T. N. The votive terms, Conem, Cones, and Conech, substituted for Corban (see page 167, Note 8), prevailed largely at the commencement of the second century, since in the above Mishnah, their validity is admitted by Rabbi Akiva, who died A.D. 135. The incidental use of the votive phrase, “Corban by whatsoever thou art profited by me" in the Gospel, points, therefore, not only to a Jewish author, but also to a much earlier date than the commencement of the second century. No Jewish, and far less a Gentile writer of the second century would have used the phrase, 77, if it had not been actually uttered by our Lord.

10. If one vows by any of the implements of the altar, although he has not mentioned Corban, it is as good as if he has mentioned it. Nedrim, fol. 10, col. 2.

11. Rav Yehudah says: If he vows by Jerusalem, he has said nothing. (Mat. xxiii. 16-18.) Nedarim, fol. 11, col. 1.

He that vows by the Law has said nothing; by what is written in the Law, his words abide. Nedarim, fol. 14, col. 2.

14. The wise men have declared four kinds of vows as not binding: incentive, meaningless, thoughtless, and compulsory vows. What are incentive vows? If a vendor says: I vow that I will not take less than a sela (four denars), and the buyer says: I vow that I will not give more than a shekel (two denars), the bargain may be concluded for three denars. (For the intention of each was to incite the other to reduce the price, or to raise the offer.) Nedarim, fol. 20, col. 2.

15. If one wishes to neutralise all his vows in the course of the year, let him say at the commencement of the year (it is universally done so with the utmost possible solemnity on the eve of the Day of Atonement): Let every vow which I shall make be of none effect. But whenever he makes a vow after this, he must call to mind its neutralisation. Nedarim, fol. 23, col. 2.

16. He that vows seclusion from black-haired people, is forbidden intercourse with bald and grey-headed people, but not with women and children; for men only are called black-haired people. Nedarim fol. 30, col. 2.

18. Rabbi Nathan said: To make a vow is like building a high place (which is prohibited), and to fulfil the vow is like offering upon it what has been dedicated as the priest's portion. Nedarim, fol. 59, col. 1.

19. A man once vowed seclusion from his wife, whose prescribed sum in case of divorce amounted to four hundred denars, which Rabbi Akiva ordered him to pay to her. Rabbi, pleaded the man, I have only four hundred denars in my possession, let her take half that sum, and leave me the other half. And if thou must sell the hair of thy head, insisted Rabbi Akiva, thou shalt pay her the whole sum. If I had known that, said the man, I would not have vowed seclusion from her. Upon this declaration, Rabbi Akiva pronounced the vow void. Nedarim, fol. 65, col. 2.

21. A man once said to his wife: I vow to keep away from thee until thou showest to Rabbi Ishmael ben Rabbi Yosi one good feature in thy body. Rabbi Ishmael asked the husband: Is not her head well shaped? No, it is flat. Is not her hair beautiful? No, it is like uncombed flax. What about her eyes? They are squinting. Her ears? They are long. Her nose? Is disfigured. Her lips? Are

thick. Her neck? She has scarcely any. Her feet? They are as flat as those of a goose. Perhaps, said the Rabbi, her name is pretty. Her name is Lachluchith (which means soiled). Well, said the Rabbi, her name at all events is the most suitable, as she is soiled all over -with defects, and so there is one good feature in her. Nedarim, fol. 66, col. 2.

23. If one has vowed to buy a house and marry a wife in the land of Israel, he is not bound to discharge his vow at once, but he may wait till he suits himself. Bava-kama, fol. 80, col. 1.

25. Where there is no wise man, three ordinary men may absolve from a vow. Bechoroth, fol. 36, col. 2.

26. If one vows to abstain from flesh meat, he may eat fish and locusts. (Read Nu. xxx.) Chulin, fol. 104, col. 1.

CHAPTER XXIX.

VERSE 12.

And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother. Was he then her father's brother? Was he not the son of her father's sister? (Answer) He had asked her to marry him. She assented, but added: My father is unscrupulously cunning, and thou art no match for him. He replied: I am his brother (his equal) in unscrupulous cunning. But, she asked, is that permissible in righteous men? Yes, he said (anticipating 2 Sa. xxii. 27), "With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury." But what, he asked, does his cunning aim at ? She said: I have an elder sister, and he will not allow me to marry before her. Jacob then gave her certain signs of recognition. When the night of the wedding came, Rachel, to save her sister from exposure, committed these signs to her. As a reward for her kindness to her sister, she was counted worthy to be the ancestress of Saul. Meguillah, fol. 13, col. 2.

VERSE 17.

Leah was tender eyed.

The first begotten son of Jacob should have been Rachel's, but that Leah anticipated her in prayer. However, on account of her modesty, the rights of primogeniture were restored to Rachel's children. Why was Leah tender eyed? She used to hear wayfarers say Rebekah has two sons, and Laban has two daughters; the eldest son will marry the eldest daughter, and the younger son will marry the younger daughter. She then inquired for the

66

character of the eldest son, and was told that he was a wicked robber, and that the younger son was an upright man dwelling in tents; and she, therefore, wept till her eyelashes fell off. Hence it is said: 'God saw that Leah was hated." Hated! is it possible that Scripture would expose the reproach of the righteous, when it does not expose even the reproach of unclean animals, saying (Ge. vii. 8): "And of the beasts that are not clean," instead of "unclean beasts"? It certainly means, that the Holy One, blessed be He! saw that the deeds of Esau were hateful in her eyes; and, therefore, He gave her the first begotten. Bava-bathra, fol. 123, col. 1.

4.

"A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts." (Ca. i. 13.) Rav Ketena said: When Israel came up to the feasts, they used to roll off the vail, and show them the Cherubim as they were embracing each other. See, they said, God's love to you is like that which draws males and females together. Yoma, fol. 54, col. 1.

T. N. When the idolaters entered the Temple, and noticed the attitude of the Cherubim, they dragged them out into the street, and said contemptuously: These, O, Israel, you believe to be the authors of effectual blessings and curses! as it is said (La. i. 8): "All that honoured her despised her, because they have seen her nakedness." Yoma, fol. 54, col. 2.

5. Rabbi Chananya the son of Rabbon Gamliel said: Why are proselytes afflicted in these days, and exposed to sufferings? Because they neglected, before their conversion, the fulfilment of the seven Noachite precepts. Rabbi Yosi said: A proselyte, when admitted into the Synagogue, is like a new born child (and has, therefore, no sins to atone for). Why, then, are they afflicted? Because they are not so careful in the fulfilment of precepts as Israelites are. Abba Channan says in the name of Rabbi Elazer: Because they fulfil them not from love, but from fear. Yevamoth, fol. 48, col. 2.

6. The Post-Mishnic Rabbis have taught: He that loves his wife as himself, honours her above himself, leads his sons and daughters in the straight way, and takes care that they marry at the age of puberty; concerning him Scripture says (Job v. 24): "And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace." He that loves his neighbour, does not repel his relations, and marries his sister's daughter (a man, says Rashi, being more deeply attached to his sister than to his brother, would be

more likely to make a good husband to her daughter), and lends a sela to a poor man in his necessity, concerning him Scripture says (Is. lviii. 9): Then thou shalt call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here am I." Yevamoth, fol. 62, col. 2.

66

7. Even a father and his son, a Rabbi and his disciple are enemies (opponents) when engaged in the study of the Law; but they do not move from the spot before they love each other again. Kiddushin, fol. 30, col. 2.

13. Selfish love ceases with the cause which inspires it; this is illustrated in the case of Amnon and Tamar; but unselfish love, such as that of David and Jonathan, never ceases. Avoth, chap. v.

21. What was the cause of the destruction of the first Temple? The prevalence of idolatry, adultery and murder. . . . And what was the cause of the destruction of the second Temple, seeing that the age was distinguished for the study of the Law, the observance of its precepts, and the practice of benevolence? It was groundless hatred; and it shows (says the expounder) that groundless hatred is equal in heinousness to idolatry, adultery, and murder combined. Yoma, fol.

9, col. 2.

T. N. So it would be, if Jesus was the object of the groundless hatred, which alone consisted with the study of the Law, the observance of its precepts, and the practice of benevolence as understood by the Rabbis. Otherwise the prevalence of groundless hatred in unison with these three virtues is as inconceivable as is the universal addiction to idolatry, adultery, and murder without it.

22. It is lawful to hate the impudent; for it is said (Ec. viii. 1): "And the boldness of his face shall be changed." Read not shall be changed, but N, shall be hated. Taanith, fol. 7, col. 2.

24. Rabbi Abuhu once recommended Rav Saphra to the Minim (Christians) as a great man, and they relieved him of thirteen years' taxation. One day they asked Rav Saphra: It is written (Am. iii. 2): "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities"? Do people vent their anger upon their friends? Rav Saphra was silent, not knowing what to say, for which the Minim threw a napkin (sudara, sudarium) at him, and otherwise annoyed him. Didst thou not tell us, said they to Rabbi Abuhu on a subsequent occasion, that he was a great man? and yet he cannot explain a single passage of Scripture! He replied: I meant that he was great in the Mishnah; but not in Scripture. But, asked they, how is it that you (Palestinian Jews; Rav Saphra was a Babylonian) know the Scriptures? The reason is, said he, because we, having frequent intercourse with you, are compelled to study the Scriptures; whilst they (the Babylonian Jews) are under no such necessity. Well, then, said they, do thou give us the explanation of the text. He replied: Suppose a man has two debtors, one of them is his friend, and the other is his enemy. The latter is made to pay the debt at once; but the former is allowed to pay by instalments. Avodah-zarah, fol. 4, col. 1.

T. N. It is not said, whether the Minim were satisfied with this explanation. It would be difficult to extract any meaning from it; but Rashi supplies the

deficiency. He says: God exacts the debt from Israel in this world, to leave them nothing but merits for the world to come; but He does not exact it at all from the Minim in this world, in order to overwhelm them in the world to come. If Rashi's explanation is correct, and there is no doubt that it is, it accounts for the Rabbi's obscurity.

25. Two disciples of the wise hating each other, may not sit in judgment together. Sanhedrin, fol. 29, col. 1.

27. One should not hate his fellow men; for because the generation of the confusion of tongues loved one another, the Holy One, blessed be He! did not destroy them, but dispersed them to all parts of the world; whereas the men of Sodom, because they hated one another, the Holy One, blessed be He! destroyed them in this world, and in the one to come. Avoth of Rabbi Nathan, chap. 12.

28. A man may not resolve mentally to love the wise men, but to hate their disciples, or to love the disciples, and hate the amhaaretz; he should love them all, and hate only Apikorsin (Epicureans, those that are openly opposed to the oral Law), the seducers (enticers from Judaism to another creed), and the informers. David said so (Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22): “Do I not hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies." (See page 141, last paragraph.) Besides, it is said: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; I am the Lord;" that is, because I created him; and if he does the works of thy people, love him; if not, love him not. (See page 370, Note 53; page 381, third line.) Avoth of Rabbi Nathan, chap. 16.

29. Rabbi Akiva says: Whoever marries a woman that is not suited for him, violates five precepts, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear a grudge;" "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; and "That thy brother may live with thee;" because, if he hates her, he desires her death, and he thus diminishes the population. Avoth of Rabbi Nathan, chap. 26.

30. "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart." (Le. xix. 17.) That is, one should not only abstain from striking, buffeting, and cursing him, but from hatred in the heart. Eirechin, fol. 16, col. 2.

VERSE 31.

He opened her womb.

The disciples of Rabbi Ishmael once dissected the body of a prostitute, who had been condemned by the king (probably Agrippa) to death by fire; and on close examination, they found that the body had two hundred and fifty-two distinct parts (instead of two hundred and forty-eight, which together with the three hundred and sixtyfive veins, make the human body equivalent in the number of its parts to the six hundred and thirteen precepts, which make up the body of the Law). Rabbi Ishmael said to them: To a female body Scripture has added two hinges and two doors. For (adds the