Pesachim 49b — the Talmud in English

The Sages taught: A person should always sell everything that he has and marry the daughter of a Torah scholar.

If he did not find the daughter of a Torah scholar, he should marry the daughter of the great ones of the generation,

men of action and righteous men.

If he did not find the daughter of the great ones of the generation, he should marry the daughter of the heads of congregations.

If he did not find the daughter of the heads of congregations, he should marry the daughter of charity collectors,

whose appointment proves that they are good and trustworthy.

If he did not find the daughter of charity collectors, he should marry the daughter of teachers of young children.

And

only

that he should not marry the daughter of ignoramuses.

Because they are repulsive, and their wives are vermin,

for they are not careful with mitzvot.

And concerning their daughters he says: “Cursed is he who lies with any animal,”

for they resemble an animal, which has no heart with which to understand, like it.

It was taught: Rabbi says: An ignoramus—

it is forbidden

for him

to eat meat.

According to

what is stated,

“This is the law of the animal and of the bird.”

Since it is written “law” before “the animal and the bird,” infer from it: only

one who engages in Torah is permitted

to

eat the meat of an animal and a bird.

And

whoever

does not engage in Torah, it is forbidden for him to eat the meat of an animal and a bird.

Rabbi Elazar said: An ignoramus—

it is permitted to rip open his nostrils

to split him open from his nostrils

on Yom Kippur that occurs on Shabbat.

His students said to him: Rabbi, say

“It is permitted to slaughter him.”

And why did you say “to rip open his nostrils”?

He said to them:

I specifically said ripping open the nostrils, because it is a more disgraceful death.

For

this one

who slaughters it

requires a blessing.

And since one recites a blessing over slaughter, it is a more honorable death.

But

if

this one,

the one whose nostrils are ripped open,

does not require a blessing.

And likewise, an ignoramus deserves to die by a disgraceful death like ripping open the nostrils.

Rabbi Elazar said: An ignoramus—

it is forbidden to accompany him on the road.

For

it is

stated

about Torah

“For it is your life and the length of your days.”

It follows that one who does not engage in Torah endangers his life.

And if

he does not care about his own life—

then

with regard to his fellow’s life, all the more so

does he not care?!

Therefore, he should not accompany him, lest he kill him on the road.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: It is permitted to tear open an ignoramus like a fish!

Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said: And

to tear him open

from his back

he said, for in this way he will certainly die.

It was taught: Rabbi Akiva said: When I was an ignoramus, I said: Who will give me a Torah scholar, and I will bite him like a donkey!

His students said to him: Rabbi, say “

I will bite him

like a dog.”

And why did you say specifically “like a donkey”?

He said to them:

A donkey

this one,

the donkey

bites and breaks a bone

with its bite.

But a dog

this one bites and does not break a bone.

And so great is the hatred of ignoramuses for Torah scholars that they are not satisfied with biting them; rather, they also want to break their bones.

It was taught: Rabbi Meir would say: Whoever gives his daughter in marriage to an ignoramus—

it is as though

he

ties her up and places her before a lion.

For

just as a lion tramples

an animal

and eats it, and has no shame

[for it does not wait until it dies. Tosafot]—

so too an ignoramus

does the same.

For he

strikes

his wife,

and

immediately

has intercourse with her, and has no shame

[for he does not wait until she is reconciled with him. Tosafot].

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: Were we not dependent on them

the ignoramuses

for

the need of

commerce

with them,

they would kill us.

Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: Whoever engages in Torah in the presence of an ignoramus

thereby humiliates him

as though he were having intercourse

with

the betrothed woman

of the ignoramus

in his presence.

As it is stated,

“Moses commanded us Torah, an inheritance

of the congregation of Jacob.”

Do not read

“inheritance,” but

“betrothed.”

For Torah is in the category of “betrothed” to all the communities of Jacob, including ignoramuses—that is, it belongs to everyone.

But it is not in the category of “married” to them, but only to one who engages in it. It follows that for an ignoramus, Torah is in the category of “betrothed” alone [Maharsha].

The hatred that ignoramuses hate a Torah scholar is greater than the hatred that idol-worshippers hate Israel.

And their wives,

the wives of the ignoramuses, hate Torah scholars even

more than they do.

The tanna:

Whoever

studied and then withdrew

from Torah hates Torah scholars

more than all of them!

For he knows the Torah scholars and knows how contemptible ignoramuses are in their eyes.

The Sages taught: Six things were stated concerning ignoramuses.

