תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל אֶחָד שֶׁהֶאֱרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, וְנִמְנוּ אֶחָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים לִיכָּנֵס אַחֲרָיו. הִתְחִילוּ הֵם נִכְנָסִין וְהוּא יוֹצֵא. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: מִפְּנֵי מָה הֶאֱרַכְתָּ בִּתְפִלָּתֶךָ? אָמַר לָהֶם: קָשֶׁה בְּעֵינֵיכֶם שֶׁהִתְפַּלַּלְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁלֹּא יֵחָרֵב? אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אַל תְּהִי רָגִיל לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן, שֶׁהֲרֵי שָׁנִינוּ: לֹא הָיָה מַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא לְהַבְעִית אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.
§ The mishna stated that the High Priest would not extend his prayer. The Sages taught in the Tosefta: There was an incident involving a certain High Priest who extended his prayer, and his fellow priests took a vote, counted, and decided to go in after him out of concern that he had died or fainted and required assistance. They began to enter and at that moment he emerged. They said to him: Why did you extend your prayer? He said to them: Why not? Does it trouble you that I prayed for you and for the Temple not to be destroyed? They said to him: Do not make a habit of doing so, as we learned: He would not extend his prayer, so as not to alarm the Jewish people, who might fear he had died.
אָמַר רַב הוּנָא בַּר אַמֵּי אָמַר רַבִּי פְּדָת אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: הָרוֹאֶה חֲלוֹם וְנַפְשׁוֹ עֲגוּמָה, יֵלֵךְ וְיִפְתְּרֶנּוּ בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה. ״יִפְתְּרֶנּוּ״?! וְהָאָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא חֶלְמָא דְּלָא מְפַשַּׁר כְּאִגַּרְתָּא דְּלָא מִקַּרְיָא? אֶלָּא אֵימָא: יְטִיבֶנּוּ בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה. לַיְתֵי תְּלָתָא וְלֵימָא לְהוּ: ״חֶלְמָא טָבָא חֲזַאי״. וְלֵימְרוּ לֵיהּ הָנָךְ: ״טָבָא הוּא וְטָבָא לֶיהֱוֵי, רַחֲמָנָא לְשַׁוְּיֵיהּ לְטָב. שְׁבַע זִימְנִין לִגְזְרוּ עֲלָךְ מִן שְׁמַיָּא דְּלֶהֱוֵי טָבָא, וְיֶהֱוֵי טָבָא״. וְלֵימְרוּ שָׁלֹשׁ הֲפוּכוֹת, וְשָׁלֹשׁ פְּדוּיוֹת, וְשָׁלֹשׁ שְׁלוֹמוֹת.
Rav Huna bar Ami said that Rabbi Pedat said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: One who sees a dream from which his soul is distraught, should go and have it interpreted before three. The Gemara is surprised by this: Interpreted? Didn’t Rav Ḥisda say: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read? If one is concerned about a dream, why would he actively promote its fulfillment? Rather, say as follows: He should better it before three. He should bring three people and say to them: I saw a good dream. And they should say to him: It is good, and let it be good, may God make it good. May they decree upon you from heaven seven times that it will be good, and it will be good. Afterwards they recite three verses of transformation from bad to good, three verses of redemption, and three verses which mention peace.
יְהוּדָה בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי חִיָּיא, חַתְנֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יַנַּאי, הֲוָה אָזֵיל וְיָתֵיב בְּבֵי רַב, וְכׇל בֵּי שִׁמְשֵׁי הֲוָה אָתֵי לְבֵיתֵיהּ, וְכִי הֲוָה אָתֵי, הֲוָה קָא חָזֵי קַמֵּיהּ עַמּוּדָא דְנוּרָא. יוֹמָא חַד מְשַׁכְתֵּיהּ שְׁמַעְתָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּלָא חָזֵי הָהוּא סִימָנָא, אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבִּי יַנַּאי: כְּפוּ מִטָּתוֹ, שֶׁאִילְמָלֵי יְהוּדָה קַיָּים לֹא בִּיטֵּל עוֹנָתוֹ. הֲוַאי כִּ״שְׁגָגָה שֶׁיּוֹצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַשַּׁלִּיט״, וְנָח נַפְשֵׁיהּ.
