בית הכנסת

In terms of this reward, Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina said: One who waits in the synagogue for the other to finish his prayer merits the following blessings, as it is stated: “If only you had listened to My mitzvot then your peace would be as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea. Your seed would be as the sand, and the offspring of your body like the grains thereof; his name would be neither cut off nor destroyed from before Me” (Isaiah 48:18–19). The explanation of this passage is based on the etymological similarity between the word mitzva and the word tzevet, which means group. If he keeps the other person company and does not abandon him after his prayer, all of the blessings that appear later in the verse will be fulfilled in him (Talmidei Rabbeinu Yona). In another baraita it was taught that Abba Binyamin says: If the eye was given permission to see, no creature would be able to withstand the abundance and ubiquity of the demons and continue to live unaffected by them. Similarly, Abaye said: They are more numerous than we are and they stand over us like mounds of earth surrounding a pit. Rav Huna said: Each and every one of us has a thousand demons to his left and ten thousand to his right. God protects man from these demons, as it says in the verse: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; they will not approach you” (Psalms 91:7). Summarizing the effects of the demons, Rava said: The crowding at the kalla, the gatherings for Torah study during Elul and Adar, is from the demons;those knees that are fatigued even though one did not exert himself is from the demons; those clothes of the Sages that wear out, despite the fact that they do not engage in physical labor, is from friction with the demons; those feet that are in pain is from the demons. One who seeks to know that the demons exist should place fine ashes around his bed, and in the morning the demons’ footprints appear like chickens’ footprints, in the ash. One who seeks to see them should take the afterbirth of a firstborn female black cat, born to a firstborn female black cat, burn it in the fire, grind it and place it in his eyes, and he will see them. He must then place the ashes in an iron tube sealed with an iron seal [gushpanka] lest the demons steal it from him, and then seal the opening so he will not be harmed. Rav Beivai bar Abaye performed this procedure, saw the demons, and was harmed. The Sages prayed for mercy on his behalf and he was healed. It was taught in a baraita that Abba Binyamin said: One’s prayer is only fully heard in a synagogue, as it is stated with regard to King Solomon’s prayer in the Temple: “Yet have You turned toward the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, Lord my God, to listen to the song and the prayer which Your servant prays before You on this day” (I Kings 8:28). The following verse concludes: “To hear the prayer Your servant directs toward this place” (I Kings 8:29). We see that one’s prayer is heard specifically in the Temple, of which the synagogue is a microcosm (Rav Yoshiyahu Pinto). It may be inferred that in a place of song, a synagogue where God’s praises are sung, there prayer should be. In explaining Abba Binyamin’s statement, Ravin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is located in a synagogue? As it is stated: “God stands in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judges” (Psalms 82:1). The congregation of God is the place where people congregate to sing God’s praises, and God is located among His congregation. And from where is it derived that ten people who pray, the Divine Presence is with them? As it is stated: “God stands in the congregation of God,” and the minimum number of people that constitute a congregation is a quorum of ten. From where is it derived that three who sit in judgment, the Divine Presence is with them? It is derived from this same verse, as it is stated: “In the midst of the judges He judges,” and the minimum number of judges that comprises a court is three. From where is it derived that two who sit and engage in Torah study, the Divine Presence is with them? As it is stated: “Then they that feared the Lord spoke one with the other, and the Lord listened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that fear the Lord, and that think upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). The Divine Presence listens to any two God-fearing individuals who speak with each other. With regard to this verse, the Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the phrase, “And that think upon His name”? Rav Ashi said: If a person intended to perform a mitzva, but due to circumstances beyond his control, he did not perform it, the verse ascribes him credit as if he performed the mitzva, as he is among those that think upon His name. The Gemara returns to Ravin bar Rav Adda’s statement: And from where is it derived that when even one who sits and engages in Torah study, the Divine Presence is with him? As it is stated: “In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you” (Exodus 20:21); God blesses even a single person who mentions God’s name, a reference to Torah study (Iyyun Ya’akov). The Gemara asks: Since the Divine Presence rests even upon one who engages in Torah study, was it necessary to say that the Divine Presence rests upon two who study Torah together? The Gemara answers: There is a difference between them. Two people, their words of Torah are written in the book of remembrance, as it is stated: “And a book of remembrance was written”; however a single individual’s words of Torah are not written in a book of remembrance. The Gemara continues: Since the Divine Presence rests even upon two who engage in