Pesachim 112a

דִּמְסוֹכַר וְלָא מָשֵׁי יְדֵיהּ — מְפַחֵיד שִׁבְעָה יוֹמֵי. דְּשָׁקֵיל מַזְיֵיהּ וְלָא מָשֵׁי יְדֵיהּ — מְפַחֵיד תְּלָתָא יוֹמֵי. דְּשָׁקֵיל טוּפְרֵיהּ וְלָא מָשֵׁי יְדֵיהּ — מְפַחֵיד חַד יוֹמָא, וְלָא יָדַע מַאי קָא מְפַחֵיד. יְדָא אַאוּסְיָא — דַּרְגָּא לְפַחְדָּא. יְדָא אַפּוּתָא — דַּרְגָּא לְשִׁינְתָּא.

One who lets blood and does not wash his hands will be afraid for seven days. One who cuts his hair and does not wash his hands will be afraid for three days. One who cuts his nails and does not wash his hands will be afraid for one day, and he will not know what is frightening him. Placing one’s hand on his nostrils is a way to become afraid. Placing one’s hand on his forehead is a way to fall asleep.

תָּנָא: אוֹכָלִין וּמַשְׁקִין תַּחַת הַמִּטָּה, אֲפִילּוּ מְחוּפִּין בִּכְלִי בַּרְזֶל — רוּחַ רָעָה שׁוֹרָה עֲלֵיהֶן. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה אָדָם מַיִם לֹא בְּלֵילֵי רְבִיעִיּוֹת וְלֹא בְּלֵילֵי שַׁבָּתוֹת, וְאִם שָׁתָה — דָּמוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ מִפְּנֵי סַכָּנָה. מַאי סַכָּנָה? רוּחַ רָעָה.

A Sage taught: If food and drink are under one’s bed, even if they are covered with iron vessels, an evil spirit rests upon them. The Sages taught: A person should not drink water on Tuesday nights or on Shabbat nights, i.e., Friday nights. And if he drinks water, his blood is upon his own head, due to the danger. The Gemara asks: What is this danger? The Gemara answers: The danger of the evil spirit that rules on these days.

וְאִם צָחֵי מַאי תַּקַּנְתֵּיהּ? (נֵימָא) שִׁבְעָה קוֹלוֹת שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד עַל הַמַּיִם, וַהֲדַר נִישְׁתֵּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״קוֹל ה׳ עַל הַמָּיִם אֵל הַכָּבוֹד הִרְעִים ה׳ עַל מַיִם רַבִּים קוֹל ה׳ בַּכֹּחַ קוֹל ה׳ בֶּהָדָר קוֹל ה׳ שׁוֹבֵר אֲרָזִים וַיְשַׁבֵּר ה׳ אֶת אַרְזֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן קוֹל ה׳ חוֹצֵב לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ קוֹל ה׳ יָחִיל מִדְבָּר יָחִיל ה׳ מִדְבַּר קָדֵשׁ קוֹל ה׳ יְחוֹלֵל אַיָּלוֹת וַיֶּחֱשׂוֹף יְעָרוֹת וּבְהֵיכָלוֹ כּוּלּוֹ אוֹמֵר כָּבוֹד״.

The Gemara asks: And if he is thirsty, what is his remedy? What should he drink? The Gemara answers: He should say the seven voices that David said over the water, and afterward he may drink. As it is stated: “The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; God of glory thunders, even the Lord upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the hinds to calve, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple all say: Glory” (Psalms 29:3–9).

וְאִי לָא, (נֵימָא) הָכִי: ״לוּל שָׁפָן אֲנִיגְרוֹן אֲנִירָדְפִין בֵּין כּוֹכְבֵי יָתֵיבְנָא, בֵּין בְּלִיעִי שַׁמִּינֵי אָזֵילְנָא״. וְאִי לָא, אִי אִיכָּא אִינִישׁ בַּהֲדֵיהּ — נַיתְעֲרֵיהּ וְלֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״פְּלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִתָא צָחֵינָא מַיָּא״, וַהֲדַר נִישְׁתֵּי. וְאִי לָא — מְקַרְקֵשׁ נִכְתְּמָא אַחַצְבָּא וַהֲדַר נִישְׁתֵּי. וְאִי לָא — נִישְׁדֵּי בַּהּ מִידֵּי, וַהֲדַר נִישְׁתֵּי.

