MISHNA
33Y
MISHNA
these and other rabbins. IMany of them are merely prac- tical rules of life; some address themselves to judges; but more of them exhort to the study of the law, and still more to good works. The future world is much referred to ; and one rabbi Jacob (ch. iv, § 21) says, in the spirit of the early Christians, " This world is the anteroom to the coming world; prepare in the ante- room, that thou mayest enter the banqueting-hall" Qri- cUniuni). But the study of the law antl good works (ni^JO, Mitzvoth. commandments), and not faith, is rec- ommended as the road to future happiness. Elsewhere unbelief is denounced as forfeiting the world to come ; but it seems that in the present treatise this tenet was not insisted on. A very remarkable point is the endeavor (ch. V, § 9) to reconcile the philosophic view of unchange- able laws of nature with the Biblical account of miracles : " Ten things were created in the twilight of the eve of Sabbath (of creation week)— that is, the mouth of the earth (which swallowed Korah), the mouth of the well (in the wilderness), the mouth of Balaam's ass, the rain- bow, the manna, the rod (of Moses), the diamond worm (said to have cut the stones for the Temple), the alpha- bet, the writing (on the tables), and the tables." The last treatise of this part is ni"'"n'il, Horayoth (3), con- cerning forms of trial.
v. The fifth grand division, with its eleven treatises, relates mostly to sacrifices, and was obsolete when the Mishna was composed. The very full treatment given to this subject shows how strong were the hopes of a speedy restoration. We have here D'^lllT, Zebachim, slaughtered offerings (14) ; ninjp, Mmuchoth, offerings made of flour (13), whose subject is indicated by their title, though somewhat more is comprised in them. But the next treatise, 'p^in, Ckolin, unsanctified things (12), treats of the food allowed or disallowed to the Jew ; especially of the mode of slaughtering beasts and fowls, and of the marks of disease, which render the eating of their flesh unlawful. We have then tlilinS, Be/-oro//(, (sacrifices of) first-born animals (9); ')'i2^j^j 'Erakin, estimates (9), i. e. for redeeming consecrated men or beasts in money, according to the standard laid down in Leviticus (ch. v and xxvii) ; il*1!!?2Pl, Temura/i, exchange (7), referring to the exchange of tithe beasts ; riiri'^'13, Kerithoth, excisions (6), which teaches what sins are threatened with the punishment, "That soul shall be cut off from its people." This treatise is put in this connection because most of the sacrifices dealt with in this division are penances for sin. It is followed by TO^'S'O, Me'ilah, (the sacrifice for) embezzlement (6), see Lev. v, 15; and T^T^ri, Tamid, daily sacrifice (7), •whose titles express their main subjects. The latter closes with the list of the psalms that were sung by the Levites in the Temple on the seven days of the week : Sunday, Psa. xxiv ; iMonday, Psa. xlviii ; Tuesday, Psa. Ixxxii; Wednesday, Psa. xciv; Thursday, Psa. Ixxxi; Friday, Psa. xciii; on the Sabbath, of course, Psa. xcii. The next treatise, ni'^^, Middoth, measures (5), gives an exact description of the Herodian temple, and of all its appointments. The division closes with the rather mystical treatise, Q'^ip, Kinnim, nests (3), which dis- cusses the law on birds' nests (Dent, xxii, 6).
vi. The last grand division, HilillO, Tohoroth, clean- ness, is the largest of all, though it was also in most of its parts useless when the JNIishna was written : as the right to enter the Temple or to eat of sanctified food (respectively to be eaten as sanctified food) are the main tests of technical cleanness. We find here twelve treatises: G^bs, Kelim, vessels (30); nibns, Ohaloth, tents (18), the latter of which treats of the communica- tion to a house and to its contents of uncleanness by the presence of a dead body in it. This remained of inter- est to the Aaronitish priests, who must not defile them- selves with a dead body other than of their next blood ' VI.— Y
relations; which law is supposed to remain in force notwithstanding the disuse of sacrifices. Then comes n'lySS, Negd'im, plagues (14), about leprosy; "T^S, P(i- rah, the cow (12), the ashes of which were used to purge the defilement by the touch of the dead (Numb. xix, 2); niinii, Tohoroth, here in the sense of purifi- cation (10); n'lXIpp, J/iiTco^A, bathing-cisterns (10), which retain an interest beyond the Holy Land, and be- yond the times of the Temple, in connection with the next treatise; iTn3, Niddah, the separated, i. e. the menstruating woman (10). Then we have "pT'^'I-'^'D, MaJcshirin, what renders fit (to receive uncleanness) (6); CiaT, Zuhim, spermatorrhcea (5); Dl'i ^13::, Tibhul Yom, dipping of the (same) day (4), the ablution of vessels in cisterns, which, as a shado^v of Levitical cleanness, was kept up in post-templic times; C'!''!^, Yadayim, hands (4), which refers to the washing of hands, an avowedly rabbinic institution. The last trea- tise of the whole collection is "plfi^!!", ' Uhatsin, fruit- stems (3), with some unimportant laws about Levitical cleanness; among others, those that relate to fruit- stems. At the end is placed a reflection on the blessing of peace, so that the book may close with the favorite verse (Psa. xxix, 11), "The Lord give strength to his people ; the Lord bless his people with peace."