Megillah 28a (כח.) — the Talmud in English

And I did not bless

during a meal

before a kohen [

because it is written: “And you shall sanctify him.” And we expound it: for every matter of sanctity—to open first and to bless first]],

and I did not eat from an animal whose gifts had not been separated,

namely, the foreleg, the cheeks, and the maw.

As Rabbi Yitzḥak said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: It is prohibited to eat from an animal whose gifts have not been separated.

And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who eats from an animal whose gifts have not been separated—

it is as though he eats untithed produce.

But the halakha does not follow him,

Rabbi Yitzḥak .

We raise a difficulty concerning what Rabbi Perida said:

“And I did not bless before a kohen”—does this mean that it is praiseworthy

for a Torah scholar not to bless before a kohen?

But Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Any Torah scholar who blesses before him, even if he is a High Priest,

who

is an ignoramus—that Torah scholar is liable to death. As it is stated: “All those who hate Me love death.”

And we expound:

Do not read “those who hate Me”—

rather, “those who cause Me to be hated.”

And this Torah scholar, too, causes him to be hated, for one who sees a Torah scholar subordinate himself before an ignoramus says: There is no satisfaction to be found in Torah!

And we resolve:

When he said this,

Rabbi Perida, that he did not bless before a kohen, he was speaking

of

the two of them being

equal

in Torah wisdom. The kohen, too, was a Torah scholar [and not literally equal to him, for if so, what was Rabbi Perida’s special merit? After all, it is written: “And you shall sanctify him.” Rather, the case is that the kohen was also a Torah scholar, but was not as important as Rabbi Perida, Tosafot].

Rabbi Neḥunya ben HaKana’s students asked him: By what merit have you extended your life? He said to them: In all my days I have never sought honor through the disgrace of my fellow, nor has the curse of my fellow come upon my bed,

for before I went up to my bed, I forgave anyone who had wronged me, as will be explained below.

I was accommodating with my money. I never sought honor through the disgrace of my fellow. As in the case of Rav Huna, who carried a hoe

[he was carrying a hoe]

on his shoulder. Rav Ḥana bar Ḥanilai came and took it from him

from Rav Huna.

He said to him,

Rav Huna:

If you are accustomed to carrying

a hoe also

in your city

[in your city]—

carry it. But if not, if you are honoring me by humiliating yourself, I do not want it. And the curse of my fellow did not come upon my bed. As in the case of Mar Zutra, who, when he would go up to his bed

said: Forgiven

[when he would go up to his bed]

be

[forgiven]

anyone who caused me distress .

.

I was accommodating with my money. For the Master said: Job—

he was accommodating with his money.

For it is customary in the world that when someone has a small task to perform, for which the wage is half a pruta, he says to the worker: I will give you half a pruta. But since there is only a coin worth a whole pruta, let us go to the shopkeeper, buy a loaf or eggs there for a pruta, and divide them between us.

But Job was accommodating.

He would leave

that half

a pruta

that people customarily give

to the shopkeeper—

from his own money,

and he would give the entire pruta to the worker .

Rabbi Akiva asked Rabbi Neḥunیا the Great: By what merit have you extended your life?

His servants came

[the servants who attended Rabbi Neḥunya]—

and began striking him,

Rabbi Akiva, because they thought that he was impatient for Rabbi Neḥunya’s death .

Rabbi Akiva climbed

[he climbed up, Rabbi Akiva, and] and

sat at the top of a palm tree .

.

He said to him,

to Rabbi Neḥunya:

Rabbi,

it is written: “The one lamb you shall offer in the morning,”

if “one lamb” is stated, why is “one” stated?

“Lamb” itself implies one ?

Rabbi Neḥunya said to them,

to his servants: I see that he

is a young Torah scholar ,

,

and he is not impatient for my death; rather, he wishes to learn practices that bring about longevity.

Let him be!

[leave him alone]!

He said to him,

to Rabbi Akiva: This matter written

“one,”

we expound as:

the choicest of his flock.

He now answered his first question, and

said to him: In all my days I have never accepted gifts, nor have I insisted on my measure

to repay with evil anyone who caused me distress;

I was accommodating with my money.

