Nedarim 41a — the Talmud in English

This is a lamp and a bowl, ![](pamud.bmp "

precise folio location")

and a mat

on which to eat, .

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

in want of everything”?

Rav Ami said in the name of Rav:

“In want of everything” means

without a lamp and without a table.

Rav Hisda said: Without a wife.

Rav Sheshet said: Without an attendant.

Rav Naḥman said: Without knowledge.

A tanna taught: Without salt and without fat

[oil].

Abaye said, we have accepted: There is no poor person—

except in knowledge.

In the West they say: Whoever has this

who has knowledge—

has everything.

has everything].

Whoever does not have this—

what does he have

but whoever has no knowledge—what does he have?!

Whoever acquires this—

what is lacking

for one who acquired knowledge—what will be lacking for him?

But

whoever did not acquire this—

what did he acquire?

For everything that he will acquire will not benefit him!

Rav Alexandri said in the name of Rav Ḥiyya bar Abba: A sick person does not rise from his illness—

until they forgive him for all his sins.

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

Rav Hamnuna said:

A sick person who rose from his illness

returns to the days of his youth. As it is stated: “His flesh becomes fresh from youth; he returns to the days of his youth.”

“Becomes fresh” means: moist and fresh. For after he became ill and was healed, his constitution becomes stronger, so as to be healthier than before he became ill.

“You have turned over his entire bed in his illness”—

Rav Yosef said: This teaches that

the sick person

forgets his learning.

That is, his entire orderly arrangement of presenting his learning is overturned for him in his illness, and he forgets it.

Rav Yosef fell ill

and became sick, and through this

his learning was uprooted from him

his Talmud was forgotten.

Abaye restored it

his student

before him

Abaye restored Rav Yosef’s learning before him.

And

this is why in every place we say

and this is what the Gemara says everywhere:

Rav Yosef said

about a teaching that they said before him:

“I have not heard this teaching”

I have not heard this teaching!

And

Abaye said to him: You yourself said it to us, and you said it to us from this beraita

You said this teaching to us, and from this beraita you proved the matter! And this is because Rav Yosef forgot his learning, and Abaye restored the matters before him.

When Rabbi had learned thirteen aspects

when Rabbi learned thirteen methods

of the halakha, he taught them

taught them

to Rabbi Ḥiyya, seven of them.

In the end Rabbi fell ill,

and forgot those thirteen methods.

Rabbi Ḥiyya restored before him those seven methods that he had taught him

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

But those

six

methods that he had not taught him—

were gone

were forgotten.

There was a certain launderer

a launderer,

who had heard Rabbi when he would study them

who had heard the matters when Rabbi learned them.

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

When Rabbi would see that launderer

when Rabbi saw that launderer,

Rabbi said to him: You made

me and Ḥiyya!

Some say, this is what he said to him

Rabbi said to that launderer:

You made Ḥiyya, and Ḥiyya made me!

And Rav Alexandri said in the name of Rav Ḥiyya bar Abba: Greater is the miracle that was done for a sick person—

than the miracle that was done for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

who were saved from the fiery furnace.

For the fire

of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—

was an ordinary person’s fire

it was,

and everyone can extinguish it.

But

if the fire

of a sick person—

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

And Rabbi Alexandri said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba—and some say Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Once a person’s end has arrived—

everything rules over him. As it is stated

which Cain said:

“And it shall be that whoever finds me—

will kill me.”

Shmuel read this verse about him:

Rav said, from this verse: “For by Your judgments they stand this day, for all are Your servants.”

And this is what they learn from this verse: Once “by Your judgments they stand,” for their end has arrived, then “all are Your servants” to fulfill the matter of the judgment.

They said to Rabbah bar Shila: A tall man died; he was riding a small mule. It reached a bridge, became deranged, and threw him—

and he died

a tall man died, who was riding a small mule; when that mule reached a bridge, a spirit of madness seized it, and it threw that man into the river.

He recited concerning himself: “For by Your judgments they stand this day.”

Samuel saw a certain scorpion sitting on a frog

it was sitting on a frog—

and it crossed the river. It stung

the scorpion stung

a man—

and he died.

Samuel recited concerning him

Samuel:

“For by Your judgments they stand this day.”

Samuel said: One does not visit the sick, except one whom fever has girded

whom it has clothed

with fever.

To exclude what?

Whom does one not visit?

To exclude that which was taught: Rabbi Yosei ben Perata says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: One does not visit either those suffering from intestinal illness, or those suffering from an eye illness, or those suffering from headaches.

And we raised an objection to this:

Granted, intestinal illness

one does not visit them—

because of embarrassment.

For he constantly needs to relieve himself, and is embarrassed.

But an eye illness and headaches—

what is the reason

that one does not visit them?

And we say:

Because of

the words

of Rav Judah.

For Rav Judah said: Speech

the speech

is harmful to the eye,

and beneficial for fever

for heat. Therefore one does not visit those suffering from an eye illness, because speech is harmful to this illness. But one whom fever has girded one visits, since speech benefits him.