Ketubot 103b (קג:) — the Talmud in English

b.

“Establish a study session”,

so that you will return immediately to Torah study

after thirty days,

and thereafter do not suspend Torah study in order to continue delivering eulogies throughout the year of mourning.

c.

“My son Shimon”—

he will be the

“sage” [

as will be explained below in the Gemara].

“My son Gamliel”—

he will be the

nasi.

“Ḥanina bar Ḥama”—

he shall preside

over the study session.

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

“Do not eulogize me in the towns.”

They thought,

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

because of the exertion

required of the villagers near the towns

that he was referring to.

For if they eulogized him in the towns, it would be difficult for the villagers to come and gather there for his eulogy. Therefore, he said that they should eulogize him only in the large cities, where only the city residents would gather, and the others would not have to trouble themselves to come there.

However,

when they saw,

when they realized

that,

although

they eulogized him

only

in the large cities,

nevertheless

they came,

they came

everyone,

from both the villages and the towns,

they said: Infer from this, it was because of his honor [

Rabbi’s honor]

that he was referring to,

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

b.

“Establish a study session”

to study Torah immediately

after thirty days,

and do not suspend study in the session entirely 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

concerning his mourning [Deuteronomy 34]:

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

And the Gemara relates:

For thirty days,

the first thirty days,

they eulogized

Rabbi

by day and by night.

But

from then onward, they eulogized by day and studied

and learned Torah

by night.

Or they eulogized by night and studied by day—

they eulogized by night and studied by day

until they had eulogized him for twelve months [

twelve months of the year].

On that day when Rabbi died,

on the day on which Rabbi passed away,

a Divine voice went forth,

a Divine voice emerged,

and said: Anyone who was present at Rabbi’s death—

he is destined for life in the World to Come!

There was

a certain launderer there

who

would come before him every day,

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

on that day,

the day on which Rabbi died,

he did not come. When he heard this,

that a Divine voice had gone forth and proclaimed it, and that he alone had not been there on that day,

he went up to the roof,

he climbed onto the roof of the house,

and fell to the ground and died.

A Divine voice went forth and said: Even that launderer—

he is destined for life in the World to Come!

We learned further in the baraita that Rabbi said:

c.

“My son Shimon is a sage.”

And we raise a question concerning this:

What is he saying

Rabbi?

And we answer:

This is what he is saying: Although my son Shimon

the younger

is a sage,

more so, nevertheless

my son Gamliel,

the firstborn, will be the

nasi.

Levi said,

expressing astonishment,

Levi:

Is it

necessary to say

that the firstborn is the heir to the office of nasi? Is it not obvious that the eldest son takes precedence in inheriting his father’s position of authority over his younger brother!?

He said,

Rabbi’s son

Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi

answered Levi regarding his astonishment at the words of his father Rabbi, in a sharp expression: Indeed,

it is necessary

for my father Rabbi to teach and say this—

for you,

for your sake,

and for your lameness [

and for your limping. Since Levi was lame, he alluded to his lameness].

The Gemara asks why Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi addressed Levi in this manner, when apparently Levi was correct in his question—

What difficulty did he have

with Levi?

After all,

Levi

cited a verse!

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

“And he gave the kingdom to Jehoram—

for he was the firstborn.”

And we answer:

That

verse [concerning the appointment of Jehoram]—

he was the replacement of his fathers,

as he was fit to rule just as his father was, and none of his brothers was more fit to rule than he was.

But

Rabban

Gamliel,

my brother,

was not the replacement of his fathers

in wisdom; he

was

in possession of a brother who was wiser than he was!

And the Gemara explains:

And Rabbi—

for what reason did he act in this manner,

to bequeath the office of nasi to his son Rabban Gamliel and not to his son Rabbi Shimon, despite the fact that Rabbi Shimon was the one who possessed his fathers’ wisdom?

For

although

Rabban Gamliel

was not the replacement of his fathers in wisdom,

nevertheless

in fear of sin—

he was the replacement of his fathers.

We learned further that Rabbi said:

c.

“Ḥanina bar Ḥama shall preside.”

And the Gemara relates:

Rabbi Ḥanina did not accept

this appointment for himself, because

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

Rabbi Afes sat

—he sat

at the head,

at the head of the study session,

and Rabbi Ḥanina sat outside,

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

And Levi came and sat with him,

together with Rabbi Ḥanina outside.

Afterward,

Rabbi Afes died, and

when Rabbi Afes passed away,

Rabbi Ḥanina sat at the head.

And,

once Rabbi Ḥanina sat at the head of the study session,

Levi had no one with whom to sit,

he had no companion who would sit with him outside [and he did not wish to sit inside before Rabbi Ḥanina, as will be explained below]. Therefore, Levi left Eretz Yisrael

and came to Babylonia.

And this is what they said to Rav

when Levi arrived in Nehardea, Rav’s city:

A great man has arrived in Nehardea, and he limps,

and he is lame,

and he teaches: 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 to show it to others and carry it in the public domain, since it is not the manner of an important woman to remove the kelila from herself.

Rav said:

Rav

inferred from this

from the fact that Rav Levi came to Babylonia, that

Rabbi Afes died, and Rabbi Ḥanina

in his place

sat at the head,

at the head of the study session,

and Levi had no other person

with whom

to sit,

to sit with him outside the study hall,

and

therefore

he came,

Levi came to Babylonia.

And we raise a question: How did Rav know that this was indeed what had happened?

