📖 SATURDAY PRAYER: NETZACH-YESHIVAT HAVERIM יְשִׁיבָה חברים – BABYLONIAN TALMUD p158

READING: BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN OF SATURDAY

GEMARA: The first part of the Mishna (treating of a woman) is not in accordance with the
opinion of R. Elazar b. Azaryah, who declares her (the woman) clean in that case; the second
part of the Mishna, however, (treating of bathing on the third day after circumcision) is in direct
accord with his own words (as will be seen in Chapter XIX.). Therefore some rabbis claim that
the first part of the Mishna reads clean instead of unclean, i.e., that the whole Mishna is
according to the opinion of R. Elazar b. Azaryah, but other rabbis claim that the first part of the
Mishna is according to the opinion of other Tanaim, who differ with Elazar b. Azaryah (and the
word unclean is correct).
“And they shall be ready against the third day” [Ex. xix. 11]. R. Ada b. Ahbha said: “Moses
went up (to the Mount Sinai) at daybreak, and descended the following break of day.” He went
up at break of day, as it is written [Ex. xxxiv. 4]: “And Moses rose up early in the morning and
went up unto Mount Sinai.” He descended on the following daybreak, as it is written [ibid. xix.
24]: “Go, get thee down, and then shalt thou come up, thou, and Aaron with thee.” We see that
the Scripture compares the descending to the ascending, and as the ascending was early in the
morning, so was also the descending early in the morning.
The rabbis taught: The decalogue was given to Israel on the sixth day of the (third) month, but
R. Jossi said on the seventh day.
Said Rabba: All agree that on the first day of the (third) month the Israelites arrived at the
wilderness of Sinai. It is adduced from the analogy of the word “this”; [Ex. xix. 1] “on this day
they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai,” and [Ex. xii. 2] “this month to be to you the first of
months.” As in the latter instance the “this” referred to the first, so does it also in the former;
furthermore (he said), all agree that the law was given to Israel on a Sabbath; this is to be
adduced from the analogy of the word “remember” [Ex. xx. 8]: “Remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy”; and [ibid. iii. 3]: “Remember this day on which ye came out from Egypt.” As in
the latter instance the very day of their coming out of Egypt is referred to, so is it also in the
former instance. Where the rabbis do differ is what day was the first of the month. R. Jossi holds
that the first of the month was set on the first of the week, and on that day no commandments
were given, because the children of Israel were tired from their long journey. On the second day
(of the week) the Lord said to them: “Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests” [Ex. xix. 1]. On
the third of the week he commanded them to keep away from the mountain. On the fourth to
separate themselves from their wives. The rabbis, however, hold that the first of the month was
set on the second of the week; that on that day nothing was commanded the Israelites, they
being tired; on the third the cited passage [Ex. xix. 1] was said; on the fourth day they were to
keep away from the mountain, and on the fifth to separate themselves from their wives.