משנה: תַּכְרִיכֵי הַמֵּת וּמַרְדַּעַת שֶׁל חֲמוֹר אֵין בָּהֶן מִשּׁוּם כִּלְאַיִם. לֹא יִתֵּן אֶת הַמַּרְדַּעַת עַל כְּתֵיפוֹ אֲפִילוּ לְהוֹצִיא עָלֶיהָ אֶת הַזֶּבֶל. מוֹכְרֵי כְסוּת מוֹכְרִין כְּדַרְכָּן וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִתְכַּוְּונוּ בַחַמָּה מִפְּנֵי הַחַמָּה וּבִגְשָׁמִים מִפְּנֵי הַגְּשָׁמִים. וְהַצְּנוּעִין מַפְשִׁילִין לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן בְּמַקֵּל. תוֹפְרֵי כְסוּת תוֹפְרִין כְּדַרְכָּן וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִתְכַּװְנוּ בַחַמָּה מִפְּנֵי הַחַמָּה וּבִגְשָׁמִים מִפְּנֵי הַגְּשָׁמִים. וְהַצְּנוּעִין תּוֹפְרִין בָּאָרֶץ. MISHNAH: Shrouds of the dead and the pack-saddle of the donkey do not fall under kilaim. One should never carry a pack-saddle on his shoulder even to transport garbage.
Sellers of clothing sell in the professional way137They may put kilaim cloth over their arms to present it to Gentile buyers. They may not use that cloth to shield themselves from the sun., but they should not intend in summer because of the sun and in winter because of the rains. But the religious ones138For this meaning of צנוע cf. Demay Halakhah 6:8. let them hang over their shoulder on a stick.
Tailors sew in the professional way, but they should not intend in summer because of the sun and in winter because of the rains. But the religious ones sew on the ground.
הלכה: תַּכְרִיכֵי הַמֵּת כו׳. כְּתִיב בַּמֵּתִים חָפְשִׁי כֵּיוָן שֶׁאָדָם מֵת נַעֲשֶׂה חָפְשִׁי מִן הַמִּצְוֹת. HALAKHAH: “Shrouds of the dead, etc.” It is written (Ps. 88:6): “Among the dead is freedom.” When a person dies he becomes free from the Commandments.
רִבִּי צִיוָה שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים בִּשְׁעַת פְּטִירָתוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם. אַל תָּזוּז אַלְמָנָתִי מִבֵּיתִי. וְאַל תִּסְפְּדוּנִי בָּעֲייָרוֹת. וּמִי שֶׁנִּיטְפַּל בִּי בְּחַיָּי יְטַפֵּל בִּי בְמוֹתִי. אַל תָּזוּז אַלְמָנָתִי מִבֵּיתִי. וְלָאו מַתְנִיתָא הִיא אַלְמָנָה שֶׁאָֽמְרָה אֵי אֶיפְשִׁי לָזוּז מִבֵּית בַּעֲלִי. אָמַר רִבִּי דּרוֹסָא דְּלָא יֵימְרוּן לָהּ בֵּיתָה דִּנְשִׂיוּתָה הוּא מְשׁוּעֲבָד הוּא לִנְישִׂיוּתָה. אָמַר רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר בַּר יוֹסֵה כְּהָדָא דְתַנֵּי דָּרָה בַבָּתִּים כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָֽיְתָה דָּרָה בָהֶן וּבַעֲלָהּ נָתוּן בִּמְדִינַת הַיָּם. וּמִשְׁתַּמֶּשֶׁת בִּכְלֵי כֶסֶף וּבִכְלֵי זָהָב כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָֽיְתָה מִשְׁתַּמֶּשֶׁת וּבַעֲלָהּ נָתוּן בִּמְדִינַת הַיָּם. וְנִיזּוֹנֶת כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָֽיְתָה נִיזּוֹנֶת וּבַעֲלָהּ נָתוּן בִּמְדִינַת הַיָּם. וְאַל תִּסְפְּדוּנָי בָּעֲייָרוֹת מִפְּנֵי הַמַּחֲלוֹקֶת. וּמִי שֶׁנִּיטְפַּל בִּי בְּחַיָּי יְטַפֵּל בִּי בְמוֹתִי. אָמַר רִבִּי חֲנַנְיָה דְּצִיפּוֹרִין כְּגוֹן יוֹסֵי אֶפְרָתִי וְיוֹסֵף חֵפָנִים. רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה מוֹסִיף אַל תַּרְבּוּ עָלַי תַּכְרִיכִין. וּתְהֵא אֲרוֹנִי נְקוּבָה בָּאָרֶץ. מִילְתָא אָֽמְרִין בְּסַדִּין אֶחָד נִקְבַּר רִבִּי. דְּרִבִּי אָמַר לָא כְּמַה דְבַר אִינָּשׁ אֲזַל הוּא אֲתִי. וְרַבָּנִין אָֽמְרִין כְּמַה דְבַר נָשׁ אֲזַל הוּא אֲתִי. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי נָתָן כְּסוּת הַיּוֹרֶדֶת עִם אָדָם לִשְׁאוֹל הִיא בָאָה עִמּוֹ מַה טַעֲמָא תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחוֹמֶר חוֹתָם וְיִתְיַיצְּבוּ כְּמוֹ לְבוּשׁ. אַנְטוֹלִינוֹס שְׁאַל לְרִבִּי מַהוּ תִּתְהַפֵּךְ כְּחוֹמֶר חוֹתָם אָמַר לֵיהּ מִי שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא אֶת הַדּוֹר הוּא מַלְבִּישׁוֹ. Rebbi commanded three things on his death-bed70In addition to the two Yerushalmi sources mentioned in the previous Note, there is a Babylonian source Ketubot 103. Since the Mishnah mentions shrouds, there follows a lengthy insertion about burials.: My widow should not move from my house; do not eulogize me in small towns; and he who served me during my lifetime should serve me in my death. “My widow should not move from my house,” is that not a Mishnah? “The widow who said, I cannot possibly move from my husband’s house …71Mishnah Ketubot 12:3: “If a widow said, I cannot possibly move from my husband’s house, the heirs may not say, go to your father’s house and we shall support you there, but they support her and give her an apartment corresponding to her standard of living.” The Mishnah does not require that the widow keep the identical apartment she occupied during her marriage, only an equivalent one. In the tradition of the Babli, Rebbi’s widow was not the mother of his children, his heirs.” Rebbi Dositheos69In the parallel in Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35a), ר׳ דוסא. In the parallel Gen.rabba 100(3), ר׳ דוסתאי, Dositheos. The text in Gen.rabba seems to be the original text from which the one here is an abbreviation. said, that they should not say, this is the house of the patriarchate and must serve the patriarchate72In the opinion of Gen.rabba, the argument would have been valid if the house of the patriarch had been built with public money. But since Rebbi built his house with his own money, his successor could not occupy this house.. Rebbi Eleazar bar Yose said, as we have stated73The Babylonian version is in Babli Ketubot 103a and, in shortened form, in Tosephta Ketubot 11:5: The woman whose husband died lives in the houses she lived in during her husband’s lifetime, uses slaves and handmaidens, silver and gold vessels she used during her husband’s lifetime, for so he writes to her (in the marriage document): You shall live in my house and be supported by my property as long as you are a widow in my house.: “She lives in the houses just as she lived while her husband was overseas, she uses silver and golden vessels just as she used to while her husband was overseas, she is fed just as she was fed while her husband was overseas.” “Do not eulogize me in small towns” because of the quarrels74That there should not be competition among places which were not really able to provide decent eulogizers. The Babli (loc.cit. 103b) explains that in small villages the crowds are too small to give the honor due.. “He who served me during my lifetime should serve me in my death;” Rebbi Ḥananiah from Sepphoris said, for example Yose Ephrati and Joseph from Haifa. Rebbi Ḥizqiah added, do not use many shrouds on me and let my coffin have holes at the bottom75(Cf.