Ketubot 77b (עז:) — the Talmud in English

Rather,

there

—with regard to the matters mentioned in the Mishna—

when she says, “I will remain with him,” we leave her with him

—if she says, “Nevertheless, I desire him,” we leave her with him.

But

here

—in the case of one who remained with her for ten years—

even though she says, “I will remain with him,”—

we do not leave her,

so that he can fulfill the mitzva of procreation. And therefore we did not teach this case in the Mishna.

And we raise an objection:

But what of one afflicted with boils? Even though she says, “I will remain with him,” we do not leave her with him,

as we learned in the Mishna: “Except for one afflicted with boils, because it causes him to decay,”

which indicates that we always compel him to divorce her so that his flesh will not decay;

and

nevertheless

it teaches

this in the Mishna. Why, then, did we not also teach: “One who remained with her for ten years”?

And we answer:

There, when she says, “I will dwell with him with witnesses,” we leave her with him

—in the case of one afflicted with boils, if the woman says, “I will dwell with him in the presence of witnesses, so that he will be unable to have relations with me,” we leave her with him.

But

here

—in the case of one who remained with her for ten years—

even though she says, “I will dwell with him with witnesses,”—

we do not leave her with him,

so that he can fulfill the mitzva of procreation.

It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Yosei said: An old man from among the people of Jerusalem told me that there are twenty-four

types of

people afflicted with boils, and the Sages said of all of them that

relations

are harmful to them

—they cause them harm—

but those afflicted with ra’atan

—one who has a creeping creature in his brain—

are the most severe of all.

What causes it

—what causes this illness?

As it was taught in a baraita: If one was bled and

afterward

had relations

with his wife,

he will have weak children

—frail ones.

If both were bled

—he and his wife—

and they had relations, he will have children afflicted with ra’atan.

Rav Pappa said: We stated

that relations are dangerous after bloodletting

only when he did not taste anything

—when he ate nothing afterward;

but if he tasted something, there is no concern

—it does not harm him.

What are its symptoms

—what are the signs of ra’atan?

His eyes drip

—his eyes discharge;

his nostrils run

—his nose runs;

saliva issues from his mouth

—saliva drips from his mouth;

and flies swarm around him

—flies follow him.

And

what is its cure

—what is its remedy?

Abaye said:

He should take

pila

—a type of mint—

and laurel

—wormwood—

and walnut bark

—the bark of a walnut tree—

and ashpa bark

—that which is scraped from the skin—

and the royal lily

—a lily—

and the red date-palm sheath

—the protective covering of dates when they are young, similar to the covering of young walnuts—

and boil them together.

And bring him into a marble house

—a completely sealed marble house, in which there is no airflow.

And if there is no marble house, bring him into a house whose wall consists of seven bricks and tiles

—if he has no marble house, he should bring him into a house with a thick wall, constructed of seven layers of bricks and tiles in the thickness of the wall—

and pour three hundred cups over his head

—pour three hundred cups of those waters over his head—

until the outer layer of his skull becomes soft

—until his skull softens and can easily be cut with a knife.

And cut open his brain, bring four myrtle leaves, raise each of the creature’s legs, place one leg on each leaf, take it with tongs, and burn it. For if he does not burn it, it will return to him

—he cuts open his brain, takes four myrtle leaves, raises the creature’s legs onto the leaves, grasps it with tongs, and burns it. For if he does not burn it, it will return to him.

Rabbi Yoḥanan would proclaim: Beware of the flies of those afflicted with ra’atan.

Once the illness is transferred from them—

Rabbi Zeira would not sit in its wind

—he would not sit facing the wind blowing from the place where those afflicted with ra’atan sat, so that he would not become infected by them.

Rabbi Elazar would not enter their tents

—he would not enter their tents, so that he would not become infected by them.

Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi would not eat eggs from that alley

—they would not eat eggs from the alley in which those afflicted with ra’atan lived.

But

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would wrap himself among them,

he would associate with them,

and engage in Torah study.

He said—it is said about the Torah—

“

A loving hind and a graceful mountain goat.”

For

if grace elevates

the Torah

in the eyes of those who study it—

does it not protect as well?!

When he was dying

—when he was about to die—

they said to the Angel of Death—

“Go and fulfill his request”—“Go and do his will before his death”.

He went and appeared to him

—the Angel of Death came and appeared before him.

He said to him

—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:

“Show me my place

in the Garden of Eden.”

The Angel of Death said to him:

the Angel of Death:

“Certainly

—as you request.”

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to him—

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said to the Angel of Death—

“Give me your knife, lest you frighten me on the way

—give me your knife, lest you frighten me on the way.”

He gave it to him

—he gave it to him.

When he arrived there, he lifted him

and showed him

—when they reached the gates of the Garden of Eden, the Angel of Death lifted Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and showed him his place.

He leaped and fell to the other side

—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi leaped and fell into the Garden of Eden.

The Angel of Death seized him by the corner of his cloak

—the Angel of Death grasped him by the edge of his cloak.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said to him

—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

“By oath, I will not return.”

