Pt2 Study, Eating, Divine Credit, and the Gifts of Shabbat and Holidays: R’ Eliezer’s Yom Tov Lecture, the Debate over Festival Joy, and the Economics of Sacred Time (Beitzah 15b-16a)
This is the second and final part of a two-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline for the series can be found at Part 1.
Rav Taḥlifa brother of Ravnai Ḥoza’a - Annual income fixed from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur, except Shabbat/Yom Tov costs and children’s Torah tuition; spend more → allotted more - Psalms 81:4–5
תני רב תחליפא אחוה דרבנאי חוזאה:
כל מזונותיו של אדם קצובים לו מראש השנה ועד יום הכפורים,
חוץ מ
הוצאת שבתות
והוצאת יום טוב
והוצאת בניו לתלמוד תורה,
ש
אם פחת —
פוחתין לו,
ואם הוסיף —
מוסיפין לו.
§ The Talmud returns to the previous issue: Rav Taḥlifa, brother of Ravnai Ḥoza’a, taught:.
A person’s entire livelihood is allocated to him during the period from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur.
During that time, as each individual is judged, it is decreed exactly how much money he will earn for all his expenditures of the coming year,
except for
expenditures for Shabbatot,
and expenditures for Festivals,
and expenditures for the school fees of his sons’ Torah study.
In these areas, no exact amount is determined at the beginning of the year; rather,
if he reduced the amount he spends for these purposes --
his income is reduced and he earns that much less money in that year,
and if he increased his expenditures in these areas --
his income is increased to ensure that he can cover the expense.
Therefore, one may borrow for these purposes, since he is guaranteed to have enough income to cover whatever he spends for them.
R’ Abbahu - Identifies the “concealed” festival as Rosh HaShana - Psalms 81:4–5
אמר רבי אבהו:
מאי קראה?
״תקעו בחדש שופר
(בכסא) ליום חגנו״,
איזהו חג שהחדש מתכסה בו?
הוי אומר זה ראש השנה,
וכתיב:
״כי חק לישראל הוא
משפט לאלהי יעקב״.
[...]
R’ Abbahu said:
What is the verse from which this dictum is derived?
The source is:
“Blow the shofar at the New Moon,
at the concealed time for our Festival day” (Psalms 81:4).
On which Festival is the new moon concealed?
You must say that it is Rosh HaShana, which occurs on the first of the month, when the moon is not yet visible, while the moon is visible during the other Festivals, which occur in the middle of the month.
And it is written in the next verse:
“For it is a statute [ḥok] for Israel,
a judgment of the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:5).
[...]
Baraita - Shammai vs. Hillel in Shabbat prep
Shammai always saved the better animal for Shabbat
תניא:
אמרו עליו על שמאי הזקן:
כל ימיו היה אוכל לכבוד שבת.
מצא בהמה נאה --
אומר: זו לשבת.
מצא אחרת נאה הימנה —
מניח את השניה ואוכל את הראשונה.
It is taught in a baraita:
They said about Shammai the Elder that
all his days he would eat in honor of Shabbat. How so?
If he found a choice animal --
he would say: This is for Shabbat.
If he subsequently found another one choicer than it --
he would set aside the second for Shabbat and eat the first.
He would eat the first to leave the better-quality animal for Shabbat, which continually rendered his eating an act of honoring Shabbat.
Hillel relied daily on God’s blessing (“day by day”) - Psalms 68:20
אבל הלל הזקן —
מדה אחרת היתה לו,
שכל מעשיו לשם שמים,
שנאמר: ״ברוך ה׳ יום יום״,
However, Hillel the Elder --
had a different trait,
that all his actions, including those on a weekday, were for the sake of Heaven,
as it is stated: “Blessed be YHWH, day by day; He bears our burden, our God who is our salvation; Selah” (Psalms 68:20), meaning that God gives a blessing for each and every day.
תניא נמי הכי,
בית שמאי אומרים: מחד שביך לשבתיך,
ובית הלל אומרים: ״ברוך ה׳ יום יום״.
That is also taught in a baraita in more general terms:
Beit Shammai say: From the first day of the week, Sunday, start preparing already for your Shabbat.
And Beit Hillel say: “Blessed be YHWH, day by day.”
