Pt2 Tremendously Loud Sounds: Gabini's Cries, the Sun's Orbit, Rome's Crowds, and More (Yoma 20b-21a)
This is the second part of a two-part series. First part here.
King Agrippa heard Gabini the Crier's voice from far away; and the High Priest's voice was even stronger
An incident involved King Agrippa (אגריפס המלך - c. 11 BCE – c. CE 44) hearing Gabini the Crier's voice from 3 parasangs away while traveling.
Impressed, the king sent gifts to Gabini.
The Talmud notes that the High Priest's voice was even stronger: During his Yom Kippur confession, when he said "Please God" (אנא השם), his voice was heard in Jericho, 10 parasangs from Jerusalem.
The High Priest's feat was more remarkable because he was weakened by fasting and performing the entire service, and his confession took place during the day when sound doesn't travel as well. In contrast, Gabini's calls were at night, when sound travels better.
מעשה באגריפס המלך,
שהיה בא בדרך,
ושמע קולו בשלש פרסאות,
וכשבא לביתו,
שיגר לו מתנות.
ואף על פי כן, כהן גדול משובח ממנו.
דאמר מר: וכבר אמר ״אנא השם״, ונשמע קולו ביריחו.
ואמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן: מירושלים ליריחו עשר פרסי.
ואף על גב דהכא איכא חולשא, והכא ליכא חולשא.
והכא יממא, והתם ליליא.
There was an incident involving King Agrippa,
who was coming down the road
and heard Gevini the Crier’s voice at a distance of three parasangs.
And when the king came to his house
he sent gifts to him, since he was so impressed with the man’s voice.
The Gemara notes: And even so, the voice of the High Priest was stronger and superior to his,
as the Master said: And there already was an incident where the High Priest recited, in his confession that accompanied the placing of hands on his bull on Yom Kippur: Please God, and his voice was heard in Jericho.
And Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that R' Yoḥanan said: The distance from Jerusalem to Jericho is ten parasangs.
And not only was the distance greater in the case of the High Priest than in the case of Gevini the Crier, here, there is the issue of the weakness of the High Priest due to the fast and his obligation to perform the entire service, while there, there is no issue of the weakness of Gevini.
And in addition, here it was during the day, when sound does not travel as well, that the High Priest recited his confession; and there it was during the night when Gevini called the priests, Levites, and Israelites.
Other Tremendously Loud Sounds: the sun moving; Rome's bustle
R' Levi explains that a person's voice is not heard as clearly during the day as at night, because the sound of the sun moving through the sky generates noise similar to a carpenter sawing wood, which drowns out other sounds. The sawdust seen in the sun's rays is called "la," symbolizing the insignificance of all inhabitants of the earth, as mentioned by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:32.1
The Talmud then expands on sounds, noting that if not for the sun's noise, the bustle (קול המונה) of Rome would be heard worldwide, and vice versa: if not for the sound of Rome, the sound of the sun would be heard.
דאמר רבי לוי: מפני מה אין קולו של אדם נשמע ביום כדרך שנשמע בלילה?
מפני גלגל חמה, שמנסר ברקיע, כחרש המנסר בארזים.
והאי חירגא דיומא ״לא״ שמיה.
והיינו דקאמר נבוכדנצר: ״וכל דיירי ארעא (כלא) חשיבין״.
תנו רבנן:
אלמלא גלגל חמה, נשמע קול המונה של רומי.
ואלמלא קול המונה של רומי, נשמע קול גלגל חמה.
As R' Levi said: Why is a person’s voice not heard during the day in the manner that it is during the night?
It is due to the fact that the sound of the sphere of the sun traversing the sky generates noise like the noise generated by a carpenter sawing cedars, and that noise drowns out other sounds.
And that sawdust that is visible during the day in the rays of the sun, la is its name. This is what Nebuchadnezzar said: “And all the inhabitants of the world are considered like la” (Daniel 4:32), i.e., all inhabitants of the earth are equivalent to specks of dust.
Apropos sounds, the Gemara cites that the Sages taught:
Were it not for the sound of the sphere of the sun, the sound of the bustle of the crowds of Rome would be heard throughout the world;
and were it not for the sound of the bustle of the crowds of Rome, the sound of the sun’s sphere would be heard throughout the world.
Five Extremely Loud Sounds: the sun's sphere; Rome's bustle; the soul leaving the body; childbirth; the angel Ridya
The Talmud quotes a beraita that says that three sounds are very loud (literally: “travel across the world”): the sun's sphere, Rome's bustle, and the soul leaving the body. Some add (יש אומרים) 2the sound of childbirth, and the sound of the angel Ridya (רידייא), who calls for water to irrigate the earth.
The Talmud adds that the rabbis (רבנן) prayed for the sound of the soul's departure to be less intense, which God granted.
תנו רבנן:
שלש קולות הולכין מסוף העולם ועד סופו, ואלו הן:
קול גלגל חמה,
וקול המונה של רומי,
וקול נשמה, בשעה שיוצאה מן הגוף,
ויש אומרים: אף לידה,
ויש אומרים: אף רידייא.
ובעו רבנן רחמי אנשמה בשעה שיוצאה מן הגוף, ובטלוה.
the Sages taught:
Three sounds travel from the end of the world to its other end, and these are:
The sound of the sphere of the sun,
and the sound of the bustle of the crowds of Rome,
and the sound of the soul at the moment that it leaves the body, which should be audible throughout the world.
And some say: Even the sound of a woman giving birth.
And some say: The sound of Ridya as well. Ridya is the angel tasked with irrigating the earth, who calls to the heavens and to the aquifers to provide their water.
The Gemara comments: And the Sages asked for mercy so that the sound of the soul at the moment that it leaves the body would no longer be heard to that extent, and God eliminated it.
Compare this similar idea mentioned in Aristotle, quoted in Musica universalis - Wikipedia:
“Some thinkers suppose that the motion of bodies of that size must produce a noise, since on our earth the motion of bodies far inferior in size and in speed of movement has that effect. Also, when the sun and the moon, they say, and all the stars, so great in number and in size, are moving with so rapid a motion, how should they not produce a sound immensely great?”