Shabbat 63a (סג.) — the Talmud in English

Is it

“between mustard wine”

, meaning white, and the intention is to ask about a woman dressed in white,

or

“between mustard”

, meaning black, and the question concerns a woman dressed in black?

“With a broad couch or with a narrow couch” —

a couch is a bed on which one reclines while eating, and here the intention is to ask whether the woman was corpulent?

“With a good companion or with a bad companion”,

whether she was a woman of attractive appearance or not?

Rav Ḥisda said: And all of them

intended

sexual immorality,

to ask about these matters.

Rabbi Yehuda said: The trees of Jerusalem were cinnamon trees. And when they were burned, their fragrance spread

throughout all of Eretz Yisrael.

And when Jerusalem was destroyed, they were hidden —

those cinnamon trees —

and only an amount the size of a barley grain remained

of them.

And it is found in the treasury

and that small amount is found in the treasury

of Queen Tzimtzai —

that was the name of the queen.

Mishna:

A man may not go out

with weapons on Shabbat,

neither with a sword

a blade,

nor with a bow, nor with a shield —

a protective covering with which he saves himself from the arrows of his enemies —

nor with a club

a thick stick used for striking,

nor with a spear.

And if he went out

with one of these,

he is liable to bring a sin-offering.

Rabbi Eliezer says:

he may go out with them because

they are ornaments for him.

And the Sages say: They are nothing but a disgrace

and are not ornaments.

As it is stated: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

And we learn from the prophet’s prophecy that the weapons will be abolished, as they are not ornaments.

A berit,

a band worn around the calf to hold up the stockings so that they do not fall and expose her calves —

is pure,

as it is not a utensil susceptible to ritual impurity.

And one may go out with it on Shabbat.

They were not concerned that she might remove it, because she would not wish to expose her calf.

Chains

with which the legs are bound [as explained in the Gemara]

are susceptible to ritual impurity

because they are utensils used by a person.

And one may not go out with them on Shabbat

lest she come to remove them and carry them four cubits in the public domain.

Gemara:

What is the meaning of “with a club

”?

A kulpa,

a stick used for striking, whose head is thick.

We learned in the Mishna:

Rabbi Eliezer says: They are ornaments for him.

It was taught in a beraita: They said to Rabbi Eliezer: Since weapons are

weapons

ornaments for him, why will they be abolished in the messianic era?

He said to them: Because they will not be needed,

since there will be no war,

as it is stated: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation”

in the future.

And we challenge this:

Let them be

weapons in the future

merely for adornment,

and why should they be abolished from the world?

Abaye said: It is just as it is with a lamp at midday:

just as a lamp does not illuminate in daylight and therefore has no ornamental value, so too weapons will not be ornaments at a time when they are not needed.

And it disagrees

this beraita, which states that weapons will be abolished in the future, with

Shmuel’s view.

For Shmuel said: The only difference between this world and the messianic era is the subjugation of the kingdoms

that the nations will no longer harm Israel, but one nation will still lift up sword against another. And there is proof that the prophets’ consolations were not said concerning the messianic era,

as it is stated

in the Torah:

“For the poor shall never cease out of the land.”

Even in the messianic era there will be a poor person, and the world will continue according to its ordinary course.

And the beraita that says that weapons will be abolished in the messianic era

supports Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba.

For Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: All the prophets

who prophesied prophecies of consolation

prophesied only concerning the messianic era.

But concerning the World to Come

the goodness will be so abundant that a person will not have the capacity to apprehend it fully, and no one will know its greatness, beauty, and power except the Holy One, blessed be He alone; and concerning this it is stated:

“No eye has seen it, God, besides You.”

And some say: They said to Rabbi Elazar: Since

weapons

are ornaments for him,

then

why will they be abolished in the messianic era?

He said to them: Even in the messianic era they will not be abolished .

And

this is Shmuel’s view,

that weapons will not be abolished in the messianic era.

And it disagrees with Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba,

who maintains that the prophecies of consolation were said concerning the messianic era.

Abaye said to Rav Dimi, and some say

Abaye said

to Rav Avya, and some say

he said

Rav Yosef to Rav Dimi, and some say

Rav Yosef said

to Rav Avya, and some say

he said

Abaye to Rav Yosef:

What is the reason of Rabbi Eliezer, who says

that it is permitted to go out with weapons on Shabbat because

they are ornaments for him?

From where did he derive this?

As it is written: “Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, your glory and your majesty,”

meaning that weapons are glory and majesty for the one who wears them.

Rav Kahana said to Mar, son of Rav Huna:

One cannot derive Rabbi Eliezer’s ruling from this verse, because

this

verse

is written concerning Torah,

meaning that a person should be diligent in reviewing his learning so that it will be ready for him at the time of judgment.

He said to him:

Although the verse is expounded as referring to Torah, nevertheless Rabbi Eliezer’s ruling can be derived from it, because

a biblical verse never departs from its plain meaning .

The plain meaning of the verse is referring to an actual sword.

Rav Kahana said: When I was eighteen years old,

when I was eighteen,

and I had already mastered the entire Talmud,

I already knew all six orders,

I did not know until now that a biblical verse never departs from its plain meaning.

