(Fol. 15b) Our Rabbis have been taught: It once happened that R. Eliezer was sitting the entire day on a festival and lecturing about holiday laws. When the first division of his audience arose and went out, R. Eliezer said: "These people are counting their wine by barrels, [and are in a hurry to drink them]." When the second division went out, he said: "These people are counting their wine by jugs." Of the third part he remarked: "These people are counting their wine by pitchers." The fourth, he said: "These people are counting their wine by bottles." When the fifth arose, he said: "These people are counting their wine by goblets." When the sixth began to depart, he said: "These are the poor people who can afford neither social nor spiritual enjoyment." He then turned his attention toward his disciples and noticed that the color of their faces began to change. "My children, I did not mean you," he said to them. "I spoke only about those people who leave eternal life for temporary affairs." When his disciples started to go, he said to them (Nehem. 8, 10), Go your way, eat fat things, drink sweet drinks, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is solely unto our Lord: and do not grieve yourselves; but let the joy of the Lord be your stronghold.
The Master said above: "They leave eternal life for temporary affairs." Is not enjoying the festival a meritorious duty? This is according to the opinion of R. Eliezer himself, who says that enjoyment on a festival is only optional, for we are taught in a Baraitha: R. Eliezer says: "A man has nothing to do on a festival but either to eat and drink the whole day, or to sit and study;" but R. Joshua says: "He must divide the day one-half for religious purposes, and one-half for eating and drinking." R. Jochanan said: "Both the above sages formed their opinions from the same Biblical passage: One passage says (Deut. 17, 8) On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly unto the Lord thy God. Another passage says (Num. 29, 35) An assembly shall be unto you. How can both unto God and unto you be explained? R. Eliezer explains it thus: "The whole day shall be either for you or for the Lord"; but R. Joshua explains it thus: "Divide the day, one-half for the Lord and one-half for you." Who is meant in the above passage, Send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared? R. Chisda said: It refers to those men who have not provided Erub Tabshilin. Others say: This refers only to one who did not have the food with which to provide Erub Tabshilin, but not for one who, through neglect, did not provide Eruh Tabshilin. What is meant by Let the joy of the Lord be your stronghold? R. Jochanan said in the name of R. Elazar b. Simon: "The Holy One, praised be He! said to Israel: 'My children, borrow on my account and celebrate the sanctity of the day, and trust to me, I shall pay it.' "
R. Tachlipha, brother of Rabanai Huzanah, taught (Fol. 16): "All the necessities of a man are definitely assigned to him by Heaven during the ten days between New Year and the Day of Atonement, except the expenses for the Sabbath, the festivals, and for educating his children; for these purposes, one who spends little is assigned little; but one who spends much gets a big assignment." R. Abahu said: "Where is the passage to prove this? (Ps. 81, 4) Blow the horn at the new moon while it (the moon) is hidden on the day of our feast. What festival is that on which the new moon is hidden (seen only by a few)? This is New Year's. Immediately following the above is the passage. For this is chok (a statute) for Israel, an ordinance by the God of Jacob. How do we know that the word chok refers to maintenance? It is written (Gen. 47, 22) And they ate their (chok) portion which Pharaoh gave them. Mar Zutra said: From here we learn it (Pr. 30, 8) Let me eat the bread Chuki (appointed to me). We are taught in a Baraitha: It is told about Shammai, the senior, that every day of the week he ate in honor of the Sabbath. When he found a good animal, he would say: "This shall be for the Sabbath." And when he found a better one, he ate the former, and left the better one for the Sabbath; but Hillel, the Elder, had another habit: Because all his deeds were for the sake of Heaven, as it is said (Ps. 68, 20) Blessed be the Lord! day by day. We are also taught so in the following Baraitha: Beth Shammai say: "Prepare from every day for the Sabbath," but Beth Hillel say: "Praised be the Lord day by day."
R. Chama b. Chanina said: "He who bestows a gift on his friend need not inform him about it, as it is said (Ex. 34, 29) And Moses did not know that the skin of his face."
An objection was raised from the following Baraitha (Ib. 31, 13) That ye may know that I am the Lord who sanctify you; i.e. The Holy One, praised be He! said unto Moses: "I have a good gift in my treasury; its name is Sabbath; this I wish to bestow on Israel; go, and announce it to them." "From this it may be inferred," said Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel: "That if one gives a piece of bread to a child he ought to make it known to the child's mother." Hence it is a duty to inform about a gift. This is not difficult to explain, the former instance speaks of a present that may become known by itself, but the latter speaks of a present that might not become known of itself. Is not the Sabbath a thing that was to become known, [and yet God asked Moses to inform Israel of it]? Yea, its reward for observing is not to become known.
R. Jochanan, in the name of R. Simon b. Jochai, said: Every commandment which the Holy One, praised be He! gave unto Israel, was given publicly with the exception of the Sabbath, which was given to them in privacy as it is said (Ib. ib., 17) It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever. If so, then why should a non-Jew be punished for failing to observe it? The Sabbath itself indeed He made well known, only the additional soul He left unknown, for Resh Lakish said: "An additional soul is given by the Holy One, praised be He! to a man on every Sabbath eve, and on Saturday night He takes it away from him, as it is said (Ib. ib., ib.), He ceased from work and rested; i.e., Vayinafash (and rested) means Vy-nefesh (woe soul)."
(Ib. b) There was a blind man who had classified the Mishnayoth before Mar Samuel; Mar Samuel noticed that he was once downcast. And he asked him: "Why art thou grieved?" "Because I have not provided Erub Tabshilin," was the answer. "You can rely upon mine," Mar Samuel said to him. The next year he saw him sad again, and upon receiving the answer that he forgot to provide Erub Tabshilin, Mar Samuel said: "Is that the case? Then you are a transgressor (you did it intentionally); therefore, although every one may rely upon my Erub Tabshilin, you may not."
(Fol. 21) R. Iviah, the senior, asked R. Huna: "What is the law in reference to slaughtering on a festival an animal, half of which belongs to a Gentile and half to an Israelite?" "It may be slaughtered," was his answer. "And what is the difference between this and voluntary or vow-offerings [that are prohibited on a festival]?" Whereupon R. Huna said: "A raven hew by." When R. Iviah was gone, Rabba, his son, said to him: "Was this not R. Iviah, the scholar, whom you praised to me as a great man?" "What could I have done with him?" replied R. Huna. "To-day I am weak, because of my lecture, and need [as Solomon says] (Songs 2, 5) [something to] strengthen me with flagons of wine, refresh me with apples; yet he asked me a thing of which the reason must be explained at length."
It once happened to Simon of Teman that he was absent one festival from the house of learning. On the morrow R. Juda. b. Baba asked him: "Why wast thou not yesterday in the house of learning?" Whereupon he answered: "Reconnoitering troops invaded our town yesterday and were ready to seize the entire city; so we slaughtered calves for them, and gave them to eat, and we sent them away in peace." "I wonder," rejoined R. Juda b. Baba, "whether your gain was not outweighed by your loss, for the Torah says: Unto you, mayst thou do work, but not unto strangers."
(Fol. 23) Shall we assume that R. Elazar b. Azariah had but one cow? Behold, Rab, and according to others, R. Juda, in the name of Rub, said: "Thirteen thousand calves were the yearly tithe of R. Elazar b. Azariali's herds?" We are taught that "the cow mentioned in our Mishnah was not his own but that of his neighbor's, and because he [R. Elazar b. Azariah] did not protest against such an act [of desecrating the Sabbath], it was, therefore, credited to him."