Pt3 Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)

Rav's advice to Rav Asi, Rav Kahana, Ḥiyya, and Ayvu; The Beer Brewer’s Blessing; Men of Jerusalem's advice to R' Yoḥanan and R' Yehoshua ben Levi; Praise for Bachelor With Sexual Restraint; and More

This is the third and final part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, the outline can be found at Part 1.

Rav's advice to Rav Asi: Live where animals provide security; avoid cities with doctor-mayors; avoid marriage to two women (polygamy) or marry a third

1. Don’t live in a city where horses don’t neigh and dogs don’t bark (as these animals provide security)

2. Don’t live in a city where the mayor is a doctor.¹

3. Don’t marry two women (i.e. polygamous marriage with two wives). If you do marry two, marry a third.²

ואמר ליה) רב לרב אסי:

1. לא תדור במתא דלא צניף בה סוסיא, ולא נבח בה כלבא

2. ואל תדור בעיר דריש מתא אסיא

3. ולא תנסיב תרתי. אי נסבת תרתי — נסיב תלת.

And Rav said to Rav Asi:

1. Don't live in a city where horses Don't neigh and where dogs Don't bark, as these animals provide security and protection.

2. And Don't live in a city where the mayor is a doctor, as he will be too busy working to govern properly.

3. And Don't marry two women, as they will likely join forces against you. And if you do marry two, marry a third as well. If two of your wives plot against you, the third will inform you of their plans.

Rav's advice to Rav Kahana: Keep promises; work even menial labor; carry food even on short trips; respect even cheap food

1. “Turn over a carcass (נבילתא), and don’t turn over words” (Meaning: it’s better to do very menial labor than to break a promise).

2. Engage in work, even in modest tasks such as skinning a carcass in the marketplace, rather than depending on others for support, justifying such dependence with claims like, "I am a priest," or "I am an important person, and this work is beneath me."

3. “If you ascend to the roof, [carry] your food with you” (Meaning: Always carry food with you, even on short trips).

4. “100 gourds (קרי) in the city cost a zuz, place them under your corners (כנפיך)” (Meaning: Treat food with respect, even if it is inexpensive).

אמר ליה רב לרב כהנא:

1. הפוך בנבילתא, ולא תיפוך במילי.

2. פשוט נבילתא בשוקא, ושקיל אגרא, ולא תימא ״כהנא אנא, וגברא רבא אנא, וסניא בי מלתא״.

3. סלקת לאיגרא — שירותך בהדך.

4. מאה קרי במתא בזוזא — תותי כנפיך ניהוו.

Rav said to Rav Kahana:

1. It is better for one to turn over a carcass than to turn over his word, i.e., to break his promise.

2. Rav further said: Skin a carcass in the market and take payment, but Don't say: I am a priest, or: I am a great man, and this matter disgusts me. It is preferable for one to work, even in menial labor, than to be dependent on others.

3. Rav also advised Rav Kahana: If you ascend to the roof, carry your food with you. One should always carry his sustenance with him, even if he goes only on a short trip.

4. If one hundred pumpkins in the city cost a zuz, place them carefully under the corners of your clothes. Treat food respectfully even if it is inexpensive.

Rav's advice to Ḥiyya (his son): Avoid habitual medication; don’t jump ditches; don’t provoke snakes or non-Jews; avoid tooth pulling

1. Don’t drink medications (habitually, to prevent addiction).

2. Don’t leap (תשוור) over ditches (ניגרא; as it could be dangerous).

3. Don’t pull out a tooth (unless absolutely necessary; try to heal it instead).

4. Don’t provoke (תקנא) snakes in your home³

5. Don’t provoke non-Jews.

אמר ליה רב לחייא בריה:

1. לא תשתי סמא,

2. ולא תשוור ניגרא,

3. ולא תעקר ככא,

4. ולא תקנא בחיויא,

5. ולא תקנא בארמאה.