Torah study, is it necessary to mention three? The Gemara answers: Here too, a special verse is necessary lest you say that judgment is merely to keep the peace among the citizenry, and the Divine Presence does not come and rest upon those who sit in judgment as they are not engaged in Torah study. Ravin bar Rav Adda teaches us that sitting in judgment is also Torah. The Gemara asks: Since the Divine Presence rests even upon three, is it necessary to mention ten? The Gemara answers: The Divine Presence arrives before a group of ten, as the verse: “God stands in the congregation of God,” indicates that when the ten individuals who comprise a congregation arrive, the Divine Presence is already there. For a group of three judges, however, the Divine Presence does not arrive until they sit and begin their deliberations, as in the midst of the judges He judges. God aids them in their judgment, but does not arrive before them. The Gemara cites another aggadic statement: Rabbi Avin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wears phylacteries? As it is stated: “The Lord has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength” (Isaiah 62:8). Since it is customary to swear upon holy objects, it is understood that His right hand and the arm of His strength are the holy objects upon which God swore. Specifically, “His right hand” refers to the Torah, as it is stated in describing the giving of the Torah: “From His right hand, a fiery law for His people” (Deuteronomy 33:2). “The arm of His strength,” His left hand, refers to phylacteries, as it is stated: “The Lord gave strength to His nation” (Psalms 29:11), in the form of the mitzva of phylacteries. The Gemara asks: And from where is it derived that phylacteries provide strength for Israel? As it is written: “And all the nations of the land shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you” (Deuteronomy 28:10). It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: This is a reference to the phylacteries of the head, upon which the name of God is written in fulfillment of the verse: “That the name of the Lord is called upon you.” Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin: What is written in the phylacteries of the Master of the world? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin replied: It is written: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” (I Chronicles 17:21). God’s phylacteries serve to connect Him, in a sense, to the world, the essence of which is Israel. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak continues: Is the Holy One, Blessed be He, glorified through the glory of Israel? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin answered: Yes, as indicated by the juxtaposition of two verses; as it is stated: “You have affirmed, this day, that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His laws and commandments, and listen to His voice.” And the subsequent verse states: “And the Lord has affirmed, this day, that you are His treasure, as He spoke to you, to keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). From these two verses it is derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: You have made Me a single entity [ḥativa] in the world, as you singled Me out as separate and unique. And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, and you will be a treasured nation, chosen by God. You have made Me a single entity in the world, as it is stated that Israel declares God’s oneness by saying: “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, unique and elevated with the utterance: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” Consequently, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is glorified through the glory of Israel whose praises are written in God’s phylacteries. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava said to Rav Ashi: It works out well with regard to the contents of one of the four compartments of God’s phylacteries of the head. However, all four compartments of Israel’s phylacteries of the head contain portions of the Torah that praise God. What portions in praise of Israel are written in the rest of the compartments of God’s phylacteries of the head? Rav Ashi said to him: In those three compartments it is written: “For who is a great nation, to whom God is close, like the Lord our God whenever we call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7); “And who is a great nation, who has righteous statutes and laws, like this entire Torah which I set before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:8); “Happy are you, Israel, who is like you? A people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and that is the sword of your excellence. And your enemies shall dwindle away before you, and you shall tread upon their high places” (Deuteronomy 33:29); “Or has God attempted to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and by wonders” (Deuteronomy 4:34); “And to elevate you above all nations that He has made, in praise, in name and in glory; that you may be a holy people to the Lord, your God, as He has spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:19). Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, raises an objection: If all of these verses are included in God’s phylacteries of the head, there are too many compartments as more than four verses of praise were listed. Rather, the portions in God’s phylacteries must be arranged as follows: The verses “For who is a great nation” and “And who is a great nation” are included in one compartment, as they are similar. “Happy are you, Israel” and "Who is like your people, Israel" are in one compartment. “Or has God attempted” is in one compartment and “And to elevate you” is in one compartment

