Pt2 From Verse to Aphorism: Tracing the Biblical Basis of Rabbinic and Popular Sayings (Bava Kamma 92a-93a)

This is the second part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline of the series can be found at Part 1.

Aphorism #4 - Eat early in the morning, in summer because of heat and in winter because of cold

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמור רבנן:

השכם ואכול

• בקיץ

  • מפני החמה,

• ובחורף

  • מפני הצינה;

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby the rabbis stated:

Awaken early and eat,

• in the summer

  • due to the heat

• and in the winter

  • due to the cold.

ואמרי אינשי:

שיתין רהוטי רהוט,

ולא מטו לגברא דמצפרא כרך?

And similarly, people say:

60 runners run

and do not reach the man who ate¹ in the morning.²

Rabba bar Mari’s source - One who is not hungry or thirsty is not struck by heat or sun - Isaiah 49:10

דכתיב:

״לא ירעבו ולא יצמאו,

ולא יכם שרב ושמש״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that the source is as it is written:

“They shall not hunger nor thirst,

neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them” (Isaiah 49:10),

indicating that one who is not hungry or thirsty will not be affected by the weather.

Rava’s Torah source - Service of God, bread, and water remove sickness - Exodus 23:25

אמר ליה:

את אמרת מהתם,

ואנא אמינא מהכא:

Rava said to him:

You said the proof from there, from a verse in the Prophets,

and I say the proof from here, from a verse in the Torah.

• ״ועבדתם את ה׳ אלהיכם״ –

  • זו קרית שמע ותפלה.

• ״וברך [את] לחמך ואת מימיך״ –

  • זו פת במלח וקיתון של מים.

מכאן ואילך:

״והסירתי מחלה מקרבך״.

The verse states: “And you shall serve YHWH your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus 23:25).

Rava explicates:

• “And you shall serve YHWH your God”;

  • this is referring to

    • the recitation of Shema

    • and prayer.

• “And He will bless your bread and your water”;

  • this is referring to

    • bread dipped in salt,

    • and a flask³ of water drunk after the bread, in the mornings.

From this point forward the remainder of the verse applies:

“And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.”

Baraita - “Sickness” means bile - Exodus 23:25

ותניא:

מחלה –

זו מרה.

And it is taught in a baraita:

“Sickness”;

this is referring to bile (מרה).

... since maḥala has gematria 83, corresponding to 83 bile-related illnesses

ולמה נקרא שמה מחלה?

ששמונים ושלשה חלאין יש בה –

״מחלה״ בגימטריא הכי הוו.

And why is its name called sickness [maḥala]?

It is called this since there are 83 sicknesses in bile.

The letters spelling the word maḥala, i.e., mem, ḥet, lamed, heh, have that numerical value of 83.

... all neutralized by bread with salt and water in the morning

וכולן --

1. פת במלח שחרית

2. וקיתון של מים

מבטלן.

And with regard to all of those sicknesses --

1. eating bread dipped in salt in the morning

2. and drinking a flask of water afterward

negates them (מבטלן).

Aphorism #5 - “If your friend calls you a donkey, put a saddle on your back”

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמור רבנן:

חברך קרייך ״חמרא״ –

אוכפא לגביך מוש?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby the rabbis stated:

If your friend calls you a donkey,

prepare a saddle (אוכפא) for your back,

i.e., do not contest his statement?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Hagar accepts the angel’s description of her as Sarai’s female slave - Genesis 16:8

אמר ליה:

דכתיב:

״ויאמר:

הגר שפחת שרי,

אי מזה באת ואנה תלכי?

ותאמר: מפני שרי גברתי אנכי בורחת״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that

the source is as it is written in the conversation between the angel and Hagar:

“And he said:

Hagar, female slave of Sarai,

from where did you come and to where are you going?

And she said: I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai” (Genesis 16:8).

Though Hagar was no longer Sarai’s slave, since the angel referred to her as such, she responded in kind.

