[53a - 44 lines; 53b - 39 lines]
1)[line 3]אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנותנוASHREI YALDUSEINU SHE'LO BIYESHAH ES ZIKNUSEINU- how fortunate are we that the years of our youth do not embarrass us in our old age, i.e. that we did not commit transgressions even in our youth
2)[line 8]הלל הזקן... אם אני כאן הכל כאןHILEL HA'ZAKEN... IM ANI KAN HA'KOL KAN- (Rashi explains that when Hillel used the word "I" in this context, he was speaking for the Shechinah. The MAHARSHA points out that the name "Hillel" has the same numerical value as the name of HaSh-m, Alef Dalet ...)
3)[line 14]"בכל המקום...""B'CHOL HA'MAKOM..."- "... wherever I permit My Name to be mentioned I shall come to you and bless you" (Shemos 20:21).
4)[line 16]גלגולתGULGOLES- a skull
5)[line 16]על דאטפת אטפוך, ומטיפיך יטופוןAL D'ATEFT ATFUCH, U'METIFIECH YETUFUN- because you caused heads to float (by killing them and tossing their heads into the water), they have caused your head to float, and the heads of those who caused your head to float will be caused to float by others
6)[line 17]רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביהRAGLOHI D'BAR INISH INUN AREVIN BEI- the feet of a person are his "guarantors," responsible for getting him to where he needs to go
7a)[line 17]לאתר דמיתבעיL'ASAR D'MISBA'EI- to the place where he is required to be (for instance, the place where he will die)
b)[line 18]תמן מובילין יתיהTAMAN MOVILIN YASEI- they lead him
8)[line 18]כושאיKUSHA'EI- handsome people
9)[line 21]שעיריםSE'IRIM- demons
10)[line 21]מחוזא דלוזMECHOZA D'LUZ- the region of Luz (where nobody dies - see Sotah 46b)
11)[line 21]שכיבוSHECHIVU- they died
12)[line 22]קבדחKA'BADACH- he was happy
13)[line 26]גודליוGODLAV- thumbs
14)[line 27]שוחהSHOCHEH- bends over
15)[line 28]איטלעITLA- he became lame
16)[line 30]מטיילMETAYEIL- to make sport
17)[line 31]מזגי חמראMAZGEI CHAMRA- glass cups [full] of wine
18)[line 32]ביעיBEI'EI- eggs
19)[line 38]הוו מנמנמי אכתפא דהדדיHAVU MENAMNEMEI A'KASFA D'HADAEI- they would doze on the shoulders of one another
20)[line 41]שכרה דוד שיתיןSHE'KARAH DAVID SHISIN- that King David dug the Shisin, a hollow located under the place where the Mizbe'ach of the Beis ha'Mikdash would eventually be built, into which the water and wine libations flowed
21)[line 41]קפא תהומאKAFA TEHOMA- the waters of the depths of the earth rose [and came out of the hole that he dug]
22)[line 41]ובעי למשטפא עלמאU'VA'I L'MISHTEFA ALMA- and they were going to flood the world
23)[line 43]אדכרתן מלתאADKARTAN (MILSA)- you reminded me (of the matter)
53b----------------------------------------53b
24)[line 1]אחספאA'CHASPA- on a piece of pottery
25)[line 1]נשדיה בתהומא ומנחNISHDEI B'TEHOMA U'MANACH - and throw it down into the waters of the depths so that it come to rest [upon the hole that was opened]
26( [line 17] "[ויבא אתי אל חצר בית ה', הפנימית והנה פתח היכל ה', בין האולם ובין המזבח כעשרים וחמשה איש, אחריהם אל היכל ה'] ופניהם קדמה, [והמה משתחוים קדמה לשמש]" "... U'FENEIHEM KEIDMAH..." - "[And he (the angel) brought me to the inner courtyard of the House of HaSh-m, and behold at the entrance to the Heichal of HaSh-m, between the Ulam and the Mizbe'ach were about twenty-five men, their backs towards the Heichal] and their faces towards the east, [and they were prostrating themselves eastwards towards the sun]" (Yechezkel 8:16) (YISRAEL'S ABOMINATIONS PRIOR TO THE CHURBAN)
(a)An angel had just transported the prophet Yechezkel from Bavel to Yerushalayim, to show him the abominations that Yisrael were perpetrating in the Beis ha'Mikdash with the express intent of angering HaSh-m.
(b)The angel showed him:
1.the image that Menasheh placed in the Beis ha'Mikdash,
2.the walls of one of the rooms there covered with carvings of the numerous gods that they worshipped, and seventy elders offering incense in that room,
3.a group of women sacrificing to an image called Tamuz, which incorporated heating it from the inside until its leaden eyes melted, giving the impression that it was crying out for a sacrifice,
4.and, finally, the angel showed him the gruesome spectacle described in the above verse and in the Gemara.
26)[line 27]שמי שנכתב בקדושה ימחה על המיםSHEMI SHE'NICHTAV B'KEDUSHAH YIMACHEH AL HA'MAYIM - My Name that was written in holiness should be erased on the water (MEI SOTAH)
(a)A Sotah is a woman who is suspected of committing adultery because she was warned by her husband not to seclude herself with a certain man and she violated the warning. The husband must bring his wife to the Beis ha'Mikdash, along with a sacrifice consisting of 1/10 of an Eifah (approx. 2 quarts) of barley meal as a Minchah offering.
(b)The Kohen reads Parshas Sotah, the portion of the Torah describing the curses with which a Sotah is cursed, out loud (in any language that the Sotah understands) and makes the Sotah swear that she has been faithful to her husband.
(c)An earthenware jug is then filled with half a Lug of water from the Kiyor, and dirt from the floor of the Azarah is placed on top of the water. Parshas Sotah (that contains numerous appearances of HaSh-m's name) is written on parchment and then immersed in the water, causing the ink to dissolve. The Sotah would afterwards drink from the water. If she was unfaithful to her husband and had been defiled, the water would enter her body and poison her, causing her belly to swell out and her thigh to rupture. If she was faithful to her husband, she would remain unharmed and would become pregnant (Bamidbar 5:11-31).
27)[line 8]גרמידיGARMIDEI- Amos
28)[line 9]כמה דמידלי טפיKAMAH D'MIDLEI TEFEI- the higher the water is
29)[line 10]מירטב עלמאMIRTAV ALMA- the more moist is the ground
30)[line 11]אסקיהASKEI- he caused [the waters] to rise
31)[line 12]סומכא דארעאSUMCHA D'AR'A- the thickness of the ground
32)[line 13]כרינן פורתאKARINAN PURTA- we dig a little bit
33)[line 14]סולמא דפרתSULMA D'PERAS- lit. ladders of the Euphrates; subterranean tunnels through which tributaries of the Euphrates flow upward (due to that which they are at a lower level than the source of the river)
34)[line 18]פורעין עצמןPOR'IN ATZMAN- they bared their backsides
35)[line 20]מתריזין כלפי מטהMATRIZIN KELAPEI MATAH- and they were defecating towards the Beis ha'Mikdash, in order to anger HaSh-m (the word "Matah" is a euphemism for "Ma'alah," as is evident from Kidushin 72b)
36)[line 21]מיחלותMEYACHALOS- long, yearn
37)[line 34]לפשוטה לפניה ולאחריהL'PESHUTAH LEFANEHA UL'ACHAREHA- to require a "simple" blast, a Teki'ah, before a Teru'ah and after it