אייתי כסא דמוקרא בת ארבע מאה זוזי, ותבר קמיהו, ואעציבו.
He brought a valuable cup worth 400 zuz and broke it before them and they became sad.
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אייתי כסא דמוקרא בת ארבע מאה זוזי, ותבר קמיהו, ואעציבו.
He brought a valuable cup worth 400 zuz and broke it before them and they became sad.
רב אשי עבד הילולא לבריה, חזנהו לרבנן דהוו קא בדחי טובא. אייתי כסא דזוגיתא חיורתא, ותבר קמיהו, ואעציבו.
The Talmud also relates: Rav Ashi made a wedding feast for his son and he saw the rabbis, who were excessively joyous. He brought a cup of extremely valuable white glass and broke it before them, and they became sad.
אמרו ליה רבנן לרב המנונא זוטי בהלולא דמר בריה דרבינא: לישרי לן מר. אמר להו: וי לן, דמיתנן. וי לן, דמיתנן. אמרי ליה: אנן מה נעני בתרך? אמר להו: הי תורה, והי מצוה דמגנו עלן.
Similarly, the Talmud relates: The rabbis said to Rav Hamnuna Zuti at the wedding feast of Mar, son of Ravina: Let the Master sing for us. Since he believed that the merriment had become excessive, he said to them, singing: Woe to us, for we should die, woe to us, for we should die. They said to him: What should we respond after you? What is the chorus of the song? He said to them, you should respond: Where is Torah and where is mitzva that protect us?
אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחאי: אסור לאדם שימלא שחוק פיו בעולם הזה, שנאמר: ״אז ימלא שחוק פינו ולשוננו רנה״. אימתי, בזמן ש״יאמרו בגוים הגדיל ה׳ לעשות עם אלה״. אמרו עליו על ריש לקיש שמימיו לא מלא שחוק פיו בעולם הזה, מכי שמעה מרבי יוחנן רביה.
In a similar vein, R' Yoḥanan said in the name of R' Shimon ben Yoḥai: One is forbidden to fill his mouth with mirth in this world, as long as we are in exile (ge’onim), as it is stated: “When YHWH returns the captivity of Zion we will be as dreamers” (Psalms 126:1). Only “then will our mouths fill with laughter and our lips with song” (Psalms 126:2). When will that joyous era arrive? When “they will say among nations, YHWH has done great things with these” (Psalms 126:2). They said about Reish Lakish that throughout his life he did not fill his mouth with laughter in this world once he heard this statement from his teacher, R' Yoḥanan.
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.