What does Rav Kahana teach us

by saying this?

That a person should first learn and afterward understand

that one should learn a teaching from one’s teacher and afterward seek to understand the reasons for the matters .

A sign of strangeness

Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Two Torah scholars who sharpen one another

asking and answering

one another in halakha,

not in order to defeat one another, but in order to sharpen one another,

the Holy One, blessed be He, grants them success

in their endeavors.

As it is stated: “And prosper in your way.”

And we expound:

Do not read “and prosper in your way”

but rather “and sharpen one another.”

Moreover, they rise

both

to greatness, as it is stated: “Ride prosperously.”

One might have thought

that those who study merit these things

even if

they engage in Torah

not for its own sake?

The verse states: “Because of the word of truth” —

this refers to those who engage in Torah with sincerity.

One might have thought

also

if the learner exalts

the learner

his mind,

meaning that he becomes arrogant, that he merits these things?

The verse states: “And humility of righteousness” —

this refers to those who engage in Torah with humility.

And if they act in this manner,

engaging in Torah for its own sake and with humility,

they merit the Torah that was given with the right hand.

As it is stated: “And Your right hand teaches

and instructs you in

awesome matters” —

this is the Torah that was given with the right hand.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: They merit

those who engage in Torah for its own sake and with humility

the matters that were stated concerning the right side of Torah,

namely, length of days, wealth, and honor.

For Rava bar Rav Sheila said, and some say Rav Yosef bar Ḥama said in the name of Rav Sheshet: What is the meaning of that which is written, “Length of days

is in its right hand;

in its left hand

are wealth and honor”?

Rather

is it so that

in its right hand

there is only

length of days,

but

wealth and honor are not there?

Rather

you must say:

For those who use it with their right hand —

who devote all their strength to it and are preoccupied with knowing its secret, like a person who uses his right hand, which is primary —

there is length of days

for them,

and all the more so

that they will also merit

wealth and honor.

For those who use it with their left hand —

who do not toil in Torah as much as they should, but only

there is wealth and honor,

but

there is no length of days.

Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Two Torah scholars who are accommodating toward one another in halakha,

who discuss it calmly and learn from one another,

the Holy One, blessed be He, listens to them.

As it is stated: “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.” There is no speech except

with

calmness, as it is stated: “He will speak

peoples beneath us,”

He will subjugate the peoples beneath us, and every act of subjugation is done calmly .

What is the meaning of “and for those who contemplate His Name”

[which is stated at the end of the verse]?

Rabbi Ami said: Even if one intended to perform a mitzva but was prevented and did not perform it, Scripture credits him as though he had performed it.

Rabbi Ḥinnana bar Idi said: Whoever performs a mitzva as it was commanded

is not informed of evil tidings.

As it is stated: “He who keeps a mitzva shall know no evil thing.”

Rabbi Asi said, and some say

said

Rabbi Ḥanina:

One who performs a mitzva as it was commanded,

even if the Holy One, blessed be He, decrees a decree

upon him,

he nullifies it.

As it is stated: “Where the word of a king is, there is authority; and who may say to him, What are you doing?”

When a decree has been issued before the King of the universe, no one can nullify it except one who keeps a mitzva. And we derive this from the juxtaposition:

“He who keeps a mitzva shall know no evil thing.”

He can be saved and nullify the decree of the Lord.

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Two Torah scholars who listen to one another in halakha, the Holy One, blessed be He, listens to their voice.

As it is stated: “She who sits in the gardens, companions hearken to your voice; let me hear it.”

And we expound: “Gardens” — these are batei-midrash. And when companions listen in them, the Lord listens to their voice.

And if they do not act in this manner,

if they do not listen to one another in halakha,

they cause

through their evil deeds

the Divine Presence to depart from Israel.

As it is stated

immediately afterward:

“Flee, my beloved, and be like” and so on.

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Two Torah scholars who discuss halakha with one another —

who gather together to study when they have no rabbi —

the Holy One, blessed be He, loves them.

As it is stated: “And your banner over me was love.”

Rava said: And this is so provided that they know

those Torah scholars

the structure of the teaching

having learned the roots of the matter from their teacher.

And this is so provided that they have no great rabbi in the city from whom to learn

that there is no rabbi in their city from whom to learn; in that case, their practice of studying together without a rabbi is praiseworthy.

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Lending is greater than giving charity

because the poor borrower is not embarrassed to borrow, whereas he is embarrassed to receive charity .

And placing money in a fund

and entering into a partnership with the poor person — is greater

than all of them,

because it supports him honorably, so that he will not need to rely on others.

Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish:

If a Torah scholar takes revenge and bears a grudge like a snake

he —

gird him around your loins,

cleave to him, for in the end you will benefit from his learning.

If an am ha-aretz is pious -

do not dwell in his neighborhood

as he does not understand the minutiae of the mitzvot, and his piety is not genuine, and you will ultimately learn from him.

Rav Kahana said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said.

And some say: Rav Asi said.

And some say: Rabbi Abba said

that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Whoever raises a vicious dog in his house prevents acts of kindness from his house,

as the poor cannot enter his house.