Šulḥan ‘ārûkh Yôrē Dē‘ā¶362.) In Gen. rabba, the explanation is that the body should decompose rapidly. It is talmudic doctrine that the soul suffers during decomposition of the body and, except for those sinners whose place is in hell, the suffering stops when only the bones are left (Babli Berakhot 18b).. These words say that Rebbi was buried in a single shroud since Rebbi said, not as a man left, he will come76At Resurrection.. But the rabbis say, just as a man left, he will come. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Nathan77The quote in Yalquṭ Sim‘oni Job 924 reads: R. Jonathan.: The garment that went with a person to the grave will come back with him. What is the reason? (Job 38:14) “The seal78The “seal” of a person are the characteristics differentiating him from all others: voice, looks, and thinking [Sanhedrin Yerushalmi 3:13 (fol. 22b), Babli 38a]. turns itself around like clay, they appear in dress.” Antoninus79A Roman emperor of the Severan dynasty who reputedly was a crypto-Jew. Since all emperors of that dynasty adopted the name of Antoninus together with that of Augustus, speculations about the identity of this Antoninus are rather futile. asked Rebbi, what is the meaning of “The seal turns itself around like clay?” He said to him, He Who brings the generation clothes it80God will not only create the flesh as described in Ezechiel’s vision of the dry bones but the clothing with it, as He did for Adam. An echo of this discussion is in Babli Sanhedrin 90b, bottom..
רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן מְפַקֵּד מַלְבְּשׁוּנִי בּוּרִירִיקָא לָא חִיװְרִין וְלָא אוּכְמִין. אִין קָמִית בֵּינֵי צַדִּיקַיָא לָא נִבְהָת. וְאִין קָמִית בֵּינֵי רְשִׁיעַיָּא לָא נִבְהָת. רִבִּי יֹאשַׁיָּה מְפַקֵּד אַלְבְּשׁוּנִי חִיװְרִין חֲפִיתִין. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ וּמַה אַתְּ טָב מִן רַבָּךְ. אָמַר לוֹן וּמַה אֲנָא בְהִית בְּעָבְדַּאי. רִבִּי יִרְמְיָה מְפַקֵּד אַלְבְּשׁוּנִי חִיװְרִין חֲפִיתִין אַלְבְּשׁוּנִי בְּנָרָסַיי יְהָבוֹן מְסָנַא בְּרַגְלַי וְחוּטְרָא בְיָדַיי וִיהֲבוּנִי עַל סִיטְרָא אִין אֲתִי מְשִׁיחָא אֲנָא מָעֲתָד. Rebbi Joḥanan81In the parallel Babli Šabbat 114a, R. Yannai. The reading here is confirmed by the second sentence, since R. Joshia was a student of R. Joḥanan. commanded: Dress me in beige82In the parallel Ketubot 12:3 (fol.35a), בורידיקא. This cannot mean “pink” since “rose colored” in the Yerushalmi is ורדינון, Greek ῥόδινος. Since יריר means pus, יריריקא is taken to mean “pus colored”., not white and not black. If I rise among the just I shall not be ashamed, if I rise among the wicked I shall not be ashamed. Rebbi Joshia commanded: Dress me in clean white. They said to him, in what are you better than your teacher? He said to them, why should I be ashamed of my deeds? Rebbi Jeremiah commanded: Dress me in clean white, dress me in my socks83The word נרס is not in the dictionaries. The Rome ms. has here לא לבשון לי דרסי “do not dress me in wornout (shoes)” but Gen. rabba 100(3) has אלבשוני דרדסאי “dress me in my socks,” which may be the best reading. If נרס is a genuine word, it should be Arabic مَرَسَة מדסה “cord, rope”.
The messianic idea of bodily resurrection with the dead fully clothed and equipped is not part of actual Jewish burial customs. (But a strange echo of these discussions appears in Heine’s poem about a dying veteran of Napoleon’s failed Russian campaign, who wants to be buried in his native France, wearing his military decorations, gun in hand, sword by his side. He plans to rise from his grave fully armed, ready to protect his Emperor, who at the time was widely regarded as a messianic figure:
Das Ehrenkreuz am rothen Band
Sollst du aufs Herz mir legen;
Die Flinte gieb mir in die Hand,
Und gürt mir um den Degen.
Dann steig’ ich gewaffnet hervor aus dem Grab,
Den Kaiser, den Kaiser zu schützen! (H. Heine, Romanzen, Die Grenadiere). (E. G.)}, put my shoes on my feet and a walking stick in my hand, lay me on my side, when the Messiah comes I shall be ready.
צִיפֹּרַיָּא אָֽמְרִין מָאן דַּאֲמַר לָן רִבִי דְּמָךְ אֲנָן קְטָלִינָן לֵיהּ. אֲדִיק לוֹן בַּר קַפָּרָא רֵישֵׁיהּ מְכַסֵּי מָאנוֹי מְבַזְּעִין אֲמַר לוֹן יְצוֹקִים וְאֶרְאֶלִּים תְּפוּסִין בַּלּוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית וְגָֽבְרָה יָדָן שֶׁל אֶרְאֶלִּים וְחָֽטְפוּ אֶת הַלּוּחוֹת. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ דְּמָךְ רִבִּי. אֲמַר לוֹן אַתּוּן אָֽמְרִיתוֹן וְקָֽרְעוֹן וַאֲזַל קָלָא דְּקָֽרְעוֹן לְגופפתה מַהֲלָךְ תְּלָתָא מִילִין. The84Parallels Ketubot Yerushalmi 12:3 (fol. 35a), Babli 104a. people from Sepphoris said: We shall kill anybody who tells us that Rebbi died. Bar Qappara associated with them, his head covered and his garments torn. He said to them: Earthlings and angels held the Tablets of the Covenant; the angels were stronger and they took away the Tablets. They said to him: Rebbi died. He said to them: You said it. They tore their clothes and the sound of the tearing was heard at Goffta85An unidentified place which had a synagogue (Nazir 7:1). at a distance of three mil.
