וְאַף רַב סָבַר אֵין מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: מִנַּיִין שֶׁאֵין מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל? — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיּוֹצֵא אוֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה״, אָמַר אַבְרָהָם לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, ״בֶן בֵּיתִי יוֹרֵשׁ אוֹתִי״, אָמַר לוֹ: לָאו — ״כִּי אִם אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִמֵּעֶיךָ״. אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם נִסְתַּכַּלְתִּי בְּאִיצְטַגְנִינוּת שֶׁלִּי, וְאֵינִי רָאוּי לְהוֹלִיד בֵּן. אָמַר לוֹ: צֵא מֵאִיצְטַגְנִינוּת שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁאֵין מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי דַּעְתָּיךְ? דְּקָאֵי צֶדֶק בְּמַעֲרָב — מְהַדַּרְנָא וּמוֹקֵימְנָא לֵיהּ בְּמִזְרָח. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב: ״מִי הֵעִיר מִמִּזְרָח צֶדֶק יִקְרָאֵהוּ לְרַגְלוֹ״.
And Rav also holds that there is no constellation for the Jewish people, as Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: From where is it derived that there is no constellation for the Jewish people? As it is stated with regard to Abraham: “And He brought him outside, and said: Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if you are able to count them; and He said unto him: So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). The Sages derived from this that Abraham said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, and one born in my house is to be my heir” (Genesis 15:3). The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: No. “And, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying: This man shall not be your heir; rather, one that will come forth from your own innards shall be your heir” (Genesis 15:4). Abraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, I looked at my astrological map, and according to the configuration of my constellations I am not fit to have a son. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Emerge from your astrology, as the verse states: “And He brought him outside,” as there is no constellation for Israel. What is your thinking? Is it because Jupiter is situated in the west that you cannot have children? I will restore it and establish it in the east. And that is the meaning of that which is written with regard to Abraham: “Who has raised up one from the east, he will call justice [tzedek] to his steps [leraglo]. He gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings; his sword makes them as the dust, his bow as the driven stubble” (Isaiah 41:2). God established Jupiter [tzedek] in the east on behalf of [leraglo] Abraham.
א"ר יוחנן אין מושיבין בסנהדרי אלא בעלי קומה ובעלי חכמה ובעלי מראה ובעלי זקנה ובעלי כשפים ויודעים בע' לשון שלא תהא סנהדרי שומעת מפי המתורגמן אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אין מושיבין בסנהדרין אלא מי שיודע לטהר את השרץ מה"ת אמר רב אני אדון ואטהרנו
§ Rabbi Yoḥanan says: They place on the Great Sanhedrin only men of high stature, and of wisdom, and of pleasant appearance, and of suitable age so that they will be respected. And they must also be masters of sorcery, i.e., they know the nature of sorcery, so that they can judge sorcerers, and they must know all seventy languages in order that the Sanhedrin will not need to hear testimony from the mouth of a translator in a case where a witness speaks a different language. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: They place on the Sanhedrin only one who knows how to render a carcass of a creeping animal pure by Torah law. The judges on the Sanhedrin must be so skilled at logical reasoning that they could even produce a convincing argument that creeping animals, which the Torah states explicitly are ritually impure, are actually pure. Rav said: I will discuss the halakha of the creeping animal and render it pure, i.e., I am able to demonstrate how it is possible to construct such a proof:
כְּתִיב אַפִּינְקָסֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הַאי מַאן דִּבְחַד בְּשַׁבָּא, יְהֵי גְּבַר וְלָא חֲדָא בֵּיהּ.
After citing relevant halakhot written in the notebooks of various Sages, the Gemara relates that it was written in Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s notebook: One who was born on the first day of the week, Sunday, will be a person and there will not be one in him.
רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, חַד אָכֵיל דַּיְיסָא בְּאֶצְבְּעָתֵיהּ וְחַד אָכֵיל בְּהוּצָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ דְּאָכֵיל בְּהוּצָא לִדְאָכֵיל בְּאֶצְבְּעָתֵיהּ: עַד מָתַי אַתָּה מַאֲכִילֵנִי צוֹאָתְךָ! אֲמַר לֵיהּ דְּאָכֵיל בְּאֶצְבְּעָתֵיהּ לִדְאָכֵיל בְּהוּצָא: עַד מָתַי אַתָּה מַאֲכִילֵנִי רוּקְּךָ!
The Gemara relates more incidents: Rabbi Yosei and Rabbi Yehuda dined together. One of them ate porridge with his fingers, and the other one ate with a fork [hutza]. The one who was eating with a fork said to the one who was eating with his fingers: For how long will you keep feeding me your filth? Must I keep eating off of your dirty fingernails? The one who was eating with his fingers said to the one who was eating with a fork: For how long will you keep feeding me your spittle, as you eat with a fork which you then put back in the common bowl.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ לָא קָא בָעֵינָא מִינָּךְ מִידֵּי בָּעֵינָא דְּאֶיבְנְיֵיהּ לְבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְקָא מִיבְּעֵי לִי שָׁמִירָא אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְדִידִי לָא מְסִיר לִי לְשָׂרָא דְיַמָּא מָסֵיר לֵיהּ וְלָא יָהֵיב לֵיהּ אֶלָּא לְתַרְנְגוֹלָא בָּרָא דִּמְהֵימַן לֵיהּ אַשְּׁבוּעֲתֵיהּ
Solomon said to him: I need nothing from you. I want to build the Temple and I need the shamir for this. Ashmedai said to him: The shamir was not given to me, but it was given to the angelic minister of the sea. And he gives it only to the wild rooster, also known as the dukhifat or the hoopoe, whom he trusts by the force of his oath to return it.
וְכוֹס עִקָּרִין. מַאי כּוֹס עִקָּרִין? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: לַיְיתֵי מַתְקַל זוּזָא קוּמָא אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרָיָא, וּמַתְקַל זוּזָא גַּבְיָא גִּילָא, וּמַתְקַל זוּזָא כּוּרְכְּמָא רִישְׁקָא, וְלִישְׁחֲקִינְהוּ בַּהֲדֵי הֲדָדֵי. לְזָבָה — תְּלָתָא בְּחַמְרָא, וְלָא מִיעַקְרָא. לְיַרְקוֹנָא — תְּרֵין בְּשִׁיכְרָא, וּמִיעֲקַר. לְזָבָה תְּלָתָא בְּחַמְרָא, וְלָא מִיעַקְרָא. וְאִי לָא — לַיְיתֵי תְּלָתָא
And we also learned about a kos ikarin in the mishna. The Gemara asks: What is a kos ikarin? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Let one bring the weight of a zuz of Alexandrian gum, and a weight of a zuz of alum, and a weight of a zuz of garden saffron, and let one grind them together. The procedure for treating a zava is that she should drink these three ingredients with wine, and she will be cured of her emission and will not become barren. For treating jaundice one should drink two of these ingredients with beer; however, one will become sterile from it. It was said that for treating a zava, she should drink these three ingredients with wine and she will be healed from her emission and will not become barren. And if it is not effective, let one bring three
לְעוֹלָם דְּאַפְקְרִינְהוּ; וְלָא דָּמֵי לְבוֹר, מָה לְבוֹר – שֶׁכֵּן תְּחִילַּת עֲשִׂיָּיתוֹ לְנֵזֶק; תֹּאמַר בְּהָנֵי – שֶׁאֵין תְּחִילַּת עֲשִׂיָּיתָן לְנֵזֶק.
The Gemara answers: Actually, the mishna teaches one’s liability in a case where one declared the tree or wall ownerless, and even if he declared them ownerless, they are not similar to the primary category of Pit. What is notable about the primary category of Pit? It is notable in that its initial formation, i.e., the digging of the pit, is done in a manner that can result in damage. Will you say the same with regard to these cases, where their initial formation, i.e., the planting of the tree and the building of the wall, is not done in a manner that can result in damage?