Study Shabbat folio 104A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
he elevates its status, as Rav Ḥisda said: The letters mem and samekh that were in the tablets were standing miraculously. Each letter was chiseled all the way through the tablets. In that case, the segment of the tablets at the center of the samekh and final mem, letters that are completely close
The Talmud rejects this: And is that reasonable? Isn’t it written: “These are the commandments that YHWH commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel at Mount Sinai” (Leviticus 27:34). The word “these” underscores that a prophet is not permitted to introduce any new element related to the Torah an
The Talmud returns to discuss the matter itself. Rav Ḥisda said: The letters mem and samekh that were in the tablets were standing miraculously. And furthermore, Rav Ḥisda said: The writing on the tablets was read from the inside, from one side of the tablets, and read from the outside, the othe
The rabbis said to R' Yehoshua ben Levi: Young students came today to the study hall and said things the likes of which were not said even in the days of Joshua bin Nun. These children who only knew the Hebrew alphabet interpreted the letters homiletically. Alef beit means learn [elaf] the wisdom [
The children continued to interpret the letters. Heh vav: That is the principal name of God. Zayin ḥet, tet yod, kaf lamed: And if you do so, God feeds [zan] you, and shows you favor [ḥan], and bestows goodness [meitiv] upon you, and gives you an inheritance [yerusha], and ties a crown [keter] for