Tables

Sources

Rabbi Shimon said: if three have eaten at one table and have not spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten sacrifices [offered] to the dead, as it is said, “for all tables are full of filthy vomit, when the All-Present is absent” (Isaiah 28:8). But, if three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at the table of the All-Present, blessed be He, as it is said, “And He said unto me, ‘this is the table before the Lord’” (Ezekiel 41:22).

Pirkei Avot 3:3

Also, when grace is recited, the table must not be empty, since “no blessing can rest on an empty table”, as has been pointed out with reference to the words, “Tell me, what hast thou in the house?” (2 Kings 4, 2); in a word, the heavenly blessings come to rest only on a place that is complete. Esoterically this is expressed in the words: “In the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom” (Ex. 21, 6, i.e. “he who hath, to him it shall be given”), and also in the words, “He giveth wisdom to the wise” (Dan. 2, 21)…

Zohar, Terumah 53:572

And Rabbi Yoḥanan said to him in response: It is not different if it is a fixed coating and it is not different if it is a coating that is not fixed; and it is not different if the coating covers the table’s rim and it is not different if it does not cover its rim. Therefore, since the coating always determines the status of the vessel, the Temple table, with its gold coating, should be susceptible to impurity. Rather, we must say a different explanation as to why the coating does not make the table susceptible to impurity: The…

Chagigah 26b:11-27a:2

If a table or a side-board was damaged or he covered them with marble but room was left for cups to be set, it is unclean. Rabbi Judah ruled: there must be room enough for pieces of food.

Mishnah Kelim 22:1

So, too, should every man’s table be when he says grace after meals; in order that the blessing from above should rest upon it, it should not be empty, as the Companions have indicated in connection with the words of Elisha to the widow: “Tell me, what hast thou in the house?” (2 Kings 4, 2).

Zohar, Terumah 47:504

It is forbidden to kill lice on a table at which you are eating. And he who kills lice on it, is as if he killed on the altar, for the table is the altar, as it is said “and he said unto me: ‘This is the table that is before the Lord’” (Ezek. 41:22). And for this reason we cover knives during the grace, for it is said “For if thou lift up thy sword upon it, thou hast profaned it” (Exod. 20:25). It is forbidden to write in a book “so and so owes me so much and so much.” “And round about Him it stormeth mightily” (Ps. 15:3)…

Sefer Chasidim 102:1

And Rav Yehuda said: There are three matters which, when one who prolongs their duration, they extend a person’s days and years. They are: One who prolongs his prayer, one who prolongs his mealtime at the table, and one who prolongs his time in the bathroom. The Gemara asks: And one who prolongs his prayer; is that a virtue? Didn’t Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba say that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who prolongs his prayer and expects it to be answered, will ultimately come to heartache…

Berakhot 54b:22-55a:3

and a rug, as an exile needs those items and they are portable. The Sages interpreted the following verse describing the exile experience: “Therefore shall you serve your enemy whom the Lord shall send against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon your neck, until he has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:48). Rabbi Ami said that Rav said: “In want of all things” means without a lamp and without a table to eat upon. Rav Ḥisda said: Without a wife…

R. Abba, before the table was removed after a meal, was used to cover it up, saying: “Remove this table respectfully that it may not be put to shame before the King’s messengers.” A man’s table, used rightly, secures for him participation in the bliss of the world to come, a sufficiency of nourishment in this world, and also additional power and excellency in the right place, and, withal, it causes him to be remembered favourably before the Ancient of Days. Happy the lot of such a man in this world and in the world to come.’

Zohar, Terumah 47:509

One has to be careful when he is about to say birkat ha-mazon not to leave the table without any bread on it, as they said in tractate Sanhedrin: “Whoever does not leave bread on his table, about him Scripture says, ‘With no remnant for him to eat, his goodness will not take hold.” The reason for this practice is so that the blessing about which this was said will take hold; for if nothing is left, in what can the blessing take hold, because no blessing takes hold upon nothing, but only upon something? And the table in the sanctuary, which never was without bread, attests to this…

Shulchan Shel Arba 1:29

The Gemara asks: But isn’t it taught in a baraita that its ring should be positioned on the inside? The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This baraita, which states that its ring should be positioned on the outside, is referring to a case where there is a child who may play with the ring and overturn the table, while that baraita, which states that its ring should be positioned on the inside, is referring to a case where there is no child present…

Bava Batra 57b:10-13

Relatedראו גם

Meals (סעודה)

Sheetsדפי מקורות

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible on our site. Click OK to continue using Sefaria. Learn More.OKאנחנו משתמשים ב"עוגיות" כדי לתת למשתמשים את חוויית השימוש הטובה ביותר.קראו עוד בנושאלחצו כאן לאישור