בבא בתרא עד, א

בבא בתרא עד, א

1. א
   וְגָנוּ אַפַּרְקִיד. וַהֲוָה זְקִיפָא בִּרְכֵּיהּ דְּחַד מִינַּיְיהוּ, וְעָיֵל טַיָּיעָא תּוּתֵי בִּרְכֵּיהּ כִּי רְכִיב גַּמְלָא, וּזְקִיפָא רוּמְחֵיהּ וְלָא נָגַע בֵּיהּ. פְּסַקִי חֲדָא קַרְנָא דִתְכֵלְתָּא דְּחַד מִינַּיְיהוּ, וְלָא הֲוָה מִסְתַּגִּי לַן. אָמַר לִי: דִּלְמָא שְׁקַלְתְּ מִידֵּי מִינַּיְיהוּ? אַהְדְּרֵיהּ, דִּגְמִירִי דְּמַאן דְּשָׁקֵיל מִידֵּי מִינַּיְיהוּ לָא מִסְתַּגִּי לֵיהּ. אֲזַלִי אַהְדַּרְתֵּיהּ, וַהֲדַר מִסְתַּגִּי לַן.
   and they were lying on their backs. And the knee of one of them was elevated, and he was so enormous that the Arab entered under his knee while riding a camel and with his spear upright, and he did not touch him. I cut one corner of the sky-blue garment that contains ritual fringes of one of them, and we were unable to walk. The Arab said to me: Perhaps you took something from them? Return it, as we know by tradition that one who takes something from them cannot walk. I then returned the corner of the garment, and then we were able to walk.
2. ב
   כִּי אֲתַאי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבָּנַן, אֲמַרוּ לִי: כֹּל ״אַבָּא״ – חַמְרָא, וְכֹל ״בַּר בַּר חָנָה״ – סִיכְסָא! לְמַאי הִלְכְתָא עֲבַדְתְּ הָכִי? לְמִידַּע אִי כְּבֵית שַׁמַּאי אִי כְּבֵית הִלֵּל? אִיבְּעִי לָךְ לְמִימְנֵי חוּטִין וּלְמִימְנֵי חוּלְיוֹת.
   When I came before the Sages, they said to me in rebuke: Every Abba is a donkey, and every bar bar Ḥana is an idiot. For the purpose of clarifying what halakha did you do that? If you wanted to know whether the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Shammai or in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel, as to whether there are four or three threads and joints in ritual fringes, in that case there was no need to take anything with you, as you should have simply counted the threads and counted the joints.
3. ג 1
   אֲמַר לִי: תָּא אַחְוֵי לָךְ הַר סִינַי. אֲזַלִי, חֲזַאי דְּהָדְרָא לֵיהּ עַקְרַבָּא, וְקָיְימָא כִּי חֲמָרֵי חִווֹרָתִי. שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּת קוֹל שֶׁאוֹמֶרֶת: ״אוֹי לִי שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּעְתִּי; וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּעְתִּי – מִי מֵפֵר לִי?״
   Rabba bar bar Ḥana continues his account. That Arab also said to me: Come, I will show you Mount Sinai. I went and saw that scorpions were encircling it, and they were standing as high as white donkeys. I heard a Divine Voice saying: Woe is Me that I took an oath; and now that I took the oath, who will nullify it for me?
4. ד
   כִּי אֲתַאי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבָּנַן, אֲמַרוּ לִי: כָּל ״אַבָּא״ – חַמְרָא, כׇּל ״בַּר בַּר חָנָה״ – סִיכְסָא! הָיָה לְךָ לוֹמַר ״מוּפָר לָךְ״! וְהוּא סָבַר: דִּלְמָא שְׁבוּעֲתָא דְמַבּוּל הוּא. וְרַבָּנַן – אִם כֵּן, ״אוֹי לִי״ לָמָּה?
   When I came before the Sages, they said to me in rebuke: Every Abba is a donkey, and every bar bar Ḥana is an idiot. You should have said: Your oath is nullified. The Gemara explains: And Rabba bar bar Ḥana did not nullify the oath because he reasoned: Perhaps God is referring to the oath that He will not flood the earth again. But the Sages would argue that if that were so, why say: Woe is Me? Rather, this must be referring to God’s oath of exile upon the Jewish people.
