Bava Batra 25a — the Talmud in English

The Gemara answers:

Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said—and some say, Rabbi Abba bar Zutra:

There are those who say that it was not Rabbi Abba bar Zavda who said it, but rather Rabbi Abba bar Zutra:

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it makes it dung.

For the chaff, when it falls upon the plowed field, increases manure for it, and burns the seeds that were sown in it.

Mishna:

One distances carcasses, graves, and a tannery

A processor of hides, and a bad smell comes from it,

from the city, fifty cubits.

All these must be distanced because of a bad smell.

One may establish a tannery only to the east of the city.

Because an easterly wind blows gently most of the time; therefore, it does not bring the smell to the city, whereas a westerly wind, which blows forcefully, carries the smell far away, outside the city.

Rabbi Akiva says: He may establish it in any direction except the west, and he distances it fifty cubits.

Rabbi Akiva permits establishing a tannery in any direction except on the western side.

And it is necessary to distance it fifty cubits, and the Gemara explains what it is speaking about.

And one distances soaking-pools from vegetables,

One must distance water in which flax is soaked, for it is foul, from vegetables, because it damages the vegetables.

and leeks from onions,

One must distance leeks from onions, because the leeks dispel the taste of the onions.

and mustard from bees.

Because the bees come and eat from the mustard, and since it has a sharp taste, they afterward eat from the honey, and there is thereby a loss to the owner of the bees.

And Rabbi Yose permits mustard.

And his reason is explained in the Gemara.

Gemara:

They raised a dilemma before them: What did Rabbi Akiva say?

The members of the academy were uncertain about the meaning of Rabbi Akiva’s words in the Mishna: Is the meaning of his words that

he may establish it and rely on any direction,

that it is permitted to establish the tannery adjacent to any side and he need not distance it fifty cubits,

except the west, where he distances

fifty cubits, and establishes it.

For if he wishes to establish a tannery there, he must distance it fifty cubits, and he may establish it.

Or perhaps,

or perhaps the meaning of his words is that

he may establish it in any direction and distances it fifty cubits, except the west, where he may not establish it at all,

even if he distances it fifty cubits.

Come and hear

a proof from what we learned in a beraita:

For it was taught: Rabbi Akiva says: He may establish it in any direction and distances it fifty cubits, except the west, where he may not establish it at all, because it is constant.

And it is explicit in the beraita in accordance with the second side of the dilemma.

Rava said to Rav Nahman: What is the meaning of “constant,”

what is the meaning of “constant”?

If you say it means constant among the winds,

that the westerly wind blows more constantly than the other winds,

but Rav Hanan bar Abba said that Rav said: Four winds blow every day, and the northerly wind blows with all of them, for if this were not so, the world could not exist even for one hour.

For the northerly wind blows with each of the winds, since it is gentle, sweet, and clear, and sweetens the other winds; without this, the world would not exist.

And the southerly wind is harsher than all of them. And perhaps the falcon, which supports it, destroys the world.

“The falcon” is an angel made in the form of a falcon, which supports the southerly wind so that it will not destroy the world.

As it is stated: “Does the falcon take flight by your understanding, spread its wings toward the south?”

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Job, demonstrating to him how He supervises the world: Do you possess the understanding through which you can comprehend the special supervision exercised by the Holy One, blessed be He—that the hawk, an angel in the form of a hawk, grows its wing, as expressed by the word “grows wings,” and spreads its wings toward the south to restrain the southern wind so that it will not destroy the world?

And it is demonstrated from here that the westerly wind does not blow more constantly than the other winds, since it is the northerly wind that blows constantly.

Rather, what is the meaning of “constant”? —

Constant with the Divine Presence.

For the Divine Presence is always found on the western side.

As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Come and let us hold our ancestors deserving of gratitude,

they are the members of the Great Assembly,

for they made known the place of prayer, as it is written: “And the host of heaven bows down to You.”

The members of the Great Assembly said this verse, and the host of heaven is the sun and the moon, which stand in the east and bow down to You, toward the west. And it is demonstrated from here that the Divine Presence is found on the western side.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov challenged this

he raised an objection to this,

Rav Aha bar Yaakov:

How is it demonstrated from the verse that the host of heaven bows toward the west?

Perhaps it is like a servant who receives a portion from his master, then retreats backward and bows.

It is possible that they bow toward the east, because they begin to shine in the east and receive influence there from the Holy One, blessed be He. This is similar to a servant who receives a portion from his master, then turns backward and bows while walking backward, continually moving away while bowing. So too, the host of heaven receives its portion in the east and from there continually moves away toward the west while bowing.

And if so, how can it be proved from here that the Divine Presence is in the west? It is possible that the Divine Presence is in the east!

