Said R. Judah: ‘In regard to R. Abba’s interpretation of the words: “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk” (v. supra), ought not this passage according to him to have read, “in the mother’s” rather than “in his mother’s”? For if the “kid” represents the spirit of impurity and the “mother” the Shekinah, dare one thus assert that the Community of Israel (the Shekinah) is the “mother” of the spirit of impurity-the Community of Israel, concerning whom R. Simeon has said that the Holy Mother is the very essence of Israel, part and parcel of her being, as it is written: “For the Lord’s portion is his people” (Deut. 32, 9)?’
R. Simeon replied: ‘Your question is good, and yet R. Abba’s remark is correct. See now. Two powers hold fast to the Shekinah, imbibing strength from Her strength, and clinging one to Her right hand and one to Her left. Therefore some incline towards the right and some towards the left, and all depend upon this holy “Mother”.
But the things of the Left are attached to this Mother only when she herself imbibes from the “other side”, and the sanctuary is defiled and the mighty serpent begins to manifest himself. Then “the kid sucks of his mother’s milk”, and judgement is aroused. For this reason the Israelites hastened to bring the firstfruits, and when the priest had taken the basket of fruit from the hands of an Israelite and set it down before the altar, the latter would begin to recite the story of how Laban (“the Syrian”, cf. Deut. 26, 5) came with his witchcraft to subject Jacob and his holy descendants, but did not succeed, and Israel was not delivered to the “other side” It is concerning this that it is written: “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord Thy God. Thou shalt not seethe the kid in his mother’s milk”, so that the “kid”, namely the “other side”, should not suck the milk of his “mother”, and the sanctuary be not defiled, and the severe judgements be not roused.
Therefore the holy seed is prohibited to eat flesh together with milk,1v. Onkelos to Ex. 23, 19. in order that a place in holiness should not be allotted to him who does not belong to it; for on this action the thing depends: the act below affects the activity above. Blessed are the Israelites above all the heathen nations for that their Lord says concerning them: “Ye are the children of the Lord your God”; “Thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut. XIV, I, 2).
It is set forth in the mysteries of King Solomon’s book that he who eats a composite of flesh and milk, or drinks milk shortly after eating meat, will appear for a space of forty days to the vision of the accusing angels in the aspect of a slaughtered goat, with myriads of impure powers surrounding him, and he causes unholy judgements to be awakened in the world.
And should he beget a son during those forty days, the latter will imbibe his soul and the breath of his spirit from the “other side”..It says: “Ye shall sanctify yourself and ye shall be holy” (Lev. 11, 44), which signifies that he who endeavours to be holy is assisted from above, and, contrariwise, he who defiles himself is drawn on to defilement by the unholy powers, as it is written in the preceding verse (43): “Ye shall not make yourselves unclean… that ye shall be defiled.” This is an impurity which is exceedingly gross, and which cannot be done away with by means of purification as can other defilements. Besides, such a person, having come to look, even in outer seeming, like a goat-as we have said-goes in constant fear of wild animals, for the human image has disappeared from both his inner and his outer aspects.
R. Jesse used at one time to allow the eating of chicken with cheese or with milk. But R. Simeon said unto him: ‘Thou must not permit this, lest thou thereby open the door to evil powers. Does one not say to a Nazarite: “Go away, go away, depart and come not near the vineyard!”? I say to thee, thou must not do this thing! If thou allowest such prohibited minglings of foods it is as though thou gavest wine unto a Nazarite. It is written: “Thou shalt not eat any abomination” (Deut. 14, 3), where the word “any” includes every kind and sort of food which is forbidden.’
There is a tradition that Daniel, Hananniah, Mishael and Azariah were delivered from their trials only because they had not defiled themselves with forbidden food. Said R. Judah: ‘It is written: “And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat” (Dan. 1, 8), and there is a tradition that the wicked Nebuchadnezzar used, apart from the other strange dishes for which he had a partiality, to eat flesh with milk and cheese with meat.
