The Oral Talmud with Benay Lappe and Dan Libenson Episode 153

הַהוּא דַּאֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי אַמֵּי, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי לִפְלוֹנִי, אַזְכָּרוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ לֹא כְּתַבְתִּים לִשְׁמָן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה בְּיַד מִי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בְּיַד לוֹקֵחַ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: נֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לְהַפְסִיד שְׂכָרְךָ, וְאִי אַתָּה נֶאֱמָן לְהַפְסִיד סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה.

There was a certain person who came before Rabbi Ami and said to him: In the Torah scroll that I wrote for so-and-so, I did not write the mentions of God’s name with the proper intention. Rabbi Ami said to him: This Torah scroll is in whose possession? He said to him: in the buyer’s possession. He said to him: You are deemed credible to cause the loss of your wage. But you are not deemed credible to cause a loss of the Torah scroll.


מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁבָּא לִפְנֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, וְאָמַר לוֹ: נִתְגַּיַּירְתִּי בֵּינִי לְבֵין עַצְמִי. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה: יֵשׁ לְךָ עֵדִים? אָמַר לוֹ: לָאו. יֵשׁ לְךָ בָּנִים? אָמַר לוֹ: הֵן. אָמַר לוֹ: נֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לִפְסוֹל אֶת עַצְמְךָ, וְאִי אַתָּה נֶאֱמָן לִפְסוֹל אֶת בָּנֶיךָ.

אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק, הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: לִדְבָרֶיךָ גּוֹי אַתָּה, וְאֵין עֵדוּת לְגוֹי.

There was an incident involving one who came before Rabbi Yehuda and said to him: I converted in private. Rabbi Yehuda said to him: Do you have witnesses? He said to him: No. Do you have children? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: You are deemed credible to render yourself unfit, but you are not deemed credible to render your children unfit.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said that this is what Rabbi Yehuda said to him: According to your statement you are a gentile, and there is no testimony for a gentile.


Visit The Oral Talmud's web site at www.OralTalmud.com

Learn more Talmud with Benay Lappe at SVARA by checking out www.svara.org

Check out Dan Libenson's Judaism Unbound podcast and find other interesting learning opportunities at www.JudaismUnbound.com and www.jewishLIVE.org