It is permitted to make a break¹ in the blessings² but not in the curses.³ 14-46. R. Ḥiyya b. Gamda said: What is the reason?⁴ Because it is written [My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord,]⁵ neither cut thou up His correction⁶.—do not cut them⁷ up into pieces.⁸

footnotes: ¹ i.e. the passage may be divided and two persons called up to the reading. ² e.g. Lev. 26, 3-13. ³ ibid. ⁴ Why may not more than one person be called to the section of the curses? ⁵ This is the first part of the verse which is not quoted in the text of the Tractate. ⁶ Prov. 3, 11, E.V. neither spurn ⁷ lit. ‘make it’, a section in the Torah which deals with God’s chastening of Israel. ⁸ The Heb. root may bear both meanings: ‘spurn’ and ‘cut up’.

R. Levi said:⁹ The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is not proper that My children shall be cursed while I am being blessed.¹⁰ R. Jose b. Abin said: It is not for this reason, but because one who stands up to read in the Torah must begin and conclude with something auspicious.¹¹

footnotes: ⁹ Explaining the reason that no more than one person may be called to the reading of the curses in Lev. 26, 14ff. ¹⁰ By the recital of the benedictions in the middle of reading the curses. ¹¹ If two persons were to be called to the reading, the first would finish and the second begin with a verse which threatens a curse.

Levi b. Paṭi enquired of R. Hanina, ‘What is the law in regard to the curses each of which begins with *’arur?*¹². Must they be read by one person only,¹³ and must a benediction be recited before and after them?’ He replied, ‘There is no [passage] that requires a benediction before and after its reading but the curses of Leviticus¹⁴, lit. ‘the law of the priests’, the name of the Book of Leviticus. The passage is XXVI, 14-46. and Deuteronomy’.¹⁵, lit. ‘the repetition of the law’, the name of the Book of Deuteronomy. The passage is XXVIII, 15-68. Only with these passages, which are not restricted to a particular time, are the benedictions recited before and after they have been read; but with the ’arur curses, which were spoken by the Levites only (cf. Deut. 27, 14) and at the time when the Jordan was crossed (ibid. 2), no benedictions are to be recited.

footnotes: ¹² Deut. 27, 15-26, each verse commencing Cursed be ¹³ As with the curses of Lev. 26, 14ff which must not be read by more than one person. ¹⁴ Torath Kohanim ¹⁵ Mishneh Torah

When Jonathan, a children’s teacher from Gufta,¹⁶ came down here,¹⁷ he saw a children’s teacher, R. Abuna, reading the Song of the Well¹⁸ and reciting the benedictions before and after it. ‘Is it proper,’ he asked him, ‘to act in this manner?’¹⁹ ‘Do you,’ the other retorted, ‘still require [a ruling] on this subject? All poems²⁰ must be preceded and followed by benedictions.’

footnotes: ¹⁶ In Galilee. V incorrectly ‘Gufthera’. ¹⁷ Tiberias where R. Abuna re-sided. The city is a on lower level, hence the verb ‘came down’. ¹⁸ Num. 21, 17-20. ¹⁹ The rule is that the benedictions are recited only at the beginning and end of the entire section to be read. The Song of the Well, appearing in the middle of a section, should consequently require no benedictions before and after its reading. ²⁰ Such as the Song of the Sea (Ex. 15, 1-19), the Song of the Well and probably also Deut. 32, 1-43.

A question²¹ was asked of²² R. Simon. ‘There is no section’,²³ he told them in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi, ‘which requires a benediction before and after its reading other than the Song at the Sea, the Ten Words,²⁴ and the curses in Deuteronomy’.²⁵

footnotes: ²¹ In connection with the preceding Rule. ²² Another reading is ‘he came and asked’. ²³ lit. ‘you have not’. ²⁴ The Decalogue (Ex. 20, 2-17). ²⁵ Deut. 28, 15-68. Others add ‘the curses in Leviticus’.

R. Abahu²⁶ said: I have not heard [such a ruling],²⁷ but it is feasible to apply it to the Ten Words. R. Jose b. Abin said in the name of Rabbi:²⁸, III, p. 727, n. 7.] The last ten verses in Deuteronomy²⁹ require a benediction before and after they have been read.³⁰

footnotes: ²⁶ So GRA and H. V reads ‘Abi’. ²⁷ That in the case of the passages specified benedictions are to be recited before and after the reading. ²⁸ [The reading should be ‘R. Berekiah’ or ‘R. Simon’; cf. Bacher, Ag. d. pal. Amoräer ²⁹ So GRA and N.Y. The text in V is difficult. ³⁰ These verses, which describe the death of Moses, form a section of their own, because they were written by Joshua (according to R. Judah or R. Nehemiah) or, if written by Moses, they were dictated to him by God while he ‘wrote them down with tears’ (B.B. 15a, Sonc. ed., p. 72).

R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘What do we read [first]³¹ when the New Moon of Ṭebeth³². falls on a Sabbath?’³³ in the second and third. [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth,³⁴ (Num. 7, 1). This designates the entire section, descriptive of the dedication offerings brought by the princes of Israel, which is prescribed for the reading of the day. while the mafṭir reads³⁵ the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.³⁶. If it falls on a week-day we call up on the first day³⁷ three persons for the reading of the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence.³⁸ once a year. But since the reading of the New Moon was read first,³⁹ [40a] three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah passage,⁴⁰. while the fourth reads⁴¹ the section of the New Moon, viz. uberashë ḥodshekem⁴² (Num. 28, 11). to the end of the passage.⁴³ 15. Why is this so?⁴⁴ passage? Because it was only on account of the New Moon musaf that a fourth person is added’.⁴⁵ there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of the New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month. The first of the two days of the New Moon is the last day of the preceding month. V and H insert here a ruling which has no connection with this chapter and is practically identical with XIV, 2 below.

footnotes: ³¹ In the second and third scrolls. ³² Which always occurs in the week of Ḥanukkah ³³ Three scrolls are then taken from the ark. The usual weekly portion is read in the first, and the passages for New Moon and Ḥanukkah ³⁴ E.V. made an end ³⁵ In the third scroll. ³⁶ Num. 28, 9-15. The present custom is always to read the section for the Sabbath and New Moon first, and then the passage for Ḥanukkah ³⁷ Of the two days of the New Moon. ³⁸ The New Moon occurs monthly, Ḥanukkah ³⁹ On the first day of the New Moon. ⁴⁰ In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on a week-day during Ḥanukkah ⁴¹ In the second scroll. ⁴² E.V. and in your new moons ⁴³ ibid. ⁴⁴ i.e. why is the fourth person called to the reading of the New Moon passage and not, as on the first day, to the Ḥanukkah ⁴⁵ On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah

R. Jose b. Abin said: For the Song of Ha’azinu⁴⁶, designating the section Deut. 32, 1-43. For Ha’azinu (the reading of GRA) V and H read ‘the Levites’, because the poem was sung by the Levites in the Temple during the Sabbath musaf in six parts on successive Sabbaths. not less than six persons⁴⁷ are to be called up, and your mnemonic sign⁴⁸ is h z y w l k,⁴⁹ which stands for ha’azinu,⁵⁰ (Deut. 32, 1). zekor,⁵¹ (ibid. 7). yarkibehu,⁵² (ibid. 13). wayyishman,⁵³ (ibid. 15). lu,⁵⁴ (ibid. 29). ki yadin … ‘ammo.⁵⁵ (ibid. 36). It must also be provided with⁵⁶ the space of a full line above it and of a full line below it. Corresponding to it the custom has been adopted to write in the Torah its number of lines.⁵⁷

footnotes: ⁴⁶ E.V. give ear ⁴⁷ Because the Levites concluded it in cycles of six Sabbath divisions. ⁴⁸ For the words beginning each of the six parts. The divisions, according to Maimonides, emphasize the exhortations and arouse the people to repentance. ⁴⁹ pronounced .הזי״ו ל״ך ⁵⁰ E.V. give ear ⁵¹ E.V. remember ⁵² E.V. He made him ride ⁵³ E.V. but … waxed fat ⁵⁴ E.V. if ⁵⁵ E.V. for the Lord will judge His people ⁵⁶ lit. ‘and it has’. ⁵⁷ The number is 72 according to GRA who apparently includes the two blank lines. Maimonides and others give the number as 70.

