Ketubot 103b — the Talmud in English

b.

“And establish a session,”

that you should return to engaging in Torah immediately

“after thirty days,”

and thereafter you should not interrupt Torah study in order to continue engaging in eulogizing me throughout the year of mourning.

c.

“Shimon, my son”—

will be the

“sage”

[it will be explained below in the Gemara].

“Gamliel, my son”—

will be the

Nasi.

“Hanina bar Hama”—

will sit at the head

of the session.

And the Gemara explains the words of the beraita: a.

“Do not eulogize me in the towns.”

They thought,

the listeners understood Rabbi’s words as meaning that he intended that they should not eulogize him in the towns

because of the exertion

of the villagers adjacent to the towns

that he was saying.

For if they eulogized him in the towns, it would be an exertion for the villagers to come and gather for his eulogy in the towns. Therefore, he said that they should eulogize him only in the large cities, where only the inhabitants of the cities would gather, and it would not be an exertion for the other people to come to them.

However,

when they saw,

when they realized

that

even though

they eulogized

only

in the cities,

nevertheless

they came,

they came

everyone,

both from the villages and from the towns,

they said: infer from here, it was because of the honor

[Rabbi’s honor]

that he was saying

that they should not eulogize him in the towns, but only in the cities, where a great multitude would gather from all the places, and the honor of the deceased would be evident in his eulogy.

b.

“Establish a session”

to study Torah immediately

“after thirty days,”

and do not completely interrupt the study in the session in order to eulogize me throughout the entire year of mourning—

for I am not superior,

since I am not superior

to Moses our teacher, as it is written

in his mourning [Deuteronomy 34]:

“And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.”

And the Gemara relates:

thirty days

the first thirty days

they eulogized

Rabbi

during the day and at night.

But

from then onward, they eulogized during the day, and studied

and learned Torah

at night.

Or they eulogized at night and studied during the day—

they eulogized by night and studied by day

until they eulogized for twelve months of the year

[twelve months of the year].

On that day when Rabbi died,

on the day on which Rabbi died,

a bat kol went forth,

a heavenly voice went forth,

and said: Whoever was present at Rabbi’s death—

is destined for life in the World to Come!

There was there

a certain launderer,

who

would come before him every day,

he would arrive every day at Rabbi’s house. But

on that day

on which Rabbi’s “death” took place,

he did not come. When he heard this,

that a heavenly voice had gone forth and proclaimed, and he specifically was not there on that day,

he went up to the roof

he ascended to the roof of the house

and fell to the ground, and died.

A bat kol went forth and said: Even that certain launderer—

is destined for life in the World to Come!

We further learned in a beraita that Rabbi said:

c.

“Shimon, my son, is a sage.”

And we raise a question about it:

What is he saying

Rabbi?

And we answer:

This is what he is saying: Although Shimon, my son,

the younger,

is a sage

more than he, nevertheless

Gamliel, my son,

the firstborn, will be the

Nasi.

Levi said,

astonished,

Levi:

Is it

necessary to say

that the firstborn inherits the Nasi position? Is it not obvious that the elder son precedes the younger brother in inheriting his father’s authority!?

He said,

he answered

Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi

to Levi, in sharp language, in response to his astonishment at the words of Rabbi, his father: Indeed, it is

necessary

for Rabbi, my father, to innovate and say this

for you,

for your sake

and for your lameness

[and for your limping. Since Levi was lame, he mentioned his lameness].

And the Gemara asks why Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi expressed himself toward Levi in this manner, when apparently Levi was correct in his astonishment—

What difficulty did he have

for Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi concerning Levi?

But

Levi—

a verse says!

For he relied on the words of the verse in Chronicles [II, chapter 21]:

“And he gave the kingdom to Jehoram

because he was the firstborn.”

And we answer:

That

verse [concerning the appointment of Jehoram]—

he was the one who filled the place of his fathers,

for he was fit for kingship like his father, and none of his brothers was more fit for kingship than he.

But

however,

Rabban Gamliel

his brother—

was not one who filled the place of his fathers

in wisdom;

he was.

For he had a brother who was wiser than he!

And the Gemara explains:

And Rabbi—

what is the reason he did this,

to bequeathing the Nasi position to his son Rabban Gamliel, and not to his son Rabbi Shimon, although his son Rabbi Shimon was the one who filled the place of his fathers in wisdom?

