Sleep in the Tosefta IV: Seder Nashim

December 31, 2020 0 By admin

Continuing on in my study of early rabbinic attitudes towards sleep, we now move on to Seder Nashim in the Tosefta. Along with Seder Moed, it has the most occurrences of sleep of any Seder in the Tosefta with eight appearances. Half of these appearances are close parallels to what appeared in the Mishnah while the other half are not paralleled in the Mishnah.

 

Close Parallels to the Mishnah

There are four texts in the Tosefta involving sleep that have close parallels to the Mishnah. The first of these regards vowing off sleep (tNedarim 1:5):

חומר בשבועות מבנדרים שהשבועות נוהגות בדבר שיש בו ממש ובדבר שאין בו ממש משא”כ בנדרים בנדרים כיצד אמר קונם סוכה שאיני עושה לולב שאיני נוטל תפילין שאיני נותן אסור בנדרים ומותר בשבועות כיצד אמר קונם שאני ישן שאני מדבר שאיני מהלך אסור בשבועות ומותר בנדרים[1]

A stricter rule applies to oaths, for oaths apply to something which is of substance and to something which is not of substance, which is not the case of vows. In the case of vows, how so? If one said, “Forbidden is the Sukkah which I am making,” “Forbidden is the lulav which I am taking,” “Forbidden is the tefillin which / am putting on”—it is binding in the case of vows and not binding in the case of oaths.
How so? If he said, “Forbidden if I sleep,” “Forbidden if I speak,” “Forbidden if I walk,” it is binding in the case of oaths and not binding in the case of vows.[2]

This text is similar to Mishnah Nedarim 2:1 regarding swearing off sleep.

The second regards swearing off benefiting from someone else (tNedarim 2:7):

אין בין המודר הנאה מחבירו סתם למודר הימנו מאכל אלא דריסת הרגל וכלים שאין עושין בהן אוכל נפש [המודר] הנאה מחבירו ומת מביא לו ארון ותכריכין חלילין ומקוננות שאין הנאה למתים [מעדות עדות ממון ועדות נפשות] חולה נכנס לבקרו היה לו חולה אינו נכנס ומבקרו [ושואל בשלומו] היה כהן זורק עליו דם חטאתו ודם אשמו מפני דרכי שלום ורוחץ עמו במרחץ וישן עמו במטה [ר’ יהודה אומר על הקטנה בימות החמה ועל הגדולה בימות הגשמים] רוחץ עמו באמבטי גדולה ומזיע עמו במרחץ קטנה[3]

There is no difference between him who is forbidden by vow from enjoying any benefit from his fellow without specification, and him who is forbidden by vow from deriving food from him, except for setting food in his house and using utensils with which food is not prepared. He who is forbidden by vow from deriving benefit from his fellow and who died, he [the fellow] brings a coffin and shrouds for him, wailing pipes and wailing women, for the dead get no benefit [from these things]. He gives testimony in his behalf in property cases and in criminal cases.
If he fell ill, he [the fellow] goes into visit him.
But if [the one who took the vow] has someone ill [in his house], [the fellow] does not go in to visit him or inquire after his welfare.
[If] he [the fellow] was a priest, he tosses the blood of his [the one subject to the vow] sin-offering in his behalf, and the blood of his guilt-offering, for the sake of peace.
He washes with him in the same bath tub and sleeps with him in the same bed.
Rabbi Yehudah says, “He sleeps with him in a small bed in the sunny season and in a large bed in the rainy season.”
“He washes with him in a large tub and sweats with him in a small steam-bath.”[4]

 

This sleeping with swearing-off is similar to Mishnah Nedarim 4:4, where the general consensus is that one may sleep in the same bed, whereas Rabbi Yehudah protests, although whereas in the Mishnah he does not permit this even in the winter, he allows it to be done in a large bed during this season in the Tosefta.

 

Whether two single men should or should not sleep under the same garment/blanket is discussed (tKiddushin 5:10):

ר’ יהודה אומר רווק לא ירעה בהמה דקה ולא יישנו שני רווקים בטלית אחת
וחכמים אמרו לא נחשדו ישראל על כך[5]

Rabbi Yehudah says: “A single man shouldn’t shepherd small cattle, and two single men shouldn’t sleep in one cloak.”
Sages said: “Jews are not suspected of such.”

This is the same as Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14, although it adds that Sages say that the reason that Sages permit this in the Mishnah is for this reason: that Jews are not suspected of such sexual transgressions.

