Gittin 58a — the Talmud in English

Forty seahs ![](pamud.bmp "

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tefillin cases [

A tefillin case without its strap is called: a ketzitza]

were found on the heads of the slain of Betar,

for this is how the Romans killed them, while they were crowned with tefillin, and from the field of slaughter a quantity of forty seahs of tefillin cases was collected; and further on in the matter it is explained whether these were hand-cases or head-cases.

Rabbi Yannai bar Rabbi Yishmael said:

They collected from the field of slaughter

three baskets, each containing forty seahs [

each basket contained forty seahs] of tefillin cases.

But

in a metanita it was taught [

in a beraita we learned]:

There were forty baskets

there,

each containing three seahs,

with tefillin cases in each of the baskets.

And it follows that, according both to Rabbi Yannai and according to the metanita, there were one hundred and twenty seahs; but according to Rabbi Yohanan there were there only one third of this amount, namely forty seahs.

And they do not disagree,

Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Yannai, for:

This—

that of Rabbi Yannai—was with

the head-cases [

of the head], which are three times larger than hand-cases, since they are divided into a number of compartments, and space must be made between them.

This—

that of Rabbi Yohanan—was with

the arm-cases [

tefillin worn on the arm], whose size is only one third of that of head-cases.

Rabbi Asi said: Four kavs of brains

of crushed heads

were found

during the destruction of the First Temple

on a single stone.

Ulla said: There were nine kavs

.

Rav Kahana said, and some say: Shila bar Mari: What is the verse [

where do we find in Scripture] that the Babylonians crushed heads against the rocks?

For it is written [Psalms 137:8–9]: “

Daughter of Babylon, the despoiled one, happy is he who repays you

your recompense with which you recompensed us,

happy is he who seizes and smashes your infants against the rock”

just as you did to us.

It is written [Lamentations 4:2]: “

The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,

how they were regarded as earthen vessels, the work of the hands of a potter.”

And we explain:

What is “[A0054]comparable to fine gold”?

“valued like fine gold” mean?

If you say [

perhaps you will say]

that the sons of Zion were

the sons of Zion

covered with gold [

covered and adorned with gold and golden ornaments]?

This cannot be said, for:

And they said in the academy of Rabbi Shila: Two ingots of gold—

descended into the world, one in Rome and one in the entire world.

For in the academy of Rabbi Shila they said: Two small ingots of fine gold

descended into the world: one descended in Rome, and corresponding to it only one more descended in the entire world.

It follows that the sons of Zion were not especially distinguished by their wealth in fine gold, for this distinction belonged to Rome in contrast with the entire world.

Rather,

they were so distinguished in their beauty that

they disgraced the fine gold by their beauty,

that is: the fine gold was disgraced in comparison with their beauty.

Initially, the Roman notables would hold images of the seal and use them to serve their beds.

Initially, when the notables of Rome served their beds, they would set before their eyes beautiful forms engraved in a seal, so that their wives would conceive children as beautiful as they were.

From then—

from the time the Romans took captive the sons of Zion, who were comparable to fine gold—

and onward:

They

would bring

the

Children of Israel

whom they had taken captive,

and

they

would bind

them

to the legs of their beds, and

thus they

would serve

their beds. [They would bring them and bind them to the legs of their beds, and in this way they would serve them].

One said to his fellow

who was imprisoned like him:

And where is this written

in the Torah? [One said to his fellow, who was imprisoned like him: Where is this calamity hinted at in the Torah?]

He said

he answered

to him,

his fellow: It is hinted in this verse of the rebuke, as it is stated [Deuteronomy 28:61]: “

Also every illness and every plague that is not written in the book of this Torah

the Lord will bring upon you until your destruction,” [and therefore they were not written explicitly, because it is disgraceful to mention such a thing].

He said,

the recipient of the answer asked its speaker:

How far have I advanced from such-and-such a place [

how far is the place at which I am holding in my study from the place where this verse is written]?

He said to him,

the one bringing the verse: You are not far, but only

a little [

slightly],

a page and a half [

a page and a half].

He said to him,

the questioner to the one bringing the verse:

If I had reached it, I would not have needed you. [

If I had indeed reached that point in my studies, I would not have needed your words, for I would have understood by myself as you did].