(1) Wherever there are ten Israelites resident, an edifice must be fitted up, where they can assemble for worship at each period of prayer. Such a building is termed a synagogue. The residents exercise compulsory powers on each other for the purpose of erecting a synagogue and purchasing a scroll of the Law (Pentateuch), the prophetical books and the Hagiography.

(2) When a synagogue is to be built, the highest part of the town should be selected for the site, as it is said, "At the head of the noisy streets she [Wisdom] calleth" (Proverbs 1:21). The building is to be raised sufficiently high to overtop all the other courtyards of the town, as it is said, "To exalt the house of our God." (Ezra 9:9). The doors of the Synagogue are to be made to open only on the East side, as it is said, "And those who encamped before the Tabernacle eastwards" (Numbers 3:38). Within, a shrine is built to contain a scroll of the Law. This shrine is erected on the side towards which the people in that town turn when praying, so that when they are standing engaged in prayer, they will face the shrine.

(3) In the centre of the building, a platform is erected, which the Reader of the lesson from the Pentateuch or whoever exhorts the people mounts, so that all the congregation may hear. The desk (Tebah) on which the scroll is placed (when reading the Torah) is set up in the centre,^*In the centre of the platform. its back towards the Shrine, its front facing the people.

(4) How are the people seated in synagogues? The elders sit facing the congregation with their backs to the Shrine. The people are seated in rows, one behind the other, the front of each row being at the rear of the one before it, so that all the people are facing the Shrine, the elders and the desk. When the reader stands up to recite the (Amidah) prayer, he stands on the floor before the Tebah^*Elevated platform, with the desk on it for reading the Torah, rearward of him, the reader standing near to the Ark (Shrine). and, like the rest of the congregation, his face is turned to the Shrine.

(5) Synagogues and houses of study must be treated with respect. They are swept and sprinkled to lay the dust. In Spain and the West (Morocco), in Babylon and in the Holy Land, it is customary to kindle lamps in the synagogues and to spread mats on the floor on which the worshippers sit. In the lands of Edom (Christian countries) they sit in synagogues on chairs [or benches].

(6) There must be no light behaviour in synagogues and houses of study; no jesting, no mockery or idle talk. One may not eat or drink, indulge in physical recreation or promenade there. One may not enter, during the summer, to seek relief from the heat; or, in the winter, to obtain shelter from the rain.

(7) Nor are calculations to be made in them, unless these are in connection with a religious duty; for example, counting the contents of the charity box or the proceeds of a collection for redemption of captives etc. Funeral addresses are only delivered in them when these are of public interest, as for example for the great religious authorities of the city, which would be attended by the entire community.

(8) Where a synagogue or house of study has two doors, one may not use it as a passage, entering at one door and leaving by the other to shorten a journey, since it is forbidden to enter these buildings except to fulfill a religious duty.

(9) If one has occasion to go into a synagogue to call a child or other person, he may go in, but should read some portion of Scripture or recite a traditional dictum, so that his entry shall not be for the sake of his private affairs only. If he has no knowledge he should say to one of the children, "Recite to me the verse which you are now reading" or he should stay a while in the synagogue and then leave, for staying there is also a religious act, as it is said, "Happy are they that dwell in Thy house" (Psalms 84:5).

(10) One who entered a synagogue to pray or read Scripture may leave at the opposite door to that by which he entered, in order to take a short cut. A person may go into a synagogue with his staff, shoes, moneybelt and with dust on his feet. If he has need to do so, he may expectorate in the synagogue.

(11) Synagogues and houses of study that are in ruins retain their sacred character, as it is said, "And I will desolate your sanctuaries" (Leviticus 26:31)—even when desolate they still retain their sacred character. The same respect must be shown them when they are in ruins as when they were sound and in use. The only difference is in regard to sweeping and laying the dust. Synagogues in ruins are not swept nor sprinkled to lay the dust. If grass has sprung up in them, the blades are plucked and left there, so that the people may be stirred to rebuild the ruined edifices.

(12) A synagogue may not be demolished with the intention to build another on the same site or on a different site. The proposed synagogue must first be erected, and then the existing structure may be demolished, for fear that a mishap may occur which will prevent the people building. This rule applies even to the erection of a single wall. The new wall must first be set up adjacent to the old wall, which may then be demolished.

(13) These rules apply to a structure, of which the foundations are not decayed. But if the foundations are failing or the walls threaten to collapse, the edifice is immediately demolished and work on the new building should be started at once, and proceed expeditiously by day and by night, for fear that there may be delay and the edifice would become a complete ruin.