Because Daniel refrained from partaking of such food, when he was thrown into the lions’ den, he attained fully to the image of the Lord, his perfected human form not changing to any other, so that the lions were struck with awe before him and did him no harm. On the other hand, when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar was deprived of his kingdom and he dwelt with the beasts of the field, his human countenance was taken away from him and from that day he did not bear the impress of a man, so that all the beasts of the field considered him as one of themselves, and would readily have devoured him, had it not been that it was decreed from heaven that he should become an object of derision to all men, just as he in his time had “scoffed at kings” (Hab. 1, 10).
It is written concerning Daniel and his companions that “at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter than the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat” (Dan. 1, 5). This was because the image of their Lord was not removed from them, whereas from those others it was. What was the cause of this?.The fact that they did not pollute themselves with the abomination of the prohibited food. Blessed are the Israelites who are called to be a “holy people”!’
אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, הַאי דְּאָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, דִּכְתִּיב לא תְּבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ, בַּחֲלֵב הָאֵם מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי אִמּוֹ. וְאִי תֵּימָא, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אִמּוֹ דְּסִטְרָא דִּמְסָאֳבָא, לָאו הָכִי, דְּהָא שְׁמַעְנָא דְּאָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אִימָּא קַדִּישָׁא בְּחוּלָקֵיהּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִתְאַחֲדָא, דִּכְתִּיב, (דברים לב) כִּי חֵלֶק יְיָ' עַמּוֹ.
Said R. Judah: ‘In regard to R. Abba’s interpretation of the words: “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk” (v. supra), ought not this passage according to him to have read, “in the mother’s” rather than “in his mother’s”? For if the “kid” represents the spirit of impurity and the “mother” the Shekinah, dare one thus assert that the Community of Israel (the Shekinah) is the “mother” of the spirit of impurity-the Community of Israel, concerning whom R. Simeon has said that the Holy Mother is the very essence of Israel, part and parcel of her being, as it is written: “For the Lord’s portion is his people” (Deut. 32, 9)?’
אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, שַׁפִּיר קָאָמַרְתְּ. וְהָא דְּרַבִּי אַבָּא שַׁפִּיר וְכֹלָּא דָּא בְּדָא תַּלְיָא. תָּא חֲזִי, אִמָא אִתְאַחֲדָא לְהוּ לְעֵילָּא, לְסִטְרָא דָּא וּלְסִטְרָא דָּא, וּתְרֵין אִינּוּן, חֲדָא לִימִינָא, וַחֲדָא לִשְׂמָאלָא. וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ, מִנְּהוֹן לִימִינָא, וּמִנְּהוֹן לִשְׂמָאלָא. וְכֻלְּהוּ תַּלְיָין בְּהַאי אֵ"ם, אִמָּא קַדִּישָׁא, וְאִתְאַחֲדָן בָּהּ.
R. Simeon replied: ‘Your question is good, and yet R. Abba’s remark is correct. See now. Two powers hold fast to the Shekinah, imbibing strength from Her strength, and clinging one to Her right hand and one to Her left. Therefore some incline towards the right and some towards the left, and all depend upon this holy “Mother”.
אֵימָתַי אִתְאַחֲדָן בָּהּ. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּהַאי אֵם יָנְקָא מִסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא, וּמִקְדְּשָׁא אִסְתְּאָב, וְחִוְיָא תַּקִּיפָא שַׁארִי לְאִתְגַּלָּאָה, כְּדֵין גַּדְיָא יַנְקָא מֵחָלָבָא דְּאִמֵּיהּ, וְדִינִין מִתְעָרִין. וְעַל דָּא, יִשְׂרָאֵל קַדְּמִין וְאֵייתָאן בִּכּוּרִים, וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּמַיְיתִין לְהוּ, בַּעְיָין לְמֵימַר וּלְמִפְתַּח בֵּיהּ בְּלָבָן, דְּבָעָא בְּחַרְשׁוֹי אִלֵּין, לְשַׁלְּטָאָה בְּיַעֲקֹב, וּבְזַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְלָא אִתְיְיהִיבוּ בִּידֵיהּ, וְלָא אִתְמַסְּרָן יִשְׂרָאֵל לְסִטְרָא דָּא. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ וְגוֹ', לא תְּבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ. וְלָא יָנְקָא הַהוּא סִטְרָא, מֵחָלָבָא דְּאִמֵּיהּ, דְּהָא לָא יִסְתְּאָב מַקְדְּשָׁא, וְדִינִין לָא מִתְעָרִין.
But the things of the Left are attached to this Mother only when she herself imbibes from the “other side”, and the sanctuary is defiled and the mighty serpent begins to manifest himself. Then “the kid sucks of his mother’s milk”, and judgement is aroused. For this reason the Israelites hastened to bring the firstfruits, and when the priest had taken the basket of fruit from the hands of an Israelite and set it down before the altar, the latter would begin to recite the story of how Laban (“the Syrian”, cf. Deut. 26, 5) came with his witchcraft to subject Jacob and his holy descendants, but did not succeed, and Israel was not delivered to the “other side” It is concerning this that it is written: “The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord Thy God. Thou shalt not seethe the kid in his mother’s milk”, so that the “kid”, namely the “other side”, should not suck the milk of his “mother”, and the sanctuary be not defiled, and the severe judgements be not roused.
בְּגִינֵי כַּךְ, לָא יֵיכוּל בִּשְׂרָא בְּחָלָבָא כָּל זַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְכָל מַאן דְּאָתֵי מִסְּטַר דָּא, דְּלָא יָהִיב דּוּכְתָּא, לְמַאן דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ, דְּהָא בְּעוֹבָדָא תַּלְיָא מִלְּתָא, בְּעוֹבָדָא דִּלְתַתָּא, לְאַתְעֲרָא לְעֵילָּא. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת, דְמָרֵיהוֹן קָרֵי עָלַיְיהוּ, (דברים י״ד:ב׳) וּבְךָ בָּחַר יְיָ' לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה. וּכְתִיב (דברים י״ד:ב׳) כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַיְיָ' אֱלהֶיךָ (וכלא חד מילה) וּכְתִיב (דברים י״ד:א׳) בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַיְיָ' אֱלהֵיכֶם וְגוֹ'.
Therefore the holy seed is prohibited to eat flesh together with milk,1v. Onkelos to Ex. 23, 19. in order that a place in holiness should not be allotted to him who does not belong to it; for on this action the thing depends: the act below affects the activity above. Blessed are the Israelites above all the heathen nations for that their Lord says concerning them: “Ye are the children of the Lord your God”; “Thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut. XIV, I, 2).
תָּא חֲזִי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לָא אִתְכְּשָׁרוּ עוֹבָדַיְיהוּ, מַה כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו ג׳:י״ב) עַמִּי נוֹגְשָׂיו מְעוֹלֵל וְנָשִׁים מָשְׁלוּ בוֹ. מָשְׁלוּ בוֹ דַּיְיקָא, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלֵּי בְּרָזָא דְּסִפְרָא דְּשְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא. וְהָכִי אַשְׁכְּחָן בֵּיהּ. תּוּ אַשְׁכְּחָאן, דְּכָל מַאן דְּאָכִיל הַאי מֵיכְלָא דְּאִתְחַבָּר כַּחֲדָא. (או) בְּשַׁעֲתָא חֲדָא, אוֹ בִּסְעוּדָתָא חֲדָא. אַרְבְּעִין יוֹמִין אִתְחַזְיָא גַּדְיָא מְקֻלָּסָא בִּקְלִפּוֹי, לְגַבֵּי אִינּוּן דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְסִיַּעְתָּא מְסָאֲבָא מִתְקָרְבִין בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וְגָרִים לְאַתְעֲרָא דִּינִין בְּעָלְמָא, דִּינִין דְּלָא קַדִּישִׁין.
It is set forth in the mysteries of King Solomon’s book that he who eats a composite of flesh and milk, or drinks milk shortly after eating meat, will appear for a space of forty days to the vision of the accusing angels in the aspect of a slaughtered goat, with myriads of impure powers surrounding him, and he causes unholy judgements to be awakened in the world.
וְאִי אוֹלִיד בַּר בְּאִינּוּן יוֹמִין, אוֹזְפִין לֵיהּ נִשְׁמְתָא, מִסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא, דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיכָא. וּכְתִיב (ויקרא י״א:מ״ד) וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדוֹשִׁים וְגוֹ'. אָתֵי לְאִסְתַּאֲבָא, מְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ וַדַּאי. דִּכְתִּיב, (ויקרא י״א:מ״ד) וְנִטְמֵתֶם בָּם, חָסֵר א', מְסָאֳבוּתָא אֲטִימָא מִכֹּלָּא, דְּלֵית רְשׁוּ לְאִתְדַּכְּאָה הָכִי, כִּשְׁאַר זִינֵי דִּמְסָאֳבוּתָא דְּמִתְדַּכִּין. וְתוּ, דְּמִסְתָּפֵי מֵחֵיוָן בִּישָׁן, דְּהָא בְּעֵינַיְיהוּ גַּדְיָא אִשְׁתְּכַח, וְיָכִיל לְאַתְּזְקָא, דְּהָא צֻלְמָא דְּבַר נָשׁ אִתְעֲבָר מִנֵּיהּ.
And should he beget a son during those forty days, the latter will imbibe his soul and the breath of his spirit from the “other side”..It says: “Ye shall sanctify yourself and ye shall be holy” (Lev. 11, 44), which signifies that he who endeavours to be holy is assisted from above, and, contrariwise, he who defiles himself is drawn on to defilement by the unholy powers, as it is written in the preceding verse (43): “Ye shall not make yourselves unclean… that ye shall be defiled.” This is an impurity which is exceedingly gross, and which cannot be done away with by means of purification as can other defilements. Besides, such a person, having come to look, even in outer seeming, like a goat-as we have said-goes in constant fear of wild animals, for the human image has disappeared from both his inner and his outer aspects.
רַבִּי יֵיסָא, שָׁרֵי לְמֵיכַל לְתַרְנְגוֹלָא בִּגְבִינָה אוֹ בְּחָלָבָא. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָסִיר לָךְ דְּלָא יָהִיב אִינִישׁ פִּתְחָא לְזִינִין בִּישִׁין. לֵךְ לֵךְ אַמְרִין נְזִירָא, סְחוֹר סְחוֹר לְכַרְמָא לָא תִּקְרַב. וַדַּאי אָסִיר לָךְ הוּא, דְּחוּמְרָא אִית בֵּיהּ, כִּבְעִירָא לַשְּׁחִיטָה. וּמַאן דְּשָׁרֵי הַאי, מַה כְּתִיב (עמוס ב׳:י״ב) וַתַּשְׁקוּ אֶת הַנְּזִירִים יָיִן, מַאן דְּשָׁרֵי הַאי, כְּמַאָן דְּשָׁרֵי הַאי. וּכְתִיב (דברים י״ד:ג׳) לֹא תֹאכַל כָּל תּוֹעֵבָה, כָּל, לְאַכְלָלָא כֹּלָּא.
R. Jesse used at one time to allow the eating of chicken with cheese or with milk. But R. Simeon said unto him: ‘Thou must not permit this, lest thou thereby open the door to evil powers. Does one not say to a Nazarite: “Go away, go away, depart and come not near the vineyard!”? I say to thee, thou must not do this thing! If thou allowest such prohibited minglings of foods it is as though thou gavest wine unto a Nazarite. It is written: “Thou shalt not eat any abomination” (Deut. 14, 3), where the word “any” includes every kind and sort of food which is forbidden.’
תָּאנָא, בְּמָה זָכוּ דָּנִיֵאל חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה, דְּאִשְׁתְּזִיבוּ מֵאִינּוּן נִסְיוֹנֵי, אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּלָא אִסְתָּאֲבוּ בְּמֵיכְלֵיהוֹן. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, כְּתִיב (דניאל א׳:ח׳) וַיָּשֶׂם דָּנִיֵאל עַל לִבּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לא יִתְגָּאַל בְּפַת בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ וְגוֹ'. וְתָאנָא בִּסְתִימָא דְּמַתְנִיתִין, מֵיכְלָא דְּהַהוּא רָשָׁע, בִּשְׂרָא בְּחָלָבָא הֲוָה וּגְבִינָה עִם בִּשְׂרָא, בַּר מֵיכְלָן אַחֲרָנִין, וְדָא סָלִיק לֵיהּ בְּפָתוֹרֵיהּ, בְּכָל יוֹמָא.
There is a tradition that Daniel, Hananniah, Mishael and Azariah were delivered from their trials only because they had not defiled themselves with forbidden food. Said R. Judah: ‘It is written: “And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat” (Dan. 1, 8), and there is a tradition that the wicked Nebuchadnezzar used, apart from the other strange dishes for which he had a partiality, to eat flesh with milk and cheese with meat.
וְדָנִיֵאל דְּאִסְתָּמַּר מֵהַאי, כַּד רָמוּ יָתֵיהּ לְגוּבָא דְּאַרְיָיוָותָא, אִשְׁתְּלִים בְּצוּלְמָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וְלָא שָׁנֵי (בראשית קצ"א ע"א) צוּלְמֵיהּ לְצוּלְמָא אַחֲרָא, וְעַל דָּא דַּחֲלוּ אַרְיָיוָותָא מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא חַבְּלוּהוּ. וְהַהוּא רָשָׁע, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּמַלְכוּתָא אִתְעָדֵי מִנֵּיהּ, (דניאל ד׳:כ׳) וְעִם חֵיוַת בָּרָא הֲוָה מָדוֹרֵיהּ, אַעְדֵּי צוּלְמָא דְּאַנְפּוֹי מִנֵּיהּ, וּמֵהַהוּא יוֹמָא, לָא אִתְחָזֵי צוּלְמֵיהּ, צוּלְמָא דְּבַר נָשׁ. וְכָל בְּעִירָא דְּאָתֵי, אִתְחָזֵי לֵיהּ, צוּלְמָא דְּזִינֵיהּ, וְנוּקְבֵיהּ, וַהֲווּ אַתְיָין עָלֵיהּ כֻּלְּהוּ, וּבְכַמָּה זִמְנִין הֲווֹ אַכְלִין לֵיהּ חֵיוָת בָּרָא, בַּר דְּאִתְגְּזַר הַאי עוֹנְשָׁא עָלֵיהּ, בְּגִין דִּכְתִּיב, (חבקוק א׳:י׳) וְהוּא בַּמְּלָכִים יִתְקַלָּס, בְּגִין כַּךְ, כֹּלָּא יִתְקַלְּסוּ בֵּיהּ, כָּל הַהוּא זִמְנָא.
Because Daniel refrained from partaking of such food, when he was thrown into the lions’ den, he attained fully to the image of the Lord, his perfected human form not changing to any other, so that the lions were struck with awe before him and did him no harm. On the other hand, when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar was deprived of his kingdom and he dwelt with the beasts of the field, his human countenance was taken away from him and from that day he did not bear the impress of a man, so that all the beasts of the field considered him as one of themselves, and would readily have devoured him, had it not been that it was decreed from heaven that he should become an object of derision to all men, just as he in his time had “scoffed at kings” (Hab. 1, 10).
תָּא חֲזִי, מַה כְּתִיב, (דניאל א׳:י״ג) וּלְמִקְצַת יָמִים עֲשָׂרָה נִרְאָה מַרְאֵיהֶן טוֹב מִכָּל הַיְלָדִים הָאוֹכְלִים אֶת פַּת בַּג הַמֶּלֶךְ. נִרְאָה מַרְאֵיהֶן טוֹב, דְּצוּלְמָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן לָא אַעְדִּיאוּ מִנְּהוֹן, וּמֵאַחֲרִנֵי אַעְדִּיאוּ. מַאן גָּרִים הַאי. בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְגַּעֲלוּ בְּגִיעוּלֵי מֵיכְלֵיהוֹן. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּכְתִּיב בְּהוּ, וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי.
It is written concerning Daniel and his companions that “at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter than the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat” (Dan. 1, 5). This was because the image of their Lord was not removed from them, whereas from those others it was. What was the cause of this?.The fact that they did not pollute themselves with the abomination of the prohibited food. Blessed are the Israelites who are called to be a “holy people”!’