Ketubot 77b — the Talmud in English

Rather,

there

[in the matters mentioned in the Mishna],

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

[if she says, “Nevertheless, I desire him,” we leave her].

But

here

[in the case of one who remained with her for ten years],

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

we do not leave her,

in order that he fulfill the mitzva of being fruitful and multiplying. And therefore we did not teach this law in the Mishna.

And we raise an objection:

But what of one afflicted with boils, for even though she says, “I shall remain with him,” we do not leave her,

as we learned: “except for one afflicted with boils, because it causes him to waste away,”

and it implies that we always compel him to divorce her so that his flesh will not waste away,

and

nevertheless

it teaches

in the Mishna; so why did we not also teach, “one who remained with her for ten years”?

And we answer:

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

[in the case of one afflicted with boils, if the woman says, “I shall dwell with him with witnesses, so that he will not come upon me,” we leave her].

But

here

[in the case of one who remained with her for ten years],

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

we do not leave her,

in order that he be able to fulfill the mitzva of being fruitful and multiplying.

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yosei said: One elder from among the people of Jerusalem told me: Twenty-four

types of

those afflicted with boils there are, and concerning all of them the Sages said

that

intercourse is difficult for them

[it harms them], and

those afflicted with raatan

[one who has a creature in his brain]

are the most difficult of all.

From what does it come

[from what is that illness caused]?

For it was taught: If one let blood, and

afterward

had intercourse

with his wife,

he will have weak children

[weak].

If both of them let blood

he and his wife,

and had intercourse, he will have children afflicted with raatan.

Rav Pappa said: We said

that intercourse is dangerous after letting blood

only when he tasted nothing

[when he ate nothing afterward],

but if he tasted something, it is of no concern

[it does not harm him].

What are its signs

[what are the signs of the illness of raatan]?

His eyes drip

[his eyes drip],

his nostrils discharge

[his nose runs],

he has saliva from his mouth

[saliva drips from his mouth],

and flies swarm over him

[flies follow after him].

And

what is its cure

[and what is its remedy]?

Abaye said:

He should take

pila

[a type of mint],

lodana

[wormwood],

scrapings of a walnut

[the bark of a walnut tree],

and scrapings of ashpa

[what is scraped from the skin],

and kelil malka

[a lily],

and the red covering of a date palm

[the peel that protects dates when they are small, like that which small walnuts have],

and boil them together.

And he brings him into a marble house

[he brings the sick person into a marble house, which is completely sealed and has no air flow].

And if there is no marble house, he brings him into a house of seven bricks and tiles

[and if he has no marble house, he brings him into a house whose wall is thick, built from seven bricks and tiles in the thickness of the wall],

and pours three hundred cups over his head

[he pours over his head three hundred cups of that water],

until the covering of his brain becomes soft

[until his skull softens and becomes easy to cut with a knife].

And he tears open his brain, brings four myrtle leaves and raises each leg onto one, sets down one, takes it with tongs, and burns it. For if he does not return it upon him

[he tears open his brain, takes four myrtle leaves, raises the legs of the creature onto the leaves, takes it with tongs, and burns it. For if he does not burn it, it will return to him].

Rabbi Yohanan would proclaim: Beware of the flies of those afflicted with raatan.

Since they transfer the illness from him.

Rabbi Zeira would not sit in their wind.

[He would not sit facing the wind blowing from the dwelling of those afflicted with raatan, so that he would not become infected by them].

Rabbi Elazar would not enter their tents

[he would not enter their tent, so that he would not become infected by them].

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

[they would not eat from the eggs] of that alley in which those afflicted with raatan lived.

But

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi would wrap himself with them,

he would associate with them,

and engage in Torah.

He said—

it was said concerning Torah—

“A loving hind and a graceful doe.”

For

if grace elevates

the Torah

upon its students—

does it not protect ?!

When he was dying

[when he was going to die],

they said to the Angel of Death—

“Go, do his desire” [“Go, carry out his wish before his death”] .

He went, and appeared to him

[the Angel of Death came and appeared before him] .

