Taanit 26b — the Talmud in English

A.

The Tablets were broken

[the Tablets of the Covenant] by Moses our teacher, when he saw the calf and the dances that the Israelites had made when he delayed descending from the mountain.

B.

And the

offering

of the daily offering

was abolished, because the kingdom decreed that it should not be offered.

C.

d. And Apostomus burned the Torah . e. And he erected King Manasseh [ he was the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah] an image in the Sanctuary . These are the five calamities that befell our ancestors on the ninth of Av: a. It was decreed against our ancestors

And the

wall of

the city

of Jerusalem was breached by the enemies.

D.

And Apostomus burned the Torah.

E.

And King Manasseh

[he was the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah]

set up an image in the Sanctuary.

And these are the five things that occurred

on the ninth of Av: A.

It was decreed upon our ancestors

in the wilderness

that they would not enter the Land [because of the incident of the spies, as recounted in the Book of Numbers, chapter 13 and onward].

b.

And the Temple was destroyed

the Temple

b

at the time

first

that is, the First Temple,

g.

And

even when it was destroyed

b

at the time

second

the Second Temple, this too was on the Ninth of Av.

d.

And the city of

the city

Betar

which was a large city, and Israelites lived in it, was captured, and they were all killed .

h.

And the city was plowed under

Jerusalem by the enemy .

And since those evil events occurred on the Ninth of Av, therefore—

When

the month of

Av

that is, from the beginning of the month of Av onward—

we lessen rejoicing .

On

Shabbat

of the week

in which the Ninth of Av occurs

within that week, some customs of mourning are observed. Therefore,

it is forbidden to shave and to launder

during that week.

v

If the Ninth of Av occurs on the eve of Shabbat , then

on

the day

Thursday

before it, even though it is during the week in which the Ninth of Av occurs,

they are permitted

to launder ,

because of the honor of Shabbat

so that he will have laundered garments in honor of Shabbat, which comes immediately after the Ninth of Av .

At the meal before the fast that they eat on

the eve of the Ninth of Av,

he should distress himself more. Therefore,

a person should not eat two cooked dishes ,

such as meat and fish .

And likewise

he should not eat

at that meal

meat, nor should he drink

at it

wine.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: He should alter

In the Gemara it will be explained what Rabban Shimon intended.

Rabbi Judah obligates [one] in overturning the bed

to turn the bed over onto its face, and he should not sleep upon it, but rather on the ground .

And the Sages did not agree with him

in this matter. For they hold that it is not necessary to overturn his bed .

The Mishna continues to deal with the matter of the month of Av.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as good for Israel—

as the fifteenth of Av and as Yom Kippur .

That

because these days were good days for Israel,

on them,

during these days, all

the daughters of Jerusalem,

even the wealthy, who had fine garments of their own,

went out in white garments

borrowed

so that each one would borrow a garment from her companion, and would not wear her own.

And why did the daughters of Israel practice this way—

In order

not to embarrass one who does not have.

And

since this was so, that the daughters of Israel borrowed garments from one another, therefore

all the garments

the garments

required immersion.

For each one would immerse the garment that she borrowed, since each one was not familiar with the deeds of her companion, and perhaps she was a menstruant, and her garments were impure .

And the daughters of Jerusalem went out and danced

danced. The expression “dances”

in the vineyards .

And what would they say?

Young man! Lift your eyes, and see what you choose for yourself .

Do not set your eyes on beauty

, set your eyes on family!

That is, ascertain for yourself a woman from a distinguished family and excellent in her deeds. As Solomon said:

“Charm is false and beauty is vanity,

a woman who fears the Lord— \-

she shall be praised” .

And it says

and another verse was said concerning this:

“Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her deeds praise her in the gates.”

Thus the woman is praised and exalted for her good deeds, and not for her external beauty.

