Kiddushin, Chapter 4, Mishnah 14 - the final mishnah of Maseches Kiddushin, and the final mishnah of Seder Nashim. With this mishnah we mark approximately the halfway point in our journey through the six orders of Mishnah, through the entire Shas.
Prohibitions of Suspicion and Seclusion:
The mishnah opens: "Rabbi Yehudah omer, lo yireh ravak beheimah, velo yishnu shnei ravakim b'tallis achas" - Rabbi Yehudah says, an unmarried man should not herd an animal, and two unmarried men should not sleep under one cloak:
"Lo yireh ravak beheimah" - a man who has no wife should not tend animals and should not be a shepherd.
"Velo yishnu shnei ravakim b'tallis achas" - two unmarried men should not sleep under one cloak, under one blanket, without clothing on them.
"Vachachamim matirin" - the Sages permit both of these activities, since ordinary Jews are not suspected of relations with an animal or of relations with a male.
"Kol she'isko im hanashim lo yisyached im hanashim" - a man whose profession involves women, such as one who deals in women's clothing or manufactures jewelry, may not be secluded with women. Two approaches are offered in explaining the novelty of this ruling:
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From the previous mishnah we already learned that no man may be secluded with a woman; here the mishnah teaches that even when it is done for the sake of his livelihood and support, one should not think that it was permitted to him.
Some explain that the novelty is that even with several women, a form of seclusion that would normally be permitted, he may not be secluded, because he mixes with them; out of their closeness to him they are liable to cover for him.
"Velo yelamed adam es bno umanus bein hanashim" - a man should not teach his son a trade in which he is regularly found among women, because of the matter of the mingling of the sexes and out of concern that he may come to sin.
A Clean and Light Trade:
From here the mishnah moves on to discuss matters of livelihood in general: "Rabbi Meir omer, l'olam yelamed adam es bno umanus nekiyah v'kalah" - Rabbi Meir says, a man should always teach his son a clean and light trade:
"Nekiyah" - some explain that this means clean of theft, that is, a trade that does not run into problems of theft.
"Kalah" - one that does not involve a significant outlay of money, and does not require substantial capital in order to run it.
And alongside this - "v'yispallel l'mi she'ha'osher v'hanechasim shelo", he should pray to the One to whom wealth and possessions truly belong, namely the Holy One, blessed is He.
And the mishnah explains the reason: "she'ein umanus she'ein bah aniyus va'ashirus" - there is no trade in which there is not both poverty and wealth. There are those who succeed in their profession, and there are those engaged in that very same business, one considered by people to be profitable and prominent, who end up with little success and great financial loss. "Shelo aniyus min ha'umanus velo ashirus min ha'umanus, ela hakol l'fi zechuso" - poverty does not come from the type of trade and wealth does not come from the type of trade, but rather everything is according to a person's merits.
Livelihood Without Distress:
"Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar omer, mimai lo ra'isi chayah va'of she'yesh lahem umanus, v'hein misparnesin shelo b'tza'ar" - has anyone ever seen a beast or a bird that has a trade? And nevertheless they receive their sustenance without great difficulty. "Vahalo lo nivre'u ela l'shamsheini" - this is how the Holy One, blessed is He, arranged the world, that they were created to serve man, "va'ani nivreisi l'shamesh es koni" - while I was created to serve my Maker. "Eino din she'esparnes shelo b'tza'ar" - it is a kal vachomer: if those who were meant to serve me receive their food without difficulty, it is fitting that I too should receive my livelihood without difficulty.
So why is it nevertheless difficult for us at times? "Ela shehare'osi ma'asai v'kipachti es parnasasi" - animals do not sin, whereas I have acted badly in my deeds and sinned, and thereby caused the loss of my livelihood.
Trades One Should Not Teach His Son:
"Abba Gurion ish Tzaidan omer mishum Abba Gurya, lo yelamed adam es bno" - a man should not teach his son any of the following trades:
"Chamar" - a donkey driver.