Aphorism #6 - “A shameful matter in you, say it first” (i.e., be self-deprecating)

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

מילתא גנאה דאית ביך –

קדים אמרה?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

If you are aware of a derogatory (גנאה) matter that is found in you --

say it first before others say it about you?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Eliezer immediately identifies himself as Abraham’s slave - Genesis 24:34

אמר ליה:

דכתיב:

״ויאמר:

עבד אברהם אנכי״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that

the source is as it is written with regard to Eliezer:

“And he said:

I am Abraham’s slave” (Genesis 24:34),

immediately proclaiming that he is a slave.

Aphorism #7 - “The goose walks bent over, but its eyes look far away”

(See footnote.)⁴

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

שפיל ואזיל בר אווזא,

ועיניה מטייפי?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

The goose stoops its head as it goes along,

but its eyes look afar to find food for itself?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Abigail humbly calls herself David’s maidservant while hinting at future benefit - I Samuel 25:31

אמר ליה:

דכתיב:

״והטיב ה׳ לאדני,

וזכרת [את] אמתך״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that

the source is as it is written with regard to Abigail’s statement to David:

“And when YHWH shall have dealt well with my lord,

then remember your female slave” (I Samuel 25:31).

Although Abigail spoke with humility in her request that David spare her husband’s life, she made reference to deriving future benefit from David.

Aphorism #8 - “Sixty pains reach the teeth of one who hears another eating and does not eat”

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

שיתין תכלי מטיוה לככא דקל חבריה שמע, ולא אכל?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

60 discomforts come to the teeth [le-khakha] of one who hears the sound of another eating and does not eat?⁵

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Nathan notes that he and others were excluded from Adonijah’s feast - I Kings 1:25–26

אמר ליה:

דכתיב:

1. ״ולי אני עבדך

2. ולצדק הכהן

3. ולבניהו בן יהוידע

4. ולשלמה עבדך

לא קרא״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that

the source is as it is written with regard to what Nathan the prophet said concerning the coronation banquet of Adonijah, to which he was not invited:

“For he is gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons…

1. But me, even me your servant,

2. and Zadok the priest,

3. and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,

4. and your servant Solomon

he has not called” (I Kings 1:25–26).

Rava’s Torah source - Isaac marries Rebecca, and immediately afterward Abraham takes Keturah - Genesis 24:67; Genesis 25:1

אמר ליה:

את אמרת מהתם,

ואנא אמינא מהכא:

Rava said to him:

You said the proof from there, from a verse in the Prophets,

and I say the proof from here, from a verse in the Torah:

״ויבאה יצחק האהלה שרה אמו,

ויקח את רבקה

ותהי לו לאשה

ויאהבה,

וינחם יצחק אחרי אמו״,

As it is written:

“And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent,

and took Rebekah,

and she became his wife;

and he loved her,

and Isaac was comforted for his mother” (Genesis 24:67).

וכתיב בתריה:

״ויסף אברהם ויקח אשה

ושמה קטורה״.

And it is written immediately afterward:

“And Abraham took another wife,

and her name was Keturah” (Genesis 25:1).⁶

Aphorism #9 - “The wine belongs to the owner, but gratitude goes to the pourer”

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

חמרא למריה,

טיבותא לשקייה?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

While the wine belongs to its owner,

the gratitude is given to the one who pours it?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Moses receives credit for Joshua’s wisdom, though it comes from God - Numbers 27:18–20; Deuteronomy 34:9

אמר ליה:

דכתיב:

״וסמכת את ידך עליו״

״למען ישמעון ויראון כל עדת בני ישראל״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that

the source is as it is written with regard to God commanding Moses to transfer his authority to Joshua:

“And YHWH said unto Moses: Take you Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is spirit, and lay your hand upon him…

that all the congregation of the children of Israel may hearken” (Numbers 27:18–20).

וכתיב:

״ויהושע בן נון מלא רוח חכמה,

כי סמך משה את ידיו עליו,

וישמעו אליו כל בני ישראל וגו׳״.

And it is written:

“And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom;

for Moses had laid his hands upon him;

and the children of Israel hearkened unto him,

and did as YHWH commanded Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:9).

Although the spirit of God was not given to Joshua by Moses, as Moses was only a conduit, he was given credit for it.

