Bava Batra 8a — the Talmud in English

And your breasts are like towers' ![](pamud.bmp "

Exact page location")

These are Torah scholars,

who nourish other people, like nursing from the breasts. And from this verse it is learned that Torah scholars do not require a wall.

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And Resh Lakish,

why did he not learn from this verse that Torah scholars do not require protection!?

And the Gemara answers: Resh Lakish

held

another interpretation of the verse,

as Rava expounded: '

I am a wall,'

this is the Assembly of Israel,

who fence themselves off like a wall from becoming assimilated among the nations. '

And your breasts are like towers,'

these are synagogues and houses of study.

Rav Naḥman bar Rav Ḥisda imposed a head-tax,

he imposed a poll tax also

on the rabbis.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to him: You have transgressed a Torah law, a prophetic law, and a scriptural law.

Regarding what is stated in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings.

And the Gemara explains the verses from which it is to be learned that Torah scholars do not require protection.

As for the Torah, for it is written

in the portion of “And this is the blessing,” '

Even when He loves peoples, all His holy ones are in Your hand,'

and the Gemara explains the verse:

Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the world, even at the time when You

as it were

show affection

toward

the peoples,

and give them authority over the people of Israel, even then

all His holy ones

of the people of Israel, these are the Torah scholars,

will be in Your hand,

and You will protect them. And from here: Torah scholars do not require protection!

Now the Gemara explains the continuation of the verse—

'And they shall be crushed at Your feet'

Rav Yosef taught: These are Torah scholars who wear out their feet, going from city to city and from country to country to study Torah .

And their purpose is as explained in the continuation of the verse, '

He shall receive Your utterances,'

to conduct give-and-take in the utterances of the Omnipresent .

And now the Gemara explains where it is stated in the words of the Prophets that Torah scholars do not require protection.

As for the Prophets—

for it is written [

Hosea 8]: '

Even when they appoint among the nations, now I shall gather them, and they shall begin to be diminished from the burden of a king

and princes.'

And the Gemara explains the verse—

Ulla said: This verse was stated in the Aramaic language,

and the word “appoint” written in the verse is in the sense of learning , and thus the verse is explained— '

Even when they learn'—

if they all learn,

if all Israel study Torah, then

now I shall gather them.

Soon I shall redeem them.

And if

only

a few of them

study Torah, those few

shall begin to be diminished,

they shall be exempt

from the burden

of the yoke of the taxes imposed by

the king and

the

princes.

Now the Gemara explains where it is stated in the Writings that Torah scholars do not require protection.

As for the Writings—

for it is written

in Ezra, that Darius commanded the governor of Beyond the River concerning the priests, the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and likewise concerning the netinim, who chopped wood and drew water for the altar, and all those serving in the Temple

Tribute, tax, and levy, it is not permitted to impose upon them.'

And the Gemara explains the verse:

And Rav Yehuda said: '

Tribute,'

this is the portion of tax that

the king

imposes upon the residents of the country. '

Tax,'

this is the poll tax.

A head-tax. '

And levy,'

this is arnona.

For the inhabitants of the country are required to give a tenth of their produce and of their animals every year . And Darius commanded the governor that those taxes—“it is not permitted to impose them upon them”—must not be imposed upon the members of the Great Assembly, who were occupied with building the Temple. And from here it is to be learned that one who engages in Torah study likewise may not have a tax imposed upon him .

Rav Pappa imposed

the expenses of

new digging,

the digging of new wells for the city’s drinking water also

on orphans

who were young orphans.

Rav Shisha, son of Rav Idi, said to Rav Pappa,

how can you impose these expenses upon orphans?

Perhaps

it is possible that

the water will not be found

in the wells, and it will turn out that you caused the orphans a loss for nothing; and even if they waive the claim, their waiver will not be effective, because minors are not capable of waiving claims.

He said to him,

Rav Pappa,

I take money from them,

I take the money from the orphans, and

if water is found,

water is found, then

water is found,

and it turns out that it was correct to collect money from the orphans.

And if not,

if water is not found in the well,

I will return it to them.

I will return the money to the orphans.

Rav Yehuda said: Everyone

is obligated to participate in the expenses that the inhabitants of the city incur

for closing the gates,

to set doors in the gates of the city walls, and

even orphans. But the rabbis

do not need to participate in the expenses, because the rabbis

do not require

protection,

they do not require protection.

And likewise

everyone

is obligated to participate in the expenses that the inhabitants of the city incur

for digging a well

to dig a well from which to drink water, and

even the rabbis,

since they too require water. But

we said

that the rabbis are obligated to participate

only when they do not go out with the populace,

when the inhabitants of the city themselves do not go out to dig the wells,

but when they go out with the populace,

if the inhabitants of the city themselves go out to dig the wells, then

the rabbis are not people who go out with the populace.

It is not in keeping with the honor of the rabbis to go out and dig wells, and they are exempt from this obligation.

