Megillah, Daf Kaf Het, Part 1

 

Introduction

This week’s daf continues the series of questions asked to rabbis how did you live such a long life?

 

שאלו תלמידיו את רבי פרידא: במה הארכת ימים?

אמר להם: מימי לא קדמני אדם לבית המדרש ולא ברכתי לפני כהן, ולא אכלתי מבהמה שלא הורמו מתנותיה. דאמר רבי יצחק אמר רבי יוחנן: אסור לאכול מבהמה שלא הורמו מתנותיה. ואמר רבי יצחק: כל האוכל מבהמה שלא הורמו מתנותיה – כאילו אוכל טבלים. ולית הלכתא כוותיה.

 

R. Peridah was asked by his disciples: How did you live such a long life?

He replied: My whole life no one came to the Bet Midrash before me, nor did I bless [birkat hamazon] before a kohen, nor did I eat from an animal from which the priestly dues were not take out, as R. Yitzchak said in the name of R. Yohanan: It is forbidden to eat from an animal from which the priestly dues have not been taken out; and R. Yitzchak further said: To eat from an animal from which the priestly dues have not been taken out is like eating untithed produce. The halakhah does not follow him.

 

R. Peridah did three things that went beyond the letter of the law, and thereby he merited living a long life. First of all, he was always the first person at the Bet Midrash, the study hall, in the morning. Second, when it came time to Birkat Hamazon, he always lets a Kohen do the "zimmun" the invitation to recite Birkat Hamazon. The Talmud will discuss this below.

Third, he never ate meat (cows, sheep or goats) from which the portions given to the priest had not been removed. This law is stated in Deuteronomy 18:3. One who slaughters one of these animals must give the right foreleg, the cheeks and the stomach to a priest.

According to R. Yitzchak, eating from an animal from which the priestly dues have not been removed is like eating from untithed produce, which is strictly prohibited. However, the halakhah does not follow R. Yitzchak. One can eat from an animal whose priestly dues have not been removed. R. Peridah however, acted stringently, and did not eat any meat unless the priestly dues had already been removed.

 

ולא ברכתי לפני כהן, למימרא דמעליותא היא? והא אמר רבי יוחנן: כל תלמיד חכם שמברך לפניו, אפילו כהן גדול עם הארץ, אותו תלמיד חכם חייב מיתה, שנאמר +משלי ח‘+ כל משנאי אהבו מות. אל תקרי משנאי אלא משניאי!

כי קאמר איהו בשוין.

 

Nor did I bless [birkat hamazon] before a Kohen: This implies that this is a positive attribute. But did not R. Yohanan said: Any talmid hakham in front of whom someone else blesses, even a high priest, who is all ignoramus, that talmid hakham is liable for the death penalty, as it says, "All that hate me [mesanai] love death" (Proverbs 8:36); read not mesanai [that hate me], but masni’ai [that cause me to be hated]?

When he [R. Peridah] said that, he was referring to equals.

 

R. Peridah said that he lived a long life partly because whenever he ate he allowed the Kohen to recite birkat hamazon (the zimmun). But R. Yohanan said that a "talmid hakham," a Torah scholar that allows anyone else who is an "ignoramus" to bless birkat hamazon in front of him is deserving of death. This is true even if the ignoramus is the high priest himself. This idea is derived from a midrash on Proverbs 8:36. Instead of reading simply that anyone who hates Torah loves death, the midrash vocalizes the verse to read "anyone who causes Torah to be hated." Someone who sees an ignoramus reciting birkat hamazon in front of a talmid hakham will cause the Torah to be hated, because he will think that being an ignoramus is more honorable than being a talmid hakham.

The resolution is that R. Peridah referred to a Kohen who was also well versed in Torah learning. Such a Kohen would bless birkat hamazon in front of R. Peridah. But if the Kohen was an ignoramus, R. Peridah would not let him recite birkat hamazon.

This section is an excellent example of the tension between two values in the rabbinic world Torah learning and genealogy. The Kohen gadol has the quintessential pedigree, but if he is an ignoramus, it is not worth anything, at least not to the rabbis.

 

שאלו תלמידיו את רבי נחוניא בן הקנה: במה הארכת ימים? אמר להם: מימי לא נתכבדתי בקלון חברי, ולא עלתה על מטתי קללת חברי, וותרן בממוני הייתי.

לא נתכבדתי בקלון חברי – כי הא דרב הונא דרי מרא אכתפיה, אתא רב חנא בר חנילאי וקא דרי מיניה. אמר ליה: אי רגילת דדרית במאתיך – דרי, ואי לא – אתייקורי אנא בזילותא דידך, לא ניחא לי.

 

R. Nehunia b. Hakaneh was asked by his disciples: How have you lived so long? He replied: Never in my life have I been honored through the degradation of my friend, nor has the curse of my fellow gone up with me into my bed, and I have been generous with my money.

I have not sought respect through the degradation of my fellow, as was the case with R. Huna who once was carrying a spade on his shoulder. R. Hana b. Hanilai wanted to hold it for him, but he said to him: If you are accustomed to carry it in your own town, take it, but if not, I do not want to be honored through your degradation.

 

R. Nehuniah b. Hakaneh did three things to earn long life. The Talmud explains each one at a time. First of all, he didn’t protect his own honor at the cost of his fellow’s honor. This is illustrated by the story of R. Huna carrying a spade. R. Hana b. Hanilai wanted to carry it so that he could honor R. Huna, even if R. Hana would thus be degraded. R. Huna refused to let R. Hana to so, for he did not want to achieve his own honor through the degradation of his fellow human being.

 

ולא עלתה על מטתי קללת חברי – כי הא דמר זוטרא, כי הוה סליק לפורייה אמר: שרי ליה לכל מאן דצערן.

Nor did the curse of my fellow go up on my bed with me. This is illustrated by Mar Zutra, who, when he climbed into his bed said, I forgive all who have troubled me.

 

Mar Zutra would forgive all who had troubled him when he went to bed at night. This sounds like a very healthy psychological strategy.

 

וותרן בממוני הייתי – דאמר מר: איוב וותרן בממוניה הוה, שהיה מניח פרוטה לחנוני מממוניה.

 

I have been generous with my money: as a Master has said, Job was generous with his money; he used to leave with the shopkeeper a perutah of his change.

 

R. Nehuniah ben Hakaneh would always leave extra change with the shopkeeper. He was generous in the sense that he would make sure that he never accidentally cheated anyone out of money he owed them.