'And I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their
treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant
(_man_).' "(785) Rabban Gamaliel said to him, "the Scripture says, 'And
afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon';(786)
and they are already returned." To him said R. Joshua, "the Scripture
says, 'And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel,(787)
and Judah.' But they are not yet returned." And they allowed him to come
into the congregation.

4. The Chaldee passages in Ezra and Daniel render the hands unclean.
Chaldee written in Hebrew, and Hebrew written in Chaldee, or in
Hebrew,(788) do not render the hands unclean. In no case do they cause
uncleanness, unless the writing be Assyrian, on parchment with ink.

5. The Sadducees said, "we blame you Pharisees, because you say sacred
Scriptures render the hands unclean, but the books Hameram(789) do not
render the hands unclean." Rabban Jochanan, the son of Zachai, said, "and
have we nothing else against the Pharisees but this? Behold they say,
'that the bones of an ass are clean, but the bones of Jochanan the
high-priest are unclean.' " They said to him, "according to their value is
their uncleanness, so that no one may make the bones of his father and
mother into spoons." He said to them, "so (are) the sacred Scriptures:
according to their value is their uncleanness. The books Hameram, which
are not valued, do not render the hands unclean."

6. The Sadducees said, "we blame you Pharisees, that you declare the
stream flowing (from a clean into an unclean vessel) to be clean." The
Pharisees said, "we blame you Sadducees, that you declare a stream of
water flowing from a graveyard to be clean." The Sadducees said, "we blame
you Pharisees, because you say, if my ox or my ass cause damage, we are
responsible; but if my slave or my bondwoman cause damage, we are free.
What! if I be responsible for my ox and my ass, for which I have no
obligation, I am bound for my slave or bondwoman for whom I have
obligation. It is just that I should be bound for their damages." They
said to them "no! if you speak of my ox and my ass which have no
knowledge, as you speak of my slave and bondwoman who have knowledge:
then, if I offend them, they may go and set fire to the stacks of corn of
another, and I should be bound to pay."

7. A Galilean Sadducee said, "I blame you Pharisees, because you write the
name of the reigni