Shabbat 109b — the Talmud in English

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak objected to this: ![](pamud.bmp "

precise page location")

Say that they disagree,

Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda only

with regard to impurity and purity,

and as each one derives from the verse, but

with regard to Shabbat,

for the matter depends on whether it is evident that he bathes for healing —

have you heard them say this?

Rather, Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is not difficult: this

which teaches that it is forbidden to bathe in the Great Sea is where

he lingered,

for he lingers a long time in the water, so it is evident that he intends healing.

This

which permits [bathing] in the Great Sea is where

he did not linger,

but bathes and immediately leaves, for he appears to want to cool himself.

And we object:

in what did you establish the latter [beraita],

the second beraita, which says that one bathes in the Great Sea, as

where he did not linger?

If it is where he did not linger —

even

bathing

in mei mשרה as well

is permitted, whereas that same beraita teaches that it is forbidden to bathe in mei mשרה?

For it was taught: One bathes in the waters of Tiberias, in mei mשרה, and in the Sea of Sodom, even though he has

wounds

on his head.

In what case are these words said? When he did not linger; but when he lingered, it is forbidden.

It follows that when he did not linger, it is permitted even in mei mשרה; and necessarily, the second beraita, which forbids [bathing] in mei mשרה, deals with one who lingered, and nevertheless permits [bathing] in the Great Sea. But this is difficult for the first beraita?

And we answer:

Rather, as for the Great Sea — with regard to the Great Sea it is not difficult: this

which is permitted

is in its beautiful [waters]

where the manner is to bathe,

this

which is forbidden

is in its bad [waters]

for it is evident that he intends healing; and both beraitot deal with one who lingered.

As for mei mשרה — with regard to mei mשרה as well, it is not difficult,

for in the two beraitot above it teaches that it is forbidden, whereas in the latter beraita it teaches that it is permitted, for

this

which is forbidden is

where he lingered,

and

this

which is permitted is

where he did not linger.

Mishna:

One does not eat izbeion

a type of ezov used as a remedy

on Shabbat, because it is not the food of healthy people

and it is evident that he eats it for healing; and the Sages forbade every remedy on Shabbat [for one who is not ill], as a decree lest he grind ingredients.

But he may eat yoazer and drink avuvruah

types of remedies [as explained in the Gemara], because healthy people also customarily eat them.

All foods a person may eat

on Shabbat, even though he intends

healing; and all beverages he may drink, except palm-water and a cup of roots

a beverage made from the roots of a vegetable and spices

because they are for jaundice

for the beverage of roots is a remedy for jaundice [yellowing, liver disease], and is not the food of healthy people [and palm-water likewise serves only as a remedy].

But he may drink palm-water for his thirst

if he is not ill and intends only to quench his thirst.

And he may anoint himself with oil

of roots

oil perfumed with the roots of spices and vegetables

not for healing

if he does not do this for the purpose of healing.

Gemara:

Rav Yosef said: The ezov

mentioned in the Torah with regard to sprinkling is called

avarta bar ha-mag. Izbeion

of the Mishna is called

avarta bar hing. [

Rashi cites that some explain “bar ha-mag” as growing among reeds, and “bar hing” as growing among thorns].

Ulla said:

the ezov in the Torah is

marva ḥivara.

Ulla happened to come to the house of Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda. They brought before him marva ḥivara. He said: This is the ezov that is written in the Torah!

Rav Pappi said:

The ezov is

shumshuk.

Rabbi Yirmeya of Difti said: The matter is more reasonable in accordance with Rav Pappi. For we learned

in tractate Parah:

The mitzva of ezov

in the red heifer [ritual] is that he take

three stalks

of ezov, for we require “a bundle of ezov,” and a bundle is not fewer than three,

and on them three stems

on each stalk there shall be three thin reeds; and he dips them in the water of purification and sprinkles [it] upon the impure person.

And it is only in shumshuk that this is found

only in shumshuk is it common that there be three stems for each stalk; therefore, the ezov is shumshuk.

And we explain:

For what do they eat it?

For kukaïnu

for it kills the worms in the intestines.

With what do they eat it?

With seven black dates

black.

From what does

the illness

come? From barley flour

barley flour

that forty days have passed over it

that passed over it

forty days.

We learned in the Mishna:

But he may eat yoazer.

And we explain:

What is yoazer?

Potenek.

For what do they eat it?

For arketa

worms in the liver.

With what do they eat it?

With seven white dates

white.

