Hebrew Literature Part 3

The precepts binding on the sons of Noah are stated to be seven: to do justice; to bless the name of G.o.d; to avoid idolatry; to flee from fornication and adultery; to abstain from blood-shedding; not to rob; and not to eat a member of a living animal. An account is given of the river Sambation, which flows with stones all the six days of the week, but rests on the Sabbath day. Examples are also furnished of gluttony and drunkenness. The paunches of some Rabbis grew so big, that, when put together, a pair of oxen might go between them. A story is also related of one Rabbi killing another in a drunken fit, and then working a miracle which restored him to life. In the following year he again invited the Rabbi to drink with him, but he declined, on the ground that "miracles are not wrought every day." Instances are also given of the anguish of Rabbis in the prospect of death. They express themselves as being without hope of salvation, and as having the fear of h.e.l.l before them.

Proverbs everywhere abound in the Talmud, and they are generally replete with shrewd observation. "The world subsists through the breath of school children. Whosoever transgresses the words of the Scribes is guilty of death. Whosoever teaches a statute before his teachers ought to be bitten by a serpent. There is no likeness between him who has bread in his basket and him who has none. Rather be the head of foxes than the tail of lions."

This, however, again appears as "Rather be the tail of lions than the head of foxes." "The righteous in the city is its splendor, its profit, its glory: when he is departed, there is also departed the splendor, the profit, and the glory." "Licentiousness in a house is as a worm in a pumpkin." This reappears as "Violence in a house is as a worm in a pumpkin." "Thy friend has an acquaintance, and the acquaintance of thy friend has also an acquaintance; be discreet." The unworthy child of a good father is called "vinegar, the son of wine." "If the opportunity fails the thief, he deems himself honest. The c.o.c.k and owl await together the morning dawn. Says the c.o.c.k to the owl, 'Light profits me, but how does it profit thee?' Youth is a crown of roses, old age a crown of thorns. Many preach well, but do not practise well. It is the punishment of liars, that men don't listen to them when they speak truth. Every man who is proud is an idolater. To slander is to murder. Whosoever humbles himself, G.o.d exalts him; whosoever exalts himself, G.o.d humbles him. Men see every leprosy except their own. He who daily looks after his property finds a coin. The post does not honor the man; but the man the post. Every man is not so lucky as to have two tables. Not what thou sayest about thyself, but what thy companions say. The whole and broken tables of the Law lie in the ark. The salt of money is almsgiving. He who walks four cubits in the land of Israel is sure of being a child of the world to come. The plague lasted seven years, and no man died before his time. Let the drunkard only go, he will fall of himself. Be rather the one cursed than the one cursing. The world is like an inn, but the world to come is the real home. The child loves its mother more than its father: it fears its father more than its mother. Repent one day before thy death. If your G.o.d is a friend of the poor, why does He not support them? A wise man answered, 'Their case is left in our hands, that we may thereby acquire merits and forgiveness of sin.' The house that does not open to the poor shall open to the physician. He who visits the sick takes away one-sixtieth part of their pain. Descend a step in choosing a wife; mount a step in choosing a friend. An old woman in a house is a treasure.

Whosoever does not persecute them that persecute him, whosoever takes an offence in silence, whosoever does good from love, whosoever is cheerful under his sufferings, they are friends of G.o.d, and of them says the Scripture, 'they shall shine forth as the sun at noonday.' " R. Phineas, son of Jair, said, "Industry brings purity-purity, cleanness-cleanness, holiness-holiness, humbleness-humbleness, fear of sin-and fear of sin, partaking of the Holy Ghost."

Ideas of G.o.d are gathered from the occupations which the authors of the Talmud a.s.sign to him. "The day contains twelve hours. The first three hours the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and studies the Law. The second three hours He sits and judges the whole world. When He sees that the world deserves destruction, He stands up from the throne of judgment, and sits on the throne of mercy. The third three hours He sits and feeds all the world, from the horns of the unicorns to the eggs of the vermin. In the fourth three hours He sits and plays with leviathan, for it is said, 'The leviathan, whom thou hast formed to play therein' " (Ps. civ. 26).