Rav said to Ḥiyya, his son:

1. Don't get into the habit of drinking medications, lest you develop an addiction.

2. And Don't leap over a ditch, as you might hurt yourself in the process.

3. And Don't pull out a tooth, but try to heal it if possible.

4. And Don't provoke a snake in your house to try to kill it or chase it away.

5. And Don't provoke a gentile, as this too is dangerous.

Baraita's advice: Don’t provoke small non-Jews, small snakes, or small Torah scholars

Building on the final pieces of advice from the preceding section (#4 and #5 - "Don’t provoke a snake; don’t provoke a non-Jew"), the Talmud cites a baraita that enumerates entities one should avoid provoking:

1. A small non-Jew.

2. A small snake.

3. A small Torah scholar.

The Talmud explains the reason: “Because their authority (מלכותייהו) stands behind their ears (אודנייהו)“.⁴

תנו רבנן:

שלשה אין מתקנאין בהן, ואלו הן:

1. גוי קטן,

2. ונחש קטן,

3. ותלמיד קטן.

מאי טעמא —

דמלכותייהו אחורי אודנייהו קאי.

Similarly, the Sages taught:

There are three beings one should not provoke:

1. A small gentile,

2. and a small snake,

3. and a small Torah scholar.

What is the reason?

Because their authority stands behind their ears. They will eventually grow up, assume power, each in his own way, and avenge those who have harassed them.

Rav's advice to Ayvu (his son): Sell merchandise quickly; never regret selling wine; secure payment before delivery; prioritize small local profits over risky large ones; sell dates quickly to brewers

Rav lamented to his son Ayvu that his efforts to teach him halakha had failed to make him a scholar.

He then offered to teach him about mundane, everyday matters instead:

1. “Sell while the dust (חלא) is on your legs.” (Meaning: Sell merchandise as soon as you return from travels, before prices fall.)

2. Regret selling anything except wine, which is always worth selling (since it can spoil).

3. “Open your purse, [then] open your sack“ (Meaning: Ensure payment before delivering goods).

4. “A kav (קבא; a small measure of volume) from the ground than a kor (כורא; a large measure of volume) from the roof” (Meaning: Prefer earning a small amount locally (safe) over a large amount from distant ventures (risky)).

5. “Dates in your storeroom (חלוזך), run to the brewery (בית סודנא)” (Meaning: Sell dates quickly to avoid spoilage, keeping only up to three se’a for personal use).

אמר ליה רב לאיבו בריה:

טרחי בך בשמעתא, ולא מסתייע מילתא

תא, אגמרך מילי דעלמא:

1. אדחלא אכרעיך — זבינך זבין.

2. כל מילי זבין ותחרט — בר מחמרא, דזבין ולא תחרט.

3. שרי כיסיך, פתח שקיך.

4. קבא מארעא, ולא כורא מאיגרא.

5. תמרי בחלוזך — לבית סודנא רהוט.

ועד כמה?

אמר רבא: עד תלת סאה.

Rav said to Ayvu, his son:

I struggled to teach you halakha but my efforts did not succeed, as you did not become a great scholar.

Come and I will teach you about mundane matters:

1. Sell your merchandise while the dust from the road is still on your feet. As soon you return from your travels, sell your wares, lest the prices fall in the meantime.

2. Furthermore, it is possible that anything you sell might later cause you to regret the sale, except for wine, which you can sell without regret. Since wine might go bad and be entirely lost, its sale is always advisable.

3. Rav further advised his son: Open your purse to accept payment, and only then open your sack to deliver the goods, to ensure you will receive payment for your merchandise.

4. It is better to earn a kav from the ground than a kor from the roof. A kor is one hundred and eighty times larger than a kav. This proverb means that it is preferable to earn a small amount from a local, safe transaction than to attempt to earn more through a distant, risky venture.

5. Rav continued: If there are dates in your storeroom, run to the brewery to sell them. If you wait, there is a good chance the dates will go bad.

The Gemara asks: And how many dates should one keep for himself?

Rava said: Up to three se’a.

The Brewer’s Blessing: Wealth and Kindness Through Beer

The Talmud discusses a statement attributed either to Rav Pappa or Rav Ḥisda, where the speaker credits their wealth to being a beer manufacturer (רמאי שכרא).