Aphorism #10 - “A hungry dog swallows even dung”

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

כלבא בכפניה –

גללי (מ)בלע?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

A dog, in its hunger (כפניה - or: “starvation”) --

swallows even dung (גללי)?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - To the hungry, every bitter thing is sweet - Proverbs 27:7

דכתיב:

״נפש שבעה – תבוס נפת,

ונפש רעבה – כל מר, מתוק״.

Rabba bar Mari said to him that the source is as it is written:

“The full soul loathes a honeycomb;

but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet” (Proverbs 27:7).

Aphorism #11 - “A bad palm tree goes to a grove of barren trees” (i.e., like seeks like)

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי,

מנא הא מילתא דאמרי אינשי:

מטייל ואזיל דיקלא בישא גבי קינא דשרכי?

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari:

From where is this matter derived whereby people say:

A bad palm tree strolls and goes to be among a grove (קינא) of barren trees,⁷

i.e., bad people seek out other bad people?

Rabba bar Mari’s source - Esau goes to Ishmael (Genesis 28:9); worthless men gather to Yiftah (Judges 11:3); birds dwell with their kind (Ben Sira 13:17); impurity/purity follows attachment (Mishnah Kelim 12:2); the starling goes to the raven; R’ Eliezer - The starling goes to the raven because it is of its kind

אמר ליה:

דבר זה

1. כתוב בתורה,

2. שנוי בנביאים,

3. ומשולש בכתובים;

4. ותנן במתניתין,

5. ותנינא בברייתא.

Rabba bar Mari said to him:

This matter

1. is written in the Torah,

2. repeated (שנוי) in the Prophets,

3. and triplicated (משולש) in the Writings,

4. and we learned (תנן) it in a Mishnah,

5. and we learned (תנינא) it in a baraita.

1. כתוב בתורה –

   1. דכתיב: ״וילך עשו אל ישמעאל״.

2. שנוי בנביאים –

   1. דכתיב: ״ויתלקטו אל יפתח אנשים רקים, ויהיו עמו״.

3. ומשולש בכתובים –

   1. דכתיב: ״כל עוף למינו ישכון, (ובני) [ובן] אדם לדומה לו״.

4. תנן במתניתין –

   1. כל המחובר לטמא, טמא;

   2. כל המחובר לטהור, טהור.

5. ותנינא בברייתא –

   1. רבי אליעזר אומר: לא לחנם הלך זרזיר אצל עורב, אלא מפני שהוא מינו.

Rabba bar Mari explains each of the sources:

1. It is written in the Torah,

   1. as it is written: “And so Esau went to Ishmael” (Genesis 28:9).

2. It is repeated in the Prophets,

   1. as it is written: “And there were gathered vain fellows to Yiftah, and they went out with him” (Judges 11:3).

3. And it is triplicated in the Writings,

   1. as it is written: All fowl will live with its kind, and men with those like him (Book of Ben Sira 13:17).

4. We learned it in a Mishnah (Kelim 12:2):

   1. All that is attached to that which is ritually impure -- is ritually impure;

   2. all that is attached to that which is ritually pure -- is ritually pure.

5. And we learned it in a baraita:

   1. R’ Eliezer says: Not for naught did the starling (זרזיר) go to the raven but because it is its kind (מינו - “its species”), as it too is a non-kosher bird.

Appendix - The Duty to Share Food With Craving Onlookers and the Health Risks of Not Doing So (Ketubot 61a-b)

Sefaria: Ketubot.61a.12-61b.2

ChavrutAI: From Ketubot/61a#12

Rav Yitzḥak bar Ḥananya citing Rav Huna - All foods may be withheld from a waiter until the guests eat, except meat and wine (because they intensify appetite and cause distress if the waiter cannot eat them)

אמר רב יצחק בר חנניא אמר רב הונא:

הכל משהין בפני השמש,

חוץ מ

1. בשר

2. ויין

§ Apropos statements by Rav Yitzḥak ben Ḥananya, the Talmud cites other statements in his name.

Rav Yitzḥak bar Ḥananya said that Rav Huna said:

All foods may be withheld (משהין) from before the waiter (שמש), as one who is a waiter at the meal must wait until the guests have eaten from every food and only then may he eat,

except for

1. meat

2. and wine,

as these foods arouse the appetite more and the waiter would suffer if he could not eat them together with the other participants.