And if he does not remember that verse, he should say as follows: Lul, Shafan, Anigron, Anirdafin, which are names of demons, I sit between the stars, I walk between thin and fat people, take any of them if you wish but leave me alone. And if he does not recall this incantation, if there is another person with him, he should wake him and say to him: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, I thirst for water; and then he may drink. And if there is no other person with him, he should knock the cover on the cup and then drink. And if he is not able to do this, he should throw some object in it and then drink.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: לֹא יִשְׁתֶּה אָדָם מַיִם לֹא מִן הַנְּהָרוֹת וְלֹא מִן הָאֲגַמִּים בַּלַּיְלָה, וְאִם שָׁתָה — דָּמוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ, מִפְּנֵי הַסַּכָּנָה. מַאי סַכָּנָה? סַכָּנַת שַׁבְרִירֵי. וְאִי צַחֵי מַאי תַּקַּנְתֵּיהּ? אִי אִיכָּא אִינִישׁ בַּהֲדֵיהּ — לֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״פְּלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִתָא, צָחֵינָא מַיָּא״. וְאִי לָא, (נֵימָא) אִיהוּ לְנַפְשֵׁיהּ: ״פְּלָנְיָא, אֲמַרָה לִי אִימִּי אִיזְדְּהַר מִשַּׁבְרִירֵי שַׁבְרִירֵי בְּרִירֵי רִירֵי יְרֵי רֵי — צָחֵינָא מַיָּא בְּכָסֵי חִיוָּרֵי״.

The Sages taught: A person should not drink water from rivers or from ponds at night. And if he drank, his blood is upon his own head due to the danger. The Gemara explains: What is this danger? The danger of blindness. The Gemara asks: And if he is thirsty, what is his remedy? If there is another person with him, he should say to him: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, I thirst for water. And if there is no one else with him, he should say to himself: So-and-so, my mother said to me to beware of shavrirei , the demon of blindness. He should continue to say the following incantation, in the first part of which the demon’s name gradually disappears: Shavrirei berirei rirei yiri ri ; I thirst for water in white earthenware cups. This is an incantation against those demons.

וַאֲפִילּוּ מִן הַתַּמְחוּי וְכוּ׳. פְּשִׁיטָא!

The Gemara returns to the statement of the mishna that on Passover one must drink no less than four cups of wine: And this halakha applies even if the poor person accepts funds from the charity plate. The Gemara asks: It is obvious that this is the case. If there is a mitzva to drink these four cups, they must be provided for him.

לֹא נִצְרְכָא אֶלָּא אֲפִילּוּ לְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, דְּאָמַר: עֲשֵׂה שַׁבַּתְּךָ חוֹל וְאַל תִּצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת — הָכָא מִשּׁוּם פַּרְסוֹמֵי נִיסָּא (מוֹדֵי).

The Gemara answers: The mishna is necessary only to teach that this halakha applies even according to the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, who said: Make your Shabbat like an ordinary weekday and do not be beholden to other beings. If one is unable to honor Shabbat without financial help from others, it is better for him to save money and eat his Shabbat meals as he would on a weekday rather than rely on other people. Here, in the case of the four cups, Rabbi Akiva concedes that it is appropriate for a poor person to request assistance from the community, due to the obligation to publicize the miracle.

תָּנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא: עֲשֵׂה שַׁבַּתְּךָ חוֹל וְאַל תִּצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת, אֲבָל עוֹשֶׂה הוּא דָּבָר מוּעָט בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ. מַאי נִינְהוּ? אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: כָּסָא דְהַרְסָנָא. כְּדִתְנַן, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי עַז כַּנָּמֵר וְקַל כַּנֶּשֶׁר, רָץ כַּצְּבִי וְגִבּוֹר כָּאֲרִי לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם.

With regard to this issue, the school of Eliyahu taught that although Rabbi Akiva said: Make your Shabbat like a weekday and do not be beholden to other beings; however, one should nevertheless perform some small alteration in his house to distinguish Shabbat from a weekday. The Gemara asks: What is this alteration? Rav Pappa said: For example, one should serve small, fried fish. As we learned in a mishna: Rabbi Yehuda ben Teima says: Be bold like a leopard, light like an eagle, run like a deer, and be strong like a lion to perform the will of your Father in Heaven. This statement teaches that one should exert every effort to perform a mitzva.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן, שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים צִוָּה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אֶת רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּנוֹ: בְּנִי, אַל תֵּשֵׁב בְּגוֹבְהָהּ שֶׁל עִיר וְתִשְׁנֶה, וְאַל תָּדוּר בְּעִיר שֶׁרָאשֶׁיהָ תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים.

The Gemara cites the full source of Rabbi’s Akiva statement with regard to Shabbat preparations. The Sages taught: Rabbi Akiva commanded Rabbi Yehoshua, his son, about seven matters: My son, do not sit at the high point of a city, where many people pass, and study there, as the passersby will interrupt you. And do not live in a city whose leaders are Torah scholars, as they are too busy studying to govern properly.

וְאַל תִּכָּנֵס לְבֵיתְךָ פִּתְאוֹם, כׇּל שֶׁכֵּן לְבֵית חֲבֵירְךָ. וְאַל תִּמְנַע מִנְעָלִים מֵרַגְלֶיךָ. הַשְׁכֵּם וֶאֱכוֹל, בַּקַּיִץ מִפְּנֵי הַחַמָּה, וּבַחוֹרֶף מִפְּנֵי הַצִּינָּה. וַעֲשֵׂה שַׁבַּתְּךָ חוֹל וְאַל תִּצְטָרֵךְ לַבְּרִיּוֹת. וֶהֱוֵי מִשְׁתַּדֵּל עִם אָדָם שֶׁהַשָּׁעָה מְשַׂחֶקֶת לוֹ.