רִבִּי נַחְמָן בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי מָנָא מַעֲשֵׂה נִיסִּין נַעֲשׂוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם. עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת הָֽיְיתָה וְנִתְכַּנְּסוּ כָּל־הָעַייָרוֹת לְהַסְפִּידוֹ וְאַשֵׁירוֹנֵיהּ תְּמַנֵּי עֶשְׂרֵה כְּנִישָׁן וְאַחְתּוֹנֵיהּ לְבֵית שָׁרַיי וְתָלָה לוֹן יוֹמָא עַד שֶׁהָיָה כַּל־אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מַגִּיעַ לְבֵיתוֹ וּמְמַלֵּא לוֹ חָבִית שֶׁל מַיִם וּמַדְלִיק לוֹ אֶת הַנֵּר. כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּֽׁקְעָה הַחַמָּה קָרָא הַגֶּבֶר שָׁרוֹן מְצִיקִין. אָֽמְרִין דִּילְמָא דְחַלְּלִינָן שַׁבָּתָא. יָֽצְתָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָֽמְרָה לָהֶן כָּל־מִי שֶׁלֹּא נִתְעַצֵּל בְהֶסְפֵּידוֹ שֶׁל רִבִּי יְהֵא מְבוּשָּׂר מֵחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא בַּר מִן קַצְרָא. כֵּיוָן דְּשָׁמַע כֵן סְלַק לֵיהּ לְאִיגְרָא וּטְלַק גַּרְמֵיהּ וּמִית. נְפָקַת בַּת קָלָא וְאָֽמְרָה וַאֲפִילוּ קַצְרָא. Rebbi Nahman in the name of Rebbi Mana: Miracles happened that day. It was Sabbath eve and all the surrounding towns came together to eulogize him. They made him [Rebbi] rest in eighteen synagogues until they brought him to his resting place but the day extended for them until each one had time to get to his house, fill an amphora of water, and light the candles. When the sun set, the rooster crowed86To announce the following morning. This clause is missing in the Rome ms. In the parallel in the Babli, only the last two sentences of this paragraph appear.. They were anxious and said, maybe we did desecrate the Sabbath? There came a voice and said to them, every one who was not lazy for the eulogies of Rebbi shall be announced for the life of the Future World, except the fuller87In the Babli it is explained that during Rebbi’s stay in Sepphoris, the fuller appeared every day in his court but on the day Rebbi died, the fuller was absent for some reason.. When the latter heard this, he ascended the roof, threw himself down, and died. There came a voice and said, including the fuller.
רִבִּי הֲוָה יְתִיב לֵיהּ בְּצִיפּוֹרִין שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁנִין וְקָרָא עַַל גַּרְמֵיהּ וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה. וַיְחִי יְהוּדָה בְצִיפּוֹרִין שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה. וּמִין גּוֹבְעִין עֲבַד תְּלַת עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁנִין חֲשַׁשׁ בְּשִׁינּוֹי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בֵּירִבִּי בּוֹן כָּל־אוֹתָן שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לֹא מֵתָה חַיָּה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא הִפִּילָה עוּבָּרָה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְלָמָּה חָשׁ שִׁינּוֹי. חַד זְמָן עֲבַר חָמָא חַד עֵיגַל מִנְכַס גָּעָה וְאָֽמְרָה לֵיהּ רִבִּי שֵׁיזְבִי אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְכָךְ נוֹצָֽרְתְּ. וּבְסוֹפָהּ אֵיךְ אִינְּשִׁמָת. חָֽמְתוֹן קְטָלִין חַד קַן דְּעַכְבָּרִין אֲמַר אַרְפּוּנוֹן וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל־מַעֲשָׂיו כְּתִיב. Rebbi dwelt in Sepphoris seventeen years and applied to himself (Gen. 47:28): “Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,” Jehudah lived in Sepphoris seventeen years. Of these he suffered from toothache for thirteen years. {Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all these thirteen years no woman lying-in died in the Land of Israel and no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel.} Why did he have a toothache91Parallel in Babli Baba Meẓi‘a 85a. There, the calf ran to hide itself in Rebbi’s garment but did not talk to Rebbi. In the parallel Gen.rabba 33(3), the calf is said to have been bellowing “as if to say, save me!”? Once he saw a calf to be slaughtered when it bellowed and said to him, Rebbi, save me! He said to it, for that you were created. At the end, how was he healed? He saw them killing a burrow of rats. He said to them, let them live, it is written (Ps. 145:9) “His mercy extends to all His creatures.”
