Nedarim 62a (סב.) — the Talmud in English

The tanna

in a baraita:

Once

most of the pruning hooks have been put away,

they are permitted—

the fruits remaining in the field and on the trees—

because of the prohibition against theft,

since the owner of the fruit does not take it for himself, but declares it ownerless.

And they are exempt from tithes,

since they are ownerless.

There was an incident involving

Rabbi and Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda,

who

happened to arrive at a certain place [

they happened upon some place]

at a time when most of the pruning hooks had been put away.

Rabbi was eating [

Rabbi ate] from the remaining fruit.

Whereas

Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, did not eat.

The owner arrived [

the owner of the fruit arrived] and

said to them: Why are the Sages not eating [

why are you not eating]!? After all, now is the time when

most of the pruning hooks have been put away,

and the fruit is permitted.

Nevertheless, Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, did not eat.

Because

he held that

Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, that only

because of his hostility toward the matter did this man say what he said [

it was because of that man’s ill will that he said it].

That is, his intention was not actually to say that the fruit was permitted; rather, he was speaking derisively, as though he had said: “Look, you have permitted yourselves to eat once most of the pruning hooks have been put away.”

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, happened upon a certain

place [

he happened upon a particular place]

at a time when

‘most of the pruning hooks had been put away.’

He was eating, and he gave some to his attendant, who did not eat [

Rabbi Hama ate, but when he gave some to his attendant, the attendant did not want to eat].

He said to him,

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, said to his attendant:

Eat!

For

Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, told me in the name of his father:

If

most of the pruning hooks have been put away,

the fruit is

permitted because of the prohibition against theft, and exempt from tithes.

A certain man found Rabbi Tarfon eating [

a man found Rabbi Tarfon eating from the fruit at a time when the pruning hooks had been put away], and the owner of the fruit became angry with him.

He put him into a sack, picked him up, and brought him to throw him into the river [

he put him inside a sack and brought him to the river in order to throw him into it].

He said,

Rabbi Tarfon called out from inside the sack:

Woe to Tarfon, that

a man

such as this is killing him!

That man heard

that he was Rabbi Tarfon,

released him and fled [

that man heard this, left Rabbi Tarfon to himself, and ran away].

Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Hananya ben Gamliel: All the days of that righteous man [

Rabbi Tarfon]

he was distressed over this matter

that he had done, because

he said: Woe is me, for I made use of the crown of Torah!

For that man released him only out of respect for his Torah.

And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who makes use of the crown of Torah is uprooted from the world.

And we learn this by means of a

kal va-chomer:

If Belshazzar,

who made use

for drinking wine

of sacred vessels—

which had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem by his father, Nebuchadnezzar—

which

had already

become profane vessels, for

it

is stated in Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning the destruction: “I shall turn My face from them, and they shall profane My treasured place” [

My northern place, namely, the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies],

“and violators shall enter it and profane it.”

,

Once they violated them [

once they treated them with wanton disrespect],

they became profane—

yet

he was uprooted from the world, as it is written: “

On that night Belshazzar was slain” [

Belshazzar was killed that same night]—

One who makes use of the crown of Torah, which

does not become profaned, but

endures forever and ever—how much more so

that he will be uprooted from the world.

And we raise an objection:

But Rabbi Tarfon, since when he was eating “most of the pruning hooks had been put away”

“most of the knives

was the case [

since at the time he ate, most of the pruning hooks had already been put away, and it is customary for people to declare their fruit ownerless at that point], if so,

why did

that man [

the owner of the fruit] distress him!?

And we answer:

Because that

man

had grapes stolen from him throughout the entire year [

that man had his grapes stolen all year].

And when he found Rabbi Tarfon [

and when he found Rabbi Tarfon eating his grapes],

he thought

that Rabbi Tarfon

was the one who stole them [

he was the man who had been stealing them all year].

And we challenge this:

If so—

that the owner was concerned about the theft throughout the year but not about this particular occasion—

why did he distress himself [

why did Rabbi Tarfon distress himself over having said what he said]!?

For this works well if that man’s concern was only with this particular occasion; Rabbi Tarfon was therefore distressed that he had not told the man that once most of the pruning hooks had been put away, the fruit was ownerless.

And even if that man would not have listened to him, Rabbi Tarfon should have paid him for the small amount that he had eaten.

Since he had the possibility of saving himself in another way rather than making use of the honor of Torah, he was therefore distressed.

But if the man had come to kill him because of the theft of grapes throughout the year, Rabbi Tarfon would have had no other way to save himself from him! Surely he was not required to pay money that he was not obligated to pay!?

