Megillah, Daf Kaf Daled, Part 5

 

Introduction

Today’s mishnah teaches that priests who have something distracting on their hands, either a deformation or a discoloring should not lift up their hands because this makes the people look at them and not think about the blessing that they are receiving. The mishnah considers it crucial that the congregation focus not on the external attributes of the priest but the contents of the blessing that they are receiving.

We should note that today people refrain from looking at the priests hands when they are reciting the blessing and their hands are also covered with a tallit.

 

משנה. כהן שיש בידיו מומין לא ישא את כפיו.

רבי יהודה אומר: אף מי שהיו ידיו צבועות סטיס לא ישא את כפיו מפני שהעם מסתכלין בו.

 

A priest whose hands are deformed should not lift up his hands [to say the priestly blessing].

Rabbi Judah says: also one whose hands are colored with woad or madder should not lift up his hands, because [this makes] the congregation look at him.

 

גמרא. תנא: מומין שאמרו בפניו, ידיו ורגליו.

 

GEMARA. A Tanna stated: The deformities which they said were [disqualifying] are on the face, the hands and the feet.

 

According to the Talmud, if the deformity is on hands, feet or face, the Kohen should not go up to do the priestly blessing. This is because people might see the face, hands and even the feet when the Kohen takes off his shoes.

 

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: ידיו בוהקניות לא ישא את כפיו. תניא נמי הכי: ידיו בוהקניות לא ישא את כפיו. עקומות, עקושות לא ישא את כפיו.

 

R. Joshua b. Levi said: If his hands are spotted he should not lift up his hands. It has been taught similarly: If his hands are spotted, he should not lift up his hands. If they are curved inwards or bent sideways, he should not lift up his hands.

 

Both spotted and curved hands are considered a distraction and therefore a priest with such hands should not lift up his hands and perform the priestly blessing.

אמר רב אסי: חיפני (ובשיני) +מסורת הש"ס: [ובישני]+ לא ישא את כפיו. תניא נמי הכי: אין מורידין לפני התיבה לא אנשי בית שאן, ולא אנשי בית חיפה, ולא אנשי טבעונין, מפני שקורין לאלפין עיינין ולעיינין אלפין.

 

R. Assi said: A priest from Haifa or Beth Shean should not lift up his hands. It has been taught to the same effect: We do not allow to pass before the ark either men from Beth Shean or from Haifa or from Tivonim, because they pronounce alef as ayin and ayin as alif.

 

This disqualification is not about deformed hands but about mispronunciations. The people of Haifa, Bet Shean and Tivonim switch their alefs and ayins. Therefore, they should neither perform the priestly blessing, nor should they serve as shaliah tzibbur (pass before the ark). Today Ashkenazim and many Sephardim do not distinguish between the pronunciation (or lack thereof) of these two letters. But in the past neither was silent as it is today. Yemenites and some other Sephardim still pronounce the ayin.

 

אמר ליה רבי חייא לרבי שמעון בר רבי: אלמלי אתה לוי פסול אתה מן הדוכן. משום דעבי קלך. אתא אמר ליה לאבוה. אמר ליה: זיל אימא ליה: כשאתה מגיע אצל +ישעיהו ח‘+ וחכיתי לה‘, לא נמצאת מחרף ומגדף?

R. Hiyya said to R. Shimon b. Rabbi: If you were a Levite, you would be disqualified from [singing] on the platform, because your voice is thick.

He went and told his father who said to him: Go and say to him, When you come to the verse, "And I will wait [vehikiti] for the Lord," (Isaiah 8:17) will you not be a reviler and blasphemer?

 

R. Hiyya and R. Shimon b. Rabbi have an acrid exchange. R. Hiyya tells R. Shimon b. Rabbi that if he had been a Levite and had been around when the Temple still stood, he would not have been able to sing from the platform because he has a "thick" voice, assumedly gravelly and not pleasant.

R. Shimon b. Rabbi is stung and goes back to tell his father, the great R. Judah Hanasi. R. Judah Hanasi provides his son with an insult to hurl back at R. Hiyya. R. Hiyya evidently confuses his hets with his hehs. Therefore, when saying the verse "I will wait" he will end up saying "vehikiti" which means to strike [God], an unintended blasphemy.

אמר רב הונא: זבלגן לא ישא את כפיו. והא ההוא דהוה בשיבבותיה דרב הונא, והוה פריס ידיה. ההוא דש בעירו הוה. תניא נמי הכי: זבלגן לא ישא את כפיו, ואם היה דש בעירו מותר.

 

R. Huna said: A man whose eyes run should not lift up his hands. But was there not one in the neighborhood of R. Huna who used to spread forth his hands?

The townspeople had become accustomed to him.

It has also been taught: A man whose eyes run should not lift up his hands, but if the townspeople are accustomed to him, he is permitted.

 

A person’s whose eyes run will also be a distraction to the congregation. But if people are used to looking at him, then he can lift up his hands in the priestly blessing. They will no longer be distracted. This is an important caveat to all that we have learned. Once people get used to each other, their physical differences are no longer distracting. We might even suggest to people get used to it! I think that this certainly remains true to this day. We naturally look twice at someone who looks very different from most people. But once we get used to his looks, we don’t think about it twice.

 

אמר רבי יוחנן: סומא באחת מעיניו לא ישא את כפיו. והא ההוא דהוה בשיבבותיה דרבי יוחנן, דהוה פריס ידיה. ההוא דש בעירו הוה. תניא נמי הכי: סומא באחת מעיניו לא ישא את כפיו, ואם היה דש בעירו מותר.

 

R. Yohanan said: A blind person in even one of his eyes should not lift up his hands. But was there not one in the neighborhood of R. Yohanan who used to spread forth his hands?

The townspeople had become accustomed to him.

It was also taught in a baraita: A blind person even in one of his eyes should not lift up his hands, but if the townspeople are accustomed to him, he is permitted.

 

Similar to above, people would be distracted by a blind person’s blindness, even if he is blind in only one eye. But if people are used to looking at him, then he may lift up his hands, if he is a priest.

 

רבי יהודה אומר מי שהיו ידיו צבועות לא ישא את כפיו, תנא: אם רוב אנשי העיר מלאכתן בכך מותר.

 

R. Judah says: A man whose hands are discolored should not lift up his hands. It was taught: If most of the men of the town have the same occupation it is permitted.

 

Hands that are discolored from work are a distraction and one with such hands should not perform the priestly blessing. But if most of the men have this occupation and therefore have colored hands, then it is permitted because it will not be as distracting.