Rav Ḥisda - Rav Huna’s rule applies specifically to fatty meat and aged wine

אמר רב חסדא:

1. בשר שמן

2. ויין ישן

Rav Ḥisda said:

This is referring only to

1. fatty meat

2. and aged wine.

Rava - Fatty meat causes this concern all year; aged wine does so especially in the Tammuz/summer season (when its aroma spreads more strongly)

אמר רבא:

1. בשר שמן —

   1. כל השנה כולה,

2. יין ישן —

   1. בתקופת תמוז

Rava said:

1. It applies to fatty meat

   1. all year round

2. but aged wine

   1. only during the season of Tammuz, in the summer. Due to the heat, the aroma of the wine is more pervasive at that time.

Anecdote re Rav Anan b. Taḥalifa and Shmuel - Rav Anan b. Taḥalifa once stood before Shmuel when a mushroom dish was served; had Shmuel not given him some, he would have been endangered by craving

אמר רב ענן בר תחליפא:

הוה קאימנא קמיה דמר שמואל

ואייתו ליה תבשילא דארדי,

ואי לאו דיהב לי —

איסתכני

Rav Anan bar Taḥalifa said:

I was once standing before Mar Shmuel,

and they brought him a cooked dish of mushrooms (ארדי),

and if he had not given me some —

I would have been endangered due to the craving that I suffered.

Anecdote re Rav Ashi and Rav Kahana - Rav Ashi once stood before Rav Kahana when turnip slices in vinegar were served; had Rav Kahana not given him some, he would have been endangered

אמר רב אשי:

הוה קאימנא קמיה דרב כהנא

ואייתו ליה גרגלידי דליפתא בחלא,

ואי לאו דיהב לי —

איסתכני

Rav Ashi said:

I was once standing before Rav Kahana,

and they brought him slices [gargelidei] of turnip in vinegar,

and if he had not given me some —

I would have been endangered.

Rav Pappa - Even a fragrant date should be shared with the waiter

רב פפא אמר:

אפילו תמרתא דהנוניתא

Rav Pappa said:

Even a fragrant (הנוניתא) date should be offered to the waiter.

General rule: any food with a strong aroma or sharp taste should be given to someone present (to prevent suffering from desire)

כללא דמילתא:

כל ד

1. אית ליה ריחא

2. ואית ליה קיוהא

The Talmud concludes:

The principle of the matter is:

One should offer some of anything that either

1. has an aroma

2. or that has a sharp taste (קיוהא)

to whomever is present when it is served, so that no one suffer by being unable to partake of these foods.

Anecdote re Elijah and Ihi’s sons Avuh and Minyamin - One brother gave his waiter from every type of food, while the other gave only one type; Elijah spoke with the more generous one, but not with the other

1. אבוה בר איהי

2. ומנימין בר איהי,

1. חד

   1. ספי מכל מינא ומינא,

2. וחד

   1. ספי מחד מינא

1. מר —

   1. משתעי אליהו בהדיה,

2. ומר —

   1. לא משתעי אליהו בהדיה.

It is related about two rabbis,

1. Avuh bar Ihi

2. and Minyamin bar Ihi,

that

1. one of them

   1. was accustomed to give (ספי) his waiter from every type of food that he ate,

2. while the other one

   1. would give him only one of the types of food that he ate.

The Talmud says:

1. with this Sage

   1. Elijah spoke,

2. but with the other Sage

   1. Elijah did not speak, since he did not act with piety and caused his waiter to suffer.

Anecdote re Elijah and Rav Ḥisda’s sons Mari and Pineḥas - One man gave the waiter food before the meal, while the other gave only afterward; Elijah spoke with the one who gave earlier, but not with the one who delayed

הנהו תרתין חסידי,

ואמרי לה:

רב מרי ורב פנחס בני רב חסדא,

Similarly, the Talmud relates an incident with regard to two pious men,

and some say they were

Rav Mari and Rav Pineḥas, the sons of Rav Ḥisda:

1. מר

   1. קדים ספי,

2. ומר

   1. מאחר ספי

1. דקדים ספי —

   1. אליהו משתעי בהדיה,

2. דמאחר ספי —

   1. לא משתעי אליהו בהדיה.