The term "sudana" (סודנא - “brewer”) is explained by Rav Ḥisda using wordplay, as a combination of "sod na’e" (סוד נאה - “a pleasant secret”) and acts of kindness (meaning: brewing is both a profitable occupation and an opportunity to perform good deeds).

אמר רב פפא: אי לא דרמאי שכרא, לא איעתרי.

איכא דאמרי, אמר רב חסדא: אי לא דרמאי שכרא לא איעתרי

מאי ״סודנא״?

אמר רב חסדא: סוד נאה, וגמילות חסדים.

[...]

Rav Pappa said: If I were not a beer manufacturer I would not have become wealthy.

Some say that it was Rav Ḥisda who said: If I were not a beer manufacturer I would not have become wealthy.

The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the word sudana, the Aramaic term for a brewer?

Rav Ḥisda said: A pleasant secret [sod na’e] and acts of loving kindness, as brewing is a good way to make money and also enables one to perform good deeds.

[...]

Men of Jerusalem's advice to R' Yoḥanan: Enter battle last to be able to retreat safely; treat Shabbat as weekday to avoid reliance on others; associate with fortunate individuals

R' Yoḥanan shared three pieces of wisdom from “men of Jerusalem” (אנשי ירושלים):

1. “When you go to war, Don't go out first, but go out last, so that you will enter first” (Meaning: Avoid going out first to battle; instead, go out last so that in case of defeat, you can retreat and reach the city's refuge first.)

2. “Make your Shabbat a weekday (חול), and don’t be beholden to other beings” (Meaning: It’s better to treat Shabbat like an ordinary weekday, reducing expenses, than to rely on others for support.)

3. “Exert yourself with one upon whom the hour smiles” (Meaning: Strive to associate with those experiencing good fortune.)⁵

שלשה דברים אמר רבי יוחנן משום אנשי ירושלים:

1. כשאתה יוצא למלחמה — אל תצא בראשונה, אלא תצא באחרונה, כדי שתכנס בראשונה.

2. ועשה שבתך חול, ואל תצטרך לבריות.

3. והוי משתדל עם מי שהשעה משחקת לו.

R' Yoḥanan said three matters, citing the people of Jerusalem:

1. When you go to war Don't go out first, but go out last. The reason is so that if your side is defeated and you need to flee for your life, you will enter the refuge of the city first.

2. And it is better to make your Shabbat like an ordinary weekday and Don't be beholden to other beings.

3. And exert yourself to join together with one upon whom the hour smiles.

Men of Jerusalem's advice to R' Yehoshua ben Levi: Avoid public disgrace; ensure marriageable daughters are matched even by freeing slaves; be cautious of wife’s fondness for first son-in-law

R' Yehoshua ben Levi conveyed three teachings from “men of Jerusalem” (אנשי ירושלים):

1. Avoid public disgrace, citing the lesson from David and Bathsheba.

2. If your daughter is of marriageable age, it's better to free a slave and marry him to her than let her find a husband on her own.

3. Be cautious regarding your wife's fondness for her first son-in-law.

Rav Ḥisda explains this final piece of advice (#3 - “Be cautious regarding your wife's fondness for her first son-in-law“) as a safeguard against illicit sex (ערוה; i.e. between the two of them: wife and first son-in-law), while Rav Kahana suggests it is to prevent her from overly favoring him financially (ממון; possibly at your expense).

The Talmud concludes that both interpretations have truth to them (and therefore prudence is necessary to avoid both risks).

שלשה דברים אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי משום אנשי ירושלים:

1. אל תרבה בגנות, משום מעשה שהיה.

2. בתך בגרה — שחרר עבדך, ותן לה.

3. והוי זהיר באשתך מחתנה הראשון.

מאי טעמא?

רב חסדא אמר: משום ערוה,

רב כהנא אמר: משום ממון.

הא והא איתנהו.

[...]

R' Yehoshua ben Levi said three matters, citing the people of Jerusalem:

1. Don't indulge in a shameful act in public, because of the incident that occurred involving David and Bathsheba (see II Samuel 11–12).

2. If your daughter has grown up, it is better to free your Canaanite slave and give him to her than to leave her to find a husband on her own.

3. And be careful with your wife with regard to her first son-in-law, as she is especially fond of him.

What is the reason for this warning?

Rav Ḥisda said: Due to the possibility of licentiousness.

Rav Kahana said: Due to the fact that she might give him all your money and leave you impoverished.

The Gemara comments: Since either of these could happen, it is best to be prudent.

[...]

Divine Praise for Bachelor With Sexual Restraint; Rav Safra as Bachelor; Rav Ḥanina and Rav Oshaya as Bachelors in a marketplace of prostitutes

Rav Yoḥanan teaches that God proclaims the goodness of three types of people daily:

1. A bachelor (רווק) in a city (כרך) who resists (sexual) temptation

2. A poor person who returns lost items

3. A wealthy person who gives tithes discreetly (בצינעה)

The Talmud recounts that Rav Safra, a bachelor who lived in a city, felt joy⁶ upon hearing this teaching, believing that the first item in the list referred to someone like him.

However, Rava clarified that the praise was meant for individuals like Rav Ḥanina and Rav Oshaya, cobblers (אושכפי) in a marketplace of prostitutes in Eretz Yisrael.

Despite their surroundings, they never looked at the women, earning the prostitutes' respect, who swore (מומתייהו) by the holiness of these Sages as follows: “By the lives of the holy rabbis (רבנן קדישי) of Eretz Yisrael”.

אמר רבי יוחנן,

שלשה מכריז עליהן הקדוש ברוך הוא בכל יום:

1. על רווק הדר בכרך ואינו חוטא,

2. ועל עני המחזיר אבידה לבעליה,

3. ועל עשיר המעשר פירותיו בצינעה.

רב ספרא רווק הדר בכרך הוה,

תני תנא קמיה דרבא ורב ספרא, צהבו פניו דרב ספרא.

אמר לו רבא:

לאו כגון מר,

אלא כגון רב חנינא ורב אושעיא

דהוו אושכפי בארעא דישראל,

והוו יתבי בשוקא דזונות,

ועבדי להו מסאני לזונות,

ועיילי להו.

אינהו מסתכלי בהו, ואינהו לא מדלן עינייהו לאיסתכולי בהו.

ומומתייהו הכי: בחייהן רבנן קדישי דבארעא דישראל.

[...]

R' Yoḥanan further said:

The Holy One, Blessed be He, proclaims about the goodness of three kinds of people every day, as exceptional and noteworthy individuals:

1. About a bachelor who lives in a city and does not sin with women;

2. about a poor person who returns a lost object to its owners despite his poverty;

3. and about a wealthy person who tithes his produce in private, without publicizing his behavior.

The Gemara reports: Rav Safra was a bachelor living in a city.

When the tanna taught this baraita before Rava and Rav Safra, Rav Safra’s face lit up with joy, as he was listed among those praised by God.

Rava said to him:

This does not refer to someone like the Master.

Rather, the statement applies to people like Rav Ḥanina and Rav Oshaya,

who were cobblers in Eretz Yisrael,

and they would sit in the marketplace of prostitutes

and fashion shoes for prostitutes.

And the prostitutes would enter their shops and look at them. However, due to their piety, these Sages did not raise their eyes to look at the women.

And those prostitutes were so impressed with this behavior that when they swore, they would say as follows: By the lives of the holy Sages of Eretz Yisrael. It is this type of bachelor who is praised by Heaven.

[...]

Rabba bar bar Ḥana (via R' Yoḥanan)'s advice to R' Yehuda son of R' Elai: Live modestly (e.g., eat onions); avoid luxury foods; prioritize housing expenses over food

Rabba bar bar Ḥana relayed R' Yoḥanan's advice from R' Yehuda son of R' Elai:

1. “Eat an onion and sit in the shade” (Meaning: Live modestly—eat inexpensive food like onions and enjoy a simple, comfortable life.)

2. Avoid luxurious foods like geese and chickens, “as your heart will pursue you” (meaning: you’ll develop a taste for luxuries).

3. “Less to your food and your drink, and more on your house” (Meaning: Prioritize spending on your home over food, as housing is a more stable investment).