Rabbi Akiva continued: And do not enter your house suddenly, without knocking first; all the more so do not enter the house of another, as he might not be ready to receive you. And do not withhold shoes from your feet, as it is disgraceful to go barefoot. Wake up and eat, in the summer due to the heat, as it is best to eat before it grows hot, and in the winter due to the strength you will need to tolerate the cold. And make your Shabbat like a weekday and do not be beholden to other beings. And exert yourself to join together with a person upon whom the hour smiles, i.e., a successful person.

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: לָא לְמִיזְבַּן מִינֵּיהּ וְלָא לְזַבּוֹנֵי לֵיהּ, אֶלָּא לְמֶעְבַּד שׁוּתָּפוּת בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וְהַשְׁתָּא דְּאָמַר רַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר יִצְחָק: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו בֵּרַכְתָּ״ — כׇּל הַנּוֹטֵל פְּרוּטָה מֵאִיּוֹב מִתְבָּרֵךְ, אֲפִילּוּ לְמִיזְבַּן מִינֵּיהּ וּלְזַבּוֹנֵי לֵיהּ שַׁפִּיר דָּמֵי.

Rav Pappa said in explanation of this last statement: Do not buy from him and do not sell to him. If he is the beneficiary of good fortune, he will profit from any business transaction and you will suffer from it. Rather, form a partnership with him. And now we have heard that Rav Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You have blessed the work of his hands” (Job 1:10)? This means that anyone who took a peruta from Job would be blessed, even if he received it via a business transaction. This shows that one should engage in business with a person who is blessed, for even if he wishes to buy from him or to sell to him it is well, i.e., he will share in the good fortune of the other.

חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים צִוָּה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אֶת רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי כְּשֶׁהָיָה חָבוּשׁ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין. אָמַר לוֹ: רַבִּי, לַמְּדֵנִי תּוֹרָה, אָמַר: אֵינִי מְלַמְּדֶךָ. אָמַר לוֹ: אִם אֵין אַתָּה מְלַמְּדֵנִי אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לְיוֹחַי אַבָּא וּמוֹסֶרְךָ לַמַּלְכוּת. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּנִי, יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁהָעֵגֶל רוֹצֶה לִינַק פָּרָה רוֹצֶה לְהָנִיק. אָמַר לוֹ: וּמִי בְּסַכָּנָה? וַהֲלֹא עֵגֶל בְּסַכָּנָה.

The Gemara continues to cite similar advice dispensed by Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva commanded Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai to do five matters when Rabbi Akiva was imprisoned. Beforehand, Rabbi Shimon said to him: Rabbi, teach me Torah. Rabbi Akiva said to him: I will not teach you, as it is dangerous to do so at the present time. Rabbi Shimon said to him in jest: If you will not teach me, I will tell Yoḥai my father, and he will turn you over to the government. In other words, I have no means of persuading you; you are already in prison. Rabbi Akiva said: My son, know that more than the calf wishes to suck, the cow wants to suckle, but I am afraid of the danger. Rabbi Shimon said to him: And who is in danger? Isn’t the calf in danger, as you are in jail and I am the one at risk?

אָמַר לוֹ: אִם בִּקַּשְׁתָּ לֵיחָנֵק — הִיתָּלֵה בְּאִילָן גָּדוֹל. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּנְךָ — לַמְּדֵהוּ בְּסֵפֶר מוּגָּהּ. מַאי הִיא? אָמַר רָבָא, וְאִיתֵּימָא רַב מְשַׁרְשְׁיָא: בְּחַדְתָּא, שַׁבֶּשְׁתָּא כֵּיוָן דְּעָל — עָל.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: If so, I will tell you a few matters. First of all, if you wish to strangle yourself, hang yourself on a tall tree. This proverb means that if one wants others to accept what he has to say, he should attribute his statement to a great man. And when you teach your son, teach him from a corrected text. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of that statement? Rava said, and some say Rav Mesharshiya said: Rabbi Akiva was referring to learning a new topic, for once a mistake enters one’s mind, it has entered there and is difficult to put right.

לֹא תְּבַשֵּׁל בִּקְדֵירָה שֶׁבִּישֵּׁל בָּהּ חֲבֵירֶךָ. מַאי נִיהוּ — גְּרוּשָׁה בְּחַיֵּי בַּעְלָהּ, דְּאָמַר מָר גָּרוּשׁ שֶׁנָּשָׂא גְּרוּשָׁהּ — אַרְבַּע דֵּעוֹת בַּמִּטָּה. וְאִי בָּעֵית אֵימָא: אֲפִילּוּ בְּאַלְמָנָה, לְפִי

Rabbi Akiva further told Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Do not cook in a pot in which your colleague cooked his food. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of this statement? The Gemara explains: Rabbi Akiva is referring to marrying a divorced woman in the lifetime of her former husband. As the Master said: If a divorced man marries a divorced woman, there are four minds in the bed during intimacy. Each person thinks about his current and former spouse, which verges on illegitimacy. And if you wish, say instead that this advice holds true even with regard to marrying a widow, as