Rabbi Eliezer says, "The night has three watches, and at every watch the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and roars like a lion; for it is said, 'The Lord shall roar from on high and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar upon His habitation' " (Jer. xxv. 30). Rabbi Isaac, the son of Samuel, says in the name of Rav, "The night has three watches, and at every watch the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and roars like a lion, and says, 'Woe is me, that I have laid desolate my house, and burned my sanctuary, and sent my children into captivity among the nations of the world!' " He is described as praying, and wearing phylacteries, and as having a special place for weeping. "Before the destruction of the Temple the Holy One played with leviathan, but since the destruction of the Temple, He plays with it no more. In the hour that the Holy One remembers His children who are dwelling with suffering among the nations, He lets two tears fall into the Great Ocean, the noise of which is heard from one end of the world to the other, and this is an earthquake." It is further said that He "braided the hair of Eve," and "shaved the head of Sennacherib." He is represented as keeping school, and teaching the sages.

To this school the devils come, especially Aschmedai, the king of the devils. In the discussions that take place, G.o.d is said to be sometimes overcome by the wiser Rabbis.

The question of the Messiah is often brought forward. "The tradition of the school of Elijah is, that the world is to stand six thousand years, two thousand years confusion, two thousand years the Law, and two thousand years the days of the Messiah." It is further said that the time for the coming of the Messiah is expired. "Rav says the appointed times are long since past." The Jerusalem Talmud relates that "it happened once to a Jew, who was standing ploughing, that his ox lowed before him. An Arab was pa.s.sing, and heard its voice. He said 'O Jew! O Jew! unyoke thine ox, and loose thy ploughshare, for the Temple is desolate.' It lowed a second time, and he said, 'O Jew! O Jew! yoke thine ox and bind thy ploughshare, for King Messiah is born.' The Jew said, 'What is His name?' He answered 'Menachem.' He asked again, 'What is His father's name?' He said, 'Hezekiah.' He asked, 'From whence is He?' He replied, 'From the royal palace of Bethlehem Judah.' The Jew then went and saw him; but when he went again, the mother told him 'that the winds had borne the child away.' " The Babylon Talmud further states that "Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, found Elijah standing at the door of the cave of Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai, and said to him, 'Shall I reach the world to come?' He answered, 'If the Lord will.' Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, said, 'I see two, but I hear the voice of three.' He also asked, 'When will Messiah come?' Elijah answered, 'Go and ask Himself.' Rabbi Joshua then said, 'Where does he sit?' 'At the gate of Rome.' 'And how is he known?' 'He is sitting among the poor and sick, and they open their wounds, and bind them up again all at once: but he opens only one, and then he opens another, for he thinks, Perhaps I may be wanted, and then I must not be delayed.' Rabbi Joshua went to him, and said, 'Peace be upon thee, my Master, and my Lord.' He answered, 'Peace be upon thee, son of Levi.' The Rabbi then asked him, 'When will my Lord come?' He answered, 'To-day' " (Ps. xcv. 7). It is said that "the bones of those who reckon the appointed time of the Messiah must burst asunder." Again, however, it is said that "Elias told Rabbi Judah, the brother of the pious Rabbi Salah, that the world would not stand less than eighty-five years of Jubilee, and in the last year of Jubilee the son of David will come." It is further stated that there are first to be the wars of the Dragon, and of Gog and Magog; and that G.o.d will not renew the earth until seven thousand years are completed. The Rabbis also say that when the Messiah comes to fulfil the prophecy of riding upon an a.s.s (Zech.