For

even if

Rabban Gamliel

is not one who fills the place of his fathers in wisdom,

but

in fear of sin—

he was one who filled the place of his fathers.

We further learned that Rabbi said:

c.

“Hanina bar Hama will sit at the head.”

And the Gemara relates:

Rabbi Hanina did not accept

this appointment upon himself, because

Rabbi Afes was older than he by two and a half years.

Rabbi Afes sat

he sat

first,

at the head of the session,

and Rabbi Hanina sat outside,

outside the session, because he was not subordinate to Rabbi Afes.

And Levi came and sat with him,

together with Rabbi Hanina outside.

Afterward

Rabbi Afes died, and

when Rabbi Afes departed from the world,

Rabbi Hanina sat first.

And

since Rabbi Hanina sat at the head of the session,

Levi had no person to sit with him,

he had no companion who would sit with him outside [and inside he did not wish to sit before Rabbi Hanina, as will be explained below]. Therefore Levi left the Land of Israel

and came to Babylonia.

And this is what they said to Rav

when Levi reached Nehardea, Rav’s city:

A great man arrived in Nehardea, and he limps,

and he is lame,

and he expounded: A kelila is permitted!

It is permitted to go out on Shabbat with a “kelila,” which an important woman customarily wears, and there is no concern that she might remove it in order to show it and carry it in the public domain, since it is not the way of an important woman to remove the “kelila” from herself.

Rav said,

Rav:

Infer from this

from the fact that Rav Levi came to Babylonia, that

Rabbi Afes died, and Rabbi Hanina

in his place

sat first,

at the head of the session,

and Levi had no person

another

to sit with him

to sit with him outside the beit-midrash,

and

therefore

he came

Levi to Babylonia.

And we raise a question about it: From where did Rav know that this is indeed what happened?

And say,

for he should have said that it is possible that

Rabbi Hanina died,

that Rabbi Hanina died,

and

if

Rabbi Afes continued sitting as he had sat,

he continued sitting at the head of the session as he had previously sat there,

and

since Rabbi Hanina died,

Levi had no person to sit with him

outside,

and

therefore he

came

to Babylonia!

And the Gemara brings two explanations for how Rav knew that this indeed happened, as he said.

a.

If you wish, say: Levi, toward Rabbi Afes—

was completely subordinate to him.

And if Rabbi Hanina had died, he could have entered and sat before Rabbi Afes. His sitting outside until then was only in order to be a companion to Rabbi Hanina. And since Levi descended to Babylonia, it is proven that Rabbi Afes died, Rabbi Hanina sat at the head of the session, and Levi could not sit before him because he was not subordinate to Rabbi Hanina.

b.

And if you wish, say: Since Rabbi said

that

“Hanina bar Hama will sit at the head”—

it necessarily happened this way, since

it is not sufficient,

it is impossible otherwise,

that he should not “reign,”

that Rabbi Hanina should not reign and serve as head of the session, but certainly he became head of the session, because

it is written concerning them, concerning the righteous:

[Job 22]

“You shall decree a matter

and it shall be established for you.”

And now the Gemara asks why Rabbi appointed Rabbi Hanina to the position of head of the session:

But there was Rabbi Hiyya!

[And the Gemara assumed that Rabbi Hiyya was greater than Rabbi Hanina!]

And we answer: Already

he had died!

Rabbi Hiyya had departed from the world before Rabbi’s death.

And we challenge:

But Rabbi Hiyya said: I saw Rabbi’s grave and shed tears over it!

And we answer:

Reverse it!

Rabbi was the one who wept over Rabbi Hiyya’s grave.

And we challenge:

But Rabbi Hiyya said: On the day that Rabbi died—

holiness ceased!

And we answer:

Reverse it!

It was Rabbi who said this about Rabbi Hiyya.

And we challenge:

But it was taught in a beraita: When Rabbi became ill, Rabbi Hiyya entered to him and found him crying.

He said to him: Rabbi, why are you crying?

And it was taught:

One who

dies amid laughter—

it is a good sign for him,

whereas one who dies

amid weeping—

it is a bad sign for him.

His face upward—

it is a good sign for him; his face downward—

it is a favorable sign; if his face is turned downward

it is a bad sign for him.

it is an unfavorable sign.

His face toward the people—

it is a good sign for him; toward the wall—

it is a favorable sign; if it is turned toward the wall —

it is a bad sign for him. His face is green—

it is a bad sign for him; his face is yellow and red—

it is an unfavorable sign; if his face is yellow or red

it is a good sign for him;

He died on Friday afternoon—

it is a good sign for him,

—

it is a good sign for him,

since he immediately entered into rest.

At the conclusion of Shabbat—

it is a bad sign for him;

it is an unfavorable sign;

He died on the eve of Yom Kippur—

—

it is a bad sign for him; at the conclusion of Yom Kippur,

after his sins had been forgiven—

it is a good sign for him.

He died from intestinal illness—

it is a good sign for him, because most of the righteous die from intestinal illness!

it is a favorable sign, because most righteous people die from intestinal illness!

He said to him: I—

it is for Torah and mitzvot

that I will no longer be able to study and fulfill—

that I am crying!

And it is proven that Rabbi Hiyya was alive at the time of Rabbi’s death!

The Gemara answers in two ways:

a.

If you wish, say: Reverse it,

and say that Rabbi wept over Rabbi Hiyya.

And if you wish, say: In fact, do not reverse it.

Rather, Rabbi did not appoint him because

Rabbi Hiyya was occupied with mitzvot, and Rabbi reasoned: I will not hold him back,

I will not nullify him from his mitzvot!

And this is what happened: When Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Hiyya would quarrel, Rabbi Hanina said to Rabbi Hiyya: Are you quarreling with me?

Are you, Rav, quarreling with me?

For if, Heaven forbid, Torah were forgotten from Israel, I would restore it

I would return it

through my dialectical analysis!

Rabbi Hiyya said to him: I—

I have acted,

I performed deeds

so that Torah would not be forgotten from Israel.

For I brought flaxseed

flax seeds,

and sowed it,

and planted them,

and

from the flax that grew

I made

I wove

nets

hunting nets,

and hunted deer,

and hunted deer,

and fed the meat

and fed the deer meat

to orphans, and I prepared scrolls

and made scrolls

from the hides of the deer,

from the deer hides,

and I went up to a town

and went to a city

that did not have

in which there was no

teacher of children,

teacher of children,

and I wrote

for them

five books of the Torah for five children, and I taught

and taught

six orders to six

to six

children, to each one and one I said: Teach

teach

your order

that I taught you

to your companion.

And this is what Rabbi said: How great are the deeds of Hiyya!

Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi said

to his father: Are his deeds great

even more than yours?

He said to him: Yes.

Rabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yosei said

to Rabbi: Are his deeds great

even

more than the deeds of

my father

[Rabbi Yosei]?

He said to him: Heaven forbid; may such a thing not be said in Israel

to say so!

He said to them,

Rabbi:

For the younger

son

I need.

Rabbi Shimon entered to him, and he transmitted to him the orders of wisdom.

He said to them: For the elder

son

I need.

Rabban Gamliel entered to him, and he transmitted to him the orders of the Nasi position.

He said to him: My son, conduct your Nasi position with hauteur,

so that you will sit among the great! And

cast fear upon the students,

so that they will be in awe of you.

And we challenge:

Is that so!?

But it is written

[Psalms 15]:

“And he honors those who fear the Lord,” and the Master said: This is Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. When he would see a Torah scholar, he would rise from his throne, embrace him and kiss him, and say to him: My teacher, my teacher, my master, my master!

And we answer:

It is not difficult.

This

is in private: one must honor each and every person, like King Jehoshaphat.

This

is in public: he must make his kingship known by imposing fear!

It was taught:

When

Rabbi

was ill, he was

lying in Sepphoris,

which is at the top of the mountain,

and

if

the place

of his grave was

prepared for him in Beit Shearim,

in the Jezreel Valley.

And we challenge what was said in the beraita, that Rabbi’s residence was in Sepphoris:

But it was taught

[Deuteronomy 16]:

“Justice, justice shall you pursue”—

you have to pursue and go far, to the great one of the generation, in order to reach true justice in halakha—

Follow Rabbi—

—

to Beit Shearim!

And it is proven that his residence was there, and not in Sepphoris!

And we answer:

Rabbi—

was in Beit Shearim, but when he became weak—

they brought him to Sepphoris,

which is at the top of the mountain and its air is clear and good, whereas Beit Shearim is in the valley.