Megillah, Daf Kaf Zayin, Part 1
Introduction
Today’s section deals with the issue of selling a Sefer Torah in order to buy another.
אבל מכרו תורה לא יקחו ספרים וכו‘. איבעיא להו: מהו למכור ספר תורה ישן ליקח בו חדש? כיון דלא מעלי ליה – אסור, או דלמא כיון דליכא לעלויי עילוייא אחרינא – שפיר דמי?
תא שמע: אבל מכרו תורה – לא יקחו ספרים. ספרים הוא דלא, הא תורה בתורה – שפיר דמי! – מתניתין דיעבד, כי קא מיבעיא לן – לכתחלה.
But if they sell a Torah they may not buy [other biblical] scrolls.
They asked: Is it allowed to sell an old Sefer Torah to buy a new one? Since he is not raising [the level of sanctity] it is forbidden, or shall we say that since there is no higher level to go to, it is okay?
Come and hear: But if they sell, a Torah they may not buy scrolls; it is scrolls that they may not buy, but if they buy a Torah with the proceeds from the sale of a Torah it is okay!
[No.] The Mishnah refers to something already done, and the question we asked was whether it is permitted?
The Talmud asks the question whether it is allowed to sell an old Torah scroll in order to use the money to buy a new one. On the one hand, he is not raising the level of sanctity by buying something of an equivalent level of sanctity. Thus, perhaps it is prohibited, and one can sell sacred items to buy other things of a higher level. On the other hand, the Torah is already of the highest level of sanctity and therefore maybe it is permitted to sell a Torah to buy a Torah.
The first attempt at an answer is from the mishnah itself. The mishnah says that one may not buy other biblical scrolls. It doesn t say that one may not buy another Sefer Torah.
However, the Talmud says that the mishnah refers only to an "ex post facto" case. If one already sold a Sefer Torah he may use the proceeds to buy another Sefer Torah. But this does not mean that ab initio one may sell a Sefer Torah with the intention of buying a new one.
תא שמע: גוללין ספר תורה במטפחות חומשין, וחומשין במטפחות נביאים וכתובים, אבל לא נביאים וכתובים במטפחות חומשין, ולא חומשין במטפחות ספר תורה. קתני מיהת: גוללים ספר תורה במטפחות חומשין, מטפחות חומשין – אין, מטפחות ספר תורה – לא. – אימא סיפא: ולא חומשין במטפחות ספר תורה. הא תורה בתורה – שפיר דמי! אלא, מהא ליכא למישמע מינה.
Come and hear: A Sefer Torah may be rolled up in the coverings of a humash, or a humash in the coverings of a scroll of prophets or writings, but prophets and writings may not be rolled up in the coverings of a humash, nor a humash in the coverings of a Sefer Torah.
It teaches in any case that a Sefer Torah may be rolled up in the coverings of a humash; implying, in the coverings of a humash it may be wrapped up, but in those of [another] Sefer Torah it may not be?
What about the last clause: Nor a humash in the coverings of a Sefer Torah, which would imply that a Sefer Torah in the coverings of another Sefer Torah is allowed? Rather from this we cannot learn [the answer to our question].
The baraita talks about using the coverings of one scroll to cover another. The principle here is that coverings can be moved to cover scrolls of higher sanctity but not those of lower sanctity. A full Sefer Torah is of the highest sanctity, below it is the humash, a scroll containing only one of the five books of the Torah. Lower yet are scrolls containing the prophets or the writings.
From this baraita the Talmud tries to conclude that it would be prohibited to wrap a Torah scroll in the wrapping used for another. The common idea is that one may only go up in sanctity and not move within the same level of sanctity.
However, we could draw the opposite conclusion from the second clause it is prohibited to go down in sanctity, but one can stay on the same level. Therefore, in its totality, there is no way to learn anything from this baraita concerning our question.
תא שמע: מניחין ספר תורה על גבי תורה, ותורה על גבי חומשין וחומשין על גבי נביאים וכתובים. אבל לא נביאים וכתובים על גבי חומשין, ולא חומשין על גבי תורה. הנחה קאמרת? שאני הנחה דלא אפשר. דאי לא תימא הכי – מיכרך היכי כרכינן? והא קא יתיב דפא אחבריה! אלא, כיון דלא אפשר – שרי, הכא נמי כיון דלא אפשר – שרי.