From what does

the illness

come? From roasted meat

from eating meat roasted on coals

and water, on an empty stomach

before eating. Or

from fatty meat on an empty stomach.

Or

from ox meat on an empty stomach.

Or

from nuts

nuts

on an empty stomach.

Or

from clover leaves

clover leaves

on an empty stomach, and from drinking water after it

one who eats one of these foods before eating and drinks water after them comes to this illness.

And if not

if he has no yoazer, or he ate it and it did not help him,

let him swallow white taḥalei

white shḥalim [a sharp type of vegetable].

And if not

if he also does not have this, or it did not help,

let him sit in a fast

he should not eat anything else, but

let him bring fatty meat and place it on a coal

let him place it on coals

and let him suck a bone

let him suck a bone from that meat

and let him swallow vinegar

let him drink vinegar.

And there are those who say: Vinegar, no! Because it is harmful to the liver.

And if not, let him bring a shaving of a thorn

a shaving scraped from a thornbush

which he scraped from above downward, and not from below upward

so that it is scraped from above to below and not from below to above

lest they emerge through his mouth

lest the worms emerge through his mouth, just as he scraped from below upward [this is a segula-based matter and not a natural one]

and let him boil it in beer at twilight

at twilight [another explanation: he should cook it by the neighbor, so that he himself will not smell the odor that may harm him],

and tomorrow let him close his openings

let him close his nostrils so that he will not smell from his body]

and let him drink. And when he relieves himself, because of

when he relieves himself, because of

the place where a branch was torn from a palm tree

the place where a branch was torn from the palm tree.

We learned in the Mishna:

And they drink avuvruah.

And we explain:

What is avuvruah?

Ḥumterya.

What is ḥumterya?

A solitary branch

a tree that grows alone without a branch.

For what do they make it?

For exposure

for one who was harmed by drinking exposed water.

And if not, let him bring five roses

roses

and five cups of beer

cups of beer

and let him boil them together

let him cook them together

until it stands at a quarter

until the water evaporates, so that only a quarter of a log remains

and let him drink.

The mother of Rav Aḥadboi bar Ami made for a certain man one rose and one cup of beer. She boiled it and gave it to him to drink, and she heated an oven

she heated the oven

and raked it

she raked the coals out of it so that it would cool somewhat

and placed a brick inside it

she put a brick into the oven so that he could sit on it and not be burned

and it came out like a green palm-leaf

he vomited the venom that he had swallowed, in the form of a green lulav leaf.

Rav Avya said:

the remedy for one who drank exposed water is to drink

a quarter [of a log] of milk

a quarter of a log of milk

from a white goat

white.

Rav Huna bar Yehuda said:

the remedy is

to bring a sweet etrog

sweet

and hollow it out and fill it with honey

he should hollow it out and fill it there with honey

and place it among glowing coals

he should place it on glowing coals so that the etrog will cook in the honey

and eat it.

Rabbi Ḥanina said: Urine that is forty days old

that has had forty days pass over it [another explanation: of an infant who is forty days old],

a small cup called barzina for a wasp

for one who was bitten by a wasp, his remedy is to drink a very small cup of it called barzina.

A quarter [of a log] for a scorpion

one bitten by a scorpion should drink a quarter of a log.

Half a quarter for exposure

it heals one who was harmed by exposed water.

A quarter

a full log [which is a quarter of a kav]

is effective even for sorcery

effective.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: anigron

water in which spinach was cooked,

and avangar

or water in which a type of herb called

avangar was cooked, and teriaka

a potent remedy

are effective both for exposure and for sorcery.

One who swallowed a snake

a snake

let him feed it kushuta with salt and run

let him run

three mil.

Rav Shimi bar Ashi saw a certain man who had swallowed a snake; he appeared to him like an officer

he presented himself to him as a policeman riding a horse and frightened him

he fed him

he fed him

kushuta with salt and ran him before him

he made him run before him

three mil,

for the fright, the kushuta, and the running weaken a person's strength and heat him, and through this the snake inside him dies,

and it emerged from him in pieces

the snake emerged from him piece by piece.

There are those who say: Rav Shimi bar Ashi swallowed a snake. Elijah came and appeared to him like an officer; he fed him kushuta with salt and ran him before him three mil, and it emerged from him in pieces.

One whom

it bit

a snake, let him bring the fetus of a white she-donkey

a fetus found in the womb of a white she-donkey

and let him tear it open

he should tear open the mother and remove the fetus

and place it upon it

on the place of the bite.

And these words apply when it was not found to be a torn animal

when the mother was found not to be a tereifa.