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel in the name of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel:

What is the meaning of that which is written [

Lamentations 3:49]: “

My eye has brought me grief, because of all the daughters of my city,” [

my eye has disfigured my face from the abundance of tears, because of what happened to the inhabitants of my city]?

There were four hundred synagogues in the great city of Betar.

And in each and every one there were four hundred teachers of children.

And when an enemy entered there,

And each and every one had before him four hundred children of the school of Rabban.

And when an enemy entered there,

they did not fear him, because of their great numbers, for

they would stab them with their pens [

with their quills].

And

however,

when

the sin caused and

the

enemy

prevailed,

they could not stand against it,

and it captured them, wrapped them in their books, and set them aflame.

The Sages taught:

There was an incident involving Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania, who went to a great city in Rome.

They said to him: There is one child [

a Jewish child]

in the prison, beautiful of eyes and good-looking, and his locks [

the locks of his hair]

are arranged for him in curls.

He went and stood at the entrance of the prison.

He said [

as a question] this verse [Isaiah 42:24]: “

Who gave Jacob over for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?”

The child justified the judgment upon himself, and

that child answered him and said [

the continuation of the verse]: “

Is it not the Lord,”

it is for this that we have sinned against Him, and they did not desire to walk in His ways, and they did not listen to His Torah.”

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania said:

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania

I am certain of him,

this child,

that

he will be

a decisor of halakha in Israel.

[an oath]!

By the service [

an expression of an oath]!

I will not move from here until I redeem him for whatever sum they set for him.

it was said: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania did not move from there

And indeed,

they said: He did not move from there,

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hanania,

until he redeemed

that child

with a great deal of money.

And

indeed,

there were not [

passed] only

a few days until he issued rulings

that child

in Israel.

And who was he [

who was that child]? He was the tanna

Rabbi

Y

Yishmael ben Elisha.

[the one who had captured the son]

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:

There was an incident involving the son and daughter of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, who were captured by two masters.

After some time, the two of them happened to meet in one place [

after a period, these two masters happened to be in one place]—

This one [

the one who had captured the son]

said: I have a slave whose beauty has no equal in the entire world.

And this one [

the one who had captured the daughter]

said: I have a maidservant whose beauty has no equal in the entire world.

They said,

both of them, therefore,

Come, let us marry them to one another,

and because of their great beauty, the offspring will be distinguished and their value will be high,

and we will divide the

offspring

between us.

They brought them

at night

into

one room.

This one

moved away

and sat in this corner, and this one

moved away and

sat in that corner.

This one said

to himself,

I am a kohen, the son of High Priests,

shall

I marry a maidservant!?

And this one said

to herself,

I am a kohenet, the daughter of High Priests,

and should

I marry a slave!?

And they wept

each separately

the entire night.

When the pillar of dawn rose,

and the day became light,

they recognized

the brother and sister

one another, and fell upon one another, and cried in weeping until their souls departed.

“

And concerning them Jeremiah lamented

in his prophecy of the destruction: “He has proclaimed an appointed time against me [when the masters assembled] to break [the purity of] my young men. The Lord has trodden the winepress for the maiden, the daughter of Judah.

For these things I weep, my eye, my eye, flows with water

for the comforter who would restore my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed” [Lamentations 1:16].

Reish Lakish said: There was an incident involving a certain woman, whose name was Tzafnat bat Pniel. “

Tzafnat”

she was called by this name because

everyone gazed at

her because of her

beauty.

And the daughter of “

Pniel”

she was called, because she was

the daughter of a High Priest who served within and within.

Her captor abused her,

the

captor

who had captured her,

the entire night.

The next day, he dressed her in seven robes

for modesty and for her honor, in order to make her seem important,

and brought her out to sell her.

A certain man came, who was exceedingly ugly.

He said to him,

that man:

Show me her beauty

so that I may take her.

He said to him,

the seller:

Empty one [

fool],

if you want to take her, take her, for there is no one in the entire world whose beauty is like hers.

He said to him: Even so

I want to see her beauty!

