[17a - 57 lines; 17b - 47 lines]
1)[line 5]במילי דשמיאMILEI DI'SHEMAYA- Heavenly matters, i.e. for the person's sins
2a)[line 7]עביד דינא לנפשיהAVID DINA L'NAFSHEI- may exact judgement for himself, e.g. take back a stolen object that is in someone else's domain even if he has to hit the person (SHULCHAN ARUCH Choshen Mishpat 4:1)
b)[line 8]במילתא דפסיקא ליהB'MILSA DI'PESIKA LEI- in a case about which he is certain of the verdict
3)[line 9]דהוו סנו שומעניהD'HAVU SANU SHUM'ANEI- about whom there were reports of disrepute
4)[line 11]מיתחילMISCHIL- will be profaned
5)[line 17]איחלשICHLASH- he became sick and was about to die
6)[line 17]לשיולי ביהL'SHIYULEI VEI- to visit him
7)[line 19]חייךCHAYECH- he (Rav Yehudah) laughed; smiled
8)[line 22]בדיחא דעתאיBEDICHA DA'ATA'I- I feel cheerful, happy
9)[line 23]לא חניפי ליהLO CHANIFI LEI- I did not flatter him
10)[line 31]זיבוראZIBURA- a bee
11)[line 31]וטרקיה אאמתיהV'TARKEI A'AMSEI- and stung him on his male organ
12)[line 32]ושכיבSHACHIV- he died
13)[line 36]מחיMACHI- hit
14)[line 39]רמא ביה קלאRAMA BEI KALA- Reish Lakish called to him loudly
15)[line 43]באושאUSHA- a city in the western Galilee, that was one of the ten places to which the Sanhedrin was exiled
16)[line 43]שסרחSARACH- committed an offense, sinned
17)[line 44]הכבד ושב בביתךHIKAVED V'SHEV B'VEISECHA- (a) act like a person who is very sick (lit. with a heavy head) and remain at home; (b) keep your glory and remain at home (based upon Melachim II 14:10)
18)[line 44]"הכה הכית את אדום ונשאך לבך הכבד ושב בביתך ולמה תתגרה ברעה ונפלתה אתה ויהודה עמך""HAKEH HIKISA ES EDOM U'NESA'ACHA LIBECHA. HIKAVED V'SHEV B'VEISECHA; V'LAMAH SISGAREH B'RA'AH, V'NAFALTA ATAH VI'YEHUDAH IMACH" - "The fact that you defeated Edom seems to have gone to your head. Retain your dignity and stay at home; why do you ask for trouble? You will fall and Yehudah with you.'" (Melachim II 14:10) (AMATZYAH, KING OF YEHUDAH, AND YEHO'ASH, KING OF YISRAEL)
(a)Amatzyah, a righteous king, killed the servants who were responsible for assassinating his father Yo'ash, but not their children, in accordance with the Torah's teachings. From there, he went on to defeat Edom, and that was when he threw down the gauntlet to Yo'ash, king of Yisrael. The soldiers of Yisrael at that moment were far superior warriors than those of Yehudah. Yo'ash tried to dissuade Amatzyah from his foolish challenge, but to no avail.
(b)The battle took place, and as Yo'ash had predicted, he defeated Yehudah with ease, and he took Amatzyah captive. On the way back from battle, he made a 400-Amah-long breach in the wall of Yerushalayim. He then returned home to Yisrael, but not before taking all of the silver, gold, and vessels that he found in the Beis ha'Mikdash, as well as the "Bnei ha'Ta'aruvos" (the sons of the princes whom the king of Yehudah had taken captive as a security to ensure that their fathers would not rebel against him).
19)[line 45]"...וכשלת היום...""V'CHASHALTA HA'YOM..."- "Therefore you shall fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with you in the night..." (Hoshea 4:5)
20)[line 48]"היתה העיר חרם היא וכל אשר בה לה' רק רחב הזונה תהיה היא וכל אשר אתה בבית כי החבאתה את המלאכים אשר שלחנו""V'HAYESAH HA'IR CHEREM HI V'CHOL ASHER BAH LA'HASH-M; RAK RACHAV HA'ZONAH TICHYEH HI V'CHOL ASHER ITAH BA'BAYIS KI HECHBE'ASAH ES HA'MAL'ACHIM ASHER SHALACHNU" - "And the city (Jericho) shall be banned (utterly destroyed), it and all that is in it, for HaSh-m; only Rachav the innkeeper shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent." (Yehoshua 6:17) (THE CITY OF YERICHO)
(a)These are the words that were spoken to Yehoshua on the last day of the siege of Yericho, the first city to be attacked in the conquest of Kena'an. The army had just encircled the city of Yericho six times, once a day from Sunday to Friday, while seven Kohanim walked in front of the Aron, leading the procession blowing Shofaros.
(b)On the seventh day (Shabbos), Yehoshua commanded them to do the same thing seven times, but on this occasion - after the Kohanim blew the final Teki'ah Gedolah - all of the people were to blow Teru'ah, at which moment HaSh-m would deliver the city into their hands. He warned them, however, that the entire city was to be a Cherem for HaSh-m; all the people in it were to be killed (with the sole exception of Rachav ha'Zonah and her entire family), all objects of value were to be given over to the treasury of Hekdesh, and the rest of town was to be utterly destroyed.
