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 B.C.E.
Sirach 3:21
Deuterocanon
17 My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. 18 The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. 20 For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified. 21 Neither seek what is too difficult for you, nor investigate what is beyond your power. 22 Reflect upon what you have been commanded, for what is hidden is not your concern. 23 Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you, for more than you can understand has been shown you. 24 For their conceit has led many astray, and wrong opinion has impaired their judgment. 25 Without eyes there is no light; without knowledge there is no wisdom.
450-550 C.E.
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 B.C.E.
Sirach 3:21
Deuterocanon
17 My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. 18 The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself; so you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. 20 For great is the might of the Lord; but by the humble he is glorified. 21 Neither seek what is too difficult for you, nor investigate what is beyond your power. 22 Reflect upon what you have been commanded, for what is hidden is not your concern. 23 Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you, for more than you can understand has been shown you. 24 For their conceit has led many astray, and wrong opinion has impaired their judgment.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 8:2
Rabbinic
Then I [sc. the Torah] was by Him, as a nursling, and I was His delight day after day (Prov. VIII, 30); now the day of the Lord is a thousand years, as it is said, ‘For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past’ (Ps. XC, 4). That is the meaning of ‘Knowest thou this of old time?’ The Torah knows what was before the creation of the world, but you have no business to inquire about aught save ‘Since man was placed upon earth.’ R. Leazar said in Bar Sira’s name: About what is too great for thee inquire not; what is too hard for thee investigate not; about what is too wonderful for thee know not; of what is hidden from thee ask not; study what was permitted thee: thou hast no business with hidden things.
195-175 B.C.E.
Sirach 11:1
Deuterocanon
1 The wisdom of the humble lifts their heads high, and seats them among the great. 2 Do not praise individuals for their good looks, or loathe anyone because of appearance alone. 3 The bee is small among flying creatures, but what it produces is the best of sweet things. 4 Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, and do not exalt yourself when you are honored; for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from humankind. 5 Many kings have had to sit on the ground, but one who was never thought of has worn a crown.
375-425 C.E.
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 B.C.E.
Sirach 13:16
Deuterocanon
12 Cruel are those who do not keep your secrets; they will not spare you harm or imprisonment. 13 Be on your guard and very careful, for you are walking about with your own downfall. 15 Every creature loves its like, and every person the neighbor. 16 All living beings associate with their own kind, and people stick close to those like themselves. 17 What does a wolf have in common with a lamb? No more has a sinner with the devout. 18 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? And what peace between the rich and the poor? 19 Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions; likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich. 20 Humility is an abomination to the proud; likewise the poor are an abomination to the rich.
450-550 C.E.
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 B.C.E.
Sirach 21:22
Deuterocanon
19 To a senseless person education is fetters on his feet, and like manacles on his right hand. 20 A fool raises his voice when he laughs, but the wise smile quietly. 21 To the sensible person education is like a golden ornament, and like a bracelet on the right arm. 22 The foot of a fool rushes into a house, but an experienced person waits respectfully outside. 23 A boor peers into the house from the door, but a cultivated person remains outside. 24 It is ill-mannered for a person to listen at a door; the discreet would be grieved by the disgrace.
450-550 C.E.
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 B.C.E.
Sirach 28:12
Deuterocanon
11 A hasty quarrel kindles a fire, and a hasty dispute sheds blood. 12 If you blow on a spark, it will glow; if you spit on it, it will be put out; yet both come out of your mouth. 13 Curse the gossips and the double-tongued, for they destroy the peace of many. 14 Slander has shaken many, and scattered them from nation to nation; it has destroyed strong cities, and overturned the houses of the great.