1. One Sage

   1. would give the waiter something to eat before the meal,

2. and the other Sage

   1. would give the waiter something to eat after the guests had eaten.

1. With regard to the one who gave it to him earlier,

   1. Elijah spoke with him.

2. But with regard to the one who gave it to him later,

   1. Elijah did not speak with him.

Anecdote re Ameimar, Mar Zutra, and Rav Ashi at King Izgur’s Palace

Rav Ashi saw Mar Zutra blanch from craving at the king’s food, and put some in his mouth

אמימר ומר זוטרא ורב אשי הוו קא יתבי אפיתחא דבי אזגור מלכא.

חליף ואזיל אטורנגא דמלכא.

חזייה רב אשי למר זוטרא דחוור אפיה,

שקל באצבעתיה

אנח ליה בפומיה

The Talmud relates another incident with regard to this matter:

Ameimar and Mar Zutra and Rav Ashi were sitting at the entrance to the house of the Persian King Izgur.

The king’s chief butler (אטורנגא) was passing by with various foods.

Rav Ashi saw Mar Zutra’s face blanch (חוור - literally: “whitened”) because he craved the food,

so Rav Ashi took some of the food with his finger

and put it in Mar Zutra’s mouth.

Rav Ashi justified it by claiming the dish was defective

אמר ליה:

אפסדת לסעודתא דמלכא

The chief butler said to [Rav Ashi]:

You have spoiled (אפסדת) the king’s meal,

as now he will not eat from it.

אמרו ליה:

אמאי תיעביד הכי?

אמר להו:

מאן דעביד הכי —

פסיל למאכל דמלכא

The king’s attendants who were there said to [Rav Ashi]:

Why did you do this?

[Rav Ashi] said to them:

The one who makes such awful dishes —

is the one who actually spoiled (פסיל) the king’s food.

אמרו ליה:

אמאי?

אמר להו:

דבר אחר חזאי ביה

[The king’s attendants] said to [Rav Ashi]:

Why do you say this?

[Rav Ashi] said to them:

I saw something else, i.e., a leprous infection, in this meat.

A defect was found where Rav Ashi indicated

בדקו ולא אשכחו.

שקל אצבעתיה,

אנח עליה,

אמר להו:

הכא מי בדקיתו?

בדקו אשכחו

[The king’s attendants] checked and didn’t find anything.

[Rav Ashi] took his finger and placed it on the food

and said to [the king’s attendants]:

Did you check here?

[The king’s attendants] then checked that spot and found the infection.

Rav Ashi later explained to the rabbis that he had seen a “spirit of tzara’at” over the food

אמרו ליה רבנן:

מאי טעמא סמכת אניסא?

The rabbis said to Rav Ashi:

What is the reason that you relied on a miracle

and assumed that tzara’at would in fact be found there?

אמר להו:

חזאי רוח צרעת דקא פרחה עילויה.

[Rav Ashi] said to [the rabbis]:

I saw a leprous spirit hovering (פרחה - “flying”) over the food

and realized that it had this defect.

Anecdote re a Roman and a Woman

A Roman tried to coerce a woman into marriage by eating pomegranates before her without sharing, causing her illness through unsatisfied craving

ההוא רומאה דאמר לה לההיא איתתא:

מינסבת לי?

אמרה ליה:

לא

The Talmud relates another incident with regard to a similar subject:

A certain Roman said to a certain woman:

Will you marry me?

She said to him:

No.

אזל אייתי רימני,

פלי

ואכל קמה

In order to convince her,

he went and brought pomegranates

and peeled (פלי) them

and ate them in front of her

and did not give her any of them.

כל מיא דצערי לה,

בלעתיה,

ולא הב לה

עד דזג לה

The aroma of the pomegranates caused her mouth to water,

so she swallowed all of the saliva (מיא - literally: “water”) that caused her anguish (צערי),

but he did not give her any

until she became ill (זג)

He then cured her by having her spit out the saliva caused by the craving

לסוף אמר לה:

אי מסינא לך,

מינסבת לי?

אמרה ליה:

אין.

Ultimately, he said to her:

If I cure (מסינא) you,

will you marry me?

