Shabbat 116a — the Talmud in English

to say to us,

that this is not its proper place,

for its place is in the section of Numbers concerning the banners, where the arrangements of the journeys are described.

Rabbi says:

Indeed, this is the place of this section. For previously it was mentioned that they journeyed from Mount Sinai. And if so, the reason for the markings before it and after it—

is not this reason,

the reason that you said [that the markings come to change its place]—

is it.

Rather,

the markings were written in order to designate it especially,

because

the section of “And it was when the Ark journeyed”—

is a book important in itself.

According to whom does this accord, that which Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan:

Proverbs 9]

“She has hewn her pillars, seven”—

these are the seven books of the Torah.

According to whom—

according to Rabbi,

according to whom the Book of Numbers is divided into three books: the first, until “And it was when the Ark journeyed”; the second, “And it was when the Ark journeyed”; and the third, from after “And it was when the Ark journeyed” until the end.

Who is the tanna who disagrees with Rabbi—

it is Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel.

For it was taught in a beraita: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: This section is destined to be uprooted from here and written in its place,

in the future, when they will no longer be concerned about calamity and the evil inclination will be nullified.

And why was it written here—

in order to interrupt between the first calamity and the second calamity.

What is the second calamity? [

Numbers 11]

“And the people were as complainers.”

The first calamity [

Numbers 10]

“And they journeyed from the mountain of the Lord.”

And Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said:

This teaches

that they turned away from following the Lord,

and craved meat within three days of their journey from the mountain of the Lord.

And where is its place,

the section of “And it was when the Ark journeyed”?

Rav Ashi said: In

the section of Numbers concerning the

banners.

They raised a dilemma: The blank margins,

the smooth parchments on which nothing is written [and the Gemara understood that the doubt is whether it concerns those above and below the writing, or those on which there had been writing that was erased]

of a Torah scroll—

whether

one rescues them from the fire, or one does not rescue them from the fire?

Come and hear: A Torah scroll that became worn out, if it contains enough to gather eighty-five letters, such as the section of “And it was when the Ark journeyed”—

one rescues it.

But if not—

one does not rescue it.

And why?

Let it emerge

that one should rescue it

because of its margin.

Rather, it is proven that one does not rescue the margins.

And we reject this: A Torah scroll that

became worn out is different.

For once the scroll became worn out, even the name “margin” is nullified from it, since it is not considered the margin of a Torah scroll. And the dilemma concerns only a scroll that did not become worn out, but whose letters were erased, for the name “margin of a Torah scroll” still applies to it.

Come and hear: A Torah scroll whose writing was erased—

if it contains enough to gather eighty-five letters, such as the section of “And it was when the Ark journeyed”—

one rescues it, but if not—

one does not rescue it.

And why

does one not rescue it?

Let it emerge

that one should rescue it

because of its margin!

And we reject this:

The place of the writing

after it was erased

is not what I am asking about,

for it is obvious that it is not sacred and one does not rescue it.

For when was it sacred?

When they sanctified the place of the writing initially, they sanctified it only for writing, and only

by virtue of

the

writing

upon it

is it sacred,

as long as the writing exists. And therefore, when

the writing is gone,

when it was erased—

its sanctity departs

from that portion of the margin.

What I am asking about—

the portion of the margin

above and below, between one section and another, between one page and another, at the beginning of the scroll and at the end of the scroll,

which at the time of its sanctification was sanctified as a margin in which one does not write, and therefore its sanctity was not nullified when the writing was erased.

And we consider this matter: This dilemma can be resolved from the beraita.

For why did the beraita require that eighty-five letters remain in the Torah scroll in order to rescue it? Behold, even if it was erased entirely, one should rescue it, for

let it emerge

that one should rescue it even when it was erased entirely

because of that

portion in the margin that is not the place of the writing, whose sanctity continues even after the scroll's writing was erased, since it was sanctified as a margin not intended for writing.

And from the fact that the beraita did not say this, it is proven that one does not rescue it because of the sanctity of the margins!?

And we answer: The beraita is speaking in a case

where one cut away,

where one cut away that portion

and threw it,

and only the erased place of the writing remained.

Come and hear: The margins above and below, between one section and another, between one page and another, at the beginning of the scroll and at the end of the scroll—

there is in them the sanctity of a Torah scroll, and therefore they

render the hands impure.

The Sages decreed concerning one who touches a Torah scroll that his hands should be impure with respect to teruma, so that if he touches it, he disqualifies it [and the reason for the matter is explained above, 14a]. And it is proven from the beraita, which says that they also decreed concerning the margins that one who touches them renders his hands impure with respect to teruma, that the sanctity of the margins is like the sanctity of the scroll; and if so, one should rescue them from a fire even when the writing was erased.

