Chapter IV: Part 4

_Succah_, fol. 29, col. 2.

"And the Lord showed me four carpenters" (Zech. i, 20). Who are these four carpenters? Rav Ghana bar Bizna says that Rabbi Shimon Chassida said they were Messiah the son of David, Messiah the son of Joseph, Elijah, and the Priest of Righteousness.

Ibid., fol. 52, col. 2.

No Synagogue is to be sold except on condition that there be power of re-purchase. These are the words of Rabbi Meir; but the sages say it may be sold unconditionally, except in these four particular cases: that it be not turned into a bath-house, a tannery, a wash-house, or a laundry.

_Meggillah_, fol. 27, col. 2.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai was once asked by his disciples how he had attained such length of days. "Never once," he said, "in my life have I acted irreverently within four cubits of a place where prayer is offered; never have I called a person by a wicked name; nor have I ever failed to sanctify the Sabbath over a cup of wine. Once my aged mother sold her head-dress to buy the consecration wine for me."

Ibid., fol. 27, col. 2.

When a sage is approaching, one should rise up before he gets within four ells' distance, and remain standing until he has gone as far past. When a chief magistrate is about to pass, one must rise as soon as he comes in sight, and not resume the seat until he has passed four ells. When a prince passes, one must stand up whenever he appears, and not sit down again until the prince himself is seated; for it is said (Exod. xxxiii, 8), "All the people rose up, ... and looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle."

_Kiddushin_, fol. 33, col. 2.

When Nero came to the Holy Land, he tried his fortune by belemnomancy thus:--He shot an arrow eastward, and it fell upon Jerusalem; he discharged his shafts towards the four points of the compass, and every time they fell upon Jerusalem. After this he met a Jewish boy, and said unto him, "Repeat to me the text thou hast learned to-day." The boy repeated, "I will lay my vengeance upon Edom (i.e., Rome) by the hand of my people Israel" (Ezek. xxv. 14). Then said Nero, "The Holy One--blessed be He!--has determined to destroy His Temple and then avenge Himself on the agent by whom its ruin is wrought." Thereupon Nero fled and became a Jewish proselyte, and Rabbi Meir is of his race.

_Gittin_, fol. 56, col. 1.

They whose banquet is accompanied with four kinds of instruments of music bring five calamities on the world; as it is said (Isa. v. 11-15), "Woe unto those that get up early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink; and continue until late at night, till flushed with wine. And the harp and psaltery, tambourine and flute, and wine are at their carousals."

_Soteh_, fol. 48, col. 1.

Let him carry the purse, and halt every time he accomplishes less than four cubits forward.

_Shabbath_, fol. 153, cols, 1, 2.

Rav Yitzchak here explains how the good Jew, belated on
Sabbath-eve, may carry his purse himself, and so save his
conscience. The traveler is to halt at about every other step,
and so measure off the journey in four-cubit stages.

Though ever since the destruction of the Temple the Sanhedrin has ceased to exist, the four kinds of capital punishment have not failed to assert themselves. If a man incurs the penalty of death by stoning, he is in the course of Providence either punished by a fatal fall from a roof or slain by some beast of prey; if he has exposed himself to the penalty of death by burning, it happens that he is either burned to death in the end or mortally stung by a serpent; if the penalty of the law is that he should be beheaded for his offense, he meets his death either from the Government officer or by the hand of an assassin; if the penalty be strangulation, he is sure to be drowned or suffocated.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 37, col. 2.

When a person is in a state of apprehension and cannot make out the cause of it (the star that presided at his birth and his genii know all about it), what should he do? Let him jump from where he is standing four cubits, or else let him repeat, "Hear, O Israel," etc. (Deut. vi. 4); or if the place be unfit for the repetition of Scripture, let him mutter to himself, "The goat at the butcher's is fatter than me."

Ibid., fol. 94, col. 1.

It is written in 2 Chron. xxxiii. 7, "A carved image;" and again it is written in verse 19, "Graven images." Rabbi Yochanan said, "At first he made the image with one face, but afterwards he made it with four--four, so that the Shechinah might see it from every point, and thus be exasperated."

Ibid., fol. 103, col. 2.

Moses uttered four judgments upon Israel, but four prophets revoked them:--(1.) First Moses said (Deut. xxxiii. 28), "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone;" then came Amos and set it aside (Amos vii. 5), "Cease, I beseech thee," etc.; and then it is written (verse 6), "This shall not be, saith the Lord." (2.) First Moses said (Deut. xxviii. 65), "Among these nations thou shalt find no ease;" then came Jeremiah and set this saying aside (Jer. xxxi. 2), "Even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest." (3.) First Moses said (Exod. xxxiv. 7), "Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children;" then came Ezekiel and set this aside (Ezek. xviii. 4), "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (4.) First Moses said (Lev. xxvi. 38), "And ye shall perish among the heathen;" then came Isaiah and reversed this (Isa. xxvii. 13), "And it shall come to pass in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish."

_Maccoth_, fol. 24, col. 1.

When Akavyah ben Mahalalel appeared to four halachahs contradicting the judgment of the wise on a certain important point of law, "Retract," they said, "and we will promote thee to be president of the tribunal." To which he replied, "I would rather be called a fool all the days of my life than be judged wicked for one hour before Him who is omnipresent."

_Edioth_, chap. 5, mish. 6.

Let thy house be open wide toward the south, the east, the west, and the north, just as Job, who made four entrances to his house, in order that the poor might find entrance without trouble from whatever quarter they might come.

