Chapter V: Part 5

_Eiruvin_, fol. 19, col. 1.

A dog in a strange place does not bark for seven years.

Ibid., fol. 61, col. 1.

Seven things were formed before the creation of the world:--The Law, Repentance, Paradise, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah.

_P'sachim_, fol. 54, col. 1.

The Midrash Yalkut (p. 7) enumerates the same list almost word
for word, and the Targum of Ben Uzziel develops the tradition
still further, while the Targum Yerushalmi fixes the date of the
origin of the seven prehistoric wonders at "two thousand years
before the creation of the world."

Seven things are hid from the knowledge of a man:--The day of death, the day of resurrection, the depth of judgment (i.e., the future reward or punishment), what is in the heart of his fellow-man, what his reward will be, when the kingdom of David will be restored, and when the kingdom of Persia will fall.

_P'sachim_, fol. 54, col. 2.

Seven are excommunicated before heaven:--A Jew who has no wife, and even one who is married but has no male children; and he that has sons but does not train them up to study the law; he who does not wear phylacteries on his forehead and upon his arm and fringes upon his garment, and has no mezuzah on his doorpost; and he who goes barefooted.

Ibid., fol. 113, col. 2.

There are seven skies:--Villon, Raakia, Shechakim, Zevul, Maaon, Maachon, and Aravoth.

_Chaggigah_, fol. 12, col. 2.

Seven days before the Day of Atonement they removed the high priest from his own residence to the chamber of the President, and appointed another priest as his deputy in case he should meet with such an accident as would incapacitate him from going through the service of the day. Rabbi Yehudah says they also had to betroth him to another woman lest his own wife should die meanwhile, for it is said, "And he shall make an atonement for himself and for his house,"--his house, that is, his wife. In reference to this precautionary rule it was observed, there might then be no end to the matter (Rashi), should this woman die also.

_Yoma_, fol. 2, col. 1.

They associated with the high priest the senior elders of the Sanhedrin, who read over to him the _agenda_ of the day, and then said to him, "My lord high priest, read thou for thyself; perhaps thou hast forgotten it, or maybe thou hast not learned it at all." On the day before the Day of Atonement he was taken to the East Gate when they caused oxen, rams, and lambs to pass before him, that he might become well-versed and expert in his official duties. During the whole of the seven (preparatory) days neither victuals nor drink were withheld from him, but toward dusk on the eve of the Day of Atonement they did not allow him to eat much, for much food induces sleep. Then the elders of the Sanhedrin surrendered him to the elders of the priesthood, and these conducted him to the hall of the house of Abtinas, and there they swore him in; and after bidding him good-bye, they went away. In administering the oath they said, "My lord high priest, we are ambassadors of the Sanhedrin; thou art our ambassador and the ambassador of the Sanhedrin as well. We adjure thee, by Him who causes His name to dwell in this house, that thou alter not anything that we have told thee!" Then they parted, both they and he weeping. He wept because they suspected he was a Sadducee, and they wept because the penalty for wrongly suspecting persons is scourging. If he was a learned man he preached (during the night); if not, learned men preached before him. If he was a ready reader, he read; if not, others read to him. What were the books read over to him? Job, Ezra, and the Chronicles. Zechariah the son of Kevootal says, "I have often read before him the Book of Daniel." If he became drowsy, the juniors of the priestly order fillipped their middle fingers before him, and said, "My lord high priest, stand up and cool thy feet upon the pavement." Thus they kept him engaged till the time of slaughtering (the sacrifices).

_Yoma_, fol. 18, cols, 1, 2; fol. 19, col. 2.

Sacerdos nascitur, non fit,--a priest is born, not made, we may
truly say, just altering one word of a well-known proverb. His
father was a priest, and so were his forefathers as far back as
the time of Aaron; his sons and his sons' sons after him will
belong to the priestly order, and so the name was far too often
only the badge for exclusive and hereditary privilege. This
rule, that applies to the priests, holds good also with regard
to the Levites. (_Berachoth_, fol. 29, col. 1.)

There was a town in the land of Israel called Gophnith, where there were eighty couples of brother priests who married eighty couples of sister priestesses in one night.

_Berachoth_ fol. 44, col. 1.

Flay a carcass and take thy fee, but say not it is humiliating because I am a priest, I am a great man.

_P'sachim_, fol. 113, col. 1.

Philo Judæus, De Sac. Honor, (p. 833), says, "The hides of the
burnt-offerings proved a rich perquisite of the priesthood."

The number of high priests who officiated in succession during the 410 years of the continuance of the first Temple was only eighteen, but the number who held office during the 420 years of the second Temple amounted to more than three hundred, most of them having died within a year after their entrance upon the office. The reason assigned by the Talmud for the long lives of the former and the short lives of the latter is the text given in Prov. x. 27, "The fear of the Lord prolongeth days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened."

_Yoma_, fol. 9, col. 1.

Before a priest could be admitted into active service in the Temple he had to undergo bodily inspection at the hands of the syndicate of the Sanhedrin. If they found the least defect in his body, even a mole with hair upon it, he was ordered to dress in black and be dismissed; but if he was perfectly free from blemish, he was arrayed in white, and at once introduced to his brother priests and official duties.

Ibid., fol. 19, col. 1.

The daughters of a male proselyte who has married the daughter of a female proselyte are eligible to marry priests.

_Yevamoth_, fol. 57, col. 1.

If thou seest an impudent priest, think not evil of him; for it is said (Hosea iv. 4), "Thy people are as they that strive with the priest" (see chap. ii. p. 25, Note c.).