It is related further that Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya and son-in-law of Rabbi Yannai, would go and sit in the study hall, and every Shabbat eve at twilight he would come to his house. When he would come, Rabbi Yannai would see a pillar of fire preceding him due to his sanctity. One day he was engrossed in the halakha he was studying, and he stayed in the study hall and did not return home. When Rabbi Yannai did not see that sign preceding him, he said to the family: Turn his bed over, as one does at times of mourning, since he must have died, reasoning that if Yehuda were alive he would not have missed his set interval for conjugal relations and would certainly have come home. What he said became “like an error that proceeds from a ruler” (Ecclesiastes 10:5), and Yehuda, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya, died.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הַדָּן חֲבֵירוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת — דָּנִין אוֹתוֹ לִזְכוּת. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּאָדָם אֶחָד שֶׁיָּרַד מִגָּלִיל הָעֶלְיוֹן וְנִשְׂכַּר אֵצֶל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת אֶחָד בַּדָּרוֹם שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים. עֶרֶב יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים אָמַר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי שְׂכָרִי, וְאֵלֵךְ וְאָזוּן אֶת אִשְׁתִּי וּבָנַי. אָמַר לוֹ: אֵין לִי מָעוֹת. אָמַר לוֹ: תֵּן לִי פֵּירוֹת. אָמַר לוֹ: אֵין לִי. תֵּן לִי קַרְקַע — אֵין לִי. תֵּן לִי בְּהֵמָה — אֵין לִי. תֵּן לִי כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת — אֵין לִי. הִפְשִׁיל כֵּלָיו לַאֲחוֹרָיו, וְהָלַךְ לְבֵיתוֹ בְּפַחֵי נֶפֶשׁ. לְאַחַר הָרֶגֶל נָטַל בַּעַל הַבַּיִת שְׂכָרוֹ בְּיָדוֹ, וְעִמּוֹ מַשּׂוֹי שְׁלֹשָׁה חֲמוֹרִים, אֶחָד שֶׁל מַאֲכָל, וְאֶחָד שֶׁל מִשְׁתֶּה, וְאֶחָד שֶׁל מִינֵי מְגָדִים, וְהָלַךְ לוֹ לְבֵיתוֹ. אַחַר שֶׁאָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ נָתַן לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי ״תֵּן לִי שְׂכָרִי״ וְאָמַרְתִּי ״אֵין לִי מָעוֹת״, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי: שֶׁמָּא פְּרַקְמַטְיָא בְּזוֹל נִזְדַּמְּנָה לְךָ, וְלָקַחְתָּ בָּהֶן. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי ״תֵּן לִי בְּהֵמָה״, וְאָמַרְתִּי ״אֵין לִי בְּהֵמָה״, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי: שֶׁמָּא מוּשְׂכֶּרֶת בְּיַד אֲחֵרִים. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי ״תֵּן לִי קַרְקַע״, וְאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ ״אֵין לִי קַרְקַע״, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי: שֶׁמָּא מוּחְכֶּרֶת בְּיַד אֲחֵרִים הִיא. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ ״אֵין לִי פֵּירוֹת״ בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי: שֶׁמָּא אֵינָן מְעוּשָּׂרוֹת. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְךָ ״אֵין לִי כָּרִים וּכְסָתוֹת״ בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתַּנִי? אָמַרְתִּי: שֶׁמָּא הִקְדִּישׁ כָּל נְכָסָיו לַשָּׁמַיִם. אָמַר לוֹ: הָעֲבוֹדָה! כָּךְ הָיָה. הִדַּרְתִּי כׇּל נְכָסַי בִּשְׁבִיל הוּרְקָנוֹס בְּנִי שֶׁלֹּא עָסַק בַּתּוֹרָה. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי אֵצֶל חֲבֵירַי בַּדָּרוֹם הִתִּירוּ לִי כָּל נְדָרַי. וְאַתָּה, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁדַּנְתַּנִי לִזְכוּת, הַמָּקוֹם יָדִין אוֹתְךָ לִזְכוּת. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּחָסִיד אֶחָד שֶׁפָּדָה רִיבָה אַחַת בַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלַמָּלוֹן הִשְׁכִּיבָהּ תַּחַת מַרְגְּלוֹתָיו. לְמָחָר יָרַד וְטָבַל וְשָׁנָה לְתַלְמִידָיו. וְאָמַר לָהֶן: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהִשְׁכַּבְתִּיהָ תַּחַת מַרְגְּלוֹתַי, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתּוּנִי? אָמַרְנוּ: שֶׁמָּא יֵשׁ בָּנוּ תַּלְמִיד שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּדוּק לְרַבִּי. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיָּרַדְתִּי וְטָבַלְתִּי, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתּוּנִי? אָמַרְנוּ: שֶׁמָּא מִפְּנֵי טוֹרַח הַדֶּרֶךְ אֵירַע קֶרִי לְרַבִּי. אָמַר לָהֶם: הָעֲבוֹדָה! כָּךְ הָיָה. וְאַתֶּם, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁדַּנְתּוּנִי לְכַף זְכוּת, הַמָּקוֹם יָדִין אֶתְכֶם לְכַף זְכוּת. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: פַּעַם אַחַת הוּצְרַךְ דָּבָר אֶחָד לְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים אֵצֶל מַטְרוֹנִיתָא אַחַת שֶׁכׇּל גְּדוֹלֵי רוֹמִי מְצוּיִין אֶצְלָהּ. אָמְרוּ: מִי יֵלֵךְ? אָמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: אֲנִי אֵלֵךְ. הָלַךְ רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְתַלְמִידָיו. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְפֶתַח בֵּיתָהּ, חָלַץ תְּפִילָּיו בְּרִחוּק אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת, וְנִכְנַס וְנָעַל הַדֶּלֶת בִּפְנֵיהֶן. אַחַר שֶׁיָּצָא, יָרַד וְטָבַל וְשָׁנָה לְתַלְמִידָיו. וְאָמַר לָהֶן: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁחָלַצְתִּי תְּפִילִּין, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתּוּנִי? אָמַרְנוּ: כְּסָבוּר רַבִּי, לֹא יִכָּנְסוּ דִּבְרֵי קְדוּשָּׁה בִּמְקוֹם טוּמְאָה. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנָּעַלְתִּי, בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתּוּנִי? אָמַרְנוּ: שֶׁמָּא דְּבַר מַלְכוּת יֵשׁ בֵּינוֹ לְבֵינָהּ. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיָּרַדְתִּי וְטָבַלְתִּי בַּמֶּה חֲשַׁדְתּוּנִי, אָמַרְנוּ: שֶׁמָּא נִיתְּזָה צִינּוֹרָא מִפִּיהָ עַל בְּגָדָיו שֶׁל רַבִּי. אָמַר לָהֶם: הָעֲבוֹדָה! כָּךְ הָיָה. וְאַתֶּם, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁדַּנְתּוּנִי לִזְכוּת, הַמָּקוֹם יָדִין אֶתְכֶם לִזְכוּת.
The Sages taught in a baraita: One who judges another favorably is himself judged favorably. And there was an incident involving a certain person who descended from the Upper Galilee and was hired to work for a certain homeowner in the South for three years. On the eve of the Day of Atonement, he said to the homeowner: Give me my wages, and I will go and feed my wife and children. The homeowner said to him: I have no money. He said to him: In that case, give me my wages in the form of produce. He said to him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me my wages in the form of land. The homeowner said to him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me my wages in the form of animals. He said to him: I have none. The worker said to him: Give me cushions and blankets. He said to him: I have none. The worker slung his tools over his shoulder behind him and went to his home in anguish. After the festival of Sukkot, the homeowner took the worker’s wages in his hand, along with a burden that required three donkeys, one laden with food, one laden with drink, and one laden with types of sweets, and went to the worker’s home. After they ate and drank, the homeowner gave him his wages. The homeowner said to him: When you said to me: Give me my wages, and I said: I have no money, of what did you suspect me? Why did you not suspect me of trying to avoid paying you? The worker answered, I said: Perhaps the opportunity to purchase merchandise [perakmatya] inexpensively presented itself, and you purchased it with the money that you owed me, and therefore you had no money available. The homeowner asked: And when you said to me: Give me animals, and I said: I have no animals, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps the animals are hired to others. The homeowner asked: When you said to me: Give me land, and I said: I have no land, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps the land is leased to others, and you cannot take the land from the lessees. The homeowner asked: And when you said to me: Give me produce, and I said: I have no produce, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps they are not tithed, and that was why you could not give them to me. The homeowner asked: And when I said: I have no cushions or blankets, of what did you suspect me? The worker answered: I said: Perhaps he consecrated all his property to Heaven and therefore has nothing available at present. The homeowner said to him: I swear by the Temple service that it was so. I had no money available at the time because I vowed and consecrated all my property on account of Hyrcanus, my son, who did not engage in Torah study. The homeowner sought to avoid leaving an inheritance for his son. And when I came to my colleagues in the South, the Sages of that generation, they dissolved all my vows. At that point, the homeowner had immediately gone to pay his worker. Now the homeowner said: And you, just as you judged favorably, so may God judge you favorably. On a similar note, the Gemara relates that the Sages taught in a baraita: There was an incident involving a certain pious man who redeemed a young Jewish woman from captivity. When they arrived at the inn he had her lie beneath his feet. The next day, he descended, and immersed in a ritual bath to purify himself before Torah study and prayer, and taught his students. This conduct could arouse suspicion that the pious man kept the maiden for himself, as immersion in the morning is customary for men who have experienced a seminal emission by engaging in sexual relations. And the pious man said to his students: When I had her lie beneath my feet, of what did you suspect me? They said to him: We said: Perhaps there is a student among us whose conduct is not established before the rabbi, and he wanted to make certain that this student would not inappropriately accost the young woman. Therefore, the rabbi kept the woman close by. He said to them: When I descended and immersed, of what did you suspect me? They answered: Perhaps due to the exertion of travel, a seminal emission befell the rabbi. He said to them: I swear by the Temple service that it was so. And you, just as you judged me favorably, so may God judge you favorably. The Sages taught a similar baraita: Once there was a certain matter needed by Torah scholars. They wanted to discuss an issue with a certain matron whose company was kept by all the prominent people of Rome. The Torah scholars wanted to address the government on behalf of the Jewish people, and they sought the matron’s advice. They said: Who will go? Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: I shall go. Rabbi Yehoshua and his students went to her. When he arrived with his students at the entrance of her house, he removed his phylacteries at a distance of four cubits from the door, and entered, and locked the door before them. After he emerged, he descended and immersed in a ritual bath, and taught his students. Here too, this was conduct that could arouse suspicion that something improper transpired. And he said to his students: When I removed the phylacteries, of what did you suspect me? They said to him, we said: The rabbi must hold that sacred items may not enter a place of impurity. Therefore, it would have been inappropriate to enter the house with phylacteries. He asked: When I locked the door, of what did you suspect me? They said to him: We said: Perhaps there is a discreet royal matter that must be discussed between him and her and should not be revealed. Rabbi Yehoshua asked: When I descended and immersed, of what did you suspect me? They said to him, we said: Perhaps a bit of spittle sprayed from her mouth onto the rabbi’s clothes. The Sages decreed that the legal status of a gentile is like that of a zav; their bodily fluids transmit ritual impurity. Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: I swear by the Temple service that it was so. And you, just as you judged favorably, so may God judge you favorably.
דרש עובר גלילאה בהמה שנבראת מן היבשה הכשרה בשני סימנים דגים שנבראו מן המים הכשירן בולא כלום עוף שנברא מן הרקק הכשרו בסימן אחד אמר רב שמואל קפוטקאה תדע שהרי עופות יש להן קשקשת ברגליהם כדגים: ועוד שאלו כתוב אחד אומר (בראשית א, כ) ויאמר אלהים ישרצו המים שרץ נפש חיה ועוף יעופף אלמא ממיא איברו וכתיב (בראשית ב, יט) ויצר ה' אלהים מן האדמה כל חית השדה ואת כל עוף השמים אלמא מארעא איברו אמר לו מן הרקק נבראו ראה תלמידיו מסתכלים זה בזה אמר להם קשה בעיניכם שדחיתי את אויבי בקש מן המים נבראו ולמה הביאן אל האדם לקרות להן שם ויש אומרים בלשון אחר אמר לאותו הגמון ובלשון הראשון אמר להן לתלמידיו משום דכתיב על ויצר
The Gemara relates that a passerby from the Galilee taught: Fitness for consumption of animals, which were created from the dry land, is accomplished through cutting two simanim, the gullet and the windpipe. Fitness for consumption of fish, which were created from the water, is accomplished with nothing, as no slaughter is required. Fitness for consumption of birds, which were created from mud [harekak], a combination of dry land and water, is accomplished through cutting one siman. Rav Shmuel of Cappadocia says: Know that birds were created from a combination of dry land and water, as they have scales on their feet like fish. The Gemara relates an excerpt of an exchange between a Roman government official and Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai. And furthermore, the official asked Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai: One verse states: “And God said: Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creeping animals, and birds will fly” (Genesis 1:20); apparently birds were created from the water. And it is written: “And from the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the air and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them” (Genesis 2:19); apparently birds were created from the land. Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said to him: They were created from the mud. He saw his students looking at each other, wondering. He said to them: Does it trouble you that I dismissed my enemy with a flimsy pretext? Actually, it is from water that birds were created. And why does the verse state that they were formed from the ground and that God brought them to Adam? In other words, why are they mentioned in the second verse? It is not because they were actually formed from the ground, but only because they were brought to Adam so that he would call them names. And some say that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai spoke to that officer with a different formulation, i.e., he said to him that the birds were created from the water. And he stated the first formulation, that the birds were created from the mud, to his students, because it is written: “And from the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the air” (Genesis 2:19). According to this explanation, the birds are mentioned there not only because Adam called them names, but also because they too were created from the ground.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן, אַרְבַּע פְּרוּטוֹת אֵין בָּהֶן סִימָן בְּרָכָה לְעוֹלָם: שְׂכַר כּוֹתְבִין, וּשְׂכַר מְתוּרְגְּמָנִין, וּשְׂכַר יְתוֹמִים, וּמָעוֹת הַבָּאוֹת מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם. בִּשְׁלָמָא שְׂכַר מְתוּרְגְּמָנִין — מִשּׁוּם דְּמִיחֲזֵי כִּשְׂכַר שַׁבָּת. וּמָעוֹת יְתוֹמִים נָמֵי — לָאו בְּנֵי מְחִילָה נִינְהוּ. מָעוֹת הַבָּאוֹת מִמְּדִינַת הַיָּם — מִשּׁוּם דְּלָאו כׇּל יוֹמָא מִתְרְחִישׁ נִיסָּא. אֶלָּא שְׂכַר כּוֹתְבִין מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע תַּעֲנִיּוֹת יָשְׁבוּ אַנְשֵׁי כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה עַל כּוֹתְבֵי סְפָרִים תְּפִילִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יִתְעַשְּׁרוּ, שֶׁאִילְמָלֵי מִתְעַשְּׁרִין — אֵין כּוֹתְבִין. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כּוֹתְבֵי סְפָרִים תְּפִילִּין וּמְזוּזוֹת, הֵן, וְתַגָּרֵיהֶן, וְתַגָּרֵי תַגָּרֵיהֶן, וְכׇל הָעוֹסְקִין בִּמְלֶאכֶת שָׁמַיִם, לְאֵיתוֹיֵי מוֹכְרֵי תְכֵלֶת — אֵינָן רוֹאִין סִימָן בְּרָכָה לְעוֹלָם. וְאִם עוֹסְקִין לִשְׁמָהּ — רוֹאִין.
Similarly the Sages taught: In four perutot, payments, there is never a sign of blessing: Wages of scribes of sacred books; wages of disseminators, who repeat and explain the lectures delivered by the Sages on Shabbat; payment of orphans, which one receives when engaging in a partnership with the executor of an orphan’s estate; and money that comes from a country overseas. The Gemara asks: Granted, one will be unsuccessful when receiving wages of disseminators, as it appears as if he is receiving wages for work performed on Shabbat, even though what he is doing is not actually prohibited. And it is also understandable that one will see no blessing from orphans’ money, as minors are not capable of relinquishing property. Minors do not have the legal right to forgive even negligible losses, which partners typically overlook. Therefore, one who in the course of business takes even the smallest amount of money from them beyond the sum to which he is entitled is considered a thief. One sees no blessing from money that comes from a country overseas, because a miracle does not transpire every day. Since the risks involved in shipping cargo on long sea voyages are great, one’s merit is diminished each time his merchandise miraculously arrives intact. However, what is the reason that one sees no blessing from wages of scribes? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The members of the Great Assembly observed twenty-four fasts, corresponding to the twenty-four priestly watches (Maharsha), for scribes who write Torah scrolls, phylacteries, and mezuzot, so that they will not become wealthy from their craft, as were they to become wealthy, they would no longer write these sacred items. Similarly, the Sages taught: Scribes who write scrolls, phylacteries, and mezuzot; and their merchants, who buy the sacred scrolls from the scribes to sell them; and their merchants’ merchants; and all those engaged in the work of Heaven and earn their living from it, a phrase that comes to include those who sell the sky-blue dye for ritual fringes, never see a sign of blessing from their labor. And if they engage in these activities for their own sake, to ensure that there will be more sacred items available to the public, then they do see blessing from their labor.
