Megillah 29a — the Talmud in English

The Sages taught: ![](pamud.bmp "

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they interrupt

the study of Torah for taking out the dead and for bringing in the bride.

That is, to accompany her from her father's house to the house of her wedding.

They said about Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Ilai that he would interrupt the study of Torah for taking out the dead and for bringing in the bride.

When are these words said

that they interrupt the study of Torah for taking out the dead?

When there are not

enough people

for all his needs. But

if

there are enough people for all his needs—

they do not interrupt.

And how many

people are considered

enough for all his needs?

Rav Shmuel bar Inya said in the name of Rav: Twelve thousand men, and six thousand shofar-blowers

those who blow shofars] .

And some say: Twelve thousand men, and of them

and among them

six thousand shofar-blowers.

Ulla said: For example, when men form a partition from the city gate until the place of the funeral eulogy.

That is, a partition of people, from the city gate until the cemetery where they eulogize him.

Rav Sheshet said: As at its giving

of the Torah—

so

we require at

its taking away,

that is, at the time of the death of a Torah scholar.

What was its giving—

it

was with six hundred thousand, so too its taking away—

with six hundred thousand.

And

these words apply—

according to the one who reads and learns. But according to the one who teaches

others—

there is no measure for him .

It was taught: Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: Come and see how beloved Israel is before the Holy One, blessed is He, for wherever they were exiled—

the Divine Presence

was exiled

with them .

They were exiled to Egypt—

it was exiled

the Divine Presence with them. As it is said: “I revealed Myself, yes, I revealed Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, and so on.” .

They were exiled to Babylonia—

the Divine Presence was with them. As it is said: “For your sake I sent to Babylonia.”

And even when they are destined to be redeemed—

it returns

the Divine Presence with them .

As it is said: “The Lord your God will return with your captivity.” “And He will return” is not said

in this verse,

but “and He will return.” This teaches that

even

the Holy One, blessed is He—

returns with them from among the exiles.

Where is it in Babylonia?

Where is the Divine Presence found in the Babylonian exile? Abaye said: In the synagogue of Hutzal, and in the synagogue of Shaf VeYativ—in Nehardea And the explanation of “Shaf VeYativ” is: it was destroyed and was rebuilt For this synagogue was built by Jeconiah and his company from stones and earth that they brought with them to the exile to fulfill what is said: “For Your servants desired its stones and favored its dust.” Rashi].

And do not say

that

here and here,

in the two places—the Divine Presence is found at one time

but at times

it is found

here, and at times—

here.

Abaye said: May I receive my reward, for

even

when I am a parasang away

from that synagogue, I exert myself and

enter and pray there

specifically.

The father of Shmuel and Levi were sitting in the synagogue of Shaf VeYativ in Nehardea. The Divine Presence came; they heard the sound of commotion. They both rose

both of them—

and went out.

Rav Sheshet,

who was blind,

was sitting in the synagogue of Shaf VeYativ in Nehardea. The Divine Presence came—

but he did not go out. The ministering angels came—

and began frightening him.

He said before Him: Master of the universe! The wretched—

and the one who is not wretched, who is pushed aside before whom?

For I am blind, and I cannot walk away from here by myself!

He said to them

the Holy One, blessed is He, to the ministering angels:

Leave him!

It is written:

“And I shall be for them a small sanctuary.” Rabbi Isaac said: These are the synagogues and study halls in Babylonia.

And Rabbi Elazar said: This is the house of our master

Rav]

in Babylonia.

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “O Lord, You have been our dwelling place”?

These are the synagogues and study halls.

Abaye said: At first

in the beginning]

I would study in the house and pray in the synagogue.

Once I heard this which David said: “O Lord, I have loved the dwelling of Your house” ,

I would study

also

in the synagogue .

It was taught: Rabbi Elazar Ha-Kappar says: In the future, the synagogues and study halls in Babylonia—

will be established in the Land of Israel .

As it is said: “For as Tabor is among the mountains and Carmel comes by the sea.”

From this verse we learn that Mount Carmel crossed the sea . And when was this? At the giving of the Torah.

And is this not a kal va-chomer: If Tabor and Carmel, which came only temporarily, to learn Torah—

are established in the Land of Israel, synagogues and study halls, in which Torah is read and taught—

all the more so

that they will be established in the Land of Israel.

Bar Kappara expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Why do you leap, lofty mountains?”

A heavenly voice went forth and said to them

the mountains, which wished that the Torah should be given upon them:

Why do you contend

with

Mount Sinai? You are all blemished in comparison with Sinai!

And we derive it from

it is written here: “lofty,” and it is written there: “or one who has a hunchback or is emaciated.”

We see that “lofty” is an expression of a blemish.

Rav Ashi said: Learn from this: One who is arrogant—

is blemished.

For the reason that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai and not on the other high mountains is that Mount Sinai is low and humble.

We learned in our Mishna:

One may not make it a shortcut.

What is a shortcut?

Rava said: A shortcut—

as its name,

that is, according to the meaning of the word.

What is “as its name”?

How is this matter heard from the word “shortcut”?

As one who says: “Before I go around the rows,”

before I go around these rows of houses—

I will enter through this one,

I will enter this house standing between the two passageways, and shorten the way from one passageway to the other.

Rabbi Abbahu said: If there was

in the place where the synagogue now stands

a path originally,

before the synagogue was built—

it is permitted

to make it a shortcut.

Rav Nahman bar Isaac said: One who enters

the synagogue

with the intention not to make it a shortcut,

but for another purpose—

is permitted to make it a shortcut.

And Rabbi Helbo said in the name of Rav Huna: One who enters the synagogue

in order

to pray—

is permitted

to make it a shortcut.

As it is said: “And when the common people come before the Lord on the festivals, the one who enters by the north gate to bow—

shall leave by the south gate.”

We see that they do not need to return to the place from which they entered and go around toward the south; rather, they may shorten the way and leave from the south.

We learned in our Mishna:

If grasses grew in it, one may not pluck them—

because of anguish.

And we raise an objection:

But it was taught: He may not pluck and feed, but he may pluck and leave them!?

And we answer:

When we likewise taught in the Mishna

that he may not pluck,

we taught: “He may pluck and feed.”

But in truth, to pluck and leave them is permitted.

The Sages taught: A cemetery—

one may not behave frivolously in it .

And likewise:

One may not pasture animals in them, and one may not lead a water channel through them ,

and one may not gather grasses in them .

And if he gathered them—

he burns them in their place ,

in the cemetery,

because of the honor of the dead.

And we consider concerning it:

With regard to what

does this that it teaches, “because of the honor of the dead,”

apply? If you say that it refers to the latter clause,

which teaches that if he gathered them, he burns them in their place,

since he burns them in their place—

what honor of the dead is there

in this?

Rather,

it necessarily refers

to the first clause.

For the Mishna says that the fact that one may not behave frivolously in a cemetery is because of the honor of the dead.

Mishna:

When Rosh Hodesh Adar occurs on Shabbat—

they read

from the Torah

the portion of Shekalim.

To inform them that they should bring their shekalim in the month of Adar, so that they may offer the sacrifices on the first of Nisan from the new contribution, as we say below in the Gemara .

If

Rosh Hodesh

occurs during the week

during the week]—

they advance

to read the portion of Shekalim

to the previous

on the preceding Shabbat],

and they interrupt

reading a portion from the four portions

for the Shabbat

the

other

following one], so that they read the portion of Zakhor on the Shabbat adjacent to Purim, because we require joining the obliteration of Amalek to the obliteration of Haman.

On

the Shabbat

second

of the month of Adar [when Rosh Hodesh occurs on Shabbat] they read the portion of

Zakhor .

In the third -

read the section of

the Red Heifer,

to warn the Israelites to purify themselves from their impurity, so that they may perform the Passover sacrifice in purity.

In the fourth -

read the section of

This month shall be for you,

where the matter of the Passover is explained.

On

the

fifth

they return to

reading

in its order [

as will be explained in the Gemara].

For all, they interrupt

from reading about the matter of the day, and read about the matter of the occurrence:

on the New Moons, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, on fast days, and on the ma'amadot [

it was explained above, 25b; see there],

and on Yom Kippur .

And in the following Mishna it will be explained which reading they read at these times.

Gemara:

We learned there [

in tractate Shekalim]:

On the first of Adar, they announce

by proclamation of the court

concerning the shekels,