_Avoth d'Rav. Nathan_, chap. 7,

Rabbah once saw a sea-monster on the day it was brought forth, and it was as large as Mount Tabor. And how large is Mount Tabor? Its neck was three miles long, and where it laid its head a mile and a half. Its dung choked up the Jordan, till, as Rashi says, its waters washed it away.

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 73, col. 2.

Shemuel said, "We know remedies for all maladies except three:--That induced by unripe dates on an empty stomach; that induced by wearing a damp linen rope round one's loins; and that induced by falling asleep after meals without having first walked a distance of at least four cubits."

_Bava Metzia_, fol. 113, col. 2.

The five times repeated "Bless the Lord, O my soul" (Ps. ciii. civ.), were said by David with reference both to God and the soul. As God fills the whole world, so does the soul fill the whole body; as God sees and is not seen, so the soul sees and is not seen; as God nourishes the whole world, so does the soul nourish the whole body; as God is pure, so also is the soul pure; as God dwelleth in secret, so does the soul dwell in secret. Therefore let him who possesses these five properties praise Him to whom these five attributes belong.

_Berachoth_, fol. 10, col. 1.

Five things have in them a sixtieth part of five other things:--Fire, honey, the Sabbath, sleep, and dreams. Fire is a sixtieth of hell, honey a sixtieth of manna, the Sabbath a sixtieth of the rest in the world to come, sleep the sixtieth of death, and a dream the sixtieth of prophecy.

_Berachoth_, fol. 57, col. 2.

There are five weak things that are a source of terror to the strong:--The mosquito is a terror to the lion, the gnat is a terror to the elephant, the ichneumon-fly is a terror to the scorpion, the flycatcher is a terror to the eagle, and the stickleback is a terror to the leviathan.

_Shabbath_, fol. 77, col. 2.

These five should be killed even on the Sabbath:--The fly of Egypt, the wasp of Nineveh, the scorpion of Hadabia, the serpent of the land of Israel, and the mad dog anywhere and everywhere.

Ibid., fol. 121, col. 2.

Five things did Canaan teach his children:--To love one another, to perpetrate robbery, to practice wantonness, to hate their masters, and not to speak the truth.

_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 2.

Five things were in the first Temple which were not in the second:--The ark and its cover, with the cherubim; the fire; the Shechinah; the Holy Spirit; and the Urim and Thummim.

_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.

Five things are said respecting the mad dog:--Its mouth gapes wide, it drops its saliva, its ears hang down, its tail is curled between its legs, and it slinks along the side of the road. Rav says that a dog's madness is caused by witches sporting with it. Samuel says it is because an evil spirit rests upon it.

Ibid., fol. 83, col. 2.

When a man has betrothed one of five women, and does not remember which of the five it is, while each of them claims the right of betrothment, then he is duty bound to give to each a bill of divorcement, and to distribute the dowry due to one among them all. This decision is according to Rabbi Tarphon, but Rabbi Akiva holds that he must not only divorce each, but give to each the legal dowry, otherwise he fails in his duty.

_Yevamoth_, fol. 118, col. 2.

When a person having robbed one of five does not remember which of the five it was he had robbed, and each claims to have been the victim of the robbery, then he is to part the stolen property (or the value of it) among them all, and go his way. So says Rabbi Tarphon, but Rabbi Akiva argues that the defaulter does not in this way fully exonerate himself; he must restore to each and all the full value of the plunder.

_Yevamoth_, fol. 118, col. 2.

These things are said concerning garlic:--It nourishes, it glows inwardly, it brightens the complexion, and increases virility. Some say that it is a philtre for love, and that it exterminates jealousy.

_Bava Kama_, fol. 82, col. 1.

Five things cause forgetfulness:--Partaking of what has been gnawed by a mouse or a cat, eating bullock's heart, habitual use of olives, drinking water that has been washed in, and placing the feet one upon the other while bathing.

_Horayoth_, fol. 13, col. 2.

Five things restore the memory again:--Bread baked upon coals, soft-boiled eggs without salt, habitual use of olive oil, mulled wine, and plenty of salt.

Ibid.

He who does not cheer the bridegroom whose wedding breakfast he has enjoyed transgresses against the five voices (mentioned in Jer. xxxiii. II):--"The voice of joy, the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say 'Praise ye the Lord of Hosts.'"

_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 2.

Mount Sinai had five names:--(1.) Wilderness of Zin, because on it the Israelites were commanded to observe the law; (2.) Wilderness of Kadesh, because on it the Israelites were consecrated to receive the law; (3.) Wilderness of Kedemoth, because precedence was there given to Israel over all other nations; (4.) Wilderness of Paran, because there the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied; (5.) Wilderness of Sinai, because from it enmity came to be cherished to the Gentiles. It was denominated Horeb according to Rabbi Abhu, because from it came down destruction to the Gentiles.

_Shabbath_, fol. 89, cols, 1, 2.

Mar (the master) has said, "From dawn to the appearance of the sun is five miles." How is this proved? It is written (Gen. xix. 15), "When the dawn arose the angels hurried Lot;" and it is added (verse 25), "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar." And Rabbi Chanena said, "I myself have seen that place, and the distance is five miles."

_P'sachim_, fol. 93, col. 2.

He that cooks in milk the ischiadic sinew on an annual festival is to be scourged five times forty stripes save one:--For cooking the sinew, for eating the sinew, for cooking flesh in milk, for eating flesh cooked in milk, and for lighting the fire.

_Baitza_, fol. 12, col. 1.

