Pesachim 110b — the Talmud in English

May your spices be scattered,

may your spices be scattered.

May the wind carry away

may the wind carry away

the new turmeric

the new turmeric

that you hold,

which you hold in your hands in order to practice sorcery with it,

sorcerous women!

As long as Heaven had mercy on me and I had mercy on myself, and you had mercy on me,

as long as they had mercy on me from Heaven, and I had mercy on myself, and you had mercy on me. -

I did not come among you

I did not come among you.

Now,

now

that I have come among you,

that I have come among you,

your mercy has grown cold, and so has your mercy!

I know that your mercy toward me has grown cold, and my mercy too has grown cold, for I did not have mercy on myself.

In the West,

in the Land of Israel,

they are not particular about pairs

about pairs.

Rav Dimi of Nehardea was particular even about the markings

of the barrel,

when they sold wine, they would engrave and make indentations in the barrel according to the number of ephahs [a measure] that they had sold; he was particular not to leave an even number of indentations and leave the store.

There was an incident

in which they forgot and left paired indentations,

and the barrel burst.

The general principle of the matter:

Anyone who is particular

one who is excessively particular about pairs,

they are particular with him

the demons are particular to harm him.

And one who is not particular

one who is not so particular,

they are not particular with him.

Nevertheless, one must be concerned

one must be concerned about pairs.

When Rav Dimi came, he said: Two eggs, two nuts, two cucumbers, and another thing,

there is another fruit besides those mentioned above—

a halakha given to Moses from Sinai

that pairs cause harm [but only these pairs].

And the Sages were uncertain as to what it is

that other thing.

And

therefore

the Sages decreed concerning all pairs—

because of the other thing.

And that which we said

above,

ten, eight, six, four—there is no concern for pairs—

we said this only with regard to demons.

But with regard to sorcery,

in a place where there are sorcerous women,

even many

many

we are also concerned,

whenever they are pairs.

Like that incident involving a certain man who divorced his wife

who divorced his wife.

She married

she went and married

a tavern keeper

the owner of a wine shop.

Every day he would go and drink wine

in his divorced wife's shop.

She would practice

his divorced wife

sorcery against him, but it did not benefit her against him

the sorcery did not harm him

because he was careful with himself concerning pairs.

For he was careful not to drink pairs there.

One day he drank many,

he drank a great deal,

and he did not know how many he had drunk,

because

until sixteen

cups

he was clear-minded

clear in his mind,

and he was careful with himself

not to finish with pairs.

But

from that point onward he was not clear-minded and was not careful with himself,

for he no longer paid attention to the count.

She brought him out through a pair,

his divorced wife took care that he finish with an even number of cups, so that her sorcery would harm him.

When he was going

on his way,

he encountered

him

a certain Arab.

an Arab.

He said to him

the Arab said to him:

“A dead man is walking here!”

He went and embraced the palm tree

because of his illness and worry, he leaned against the palm tree.

The palm tree cried out

the palm tree dried up through the force of the sorcery of the pairs,

and he burst

the man died.

Rav Avira said: Bowls and loaves

if he ate two bowls of cooked food or two loaves,

there is no concern for pairs in them.

The general principle of the matter: Anything completed by human hands,

such as bowls or a loaf made by human hands,

there is no concern for pairs in them.

If they were completed by Heaven, among things that are kinds of food,

among food items, such as fruits and the like—

we are concerned

lest it be that “other thing” about which the Sages were uncertain what it is.

A shop,

if he drank in two shops,

there is no concern for pairs in them,

because two shops are not like two cups.

Another interpretation: One who drinks even two cups in a shop is not subject to the concern for pairs, because the demons are not particular about him, since this is not an established practice of drinking in a shop. [

And above, in the case of that man who drank in his divorced wife's shop and was harmed: this was because of the sorcery that his divorced wife practiced against him].

If he changed his mind,

his intention at the outset was to drink only one, and afterward he changed his mind and drank pairs—

there is no concern for pairs in them.