500 C.E.
Leviticus Rabbah 33
Rabbinic
"And Ad-nai said to Moshe... 'When you sell goods to your people [you shall not wrong one another]' (Leviticus 25:1-14)." Another verse: "Life and death and in the hand of the tongue", the translation of Onkelos 'mystromakerion' [an eating utensil, a side is a spoon the other a knife] death from this side and life from this side. Bar Sira said: 'there is a fiery coal in front of him, if he blows on it it catches fire, if he spits he puts it out.' Rabbi Yannai said: if he had a piece of bread in front of him and ate it without tithing, this is 'death by the hand of the tongue'; if he tithed it before eating, this is 'life by the hand of the tongue.' Said Rabbi Chiya bar Abba: If he had a basket of figs. If he ate them before he separated off tithes, then it is death by the hand of the tongue. If he separated off tithes and then ate, it is life by the hand of the tongue. Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said to Tavi his servant, "go purchase for me the best food from the market." He went and bought for him a tongue. He said to him "go purchase for me the worse food from the market." He went out and bought him a tongue. He said to him, "What is this? When I say to you to the best food, you buy me a tongue, and when I say to you the worst food, you [also] buy me tongue!" [Tavi] said to him, this is the best and this is the worst! When it is good, there is none better than it, and when it is bad, there is no worse than it." Rabbi made a feast for his students, and brought before them tender tongues and tough tongues. They began to choose for themselves the tender tongues and left alone the tough tongues. He said to them, "Know what you are doing! Just as you are choosing the tender [tongues] and leaving alone the tough ones, so shall your own tongues be with one another. Thefore Moshe warned Israel, 'and when you sell goods... [you shall not wrong one another]'
195-175 B.C.E.
Sirach 38:4
Deuterocanon
1 Honor physicians for their services, for the Lord created them; 2 for their gift of healing comes from the Most High, and they are rewarded by the king. 3 The skill of physicians makes them distinguished, and in the presence of the great they are admired. 4 The Lord created medicines out of the earth, and the sensible will not despise them. 5 Was not water made sweet with a tree in order that its power might be known? 6 And he gave skill to human beings that he might be glorified in his marvelous works. 7 By them the physician heals and takes away pain; 8 the pharmacist makes a mixture from them. God's works will never be finished; and from him health spreads over all the earth.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 10
Rabbinic
‘And the heaven and the earth were finished—wayyekullu’ (Genesis 2:1). ‘I have seen an end to every purpose (tiklah), but Thy commandment is exceeding broad: everything has a measure, heaven and earth have a measure, except one thing which has no measure: and what is it? The Torah, [of which it is written,] The measure thereof is longer than the earth, etc.’ (Job 11:9). Another interpretation: ‘I have seen an end to every purpose’ refers to the work of the heaven, as it is said, ‘And the heaven and the earth were finished.’ Bar Sira said, ‘God brings forth spices from the earth. With them the healer heals the ailments, and with them the perfumer perfumes the perfumes.’ Said Rabbi Simon, ‘There isn't a single herb or spice that doesn't have a constellation in the firmaments that smacks it and tells it to grow.’ And behold, this is written in Job 38:33: ‘Do you know the laws of Heaven? Can you place its authority (šiḏro) on Earth?’ etc. The language is ‘šoḏer’ (officer/regulator). ‘Can you tie binds on the Pleiades, or the cords of Orion loosen?’ (Job 38:31). Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon said, ‘The Pleiades binds the fruits, and Orion pulls from binding to binding.’ And behold, this is written (Job 38:32), ‘Can you bring out the Zodiac in its season, Ursa Major with her sons you can lead?’ Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥiyya and Rabbi Simon said, ‘A constellation is “Mazal” because it stretches [m'mazzer] out the fruits.’
195-175 B.C.E.
Sirach 42:9
Deuterocanon
9 A daughter is a secret anxiety to her father, and worry over her robs him of sleep; when she is young, for fear she may not marry, or if married, for fear she may be disliked; 10 while a virgin, for fear she may be seduced and become pregnant in her father's house; or having a husband, for fear she may go astray, or, though married, for fear she may be barren. 11 Keep strict watch over a headstrong daughter, or she may make you a laughingstock to your enemies, a byword in the city and the assembly of the people, and put you to shame in public gatherings. See that there is no lattice in her room, no spot that overlooks the approaches to the house. 12 Do not let her parade her beauty before any man, or spend her time among married women; 13 for from garments comes the moth, and from a woman comes woman's wickedness. 14 Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; it is woman who brings shame and disgrace.
450-550 C.E.
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.