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The Jerusalem TalmudJerusalem Talmud Sukkah 5.1

The Jerusalem Talmud

Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 5.1

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English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

MISHNAH: The fife five and six; this is the fife of the water-drawing festivity which supersedes neither the Sabbath nor the holiday. There is a saying that one who did not see the joy of the water-drawing festivity did never see real joy.

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English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

HALAKHAH: “The fife five and six,” etc. Therefore the one of sacrifices supersedes. The Mishnah is Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah’s, as it was stated: The fife accompanying the sacrifices supersedes the Sabbath, the words of Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah, but the Sages say, it supersedes neither the Sabbath nor the holiday. There we have stated: “On twelve days in the year the fife beats the time before the altar, at the sacrifice of the First Pesaḥ, the sacrifice of the Second Pesaḥ, on the first day of Passover, on the day of Pentecost, and on the eight days of Tabernacles.” Are there eight days without a Sabbath? Rebbi Yose said it anonymously, Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: It is Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Jehudah’s. In the opinion of those rabbis why does it not supersede? Because it is not clear. But is it not written, and the people blew fifes? That is written for Solomon’s festivity. Rebbi Jonah in the name of Rebbi Abba bar Mamal: And heartfelt joy like one marching with a fife. Any time one uses a fife one recites the Hallel. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun in the name of Rebbi Abba bar Mamal: Why does one recite Hallel all seven days of Tabernacles? Corresponding to the lulav which is renewed all seven days. And why a fife for all these things? We have stated, for one is at stated times and the other is at stated times; this is beloved and that is beloved. They attached the beloved to the beloved. “On Pentecost one says to him, here you have maṣsah, here you have leavened.” There are Tannaim who state, here you have leavened, [here you have maṣsah.] He who said, here you have maṣsah, because it is beloved; he who said, here you have leavened, because it is frequent.

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English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, why is it called drawing festivity? For from there one was drawing the holy spirit, following you shall draw water in rejoycing from the fountains of salvation. An illustration. Rebbi Levi and Jehudah bar Naḥman were taking two tetradrachmas to assemble the congregation before Rebbi Joḥanan. Rebbi Levi went and preached, Jonah ben Amittai was from the tribe of Asher, for it is written, Asher did not disinherit the inhabitants of Acco and the inhabitants of Sidon. And it is written, arise and go to Sarepta which belongs to Sidon. Rebbi Joḥanan came and preached, Jonah ben Amittai was from the tribe of Zevulun, as it is witten, the third lot fell to the sons of Sevulun according to their families, and it is written, from there it turned eastward to Gat Ḥepher and Et Qaṣin. And it is written, following the word of the Eternal, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant, Jonah ben Amittai the prophet from Gat Ḥepher. On the next Sabbath Rebbi Levi said to Jehudah bar Naḥman: you take the two tetradrachmas and go assemble the congregation before Rebbi Joḥanan. He went and said before them, Rebbi Joḥanan did teach us well, his mother from Asher and his father from Zevulun. And his hip from Sidon, the hip from which he came was from Sidon. And it is written, he descended to Yafo, when it should have been “he descended to Acco”! Rebbi Jonah said, Jonah ben Amittai belonged to the pilgrims, came to the water-drawing festivity and the holy spirit rested on him, to teach you that the holy spirit only rests on a happy heart. What is the reason? It was when the musical instrument played, God’s spirit was on him. Rebbi Benjamin bar Levi said, it is not written here “it was when he played on the musical instrument”, but it was when the musical instrument played, God’s spirit was on him.

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English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

It was stated: “Rebbi Jehudah said, anybody who did not see the double stoa of Alexandria did not ever see the glory of Israel. It was like a large basilica with a stoa inside a stoa. Sometime there were there twice as many as left Egypt. Seventy golden chairs were there, inlaid with precious stones and pearls, corresponding to the Seventy Elders; each of them costing 250’000 gold denars. A wooden platform was at the center and the congregation’s beadle stood on it. If one of the congregation came to read in the Torah the official waved cloths and they answered after him “amen”. For every benediction which he said, the official waved cloths and they answered after him “amen”. Nevertheless they were not sitting mixed but those of each single profession were sitting separately, so that a stranger could associate with those of his profession, and from there he could find support.” And who destroyed it? Trajanus the evil one.

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English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

Rebbi Simeon ben Yoḥai said, at three places were Israel warned not to return to the land of Egypt, [as it is written:] for as you saw Egypt today you shall nevermore see them for ever. And the Eternal said to you, you shall never again return on this way. And the Eternal will bring you back to Egypt on ships. In all three cases they returned and in all three cases they fell. One in the days of Sanherib the king of Assyria, [as it is written]: woe on those who descend to Egypt for help. What is written after this? But Egypt is human and not god, and their horses are flesh, etc. And one in the days of Joḥanan the son of the bald; it shall be that the sword which you are fearing, there will reach you. And once in the days of the evil Trajanus.

6
English · Heinrich W. Guggenheimer

A son was born to him on the Ninth of Ave and they did fast. His daughter died on Ḥanukkah and they lit lights. His wife sent and told him, instead that you conquer the barbarians come and conquer the Jews who revolted against you. He intended to come in ten days and came and found them occupied [in the Torah with the verse:] He will carry against you a people from far away, from the ends of the earth, etc. He asked them, with what were you occupied. They answered him, with such-and-such. He said to them, this man is he since he intended to come in ten days but came in five. He surrounded them by legions and killed them. He said to their wives, if you listen to my legions I shall not kill you. They told him, what you did to those on the ground floor do to those on the gallery. He mixed their blood with their blood and the blood flowed in the sea up to Cyprus. At that moment the horn of Israel was trimmed and will not be restituted until the Son of David will come.

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Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 5.1English
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The Jerusalem Talmud, edition, translation and commentary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1999–2015). CC BY. Text from Sefaria (sefaria.org); commentary notes omitted. · Source ↗

Hebrew/Aramaic text: The Jerusalem Talmud, edition by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1999–2015), via Sefaria (sefaria.org). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Changes: footnotes and HTML formatting removed.

The Jerusalem Talmud, edition, translation and commentary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1999–2015). CC BY. Text from Sefaria (sefaria.org); commentary notes omitted. · Source ↗

English translation: The Jerusalem Talmud, translation and commentary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer (Berlin: De Gruyter, 1999–2015); commentary notes omitted, via Sefaria (sefaria.org). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Changes: footnotes and HTML formatting removed.

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