He said to him

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi:

“Show me my place

[show me my place in the Garden of Eden] ” .

He said to him

the Angel of Death:

“Certainly

[as you request] ”.

Rabbi Joshua 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 raised him,

he was showing him

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

He jumped and fell to the other side

[Rabbi Joshua ben Levi jumped and fell into the Garden of Eden].

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

[the Angel of Death seized him by the edge of his garment] .

He said to him

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi:

“By oath, I shall not come” .

The Holy One, blessed be He, said—

“If he has been asked about his oath, let him return! If not, let him not return

[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] ”.

He said to him

the Angel of Death:

“Give me my knife!”

He would not give it to him

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi would not give him the knife.

A heavenly voice emerged and said to him—

“Give it to him! For he is needed by the creatures”

[a heavenly voice emerged and said: “Give him the knife, for he is needed by the creatures”].

Elijah proclaimed before him

[Elijah proclaimed before him]—

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

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

[Rabbi Joshua ben Levi went and found Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai sitting on thirteen golden chairs].

He said to him

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai said to Rabbi Joshua ben Levi:

“Are you the son of Levi?!”

He said to him: “Yes.”

Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai said to him—

“Was a rainbow seen 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 there was nothing

[in truth, the rainbow was not seen in his days],

but he reasoned: I shall not take credit for myself

[I shall not take credit for myself].

Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa was his close friend

[he was the friend of the Angel of Death].

When his soul was departing, they said to the Angel of Death: Go, do his desire

[before his death, they said to the Angel of Death to go and carry out his wish].

He went to him, and appeared to him.

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

[give me thirty days so that I may review my learning]

. For they say—

“Fortunate is one who comes here with his learning in his hand.”

He left him

[he left him],

after thirty days, he went and appeared to him again

[after thirty days, he returned and appeared to him].

Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa said to him

Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa said to the Angel of Death:

“Show me my place”

[show me my place in the Garden of Eden].

He said to him

the Angel of Death:

“Certainly

[as you request] ”.

Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa said to him

Rabbi Hanina 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 Joshua ben Levi did to me]?

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 that I have not fulfilled from it].

He said to him: Did you wrap yourself with those afflicted with raatan,

did you associate with those ill with the disease of raatan,

and engage in Torah

as Rabbi Joshua ben Levi did ?!

And even so, when his soul departed, a pillar of fire separated between him and the world

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

And it is transmitted [

and it is accepted by tradition ],

that the pillar of fire departs only for one per generation, or for two per generation .

And they were unable to stand within his partition.

Rabbi Alexandri approached him and said —

“Do it for the honor of the Sages,

so that they may be able to stand within your partition.”

He paid no attention [

he paid no attention to his words ].

“Do it for the honor of your father.”

He paid no attention.

“Do it for the honor of yourself,

so that they may eulogize you and attend to your burial.”

It departed .

Abaye said: 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 Mattena said to him: To exclude the Master, who does not have a parapet for his roof [

to exclude you, for 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,

and at that moment the wind blew it away,

but the wind uprooted it at that moment.

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

Because they eat beets and drink beer made from hezmei [

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

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

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

We shall return to you, chapter “One who imposes a vow upon his wife.”

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

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

According to the fundamental law, a woman who sold her property, even after marriage, her actions stand. However, the Sages instituted that the husband takes the produce from the purchasers during his wife's lifetime, so that the “institution of the produce” should not be nullified.

But after her death, the purchasers will acquire their purchase completely, because the husband has no right whatsoever in the land.

And this law is the one explained in our Mishna: “If property fell to her after she was married, both [schools] agree that the husband takes [the produce] from the purchasers.”

And afterward, the Sages instituted in Usha that if a woman sold her property after marriage, the husband also takes the land from the purchasers, so that the woman should not be able to prevent her husband from inheriting her after her death.

Our Mishna also deals with defining the husband's rights in his wife's property during the period of betrothal: whether the husband's rights already took effect during the period of betrothal. This is the principal subject of the disputes among the tannaim in this Mishna.