Ketubot 62a — the Talmud in English

And the Gemara answers: the question was

the ordinary practice

[customary conduct]

how much?

What length of time is appropriate for a student to ask his wife to allow him to go out to his teacher, and not incur sin on account of it?

Rav said:

that he should stay

one month here

with his teacher,

and one month at home.

Similar to the way the servants of the House of David used to be: one month in the House of David and one month in their homes—

As it is stated: “

And the Children of Israel according to their number, the heads of the fathers’ houses and the officers of the thousands and the hundreds and their officers who served the king

for every matter.

The division coming and going, month by month for all the months of the year.

The one division, twenty-four thousand.”

The plain meaning of the verse is that there were twelve divisions; each division served the king for one month, and eleven months the members of the division were at home. However, since Scripture said “coming and going,” which is superfluous in the verse, Rav learned from it that there were two additional divisions, which served together with the other divisions, each one in turn.

One division served [with an additional division] for one month and returned to its home for a period of one month. During that month the second division served [with another division]. Then the first division again returned to serve for one month [with another division]. It follows that those two additional divisions were one month in the king’s house and one month in their homes.

And Rabbi Yohanan said: One month here and two

months

at home,

as the woodcutters of Lebanon worked, whom King Solomon sent to cut them for the building of the Temple—

As it is stated: “

And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: You know David my father, that he was unable to build a house for the Name of the Lord his God. And now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. And behold, I say to build a house for the Name of the Lord. And now, command that they cut cedars for me from Lebanon, and my servants shall be with your servants. And King Solomon raised a levy from all Israel, and the levy was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, in turns,

one month they shall be in Lebanon, two months at home.”

And the Gemara asks:

But Rav also,

who said one month at home—

for what reason did he not say

why did he not learn

from that

verse concerning Lebanon, which implies that one should stay two months at home!?

And we answer: Rav held,

the building of the Temple is different,

since

it can be done by others,

who would build it, it was necessary for him to be at home for two months.

And the Gemara raises another objection:

And Rabbi Yohanan,

who holds that he should stay two months at home—

for what reason did he not say from that

verse concerning the divisions, which implies that one month at home is sufficient!?

And we answer: Rabbi Yohanan held,

it is different there,

since

he has financial benefit,

because they received generous wages from the king’s house—the woman accepts upon herself that her husband be in the king’s house for one month and at home for only one month, since through this she has ample sustenance and jewelry. But when a student goes to the house of his teacher, the woman does not gain from this; rather, it is her husband’s mitzva.

And since the Gemara brought one dispute between Rav and Rabbi Yohanan concerning expositions of verses, the Gemara brings another dispute between them:

Rav said: A sigh—

breaks half the body

[half of his strength]

of a person, as it is stated: “

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying. Son of man [Ezekiel], set your face toward Jerusalem and prophesy [and proclaim] against the sanctuaries [the destruction of the two Temples].

And you, son of man, sigh with breaking of the loins,

and sigh with bitterness

before their eyes.” And the loins are in the middle of the body.

And Rabbi Yohanan said:

A sigh—

also the entire body

it breaks,

as it is stated

[in the following verse]:

“And it shall be, when they say to you: For what do you sigh?

And you shall say: Because of a report that has come, and every heart shall melt,

and all hands shall grow weak, and every spirit shall grow faint, and all knees

shall flow with water,”

so the entire body is included.

And the Gemara is astonished:

But Rabbi Yohanan also has written, “with breaking of the loins”,

which implies like Rav’s words, that it breaks only half of a person’s body!?

And we answer: Rabbi Yohanan holds that

that

verse, “with breaking of the loins,” comes to teach

that when it begins—

the breaking—

it begins from the loins

[the beginning of the breaking of the entire body begins from the loins].

The Gemara raises another objection:

But Rav also,

who holds that a sigh breaks only half of a person’s body—

it is written, “and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall grow weak, and every

spirit”.

And it implies that a sigh breaks a person’s entire body!? And we answer: Rav holds that one cannot prove anything from the second verse. For this is its meaning: And you, son of man, sigh today, before the destruction of the Temple, with a sigh that breaks half of a person’s body. And when the Temple is destroyed, then “every heart shall melt.”

Therefore one cannot prove anything from the second verse, because

the report of the Temple

that was destroyed

is exceedingly severe,

it is a very difficult report, and only it breaks a person’s entire body.

And the Gemara relates:

A certain Jew and a gentile were going along the road together

[a Jew and a gentile were walking on the road together].

The gentile was unable to keep pace with the Jew

[the gentile was unable to match the pace of the Jew’s walking].

He reminded him,

the gentile reminded the Jew of

the destruction of the Temple.

He sighed,

the Jew groaned,

and sighed

[he sighed].

Even so, the gentile was unable to keep pace with him

[nevertheless, the gentile was unable to catch up with him and walk together with the Jew].

He said to him,

the gentile said to the Jew: Is it not so that

you say

[is it not customary among you to say]

“A sigh breaks half the body of a person”?

And how is it that after your sigh I am still lagging behind you!?

He said to him,

the Jew said to the gentile:

These words

that a sigh over a bad report breaks half a person’s body apply to

a new matter

[a new report].

But this,

the report concerning the destruction of the Temple,

with which we are familiar,

since we have become accustomed to it,

does not

break us!

And similar to

what people say: One who is accustomed to bereavement does not tremble

[a woman who is accustomed to having her sons die and burying them is not astonished or frightened when one of them dies], since she has already become accustomed to it.