And we reject this:

Perhaps

the sanctity of the margins

by virtue of the Torah scroll,

when the writing was not erased, but was entirely extant,

is different.

For only then do they render the hands impure like the scroll itself.

But when the scroll's writing was erased, the sanctity of the margins is no longer like that of the Torah scroll itself, but only the bare sanctity of margins. And for this reason we have to raise the doubt: Does such a lesser sanctity warrant rescue from a fire?

Come and hear: The margins, and

also

the books

of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings that were written by

heretics—

one does not rescue them from a fire, but

they

are burned in their place, they and the Divine Names in them.

What, is it not—

the margins of a Torah scroll?

And it is explicit in the beraita that one does not rescue them.

And we reject this:

No.

The intention of the beraita is to say that one does not rescue

the margins of the books

of the Torah

of heretics.

And we wonder:

Now, the books

of the Torah

of heretics themselves one does not rescue—

their margins,

which belong to them,

is it necessary

to say that one does not rescue them?

And we answer:

This is what the tanna says

in the beraita:

And the books

of the Torah

of heretics—

they are like margins

of a valid Torah scroll, which one does not rescue.

The essential matter: The margins and the books of heretics—

one does not rescue

them from a fire.

Rabbi Yose says: On

a

weekday—

one cuts out

and removes

the Divine Names in them, and buries them, while the rest

one burns.

Rabbi Tarfon said: I will bury my sons,

an expression of an oath, in which he accepts upon himself a curse, that if his words are not true, his sons should die during his lifetime,

that if

books of heretics

come into my hands, I shall burn them and the Divine Names in them.

For even if a person is pursuing him to kill him, or a snake is running to bite him—

and he must flee and save his life—

he enters a house of idolatry, but he does not enter the houses of these.

For these,

the heretics,

know

their Creator

and

nevertheless

deny

Him.

But those,

the idolaters—

do not know

the Holy One, blessed be He, for so they were raised in their parents' homes without knowledge,

and

from lack of knowledge they

deny

Him.

And concerning them,

the heretics,

the verse says [

Isaiah 57]

“And behind the door and the doorpost you have set your memory.”

That is, they remember the Creator, but it is as though they cast His memory behind the door.

Rabbi Yishmael said:

We have something to learn concerning the books of heretics by means of

a kal va-chomer: Just as concerning making peace between a man and his wife the Torah said,

in the section concerning the examination of a sota:

“My Name”,

the Name of the Lord,

which was written in sanctity—

shall be erased onto the water

which they give the sota to drink, so that if it becomes clear that she is pure, peace will return between her and her husband.

These heretics

who cast jealousy, enmity, and rivalry between Israel and their Father in Heaven—

all the more so

that the Divine Names in their books should be erased together with the books themselves.

And concerning them David said [

Psalms 139 ]

“Do I not hate those who hate You

O Lord

—

I hate.

And with those who rise against You

—

I contend. With the utmost hatred I have hated them. As enemies:—

they became to me.”

And just as one does not rescue them

their books

from the fire,

so one does not rescue them either from a collapse or from water, nor from

all

other

thing

that destroys.

Yosef bar Hanin asked Rabbi Abbahu: These books of Bei Avidan—

written by the sectarians in order to debate with us [“Bei Avidan” is the place where the debates with the sectarians were held]—whether

does one rescue them from the fire, or does one not rescue them?

Rabbi Abbahu did not have a clear answer; rather, sometimes he said to him:

Yes,

that indeed one rescues them.

And

at other times he said to him:

No,

that one does not rescue them.

And

the matter was

uncertain,

unsettled, not definitive,

in his hands.

Rav did not go to Bei Avidan, and all the more so to Bei Nitzrefei

a house of idolatrous worship.

As for Shmuel, to Bei Nitzrefei—

he did not go,

but

to Bei Avidan—

he went.

They said to Rava: What is the reason that you did not come to Bei Avidan?

He said to them: There is a certain palm tree on the road,

there is a certain palm tree on the road, and its roots create bumps in the road,

and it is difficult for me

to go there [and I pushed them away with straw].

They said to him:

Let us uproot it

the palm tree, so that its bumps that it makes in the ground will not trouble you.

He said to them:

Its place,

the place itself where a pit will be made when it is uprooted, or its smell that will remain there,

is difficult for me.

Rav and Rava were afraid to go and debate with the sectarians, lest during the debate they rise up against them and kill them.

Mar bar Yosef said: I—

am one of them,

of their acquaintances,

I am, and

therefore

I am not afraid

I am not afraid

of them.

Once he went, and they sought to endanger him.

Imma Shalom, the wife

his wife

of Rabbi Eliezer—

the sister

the sister

of Rabban Gamaliel she was.

There was a certain philosopher

a sectarian

in her neighborhood,

in her vicinity.