רִבִּי הֲוָה עָֽנְװָן סַגִּין וְהֲוָה אֲמַר כָּל־מַה דְּיֵימַר לִי בַּר נַשָּׁא אֲנָא עֲבִיד חוּץ מִמַּה שֶׁעָשׂוּ זִקְנֵי בְּתֵירָה לִזְקֵנִי דְּשָׁרוּן גַּרְמוֹן מִנְּשִׂיאוּתֵיהּ וּמְנוֹנֵיהּ. אִין סְלִיק רַב חוּנָא רֵישׁ גָּלוּתָא לְהָכָא אֲנָא מוֹתִיב לֵיהּ לְעֵיל מִינַּיי דְּהוּא מִן יְהוּדָה וַאֲנָא מִבִּנְיָמִן דְּהוּא מִן דִּכְרַיָּא וַאֲנָא מִן נוּקְבְתָא. חַד זְמָן עָאַל רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָא לְגַבֵּיהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָא רַב הוּנָא לְבַר נִתְכַּרְכְּמוּ פָּנָיו שֶׁל רִבִּי. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֲרוֹנוֹ בָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ פּוּק וְחָמִי מָאן בָּעֵי לָךְ לְבַר. וּנְפַק וְלָא אַשְׁכַּח בַּר נַשׁ וְיָדַע דְּהוּא כָעֵיס עֲלוֹי. עֲבַד דְּלָא עֲלִיל לְגַבֵּיהּ תַּלְתִּין יוֹמִין. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר בּוֹן כָּל־אִינּוּן תַּלְתּוֹיֵי יוֹמַיָּא יְלַף רַב מִינֵּיהּ כְּלָלֵא דְּאוֹרָֽיְתָא. לְסוֹף תְּלַת עֲשַׂרְתֵּי שַׁנְיָיא וּתְלַתְּתוֹי יוֹמַיָּא עָאַל אֱלִיָּהוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ בִּדְמוּת רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַה מָרִי עֲבִיד. אֲמַר לֵיהּ חַד שִׁינַּיי מְעִיקָה לִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ חֲמִי לָהּ לִי וְחָמֵי לָהּ לֵיהּ וִיהַב אֶצְבְּעָתֵיהּ עֲלָהּ וְאִינְּשִׁמְתְּ. לְמָחָר עָאַל רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָה לְגַבֵּיהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ מַה עֲבִיד רִבִּי הַאי שִׁינָּךְ מַה הִיא עֲבִידָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ מִן הַהִיא שַׁעְתָא דְּיָהֲבַתְּ אֶצְבְּעָתָךְ עֲלָהּ אִינְּשִׁמָת. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר אִי לָכֶם חַיּוֹת שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אִי לָכֶם עוּבָּרוֹת שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אֲנָא לָא הֲוֵינָא מִן הַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא הֲוָה נְהִיג בֵּיהּ בִּיקָר. כַּד הֲוָה עֲלִיל לְבֵית װַעֲדָא הֲוָה אֲמַר יִיכָּנֵס רִבִּי חִייָא רוֹבָא לִפְנִים. אָמַר לוֹ רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֵּירִבִּי יוֹסֵי לִפְנִים מִמֶּנִּי. אָמַר לוֹ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אֶלָּא רִבִּי חִייָא רוֹבָה לִפְנִים וְרִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֵּירִבִּי יוֹסֵי לִפְנָיי לִפְנִים. רִבִּי הֲוָה מַתְנֵי שְׁבָחֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי חִייָא רוֹבָה קוֹמֵי רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֵּירִבִּי יוֹסֵי. חַד זְמָן חָמֵי גַּו בָּנִי וְלָא אִיתְכְּנַע מִן קוֹמוֹי. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֲהִנּוֹ דְּאַתְּ מַתְנִי שְׁבָחֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ מַה עֲבַד לָךְ. אָמַר לֵיהּ חָמִתֵי[הּ] גַּו בָּנִי וְלָא אִיתְכְּנַע מִן קוֹמוֹי. אָמַר לֵיהּ לָמָּה עֲבַדְתְּ כֵּן. אָמַר לֵיהּ כְּמוֹ יָבֹא עָלַי ייֵתִי עָלַי דְּאִין סְחִית לָא יָֽדְעִית בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא אַשְׁגְּרִית עֵינַיי בְּכָל־סֵפֶר תִּילִים אֲגָדָה. מִן הַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא מָסַר לֵיהּ שְׁנֵי תַלְמִידִין דִּיהַלְּכוּן עִימֵּיהּ בְּגִין סָכוּתָא. Rebbi92Gen.rabba 33(3). was very meek and said, all a man might ask from me I am ready to do, except what the elders of Bathyra did for my ancestor: they divested themselves of their presidency and appointed him93The ancestor is Hillel, Pesaḥim6:1, Babli 66a; Babli Baba Meẓi‘a 85a. The family of Hillel traces its origins to a woman of Davidic origin. The Heads of the Diaspora are the descendants of King Joiachin.. If Rav Huna, the Head of the Diaspora, would come here I would let him sit higher than myself since he is from the tribe of Judah and I am from Benjamin, he is from the male line and I am from the female. Once, the elder Rebbi Ḥiyya visited him and said, Rav Huna is outside. The face of Rebbi became saffron-colored. He [R. Ḥiyya] said to him, his coffin arrived. He [Rebbi] said to him, go outside and look who wants you there. He stepped outside and did not find anybody; he understood that he [Rebbi] was angry with him94In the Babli, Mo‘ed Qaṭan 16b, the reason for R. Ḥiyya’s disgrace is that he disregarded Rebbi’s injunction not to teach Torah in a public place (market or street). As noted in the next paragraph, R. Ḥiyya (and his sons) spent most of their time in outreach programs to the unlearned.. He did not visit him again for thirty days. {Rebbi Yose bar Abun said, in those thirty days did Rav learn from him [R. Ḥiyya] the principles of Torah95InGen. rabba, it is added that he taught Rav all the rules in which Babylonian tradition differs from the Galilean, things he could not teach in Rebbi’s academy. In Yerushalmi sources, Rav is always called “son of R. Ḥiyya’s sister.” In Babylonian sources, Rav is called “son of R. Ḥiyya’s half-brother and half-sister.” In Mo‘ed Qaṭan it is added that R. Ḥiyya taught not only Rav but also R. Abba bar Ḥana, nephew from a full brother..} At the end of thirteen years and thirty days96In Gen.rabba: At the end of these thirty days (when R. Ḥiyya could appear again before Rebbi following the rules of temporary bans)., Elijah visited him [Rebbi] in the likeness of the older Rebbi Ḥiyya. He said to him, how does my lord feel? He said to him, one tooth hurts me. He said to him, show it to me. He showed it to him, he put his finger on it and it was healed. The next day, the older Rebbi Ḥiyya came to him and asked him, how does Rebbi feel, what is with that tooth? He said to him, from the moment that you put your finger on it, it was healed. At that moment, he said, woe on you, lying-in women of the Land of Israel, woe on you, pregnant women of the Land of Israel! He [R. Ḥiyya] said to him, that was not me. From that moment on, he [Rebbi] treated him with honor. When he [Rebbi] went to the assembly hall, he said, may the older Rebbi Ḥiyya come inside. Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose asked, closer than me? He said, beware! The older Rebbi Ḥiyya inside, and Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose innermost. Rebbi used to state the praises of the older Rebbi Ḥiyya before Rebbi Ismael ben Rebbi Yose. Once, he [R. Ismael ben R. Yose] saw him [R. Ḥiyya] in the bathhouse and he did not show him reverence. He [R. Ismael ben R. Yose] said to him [Rebbi], is that the one of whom you state praises? He said, what did he do to you? He said, I saw him in the bathhouse and he did not show me reverence. He [Rebbi] said to him [R. Ḥiyya], why did you do that? He said to him, so much should come over me if I realized that I was washing myself, at that time my eyes were occupied with the allegorical interpretation of the entire book of Psalms. From that moment on, he [Rebbi] appointed two students to accompany him [R. Ḥiyya] to watch out for him.
