Megillah 17a — the Talmud in English

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Why were

the years of

Ishmael counted in the Torah?

Why should the years of the wicked be counted ? Rather,

it was in order to determine through them the years of Jacob.

By counting Ishmael’s years, we learn during which period of Jacob’s life all the events and occurrences that befell him took place, as follows:

As it is written: “And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years.”

And

how much older was Ishmael than Isaac? Fourteen years. As it is written: “And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram,” and

it is also

written: “And Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.”

We see that Isaac was born fourteen years after Ishmael.

And it is written: “And Isaac was sixty years old when they were born” [A0019]Jacob and Esau.

то есть Яаков и Эсав].

How old was Ishmael when Jacob was born? Seventy-four years.

For he was fourteen years older than Isaac, as we said.

How many years

remained

of his years

Ishmael until his death?

Sixty-three,

for he died at the age of one hundred thirty-seven.

And it was taught in a source:

How old

was our forefather Jacob when he was blessed by his father—

sixty-three years old. And at that very time

at that time

Ishmael died.

As it is written: “And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed

Jacob

and so on, and Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth.”

From the fact that it says, “the daughter of Ishmael,” do I not know that she was the sister of Nebaioth?

Rather,

this teaches that Ishmael betrothed her

his daughter to Esau,

and died

before he had time to marry her to him,

and Nebaioth, her brother, married her to him.

We see that Ishmael died when Jacob was blessed.

Sixty-three

years, which was Ishmael’s age when he died,

and

also

fourteen years until Joseph was born,

for Jacob worked for Laban for fourteen years for his two daughters, and it is written: “And it came to pass when Rachel bore Joseph that Jacob said to Laban: Send me away, that I may go to my place and to my land.” We see that when Joseph was born, fourteen years had been completed—

that makes seventy-seven.

And it is written: “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh”; that makes one hundred seven

years for Jacob.

And another

seven

years

of the seven years

of the years of plenty,

and two of the famine

of the famine—

that makes one hundred sixteen.

And it is written: “And Pharaoh said to Jacob: How many are the days of the years of your life? And Jacob said to Pharaoh: The days of the years of my sojourns are one hundred thirty years.”

Was he really one hundred thirty years old? But

one hundred sixteen

years

there were

as we calculated above?!

Rather, learn from this

that those

fourteen years during which

Jacob was

in the house of Eber—

were not counted.

And it was also taught

likewise:

Our forefather Jacob was hidden in the house of Eber

and devoted himself to study for fourteen years. After our forefather Jacob descended to Aram-naharaim, he spent two years

and Eber died .

He left there and went to Aram-naharaim.

It follows

that

when he stood at the well—he

was seventy-seven years old,

for when he left Beersheba he was sixty-three.

And from where do we know that Jacob was not punished

for those fourteen years during which he did not serve his father?

As it was taught: It follows that Joseph was separated from his father for twenty-two years,

for he was seventeen when he was separated from his father, and he was thirty when he became ruler over Egypt; in addition, there were seven years of plenty and two years of famine—thus twenty-two years passed until he saw his father. And the years during which he was separated from his father were

the same as the years during which our forefather Jacob was separated from his father,

the same number of years.

But were the years

of Jacob

during which he did not honor his father

not thirty-six?!

Rather,

learn from this that the

fourteen

years

during which

Jacob was

in the house of Eber—

were not counted.

And we challenge this:

Ultimately,

the years

that

Jacob spent in

the house of Laban—

were twenty years,

so if so, he should have been punished only for twenty years?!

And we answer:

Rather,

the two years for which he was punished were

because he delayed on the road

when he left Laban’s house to return to the land of Canaan—

two years.

As it was taught: He left

Jacob

Aram-naharaim and went to Sukkot, where he remained for eighteen months. As it is stated: “And Jacob journeyed to Sukkot and built himself a house

for the winter

and made booths for his livestock.”

This implies that he made booths for his livestock on two occasions. If so, two summers passed for him, making eighteen months.

And he spent six months in Beth El and offered sacrifices

after leaving Shechem.

We return to you, chapter “The Scroll Is Read.”

Mishna:

One who reads the Megilla retroactively,

who preceded by reading the later passage -

has not fulfilled

the obligation of reading.

If he read it by heart,

not from the written text, or if he

read it in translation

[the Gemara establishes this as referring to one who read it from a Megilla written in translation], or if he read it

in any language -

he has not fulfilled it.

But they read it for foreign-speaking women,

that is, those who know a foreign language

in

a Megilla written in the

foreign language

[every language that is not the holy tongue is called “foreign” . And the Gemara asks: But you said: “If he read it in any language—he has not fulfilled it”?!].

And the foreign-speaker who heard it in Assyrian

the holy tongue -

has fulfilled it,

even though he does not understand the reading.

If he read it intermittently,

that is, he reads a little and stops, and again reads a little and stops,

and

likewise the one who reads it

dozing

[the Gemara explains what “dozing” is] -

has fulfilled it .

If he was writing it ,

or if he was

expounding it and correcting it

[or correcting it], and while he was performing these activities he read it,

if he directed his heart

to fulfill the obligation of reading -

he has fulfilled it ,

but if not -

he has not fulfilled it.

If it was written with sam, with sikra, and with komus,

and with kan kantum,

or if it was written

on paper or on daftara

[the Gemara explains what this is] -

he has not fulfilled it, until it is written in Assyrian ,

on a scroll

[parchment],

and with ink.

Gemara:

From where are these words

that if he read it retroactively he has not fulfilled it?

Rava said, for the verse says: “To observe the two days האלה”

to be performed

according to their writing and according to their time.” Just as their time -

not retroactively,

for it is impossible that the fifteenth precede the fourteenth ,

so too their writing -

not retroactively

do we read it.

And we object:

Is reading writing

[written]

here?

But the

performance

of the days of Purim is

writing

here!

For

it is

written

at the beginning of the verse:

“To observe the two days”?!

Rather, from here

we derive it.

For it is written: “And these days are remembered and performed.” Remembering is juxtaposed

with performance.

And we derive as follows:

Just as the performance

of the mitzvot of Purim -

not retroactively,

for the fourteenth day can never precede the fifteenth ,

so too remembering -

not retroactively.

The tanna taught: And likewise with Hallel, and likewise with the recitation of the Shema,

and

likewise

with prayer,

if he recited them retroactively, he has not fulfilled it .

Hallel -

from where do we know it?

Rabba said, for it is written: “From the rising of the sun until its setting

the name of the Lord is praised.” And we expound: Just as the setting and rising of the sun do not reverse themselves, so “the name of the Lord is praised” is specifically in its order, and not retroactively.

Rav Yosef said

we derive it from here, for it is written in Hallel:

“This is the day the Lord has made.”

Just as the order of the day does not change in its hours, so Hallel is not recited retroactively.

Rav Avya said: “May the name of the Lord be blessed

and so on, “the name of the Lord is praised.” And we expound from the expression “may it be”: as it exists, so shall it be—the praise of the Lord and His blessing. That is, in its order, and not in reverse.

And Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak, and some say Rav Aḥa bar Yaakov, said: From here:

“May the name of the Lord be blessed”

from now until eternity.”

That is, according to the order of the world, which does not reverse itself, and not retroactively.

The recitation of the Shema -

from where do we know that it is not recited retroactively?

For it was taught in a beraita: The recitation of the Shema

is recited

according to its writing,

that is, specifically in the holy tongue,

the words of Rabbi.

And the Sages say -

it is recited

in any language .

What is Rabbi’s reason?