And likewise it says

“Go forth

and see

the daughters of Zion, with King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the joy of his heart.” “

Daughters of Zion”—that is, sons who are distinguished to the Holy One, blessed be He, through circumcision, phylacteries, and ritual fringes [Rashi on Song of Songs]. “

With King Solomon”—that is, the Holy One, blessed be He. For this is an appellation for the King whose possession is peace. “

His mother”—that is, the Assembly of Israel .

“On the day of his wedding”—

this is the giving of the Torah.

That is, Yom Kippur, on which the latter Tablets were given.

“And on the day of the joy of his heart”—

this is the building of the Temple, may it be speedily rebuilt in our days .

Gemara:

We learned in our Mishna:

“On three occasions during the year the priests raise their hands, etc.”

The Gemara asks: How did we learn that on those three occasions—the fasts, the ma'amadot, and Yom Kippur—the priests raise their hands four times, namely: morning prayer, Musaf, afternoon prayer, and Ne'ila?

Granted, on Yom Kippur there are those four prayers.

But

with regard to the fasts and the ma'amadot, is there a Musaf [is there a Musaf prayer on them]?

То есть разве в эти дни читают дополнительную молитву?

The Gemara answers: Our Mishna, as it is taught before us—

is deficient [it is missing].

и в ней пропущено слово.

And

indeed

this is how it teaches [this is how it should be taught]:

On three occasions, the priests raise their hands whenever they pray [in all the prayers that there are on each of those days]. That is, morning prayer, afternoon prayer, and Ne'ila.

That is, Shacharit, Mincha, and Ne'ila.

And among them,

on those three occasions, there is one occasion on which there is raising of the hands

four times a day: morning prayer, Musaf, afternoon prayer, and the closing of the gates.

Because on that day there is also a Musaf prayer. And this is Yom Kippur, on which there are four prayers.

And these are the three occasions: the fasts, the ma'amadot, and Yom Kippur.

Rav Naḥman said in the name of Rabba bar Avuha:

What we learned in our Mishna, that they raise their hands in all the prayers of the day,

is the statement of Rabbi Meir.

But the Sages say:

In the prayers of

morning prayer and Musaf—

there is raising of the hands in them.

But the prayers of

the afternoon prayer and Ne'ila—

there is no raising of the hands in them.

Who are the Sages [who are those Sages]

who disagreed with Rabbi Meir?

It is Rabbi Yehuda.

As it was taught in a beraita: Morning prayer and Musaf, afternoon prayer and Ne'ila—all of them have raising of the hands in them.

The statement of Rabbi Meir.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Morning prayer and Musaf—

there is raising of the hands in them.

Afternoon prayer and Ne'ila—

there is no raising of the hands in them.

Rabbi Yose

disagrees both with the words of Rabbi Yehuda and with the words of Rabbi Meir, and

says: Ne'ila—

there is raising of the hands in it.

Afternoon prayer—

there is no raising of the hands in it.

Over what do they disagree [on what did these tannaim disagree]?

— по какому вопросу разошлись эти таннаи?

Rabbi Meir,

who says that they raise their hands in all the prayers of the day,

holds: Every day, what is the reason that the priests do not spread their hands in the afternoon prayer [what is the reason that the priests do not raise their hands every day in the afternoon prayer]—

Какова причина того, что коэны не возносят ладони во время дневной молитвы в любой обычный день?

Because

the afternoon prayer is after the midday meal, and there is concern that he will prolong his midday meal, become intoxicated through it, and raise his hands while in

intoxication,

and a priest drunk from wine is forbidden to raise his hands!

If so, this concern applies specifically on a day on which they eat, for then there is concern that he will become intoxicated at his meal.

But

now,

today, on the day of the fast, there

is no

concern of

intoxication [there is no concern that he will become intoxicated], and therefore the priests raise their hands even in the afternoon prayer.

Поэтому коэны возносят ладони даже во время Минхи.

