Gittin 7a — the Talmud in English

Rav Ashi said: I did not hear it -

I did not hear the statement of

that of Rabbah bar bar Ḥana.

And nevertheless,

I fulfilled it

in full

by reasoning

of my own [that is, from my own understanding]. And likewise,

Rabbi Abbahu said: A person should never impose excessive fear within his household, for a great man imposed excessive fear within his household, and they fed him

his servants

a great thing -

that is,

a limb from a living animal [which was detached from a live animal without slaughtering it].

And who was he? -

And who was that great man?

Rabbi Ḥanina ben Gamliel.

And the Gemara asks:

Can it enter your mind that they fed him? -

Can you imagine that they actually fed him?

Now

now that we know that even

with regard to the animals of righteous people, the Holy One, blessed is He, does not bring a mishap through them

so that they eat forbidden matter.

With regard to the righteous themselves, is it not all the more so?

That is, the Holy One, blessed is He, saves them from mishaps. If so, how could it be that Rabbi Ḥanina ben Gamliel stumbled? And the Gemara answers:

Rather, they sought to feed him -

they thought to feed him -

a great thing. And what is it? -

And what was it?

A limb from a living animal [

which they had slaughtered an animal for him, and one of its limbs had been lost. And because they feared that he might notice and become angry, they cut such a limb from a live animal and placed it in the place of the one that had been lost, so that he would not notice].

The Gemara continues to deal with the matter of ruling-lines, and relates:

Mar Ukva sent

a letter

to Rabbi Elazar

and asked: There are

people standing against me -

opposing me - regularly, to insult and revile me.

And in my hand

is the power and possibility to inform against them

and hand them over to the government. What

is the law [is it permitted to me or forbidden]?

He drew ruling-lines

Rabbi Elazar drew a line on the paper

and wrote him

a verse from Psalms [as an answer to his question]: “I said

I will guard my ways from sinning with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked is before me.”

And its meaning is:

Even though a wicked person

stands

opposing me,

to quarrel with me and provoke me, nevertheless

, I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,

and I will not inform against him.

Mar Ukva returned,

sent him

another letter, and wrote:

They are causing me much distress -

they cause me great distress -

and I am unable to withstand them -

and I am unable to bear this.

He sent him

Rabbi Elazar another verse:

“Be silent

before the Lord and wait for Him.”

The meaning of which is:

Be silent before the Lord

pray to Him,

and He will cast them down for you

before you -

corpses upon corpses. Rise early and stay late over them at the beit-midrash. And they

those people who trouble you -

will perish by themselves

on their own [without any counteraction on your part].

And indeed:

the matter came forth from Rabbi Elazar’s mouth,

and at that very moment

they placed Gneiva

the person who had troubled Mar Ukva -

in a collar.

[They bound him in an iron chain, with which all those condemned to execution by the government are bound].

And another incident concerning ruling-lines:

They sent a letter to Mar Ukva,

and asked him:

Zimra,

which they customarily sing in drinking houses.

From where do we know that it is forbidden -

from where do we know that it is forbidden [since the destruction of the Temple]?

Mar Ukva

drew ruling-lines on the paper

and wrote to them

a verse:

“Do not rejoice, Israel, do not exult among the nations.”

And the Gemara asks:

And let him send them from here -

that he should send them an answer from here [from this verse]:

“They shall not drink wine with song. It shall be bitter

[it shall be bitter]

the strong drink for its drinkers.”

And the Gemara answers:

If from that verse

if he had sent them that verse -

I would say, these words

we would think that specifically

instrumental song

music with an instrument [such as a violin] is forbidden.

But that of the mouth

singing with the mouth -

is permitted

it is permitted.

It teaches us

therefore he sent the verse, “Do not rejoice, Israel, etc.,” to teach us that all singing [which is not for a mitzva] was forbidden, even singing with the mouth.

And the Gemara brings additional homilies concerning one who is harassed:

Rav Huna bar Natan said to Rav Ashi: What

is the meaning of what is written -

what is written in the verse:

“And Kinah and Dimonah and Adadah”

[mentioned among the boundaries of the inheritance of the sons of Judah, in Joshua, chapter 15, verse 22]?

He said to him

Rav Ashi:

settlements -

towns -

of the Land of Israel.

that are in the Land of Israel -

it counts -

it counts [the verse].

He said to him: Is it so that I -

am I -

do not know -

did not know -

that it counts the settlements of the Land of Israel -

that it came to count the towns of the Land of Israel. [That is, it is clear that I did not intend, in my question, [to ask about] this, but rather about the homily learned from this verse, and not about the plain meaning of the verse—which I, too, know!]

Rather,

I will tell you:

Rav Geviha of Argiza said a reasoned interpretation concerning it -

explained this verse with a reason:

everyone

who

has resentment -

anger -

against his fellow,

because he troubles him, and he remains silent and does not answer him.

The One who dwells eternally -

the Holy One, blessed is He -

does justice for him -

on his behalf -

.

He said to him -

Rav Ashi asked him:

But from now on

that you agree to expound the names of the cities, if so, also concerning the names that appear afterward

“Ziklag and Madmannah and Sansannah,” likewise -

will you expound in this manner as well?

He said to him

Rav Huna bar Natan [answered him]:

If there had been -

if there had been

Rav Geviha of Argezah here -

here -

he would have said a reasoned interpretation concerning it -

[certainly] he would have said a reasoned homily concerning it!