She said to him:

Yes.

אזל אייתי רימני,

פלי

ואכל קמה.

אמר לה:

כל מיא דצערי לך,

תוף שדאי, תוף שדאי!

He went and brought pomegranates,

peeled them

and ate them in front of her.

He said to her:

All of the saliva that causes you anguish,

spit it out (תוף שדאי), spit it out.

עד דנפקא מינה כי הוצא ירקא

ואתסיאת.

She did this

until something like a green leaf (הוצא) came out of her,

and then she was cured.

1. כרך - literally: “wrapped”, i.e. wrapped flatbread.

On this sense of the word, see Jastrow (modernized), in entry “כְּרַךְ I”:

Especially כרך ריפתא to double the bread, placing salt, herbs etc. between (see the preceding word), in general כ׳ ר׳ (or substitute for: ר׳) to begin a meal, to dine.

• Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy 32:50 - ובעו … למִכְרַךְ ריפתא - “and the guests were about beginning to eat”

• Berakhot 22b - כְּרוֹכוּ ריפתא - “sat down to dine together”

• Taanit 23b:6 - יתיב וכ׳ ריפתא … איתו כְרוֹכוּ - “he sat down to eat and did not say to the scholars, come eat with us”

• Yerushalmi ibid. 1, 64b bottom of page, sq. - אתון כריכין (correct accordingly).

2. צפרא.

Essentially: modern-day breakfast, of bread. This is known as “morning bread” ( פת שחרית - this term is used here subequently), see the discussion in Hebrew Wikipedia, “ארוחת בוקר“, section “ביהדות“.

And see the parallel passage, where an additional baraita is cited, in Bava_Metzia/107b#7:

תנו רבנן:

שלשה עשר דברים נאמרו בפת שחרית:

1. מצלת מן החמה,

2. ומן הצנה,

3. ומן הזיקין,

4. ומן המזיקין,

5. ומחכימת פתי,

6. וזוכה בדין,

7. ללמוד תורה וללמד,

8. ודבריו נשמעין,

9. ותלמודו מתקיים בידו,

10. ואין בשרו מעלה הבל,

11. ונזקק לאשתו,

12. ואינו מתאוה לאשה אחרת,

13. והורגת כינה שבבני מעים.

14. ויש אומרים: אף מוציא[ה] את הקנאה ומכניס[ת] את האהבה.

§ The Talmud cites a related baraita:

A baraita states that 13 matters of praise were stated with regard to a meal of bread eaten in the morning:

1. It protects the diner from the heat,

2. and from the cold (צנה),

3. and from the winds (זיקין - or: “spirits”),

4. and from the demons (מזיקין - mazikin);

5. and it makes the simple wise (מחכימת פתי),

6. and one who consumes it will be victorious in judgment,

7. he will merit to learn Torah and to teach it,

8. and his statements are heard,

9. and his study will remain in his possession.

10. his flesh does not generate excess sweat (הבל),

11. and he has sex with his wife (נזקק),

12. and he does not lust for another woman,

13. and this meal is so advantageous that it even kills any louse (כינה - i.e. parasitic worms) in his intestines.

14. And some say it even removes jealousy and brings in love. Since he is completely healthy, he is not inclined to be angered by others.

3. קיתון - from Greek.

On this word, see Jastrow (modernized), entry “קִיתוֹן”:

(κώθων [kōthōn], confounded with κύαθος [kyathos]) ladle for drawing wine out of the mixing bowl into the cup; also for washing hands.

• Tosefta Beitsah 2:9; Tosefta Shabbat 16 (Tosefta Shabbat 17:13 - ממלא הוא … או ק׳ לשתות וכ׳ - “he may (dip in and) fill a cup, bucket or ladle for drinking purposes, and intend to immerse them (for ritual purposes)”

• Tosefta Shabbat 14 (Tosefta Shabbat 15:3.

• Mishnah Sukkah 2:9 - לעבד … ק׳ וכ׳ - “like the case of a servant that comes in to mix the cup for his master, and he pours the ladle in his face”

• Sukkah 29a:7 - שפך לו רבו ק׳ וכ׳ - “his master poured etc.”

