Shekalim 8b — the Talmud in English

He said to him:

Rabbi Yoshiya:

Let us learn

the

unstated,

the measure of the collection-boxes, which was not explained in tractate Shabbat, how much it is,

from the explicit,

from the measure of the collection-boxes of the chamber donation, whose measure is explained.

For it was taught

in a beraita that explains the manner of the chamber donation:

In three collection-boxes, each of three seah, which are

together

nine seah, which are

altogether over the course of the year

twenty-seven seah [שהרי ג' פעמים בשנה היו נותנים המעות לתוכן כמבואר לעילfor three times a year they would put the money into them, as explained above],

[since three times a year they placed the money into them, as explained above],

they donate the chamber.

And we learn from here that the ordinary measure of the collection-boxes is three seah.

We learned in the Mishna:

And written upon them [על הקופות שלתוכן תורמין את המעותon the collection-boxes into which they donate the money]

[on the boxes into which they collected the money]

aleph, bet, gimel.

And the Gemara explains:

Why is aleph, bet, gimel written upon them?

To say that he takes [money]

to purchase sacrifices

from the

collection-box that was donated from the chamber

first, before the second.

And

he takes [money]

from

the collection-box

the second before the third.

And so that he would know which of the collection-boxes was donated first and which after it, he writes aleph on the first, bet on the second, and gimel on the third.

Since the Gemara learned the measure of the size of the collection-boxes that one may empty on Shabbat through the derivation of “the unstated from the explicit,” the Gemara brings another law learned from the unstated through the explicit:

There

in tractate Shabbat

we learned: One who carries out wine

from a private domain into a public domain is not liable for a sin-offering unless he carries out an amount of wine

sufficient for

the measure of

the dilution of the cup.

That is, wine in such a measure that, if he adds water to it, as one adds water to undiluted wine in order to make it diluted wine [ready for drinking], the total will amount to a full cup.

And it is a known matter that the measure of water for diluting wine is three parts water to one part wine. But we still do not know what the measure of the cup is, such that one who carries out wine sufficient for its dilution reaches the measure for which he is liable for carrying it out.

And therefore

Rabbi Zeira asked Rabbi Yoshiya: What is the measure of a cup?

Rabbi Yoshiya

Rabbi Yoshiya

said to him: Let us learn

this matter, the

unstated,

which was not specified in the Mishna,

from

the matter

explicitly stated

in a beraita.

For Rabbi Hiyya taught: The four cups that they said

to drink on the night of Passover

are

in the measure of all of them together—

a quarter-log of wine, with

wine

Italian

undiluted.

For in each cup there is one quarter of a quarter-log of wine, and when he dilutes it, it will amount to a quarter-log.

It follows that a diluted cup is a quarter-log.

And if so, one who carries out one quarter of a quarter-log of wine on Shabbat is liable, for that is the measure of wine sufficient for diluting a cup.

Rabbi Yosei bar Avin said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan:

This that we say that the measure for carrying out wine for liability on Shabbat is sufficient for diluting a cup—that is the view

of Rabbi Yehuda

and not everyone holds this.

For it was taught:

The measure for carrying out

water

for liability on Shabbat is

sufficient for one swallow [גמיעהswallow].

[one gulp].

Rabbi Yehuda says:

the measure is

sufficient to smear [למרוח, לשרותto smear, to soak]

[to spread or soak]

the eye-salve with it.

For it is a medicinal plaster, and some smear it with water.

And one who carries out a measure of water sufficient to smear the eye-salve with it is liable.

And the measure for carrying out

wine

for liability on Shabbat is

sufficient for one swallow

one.

Rabbi Yehuda says:

its measure is

sufficient for diluting a cup.

It is thus that the tannaim disagreed concerning the measure for carrying out wine, and Rabbi Yehuda is the one who holds that the measure is sufficient for diluting a cup.

And now the Gemara discusses:

What is the measure of a cup

for drinking the four cups on the night of Passover, in the measures that were in use in the time of the Sages?

Rabbi Avin said:

The measure of

tetraton [שם מידה שהיתה מצויה בימיהםthe name of a measure that was in use in their days],

[the name of a measure that was common in their time],

and

another

quarter

of this measure together make a Torah quarter-log.

And the Gemara raises a doubt: The four cups of Passover—

what is the law of drinking them in one bundle [בבת אחת, בלי הפסק בינתייםat one time, without an interruption between them]?

[all at once, without an interruption between them]?

And the Gemara proves:

From what Rabbi Mana said in the name of Rabbi Yosei:

the chapters of the

Hallel, if he heard them

on the night of Passover

in the synagogue—

he fulfilled

his obligation of reciting Hallel on the night of Passover, even if he does not recite Hallel in the order of the Haggada in his home.

It follows that he drinks the third and fourth cups one after the other without interruption.

This says [זאת אומרתthat is]:

[that is to say]:

that if he drank them

the four cups

in one bundle—

he fulfilled

his obligation.

And the Gemara raises a doubt:

What is the law of drinking them

each cup of the four cups

in interruptions,

interrupting several times during the drinking of that cup?

And the Gemara resolves:

Did they say that he should drink

four cups except in order

that he drink, and not

in order

that he become drunk

through drinking them? But if he drinks

with interruptions [בהפסקותwith pauses],

[with interruptions],

he too does not become drunk.

Therefore, it is properly permissible to drink with interruptions.

And the Gemara raises a doubt:

What is the law of fulfilling

the obligation of the four cups

with

the drinking of

wine of

the year

of the Sabbatical year?

For it might enter your mind that it is forbidden to do so, since he is obligated to drink the four cups, and in drinking them he is considered as “repaying his debt” with Sabbatical produce; and it is forbidden to repay one’s debt with Sabbatical produce, because it is forbidden to engage in commerce with Sabbatical produce. And one who repays his debt is considered like one who engages in commerce.

And the Gemara resolves:

Rav Oshaya taught: One fulfills

the obligation of the four cups

with wine of

the year

of the Sabbatical year.

And the Gemara raises a doubt:

What is the law of fulfilling one’s obligation with konditon wine,

in which perfumes and spices are mixed?

And the Gemara resolves:

From what Bar Kappara taught: Konditon

its law

is like wine—

this says [זאת אומרתthat is]:

[that is to say]:

one fulfills his obligation with konditon wine.

And the Gemara raises a doubt:

What is the law of fulfilling one’s obligation with wine in which they dilute

more than three parts water to one part wine?

And the Gemara resolves:

From what Rabbi Hiyya taught: The four cups that they said, one fulfills his obligation with them whether

when they are

undiluted and whether

when they are

diluted, provided that they have

after their dilution

the taste and appearance of wine.

It is thus that the quantity of water is not determinative; rather, the taste of the wine is determinative.

Rabbi Yirmeya said: It is a mitzva to fulfill one’s obligation

the obligation of the four cups

with red wine.

For red wine is more excellent.

As

it is said

in Proverbs:

“Do not look at wine when it reddens, when it gives its eye in the cup,

it walks uprightly.”

The meaning of the verse is: Do not set your eyes on wine that becomes red in appearance and is attractive and choice, because one who gives his eye to the cup thinks that even when he does crooked and forbidden things, he is walking uprightly.

In any event, since it says that even when it reddens and is good, one should not set his eye upon it, we see that red wine is excellent.

It was taught

in a beraita:

cooked

is

like

wine

flavored.

For it is konditon. And just as konditon is valid for the four cups, cooked wine is also valid.

And likewise we find that they raised a doubt:

What is the law of fulfilling one’s obligation with cooked wine?

And Rabbi Yona said: One fulfills his obligation with cooked wine.

And we say:

Rabbi Yona,

who permitted fulfilling one’s obligation with cooked wine

follows his own reasoning,

for he needed to drink cooked wine, since undiluted wine was difficult for him.

For when Rabbi Yona would drink [כשהיה שותהwhen he would drink]

[when he would drink]

four cups [כוסותcups]

[cups]

of Passover—

his head would ache until Sukkot!

His head would ache until the festival of Sukkot.

And therefore he would drink cooked wine, which is not so strong.

A certain

saw

matron,

a certain distinguished woman, Rabbi Yona

whose face was radiant [שפניו של רבי יונה מאיריןfor Rabbi Yona’s face was radiant].

[Rabbi Yona’s face was radiant].

She said to him: Old man, old man, one of these three things is in you [אחד מג' דברים הללו יש בךone of these three things is in you]:

[one of these three things applies to you]:

Either you are a wine-drinker [או ששתיין יין אתהor you drink wine],

and wine gladdens the heart of man, and therefore your face is radiant.

Or you are a moneylender at interest,

and you have no concern for livelihood, for one who lends at interest rests from his labor and his wealth increases.

Or you raise pigs,

and in this too there is much profit, and therefore your face is radiant, for you have no concern for livelihood.

He said to her,

a curse:

May the spirit of that woman burst,

of that woman,

for none of these three things is in me [שאף אחד משלשת הדברים הללו אין ביfor not one of these three things is in me].

[none of these three things applies to me].

On the contrary, wine harms me. And interest and pigs are forbidden to Israel.

Rather,

my face is radiant because

my learning is readily available to me,

for my learning is at hand, and this is a reason for a radiant face.

For

indeed

thus it is written

in Ecclesiastes:

“A man’s wisdom—

makes his face shine.”

Rabbi Abbahu came to Tiberias.

Rabbi Yohanan’s students saw that his face was radiant [ראו תלמידי רבי יוחנן שפני רבי אבהו מאיריםRabbi Yohanan’s students saw that Rabbi Abbahu’s face was radiant].

[they saw that Rabbi Abbahu’s face was radiant].

The students said

these

to Rabbi Yohanan: Rabbi Abbahu has found a jewel [מרגליתa pearl],

for they thought that Rabbi Abbahu’s face was radiant from joy over finding a jewel. But Rabbi Yohanan understood that his face was radiant because of a new teaching that he had heard in Torah.

When

Rabbi Abbahu came

Rabbi Abbahu

to

Rabbi Yohanan,

Rabbi Yohanan said to him:

:

What new matter of Torah did you hear [איזה דבר תורה חדש שמעתwhat new matter of Torah did you hear]?

[what new Torah matter did you hear]?

He said to him: An ancient Tosefta,

for he had found an old beraita that he had never seen, and he saw new matters in it and rejoiced over it.

He applied to him

Rabbi Yohanan this verse:

“A man’s wisdom makes his face shine.”

Rabbi Hanin said:

The measure of

the Torah log [לוג האמור בתורהthe log mentioned in the Torah] is like

[the log mentioned in the Torah] is like

an ancient measure [מדה ישנהan old measure]

[an old measure]

of muryasa,

with which they measure muryas [fish brine]

of Tzippori.

Rabbi Yona said: And I knew it,

for I knew and recognized this measure,

for in the house of Rabbi Yannai they would measure honey with it,

for in Rabbi Yannai’s household they would measure honey with it.

Text missing (Chavruta)