Tractate Soferim 12:11

מפסיקין בברכות ואין מפסיקין בקללות א"ר חייא בר גמדא מה טעם דכתיב (משלי ג׳:י״א) ואל תקוץ בתוכחתו אל תעשם קוצים קוצים: It is permitted to make a break¹i.e. the passage may be divided and two persons called up to the reading. in the blessings²e.g. Lev. 26, 3-13. but not in the curses.³ibid. 14-46. R. Ḥiyya b. Gamda said: What is the reason?⁴Why may not more than one person be called to the section of the curses? Because it is written [My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord,]⁵This is the first part of the verse which is not quoted in the text of the Tractate. neither cut thou up His correction⁶Prov. 3, 11, E.V. neither spurn.—do not cut them⁷lit. ‘make it’, a section in the Torah which deals with God’s chastening of Israel. up into pieces.⁸The Heb. root may bear both meanings: ‘spurn’ and ‘cut up’.

א"ר לוי אמר הקב"ה אינו דין שיהיו בני מתקללין ואני מתברך אמר ר׳ יוסי בר אבין לא מטעם הזה אלא זה שהוא עומד לקרות בתורה פותח בדבר טוב וחותם בדבר טוב: R. Levi said:⁹Explaining the reason that no more than one person may be called to the reading of the curses in Lev. 26, 14ff. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is not proper that My children shall be cursed while I am being blessed.¹⁰By the recital of the benedictions in the middle of reading the curses. R. Jose b. Abin said: It is not for this reason, but because one who stands up to read in the Torah must begin and conclude with something auspicious.¹¹If two persons were to be called to the reading, the first would finish and the second begin with a verse which threatens a curse.

לוי בר פאטי שאל לר׳ חנינא אילין ארוריה מאי יקרינון חד ויברך לפניהן ולאחריהן אמר ליה אין לך טעון ברכה לפניו ולאחריו אלא קללות שבתורת כהנים ושבמשנה תורה: Levi b. Paṭi enquired of R. Hanina, ‘What is the law in regard to the curses each of which begins with ’arur?¹²Deut. 27, 15-26, each verse commencing Cursed be. Must they be read by one person only,¹³As with the curses of Lev. 26, 14ff which must not be read by more than one person. and must a benediction be recited before and after them?’ He replied, ‘There is no [passage] that requires a benediction before and after its reading but the curses of Leviticus¹⁴Torath Kohanim, lit. ‘the law of the priests’, the name of the Book of Leviticus. The passage is XXVI, 14-46. and Deuteronomy’.¹⁵Mishneh Torah, lit. ‘the repetition of the law’, the name of the Book of Deuteronomy. The passage is XXVIII, 15-68. Only with these passages, which are not restricted to a particular time, are the benedictions recited before and after they have been read; but with the ’arur curses, which were spoken by the Levites only (cf. Deut. 27, 14) and at the time when the Jordan was crossed (ibid. 2), no benedictions are to be recited.

ר׳ יונתן ספרא דגופתרא נחית להכא חמא לרבי אבונא ספרא קרא שירת הבאר ובירך לפניה ולאחריה א"ל ועבדין כן א"ל עד כדון את לזו צריך כל השירות טעונין ברכה לפניהם ולאחריהם: When Jonathan, a children’s teacher from Gufta,¹⁶In Galilee. V incorrectly ‘Gufthera’. came down here,¹⁷Tiberias where R. Abuna re-sided. The city is a on lower level, hence the verb ‘came down’. he saw a children’s teacher, R. Abuna, reading the Song of the Well¹⁸Num. 21, 17-20. and reciting the benedictions before and after it. ‘Is it proper,’ he asked him, ‘to act in this manner?’¹⁹The rule is that the benedictions are recited only at the beginning and end of the entire section to be read. The Song of the Well, appearing in the middle of a section, should consequently require no benedictions before and after its reading. ‘Do you,’ the other retorted, ‘still require [a ruling] on this subject? All poems²⁰Such as the Song of the Sea (Ex. 15, 1-19), the Song of the Well and probably also Deut. 32, 1-43. must be preceded and followed by benedictions.’