_Kiddushin_, fol. 70, col. 2.

So long as there is a diadem on the head of the priest, there is a crown on the head of every man. Remove the diadem from the head of the high priest and you take away the crown from the head of all the people. (This is a Talmudic comment on Ezek. xxi. 31; A. Ver., 26.)

_Gittin_, fol. 7, col. 1.

A king shaved his head every day, a high priest did the same once a week, and an ordinary priest once a month.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 22, col. 2.

When a priest performs the service of the Temple in a state of defilement, his brother priests are not required to lead him before the tribunal, but the juniors of the priestly order are to drag him out into the hall and brain him with clubs.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 81, col. 2.

When kings were anointed, the holy oil was laid on the forehead in the form of a coronet, and when, says Rabbi Mansi bar Gadda, priests were anointed, the operation was performed in the shape of the Greek letter k.

_Horayoth_, fol. 12, col. 1.

A learned man who is of illegitimate birth is preferable to an ignorant priest.

Ibid., fol. 13, col. 1.

A priest who makes no confession during service has no part in the priesthood. (He forfeits his emoluments.)

_Menachoth_, fol. 18, col. 2.

The bald-headed, the dwarfed, and the blear-eyed are ineligible for the priesthood.

_Bechoroth_, fol. 43, col. 2.

Rav Chisda says, "The portions that fall to the priests are not to be eaten except roasted and that with mustard," because Scripture says (Num. xviii. 8), "by reason of the anointing," i.e., by way of distinction, for only kings (who, of course, are anointed) eat roast meat with mustard.

_Chullin_, fol. 132, col. 2.

If a case of mistaken identity should occur between the child of a priestess and the child of her female slave, so that the one cannot be distinguished from the other, they both are to eat of the heave-offering and to receive one share from the threshing-floor. When grown up, each is to set the other free.

_Gittin_, fol. 42, col. 2.

From the old clothes of the priests the wicks were made for the lamps in the Temple.

_Shabbath_, fol. 21, col. 1.

Scripture authority is given in proof that the very garments possessed the faculty of making atonement for sin every whit as effectually as animal sacrifices. We are taught that the priest's shirt atones for murder, his drawers atone for whoredom, his mitre for pride, his girdle for evil thoughts, his breastplate for injustice, his ephod for idolatry; his overcoat atones for slander, and the golden plate on his forehead atones for impudence.

_Zevachim_, fol. 88, col. 2.

All this and a great deal more on the subject may be found in
the Selichoth for Yom Kippur.

For seven years was the land of Israel strewn with brimstone and salt.

_Yoma_, fol. 54, col. 1.

"Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds" (Micah. v. 5). Who are these seven shepherds? David in the middle: Adam, Seth, and Methuselah on his right hand; Abraham, Jacob, and Moses on his left.

_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.

Who were the seven prophetesses? The answer is, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.

_Meggillah_, fol. 14, col. 2.

It is lawful to look into the face of a bride for seven days after her marriage, in order to enhance the affection with which she is regarded by her husband, and there is no Halachah (or law) like this.

_Kethuboth_, fol. 17, col. 1.

The Rabbis are especially careful to caution their daughters to
guard against such habits as might lower them in the regard of
their husbands, lest they should lose aught of that purifying
and elevating power which they exercised as maidens. It is thus,
for instance, Rav Chisda counsels his daughters: "Be ye modest
before your husbands and do not even eat before them. Eat not
vegetables or dates in the evening, and touch not strong drink."
(_Shabbath_, fol. 140, col. 2.)

Once upon a time a demon in the shape of a seven-headed dragon came forth against Rav Acha and threatened to harm him, but the Rabbi threw himself on his knees, and every time he fell down to pray he knocked off one of these heads, and thus eventually killed the dragon.

_Kiddushin_, fol. 29, col. 2.

On the seventh of the month Adar, Moses died, and on that day the manna ceased to come down from heaven.

Ibid., fol. 38, col. 1.

The seventh of Adar is still, and has long been, kept sacred as
the day of the death of Moses our Rabbi--peace be with him!--and
that on the authority of T.B. Kiddushin (as quoted above), and
Soteh, fol. 10, col. 2; but Josephus (Book iv. chap. 8, sec. 49)
most distinctly affirms that Moses died "on the first day of the
month," and the Midrash on Esther may be quoted in corroboration
of his statement. The probability is that the Talmud is right on
this matter, but it is altogether wrong in connecting with this
event the stoppage of the manna (see Josh. v. 10, 12).

Seven years did the nations of the world cultivate their vineyards with no other manure than the blood of Israel. Rabbi Chiya, the son of Abin, says that Rabbi Yehoshua, the son of Korcha, said, "An old man, an inhabitant of Jerusalem, related to me that Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, killed in this valley 211 myriads (about 2,110,000), and in Jerusalem he slaughtered upon one stone 94 myriads (940,000), so that the blood flowed until it reached the blood of Zechariah, in order that that might be fulfilled which is said (Hosea iv. 2), 'And blood toucheth blood.'"

_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 1.

The seventh of Adar, on which Moses died, was the same day of the same month on which he was born.

_Soteh_, fol. 10, col. 2.

A male hyæna after seven years becomes a bat; this after seven years, a vampire; this after other seven years, a nettle; this after seven years more, a thorn; and this again after seven years is turned into a demon. If a man does not devoutly bow during the repetition of the daily prayer which commences, "we reverently acknowledge," his spine after seven years becomes a serpent.

_Bava Kama_, fol. 16, col. 1.