Come and hear: A [Sefer] Torah may be put on top of on another [Sefer] Torah, and a [Sefer] Torah on top of humashim, and humashim on top of scrolls of the prophets and writings, but scrolls of the prophets and writings may not be placed on humashim, nor humashim on a [Sefer] Torah.
You speak here of placing on top; Placing something on top of something else is different, because it is impossible to avoid it. For if you do not say this, [we may ask,] how are we allowed to roll up the scrolls, seeing that in so doing we lay one sheet on another? The fact is that since this cannot be avoided, it is permitted; and so too here, since it cannot be avoided, it is permitted.
One Sefer Torah may be put on top of another Sefer Torah. This seems to prove that one could also sell an old Sefer Torah to buy another one. As long as they are of the same level of sanctity, it is permitted.
This is rejected because putting one scroll on top of another is sometimes inevitable, such as for storage. If it were not allowed to do so, then we would not even be allowed to roll up a Torah scroll because one sheet is placed on top of the other. Since it is inevitable in the case of rolling a Torah, it is also allowed in general to put one Sefer Torah on top of the other. But from here we cannot draw the conclusion that one can sell a Sefer Torah to buy another. This is not something that is unavoidable.
תא שמע: דאמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבן שמעון בן גמליאל: לא ימכור אדם ספר תורה ישן ליקח בו חדש. התם משום פשיעותא, כי קאמרינן כגון דכתיב ומנח לאיפרוקי, מאי?
Come and hear, that Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in the name of R. Yohanan in the name of Rabban Shimon b. Gamaliel: A man should not sell an old Torah in order to buy a new one with the proceeds!
There the reason is lest he should [afterwards] neglect to do so; here we speak of a case where the new one is written and waiting to be paid for.
What is the rule?
Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel seems to say explicitly that one may not sell a Sefer Torah to buy another one. This seems to answer our question conclusively. However, the Talmud presses on, proposing that Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel referred only to a case where the new Torah had not yet been written. In such a case we might be concerned that he will sell the old one and not buy a new one. This would clearly be a problem. But if a new one is already on hand and only needs to be paid for, we would not have such a concern. Thus it might be permitted.
תא שמע דאמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי מאיר: אין מוכרין ספר תורה אלא ללמוד תורה, ולישא אשה, שמע מינה: תורה בתורה שפיר דמי.
דלמא שאני תלמוד, שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה.
אשה נמי – +ישעיהו מ"ה+ לא תהו בראה לשבת יצרה, אבל תורה בתורה – לא.
Come and hear, that R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Meir: A man should not sell a Sefer Torah except to study Torah or to marry a woman.
From this we may conclude that that selling one Sefer Torah to buy another is permitted?
Perhaps study comes under a different rule, since study leads on to practice. Marrying also [is permitted because it says], "He created it not as waste, he formed it to be inhabited" (Isaiah 45:18) but to selling a Sefer Torah to buy another is not permitted.
The baraita says that a person cannot sell a Sefer Torah except to pay for the costs of studying Torah or getting married. From here we could conclude that just as it is permitted to sell a Torah to study, it is permitted to sell a Torah to buy another Torah.
This answer is also rejected. It may be allowed to sell a Torah in order to study Torah because study leads to the observance of the commandments. In other words, studying Torah is more sacred than the Torah itself! [I find this to be a very powerful message. The object itself is sacred, but the contents are even more sacred for they are what lead to a higher goal]. And marriage and procreation are the reason why God created the world in the first place. They are at the highest level of sanctity [another powerful idea] and therefore one can sell a Torah to afford marriage. But one cannot deduce from here that it is allowed to sell one Torah to buy another.
תנו רבנן: לא ימכור אדם ספר תורה אף על פי שאינו צריך לו, יתר על כן אמר רבי שמעון בן גמליאל: אפילו אין לו מה יאכל ומכר ספר תורה או בתו – אינו רואה סימן ברכה לעולם.
Our rabbis taught: One should not sell a Sefer Torah even though he does not need it. Rabban Shimon b. Gamaliel went further and said: Even if a man has no food and he sells a Sefer Torah or his daughter, he will never have any luck [from that money].
The baraita says that it is strictly prohibited to sell a Sefer Torah. Even if the Torah is not needed, one should not sell it. And if one sells the Torah (or his daughter, see Exodus 21:7-10) he will never receive any blessing from the proceeds.
We should note that the passage never really answers the question of whether it is prohibited to sell one Sefer Torah to buy another. Like many questions in the Talmud, it remains unresolved.