אשאלת לרבי סימון אמר לון בשם ר׳ יהושע בן לוי אין לך טעון ברכה לפניו ולאחריו אלא שירת הים ועשרת הדברות וקללות שבמשנה תורה: A question²¹In connection with the preceding Rule. was asked of²²Another reading is ‘he came and asked’. R. Simon. ‘There is no section’,²³lit. ‘you have not’. he told them in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi, ‘which requires a benediction before and after its reading other than the Song at the Sea, the Ten Words,²⁴The Decalogue (Ex. 20, 2-17). and the curses in Deuteronomy’.²⁵Deut. 28, 15-68. Others add ‘the curses in Leviticus’.

א"ר אבי אני לא שמעתי אלא נראין הדברים בעשרת הדברות רבי יוסי בר אבין בשם רבי בתומנתא פסוקייא אחריה ובמשנה תורה טעונין ברכה לפניהם ולאחריהם: R. Abahu²⁶So GRA and H. V reads ‘Abi’. said: I have not heard [such a ruling],²⁷That in the case of the passages specified benedictions are to be recited before and after the reading. but it is feasible to apply it to the Ten Words. R. Jose b. Abin said in the name of Rabbi:²⁸[The reading should be ‘R. Berekiah’ or ‘R. Simon’; cf. Bacher, Ag. d. pal. Amoräer, III, p. 727, n. 7.] The last ten verses in Deuteronomy²⁹So GRA and N.Y. The text in V is difficult. require a benediction before and after they have been read.³⁰These verses, which describe the death of Moses, form a section of their own, because they were written by Joshua (according to R. Judah or R. Nehemiah) or, if written by Moses, they were dictated to him by God while he ‘wrote them down with tears’ (B.B. 15a, Sonc. ed., p. 72).

ר׳ יצחק סחורה שאל את ר׳ יצחק נפחא ר"ח טבת שחל להיות בשבת במה קורין לענין כלות והמפטיר בשל שבח ור"ח. (שחל) [חל] להיות בחול קורין ביום ראשון שלשה בשל ר"ח והרביעי בשל חנוכה שכל התדיר מחבירו קודם לחבירו והואיל וקרא תחילה (בכל) [בשל] ר"ח ביום שני יקרא ג׳ לחנוכה והרביעי של ר"ח ובראשי חדשיכם עד שישלים (כל השיטה) ולמה כן שלא בא הרביעי אלא מחמת מוסף ראש חדש (ואם היה בשבת תורגמן או דרוש מפטירין בנביא או שלשה פסוקים או חמשה או שבעה ואינו חושש לעשרים ואחד פסוקים): R. Isaac Seḥorah asked R. Isaac Nappaḥa, ‘What do we read [first]³¹In the second and third scrolls. when the New Moon of Ṭebeth³²Which always occurs in the week of Ḥanukkah. falls on a Sabbath?’³³Three scrolls are then taken from the ark. The usual weekly portion is read in the first, and the passages for New Moon and Ḥanukkah in the second and third. [He replied,] ‘In the section of kalloth,³⁴E.V. made an end (Num. 7, 1). This designates the entire section, descriptive of the dedication offerings brought by the princes of Israel, which is prescribed for the reading of the day. while the mafṭir reads³⁵In the third scroll. the passages relating to the Sabbath and the New Moon.³⁶Num. 28, 9-15. The present custom is always to read the section for the Sabbath and New Moon first, and then the passage for Ḥanukkah. If it falls on a week-day we call up on the first day³⁷Of the two days of the New Moon. three persons for the reading of the New Moon, the fourth reading that of Ḥanukkah, because that which is more frequent takes precedence.³⁸The New Moon occurs monthly, Ḥanukkah once a year. But since the reading of the New Moon was read first,³⁹On the first day of the New Moon. [40a] three persons are to be called up on the second day for the reading of the Ḥanukkah passage,⁴⁰In the first scroll. Only two scrolls are taken out on a week-day during Ḥanukkah. while the fourth reads⁴¹In the second scroll. the section of the New Moon, viz. uberashë ḥodshekem⁴²E.V. and in your new moons (Num. 28, 11). to the end of the passage.⁴³ibid. 15. Why is this so?⁴⁴i.e. why is the fourth person called to the reading of the New Moon passage and not, as on the first day, to the Ḥanukkah passage? Because it was only on account of the New Moon musaf that a fourth person is added’.⁴⁵On the other week-days of Ḥanukkah there is no musaf. This argument cannot be applied to the first day of the New Moon because it is the second day which begins the month. The first of the two days of the New Moon is the last day of the preceding month. V and H insert here a ruling which has no connection with this chapter and is practically identical with XIV, 2 below.

