Ketubot 50a (נ.) — the Talmud in English

He said to him:

that man

writes his property to his sons

during his lifetime;

he is the one who compelled them [

and compelled his sons to support him against their will].

And now,

granted that you say

that the obligation of his sons to support him

is not

part of the fundamental

law

itself,

that is why he compelled them,

and for that reason he praised him, since he had exerted himself to go beyond the letter of the law.

But if you say that it is the law, did he need to compel them?

[The law is indeed so, and he was required to judge truthfully against his will; that man should not have needed to hold him in gratitude for this]!

Rabbi Ilaa said: In Usha they instituted

that

one who expends

his property for charity

should not expend more than a fifth

of his property .

It was taught likewise: One who expends

his property for charity

should not expend more than a fifth, lest he become dependent upon others .

And there was an incident involving one who sought to expend more than a fifth, but his colleague did not allow him. And who was he?

Who was that colleague?

Rabbi Yishavav.

And some say

that

Rabbi Yishavav

sought to expend more than a fifth,

but his colleague did not allow him. And who was he?

Rabbi Akiva.

Rav Naḥman said, and some say Rav Aḥa bar Yaakov: What is the verse?

From where do we derive this matter from Scripture? As it is written:

“And of all that You shall give me, I shall repeatedly tithe it for You.”

“I shall tithe it” [“aser asrennu”]—these are two tithes, which together constitute a fifth. This indicates that one should not expend more.

And we raise an objection:

But the latter tithe is not equivalent to the first tithe

[the first tithe is not equivalent to the second], for after tithing the first tenth, nine parts remained, and when he tithed again, he tithed only from the nine parts. Thus, he expended less than a fifth!

Rav Ashi said:

Since it is written “I shall repeatedly tithe it,” and it is not written “I shall tithe twice,” this indicates:

“I shall tithe it”

for the

latter tithe

like the first

[i.e., in the same amount as the first].

Rav Shimi bar Ashi said: And these traditions

of Rabbi Ilaa concerning the institutions of Usha

diminish progressively

with regard to the number of amoraim who transmitted them. For the first tradition states that Rabbi Ilaa said it in the name of Reish Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Ḥanina; the second tradition states that Rabbi Ilaa said it in the name of Reish Lakish; whereas the third states that Rabbi Ilaa said it alone.

And your mnemonic

for the order of these halakhot, enabling you to know the order of their diminution and not confuse their sequence, is:

“Minors”

[to support his minor son and daughter],

“wrote”

[the one who writes his property, etc.],

“and expended”

[he should not expend more than a fifth].

Rav Yitzḥak said: In Usha they instituted that a person should patiently reason

with gentle words

with his son

if he refuses to study,

until the age of twelve .

From that point onward,

from the age of twelve,

he should descend upon him for the rest of his life

by disciplining him with a strap and withholding bread.

And we wonder:

Is that so? But Rav said to Rav Shmuel bar Shilat,

who was a teacher of children:

A child younger than six

[under six years old]

do not accept

to teach him.

Accept a six-year-old—

and stuff him like an ox

[feed him Torah as one stuffs food into an ox ]! We see that already from the age of six one compels him to study!

And we explain:

Yes,

indeed,

stuff him like an ox. However, do not descend upon him for the rest of his life—

until after the age of twelve.

And if you wish, say instead: There is no difficulty. That

which we say, that one compels him from the age of six, refers

to

the study

of Scripture.

Whereas

that

which we say, that one compels him from the age of twelve, refers

to

the study

of Mishna.

For Abaye said: My mother

[my nurse]

told me: A six-year-old—

for Scripture .

A ten-year-old—

for Mishna.

A thirteen-year-old

[a thirteen-year-old boy]—

for a full-day fast

[to fast the entire day].

And with regard to a young girl

[a girl], since she hastens to develop physical strength, as she does not weaken herself through Torah study, she fasts when she is

twelve years old .

As for what Abaye’s nurse said, that a girl of twelve fasts, the intention is that she fasts during her twelfth year itself. But fasting from the age of twelve years and one day is by Torah law, since she has developed two pubic hairs and is subject to punishment; we therefore do not need to learn this matter from Abaye’s nurse .

