| 65b. מתיב ר' זירא יצאו עדים זוממין שאין בהן מעשה ואמאי הא ליתנהו בלב,אמר רבא שאני עדים זוממין הואיל וישנו בקול,וקול לרבי יוחנן לאו מעשה הוא והא איתמר חסמה בקול והנהיגה בקול רבי יוחנן אמר חייב ור"ל אמר פטור,רבי יוחנן אמר חייב עקימת פיו הוי מעשה ר"ל אמר פטור עקימת פיו לא הוי מעשה,אלא אמר רבא שאני עדים זוממין הואיל וישנן בראיה,ת"ר בעל אוב זה המדבר בין הפרקים ומבין אצילי ידיו ידעוני זה המניח עצם ידוע בפיו והוא מדבר מאליו,מיתיבי (ישעיהו כט, ד) והיה כאוב מארץ קולך מאי לאו דמשתעי כי אורחיה לא דסליק ויתיב בין הפרקים ומשתעי,תא שמע (שמואל א כח, יג) ותאמר האשה אל שאול אלהים ראיתי עולים מן הארץ מאי לאו דמשתעי כי אורחיה לא דיתיב בין הפרקים ומשתעי,ת"ר בעל אוב אחד המעלה בזכורו ואחד הנשאל בגולגולת מה בין זה לזה מעלה בזכורו אינו עולה כדרכו ואינו עולה בשבת נשאל בגולגולת עולה כדרכו ועולה בשבת,עולה להיכא סליק הא קמיה מנח אלא אימא עונה כדרכו ועונה בשבת,ואף שאלה זו שאל טורנוסרופוס את ר"ע אמר לו ומה יום מיומים אמר לו ומה גבר מגוברין א"ל דמרי צבי שבת נמי דמרי צבי,א"ל הכי קאמינא לך מי יימר דהאידנא שבתא אמר לו נהר סבטיון יוכיח בעל אוב יוכיח קברו של אביו יוכיח שאין מעלה עשן בשבת אמר לו ביזיתו ביישתו וקיללתו,שואל אוב היינו ודורש אל המתים,דורש למתים כדתניא (דברים יח, יא) ודורש אל המתים זה המרעיב עצמו והולך ולן בבה"ק כדי שתשרה עליו רוח טומאה,וכשהיה ר"ע מגיע למקרא זה היה בוכה ומה המרעיב עצמו כדי שתשרה עליו רוח טומאה שורה עליו רוח טומאה המרעיב עצמו כדי שתשרה עליו רוח טהרה על אחת כמה וכמה אבל מה אעשה שעונותינו גרמו לנו שנאמר (ישעיהו נט, ב) כי [אם] עונותיכם היו מבדילים ביניכם לבין אלהיכם,אמר רבא אי בעו צדיקי ברו עלמא שנאמר כי עונותיכם היו מבדילים וגו',רבא ברא גברא שדריה לקמיה דר' זירא הוה קא משתעי בהדיה ולא הוה קא מהדר ליה אמר ליה מן חבריא את הדר לעפריך,רב חנינא ורב אושעיא הוו יתבי כל מעלי שבתא ועסקי בספר יצירה ומיברו להו עיגלא תילתא ואכלי ליה,תנו רבנן מעונן ר' שמעון אומר זה המעביר שבעה מיני זכור על העין וחכ"א זה האוחז את העינים ר"ע אומר זה המחשב עתים ושעות ואומר היום יפה לצאת למחר יפה ליקח לימודי ערבי שביעיות חיטין יפות עיקורי קטניות מהיות רעות,תנו רבנן מנחש זה האומר פתו נפלה מפיו מקלו נפלה מידו בנו קורא לו מאחריו עורב קורא לו צבי הפסיקו בדרך נחש מימינו ושועל משמאלו | 65b. bRabbi Zeira raises an objectionto Rava’s answer, as it is stated in a ibaraitathat one who unwittingly commits a transgression punishable by death is obligated to bring a sin-offering, bexcluding conspiring witnesses,who are not obligated to bring a sin-offering, bastheir transgressions bdo not involve an action.Rabbi Zeira asks: bAnd whyis a false witness’s testimony not considered a transgression that involves an action? The testimony is delivered through speech, which should be considered an action, as bthis is nota transgression that is committed bin the heart;the witnesses are liable for what they said, and not for their intention., bRava says: Conspiring witnesses are different, sincetheir transgression biscommitted bthroughtheir bvoice.The essence of their transgression is not speech itself but rather making themselves heard by the court. Therefore, since the projection of one’s voice does not involve action, the transgression of conspiring witnesses is considered not be to involving action.,The Gemara asks: bAnd isprojecting one’s bvoice notconsidered ban action according to Rabbi Yoḥa? But wasn’t it statedthat iamora’imengaged in a dispute concerning the following case: If one bmuzzledan animal bbyprojecting his bvoice,by berating it whenever it tried to eat, has he transgressed the prohibition of: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the corn” (Deuteronomy 25:4)? bAndsimilarly, if one bleddifferent species to work together bbyprojecting his bvoice,without performing any action, has he transgressed the prohibition of: “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (Deuteronomy 22:10)? bRabbi Yoḥa sayshe is bliable, and Reish Lakish sayshe is bexempt. /b,The Gemara explains the reasoning behind their opinions: bRabbi Yoḥa sayshe is bliable,as he maintains that bthe twisting ofone’s bmouthto speak bisconsidered ban action,whereas bReish Lakish sayshe is bexempt,because he holds that that bthe twisting ofone’s bmouthto speak bis notconsidered ban action.Evidently, Rabbi Yoḥa holds that a transgression one commits by projecting his voice is considered to involve an action., bRather, Rava saysthere is a different answer to Rabbi Zeira’s objection: bConspiring witnesses are different, since they arerendered liable mainly bthrough sight,i.e., the important part of their testimony is what they saw, which is not considered an action.,§ bThe Sages taught: A necromancer is one whocauses the voice of the dead to be heard bspeakingfrom bbetweenhis bjoints or from his armpit. A sorcerer [ iyideoni /i] is one who places a bone ofan animal called ba iyaduain his mouth, andthe bone bspeaks on its own. /b,The Gemara braises an objectionfrom the verse: b“And your voice shall be as a ghost out of the ground”(Isaiah 29:4). bWhat, doesthe dead person bnot speakfrom the grave bon his own?The Gemara answers: bNo,this is not so, basthe dead person brisesby sorcery band sits between the jointsof the necromancer band speaks. /b,The Gemara suggests: bComeand bheara proof from the statement of the necromancer to King Saul: b“And the woman said to Saul, I see a godlike being coming up out of the earth”(I Samuel 28:13). bWhat, doesthe verse bnotmean to say bthatthe dead person bspoke on his own?The Gemara refutes this proof: bNo,this is not so, basthe dead person bsits between the jointsof the necromancer band speaks. /b, bThe Sages taught:The category of ba necromancerincludes bboth one who raisesthe dead bwith his izekhur /i,which is a form of sorcery, band one who inquiresabout the future bfrom a skull [ ibegulgolet /i]. Whatis the difference bbetween thistype of necromancer band thattype of necromancer? When one braisesthe dead bwith his izekhur /i,the dead bdoes not rise in itsusual bmanner,but appears upside-down, bandit bdoes not rise on Shabbat.By contrast, when one binquiresabout the future bfrom a skull,the dead brises in itsusual bmanner, andit brises [ ioleh /i]even bon Shabbat. /b,The Gemara asks with regard to the wording of the last statement: bRises? To where doesit brise? Isn’tthe skull blying before him? Rather, sayas follows: The dead banswers in itsusual bmanner, andit banswers [ ive’oneh /i]even bon Shabbat. /b,With regard to the statement that the dead do not rise on Shabbat, the Gemara relates: bThe wicked Turnus Rufus,the Roman governor of Judea, basked this question of Rabbi Akiva as well.Turnus Rufus bsaid to him: And whatmakes this bday,Shabbat, different bfromother bdays?Rabbi Akiva bsaid to him: And whatmakes this bman,referring to his interlocutor, more distinguished bthanother bmen?Turnus Rufus bsaid to him:I am more distinguished bbecause my masterthe emperor bwantsit that way. Rabbi Akiva said to him: bShabbat toois unique bbecause my Master wantsit that way, as he has sanctified that day.,Turnus Rufus bsaid to him: Thisis what bImean to bsay to you: Who is to say that now is Shabbat?Perhaps a different day of the week is Shabbat. Rabbi Akiva bsaid to him: The Sabbatyon River can provethat today is Shabbat, as it is calm only on Shabbat. bA necromancer canalso bprovethis, as the dead do not rise on Shabbat. bThe grave of his father,referring to Turnus Rufus’s father, bcanalso bprovethis, bas it does not emit smoke on