Chronological timeline of texts tagged with Ben Sira the Rabbi
About This Tag
Rabbinic tradition sometimes treated Ben Sira not as a marginal figure but as a fellow rabbi whose sayings could be cited with authority, attributing teachings to him by name and drawing on his words in halakhic and aggadic argument the way the words of any other rabbi are quoted. The rabbinic quotations are based on the earliest Hebrew form of the book, rather than the Greek translation produced by his grandson or the Latin versions used in the Christian West.
Note: Dates shown in this timeline are approximate and based on scholarly estimates.
Back to TagSirach 3:21 / Chagigah 13a
195–175 BCE
Sirach 3:21
Deuterocanon
17 My son, go on with your business in humility; so you will be loved by an acceptable man. 18 The greater you are, humble yourself the more, and you will find favor before the Lord. 20 For the power of the Lord is great, and he is glorified by those who are lowly. 21 Don’t seek things that are too hard for you, and don’t search out things that are above your strength. 22 Think about the things that have been commanded you, for you have no need of the things that are secret. 23 Don’t be overly busy in tasks that are beyond you, for more things are shown to you than men can understand. 24 For the conceit of many has led them astray. Evil opinion has caused their judgment to slip.
450–550 CE
Chagigah 13a
Rabbinic
The Gemara comments: Until here, you have permission to speak; from this point forward you do not have permission to speak, as it is written in the book of Ben Sira: Seek not things concealed from you, nor search those hidden from you. Reflect on that which is permitted to you; you have no business with secret matters. It is taught in a baraita: Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai said: What response did the Divine Voice provide to that wicked man, Nebuchadnezzar, when he said: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14), thereby intending to rise to heaven? A Divine Voice came and said to him: Wicked man, son of a wicked man, descendant, i.e., follower of the ways, of Nimrod the wicked, who caused the entire world to rebel against Him during the time of his reign.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 3:21
Deuterocanon
17 My son, go on with your business in humility; so you will be loved by an acceptable man. 18 The greater you are, humble yourself the more, and you will find favor before the Lord. 20 For the power of the Lord is great, and he is glorified by those who are lowly. 21 Don’t seek things that are too hard for you, and don’t search out things that are above your strength. 22 Think about the things that have been commanded you, for you have no need of the things that are secret. 23 Don’t be overly busy in tasks that are beyond you, for more things are shown to you than men can understand. 24 For the conceit of many has led them astray. Evil opinion has caused their judgment to slip.
500 CE
Genesis Rabbah 8:2
Rabbinic
Rav Ḥama bar Ḥanina began: “Have you known this from [oldest times?]” (Job 20:4). Rav Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: This is analogous to a city that received its supplies by donkey drivers. They would ask one another: ‘What is the price of grain in the province today?’ The Friday ones would inquire of the Thursday ones; the Thursday ones of the Wednesday ones; the Wednesday ones of the Tuesday ones; the Tuesday ones of the Monday ones; the Monday ones of the Sunday ones. The Sunday one, whom would he ask? Would he not ask the businessmen of the city? Here, too, everything that was made on each day would ask one another: ‘What creations did the Holy One blessed be He create on your day?’ The sixth day would ask the fifth day, and so on until the first day. Whom would it [the first day] ask? Is it not the Torah, that preceded the creation of the world? As Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The Torah preceded the creation of the world by two thousand years. That is what is written: “I was with Him, as a protégé; [I was a delight day after day]” (Proverbs 8:30), and the day of the Holy One blessed be He is one thousand years, as it is written: “As one thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday” (Psalms 90:4). That is, “have you known this [from oldest times?]” (Job 20:4). The Torah knows what preceded the creation of the world. But you have license to expound only “from when man was placed upon the earth” (Job 20:4). Rabbi Elazar said, citing ben Sira: “Do not seek what is too great for you, do not interrogate what is stronger than you, do not seek knowledge of what is hidden from you, and do not ask regarding what is concealed from you. Observe what is permitted for you, and you have no business with the esoteric.”