5. ה 16
   אָמַר לִי: תָּא אַחְוֵי לָךְ בְּלוּעֵי דְקֹרַח. חֲזַאי תְּרֵי בִּיזְעֵי, וַהֲווֹ קָא מַפְּקִי קוּטְרָא. שְׁקַל גְּבָבָא דְעַמְרָא וְאַמְשִׁינֵּהּ בְּמַיָּא, וְדַעֲצִיתֵהּ בְּרֵאשֵׁהּ דְּרוּמְחָא וְעַיְּילֵיהּ הָתָם, וְכִי אַפֵּיק, הֲוָה אִיחֲרַךְ אִיחֲרוֹכֵי. אָמַר לִי: אַצֵּית מַאי שָׁמְעַתְּ, וּשְׁמַעִית דַּהֲווֹ אָמְרִין: ״מֹשֶׁה וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֱמֶת, וְהֵן בַּדָּאִין״. אֲמַר לִי: כֹּל תְּלָתִין יוֹמֵי מַהְדַּר לְהוּ גֵּיהִנָּם לְהָכָא כְּבָשָׂר בְּקַלַּחַת, וְאָמְרִי הָכִי: ״מֹשֶׁה וְתוֹרָתוֹ אֱמֶת, וְהֵן בַּדָּאִין״.
   Rabba bar bar Ḥana continues his account. The Arab also said to me: Come, I will show you those who were swallowed by the earth due to the sin of Korah. I saw two rifts in the ground that were issuing smoke. The Arab took a shearing of wool, and dipped it in water, and inserted it on the head of a spear, and placed it in there. And when he removed the wool, it was scorched. He said to me: Listen to what you hear; and I heard that they were saying: Moses and his Torah are true, and they, i.e., we in the earth, are liars. The Arab further said to me: Every thirty days Gehenna returns them to here, like meat in a pot that is moved around by the boiling water as it cooks. And every time they say this: Moses and his Torah are true, and they, i.e., we in the earth, are liars.
6. ו 4
   אָמַר לִי: תָּא אַחְוֵי לָךְ הֵיכָא דְּנָשְׁקִי אַרְעָא וּרְקִיעָא אַהֲדָדֵי. שְׁקַלְתָּא לְסִילְתַּאי, אַתְנַחְתָּא בְּכַוְּותָא דִרְקִיעָא. אַדִּמְצַלֵּינָא, בְּעֵיתֵיהּ וְלָא אַשְׁכַּחְתֵּהּ. אָמֵינָא לֵיהּ: אִיכָּא גַּנָּבֵי הָכָא? אֲמַר לִי: הַאי גִּלְגְּלָא דִרְקִיעָא הֲוָה דְּהָדַר, נְטַר עַד לִמְחַר הָכָא – וּמַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ.
   This Arab also said to me: Come, I will show you the place where the earth and the heavens touch each other. I took my basket and placed it in a window of the heavens. After I finished praying, I searched for it but did not find it. I said to him: Are there thieves here? He said to me: This is the heavenly sphere that is turning around; wait here until tomorrow and you will find it.
7. ז
   רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשְׁתַּעֵי: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא; וַחֲזֵינַן הָהוּא כְּווֹרָא דְּאַפְּקֵיהּ לְרֵישֵׁיהּ מִיַּמָּא, וְדָמְיָין עַיְינֵיהּ כִּתְרֵי סֵיהֲרֵי; וּנְפוּץ מַיָּא מִתַּרְתֵּי זִימֵיהּ כִּתְרֵי מַבָּרֵי דְסוּרָא. רַב סָפְרָא מִשְׁתַּעֵי: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא; וַחֲזֵינַן הָהוּא כְּווֹרָא דְּאַפְּקֵיהּ לְרֵישֵׁיהּ מִיַּמָּא, וַהֲוָה לֵיהּ קַרְנֵי וַחֲקִיק עֲלָיהּ: ״אֲנָא בְּרִיָּה קַלָּה שֶׁבַּיָּם״; וַהֲוֵינָא תְּלָת מְאָה פַּרְסֵי, וְאָזֵילְנָא לְפוּמָּא דְלִוְיָתָן. אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: הָהוּא עִיזָּא דְיַמָּא הוּא, דְּבָחִישָׁא וְאִית לַהּ קַרְנֵי.
   § Rabbi Yoḥanan relates: Once we were traveling on a ship and we saw a certain fish that took its head out of the sea, and its eyes had the appearance of two moons, and water scattered from its two gills like the two rivers of Sura. Rav Safra relates: Once we were traveling on a ship and we saw a certain fish that took its head out of the sea, and it had horns, and the following was inscribed on them: I am a lowly creature of the sea and I am three hundred parasangs long, and I am going into the mouth of the leviathan. Rav Ashi said: That is the goat of the sea, which searches through the sea and has horns.
8. ח
   רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשְׁתַּעֵי: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָּא; וַחֲזֵינַן הָהִיא קַרְטְלִיתָא, דַּהֲווֹ קָא מְקַבְּעִי בַּהּ אֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת, וְהָדְרִי לַהּ מִינֵי דִכְווֹרֵי דְּמִקְּרֵי כַּרְשָׁא. נְחֵית
   Rabbi Yoḥanan relates: Once we were traveling on a ship and we saw a certain crate [kartalita] in which precious stones and pearls were set, and a species of fish called sharks encircled it. He descended,