R. Joshua, the son of Levi, says. When Moses came down from the presence of God, Satan appeared before him and said. Lord of the uinverse, where is the law? God replied, I have given it to the earth. He went to the earth and asked. Where is the law ? The earth answered, God understandeth the way thereof (Job xxviii, 23). He went to the sea and asked, Where is the law? The sea said. It is not in me. He went to the depth, and asked the same question. The depth said, It is not in me. De- struction and dfath said, We have heard the fame thereof witli our ears (ibid.). So he returned to God and said. Lord of the universe, I have searched for it all over the earth, and have not found it. God said to him, Go to the son of Amram. He came to Moses, and said to him. The law which God gave thee, where is it? Moses replied to Satan, Who am I, that God should give me a law ! There- upon God said to Moses, Art thou a liar? Moses atiswered, Lord ofthe universe, thou hast a precious treasure, which is thy daily delight, and should I claim it for my own advan- tage ? God said to him. Because thou didst think little of thyself, the law shall be called after thy name. As it is wric- ten,"Renieml)eryethelawofMosesmyservant"(Mal.iv,4).
Rabbi Joshua continues to narrate: When Moses went up to heaven, he found God occupied in twisti'iig loreatks fiM' the letters (of the law). And he called, Moses I is there no peace in thy city? i. e. that thou didst not salute me with a salaam? Moses answered. Is it customary that a servant should salute his master? God said. Thou ought- est to have helped me; i. e. thou shouldst have wished me success in my work. Immediately Moses said to him, "And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spokeu" (Numb, xiv, 17) {Sabbath, p. S3, col. 1).
TALMUD
in
TALMUD
These are only a few of the many examples which crowd the pages of the Talmud. 'J'hat these stories are extravagant, and often, when taken literally, ab- surd, no one can deny. Hut they must be merely regarded as to their meaning and intention. IMnch has been said against the Talmud on account of the preposterous character of some of these legends. But we should give the Hebrew literati the benefit of their own explanations. They tell us that in the Talmud the Hagadah has no absolute authority, nor any value except in the way of elucidation. It often — but not always — enwraps a philosophic meaning uniler the veil of allegory, mythic tolk-lore, ethical story, Oriental ro- mance, parable, and apliorisn. and fable. They deny that the authors of these fanc\' pieces intended either to add to the law of God or to detract from it by them, but onh* to explain and enforce it in terms best suited to the popular capacity. They caution us against re- ceiving these things according to the letter, and admon- ish us to understand them according to their spiritual or moral import. " Beware," says Maimonides, " that you take not the words of the wise men literally, for this would be degrading to the sacred doctrine, and some- times contradict it. Seek rather the hidden sense; and if you cannot find the kernel, let the shell alone, and confess, 'I cannot understand this.'" But the im- partial reader must at i>nce admit that these suggestions are merely the after-thoughts of tender apologists, for some of these stories have no hidden sense at all, but must be taken literally, because meant so, as the follow- ing will prove. In the treatise Gittin, fol. 69, col. 1, we read the following prescription : " For the bleeding at the nose, let a man be brouglit who is a priest, and whose name is Levi, and let liim write the word Levi backwards. If this cannot be done, get a layman, and let him write the following words backwards: 'Ana pipi Shila bar Sumki;' or let him write these words: ' Taam dli bemi keseph, taam li bemi paggan.' Or let him take a root of grass, and the cord of an old bed, and paper and saffron and the red part of the inside of a palm-tree, and let him burn them together; and let him take some wool and twist two threads, and let him dip them in vinegar, and then roll them in the ashes and put them into his nose. Or let him look out for a small stream of water that flows from east to west, and let him go and stand with one leg on each side of it, and let him take with his right hand some mud from imder his left foot, and with his left hand from uniier his right foot, and let him twist two threads of wool, and dip them in the mud, and put them into his nostrils. Or let him be placed under a spout, and let water be brought and poured upon him, and let them saj', 'As this water ceases to flow, so let the blood of M., the son of the woman N., also cease.'" A commentary on this wisdom or folly is superfluous. That this direction to stop a bleeding at the nose is not a rare case in the Talmud, the following mode of treatment for the scratch or bite of a mad dog will prove. In the treatise Yuma, fol. 83, col. 1, we read: "The rabbins have handed down the tradition that there are five things to be observed of a mad dog; his mouth is open, his saliva flows, his ears hang down, his tail is between his legs, and he goes by the sides of the ways. Some say, also, that he barks, but his voice is not heard. What is the cause of his madness? Rav says it proceeds from this, that the witches are making their sport with him. Samuel says it is an evil spirit that rests upon him. What is the difference? The difference is this, that in the latter case he is to be killed by some missile weapon. The tradition agrees with Samuel, for it says in killing him no other mode is to be used but the casting of some mis- sile weapon. If a mad dog scratch any one, he is in danger; but if he bite him he will die. In case of scratch there is danger; what, then, is the remedy? Let the man cast off his clothes and run away. Rab Huna, the son of Rab Joshua, was once scratched in the street by one of them; he immediately cast off his