Sukkah 26b — the Talmud in English

And the Sages say: A person may sleep a temporary sleep while wearing tefillin, but not a regular sleep.

That is to say: During the day, a person may sleep a temporary sleep, for there is no concern lest he change his mind and sleep a regular sleep; but at night, one may not sleep even a temporary sleep, since there is concern lest he change his mind and sleep a regular sleep [Tosafot according to Maharshal]

And how much is a temporary sleep? The time required to walk one hundred cubits.

Rav said: It is forbidden for a person to sleep during the day longer than the sleep of a horse

because of neglect of Torah.

And how much is the sleep of a horse?

The measure of

sixty breaths [sixty breaths].

[sixty breaths].

Abaye said: The sleep of my master [the sleep of Rabba bar Nahmani]

during the day —

like Rav.

Abaye learned from him the measure of his sleep: Rav would sleep during the day for this measure of time.

And

his sleep

of Rav —

like Rabbi;

Rav learned it from our holy master, with whom Rav grew up, and Rabbi would sleep during the day for this measure of time.

And

his sleep

of Rabbi —

like

the sleep

of David.

Thus Rabbi received from his forefathers that this was the sleep of David, king of Israel.

And David —

like the horse [like the sleep of a horse].

[like the sleep of a horse].

And the horse —

sixty breaths.

Abaye would nap

during the day [Rashi]

as when he enters from Pumbedita to Bei Kuvei [he would sleep during the day for the time required to travel from Pumbedita to Bei Kuvei],

which is six parasangs [Rashi].

Rav Yosef applied to him

the verse: “

How long, sluggard, will you lie down? When will you rise from your sleep?”

The Sages taught: One who enters to sleep

a temporary sleep

during the day, if he wishes, he removes

his tefillin;

if he wishes, he puts them on.

For during the day it is not a person’s way to engage in marital relations, nor to sleep a regular sleep.

But

at night

this person

removes

his tefillin even for a temporary sleep,

and he does not put them on,

lest he change his mind and sleep a regular sleep;

the words of Rabbi Natan.

Rabbi Yosei says: Young men [bachelors]

[bachelors]

always,

even during the day and for a temporary sleep —

remove them and do not put them on, because they are accustomed to impurity.

And now it might be understood that erotic thoughts are common among them, and lest they experience a seminal emission.

And we object: Is it possible to

say

that

Rabbi Yosei holds: One who has experienced a seminal emission is forbidden to put on tefillin?!

For if this is indeed Rabbi Yosei’s position, we have to rule the halakha according to him, for it is established for us: Rabbi Yosei’s reason is with him.

He said

Rabbi Yosei’s words were explained by

Abaye:

We are dealing with young men whose wives are with them, lest they come to a habitual act

of engaging in relations while their tefillin are on their heads. And this is certainly forbidden: to disgrace them by treating them frivolously.

while wearing the tefillin on their heads. It is certainly forbidden to demean the tefillin by treating them frivolously.

The Sages taught: If one forgot and engaged in marital relations while wearing tefillin, he may grasp neither the strap nor the box until he washes his hands, and

then

he may take them

the tefillin

because hands are busy,

and perhaps they touched a filthy place.

Mishna:

It happened that they brought to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai

on the festival of Sukkot

to taste the cooked dish,

which is a small measure and for which he is not obligated to eat in the sukka [Ran],

and for Rabban Gamaliel

they brought

two date cakes

and a bucket of water,

which is not significant [Ran].

And

nevertheless

they said: Bring them up to the sukka!

For they did not wish to eat or drink anything outside the sukka.

And when they gave Rabbi Tzadok food [a food]

[a food],

less than an egg-volume, he took it in a cloth.

That is to say: He did not wash his hands, but wrapped his hands in a cloth for cleanliness [Rashi].

And they ate outside the sukka

since it was temporary eating.

And he did not recite the blessing after it

the Grace after Meals, for he held like Rabbi Yehuda, that one is obligated in the Grace after Meals only for eating that contains satiation, namely an egg-volume, as it is written: “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless.”

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna above: One may eat and drink temporarily outside the sukka; and we learned here: It happened that they brought to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to taste the cooked dish, and they said, “Bring them up to the sukka.”

And we wonder: It turns out that the

incident

that we learn in the Mishna

comes to contradict

the beginning of the Mishna’s statement. For these tannaim did not eat even temporary eating outside the sukka; and is it the way of those who state teachings to bring, after their words, an incident that contradicts their words?!

And we answer:

hasuri mehasra vehachi katani:

One may eat and drink temporarily outside the sukka, but

if one comes to be stringent upon himself,

he may be

stringent, and there is no yohara in it [there is no arrogance in it].

[there is no element of arrogance in it].

And there was also an incident: They brought to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to taste the cooked dish, and to Rabban Gamaliel two date cakes and a bucket of water ![](pamud.bmp "

Precise page-column location")

and they said: Bring them up to the sukka.