 

The final of these four texts concerns the delivery of a divorce document while one’s wife is sleeping (tGittin 6:1):

אמר לה כנסי שט”ח זה או שמצאתו מאחריו והרי הוא גיטה ואח”כ אמר לה הא גיטך רבי אומר גט
ר”ש בן אלעזר אומר אינו גט עד שיאמר לה בשעת מתנה הא גיטך
נתנו בידה והיא ישינה ניעורה קורא והרי הוא גיטה ואח”כ אמר לה הא גיטך
רבי אומר גט
ר”ש בן אלעזר אומר אינו גט עד שיאמר בשעת מתנה הוא גיטך[6]

If he said to her, “Collect this writ of indebtedness,” or if she found it behind him, and lo, it is her writ of divorce, and afterward he said to her, “This is your writ of divorce,”
Rabbi says, “It is a valid writ of divorce.”
Rabbi Shimon, son of Eleazar says, “It is not a writ of divorce, unless he said to her at the moment of giving it over, ‘It is your writ of divorce.’”
[If] he put it into her hand while she was sleeping, [and] she awoke, read it, and lo, it is her writ of divorce, and afterward he said to her, “It is your writ of divorce,”
Rabbi says, “It is a valid writ of divorce.”
Rabbi Shimon, son of Elazar says, “It is not a valid writ of divorce, unless he says to her at the moment at which he hands it over to her, ‘It is your writ of divorce.[7]

This is similar to Mishnah Gittin 8:2 regarding this situation, although the Mishnah follows the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, son of Elazar, whereas the Mishnah does not mention Rabbi’s opinion on the sleeping matter.

 

Unparalleled in the Mishnah
There are also four texts in the Tosefta regarding sleeping that have no parallels in the Mishnah, the first of which regards sleeping material for the wives of the poor (tKetubot 5:8):

המשרה את אשתו ע”י שליש לא יפחות לה מקביים חטין או מארבע קבין שעורים וכולם במדה האיטלקי אפילו נדה ואפי’ חולה ואפילו שומרת יבם נותן כוס חבית וקדרה פך נר ופתילה יין אין לה שאין נשותיהן של עניים שותות יין כר אין לה שאין נשותיהן של עניים ישנות על כר[8]

A man who supports his wife through a third party, all of [the measurements of items he has to give her laid out in Mishnah Ketubot 5:8] have to be Italian measures, regardless whether she is a menstruant, sick or waiting for her levir. He has to give her a cup, barrel, pot, jug, lamp and wick. She doesn’t get wine because wives of poor men don’t drink wine. She doesn’t get a mattress because the wives of poor men don’t sleep on mattresses.

It’s unclear from here upon which materials poor people sleep, although, as we have seen elsewhere in the Tosefta, perhaps the poor slept on straw.[9]

 

Another appearance of sleep concerns where wedding guest guards would sleep in Judea and Galilee (tKetubot 1:4):

אמר ר’ יהודה ביהודה בראשונה היו מפשפשין את החתן ואת הכלה ג’ ימים קודם לחופה ובגליל לא נהגו כן
ביהודה בראשונה היו מיחדים את החתן ואת הכלה שעה אחת קודם לחופה כדי שיהא לבו גס בה ובגליל לא נהגו כן
ביהודה בראשונה היו מעמידין שני שושבינן אחד משל בית חתן ואחד משל בית כלה ואע”פ כן לא היו מעמידין אלא לנשואין ובגליל לא נהגו כן
ביהודה בראשונה היו שושבינין ישנין במקום שחתן וכלה ישנין ובגליל לא נהגו כן
כל שאינו נוהג כמנהג זה אינו יכול לטעון טענת בתולים[10]

Rabbi Yehudah said: “In Judea, originally, they used to investigate the groom and the bride for 3 days before the marriage; but, in Galilee, they did not do this.
In Judea, originally, they used to seclude the groom and the bride one moment before the marriage in order that he should desire her; but, in Galilee, they did not do this.
In Judea, originally, they used to set up two wedding guest guards, one from the groom’s house and one from the bride’s house (but even so they would only set them up for marriage); but, in Galilee, they did not do this.
In Judea, originally, the wedding guest guards would sleep in the place where the groom and bride slept; but, in Galilee, they did not do this. Anyone who does not practice according to this custom cannot claim a virginity claim.”

As part of divergent wedding practices, Rabbi Yehudah describes how differently Jews in Galilee and Judea behaved, including setting up the wedding guest guards in the same place as the bride and groom. Intriguingly, Rabbi Yehudah asserts that anyone who did not set up the wedding guest guards in the place where the bride and groom slept cannot make any claims regarding virginity of the bride, presumably since there is no one who can say that the couple did not sleep together and they had sexual intercourse.

Another appearance regarding sleeping and sexual activity occurs with a couple who are divorcing (tGittin 5:4):

זה גיטך מהיום אם מתי מחולי זה ימים שבינתים זכאי במציאתה במעשה ידיה ובהפרת נדריה דברי ר’ יהודה
ר’ מאיר אומר ספק
ר’ יוסי אומר בעילתו תלויה
וחכ”א מגורשת לכל דבר ובלבד שימות לא תתיחד עמו אפילו בנה הקטן לפי שאינה בושה לשמש כנגדו ראוה שנתיחדה עמו באפילה או שישנה עמו במרגלות המטה אפילו הוא ער והיא ישנה הוא ישן והיא ערה אין חוששין שמא נתעסקו בדבר אחר ואין חוששין משום ביאה ואין חוששין משום קידושין
ר’ יוסי בר’ יהודה אומר אף חוששין משום קידושין
ראו שנים שנתיחדה עמו צריכה הימנו גט שני אחד אינה צריכה הימנו גט שני אחד בשחרית ואחד בין הערבים זה היה מעשה ובא ושאל ר’ אלעזר בן תדאי לחכמים ואמרו אחד הן ואין צריכה ממנו גט שני[11]

“’This is your writ of divorce, effective today, if I die from this ailment’ during the intervening days [between the statement and the man’s death] he acquires what she finds and has possession of the fruit of her labor and the right of abrogation of her vows,” the words of Rabbi Yehudah.
Rabbi Meir says, “It is a matter of doubt.”
Rabbi Yose says, “Their punishment for having intercourse is suspended.”
And sages say, “She is divorced in every respect on condition that he die.”
She should not seclude herself with him, even in the presence of her minor son, for she is not ashamed to have sexual relations in his presence.
[If] they saw that she continued with him alone in the dark, or that she slept with him at the foot of the bed, even if he was awake and she was asleep, he was asleep and she was awake, they do not take account of the possibility that they did some other sort of business, but they do take account [solely] of the possibility of their having had sexual relations. And they do not take account of the possibility of [sexual relations for] betrothal.
Rabbi Yose, son of Rabbi Yehudah says, “Also: They do take account of the possibility of a betrothal.”
[But if] two people saw her continue alone with him, she does require a second writ of divorce from him. (If only] one person saw it, she does not require a second writ of divorce from him.
[If one saw it] in the morning and one at twilight, this was an actual case, and Rabbi Eleazar, son of Tadai came and asked sages, who ruled, “It is only a single witness [at a time], and she does not require a second writ of divorce from him.”[12]

Here, in the case of a couple in which the man has given his wife a divorce document, if they were sleeping even in the same room, the question arises as to whether or not they may have engaged in sexual activity and whether or not that divorce document is even effective, since they may be continuing to be sexually involved.

 

The final occurrence of sleep in Tosefta Seder Nashim concerns divine sleep (tSotah 13:9):

מעוררין אלו הלוים שאומר על הדוכן (תהילים מד) עורה למה תישן ה’ [וגו’]
אמר להן ר’ יוחנן בן זכאי וכי יש שינה לפניו והלא כבר נאמר (תהילים קכא) הנה לא ינום ולא יישן אלא כל זמן שישראל שרוין בצער ואומות העולם שרוין בשלוה כביכול עורה למה תישן [13]

The awakeners —these are the Levites who say on the platform, “Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord” (Ps. 44:23).
Rabban Yohanan, son of Zakkai, said to them, “Now is there such a thing as sleep before Him? And has it not already been said, ‘Lo, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps’ (Ps. 121:4)? Rather: as long as Israel is immersed in pain and the nations of the world are wallowing in prosperity, as it were, ‘Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep?’.”[14]

 

Concerning a practice of Levites in the Temple who use a Biblical passage as part of their service that God should wake up, Rabban Yohanan, son of Zakkai, is concerned that this Biblical verse asserts that God sleeps, yet there is another Biblical verse in the book of Psalms that describes God as not only not sleeping, but not even napping, so he offers a suggestion to reconcile these two verses in suggesting that it only seems as if God is asleep, since the Jewish people are immersed in pain.

 

Summary
Of the five occurrences of sleep in this order of the Mishnah, four of them find rough parallels in the Tosefta (the lone exception being Mishnah Kiddushin 4.12), while there are four other texts in the Tosefta in this order that have no parallel in the Mishnah. Some aspects of sleep that are discussed are material socioeconomics of beds, swearing off sleep, whether or not single men should sleep under the same covers, delivering divorce documents are not effective while one’s wife is sleeping, people sleeping secluded in the same area could engage in sexual activity, and divine sleep.

Notes
[1] Ed. Lieberman, 102-103.
[2] Translation based off of the Neusner translation, 787. (I thank Edie Yakutis for furnishing this translation from the Klau Library.)
[3] Ed. Lieberman 105-106.
[4] Translation based off of the Neusner translation, 789-790. (I thank Edie Yakutis for furnishing this translation from the Klau Library.)
[5] Ed. Lieberman, 297.
[6] Ed. Lieberman, 269.
[7] Translation based off of the Neusner translation, 917. (I thank Edie Yakutis for furnishing this translation from the Klau Library.)
[8] Ed. Lieberman, 74.
[9] For instance, tShabbat 16:5.
[10] Ed. Lieberman, 57-58.
[11] Ed. Lieberman, 264-265.
[12] Translation based off of the Neusner translation, 913. (I thank Edie Yakutis for furnishing this translation from the Klau Library.)
[13] Ed. Lieberman, 234.
[14] Translation based off of Neusner translation, 887. (I thank Edie Yakutis for furnishing this translation from the Klau Library.)