It is related of Benjamin the righteous, who was keeper of the poor-box, that a woman came to him at a period of famine and solicited food. "By the worship of God," he replied, "there is nothing in the box." She then exclaimed, "O Rabbi, if thou dost not feed me I and my seven children must needs starve." Upon which he relieved her from his own private purse. In course of time he fell ill and was nigh unto death. Then the ministering angels interceded with the Holy One--blessed be He!--and said, "Lord of the Universe, Thou hast said he that preserveth one single soul of Israel alive is as if he had preserved the life of the whole world; and shall Benjamin the righteous, who preserved a poor woman and her seven children, die so prematurely?" Instantly the death-warrant which had gone forth was torn up, and twenty-two years were added to his life.

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 11, col. 1.

Seven prophets have prophesied to the nations of the world, and these were Balaam and his father, Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite, and Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite.

Ibid., fol. 15. col. 2.

There are seven who are not consumed by the worm in the grave, and these are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and Benjamin the son of Jacob.

Ibid., fol. 17, col. 1.

Seven men form an unbroken series from the creation down to our own time. Methuselah saw Adam, Shem saw Methuselah, Jacob saw Shem, Amram saw Jacob, and Ahijah the Shilonite saw Amram, and Ahijah was seen by Elijah, who is alive to this day.

Ibid., fol. 121, col. 2.

Seven years' famine will not affect the artisan.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 29, col. 1.

Seven years of pestilence will not cause a man to die before his time.

Ibid.

"And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth" (Gen. vii. 10). Why this delay of seven days? Rav says they were the days of mourning for Methuselah; and this teaches us that mourning for the righteous will defer a coming calamity. Another explanation is, that the Holy One--blessed be He!--altered the course of nature during these seven days, so that the sun arose in the west and set in the east.

Ibid., fol. 108, col. 2.

The first step in transgression is evil thought, the second scoffing, the third pride, the fourth outrage, the fifth idleness, the sixth hatred, and the seventh an evil eye.

_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 6.

Seven things cause affliction:--Slander, shedding of blood, perjury, adultery, pride, robbery, and envy.

_Erchin_, fol. 17, col. 2.

A ram has but one voice while alive but seven after he is dead. How so? His horns make two trumpets, his hip-bones two pipes, his skin can be extended into a drum, his larger intestines can yield strings for the lyre and the smaller chords for the harp.

_Kinnim_, chap. 3, mish. 6.

Rav Chisda said, The soul of a man mourns over him the first seven days after his decease; for it is said (Job xiv. 22), "And his soul shall mourn over him."

_Shabbath_, fol. 152, col. 2.

The Rabbis have taught that a man should not drink water on Wednesdays and Saturdays after night-fall, for if he does, his blood, because of risk, will be upon his own head. What risk? That from an evil spirit who on these evenings prowls abroad. But if the man be thirsty, what is he to do? Let him repeat over the water the seven voices ascribed to the Lord by David in Psalm xxix. 3-9, "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters," etc.

_P'sachim_, fol. 112, col. 1.

Seven precepts did Rabbi Akiva give to his son Rabbi Yehoshua:--(1.) My son, teach not in the highest place of the city; (2.) Dwell not in a city where the leading men are disciples of the wise; (3.) Enter not suddenly into thine own house, and of course not into thy neighbor's; (4.) Do not go about without shoes; (5.) Rise early and eat in summer time because of the heat, and in winter time because of the cold; (6.) Make thy Sabbath as a week-day rather than depend for support on other people; (7.) Strive to keep on close friendly terms with the man whom fortune favors (lit. on whom the present hour smiles). Rav Pappa adds, "This does not refer to buying or selling, but to partnership."

Ibid.

How is it proved that mourning should be kept up for seven days? It is written (Amos viii. 10), "I will turn your feasts into mourning," and these in many cases lasted seven days.

_Moed Katon_, fol 20, col. 1.

Rav Chisda said there are seven kinds of gold:--Gold, good gold, the gold of Ophir, purified gold, beaten gold, shut-up gold, and gold of Parvain.

_Yoma_ fol. 44, col. 2.

The shut-up gold (1 Kings vi. 12) was of the purest and rarest
quality, so that when it appeared in the market for sale, all
shops in the locality were "shut up," for there could be no sale
of any other gold before that. All gold-dealers "shut up" their
shops in order to be present on so rare an occasion; and hence
the name of this kind of gold--"shut-up gold."

Each day of the Feast of Tabernacles they walked round the altar once, and said, "O Lord, save us, we beseech Thee! O Lord, prosper us, we beseech Thee!" But on the last day they encompassed it seven times. On their departure they said, "Beauty belongeth to thee, O altar! Beauty belongeth to thee, O altar!"

_Succah_, fol. 45, col. 1.

It deserves to be noted here for the information of some of our
readers that the words translated above, Save now, or Save, we
beseech thee, are the original of our word Hosanna. The 25th and
26th verses of Psalm cxviii, which begin with this expression,
were repeated at the Feast of Tabernacles; and hence the bundles
of palm and willow branches (carried on this occasion), the
prayers, and the festival itself, were so named, i.e. Hosanna.