(14) A synagogue may be turned into a house of study, but a house of study may not be turned into a synagogue; the reason being that the sanctity of a house of study exceeds that of a synagogue and objects may be raised to a holier use but not degraded to a less holy use. On the same principle, the residents of a town who sold a synagogue should use the proceeds to purchase a Tebah.^*Elevated platform with a desk on which the Scroll of the Law is placed for public reading. If they sold a Tebah, they should buy with the proceeds wraps or a case for the scroll of the law. If they sold wraps or a case for the scroll of the law, they should use the proceeds to purchase single books of the Pentateuch. If they sold single books of the Pentateuch, they should buy with the proceeds a scroll of the law. But if they sold a scroll of the law, nothing else can be bought with the proceeds but another scroll of the law, for there is nothing that exceeds the sanctity of a scroll of the law. This same principle applies to money left over from proceeds of sales of sacred articles after other articles of higher sanctity had been purchased.

(15) So too, if the people had collected money to build a house of study or a synagogue, or to buy a Tebah, or wraps and a case (for a scroll of the law) or a scroll of the law, and they desire to use all the money for another purpose, they may only do so if the substitute to be bought is of a higher sanctity. If however the original purpose for which the collection had been made was accomplished, and a surplus was left over, they can use it for any purpose they please. All the appurtenances of a synagogue are in the same category with the synagogue. The curtain above the ark in which the scrolls are placed are in the same class with the wraps of the scrolls. If stipulations had been made with regard to the articles, these stipulations have to be fulfilled.

(16) The statement that it is permitted to sell a synagogue only refers to a synagogue, erected in a village for the use of the villagers, that they may have a place where to pray. If all of them agree to sell it, they may do so. But as to a synagogue in a city, since it was built as a public place of worship for all, where any one who comes to that district shall be able to pray, it constitutes the public property of all Israel and may never be sold.

(17) Villagers who desire to sell their synagogue, in order to erect with the proceeds another synagogue or purchase a Tebah or a scroll of the law, should stipulate with the purchaser that he is not to turn it into a bathhouse, tannery, ritual bath or laundry. If, at the time of the sale, the seven leaders of the community (forming the Executive), at a meeting of the residents, passed a resolution that the purchaser should be permitted to do any of the above things, it is permitted.

(18) So too, if the seven leaders of the community, at a meeting of the residents, resolve that the surplus of the purchase money be used for secular purposes, it may be so used. And when they receive the funds and expend them in the erection of another synagogue, or in the purchase of a Tebah, wraps, a case for a scroll of the law, or a Scroll of the law, or copies of single books of the Pentateuch, the surplus is secular in accordance with their resolution, and may be used for any purpose they please.

(19) So too, if all the residents or a majority of them have vested a single individual with authority over them, whatever he does is valid. He can, in his discretion sell or give away, and make any stipulations he deems fit.

(20) Just as they are permitted to sell a synagogue, so they may give it away; for unless the community derived some advantage from the gift, they would not have made the gift. They must not however let their synagogue for rent or pledge it as security for a loan. So too, when synagogues are demolished to be rebuilt, the bricks, wood and earth may be sold, exchanged or given away, but not loaned, because the sanctity attached to the material passes only if money or a benefit equivalent to money is obtained in return.

(21) The broadway of a town, though the people worship there on fast-days and at special services,—the assemblies on such occasions being too large for the synagogues to accomodate—has no sanctity because its sacred use is casual and it has not been appointed for worship. Similarly, houses and courts where people meet for prayer have no sanctity, because they have not been set apart for worship but are only so used casually, just as a man prays in his own home.

(1) The Laws of the Holiness of a Synagogue (12 Paragraphs): One should not behave in a frivolous manner in a synagogue or house of study, by cracking jokes there, for instance, or by indulging in humorous or pointless gossip. One should not eat or drink there nor should one adorn oneself there or walk about there. One should not enter there in summer to cool off or in winter to seek shelter from the rain. In a difficult situation, scholars and their disciples are permitted to eat and drink there. (And some say that in a house of study, it is permissible even when it is not a difficult situation - Ran, Perek Bnai HaIr). No monetary calculations should be made there unless they are for religious purposes, collecting money for charity, for example, or for the redemption of captives. No funeral orations should be delivered there unless it is for one of the leading citizens of the city when all assemble there for the purpose. If a man finds it necessary to enter there for his own needs, to call someone, for instance, he should read or study something and then call him so that it should not appear as if he has entered for his own needs. And if he doesn't know how to read Torah or know any halachos to review, he should ask one of the kids to read a verse or he should just delay there for a bit and then leave because sitting there is a mitzvah, as it says "praiseworthy are those who dwell in Your house". (And the time of sitting is the time to walk the width of two doorways - according to the opinion of "those that explain" in Section 90 at the end of Paragraph 20 - Mordekhai at the beginning of Perek HaShutafin).