Abaye said: My mother told me: A six-year-old whom a scorpion stings on the day his sixth year is completed

[a six-year-old whom a scorpion stings on the day his sixth year has been completed]—

will not live

[he will not survive] unless he is given a proven remedy.

What is his remedy

[what is his cure]?

The gall of a white kite in beer

[the gall of a white kite mixed with beer];

smear it on him and give him the beer to drink

[one must smear him with it and give him the beer to drink].

A one-year-old whom a bee stings on the day his first year is completed

[a one-year-old whom a bee stings on the day his year is completed]—

will not live.

What is his remedy

[what is his cure]?

Palm fiber

[fiber that grows around the palm]

in water; smear it on him and give it to him to drink.

Rav Ketina said: Anyone who brings his son, younger than six,

to study Torah,

runs after him

to restore his health and revive him—

but does not catch up with him,

as he cannot succeed in doing so, because the child is in danger of dying from extreme weakness.

Some say: His companions

of his son

run after him,

seeking to become as learned in Torah as he is—

but do not catch up with him.

And

in truth,

both are present

[both matters apply]: he is also

weakened,

for he indeed becomes weak from his study,

and

he also

becomes learned

[he becomes wise in Torah].

If you wish, say instead: That

which we say, that his father runs after him to restore his health, applies

when he is frail

[when the son is frail], and therefore he should not be brought to study Torah before the age of six.

Whereas

that

which we say, that his companions run after him, applies

when

the son is

healthy,

in which case he may be brought even before the age of six, since he becomes more intelligent.

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: In Usha they instituted

that

a woman who sells the

principal of

usufruct property

[property that she brought from her father’s home]

during her husband’s lifetime—

and dies

afterward—

the husband may remove it

from the purchasers .

The reason is that the Sages regarded the husband as a purchaser—that is, as though he had acquired the property from his wife when he married her. Therefore, he preceded the purchasers who bought it from her!

Rav Yitzḥak bar Yosef encountered Rabbi Abbahu, who was standing among the crowd at Usha

[when he was standing at a gathering of people in Usha].

He said to him: Who is the master of the tradition of Usha

[who is the one who stated the traditions of Usha]?

He said to him: Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina

is the one.

He learned it from him

Rav Yitzḥak learned this matter from Rabbi Abbahu—that Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina was the master of the tradition of Usha

forty times,

and it seemed to him as though it had been placed in his pocket

[and after learning it from him forty times, it seemed to him as though the matter were lying in his pocket].

It is written

in the book of Psalms:

“Fortunate are those who keep justice, who perform charity at all times.”

And it is difficult:

Is it possible to perform charity at all times?

Rather,

our Sages in Yavneh expounded, and some say

that

Rabbi Eliezer

expounded this matter:

This refers to one who supports

his

sons and daughters when they are minors.

For they are always dependent upon him, by day and by night, yet this is not an obligation imposed upon him, but rather charity!

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: This refers to one who raises an orphan boy or an orphan girl in his home—

and marries them off

when they reach marriageable age .

It is further written in the book of Psalms:

“Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever,”

indicating that he has wealth and riches in his house, which he did not expend, and nevertheless his righteousness endures forever, since he performed much charity. How is this possible?

And

Rav Huna and Rav Ḥisda explained this verse.

One

[of them]

said: This refers to one who studies Torah—

and teaches it

to others. For it remains with him, and he also performs charity by taking the trouble to teach it to others .

And one said: This refers to one who writes

books of

Torah, Prophets, and Writings—

and lends them to others.

For the books remain his, as they do not wear out, and nevertheless he performs charity by lending them to others.

It is further written in the book of Psalms:

“And may you see children of your children. Peace be upon Israel.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi

explained this verse:

When

there are

children of your children,

there is

peace upon Israel, for

as a result,

the matter will not come to halitza and yibbum ,

since halitza and yibbum apply only when a husband dies without children.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: When there are children of your children—

there is peace upon the judges of Israel, for

as a result

they will not come to quarrel.

For if there are no children, they may come to dispute who has precedence in the inheritance . But when there are children, it is certain that they are the ones who inherit.

We learned in our Mishna:

“This is the exposition that Rabbi Eliezer expounded before the Sages, etc.”