Yoma 38A

בסירוגין.

with alternating complete words and initials. The first words of each verse were written there, but the rest of the words in the verse were represented by initials. Therefore, this contribution of Queen Helene does not resolve the question of whether writing a scroll for a child is permitted.

ניקנור נעשו נסים לדלתותיו. תנו רבנן: מה נסים נעשו לדלתותיו? אמרו: כשהלך ניקנור להביא דלתות מאלכסנדריא של מצרים, בחזירתו עמד עליו נחשול שבים לטבעו, נטלו אחת מהן והטילוה לים, ועדיין לא נח הים מזעפו.

§ The Mishnah related: For Nicanor, miracles were performed to his doors. A baraita states in the Tosefta: What miracles occurred for his doors? They said: When Nicanor went to bring copper doors for the eastern gate of the Temple from Alexandria in Egypt, famous for its craftsmanship, on his return voyage by ship, a storm arose in the sea and threatened to drown him. The ship’s passengers took one of the doors, which were exceedingly heavy, and cast it into the sea, fearing that the weight of the doors would sink the ship. And still the sea did not rest from its rage.

בקשו להטיל את חברתה, עמד הוא וכרכה, אמר להם: הטילוני עמה. מיד נח הים מזעפו, והיה מצטער על חברתה. כיון שהגיע לנמלה של עכו, היתה מבצבצת ויוצאה מתחת דופני הספינה. ויש אומרים בריה שבים בלעתה, והקיאתה ליבשה.

They sought to cast the other door into the sea, at which point Nicanor stood and embraced it and said to them: Cast me into the sea with it. Immediately, the sea rested from its rage, and it was necessary to cast neither the door nor Nicanor into the sea. The ship continued its journey with one door and for the entire voyage, he regretted the fate of the other door that he allowed them to cast into the sea. When they arrived at the port of Akko and prepared to disembark, despite the fact that it was made of copper, the door that was thrown into the sea was poking out under the sides of the ship. And some say a sea creature swallowed it and spewed it onto the land.