Shabbat,although smoke rises from it all week, as during the week he is being punished in Gehenna. Turnus Rufus bsaid to him: You have demeanedmy father, byou havepublicly bshamed him, and you have cursed himby saying that he is being punished in Gehenna.,§ The Gemara asks: bIsn’tone who binquiresabout the future from ba necromancerthe same as what is described in the verse: b“Or directs inquiries to the dead”(Deuteronomy 18:11)? Why are they mentioned separately in the verse?,The Gemara answers: One who bdirects inquiries to the deadem-ploys a different method to contact the dead, bas it is taughtin a ibaraita /i: b“Or directs inquiries to the dead”; this is one who starves himself and goes and sleepsovernight bin a graveyard so that a spirit of impurity should settle upon him,and he can listen to what the dead are saying., bAnd when Rabbi Akiva would arrive at this verse he would weepand say: bIf one who starves himself so that a spirit of impurity will settle upon himsucceeds in doing so, and ba spirit of impurity settles upon him, all the more so one who starves himself so that a spirit of purity will settle upon himshould be successful, and a spirit of purity should settle upon him. bBut what can I do, as our iniquities have caused usnot to merit the spirit of sanctity and purity, bas it is stated: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2)., bRava says: If the righteous wishto do so, btheycan bcreate a world, as it is stated: “But your iniquities have separatedbetween you and your God.” In other words, there is no distinction between God and a righteous person who has no sins, and just as God created the world, so can the righteous.,Indeed, bRava created a man,a golem, using forces of sanctity. Rava bsenthis creation bbefore Rabbi Zeira.Rabbi Zeira bwould speak to him but he would not reply.Rabbi Zeira bsaid to him: Youwere created bbyone of the members of bthe group,one of the Sages. bReturn to your dust. /b,The Gemara relates another fact substantiating the statement that the righteous could create a world if they so desired: bRav Ḥanina and Rav Oshaya would sit every Shabbat eve and engage inthe study of iSefer Yetzira /i, and a third-born calf [ iigla tilta /i] would be created for them, and they would eat itin honor of Shabbat.,§ bThe Sages taught:What is the definition of the bsoothsayermentioned in the verse: “There shall not be found among you…a soothsayer” (Deuteronomy 18:10)? bRabbi Shimon says: This is one who applies seven types of semen [ izekhur /i] toone’s beyein order to perform sorcery. bAnd the Rabbis say: This is one who deceives the eyes,as though he is performing sorcery. bRabbi Akiva says: This is one who calculatesthe fortune of btimes and hours, and says,for example: bToday isa bpropitiousday bfor going awayon a journey; btomorrow is propitious for purchasingproperty successfully. Or he says that bon the eve of the SabbaticalYears, the bwheatharvest bis generally good; uprooting legumesrather than cutting them from above the ground prevents them bfrom going bad. /b, bThe Sages taught:The benchantermentioned in the verse (Deuteronomy 18:10) bisone who relies on superstitious signs, e.g., bone who says:If one’s bbread fell from his mouth,that is a bad sign for him; or: If one’s bstaff fell from his hand,it is a bad sign; or: If one’s bson calls him from behind,it is a sign that he should return from his journey; or: If ba raven calls to him,or if ba deer blocks him on the way,or if ba snake is to his right, orif ba fox is to his left,all of these are bad signs. An enchanter is one who relies on these as bad signs and consequently changes his course of action. |