We learned in the Mishna: The conjugal period stated in the Torah—

those who enjoy leisure, every day:

And we inquire about it:

What does “those who enjoy leisure” mean?

Rava said: The sons of the chapter.

Students whose teacher is available to them in their city, and who study their chapter with him until they return home at night, and therefore their conjugal period is every day.

He said,

he objected,

to him, Abaye:

And is it so that

one about whom it is written

[the students who are “the sons of the chapter,” concerning whom it is said, in comparison with artisans]:

“It is futile for you,

artisans, that you

rise early

and

stay late, eating the bread of sorrows

[eating your bread in sorrow]!

So He gives

[the Holy One, blessed be He]

to His beloved,

to one who loses sleep for His honor and for His mitzva,

sleep

—that is, all your livelihood, over which you toil and become distressed, rising early and staying late—I [the Holy One, blessed be He] will give without distress to one who deprives his eyes of sleep.

And Rav Yitzhak said:

Who are those who deprive themselves of sleep for His honor and for His mitzva?—

These are the wives of Torah scholars, who deprive their eyes of sleep in this world and come to life in the World to Come —

We have thus learned that at the time of sleep their husbands are still in their teacher’s house—

and

if

you were to say

that

the sons of the chapter

have their conjugal period every night!? Do they have time for this!?

Rather, Abaye said:

The “those who enjoy leisure” whom we learned in our Mishna were

like Rav!

For Rav said: For example, Rav Shmuel bar Shilat

[the name of his mother], who was a teacher of children and earned his livelihood from them,

who eats from his own and drinks from his own

[he is independent, eating and drinking his own],

and sleeps in the shade of his mansion

[he sleeps in the “shade of his home” every night],

and the king’s messenger does not pass by his door

[a messenger of the Persian king does not pass by his house to take him for the king’s service], because he was not considered wealthy in the king’s eyes.

When Ravin came

[when Ravin came from the Land of Israel to Babylonia],

he said:

Thus one should explain what we learned in our Mishna, “those who enjoy leisure, every day”—

such as the pampered people of the West,

the people of the Land of Israel who are pampered with food and drink, and therefore are healthy and strong for conjugal relations.

And since the Gemara mentioned that the people of the Land of Israel are strong, the Gemara brings an incident concerning two amoraim from the Land of Israel who were strong:

1.

Rabbi Abbahu was standing in the bathhouse

[Rabbi Abbahu was standing in the bathhouse],

and two servants were supporting him

[and two servants were supporting him],

the bathhouse collapsed beneath him

[the bathhouse collapsed beneath him], and he and his servants fell into the cavity beneath it.

A pillar happened to come to him; he climbed up and brought them up

the servants [a pillar happened to be available to Rabbi Abbahu; Rabbi Abbahu climbed it and brought the servants up with him], because he was strong.

2. And similarly there was an incident involving

Rabbi Yohanan,

who

was going up the stairs

[he was going up the stairs],

and they were supporting him

[they were supporting him, one from this side and one from that side]—

Rav Ami and Rav Asi.

The stairs collapsed beneath him

[the stairs beneath Rabbi Yohanan were destroyed].

He climbed up

[Rabbi Yohanan climbed up from the place into which he had fallen],

and brought them up

[and brought Rav Ami and Rav Asi up with him], because he was strong.

The Rabbis said to him,

to Rabbi Yohanan:

And since it is so

[and since you possess such great strength],

why do you need to be supported

[for what purpose do you need them to support you]!?

He said to them,

Rabbi Yohanan said to the Rabbis:

If

I do not support myself now, but use my strength already now,

what shall I leave

strength

for old age!?

We learned in the Mishna: The conjugal period stated in the Torah,

and laborers, twice a week:

And the Gemara raises a difficulty:

But it was taught

in a beraita: The conjugal period of

laborers is once a week!?

Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Hanina said: It is not difficult!

Here—

in our Mishna, where the conjugal period of laborers is twice a week—

is when they perform

those laborers

work in their city.

Here—

in the beraita—

is when they perform work in another city,

and therefore their conjugal period is only once a week.

It was taught likewise

as Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Hanina answered: For it was taught: The conjugal period of

laborers is twice a week.

When are these words applicable? When they perform work in their city. But

when they perform work in another city,

their conjugal period is only

once a week.

We learned in the Mishna: One who vows to prevent his wife from marital relations, Beit Hillel say: one week. The conjugal period stated in the Torah,

caravan drivers—

once a week:

Rabba bar Rav Hanan thought that if one vows to prevent his wife for a period shorter than the time of his conjugal period, there is no reason that he should divorce her and give her the marriage contract.

And necessarily, the beginning of the Mishna, which obligates a husband who vowed to prevent his wife for only one week to divorce his wife, does not deal with camel drivers and sailors, for their conjugal period is more than one week.

And likewise necessarily, it does not deal with caravan drivers, for their conjugal period is once a week, and there is no reason that because of the cancellation of one day of the conjugal period he should divorce her and give her the marriage contract; therefore:

He said,

he objected,

to Abaye, Rabba bar Rav Hanan:

And is it so that

the tan[n]a took pains to teach us [only about] one who enjoys leisure and a laborer?

Is it reasonable that the beginning of the Mishna deals only with one who enjoys leisure and a laborer, whose conjugal period is more than once a week, and therefore when he vows to prevent his wife for one week he must divorce her and give her the marriage contract!?

He said to him,

Abaye said to Rabba bar Rav Hanan:

No,

not as you think, that the beginning of the Mishna deals only with one who enjoys leisure and a laborer—