Nedarim 41a (מא.) — the Talmud in English

This is a lamp and a bowl,

and a mat [

leather on which to eat ].

And what is the meaning of what is written: “And you shall serve your enemy, and so on,”

“in want of everything”?

Rav Ami said that Rav said: “

‘In want of everything’ means

without a lamp and without a table.”

Rav Ḥisda said: Without a wife.

Rav Sheshet said: Without an attendant.

Rav Naḥman said: Without knowledge.

A tanna taught: Without salt and without grease [

oil].

Abaye said: We have it as a tradition: There is no poor person—

except one who lacks knowledge .

In the West they say: One who has this [

one who possesses knowledge]—

has everything [

he possesses everything].

One who does not have this—

what does he have [

but one who lacks knowledge—what does he have]?!

One who acquires this—

what does he lack [

one who acquires knowledge—what can he lack]?

But

one who does not acquire this—

what has he acquired?

For everything he acquires will be of no benefit to him!

Rav Alexandri said that Rav Ḥiyya bar Abba said: A sick person does not rise from his illness—

until all his sins have been forgiven him .

As it is stated: “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your illnesses.”

Rav Hamnuna said:

A sick person who has risen from his illness

returns to the days of his youth. As it is stated: “His flesh shall become fresher than in youth; he shall return to the days of his youth.”

The word “fresher” means moist and well-nourished: after a person becomes ill and recovers, his constitution becomes stronger, so that he is healthier than he was before his illness.

“You have transformed all his bed in his illness”—

Rav Yosef said: This means that a

sick person

forgets his learning.

That is, the entire orderly structure of his learning is overturned for him during his illness, and he forgets it .

Rav Yosef fell ill [

he became sick], and as a result

his learning was uprooted from him [

his learning was forgotten].

Abaye restored it—

his student—

before him [

Abaye restored Rav Yosef’s learning before him].

And

this is why we say everywhere [

this is what the Gemara says in every place]:

Rav Yosef said [

concerning a tradition that had been quoted before him]:

“I have not heard this tradition” [

I have not heard this tradition]!

And

Abaye said to him: “You yourself told it to us, and you said it to us from this beraita” [

You told us this tradition, and you proved the matter from this beraita]! This was because Rav Yosef had forgotten his learning, and Abaye restored the teachings to him.

When Rabbi had learned thirteen modes [

when Rabbi had learned thirteen methods] of

halakha, he taught [

he taught them]

seven of them to Rabbi Ḥiyya.

Ultimately, Rabbi fell ill,

and forgot those thirteen modes.

Rabbi Ḥiyya restored before him those seven modes that he had taught him [

Rabbi Ḥiyya restored before him those seven methods that Rabbi had taught him].

But those

six

methods that he had not taught him—

were gone [

they were forgotten].

There was a certain launderer [

a launderer],

who had heard Rabbi when he was studying them [

who heard the teachings when Rabbi learned them].

Rabbi Ḥiyya went and learned them before the launderer, then came and restored them before Rabbi.

When Rabbi saw that launderer [

when Rabbi saw that launderer],

Rabbi said to him: “You made

both me and Ḥiyya!”

Some say that this is what he said to him

Rabbi said to that launderer:

“You made Ḥiyya, and Ḥiyya made me!”

And Rav Alexandri said that Rav Ḥiyya bar Abba said: The miracle performed for a sick person is greater—

than the miracle performed for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

who were saved from the fiery furnace.

For the fire

of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah was

a humanly made fire

and

everyone can extinguish it.

But

if it were the fire

of a sick person—

it is a fire from Heaven, and who can extinguish it?!

And Rabbi Alexandri said that Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said—and some say that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Once a person’s end has arrived—

everything rules over him. As it is stated,

as Cain said:

“And it shall be that whoever finds me—

will kill me.”

Shmuel read this verse about him:

Rav said: The proof is from this verse: “They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants.”

This is how the verse is understood: Once “they stand according to Your ordinances,” meaning that their end has arrived, then “all are Your servants” to carry out the judgment of that ordinance.

They said to Rabba bar Sheila: A tall man died; he was riding a small mule. When it reached a bridge, it stumbled and threw him—

and he died [

a tall man died while riding a small mule. When the mule reached a bridge, it was seized by a fit of confusion and threw the man into the river].

He read the verse about himself: “They stand this day according to Your ordinances.”

Samuel saw a certain scorpion sitting on a frog [

it was sitting on a frog]—

and it crossed the river. It struck [

the scorpion stung]

a man—

and he died.

Samuel recited the verse over him

Samuel:

“They stand this day according to Your ordinances.”

Samuel said: One visits the sick only one whom fever has released [

whom it has clothed ]

from the fever.

What case does this exclude?

Whom does one not visit?

It excludes that which was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yosei ben Parta said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: One does not visit those suffering from intestinal illness, nor those suffering from an eye ailment, nor those suffering from headaches.

And we raised a difficulty:

Granted, one does not visit those suffering from intestinal illness

and does not visit them—

because of embarrassment.

For they constantly need to relieve themselves and are embarrassed.

But those suffering from an eye ailment and those suffering from headaches—

what is the reason

that one does not visit them?

And we said:

Because of

the matters

of Rav Yehuda.

For Rav Yehuda said: Speech [

speech]

is harmful to the eyes ,

but beneficial for fever [

for heat]. Therefore, one does not visit those suffering from an eye ailment, because speech is harmful for this condition. But one who has been released from fever is visited, since speech benefits him.