ix. 9), the a.s.s shall be one of "an hundred colors." As for the return of the ten tribes to their own land, the Talmud in some places a.s.serts it, and in some places denies it. But it is said that in the days of the Messiah all the Gentiles shall become proselytes to the Jewish faith. The Rabbis are divided as to the continuance of the Messiah; some say forty years, some seventy years, some three generations, and some say that He will continue as long as from the creation of the world or the time of Noah "up to the present time." Others say that the kingdom of the Messiah will endure for thousands of years, as "when there is a good government it is not quickly dissolved." It is also said that He shall die, and His kingdom descend to His son and grandson. In proof of this opinion Isaiah xlii. 4 is quoted: "He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth." The lives of men will be prolonged for centuries: "He will swallow up death in victory" (Is. xxv. 8); and "the child shall die an hundred years old" (Is. lxv. 20). The Talmud applies the former verse to Israel, the latter verse to the Gentiles. The men of that time will be two hundred ells high. This is said to be proved by the word "upright" (Lev. xxvi. 13), "upright" being applied to the supposed height of man before the fall. "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun; and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days" (Is. x.x.x. 26). The land of Israel will produce cakes and clothes of the finest wool. The wheat will grow on Lebanon as high as palm-trees; and a wind will be sent from G.o.d to reduce it to fine flour for the support of those who gather it; as it is said "with the fat of kidneys of wheat" (Deut. x.x.xii. 14). Each kidney will be as large as "the kidneys of the fattest oxen." To prove that this is nothing wonderful, an account is given of a rape seed in which a fox once brought forth young.

These young ones were weighed, and found to be as heavy as sixty pounds of Cyprus weight. Lest these statements should be thought a contradiction of the verse "_There_ is no new _thing_ under the sun" (Eccles. i. 9), the Rabbis say that it is just like the growth of mushrooms, toadstools, and the delicate mosses on the branches of trees. Grapes will also grow most luxuriantly; and in every cl.u.s.ter there will be thirty jars of wine.

Jerusalem will be built three miles high; as it is written, "It shall be lifted up" (Zech. xiv. 10). The gates of the city will be made of pearls and precious stones, thirty ells high and thirty ells broad. A disciple of the Rabbis once doubted whether precious stones could be found so large; and shortly afterward, he saw an angel with similar stones, as he was out at sea. On his return to land he related what he had seen to Rabbi Jochanan. Whereupon the Rabbi said, "Thou fool, if thou hadst not seen, thou hadst not believed; thou mockest the words of the wise." He then "lifted up his eyes upon him, and he was made an heap of bones."

Said R. Samuel, the son of Nachman, R. Jochanan said, "Three shall be called by the name of the Holy One; blessed be He." And these are the Righteous, the Messiah, and Jerusalem. The Righteous, as is said (Is.

xliii. 7). The Messiah, as it is written (Jer. xxiii. 6): "And this is His name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jerusalem, as it is written (Ezek. xlviii. 35): "It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be The LORD is THERE."

In the later editions of the Talmud the allusions to Christ and Christianity are few and cautious, compared with the earlier or unexpurgated copies. The last of these was published at Amsterdam in 1645.

In them our Lord and Saviour is "that one," "such an one," "a fool," "the leper," "the deceiver of Israel," etc. Efforts are made to prove that He is the son of Joseph Pandira before his marriage with Mary. His miracles are attributed to sorcery, the secret of which He brought in a slit in His flesh out of Egypt. His teacher is said to have been Joshua, the son of Perachiah. This Joshua is said to have afterward excommunicated him to the blast of 400 rams' horns, though he must have lived seventy years before His time. Forty days before the death of Jesus a witness was summoned by public proclamation to attest His innocence, but none appeared. He is said to have been first stoned, and then hanged on the eve of the Pa.s.sover. His disciples are called heretics, and opprobrious names. They are accused of immoral practices; and the New Testament is called a sinful book. The references to these subjects manifest the most bitter aversion and hatred.

The Rabbis have laid down thirteen rules for the interpretation of the Talmud. These rules form their system of logic. They are as follows:

(1.) "Light and heavy," an argument from the less to the greater. An example is furnished in the case of Miriam (Num. xii. 14). "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again." The argument is here drawn from the conduct of man, the less, to that of G.o.d, the greater. The owner of an ox is also fined more for his beast if it gores his neighbor's beast than if it eats his neighbor's corn; since the tooth only means sustenance for the stomach, but the horn means mischief.

(2.) "Equality," an argument from the similarity or ident.i.ty of words and impressions. An example is furnished in Deut. xv. 12: "If thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him free from thee." In the 18th verse, when this law is again referred to, the man only is mentioned; but as the woman was mentioned in the former verse, it is concluded that the law applies equally to both.

(3.) "The building of the father," an argument from the statements in (a) one place in the Law to other pa.s.sages, which are similar. An example is furnished in Exod. xii. 16, where servile work is forbidden during the feast of unleavened bread, and the conclusion is drawn that servile work is equally forbidden in all festivals of the same nature. This mode of argument is also applied to (b) two places in the Law, where one place refers to the general proposition, and another to particulars arising out of it. An example is furnished in Lev. xv. 1, where a man with an issue is unclean, but in the 4th verse this uncleanness is limited to his bed and his seat.

(4.) "Universal and particular." Where there is a general and a special statement, the special binds the general. An example is furnished in Lev.

i. 2: "If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock." Cattle (in the Hebrew Behemah) includes both wild and tame. The special terms "herd" and "flock" limit the offering to domesticated animals.

(5.) "Particular and universal," or argument from the special to the general. An example is furnished in Deut. xxii. 1: "Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother." In the 3d verse, it is further commanded to restore "all lost things of thy brother's." Hence it is concluded, not only his ox or his sheep, but that everything, which he has lost is to be restored to him.

(6.) "Universal, particular and universal." Where there are two universal statements with a particular statement between, the particular limits the universals. An example is furnished in Deut. xiv. 26, where, speaking of the application of the second t.i.the, it is said, "Thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul l.u.s.teth after; for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth." The special limitation, between the two universal permissions, is to productions of the land of Canaan.

(7.) "The general that requires the special, and the special that requires the general." An example is furnished in Lev. xvii. 13: "Whatsoever man ... hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust." The word "cover"

or "hide" is again used in Gen. xviii. 17: "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I shall do?" The conclusion is drawn, that cover is restricted to the blood being hidden under dust, and not put in any vessel. Again (Exod. xiii. 2): "Sanctify unto me all the first-born; whatever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast, it is mine."

From this verse females might be included with males. Reference is made to Deut. xv. 19, where it is found "All the firstling males." Still it is obscure, when there are firstling females, about the males born afterward.

Reference is made to Exod. x.x.xiv. 19: "All that openeth the matrix is mine." Here all first-born are allowed. This, however, is too general, and it is again restricted by the word males. And as this is too general, it is again restricted by "all that openeth the matrix."

(8.) "Whatsoever is taught in general and something special is mentioned-it is mentioned to strengthen the general rule." An example is furnished in Lev. xx. 2, where the worship of Moloch is forbidden, and the penalty for the sin is death. The conclusion drawn is, that such mention of a special form of idolatry confirms the prohibition of all idolatry.

(9.) "When there is a general rule and also an exception-the exception lightens and does not aggravate." An example is furnished in the command (Exod. xxi. 12), "He that smiteth a man so that he die, he shall surely be put to death." The exception is, "Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly"

(Deut. xix. 4, 5), "he can flee to one of the cities of refuge."

(10.) "When there is a general rule, and an exception not agreeing with the general rule, the exception both lightens and aggravates." An example is furnished from the plague of leprosy (Lev. xiii. 3) when the hair is turned white. The head and beard are excepted (29th verse) lest there be gray hairs-this lightens. But if on the head and beard there be "yellow thin hair," it is a dry scall-this aggravates.

(11.) "When there is an exception from a general rule to establish a new matter-the new matter cannot be brought under the general rule again, unless it be mentioned in the text." An example is furnished from the eating of holy things (Lev. xxii. 10-13). The priest, any soul bought with his money, and he that is born in his house, may eat of it. This is the general rule. If the priest's daughter be married to a stranger, she may not eat of them. This is the exception. This exception would have remained if she continued married to a stranger, or had a child, or had not returned to her father's house. Therefore a new law is provided, that in the event of none of these things happening, she may again eat of the holy things.

(12.) "Things that teach from the subject, and things that teach from the end." An example is furnished from the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." This law, if applied to man-stealing or kidnapping, implies capital punishment. The reason given is from its following "Thou shalt do no murder," and "Thou shalt not commit adultery"-two laws which, if violated, entailed death. The second part of this rule applies to things that teach from the end. What is meant by the end is a matter of dispute.

Some say it means the final cause of logicians. Others say it means something in the end or conclusion of the law itself. If it be the latter, an example is furnished from the case of the leprous house (Lev. xiv. 45): "And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house." These directions teach that houses made of mud are excepted.

(13.) "When two texts contradict each other, until a third be found to decide between them." An example is furnished in Gen. i. 1: "In the beginning G.o.d created the heaven and the earth." It is again written, Gen.

ii. 4, "In the day that the Lord made the earth and the heavens." The question now arises, Which did He make first? The answer is found in Isaiah xlviii. 13: "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spanned the heavens." The conclusion is drawn that He made both at once. Another instance is the discrepancy in the census of Israel. In 2 Sam. xxiv. 9, the number stated is eight hundred thousand. In 1 Chron. xxi. 5, the number is said to have been "eleven hundred thousand." The difference of three hundred thousand is accounted for by referring to 1 Chron. xxvii. 1, where it is said that twenty-four thousand served the king every month. These men, when multiplied by the months, make two hundred and eighty-eight thousand. And the twelve thousand which waited upon the twelve captains raise the number to three hundred thousand, the amount required to reconcile the two statements.

In reading the following tracts it should be borne in mind that the meaning in many places is more implied than expressed.(7) Often an idea is taken for granted, which patient continuance in reading can alone bring to light. The subjects to which these tracts refer should first be studied in the Bible; because after such study the restless subtlety of the Rabbis in "binding heavy burdens on men's shoulders" can be more fully discerned. It is desirable to look on these writings from this point of observation; just as on some mountain top one looks not only at the gold which the morning sun pours on gra.s.s and flower, but also on the deep valley where the shadows still rest, that one may the more sensibly feel how glorious the sun is. The whole theory of this second, or Oral Law, has arisen from inattention to the express statement of Moses: "These words (the ten commandments) the Lord spake unto all your a.s.sembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: AND HE ADDED NO MORE" (Deut. v. 22). And it tends to nullify the declaration of the Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it" (Isaiah ix. 6).

In concluding this introduction it is perhaps well to glance briefly at the age in which the Talmud grew to its present state. It was a period of great activity and thought. Old systems of debasing superst.i.tion were breaking up and pa.s.sing away. A new faith had arisen to regenerate man.

The five centuries which followed the appearing of our Saviour in this world were filled with religious and political events which still make their vibrations felt. From the destruction of Jerusalem and the overthrow of the Jewish polity, an impulse was given to those political changes which have since gone on without intermission among the nations of the earth. From the overthrow of the Jewish Temple an impulse was given to religious earnestness which, often from wrong, often from right motives, has increased, and will increase, as the great consummation draws nigh.

While the Rabbis were laboring at their gigantic mental structure, while generation after generation of their wisest and most patriotic men were acc.u.mulating materials to build the tower which became a beacon to their countrymen for all time, the Christian Church was not idle. By their writings and eloquence the Fathers were gathering the treasures of patristic lore which have descended to us. While Rabbis were discoursing in the synagogues of Tiberias and Babylon, Christian orators were preaching in the basilicas of Constantinople and Rome. They have all gone from this mortal scene. But their thoughts are handed down, so that we may converse with them, though they are no longer on earth. We can hear their wisdom-we can see their errors-we can almost fancy we behold their forms-so that, being dead, they yet speak. Since they ceased from their labors empires have risen and fallen, countless millions of our race have vanished into eternity, and left their bodies to moulder into dust. But their teachings still live on, to influence immortal souls for weal or woe. Doubtless their departures from the Word of G.o.d prepared a way and furnished matter for the numerous heresies and lawless deeds which form a great portion of the history of mankind. From their errors sprang at least in part the Koran. This and kindred themes, however, open up an interminable vista, leading us away from the Talmud itself. It is better now to conclude this introduction. And with what more suitable words can I close than with those drawn from the wisdom of the Fathers? "It is not inc.u.mbent upon thee to complete the work: neither art thou free to cease from it. If thou hast studied the law, great shall be thy reward; for the Master of thy work is faithful to pay the reward of thy labor: but know that the reward of the righteous is in the world to come."

