Study Shabbat folio 13A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מיתיבי: רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר, התינוקות של בית רבן היו מסדרין פרשיות וקורין לאור הנר. אי בעית אימא — ראשי פרשיותיו, ואי בעית אימא — שאני תינוקות, הואיל ואימת רבן עליהן לא אתי לאצלויי.
The Talmud raises an objection from that which was taught in a Tosefta: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The schoolchildren would organize the sections and read the book by candlelight. Apparently, it is permitted to read by candlelight on Shabbat. The Talmud answers: If you wish, say that the Tosefta is only referring to the beginning of the sections. And if you wish, say instead that children are different in this regard. Since the fear of their teacher is upon them, they will not come to adjust the wick. Even on a weekday, fear of their teacher will prevent them from tending to the lamp during their study.
כיוצא בו לא יאכל הזב. תניא: רבי שמעון בן אלעזר אומר: בוא וראה עד היכן פרצה טהרה בישראל, שלא שנינו ״לא יאכל הטהור עם הטמאה״, אלא לא יאכל הזב עם הזבה מפני הרגל עבירה. כיוצא בו: לא יאכל זב פרוש עם זב עם הארץ, שמא ירגילנו אצלו.
We learned in the Mishnah: Similar to this decree of Shabbat, the rabbis issued a decree that the zav may not eat with his wife, the zava, even though they are both ritually impure, because by eating together they will come to excessive intimacy and become accustomed to sin. It was taught in a Tosefta that R' Shimon ben Elazar says: Come and see to what extent ritual purity was widespread in Israel, as we did not learn: The ritually pure may not eat with the ritually impure woman; but rather, the zav may not eat with the zava, although they are both ritually impure, lest he become accustomed to sin. Needless to say, a pure and an impure person certainly would not eat together, as everyone was careful with regard to ritual purity. On a similar note, the rabbis said: A zav who generally distances himself from ritual impurity, eats ritually pure food, and is careful about separating tithes, may not eat with a zav who is an am ha’aretz, who does not distance himself from ritual impurity and is not careful about separating tithes, due to the concern lest the am ha’aretz accustom him to frequently spend time with him, by means of a shared meal.