"Gamal" - a camel driver.
"Sapar" - a barber; and some change this reading to "kadar," which is a wagon driver, and as we will see this reading fits the context better.
"Sapan" - a sailor.
"Ro'eh" - a shepherd.
"Chenvani" - a retail shopkeeper.
And the reason: "she'umanusan umanus listim" - their trade involves some form of theft. Those who travel the roads eventually find themselves on the road, and at times take wood or fruit from other people's fields; it was common among such people to commit small and petty thefts, thinking that this is not really theft, when in truth it is theft. The shepherd too, as we find in the story of Lot and Avraham, at times grazes his flock in someone else's field. And the shopkeeper is by the nature of things involved in matters of overcharging, a little too much or a little too little, and is not always one hundred percent fair.
"Rabbi Yehudah omer mishmo" - Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Abba Gurya:
"Hachamarim rubam resha'im" - donkey drivers are mostly wicked, since they are generally involved in some form of theft, and their work is not dangerous enough to bring them to think about repentance on a regular basis.
"V'hagamalim rubam kesherim" - camel drivers, who go out to the desert and the wilderness, to places where one has to fear wild animals and bandits, are mostly upright people, because they live in fear and cry out to Hashem.
"Hasapanim rubam chasidim" - sailors who go out to the open sea are under constant tension, and therefore they are always praying to Hashem.
The mishnah continues: "Tov shebarof'im l'Gehinnom" - even the best of doctors ends up in Gehinnom, because he is in a situation where life and death are in his hands, and at times he may fail to do what is proper. "V'hakasher shebatabachim shutafo shel Amalek" - even the most fit of butchers is a partner of Amalek, since by the very definition of the work of slaughtering animals a certain measure of cruelty accompanies it. Included in this are even shochtim, who have a certain common denominator with Amalek, and this in general terms.
"And I Teach My Son Nothing but Torah":
"Rabbi Nehorai omer, maniach ani kol umanus shebaolam v'eini melamed es bni ela Torah" - I set aside all the trades and professions in the world, and I teach my son nothing but Torah. "She'adam ochel misecharah ba'olam hazeh v'hakeren kayemes la'olam haba" - a person eats the fruits of its reward in this world, while the principal reward is preserved for him in the World to Come.
"Ush'ar kol umanus einan kein" - all other professions are not like this: "she'adam ba lidei choli o lidei ziknah o lidei yissurin v'eino yachol la'asok bimlachto, harei hu mes b'ra'av" - when a person comes to illness, to old age, or to suffering, and can no longer engage in his trade, he may ultimately die of hunger.
"Aval haTorah einah kein, ela m'shamartam mikol ra bi'eis na'arusam, v'nosenes lahem acharis v'sikvah b'ziknusam" - the Torah guards a person from all evil in his youth, and gives him a future and hope in his old age:
"Bi'eis na'arusam mah hu omer" - "v'kovei Hashem yachalifu koach", those who hope in Hashem will renew their strength.
"B'ziknusam mah hu omer" - "od yenuvun b'seivah", that he still bears fruit even in his old age.
"V'chein hu omer b'Avraham Avinu alav hashalom" - similarly it is said of Avraham Avinu, who was old, "vaHashem berach es Avraham bakol" - Hashem blessed him with everything, in the merit of his Torah. "Matzinu she'asah Avraham Avinu es kol haTorah kulah ad shelo nitnah" - in the merit of his Torah study he fulfilled the entire Torah even before it was given, "shene'emar: eikev asher shama Avraham b'koli vayishmor mishmarti mitzvosai chukosai v'sorosai" - because he listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My teachings. From here we see that he fulfilled all the mitzvos of the Torah even before the mitzvos were given.
With this we complete our study of Maseches Kiddushin and of Seder Nashim. We look forward to learning together the beginning of Seder Nezikin with Maseches Bava Kamma, and we hope you will join us. Thank you.