The Mishnah is almost entirely in Hebrew, but there are a few exceptions, brief passages in the Aramaic language. Some are legal codes, some are just older texts, some are aphorisms or sayings. I've collected these Aramaic passages here. If there are any I've missed, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Notes:
- This is strictly a gathering of passages syntactically in Aramaic, rather than specific borrowed words or Aramaicisms used in a Hebrew context. If I were to gather all Mishnaic Aramaicisms it would be a much longer list.
- When there's a short Hebrew passage within a mostly Aramaic mishnah, it is marked as italicized text. When there's a short Aramaic passage within a mostly Hebrew mishnah, only the Aramaic is included.
- The Mishnaic text used here is somewhat different from the standard print edition because it is directly transcribed from the Kaufman MS 50 manuscript, the oldest [almost] fully vocalized Mishnaic manuscript we have.
- The Kaufman MS 50 manuscript can be found in its entirety here: http://kaufmann.mtak.hu/en.
- Punctuation is added by the editor.
- Unvocalized text in the Kaufmann manuscript is marked in brackets.
- The ennumeration of the mishnayot follows the standard print edition rather than the Kaufmann ennumeration.
הֵעִידֿ ר׳ יוֹסֵה בֶֿן יוֹעֶזֶר אִישׁ צְרֵידָֿה — עַל אַיָּיל קַמְיצָיָיה דְֿכֵֿי, וְעַל מַשְׁקֶה בֵֿיתֿ מַטְבְּחָיָיה דַֿכְֿיָין, וְדִי יִקְרַבֿ לְמִיתָֿה מְסָאָבֿ, וְקָרוֹן לֵיהּ יוֹסֵה שָׁרְיָיא׃
Rabbi Yose son of Yoezer, a man of Ts'reda, testified: Regarding the ram-locust, pure. And regarding the liquid on the slaughterhouse-floor, that is pure. And one who comes close to a corpse is impure. And they called him, Yose the Permitter.
הוּא הָיָה אוֹ׳ — נְגַד שְׁמָא אָבַֿדֿ שְׁמָא. וְדִֿילָא מוֹסִיף יֵיסוּף. וְדִֿילָא יְלִיף, קְטָלָה חַיָּיבֿ. [לא יעבד קטלה קטלין!] וְדִֿי יִשְׁתַּמַּשׁ בְּתָֿגָֿא חָלַף.
He used to say: A name-stretcher is a name-loser. And one who does not add will end. And one who does not learn is liable for death. [One who does not act, death of deaths!] And one who uses the crown, it passes.
אַף הוּא רָאָה גֻֿלְגֹּלֶתֿ אָחַדֿ צָפָֿה עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם וְאָמַ׳ לָהּ — עַל דְּאַטִיפְֿתְּ, אֲטִיפֿוּךְֿ. בסוֹף, מָטִּיפַֿיִיךְֿ יְטוּפֿוּן.
Also he saw one skull floating on the water's surface, and said to it — Just as you drowned, you were drowned. In the end, your drowners will drown.
בֶּן בַּגְֿבַּגֿ אוֹמֵ׳ — הֲפֹךְֿ בָּהּ וְהַפֵּךְֿ בָּהּ, דְכֿוֹלָּהּ בָךְֿ וְכֿוֹלָּךְ בָּהּ. וּבַֿה תְּיהְוֵי וּמֶנָּה לָא תֵֿזוּעַ, שֶׁאֵין לָךְֿ מִידָּה טוֹבָֿה מִמֶּנָּה׃
בֶּן הֵהֵא אוֹמֵ׳ — לְפֻֿם צַעְרָה אַגְֿרָה׃
Ben Bagbag says — Turn it and turn through it, for all of it is in you and all of you are in it. And be in it, and do not move from it, for you have no merit greater than it. Ben Hehe says — per the suffering is the reward.
