The muscles song XNUMX - to the places, the high school, get out!

Running occupied an honored place in the classical, Greek and Hellenistic physical culture, and we should not be surprised that it found its place in the testimonies of sages that reflect a certain Jewish reality

We have already mentioned in one of the chapters concerning the Herodian period the very strange running on it, involving the donation of the altar, during which the potential priests were asked to roll up their robes and run from the Shushan Gate to the center of the temple, a distance of about 120 m, when the winner of the race was clearly honored to make the donation of the altar - Fertilize it and prepare it in general for sacrifice. The interesting thing is that this story took an honorable place in the literature of the Mishna and the Tosefta, even though this type of event took place until the end of the Second Temple and of course stopped after the Holocaust, to teach us that the subject of physical activity was definitely of interest to the Sages, and was thereby some leverage for physical activity after the Holocaust.

The Tosefta takes us to a completely different context, and in its language: "There is no serious person on Shabbat to exercise, but he walks all day as he likes and is not afraid (of breaking the laws of movement on Shabbat - Tos' Shabbat 22(XNUMX), XNUMX).

This quotation is interesting from several points of view: firstly - it points to physical activity on Shabbat; Second - the activity is strenuous and has a clear goal - to exercise; Thirdly - we never learn about them. That is - the opposition of the members of the Sanhedrin to the approval of this activity proves that this is a phenomenon and not sporadic, random cases; Fourthly - the prohibition pertains to Shabbat, and hence there was no prohibition regarding the days of the week; Fifth - it is a grassroots activity, when it refers to the general public; Sixth - the members of the Sanhedrin found a kind of modus vivendi for the "training of the creeper", that is - to allow those who want to exercise on Shabbat and do not wish to violate the laws of Shabbat, to perform the activity not by running but by walking. And let's not take it easy - we don't have any information beyond this conditional testimony, about walking physical activity in the ancient Ein Kedom. If my hypothesis is correct, we have before us an interesting sporting precedent, one that resulted from a halachic constraint, and its alternative to a sporting precedent is of interest.

In the Jerusalem Talmud, two sages appear that "the fortune is traveling in Isertin" (Klaiim chapter XNUMX), and the mention of the Greek-Latin term in the physical context distills the event to the kind discussed above.

The Babylonian Talmud interprets an interesting testimony of the Land of Israel as follows: "A parable for one man, who said: Can I run three furlongs (=4300 m) before the horses between the feet of the water. One of my legs chanced upon him, ran in front of him 4500 miles (5 m) on land and fell asleep" (Sanhedrin Decree p. 4600). Whether this source alludes to a combination of running on foot and horses, as is customary in the Hellenic and Hellenistic world (in the light of Ezekiel XNUMX of the Horseshoes, which is the course intended for the chariot races in the hippodrome), it has the purpose of strengthening what was said in the words of the biblical Jeremiah: Will you race the horses?" (Jeremiah XNUMX:XNUMX). And as is found in the Talmudical Midrash (Beit Midrash XNUMX), where the Sages of Tiberias extol the miracle of "(the) boys (who) were running on the hippodrome and there was no horse or animal that could run before them" (And Tiberias was awash with sports facilities thanks to the donations of Herod Antipas, the founder of the city and established), and whether it is the long "Dolichos" (XNUMX m) - the long running course in Greek sports, or a race that took place in field conditions ("among the water trails") to improve endurance. Be that as it may, there is in the condemned source to teach about the adoption of Hellenistic sports norms in the Land of Israel.

We should note that Sage literature is full of testimonies about runners, some of whom are decorated with Greek and Roman language ornaments, and running facilities in the Land of Israel, such as the "dromos" (it is the running track that was near the Greek gymnasium). Rabbi Yochanan the Tiberiani, one of the greatest Amoraim in the Land of Israel, claimed that the price of the fruits is not determined except after the price is determined by the person in charge of the market, the "Agornomos", as Kennel said in "Dormos" (he is the "Dromos" - the Greek running track). That is, the winner of the games is determined only after the race, and perhaps what reminds the American saying from the basketball arena: Its not over until its over. Using this metaphorical analogy (from the world of running), as in other cases, may well dictate the spread of Jewish consciousness in relation to sports games.

In the Babylonian Talmud there appears an allegorical text along the lines of "There is no foskin (announcing) the (price) of the fruits until the gate is opened (under the responsibility of the supervisor of the markets). The gate came out - Foskin. Rabbi Zira (also a Tiberian) said to Rabbi Assi: Rabbi Yochanan said - even this cherubim" (Baba Metzia Ab p. XNUMX). Even this text, like the previous one, indicates, allegorically, the expansion of awareness, on the basis of observation, of course, towards physical activity.