And say,

could he not have said that it was possible that

Rabbi Ḥanina died,

that Rabbi Ḥanina passed away,

and

if

Rabbi Afes remained seated as he had been sitting,

he continued to sit at the head of the study session, as he had previously,

and

once Rabbi Ḥanina died,

Levi had no one with whom to sit

outside,

and

therefore he

came

to Babylonia!

The Gemara offers two explanations for how Rav knew that what he said had indeed occurred.

a.

Alternatively, if you wish, say: Levi was subordinate to Rabbi Afes—

he was certainly subordinate to him.

If Rabbi Ḥanina had died, he could have entered and sat before Rabbi Afes. His sitting outside until then was only in order to keep Rabbi Ḥanina company. Since Levi went down to Babylonia, it is evident that Rabbi Afes died, Rabbi Ḥanina sat at the head of the study session, and Levi could not sit before him because he was not subordinate to Rabbi Ḥanina.

b.

And alternatively, if you wish, say: Since Rabbi said

that

“Ḥanina bar Ḥama shall preside”—

it necessarily happened this way, since

it cannot be otherwise,

it is impossible

that he should not rule,

that Rabbi Ḥanina would not rule and serve as head of the study session; rather, he certainly became head of the study session, because

it is written concerning them, the righteous: [

Job 22]

“You shall decree a matter—

and it shall be established for you.”

The Gemara now asks why Rabbi appointed Rabbi Ḥanina to serve as head of the study session:

But there was Rabbi Ḥiyya! [

The Gemara assumed that Rabbi Ḥiyya was greater than Rabbi Ḥanina.]

And we answer: He had already

died!

Rabbi Ḥiyya had passed away before Rabbi’s death.

And we challenge this:

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

And we answer:

Reverse it!

It was Rabbi who wept over Rabbi Ḥiyya’s grave.

And we challenge this:

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

sanctity ceased!

And we answer:

Reverse it!

It was Rabbi who said this about Rabbi Ḥiyya.

And we challenge this:

But it was taught in a baraita: When Rabbi became ill, Rabbi Ḥiyya entered to him and found him weeping.

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

But it was taught:

One who

dies amid laughter—

it is a favorable sign for him,

whereas one who dies

amid weeping—

it is an unfavorable sign for him.

His face upward—

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

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

it is an unfavorable sign for him.

it is an unfavorable sign.

His face toward the people—

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

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

it is an unfavorable sign for him.

His face is green—

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

it is an unfavorable sign for him; his face is yellow and ruddy—

it is a favorable sign for him;

He dies on the eve of Shabbat—

—

it is a favorable sign for him,

as he enters immediately into rest.

On Saturday night—

it is an unfavorable sign for him;

it is an unfavorable sign;

He dies on the eve of Yom Kippur—

—

it is an unfavorable sign for him; on the night after Yom Kippur,

after his sins have been forgiven,

it is a favorable sign for him.

He dies from intestinal illness—

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

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

He said to him: I—

it is concerning Torah and mitzvot

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

that I am weeping!

This proves that Rabbi Ḥiyya was alive at the time of Rabbi’s death!

The Gemara answers in two ways:

a.

Alternatively, if you wish, say: Reverse it,

and say that it was Rabbi who wept over Rabbi Ḥiyya.

And alternatively, if you wish, say: Actually, do not reverse it.

Rather, Rabbi did not appoint him because

Rabbi Ḥiyya was occupied with mitzvot, and Rabbi reasoned: I will not impede him,

I will not prevent him from performing his mitzvot!

And this is the meaning of what happened when Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Ḥiyya were arguing. Rabbi Ḥanina said to Rabbi Ḥiyya: Are you arguing with me?

Are you, Master, arguing with me?

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

I would restore it

through my dialectical analysis!

Rabbi Ḥiyya said to him: I—

I have acted,

I have 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

for hunting,

and I hunted deer,

and hunted deer,

and I 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 skins,

and I went up to a town

and went to a town

in which there are no

where there are no

teachers of children,

schoolteachers,

and I wrote

for them

five Pentateuchs for five children, and I taught

and taught

six orders to six

to six

children, and to each one I said: Teach

teach

your order

that I taught you

to your fellow.

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

Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi said to him,

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 such a thing!

He said to them,

Rabbi:

For the younger of my sons

the

small one I need.

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

He said to them: For the elder of my sons

the

great one I need.

Rabban Gamliel entered to him, and he transmitted to him the protocols of the office of nasi.

He said to him: My son, conduct your office of nasi with grandeur,

so that you will sit among the great! And

cast fear upon the students,

so that they will stand in awe of you.

And we challenge this:

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,

where one must honor each and every person, as King Jehoshaphat did.

That is in public,

where he must make his kingship known by instilling fear!

It was taught in a baraita:

When

Rabbi

was ill, he was

lying in Sepphoris,

which is at the top of a mountain,

and

if the

place

of his burial was

prepared for him in Beit She’arim,

in the Jezreel Valley.

The Gemara challenges the statement in the baraita that Rabbi’s residence was in Sepphoris:

But it was taught [

Deuteronomy 16]:

“Justice, justice shall you pursue”—

you must pursue it and travel far, to the great scholar of the generation, in order to arrive at the true justice of halakha—

Follow Rabbi—

—

to Beit She’arim!

This proves that his residence was there and not in Sepphoris!

And we answer:

Rabbi

was in Beit She’arim, but once he became ill—

they brought him to Sepphoris,

which is at the top of a mountain and whose air is pure and good, whereas Beit She’arim is in a valley.