And these are they:

a.

They do not entrust testimony to them,

that is, they do not summon them to hear a matter so that they may testify about it afterward in court.

b.

And they do not accept from him

[from the ignoramus]

testimony.

c.

And they do not reveal a secret to them.

Because they are gossips and will reveal the secret.

d.

And they do not appoint them guardians over

the property of

orphans.

e.

And they do not appoint them guardians over the charity fund,

because they are suspected of theft.

f.

And they do not accompany them on the road,

because of danger, since they are suspected of bloodshed.

And some say: They also do not make an announcement concerning his lost item,

of the ignoramus.

For one who finds a lost item is obligated to announce it, as it is written, “So shall you do for every lost item of your brother.” But an ignoramus is not included in “your brother,” because he does not perform the deed of your people.

And the first tanna,

who did not count this among the things stated concerning an ignoramus, holds that they do announce his lost item, because

sometimes superior offspring emerges from him

[that a righteous son will emerge from him]. And by returning the lost item to his father, it will reach him,

and he will eat it.

And as

it is stated, “The

wicked

prepares—

and the righteous wears.”

We learned in our Mishna:

And likewise, one who went out

from Jerusalem and remembered that he had sacred meat in his hand. Rabbi Meir says: In both cases, it is an egg-bulk. Rabbi Yehuda says: In both cases, it is an olive-bulk.

And we raised the difficulty concerning it:

Is this to say that Rabbi Meir holds

that the measure of

an egg-bulk is considered significant?

And therefore they return for its sake in order to fulfill the mitzva of burning it according to its law.

And Rabbi Yehuda holds

that the measure of

an olive-bulk is also considered significant

to trouble themselves and return for its sake.

And we raise a contradiction

from that which we learned: Three who ate together are obligated to recite zimmun, to join together for the Grace after Meals, and they are not permitted to divide.

And up to what amount do they recite zimmun,

what is the measure of eating that obligates zimmun?

According to Rabbi Meir—

until

each one eats

an olive-bulk

together. But when eating an amount less than this, they do not recite zimmun.

And Rabbi Yehuda says:

They are not obligated in zimmun until they eat

an egg-bulk!

It is apparent, then, that according to Rabbi Yehuda only the measure of an egg-bulk is significant.

Whereas according to the Sages who disagree with Rabbi Yehuda [namely, Rabbi Meir], even the measure of an olive-bulk is significant.

But here we learned the opposite.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The position

is

reversed.

And in fact Rabbi Yehuda said in the Mishna: “In both cases they return for it when it is an egg-bulk.” And Rabbi Meir said: “In both cases, an olive-bulk.”

Abaye said: In fact, do not reverse

their positions. And even so, it is not difficult.

Because

there

with regard to zimmun,

they disagree on the basis of verses.

Whereas

here,

with regard to the burning of leaven and sacred meat,

they disagree on the basis of reasoning.

There, they disagree on the basis of verses, for Rabbi Meir holds

that since the source of the obligation of the Grace after Meals is from what is written, “And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless,” this verse is to be expounded as follows:

“And you shall eat”—

this is eating.

“And you shall be satisfied”—

this is drinking

[the language of “satiation”].

And since the measure of eating throughout the Torah is an olive-bulk, therefore, whenever they ate an olive-bulk together, they are obligated in zimmun.

And Rabbi Yehuda holds

that the verse is to be expounded as follows:

“And you shall eat and be satisfied”—

this is eating that contains satisfaction. And what is

eating that contains satisfaction?

This

is eating that has the measure of

an egg-bulk.

But with less than this, it does not satisfy, and it does not carry the obligation of the Grace after Meals.

Therefore, if they did not eat together this measure, they do not join for zimmun. But

here,

with regard to the removal of leaven and the burning of sacred meat—

they disagree on the basis of reasoning.

The removal of leaven is rabbinic, for according to Torah law, nullification is sufficient.

And likewise, the burning of lesser sacred offerings in Jerusalem is only rabbinic.

And they disagree about the form of the enactment, upon what they based it.

For Rabbi Meir holds,

that the law of

his return

to his home and to Jerusalem in order to burn the leaven and the sacred offering is

like the law of its impurity,

for they based this on the measure of the impurity of foods.

Just as its impurity,

the impurity of the food, is

with an egg-bulk,

for there is no impurity of foods with less than an egg-bulk—

so too his return

to his place in order to burn it, the Sages obligated him only

with an egg-bulk.