To this very day this sinew is extracted from the hind quarters
of all animals before it is allowable for a Jew to eat them.
This operation, in popular parlance, is termed porging.

The mysteries of the law are not to be communicated except to those who possess the faculties of these five in combination:--"The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator" (see Isa. iii. 3).

_Chaggigah_, fol. 13, col. 1.

"Captain of fifty." This should be read, not captain of fifty, but captain of five, that is, such as knew how to manage the five-fifths of the law (or Pentateuch).

Ibid., fol. 14, col. 1.

Five characteristics were ascribed to the fire upon the altar:--It crouched there like a lion, it shone as the sun, it was perceptible to the touch, it consumed liquids as though they were dry materials, it caused no smoke.

_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.

How is it that the word signifying "And I will be glorified," occurs in Hag. i. 8 without the letter which is the symbol for five, though it is sounded as if that letter was there? It indicates the absence of five things from the second Temple which were to be found in the first, (1.) The ark, i.e., the mercy-seat of the cherubim; (2.) the fire from heaven upon the altar; (3.) the visible presence; (4.) the Holy Spirit (of prophecy, says Rashi); and (5.) the Urim and Thummim.

Ibid.

How then, it may be asked, if these five tokens of the Divine
presence and favor which rendered the first Temple so glorious
were wanting in the second could it be said (Hag. ii. 9), "The
glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former"?
It is a question which it is natural to ask, and it should be
ingenuously answered. Is it that these were tending to usurp the
place of the spiritual, of which they were but the assurance and
the symbol, and darken rather than reveal the eternal reality
they adumbrated?

The Israelites relished any flavor they fancied in the manna except the flavor of these five things (mentioned in Num. xi. 59):--"Cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic."

_Yoma_, fol. 75, col. 1.

Five things happened to our forefathers on the 17th of Tammuz, and five on the 9th of Ab. On the 17th of Tammuz (1.) the tables of the covenant were broken; (2.) the daily sacrifice was done away with; (3.) the city walls were cleft asunder; (4.) Apostumes burned the roll of the law; (5.) and set up an idol in the temple. On the 9th of Ab (1.) the decree was uttered that our ancestors should not enter the land of Canaan; both the (2.) first and the (3.) second Temple were destroyed; (4.) Byther was subjugated and (5.) the city was plowed up.

_Taanith_, fol. 26, cols, 1, 2.

The Rabbis have taught where it is we learn that if one has five sons by five wives he is bound to redeem each and all of them. It is from what is taught in Exod. xxxiv. 20, where it is said, "All the first born of thy sons shalt thou redeem."

_Kiddushin_. fol. 29. col. 2.

If Israel had not sinned they would have had no other Scriptures than the five-fifths of the law (that is, the Pentateuch) and the book of Joshua, which last is indispensable, because therein is recorded how the land was distributed among the sons of Israel; but the remainder was added, "Because in much wisdom is much grief" (Eccles. i. 18).

_Nedarim_, fol. 22, col. 2.

"If a man steal an ox or a sheep and kill it or sell it, five oxen shall be given in restitution for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep" (Exod. xxii. 1). From this observe the value put upon work. For the loss of an ox, because it involves the loss of labor, the owner is recompensed with five oxen; but for the loss of a sheep, which does no work, he is only recompensed with four.

_Bava Kama_, fol. 79, col. 2.

"And Esau came from the field, and he was faint" (Gen. xxv. 29). Rabbi Yochanan said that wicked man committed on that day five transgressions:--He committed rape, committed murder, denied the being of God, denied the resurrection from the dead, and despised the birthright.

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.

There are five celebrated idolatrous temples, and these are the names of them:--The Temple of Bel in Babylon, the Temple of Nebo in Chursi, the Temple of Thretha in Maphog, the Temple of Zeripha in Askelon, and the Temple of Nashra in Arabia. When Rabbi Dimmi came from Palestine to Babylon he said there were others, viz, the Temple of Yarid in Ainbechi, and that of Nadbacha in Accho.

_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 11, col. 2.

"And they also transgressed my covenant, which I have commanded them; and they also have taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and have also put it among their own stuff" (Josh. vii. 11). Rav Illaa says, in the name of Rav Yehudah ben Mispartha, the fivefold repetition of the particle also shows that Achan had trespassed against all the five books of Moses. The same Rabbi further adds that Achan had obliterated the sign of the covenant, for it is said in relation to him, "And they have also transgressed my covenant;" and with reference to circumcision, "He hath broken my covenant."

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 44, col. 1.

He who eats an ant is flogged five times with forty stripes save one.

_Maccoth_, fol. 16, col. 2.

Rabbi Akiva used to say there are five judgments on record each of twelve months' duration:--That of the deluge, that of Job, that of the Egyptians, that of Gog and Magog, and that of the wicked in hell. This last is said of those whose demerits outweigh their virtues, or those who have sinned against their bodies.

_Edioth_, chap. 2, mish. 10.

Five possessions hath the Holy One--blessed be He!--purchased for Himself in this world:--(1.) The law is one possession (Prov. viii. 22); (2.) Heaven and earth is one possession (Isa. lxvi. 1, Ps. civ. 24); (3.) Abraham is one possession (Gen. xiv. 9); (4.) Israel is one possession (Exod. xv. 16); (5.) the Temple is one possession, as it is said (Exod. xv. 17), "The sanctuary, O Lord, Thy hands have established." And it is also said (Ps. lxxviii. 54), "And He brought them to the border of His sanctuary, even to this mountain, which His right hand had purchased."

