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Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Nedarim 56: עַרְסָא דְגַדָּא

jyungar December 20, 2022

For the source text click/tap here: Nedarim 56

To download, click/tap here: PDF

The Gemara asks: What is a dargash? Ulla said: It is a bed of good fortune, placed in the house as a fortuitous omen, and not designated for sleeping. The Rabbis said to Ulla: That which we learned in a mishna: When the people servethe king the meal of comfort after he buries a relative, all the people recline on the ground and the king reclines on a dargash during the meal. 

 Ula explains that a Dargash is an "Arsa d'Gada" -- a special bed designated exclusively for bringing good fortune into the home, upon which no one sits or sleeps, as the MEFARESH here and RASHI in Moed Katan (27a, DH Arsa d'Gada) explain. RASHI in Sanhedrin (20a) adds that it brings good fortune through "Nichush," superstition.

 

Why is one permitted to set up a bed in one's home for the purpose of Nichush? The Torah explicitly prohibits Nichush (Vayikra 19:26)! Moreover, when the RAN here explains the meaning of the word "Gada" ("Gad," or "Mazal"), he cites the Gemara in Shabbos (67b) which says that a person who attempts to improve his luck by saying, "Let my Mazal ('Gad') become fortuitous," transgresses the prohibition against Nichush. Rebbi Yehudah there adds that "Gad" refers to a type of idolatry, as he proves from a verse in Yeshayah (65:11). (CHIDUSHEI HA'RAN, Sanhedrin 20a)

We explore the use of such good luck charms in the talmud and its borrowing from ancient pagan sources in Dura Europa Synagogue.

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Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​