Yoma 76a — the Talmud in English

Another matter: “He ate the bread of mighty ones” ![](pamud.bmp "

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This is Joshua,

who waited for Moses near the boundaries of Mount Sinai when he ascended the mountain,

for it descended for him

there

manna corresponding to all Israel.

It is written here “

bread of mighty ones

man.”

And it is written there [

Numbers 27]

“Take for yourself Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit.”

And we object:

But perhaps “

man” refers to

Moses, as it is written about him [

Numbers 12]:

“Now the man Moses was exceedingly humble.”

And we answer:

We derive man from man, but we do not derive man from “and the man.”

His disciples asked Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: Why did manna not descend for Israel once a year?

He said to them: I shall give you a parable: To what is this comparable—

to a flesh-and-blood king who had one son. He allotted him his sustenance once a year, and he would greet his father only once a year.

He arose and allotted him his sustenance every day, and he would greet his father every day.

So too Israel

thus:

One who had four or five sons would worry and say: Perhaps manna will not descend tomorrow, and they will all be found dead of hunger.

They were all thus directing their hearts to their Father in Heaven.

Another matter: because they ate it while it was hot.

Another matter: because of the burden of the journey.

And Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yishmael, and the Elders were once sitting and occupied with the passage of the manna.

And Rabbi Elazar Ha-Moda'i was sitting among them.

Rabbi Elazar Ha-Moda'i responded and said: The manna that descended for Israel was sixty cubits high.

Rabbi Tarfon said to him: Ha-Moda'i!

From where do you know this?

Until when will you pile up statements and bring them against us?

He said to him: Rabbi, I expound a verse. It is stated in the Book of Genesis [chapter 7]:

It is written in Genesis [chapter 7]:

“Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered.”

Perhaps you will say that the waters rose everywhere to a height of fifteen cubits above the ground; this cannot be so:

Could it be

that

fifteen cubits

the waters rose

in the valley, fifteen

cubits above the ground the waters rose

in the mountains?

And could the waters—

row upon row,

rows upon rows, high and low walls,

stand? But the waters stand in a straight line!

But the waters stand in a level line!

And furthermore: if the waters rose fifteen cubits above the ground everywhere—

if the waters rose everywhere fifteen cubits above the ground,

how could the Ark ascend?

How did it climb and reach above the tops of the mountains?

Rather,

first

all the springs of the great deep burst forth, until the waters became level with the mountains,

so that the height of the waters was made level with the tops of the mountains.

And afterward,

afterward,

fifteen cubits from above

the tops of the mountains

the waters prevailed.

And which measure is greater, the measure of goodness or the measure of punishment?

You must say: The measure of goodness is greater than the measure of punishment.

With regard to the measure of punishment it says [

Genesis 7]

“And the windows of heaven were opened.”

They are only two windows.

With regard to the measure of goodness,

in the description of the descent of the manna

it says [

Psalms 78]:

“He commanded the skies from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna upon them to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven.”

How many windows are there in the

length of a

door?

Four windows.

And since two doors were opened, in each of which there were

four and four

windows,

there are here eight

windows that were opened in heaven for the descent of the manna.

That is to say, the measure of goodness of the manna was four times the measure of the evil of the Flood.

And it follows that the manna that descended for Israel was sixty cubits high,

at a measure four times the fifteen cubits of the waters of the Flood.

It was taught in a beraita: Isi ben Judah says: The manna that descended for Israel would increase and rise, until all the kings of East and West could see it.

As it is stated [

Psalms 23]

“You set a table before me opposite my adversaries; my cup is saturated.”

Abaye said: Learn from this: The cup of David

David’s cup

for the World to Come,

from which he will recite the Grace after Meals in the World to Come [Maharsha]—

holds one hundred and twenty-one log.

As it is stated, “My cup is saturated.”

“Saturated” has this numerical value.

