תלמוד על כלים 17:10

Rebbi Joḥanan said, the Ark was made with a cubit of six hand-breadths. Who stated “a cubit of six hand-breadths“? This is Rebbi Meןr’s. [As we have stated³³Mishnah Kelim17:10.: “Rebbi Meןr says, all cubits were of buildings; Rebbi Jehudah says, the cubit of buildings six, of vessels five.”] According to Rebbi Meןr who says that the Ark was made with a cubit of six hand-breadths, the length of the Ark was fifteen cubits, as it is written³⁴Ex. 25:10.: Its length two cubits and a half. Each cubit was six and half a cubit three. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones, as it is written³⁵Deut. 10:2.: Which you broke and put into the Ark. Each of the tablets was six hand-breadths in length and three in width. Put the widths of the tablets in the length of the Ark, there were three hand-breadths left. Apply them to the cylinder³⁶The Torah scroll.. [On each side half a hand-breadth to have a handle, and two hand-breadths as place to put there the Torah scroll.]³⁷Corrector’s addition from B, to be deleted. The width of the Ark was nine hand-breadths, as it is written: A cubit and half a cubit. A cubit six and half a cubit three. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones. Each of the tablets was six hand-breadths in length and three in width. Put the lengths of the tablets in the length of the Ark, there were three hand-breadths left. On each side half a hand-breadth to have a handle, and two hand-breadths as a place to put there the Torah scroll.

Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, the Ark was made using a cubit of five hand-breadths. Who stated “a cubit of five hand-breadths”? This is Rebbi Jehudah. As we have stated there³³Mishnah Kelim17:10.: “Rebbi Jehudah says, the builders’ cubit was of six hand-breadths, but that of vessels five hand-breadths.” And the Ark is a vessel. According to Rebbi Jehudah who says that the Ark was made with a cubit of five hand-breadths, the length of the Ark was twelve and one half cubits, as it is written³⁴Ex. 25:10.: Its length two cubits and a half. Each cubit was five and half a cubit two and one half. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones, as it is written³⁵Deut. 10:2.: Which you broke and put into the Ark. Each of the tablets was six hand-breadths in length and three in width. Put the width of the tablets in the length of the Ark, there remains there half a handbreadth. One finger’s thickness for the wall on either side. The width of the Ark was seven and a half hand-breadths, as it is written, Its width a cubit and half a cubit. A cubit five and half a cubit two and a half. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones, as it is written³⁵Deut. 10:2.: Which you broke and put into the Ark.. Each of the tablets was six hand-breadths in length and three in width. Put the lengths of the tablets in the width of the Ark, there was one and a half hand-breadths left. ³⁹This sentence is not a continuation of the preceding text but the conclusion of an additional argument about the width of the Ark, reproduced in B and Soṭah. One finger’s thickness for the wall on either side and on each side half a hand-breadth to have a handle.

Rebbi Joḥanan said, the Ark was made with a cubit of six handbreadths. Who stated “a cubit of six handbreadths”? This is Rebbi Meïr. As we have stated⁹⁸Mishnah Kelim 17:10.: “Rebbi Meïr says, all cubits were average⁹⁹There was also a small cubit of 5 handbreadths and a large one of 7..” According to Rebbi Meïr who says that the Ark was made with a a cubit of six handbreadths, the length of the Ark was fifteen cubits, as it is written¹⁰⁰Ex. 25:10.: “Its length two cubits and a half.” Each cubit was six and half a cubit three¹⁰¹This Aramaic insert of elementary counting seems to be a gloss.. Four tablets were in it, two broken ones and two whole ones¹⁰²In the Babli (Baba batra 14b, Menaḥot 99a) attributed to the fourth generation Amora Rav Joseph., as it is written¹⁰³Deut. 10:2. This explanation of the verse requires the removal of the masoretic dividing accent. and a revocalization וַשַּׂמְתָּם with waw conversive.: “Which you broke and put into the Ark.” Each of the tablets was six handbreadths in length and three in width¹⁰⁴In the Babli (Baba batra 14a, Nedarim 38a, Menaḥot 99a), the tablets are said to have been six by six handbreadths with a height of three, lying one after the other in the Ark for a total length of 12 and width 6.. If the widths of the tablets were in the length of the Ark, there were three handbreadths left¹⁰⁵Four tablets lying side by side with their long sides touching one another fill an area of 12 by 6 handbreadths.. Apply them to the cylinder¹⁰⁶Probably the Torah scroll, cf. Note 95. The Torah scroll should have been “next to the Ark”, Deut. 31:26.. The width of the Ark was nine handbreadths, as it is written: “A cubit and half a cubit.” A cubit six and half a cubit three. Four tablets were in it, two broken ones and two whole ones. Each of the tablets was six handbreadths in length and three in width. If the lengths of the tablets were in the length of the Ark⁹⁷In Šeqalim: תֵּן אָרְכָּן שֶׁלַּלּוּחוֹת לְאָרְכּוֹ שֶׁלָּאָרוֹן “If the lengths of the tablets were in the length of the Ark”. This text is the correct one since in the text here the second case is identical with the first., there were three handbreadths left¹⁰⁷If the tablets were put into the Ark lengthwise in pairs, they fill a rectangle of length 12 and width 6.. On each side half a handbreadth to have a handle, and two handbreadths as place to put there the Torah scroll¹⁰⁸The first hand in Šeqalim here also has “for the cylinder” (اٌسطونة), proving the equivalence of “cylinder” and “Torah scroll”; cf. Note 121..

Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, the Ark was made using a cubit of five handbreadths. Who stated “a cubit of five handbreadths”? This is Rebbi Jehudah. As we have stated there⁹⁸Mishnah Kelim 17:10.: “Rebbi Jehudah says, the builders’ cubit was of six handbreadths, but that of vessels five handbeadths.” And the Ark is a vessel. According to Rebbi Jehudah who says that the Ark was made with a cubit of five handbreadths, the length of the Ark was twelve and one half cubits, as it is written¹⁰⁰Ex. 25:10.: “Its length two cubits and a half.” Each cubit was five and half a cubit two and one half¹⁰¹This Aramaic insert of elementary counting seems to be a gloss.. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones¹⁰²In the Babli (Baba batra 14b, Menaḥot 99a) attributed to the fourth generation Amora Rav Joseph., as it is written¹⁰³Deut. 10:2. This explanation of the verse requires the removal of the masoretic dividing accent. and a revocalization וַשַּׂמְתָּם with waw conversive.: “Which you broke and put into the Ark.” Each of the tablets was six handbreadths in length and three in width¹⁰⁴In the Babli (Baba batra 14a, Nedarim 38a, Menaḥot 99a), the tablets are said to have been six by six handbreadths with a height of three, lying one after the other in the Ark for a total length of 12 and width 6.. If the widths of the tablets were in the length of the Ark, there was half a handbreadth left¹⁰⁹12.5 - 4·3 = 0.5.. One finger’s thickness for the wall on either side. The width of the Ark was seven and one half handbreadths, as it is written¹⁰⁰Ex. 25:10.: “A cubit and half a cubit.” A cubit five and half a cubit two and one half. Four tablets were in it, two whole ones and two broken ones, as it is written¹⁰³Deut. 10:2. This explanation of the verse requires the removal of the masoretic dividing accent. and a revocalization וַשַּׂמְתָּם with waw conversive.: “Which you broke and put into the Ark.”. Each of the tablets was six handbreadths in length and three in width. If the lengths of the tablets were in the width of the Ark, there were one and a half handbreadths left¹¹⁰7.5 - 6 = 1.5.. One finger’s thickness for the wall on either side, and on each side half a handbreadth to have a handle¹¹¹In this opinion, the Torah scroll by necessity was outside the Ark; cf. Note 106..