The Tempter is known by seven distinctive epithets:--(1) The Holy One--blessed be He!--calls him evil; as it is said, "For the imagination of man's heart is evil." (2.) Moses calls him uncircumcised; as it is said (Deut. x. 16), "Circumcise therefore the uncircumcised foreskin of your heart." (3.) David calls him unclean; as it is said (Ps. li. 10), "Create in me a clean heart, O God!" Consequently there must be an unclean one. (4.) Solomon calls him enemy; as it is said (Prov. xxv. 21, 22), "If thine enemy hunger, give him bread to eat; if he be thirsty, give him water to drink; for thus thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee" (i.e., oppose him with the law. The word rendered bread, is metaphorically taken for the law, Prov. ix. 5, so that give him water to drink means also the law, Isa. lv. 1--Rashi. And the Lord reward thee, read not reward, but cause him to make peace with thee, not to war against thee.) (5.) Isaiah calls him stumbling-block; as it is said (Isa. lvii. 14), "Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling-block out of the way of my people." (6.) Ezekiel calls him stone; as it is said (Ezek. xxxvi. 26), "I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh." (7.) Joel calls him the hidden one; as it is said (Joel ii. 20), "I will remove far from you the hidden one," i.e., the tempter who remains hidden in the heart of man; "and I will drive him into a land barren and desolate," i.e., where the children of men do not usually dwell; "with his face toward the former sea," i.e., with his eyes set upon the first Temple, which he destroyed, slaying the disciples of the wise that were in it; "and his hinder part toward the latter sea," i.e., with his eyes set on the second Temple, which he destroyed, also slaying the disciples of the wise that were in it.

_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 1.

Once a Jewish mother with her seven sons suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Emperor. The sons, when ordered by the latter to do homage to the idols of the Empire, declined, and justified their disobedience by quoting each a simple text from the sacred Scriptures. When the seventh was brought forth, it is related that Caesar, for appearance' sake, offered to spare him if only he would stoop and pick up a ring from the ground which had been dropped on purpose. "Alas for thee, O Caesar!" answered the boy; "if thou art so zealous for thine honor, how much more zealous ought we to be for the honor of the Holy One--blessed be He!" On his being led away to the place of execution, the mother craved and obtained leave to give him a farewell kiss. "Go, my child," said she, "and say to Abraham, Thou didst build an altar for the sacrifice of one son, but I have erected altars for seven sons." She then turned away and threw herself down headlong from the roof and expired, when the echo of a voice was heard exclaiming (Ps. cxiii. 9), "The joyful mother of children" (or, the mother of the children rejoiceth).

_Gittin_, fol. 57, col. 2.

The story of this martyrdom is narrated at much greater length
in the Books of Maccabees (Book iii. chap. 7, Book iv. chaps.
8-18). In a Latin version the names are given, that of the
mother Solomona, and her sons respectively Maccabeus, Aber,
Machir, Judas, Achaz, Areth, while the hero of our Talmudic
reference, the seventh and last, is styled Jacob. Josephus,
Ant., Book xii. chap. 6, sec. 4, may also be referred to for
further and varying details.

The land of Israel was not destroyed till the seven courts of judgment had fallen into idolatry, and these are they:--Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; Baasha, the son of Ahijah; Ahab, the son of Omri; Jehu, the son of Nimshi; Pekah, the son of Remaliah; Menahem, the son of Gadi; and Hoshea, the son of Elah; as it is written (Jer. xv. 9), "She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it is yet day; she hath been ashamed and confounded."

_Gittin_, fol. 88, col. 1.

"He stood and measured the earth; he beheld and freed the Gentiles (A.V., he drove asunder the nations, Hab. iii. 6); he beheld that the seven precepts which the children of Noah accepted were not observed; he stood up and set their property free for the service of Israel."

_Bava Kama_, fol. 38, col. 1.

This is one of the weightier expositions met with from time to
time in the Talmud, in which one recognizes a more than
ordinarily deep and earnest feeling on the part of the
commentator. The interpreter expresses himself as a man instinct
with the exclusive Hebrew spirit, and as such claims his title
to the whole inheritance. It is a claim abstractly defensible,
and the just assertion of it is the basis of all rights over
others. The only question here is whether the Jew alone is
invested with the privilege. There can be little doubt that the
principle on which he claims enfeoffment in the estate is a
sound one, that the earth belongs in no case to the sons of
Belial, only to the sons of God.

Seven things distinguish an ill-bred man and seven a wise man:--The wise man (1.) does not talk before his superior in wisdom and years; (2.) he does not interrupt another when speaking; (3.) he is not hasty to make reply; (4.) his questions are to the point, and his answers are according to the Halachah; (5.) his subjects of discourse are orderly arranged, the first subject first and the last last; (6.) if he has not heard of a thing, he says, I have not heard it; and (7.) he confesseth the truth. The characteristics of the ill-bred man are just the contrary of these.

_Avoth_, chap. 5, mish. 10.

If a man does not work during the six days of the week, he may be obliged to work all the seven.

_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 11.

Seven have no portion in the world to come:--A notary; a schoolmaster, the best of physicians, a judge who dispenses justice in his own native town, a wizard, a congregational reader (or law-officer), and a butcher.

_Avoth d Rab. Nathan_, chap. 37.

Seven attributes avail before the Throne of Glory, and these are:--Wisdom, righteousness, judgment, grace, mercy, truth, and peace.

Ibid., chap. 36.

There are seven points in which a righteous man excels another:--(1.) The wife of the one is more comely than the other's; (2.) so are the children of the one as compared with those of the other; (3.) if the two partake of one dish, each enjoys the taste according to his doings; (4.) if the two dye in one vat, by one the article is dyed properly, by the other not; (5, etc.) the one excels the other in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and stature, as it is said (Prov. xii. 26), "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor."

Ibid., chap. 37.

Seven patriarchs were covenant-makers:--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Phinehas, and David.

_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 1.

Seven liquids are comprehended under the generic term drink (Lev. xi. 34):--Dew, water, wine, oil, blood, milk, and honey.

_Machshirin_, chap. 6, mish 6.