_Avoth_, chap. 6.

Rabbi Akiva says he who marries a woman not suited to him violates five precepts:--(1.) Thou shalt not avenge; (2.) thou shalt not bear a grudge; (3.) thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; (4.) thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; (5.) and that thy brother may live with thee. For if he hates her he wishes she were dead, and thus he diminishes the population.

_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 26.

Five have no forgiveness of sins:--(1.) He who keeps on sinning and repenting alternately; (2.) he who sins in a sinless age; (3.) he who sins on purpose to repent; (4.) he who causes the name of God to be blasphemed. The fifth is not given in the Talmud.

Ibid., chap. 39.

He who has no fringes to his garment transgresses five positive commands (see Num. xv. 38. etc.; Deut. xxii. 12).

_Menachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.

A learner who, after five years, sees no profit in studying, will never see it. Rabbi Yossi says, after three years, as it is written (Dan. i. 4, 5), "That they should be taught the literature and the language of the Chaldeans," so educating them in three years.

_Chullin_, fol. 24, col. 1.

Any one who doeth any of these things sinneth against himself, and his blood is upon his own head:--He that (1.) eats garlic, onions, or eggs which were peeled the night before; (2.) or drinks water drawn over night; (3.) or sleeps all night in a burying-place; (4.) or pares his nails and throws the cuttings into the public street.

_Niddah_, fol. 17, col. 1.

Rabbi Yossi said:--"Never once in all my life have the walls of my house seen the hem of my shirt; and I have planted five cedars (sons are figuratively so termed, see Ps. xcii. 12) in Israel--namely, Rabbis Ishmael, Eliezar, Chalafta, Artilas, and Menachem. Never once in my life have I spoken of my wife by any other name than house, and of my ox by any other name than field."

_Shabbath_, fol. 118, col. 2.

Six things are a disgrace to a disciple of the wise:--To walk abroad perfumed, to walk alone by night, to wear old clouted shoes, to talk with a woman in the street, to sit at table with illiterate men, and to be late at the synagogue. Some add to these, walking with a proud step or a haughty gait.

_Berachoth_, fol. 43, col. 2.

A soft-boiled egg is better than six ounces of fine flour.

Ibid., fol. 44, col. 2.

Six things are a certain cure for sickness:--Cabbage, beetroot, water distilled from dry moss, honey, the maw and the matrix of an animal, and the edge of the liver.

Ibid.

These six things are good symptoms in an invalid:--Sneezing, perspiration, evacuation, seminal emission, sleep, and dreaming.

Ibid., fol. 57, col. 2.

Six things bear interest in this world and the capital remaineth in the world to come:--Hospitality to strangers, visiting the sick, meditation in prayer, early attendance at the school of instruction, the training of sons to the study of the law, and judging charitably of one's neighbors.

_Shabbath_, fol. 127, col. 1.

There are six sorts of tears, three good and three bad:--Those caused by smoke, or grief, or constipation are bad; and those caused by fragrant spices, laughter, and aromatic herbs are good.

Ibid., fol. 151, col. 2; fol. 152, col. 1.

Six things are said respecting the illiterate:--No testimony is to be borne to them, none is to be accepted from them; no secret is to be disclosed to them; they are not to be appointed guardians over orphans, nor keepers of the charity-box, and there should be no fellowship with them when on a journey. Some say also no public notice is to be given of their lost property.

_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.

The expression here rendered "illiterate" means literally
"people of the land," and was, there is reason to believe,
originally applied to the primitive inhabitants of Canaan,
traces of whom may still be found among the fellahin of Syria.
They appear, like the aboriginal races in many countries of
Christendom in relation to Christianity, to have remained
generation after generation obdurately inaccessible to Jewish
ideas, and so to have given name to the ignorant and untaught
generally. This circumstance may account for the harshness of
some of the quotations which are appended in reference to them.

He who aspires to be a fellow of the learned must not sell fruit, either green or dry, to an illiterate man, nor may he buy fresh fruit of him. He must not be the guest of an ignorant man, nor receive such an one as his guest.

_Demai_, chap. 2, mish. 2.

Our Rabbis teach, Let a man sell all that he has and marry the daughter of a learned man. If he cannot find the daughter of a learned man, let him marry the daughter of one of the great men of his day. If he does not find such a one, let him marry the daughter of one of the heads of the congregation, or, failing this, the daughter of a charity collector, or even the daughter of a schoolmaster; but let him not marry the daughter of an illiterate man, for the unlearned are an abomination, as also their wives and their daughters.

_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.

It is said that Rabbi (the Holy) teaches that it is illegal for an unlearned man to eat animal food, for it is said (Lev. xi. 46), "This is the law of the beast and the fowl;" therefore he who studies the law may eat animal food, but he who does not study the law may not. Rabbi Eliezar said, "It is lawful to split open the nostrils of an unlearned man, even on the Day of Atonement which happens to fall on a Sabbath." To which his disciples responded, "Rabbi, say rather to slaughter him." He replied, "Nay, that would require the repetition of the usual benediction; but in tearing open his nostrils no benedictory formula is needed." Rabbi Eliezar has also said, "It is unlawful to travel with such a one, for it is said (Deut. xxx. 30), 'For it is thy life and the length of thy days.' The unlearned does not ensure his own life (since he has no desire to study the law, which would prolong life), how much less then will he regard the life of his neighbor?" Rabbi Samuel, son of Nachman, says on behalf of Rabbi Yochanan, that it is lawful to split open an unlearned man like a fish. "Aye," adds Rabbi Samuel, "and that from his back."