And

Rabbi Yehuda holds: In the prayers of

morning prayer and Musaf,

for every day [even on every ordinary day, which is not a fast day]

— даже в любой обычный день, который не является днем поста, —

intoxication is not common

in them,

for there has not yet arrived the time of the meal—

the time for the meal has not yet arrived—

the Sages did not decree concerning them [the Sages did not decree concerning them that the priests should not raise their hands, since in these prayers there is no concern of intoxication at all].

— они не запретили коэнам возносить ладони, поскольку во время этих молитв вообще нет опасения опьянения.

But in the prayers of

the afternoon prayer and Ne'ila, for every day intoxication is common [on every ordinary day, which is not a fast day, intoxication is common at that time] ,

and therefore the priests do not raise their hands every day in the afternoon prayer,

the Sages decreed concerning them [the Sages decreed concerning them] that they should not raise their hands even on a fast day, despite the fact that intoxication is not relevant then. Because if they raise their hands on a fast day, they will come to raise their hands even on an ordinary day, on which there is concern of intoxication.

— они запретили возносить ладони даже в день поста, несмотря на то что тогда опьянение не относится к делу. Это было сделано из опасения, что если в день поста коэны будут возносить ладони, то они станут возносить их и в обычный день, когда есть опасение опьянения.

And

Rabbi Yose holds: The prayer of

the

afternoon prayer, which exists every day [which exists on every day of the year],

то есть читается в каждый день года,

the Sages decreed concerning it

that they should not raise their hands even on a fast day, lest they come to raise their hands in the afternoon prayer even on an ordinary day of the year.

That is not so with the prayer of

Ne'ila, which does not exist every day [which is not every day], but only on a fast day,

— она читается не каждый день, а только в день поста. Поэтому

the Sages did not decree concerning it

that they should not raise their hands in it. Since this prayer is not found every day, there is no concern that, if we permit raising the hands in it, they will come to raise their hands also every day in the afternoon prayer.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Meir.

That they raise their hands in all the prayers of the fast day.

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said

in this wording:

The people conducted themselves in accordance with Rabbi Meir.

And Rava said

in this wording:

The custom is in accordance with Rabbi Meir.

And now the Gemara explains the practical difference between these wordings used by the amoraim.

The one who says [the one who said] in this wording,

— тот, кто сформулировал это так:

“The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Meir,”

holds that

we expound it publicly [he holds that this matter is expounded and proclaimed before the public], so that everyone will do this.

— разъяснять и объявлять об этом перед общиной, чтобы все поступали таким образом.

The one who says: “The custom

in accordance with Rabbi Meir,” holds that it is not so obvious that the halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Meir. Therefore

we do not expound it publicly [we do not expound this matter in public], but

но

we instruct in practice [if a person comes to ask how to act, we instruct him to raise his hands].

— если человек приходит спросить, как ему поступить, ему говорят вознести ладони.

For the meaning of “custom” is that there is the status of a custom in this matter, and it is a proper custom.

And the one who says: “The people conducted themselves

in accordance with Rabbi Meir,” holds that even if a person comes to ask how to act,

we do not instruct in practice [we do not instruct him to raise his hands].

— ему не говорят возносить ладони.

And if he did—

he did [and if he raised his hands on his own initiative, he has done so],

сделал

and we do not make him go back [and we do not make him go back; that is, we do not tell him not to do so].

не останавливают его; то есть ему не говорят, что так поступать не следует.

For the meaning of “they conducted themselves” is that they conducted themselves in this manner on their own initiative, but this custom is not the principal one.

And Rav Naḥman said: The halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yose.

That in the afternoon prayer they do not raise their hands, and in Ne'ila they raise them.

And the Gemara concludes:

And the halakha is in accordance with Rabbi Yose.

And

since this is the halakha, that they do not raise their hands in the afternoon prayer on a fast day, we must explain:

now,

today,

what is the reason that the priests spread their hands

in the afternoon prayer of a fast [why do the priests raise their hands in the afternoon prayer on a fast]?

— почему коэны возносят ладони во время Минхи, читаемой в день поста?

The Gemara explains:

Since they spread their hands close to sunset [since nowadays they customarily pray the afternoon prayer on a fast only close to sunset, and then the priests raise their hands, unlike every day, when they pray the afternoon prayer immediately at its time, from six and a half hours onward]—

то есть в наше время во время поста принято читать Минху только незадолго до захода солнца, и тогда коэны возносят ладони, а не как в обычный день, когда Минху читают сразу по наступлении ее времени — после шести с половиной часов дня, —

it is similar to the prayer of Ne'ila [this afternoon prayer is similar to the prayer of Ne'ila, whose time is at sunset], and therefore there is no concern that they will come to raise their hands in the afternoon prayer throughout the year, for the fast-day prayer is not similar to the prayers of the entire year .

— эта Минха подобна молитве Неила, время которой приходится на заход солнца. Поэтому нет опасения, что люди станут возносить ладони во время Минхи в течение всего года, поскольку Минха в день поста не подобна молитвам, читаемым в течение всего года.

And now the Gemara returns to explain the matter that was mentioned here incidentally, that one who is intoxicated is forbidden to raise his hands.

For everyone, in any event [in any event, all of them, all the tannaim and all the amoraim mentioned above], hold that

— то есть все таннаи и все амораи, упомянутые выше, — считают, что

one who is intoxicated is forbidden to raise his hands.

From where are these words [from where do we learn this matter]?

Из какого источника мы узнаем этот закон?

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of bar Kappara:

It is written in the Torah that the Holy One, blessed is He, commanded the sons of Aaron: “So shall you bless the children of Israel; say to them: May the Lord bless you, etc.” Here the priests were commanded to bless Israel with the priestly blessing.

And adjacent to this command, at the beginning of that chapter, the law of the nazirite is stated: “When a man or woman clearly utters a vow, the vow of a nazirite, etc.”

And now,

why was the passage of the priest who blesses—

juxtaposed to the passage of the nazirite?

To say

to us and teach us:

Just as a nazirite—

is forbidden wine [as it is stated concerning him: “From wine and strong drink he shall abstain”],

— как сказано о нем: «От вина и крепкого напитка назир воздержится», —

so too a priest who blesses—

is forbidden wine.

For if he is intoxicated, he is forbidden to bless.

He raised an objection against it [he forcefully challenged and objected to his words]

— резко поставил вопрос против его слов —

the father of Rabbi Zeira [the father of Rabbi Zeira],

то есть отец рабби Зейры,

and some say, Hoshaya bar Zavda [and some say that the one who objected was Hoshaya bar Zavda]:

— по другому мнению, вопрос задал Ушая бар Завда:

If,

if so, that the law of the priest who blesses is learned from the law of the nazirite, perhaps we should further learn a priest from a nazirite in this manner:

Just as a

nazirite [just as a nazirite]

— так же как назиру —

is forbidden

also

to a grape seed [the seed of a grape], and not only to wine itself, as it is stated: “From grape seeds to grape skin he shall not eat,”

— виноградная косточка, а не только само вино, как сказано: «От косточек до кожицы пусть не ест», —

so too a priest who blesses

shall be

forbidden to a grape seed?!

Rabbi Yitzḥak said:

It is impossible to say so. For

the verse says [the text says]: “On that day the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi, etc.,

для служения Ему и для благословения Его именем».

to serve Him and to bless in His Name.”

From the fact that a serving priest, who performs the service in the Temple, was juxtaposed to a priest who raises his hands and blesses Israel, we learn that the law of a priest who blesses is similar to the law of a serving priest.

And this is what we learn from this juxtaposition:

Just as a

priest

who serves—

is permitted a grape seed,

for it is stated concerning him: “Do not drink wine or strong drink, etc., when you enter the Tent of Meeting”; we have here that he is forbidden specifically to drinking wine, but not to eating grape seeds—

so too a priest who blesses—

is permitted

to eat

a grape seed,

and is forbidden only to drinking wine .