Shemini - 26/04/2025

... E disse a eles: Comam estes e estes não comam, o camelo, o texugo, a lebre e o porco. Outra interpretação: . The camel (rt.: gml) represents the kingdom of Babylon, since it is stated (in Ps. 137:8), “O Daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, fortunate is the one who repays you the recompense (rt.: gml) [with which you recompensed (rt.: gml) us].” The rock badger represents the kingdom of Media, since it made Israel into a corner and ownerless (as in Esth. 3:6), “to exterminate, to kill and to destroy all [the Jews]…”; and likewise, the name of Ptolemy’s wife was rock badger (arnevet). The hare alludes to Greece, since it brought low the Torah from the mouth of the prophets. As it is stated (in Amos 8:11), “Behold days are coming says the Lord, God, and I will send a hunger…”; and it is written (in Amos 8:12), “And they shall wander from sea to sea….” How is this? In the future to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will issue a proclamation: Whoever has been engaged in such and such a commandment may come and receive his reward. Then the gentiles also will say, “Give us our reward, for we have performed a commandment.” The Holy One, blessed be He, [however] has said, “Whoever has observed the [commandments of the] Torah may come and receive his reward.”

The Gemara returns to its list of endowments of various groups: Ten kav of strength descended to the world; the Persians took nine and the rest of the world took one. Ten kav of lice descended to the world; Media took nine and the rest of the world took one. Ten kav of witchcraft descended to the world; Egypt took nine and the rest of the world took one. Ten kav of plagues descended to the world; pigs, which carry disease, took nine and the rest of the world took one. Ten kav of licentiousness descended to the world; Arabia took nine and the rest of the world took one.

“Esau was forty years old, and he took as a wife Yehudit, daughter of Be'eri the Hitite, and Basmat, daughter of Elon the Hitite” (Genesis 26:34). “Esau was forty years old” – that is what is written: “The swine from the forest gnaws at it” (Psalms 80:14). Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Simon: Of all the prophets, only two of them publicized it – Moses and Asaf. Moses said: “The pig because it has a split hoof” (Deuteronomy 14:8). Asaf said: “The swine from the forest gnaws at it.” Why does he analogize it to a pig? Just as this pig, when it lies, it extends its hooves, saying: ‘I am pure,’ so, this evil empire robs and takes forcibly, [yet] it appears as though it is arranging the courtroom. So, Esau, all forty years, would ensnare married women and violate them. When he reached forty years of age, he likened himself to his father. He said: ‘Just as Father took a wife at forty years of age, I, too, will take a wife at forty years of age.’ That is what is written: “Esau was forty years old.”

§ The mishna teaches: There was an incident where the omer came from Gaggot Tzerifin and the two loaves on Shavuot came from the valley of Ein Sokher. The Sages taught a baraita that provides the background of this event: When the kings of the Hasmonean monarchy besieged each other in their civil war, Hyrcanus was outside of Jerusalem, besieging it, and Aristoblus was inside. On each and every day they would lower dinars in a box from inside the city, and those on the outside would send up animals for them to bring the daily offerings in the Temple. A certain elderly man was there, in Jerusalem, who was familiar with Greek wisdom. He communicated to those on the outside by using words understood only by those proficient in Greek wisdom. The elderly man said to them: As long as they are engaged with the Temple service, they will not be delivered into your hands. Upon hearing this, on the following day, when they lowered dinars in a box, they sent up a pig to them. Once the pig reached halfway up the wall, it inserted its hooves into the wall and Eretz Yisrael shuddered four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs. When the Sages saw this, they said at that time: Cursed is he who raises pigs, and cursed is he who teaches his son Greek wisdom. And it is with regard to that time of civil war, in which the land was destroyed, that we learned: An incident occurred in which the omer, the measure of barley brought as a communal offering on the sixteenth of Nisan, came from Gaggot Tzerifim, and the two loaves offered on Shavuot came from the valley of Ein Sokher. Since no fresh barley grain was found in the fields immediately surrounding Jerusalem, it had to be brought from these outlying areas.

§ The mishna teaches: There was an incident where the omer came from Gaggot Tzerifin and the two loaves on Shavuot came from the valley of Ein Sokher. The Sages taught a baraita that provides the background of this event: When the kings of the Hasmonean monarchy besieged each other in their civil war, Hyrcanus was outside of Jerusalem, besieging it, and Aristoblus was inside. On each and every day they would lower dinars in a box from inside the city, and those on the outside would send up animals for them to bring the daily offerings in the Temple. A certain elderly man was there, in Jerusalem, who was familiar with Greek wisdom. He communicated to those on the outside by using words understood only by those proficient in Greek wisdom. The elderly man said to them: As long as they are engaged with the Temple service, they will not be delivered into your hands. Upon hearing this, on the following day, when they lowered dinars in a box, they sent up a pig to them. Once the pig reached halfway up the wall, it inserted its hooves into the wall and Eretz Yisrael shuddered four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs. When the Sages saw this, they said at that time: Cursed is he who raises pigs, and cursed is he who teaches his son Greek wisdom. And it is with regard to that time of civil war, in which the land was destroyed, that we learned: An incident occurred in which the omer, the measure of barley brought as a communal offering on the sixteenth of Nisan, came from Gaggot Tzerifim, and the two loaves offered on Shavuot came from the valley of Ein Sokher. Since no fresh barley grain was found in the fields immediately surrounding Jerusalem, it had to be brought from these outlying areas.