אמר רבא בר בר חנה, אמר רבי יוחנן, משמיה דרבי יהודה ברבי אילעי:

1. אכול בצל ושב בצל,

2. ולא תיכול אווזין ותרנגולין, ויהא לבך רודף עליך.

3. פחות ממיכלך וממשתיך, ותוסיף על דירתך.

Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that R' Yoḥanan said, citing R' Yehuda, son of R' Elai:

1. Eat an onion [batzal] and sit in the shade [batzel], i.e., eat inexpensive food while sitting in a comfortable place,

2. but Don't eat expensive geese and chickens, as your heart will pursue you, i.e., you will develop a taste for luxuries.

3. Devote less to your food and your drink and spend more on your house, as one’s house is a better investment than food.

Ulla's advice: Luxurious eaters may face creditors; vegetable eaters live humbly but securely

Ulla shared a similar saying from Eretz Yisrael:

1. “One who eats a fat sheep’s tail (אליתא) must hide in the attic (עליתא)” (Meaning: Eating indulgent food, like a fat tail, can lead to hiding from creditors due to presumed wealth)

2. “One who eats vegetables (קקולי) can lie down in the city’s garbage dump (קיקלי)” (Meaning: Eating humble fare, like vegetables, allows one to live without debt and without fear, even in modest circumstances).

כי אתא עולא, אמר:

מתלא מתלין במערבא:

1. דאכיל אליתא — טשי בעליתא.

2. דאכיל קקולי — אקיקלי דמתא שכיב.

When Ulla came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said that

they say the following proverb in the west, Eretz Yisrael:

1. One who eats a fat tail [alita] must hide in the attic [aliyata] from creditors who think he is wealthy.

2. One who eats vegetables [kakulei] can lie down in the city’s garbage [kiklei] without fear of others, as he is not in debt.

Appendix - Summary Table: Advisor, Recipient, and Advice

1. Steinsaltz: as he will be too busy to govern properly.

Compare the second piece of advice given by R' Akiva to R' Yehoshua (his son), in Part 1 of this series:

ואל תדור בעיר שראשיה תלמידי חכמים.

And Don't live in a city whose leaders are Torah scholars. (Steinsaltz: as they are too busy studying to govern properly.

2. Steinsaltz interprets this as purely rational:

“Don't marry two [women]” - as they will likely join forces against you.

“And if you do marry two, marry a third [as well]” - If two of your wives plot against you, the third will inform you of their plans.

Alternatively, this might be connected to the belief in the supernatural danger associated with partaking of items in pairs, a topic explored extensively earlier in this aggadic sugya. See my piece on this belief here: “Perilous Pairs: More on the Dangers of Pairs, Demons, and Witchcraft (Pesachim 110a-b)“, and here: “Pairs, Planks, and Potions: Three Talmudic Tales of Witchcraft (Pesachim 110b and Sanhedrin 67b)“.

3. See my recent piece here for talmudic advice for dealing with a provoked snake, section “Being Pursued by a Snake“, which begins with:

האי מאן דמיקני ביה חיויא,

One at whom a snake is angry (מיקני - “provoked”) and is being pursued by a snake,

4. Steinsaltz interprets: “They will eventually grow up, assume power, each in his own way, and avenge those who have harassed them.“

Alternatively, this might only be explaining why not to provoke a minor non-Jew: “Their government (מלכותייהו) stands behind their ears (אודנייהו)"; meaning, the government will potentially avenge their harassment.

5. These last two pieces of advice - items #2 and #3 - are word-for-word the same as quoted earlier in the sugya as given by R’ Akiva to his son, in his final two pieces of advice; see Part 1, section “R' Akiva's advice to R' Yehoshua (his son)”.

6. צהבו פניו - literally: “his face brightened”, an idiom. See the same idiom in my piece here, section “R' Yehuda's unusual complexion“ > “Comment by R' Tarfon - “bright”“, and my note there:

רבי יהודה הוה יתיב קמיה דרבי טרפון.

אמר ליה רבי טרפון: היום פניך צהובין.

R' Yehuda was sitting before R' Tarfon.

R' Tarfon said to him: Your face today is ruddy, i.e., a rosy, healthy color.