(2) Some say that that which we taught about the holiness of the house of study is speaking about a public one which is similar to a synagogue, but an individual study room set aside in his home for his needs doesn't have so much holiness.

(3) It is forbidden to have even a short nap in a synagogue, but this is permitted in a house of study.

(4) For the needs of the synagogue, you can eat and sleep in it. From this reason, you can sleep there the night of Yom Kippur or even for the needs of another mitzvah, for instance gathering people to make a leap year in the synagogue, it would be permissible to eat there.

(5) If the synagogue has two entrances, don't enter one to make a path to the second one to shorten your route. If there was a path there before they built the synagogue, it would be permitted. Similarly, if you didn't enter initially to take a short cut, it would be permitted to make a path. When you enter to pray, you can leave from a different way than you came.

(6) It's permitted to enter the synagogue with your staff or satchel or backpack (meaning, purses - the Targum has backpack to be briefcase). Some forbid entering with a long knife or with it's blade uncovered.

(7) You can spit in [the synagogue] as long as you rub it out with your feet or if there are reeds that if you spit into them, it will not be visible.

(8) Mud that is on your feet, it is fitting to clean it off before you enter to pray. It is fitting that there not be on you or your clothing any dirty thing.

(9) Treat them with honor to sweep and cover them. (Sweep meaning to clean it. Cover meaning to throw water on the ground). The custom is to light candles in them to honor them.

(10) Even after a synagogue is destroyed, it still has holiness. Just as you had to honor it when it was standing, so too when it is destroyed, except for sweeping and covering it. If weeds grow in it, pull them out and leave them in their place, for the sake of aggravation - in order that the nation will see and it will awaken their souls to work to rebuild it.

(11) If at the time of building the synagogue, you make a condition on it to use it, it is permitted to use it after it is destroyed. But while it stands, the condition doesn't help. Even when it is destroyed, to use it for a disgraceful purpose, like planting or calculating for the public, the condition won't help. What are we dealing with? With synagogues outside of Israel; but with synagogues in Israel, a condition won't help.

(12) You should be careful not to use the floor above the synagogue for a regular use that is disrespectful. For instance, sleeping there. It is unclear if other uses are permissible or not. Rama: All of this is specifically with a permanent synagogue that was built originally like that, but a house that is dedicated to be a synagogue after it was built, you could sleep above it (Piskei Mahari).