רִבִּי יוֹסֵי צָם תְּמָנֵיי יוֹמִין לְמֵיחְמֵי רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָה וּלְסוֹפָא חָמָא וְרָֽגְזוּן יָדֵיהּ וּכְהוֹ עֵינוֹי. וְאִין תֵּימַר דַּהֲוָא רִבִּי יוֹסָה בַּר נַשׁ זְעִיר. חַד גָּֽרְדַיי אֲתַא לְגַבֵּי רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אֲמַר לֵיהּ חָמִית בְּחֵילְמִי דִּרְקִיעַא נְפַל וְחַד מִן תַּלְמִידָךְ סְמַךְ לֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְחַכִּים אַתְּ לֵיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אִין אֲנָא חָמֵי לֵיהּ אֲנָא חַכִּים לֵיהּ. עֲבַר כָּל־תַּלְמִידוֹי קוֹמוֹי וְחַכַּם לְרִבִּי יוֹסָה. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ צָם תְּלַת מָאװָן צוֹמִין לְמֵיחְמֵי רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָה וְלָא חָֽמְתֵיהּ. וּבְסוֹפָא שְׁרָא מִצְטָעֵר אֲמַר מַה הֲוָה לָעֵי בְאוֹרָֽיְתָא סַגִּין מִינַּיי. אָֽמְרוּ לֵיהּ רִיבֵּץ תּוֹרָה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹתֵר מִמָּךְ וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא דַהֲוָה גְלִי. אֲמַר לוֹן וְלֹא הֲוִינָא גְלִי. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ אַתְּ הֲוִיתָה גְלִי מֵילַף וְהוּא הֲוָה גְלִי מַלְפָּה. Rebbi Assi97Since he is a student of R. Joḥanan, he must be the Amora usually called Yasa, Assi in the Babli. fasted eighty days to see the old Rebbi Ḥiyya. In the end, he saw him, his hands trembled and his eyes were dimmed98In the parallel Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35a), “he saw one of his court, and a Cohen was lying next to him.”. If you say that Rebbi Assi was an insignificant person, one weaver came to Rebbi Joḥanan and said, I saw the sky falling but one of your students supported it. He asked him, could you recognize him? He said, if I would see him, I would recognize him. He made all his students pass before him [the weaver], and he recognized Rebbi Assi. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish fasted three hundred fasts to see the old Rebbi Ḥiyya but did not see him. In the end, he stopped feeling bad and said, maybe he did study Torah more than I did. They said to him, he spread Torah more than you did99In the Babli, Baba Meẓi‘a 85b, R. Simeon ben Laqish was not able to find the cave in which R. Ḥiyya was buried; there it is explicit that “they” who argue with him are heavenly voices. and in addition he went into exile. He said to them, did I not also go into exile? They said to him, you went into exile to study, he went into exile to teach100He was a Babylonian, emigrating from rich Babylonia to poor Galilee. He reorganized elementary education in Galilee (Baba Meẓi‘a 85b)..
כַּד דְּמָךְ רַב הוּנָא רֵישׁ גָּלוּתָא אַסְקוּנֵיהּ לְהָכָא. אָֽמְרֵי אָן אֲנָן יְהָבִין לֵיהּ. אָֽמְרִין נֵיתִינֵיהּ גַּבֵּי רִבִּי חִייָה רוֹבָה דְּהוּא מִן דִּידְהוֹן. אָֽמְרִין מָאן בְּעֵי מִיהַב לֵיהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי חַגַּיי אֲנָא עֲלִיל יְהַב לֵיהּ. אָֽמְרוּ לֵיהּ עִילְּתָך אַתְּ בָּעֵי דְּאַתְּ גְבַר סַב וְאַתְּ בָּעֵי מֵיעוֹל מֵיתַב לָךְ תַּמָּן. אֲמַר לוֹן יְהָבוּן מְשִׁיחָתָא בְרַגְלַיי וְאִין עֲנִייַת אַתּוּן גָּֽרְשִׁין. עָאַל וְאַשְׁכַּח תְּלַת דָּנִין יְהוּדָה בְנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאֵין עוֹד. חִזְקִיָּה בְנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאֵין עוֹד. אַחֲרֶיךָ יוֹסֵף בֶּן יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֵין עוֹד. תְּלַת עֵינוֹי מִסְתַּכְּלָה אִיתְאֲמַר לֵיהּ אַפִּיךְ אַפִּיךְ שְׁמַע קָלֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי חִייָה רַבָּא אֲמַר לְרַב יְהוּדָה בְּרֵיהּ נְפִישׁ לְרַב חוּנָה יְתִיב לֵיהּ וְלָא קְבִיל עֲלוֹי מָתִיב לֵיהּ אָֽמְרִין כְּמַה דְּלָא קְבִיל עֲלוֹי מָתִיב לֵיהּ כֵּן זַרְעִיתֵיהּ לָא פְסִיקָא לְעוֹלָם. וְיָצָא מִשָּׁם וְהָיָה בֶּן שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְנִכְפְּלוּ לוֹ שָׁנָיו. When Rav Huna, the Head of the Diaspora101He obviously cannot be identical with the Rav Huna in the story of Rebbi. The Babylonian traditions about the Heads of the Diaspora are quite confusing. In the Babli, Mo‘ed Qaṭan 25a, the story is told only about “Rav Huna” without a title, but in all versions of Seder Olam zuta, the person whose coffin (i. e., the ossuary) was buried next to Rebbi Ḥiyya is Rav Huna, Head of the Diaspora. In one of the versions, this Rav Huna has a great-great-grandfather Rav Huna. In R. Sherira Gaon’s letter (ed. Neubauer, p. 30), the second Rav Huna buried in Israel is called “from the family of the heads of the Diaspora”; he died in 608 Sel. = 296 C. E., died they brought him here. They said, where shall we put him? They said, let us put him next to Rebbi Ḥiyya the elder for he is one of them102R. Ḥiyya was related to the Davidic dynasty.. They said, who might want to bring him there? Rebbi Ḥaggai said, I shall go up to put him there. They said to him, you are looking for a pretext, for you are an old man and you want to go to rest there yourself. He said to them, put some string on my feet and when I shall be weak103In the parallel Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35a), עמית “if I become blind”, cf. Arabic עמי “to be blind”. you pull. He went in and found the three arguing. “Jehudah my son, after you, and no more. Ḥizqiah my son, after you, and no more. Joseph ben Israel, after you, and no more.104This implies that R. Ḥiyya had been buried in the burial cave of Joseph, near Sichem. They seem to imply that there is no place for Rav Huna there.” He [R. Ḥaggai] lifted his eyes to look, it was said to him turn around, turn around. He heard the voice of Rebbi Ḥiyya the elder who said to his son Rav105The sons of R. Ḥiyya, Jehudah and Ḥizqiah, while leaders of their generation, usually are mentioned without title. In the Babli, Eruvin103b, Zevaḥim 19a, many mss. give Jehudah the title “Rebbi”. Jehudah, make space for Rav Ḥuna that he may rest there. But [Rav Ḥuna] did not accept this. They said, since he did not accept that one made space for him, so his descendants will never end. He [R. Ḥaggai] exited from there and his years were doubled106In the version of the Babli, R. Ḥaggai (Ḥagga) ran into a wall of fire and left the ossuary of R. Huna standing at the entrance to the cave..