And we answer:

Because Rabbi Tarfon was extremely wealthy, and he should have appeased him

that man

with money,

even though he was not obligated to pay it, rather than make use of the crown of Torah.

It was taught in a baraita:

It is written: “

To love the

Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him.”

The verse teaches

that a person should not say:

I will read

the Written Torah in order

that they will call me a sage.

I will study

the Mishnayot, which are the Oral Torah, in order

that they will call me Rabbi.

I will sharpen my study of

the Gemara, in order

that I will become an elder sitting in the academy.

Rather, study

Torah

out of love,

and honor will ultimately come.

And as

it is stated in the Book of Proverbs [chapter 7]: “

My son, keep my words, and treasure my mitzvot with you.

“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commandments with you.

Keep my mitzvot and live, and my Torah as the apple of your eye.

Bind them upon your fingers; write them upon the tablet of your heart.”

That is: Do not direct your Torah study and observance of the mitzvot toward your own benefit, but rather so that they will be fluent in your mouth.

And it says: “

My son, preserve your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s Torah.

Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your throat.”

And

honor will ultimately come, for

it says: “

Fortunate is the person who finds wisdom, and the person who gains understanding.

For her commerce is better than the commerce of silver, and her produce than fine gold.

She is more precious than pearls, and all your desires cannot compare with her.

Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are wealth and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.”

And it says [

in the adjacent verse]: “

She is a tree of life to those who grasp her.

And those who support her—

are fortunate.”

From what is stated, “Her ways are ways of pleasantness,” and what is stated, “Those who support her are fortunate,” we learn that honor will ultimately come.

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says:

Perform deeds,

the mitzvot of the Lord,

for the sake of their Maker,

for the sake of the Holy One, blessed be He, who made them and commanded them.

And speak of them,

study them,

for their sake. Let all your speech and dealings be with words of Torah for the sake of the Torah—for example, to know and understand, and to add learning and analysis—not in order to provoke or aggrandize yourself.

so that you do not study in order to become wealthy and become great.

Do not make them

words of Torah

into a crown with which to aggrandize yourself,

so that you do not study in order to become wealthy or exalt yourself.

And do not make them a spade with which to dig,

so that you do not study in order for your learning to become a trade by which you support yourself.

And it follows by a kal va-chomer: If Belshazzar, who made use only of sacred vessels that had become profane vessels, was uprooted from the world—

one who makes use of the crown of Torah—how much more so.

Rava said: It is permitted for a person to make himself known in a place where they do not know him.

A person is permitted to inform people that he is a Torah scholar in a place where they do not know him.

As it is stated: "

Obadiah was on the way, [he who was over the house of Ahab,] and behold, Elijah met him. He recognized him, fell on his face, and said: Are you this, my lord Elijah? And he said to him: I am. Go, say to your master: Behold, Elijah! And he said: What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into Ahab's hand to kill me? It will happen that when I leave you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; and I will come to inform Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me.

And your servant has feared the Lord'

from my youth."

It is possible that Elijah did not recognize him.

And we challenge Rava:

But the case of Rabbi Tarfon is difficult;

why was he distressed that he had informed that man that he was Rabbi Tarfon? That man did not know him!?

And we answer:

Because

Rabbi Tarfon

was extremely wealthy, and he should have appeased him with money.

He should have appeased him with money, rather than making use of the honor of Torah.

Rava juxtaposed

he raised a contradiction between these verses]:

It is written: "

And your servant has feared the Lord'

from my youth,"

which indicates that one is permitted to identify himself.

But

on the other hand

it is written: "

Let a stranger praise you, and not your mouth"!

And we answer:

This—

the verse "Let a stranger praise you, and not your mouth," is stated

with regard to a place where they know him.

In a place where they know him.

This—

the verse "And your servant has feared the Lord from my youth"—

is with regard to a place where they do not know him,

in a place where they do not know him.

Rava said: It is permitted for a Torah scholar to say,

it is permitted for a Torah scholar to say to the court:

I am a Torah scholar!

And therefore,

let my case be heard first

I am a Torah scholar, so let my case be heard first].

That is, judge my case before those of other people.

As it is written: "

And the sons of David were kohanim."

But

the sons of David

were they kohanim!?

Rather, the verse teaches that the sons of David were sages, and therefore their law is like that of kohanim:

Just as a koen takes precedence, so too a Torah scholar takes precedence.

And we explain:

And as for a koen, from where do we know

that he takes precedence?

As it is written,

with regard to honoring kohanim: "

And you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God."

And the tanna of the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: "

And you shall sanctify him"—

you must sanctify the koen and give him precedence

in every matter of sanctity,

in every matter that is regarded as important and sacred.

That is: