Shabbat 129b — the Talmud in English

And if he encountered ![](pamud.bmp "

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another thing,

a pig, it is

difficult

for him

to speak of another thing.

He is liable to be afflicted with leprosy, because pigs are afflicted. [As it says in Kiddushin 49b: Ten measures of afflictions descended into the world; pigs took nine of them.]

Rav and Shmuel both said: One who performs this act,

bloodletting,

should wait a little,

that he should wait briefly,

and afterward stand up.

Because

the Master said: Five things

if those who perform them are not careful with them, they are

closer to death than to life.

And these are they:

a.

He ate, and

immediately

stood up.

b.

He drank, and

immediately

stood up.

c.

He slept, and

immediately

stood up.

d.

He let blood, and

immediately

stood up.

e.

He engaged in marital relations, and

immediately

stood up.

Shmuel said: The interval for bloodletting,

the time of bloodletting is

every thirty days.

And between the intervals

of his years, for example, when he reached the age of forty, which is the age of maturity,

he should reduce

bloodletting, and he should not let blood every month, but only once in two months.

And

when he again reaches

between the intervals

of his years, for example, when he reached the age of sixty, which is the age of old age, and his body is weak and becomes chilled through bloodletting,

he should again reduce it,

and let blood once every three months.

And Shmuel said: The interval for bloodletting,

the time that is suitable for bloodletting is

the first day of the week,

Sunday,

the fourth

of the week, Wednesday,

and the eve of Shabbat,

Friday.

But

on the days of

Monday and Thursday he should not

let blood. Because

the Master said:

only

one who has ancestral merit

is the one who

should let blood

on

the days of

Monday and Thursday.

Since these days are days of judgment shared by the court above and the court below,

for

on those days the courts below also sit to judge, and it is found that

the court above,

and the court

below are equal

then

as one.

And on days of judgment a person’s sins are remembered.

And we raise it: This works out with regard to Monday and Thursday, but

on the third day of the week, what is the reason

that he should not let blood?

And we explain:

Because it is established for him

the constellation of

Mars

on the third day

in an even hour,

at an even-numbered hour [at the eighth hour of the day, which is an even-numbered hour].

And the constellation of Mars is appointed over the sword, pestilence, and calamities. And an even-numbered hour is difficult, because demons rule during even-numbered hours.

[And see Rashi, who detailed the weekly order of the constellations.

There are seven luminaries and constellations that serve in the heavens: the

s

un and the

m

oon,

S

aturn,

V

enus,

J

upiter,

M

ercury,

M

ars.

When the seven luminaries and constellations were suspended in the firmament of the heavens, on the fourth day of Creation, they began to serve as attendants, each one during a separate hour, one after another, with a new cycle beginning every time seven hours ended.

The first constellation that began to serve during the first hour of the fourth day [at the beginning of the night] was

S

aturn. During the second hour

J

upiter served, and after it, in order,

M

ars,

s

un,

V

enus,

M

ercury,

m

oon.

According to this calculation, during the first hour of Wednesday morning, which is the thirteenth hour of the day,

M

ercury serves.

In order:

First cycle: 1\.

S

aturn 2.

J

upiter 3.

M

ars 4.

s

un 5.

V

enus 6.

M

ercury 7.

m

oon.

Second cycle: 8\.

S

aturn 9.

J

upiter 10.

M

ars 1 1.

s

un 12.

V

enus 13.

M

ercury.

According to this calculation, at the beginning of the nights of the week, from the beginning of the conclusion of Shabbat until the beginning of Friday night, the following serve in order:

M

ercury at the beginning of the conclusion of Shabbat,

J

upiter at the beginning of Monday night,

V

enus at the beginning of Tuesday night,

S

aturn at the beginning of Wednesday night, and so on according to

s s m.

Whereas at the beginning of the morning, at the beginning of Sunday morning, the constellation of

s

un serves, and on Monday, at the beginning of morning, the constellation of

m

oon serves, and on Tuesday

V

enus, and on Wednesday

J

upiter.

And it is found that during the eighth hour of Wednesday, which is an even-numbered hour, the constellation of

M

ars serves.

Likewise, the constellation of Mars serves during the even-numbered nighttime hours, except that people do not practice bloodletting at night.]

And we object: If it is because of this, then on

the eve of Shabbat,

Friday,

also

Mars

is established in an even-numbered hour,

during the eighth hour of the day; why did Shmuel permit bloodletting on Friday?

And we answer: On Friday,

since the many have become accustomed to it,

for they had already become accustomed to letting blood on it because of poverty, to bring the bloodletting close to the Shabbat meal, at which large fish are eaten.

And concerning a danger to which the many have become accustomed, we say:

“The Lord protects the simple.”

And Shmuel further said:

These days are difficult for bloodletting:

The day

four

of the week,

which is the fourth

of the month.

Or the day

four

of the week,

which is the fourteenth,

the fourteenth day of the month.

Or the day

four

of the week,

which is the twenty-fourth

of the month.

Or the day

four

of the week

on which there are not four

days

after it

until the end of the month.

All these days are

dangerous

for letting blood on them.

The day of

the New Moon, and

the day that is

the second to it,

that is, the day after it—

weakness

for one who lets blood on it.

The day

third to it

[to the New Moon]—

danger

for letting blood on it.

The eve of a Festival,

the eve of a Festival—

weakness

for one who lets blood on this day.

The eve of the day of Assembly,

the eve of the Festival of Weeks—

danger

for one who lets blood on it.

And the Sages decreed

that they should not let blood

on all the eves of Festivals,

on all the eves of Festivals,

because of

the eve

of the Festival of

the Festival of

Assembly,

which contains a special danger. Because

on

that day on which Israel received the Torah,

a spirit went out on it,

a demon went out on it

and its name was “Slaughtered,” for if Israel had not accepted the Torah, it would have

that demon

slaughtered them, their flesh and their blood.

Shmuel said: If he ate wheat and

afterward

let blood, he did not let blood,

his bloodletting was not effective for the heaviness in the body,

but for the

heaviness of

that wheat

that he ate alone.

And this matter applies

when he let blood

for healing,

but one who lets blood in order

to ease,

because excess blood weighs upon him,

is eased,

even if he ate beforehand.

For one who lets blood, drinking

is beneficial to him only if he drinks

immediately.

But

eating

is beneficial even after he waits,

until the measure

of walking

half a mil.

They raised a dilemma before them:

whether

drinking

that he drinks

immediately—

is beneficial.

But if he drinks

after that, it is difficult

for the body.

Or perhaps:

drinking after a period of time is

not difficult

for the body,

but is not beneficial.

And further

they raised a dilemma before them:

whether

eating

that he eats at a time that is

up to

the measure of time of walking

half a mil is what is beneficial

to the body.

This

if he eats

after that, or before that,

after or before this measure of time, his eating is

difficult

for the body.

Or perhaps:

eating before that, or afterward, is

not difficult

for the body,

and is not beneficial

to it.

And we conclude:

It stands unresolved.

Rav announced: One hundred pumpkins,

gourds, buy them only if they sell them to you

for a zuz,

and do not buy them at a high price, because eating them is not healthy for the body.

One hundred heads

of an animal, do not buy them except

for a zuz.

For eating them too is not healthy.

One hundred lips,

for the lips of an animal,

and nothing,

do not buy them at all.

Rav Yosef said: When we were

studying

at Rav Huna’s academy, on a day when the Sages were negligent in it,

on a day when the students were lax about coming to the beit-midrash—

they said,

they would say:

today,

now

is the day of lips.

This day was lost, and there is no benefit in it.

And I did not know what they were saying.

We learned in the Mishna:

And they tie the navel.

The Sages taught: They tie

the

navel.

Rabbi Yosei says: They also cut

the navel.

And

also

they conceal the afterbirth,

in which the fetus is found in its mother’s womb, so that its warmth will be preserved, and they use it for healing for the needs of the fetus,

so that the fetus will become warm.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: The daughters of kings conceal

the afterbirth

in bowls of oil. The daughters of the wealthy

would conceal it

in wool sponges,

wool that has been fluffed.

The daughters of the poor

would conceal it

in rags,

worn-out clothing.

Rav Naḥman said that Ravba bar Avuha said that Rav ruled in accordance with Rabbi Yosei.

And Rav Naḥman said that Ravba bar Avuha said that Rav: The Sages agree with Rabbi Yosei

that although everywhere they do not cut the navel, nevertheless

in the case of the navel of two infants,

twins who are connected to one another by their navels, they agree

that they cut it.

What is the reason?

And we explain: Since they are connected to one another by their navels, it may be

that they will pull apart from one another,

each one pulling toward a different side, and they will be endangered.

And Rav Naḥman said that Ravba bar Avuha said that Rav: All

the matters

stated

in the section of

rebuke

in which Ezekiel rebuked Israel for the great abundance with which the Lord benefited Israel, and argued with them over who betrayed whom.

All these

they do for a woman who has given birth on Shabbat.

As it is stated

in Ezekiel 16:4, in describing the miserable state of the Israelite nation when it was in Egypt, when the Holy One, blessed be He, chose it, when it was like a neglected infant that had just been born, and no one had cared for it at all after the birth. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, chose them, He benefited them greatly, as is explained there afterward.

And so the Holy One, blessed be He, addresses the people of Israel and rebukes them for having betrayed Him, after He had benefited them so greatly:

Behold:

And as for your birth,

at the time of your being born,

on the day

when I chose you, which is the day of

your birth

[as though you were born on the day when I chose you], you were then like an infant in a wretched state:

Your navel was not cut—

your navel was not cut.

And you were not washed in water for cleansing—

they did not wash you in water, scrub you, or smooth you.

And you were not salted at all—

they did not salt your flesh with salt in order to strengthen it, as is done for infants.

And you were not swaddled at all—

they did not wrap or enwind you in clothing.

And the Gemara explains what we learn from this verse concerning the woman who has given birth on Shabbat.

“And as for your birth, on the day of your birth”—

from here

we learn

that one delivers the fetus on Shabbat.

“Your navel was not cut”—

from here

we learn

that they cut the navel on Shabbat.

“And you were not washed in water”—

from here

we learn

that they bathe the fetus on Shabbat.

“And you were not salted at all”—

from here

we learn

that they salt

the

fetus on Shabbat.

For the practice is to salt the flesh of the fetus, in order to strengthen it and make it firm.

“And you were not swaddled at all”—

from here

we learn

that they swaddle,

they wrap

the

fetus on Shabbat

with belts in order to straighten its limbs. We have completed the chapter “They Clear Away.”