She removed six robes, and tore the seventh

herself,

and rolled in the ashes.

She prayed

and said before Him [

before the Holy One, blessed is He]:

Master of the Universe, if You have not spared us,

because we sinned,

for the sanctity of Your mighty Name, why do You not spare

and avenge Your vengeance!?

And concerning her Jeremiah lamented [

Jeremiah 6:26]: “

Daughter of My people, gird yourself with sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning for yourself as for an only child, a bitter lamentation, for suddenly the plunderer will come upon us.” “

Upon you”

in the singular, concerning the daughter of My people,

was not said, but “

upon us,”

in the plural,

as it were, upon Me [

toward the One above]

and upon you the plunderer has come,

for the Name of Heaven was profaned through this.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav:

What is the meaning of that which is written [

Micah 2:2]: “

They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance”?

There was an incident involving a certain man who cast his eyes upon his master’s wife, and he was a carpenter’s apprentice [

he was not his teacher in Torah, but in the craft of carpentry].

One time his master needed to borrow

money.

He said to him,

the apprentice:

Send [

send]

your wife to me, and I will lend you.

He sent his wife to him,

and

the apprentice remained

with her

for three days.

When he saw that his wife was not returning,

the master went ahead

the teacher,

and came to him [

to the apprentice], and

said to him: Where is my wife whom I sent to you?

He said to him,

the student:

I dismissed her immediately [

I sent her away at once],

and I heard that children abused her on the way.

and I do not have the means to pay her.”

He said to him,

the master to his student:

What shall I do?

He said to him,

the student:

If you listen to my advice, divorce her!

He said to him,

the master: I want to divorce her, but what shall I do, for

her marriage settlement is large

and I do not have the means to pay it to her?

He said to him: I will lend you the money, and you will give her the marriage settlement.

This one stood [

the husband, the master]

and divorced her,

and

he went

the student

and married her.

When the time arrived

to repay the debt,

he did not have the means to repay it.

He said to him,

the student:

Come and work with me

at labor

in

the place of

your debt.

And they were,

the student and his wife [the master’s former wife],

sitting and eating and drinking.

And he [

the master, her first husband]

was standing and pouring drinks for them.

And tears were falling from his eyes and dropping into their cups.

And concerning that same time,

on account of that wrong,

the decree of judgment was sealed.

And some say:

the decree of judgment was sealed

over two wicks in one lamp,

which is a parable for two men who have relations with one woman.

And the Maharsha explained: that the two versions referred to the same act, for according to the first version, when the apprentice was with his master's wife, he did not transgress with her; rather, concerning that time when they wronged him by inciting him to divorce her and to enslave him through her ketuba, on account of that the decree of judgment was sealed. And according to the second version, “that time” is not the essence of the transgression; rather, when she stayed with him for three days, he transgressed with her, and this is what they said: two wicks in one lamp—for she was a married woman, and she became forbidden to the apprentice through the adultery even after she was divorced, in accordance with the law of a sotah to her adulterer.

We learned in the Mishna:

one who purchased from the sikrikon

and then returned and purchased from the homeowner, his purchase is void, etc.; one who purchased from the man and then returned and purchased from the woman, his purchase is void.

Rav said: They taught

“his purchase is void” according to the First Mishna,

only when he said to him

the owner to the purchaser:

“Go, take possession, and acquire,”

that is to say: Go and acquire the field for yourself through taking possession.

Since the owner did not perform an act, but only speech, it may be said that he did not intend to transfer it to him, but rather to remove the sikrikon [or the woman—when he purchased from the woman] from upon himself, for it is more convenient for him to sue the purchaser than to litigate with the sikrikon.

But in

a case where he wrote him

a deed,

then

he acquired

it—the purchaser, because certainly he transferred it to him willingly; for if he had not intended a complete sale, he would not have needed to trouble himself to write a deed, and he could have sufficed with acquisition through taking possession.

And Shmuel said: Even when

he wrote him

a deed, the purchaser did not acquire either

the property,

until he writes him a warranty,

so that if it is seized from him, he will be able to return and collect from the seller the value of the land; for then certainly he is transferring it willingly, and his intention is not merely to free himself from the sikrikon.