Study Tamid folio 28A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
שלום עליך״! ניכר שהוא ישן, חובטו במקלו. ורשות היתה לו לשרוף את כסותו. והם אומרים: מה קול בעזרה? קול בן לוי לוקה ובגדיו נשרפין, שישן לו על משמר. רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר: פעם אחת מצאו את אחי אמי ישן, ושרפו את כסותו.
Peace be upon you. If he would not reply, it was evident that he was sleeping. The man of the Temple Mount would therefore strike him with his staff, and he even had license to burn the watchman’s garment, in order to discipline him. And those overhearing the watchman being rebuked would say to one another: What is that sound in the Temple courtyard? It is the sound of a Levite being flogged and having his clothing burned, as he was caught sleeping during his watch. R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: Once, the supervisors found my mother’s brother sleeping on his watch, and they burned his garment.
אמר רבי חייא בר אבא: כי מטי רבי יוחנן בהא מתניתא, אמר הכי: אשריהם לראשונים, שאפילו על אונס שינה עושין דין. שלא על אונס שינה – על אחת כמה וכמה.
R' Ḥiyya bar Abba says: When R' Yoḥanan would reach this Mishnah in his studies, he would say this: The early generations were praiseworthy, as they meted out judgment even in the case of an offense caused by unavoidable sleep; and all the more so would they mete out judgment in the case of offenses that were not caused by unavoidable sleep.
תניא, רבי אומר: איזו היא דרך ישרה שיבור לו האדם? יאהב את התוכחות, שכל זמן שתוכחות בעולם – נחת רוח באה לעולם, טובה וברכה באין לעולם, ורעה מסתלקת מן העולם, שנאמר: ״ולמוכיחים ינעם ועליהם תבא ברכת טוב״. ויש אומרים: יחזיק באמונה יתירה, שנאמר: ״עיני בנאמני ארץ לשבת עמדי וגו׳״.
It is taught in a baraita that R' Yehuda HaNasi says: Which way of life is an upright path that a person should select for himself; what should be his guiding principle? One should love admonition, for as long as statements of admonition from the wise are heard in the world, pleasantness comes into the world, goodness and blessing come into the world, and evil departs from the world, as it is stated: “But to those who admonish should be delight, and a good blessing should come upon them” (Proverbs 24:25). And some say: The path one should select is to adhere to utmost faithfulness in business and interpersonal sex, as it is stated: “My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may reside with Me; he who walks in a way of integrity, he should serve Me” (Psalms 101:6).