Kiddushin 49b — the Talmud in English

And we answer:

What is

“Torah”

that Rabbi Yohanan said:

study of Torah,

and his view accords with the view of Rabbi Judah, that this is one who has learned a Mishna.

And this matter applies when he said to her: “

be betrothed to me on condition that I

know how to recite Mishnayot [that I know how to learn],”

but if he says to her: “

but if he said to her: “

be betrothed to me on condition that

I am a tannai [I am one who knows Mishnayot],

she is not betrothed

until he learns halakhot, Sifra, Sifrei, and Tosefta.

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am a student,”

we do not say

that she shall not be betrothed until he is

like Shimon ben Azzai and like Shimon ben Zoma,

who were students and young men, and did not reach the status of ordination, and in their days there were none like them in Torah!

Rather, anyone whom they ask in every place,

that is, in one of the places,

one matter in his learning, and he says it, even in tractate Kallah

[the tractate Kallah].

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am wise,”

we do not say

that she shall not be betrothed until he is

like the sages of Yavneh,

that is,

like Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues; rather, anyone whom they ask a matter of wisdom

[a matter dependent on reasoning]

in every place,

that is, in one of the places,

and he says it,

this is a “wise man.”

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am mighty,”

we do not say

that she shall not be betrothed until he is mighty

like Abner son of Ner and like Joab son of Zeruiah,

of David’s men, who were very mighty men,

but rather anyone whose colleagues fear him because of his might,

this is a “mighty man.”

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am wealthy,”

we do not say

that she shall not be betrothed until he is

like Rabbi Eleazar ben Harsum and like Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah,

who were exceedingly wealthy,

but rather anyone whom the people of his city honor because of his wealth,

this is a “wealthy man.”

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am righteous,”

behold,

even

if he is known to us as

a completely wicked man,

behold she is

betrothed

conditionally,

perhaps

he contemplated repentance in his mind .

One who says to a woman: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am wicked,”

even

if he is known to us as

a completely righteous man,

behold she is

betrothed

conditionally,

perhaps he contemplated idolatry in his mind .

Ten measures of wisdom

Ten measures of wisdom

[Torah and worldly conduct]

descended into the world: nine the Land of Israel took, and one all

Ten measures of beauty descended to the world: Jerusalem took nine, and the entire world took one.

the entire world.

Ten measures of beauty descended into the world: nine Jerusalem took, and one the entire world.

Ten measures of wealth descended into the world: nine the ancient Romans took, and one the entire world;

Ten measures of poverty descended into the world: nine Babylonia took, and one the entire world;

Ten measures of arrogance

of spirit

descended into the world: nine Elam took, and one the entire world;

And we wonder:

and

is it so that

arrogance

of spirit

did not descend to Babylonia

[it did not descend to Babylonia], but only to Elam?!

But it is written in the prophecy of the prophet Zechariah: “The angel who spoke with me went out and said to me, ‘Lift up your eyes and see what is going out’ [what is the thing going out from the Holy of Holies]. And I said [to the angel], ‘What is it?’ [what is the thing you are telling me to see], and the angel said to me, ‘This is the ephah going out’ [you see something like an ephah, with which they measure], and he said to me [the angel, after I had seen it], ‘This’ [with this measure they will measure those whose] ‘eye’ [whose eyes] ‘are throughout all the land’ [to rob and oppress]. [And I saw further:] ‘And behold, a talent of lead was lifted’ [above the earth into the air], and [I saw further] this: ‘One woman sitting within the ephah.’ And he said [to me, the angel, concerning the woman]: ‘This [is] the wickedness [the evil inclination],’ and he cast her into the midst of the ephah, and he cast the lead stone upon its opening

.

And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, two women going out,

[from the Holy of Holies],

with the wind in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of the stork; and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. And I said to the angel who spoke with me: Where are they carrying the ephah? And he said to me: To build for her

[for the wicked woman within it, which is the evil inclination]

a house in the land of Shinar.” -

And Rabbi Yohanan said

to explain what the ephah is:

This

is the evil inclination of

flattery

and arrogance of spirit,

which

was carried by the two women, and it

descended to Babylonia

[the land of Shinar]; behold, arrogance of spirit is present in Babylonia.

And we answer:

No,

indeed the arrogance

descended here

[here, to Babylonia it descended],

but it was extended and stretched out to there

[and the arrogance stretched itself there, to Elam].

