AND THE MIDDLE BAR IN THE MIDST OF THE BOARDS SHALL PASS THROUGH FROM END TO END. R. Judah here quoted the verse, “Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due time” (Eccl. 10, 17). ‘What’, he said, ‘precedes this? “Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning”.’ Said he: ‘Woe unto mankind that they neglect the worship of their Lord, though He perpetually lavishes upon them His providential care, setting before them the precious treasure of the Torah, which they neglect.
There are, as we have learnt, three cardinal duties which a man must fulfil towards his son, namely, circumcision, redemption of the first-born, and the finding of a wife; and all three God performs for Israel; circumcision, as it is written, “And the Lord shall circumcise thy heart” (Deut. 30, 6); redemption, as it is written, “And the Lord thy God hath redeemed thee” (Deut. 15, 15); the finding of a wife, as it is written, “He created them male and female, and God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1, 27, 28). Moreover, he carried his children on his wings (Ex. 19, 4).
Said R. Jose: ‘AII these benefits which He gave unto Israel were great, but the Torah is the greatest of all. For there is nothing which so ennobles a man, either in this world or in the world to come, as the Torah, concerning which it is written, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice” (Prov. 8, 15).
We are told that when Rab Huna went to Palestine he found the students there discoursing on the verse, “And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he had swallowed up, and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him” (Jer. 51, 44). They paid no attention to Rab Huna, as he was not known to them, being still young. When he entered the house of study, he found the students somewhat puzzled by the fact that Bel is given as the name of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, whereas elsewhere we read, “But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, as the name of my god” (Dan. 4, 5); and also, as to the exact meaning of the words, “I will bring out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up”.
וְהַבְּרִיחַ הַתִּיכוֹן בְּתוֹךְ הַקְּרָשִׁים מַבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח (קהלת י׳:י״ז) (צ"ה ע"ב) אַשְׁרֵיךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ בֶּן חוֹרִים וְשָׂרַיִךְ בָּעֵת יֹאכֵלוּ. וּכְתִיב, אִי לָךָ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ נָעַר וְשָׂרַיִךְ בַּבֹּקֶר יֹאכֵלוּ. (במאי אוקימנא הני קראי) וַוי לְעָלְמָא דְּלָא מַשְׁגְּחָן בְּפוּלְחָנָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן, דְּהָא מָארֵיהוֹן אַשְׁגַּח בְּגִינֵיהוֹן לְאוֹטָבָא לְהוּ, דְּאָנַח קָמַיְיהוּ פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלָא מַשְׁגְּחָן.
AND THE MIDDLE BAR IN THE MIDST OF THE BOARDS SHALL PASS THROUGH FROM END TO END. R. Judah here quoted the verse, “Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due time” (Eccl. 10, 17). ‘What’, he said, ‘precedes this? “Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning”.’ Said he: ‘Woe unto mankind that they neglect the worship of their Lord, though He perpetually lavishes upon them His providential care, setting before them the precious treasure of the Torah, which they neglect.
דְּתָנֵינָן, תְּלַת מִלִּין בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְמֶעְבַּד לִבְרֵיהּ, מִילָה, וּפִדְיוֹן, וּלְנַסְבָא לֵיהּ אִנְתּוּ. וְכֹלָּא עָבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. מִילָה: דִּכְתִּיב, (יהושע ה׳:ב׳) וְשׁוּב מוֹל אֶת בְּנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁנִית. וּכְתִיב (בראשית י״ז:י״ב) וּבֶן שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים יִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל זָכָר. פִּדְיוֹן. דִּכְתִּיב, (דברים טו) וַיִּפְדְּךָ (יי אלהיך) (ס"א (דברים ז׳:ח׳) מבית עבדים) מִיַּד פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרָיִם. לְנַסְּבָא לֵיהּ אִנְתּוּ: דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית א׳:כ״ח) זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אוֹתָם, וּכְתִיב וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ. תּוּ, אַטִּיל לְהוּ כְּהַאי נִשְׁרָא, דְּאָטִיל לִבְנוֹי עַל גַּדְפּוֹי, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות י״ט:ד׳) וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים.
There are, as we have learnt, three cardinal duties which a man must fulfil towards his son, namely, circumcision, redemption of the first-born, and the finding of a wife; and all three God performs for Israel; circumcision, as it is written, “And the Lord shall circumcise thy heart” (Deut. 30, 6); redemption, as it is written, “And the Lord thy God hath redeemed thee” (Deut. 15, 15); the finding of a wife, as it is written, “He created them male and female, and God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1, 27, 28). Moreover, he carried his children on his wings (Ex. 19, 4).
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי, כֹּלָּא הוּא יֵאוֹת, אֲבָל אוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאַהֲדָר קָמַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוֹלִיף לוֹן, יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא. תָּא חֲזִי, לֵית שְׁבָחָא דְּבַר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, כִּשְׁבָחָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דִּכְתִּיב בָּהּ (משלי ה) בִּי מְלָכִים יִמְלכוּ.
Said R. Jose: ‘AII these benefits which He gave unto Israel were great, but the Torah is the greatest of all. For there is nothing which so ennobles a man, either in this world or in the world to come, as the Torah, concerning which it is written, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice” (Prov. 8, 15).
(מדרש הנעלם הוא) דְּהָא תָּנֵינָן כַּד סָלִיק רַב הוּנָא לְהָתָם, אַשְׁכַּח רַבָּנָן דַּהֲווֹ עַסְקֵי בְּהַאי קְרָא, דִּכְתִּיב, (ירמיהו נ״א:מ״ד) וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל בֵּל בְּבָבֶל וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת בִּלְעוֹ מִפִּיו וְלֹא יִנְהֲרוּ אֵלָיו עוֹד גּוֹיִם. וְרַב הוּנָא לָא הֲווֹ מַשְׁגִּיחִין בֵּיהּ, דְּהָא לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָן לֵיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, בְּגִין דְּהֲוָה זְעֵיר. עָאל לְבֵי מִדְרָשָׁא, וְאַשְׁכַּח רַבָּנָן דַּהֲווֹ אַמְרֵי, הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בֵּיהּ, אִי טַעֲוָתֵיהּ וְדָחַלְתֵּיהּ דִּנְבוּכַדְנֶצַר הֲוָה שְׁמֵיהּ בֵּל, הָא כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (דניאל ד׳:ה׳) וְעַד אָחֳרִין עַל קֳדָמַי דָּנִיאֵל דִּי שְׁמֵהּ בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר כְּשֻׁם אֱלָהִי. וְעוֹד, מַאי וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת בִּלְעוֹ מִפִּיו.
We are told that when Rab Huna went to Palestine he found the students there discoursing on the verse, “And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he had swallowed up, and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him” (Jer. 51, 44). They paid no attention to Rab Huna, as he was not known to them, being still young. When he entered the house of study, he found the students somewhat puzzled by the fact that Bel is given as the name of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, whereas elsewhere we read, “But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, as the name of my god” (Dan. 4, 5); and also, as to the exact meaning of the words, “I will bring out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up”.