_P'sachim_, fol. 49, col. 2.

Rav Yehudah says it is good to eat the pulp of a pumpkin with beetroot as a remedy, also the essence of hemp seed in Babylonian broth; but it is not lawful to mention this in the presence of an illiterate man, because he might derive a benefit from the knowledge not meant for him.

_Nedarim_, fol. 49, col. 1.

No contribution or heave-offering should be given to an ignorant priest.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 90, col. 2.

No boor can be pious, nor an ignorant man a saint.

_Avoth_, chap. 2, mish. 6.

Sleep in the morning, wine at mid-day, the idle talk of inexperienced youth, and attending the conventicles of the ignorant drive a man out of the world.

Ibid., chap. 3, mish. 16.

Rabbi Jonathan says, "Where do we learn that no present is to be made to an ignorant priest?" In 2 Chron. xxxi. 4, for there it is said Hezekiah "commanded that all the people that dwelt in Jerusalem should give a portion to the priests and to the Levites, that they might be strong in the law of the Lord." He who firmly lays hold of the law has a claim to a portion, otherwise he has none.

_Chullin_, fol. 130, col. 2.

The aged, if ignorant, grow weaker in intellect the older they become in years, for it is written (Job xii. 20), "He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged." But it is not so with them that are old in the study of the law, for the older they grow the more thoughtful they become, and the wiser, as it is said (Job xii. 12), "With the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days understanding."

_Kinnin_, chap. 3.

The salutation of the ignorant should be responded to quietly, and with a reluctant nod of the head.

_Taanith_, fol. 14, col. 2.

No calamities ever befall the world except such as are brought on by the ignorant.

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 8, col. 1.

Rav Hunna's widow once appeared before Rav Nachman as plaintiff in a lawsuit. "What shall I do?" he said. "If I rise before her (to honor her as the widow of a Rabbi), the defendant, who is an _amhaaretz_, will feel uneasy; and if I don't rise I shall break the rule which ordains that the wife of an associate is to be treated as an associate." So he said to his servant, "Loose a young goose over my head, then I'll get up."

Rav bar Sheravyah had a lawsuit with an _amhaaretz_ before Rav Pappa, who bade him be seated, and also asked the other to sit down. When the officer of the court raised the _amhaaretz_ with a kick, the magistrate did not request him to be seated again.

_Shevuoth_, fol. 30, col. 2.

Six things are said respecting demons. In three particulars they are like angels, and in three they resemble men. They have wings like angels; like angels they fly from one end of the world to the other, and they know the future, as angels do, with this difference, that they learn by listening behind the veil what angels have revealed to them within. In three respects they resemble men. They eat and drink like men, they beget and increase like men, and like men they die.

_Chaggigah_, fol. 16, col. 1.

The Talmud is particularly rich in demonology, and many are the
forms which the evil principle assumes in its pages. We have no
wish to drag these shapes to the light, and interrogate them as
to the part they play in this intricate life. Enough now if we
mention the circumstance of their existence, and introduce to
the reader the story of Ashmedai, the king of the demons. The
story is worth relating, both for its own sake and its
historical significance.

In Ecclesiastes ii. 8, we read, "I gat me men singers and women
singers, the delights of the sons of men, as musical
instruments, and that of all sorts." These last seven words
represent only two in the original Hebrew, _Shiddah-veshiddoth_.
These two words in the original Hebrew translated by the last
seven in this verse, have been a source of great perplexity to
the critics, and their exact meaning is matter of debate to this
hour. They in the West say they mean severally carriages for
lords and carriages for ladies, while we, says the Babylonish
Talmud, interpret them to signify male demons and female demons.
Whereupon, if this last is the correct rendering, the question
arises, for what purpose Solomon required them? The answer is to
be found in 1 Kings vi. 7, where it is written, "And the house,
when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it
was brought thither," etc. For before the operation commenced
Solomon asked the Rabbis, "How shall I accomplish this without
using tools of iron?" and they remembering of an insect which
had existed since the creation of the world, whose powers were
such as the hardest substances could not resist, replied, "There
is the Shameer, with which Moses cut the precious stones of the
Ephod." Solomon asked, "And where, pray, is the Shameer to be
found?" To which they made answer, "Let a male demon and a
female come, and do thou coerce them both; mayhap they know and
will reveal it to thee." He then conjured into his presence a
male and a female demon, and proceeded to torture them, but in
vain, for said they, "We know not its whereabouts and cannot
tell; perhaps Ashmedai, the king of the demons, knows." On being
further interrogated as to where he in turn might be found, they
made this answer: "In yonder mount is his residence; there he
has dug a pit, and, after filling it with water, covered it over
with a stone, and sealed with his own seal. Daily he ascends to
heaven and studies in the school of wisdom there, then he comes
down and studies in the school of wisdom here; upon which he
goes and examines the seal, then opens the pit, and after
quenching his thirst, covers it up again, re-seals it, and takes
his departure."

