Berakhot 20a (כ.) — the Talmud in English

But he does become impure for a met mitzva,

for there is no one to bury it, since this is “human dignity,” and it overrides the Torah prohibition, “He shall not enter where there is a dead body.”

According to your statement, this is difficult:

Why? Let us say: “There is neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord.”

The Gemara answers:

That case is different,

with regard to the obligation to become impure for a met mitzva,

as it is written: “And for his sister,”

to teach that the mitzva is overridden for the sake of his dignity.

The Gemara raises an objection:

Then let us derive from it,

from “and for his sister,” that human dignity overrides a Torah prohibition even with regard to kilayim, so that one would not be required to remove them in the marketplace.

The Gemara answers:

Refraining from action is different.

The Paschal offering is overridden by the human dignity involved in a met mitzva, because one does not violate a prohibition through the very act of becoming impure for the dead ; rather, as a result, he is prevented from offering the Paschal sacrifice. But with regard to wearing kilayim, at every moment he actively commits a prohibition, and therefore the permission on account of “human dignity” does not apply .

Rav Pappa said to Abaye: What is different

about the earlier generations

that miracles occurred for them, and what is different

about us,

our generation,

that miracles do not occur for us?

If it is because of their learning,

because they studied more Torah than we do, then

in Rav Yehuda’s academy all their learning

was only

in the order of Nezikin;

they were not great in the entire Gemara of the four orders, but only in the three tractates of the order of Nezikin .

Whereas

we

study all six orders.

This is one point, and there is another.

When Rav Yehuda would reach the

Mishna dealing with the matters of

Uktzin,

such as the Mishna [

Toharot 2:1]:

“A woman who pickles vegetables in a pot,” and some say

that when he reached the Mishna [Uktzin 2:1]: “Olives pickled with their leaves are pure,”

he would say

then Rav Yehuda:

“Here I see the difficulties of Rav and Shmuel!”

In other words, I find it difficult to understand the reasons for these Mishnayot, just as my teachers Rav and Shmuel encountered many difficulties throughout the Gemara.

Whereas

we

study thirteen academies of teachings in Uktzin.

That is, thirteen different arrangements of Mishnayot and beraitot, as in the other orders of the Mishna.

But when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes,

the moment he removed one shoe as an act of suffering, in order that rain should come, and before he had managed to remove the second shoe—

immediately the rain would come [

as explained in Ta’anit 24b].

But we—

we afflict ourselves, cry out repeatedly, and there is no one who pays attention to us,

and in what way are we inferior to the earlier generations?

He said to him,

Abaye:

The earlier ones—

they would surrender their lives for the sanctification of God’s Name,

in every matter, even in a matter in which there was no obligation of self-sacrifice, as follows; therefore they were answered in a supernatural manner. But

we—

we do not surrender our lives for the sanctification of God’s Name.

Abaye brought examples of the self-sacrifice of the earlier generations:

As in the incident involving Rav Adda bar Ahava, who saw a certain gentile woman wearing a karbalta,

a prestigious garment,

in the marketplace. He thought that she was a Jewish woman,

since Jewish women do not customarily go about in such a prestigious garment without an additional covering over it .

He rose and tore it from her. It became clear that she was a gentile woman, and they assessed

the amount he would have to pay her for the damage—

four hundred zuz.

He said to her,

Rav Adda bar Ahava:

“What is your name?”

She said to him: “Matun.”

He said to her: “Matun, matun,”

meaning, your name is “Matun,” which is an expression related to matan, “two hundred”—

“It was worth four hundred zuz!”

You caused me to lose twice two hundred, which is four hundred zuz.

Rav Giddel was accustomed to go and sit at the entrance to the ritual bath,

in order to teach women the laws of immersion.

He would say to them,

the women:

“Immerse in this manner, and immerse in this manner.”

The Sages said to him:

But

is the Master not afraid of the evil inclination?

He said to them: “They appear to me like white geese,”—

like white ducks.

Rabbi Yohanan was accustomed to go and sit at the entrance to the ritual bath.

He said: “When Jewish women ascend and come

back after immersing,

they will look at me and have beautiful children like me,”

since he was handsome .

The Sages said to him:

But

is the Master not afraid of the evil eye?

He said to them: “I come from the descendants of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power. As it is written

[Genesis 49:22]:

‘A fruitful son is Joseph, a fruitful son by the eye.’”

And Rabbi Abbahu said: Do not read, “by the eye,” but rather, “those who rise above the eye,”

removed from the eye, so that the evil eye has no power over them .

Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Hanina, said:

The source that the evil eye has no power over them is derived

from here:

[ibid. 48:16]

“And let them multiply abundantly in the midst of the earth.” Just as with the fish of the sea,

the waters cover them, and

therefore

the evil eye has no power over them,

and they reproduce and multiply,

so too, the descendants of Joseph—

the evil eye has no power over them!

And if you wish, say:

the reason that the evil eye has no power over Joseph’s descendants is based on logical inference: Joseph had

an eye that did not wish to derive sustenance—

to benefit—

from that which was not his,

in the incident involving Potiphar’s wife; therefore,

the evil eye has no power over him.

Mishna:

Women,

Canaanite slaves,

and minors are exempt from reciting the Shema.

This is a positive, time-bound mitzva , and women are exempt by Torah law from all positive, time-bound mitzvot. The obligations of a slave with regard to mitzvot are the same as those of a woman, while a minor’s obligation depends on his father, who is required to educate him; the Sages exempted him from education with regard to reciting the Shema, because the minor is not always with his father when the time for reciting the Shema arrives .