Taanit 10b — the Talmud in English

The beraita continues and says:

And

those individuals who fast,

stop

their fast

on New Moons , ![](pamud.bmp "

Exact page location")

and on the festivals written in the Scroll of Fasts.

That is, if a New Moon or a festival occurs in the midst of their days of fasting, they stop their fast .

The Sages taught: A person should not say

out of humility:

“I am a student,”

and I am not important, and therefore

“I am not fit to be an individual”

and to fast with the individuals.

Rather, all Torah scholars—

individuals

they are, and they must conduct themselves as individuals.

Who is

the person defined as an

“individual,”

who must fast in the fast of individuals,

and who is

the person defined as a

“student”?

An individual—

that is,

every

person

who is fit to be appointed a communal leader

[appointed official, person responsible]

over the community.

A student—

that is,

every

person

whom they ask a matter of halakha in his learning —

and he answers

and says

the answer,

even

if they ask him

in Tractate Kallah , ,

which people are not accustomed to study .

The Sages taught: Not everyone who wishes to make himself

[to regard himself as]

an individual,

and to fast with the individuals—

does

so .

And likewise, not everyone who wishes to make himself a

student,

to conduct himself according to the manner of a student in his cloak and bed , and to adorn himself with the garment special to Torah scholars—

does

so. For not everyone who wishes to assume the title may come and assume it .

The words of Rabbi Meir .

Rabbi Yose says:

One who wishes to make himself an individual and to fast with the individuals, even though in truth he is not among those considered individuals according to their spiritual level,

does

so [he is permitted to do so],

and

even

is remembered for good

for this .

And the reason

is that

he does not make himself an individual in order to benefit from this, but, on the contrary, in order to afflict himself and participate in the fast of individuals. And since

it is not praise for him

that he regards himself as an individual,

but it is distress for him,

therefore he is permitted to do so, and is even remembered for good .

It was taught in another [beraita] [

we learned in another beraita]:

Not everyone who wishes to make himself an individual—

does so; a student—

does so.

The words of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:

The fact that not everyone may make himself an individual or a student,

when are these words said—

with regard to something of praise .

For it is praise for him that he is considered an individual or a student.

But with regard to something of distress,

where it is distress for him that he is considered an individual or a student—

he does

make himself so,

and

even

remembered

is he

for good

for this.

And the reason is

that it is not praise for him, but it is distress for him.

The Sages taught: One who was fasting over a calamity—

and it passed

the calamity, and likewise one who was fasting

over a sick person—

and he recovered

the sick person [ and the same law applies if the sick person died ], although there is no longer any need for his fast, nevertheless

this is

required to fulfill his vow. Therefore he

fasts and completes

his fast .

For otherwise, it appears as though he stipulates with the Holy One, blessed be He, and says: “If the calamity will pass through my afflicting myself with a fast, I will fast. But if not, I will not fast” .

The beraita continues and says:

One who goes from a place where they do not fast

there

to a place where they do fast

there [for example, where there is no calamity in his place, but in the place to which he is going there is one]—

he fasts with them .

One who goes

from a place where they do fast

there,

to a place where they do not fast

there—

he fasts

all the fasts that the people of his city fast, because they impose upon him the stringencies of the place from which he departed,

and completes

his fast.

The beraita continues and states another law concerning fasts: If

a person forgot

that he was fasting

and ate and drank [

or drank],

he should not appear before the community

while he is eating and drinking, so that he will not appear like a bridegroom among mourners, and they will envy him.

And

even when he eats privately in his home,

he should not indulge himself [

he should not pamper himself]. He should not say: Since I have already eaten something, I will eat a lot .

And from where do we know this matter, that a person should not show before the community that he does not participate in their distress?

As it is stated

when Jacob wished to send his sons to Egypt to purchase food during the years of famine:

“And Jacob said to his sons: Why should you show yourselves”

and he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt, etc.”

And this is the meaning of the verse:

Jacob said to them

to his sons:

Although you still have grain,

do not show yourselves as satiated

, neither before Esau nor before Ishmael

, so that they will not envy you,

for they are hungry and distressed. Therefore, go down to Egypt, so that they will think that you too have no grain.

Since we have mentioned this matter, of Joseph’s brothers’ descent to Egypt, the Gemara continues and explains those verses.

It is stated later in the verse, after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and sent them to Jacob their father, that Joseph said to them:

“Do not become agitated on the way.”

Rabbi Elazar said: Joseph said to his brothers: Do not engage

on the way

in a matter of halakha

, lest you become agitated

because of the way [

lest you lose your way ].

And the Gemara was astonished:

Is that so?

Is it indeed so? And is this how one ought to conduct oneself, not engaging on the road in matters of halakha

But did he not say

[He did after all say]

Rabbi Ila'i bar Berekhya: Two Torah scholars who are walking on the road, and there are no words of Torah between them

[who are not engaging in words of Torah],

are worthy of being burned

[it is fitting that they be burned]!

And from where do we have this matter?

As it is stated

when Elijah separated from Elisha [and afterward ascended in a storm to heaven]:

"And it came to pass, as they went on, walking and speaking, and behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated between them."

It follows that

the reason

[the reason and cause] that they were not burned by the fire that was there [the chariot of fire and the horses of fire] was because

there was speech

[there was speech between them in words of Torah] .

This

[if]

there is not

[if there was not between them]

speech—

they are worthy

they would be

burned!

If so, how is it possible that Joseph said to his brothers that they should not engage in a matter of halakha?!

And the Gemara answers:

It is not difficult.

This,

what Rabbi Ila'i said—that there must be words of Torah between them—means

to review

[to repeat and rehearse their learning].

But

this,

what Joseph said to his brothers, that they should not engage in a matter of halakha, means

to study in depth

[to examine one’s learning]. For then there is concern that because of their examination of their learning, they would not pay attention to other matters and would err on their way .

In a beraita it was taught

[we learned in a beraita] that when Joseph said to them, “Do not become agitated on the road,” he intended to guide them in good and proper conduct for one who travels on the road.

And these are those good practices:

Do not stride

on your way

with a broad stride ,

for this matter harms a person , as follows.

And bring the sun into the city .

That is, when you lodge and lie down in the towns along your way, enter the city while the sun is still shining.

And now the Gemara explains the reason for these matters.

Do not stride with a broad stride,

because

the Master said: A broad stride

takes one five-hundredth

of the light of his eyes

from a person

[it removes one five-hundredth of a person’s power of sight] .

And bring the sun into the city, in accordance with Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav

[as Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav].

For Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person should always

go out

a person

on his way

at "when it is good" ,

that is, when the day has already become light, from the wording: “And God saw the light, that it was good.”

And the reason for the matter is that when the day is light, bandits and wild beasts are not found.

And

likewise, when he enters a foreign city on his way, in order to lodge there,

he should enter at "when it is good,"

when the day is still light.

And the reason is that if he enters in darkness, he may fall into the pits and cracks in the city. And further, so that the people of the city should not falsely accuse him and say: You are a spy or a thief.

As it is stated

when Joseph’s brothers departed from Egypt to go to the land of Canaan:

"The morning was light

[it became light]

and the men were sent away."

Thus, they departed only when the day became light.

And since the Gemara spoke about the proper practices for those traveling on the road, the Gemara brings another practice concerning this matter.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Hiyya: One who walks on the road should not eat more than

what people customarily eat in

years of famine

[in years of famine, as we find below that a person must make himself hungry in years of famine]. That is, he should reduce his eating.

What is the reason

[for this matter]?

Here

[here, in Babylonia],

they explained

[they explained] that the reason is

because of the intestines. “Intestines” is an expression of the word for bowels. That is, the person’s bowels should not be disturbed

by his eating a great deal because of the exertion of the road .

In the West they say

[in the Land of Israel they say] that the reason is

because of provisions.

For if he eats a great deal, perhaps his provisions will not suffice for him for the entire journey.

What difference is there between them

[what practical difference is there between the two reasons]?