Study Ketubot folio 111A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
״בבלה יובאו ושמה יהיו עד יום פקדי אותם נאם ה׳״. ורבי זירא — ההוא בכלי שרת כתיב.
“They should be taken to Babylonia and there they should remain until the day that I recall them, said YHWH” (Jeremiah 27:22). Based on that verse, Rav Yehuda held that since the Babylonian exile was imposed by divine decree, permission to leave Babylonia for Eretz Yisrael could be granted only by God. The Talmud asks: And how does R' Zeira interpret that verse? The Talmud answers that R' Zeira maintains that that verse is written about the Temple service vessels, and it does not refer to the Jewish people, as the previous verse states: “Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of YHWH” (Jeremiah 27:21). Consequently, R' Zeira sought to ascend to Eretz Yisrael.
ורב יהודה? כתיב קרא אחרינא: ״השבעתי אתכם בנות ירושלים בצבאות או באילות השדה וגו׳״.
The Talmud asks: And how does Rav Yehuda respond to this argument? The verse is clearly referring to the Temple vessels, not to the people. The Talmud answers that another verse is written: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the hinds of the field, that you not awaken or stir up love, until it please” (Song of Songs 2:7). R' Yehuda derived from here that no act of redemption should be performed until a time arrives when it pleases God to bring about the redemption.
ורבי זירא — ההוא שלא יעלו ישראל בחומה. ורב יהודה? ״השבעתי״ אחרינא כתיב.
And R' Zeira maintains that the oath mentioned in that verse means that the Jews should not ascend to Eretz Yisrael as a wall, i.e., en masse, whereas individuals may immigrate as they wish. The Talmud asks: And what does Rav Yehuda reply to this? The Talmud answers that this command is derived from another verse in which “I adjure you” (Song of Songs 3:5) is written.