And the Gemara brings another person who interpreted this:

Rav Aha of Beit Haziya said concerning it

[concerning the verse] an interpretation

thus -

so:

Anyone who has a cry over a mouthful against his fellow

[who robs him of his livelihood by entering into the gates of his sustenance—the sources of his income], and he

remains silent -

does not answer. The One who dwells in the bush -

the Holy One, blessed is He -

does justice for him.

And the Gemara continues concerning mourning over the Destruction [after this matter was mentioned in the discussion of the scratching]:

The Exilarch said

[the head of the exile—the Jewish leader of Babylonia]

to Rav Huna:

those decorated crowns made of sulfur or salt, which they used to make for grooms from gold or silver, or from roses and myrtles, called

a wreath. From where do we know -

from where do we know -

that it is forbidden

to place them on the heads of grooms, as a sign of mourning?

He said to him: From the Sages -

from the enactment of the Sages. And as we learned in the Mishna [in tractate Sotah, page 49a],

for we learned: During the war of Vespasian -

at the time when Vespasian brought his troops up to Jerusalem, before Titus came -

they decreed

the Sages

concerning crowns

that they place on the heads of

grooms and concerning the bell -

a clapper [a bell that they shake in banquet houses], that it is forbidden to use them.

And the Gemara relates:

Meanwhile -

in the meantime -

Rav Huna rose to relieve himself \-

to relieve himself.

Rav Hisda said to him

[Rav Huna’s student, who was there and heard his question but did not wish to answer in the presence of his teacher], to the Exilarch:

A verse is written -

[this matter] is written in the verse -

“So said the Lord God: Remove the mitre and lift off the crown. This shall not be this. The lowly shall be raised and the high shall be brought low.”

And the verse is difficult:

But what connection is there between the mitre,

which is one of the garments of the high priest,

and the crown

of grooms, that the verse mentions them together?

Rather, this is to tell you: When there is a mitre on the head of the high priest

[when the Temple exists],

there is a crown on the head of every person

[on the day of his wedding and on the day of the joy of his heart].

When the mitre is removed from the head of the high priest

[when the Temple was destroyed],

the crown is removed

also

from the head of every person

[when the joy of all was annulled and their happiness was lost].

Meanwhile -

in the meantime -

he came -

he returned -

Rav Huna found them sitting -

he found them sitting, and heard the answer of his student Rav Hisda.

He said to him

Rav Huna to Rav Hisda:

By God -

an expression of an oath—there is no prohibition from the Torah against placing a crown on grooms, as you said, but rather

from the Sages.

And the verse you cited does not refer to crowns of grooms.

Rather

to the crown of a king. For the prophet Ezekiel was prophesying that the priesthood would be annulled and that King Zedekiah would go into exile. Rather—and nevertheless—

Hisda is your name, and gracious are your words -

your words are gracious and fine. In that you were precise in the wording of the verse, “What connection is there between the mitre and the crown?”

And another incident concerning mourning:

Ravina found -

he found -

Mar bar Rav Ashi, who was -

who was

braiding a wreath -

braiding and winding a crown -

for his daughter -

for his household [who was a bride].

He said to him: Does the master not hold -

does the master not accept the homily of Rav Hisda [that is, does he not take heed of it], which was said concerning the verse

“Remove the mitre and lift off the crown.” He said to him -

he answered him—Mar bar Rav Ashi: The juxtaposition of the verse was stated only

in the likeness of the high priest -

in a manner similar to the high priest. Specifically

with regard to men -

with regard to males.

But with regard to women -

with regard to females, who are disqualified from being high priests,

not

was it said!

The Gemara explains another passage from Rav Hisda’s verse:

And the Gemara asks:

What -

what is the meaning of the words

“This shall not be this,”

in the aforementioned verse?

And the Gemara answers:

Expounded

concerning this

Rabbi Avira

a homily.

Sometimes -

sometimes -

he said it to us -

to us—that same homily

in the name -

in his name -

of Rav Ami. And sometimes he said it to us in the name of Rav Asi: When the Holy One, blessed is He, said to Israel, “Remove the mitre and lift off the crown,” the ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed is He: Master of the Universe, is this

the reward for Israel, -

this is the reward—due to them

for

for

having preceded before You at Sinai, “We will do” to “we will hear.”

And they did not first ask to hear, like the other nations of the world?!

He said to them

the Holy One, blessed is He, to the ministering angels:

No!

but rather,

this is for them, for Israel

as punishment, for

having brought low the high, raised up the low, and set up an image in the Sanctuary.

And the Gemara brings another homily of Rabbi Avira:

Rabbi Avira expounded another homily. Sometimes he said it in the name of Rav Ami, and sometimes he said it in the name of Rav Asi. What is the meaning of what is written -

what is written:

“So said the Lord: If they are complete and likewise many, and likewise cut down and pass away, etc. If a person sees that his sustenance -

his livelihood -

is limited, he should make charity from it. And all the more so when it is abundant

and increasing, that he must make charity from it. [In order thereby to acknowledge the Lord for the blessing that He bestows upon his handiwork].

And the Gemara asks:

What -

what is the meaning of the words in the verse: “

and likewise cut down and pass away, etc.”?

And the Gemara answers:

A tannai -

the tannai taught -

of the -

in the beit-midrash—of

Rabbi Ishmael: Anyone who shears from his possessions and makes charity from them is saved from the judgment of Gehinnom. A parable: -

to what is this comparable?

To two

ewes -

sheep -

that were passing through water.

One of them was shorn, and one was not shorn. The shorn one,

which does not absorb

passed through, but the one that was not shorn did not pass through.

So too, one who shears from his possessions for charity—his possessions will increase. But one who does not shear for charity—his possessions do not increase.

And the conclusion of the verse is: “And I will afflict you; I will not afflict you again.”