Gittin 56a:8-14
Gittin 56a:8-14 · Sefaria Community Translation
שַׁדְּרֵיהּ עִילָּוַיְיהוּ לְאַסְפַּסְיָינוּס קֵיסָר. אֲתָא, צָר עֲלַהּ תְּלָת שְׁנֵי. הֲווֹ בַּהּ הָנְהוּ תְּלָתָא עַתִּירֵי: נַקְדִּימוֹן בֶּן גּוּרְיוֹן, וּבֶן כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ, וּבֶן צִיצִית הַכֶּסֶת. נַקְדִּימוֹן בֶּן גּוּרְיוֹן – שֶׁנָּקְדָה לוֹ חַמָּה בַּעֲבוּרוֹ. בֶּן כַּלְבָּא שָׂבוּעַ, שֶׁכׇּל הַנִּכְנָס לְבֵיתוֹ כְּשֶׁהוּא רָעֵב כְּכֶלֶב, יוֹצֵא כְּשֶׁהוּא שָׂבֵעַ. בֶּן צִיצִית הַכֶּסֶת – שֶׁהָיְתָה צִיצָתוֹ נִגְרֶרֶת עַל גַּבֵּי כְּסָתוֹת. אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: שֶׁהָיְתָה כִּסְתּוֹ מוּטֶּלֶת בֵּין גְּדוֹלֵי רוֹמִי.
He [then] sent Vespasian Caesar against them. He arrived [and] besieged it for three years. There were three rich men in [Jerusalem]: Nakdimon ben Gurion, Ben Kalva Savua and Ben Tsitsit Hakesset. [The first was called] Nakdimon ben Gurion because the sun was pierced (nakda) [and held still] for his sake. [The second was called] Ben Kalva Savua because when anyone would enter his house starving like a dog (kalva), he would leave satiated (savua) [The third was called] Ben Tsitsit Hakesset because his fringes (tsitsit) would drag onto pillows (kessatot) on the floor. Some say it is because his pillow (kesset) was placed between the greats of Rome.
חַד אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֲנָא זָיֵינָּא לְהוּ בְּחִיטֵּי וּשְׂעָרֵי, וְחַד אֲמַר לְהוּ: בִּדְחַמְרָא וּבִדְמִלְחָא וּמִשְׁחָא, וְחַד אֲמַר לְהוּ: בִּדְצִיבֵי. וְשַׁבַּחוּ רַבָּנַן לִדְצִיבֵי, דְּרַב חִסְדָּא כֹּל אַקְלִידֵי הֲוָה מָסַר לְשַׁמָּעֵיהּ, בַּר מִדְּצִיבֵי. דְּאָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: אֲכַלְבָּא דְחִיטֵּי בָּעֵי שִׁיתִּין אֲכַלְבֵּי דְצִיבֵי. הֲוָה לְהוּ לְמֵיזַן עֶשְׂרִים וְחַד שַׁתָּא.
One said to them, "I will sustain them with wheat and barley," and one said to them, "With wine and salt and oil," and one said to them, "With wood." And the Rabbis praised the one with the wood [the most]. As Rav Chisda would give all of his keys to his servant except the one for the wood [storage], since Rav Chisda said, "A storehouse of wheat requires sixty storehouses of wood [for fuel to bake or cook it]." They had [enough] to sustain them for twenty one years.
הֲווֹ בְּהוּ הָנְהוּ בִּרְיוֹנֵי, אֲמַרוּ לְהוּ רַבָּנַן: נִיפּוֹק וְנַעֲבֵיד שְׁלָמָא בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ. לָא שַׁבְקִינְהוּ. אֲמַרוּ לְהוּ: נִיפּוֹק וְנַעֲבֵיד קְרָבָא בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, אֲמַרוּ לְהוּ רַבָּנַן: לָא מִסְתַּיְּיעָא מִילְּתָא. קָמוּ קְלֹנְהוּ לְהָנְהוּ אַמְבָּרֵי דְּחִיטֵּי וּשְׂעָרֵי, וַהֲוָה כַּפְנָא.
There was [also] these thugs in [Jerusalem]. The Rabbis said to them, "Let us go out and make peace with [the Romans, but] they did not allow them." [The thugs] said, "Let us go and fight a battle with them." The Rabbis said [back] to them, "The matter will not be helped." [Hence, the thugs] got up [and] burned those stores of wheat and barley and there was a famine.
מָרְתָּא בַּת בַּיְיתּוֹס עַתִּירְתָּא דִּירוּשָׁלַיִם הַוְיָא. שַׁדַּרְתֵּהּ לִשְׁלוּחַה,ּ וַאֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: זִיל אַיְיתִי לִי סְמִידָא. אַדַּאֲזַל אִיזְדַּבַּן. אֲתָא אֲמַר לַהּ: סְמִידָא לֵיכָּא, חִיוָּרְתָּא אִיכָּא. אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: זִיל אַיְיתִי לִי. אַדַּאֲזַל אִיזְדַּבַּן. אֲתָא וַאֲמַר לַהּ: חִיוָּרְתָּא לֵיכָּא, גּוּשְׁקְרָא אִיכָּא. אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: זִיל אַיְיתִי לִי. אַדַּאֲזַל אִזְדַּבַּן. אֲתָא וַאֲמַר לַהּ: גּוּשְׁקְרָא לֵיכָּא, קִימְחָא דִשְׂעָרֵי אִיכָּא. אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: זִיל אַיְיתִי לִי. אַדַּאֲזַל אִיזְדַּבַּן.
Marta bat Baitos was a wealthy woman of Jerusalem. She sent her messenger and said to him, "Bring me fine flour." As he went, it was [all] sold. He came and said to her, "There is no fine flour, [but] there is white flour." She said to him, "Go, bring it to me." As he went, it was [all] sold. He came and said to her, "There is no white flour, [but] there is dark flour." She said to him, "Go, bring it to me." As he went, it was [all] sold. He came and said to her, "There is no dark flour, [but] there is barley flour." She said to him, "Go, bring it to me." As he went, it was [all] sold. She had taken off her shoe, [but still] said [to herself],
הֲוָה שְׁלִיפָא מְסָאנָא, אֲמַרָה: אִיפּוֹק וְאֶחְזֵי אִי מַשְׁכַּחְנָא מִידֵּי לְמֵיכַל. אִיתִיב לַהּ פַּרְתָּא בְּכַרְעַאּ, וּמִתָה.
I will go out and see if I can find something to eat. Dung got stuck to her foot and she died.
קָרֵי עֲלַהּ רַבָּן יוֹחָנָן בֶּן זַכַּאי: ״הָרַכָּה בְךָ וְהָעֲנוּגָּה אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִסְּתָה כַף רַגְלָהּ״. אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: גְּרוֹגֶרֶת דְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק אֲכַלָה, וְאִיתְּנִיסָא וּמִתָה. דְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק יְתֵיב אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין בְּתַעֲנִיתָא דְּלָא לֵיחָרֵב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, כִּי הֲוָה אָכֵיל מִידֵּי הֲוָה מִיתְחֲזֵי מֵאַבָּרַאי. וְכִי הֲוָה בָּרֵיא, מַיְיתִי לֵיהּ גְּרוֹגְרוֹת, מָיֵיץ מַיַּיְהוּ וְשָׁדֵי לְהוּ.
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakai would read [this verse to be] about her (Deuteronomy 28:56), "The most delicate of you and the pampered who has never tried the sole of her foot." Some say she ate from the cakes of figs of Rabbi Tsadok and got weak and died. As Rabbi Tsadok fasted for forty years that Jerusalem should not be destroyed. When he would eat, one could see [the food] from the outside. And when he became healthy [again], they would bring him cakes of figs [and] he would suck out their liquid and throw them away.
כִּי הֲוָה קָא נִיחָא נַפְשַׁהּ, אַפִּיקְתֵּהּ לְכֹל דַּהֲבַהּ וְכַסְפַּהּ שְׁדֵיתֵיהּ בְּשׁוּקָא, אֲמַרָה: הַאי לְמַאי מִיבְּעֵי לִי! וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב: ״כַּסְפָּם בְּחוּצוֹת יַשְׁלִיכוּ״.
When she was about to die, she took out all of her gold and silver and threw it into the market. She said, "What do I need this for?" And this is [the meaning of] what is written (Ezekiel 7:19), "They will throw their silver into the streets."