I never accepted gifts. As in the case of Rabbi Elazar: when they would send him gifts from the house of the Nasi,

he would not take them. When they would invite him

from the house of the Nasi to a meal,

he would not go.

He said to them,

to the members of the house of the Nasi:

Do you not want me to live? For

it is

written: “One who hates gifts shall live”!

But

Rabbi Zeira, when they would send him

gifts

from the house of the Nasi—

he would not take them.

But

when they would invite him

he would

go. He said: They are honoring

me

by honoring me

[they are honored by my dining with them, and their benefit is involved; this is not a gift].

And I have not insisted on my measure. For Rava said: Anyone who overlooks

his measure—

all his sins are overlooked. As it is stated: “Who bears iniquity and overlooks transgression.”

And we expound:

For whom does He bear

the Holy One, blessed be He,

iniquity—

for one who overlooks transgression.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa: By what merit have you extended your life?

He said to him:

Am I

short of life,

that you ask me why I have extended my life?!

He said to him: Rabbi! It is Torah, and I need to learn,

perhaps I, too, will be able to practice these ways .

He said to him: In all my days I have never gazed at the image of a wicked person.

For Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is prohibited for a person to gaze at the likeness

of a wicked person .

.

As it is stated

by Elisha to Jehoram, king of Israel:

“Were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.” .

.

Rabbi Elazar said:

One who gazes at the likeness of a wicked person—

his eyes become dim! As it is stated: “And it came to pass, when Isaac was old, that his eyes became dim from seeing,”

and this was

because he gazed at Esau the wicked.

We raise a difficulty:

But

was it

this

that he gazed at Esau which

caused it for him?

But Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A common person’s curse should never be insignificant in your eyes. For Abimelech cursed Sarah—

and it was fulfilled in her offspring. As it is stated

that Abimelech said to Sarah:

“Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes”; do not read “a covering

of the eyes,”

but rather, “you were covered of the eyes”!?

And we resolve:

Both this and that,

the two things,

caused it for him,

causing his eyes to become dim.

Rava said: From here

we derive it, for it is written:

“Showing favor to the wicked is not good.”

At the time of his death,

of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa,

Rabbi said to him

Rabbi:

Rabbi, bless me!

He said to him: May it be God’s will that you reach half my years.

He said to him:

And all of them,

all your years,

not?!

He said to him:

It would not be good for you to live as many years as I have, for if so, you would be Nasi all your days. Would you want your sons

who come after you—

to graze animals?

They would not assume your position of greatness, but would remain commoners all their lives?!

Avuha bar Ihi and Minyamin bar Ihi. One said: May it come to me

[may a good reward come to me ]— because

I did not gaze at a gentile .

.

And another said: May it come to me—

because I did not enter into a partnership with a gentile .

.

Rabbi Zeira’s students asked him: By what merit have you extended your life?

He said to them: In all my days I was never strict within my household ,

,

and I never walked ahead of one who was greater than I ,

,

And I never contemplated

words of Torah

in filthy alleyways ,

,

And I never walked four cubits without Torah

[meaning that my learning was always fluent in my mouth],

or without tefillin,

and I never slept in the study hall, neither a permanent sleep nor a temporary sleep .

.

And I never rejoiced at my fellow’s misfortune ,

,

and I never called my fellow by his disgraceful nickname,

that is, a derogatory name by which he was called.

And

there are those who

say that he said it as: “by his family nickname.”

That is, even by that derogatory nickname that had been established for him and had come to him from his family .

Mishna:

Rabbi Yehuda further said: A synagogue that has been destroyed—

one may not eulogize in it,

nor may one twist ropes in it

[and likewise, one may not perform any other type of labor in it. This one is mentioned because twisting ropes requires a spacious, unobstructed area, and a synagogue is large and suitable for this],

nor may one spread traps in it ;

.

nor may one spread produce on its roof,

nor may one use it as a shortcut.

As it is stated: “And I will make your sanctuaries desolate,”

which implies—

their sanctity remains even when they are desolate .

.

If weeds have grown in it, one may not pull them out -

because of the distress,

so that those who see the synagogue will feel distress over its destruction, and remember the days of its construction and those who used to regularly gather there, so that they will seek mercy for it to be restored to its former state.

Gemara:

The Sages taught: With regard to synagogues -

one may not conduct oneself with frivolity in them.