Pesachim 109b (קט:) — the Talmud in English

And how much are they? —

one cubit by one cubit, with a height of three cubits,

which is the measure of a person's body.

And the Sages calculated the measure of the water of a ritual bath

according to this calculation, as

forty se'a.

According to that same ratio, a square measuring two fingerbreadths by two fingerbreadths, with a height of two fingerbreadths, one-half fingerbreadth, and one-fifth of a fingerbreadth, contains a quarter-log.

And this is the calculation:

A cubit equals six handbreadths.

A handbreadth equals four fingerbreadths.

It follows that a cubit contains twenty-four fingerbreadths.

A se'a equals six kav.

A kav equals four log.

It follows that a se'a equals twenty-four log.

Let us first divide the height of three cubits—which is seventy-two fingerbreadths—into sixteen parts.

Each part is therefore four and one-half fingerbreadths.

Correspondingly, let us also divide the forty se'a into sixteen parts.

We obtain two and one-half se'a.

That is to say, a height of four and one-half fingerbreadths, in a square measuring one cubit by one cubit, contains two and one-half se'a.

Now let us take the four and one-half fingerbreadths and divide them into fifths of a fingerbreadth.

We obtain twenty-two and one-half “fifths of a fingerbreadth”—four equals twenty fifths, and one-half equals two and one-half fifths].

Let us divide the twenty-two and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth into five parts.

Each part will be four and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth.

Correspondingly, let us also divide the two and one-half se'a by five. We obtain one-half se'a.

Let us multiply everything by three.

We obtain a height of thirteen and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth, in a square measuring one cubit by one cubit, which contains one and one-half se'a, or thirty-six log.

Now let us divide the square measuring one cubit by one cubit into squares measuring one handbreadth by one handbreadth.

We obtain thirty-six squares.

Correspondingly, let us also divide the thirty-six log into thirty-six parts.

It follows that each square measuring one handbreadth by one handbreadth, with a height of thirteen and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth, contains one log.

Let us divide the surface of this square into four parts.

Each part of the surface will measure two fingerbreadths by two fingerbreadths—each handbreadth being four fingerbreadths—with a height of thirteen and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth.

Correspondingly, let us also divide the log into four parts.

We obtain a quarter-log.

In summary: a square measuring two fingerbreadths by two fingerbreadths, with a height of thirteen and one-half fifths of a fingerbreadth—that is, two fingerbreadths, or ten fifths; one-half fingerbreadth, or two and one-half fifths; and one-fifth of a fingerbreadth—contains a quarter-log!

Rav Ashi said: Ravin bar Ḥinnana said to me: The Table of the Temple

that Moses made—

was made in sections.

The Table could be separated lengthwise into two parts.

For if it enters your mind that it was tightly fastened together,

so that it could not be taken apart, then the dimensions of the Table were: two cubits in length, one cubit in width, and one and one-half cubits in height. If so, when the Table became impure, how could they immerse it?

For the ritual bath in the Temple courtyard was a square measuring one cubit by one cubit.

And if so,

the cubit

of the width of the Table

into the cubit

of the width of the ritual bath—

how could they immerse it?

It is impossible to fit one into the other.

Rather, certainly the Table could be separated lengthwise into two parts, and each part was only one-half cubit wide. [

The legs, too, could be detached from the Table. They would immerse the Tabletop separately, and the ritual bath was higher than the length of the Table].

And we reject this:

What is the difficulty?

Perhaps in the Sea

a large ritual bath

that Solomon made

in the Temple for the immersion of the priests,

they would immerse it,

the Table. And in fact, it did not come apart.

For Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: The Sea that Solomon made

was

capable of containing

water in the measure of

one hundred and fifty ritual baths,

as it contained water equivalent to one hundred and fifty ritual baths, the measure of water in each ritual bath being forty se'a.

We learned in the Mishna:

And they must not give him fewer than four

cups of wine.

And we raise a difficulty:

How could the Sages institute a practice that leads to danger?

For anything that is an even number involves danger.

But it was taught in a beraita: A person should not eat two

two portions of the same type of food; and the same applies to four or any other even number.

And he should not drink two, and he should not wipe himself two

times,

and he should not relieve himself

for the purpose of intercourse

twice.

And we answer:

Rav Naḥman said: The verse says,

concerning the night of Passover:

“a night of protection.”

And we expound:

A night that is protected and continues to be protected from harmful forces!

Therefore, on that night there is no need to be concerned about even numbers.

Rava said: The cup of blessing

of Birkat HaMazon, which is the third cup,

joins for the good.

For example, if one drank two cups besides it, this cup joins them in order to nullify the even number.

But it does not join for the bad

to complete an even number. For example, here, where there are only three cups besides it, it does not join them so that, together with it, they would be considered an even number.