[Transcriber's Note: What follows is actually only extracts from the Mishna, and not the Gemara; as explained above, what is considered the Talmud is the Mishna and the Gemara together.]

On Blessings

Recitation of the Shemah-Blessings-Rabbi Gamaliel-Exemptions from the Recitation-Prayers-Differences Between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel-Reverence for the Temple.

Chapter I

1. "From what time do we recite the Shemah(8) in the evening?" "From the hour the priests(9) enter (the temple) to eat their heave offerings, until the end of the first watch."(10) The words of R. Eleazar; but the Sages say "until midnight." Rabban Gamaliel says, "until the pillar of the morn ascend." It happened that his sons came from a banquet. They said to him, "we have not yet said the Shemah." He said to them, "if the pillar of the morn be not yet ascended, you are bound to say it; and not only this, but all that the Sages say, 'till midnight,' they command till the pillar of the morn ascend." The burning of the fat and members they command "till the pillar of the morn ascend." And all offerings, which must be eaten the same day, they command "till the pillar of the morn ascend." If so, why do the Sages say "until midnight"? "To withhold man from transgression."

2. "From what time do we recite the Shemah in the morning?" When one can discern betwixt "blue and white." R. Eleazar says "betwixt blue and leek green." And it may be finished "until the sun shine forth." R. Joshua says "until the third hour."(11) For such is the way of royal princes to rise at the third hour. He who recites Shemah afterward loses nothing. He is like a man reading the Law.

3. The school of Shammai say that in the evening all men are to recline when they recite the Shemah; and in the morning they are to stand up; for it is said, "when thou liest down and when thou risest up."(12) But the school of Hillel say, that every man is to recite it in his own way; for it is said, "when thou walkest by the way."(13) If so, why is it said, "when thou liest down and when thou risest up"? "When mankind usually lie down, and when mankind usually rise up." R. Tarphon said, "I came on the road, and reclined to recite the Shemah according to the words of the school of Shammai, and I was in danger of robbers." The Sages said to him, "thou wast guilty against thyself, because thou didst transgress the words of the school of Hillel."

4. In the morning two blessings are said before (the Shemah), and one after it; and in the evening two blessings before and two after it, one long and one short.(14) Where the (Sages) have said to lengthen, none is allowed to shorten; and to shorten none is allowed to lengthen: to close, none is allowed not to close; not to close, none is allowed to close.

5. We commemorate the departure from Egypt at night; said R. Eleazar, son of Azariah, "truly I am a son of seventy years, and was not clear that thou shouldst say the departure from Egypt at night until the son of Zoma expounded, 'that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life;'(15) the days of thy life (are) days; all the days of thy life (include) the nights." But the Sages say, "the days of thy life (are) this world; all the days of thy life (include) the days of the Messiah."

Chapter II

1. "If one who is reading in the Law when the time comes for praying intends it in his heart?" "He is free." "But if not?" "He is not free."

"At the end of the sections one salutes out of respect, and responds; but in the middle of a section he salutes from fear, and responds." Such are the words of R. Mair. R. Judah says, "in the middle he salutes from fear, and responds out of respect; at the end he salutes out of respect, and repeats peace to every man."

2. The intervals of the sections are between the first blessing and the second-between the second and "Hear, O Israel;" between "Hear" and "it shall come to pa.s.s;"(16) between "and it shall come to pa.s.s" and "and he said;"(17) between "and he said" and "it is true and certain."(18) Said R.

Judah, "between 'and he said' and 'it is true and certain,' none is to pause." R. Joshua, the son of Korcha, said, "Why does the (section) 'Hear,' etc., precede 'and it shall come to pa.s.s'? 'That one may take on himself the kingdom of heaven, before he take on himself the yoke of the commandments.' Why does (the section) 'and it shall come to pa.s.s' precede 'and he said'? Because 'and it shall come to pa.s.s' may be practised by day and by night;(19) but 'and he said,' etc., only by day."(20)

3. He who recites the Shemah so as not to be audible to his own ears, is legally free.(21) R. Jose says "he is not legally free." "If he has said it without grammar and p.r.o.nunciation?" R. Jose says "he is legally free."