Also, the study of the Talmud sages on the dimensions of the stadium (in their language "itzatdin") against the background of a selection of questions presented to them by Jews, such as those who similarly took part in competitions, is interesting. Thus, for example, Rish Lakish of Tiberias testifies: "...I can make (=determine) that Beit Ma'on (near Tiberias) interbreeds with Tiberias (that is, a symbolic unity is created for the purpose of "mixing", which is the freedom of a person's walking on the Sabbath) (in this way that... ) and the Roa Kilo (= as if) it (the unity) is full of houses, and the harvester (= from the fortress of Tiberias) is placed within seventy (its cubit, about 38 m) and a remainder (= and a remnant) to Itzeddin (= to the stadium of Tiberias), And a residence is placed within seventy (arma) and Shiriy for short ones (=fortress)" (Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Eruvin chapter XNUMX). In other words, Rish Lakish hinted that the stadium of Tiberias can be regarded as an inhabited area for the purpose of mixing, to teach us that it was built in a Roman style, and that it was used even in his day, that is, in the middle of the third century CE. And let's not forget that this is a Jewish city, in one of the Galilean "capitals" (alongside Tzipori).

Additional interesting testimonies in connection with running appear in the New Testament, and I published an article about them at the time in "Hidan" (June 27.6.2006, 270606). https://www.hayadan.org.il/christian-sports-XNUMX/

A famous and attractive branch in the ancient world was the horse and chariot race, which flourished and spread tremendously in the Roman sport. It was held in a special facility, an oval, called "Kirkos", and recalls the special sports buildings that Herod built at the time in Caesarea in Jerusalem. The horse races and chariot driving in the Greek style were held in the field, in a leveled valley area or near the beach, as is the custom of the Greeks to combine physical activity in nature, with the "facility" being called the "Hippodrome", that is, the track for horse races.

Sage literature provides evidence about the "Hippodrome" even though its sages lived and worked in the Roman, "Circusic" period, but in the Liguistic "confrontation" between Greek and Latin the former actually won, even though in the area of ​​activity itself the latter was the one that prevailed. In this literature, expressions derived from the "Hippodrome" appear, such as "Ipadfos", "Epidermos", "Apridomin" and more, which indicate the explosiveness of consciousness towards the above-mentioned phenomenon. The competitions that took place in the Hippodrome, and as we know it is a very special sports structure, unprecedented in the ancient world in general for a sports complex, such as was built by Herod Antipas.

The sages occupied themselves with a discussion about the dimensions of the Tiberian hippodrome, the number of competing chariots, the length of the riding course, the dates of the competitions and more. From this testimony we will quote two interesting passages as follows: "... there were (in the hippodrome) two columns made, and cages made, and all kinds of animals and fowl were fixed in them, and around them (surrounded) were the horses and the runners eight times a day."

Rabbi Yochanan said: There were demotic stands (peopled stands) in the hippodrome of a king (in Tiberias, such as the emperors of Rome), and in each there were four thousand people. And in every demotic, lattices were made and crowns reinforced with iron, copper and gold... four parts were divided (the demotics): the king and his servants... were dressed in light blue, and all Israel was dressed in white. And those coming from the villages and the villages and other places were wearing red, and the nations of the world were wearing green" (Beit Midrash XNUMX).

In addition to the overall orientation in the order of the circus activity and its procedures in the distinct Roman style, Rabbi Yochanan brings before us, whether out of lack of knowledge or out of deliberate disruption, the color of the clothes, or robes of the spectators in the competitions, and in fact the picture reflects the division of the car associations in Rome on those colors and even on the colors of the clothes And the scarves of the fans, most of them the gamblers, who crowded the stands of the circuses in Rome. Such detailed information surely reflects viewing of the competitions, and indirectly constitutes a kind of encouragement to the public to come and watch the competitions.

We will end with a puzzling text, although seemingly as follows: "An act of the old man, Hillel, who took a horse from a poor son of Tovim, who exercised on it and worked for him" (Tosefta Fa XNUMX:XNUMX). This is an allegorical saying attributed to Hillel, who was not, to say the least, the breadwinner of the generation, to provide different means for one good son who lost his assets, with the central idea being folded into the principle of intention. However, this image reflects customs that were accepted by the wealthy, just like in classical Greco-Roman culture, to perform physical activity, and here, in this case, with a horse, when it is meant, so it seems, for sports riding training.

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