For tertian fever take seven small grapes from seven different vines; seven threads from seven different pieces of cloth; seven nails from seven different bridges; seven handfuls of ashes from seven different fireplaces; seven bits of pitch from seven ships, one piece from each; seven scrapings of dust from as many separate doorways; seven cummin seeds; seven hairs from the lower jaw of a dog and tie them upon the throat with a papyrus fibre.

_Shabbath_, fol. 66, col. 2.

The Rabbis teach that the precept relating to the lighting of a candle at the Feast of Dedication applies to a whole household, but that those who are particular light a candle for each individual member, and those that are extremely particular light up eight candles on the first day, seven on the second, decreasing the number by one each day. This is according to the school of Shammai; but the school of Hillel say that he should light up one on the first day, two on the second, increasing the number by one each of the eight days of the fast.... What is the origin of the feast of Dedication? On the twenty-fifth day of Kislev (about December), the eight days of the Dedication commence, during which term no funeral oration is to be made, nor public fast to be decreed. When the Gentiles (Greeks) entered the second Temple, it was thought they had defiled all the holy oil they found in it; but when the Hasmoneans prevailed and conquered them, they sought and found still one jar of oil stamped with the seal of the High Priest, and therefore undefiled. Though the oil it contained would only have sufficed for one day, a miracle was performed, so that the oil lasted to the end of the week (during which time more oil was provided and consecrated for the future service of the Temple). On the anniversary of this occasion the Feast of Dedication was instituted.

_Shabbath_, fol. 21, col. 2.

The Feast of Dedication is annually celebrated by all Jews
everywhere, to commemorate the purifying of the Temple and the
restoration of its worship after its desecration by Antiochus
Epiphanes, of which an account may be found in 1 Maccabees iv.
52-59. It is very probable that some of our Christmas
festivities are only adaptations of the observances of this
Jewish feast in symbolism of Christian ideas. During the eight
days of the festival they light up wax candles or oil lamps,
according to the rubric of the school of Hillel. Previous to the
lighting, the following benedictions are pronounced:--

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God! King of the universe, who
hath sanctified us with Thy commandment, and commanded us to
light the light of Dedication."

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God! King of the universe, who
wrought miracles for our fathers in those days and in this
season."

"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Our God! King of the universe, who
hath preserved us alive, sustained us, and brought us to enjoy
this season."

After the lighting, the following form is repeated:--"These
lights we light to praise Thee for the miracles, wonders,
salvation, and victories which Thou didst perform for our
fathers in those days and in this season by the hands of Thy
holy priests. Wherefore by command these lights are holy all the
eight days of the Dedication, neither are we permitted to make
any other use of them, but to view them, that we may return
thanks to Thy name for Thy miracles, wonderful works, and
salvation."

Another commemorative formula is repeated six or seven times a
day during this festival; viz, during morning and evening
prayers and after each meal.

Rabbi Yoshua ben Levi has said a man should never utter an indecent word, for the Scripture (Gen. vii. 6) uses eight letters more rather than make use of a word which, without them, would be indecent.

_P'sachim_, fol. 3, col. i.

In the passage referred to, the words "that are not clean" are
used instead of "unclean"; but see verse 2; there another word
for not is used, which brings down the excess to five letters.

When the doors of the Temple were opened the creaking of the hinges was heard at the distance of eight Sabbath days' journeys.

_Yoma_, fol. 39, col. 2.

It may be proper to remark that the journey is about nine
furlongs, or a mile and one-eighth, so that the distance alluded
to is nearly ten miles.

The eight princes alluded to in Micah (v. 5) are Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah, the Messiah, and Elijah.

_Succah_, fol. 52, col. 2.

It is related of Rabbi Shimon, the son of Gamaliel, that at the rejoicing during the festival of the drawing of water on the Feast of Tabernacles, he threw eight flaming torches, one after the other in quick succession, into the air, and caught them again as they descended without suffering one to touch another. He also (in fulfillment of Ps. cii. 14) stooped and kissed the stone floor, supporting himself upon his two thumbs only,--a feat which no one else could perform. And this is what is termed stooping properly.

Ibid., fol. 53, col. 1.

Levi once in the presence of Rabbi (the Holy) conjured with eight knives. Samuel in the presence of Shavur the king (of Persia, Sapor I, 240-273) performed the same feat with eight cups of wine. Abaii in the presence of Rava did likewise with eight eggs; some say with four only.

Ibid.

Eight prophets, who were priests as well, were descended from Rahab the harlot, and these are they:--Neraiah, Baruch, Seraiah, Maaseiah, Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Hanameel, and Shallum. Rabbi Yehudah says Huldah the prophetess was one of the grandchildren of Rahab.

_Meggillah_, fol. 14, col. 2.

The last eight verses of the Law (Torah) were written by Joshua.

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 14, col. 1.

There is a touching story in this very same tract, fol. 15, col.
1, which is repeated in Menachoth, fol. 30, col. 1, and noticed
by Rashi in his commentary, to the effect that Moses himself
wrote the verses which record his own death at the dictation of
the Almighty. The account literally rendered is, "The Holy
One--blessed be He!--spake, and Moses wrote in tears."

There are eight sects of Pharisees, viz, these:--(1.) The shoulder Pharisee, i.e., he who, as it were, shoulders his good works to be seen of men. (2.) The time-gaining Pharisee, he who says, "Wait a while; let me first perform this or that good work." (3.) The compounding Pharisee, i.e., he who says, "May my few sins be deducted from my many virtues, and thus atoned for" (or the blood-letting Pharisee, i.e., he who for fear lest he should look by chance on a woman shuts his eyes and wounds his face). (4.) The Pharisee who so bends his back, stooping with his head toward the ground, that he wears the appearance of an inverted mortar. (5.) The Pharisee who proudly says, "Remains there a virtue which I ought to perform and have not?" (6.) The Pharisee who is so out of love for the reward which he hopes to earn by his observances. (7.) The Pharisee who is so from fear lest he should expose himself to punishment. (8.) The Pharisee who is born so.

