Kiddushin, Daf Ayin, Part 3
Introduction
This story illustrates the saying at the end of yesterday s section He who declares [others] to be disqualified, disqualifies them with his own flaw.
ההוא גברא דמנהרדעא דעל לבי מטבחיא בפומבדיתא
אמר להו הבו לי בישרא אמרו ליה נטר עד דשקיל לשמעיה דרב יהודה בר יחזקאל וניתיב לך
אמר מאן יהודה בר שויסקאל דקדים לי דשקל מן קמאי
A certain man from Nehardea entered a butcher’s shop in Pumbeditha. He said to them, Give me meat! They said to him, Wait until Rav Judah b. Yehezkel s attendant takes his and then we will serve you.
He exclaimed, Who is Judah b. Shveskel to take precedence over me and be served before me!
Scene one: The man is not happy to have to wait for his meat until R. Judah b. Yehezkel gets his. I probably wouldn t be happy in his place either. I think it s actually kind of humorous the way he bastardizes his name. I could see myself doing that.
אזלו אמרו ליה לרב יהודה שמתיה
אמרו רגיל דקרי אינשי עבדי אכריז עליה דעבדא הוא
They went and told Rav Judah, and he excommunicated him.
They said, He regularly calls people slaves. He pronounced him a slave.
Scene two: The tension mounts as R. Judah declares that this man is a slave. This does not mean that he has to serve anyone in particular. What it does mean is that he won t be able to marry a Jewish woman and his offspring will have flawed lineage.
אזל ההוא אזמניה לדינא לקמיה דרב נחמן
אייתי פיתקא דהזמנא אזל רב יהודה לקמיה דרב הונא
אמר ליה איזיל או לא איזיל
אמר ליה מיזל לא מיבעי לך למיזל משום דגברא רבה את אלא משום יקרא דבי נשיאה קום זיל
That man went and summoned him to a lawsuit before R. Nahman.
They brought the writ of summons. He [Rav Judah] went before R. Huna [and] asked him, Should I go or not?
He said: You need not go since you are a great man; yet in honor of the Nasi’s house, get up and go.
Scene three: The man summons him to court in front of R. Nahman, who is the Exilarch (Nasi) s son-in-law.
אתא אשכחיה דקעביד מעקה
אמר ליה לא סבר לה מר להא דאמר רב הונא בר אידי אמר שמואל כיון שנתמנה אדם פרנס על הצבור אסור בעשיית מלאכה בפני שלשה
א"ל פורתא דגונדריתא הוא דקא עבידנא
א"ל מי סניא מעקה דכתיב באורייתא או מחיצה דאמור רבנן
He came and found him making a railing. He said to him, Do you not hold by R. Huna b. Idi’s statement in the name of Shmuel: Once a man is appointed leader of a community, he may not do [manual] labour in the presence of three?
He replied: I am [merely] making a small portion of a gundritha.
He replied, Is not ma’akeh, as written in the Torah, or mehitzah, as used by the Rabbis, good enough?
Scene 4a: R. Judah now gets to Nehardea and finds R. Nahman building a railing. R. Judah does not think that such work is appropriate for a leader of the community. When defending himself, R. Nahman uses a strange word for railing, one probably from Persian. Why not use the biblical word or the rabbinic word?
א"ל יתיב מר אקרפיטא
א"ל ומי סני ספסל דאמור רבנן או איצטבא דאמרי אינשי
א"ל ליכול מר אתרונגא
אמר ליה הכי אמר שמואל כל האומר אתרונגא תילתא ברמות רוחא או אתרוג כדקריוה רבנן או אתרוגא דאמרי אינשי
אמר ליה לישתי מר אנבגא
אמר ליה מי סני איספרגוס דקריוה רבנן או אנפק דאמרי אינשי
He said to him, Have a seat on a karpita [seat].
He said back: Is not safsal, as used by the Rabbis, or itztaba, as used by people, good enough?
He said: Have some etronga [citron] to eat.
He replied, Thus did Shmuel say: he who says ethronga is a third [puffed up] with arrogance: either etrog, as it is called by the Rabbis, or etroga, as it is called by people.
He said to him: Will you drink anbaga [cup of wine]?
He replied: Is not ispargus, as it is called by the Rabbis, or anpak, as it is called by people good enough.
R. Nahman uses some strange words, and R. Judah does not like it.
The story will continue tomorrow. Meanwhile, might be worth the time to think about how the narrator put this story together. The main theme seems to be about use of language.