Taanit 31a (לא.) — the Talmud in English

And

even Hoshea was wicked and worshipped idols. However, he did not wish to compel Israel to do so—to worship specifically idols—but

said:

whichever they wish

Israel to ascend

shall ascend.

One who wishes to make the pilgrimage to the Temple—let him ascend; and one who wishes to go and worship idols—let him worship.

Rav Mattana said:

The fifteenth of Av is the

day on which

the

slain of

the city of

Beitar

who were killed during the destruction of the Temple

, were granted burial

.

And Rav Mattana said: On that very day on which

the

slain of

Beitar were granted burial, they instituted in Yavne

the blessing

“Who is good and does good”

in Birkat HaMazon

. “Who is good”—

for

the slain of Beitar did not decompose

throughout all the time that they remained unburied;

“and does good”—

for

they were granted

in the end

burial

.

Rabba and Rav Yosef both said

[they both said together]: The fifteenth of Av is the

day on which

they

ceased cutting wood for

the

arrangement.

They made that day a festival because on that day they completed such an important mitzva

. For it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: From the fifteenth of Av onward, the strength of the sun wanes,

for it no longer warms as much as it does at the height of summer,

and

therefore

they no longer cut

any more

wood for the arrangement, because it does not dry,

and there is concern that worms will nest in it. Wood containing a worm is unfit for the arrangement , as we find in tractate Middot .

Rav Menashya said: And they called it

[and they called that day—the day on which they ceased cutting wood for the arrangement]:

“The day of the breaking of the axe”

[the day on which the axe was broken]. For on that day the woodcutter ceased chopping wood for the arrangement.

From this point onward,

from the fifteenth of Av onward,

whoever adds

to Torah study even at night, and not only during the day,

shall add

life to his life . Since the nights become longer, one must study Torah at night as well.

But whoever does not add

to Torah study at night

shall perish.

What does “shall perish” mean?

Such is the version of the Tosafot. See there.

Rav Yosef said: His mother will bury him

[his mother will bury him] . That is, he will die young, before his time .

We learned in our Mishna:

“In them, the daughters of Jerusalem

go out in borrowed white garments

and so on.”

That is, the girls did not wear their own garments. Rather, each one borrowed a garment from her companion and wore it. They did this so that the one who truly had no garment and was forced to borrow from another would not be embarrassed.

The Sages taught: A king’s daughter

would

ask

for a garment

from a daughter of the High Priest

,

,

who was next to her in status, since the High Priest was close and adjacent to the monarchy.

A daughter of the High Priest

would ask for a garment

from a daughter of the deputy

of the priests [he was an important priest, appointed to be ready to perform the service on the Day of Atonement. If ritual impurity disqualified the High Priest, the deputy would serve in his place].

And a daughter of the deputy

would ask for a garment

from a daughter of the anointed priest for war

[he was the priest who, at a time of war, proclaimed the declaration stated in the Torah: “Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his home, and so on.” He was called the “anointed priest for war” because he was anointed especially for this purpose].

And a daughter of the anointed priest for war

would ask for a garment

from a daughter of

an ordinary priest

[an ordinary priest].

And

the rest of the daughters of

all Israel

would

ask from one another

.

They did this

so that one who had nothing would not be embarrassed.

We learned in our Mishna:

“All the garments require immersion.”

Rabbi Elazar said: Even if

the garments were

folded and placed in a chest,

so that they certainly had not become impure, they nevertheless immersed them, so that the one who needed to immerse her garments would not be embarrassed.

We learned in our Mishna:

“The daughters of Israel go out and dance in the vineyards.”

The tanna taught: One who has no wife—

turns

[turns and goes]

there

,

to the vineyards, where the daughters of Israel danced

. We learned in our Mishna:

“The well-born among them would say

‘Young man, and so on.’”

Wrote the Yosef wrote that they certainly did not say this directly to the young men, for that would be extreme immodesty for the daughters of Israel. Rather, they said it in their songs. they certainly did not say this to the young men, which would have been extreme immodesty for Jewish women; rather, they said it in their songs

The Sages taught: The beautiful among them,

among those girls who danced in the vineyards,

what would they say—

This is what they would say:

“Direct your eyes to beauty, for a woman is only for beauty.”

The well-born among them

, what would they say—

Thus they would say: "Turn your eyes to beauty, for a woman is but for beauty." Those of distinction among them what would they say — That is: when they did not appear pleasing to their viewers, then if they were of distinction they would say: "Do not set your eyes upon the youth, set your eyes upon the family," etc.

This is what they would say:

“Direct your eyes to family, for a woman is only for children.”

And if your sons are well-born, everyone will eagerly seek to marry them.

The unattractive among them, what would they say—

“Take your acquisition for the sake of Heaven

[take us for the sake of Heaven],

provided that

after the marriage

you adorn us with gold.

That is, give us jewelry and fine garments

. Ulla the Babylonian said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a circle-dance

"

for the righteous

[“circle-dance” refers to an encircling circle. The righteous will sit around the Holy One, blessed be He, in a circle].

And He,

the Holy One, blessed be He,

sits among them in the Garden of Eden.

And each and every one

of the righteous

points

to the Holy One, blessed be He,

with his finger

, and says: “Here is our God; we hoped for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we hoped for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

As it is stated: “And he will say on that day: Behold, this is our God;

we hoped for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we hoped for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

That is, in the future every righteous person will point to the Holy One, blessed be He, and say: “Here is our God, and so on.”

We shall return to you, chapter “On three occasions,” and the tractate Ta’anit is concluded.