כְּתִיב וּנְשָׂאתַנִי מִמִּצְרַיִם וּקְבַרְתַּנִי בִּקְבוּרָתָם. יַעֲקֹב כָּל־הֶן דְּהוּא מַה הוּא מְנַכֵּי. רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר אָמַר דְּבָרִים בְּגַב. רִבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר דְּבָרִים בְּגַב. רִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר דְּבָרִים בְּגַב. מַהוּ דְּבָרִים בְּגַב. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ אָמַר אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי יי֨ בְּאַרְצוֹת הַחַיִּים. וַהֲלֹא אֵין אַרְצוֹת הַחַיִּים אֶלָּא צוֹר וַחֲבֵרוֹתֶיהָ וְקֵיסָרִין וַחֲבֵרוֹתֶיהָ תַּמָּן זוֹלָא תַּמָּן שׂוֹבְעָא. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ בְּשֵׁם בַּר קַפָּרָא אֶרֶץ שֶׁמֵּיתֶיהָ חַיִּין תְּחִילָּה לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ. וּמַה טַעַם נוֹתֵן נְשָׁמָה לְעַם עָלֶיהָ. אֶלָּא מֵעַתָּה רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁבַּגּוֹלָה הִפְסִידוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי סִימַיי מַחְלִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִפְנֵיהֶן אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהֵן מִתְגַּלְגְּלִין כְּנוֹדוֹת וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהֵן מַגִּיעִין לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל נַפְשָׁן חוֹזְרוֹת עֲלֵיהֶן. וּמַה טַעַם וְהִנַּחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם עַל אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנָתַתִּי רוּחִי בָּכֶם וִחְיִיתֶם. 107There are many parallel treatments of the topic of this paragraph. Uncharacteristically, the different sources of the Yerushalmi tradition all have their own formulation; they borrow the idea but not the language: Gen.rabba 96(7), Tanḥuma Wayeḥi 3, Tanḥuma Buber Wayeḥi 6, Pesiqta rabbati 1, fol. 2b. Only Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35b) has the same language as here. Babylonian sources Ketubot 111a, Yoma 71a. It is written (Gen. 47:30): “You shall carry me from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” What would Jacob lose at any place he would be? Rebbi Eleazar gave an inner reason, Rebbi Ḥanina gave an inner reason, Rebbi Joshua ben Levi gave an inner reason108Note that the chronological order is inverted. In most other sources, the argument of R. Simeon ben Laqish is attributed to R. Eleazar.. What is the inner reason? Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, (Ps. 116:9) “I will walk before the Eternal in the Land of Life.” But the lands of life are only Tyre and its surroundings and Caesarea (maritima) and its surroundings109These are not part of the Land of Israel, at least not in the geography of the Second Commonwealth. Hence, the verse cannot apply to this world but must apply to the Future World which in the Yerushalmi is identified with the Days of the Messiah.; there is cheap (food), there is satiety. Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish in the name of Bar Qappara, the Land whose dead will live again in the days of the Messiah. What is the reason? (Is. 42:9) “He gives soul to the people on it.” That would mean that our teachers in the diaspora would lose out! Rebbi Simai said, the Holy One, praised be He, makes the earth erode before them and they roll like wine barrels110In Gen. rabba: “He makes cavities in which they move”.. When they arrive at the Land of Israel their souls return to them. What is the reason? (Ez. 37:12) “I shall deposit you on the territory of Israel111In the verse: “I shall bring you to the territory of Israel.” The return of the body precedes the return of life by two verses.,” (v. 14) “give My spirit into you, and you will live.”
רִבִּי בְּרֶכְיָה שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ. רִבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי אִימִּי. רִבִּי אִימִּי שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר. רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי חֲנִינָה וְאִית דְּאָֽמְרִין רִבִּי חֲנִינָה שָׁאַל לְרִבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. אֲפִילוּ כְגוֹן יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט וַחֲבֵירָיו. אָמַר לֵיהּ גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח שְׂרֵיפָה כָל־אַרְצָהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי בְּרֶכְיָה מַה הֵן שָׁאַל לָהֵן וְהֵן שָׁאַל לָהֵן לֹא שְׁמָעִינָן מִינָּהּ כְּלוּם. מַיי כְדוֹן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּשְׂרְפָה אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל נַעֲשֶׂה בָהֶן מִידַּת הַדִּין. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי יְהוּדָה שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים עָשָׂת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׂרֶפֶת הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב וְהִגְבִּיר בְּרִית לָרַבִּים שָׁבוּעַ אֶחָד. כּוּתִים שֶׁבָּהּ מַה הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין מַטְלִיּוֹת מַטְלִיּוֹת וְהָֽיְתָה נִשְׂרֶפֶת. Rebbi Berekhiah asked Rebbi Ḥelbo. Rebbi Ḥelbo asked Rebbi Immi. Rebbi Immi asked Rebbi Eleazar. Rebbi Eleazar asked Rebbi Ḥanina, some say Rebbi Ḥanina asked Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: Even those like Jeroboam ben Nabat and his kind? He said to him, (Deut. 29:22) “Sulphur and salt, conflagration throughout the country.” Rebbi Berekhiah said, one asked the other and we understand nothing from it. What does it mean? Since the Land of Israel was burned, judgment was executed on it112Once judgment is executed, the sinner is free from his sin. This opinion, spelled out in detail in Pesiqta rabbati (cf. Note 105), contradicts Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:2 which excludes three kings (Jeroboam, Ahab, Manasseh) from the Future World; it is in line with the Babli’s conclusion in the name of “those looking for hints”, Sanhedrin 104b–105a.. We have stated in the name of Rebbi Jehudah113In the Babli, Yoma 54a (Seder Olam 27), this statement is attributed to R. Yose. In the old Yerushalmi source, Ekhah rabbati,Petiḥah (towards the end), the name is R. Jehudah. In Pesiqta deRav Cahana (Buber) p. 114a, it is R. Simeon bar Ioḥai.: Seven years was the Land of Israel burned; that is what is written (Dan. 9:27) “The Covenant overtook the public for one week.” What did the Samaritans in it do114Since the Samaritans were settled in Samaria by the Assyrian kings and were there when the Jews returned from Babylonia, they must somehow have survived in the meantime. The answer is shortened here [and Ketubot 12:3 (fol. 35b)] to incomprehensibility. The full text is preserved in Ekhah rabbati and Pesiqta deRav Cahana: זורעין אותה מטליות מטליות זורעין כאן והיא נשרפת זורעין כאן והיא נשרפת. “They sow it pieces by pieces. They were sowing here and it was burned, they were sowing there and it was burned.”? Pieces, pieces and it was burned.