A guest is not subject to the concern for pairs

for he does not know whether they will give him more to drink, and each cup is considered as though he changed his mind.

A woman is not subject to the concern for pairs

for she is like a guest, since she does not establish herself for drinking.

But if she is an important woman

she

we are concerned

about pairs, since she establishes herself for drinking.

Rav Hinnana, son of Rabbi Yehoshua, said: Ispargus

a beverage made from cabbage and wine, which they customarily drank for medicinal purposes every morning before eating—

joins favorably

to nullify the pairs, if he drank two cups besides it.

But it does not join unfavorably.

For if he drank one, it does not join to be counted as pairs, since it is a medicinal substance.

Ravina said in the name of Rava: Pairs—

stringently!

One who is uncertain whether he drank pairs or not should now drink one more. For either way: If previously he drank pairs, since his intention is to join the additional one, it joins favorably. And if previously he did not drink pairs, it does not join, since he changed his mind.

And some say: Pairs—

leniently!

He should not drink now, because through his drinking he reveals his intention that he is particular about pairs.

And if previously he did not have pairs, the additional one joins, and the demons are particular about him, since he is particular.

Conversely, if he does not drink, then even if he previously drank pairs, he need not be concerned, because perhaps, since he is not particular about pairs, the demons will not be particular about him.

Rav Yosef said: Two

cups

of wine and one

cup

of beer—

does not join

the cup of beer to nullify the pairs of the wine, since beer is less important than wine and therefore does not join with it.

Two of beer and one of wine—

joins,

because wine is more important than beer.

And your sign

is that we find something similar to this, where only the more important joins with the less important, but not the reverse.

As we learned in tractate Kelim, there are different measures for each and every thing with regard to receiving impurity.

For example, a sack has a measure for receiving impurity only if it is at least four handbreadths by four handbreadths, while leather has a measure of five by five handbreadths.

And if he attached three handbreadths of the sack and one handbreadth of the leather, although together there are four handbreadths here, which is the measure of the sack, nevertheless it does not receive impurity.

But, conversely, if he attached four handbreadths of the leather and one handbreadth of the sack, it receives impurity, since together there are five handbreadths here.

And there the Mishna says the reason for the matter,

“This is the general principle: Anything attached to it from that which is more stringent than it,

that completed the measure through attachment to something whose measure is smaller than its own, which is considered more stringent than it—

is impure.”

But if he attached to it

from that which is more lenient than it,

from something that requires a larger measure than it does—

it is pure.

For only the more stringent joins with the lenient, and not the reverse.

And likewise in our matter, only the more important joins with that which is less important than it.

Rav Nahman said that Rav said: Two before the table,

he drank two cups before the meal, [the table is called tika, on which they eat],

and one at the table,

and one on the table, during the meal—

they join

all three cups to nullify the pairs.

But if he drank

one before the table and two at the table—

they do not join.

Since he drank two during the meal, joining does not help him to nullify the pairs.

Rav Mesharsheya raised an objection to this: Is it a table that we need to repair?

Are we coming to repair the meal, so that you say: Since the meal is defective, it cannot be repaired?

Rather,

we need to repair the person,

so that he should not have pairs upon him.

And the person is being repaired and remains repaired

through the cup before the meal!

And the Gemara says:

Everyone

meaning even Rav Mesharsheya agrees that

two at the table and one after the table—

do not join.

Like that incident involving Rabba bar Nahmani

in tractate Bava Metzia [86a], concerning the royal messenger who was harmed by drinking pairs during the meal, and Rabba said that they should return the table and he should drink another cup upon it.

Thus, if they had not returned the table, the third cup would not have joined to nullify the pairs, because it was a cup after the meal.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: Every

mixed beverage joins with wine. If he drank mixed wine [mixed with water] first and afterward drank another beverage, the mixed wine joins with it, both favorably and unfavorably. Since both are mixed, they are considered one kind.