Solomon thereupon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, provided
with a magic chain and ring, upon both of which the name of God
was engraved. He also provided him with a fleece of wool and
sundry skins with wine. Then Benaiah went and sank a pit below
that of Ashmedai, into which he drained off the water and
plugged the duct between with the fleece. Then he set to and dug
another hole higher up with a channel leading into the emptied
pit of Ashmedia, by means of which the pit was filled with the
wine he had brought. After leveling the ground so as not to
rouse suspicion, he withdrew to a tree close by, so as to watch
the result and wait his opportunity. After a while Ashmedai
came, and examined the seal, when, seeing it all right, he
raised the stone, and to his surprise found wine in the pit. For
a time he stood muttering and saying, it is written, "Wine is a
mocker: strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise." And again, "Whoredom and wine and new wine
take away the heart." Therefore at first he was unwilling to
drink, but being thirsty, he could not long resist the
temptation. He proceeded to drink therefore, when, becoming
intoxicated, he lay down to sleep. Then Benaiah, came forth from
his ambush, and stealthily approaching, fastened the chain round
the sleeper's neck. Ashmedai, when he awoke, began to fret and
fume, and would have torn off the chain that bound him, had not
Benaiah warned him, saying, "The name of thy Lord is upon thee."
Having thus secured him, Benaiah proceeded to lead him away to
his sovereign master. As they journeyed along they came to a
palm-tree, against which Ashmedai rubbed himself, until he
uprooted it and threw it down. When they drew near to a hut, the
poor widow who inhabited it came out and entreated him not to
rub himself against it, upon which, as he suddenly bent himself
back, he snapt a bone of his body, and said, "This is that which
is written (Prov. xxv. 15), 'And a gentle answer breaketh the
bone.'" Descrying a blind man straying out of his way, he hailed
him and directed him aright. He even did the same service to a
man overcome with wine, who was in a similar predicament. At
sight of a wedding party that passed rejoicing along, he wept;
but he burst into uncontrollable laughter when he heard a man
order at a shoemaker's stall a pair of shoes that would last
seven years; and when he saw a magician at his work he broke
forth into shrieks of scorn.

On arriving at the royal city, three days were allowed to pass
before he was introduced to Solomon. On the first day he said.
"Why does the king not invite me into his presence?" "He has
drunk too much," was the answer, "and the wine has overpowered
him." Upon which he lifted a brick and placed it upon the top of
another. When this was communicated to Solomon, he replied "He
meant by this, go and make him drunk again." On the day
following he asked again, "Why does the king not invite me into
his presence?" They replied, "He has eaten too much." On this he
removed the brick again from the top of the other. When this was
reported to the king, he interpreted it to mean, "Stint him in
his food."

After the third day, he was introduced to the king; when
measuring off four cubits upon the floor with the stick he held
in his hand, he said to Solomon, "When thou diest, thou wilt not
possess in this world (he referred to the grave) more than four
cubits of earth. Meanwhile thou has conquered the world, yet
thou wert not satisfied until thou hadst overcome me also." To
this the king quietly replied, "I want nothing of thee, but I
wish to build the Temple and have need of the _Shameer_." To
which Ashmedai at once answered, "The Shameer is not committed
in charge to me, but to the Prince of the Sea, and he intrusts
it to no one except to the great wild cock, and that upon an
oath that he return it to him again." Whereupon Solomon asked,
"And what does the wild cock do with the Shameer?" To which the
demon replied, "He takes it to a barren rocky mountain, and by
means of it he cleaves the mountain asunder, into the cleft of
which, formed into a valley, he drops the seeds of various
plants and trees, and thus the place becomes clothed with
verdure and fit for habitation." This is the _Shameer_ (Lev. xi.
19), Nagger Tura, which the Targum renders Mountain Splitter.

They therefore searched for the nest of the wild cock, which
they found contained a young brood. This they covered with a
glass, that the bird might see its young, but not be able to get
at them. When accordingly the bird came and found his nest
impenetrably glazed over, he went and fetched the Shameer. Just
as he was about to apply it to the glass in order to cut it,
Solomon's messenger gave a startling shout, and this so agitated
the bird that he dropped the Shameer, and Solomon's messenger
caught it up and made off with it. The cock thereupon went and
strangled himself, because he was unable to keep the oath by
which he had bound himself to return the Shameer.

Benaiah asked Ashmedai why, when he saw the blind man straying,
he so promptly interfered to guide him? "Because," he replied,
"it was proclaimed in heaven that that man was perfectly
righteous, and that whosoever did him a good turn would earn a
title to a place in the world of the future." "And when thou
sawest the man overcome with wine wandering out of his way, why
didst thou put him right again?" Ashmedai said, "Because it was
made known in heaven that that man was thoroughly bad, and I
have done him a good service that he might not lose all, but
receive some good in the world that now is." "Well, and why
didst thou weep when thou sawest the merry wedding-party pass?"
"Because," said he, "the bridegroom was fated to die within
thirty days and the bride must needs wait thirteen years for her
husband's brother, who is now but an infant" (see Deut. xxv.
5-10). "Why didst thou laugh so when the man ordered a pair of
shoes that would last him seven years?" Ashmedai replied,
"Because the man himself was not sure of living seven days."
"And why," asked Benaiah, "didst thou jeer when thou sawest the
conjuror at his tricks?" "Because," said Ashmedai, "the man was
at that very time sitting on a princely treasure, and he did
not, with all his pretension, know that it was under him."

