Rituals, Riches, and a Deadly Deception: Shabbat Preparations, the Definitions of ‘Goodness’ and ‘Wealth,’ and the Collection of Balsam and Murex (Shabbat 25b-26a)
Outline
R' Yehuda bar Elai’s Preparation for Shabbat: Washing and Putting on Cloak
Definitions of “Peace" and “Good” (Lamentations 3:17): Bathing; Washing; Made Bed and Beautified Wife
Definitions of Wealth: Extensive Land Ownership, a Good Wife, and an Outhouse Conveniently Nearby
Deadly Deception: A Mother-in-Law's Deadly Plot with Flammable Balsam Oil
Interpreting Jeremiah 52:16: The Trades of the Poor Deported by the Babylonians in 586 BCE – Balsam and Murex Gatherers
The Passage
R' Yehuda bar Elai’s Preparation for Shabbat: Washing and Putting on Cloak
Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav describes the custom of R' Yehuda bar Elai1 in preparing for Shabbat:
“On Friday,2 they would bring him a bowl (עריבה) full of hot water (חמין) and he would use it to wash his face, hands, and feet,3 and he would wrap himself (מתעטף) in fringed (מצוייצין) sheets (סדינין),4 and he was like an angel of YHWH of hosts.” 5
מאי מצוה?
דאמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:
כך היה מנהגו של רבי יהודה בר אלעאי:
ערב שבת, מביאים לו עריבה מלאה חמין
ורוחץ פניו ידיו ורגליו
ומתעטף ויושב בסדינין המצוייצין,
ודומה למלאך ה׳ צבאות
[...]
The Gemara asks: What mitzva is there?
The Gemara explains that Rav Yehuda said that Rav said:
This was the custom of R' Yehuda bar Elai:
On Shabbat eve, they would bring him a bowl full of hot water
and he would use it to wash his face, hands, and feet,
and he would wrap himself, and sit in linen cloaks with ritual fringes,
and he was like an angel of the Lord of hosts.
[...]
Definitions of “Peace" and “Good” (Lamentations 3:17): Bathing; Washing; Made Bed and Beautified Wife
Definition of “Peace” (שלום - Shalom) -- R' Abbahu: refers to the lighting of Shabbat candles (הדלקת נר בשבת).
Definitions of “goodness”:6
R' Yirmeya: refers to bathing in a bathhouse (בית המרחץ)
R' Yoḥanan: Washing hands and feet in hot water.
R' Yitzḥak Nappaḥa: A nice (נאה) bed and bedsheets.
R' Abba: A made (מוצעת) bed (or: couch) and “a beautified7 wife” for Torah scholars.
״ותזנח משלום נפשי נשיתי טובה״.
מאי ״ותזנח משלום נפשי״?
אמר רבי אבהו: זו הדלקת נר בשבת.
״נשיתי טובה״
אמר רבי ירמיה: זו בית המרחץ.
אמר רבי יוחנן זו רחיצת ידים ורגלים בחמין.
רבי יצחק נפחא אמר: זו מטה נאה וכלים נאים שעליה.
רבי אבא אמר: זו מטה מוצעת ואשה מקושטת לתלמידי חכמים.
Since bathing as preparation for enjoyment of Shabbat was discussed, the Gemara cites the homiletic interpretation of the verse describing those heading into exile: “And my soul is removed far off from peace, I forgot prosperity” (Lamentations 3:17).
What is: “And my soul is removed far off from peace”?
R' Abbahu said: That is the lack of opportunity to engage in kindling the Shabbat lights, which a refugee is unable to do.
“I forgot prosperity”,
R' Yirmeya said: That is the lack of opportunity to bathe in the bathhouse.
R' Yoḥanan said: That is the lack of opportunity to engage in washing one’s hands and feet in hot water.
R' Yitzḥak Nappaḥa said: Prosperity is a pleasant bed and the pleasant bedclothes that are on it, which are not available in exile.
R' Abba said: That is a made bed, and a wife adorned, i.e., worthy of and suitable (Rashba) for Torah scholars.
Definitions of Wealth: Extensive Land Ownership, a Good Wife, and an Outhouse Conveniently Nearby
Definitions of a wealthy person (עשיר):
R' Meir: A person who derives pleasure (נחת רוח) from his wealth.8
R' Tarfon: One who owns 100 vineyards, 100 fields, and 100 slaves working those fields.
R' Akiva: One who has a good wife.9
R' Yosei: One who has an outhouse (בית הכסא) near his house.10
תנו רבנן:
איזהו עשיר?
כל שיש לו נחת רוח בעשרו, דברי רבי מאיר. [...]
רבי טרפון אומר: כל שיש לו
מאה כרמים,
ומאה שדות,
ומאה עבדים שעובדין בהן.
רבי עקיבא אומר: כל שיש לו אשה נאה במעשים.
רבי יוסי אומר: כל שיש לו בית הכסא סמוך לשולחנו.
[...]
Incidental to the discussion of prosperity, the Gemara mentions that on a similar topic, the Sages taught:
Who is wealthy?
Anyone who gets pleasure from his wealth, that is the statement of R' Meir [...]
R' Tarfon says: A wealthy person is anyone who has one hundred vineyards, and one hundred fields, and one hundred slaves working in them.
R' Akiva says: Anyone who has a wife whose actions are pleasant.
R' Yosei says: Anyone who has a bathroom close to his table.
[...]
Deadly Deception: A Mother-in-Law's Deadly Plot with Flammable Balsam Oil
The talmud recounts an anecdote about a mother-in-law (חמתא) who hated (סניא) her daughter-in-law (כלתה).
The mother-in-law came up with the following scheme: she first told the daughter-in-law to apply balsam (אפרסמא) oil.11
She then told the daughter-in-law to light a lamp (שרגא), causing the daughter-in-law to catch fire12 and burn13 to death.
ההיא חמתא דהות סניא לה לכלתה,
אמרה לה: זיל איקשיט במשחא דאפרסמא.
אזלא איקשיט.
כי אתא[י] אמרה לה: זיל איתלי שרגא.
אזלא אתלא שרגא.
אינפח בה נורא, ואכלתה.
The Gemara relates: A mother-in-law who hated her daughter-in-law
said to her: Go adorn yourself with balsam oil.
She went and adorned herself.
When she came, her mother-in-law said to her: Go light the lamp.
She went and lit the lamp.
She caught fire and was burned.
Interpreting Jeremiah 52:16: The Trades of the Poor Deported by the Babylonians in 586 BCE – Balsam and Murex Gatherers
The verse states: “But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (רב טבחים) left of the poorest of the land (דלת הארץ) to be vinedressers and husbandmen” .14
"Grape farmer":15 Those who collected (מלקטי) balsam from Ein Gedi to Ramata (רמתא).
"Peasant farmer":16 ḥillazon snail17 trappers (ציידי) on the coastal areas from “the Ladder of Tyre”18 to Haifa.
״ומדלת הארץ השאיר נבוזראדן רב טבחים לכורמים וליוגבים״.
״כורמים״ —
תני רב יוסף: אלו מלקטי אפרסמון מעין גדי ועד רמתא.
״יוגבים״ —
אלו ציידי חלזון מסולמות של צור ועד חיפה.
Since balsam oil was discussed, the Gemara cites the verse: “But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen” (Jeremiah 52:16).
The Gemara explains the verse:
With regard to “vinedressers” —
Rav Yosef taught: These poorest of the land were the balsam collectors in the south of Eretz Yisrael, in the expanse from Ein Gedi to Ramata.
“And the husbandmen”:
these are the trappers of the snail [ḥilazon], from which the sky blue dye is produced in the north of the country, in the area between the Promontory of Tyre and Ḥaifa.
Only a small number of poor people could barely eke out a living from these tasks, which involved mere gathering.
He is traditionally recognized as the prominent tanna, Rabbi Yehuda (fl. mid-2nd century CE), who is cited thousands of times in the Mishnah and Talmudic literature without a surname. See also the extended Talmudic discussion on R’ Yehuda’s distinctive complexion in my piece, “Fingers, Forks, and Faces: Tales of R' Yehuda (Nedarim 49b-50a)”
ערב שבת - literally: “Shabbat eve” (erev Shabbat). See my discussion of this in a note in a previous piece.
רוחץ פניו ידיו ורגליו. This is a common phrase in the Talmud. For another example, see Shabbat.50b.11:
תניא:
רוחץ אדם פניו ידיו ורגליו בכל יום בשביל קונו,
משום שנאמר: ״כל פעל ה׳ למענהו״.
taught in a baraita:
A person must wash his face, his hands, and his feet every day for the sake of his Maker (קונו),
as it is stated: “The Lord has made everything for His own purpose” (Proverbs 16:4).
Every beautiful thing that exists in the world sings the praise of God Who created beautiful things. Therefore, it is appropriate for one to beautify himself in praise of God.
And see Taanit.13a.8:
תא שמע:
כשאמרו ״אסור במלאכה״ — לא אמרו אלא ביום, אבל בלילה — מותר.
וכשאמרו ״אסור בנעילת הסנדל״ — לא אמרו אלא בעיר, אבל בדרך — מותר. […]
וכשאמרו ״אסור ברחיצה״ — לא אמרו אלא כל גופו, אבל פניו ידיו ורגליו — מותר,
וכן אתה מוצא במנודה ובאבל.
Come and hear:
When they said that one is prohibited in working on fast days, they said so only about working during the day, but at night it is permitted to work.
And when they said that one is prohibited to engage in wearing shoes, they said so only in a city, but on the road it is permitted. […]
And when they said that one is prohibited to engage in bathing, they said this only with regard to bathing his entire body, but washing his face, his hands, and his feet (פניו ידיו ורגליו) is permitted.
And similarly, you find that this ruling applies in the case of one who is ostracized (מנודה), i.e., placed under a formal ban, and in the case of a mourner (אבל), who is also prohibited to engage in bathing, smearing, and wearing shoes.
Compare Wikipedia, “Clothing in ancient Rome“:
Clothing in ancient Rome generally comprised a short-sleeved or sleeveless, knee-length tunic for men and boys, and a longer, usually sleeved tunic for women and girls.
On formal occasions, adult male citizens could wear a woolen toga, draped over their tunic […]
And see the same expression—”wrapped [himself]” (נתעטף)—used in the Talmud’s description of Hillel’s Friday afternoon getting dressed for Shabbat:
אותו היום ערב שבת היה,
והלל חפף את ראשו.
[…]
נתעטף,
ויצא לקראתו.
That day was Shabbat eve [=Friday],
and Hillel was washing (חפף) the hair on his head.
[…]
Hillel wrapped himself (נתעטף) in a dignified garment
and went out to greet him.
The term “angel of YHWH of hosts” (מלאך ה׳ צבאות) is biblical, from Malachi.2.7, in the section “Israel Preferred to Edom”, referring to Israel:
כי־שפתי כהן ישמרו־דעת
ותורה יבקשו מפיהו
כי מלאך יהוה־צבאות הוא
For the lips of a priest guard knowledge,
And rulings are sought from his mouth;
For he is a messenger (מלאך) of YHWH of Hosts.
On “Tzevaot” (צבאות) as a name of God, see it listed my piece here, section “Appendix - The Nine Sacred Names of God That Must Not Be Erased and the Ten Divine Descriptives Permitted to Erase (Shevuot 35a)”
טובה - for another talmudic reference to this verse, see my previous piece. See also my recent piece for an extended wordplay on this Hebrew word - tov (“good”).
מקושטת.
Jastrow, “Pi[el] - קישט”, sense #2:
the scholar’s happiness when the couch is spread and the wife dressed (for the Sabbath)
Compare the mishnah in tractate Avot.
נאה במעשים - literally: “good/pleasing in actions/conduct”.
Compare the talmudic passages on “the bad wife” (אשה רעה).
סמוך לשולחנו – literally: "near his table," meaning the place where he eats, so that he does not have to go far to relieve himself after a meal.
Balsam (אפרסמא) oil (shemen afarsimon).
For more discussion of balsam in talmudic literature, see the Sefaria sourcesheet “Deciphering the Incense", #1:
(1) Stacte (נָטָף ; צרי)
Intro: Wikipedia: In the Bible, balsam has various names: בֹּשֶׂם (bosem), בֶּשֶׂם (besem), צֳרִי (ẓori) נׇטׇף (nataf); The terms used in the Mishna are different: קׇטׇף (kataf), בַּלְסׇם (balsam), אַפּוֹבַּלְסַמוֹן (appobalsamon), and אֲפַרְסְמוֹן (afarsemon) [...]
Talmud:
balsam is an ointment, which was a highly praised product of the Jericho plain (Shab. 26a).
R. Yehudah composed a special blessing for balsam oil: "Who creates the oil of our land" (Ber. 43a).
Young women used it as a perfume (Lam. R. 4:18; Shab. 26b [E. B. our sugya]).
After King Josiah hid away the "holy oil" recipe; balsam oil was used in its stead (Ker. 5b).
In the messianic era, the righteous will "bathe in 13 rivers of balsam" (Taanit 25a).
Balsam oil is flammable—and thus dangerous, as stated in the part of the sugya which I elided. Balsam oil contains volatile terpenes, which are flammable. Similar resins (like turpentine, also rich in terpenes) are used as fire accelerants. Ancient balsam oil was often used in perfumery and medicine, but its volatility made it dangerous near open flames. Essential oils with high terpene content, such as balsam and pine oils, are still classified as fire hazards.
אכלתה - literally: “it [=the fire] consumed her”.
Jeremiah 52:16, as part of the “deportation of people ([verses] 12-16)” after the Destruction of the First Temple during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.
See my piece “From Foes to Faithful: The Conversions of Israel's Historical Biblical Enemies and their Descendants (Sanhedrin 96b)”, section “Nebuzaradan’s Transformation: Witnessing the Miraculous and Embracing Judaism”, for the talmudic passage stating that Nebuzaradan later converted to Judaism.
יוגבים - see lengthy discussion there (at the hyperlinked Hebrew Wiktionary entry) of the etymology and definition of this word.
חלזון - i.e. the Murex. For producing techelet dye; i.e. Tyrian purple; see also my previous piece where purchase of techelet is mentioned.
סולמות של צור - see Wikipedia, ”Ladder of Tyre”:
Ladder of Tyre (Aramaic: Sûlama de Ṣôr), […] also known as the Ladder of the Tyrians and the Promontory of Tyre, is a geographical feature mentioned in Greek and Hebrew sources, distinguished by a littoral mountainous range, the highest point of which is distant 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) north of Acre in northern Israel.
The range stretches beyond Tyre in southern Lebanon. Along its Mediterranean coastline, the Ladder of Tyre skirts an area of about five miles wide at its greatest width, and is distinguished by capes that jut westward into the sea from the ridge which runs parallel to the general line of the coast. These capes project more than a mile into the sea, and rise precipitously at a mean elevation of 250 feet (76 m) above sea level.
The Ladder of Tyre is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud, in the Jerusalem Talmud, in the First Book of Maccabees (11:59), and in the writings of Josephus.
According to the Babylonian Talmud, the waters of the region were formerly known for the marine mollusk (Murex), harvested for its blue-dye
The 1st-century historian Josephus puts 100 stadia (c. 11½ mi.; 18½ km.) from the north of Acre to the highest point (massif) in the promontory known as the Ladder of Tyre.
This high place is now associated with Rosh HaNikra grottoes (Scala Tyriorum), and which marked the southern pass into Phoenicia proper, and formed the boundary between that country and the kingdom of Israel.
According to Josephus, a place nearby was also known for its fine, crystalline sand used in glass making.
Adolf Neubauer and Henry Baker Tristram thought that the Ladder of Tyre was to be identified with Cape Blanco (Ras el-Abyad), about 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) north of Rās en-Nakūrah and belonging to the same mountain range.
According to historical geographer Joseph Schwarz, where the Mount Amana range terminates at the rock cliffs of Rās en-Nakūrah, "on this rock is a narrow ascent, shaped somewhat like steps, by which its summit can be reached; hence it is called in the Talmud the Ladder of Tyre."
Claude Reignier Conder was of the same opinion, that the promontory of Nakūrah was the same as the ancient Ladder of Tyre.
Historical geographer, Isaac Goldhor, places the Ladder of Tyre at a distance of 3 biblical miles from Achziv.