אמר ר׳ יוסי בר אבין שירת הלוים לא יפחתו לו מששה קרויות וסימניך הזי"ו ל"ך ואלו הן האזינו. זכור. ירכיבהו. וישמן. לו. כי ידין ה' עמו. ויש לה פסוק שיטה מלאה מלמעלה ושיטה מלאה מלמטה כנגד כך נהגו לעשות שיטותיה של תורה : R. Jose b. Abin said: For the Song of Ha’azinu⁴⁶E.V. give ear, designating the section Deut. 32, 1-43. For Ha’azinu (the reading of GRA) V and H read ‘the Levites’, because the poem was sung by the Levites in the Temple during the Sabbath musaf in six parts on successive Sabbaths. not less than six persons⁴⁷Because the Levites concluded it in cycles of six Sabbath divisions. are to be called up, and your mnemonic sign⁴⁸For the words beginning each of the six parts. The divisions, according to Maimonides, emphasize the exhortations and arouse the people to repentance. is h z y w l k,⁴⁹pronounced .הזי״ו ל״ך which stands for ha’azinu,⁵⁰E.V. give ear (Deut. 32, 1). zekor,⁵¹E.V. remember (ibid. 7). yarkibehu,⁵²E.V. He made him ride (ibid. 13). wayyishman,⁵³E.V. but … waxed fat (ibid. 15). lu,⁵⁴E.V. if (ibid. 29). ki yadin … ‘ammo.⁵⁵E.V. for the Lord will judge His people (ibid. 36). It must also be provided with⁵⁶lit. ‘and it has’. the space of a full line above it and of a full line below it. Corresponding to it the custom has been adopted to write in the Torah its number of lines.⁵⁷The number is 72 according to GRA who apparently includes the two blank lines. Maimonides and others give the number as 70.

וסימן תחלת השיטים האזינו. יערוף. כשעירים. כי (שם ה׳ אקרא). [הצור.] אל. שחת (לו בניו). הלה׳. הלא (הוא). זכור. שאל. בהנחל. יצב. כי (חלק). ימצאהו. יסובבנהו. כנשר. יפרוש. ה׳ (בדד). ירכיבהו. ויניקהו. חמאת. ואילים. ודם (ענב). שמנת. וינבל. בתועבת. אלהים. לא(שערום). ותשכח. מכעס. אראה. בנים. כעסוני. בגוי (נבל). ותיקד. ותלהט (מוסדי). חצי. וקטב. עם (חמת). ומחדרים. יונק. אשביתה. פן (ינכרו). ולא (ה׳). ואין (בהם). יבינו. ושנים. וה׳ (הסגירם). ואויבינו ומשדמות. אשכלות. וראש. חתום (באוצרותי). לעת. וחש. ועל (עבדיו). ואפס. צור. ישתו. יהי (עליכם). ואין (אלהים עמדי). מחצתי. כי(אשא). אם (שנותי). אשיב. אשכיר. מדם (חלל). הרנינו. ונקם: A mnemonic sign for the beginnings of the lines⁵⁸Of the song Ha’azinu. The following renderings are from E.V. While the Heb. words stand at the beginning of the respective lines, the translations, owing to English idiom, do not always occupy the same position in the sentence. is the following: ha’azinu,⁵⁹Give ear (Deut. 32, 1). ya‘arof,⁶⁰Shall drop (ibid. 2). kise‘irim,⁶¹As the small rain (ibid.). ki,⁶²For (3). haẓẓur,⁶³The Rock (4). ’el,⁶⁴A God (ibid.). shiḥeth,⁶⁵Is corruption (5). halaH,⁶⁶The Lord (6). halo’,⁶⁷Is not (ibid.). zekor,⁶⁸Remember (7). she’al,⁶⁹Ask (ibid.). behanḥel,⁷⁰When … gave … inheritance (8). yaẓẓeb,⁷¹He set (ibid.). ki,⁷²For (9). yimẓa’ehu,⁷³He found him (10). yesobebenhu,⁷⁴He compassed him (ibid.). kannesher,⁷⁵As an eagle (11). yifros,⁷⁶Spreadeth abroad (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,⁷⁷The Lord (12). yarkibehu,⁷⁸He made him ride (13). wayyeniḳehu,⁷⁹And He made him to suck (ibid.). ḥem’ath,⁸⁰Curd of (14). we’elim,⁸¹And rams (ibid.). wedam,⁸²And of the blood of (ibid.). shamanta,⁸³Thou didst wax fat (15). wayyenabbel,⁸⁴And contemned (ibid.). betho‘eboth,⁸⁵With abominations (16). ’Elohim,⁸⁶Gods (17). lo’,⁸⁷Not (ibid.). wattishkaḥ,⁸⁸And didst forget (18). mikka‘as,⁸⁹Because of the provoking (19). ’er’eh,⁹⁰I will see (20). banim,⁹¹Children (ibid.). ki‘asuni,⁹²They have provoked Me (21). begoi,⁹³With a … nation (ibid.). wattiḳad,⁹⁴And burneth (22). wattelaheṭ,⁹⁵And setteth ablaze (ibid.). ḥiẓẓai,⁹⁶Mine arrows (23). weḳeṭeb,⁹⁷And bitter destruction (24). ‘im,⁹⁸With (ibid.). umeḥadarim,⁹⁹And in the chambers (25). yoneḳ,¹⁰⁰The suckling (ibid.). ’ashbithah,¹⁰¹I would make … cease (26). pen,¹⁰²Lest (27). welo’,¹⁰³And not (ibid.). we’ain,¹⁰⁴And there is no (28). yabinu,¹⁰⁵They would understand (29). ushenayim,¹⁰⁶And two (30). waH,¹⁰⁷And the Lord (ibid.). w’oyebenu,¹⁰⁸Even our enemies (31). umishshadmoth,¹⁰⁹And of the fields (32). ’ashkeloth,¹¹⁰Clusters (ibid.). werosh,¹¹¹And … poison (33). ḥathum,¹¹²Sealed up (34). le‘eth,¹¹³Against the time (35). weḥash,¹¹⁴And … shall make haste (ibid.). we‘al,¹¹⁵And … for (36). we’efes,¹¹⁶And there is none (ibid.). ẓur,¹¹⁷The rock (37). yishtu,¹¹⁸And drank (38). yehi,¹¹⁹Let him be (ibid.). we’ain,¹²⁰And there is no (39). maḥaẓti,¹²¹I have wounded (ibid.)., ki,¹²²For (40). ’im,¹²³If (41). ’ashib,¹²⁴I will render (ibid.). ’ashkir,¹²⁵I will make drunk (42). middam,¹²⁶With the blood of (ibid.). harninu,¹²⁷Sing aloud (43). wenaḳam.¹²⁸And … vengeance (ibid.).

ר׳ זעירא ר' ירמיה בשם רב אמר שירת הים ושירת דבורה נכתבות אריח על גבי לבינה ולבינה על גבי אריח: R. Ze‘ira, quoting R. Jeremiah, in the name of Rab, said; The Song at the Sea¹²⁹Ex. 15, 1-18. and the Song of Deborah¹³⁰Judg. 5, 1-31. are written in the form of a half-brick over a whole brick,¹³¹Or ‘blank space’; the Heb. לבינה may bear both meanings. and a whole brick over a half-brick.¹³²Cf. above. p. 215, n. 45.

סימן שירת דבורה ששים וחמשה שיטין ותשר (דבורה). לאמר. ברכו. רוזנים. לה׳. משעיר. רעשה. מים. סיני. ענת. נתיבות. חדלו. אם. חדשים. אם. בישראל. בעם. צחורות. על. משאבים. פרזונו. [ה׳.] עורי. אבינועם. ירד. בעמלק. מכיר. [ספר]. כן. ברגליו. חקקי לב. המשפתים. ראובן. שכן. ישב. ישכון. על. נלחמו. על. לקחו. ממסילותם. גרפם. נפשי. סוס. מרוז. ישביה. ה׳. יעל. באהל. נתנה. ליתד. עמלים ראשו. שדוד. סיסרא. לבוא. שרותיה. רחמתים. לסיסרא. רקמתים. אויביך. הארץ: The mark for the Song of Deborah is ‘sixty-four lines’¹⁶³So GRA. V and H ‘sixty-five’. [beginning with the words:] wattashar,¹⁶⁴Then sang (Judg. 5, 1). le’mor,¹⁶⁵Saying (ibid.). ‘am,¹⁶⁶People (2). This is the reading of GRA. V has Bless ye (ibid.). rozenim,¹⁶⁷O ye princes (3). laH,¹⁶⁸To the Lord (ibid.). misse‘ir,¹⁶⁹Out of Seir (4). ra‘ashah,¹⁷⁰Trembled (ibid.). mayyim,¹⁷¹Water (ibid.). Sinai,¹⁷²Sinai (5). ‘Anath,¹⁷³Anath (6). nethiboth,¹⁷⁴Paths (ibid.). E.V. renders this word together with the preceding as travellers. ḥadelu,¹⁷⁵They ceased (7). ’em,¹⁷⁶A mother (ibid.). ḥadashim,¹⁷⁷New (8). ’im,¹⁷⁸Was there (ibid.). beYisra’el,¹⁷⁹In Israel (ibid.). ba‘am,¹⁸⁰Among the people (9). ẓeḥoroth,¹⁸¹White (10). ‘al,¹⁸²By (ibid.). mash’abim,¹⁸³Watering-troughs (11). pirzono,¹⁸⁴Of His rulers (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,¹⁸⁵The Lord (ibid.). ‘uri,¹⁸⁶Awake [utter a song] (12). ’Abino‘am,¹⁸⁷Abinoam (ibid.). yerad,¹⁸⁸Made me have dominion (13). ba‘Amaleḳ,¹⁸⁹In Amalek (14). Makir,¹⁹⁰Machir (ibid.). sofer,¹⁹¹Marshal’s (ibid.). ken,¹⁹²So (15). beraglaw,¹⁹³At his feet (ibid.). ḥiḳeḳe leb,¹⁹⁴Resolves of heart (ibid.). hammishpethayim,¹⁹⁵Among the sheepfolds (16). Re’uben,¹⁹⁶Reuben (ibid.). shaken,¹⁹⁷Abode (17). yashab,¹⁹⁸Dwelt (ibid.). yishkon,¹⁹⁹Abideth (ibid.). ‘al,²⁰⁰Upon (18). nilḥamu,²⁰¹They fought (19). ‘al,²⁰²By (ibid.). laḳaḥu,²⁰³They took (ibid.). mimmesilotham,²⁰⁴In their courses (20). gerafam,²⁰⁵Swept them away (21). nafshi,²⁰⁶O my soul (ibid.). sus,²⁰⁷Horse [hoofs] (22). Meroz,²⁰⁸Meroz (23). yoshebeha,²⁰⁹The inhabitants thereof (ibid.). the Tetragrammaton,²¹⁰The Lord [against the mighty] (ibid.). Ya‘el,²¹¹Jael (24). ba’ohel,²¹²In the tent (ibid.). nathanah,²¹³She gave (25). layyathed,²¹⁴To the tent-pin (26). ‘amelim,²¹⁵Workmen (ibid.). weḥalefah,²¹⁶And struck through (ibid.). shakab,²¹⁷He lay (27). kara‘,²¹⁸He sunk (ibid.). watteyabbeb,²¹⁹And peered (28). boshesh,²²⁰So long (ibid.). marke-bothaw,²²¹His chariots (ibid.). hi,’²²²She (29). shalal,²²³Spoil (30). ẓeba‘im,²²⁴Dyed garments (ibid.). riḳmah,²²⁵Embroidery (ibid.). yobedu,²²⁶So perish (31). bigburatho.²²⁷In his might (ibid.). The last twelve words are according to the reading of GRA. V has instead only ten, which do not present a likely division of the lines and are not followed in current editions of the Hebrew Bible.