This is also precise,

that flattery alone remained in Babylonia,

for it is written: “

To build for her a house

in the land of Shinar,” and it does not say, “to build for them a house,” because flattery alone became fixed in Babylonia, whereas arrogance of spirit went to Elam—

infer from it!

And we challenge:

Is that so?

But this is not so, for arrogance of spirit is found in Elam!?

For

the master said: A sign of arrogance

of spirit

is poverty, and poverty is found specifically in Babylonia

to this day; behold, it is still there!?

And we answer:

What is the poverty

that is a sign of arrogance of spirit? It is not monetary poverty, which is found in Babylonia, but

poverty of Torah,

for Torah does not rest upon those who are arrogant of spirit, since because of his arrogance he does not serve [his teacher] fully, and he does not review his learning—and poverty of Torah has its place not in Babylonia but in Elam,

for it is written in the words of Daniel [who was in Elam, he and Mordecai the Jew, and their generation did not engage in Torah, and Daniel and Mordecai did not merit teaching]: “

We have a little sister and she has no breasts”

[to nurse, to teach]

Ten measures of witchcraft descended to the world: Egypt took nine,

and she has none

And Rabbi Yohanan said: This is Elam, which merited

learning but did not merit teaching;

but Babylonia merited teaching, for it is said concerning Ezra, who was in Babylonia: “For he had prepared his heart to seek the Torah of the Lord, and to do and to teach in Israel statute and judgment.”

Ten measures of might descended into the world: nine the Persians took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of truth descended into the world: nine Media took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of sorcery descended into the world: nine Egypt took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of afflictions descended into the world: nine swine took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of licentiousness descended into the world: nine Arabia took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of brazenness

[bastardy]

descended into the world: nine Mishan took,

for most of them are mamzerim, and one the entire world.

Ten measures of conversation descended into the world: nine women took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of drunkenness

[and there are versions]

of blackness

descended into the world: nine Cushites took,

and one the entire world.

Ten measures of sleep descended into the world: nine slaves took, and one the entire world took.

Mishna:

One who betroths a woman and says to her: “Be betrothed to me

on condition that I am a priest,”

and he is found to be a Levite,

who is inferior to a priest and he misled her to his detriment; or even if he said to her: “Be betrothed to me on condition that I am a

Levite,” and

Or if he betrothed her “on the condition that I am a townsman,”

he is found to be a priest,

who misled her to her benefit.

Or he betrothed her “on condition that I am a

netin”

whom David decreed not to enter the congregation of the Lord,

and he is found to be a

mamzer,

who is disqualified by Torah law from entering the congregation of the Lord, and he misled her to his detriment; or he even betrothed her “on condition that I am a

mamzer,”

and he is found to be a netin,

who misled her to her benefit.

Or he betrothed her “on condition that I am a

townsman,”

and he is found to be a city-dweller,

who is not as good for her as a townsman, because dwelling in cities is difficult, for the city is a place of markets, and high prices are common there, as is the pressure of passersby; or he even betrothed her “on condition that I am a

city-dweller,”

and he is found to be a townsman,

who misled her to her benefit.

Or he betrothed her “on

condition that my house is near the bathhouse,”

and it is found to be far,

and he misled her to his detriment; or even “on condition that my house is

far

from the bathhouse,”

and it is found to be near.

Or he betrothed her

on condition that he has a daughter, or

that he has a

grown slave-woman,

and he does not have one, or

even when he betrothed her

on condition that he does not have

a daughter or a grown slave-woman,

and he has one.

the matter is so, as it is now, and his condition is untrue”—

Or he betrothed her

on condition that he has no sons, and he has them; or

even when he betrothed her

on condition that he has

sons,

and he does not have them—

and in all of them

[and in all these cases that we stated]

even though she said: “

even though she says: “

In my heart I intended to become betrothed to him even though

the matter

is so

as it now is, that his condition is untrue”—

she is not betrothed.

not a word [at the time of the sale he said nothing at all].

And likewise, when she misled him,

she is not betrothed.

Gemara:

There was an incident involving

a certain man who sold his property with the intention of going up to the Land of Israel

[he sold his property because it was in his mind to go up to the Land of Israel], but in the end he was prevented by circumstances and did not go up to the Land,

and

nevertheless,

at the time when he sold, he did not say

to the purchaser

anything at all

[at the time of the sale he said nothing].

Rava said: It is

matters of the heart

and matters of the heart are not matters.

And we explain:

From where does Rava derive this matter,

that “matters in the heart are not matters”?

If you say,

perhaps you will say that it is learned

from this

as we learned

as it was taught: