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Shabbos 119a

שבת קי״ט ע״א

Shabbat 119a

Learn Shabbos 119a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Shabbos 119a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Honoring תלמידי חכמים and honoring שבת: how the חכמים prepared for שבת, the rewards for honoring it, and making the שבת meal special

Overview

This amud opens with the end of אביי's statement about celebrating when a scholar finishes a מסכתא. Then רבא and מר בר רב אשי describe how they treat a צורבא מרבנן in court. The גמרא returns to כבוד שבת: רבי חנינא and רבי ינאי greet שבת as a queen and a bride, and great אמוראים buy fine food and do preparation work with their own hands, the way one would serve a great guest. The story of יוסף מוקר שבי and the pearl teaches that whoever spends for שבת, שבת repays him. רבי asks why the wealthy merit their riches: in ארץ ישראל because they tithe, in בבל because they honor the תורה, and everywhere else because they honor שבת, as the butcher of Laodicea shows. רבי יהושע בן חנניה tells the קיסר that the 'spice' of שבת works only for those who keep it. The amud ends with how to honor יום הכפורים and the שבת meal, and with רב ששת making sure his lecture did not cut into עונג שבת. A story about רבי זירא begins and continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

עָבֵידְנָא יוֹמָא טָבָא לְרַבָּנַן.

I make a festive day for the Sages.

אָמַר רָבָא תֵּיתֵי לִי,

Rava said: May I receive reward,

דְּכִי אֲתָא צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנַן

because when a young Torah scholar comes

לְקַמַּאי לְדִינָא,

before me for judgment,

The steps (32)

  1. Statementאביי makes a celebration for the Sages
  2. Statementרבא searches for a scholar's merits in judgment
  3. Statementמר בר רב אשי disqualifies himself from judging a scholar
  4. Statementרבי חנינא goes out to greet the שבת Queen
  5. Statementרבי ינאי welcomes שבת as a bride
  6. StatementThe biscuits were for שבת, not for the guest
  7. Statementרבי אבא buys meat from thirteen butchers
  8. Statementרבי אבהו fans the fire himself
  9. Statementרב ענן wears a work garment for שבת preparation
  10. ProofSource: different clothes for different tasks
  11. StatementA list of Sages who prepared for שבת with their own hands
  12. Statementרב נחמן בר יצחק carries things in and out
  13. StatementAnother version: רבי אמי and רבי אסי did the carrying
  14. StatementThe story of יוסף מוקר שבי, who honored שבת
  15. ConclusionThe old man's lesson: שבת repays its lenders
  16. Questionרבי asks why the wealthy of ארץ ישראל merit wealth
  17. ResponseAnswer: because they tithe
  18. QuestionWhat about the wealthy of בבל?
  19. ResponseAnswer: because they honor the תורה
  20. QuestionWhat about the wealthy of other lands?
  21. ResponseAnswer: because they honor שבת
  22. Proofרבי חייא בר אבא's story of the wealthy butcher in Laodicea
  23. QuestionThe קיסר asks why שבת food smells so good
  24. ResponseAnswer: a spice called שבת
  25. QuestionThe קיסר asks for some of the spice
  26. ConclusionThe spice works only for those who keep שבת
  27. QuestionThe ריש גלותא asks about 'וְלִקְדוֹשׁ ה׳ מְכוּבָּד'
  28. ResponseIt means יום הכפורים, honored with clean clothing
  29. Statementרב and שמואל: eat the שבת meal earlier or later
  30. QuestionHow can wealthy people make שבת food different?
  31. ResponseChange your usual meal time
  32. Statementרב ששת seated his students so they would leave quickly