Eruvin 54a — the Talmud in English

She said to him:

and is it so that

it is not written

concerning the Torah

“It is arranged in all things, and preserved”?

which implies:

If it is arranged in your two hundred and forty-eight limbs,

that you review it aloud, it

is preserved. But if not—

it is not preserved.

It was taught: One student did Rabbi Eliezer have who would review in a whisper. After three years he forgot

his learning.

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer had one student who became liable to be burned in the place.

They said: Leave him alone!

because

a great man served.

Samuel said to Rav Yehuda: Sharp one

sharp:

Open your mouth, read

Scripture.

Open your mouth, teach

Mishnayot.

So that it will be established within you,

that the Torah will be preserved with you,

and it will prolong your life

you will lengthen your days.

As it is stated: “For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all his flesh”—

do not read “to those who find them,” but “to those who bring them forth”,

that is, to those who bring forth the words of Torah

with the mouth,

when they study; and then—“they are life,” for they bring about length of days.

Samuel said to Rav Yehuda: Sharp one! Seize and eat; seize and drink.

If you have money, enjoy it now, and do not wait until tomorrow, lest you die and be unable to enjoy it,

for the world from which we are going

that is, this world, from which we are destined to go and depart—

is like a wedding feast!

Just as a wedding celebration passes quickly, so this world: today it exists, and tomorrow it is gone.

Rav said to Rav Hamnuna: My son! If you have

money—

make yourself good!

Use it for your enjoyment, because

there is no pleasure in Sheol, and death does not delay

there is no postponement, for a person dies suddenly.

And if you say: I will leave my sons a fixed portion

of food when I am

in Sheol—

who will tell you

that the money will indeed remain in their hands? Perhaps they will lose it.

And furthermore, for behold,

human beings resemble the grasses of the field: these sparkle,

that is, when they grow, their livelihood and wealth grow with them, and you need not worry for them,

and these wither

die.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who travels on the road and does not have with him

a son

of accompaniment should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “For they are a graceful accompaniment.”

One who

has pain in his head should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “For they are a graceful accompaniment for your heads.”

One who has pain in his throat should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “And necklaces

an ornament placed on the neck

for your throat.”

One who has pain in his intestines should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “Healing shall it be for your navel”

for your navel.

One who has pain in his bones should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “And drink for your bones.”

One who has pain throughout his body should engage in Torah.

As it is stated: “And healing for all his flesh.”

Rav Yehuda the son of Rabbi Hiyya said: Come and see how the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the attribute of flesh and blood.

For

the attribute of flesh and blood is that a person gives a drug

of healing

to his fellow: for one it is beneficial, and for another it is harsh,

it helps one illness and harms another illness.

But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so.

Rather,

He gave the Torah to Israel,

and it is

a drug of life for his entire body! As it is stated: “And healing for all his flesh.”

Rabbi Ami said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For they are pleasant when you preserve them in your belly; they will be established together upon your lips”—

When are words of Torah pleasant?

When you preserve them in your belly,

when they are preserved in your possession and you do not forget them.

And when do you preserve them in your belly?

How do you preserve them?

When they are established together upon your lips.

When you bring the matters forth with your mouth, in an ordered manner, and not in a whisper and with stammering.

Rabbi Zeira said: From here

we learn that one must bring the words of Torah forth with his mouth: for it is written,

“Joy is for a man in the answer of his mouth, and a word in its time—how good!”

When is there joy for a man?

When he answers with his mouth.

When he brings the words of Torah forth properly with his mouth.

Another version: When is there joy for a man in the answer of his mouth?

When a word in its time is good,

when he knows how to expound the halakhot of a festival on the festival.

Rabbi Yitzhak said: From here:

for it is written,

“For the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it”—

When is it near to you?

When it is in your mouth and in your heart, to do it

when you bring it forth with your mouth.

Rava said: From here:

for it is written,

“You gave him the desire of his heart, and the request of his lips You did not withhold forever”—

When did You give him the desire of his heart?

When the request of his lips—

You did not withhold forever,

when You gave him understanding to bring it forth with his lips.

Rava raises a contradiction

between verses:

It is written: “You gave him the desire of his heart,”

which implies that while he is still desiring, his desire has already come to him without his asking.

And it is written: “And the request of his lips You did not withhold forever,”

which implies that it is only after he asks.

How is this?

If

he merited, “You gave him the desire of his heart”!

If he did not merit, “And the request of his lips You did not withhold forever”!

It was taught in the school of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov: Everywhere that “Netzah,” “Selah,” or “Va-ed” is stated—

it has no interruption forever!

And from where do we know this?

“Netzah”—

for it is written

“For I will not contend forever, nor will I be angry eternally,”

behold, netzah is an expression of forever.

“Selah”—

for it is written

“As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever, selah.”

“Va-ed”—

for it is written: “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

(Mnemonic: necklaces for his throat, tablets engraved.)

Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And necklaces for your throat”—

If a person makes himself like this necklace

a chain on the neck,

which

he is

“loose”

upon the neck,

which is not tightened upon it but is loose with room, and thus the person is pleasant and agreeable to people,

and seen and not seen,

which is, he hardly goes out and comes to the marketplace, but sits over his learning, like the necklace, which generally is hidden by the chin and beard, and is seen only when he raises his neck—then

his learning is established in his possession.

But if not, his learning is not established in his possession.

And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “His cheeks are like a bed of spices”—

If a person makes himself like this bed, upon which everyone treads,

so he has no haughtiness,

and like this spice, with which everyone trades,

who teaches Torah to students.

Then

his learning is established.

But if not, his learning is not established.

And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Tablets of stone”?

If a person makes his cheeks like this stone, which is not worn away

from the great number of people treading upon it, so his cheeks [his mouth] do not become tired from repeating his learning and teaching it to others, then

his learning is established in his possession.

But if not, his learning is not established in his possession.

And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written

concerning the first tablets,

“Engraved upon the tablets”—

Had the first tablets not been broken, the Torah would not have been forgotten from Israel,

for “engraved” implies carved and never erased, and so the Torah would have been carved into Israel so that it would never be forgotten by them.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said:

Had the first tablets not been broken,

no nation or nation would rule over them.

As it is stated: “Engraved”—

do not read “engraved,” but “freedom

upon the tablets,” for by virtue of the tablets Israel were free men.

Rav Mattena said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And from the wilderness, a gift”—

If a person makes himself like this wilderness, upon which everyone treads, his learning is established in his possession,

for the Torah is given to him as a gift, so that he will not forget it.

But if not, his learning is not established in his possession.

Rava, the son of Rav Yosef bar Hama, had a matter against Rav Yosef,

for Rav Yosef was angry with him.

When the eve of Yom Kippur arrived,

when the eve of Yom Kippur arrived,

he said

Rava:

I will go and appease him

Rav Yosef.

He went and found his attendant

Rav Yosef’s attendant

mixing a cup for him,

who was pouring wine for Rav Yosef. That is, he was adding water to it and preparing it for drinking, for this was their practice because their wine was strong.

He said to him

Rava to the attendant:

Give it to me, and I will mix it.

He gave it to him. He mixed it

Rava

according to his taste,

according to his practice in adjusting the ratio between the water and the wine.

He said

Rav Yosef:

This mixture resembles—

the mixture of Rava, the son of Rav Yosef bar Hama.

For Rav Yosef did not recognize Rava, because he was blind. But from the taste of the wine he understood that Rava had mixed it, because Rav Yosef recognized Rava’s manner of mixing from having been accustomed to mixing it before him in the past, when he studied with him.

He said to him

Rava:

It is I!

Rav Yosef said to him

Rav Yosef:

Do not sit—

sit? Rather, stand—

on your feet

upon your feet

until you explain these verses to me!

What is the meaning of that which is written: “And from the wilderness, a gift; and from the gift, God’s inheritance; and from God’s inheritance, heights; and from the heights, the valley.”

Rav Yosef intended to warn him that he should be humble in spirit, as is demonstrated by this verse below, because he had become haughty over the deed that had occurred, and because of this he was angry with him.

He said to him:

This is its explanation:

If a person makes himself like this wilderness, upon which everyone treads, Torah is given to him as a gift.

And once it is given to him as a gift—

he inherits God, as it is stated: “And from the gift, God’s inheritance.”

And once he inherits God—

he rises to greatness, as it is stated: “And from God’s inheritance, heights.”

But if he becomes haughty, the Holy One, blessed be He, humbles him, as it is stated: “And from the heights, the valley.”

And if he retracts

from his haughtiness,

the Holy One, blessed be He, raises him, as it is stated: “Every valley shall be raised.”

This verse does not belong here; rather, it was brought because of the exposition that is relevant to our matter.

Rav Huna said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Your living creatures dwelt in it; You prepare in Your goodness for the poor, O God”—

If a person makes himself like this animal that tramples and eats,

immediately after killing it, so he does not insist that his food be for pleasure, but eats meat without seasoning, and likewise with other pleasures.

And some say: That it putrefies

that it lies in mud

and eats,

so he conducts himself in lowliness and is not disgusted with his food if it has not been fully cooked.

Another explanation—

it tramples and eats

immediately; so a Torah scholar reviews his learning immediately after receiving it from his teacher.

It putrefies and eats,

so he disgraces himself for the sake of Torah. And Rashi wrote that this explanation seems preferable to him, because throughout the Talmud we find that Torah scholars are accustomed to insist that their food be in a manner of greatness and honor, and likewise regarding their garments.

Then

his learning is established in his possession.

But if not, his learning is not established in his possession.

And if he does so—

the Holy One, blessed be He, makes a meal for him Himself, as it is stated: “You prepare in Your goodness for the poor, O God.”

That is, for one who makes himself like a poor man.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He who guards a fig tree shall eat its fruit”—

Why were words of Torah compared to a fig tree?