195–175 BCE
Sirach 11:1
Deuterocanon
1 The wisdom of the lowly will lift up his head, and make him sit in the midst of great men. 2 Don’t commend a man for his good looks. Don’t abhor a man for his outward appearance. 3 The bee is little among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of confections. 4 Don’t boast about the clothes you wear, and don’t exalt yourself in the day of honor; for the Lord’s works are wonderful, and his works are hidden among men. 5 Many kings have sat down upon the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
375–425 CE
Jerusalem Berakhot 7.2
Rabbinic
He said to him, why did you disappear? He said to him, I heard that my lord was angry with me and I wanted to fulfill the verse (Is. 26:20) “Hide a little bit until the rage passes;” he used about himself (Eccl. 7:12): “Knowledge is an advantage, wisdom lets its possessor live.” He said to him, why did you sit between king and queen? He said to him, it is written in the book of Ben Sirach: “Esteem it and it will raise you and set you between princes.” He said, bring him a cup that he may recite Grace. He took the cup and said: “Let us give praise for the food that Yannai and his company ate.” He said to him, are you still obstinate as ever? He said to him, what should I say, “for the food that we did not eat?” He said, bring him something that he may eat. They brought, he ate and recited: “For the food that we ate.” Rebbi Yoḥanan said, his colleagues disagree with Simeon ben Shetaḥ.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 13:16
Deuterocanon
12 He who doesn’t keep secrets to himself is unmerciful. He won’t hesitate to harm and to bind. 13 Keep them to yourself and be careful, for you walk in danger of falling. 15 Every living creature loves its own kind, and every man loves his neighbor. 16 All flesh associates with their own kind. A man will stick to people like himself. 17 What fellowship would the wolf have with the lamb? So is the sinner to the godly. 18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? What peace is there between a rich man and the poor? 19 Wild donkeys are the prey of lions in the wilderness; likewise poor men are feeding grounds for the rich. 20 Lowliness is an abomination to a proud man; likewise a poor man is an abomination to the rich.
450–550 CE
Bava Kamma 92b
Rabbinic
Rabba bar Mari explains each of the sources. It is written in the Torah, as it is written: “And so Esau went to Ishmael” (Genesis 28:9). It is repeated in the Prophets, as it is written: “And there were gathered vain fellows to Yiftah, and they went out with him” (Judges 11:3). And it is triplicated in the Writings, as it is written: All fowl will live with its kind, and men with those like him (Book of Ben Sira 13:17). We learned it in a mishna (Kelim 12:2): All that is attached to that which is ritually impure is ritually impure; all that is attached to that which is ritually pure is ritually pure. And we learned it in a baraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: Not for naught did the starling go to the raven but because it is its kind, as it too is a non-kosher bird.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 21:22
Deuterocanon
19 Instruction is as fetters on the feet of an unwise man, and as manacles on the right hand. 20 A fool lifts up his voice with laughter, but a clever man smiles quietly. 21 Instruction is to a prudent man as an ornament of gold, and as a bracelet upon his right arm. 22 The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but a man of experience will be ashamed of entering. 23 A foolish man peers into the door of a house, but a man who is instructed will stand outside. 24 It is rude for someone to listen at a door, but a prudent person will be grieved with the disgrace.
450–550 CE
Niddah 16b
Rabbinic
The Gemara asks: And Rabbi Yoḥanan, how does he interpret that verse cited by Reish Lakish? The Gemara answers that Rabbi Yoḥanan requires that verse: “But he who despises his ways shall die,” to teach that which is written in the book of ben Sira: Three people I have hated, and a fourth I have not loved: A minister who frequents [hanirgal] drinking houses, as he disgraces himself and leads himself to ruin and death; and some say a different version of the text: A minister who chats [hanirgan] in drinking houses; and some say a third version: A minister who is short-tempered [hanirgaz] when in drinking houses. That is the first that he hated. And the others are one who dwells at the highest point of the city, where everyone sees him; and one who holds his penis and urinates. And the fourth, whom he has not loved, is one who enters the house of another suddenly, without warning. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: And this includes even one who comes into his own house without prior warning, as the members of his household might be engaged in private activities.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 28:12
Deuterocanon
11 A contention begun in haste kindles a fire; and hasty fighting sheds blood. 12 If you blow on a spark, it will burn; and if you spit upon it, it will be quenched. Both of these come out of your mouth. 13 Curse the whisperer and double-tongued, for he has destroyed many who were at peace. 14 A slanderer has shaken many, and dispersed them from nation to nation. It has pulled down strong cities and overthrown the houses of great men.
