R. Eleazar asked: ‘If the guest arrives at the time of the third Sabbath meal,1i.e. if the third meal is prolonget until the evening which commences a festival. do we waive it nor not? If we waive it, then the guest is debarred from the table of the King. If we do not waive it, then the banquet of the King is itself deficient.’
R. Simeon his father replied: ‘The case is like that of a king on whom a guest happened to call, so he took food and put it before him, so that although the king did not eat with him, yet he ate from the food of the king. In the household of R. Hamnuna the Elder, however, they used to pay no attention to the guest at this time, but later they used to set a table for the guest.’
But,’ said R. Eleazar, ‘how is it possible not to set the king’s banquet before the guest, seeing that if the fourteenth day of Nisan falls on a Sabbath, the banquet of the king is waived in favour of the Passover, although it is not yet a guest.’
He replied: There are indeed a number of reasons why the banquet of the King is waived on account of the Passover-one, that a man should come hungry to the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and, again, there is no bread after midday, and a table without bread is not complete.
However, I myself have always been particular not to waive the third Sabbath meal even when the Sabbath happens to be the eve of Passover. On this day (of Sabbath) the holy Field of Apples is blessed, and higher and lower are blessed, and this day is the link of the (two branches of the) Torah.
R. Abba said: ‘R. Simeon, when the Sabbath meal was removed, used to ‘arrange his table and meditate on the Construction of the Chariot,1i.e. the relation of God to the universe, as set forth in the first chapter of Ezekiel. and say, Here is the banquet of the King, let Him come and partake with me. Therefore Sabbath is superior to all feasts and appointed seasons, and is called “holy” and not “holy convocation”.’
R. Judah said: ‘New Year and the Day of Atonement are not called “holy convocations”, because there is no joy on them, they being days of judgement. But the three festivals are times of gladness when Israel have joyous communion with the Holy One, blessed be He. On the Sabbath all sorrow and vexation and trouble is forgotten because it is the day of the espousals of the King, when an additional soul is imparted (to men) as in the future world.
R. Isaac asked R. Judah: ‘Why have we learnt that Sabbath is to be remembered over wine?’ He replied: ‘Because wine represents the joy of the Torah, and the wine of the Torah is the universal joy.’
אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, סְעוּדָתָא תְּלִיתָאָה דְּשַׁבָּת, כַּד אִעְרַע בֵּיהּ אוֹשְׁפִּיזָא, שַׁבְקִין לֵיהּ אוֹ לָא שַׁבְקִין לֵיהּ, אִי לָא שַׁבְקִין לֵיהּ, אִשְׁתְּכַח אוּשְׁפִּיזָא דְּחַיָּיא מִפָּתוֹרָא דְּמַלְכָּא, אִי שַׁבְקִין לֵיהּ, אִשְׁתְּכַח פְּגִימוּ בִּסְעוּדָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא.
R. Eleazar asked: ‘If the guest arrives at the time of the third Sabbath meal,1i.e. if the third meal is prolonget until the evening which commences a festival. do we waive it nor not? If we waive it, then the guest is debarred from the table of the King. If we do not waive it, then the banquet of the King is itself deficient.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אֲבוֹי, לְמַלְכָּא דְּאִיעְרַע בֵּיהּ אוּשְׁפִּיזָא, וְנָטִיל מֵיכְלָא מִקַּמֵּיהּ, וְסַלְּקָא לְאוּשְׁפִּיזֵיהּ, אִשְׁתְּכַח אַף עַל גַּב דְּמַלְכָּא לָא אָכַל עִמֵּיהּ, מִמֵּיכְלָא דְּמַלְכָּא קָא אָכִיל, וּמַלְכָּא יָהִיב לֵיהּ לְמֵיכַל. וְכָל דָּא, בְּגִין דְּהוּא אוּשְׁפִּיזֵיה דְּמַלְכָּא. וּבְבֵי רַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא, לָא חַיְישֵׁי לְאוּשְׁפִּיזָא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דָּא, וּלְבָתַר מְסַדְּרֵי פָּתוֹרָא לְאוֹשְׁפִּיזָא.
R. Simeon his father replied: ‘The case is like that of a king on whom a guest happened to call, so he took food and put it before him, so that although the king did not eat with him, yet he ate from the food of the king. In the household of R. Hamnuna the Elder, however, they used to pay no attention to the guest at this time, but later they used to set a table for the guest.’
בְּהַאי יוֹמָא מִלּוּלָא אָסִיר, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (ישעיהו נ״ח:י״ג) מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר, וּתְנָן חֶפְצְךָ כְּתִיב, בְּגִין דְּהַאי יוֹמָא כָּל מְהֵימְנוּתָא אִתְקְשַׁר בֵּיהּ.
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, וְהֵיךְ עֲבִידְנָא דְּלָא לְסַדְּרָא (ס"א לסלקא) סְעוּדָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא לְאוּשְׁפִּיזָא, דְּהָא אַרְבֵּיסָר דְּחַל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, סַלְּקָא סְעוּדָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא לְפִסְחָא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּלָאו אִיהוּ אוּשְׁפִּיזֵיהּ.
But,’ said R. Eleazar, ‘how is it possible not to set the king’s banquet before the guest, seeing that if the fourteenth day of Nisan falls on a Sabbath, the banquet of the king is waived in favour of the Passover, although it is not yet a guest.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ הָכִי אֲמֵינָא דְּאִי הוּא אוּשְׁפִּיזֵיהּ, (כל ההוא יומא) יַכְלָא לְסַלְּקָא לֵיהּ, וְאִי לָאו לָא סַלְּקָא לֵיהּ. וְאִי נֵימָא די"ד דְּחַל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת, אִתְדַּחְיָיא סְעוּדָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא מִקַּמֵּי סְעוּדָתָא דְּפִסְחָא. שָׁאנֵי פֶּסַח, דִּסְעוּדָתָא דְּשַׁבָּת אִתְדַחְיָיא בְּכַמָּה גַּוְונִין. חַד, בְּגִין מַצוֹת וּמְרוֹרִים, דְּבָעֵי בַּר נָשׁ דְּיִשְׁתְּכַח תָּאִיבָא. וְחַד, בְּגִין פֶּסַח וְהָא נָהֲמָא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח מו' שָׁעוֹת וּלְמַעְלָה, דְּסִדּוּרָא דְּפָתוֹרָא בְּלָא נָהֲמָא, לָאו הוּא סִדּוּרָא.
He replied: There are indeed a number of reasons why the banquet of the King is waived on account of the Passover-one, that a man should come hungry to the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and, again, there is no bread after midday, and a table without bread is not complete.
וְאִי תֵּימָא בְּחַמְרָא, חַמְרָא שָׁארֵי, בְּגִין דְּתָאִיב (ס"א דגריר ס"א דגביר) לִבָּא. אֲבָל מִיוֹמָי אִשְׁתָּדַּלְּנָא דְּלָא בָּטִילְנָא סְעוּדָתָא דְּשַׁבָּת, אֲפִילּוּ אִינּוּן יוֹמֵי, דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ. בְּהַאי יוֹמָא חֲקַל דְּתַפּוּחִין קַדִּישִׁין אִתְבְּרַךְ, וּמִתְבָּרְכָן עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, וְהַאי יוֹמָא קִשׁוּרָא הוּא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.
However, I myself have always been particular not to waive the third Sabbath meal even when the Sabbath happens to be the eve of Passover. On this day (of Sabbath) the holy Field of Apples is blessed, and higher and lower are blessed, and this day is the link of the (two branches of the) Torah.
אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, הָכִי הֲוָה עָבִיד רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, בְּזִמְנָא דְּאִסְתְּלַּק סְעוּדָתָא דְּשַׁבָּתָא, מְסַדֵּר פָּתוֹרֵיהּ וְאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּמַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה, וַהֲוָה אָמַר הָא סְעוּדָתָא דְּמַלְכָּא דְּיֵיתֵי לְמֵיכַל גַּבָּאי. בְּגִינֵי כַּךְ, שַׁבָּת, אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּכֹלָּא עָדִיף מִכָּל זִמְנִין וְחַגִּין, וְאִקְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ וְלָא מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ.
R. Abba said: ‘R. Simeon, when the Sabbath meal was removed, used to ‘arrange his table and meditate on the Construction of the Chariot,1i.e. the relation of God to the universe, as set forth in the first chapter of Ezekiel. and say, Here is the banquet of the King, let Him come and partake with me. Therefore Sabbath is superior to all feasts and appointed seasons, and is called “holy” and not “holy convocation”.’
אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, כֻּלְּהוּ מוֹעֲדִים מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ קָרֵינָן בְּהוּ. אֲבָל נַפְקֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹמָא דְּכִפּוּרָא דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּהוּ חֶדְוָותָא, דְּהָא אִינּוּן דִּינָא הֲווֹ, אֲבָל אִלֵּין תְּלָתָא, זְמִינִין מִקֹּדֶשׁ, לְחֶדְוָותָא לְכֹלָּא, לְאִשְׁתַּעְשְׁעָא בְּהוּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (דברים י״ב:י״ב) וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם לִפְנֵי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, וּכְתִיב (דברים כ״ז:ז׳) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ. בְּהַאי יוֹמָא דְּשַׁבְּתָא, אִתְנְשֵׁי כָּל צַעֲרָא וְכָל רוּגְזָא וְכָל דּוֹחֲקָא מִכָּל עָלְמָא, בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ יוֹמָא דְּהִילוּלָא דְּמַלְכָּא, דְּנִשְׁמָתִין אִתּוֹסְפָן, כְּגַוְונָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.
R. Judah said: ‘New Year and the Day of Atonement are not called “holy convocations”, because there is no joy on them, they being days of judgement. But the three festivals are times of gladness when Israel have joyous communion with the Holy One, blessed be He. On the Sabbath all sorrow and vexation and trouble is forgotten because it is the day of the espousals of the King, when an additional soul is imparted (to men) as in the future world.
אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק לְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה, כְּתִיב (שמות כ׳:ח׳) זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ, וְתָנֵינָן זָכְרֵהוּ עַל הַיַּיִן, אֲמַאי עַל הַיַּיִן. אָמַר לֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּיַיִן חֶדְוָותָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְיֵינָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, חֶדְוָותָא הוּא דְּכֹלָּא. וְהַאי יַיִן חַדֵּי לְמַלְכָּא, וְהַאי יַיִן מְעַטְּרָא לְמַלְכָּא בְּעִטְרוֹי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (שיר השירים ג׳:י״א) צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בַּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לוֹ אִמּוֹ. וְתָנֵינָן בְּכֹלָּא בַּעְיָיא לְאַחֲזָאָה בַּר נָשׁ עוֹבָדָא. דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח קְדוּשָּׁה אֶלָּא בְּיַיִן, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (שיר השירים א׳:ד׳) כִּי טוֹבִים דּוֹדֶיךָ מִיָּיִן, מִיַּיִן אִינּוּן טָבָאָן, נַזְכִּירָה דֹּדֶיךָ מִיַּיִן. וְעַל דָּא קִדוּשָׁה דְּשַׁבָּת בְּיַיִן, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ, וְהָא אִתְּמַר.
R. Isaac asked R. Judah: ‘Why have we learnt that Sabbath is to be remembered over wine?’ He replied: ‘Because wine represents the joy of the Torah, and the wine of the Torah is the universal joy.’