כַָּתַֿבֿ לָהּ שָׂדֶֿה שׁוֹוָה מָנֶה תַֿחַתֿ מָאתַיִם זוּז, לֹא כָֿתַב לָהּ — כָּל נִכְֿסִים דְּאִיתַֿיִן לִי אַחְרָיִין לִכְֿתֿוּבָּתִֿיךְֿ — חַיָּיבֿ, שֶׁהוּא תְֿנַיִי בֵּיתֿ דִּין׃
לֹא כָֿתַֿב לָהּ — דְּאִים תִּשְׁתְּבַֿיִן אֶפֿרְקִינּוּךְֿ וַאֲתֵֿבִֿינִּיךְֿ לִי לְאִינְתּוּ, וּבַכוֹהָנֶיתֿ אַחְזְירִינִּיךְֿ לִמְדִֿינְתִּיךְֿ — חַיָּיבֿ, שֶׁהוּא תְֿנַיִי בֵּיתֿ דִּין׃
If he wrote her a field worth a hundred instead of two hundred zuz, and did not write, "All property that I have is collateral for your marriage contract," he is still required, because it is a court obligation.
If he did not write her "that if you are captured, I will redeem you and take you back as wife," and for a priestess, "I will return you to your land," he is still required, because it is a court obligation.
לֹא כָתַֿבֿ לָהּ — בְּנִין דִּכְֿרִין דִּי יֶהֱווֹן לִיךְֿ מִינַּיִי דְּיִירִתֿוּן יַת כְּסַף כְּתוּבָּתִֿיךְֿ יוֹתֶר עַל חוּלַקְהוֹן דִּי עִים אֲחֵיהוֹן — חַיָּיבֿ, שֶׁהוּא תְֿנַיִי בֵּיתֿ דִּין׃
בְּנָּן נָקְבָּן דִּי יֶהֶוְויָן לִיךְֿ מִינַּיִי אִינִּין יֶהֶוְויָן בְּבֵֿיְתִֿי יָתְֿבָן וּמִתַּזְנָן מִן נִכְֿסַיִי עַדֿ דִּי יִתְֿנַסְבַֿן לְגוּבְֿרִין — חַיָּיבֿ, שֶׁהוּא תְֿנַיִי בֵּיתֿ דִּין׃
וְאַתְּ תֶּהֱוְויִין יָתְֿבָֿה בְּבֵֿיְתִֿי וּמִתַּזְנָה מִן נִכְֿסַיִי כָּל יֹמֵי מֵגַר אַרְמְלוּתִֿיךְֿ [בביתי] —חַיָּיבֿ, שֶׁהוּא תְֿנַיִי בֵּיתֿ דִּין׃
If he did not write her, "Any male children that are had by you from me, they will inherit the money of your marriage-contract in addition to the portion that is of their brothers," he is still required, because it is a court obligation.
"Any female children that are had by you from me, they will be dwelling in my house and sustained from my property until they are taken by husbands," he is still required, because it is a court obligation.
"And you will be dwelling in my house and sustained from my property all the days of residence as a widow [in my house]," he is still required, because it is a court obligation.
ר׳ אֶלִיעֶזֶר הַגָּדֿוֹל אוֹמ׳ — מִיּוֹם שֶׁחָרַבֿ הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שָׁרִיוּ חֲכִּימָיָּה לְמִהְוֵי כְּסַפְרַיָּיה וְסַפְֿרַיָּיה כְּתַֿלְמִידַֿיָּיה וְתַֿלְמִידַֿיָּיה כְֿעַמָּא וְעַמָּא כַֿעַמֵּי, אַזְלָה וְנָזְלָה, וְאֵין דּוֹרֵשׁ וְאֵין מְבַֿקֵּשׁ. וְעַל מָה לָנוּ לְהִשָׁעֵן? עַל אָבִֿינוּ שְׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם׃
בְּעִיקְּבֿוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ חוֹצְפָּה יִיסְגֵּי [ויקר יאמר]
R. Eliezer the Great says — from the day the Temple was destroyed the sages have begun to be like scribes, and the scribes like students, and the students like the masses, and the masses like the gentiles, going down and around, and none ask and none seek. And on who is our trust? On our Parent in Heaven.
With the birth-pangs of the Messiah gall will increase [and value will pile up].