Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Bet, Part 3

 

כי הוה ניחא נפשיה דרבי אמר הומניא איכא בבבל כולה עמונאי היא מסגריא איכא בבבל כולה דממזירא היא בירקא איכא בבבל שני אחים יש שמחליפים נשותיהם זה לזה בירתא דסטיא איכא בבבל היום סרו מאחרי המקום דאקפי פירא בכוורי בשבתא ואזיל וצדו בהו בשבתא ושמתינהו ר’ אחי ברבי יאשיה ואישתמוד

אקרא דאגמא איכא בבבל אדא בר אהבה יש בה היום יושב בחיקו של אברהם היום נולד רב יהודה בבבל

 

When Rabbi was dying he said: There is a place called Humania in Babylonia, which consists entirely of Ammonites; there is a place called Misgaria in Babylonia, which consists entirely of mamzerim; there is a place called Birka in Babylonia, in which there are two brothers who exchange their wives; there is a place called Birta di Satya in Babylonia: today they have turned away from God: a fishpond overflowed on the Sabbath, and they went and caught the fish on the Sabbath, and R. Ahai son of R. Yoshaya put them in the ban, and they apostate themselves.

There is a place called Akra De agma in Babylonia. Adda b. Ahabah dwells there. Today he sits in Abraham s lap; Today Rav Judah was born in Babylonia.

 

On his death bed, R. Yehudah Hanasi has some prophetic visions through which he identifies which parts of Babylonia are not kosher (and where they engage in some pretty salacious hanky-panky). He also identifies which places have apostate themselves. He can also see who had his bris (is sitting in Avraham s lap) and who was born.

 

דאמר מר כשמת ר’ עקיבא נולד רבי כשמת רבי נולד רב יהודה כשמת רב יהודה נולד רבא כשמת רבא נולד רב אשי ללמדך שאין צדיק נפטר מן העולם עד שנברא צדיק כמותו שנאמר (קהלת א, ה) וזרח השמש ובא השמש עד שלא כבתה שמשו של עלי זרחה שמשו של שמואל הרמתי שנאמר (שמואל א ג, ג) ונר אלהים טרם יכבה ושמואל שוכב וגו’

 

For a Master said: When R. Akiva died, Rabbi was born; when Rabbi died, Rav Judah was born; when Rav Judah died, Rava was born; when Rava died, R. Ashi was born. This teaches that a righteous person does not depart from the world until [another] righteous person like him is created, as it is said, The sun rises and the sun goes down (Koheleth 1:5): before Eli’s sun was extinguished, the sun of Shmuel of Ramoth rose, as it is said, And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Shmuel was lying [etc.] (I Samuel 3:3).

 

When one great leader passes away, another is born. God does not leave this world without proper leadership.

(איכה א, יז) צוה ה’ ליעקב סביביו צריו רב יהודה אמר כגון הומניא לפום נהרא

 

The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries (Lamentations 1:17).

R. Judah said: Like Humania is close to Pum-Nehara.

 

The verse in Eichah says that even in Exile, the Jewish people are surrounded by enemies. R. Judah interprets this in relation to Humania, which is full of Ammonites, and yet is right next to Pum-Nehara.