## Avodah Zarah Daf 9a

###### Avodah Zarah 9a:1
[Avodah Zarah 9a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:1)

מַלְכוּת פָּרַס בִּפְנֵי הַבַּיִת שְׁלֹשִׁים וְאַרְבַּע שָׁנָה, מַלְכוּת יָוָן בִּפְנֵי הַבַּיִת מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה, מַלְכוּת חַשְׁמוֹנַאי בִּפְנֵי הַבַּיִת מֵאָה וְשָׁלֹשׁ, מַלְכוּת בֵּית הוֹרְדוֹס מֵאָה וְשָׁלֹשׁ, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ צֵא וַחֲשׁוֹב כַּמָּה שָׁנִים אַחַר חוּרְבַּן הַבַּיִת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Persian Empire,** which ruled the world before the construction of the Temple, continued to do so for **34 years in the presence of the Temple,** i.e., after the Temple was built; **the Greek Empire** ruled for **180 years in the presence of the Temple; the Hasmonean dynasty** ruled for **103** years **in the presence of the Temple;** and **the Herodian dynasty** likewise ruled for **103** years. **From this** point **forward,** you can **go and calculate** the date on which an event occurred by **how many years** it happened **after the destruction of the Temple.**


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:2
[Avodah Zarah 9a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:2)

אַלְמָא מָאתַן וְשֵׁית הֲווֹ, וְאַתְּ אָמְרַתְּ מֵאָה וּשְׁמוֹנִים הֲווֹ! אֶלָּא עֶשְׂרִין וְשֵׁית שְׁנִין קָמוּ בְּהֵימָנוּתַיְיהוּ בַּהֲדֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלָא אִישְׁתַּעְבַּדוּ בְּהוּ, וְאַמְּטוּ לְהָכִי לָא קָא חָשֵׁיב לְהוּ כְּשֶׁפָּשְׁטָה מַלְכוּת הָרְשָׁעָה עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
According to this statement of Rabbi Yosei, **evidently** when the Greek rule over the Jewish people ended and the Roman rule began **it was 206** years before the Second Temple was destroyed, i.e., the two sets of one hundred and three years of the Hasmonean dynasty and the Herodian dynasty. **But you said** that when the Roman Empire stretched forth over Israel and ruled over them **it was 180** years before the Temple was destroyed. This is not a contradiction, but **rather,** it proves that for **26 years** the Romans **stood faithfully with the Jewish people,** honoring their agreement, **and did not subjugate them. And therefore,** Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, **does not count these** 26 years among the total years in **which the evil** Roman **Empire stretched forth over Israel** and ruled over them.


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:3
[Avodah Zarah 9a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:3)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: אִי טָעֵי הַאי תַּנָּא, וְלָא יָדַע פְּרָטֵי כַּמָּה הֲוָה — לִישַׁיְּילֵיהּ לְסָפְרָא כַּמָּה כָּתֵיב, וְנִיטַפֵּי עֲלַיְיהוּ עֶשְׂרִין שְׁנִין, וּמַשְׁכַּח לֵיהּ לְחוּמְרֵיהּ, וְסִימָנָיךְ: ״זֶה לִּי עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי בְּבֵיתֶךָ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ Apropos the above *baraita*, the Gemara relates that **Rav Pappa said: If this *tanna*,** i.e., one who dates years in reference to the destruction of the Temple, **forgot and did not know the details** of the date with regard to exactly **how much** time had passed since the destruction of the Temple, e.g., he remembered the century but could not recall the exact decade and year, **let him ask a scribe** who writes official documents **how many** years **he writes** when he dates the documents. The dating system of scribes uses as its starting point the beginning of the Greek rule, 380 years before the destruction of the Temple. **And let him add 20 years to** the number, **and** in this manner **he** will **find his number [*leḥumreih*]. And your mnemonic** to remember this is the verse: **“These twenty years have I been in your house”** (Genesis 31:41).


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:4
[Avodah Zarah 9a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:4)

אִי טָעֵי סָפְרָא — נְשַׁיְּילֵיהּ לְתַנָּא כַּמָּה חָשֵׁיב, וּנְבַצַּר מִינַּיְיהוּ עֶשְׂרִין שְׁנִין, וּמַשְׁכַּח לֵיהּ לְחוּמְרֵיהּ. וְסִימָנָיךְ: סָפְרָא בְּצִירָא, תַּנָּא תּוֹסְפָאָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Similarly, **if a scribe forgot** the exact year, **let him ask** the ***tanna* how much** time **he calculates** has passed since the Temple’s destruction, **and he should deduct from** the number **twenty years, and** in this manner **he** will **find his number. And your mnemonic** to remember that the *tanna* adds twenty to the date of the scribe, whereas the scribe deducts twenty from the number of the *tanna*, is as follows: **A scribe deducts,** while **a *tanna* adds on [*tosfa’a*].** This is a play on the phrase *tanna tosfa’a*, which also means to teach the *Tosefta*, the practice of a *tanna*.


