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The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com


CHAPTER VI.

1. "With what may a woman go out?" And "with what may she not go out?" "A woman may not go out with laces of wool, nor with laces of flax, nor with straps on her head, and she cannot baptize herself in them till she unloose them; nor with frontlets, nor temple fillets, unless sewn to her cap, nor with a headband, into the public street, nor with a golden crown in the form of Jerusalem, nor with

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a necklace, nor with nose-rings, nor with a ring without a seal, nor with a needle without an eye; but, if she go out, she is not guilty of a sin-offering."

2. A man must not go out with hobnailed sandals, 1 nor with one sandal when there is no sore on his other foot, nor with phylacteries, nor with an amulet unless it be of an expert, nor with a coat of mail, nor with a helmet, nor with greaves; but, if he go out, he is not guilty of a sin-offering.

3. "A woman must not go out with an eyed needle, nor with a signet ring, nor with a spiral head-dress, nor with a scent-box, nor with a bottle of musk; and if she go out she is guilty of a sin-offering." The words of Rabbi Meier. But the Sages "absolve the scent-box and the bottle of musk."

4. The man must not go out with sword, nor bow, nor shield, nor sling, nor lance; and if he go out he is guilty of a sin-offering. Rabbi Eleazar said, "they are his ornaments." But the Sages say, "they are only for shame, as is said, 'And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'" 2 Garters are clean, and they may go forth in them on Sabbath. Anklets 3 contract uncleanness, and they must not go out in them on Sabbath.

5. A woman may go out with plaits of hair whether they be her own, or her companion's, or a beast's hair, with frontlets and temple fillets, when they are sewn to her cap, with a headband or a stranger's curl into the courtyard, with wool in her ear, and wool in her shoe, and wool prepared for her separation, with pepper, or with a grain of salt, 4 or with anything which she will put inside her mouth, except that she shall not put it in for the first time on the Sabbath, and if it fall out she must not put it back. "A false tooth or a

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tooth of gold?" Rabbi "allows it." But the Sages "forbid it."

6. A woman may go out with a coin on a sore foot. Little girls may go out with plaits and even splinters in their ears. Arab women go out veiled, and Median women with mantillas; and so may any one, but, as the Sages have said, "according to their custom."

7. A mantilla may be folded over a stone, or a nut, or money, save only that it be not expressly folded for the Sabbath.

8. "The cripple may go out on his wooden leg." The words of Rabbi Meier. But Rabbi José forbids it. "But if it have a place for receiving rags?" "It is unclean." His crutches cause uncleanness by treading. But they may go out with them on the Sabbath, and they may enter with them into the Temple court. The chair and crutches (of a paralytic) cause uncleanness by treading, and they must not go out with them on the Sabbath, and they must not enter with them into the Temple court. Stilts 1 are clean, but they must not go out with them.

9. The sons may go out with their (father's) girdles. And sons of kings with little bells; and so may any one, but, as the Sages have said, "according to their custom."

10. "They may go out with an egg of a locust, 2 and a tooth of a fox, 3 and a nail of one crucified, as medicine." 4 The words of Rabbi Meier. But the Sages say (others read the words of Rabbi José and Rabbi Meier) "it is forbidden even on a week day, because of the ways of the Amorites." 5


Footnotes

90:1 Once a number of Jews took refuge in a cave, and hearing some persons pass, whom they supposed to be enemies, they fell on each other with their hobnailed sandals, and beat each other to death.

90:2 Isaiah xi. 4; Micah iv. 3.

90:3 These anklets were a kind of chain used to prevent members of certain families in Jerusalem taking too wide strides in walking.

90:4 To cure toothache.

91:1 Others translate "masks."

91:2 To cure ear-ache.

91:3 To cure one who did not sleep enough they used a tooth of a dead fox. For one who slept too much, they used a tooth of a living fox.

91:4 To cure ague.

91:5 Lev. xviii. 3.


Next: Chapter VII