And the conclusion of the Gemara is:

It is difficult.

Indeed, the matter remains difficult, without an answer.

And Rabbi Oshaya holds that the Divine Presence is everywhere

it is found.

As Rabbi Oshaya said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You alone are the Lord; You made the heavens,” and so on? “

You alone are the Lord”—in that

Your messengers are not like the messengers of flesh and blood

they are. For

the messengers of flesh and blood, from the place from which they are sent, there they return their mission.

When they send them from one place to go to another place, when they complete their mission, they return to the same place from which they departed, in order to say that they fulfilled their mission.

But Your messengers, to the place to which they are sent, from there they return their mission.

The messengers of the Holy One, blessed be He, return to Him from the place to which they went to fulfill their mission, to report that they fulfilled it; they do not return to the place from which they departed.

As it is stated: “Do You send forth lightning bolts, and they go, and say to You, ‘Here we are’?”

And Rabbi Oshaya derives: “

They come and say” was not stated, but rather, “they go, and say.”

That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends the lightning bolts to go and fulfill His mission, and afterward they say to Him, “Here we are,” meaning that they have fulfilled their mission. It does not say, “They will come and say,” which would mean that after completing their mission they come to the place from which they departed and say to Him, “Here we are.” Rather, it says, “They go and say.” The meaning of “they go” is that they go to fulfill their mission, and there they say, “Here we are,” meaning that we have fulfilled our mission.

This teaches

the verse

that the Divine Presence

is present

everywhere.

And therefore the messenger does not need to return to the place from which he was sent.

And Rabbi Yishmael likewise holds that the Divine Presence is everywhere. As it is stated: “Behold, the angel who speaks with me is going out, and another angel is going out to meet him.”

This verse is in the prophecy of Zechariah: the first angel came to measure Jerusalem, how long and how wide it was, and another angel came to overturn the mission of the first, for the Omnipresent had reconsidered giving Jerusalem a measure, and said: “Jerusalem shall dwell as open towns,” that is, without a boundary.

And Rabbi Yishmael derives from the wording of the verse: “And another angel goes out

after him” was not stated, but rather

“goes out

to meet him”; this teaches

the verse

that the Divine Presence is everywhere.

For both angels come on the mission of the Omnipresent, and it is written concerning the second angel that he goes out to meet the first; it is not written that he goes out after him. It is demonstrated from here that the first went out from this side, and the second went out from the other side toward him. Now both of them go out from the Divine Presence to fulfill their missions. It is demonstrated from here that the Divine Presence is everywhere; therefore, this one was sent from this side, and that one was sent from the other, opposite side.

And Rav Sheshet likewise holds

that

the Divine Presence

is found

everywhere.

For Rav Sheshet said to his attendant: Set me facing any direction, except the east.

Rav Sheshet was blind and could not see, and he told his attendant to set him to pray facing any of the three directions except the east.

And not because there is no Divine Presence there, but because the sectarians pray toward it.

Not because the Divine Presence is not in the east, but because the sectarians customarily pray toward the east, to direct themselves toward the sun.

It is demonstrated from here that Rav Sheshet holds that the Divine Presence is everywhere, since he held that it is possible to pray toward any of the directions.

And Rabbi Abbahu said that the Divine Presence is in the west, for Rabbi Abbahu said: What is the meaning of “וריה”—“אוריה,” “air of Y

H”?

In Persian, they call the west “וריה,” and Rabbi Abbahu explained that the intention is “air of YH,” that is, the air of the Divine Presence, which is there in the west.

Rav Yehuda said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He shall pour forth like rain my teaching”? This is the westerly wind, which comes from the rear of the world.

That is, Moses our teacher compared the Torah to the four winds of the world, to say: Just as it is impossible [for the world] without the four winds, so the world cannot exist without the Torah. And thus Moses said in the Song of Haazinu: “

He shall pour forth like rain my teaching”—this is the westerly wind, because the westerly wind is called everywhere “rear,” and the nape is at the rear of a person.

“My speech shall flow like dew,” this is the northerly wind, which makes gold cheap.

For the northerly wind warms and brings hot, dry weather, and rain does not fall. Because of this there is famine, since the produce does not grow, and people sell their silver and gold cheaply in order to purchase produce.

And so it says: “Those who cheapen gold from the purse.”

The language of cheapness is written concerning gold.

“Like storms upon the grass,” this is the easterly wind, which storms the entire world like a demon.

That is, a demon. And this is when it comes for calamity and does not blow in its usual manner, for then it is calm.

“And like raindrops upon the herb,” this is the southerly wind, which raises raindrops and makes grasses grow.

The southerly wind brings rain, and through this grasses grow.