Having once acquired a power over Ashmedai, Solomon detained him
till the building of the Temple was completed. One day after
this, when they were alone, it is related that Solomon,
addressing him, asked him, "What, pray, is your superiority over
us, if it be true, as it is written (Num. xxiii. 22), 'He has
the strength of a unicorn,' and the word 'strength,' as
tradition alleges, means 'ministering angels,' and the word
'unicorn' means 'devils'?" Ashmedai replied, "Just take this
chain from my neck, and give me thy signet-ring, and I'll soon
show thee my superiority." No sooner did Solomon comply with
this request, than Ashmedai, snatching him up, swallowed him;
then stretching forth his wings--one touching the heaven and the
other the earth--he vomited him out again to a distance of four
hundred miles. It is with reference to this time that Solomon
says (Eccl. i. 3; ii. 10), "What profit hath a man of all his
labor which he taketh under the sun? This is my portion of all
my labor." What does the word this mean? Upon this point Rav and
Samuel are at variance, for the one says it means his staff, the
other holds that it means his garment or water-jug; and that
with one or other Solomon went about from door to door begging;
and wherever he came he said (Eccl. i. 12), "I, the preacher,
was king over Israel in Jerusalem." When in his wanderings he
came to the house of the Sanhedrin, the Rabbis reasoned and
said, if he were mad he would not keep repeating the same things
over and over again; therefore what does he mean? They therefore
inquired of Benaiah, "Does the king ask thee into his presence?"
He replied, "No!" They then sent to see whether the king visited
the hareem. And the answer to this was, "Yes, he comes." Then
the Rabbis sent word back that they should look at his feet, for
the devil's feet are like those of a cock. The reply was, "He
comes to us in stockings." Upon this information the Rabbis
escorted Solomon back to the palace, and restored to him the
chain and the ring, on both of which the name of God was
engraven. Arrayed with these, Solomon advanced straightway into
the presence-chamber. Ashmedai sat at that moment on the throne,
but as soon as he saw Solomon enter, he took fright and raising
his wings, flew away, shrieking back into invisibility. In spite
of this, Solomon continued in great fear of him; and this
explains that which is written (Song of Songs, iii. 7, 8),
"Behold the bed which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are
about it, of the valiant of Israel; they all hold swords, being
expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh, because
of fear in the night." (See Gittin, fol. 68, cols, 1, 2.)

Ashmedai is the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit, iii. 8, vi. 14,
etc, The Shameer is mentioned in Jer. xvii. i; Ezek. iii. 9;
Zech. vii. 12. The Seventy in the former passage and the Vulgate
passim take it for the diamond.

Six things are said respecting the children of men, in three of which they are like angels, and in three they are like animals. They have intelligence like angels, they walk erect like angels, and they converse in the holy tongue like angels. They eat and drink like animals, they generate and multiply like animals, and they relieve nature like animals.

_Chaggigah_, fol. 16, col. 1.

Six months did the Shechinah hesitate to depart from the midst of Israel in the wilderness, in hopes that they would repent. At last, when they persisted in impenitence, the Shechinah said, "May their bones be blown;" as it is written (Job xi. 20), "The eyes of the wicked shall fail, they shall not escape, and their hopes shall be as the blowing out of the spirit."

_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 31, col. 1.

Six names were given to Solomon:--Solomon, Jedidiah, Koheleth, Son of Jakeh, Agur, and Lemuel.

_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 39.

Six years old was Dinah when she gave birth to Asenath, whom she bore unto Shechem.

_Sophrim_, chap. 21.

"And the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household" (2 Sam. vi. 11). In what did the blessing consist? Rav Yehudah bar Zavidah says it consisted in this, that Hamoth, his wife, and her eight daughters-in-law gave birth each to six children at a time. (This is proved from 1 Chron. xxvi. 5, 8.)

_Berachoth_, fol. 63, col. 2.

Six things were done by Hezekiah the king, but the sages praised him for three only:--(1.) He dragged the bones of his father Ahaz on a hurdle of ropes, for this they commended him; (2.) he broke to pieces the brazen serpent, for this they commended him; (3.) he hid the Book of Remedies, and for this too they praised him. For three they blamed him:--(1.) He stripped the doors of the Temple and sent the gold thereof to the King of Assyria; (2.) he stopped up the upper aqueduct of Gihon; (3.) he intercalated the month Nisan.

_P'sachim_, fol. 56, col. 1.

The hiding of the Book of Remedies, harsh and inhuman as it might seem, was dictated by high moral considerations. It seemed right that the transgressor should feel the weight of his sin in the suffering that followed, and that the edge of judgment should not be dulled by a too easy access to anodyne applications. The reason for stopping the aqueduct of Gihon is given in 2 Chron. xxxii. 3, 4. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did the very same thing when the Crusaders besieged the city, A.D. 1099. Rashi tries to explain why this stratagem was not commended; the reason he gives is that Hezekiah ought to have trusted God, who had said (2 Kings xix. 34), "I will defend the city."

Six things are said of the horse:--It is wanton, it delights in the strife of war, it is high-spirited, it despises sleep, it eats much and it voids little. There are some that say it would fain kill its own master.

Ibid., fol. 113, col. 2.

The Rabbis have taught that there are six sorts of fire:--(1.) Fire that eats but drinks not, i.e., common fire; (2.) fire that drinks but does not eat, i.e., a fever; (3.) fire that eats and drinks, i.e., Elijah, as it is written (1 Kings xviii. 38), "And licked up the water that was in the trench;" (4.) fire that burns up moist things as soon as dry, i.e., the fire on the altar; (5.) fire that counteracts other fire, i.e., like that of Gabriel; (6.) fire that consumes fire, for the Master has said (Sanhed., fol. 38, col. 2), "God stretched out His finger among the angels and consumed them," i.e., by His own essential fire.

_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 2.

