property, and so forth].

The Gemara explains: Although the Book of Ruth contains calamity, nevertheless it is

a calamity that has a favorable outcome,

for its end is good.

As Rabbi Yohanan said: Why was it called Ruth?

Because David emerged from her, and he brought delight

[from the language of satisfaction], as it were, he satisfied

the Holy One, blessed be He, with songs and praises.

The beraita now explains

who wrote each of the books of the Prophets and the Writings.

And who wrote them?

Moses wrote his book,

the Five Books of the Torah,

and

Moses also wrote the

account of Balaam,

the prophecies and parables of Balaam [although the account of Balaam is part of the Torah, and it has already been explained that Moses wrote the entire Torah, nevertheless the beraita specifies that this section too was written by Moses, for the reason that will be explained in the note ].

And

Moses also wrote the Book of

Job.

Joshua wrote his book,

the Book of Joshua,

and

he also wrote the

eight verses

at the end

of the Torah,

from the verse “And Moses died,” as explained below: It is impossible that Moses himself wrote the verse “And Moses died,” for he was still alive.

Samuel wrote his book,

the Book of Samuel,

and

he also wrote the Book of

Judges,

because the Judges preceded Samuel [who was the last of the Judges].

And

the Book of

Ruth,

which preceded him. He arose and wrote their books.

David wrote the Book of Psalms.

However, part of the book was said

through ten elders,

listed below, who recited the psalms, and David wrote them .

These are the ten elders through whom part of the Book of Psalms was said—

Through Adam the first man,

who recited Psalm 139, in which it is said: “Your eyes saw my unformed substance.” Thus Adam the first man said before the Holy One, blessed be He: When I was still an “unformed substance” and my form had not yet been completed, Your eyes saw me!

It is likewise said there: “And You placed Your palm upon me,” and the Sages expounded [Sanhedrin 38b] that Adam the first man was as tall as the distance from the earth to the heavens, and the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and reduced his stature.

Through Malki-Tzedek,

who recited Psalm 110, “Sit at My right hand,” and Malki-Tzedek recited this psalm concerning Abraham.

And through Abraham,

who recited Psalm 89, “An insightful psalm by Eitan the Ezrahite,” and Eitan the Ezrahite is Abraham, as explained below, on page 15a.

And through Moses,

who recited eleven psalms, from Psalm 90, “A prayer of Moses,” through Psalm 101, which King David recited.

And through Heman,

who recited Psalm 88, “An insightful psalm by Heman.”

And through Jeduthun,

who composed Psalms 39, 62, and 77, as it is stated in them: “For the leader; for Jeduthun.”

And through Asaph,

who is mentioned many times in Psalms.