500 CE
Leviticus Rabbah 33:1
Rabbinic
“The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying” (Leviticus 25:1). “If you sell a sale item to your counterpart, or acquire from the hand of your counterpart, you shall not wrong one another” (Leviticus 25:14). “The Lord spoke to Moses…if you sell a sale item to your counterpart.” That is what is written: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Aquila translated it regarding a spoon-knife; death from here and life from there. Bar Sira said: If one has a coal before him, if he blows on it, it burns; if he spits on it, it is extinguished. Rabbi Yanai said: If there was an untithed loaf; if one ate it before he tithed it, death is in the power of the tongue. If he tithed it and ate it, life is in the power of the tongue. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: If there was a basket of figs before him; if one ate it before he tithed it, death is in the power of the tongue.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 38:4
Deuterocanon
1 Honor a physician according to your need with the honors due to him, for truly the Lord has created him. 2 For healing comes from the Most High, and he shall receive a gift from the king. 3 The skill of the physician will lift up his head. He will be admired in the sight of great men. 4 The Lord created medicines out of the earth. A prudent man will not despise them. 5 Wasn’t water made sweet with wood, that its power might be known? 6 He gave men skill that he might be glorified in his marvelous works. 7 With them he heals and takes away pain. 8 With these, the pharmacist makes a mixture. God’s works won’t be brought to an end. From him, peace is upon the face of the earth.
500 CE
Genesis Rabbah 10
Rabbinic
Bar Sira said: God produced drugs from the earth with which the physician heals the wound, and with which the pharmacist mixes his compounds. Rabbi Simon said: There is not a single blade of grass that does not have a constellation in the firmament that strikes it and says to it: ‘Grow.’ That is what is written: “Do you know the rules of the heavens? Will you establish its dominion [mishtaro] on earth?” (Job 38:33). It is an expression of being in charge [shoter]. “Will you tie the chains of the Pleiades, or untie the reins of Orion?” (Job 38:31) – Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon said: Pleiades renders fruits delicate and Orion draws it out from knot to knot. That is what is written: “Will you bring out the Mazarot in its season and guide Ursa with its sons?” (Job 38:32). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: It [Mazarot] is a constellation that softens [memazer] the produce.
195–175 BCE
Sirach 42:9
Deuterocanon
9 A daughter is a secret cause of wakefulness to a father. Care for her takes away sleep— in her youth, lest she pass the flower of her age; when she is married, lest she should be hated; 10 in her virginity, lest she should be defiled and be with child in her father’s house; when she has a husband, lest she should transgress; and when she is married, lest she should be barren. 11 Keep a strict watch over a headstrong daughter, lest she make you a laughingstock to your enemies, a byword in the city and notorious among the people, and shame you in public. 12 Don’t gaze at every beautiful body. Don’t sit in the midst of women. 13 For from garments comes a moth, and from a woman comes a woman’s wickedness. 14 Better is the wickedness of a man than a pleasant woman, a woman who puts you to shame and disgrace.
450–550 CE
Sanhedrin 100b
Rabbinic
If your difficulty is from its literal meaning, that does not pose a difficulty, as in the Torah, God also wrote: “You shall not destroy its trees” (Deuteronomy 20:19). It is prohibited to destroy both trees and fish skin arbitrarily. If your difficulty is from its homiletic interpretation as a euphemism, ben Sira is teaching us proper conduct: A man should not engage in sexual intercourse in an atypical manner, i.e., anal intercourse, with his wife, as it causes her discomfort. Rather, perhaps the book poses a difficulty because it is written there: A daughter is for her father false treasure; due to fear for her he will not sleep at night: During her minority, lest she be seduced; during her young womanhood lest she engage in licentiousness; once she has reached her majority, lest she not marry; once she marries, lest she have no children; once she grows old, lest she engage in witchcraft (Ben Sira 42:11–14). Perhaps you believe that one should not say this to the father of daughters. Didn’t the Sages also say it with regard to women? They said: It is impossible for the world to exist without males and without females; nevertheless, happy is one whose children are males and woe unto him whose children are females.