R’ Ḥama b. Ḥanina - One who gives a gift need not inform the recipient - Exodus 34:29
אמר רבי חמא ברבי חנינא:
הנותן מתנה לחברו --
אין צריך להודיעו,
שנאמר: ״ומשה לא ידע כי קרן עור פניו״.
§ Apropos the statements about honoring Shabbat, the Talmud cites another statement on the same topic.
R’ Ḥama, son of R’ Ḥanina, said:
One who gives a gift to his friend --
need not inform him that he has given it to him, and he need not concern himself that the recipient might not realize who gave it to him.
As it is stated: “And Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant (קרן עור פניו)” (Exodus 34:29); Moses received this gift unawares.
Baraita- Shabbat is a “good gift”; must inform— - Exodus 31:13
[...]
״לדעת כי אני ה׳ מקדשכם״,
אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה:
משה!
מתנה טובה יש לי בבית גנזי
ושבת שמה,
ואני מבקש ליתנה לישראל,
לך והודיע אותם.
[...]
written: “Nevertheless, you must keep My Shabbatot, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am YHWH Who sanctifies you” (Exodus 31:13),
the rabbis expounded as follows: God said to Moses:
Moses!
I have a good gift in My treasury (בית גנזי),
and its name is Shabbat,
and I wish to give it to the Jewish people.
Go and inform them of this intention of Mine.
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel - hence: one who gives bread to a child should notify the mother
מכאן אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל:
הנותן פת לתינוק --
צריך להודיע לאמו.
[...]
And from here Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said:
One who gives a gift of a piece of bread to a child --
must inform his mother of his actions,
so that the child’s parents will be aware of the giver’s fond feelings for them, thereby enhancing friendly relations and companionship among Jews.
[...]
אמר מר:
מכאן אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל:
הנותן פת לתינוק צריך להודיע לאמו.
מאי עביד ליה?
שייף ליה משחא ומלי ליה כוחלא.
והאידנא דחיישינן לכשפים, מאי?
אמר רב פפא: שייף ליה מאותו המין.
The Master said earlier that
from here Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said:
One who gives a piece of bread to a child must inform his mother.
The Talmud asks: What does he do to him; how does he inform the child’s mother?
He rubs oil on him and paints his eyes blue, so that when the child arrives home his mother will ask him who did this to him and he will reply that it was a person who also gave him a piece of bread.
The Talmud comments: And nowadays, when we are concerned about witchcraft, i.e., that painting the child’s eyes might have been performed as an act of sorcery, what should one do?
Rav Pappa said: He rubs on the child a little of that same type of food that he put on the bread, such as butter or cheese, and this will cause the child’s mother to notice that he received a present.
R’ Yoḥanan citing R’ Shimon b. Yoḥai - All mitzvot were given publicly except Shabbat, given privately to Israel - Exodus 31:17
אמר רבי יוחנן, משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי:
כל מצות שנתן להם הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל —
נתן להם בפרהסיא,
חוץ משבת
שנתן להם בצנעא,
שנאמר: ״ביני ובין בני ישראל אות היא לעולם״.
[...]
The Talmud cites a further statement with regard to the gift of Shabbat to the Jewish people.
R’ Yoḥanan said in the name of R’ Shimon ben Yoḥai:
All the mitzvot that God gave to the Jewish people --
He gave to them in public [parhesya]1
except for Shabbat,
which he gave to them in private (צנעא).
As it is stated: “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever” (Exodus 31:17), meaning that in a sense, it is a secret between God and the Jewish people.
[...]
Reish Lakish - An additional soul is given on Friday before Shabbat and taken after Shabbat - Exodus 31:17
דאמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש:
נשמה יתירה נותן הקדוש ברוך הוא באדם ערב שבת,
ולמוצאי שבת נוטלין אותה הימנו,
שנאמר: ״שבת וינפש״,
כיון ששבת --
ווי אבדה נפש.
As R’ Shimon ben Lakish said:
God gives a person an additional soul (נשמה יתירה) on Shabbat eve (ערב שבת),
and at the conclusion of Shabbat removes it from him,
as it is stated: “He ceased from work and was refreshed [va-yinafash]” (Exodus 31:17).
R’ Shimon ben Lakish expounds the verse as follows:
Since he ceased from work, and now Shabbat has concluded and his additional soul is removed from him --
פרהסיא - from Greek.