כְּתִיב וְאַתָּה פַּשְׁחוּר וְכֹל יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ תֵּלְכוּ בַּשֶּׁבִי. וּבָבֶל תָבֹא וְשָׁם תָּמוּת וְשָׁם תִּקָּבֵר. רִבִּי אַבָּא בַּר זְמִינָא אָמַר רִבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ וְרִבִּי חָמָא בַּר חֲנִינָא. חַד אָמַר מֵת שָׁם וְנִקְבַּר שָׁם יֵשׁ בְּיָדוֹ שְׁתַּיִם. מֵת שָׁם וְנִקְבַּר כָּאן יֵשׁ בְּיָדוֹ אַחַת. וְחָרָנָה אָמַר קְבוּרָה שֶׁבְּכָאן מְכַפֶּרֶת עַל מִיתָה שֶׁלָּהֶן. It is written113In the Babli, Yoma 54a (Seder Olam 27), this statement is attributed to R. Yose. In the old Yerushalmi source, Ekhah rabbati,Petiḥah (towards the end), the name is R. Jehudah. In Pesiqta deRav Cahana (Buber) p. 114a, it is R. Simeon bar Ioḥai. (Jer. 20:6–7): “But you, Pashḥur, and all inhabitants of your house will go into captivity. You will come to Babylon, die there, and be buried there116Since the passage is a curse upon Pashḥur, dying in Babylon and being buried there are two separate curses..” Rebbi Abba bar Zemina said, Rebbi Ḥelbo and Rebbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina. One of them said, if somebody dies there and is buried there, he has two [detriments] in hand. If he dies there and is buried here, he has one [detriment] in hand. The other one said, burial here atones for death there.
רִבִּי יוֹנָה בְּשֵׁם רִבִּי חָמָא בַּר חֲנִינָה רִיגְלֹיי דְבַר נַשָּׁא עֲרַבָתֵיהּ לְמִיקְמָתֵיהּ כָּל־הֶן דְּהוּא מִתְבְּעַ. כְּתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר מִי יְפַתֶּה אֶת אַחְאָב וְיַעַל וְיִפֹּל בְּרָמוֹת גִּלְעַד. וְיָמוֹת בְּתוֹךְ בֵיתוֹ וְלֹא תַמָּן. אֱלִיחוֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה תְּרֵין אֵיסֶקְרֵיטוֹרֵי דִשְׁלֹמֹה. חָמָא מַלְאַךְ מוֹתָא מִסְתַּכֵּל בּוֹן וַחֲרִיק בְּשִׁינּוֹי. אֲמַר מִילָּה וִיהָבוּן בְּחַלָּלָא. אֲזַל וְנַסְתּוּן מִן תַּמָּן אֲתָא קָאִים לֵיהּ גָּחִיךְ לְקָבְּלֵיהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ הַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא הֲוֵיתָא אִיחְרוֹק בְּשִׁנַּיִךְ וּכְדוֹן אַתְּ גָחִיךְ לָן. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֲמַר לִי רַחֲמָנָא דְּיִנְסַב לֶאֱלִיחוֹרֶף וַאֲחִיָּה מִן חֲלָלָא וְאָֽמְרִית מָאן יְהִיב לִי אִילֵּין לָהֶן דְּאִישְׁתַּלְּחִית מִינְסִיבִינִין וִיהַב בְּלִיבָּךְ לְמֵיעֲבַד כֵּן בְּגִין דְּנַעֲבִיד שְׁלִיחוּתִי. אֲזִל וְאִיטְפַּל בּוֹן מִן תַּמָּן. תְּרֵין בְּרוֹיי דְּרִבִּי רְאוּבֶן בַּר אִיסְטְרוֹבִילוֹס תַּלְמִידוֹי דְּרִבִּי. חָמָא מַלְאָכָא דְמוֹתָא מִסְתַּכֵּל בּוֹן וַחֲרִיק בְּשִׁינּוֹי וַאֲמַר נִיגְלִינוֹן לִדְרוֹמָא שֶׁמָּא הַגָּלוּת מְכַפֶּרֶת. אֲזַל וְנַסְתּוּן מִן תַּמָּן. Rebbi Jonah in the name of Rebbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina: A human’s feet guarantee to put him where he is wanted121A parallel in Babli Sukkah 53a quotes the statement in the name of R. Joḥanan.. It is written (1K. 22:20) “Who will seduce Ahab that he should go and fall in Ramot Gilead?” Might he not die in his house rather than there? Eliḥoref and Aḥiah were two of Solomon’s secretaries122Eliḥoref and Aḥiah the sons of Shisha were Soferim (1K. 4:4). In rabbinic Hebrew, סופר means “scribe”; late Latin secretarius.. He [Solomon] saw the Angel of Death looking at them and grinding his teeth. He said a word and put them into space123In the parallel in the Babli, Solomon sends them to the mythical city of Luz whose inhabitants never die, but the Angel of Death takes them at the entrance gate.. He [the Angel of Death] went and took them from there, then he came laughing before him [Solomon]. He said to him, just before you were grinding your teeth and now you are laughing at us? He said to him, the Merciful told me to take Eliḥoref and Aḥiah from space and I was wondering who would put them there where I was sent to take them; He put it into your mind to do so that I could complete my mission. I went and dealt with them there. The two sons of Rebbi Reuben ben Strobilos124A Tanna of the fourth generation, reputed to speak Latin like a Roman. Late Hellenistic Greek στροβιλᾶς, ᾶ, ὁ “dealer in pine cones” but, since pine cones were used in pagan worship, it might be better to derive the name from Greek ἀστραβηλάτης, ου, ὁ “muleteer”. were students of Rebbi. He [Rebbi] saw the Angel of Death looking at them and grinding his teeth and said, let us exile them to the South, maybe the exile atones125The doctrine that exile atones is found in Babli Berakhot 56a, Sanhedrin 37b. It is based on the biblical law of exile for the homicide.. He [the angel of death] went and took them from there.