_Avoth d'Rab. Nathan_, chap. 37.

Both Talmuds as a rule enumerate only seven sorts of Pharisees
(T. Yerush, Berachoth, fol. 13, Soteh, fol. 20, T. Babli, fol.
22, col. 2, and elsewhere); but Rabbi Nathan, as above, adds a
new species to the genus. The freehand sketches of Pharisees
given in the Talmud are the reverse of complimentary. In the
words of the late E. Deutsch, who was a Talmudist of no mean
repute, "the Talmud inveighs even more bitterly and caustically
than the New Testament against what it calls the plague of
Pharisaism, 'the dyed ones,' 'who do evil deeds like Zimri, and
require a goodly reward like Phinehas,' 'they who preach
beautifully, but do not act beautifully.' Parodying their
exaggerated logical arrangements, their scrupulous divisions and
subdivisions, the Talmud distinguishes seven classes of
Pharisees, one of whom only is worthy of that name. The real and
only Pharisee is he 'who does the will of his Father which is in
heaven because he loves Him.'"

He who neglects to wear phylacteries transgresseth eight commandments.

_Menachoth_, fol. 44, col. 1.

The following extract states the occasion when the wearing of phylacteries was prescribed as an equivalent that would be accepted instead of the observance of the law:--"Rabbi Eliezer said the Israelites complained before God one day, 'We are anxious to be occupied day and night in the law, but we have not the necessary leisure.' Then the Holy One--blessed be He!--said to them, 'Perform the commandment of the phylacteries, and I will count it as if you were occupied day and night in the law.'" (_Yalhut Shimeoni_). Phylacteries, fringes, and Mezuzah, these three preserve one from sin; as it is said (Eccl. iv. 2), "A threefold cord is not quickly broken;" as also in Ps. xxxiv. 7, "The angel of the Lord encampeth about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."

Ibid., fol. 43, col. 2.

The harp in the time of the Messiah will have eight strings; as it is written (Ps. xii. 1), "The chief musician upon eight," etc.

_Eirchin_, fol. 13, col. 2.

On the ninth day of the month Ab (about August) both the first Temple and the second were destroyed.

_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 18, col. 2.

In 2 Kings xxv. 8, the seventh of Ab is the date given for the
first of these events, whereas Jeremiah (lii. 12) mentions the
tenth as the fatal day. Josephus (Wars of the Jews, Book vi.
chap. 4, sec. 15) coincides with the latter.

On the ninth of Ab one must abstain from eating and drinking, and anointing one's self, and wearing shoes, and matrimonial intercourse. He may not read the Bible, the Talmud, the Midrash, the Halachoth, or the Haggadoth, excepting such portions as he is not in the habit of reading, such he may then read. The lamentations, Job, and the hard words of Jeremiah should engage his study. Children should not go to school on this day, because it is said (Ps. xix. 8), "The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart."

_Taanith_, fol. 30, col. 1.

Nowadays, on the date referred to, Jews do not wear their
tallith and phylacteries at morning prayer; by this act laying
aside the outward signs of their covenant with God; but,
contrary to custom, they put them on in the evening, when the
fast is nearly over.

He who does any work on the ninth of Ab will never see even a sign of blessing. The sages say, whoso does any work on that day and does not lament over Jerusalem will never see her joy; for it is said (Isa. lxvi. 10), "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her; rejoice for joy, all ye that mourn for her."

_Taanith_, fol. 30, col. 2.

If there be nine shops all selling the meat of animals which have been legally butchered, and one selling the meat of animals which have not, and if a person who has bought meat does not know at which of these shops he bought it, he is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt; the meat he has purchased is prohibited.

_Kethuboth_, fol. 15, col. 1.

A woman prefers one measure of frivolity to nine measures of Pharisaic sanctimoniousness.

_Soteh_, fol. 20, col. 1.

The Talmud has much to say, and does say a great deal, about women. And although what it says tends rather to discountenance than to promote their development, it is not insensible to what they might become under refinement of culture, and occasionally enforces the duty of attending to their higher education. In proof of both positions we appeal to the following quotations:--

In the Mishna, from which the above quotation is taken, we are told that Ben Azai (the son of impudence) says, a man is bound to instruct his daughter in the law, although Rabbi Eliezer, who always assumes an oracular air, and boasts that the Halachah is always according to his decision (_Bava Metzia_, fol. 59, col. 2), insists, on the other hand, that he who instructs his daughter in the law must be considered as training her into habits of frivolity; and the saying above ascribes to the sex such a power of frivolity as connects itself evidently with the foregone conclusion that they are by nature incapable of being developed into any solidity of worth or character. The Gemara, Tosephoth, and Rashi as well all support Rabbi Eliezer in laying a veto on female education, for fear lest, with the acquisition of knowledge, women might become cunning, and do things on the sly which ought not to be done by them. Literally the saying is:--For from it (i.e., the acquisition of knowledge) she comes to understand cunning, and does things on the quiet.

_Soteh_, fol. 21, col. 2, Rashi.

Another good reason for neglecting female education those who take the Talmud as an authority find in these words: women are light-minded, i.e., of shallow natural endowment, on which any serious discipline would be thrown away.