The Holy One, blessed be He, said—

“If he has his oath annulled, let him return! If not, let him not return—if he asks during his lifetime to have the oath he swore annulled, he must go outside; but if not, he must not go outside.”

[if during his lifetime he is asked about an oath that he swore, he will go outside; and if not, he will not go outside] ”.

The Angel of Death said to him

—the Angel of Death said to him:

“Give me my knife!”

He would not give it to him

—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would not give the knife to the Angel of Death.

A divine voice emerged and said to him—

“Give it to him! He is needed by the created beings”

—a divine voice emerged and said: “Give him the knife, for he is needed by the created beings.”

Elijah proclaimed before him

—Elijah proclaimed before him:

“Make way for the son of Levi; make way for the son of Levi.”

He went and found Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai sitting on thirteen golden chairs

—Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi went and found Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai sitting on thirteen golden chairs.

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said to him

—Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:

“Are you the son of Levi?”

He said to him: “Yes.”

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said to him:

“Did a rainbow ever appear in your days?”

He said to him: “Yes.”

He said to him:

“If so, you are not the son of Levi.”

And

the Gemara concludes:

It was not so, for nothing of the sort occurred

—in truth, no rainbow appeared during his lifetime—

but he thought: “I will not take credit for myself”

—he did not claim merit for himself.

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa was his close friend

—he was a friend of the Angel of Death.

When his soul was departing, they said to the Angel of Death: “Go and fulfill his request”

—before his death, they told the Angel of Death to go and do his will.

He went to him and appeared to him.

He said to him: “Leave me for thirty days, until I review my learning

—give me thirty days so that I may review my learning—

for they say—

‘Fortunate is the one who arrives here with his learning in his hand.’”

He left him alone

—he left him alone;

after thirty days, he went and appeared to him

—after thirty days, he returned and appeared to him.

He said to him

—Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said to the Angel of Death:

“Show me my place”

—show me my place in the Garden of Eden.

The Angel of Death said to him

—the Angel of Death said to him:

“Certainly

—as you request.”

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said to him

—Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said to the Angel of Death:

“Give me your knife,

lest you frighten me on the way”

—give me your knife, so that you will not frighten me on the way.

He said to him: “Do you want to do to me as your friend did?”

—do you want to do to me as your friend, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, did?

He said to him: “Bring a Torah scroll and show me whether there is anything written in it that I have not fulfilled.”

—bring me a Torah scroll and show me something written in it that I have not fulfilled.

He said to him: “Did you associate with those afflicted with ra’atan,

did you associate with those suffering from ra’atan,

and engage in Torah study

as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi did]?!

And even so, when his soul departed, a pillar of fire separated him from the rest of the world—when he died, a pillar of fire separated him from the rest of the world.

[when he died, a pillar of fire separated between him and the world].

And it is taught [

and we have received],

that the pillar of fire withdraws only for one person in a generation, or for two people in a generation .

And they were unable to stand in his presence.

Rabbi Alexandri approached him and said —

"Do it for the honor of the Sages,

so that they will be able to stand in your presence".

He paid no attention [

he did not heed his words].

"Do it for the honor of your father."

He paid no attention.

"Do it for your own honor,

so that they will be able to eulogize you and attend to your burial".

He withdrew .

Abaye said: It is to exclude one who did not fulfill,

this pillar came to exclude from him one who did not fulfill the entire Torah as he did.

Rav Adda bar Matana said to him: It is to exclude the Master, who has no parapet for his roof [

to exclude you, because you did not make a parapet for your roof].

But that is not so; he did have one,

in truth, Abaye had made a parapet,

but at that moment the wind cast it down,

except that the wind uprooted it at that time.

Rabbi Hanina said: Why are there no people afflicted with ra'atan in Babylonia?

Because they eat beets and drink beer made from hazmei [

and they put into it a cucumber that grew among the hazmei].

Rabbi Yohanan said: Why are there no lepers in Babylonia?

Because they eat beets, drink beer, and bathe in the waters of the Euphrates.

We have completed the chapter “One Who Imposes a Vow upon His Wife”

We learned above (46b and 47b) that the Sages instituted that a husband consumes the produce of his wife's property.

Likewise, by Torah law he inherits her property if she dies during his lifetime, as explained in tractate Bava Batra (111b).

According to the fundamental law, if a woman sold her property, even after marriage, her actions are valid. However, the Sages instituted that the husband may take the produce from the purchasers during his wife's lifetime, so that the “produce enactment” would not be nullified.

But after her death, the purchasers acquire their purchase completely, since the husband has no rights whatsoever in the land.

This is the law presented in our Mishna: “If property fell to her after she married, both these and those agree that the husband takes the produce from the purchasers.”

Afterward, the Sages instituted in Usha that if a woman sold her property after marriage, the husband may also take the land itself from the purchasers, so that she would not be able to prevent her husband from inheriting her after her death.

Our Mishna also deals with the definition of the husband's rights in his wife's property during the betrothal period: whether the husband's rights had already taken effect at the time of erusin. This is the primary subject of the disputes among the tannaim in this Mishna.