R. Jose and R. Isaac were once walking together when the former said: ‘It is written, “Thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight and the holy of the Lord honourable, and shalt honour it, not doing thine own ways” (Isa. 58, 13). So far I understand. But what is the meaning of the next words: “Nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words”? What derogation is there in this for the Sabbath?’
He replied: ‘Truly it is derogatory. For there is no word which issues from the mouth of a man but has a voice which rises aloft and awakens something else, namely that which is called “ordinary” above, belonging to the ordinary days. Now if the ordinary is awakened on the holy day, it is counted something derogatory above, and the Holy One and the Community of Israel ask: Who is this that seeks to break up our union, who is it that seeks the ordinary here? The Ancient Holy One appears not and rests not on the ordinary.
For this reason it is permitted on Sabbath to think about ordinary things, because mere thinking produces no effect, but if a word issues from a man’s mouth it becomes a voice and rises aloft and breaks through ethers and firmaments and arouses something else. Therefore it says, “Not to find thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own word”. But if a man utters a holy word of the Torah, it rises aloft and arouses the saints of the King, who set a crown on its head, so that there is rejoicing above and below.’
רִבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרִבִּי יִצְחָק הֲווֹ אַזְלֵי בְּאוֹרְחָא, אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי לְרִבִּי יִצְחָק, כְּתִיב (ישעיהו נ״ח:י״ג) וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג לִקְדוֹשׁ יְיָ' מְכֻבָּד וְגוֹ', וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ שַׁפִּיר. אֲבָל מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר מָה הוּא. וּמַאי גְּרִיעוּתָא הוּא לְשַׁבָּת.
R. Jose and R. Isaac were once walking together when the former said: ‘It is written, “Thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight and the holy of the Lord honourable, and shalt honour it, not doing thine own ways” (Isa. 58, 13). So far I understand. But what is the meaning of the next words: “Nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words”? What derogation is there in this for the Sabbath?’
אָמַר לֵיהּ, וַדַאי גְּרִיעוּתָא הוּא, דְּלֵית לָךְ מִלָּה וּמִלָּה דְּנָפִיק מִפּוּמֵיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ, דְּלֵית לָהּ קָלָא, וְסַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, וְאִתְעַר מִלָּה אָחֳרָא. וּמַאי הוּא. הַהוּא דְּאִקְרֵי חוֹל, (לעילא) מֵאִינּוּן יוֹמִין דְּחוֹל. וְכַד אִתְעַר חוֹל בְּיוֹמָא קַדִּישָׁא, גְּרִיעוּתָא הוּא לְעֵילָּא וַדַּאי. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל שָׁאֲלֵי עָלֵיהּ, מַאן הוּא דְּבָעֵי לְאַפְרְשָׁא זִוּוּגָא דִּילָן. מַאן הוּא דְּבָעֵי חוֹל הָכָא. עַתִּיקָא קַדִּישָׁא לָא אִתְחֲזֵי, וְלָא שַׁרְיָא עַל חוֹל.
He replied: ‘Truly it is derogatory. For there is no word which issues from the mouth of a man but has a voice which rises aloft and awakens something else, namely that which is called “ordinary” above, belonging to the ordinary days. Now if the ordinary is awakened on the holy day, it is counted something derogatory above, and the Holy One and the Community of Israel ask: Who is this that seeks to break up our union, who is it that seeks the ordinary here? The Ancient Holy One appears not and rests not on the ordinary.
בְּגִין כַּךְ, הִרְהוּר מוּתָּר. מַאי טַעְמָא. בְּגִין דְּהִרְהוּר לָא עָבִיד מִדִי וְלָא אִתְעָבִיד מִנֵּיהּ קָלָא, וְלָא סָלִיק. אֲבָל לְבָתַר דְּאַפִּיק מִלָּה מִפּוּמֵיהּ, הַהוּא מִלָּה אִתְעָבִיד קָלָא, וּבָקַע אֲוִירִין וּרְקִיעִין, וְסַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, וְאִתְעַר מִלָּה אָחֳרָא. וְעַל דָּא מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר כְּתִיב. וּמַאן דְּאַפִּיק מִלָּה קַדִּישָׁא מִפּוּמֵיהּ, מִלָּה דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִתְעָבִיד מִנֵּיהּ קָלָא, וְסָלִיק לְעֵילָּא, וְאִתְעֲרוּ קִדּוּשֵׁי מַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, וּמִתְעַטְּרָן בְּרֵישֵׁיהּ, וּכְדֵין אִשְׁתְּכַח חֶדְוָותָא לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא.
For this reason it is permitted on Sabbath to think about ordinary things, because mere thinking produces no effect, but if a word issues from a man’s mouth it becomes a voice and rises aloft and breaks through ethers and firmaments and arouses something else. Therefore it says, “Not to find thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own word”. But if a man utters a holy word of the Torah, it rises aloft and arouses the saints of the King, who set a crown on its head, so that there is rejoicing above and below.’