_Kiddushin_, fol. 80, col. 2.

Another argument to the same effect is, that there is no distinct command in the law of Moses inculcating the duty; for in Deut. xi. 19 it is merely said, "And ye shall teach them to your children," a command which, as it passes refracted through the Rabbinic medium, becomes your sons, but not your daughters.

Ibid., fol. 29, col. 2.

As the immediately preceding command, so interpreted, cannot be carried out by any one not favored with male children, the well-known Talmudic dictum acquires force and point, "Blessed is the man whose children are sons, but luckless is he whose children are daughters."

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 16, col. 2.

A man prefers one measure obtained by his own earning to nine measures collected by the exertion of his neighbor.

_Bava Metzia_, fol. 38, col. 1.

Nine have entered alive into paradise, and these are they:--Enoch, the son of Jared; Elijah; the Messiah; Eliezer, the servant of Abraham; Hiram, king of Tyre; Ebed Melech, the Ethiopian; Jabez, the son of Rabbi Yehuda the prince; Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh; and Sarah, the daughter of Asher. Some say also Rabbi Yoshua, the son of Levi.

_Derech Eretz Zuta_, chap. 1.

As the last-mentioned personage, Rabbi Yoshua, entered paradise
"not by the door," but some "other way," it may be interesting
to not a few to know how he succeeded, and here accordingly we
append the story of the feat. As Rabbi Yoshua's earthly career
drew to a close, the angel of death was instructed to wait upon
him, and at the same time show all respect for his wishes. The
Rabbi, remarking the courteous demeanor of his visitant,
requested him, before he despatched him, to favor him with a
glimpse of the place he was to occupy in paradise above, and
meantime commit to him his sword, as a gage that he would grant
his petition and not take advantage of him on the journey. This
request being granted and the sword delivered up, the Rabbi and
his attendant took the road, pacing along till they halted
together just outside the gates of the celestial city. Here the
angel assisted the Rabbi to climb the wall, and proceeded to
point out the place he would occupy some day in the future, when
deftly throwing himself over, he left the angel standing outside
and holding him fast by the skirt of his garment. When pressed
to return, he swore he would not go back, protesting that, as he
had never sought to be relieved of the obligation of his oath on
earth, he would not be cajoled or coerced into an act of perjury
within the precincts of heaven. He declined at first to give up
the sword of the angel, and would have stood to his point but
for the echo of a voice which peremptorily ordered its immediate
restoration. (See _Kethuboth_ fol. 77, col. 2.)

Where is it taught that when ten join together in prayer the Shechinah is with them? In Ps. lxxxii. 4, where it is said, "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty."

_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.

According to Rabbinic law, it takes at least ten men to
constitute a legally convened congregation. Nearly a thousand
pounds were expended every year by the synagogues of the
metropolis to hire (minyan) men to make up the congregational
number, and thus ensure the due observance of this regulation.

When the Holy One--blessed be He!--enters the synagogue, and does not find ten men present, His anger is immediately stirred; as it is said (Isa. i. 2), "Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? When I called, there was none to answer?"

Ibid., fol. 6, col. 2.

The passion of anger here ascribed to God is by not a few
regarded as an attribute wholly alien to the proper nature of
the Deity. Such, however, is evidently not the judgment of the
Talmudists. Nor is this surprising when we see elsewhere how
boldly they conceive and how freely they speak of the Divine
Majesty. The Rabbis are not in general a shamefaced generation,
and are all too prone to deal familiarly with the most sacred
realities. The excerpts which follow amply justify this
judgment.

God is represented as roaring like a lion, etc., etc.

_Berachoth_, fol. 3, col. 1. See chap. iii.

God is said to wear phylacteries.

_Berachoth_, fol. 6, col. 1.

This is referred to in the morning service for Yom Kippur, where it is said He showed "the knot of the phylacteries to the meek one" (i.e., Moses).

He is said to pray; for it is written (Isa. lvi. 7), "Them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of my prayer." It is thus He prays: "May it please me that my mercy may overcome my anger, that all my attributes may be invested with compassion, and that I may deal with my children in the attribute of kindness, and that out of regard to them I may pass by judgment."

Ibid., fol. 7, col. 1.

He is a respecter of persons; as it is written (Num. vi. 26), "The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee."

Ibid., fol. 20, col. 2.

When accused by Elijah of having turned Israel's heart back again (1 Kings xviii. 37), He confesseth the evil He had done (Micah iv. 6).

Ibid., fol. 31, col. 2.

God, when charged by Moses as being the cause of Israel's idolatry, confesseth the justice of that accusation by saying (Num. xiv. 20), "I have pardoned according to thy word."

Ibid., fol. 32, col. 1.

He drops two tears into the ocean, and this causes the earth to quake.

Ibid., fol. 59, col. 1.

He is represented as a hairdresser; for it is said He plaited Eve's hair (and some have actually enumerated the braids as 700).

_Eiruvin_, fol. 18, col. 1.

In a Hagada (see Sanhedrin, fol. 95, col. 2), God is conceived as acting the barber to Sennacherib, a sort of parody on Isaiah vii. 20.

He is said to have created the evil as well as the good passions in man.

_Berachoth_, fol. 61, col. 1.

God weeps every day.

_Chaggigah_, fol. 3, col. 2.

He dresses Himself in a veil and shows Moses the Jewish Liturgy, saying unto him, "When the Israelites sin against me, let them copy this example, and I will pardon their sins."

_Rosh Hashanah_, fol. 17, col. 2.

God is said to have regretted creating certain things.

_Succah_, fol. 52, col, 2.

