תָּנָא: תַּלְמִיד וָתִיק הָיָה בְּיַבְנֶה שֶׁהָיָה מְטַהֵר אֶת הַשֶּׁרֶץ בְּמֵאָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים טְעָמִים. אָמַר רָבִינָא, אֲנִי אָדוּן וַאֲטַהֲרֶנּוּ: וּמָה נָחָשׁ שֶׁמֵּמִית וּמַרְבֶּה טוּמְאָה — טָהוֹר, שֶׁרֶץ שֶׁאֵין מֵמִית וּמַרְבֶּה טוּמְאָה — לֹא כׇּל שֶׁכֵּן!
It was taught in a baraita: There was a distinguished disciple at Yavne who could with his incisive intellect purify the creeping animal, explicitly deemed ritually impure by the Torah, adducing one hundred and fifty reasons in support of his argument. Ravina said: I too will deliberate and purify it employing the following reasoning: And just as a snake that kills people and animals and thereby increases ritual impurity in the world, as a corpse imparts impurity through contact, through being carried, and by means of a tent, is ritually pure and transmits no impurity, a creeping animal that does not kill and does not increase impurity in the world, all the more so should it be pure.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים וּמֶחֱצָה נֶחְלְקוּ בֵּית שַׁמַּאי וּבֵית הִלֵּל. הַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְהַלָּלוּ אוֹמְרִים: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁלֹּא נִבְרָא. נִמְנוּ וְגָמְרוּ: נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא יוֹתֵר מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּבְרָא — יְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: יְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו.
The Sages taught the following baraita: For two and a half years, Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These say: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. And those said: It is preferable for man to have been created than had he not been created. Ultimately, they were counted and concluded: It would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. However, now that he has been created, he should examine his actions that he has performed and seek to correct them. And some say: He should scrutinize his planned actions and evaluate whether or not and in what manner those actions should be performed, so that he will not sin.
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הַמְהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְאֵין עִמּוֹ לְוָיָיה — יַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי לִוְיַת חֵן הֵם״. חָשׁ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ — יַעֲסוֹק בְּתוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי לִוְיַת חֵן הֵם לְרֹאשֶׁךָ״. חָשׁ בִּגְרוֹנוֹ — יַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַעֲנָקִים לְגַרְגְּרוֹתֶיךָ״. חָשׁ בְּמֵעָיו — יַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶּךָ״. חָשׁ בְּעַצְמוֹתָיו — יַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשִׁקּוּי לְעַצְמוֹתֶיךָ״. חָשׁ בְּכׇל גּוּפוֹ — יַעֲסוֹק בַּתּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּלְכׇל בְּשָׂרוֹ מַרְפֵּא״.
Having expounded the verse “For they are life to those who find them” as referring to the Torah, the Gemara cites another teaching related to this verse that praises the Torah. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who is walking along the way without a companion and is afraid should engage in Torah study, as it is stated with regard to the words of Torah: “For they shall be a graceful wreath [livyat ḥen] for your head, and chains about your neck” (Proverbs 1:9). The word livyat is understood here as a reference to levaya, accompaniment, so that the verse is interpreted to mean that Torah is a graceful accompaniment to one who is traveling. One who feels pain in his head should engage in Torah study, as it is stated: “For they shall be a graceful wreath for your head.” One who feels pain in his throat should engage in Torah study, as it is stated: “And chains about your neck.” One who feels pain in his intestines should engage in Torah study, as it is stated: “It shall be health to your navel” (Proverbs 3:8). One who feels pain in his bones should engage in Torah study, as it is stated: “And marrow to your bones” (Proverbs 3:8). One who feels pain in his entire body should engage in Torah study, as it is stated: “And health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22).
אָמְרִי לֵיהּ מָר יָנוֹקָא וּמָר קַשִּׁישָׁא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב חִסְדָּא לְרַב אָשֵׁי: זִימְנָא חֲדָא אִיקְּלַע אַמֵּימָר לְאַתְרִין, וְלָא הֲוָה לַן חַמְרָא. אַיְיתִינָא לֵיהּ שִׁיכְרָא, וְלָא אַבְדֵּיל וּבָת טְווֹת. לִמְחַר, טְרַחְנָא וְאַיְיתִינָא לֵיהּ חַמְרָא, וְאַבְדֵּיל וּטְעֵים מִידֵּי. לְשָׁנָה תּוּ אִיקְּלַע לְאַתְרִין, לָא הֲוָה לַן חַמְרָא, אַיְיתִינָא שִׁיכְרָא, אָמַר: אִי הָכִי, חֲמַר מְדִינָה הוּא, אַבְדֵּיל וּטְעֵים מִידֵּי. שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ תְּלָת. שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ: הַמַּבְדִּיל בִּתְפִלָּה, צָרִיךְ שֶׁיַּבְדִּיל עַל הַכּוֹס. וּשְׁמַע מִינַּהּ: אָסוּר לוֹ לָאָדָם שֶׁיֹּאכַל קוֹדֶם שֶׁיַּבְדִּיל. וּשְׁמַע מִינַּהּ: מִי שֶׁלֹּא הִבְדִּיל בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת, מַבְדִּיל וְהוֹלֵךְ כׇּל הַשַּׁבָּת כּוּלּוֹ. בְּעָא מִינֵּיהּ רַב הוּנָא מֵרַב חִסְדָּא: מַהוּ לְקַדּוֹשֵׁי אַשִּׁיכְרָא? אָמַר: הַשְׁתָּא וּמָה פִּירְזוּמָא וּתְאֵינֵי וְאַסְנֵי דִּבְעַאי מִינֵּיהּ מֵרַב, וְרַב מֵרַבִּי חִיָּיא, וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא מֵרַבִּי, וְלָא פְּשַׁט לֵיהּ — שִׁיכְרָא מִיבַּעְיָא?!
The Gemara relates that the Mar Yanuka, the younger Mar, and Mar Kashisha, the elder Mar, both sons of Rav Ḥisda, said to Rav Ashi: Once Ameimar happened to come to our place and we did not have wine for havdala. We brought him beer and he did not recite havdala, and he passed the night fasting, as it is prohibited to eat before havdala. The next day we exerted ourselves and brought him wine, and he recited havdala and tasted some food. The next year he again happened to come to our place. Once again we did not have wine and we brought him beer. He said: If so, if it is so difficult to obtain wine in your place, beer is the wine of the province. He recited havdala over the beer and tasted some food. The Gemara notes that one may learn from Ameimar’s conduct three halakhot: Learn from it that one who recites havdala in the prayer service must recite havdala again over a cup, as Ameimar had presumably recited the paragraph of havdala in his Amida prayer. And learn from it that it is prohibited for a person to eat before he recites havdala. And learn from it that one who did not recite havdala at the conclusion of Shabbat may recite havdala anytime during the entire week, i.e., during the first three days of the week. In the above story, Ameimar refused to recite havdala over beer. The Gemara addresses this issue at greater length. Rav Huna raised a dilemma before Rav Ḥisda: What is the halakha with regard to whether it is permitted to recite kiddush over date beer? He said: Now, if with regard to barley beer, fig beer, and beer produced from berries, I raised a dilemma before Rav as to whether or not they may be used for kiddush, and Rav had previously raised this dilemma before Rabbi Ḥiyya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya had inquired of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and he did not resolve it for him, as he could not find a source that clearly permits it, is it necessary to say that date beer, which is inferior to those other types of beer, may not be used for kiddush?