And we raise an objection against Rabbi Elazar Ha-Moda'i, who derives the height of the manna from the height of the waters of the Flood:

That is not comparable!

There,

in the Flood, the rains descended

for forty days.

Here,

with the manna, the manna descended only for

one hour.

And there is another distinction:

There,

in the Flood, it descended

for everyone.

Here,

with the manna,

for Israel alone.

And it was much greater for them,

and such a great measure of a height of sixty cubits of manna exceeds what they needed.

And we answer:

Rabbi Elazar Ha-Moda'i—

a gezerah shavah,

“opening, opening”,

of the opening of the windows of heaven,

he derived.

Just as when the windows of heaven were opened in the Flood, water descended to a height of fifteen cubits through two windows, so with the manna it descended through eight windows [which are four times the two windows] to a measure of sixty cubits.

We learned in the Mishna: The Day of Atonement

is forbidden in eating.

Rav Hisda asked [see Tosafot]:

These five afflictions

in the Mishna—

corresponding to what?

What is their source?

He said,

he answered this

Rav Hisda

himself:

They correspond to the five afflictions in the Torah.

a.

“And on the tenth

of the seventh month there shall be a sacred convocation for you, and you shall afflict your souls” [Numbers 29].

b.

And “But on the tenth

of the seventh month … and you shall afflict your souls” [Leviticus 23:27].

c.

“A Sabbath of complete rest

it is for you, and you shall afflict your souls” [Leviticus 23:32].

d.

And “A Sabbath of complete rest

it is for you, and you shall afflict your souls” [Leviticus 16:31].

e.

“And it shall be for you

a statute forever; in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls” [Leviticus 16:29].”

And we object to Rav Hisda:

These

afflictions in the Mishna—could it be that only

five there are!?

And

behold,

we learned six

afflictions

in the Mishna [

eating, drinking, bathing, anointing, wearing the sandal, and marital relations]!?

And we answer:

Drinking—

is included within eating.

For Reish Lakish said: From where do we know that drinking is included within eating—

as it is stated [

Deuteronomy 14] concerning Second Tithe:

“And you shall eat before the Lord your God the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil.”

Wine—

it is wine,

wine,

yet it calls it “and you shall eat.”

And we reject this:

From where

do you have proof that this verse calls drinking eating?

Perhaps

it refers to one who

eats it,

the wine,

by means of anigron,

which is a mixture of wine in food, where he placed the wine into food, and the food has the taste of wine, and he ate it?

And the Gemara explains that “anigron,” or “aksigron,” means something into which the flavor of another thing has been imparted.

For Rabbah bar Shmuel said: “Anigron”—

water

of spinach.

Water in which spinach was cooked, and the water has the taste of spinach.

“Aksigron”—

water of all cooked vegetables [

water in which other vegetables were cooked].

Rather, Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: From here

we learn that drinking is included within eating:

As it is stated concerning the money of Second Tithe, in Jerusalem [Deuteronomy 14]:

“And you shall give the money for whatever your soul desires: for cattle, for sheep, for wine, and for strong drink.”

Strong drink—

it is drinking, yet the Merciful One calls it “and you shall eat”!

And we reject this:

From where

do you have proof?

Perhaps here too

it refers to one who

eats it,

the strong drink,

by means of anigron,

having mixed the strong drink into food, and ate it.

And we answer:

“Strong drink,” the Merciful One wrote,

whose meaning is

a thing

something

that intoxicates,

and when the strong drink is mixed into food, it does not intoxicate; necessarily, it is not mixed into food, and it is proven that drinking is included within eating.

And again we reject this:

Perhaps

the one who ate

Keilah fig-cake [

the name of a place] is meant by the verse, for it intoxicates!?

For it was taught in a beraita: One who ate Keilah fig-cake and drank honey and milk,

which are intoxicating substances,

and entered the Temple ![](pamud.bmp "

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is liable

for entering the Temple while intoxicated.