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:5
[Avodah Zarah 9a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:5)

תָּנָא דְּבֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ: שֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים שָׁנָה הָוֵי הָעוֹלָם, שְׁנֵי אֲלָפִים תּוֹהוּ, שְׁנֵי אֲלָפִים תּוֹרָה, שְׁנֵי אֲלָפִים יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, בַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁרַבּוּ יָצְאוּ מֵהֶן מַה שֶּׁיָּצְאוּ מֵהֶן.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In relation to the discussion on the calculation of years, the Gemara states that one of the Sages **of the school of Eliyahu taught: The world is** destined to exist for **six thousand years.** For **two thousand years** the world was **waste,** as the Torah had not yet been given. The next set of **two thousand years** are the time period of the **Torah.** The last set of **two thousand years** are the period designated for **the days of the Messiah,** but **due to our many sins** there are **those** years **that have been taken from them,** i.e., such and such years have already passed and **have been taken from** the two thousand years that are designated for the Messiah, and the Messiah has not yet arrived. Whenever a *tanna* taught this *baraita*, he would insert the number of years that was correct for his time.


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:6
[Avodah Zarah 9a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:6)

שְׁנֵי אֲלָפִים תּוֹרָה מֵאֵימַת? אִי נֵימָא מִמַּתַּן תּוֹרָה עַד הַשְׁתָּא, לֵיכָּא כּוּלֵּי הַאי, דְּכִי מְעַיְּינַתְּ בְּהוּ תְּרֵי אַלְפֵי פְּרָטֵי דְּהַאי אַלְפָּא הוּא דַּהֲוַאי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: With regard to the **two thousand years** of the time period of the **Torah, from when** are they counted? **If we say** that they started **from the giving of the Torah until now,** then **there is not** enough time for **all of these** years. **As, when you examine** the calculations, it is evident that from the creation of the world until the giving of the Torah **there were two thousand** years plus **a part of this** third **thousand,** as the Torah was given 2,448 years after the creation of the world. This would mean that the time period of the Torah encroaches upon the days of the Messiah.


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:7
[Avodah Zarah 9a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:7)

אֶלָּא, מִ״וְּאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן״, וּגְמִירִי דְּאַבְרָהָם בְּהָהִיא שַׁעְתָּא בַּר חַמְשִׁין וְתַרְתֵּי הֲוָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rather,** the two-thousand-year time period of the Torah is counted **from** the time when it is stated about Abraham and Sarah: **“And the souls that they had gotten in Haran”** (Genesis 12:5), which is interpreted by the Sages as referring to the men and women who were brought closer to the Torah by Abraham and Sarah. Therefore, it was at this point that the Torah began to spread throughout the world. **And it is learned** as a tradition **that at that time Abraham was fifty-two** years old.


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:8
[Avodah Zarah 9a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:8)

כַּמָּה בָּצְרָן מִדְּתָנֵי תַּנָּא? אַרְבַּע מֵאָה וְאַרְבָּעִים וּתְמָנְיָא שְׁנִין הָוְיָין, כִּי מְעַיְּינַתְּ בֵּיהּ מֵ״הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן״ עַד מַתַּן תּוֹרָה — אַרְבַּע מְאָה וְאַרְבָּעִים וּתְמָנְיָא שְׁנִין הָוְיָין.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**How many** years are **missing from** the two thousand year period of the Messiah, if the period of the Torah **that is taught by the *tanna*** is counted from the giving of the Torah? **There are 448** missing **years. When you examine** the calculation **from** the time when it is stated about Abraham and Sarah: **“The souls that they had gotten in Haran,” until** the time of **the giving of the Torah, there are 448 years.**


###### Avodah Zarah 9a:9
[Avodah Zarah 9a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/9a:9)

אָמַר רַב פָּפָּא: אִי טָעֵי תַּנָּא וְלָא יָדַע פְּרָטֵיהּ כַּמָּה הָוֵי — לִישַׁיְּילֵיהּ לְסָפְרָא כַּמָּה כְּתִיב, וְנִיטַפֵּי עֲלַיְיהוּ אַרְבְּעִין וְתַמְנֵי, וּמַשְׁכַּח לֵיהּ לְחוּמְרֵיהּ, וְסִימָנָיךְ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to this *baraita* as well, **Rav Pappa said: If a *tanna*** meant to state that at his time such and such years were already lost from the two thousand years that are designated for the days of the Messiah, but he **forgot and did not know the details** of exactly **how much** time had passed, **let him ask a scribe how many** years **he writes** when he dates documents. **And let him add forty-eight to** the number, correcting for the century, **and** in this manner **he** will **find his number. And your mnemonic** for this is the verse: