Sunday, January 27, 2008

Nedarim daf 38: Feeding his Fodder to his Muddar

Heh.

The Mishna on Nedarim 38a-b reads:

וזן את אשתו ואת בניו אע"פ שהוא חייב במזונותן ולא יזון את בהמתו בין טמאה בין טהור' ר' אליעזר אומר זן את הטמאה ואינו זן את הטהור' אמרו לו מה בין טמאה לטהורה אמר להו שהטהור' נפשה לשמי' וגופה שלו וטמאה
נפשה וגופה לשמים אמרו לו אף הטמאה נפשה לשמים וגופה שלו שאם ירצה הרי הוא מוכרה <לעובדי כוכבים> {לגוים} או מאכילה לכלבים
Soncino translates:
AND HE MAY SUPPORT HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, THOUGH HE [THE MUDDAR] IS LIABLE FOR THEIR MAINTENANCE. BUT HE MAY NOT FEED HIS BEASTS, WHETHER CLEAN OR UNCLEAN. R. ELIEZER SAID: HE MAY FEED AN UNCLEAN BEAST OF HIS, BUT NOT A CLEAN ONE. THEY [THE SAGES] SAID TO HIM, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN UNCLEAN AND A CLEAN BEAST? HE REPLIED TO THEM, THE LIFE OF A CLEAN BEAST BELONGS TO HEAVEN, BUT THE BODY IS HIS OWN; BUT AN UNCLEAN ANIMAL BELONGS BODY AND LIFE TO HEAVEN. SAID THEY TO HIM, THE LIFE OF AN UNCLEAN BEAST TOO BELONGS TO HEAVEN AND THE BODY IS HIS. FOR IF HE WISHES, HE CAN SELL IT TO A HEATHEN OR FEED DOGS WITH IT.
Note the clarification of "he" on the first line as "the muddar." This is to be pronounced as "the moo-dar" but it calls to mind the word "mudder," which is a horse which races well on muddy tracks.

The continuation of the Mishna has a dispute about whether one who vowed off giving benefit to his fellow can give fodder to his animal, and Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that he can give it to a non-kosher animal, such as a horse.

Thus, he can give his fodder to his muddar. Which calls to mind the not-so-famous Abbot and Costello routine:
BUD: Didn't I see you at the race track yesterday?
LOU: Yeah, I was there. I like to bet on the nags.
BUD (grabs him): Don't talk like that about horses! Do you realize that I have one of the greatest mudders in the country?
LOU: What has your mother got to do with horses?
BUD: My mudder is a horse.
LOU: What? I will admit there's a resemblance.
BUD: Now stop that!
LOU: Is your mudder really a horse?
BUD: Of course. My mudder won the first race at Hialeah yesterday.
LOU: You oughta be ashamed of yourself, putting your mudder in a horse race.
BUD: What are you talking about? My mudder used to pull a milk wagon.
LOU: What some people won't do for a living!
BUD: I take very good care of my mudder. If she don't feel like running, I
scratch my mudder.
LOU: Now ain't that cozy! I suppose if you get an itch, your mudder scratches you.
BUD: You don't follow me.
LOU: Not when you're related to a bunch of horses, I don't. I won't even
speak to you.
BUD: Will you make sense? I said I've got a fine horse and he's a mudder.
LOU (does a take): He's a mudder! How can he be a mudder?
BUD: Because he makes a better mudder than a she. Now I can't waste my
time with you. I've got to go to the track and feed my mudder.
LOU: And what do you give the old lady for breakfast--oats?
BUD: Don't be old-fashioned. Modern mudders don't eat oats. They eat their
fodder.
LOU: What did you say?
BUD: I said I feed my mudder his fodder.
LOU: What have you got--a bunch of cannibals?

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