For six months David was afflicted with leprosy; for it is said (Ps. li. 7), "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." At that time the Shechinah departed from him; for it is said (Ps. li. 12), "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;" and the Sanhedrin kept aloof from him, for it is said (Ps. cxix. 79), "Let those that fear thee turn unto me." That this ailment lasted six months is proved from 1 Kings ii. 11, where it is said, "And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem;" whereas in 2 Sam. v. 5, it is said, "In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months." The reason why these six months are omitted in Kings is because during that period he was afflicted with leprosy.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 107, col. 1.

The tables of stone were six ells long, six broad, and three thick.

_Nedarim_, fol. 38, col. 8.

It may help the reader to some idea of the strength of Moses if
we work out arithmetically the size and probable weight of these
stone slabs according to the Talmud. Taking the cubit or ell at
its lowest estimate, that is eighteen inches, each slab, being
nine feet long, nine feet wide, and four and a half feet thick,
would weigh upward of twenty-eight tons, reckoning thirteen
cubic feet to the ton,--the right estimate for such stone as is
quarried from the Sinaitic cliff. The figures are 9 X 9 X 9/2 =
729/2 = 364.5 X 173.5 = 63240.75 = 28 tons, 4 cwt., 2 qrs., 16
lbs. avoirdupois.

The Rabbis have taught that these six things possess medicinal virtue:--Cabbage, lungwort, beetroot, water, and certain parts of the offal of animals, and some also say little fishes.

_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 29, col. 1.

Over six the Angel of Death had no dominion, and these were:--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Respecting the first three it is written, "in all" (Gen. xxiv. 1), "of all" (Gen. xxvii. 33) "all" (A.V. "enough," Gen. xxxiii. 11). Respecting the last three it is written, "by the mouth of Jehovah" (see Num. xxxiii. 38, and Deut. xxxiv. 5).

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 17, col. i.

According to Jewish tradition, there are 903 kinds of death, as
is elicited by a Kabbalistic rule called gematria, from the word
outlets (Ps. lxviii. 20); the numeric value of the letters of
which word is 903. Of these 903 kinds of death, the divine kiss
is the easiest. God puts His favorite children to sleep, the
sleep of death, by kissing their souls away. It was thus
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fell asleep, as may be inferred from
the word all; that is to say, they had all the honor God could
confer upon them. Moses and Aaron fell asleep by the divine
kiss, for it is plainly stated to have been "by the mouth of
Jehovah." So also Miriam passed away, only the Scripture does
not say lest the scoffer should find fault. We are also informed
that quinsy is the hardest death of all. (See _Berachoth_, fol.
8, col. 1.)

"These six of barley gave he me." What does this mean? It cannot surely be understood of six barleycorns, for it could not be the custom of Boaz to give a present of six grains of barley. It must, therefore, have been six measures. But was it usual for a woman to carry such a load as six measures would come to? What he intended by the number six was to give her a hint that in process of time six sons would proceed from her, each of which would be blessed with six blessings; and these were David, the Messiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. David, as it is written (1 Sam. xvi. 8), (1.) "Cunning in playing," (2.) "and a mighty and valiant man," (3.) "a man of war," (4.) "prudent in matters," (5.) "a comely person," (6.) and "the Lord is with him." The Messiah, for it is written (Isa. xi. 2), "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him," viz, (1.) "The spirit of wisdom and (2.) understanding, (3.) the spirit of counsel and (4.) might, (5.) the spirit of knowledge, and (6.) the fear of the Lord." Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for regarding them it is written (Dan. i. 4), (1.) "Young men in whom was no blemish," (2.) "handsome in looks," (3.) "intelligent in wisdom," (4.) "acquainted with knowledge," (5.) "and understanding science, and such as (6.) had ability to stand in the palace of the king," etc. But what is the meaning of unblemished? Rav Chama ben Chanania says it means that not even the scar of a lancet was upon them.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 93, cols, 1, 2.

The words "not even the scar of a lancet was upon them," bespeak
the prevalence of blood-letting in the East, and the absence of
the scar of the lancet on the persons of Daniel and his
companions is a testimony to their health of body and moral
temperance and purity.

In Taanith (fol. 21, col. 2) mention is made of a certain
phlebotomist--a noteworthy exception to the well-known rule (see
Kiddushin, fol. 82, col. 2) that phlebotomists are to be
regarded as morally depraved, and in the same class with
goldsmiths, perfumers, hairdressers, etc.,--Abba Umna by name,
who had a special mantle with slits in the sleeves for females,
so that he could surgically operate upon them without seeing
their naked arms, while he himself was covered over head and
shoulders in a peculiar cloak, so that his own face could not by
any chance be seen by them.

From Shabbath, fol. 156, col. 1, we learn that a person born
under the influence of Maadim, i.e., Mars, will in one way or
another be a shedder of blood, such as a phlebotomist, a butcher,
a highwayman, etc., etc.

Six blasts of the horn were blown on Sabbath-eve. The first was to set free the laborers in the fields from their work; those that worked near the city waited for those that worked at a distance and all entered the place together. The second blast was to warn the citizens to suspend their employments and shut up their shops. At the third blast the women were to have ready the various dishes they had prepared for the Sabbath and to light the lamps in honor of the day. Then three more blasts were blown in succession, and the Sabbath commenced.

_Shabbath_, fol. 35, col. 2.

He who passes seven nights in succession without dreaming deserves to be called wicked.

_Berachoth_, fol. 14, col. 1.

Gehinnom has seven names:--Sheol (Jonah ii. 2), Avadon (Ps. lxxxviii. 11), Shachath (Ps. xvi. 2), Horrible pit (Ps. xl. 2), Miry clay (Ps. xl. 2), the Shadow of death (Ps. cvii. 14), the Subterranean land.