(c)The people obeyed the instructions. They killed every man, woman, child, ox, sheep, and donkey, and they handed over all the valuables that they had captured to Bedek ha'Bayis (the treasury of the Mishkan/Beis ha'Mikdash) - with one exception. A man named Achan could not resist the temptation, and he helped himself to a beautiful coat, silver, and gold which he hid in his tent.
(d)They also razed the city to the ground, and Yehoshua issued a curse on whoever would rebuild Yericho; that person would set the foundation-stone with his firstborn son and place the gates with his youngest.
21)[line 49]דבמערבאMA'ARAVA- (lit. the west) Eretz Yisrael
22)[line 49]מימנו אנגידאMIMNU A'NEGIDA- (a) the scholars gather and vote when a scholar sins to the extent that he may be worthy of receiving Makos Mardus (RASHI); (b) the scholars gather in the presence of the most important Rav and must agree unanimously before they administer Makos Mardus (RIF)
23)[line 50]ולא מימנו אשמתאV'LO MIMNU A'SHAMTA- (a) but the scholars do not gather to vote when a scholar sins to the extent that he may be worthy of Niduy (excomunication), which is a more severe punishment. The degradation of the Torah that would be engendered by publicizing the event is considered far worse than the possible injustice that may be done should the Niduy be administered improperly (RASHI); (b) but when a scholar sins to the extent that he may be worthy of Niduy, "Ein Cholkin Kavod la'Rav," i.e. the scholars do not gather in the presence of the most important Rav. Niduy is administered immediately. (RIF)
24)[line 50]ומהניא ביהMEHANYA BEI- and it is as beneficial
25)[line 50]כי טיחיא בתנוראKI TICHIYA B'TANURA- as oil that is spread on the surface of an oven, that seeps into the earthenware and never comes out (so, too, Niduy is beneficial to a person because the effect never wears off)
26)[line 54]שדי שמתא אגנובתא דכלבאSHADI SHAMTA A'GENUVTA D'CHALBA- [it is possible to] place a Niduy on the tail of a dog
27)[line 54]ואיהי דידה עבדהV'IHI, DIDAH AVDAH- and it (the Niduy) does its work, i.e. roots out the evil
28)[line 56]אלמאALEMA- powerful person, violent person
29)[last line]מסתפינא מיניהMISTEFINA MINEI- I am afraid of him
30)[last line]שקילי פתיחא עליהSHEKILI PESICHA ALEI- take out a warrant against him; a summons to appear in court with a penalty of Niduy for noncompliance
31)[last line]שקליהSHAKLEI- take it (the warrant)
32)[last line]אחתיה בכדאACHTEI B'CHADA- and place it in a pitcher
17b----------------------------------------17b
33)[line 1]ואחתיה בי קבריV'ACHTEI BEI KIVREI- and bring it to a cemetery
34)[line 1]וקרי ביהV'KARI VEI- and blow [a Shofar] into it
35)[line 2]פקע כדאPAKA KADA- the pitcher burst
36)[line 4]תבראTAVRA- why do they blow a Shevarim Teru'ah when they excommunicate a person (and not Teki'os - NEMUKEI YOSEF)?
37)[line 4]תברי בתי רמיTAVREI BATEI RAMEI- May the lofty houses be broken down
38)[line 24]ותנא בראTANA BARA- the Tana of the Beraisa
39)[line 25]מקצת היום ככולוMIKTZAS HA'YOM K'CHULO
In most cases where a count of days is required, part of the last day is considered Halachically as if it were the entire day.
40)[line 30]משמרתוMISHMARTO (MISHMAROS)
(a)The Kohanim were divided into 24 shifts according to their families (Mishmaros), each of which served in the Mikdash for two weeks out of a year. The Mishmaros changed on Shabbos, when the outgoing Mishmar did the Avodah in the morning and the incoming Mishmar did the Avodah in the afternoon.
(b)Every Mishmar was further divided into six Batei Avos, with the Kohanim of each Beis Av serving on a different day of the week. On Shabbos, all the Batei Avos of the Mishmar did the Avodah together (RASHI Menachos 107b). Some contend that the Mishmaros were divided into seven, and not six, groups, and only one group served on Shabbos (RASHI Ta'anis 26a - for more on this, see Insights to Shekalim 18:1).
(c)On the Shalosh Regalim (the holidays of Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukos) all of the Mishmaros Kehunah came to Yerushalayim to fulfill the Mitzvah of Aliyah l'Regel. At those times, Kohanim from any Mishmar were permitted to do the Avodah of the Regel.
41)[line 32]בשלשה פרקיםBI'SHELOSHA PERAKIM- three times, Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukos
42)[line 33]באימורי הרגליםAMUREI HA'REGALIM- [the portions given to the Kohanim from] the Korbanos that the Torah states to bring on the festivals
43)[line 34]ובחילוק לחם הפניםUV'CHILUK LECHEM HA'PANIM- (Although the Lechem ha'Panim was not one of the Korbanos of the Regel, the Gemara derives from a verse that it, too, was split among all of the Mishmaros during the Regel.)
44)[line 40]בשתכפוהו אבליוBESHE'TAKFUHU AVELAV- before his period of mourning ended, another close relative died and he found himself in another period of mourning
45)[line 42]מיקל בתערMEIKEL B'TA'AR- he may lighten [the load of his hair by removing some of it] with a razor
46)[line 43]במספריםMISPARAYIM- a pair of scissors
47)[line 43]בנתרNESER- a kind of soil or stone that resembles chalk (O.F. nitre) (from natron, native carbonate of soda)
48)[line 43]באהלOHEL- an alkaline plant; aloe