Customs House
A place where customs officials sit and collect the tax for the goods being transferred.
("A parable of a king of flesh and blood who was passing by the customs house. He said to his servants: Give the tax to the tax collectors. They said to him: But is not all the tax entirely yours? He said to them: From me all wayfarers will learn, and they will not evade themselves from the tax. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am the Lord, who hates robbery with burnt offering; from Me My children will learn, and they will evade themselves from robbery" – Sukkah 30a)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
בֵּית הַמֶּכֶס
Definition (Hebrew)
מָקוֹם בּוֹ יוֹשְׁבִים פְּקִידֵי הַמֶּכֶס וְגוֹבִים אֶת הַמַּס עֲבוּר הַסְּחוֹרוֹת הַמּוּעֲבָרוֹת.
("מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם שֶׁהָיָה עוֹבֵר עַל בֵּית הַמֶּכֶס, אָמַר לַעֲבָדָיו: תְּנוּ מֶכֶס לַמּוֹכְסִים. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: וַהֲלֹא כָּל הַמֶּכֶס כֻּלּוֹ שֶׁלְּךָ הוּא! אָמַר לָהֶם: מִמֶּנִּי יִלְמְדוּ כָּל עוֹבְרֵי דְרָכִים, וְלֹא יַבְרִיחוּ עַצְמָן מִן הַמֶּכֶס. אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר: אֲנִי ה' שׂוֹנֵא גָזֵל בְּעוֹלָה, מִמֶּנִּי יִלְמְדוּ בָנַי וִיבְרִיחוּ עַצְמָן מִן הַגָּזֵל" – סֻכָּה ל ע"א)