עוּלָּא נְחוּתָא הֲוָה. אִידְמָךְ תַּמָּן שָׁרֵי בְּכִי. אָֽמְרִין לֵיהּ מַה לָךְ בְּכִי אֲנָן מַסְקִין לָךְ לְאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר לוֹן וּמַה הֲנָייָה לִי. אֲנָא מוֹבַד מַרְגָּלִיתִי גַּו אַרְעָא מְסָאבְתָא. לֹא דוֹמֶה הַפּוֹלְטָהּ בְּחֵיק אִמּוֹ לַפּוֹלְטָהּ בְּחֵיק נָכְרִיָּה. רִבִּי מֵאִיר הֲוָה אִידְמִיךְ לֵיהּ בְּאַסְּייָא. אֲמַר אֵימוֹרִין לִבְנֵי אַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הָא מְשִׁיחְכוֹן דִּידְכוֹן. אֲפִילוּ כֵן אֵמַר לוֹן יְהַבִי עַרְסִי עַל גֵּיף יַמָּא דִּכְתִיב כִּי הוּא עַל יַמִּים יְסָדָהּ וְעַל נְהָרוֹת יְכוֹנְנֶיהָ. Ulla was an emigrant. He was dying there and started to cry. They said to him, why are you crying? We shall bring you to the Land of Israel. He said to them, how does this help me? I am losing my pearl in an impure land. One cannot compare one who expires in the bosom of his mother to one who expires in the bosom of a strange woman126Ulla seems to hold that dying outside the Land of Israel is detrimental only for an inhabitant of the Land.. Rebbi Meïr was dying in Assos. He said, tell the people of the Land of Israel, there is your Messiah127It is not clear what the sentence means. The consensus of the commentators is that he sent there so a delegation should come and return the bones of the most famous teacher of his time to the Land, and that his burial on the sea shore was only a temporary measure.. With all that, he said to put his bier on the sea-cape128Since Assos (Behramkoi) is on a high cliff, he probably wanted to be buried in a place from which the sea could be seen. גיף is the same as Syriac כיף “rock.” The verse given as the reason leads to the digression about the seas and lakes of the Land of Israel. since it is written (Ps. 24:2): “For He founded it on seas, based it on rivers.”
שִׁבְעָה יַמִּים סוֹבְבִין אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. יַמָּא רַבָּא יַמָּא דְטִיבֵּרִיָא יַמָּא דְסַמְכוֹ יַמָּא דְמִילְחָא יַמָּא דְחוֹלָתָא יַמָּא דְשַׁלְייָת יַמָּא דְאַפַּמֵּיָא. וְהָא אִיכָּא יַמָּא דְחָמְץ דִּיֹּקְלֵיטִיָּנוּס הִקְוָה נְהָרוֹת וַעֲשָׂאוֹ. כְּתִיב הַנִּשְׁקָפָה עַל פְּנֵי הַיְּשִׁימוֹן. אָמַר רִבִּי חִייָה בִּרָיָא כָּל־מִי שֶהוּא עוֹלֶה לְהַר יְשִימוֹן וּמָצָא כְמִין כְּבָרָה בְּיַם טִיבֵּרִיָא זוֹ הִיא בּוֹרָהּ שֶׁל מִרְיָם. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן שַׁעֲרוּנָהּ רַבָּנִין וְהָא הִיא מְכוּוָּנָא כָּל־קֳבֵיל תַּרְעָא מְצִיעִיָּא דִכְנִישְׁתָּא עֲתִיקְתָא דְּסרונגין. “Seven seas surround the Land of Israel129The list is not only in the parallel in Ketubot but also in Babli Baba Batra 74b, Midrash Psalms 24, and, as a secondary source, YalquṭPsalms 24. The latter source and the Munich, Rome and Hamburg mss. of Baba Batra have “lake Paneas” (Banias) instead of “lake of Apamea”. The pool of the Jordan source at Banias is in the Land of Israel, Apamea is in Northern Syria (but Ḥomṣ is also in Syria). The ocean is the Mediterranean, Lake Tiberias is Lake Genezareth, the salt sea is the Dead Sea. Lake Ḥuleh in Greek sources is lake Samokhonites. What is missing in the list is Birket Ram on the Golan heights and possibly a pool at Ḥamat Gader, mentioned in Babli Šabbat 109a. Since lake Samkho is lake Ḥuleh, ימא דחולתא “the lake of the dunes” cannot be Lake Ḥuleh but might have been a swamp in the plain between Haifa and Acco since in Yalquṭ it is called “the lake of Acco”.: The ocean, lake Tiberias, lake Samkho, the salt sea, lake Ḥolata, lake Sheliat, lake Apamea.” But does there not also exist the lake of Ḥomṣ? Diocletian dammed up rivers and created it. It is written (Num. 21:20): “Looking down on the desert.” Rebbi Ḥiyya from Biria130An otherwise unknown Amora. said, if one ascends the desert mountain one finds the likeness of a sieve in lake Tiberias, that is the well of Miryam131The well accompanying the tribes of Israel during their forty years in the desert (Seder Olam, Chap. 5). The version בארה in the Rome ms., instead of בורה, is an intrusion of Babylonian traditions. The parallel in Babli Šabbat 35a identifies the mountain as Mount Carmel. As noted by the editor of Kaftor waPeraḥ (p. קלט), this is an intrusion from the preceding mention of Mt. Carmel (cf. Yerushalmi Berakhot p. 54) since the Munich ms. of the Babli identifies the sea as Lake Tiberias. The original name of the mountain in the Babylonian tradition is lost.
The place of Balaam’s vision must have been near the Dead Sea, not Lake Tiberias.. Rebbi Joḥanan said, the rabbis estimated it and it is assessed opposite the middle gate of the old synagogue of Sarongin132In Ketubot, יסרוטגין. The place is unidentified..
רִבִּי בַּרקִירִיָּא וְרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר הֲווֹן מְטַייְלִין בְּאִיסְטַרִין רָאוּ אֲרוֹנוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ בָּאִין מֵחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ לָאָרֶץ. אָמַר רִבִּי בַּרקִירִיָּא לְרִבִּי לָֽעְזָר מַה הוֹעִילוּ אֵילּוּ. אֲנִי קוֹרֵא עֲלֵיהֶם וְנַחֲלָתִי שַׂמְתֶּם לְתוֹעֵיבָה בְּחַיֵּיכֶם. וַתָּבוֹאוּ וַתְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת אַרְצִי בְּמִיתַתְכֶם. אָמַר לֵיהּ כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵן מַגִּיעִין לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵן נוֹטְלִין גּוּשׁ עָפָר וּמַנִּיחִין עַל אֲרוֹנָן. דִּכְתִיב וְכִפֶּר אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ. Rebbi Bar Qiria133An otherwise unknown Amora. The name tradition of this paragraph is thoroughly unsatisfactory. In Gen.rabba 97 as well as Tanḥuma Wayeḥi it is Rebbi (R. Jehuda II Nesia) and R. Eleazar. In Pesiqta rabbati 1 it is (a likewise unknown) R. Beroqia and R. Eleazar. and Rebbi Eleazar were talking a walk on the road when they saw coffins being brought into the Land from abroad. Rebbi Bar Qiria said to Rebbi Eleazar: What good is that going to do them? I am reading for them (Jer. 2:7) “My inheritance your considered an abomination134Since you did not live in the Land.” during your lifetime, “you came and made My Land impure135By the impurity of the dead.” in your death. He said to him, when they arrive in the Land, one takes a lump of earth and puts it on the coffin, as it is written (Deut. 32:43) “His earth atones for His people.136Therefore, one puts earth from the Holy Land into or on a coffin even for burial outside the Land. Yalquṭ Psalms 116 directly connects Deut. 32:43 with the earlier statement that even Jeroboam and people like him have a part in the Future World.”