God is represented as irrigating the land of Israel, but leaving the rest of the earth to be watered by an angel.

_Taanith_, fol. 10, col. 1.

It is said that He will make a dance for the righteous, and as He places Himself in the centre, they will point at Him with their fingers, and say (Isa. xxv. 9), "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him;... we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

Ibid., fol. 31, col. 1.

God is said to have prevaricated in making peace between Abraham and Sarah, which is not so surprising; for while one Rabbi teaches that prevarication is under certain circumstances allowable, another asserts it absolutely as a duty; for it is written (1 Sam. xvi. 2), "And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord."

_Yevamoth_, fol. 65, col. 2.

This teaching may be easily matched by parallels from heathen
literature, but we have room only for two or three
examples:--Maximus Tyrius says, "There is nothing (essentially)
decorous in truth, yea, truth is sometimes hurtful and lying
profitable." Darius is represented by Herodotus (Book iii., p.
191) as saying, "When telling falsehood is profitable, let it be
told." Menander says, "A lie is better than an annoying truth."

God utters a curse against those who remain single after they are twenty years of age; and those who marry at sixteen please him, and those who do so at fourteen still more.

_Kiddushin_, fol. 29, col. 2.

Elijah binds and God flogs the man who marries an unsuitable wife.

Ibid., fol. 70, col. 1.

God acknowledges His weakness in argument, "My children have vanquished me! my children have vanquished me!" He exclaims. "They have defeated me in argument."

_Bava Metzia_, fol. 59, col. 2.

God's decision was controverted by the Academy in heaven, and the matter in debate was finally settled by a Rabbi, who had to be summoned from earth to heaven expressly to adjudicate in the case.

_Bava Metzia_, fol. 86, col. 1.

The classical student will recognize in this a parallel to the
Greek myth in which the Olympian divinities refer their debate
in the matter of the apple of discord to the judgment of Paris.
May there not in both fables lie a dim forefeeling of the time
when Justice shall transfer her seat from the skies, so that
whatever her ministers bind on earth may be bound in heaven?

God will bear testimony before all the nations of the earth that His people Israel have kept the whole of the law.

_Avodah Zarah_, fol. 3, col. 1.

God is occupied for twelve hours every day in study, at work, or at play.

Ibid., fol. 3, col. 2.

God does not act without first consulting the assembly above; as it is said (Dan. iv. 17), "This matter is by the decree of the watchers and the demand of the word of the Holy One," etc.

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 38, col. 2.

God Himself is described as exacting an atonement for His own miscreations; as, for instance, His diminishing the size of the moon.

_Shevuoth_, fol. 9, col. 1.

The general height of the Levites was ten ells.

_Shabbath_, fol. 92, col. 1.

Ten things cause hemorrhoids:--Eating cane leaves, the foliage and tendrils of the vine, the palate of cattle, the backbones of fish, half-cooked salt fish, wine lees, etc.

_Berachoth_, fol. 55, col. 1.

Ten things provoke a desperate relapse in a convalescent:--Eating beef, fat meat, broiled meat, fowl, or roasted eggs, shaving, eating cress, taking milk or cheese, or indulging in a bath. Some say also eating walnuts, others say eating cucumbers, which are as dangerous to the body as swords.

Ibid., fol. 57, col. 2.

Ten curses were pronounced against Eve:--The words "greatly multiply," "thy sorrow" (alluding to rearing a family), "thy conception," "in sorrow shalt thou bring forth," "thy desire shall be to thy husband," "he shall rule over thee," express six of these. The remainder are:--She should be wrapped up like a mourner (that is, she should not appear in public without having her head covered); she was restricted to one husband, though he might have more wives than one, and was to be kept within doors like a prisoner.

_Eiruvin_, fol. 100, col. 2.

Ten things were created during the twilight of the first Sabbath-eve. These were:--The well that followed Israel in the wilderness, the manna, the rainbow, the letters of the alphabet, the stylus, the tables of the law, the grave of Moses, the cave in which Moses and Elijah stood, the opening of the mouth of Balaam's ass, the opening of the earth to swallow the wicked (Korah and his clique). Rav Nechemiah said, in his father's name, also fire and the mule. Rav Yosheyah, in his father's name, added also the ram which Abraham offered up instead of Isaac, and the Shameer. Rav Yehudah says the tongs also, etc.

_Psachim_, fol. 54, col 1.

To the ten things said to have been created on Sabbath-eve some add the rod of Aaron that budded and bloomed, and others malignant demons and the garments of Adam.

Ibid.

Rav Yehuda said, in the name of Rav, ten things were created on the first day:--Heaven and earth, chaos and confusion, light and darkness, wind and water, the measure of day and the measure of night. "Heaven and earth," for it is written, "In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth." "Chaos and confusion," for it is written, "And the earth was chaos and confusion." "Light and darkness," for it is written, "And darkness was upon the face of the abyss." "Wind and water," for it is written, "The wind of God hovered over the face of the waters." "The measure of day and the measure of night," for it is written, "Morning and evening were one day."

_Chaggigah_, fol. 12, col. 1.

Ten facts witness to the presence of a supernatural power in the Temple:--No premature birth was ever caused by the odor of the sacrifices; the carcasses never became putrid; no fly was ever to be seen in the slaughter-houses; the high-priest was never defiled on the day of atonement; no defect was ever found in the wave-sheaf, the two wave-loaves, or the shewbread; however closely crowded the people were, every one had room enough for prostration; no serpent or scorpion ever stung a person in Jerusalem; and no one had ever to pass the night without sleeping-accommodation in the city.

_Yoma_, fol. 21, col. 1.