A mnemonic sign for the beginnings of the lines⁵⁸. The following renderings are from E.V. While the Heb. words stand at the beginning of the respective lines, the translations, owing to English idiom, do not always occupy the same position in the sentence. is the following: ha’azinu,⁵⁹ (Deut. 32, 1). ya‘arof,⁶⁰ (ibid. 2). kise‘irim,⁶¹ (ibid.). ki,⁶² (3). haẓẓur,⁶³ (4). ’el,⁶⁴ (ibid.). shiḥeth,⁶⁵ (5). halaH,⁶⁶ (6). halo’,⁶⁷ (ibid.). zekor,⁶⁸ (7). she’al,⁶⁹ (ibid.). behanḥel,⁷⁰ (8). yaẓẓeb,⁷¹ (ibid.). ki,⁷² (9). yimẓa’ehu,⁷³ (10). yesobebenhu,⁷⁴ (ibid.). kannesher,⁷⁵ (11). yifros,⁷⁶ (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,⁷⁷ (12). yarkibehu,⁷⁸ (13). wayyeniḳehu,⁷⁹ (ibid.). ḥem’ath,⁸⁰ (14). we’elim,⁸¹ (ibid.). wedam,⁸² (ibid.). shamanta,⁸³ (15). wayyenabbel,⁸⁴ (ibid.). betho‘eboth,⁸⁵ (16). ’Elohim,⁸⁶ (17). lo’,⁸⁷ (ibid.). wattishkaḥ,⁸⁸ (18). mikka‘as,⁸⁹ (19). ’er’eh,⁹⁰ (20). banim,⁹¹ (ibid.). ki‘asuni,⁹² (21). begoi,⁹³ (ibid.). wattiḳad,⁹⁴ (22). wattelaheṭ,⁹⁵ (ibid.). ḥiẓẓai,⁹⁶ (23). weḳeṭeb,⁹⁷ (24). ‘im,⁹⁸ (ibid.). umeḥadarim,⁹⁹ (25). yoneḳ,¹⁰⁰ (ibid.). ’ashbithah,¹⁰¹ (26). pen,¹⁰² (27). welo’,¹⁰³ (ibid.). we’ain,¹⁰⁴ (28). yabinu,¹⁰⁵ (29). ushenayim,¹⁰⁶ (30). waH,¹⁰⁷ (ibid.). w’oyebenu,¹⁰⁸ (31). umishshadmoth,¹⁰⁹ (32). ’ashkeloth,¹¹⁰ (ibid.). werosh,¹¹¹ (33). ḥathum,¹¹² (34). le‘eth,¹¹³ (35). weḥash,¹¹⁴ (ibid.). we‘al,¹¹⁵ (36). we’efes,¹¹⁶ (ibid.). ẓur,¹¹⁷ (37). yishtu,¹¹⁸ (38). yehi,¹¹⁹ (ibid.). we’ain,¹²⁰ (39). maḥaẓti,¹²¹ (ibid.)., ki,¹²² (40). ’im,¹²³ (41). ’ashib,¹²⁴ (ibid.). ’ashkir,¹²⁵ (42). middam,¹²⁶ (ibid.). harninu,¹²⁷ (43). wenaḳam.¹²⁸ (ibid.).

footnotes: ⁵⁸ Of the song Ha’azinu ⁵⁹ Give ear ⁶⁰ Shall drop ⁶¹ As the small rain ⁶² For ⁶³ The Rock ⁶⁴ A God ⁶⁵ Is corruption ⁶⁶ The Lord ⁶⁷ Is not ⁶⁸ Remember ⁶⁹ Ask ⁷⁰ When … gave … inheritance ⁷¹ He set ⁷² For ⁷³ He found him ⁷⁴ He compassed him ⁷⁵ As an eagle ⁷⁶ Spreadeth abroad ⁷⁷ The Lord ⁷⁸ He made him ride ⁷⁹ And He made him to suck ⁸⁰ Curd of ⁸¹ And rams ⁸² And of the blood of ⁸³ Thou didst wax fat ⁸⁴ And contemned ⁸⁵ With abominations ⁸⁶ Gods ⁸⁷ Not ⁸⁸ And didst forget ⁸⁹ Because of the provoking ⁹⁰ I will see ⁹¹ Children ⁹² They have provoked Me ⁹³ With a … nation ⁹⁴ And burneth ⁹⁵ And setteth ablaze ⁹⁶ Mine arrows ⁹⁷ And bitter destruction ⁹⁸ With ⁹⁹ And in the chambers ¹⁰⁰ The suckling ¹⁰¹ I would make … cease ¹⁰² Lest ¹⁰³ And not ¹⁰⁴ And there is no ¹⁰⁵ They would understand ¹⁰⁶ And two ¹⁰⁷ And the Lord ¹⁰⁸ Even our enemies ¹⁰⁹ And of the fields ¹¹⁰ Clusters ¹¹¹ And … poison ¹¹² Sealed up ¹¹³ Against the time ¹¹⁴ And … shall make haste ¹¹⁵ And … for ¹¹⁶ And there is none ¹¹⁷ The rock ¹¹⁸ And drank ¹¹⁹ Let him be ¹²⁰ And there is no ¹²¹ I have wounded ¹²² For ¹²³ If ¹²⁴ I will render ¹²⁵ I will make drunk ¹²⁶ With the blood of ¹²⁷ Sing aloud ¹²⁸ And … vengeance

R. Ze‘ira, quoting R. Jeremiah, in the name of Rab, said; The Song at the Sea¹²⁹ and the Song of Deborah¹³⁰ are written in the form of a half-brick over a whole brick,¹³¹ and a whole brick over a half-brick.¹³²

footnotes: ¹²⁹ Ex. 15, 1-18. ¹³⁰ Judg. 5, 1-31. ¹³¹ Or ‘blank space’; the Heb. לבינה may bear both meanings. ¹³² Cf. above. p. 215, n. 45.

The Song at the Sea consists of thirty lines [beginning with the words:] ’az,¹³³ (Ex. 15, 1). le’mor,¹³⁴ (ibid.). werokebo,¹³⁵ (ibid.). lishu‘ah,¹³⁶ (2). ’abi,¹³⁷ (ibid.). shemo,¹³⁸ (3). shalishaw,¹³⁹ (4). ’aben,¹⁴⁰ (5). the Tetragrammaton,¹⁴¹ (6, the second occurrence). kameka,¹⁴² (7). ’appeka,¹⁴³ (8). nozelim,¹⁴⁴ (ibid.). ’oyeb,¹⁴⁵ (9). nafshi,¹⁴⁶ (ibid.). beruṭaka,¹⁴⁷ (10). ’addirim,¹⁴⁸ (ibid.). kamokah,¹⁴⁹ (11). pele’,¹⁵⁰ (ibid.). beḥasdeka,¹⁵¹ (13). kodsheka,¹⁵² (ibid.). ’aḥaz,¹⁵³ (14). ’Edom,¹⁵⁴ (15). kol,¹⁵⁵ (ibid.). wafaḥad,¹⁵⁶ (16). ya‘abor,¹⁵⁷ (ibid., the first occurrence). ḳanitha,¹⁵⁸ (ibid.). leshibteka,¹⁵⁹ (17). yadeka,¹⁶⁰ (ibid.). ba’,¹⁶¹ (19). më.¹⁶² (ibid.). Others read הים (the sea) which follows מי; while GRA, quoting Maimonides, reads את (the sign of the defined accusative) which precedes מי.

footnotes: ¹³³ Then ¹³⁴ Saying ¹³⁵ And his rider ¹³⁶ Salvation ¹³⁷ My father’s ¹³⁸ His name ¹³⁹ His … captains ¹⁴⁰ A stone ¹⁴¹ O Lord ¹⁴² Them that rise up against Thee ¹⁴³ Thy nostrils ¹⁴⁴ The floods ¹⁴⁵ The enemy ¹⁴⁶ My lust ¹⁴⁷ With Thy wind ¹⁴⁸ Mighty ¹⁴⁹ Like unto Thee ¹⁵⁰ Wonders ¹⁵¹ In Thy love ¹⁵² Thy holy ¹⁵³ Have taken hold ¹⁵⁴ Edom ¹⁵⁵ All ¹⁵⁶ And dread ¹⁵⁷ Pass over ¹⁵⁸ Thou hast gotten ¹⁵⁹ For Thee to dwell in ¹⁶⁰ Thy hands ¹⁶¹ Went in ¹⁶² The waters of

The mark for the Song of Deborah is ‘sixty-four lines’¹⁶³ [beginning with the words:] wattashar,¹⁶⁴ (Judg. 5, 1). le’mor,¹⁶⁵ (ibid.). ‘am,¹⁶⁶ (2). This is the reading of GRA. V has Bless ye (ibid.). rozenim,¹⁶⁷ (3). laH,¹⁶⁸ (ibid.). misse‘ir,¹⁶⁹ (4). ra‘ashah,¹⁷⁰ (ibid.). mayyim,¹⁷¹ (ibid.). Sinai,¹⁷² (5). ‘Anath,¹⁷³ (6). nethiboth,¹⁷⁴ (ibid.). E.V. renders this word together with the preceding as travellers. ḥadelu,¹⁷⁵ (7). ’em,¹⁷⁶ (ibid.). ḥadashim,¹⁷⁷ (8). ’im,¹⁷⁸ (ibid.). beYisra’el,¹⁷⁹ (ibid.). ba‘am,¹⁸⁰ (9). ẓeḥoroth,¹⁸¹ (10). ‘al,¹⁸² (ibid.). mash’abim,¹⁸³ (11). pirzono,¹⁸⁴ (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,¹⁸⁵ (ibid.). ‘uri,¹⁸⁶ [utter a song] (12). ’Abino‘am,¹⁸⁷ (ibid.). yerad,¹⁸⁸ (13). ba‘Amaleḳ,¹⁸⁹ (14). Makir,¹⁹⁰ (ibid.). sofer,¹⁹¹ (ibid.). ken,¹⁹² (15). beraglaw,¹⁹³ (ibid.). ḥiḳeḳe leb,¹⁹⁴ (ibid.). hammishpethayim,¹⁹⁵ (16). Re’uben,¹⁹⁶ (ibid.). shaken,¹⁹⁷ (17). yashab,¹⁹⁸ (ibid.). yishkon,¹⁹⁹ (ibid.). ‘al,²⁰⁰ (18). nilḥamu,²⁰¹ (19). ‘al,²⁰² (ibid.). laḳaḥu,²⁰³ (ibid.). mimmesilotham,²⁰⁴ (20). gerafam,²⁰⁵ (21). nafshi,²⁰⁶ (ibid.). sus,²⁰⁷ [hoofs] (22). Meroz,²⁰⁸ (23). yoshebeha,²⁰⁹ (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,²¹⁰ [against the mighty] (ibid.). Ya‘el,²¹¹ (24). ba’ohel,²¹² (ibid.). nathanah,²¹³ (25). layyathed,²¹⁴ (26). ‘amelim,²¹⁵ (ibid.). weḥalefah,²¹⁶ (ibid.). shakab,²¹⁷ (27). kara‘,²¹⁸ (ibid.). watteyabbeb,²¹⁹ (28). boshesh,²²⁰ (ibid.). marke-bothaw,²²¹ (ibid.). *hi,’*²²² (29). shalal,²²³ (30). ẓeba‘im,²²⁴ (ibid.). riḳmah,²²⁵ (ibid.). yobedu,²²⁶ (31). bigburatho.²²⁷ (ibid.). The last twelve words are according to the reading of GRA. V has instead only ten, which do not present a likely division of the lines and are not followed in current editions of the Hebrew Bible.

footnotes: ¹⁶³ So GRA. V and H ‘sixty-five’. ¹⁶⁴ Then sang ¹⁶⁵ Saying ¹⁶⁶ People ¹⁶⁷ O ye princes ¹⁶⁸ To the Lord ¹⁶⁹ Out of Seir ¹⁷⁰ Trembled ¹⁷¹ Water ¹⁷² Sinai ¹⁷³ Anath ¹⁷⁴ Paths ¹⁷⁵ They ceased ¹⁷⁶ A mother ¹⁷⁷ New ¹⁷⁸ Was there ¹⁷⁹ In Israel ¹⁸⁰ Among the people ¹⁸¹ White ¹⁸² By ¹⁸³ Watering-troughs ¹⁸⁴ Of His rulers ¹⁸⁵ The Lord ¹⁸⁶ Awake ¹⁸⁷ Abinoam ¹⁸⁸ Made me have dominion ¹⁸⁹ In Amalek ¹⁹⁰ Machir ¹⁹¹ Marshal’s ¹⁹² So ¹⁹³ At his feet ¹⁹⁴ Resolves of heart ¹⁹⁵ Among the sheepfolds ¹⁹⁶ Reuben ¹⁹⁷ Abode ¹⁹⁸ Dwelt ¹⁹⁹ Abideth ²⁰⁰ Upon ²⁰¹ They fought ²⁰² By ²⁰³ They took ²⁰⁴ In their courses ²⁰⁵ Swept them away ²⁰⁶ O my soul ²⁰⁷ Horse ²⁰⁸ Meroz ²⁰⁹ The inhabitants thereof ²¹⁰ The Lord ²¹¹ Jael ²¹² In the tent ²¹³ She gave ²¹⁴ To the tent-pin ²¹⁵ Workmen ²¹⁶ And struck through ²¹⁷ He lay ²¹⁸ He sunk ²¹⁹ And peered ²²⁰ So long ²²¹ His chariots ²²² She ²²³ Spoil ²²⁴ Dyed garments ²²⁵ Embroidery ²²⁶ So perish ²²⁷ In his might