And the Gemara now brings an incident in which it is explained that calamity comes into the world only because of the ignoramuses.

Rabbi opened

the

storehouses

of his grain

during years of famine

to support the poor .

He said: Let

those who come to take grain

masters of Scripture, masters of Mishna, masters of Gemara,

masters of halakha,

masters of Aggada enter. But let ignoramuses not enter .

Rabbi Yonatan ben Amram pushed his way in and entered,

and Rabbi did not recognize that he was Rabbi Yonatan.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yonatan to Rabbi,

“Rabbi, support me.”

He said to him,

Rabbi,

“My son,

have you

read?”

He said to him, “No.”

If so, perhaps

you have studied?

He said to him, “No.”

Rabbi said to him,

“If so,

since you have neither read nor studied,

by what,

by virtue of what merit

shall I support you?”

Rabbi Yonatan said to him,

Rabbi Yonatan,

“Support me as

the Holy One, blessed be He, supports

the dog and as

He supports

the raven.”

And Rabbi Yonatan chose specifically to say “like a dog and like a raven,” because we find special compassion that the Holy One, blessed be He, had for these creatures. For the dog does not find much food, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned its nature so that food remains in its intestines for three days and is not digested, and through this the dog remains satiated. And likewise the Holy One, blessed be He, had mercy on the raven, because the raven is cruel to its young and does not feed them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, provides them with gnats from their excrement, and they eat them.

And Rabbi accepted his arguments, and

supported him,

giving him some of the grain.

After he went out,

after Rabbi Yonatan left,

Rabbi sat and was distressed. And he said: Woe is me that I gave

from

my bread to an ignoramus!

For Rabbi did not recognize that he was Rabbi Yonatan.

Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, said before him: Perhaps he was Yonatan ben Amram, your student, who does not wish to derive benefit from the honor of Torah throughout his life,

and therefore he did not tell you that he was Rabbi Yonatan.

They examined him and found that he was.

And it was found that he indeed was Rabbi Yonatan.

Rabbi said:

If so,

let everyone enter

to take grain, including the ignoramuses, for perhaps there are Torah scholars among them who do not wish to derive benefit from the honor of Torah.

The Gemara now explains why Rabbi did not allow the ignoramuses to take from the grain.

Rabbi followed his own view,

according to his position,

for Rabbi said: Calamity comes into the world only because of ignoramuses!

For

so

Rabbi said in

that

incident in which the king’s crown was stolen, and

the money for the crown

the money for making a new crown

that they imposed on Tiberias,

they imposed upon the inhabitants of Tiberias.

They came

the inhabitants of Tiberias

before Rabbi and said to him: Let the rabbis sit with us.

We want the Torah scholars also to participate with us in paying for the crown for the king.

He said to them,

Rabbi,

“No!”

The Torah scholars do not need to participate in paying taxes.

They said to him,

If so,

we shall flee,

we shall flee from the city

[he said to them]

Rabbi,

“Flee!”

You may flee . And indeed

half of them fled

half of the inhabitants of the city fled.

After half of the inhabitants of the city fled,

he removed half,

the king waived half of the money for the crown.

They brought it before him, half of it,

the half that had remained in the city came

before Rabbi and said to him: Let the Sages contribute with us.

We want the Torah scholars also to participate with us in paying for half of the crown.

He said to them: No!

The Torah scholars do not need to participate in the payment. They said to him: If so,

we shall flee

from the city. Rabbi said to them:

Flee!

You may flee, and indeed

they all fled

from the city, and

there remained

in the city only

that launderer.

When the king’s servants saw that no one remained in the city except the launderer,

they cast it upon the launderer.

They imposed all the expenses of the crown upon the launderer.

He fled,

the

launderer.

And immediately

the crown was completely annulled.

The tax for the king’s crown was cancelled.

Rabbi said: You see that calamity comes to the world only because of the ignoramuses,

for when all the ignoramuses left, the tax was cancelled.

We learned in the Mishna:

And how much

time

shall

a person reside

in the city and be like the people of the city

to bear with them the burden of the city’s needs? Twelve months! And the Gemara raises a contradiction to this:

And we raise a contradiction,

for did we not learn thus in a beraita concerning an apostate city—

If all the people of the city served idolatry, their judgment is death, by the sword, and their property is burned. But individuals who serve idolatry are judged by stoning, and their property is not burned.

And we learned in a beraita [Sanhedrin 112a]:

The caravan of donkey-drivers and the caravan of camel-drivers,

a caravan of donkeys or of camels,

passing from place to place and lodging within it,

within the apostate city,

and were led astray with them

and served idolatry—behold,

they are liable to stoning, and their property is spared,

like the law of individuals who served idolatry. For although they were within the city, nevertheless they are not people of the city, and therefore their judgment is not like that of the people of the apostate city.

But if they remained there,

the people of the caravan,

thirty days,

they are included among the residents of the city, and therefore

they too are liable to the sword, and their property is lost,

like the law of all the people of the apostate city.

And from this beraita it is demonstrated that in order to be part of the people of the city, thirty days suffice, and twelve months are not necessary.

Rava said: It is not difficult! This

that we learned in the Mishna, that they are not called people of the city unless they resided there twelve months, is in order

to

be called

people of the city,

“people of the city.”

And

this

that we learned in the beraita, thirty days, is in order

to

be called

residents of the city, “residents of the city.” And in order to be part of an apostate city, it is not necessary to be among the people of the city; it is sufficient to be among the residents of the city, as it is stated in the verse, “the residents of that city.” This is not so with regard to becoming obligated in the city’s expenses: he must be “a person of the city,” and a person is not considered a person of the city unless he resided there twelve months.

And the Gemara adds that we already learned in a beraita this distinction between residents of the city and people of the city—

As it was taught:

One who is mudar hanaa

one who vows not to derive benefit

from the people of the city,

behold,

every

person

who remains there

in the city

twelve months is forbidden

to the one who made the vow

to derive benefit from him.

Since he resided there twelve months, he is among the people of the city, and he is included in his vow that he vowed not to derive benefit from the people of the city. But from a person who resided in the city

less than this,

than twelve months,

it is permitted

for the one who made the vow to derive benefit from him, because he is not included among the people of the city.

But if he vowed not to derive benefit

from the residents of the city,

behold,

every

person

who remains there for thirty days is forbidden

to the one who made the vow

to derive benefit from him,

because since he resided there thirty days, he is included among the residents of the city. But from a person who resided in the city

less than this,

than thirty days,

it is permitted

for the one who made the vow

to derive benefit from him,

because he is not included among the residents of the city. Thus this beraita clearly states the distinction between residents of the city, which is thirty days, and people of the city, which is twelve months.

And we ask:

And for all matters

the city’s expenses,

do we require

that he reside there

twelve months

in order to obligate him in the city’s expenses?

But was it not taught,

a person who resides

thirty days

in a city is like a person of the city

with regard

to

the charity-bowl,

from whom food for the poor is collected; and if he resided there

three months,

he is like a person of the city

with regard

to

the charity-box,

from whom money for charity is collected. And if he resided in the city

six

months, he is like the people of the city

with regard to clothing,

money is collected from him to purchase clothing for the poor. And if he resided in the city

nine

months, he is like the people of the city

with regard to burial,

money is collected from him in order to bury the poor. And if he resided in the city

twelve

months, he is like the people of the city, and is obligated

to

participate in the expenses of

the beams

wooden beams that reinforce the wall of

the city.

And this beraita makes clear that this measure of twelve months was stated only with regard to “the beams of the city,” but with regard to the other expenses, he is like the people of the city even before twelve months.

And we answer:

Rabbi Asi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: When we also learned in our Mishna,

that which we learned in the Mishna, that he is not like the people of the city unless he resided there

twelve months, with regard

to

the beams of the city we learned,

as is explained in the beraita; but with regard to other matters, he is like the people of the city before twelve months.

And Rabbi Asi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan,

from

everyone

they collect

for the expenses

of

the beams of the city,

wooden beams that reinforce the wall,

and even from orphans

and

water

[unclear: the source text here appears to contain a fragmented phrase].

But from

the

Sages they do not

collect, because

the Sages do not require protection,

they do not need guarding.

Rav Pappa said:

From everyone they collect

for the expenses

of

the wall

repair of the wall,

and for the horseman,

to pay the wage of the horseman who rides around the city to guard it,

and for the weapons-keeper,

payment for the guard of the city’s weapons, who sits in the house adjacent to the gate of the wall,

and even from orphans, but from

the

Sages

they do not collect, because the Sages

do not require protection.

They do not need guarding.

The principle of the matter—

every matter

every thing

from which they have

the orphans have

benefit,

they collect

even from orphans!

Rabba imposed

the obligation of

charity

also

upon the orphans of the house of Bar Marion,

upon the orphans of “Bar Marion,” who had been very wealthy.

Abaye said to him:

How do you impose an obligation of charity upon orphans,

but

did

Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda not teach: One does not assess charity upon orphans even for the redemption of captives?

He said to him,

Rabba,

I,

the fact that I imposed an obligation of charity upon them,

I did it in order to give them standing.

My intention was to give the orphans standing, so that they would be considered important in matters of mitzvot like their father.

Iphra Hormiz

[the name of a woman ],

the mother of Shapur

the king, sent a purse of dinars

She sent a purse with dinars

to Rav Yosef. She said: Let them be

these dinars

to

perform with them

a great mitzva.

Rav Yosef was sitting and examining it: What

is the mitzva called

“a great mitzva”?

Abaye said to him: From

what

Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda taught

one can learn what a great mitzva is, for he taught:

One does not assess charity upon orphans even for the redemption of captives,

and from the fact that he said, “even for the redemption of captives,”

conclude from this: