[147a - 43 lines; 147b - 18 lines]
1)[line 1]דומהDOMEH- I thought
2)[line 5]ונודעNODA- it became known
3)[line 7]דומה שאניDOMEH SHANI- a case of a person who says "I thought [that I had a living son"] is different
4)[line 8]ודקארי לה, מאי קארי לה?UD'KA'ARI LAH, MAI KA'ARI LAH?- and the one who asked this question, why did he ask it (since the answer is obvious)?
5)[line 9]צעריה הוא דקא מדכרTZA'AREI HU D'KA MIDKAR- he is merely mentioning (and lamenting) his pain (at the loss of his son)
6)[line 11]"[וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר, אִישׁ כִּי יָמוּת וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ,] וְהַעֲבַרְתֶּם אֶת נַחֲלָתוֹ לְבִתּוֹ""[V'EL BENEI YISRAEL TEDABER LEIMOR, ISH KI YAMUS U'VEN EIN LO,] V'HA'AVARTEM ES NACHALASO L'VITO"- "[... When a man dies and he has no son,] you shall pass his inheritance to his daughter." (Bamidbar 27:8) - The verse could have left out the word "v'Ha'avartem," and the verse would have read, "his inheritance [goes] to his daughter." The extra word implies that there is another form of transfer of property that is similar to inheritance in that it does not need a Kinyan in order to take effect.
7)[line 12]העברה אחרתHA'AVARAH ACHERES- another passing/transferring [of property to a new owner]
8)[line 21]אורחיה דקראORCHEI DI'KRA- it is the custom/style of the verse (to speak in this manner, and thus nothing can be derived from it)
9)[line 22]"בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ לָמוּת; וַיָּבֹא אֵלָיו יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' צַו לְבֵיתֶךָ כִּי מֵת אַתָּה וְלֹא תִחְיֶה""BA'YAMIM HA'HEM, CHALAH CHIZKIYAHU LAMUS; VA'YAVO ELAV YESHAYAHU VEN AMOTZ HA'NAVI, VA'YOMER ELAV 'KOH AMAR HASH-M, TZAV L'VEISCHA, KI MES ATAH, V'LO SICHYEH'" - "In those days, when Chizkiyahu became deathly ill, Yeshayahu ben Amotz ha'Navi came to [visit] him, and he said to him, 'So says HaSh-m; instruct your household, for you are about to die; you will not live.'" (Melachim II 20:1) (CHIZKIYAHU'S TEFILAH)
(a)Chizkiyahu ha'Melech became ill because he had failed to marry and fulfill the Mitzvah of Peru u'Revu. Yeshayahu informed him that he was therefore about to die in this world and lose his portion in the next. Even though the king justified his actions by pointing out that he knew that his children would be Resha'im, the Navi told him that he was obligated to marry and to have children, and what would happen after that was HaSh-m's concern, not his (Berachos 10a).
(b)Tana d'Vei Eliyahu identifies the sin that caused his illness. After Yerushalayim was surrounded by Sancheriv's troops, Chizkiyahu prayed to HaSh-m "like one person speaks to another," without the proper awe and respect that is expected of one who stands before the King of Kings.
(c)In an immediate act of Teshuvah, Chizkiyahu asked Yeshayahu for his daughter's hand in marriage, adding that perhaps their combined merits would save his life. When the Navi replied that it was too late since the Divine decree had already been finalized, Chizkiyahu ha'Melech retorted that he had a tradition from his grandfather (David ha'Melech) that even if a sharp sword is placed at one's throat, one should never despair of Divine mercy. He then turned his face to the wall and prayed fervently, asking HaSh-m to remember all of his numerous good deeds. The verse records that he wept as he prayed. Chazal teach that even if the gates of prayer are shut, the gates of tears is always open. Perhaps that is why his prayers were answered, despite the fact that the decree was already finalized.
(d)According to Tana d'Vei Eliyahu, the fact that he wept during this Tefilah and that he turned his face toward the wall (a sign of deep concentration) is of particular significance, since those were the elements that were conspicuously absent from his first Tefilah.
(e)HaSh-m did not delay in answering Chizkiyahu's Tefilah. In fact, hardly had Yeshayahu left the king's presence when HaSh-m ordered him to return and to inform him that He had answered his Tefilah, and that his recovery would begin immediately, and that on the third day (the day prior to Sancheriv's downfall), he would be able to go the Beis ha'Mikdash to pray to HaSh-m. In fact, Yeshayahu was informed of Chizkiyahu's recovery before his illness was publicly known.
(f)Chizkiyahu's remarkable recovery and his unique Bitachon and power of prayer appear even more incredible bearing in mind the Midrash which teaches that Chizkiyahu was the first person ever to get up from a sick-bed.
(g)In Yeshayahu's record of these events (Yeshayahu 38), the verse refers to HaSh-m as "G-d of his ancestor David, in whose merit Yerushalayim was saved." Chizkiyahu's name is not mentioned, in spite of his fervent prayer. Chazal attribute this to the fact that he prayed for HaSh-m to spare him on his own merit. In contrast, we find that when Moshe Rabeinu asked HaSh-m to forgive Yisrael for the sin of the Golden Calf in the merit of the Avos, HaSh-m replied that He would save them in Moshe's merit.
10)[line 24]בצואה בעלמאB'TZAVA'AH B'ALMA- through merely an oral directive
11)[line 24]"וַאֲחִיתוֹפֶל רָאָה כִּי לֹא נֶעֶשְׂתָה עֲצָתֹו, וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת הַחֲמוֹר [וַיָּקָם] וַיֵּלֶך אֶל בֵּיתוֹ אֶל עִירוֹ, וַיְצַו אֶל בֵּיתוֹ וַיֵּחָנַק; וַיָּמָת וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּקֶבֶר אָבִיו""VA'ACHISOFEL RA'AH KI LO NE'ESESAH ATZASO, VA'YACH'AVOSH ES HA'CHAMOR, [VA'YAKAM] VA'YEILECH EL BEISO EL IRO, VA'YETZAV EL BEISO VA'YECHANAK VA'YAMAS, VA'YIKAVER B'KEVER AVIV" - "When Achitofel saw that his advice was not carried out, he saddled his donkey, got up and went back to his house to his town. He instructed his family and strangled himself. He died and was buried in the plot belonging to his father." (Shmuel II 17:23) (ACHITOFEL COMMITS SUICIDE)
(a)Following the rebellion of Avshalom, David was forced to flee from Yerushalayim. He then made the wise move of sending his elderly friend, Chushai ha'Arki, back to Yerushalayim to join the ranks of Avshalom, with instructions to give him counter advice regarding whatever Achitofel would suggest. This was not before offering a short prayer to HaSh-m to foil any plan that Achitofel would come up with (a combination that would save his life).
(b)This is precisely what the wily Chushai did. Achitofel suggested that David and his men, who had just fled from Yerushalayim, were bound to be weak, and that now was the time to catch them weak and off-guard. Chushai countered that David was far too clever to be caught napping and that he had certainly prepared for such a contingency, and laid an ambush against such an attack. In fact, Achitofel, as always, was right, but miraculously Avshalom accepted Chushai's suggestion and did not attack at that moment, thus giving David and his men time to escape.
(c)Because, for the first time in his life, his advice had been rejected, the treacherous Achitofel went on to commit suicide.
12)[line 28]ברורBARUR- clear (not cloudy)
13)[line 28]זרעו חטיםZIR'U CHITIM- plant wheat
14)[line 28]בלול איתמרBALUL ITMAR- "cloudy" (lit. mixed) is what was stated
15)[line 30]מנשבתוMENASHVATU- is blowing it
16)[line 32]חגCHAG- the festival of Sukos
17)[line 32]הכל צופין לעשן המערכהHA'KOL TZOFIN L'ASHAN HA'MA'ARACHAH- everyone would gaze towards the smoke of the burning woodpile [on the Mizbe'ach]
18)[line 32]נטה כלפי צפוןNATAH KELAPEI TZAFON- if it leaned towards the north (i.e. there was a southerly wind, a wind coming from the south)
19)[line 34]מרקיביןMARKIVIN- [the fruits] rot (and cannot be stored, and thus they are sold at a cheap price)
20)[line 35]משתמריןMISHTAMRIN- [the fruits] endure (and thus can be stored and sold at a high price)
21)[line 36]ורמינהיU'REMINHU- and we asked a contradiction (according to the RASHBAM, the contradiction is only from the east and west winds; according to RABEINU GERSHOM, the contradiction is from both the north and south winds, and the east and west winds)
22)[line 37]שהביאו שלישSHE'HEVI'U SHELISH- which have grown a third [of their total growth]
23)[line 38]שיניצוSHE'YANITZU- that which have blossomed (the flower, the precursor of the fruit, has emerged)
24)[line 40]וסימנךSIMANACH- your sign (mnemonic) to remember this
25)[line 40]שלחן בצפון ומנורה בדרוםSHULCHAN BA'TZAFON U'MENORAH BA'DAROM- the Golden Table (of the Mishkan and the Beis ha'Mikdash) was placed in the north, and the Golden Menorah was placed in the south
26)[line 40]האי מרבי דידיה, והאי מרבי דידיהHAI MARBI DIDEI, V'HAI MARBI DIDEI- (lit. this causes its own to grow, and this causes its own to grow) the northern wind aids in the growth of wheat from which the Lechem ha'Panim is made, which is placed on the Shulchan, standing on the north side of the Heichal. The southern wind aids in the growth of olives from which oil for the Menorah is made, and the Menorah stands on the southern side of the Heichal.
27)[line 41]הא לן והא להוHA LAN V'HA LEHU- This [second Beraisa, which says that a west wind is detrimental to the crops because it brings too much rain, and an east wind is beneficial because it brings little rain] applies to us [in Bavel, which has a low topography and the land is very moist already]. That [first Beraisa, which says that a west wind is beneficial because it brings a lot of rain, and an east wind is detrimental because it brings little rain] applies to them [in Eretz Yisrael, which is higher up and dryer, and thus needs a lot of rain] (RASHBAM; see TOSFOS for an alternative explanation)
28)[line 42]יומא קמא דריש שתאYOMA KAMA D'REISH SHATA- the first day of Rosh Hashanah
29)[last line]חמימאCHAMIMA- hot
147b----------------------------------------147b
30)[line 1]לתפלתו של כהן גדולL'TEFILASO SHEL KOHEN GADOL- for the prayer of the Kohen Gadol. On Yom ha'Kipurim, the Kohen Gadol would offer a prayer for the climate of the coming year.
31)[line 2]שמא תטרף דעתו עליוSHEMA TITAREF DA'ATO ALAV- perhaps he will go out of his mind, become confused/distressed (out of concern that his desire will not be carried out, and it will cause him to die sooner)
32a)[line 5]שטר חובSHTAR CHOV- a loan document
b)[line 5]וחזר ומחלוV'CHAZAR U'MACHALO- and then he went back and forgave/annulled the debt
c)[line 6]מחולMACHUL- [the debt] is forgiven/annulled
33)[line 11]ועשאוה כשל תורהV'ASA'UHA K'SHEL TORAH- and they (the Chachamim) made it (the gift given by a Shechiv Mera) like [an acquisition] of the Torah
34)[line 12]ידור פלוניYADUR PELONI- so-and-so should live [in this house]
35)[line 13]לא אמר כלוםLO AMAR KELUM- he has said nothing (his word is not binding, even through a Matnas Shechiv Mera, because he is only able to give as a gift an object that is tangible, such as the house itself, or the tree itself; he cannot give away the rights of residence in the house, or the rights to eat the fruit of the tree, because rights are not tangible entities)
36)[line 16]מילתא דאיתא בבריאMILSA D'ISA B'VARI- a thing (i.e. a form of Kinyan) that exists for a healthy person