Megillah 28a — the Talmud in English

And I did not recite the blessing

at the 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 recite the blessing first],

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

namely, the foreleg, the jaws, and the maw.

For Rabbi Yitzhak said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: It is forbidden to eat from an animal whose gifts have not been separated.

And Rabbi Yitzhak said: Whoever eats from an animal whose gifts have not been separated—

it is as though he eats untithed produce.

And the halakha is not in accordance with him,

Rabbi Yitzhak .

And we raise a difficulty concerning that which Rabbi Perida said:

“And I did not recite the blessing before a Kohen”—does this indicate that it is an advantage

that a Torah scholar should not recite the blessing before a Kohen?

But Rabbi Yohanan said: Any Torah scholar who recites the blessing before him, even if he is the High Kohen,

who is

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

And we expound:

Do not read “My haters”—

but 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 submitting himself before an ignoramus says: There is no satisfaction in Torah!

And we resolve:

When he said this,

Rabbi Perida, that he did not recite the blessing before a Kohen—

when

the two of them

were equal

he was speaking. For the Kohen was also a Torah scholar [and not that he was truly his equal, for if so, what was Rabbi Perida’s greatness? Is it not written: “And you shall sanctify him”? Rather, it is speaking of a case in which the Kohen was also a Torah scholar, but he was not as important as he was, Tosafot].

Rabbi Nehunya ben HaKaneh’s students asked him: Through what merit did you prolong your days? He said to them: In all my days I never exalted myself through the disgrace of my fellow, and the curse of my fellow never came up upon my bed,

for before I went up to my bed, I forgave everyone who had done me harm, as will be stated below.

I was yielding with my money. I never exalted myself through the disgrace of my fellow. As in this incident involving Rav Huna, who carried a hoe

[he was carrying a hoe]

on his shoulder. Rav Hana bar Hanilai came and carried 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, my being honored through your humiliation is not agreeable to me. And the curse of my fellow never came up upon my bed. As in this incident involving Mar Zutra: when he would go up to his bed

he would say: It is released

[when he would go up to his bed]

forgiven

[forgive]

to everyone who causes me distress .

.

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

he was yielding with his money.

For it is the custom of the world that one who has a small task to perform, whose wage is half a pruta, says to the worker: I will give you half a pruta, but since there is only a coin of one 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 yielding.

For he would leave

that half

of a pruta

that people ordinarily give

to the shopkeeper—

from his money,

and he would give the entire pruta to the worker .

Rabbi Akiva asked Rabbi Nehunya the Great: Through what merit did you prolong your days?

His servants came

[the slaves who served Rabbi Nehunya]—and

they struck him

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

Rabbi Akiva went up

[he went up] Rabbi Akiva, and

sat at the top of a palm tree .

.

He said to him

to Rabbi Nehunya:

My master,

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

if it says “lamb,” why does it say “one,”

for “lamb” implies one ?

He said to them

Rabbi Nehunya to his servants: I see that he

is a Torah scholar ,

,

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

leave him alone

[leave him]!

He said to him

to Rabbi Akiva: This that is written:

“One,”

we expound:

the choicest of his flock.

And now he answered him concerning his first question, and

said to him: In all my days I never accepted gifts, and I did not insist upon my measures

to repay evil to one who caused me distress;

I was yielding with my money.

I never accepted gifts. As in this incident involving 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:

Is it not agreeable to you that I live? For

indeed

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: It is to honor me

that they

are honored through me

[they are honored by the fact that I dine with them, and their benefit is involved, and this is not a gift].

And I did not insist upon my measures. For Rava said: Whoever relinquishes

his measures—

all his transgressions are relinquished from him. As it is stated: “Who bears iniquity and passes over transgression.”

And we expound:

For whom does He bear

the Holy One, blessed is He,

iniquity—

for one who passes over transgression.

Rabbi asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha: Through what merit did you prolong your days?

He said to him:

But did you

cut short my life,

that you ask me why I prolonged my days?!

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

perhaps I, too, will be able to fulfill it .

He said to him: In all my days I never looked at the likeness of a wicked person.

For Rabbi Yohanan said: It is forbidden for a person to look at the image

of the likeness of a wicked person .

.

As it is stated,

which Elisha said 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 looks 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 looked at Esau the wicked.

And we raise a difficulty:

And

if

this

that he looked at Esau

caused it to him?

But Rabbi Yitzhak said: Let the curse of an ordinary person never be light 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 “a covering that caused blindness”!?

And we resolve:

Both this and that,

the two matters,

caused it to him

that his eyes became 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 departure

of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha,

he said to him

Rabbi:

My master, bless me!

He said to him: May it be the will [of Heaven] that you reach half my days.

He said to him:

And all of them,

all your days,

not?!

He said to him: It is not good for you to live as many days as I have, for if so, you will be Nasi all your days. And would you want your sons

It would not be good for you to live as many years as I have. If so, you would be the leader all your life. Would you want your sons

who come after you—

to pasture animals?

So that they would not attain your greatness, but would remain ordinary people all their days?!

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

[may good reward come to me ]— because

I did not look at a gentile .

.

And one said: May it come to me—

that I did not form a partnership with a gentile .

.

Rabbi Zeira’s students asked him: Through what merit did you prolong your days?

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

,

and I never walked before one who was greater than I ,

,

and I never contemplated

words of Torah

in filthy alleyways ,

,

and I never walked four cubits without Torah

[that is, my learning was fluent in my mouth at all times],

and without tefillin,

and I never slept in the beit-midrash, neither a regular sleep nor a temporary sleep .

.

and I never rejoiced at my fellow’s misfortune ,

,

and I never called my fellow by his nickname,

meaning a derogatory name by which he was called.

And

there are those who

say it: “by his family nickname.”

That is, even by that derogatory nickname which was arranged for him and came to him from his family .

Mishna:

And Rabbi Yehuda further said: A synagogue that was destroyed—

one may not eulogize within it,

and one may not twist ropes within it

[and likewise one may not perform any other forms of labor within it. Rather, it mentions this one because twisting ropes requires a spacious, empty place, and a synagogue is large and suitable for this],

and one may not spread nets within it ,

.

and one may not spread produce on its roof,

and one may not make it 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, he should not pluck them -

because of anguish,

so that those who see the synagogue will have anguish over its destruction, and will remember the days of its construction, and those who were accustomed to gather there, so that they will ask for mercy that it return to its former state .

Gemara:

Our Rabbis taught: Synagogues -

one does not conduct oneself in them with levity.