• Sanhedrin 52b:1 - בתחלה דומה לק׳ וכ׳ - “at first acquaintance he (the scholar) appears to him (the ignorant man) like a golden kithon; if he holds conversation with him, he appears like a silver kithon; if he accepts a benefit of him, he appears like an earthen kithon, which once broken cannot be mended”

• Mishnah Yoma 4:5 - מקדש … מן הק׳ וכ׳ - “he sanctifies his hands and feet with a golden ladle”

• and frequently.

• Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 124:4 - נטל קטן השמן וכ׳ (correct accordingly) - “he took the pitcher of oil and poured etc”

Plural: קִיתוֹנִים, קִיתוֹנוֹת.

• Sifrei Bamidbar 158.

• Tosefta Keilim Metsia 4:1 - הלבס כדי לקבל ק׳ וכ׳ - “a defective caldron remains susceptible of levitical uncleanness so long as there is enough left to receive ladles, ladles, so long as they can contain small coins”

• Bereishit Rabbah 74:9 - קִיתוֹנִיּוֹת;

• Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 130:11 - קיתונות;

• and elsewhere.

And ibid., entry “קִיתוֹן ²”:

Aramaic same.

• Esther Rabbah 5:2 (introduction (פתיחתא)) - the drunkard says, מה דהדין ק׳ דנחשא וכ׳ what this copper ladle serves for, an earthen ladle will do etc.

• Jerusalem Talmud Kiddushin 3:4:5 - הב לי ק׳ דאית וכ׳ - give me the cyathus which I have with thee; הב לי קותונה וכ׳ (read: קִיתוֹנִי) give me my cyathus, and get the Denar (which I owe thee).

• Jerusalem Talmud Avodah Zarah 3:3:4 הוה ליה קווקין וכ׳ (correct accordingly) - “had a ladle on which was the figure of a Roman deity”; אהן ק׳ מכיון וכ׳ - “a ladle, since it is dipped in water, is considered a common vessel (ornamentations of which have no idolatrous character)”

• and elsewhere.

Plural: קַיתוֹנַיָּא.

• Targum Jonathan on Numbers 31:23 (ed. Amsterdam: קַתּוּנְיָא, correct accordingly).

4. This section is paralleled in tractate Megillah, see my “Pt2 The Seven Prophetesses of Israel (Megillah 14a-b)“, section “Abigail’s Strategic Proposal (I Samuel 25:29-31)“, where I summarize:

Before parting from David, Abigail subtly hinted that if Nabal were to die, David should remember her and marry her.

The Talmud cites folk sayings to illustrate her foresight: like a woman multitasking or a goose (בר אווזא) looking ahead while walking, Abigail was already planning for the future:

איתתא, בהדי שותא, פילכא.

“A woman, while [engaged] in conversation (שותא), [also holds] the spindle (פילכא)”

שפיל ואזיל בר אווזא, ועינוהי מיטייפי

“The goose (בר אווזא) stoops (שפיל) and walks, but its eyes look afar (מיטייפי)”

And I note there: “And indeed, ultimately, after Nabal’s death, David married her, fulfilling her prediction.”.

5. Compare also the the discussion in tractate Ketubot, cited in the appendix at the end of this piece: “Appendix - The Duty to Share Food With Craving Onlookers and the Health Risks of Not Doing So (Ketubot 61a-b)“.

6. Steinsaltz explains:

After seeing his son marry, Abraham was disquieted by the fact he was not married. This is akin to one who sees another eating and does not eat.

On the common Talmudic trope of sex as eating, see my “The “Sex is Food” Metaphor in the Talmud“.

7. שרכי.

On this word, see Jastrow (modernized), entry “שְׂרָכָא”, sense #2:

thorn, worthless tree.

Plural: שְׂרָכֵי.

• Bava Kamma 92b:12 (proverb) - מטייל ואזיל דיקלא בישא גבי קינא דש׳ (Arukh שייך … בהדי קינא דשדכי, see Rabbinowicz, ‘Dikdukei Sofrim’ there, note 6) - “a bad palm will travel to be in company with shrubs” (‘like meets like’)

• Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 67 - דשרכו (correct accordingly)

• Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 116 - דסרכי.