One interrupts his Torah study to carry out the dead for burial and to escort a bride to her wedding. They said about Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Elai, that he would interrupt his Torah study to carry out the dead for burial and to escort a bride to her wedding. The Gemara qualifies this ruling: In what case is this statement said? Only where there are not sufficient numbers of other people available to perform these mitzvot and honor the deceased or the bride appropriately. However, when there are sufficient numbers, additional people should not interrupt their Torah study to participate. The Gemara asks: And how many people are considered sufficient? Rav Shmuel bar Inya said in the name of Rav: Twelve thousand men and another six thousand men to blow horns as a sign of mourning. And some say a different version: Twelve thousand men, among whom are six thousand men with horns. Ulla said: For example, enough to make a procession of people all the way from the town gate [abbula] to the place of burial. Rav Sheshet said: As the Torah was given, so it should be taken away, i.e., the same honor that was provided when the Torah was given at Mount Sinai should be provided when the Torah is taken through the passing away of a Torah scholar. Just as the Torah was given in the presence of six hundred thousand men, so too its taking should be done in the presence of six hundred thousand men. The Gemara comments: This applies to someone who read the Bible and studied halakhot for himself. But for someone who taught others, there is no limit to the honor that should be shown to him. § It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Come and see how beloved the Jewish people are before the Holy One, Blessed be He. As every place they were exiled, the Divine Presence went with them. They were exiled to Egypt, and the Divine Presence went with them, as it is stated: “Did I reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt?” (I Samuel 2:27). They were exiled to Babylonia, and the Divine Presence went with them, as it is stated: “For your sake I have sent to Babylonia” (Isaiah 43:14). So too, when, in the future, they will be redeemed, the Divine Presence will be with them, as it is stated: “Then the Lord your God will return with your captivity” (Deuteronomy 30:3). It does not state: He will bring back, i.e., He will cause the Jewish people to return, but rather it says: “He will return,” which teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will return together with them from among the various exiles. The Gemara asks: Where in Babylonia does the Divine Presence reside? Abaye said: In the ancient synagogue of Huzal and in the synagogue that was destroyed and rebuilt in Neharde’a. And do not say that the Divine Presence resided here and there, i.e., in both places simultaneously. Rather, at times it resided here in Huzal and at times there in Neharde’a. Abaye said: I have a blessing coming to me, for whenever I am within a distance of a parasang from one of those synagogues, I go in and pray there, due to the special honor and sanctity attached to them. It was related that the father of Shmuel and Levi were once sitting in the synagogue that was destroyed and rebuilt in Neharde’a. The Divine Presence came and they heard a loud sound, so they arose and left. It was further related that Rav Sheshet was once sitting in the synagogue that was destroyed and rebuilt in Neharde’a, and the Divine Presence came but he did not go out. The ministering angels came and were frightening him in order to force him to leave. Rav Sheshet turned to God and said before Him: Master of the Universe, if one is wretched and the other is not wretched, who should defer to whom? Shouldn’t the one who is not wretched give way to the one who is? Now I am blind and wretched; why then do you expect me to defer to the angels? God then turned to the angels and said to them: Leave him. The verse states: “Yet I have been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they have come” (Ezekiel 11:16). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is referring to the synagogues and study halls in Babylonia. And Rabbi Elazar said: This is referring to the house of our master, i.e., Rav, in Babylonia, from which Torah issues forth to the entire world. Rava interpreted a verse homiletically: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalms 90:1)? This is referring to the synagogues and study halls. Abaye said: Initially, I used to study Torah in my home and pray in the synagogue. Once I heard and understood that which King David says: “Lord, I love the habitation of Your house” (Psalms 26:8), I would always study Torah in the synagogue, to express my love for the place in which the Divine Presence resides. It is taught in a baraita: Rabbi Elazar HaKappar says: In the future, the synagogues and the study halls in Babylonia will be transported and reestablished in Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “Surely, like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come” (Jeremiah 46:18). There is a tradition that these mountains came to Sinai at the giving of the Torah and demanded that the Torah should be given upon them. And are these matters not inferred through an a fortiori argument: Just as Tabor and Carmel, which came only momentarily to study Torah, were relocated and established in Eretz Yisrael in reward for their actions, all the more so should the synagogues and study halls in Babylonia, in which the Torah is read and disseminated, be relocated to Eretz Yisrael. Bar Kappara interpreted a verse homiletically: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Why do you look askance [teratzdun], O high-peaked mountains, at the mountain that God has desired for His abode” (Psalms 68:17)? A Divine Voice issued forth and said to all the mountains that came and demanded that the Torah be given upon them: Why do you seek [tirtzu] to enter into a legal dispute [din] with Mount Sinai? You are all blemished in comparison to Mount Sinai, as it is written here: “High-peaked [gavnunnim]” and it is written there, with regard to the blemishes that disqualify a priest: “Or crookbacked [gibben] or a dwarf” (Leviticus 21:20). Rav Ashi said: Learn from this that one who is arrogant is considered blemished. The other mountains arrogantly insisted that the Torah should be given upon them, and they were therefore described as blemished. § The mishna teaches that even if a synagogue fell into ruin, it may not be made into a kappendarya. The Gemara asks: What is meant by kappendarya? Rava said: A shortcut, as implied by its name. The Gemara clarifies: What do you mean by adding: As implied by its name? It is like one who said: Instead of going around the entire row of houses [makkifna addari] to get to the other side, thereby lengthening my journey, I will enter this house and walk through it to the other side. The word kappendarya sounds like a contraction of makkifna addari. This is what Rava meant by saying: As implied by its name. Rabbi Abbahu said: If a public path had initially passed through that location, before the synagogue was built, it is permitted to continue to use it as a shortcut, for the honor due to a synagogue cannot annul the public’s right of access to the path. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: With regard to one who enters a synagogue without intending to make it into a shortcut, when he leaves he is permitted to make it into a shortcut for himself, by leaving through the exit on the other side of the building. And Rabbi Ḥelbo said that Rav Huna said: With regard to one who enters a synagogue to pray, he is permitted to make it into a shortcut for himself by leaving through a different exit, and it is fitting to do so, as it is stated: “And when the people of the land shall come before the Lord in the appointed seasons, he that enters by way of the north gate to bow down shall go forth by the way of the south gate” (Ezekiel 46:9). This indicates that it is a show of respect not to leave through the same entrance through which one came in; it is better to leave through the other side. § The mishna teaches: If grass sprang up in a ruined synagogue, although it is not befitting its sanctity, one should not pick it, due to the anguish that it will cause to those who see it. It will remind them of the disrepair of the synagogue and the need to rebuild it. The Gemara asks: But isn’t it taught in a baraita: One may not pick the grass and feed it to one’s animals, but he may pick it and leave it there? The Gemara answers: When we learned the prohibition against picking the grass in the mishna as well, we learned only that it is prohibited to pick it and feed it to one’s animals, but it is permitted to leave it there. The Sages taught in a baraita: In a cemetery, one may not act with frivolity; one may not graze an animal on the grass growing inside it; and one may not direct a water channel to pass through it; and one may not gather grass inside it to use the grass as feed for one’s animals; and if one gathered grass for that purpose, it should be burnt on the spot, out of respect for the dead. The Gemara clarifies: With regard to the phrase: Out of respect for the dead, to which clause of the baraita does it refer? If we say it is referring to the last clause, that if one gathered grass that it should be burnt out of respect for the dead, then one could ask: Since the grass is burnt on the spot, and not publicly, what respect for the dead is there in this act? Rather, the phrase must be referring to the first clause of the baraita, and it explains why it is prohibited to act with frivolity. MISHNA: On four Shabbatot during and surround-ing the month of Adar, a Torah portion of seasonal significance is read. When the New Moon of Adar occurs on Shabbat, the congregation reads the portion of Shekalim on that Shabbat. If the New Moon occurs during the middle of the week, they advance the reading of that portion to the previous Shabbat, and, in such a case, they interrupt the reading of the four portions on the following Shabbat, which would be the first Shabbat of the month of Adar, and no additional portion is read on it. On the second Shabbat, the Shabbat prior to Purim, they read the portion: “Remember what Amalek did” (Deuteronomy 25:17–19), which details the mitzva to remember and destroy the nation of Amalek. On the third Shabbat, they read the portion of the Red Heifer [Para] (Numbers 19:1–22), which details the purification process for one who became ritually impure through contact with a corpse. On the fourth Shabbat, they read the portion: “This month [haḥodesh] shall be for you” (Exodus 12:1–20), which describes the offering of the Paschal lamb. On the fifth Shabbat, they resume the regular weekly order of readings and no special portion is read. For all special days, the congregation interrupts the regular weekly order of readings, and a special portion relating to the character of the day is read. This applies on the New Moons, on Hanukkah, and on Purim, on fast days, and on the non-priestly watches, and on Yom Kippur. GEMARA: We learned in a mishna there (Shekalim 1:1): On the first of Adar they make a public announcement concerning the forthcoming collection of half-shekels. The money is used for the communal offerings in the Temple in the coming year.

Rav Asi said: Synagogues in Babylonia are built from the outset with a stipulation that they not have the full sanctity of a synagogue, in order that it be permitted to use them for the community’s general needs. But nevertheless, one should not act inside them with frivolity. The Gemara explains: What is meant by this? One should not make business calculations in a synagogue.

Rav Yosef says: One who sees a goat in a dream, it is a sign that his year will be blessed; one who sees goats, his years will be blessed, as it is stated: “And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, for the food of your household; and sustenance for your maidens” (Proverbs 27:27). One who sees myrtle in a dream, it is a sign that his property will be successful. And if he does not own property, it is a sign that he will receive an inheritance. Ulla said, and some say it was taught in a baraita: This applies exclusively to a case where he saw them on their stem. One who sees a citron [etrog] in a dream has seen a sign that he is honored [hadur] before his Creator, as it is stated with regard to the citron: “The fruit of goodly trees [hadar], branches of palm trees” (Leviticus 23:40). One who sees a palm branch [lulav] in a dream, it is a sign that he has but one heart for his Father in heaven. Lulav is interpreted homiletically as lo lev, he has a heart.