1. Mishnah, Berachot, 5.5 (1st cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
| 5.5. One who is praying and makes a mistake, it is a bad sign for him. And if he is the messenger of the congregation (the prayer leader) it is a bad sign for those who have sent him, because one’s messenger is equivalent to one’s self. They said about Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa that he used to pray for the sick and say, “This one will die, this one will live.” They said to him: “How do you know?” He replied: “If my prayer comes out fluently, I know that he is accepted, but if not, then I know that he is rejected.”" |
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2. Tosefta, Megillah, 3.27 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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3. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, 107b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 107b. בחברון מלך שבע שנים ובירושלים מלך שלשים ושלש שנים וכתיב (שמואל ב ה, ה) בחברון מלך על יהודה שבע שנים וששה חדשים וגו' והני ששה חדשים לא קחשיב ש"מ נצטרע,אמר לפניו רבש"ע מחול לי על אותו עון מחול לך (תהלים פו, יז) עשה עמי אות לטובה ויראו שונאי ויבושו כי אתה ה' עזרתני ונחמתני א"ל בחייך איני מודיע אבל אני מודיע בחיי שלמה בנך,בשעה שבנה שלמה את בית המקדש ביקש להכניס ארון לבית קדשי הקדשים דבקו שערים זה בזה אמר עשרים וארבעה רננות ולא נענה אמר (תהלים כד, ז) שאו שערים ראשיכם והנשאו פתחי עולם ויבא מלך הכבוד מי זה מלך הכבוד ה' עזוז וגבור ה' גבור מלחמה ונאמר (תהלים כד, ט) שאו שערים ראשיכם ושאו פתחי עולם ויבא מלך הכבוד וגו' ולא נענה,כיון שאמר (דברי הימים ב ו, מב) ה' אלהים אל תשב פני משיחך זכרה לחסדי דויד עבדך מיד נענה באותה שעה נהפכו פני שונאי דוד כשולי קדירה וידעו כל ישראל שמחל לו הקב"ה על אותו העון,גחזי דכתיב וילך אלישע דמשק להיכא אזל א"ר יוחנן שהלך להחזיר גחזי בתשובה ולא חזר אמר לו חזור בך אמר לו כך מקובלני ממך החוטא ומחטיא את הרבים אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה,מאי עבד איכא דאמרי אבן שואבת תלה לחטאת ירבעם והעמידה בין שמים לארץ ואיכא דאמרי שם חקק בפיה והיתה מכרזת ואומרת אנכי ולא יהיה לך,וא"ד רבנן דחה מקמיה שנאמר (מלכים ב ו, א) ויאמרו בני הנביאים אל אלישע הנה [נא] המקום אשר אנחנו יושבים שם לפניך צר ממנו מכלל דעד השתא לא הוו (פיישי) [צר],תנו רבנן לעולם תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת לא כאלישע שדחפו לגחזי בשתי ידים [ולא כרבי יהושע בן פרחיה שדחפו ליש"ו בשתי ידים],גחזי דכתיב (מלכים ב ה, כג) ויאמר נעמן הואל וקח ככרים (ויפצר) [ויפרץ] בו ויצר ככרים כסף וגו' ויאמר אליו אלישע מאין גחזי ויאמר לא הלך עבדך אנה ואנה ויאמר אליו לא לבי הלך כאשר הפך איש מעל מרכבתו לקראתך העת לקחת את הכסף ולקחת בגדים וזיתים וכרמים וצאן ובקר ועבדים ושפחות ומי שקל כולי האי כסף ובגדים הוא דשקל,אמר רבי יצחק באותה שעה היה אלישע יושב ודורש בשמונה שרצים נעמן שר צבא מלך ארם היה מצורע אמרה ליה ההיא רביתא דאישתבאי מארעא ישראל אי אזלת לגבי אלישע מסי לך כי אתא א"ל זיל טבול בירדן א"ל אחוכי קא מחייכת בי אמרי ליה הנהו דהוו בהדיה מאי נפקא לך מינה זיל נסי אזל וטבל בירדנא ואיתסי אתא אייתי ליה כל הני דנקיט לא צבי לקבולי מיניה גחזי איפטר מקמיה אלישע אזל שקל מאי דשקל ואפקיד,כי אתא חזייה אלישע לצרעת דהוה פרחא עילויה רישיה א"ל רשע הגיע עת ליטול שכר שמנה שרצים וצרעת נעמן תדבק בך ובזרעך עד עולם ויצא מלפניו מצורע כשלג: (מלכים ב ז, ג) וארבעה אנשים היו מצורעים פתח השער אמר ר' יוחנן גחזי ושלשה בניו,[הוספה מחסרונות הש"ס: רבי יהושע בן פרחיה מאי הוא כדקטלינהו ינאי מלכא לרבנן אזל רבי יהושע בן פרחיה ויש"ו לאלכסנדריא של מצרים כי הוה שלמא שלח לי' שמעון בן שטח מני ירושלים עיר הקודש ליכי אלכסנדרי' של מצרים אחותי בעלי שרוי בתוכך ואנכי יושבת שוממה,קם אתא ואתרמי ליה ההוא אושפיזא עבדו ליה יקרא טובא אמר כמה יפה אכסניא זו אמר ליה רבי עיניה טרוטות אמר ליה רשע בכך אתה עוסק אפיק ארבע מאה שיפורי ושמתיה,אתא לקמיה כמה זמנין אמר ליה קבלן לא הוי קא משגח ביה יומא חד הוה קא קרי קריאת שמע אתא לקמיה סבר לקבולי אחוי ליה בידיה הוא סבר מידחא דחי ליה אזל זקף לבינתא והשתחוה לה אמר ליה הדר בך אמר ליה כך מקובלני ממך כל החוטא ומחטיא את הרבים אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה ואמר מר יש"ו כישף והסית והדיח את ישראל:],תניא א"ר שמעון בן אלעזר יצר תינוק ואשה תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת,ת"ר ג' חלאים חלה אלישע אחד שגירה דובים בתינוקות ואחד שדחפו לגחזי בשתי ידים ואחד שמת בו [שנא' (מלכים ב יג, יד) ואלישע חלה את חליו וגו'],עד אברהם לא היה זקנה כל דחזי לאברהם אמר האי יצחק כל דחזי ליצחק אמר האי אברהם בעא אברהם רחמי דליהוי ליה זקנה שנאמר (בראשית כד, א) ואברהם זקן בא בימים עד יעקב לא הוה חולשא בעא רחמי והוה חולשא שנאמר (בראשית מח, א) ויאמר ליוסף הנה אביך חולה עד אלישע לא הוה איניש חליש דמיתפח ואתא אלישע ובעא רחמי ואיתפח שנא' (מלכים ב יג, יד) ואלישע חלה את חליו אשר ימות בו:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big דור המבול אין להם חלק לעוה"ב ואין עומדין בדין שנא' (בראשית ו, ג) לא ידון רוחי באדם לעולם לא דין ולא רוח דור הפלגה אין להם חלק לעולם הבא שנאמר (בראשית יא, ח) ויפץ ה' אותם משם על פני כל הארץ (וכתיב ומשם הפיצם) ויפץ ה' אותם בעוה"ז ומשם הפיצם ה' לעולם הבא אנשי סדום אין להם חלק לעולם הבא שנא' (בראשית יג, יג) ואנשי סדום רעים וחטאים לה' מאד רעים בעולם הזה וחטאים לעולם הבא אבל עומדין בדין,ר' נחמיה אומר אלו ואלו אין עומדין בדין שנאמר (תהלים א, ה) על כן לא יקומו | 107b. bin Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years”(I Kings 2:11). bAnd it is written: “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six monthsand in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah” (II Samuel 5:5). bAnd those six months,the prophet bdid not tallythem as part of the forty years of King David’s reign. bConclude from itthat there were six months that he was not considered king because he bwas afflicted with leprosy. /b,David bsaid before Himafter this: bMaster of the Universe, pardon me for this sin.God said to him: bIt is forgiven for you.David requested: b“Perform on my behalf a sign for good, that they that hate me may see it and be put to shame”(Psalms 86:17); show me a sign in my lifetime so that everyone will know that You have forgiven me. God bsaid to him: In your lifetime I will not makeit bknownthat you were forgiven, bbut I will makeit bknown in the lifetime of your son, Solomon. /b,The Gemara explains: bWhen Solomon built the Templeand bsought to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies,the bgates clung togetherand could not be opened. Solomon buttered twenty-four songsof praise, bandhis prayer bwas not answered. He said: “Lift up your heads, you gates, and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle”(Psalms 24:7–8). bAnd it is stated: “Lift up your heads, you gates, yea, lift them up, you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in.Who then is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts; He is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalms 24:9–10), band he was not answered. /b, bOnce he said: “O Lord God, turn not away the face of Your anointed; remember the good deeds of David Your servant”(II Chronicles 6:42), bhe was immediately answered,and the gates opened (II Chronicles 7:1). bAt that moment, the faces of all of David’s enemies turneddark blike thecharred bbottom of a pot. And all of the Jewish people knew that the Holy One, Blessed be He, had forgiven him for that sin,as it was only by David’s merit that Solomon’s prayer was answered.,§ The mishna states that bGehazi,the attendant of Elisha, has no share in the World-to-Come. The Gemara explains that this is bas it is written: And Elisha went to Damascus(see II Kings 8:7). bWhere did he go,and for what purpose? bRabbi Yoḥa says: He went to cause Gehazi to repent, but he did not repent.Elisha bsaid to him: Repent.Gehazi bsaid to him: Thisis the tradition that bI received from you: Whoever sins and causes the masses to sin is not given the opportunity to repent. /b, bWhat did he dothat caused the masses to sin? bThere arethose bwho saythat bhe hung a magnetic rock on Jeroboam’s sin,i.e., on the golden calf that Jeroboam established as an idol, so that bhe suspended it between heaven and earth,i.e., he caused it to hover above the ground. This seemingly miraculous occurrence caused the people to worship it even more devoutly than before. bAnd there arethose bwho say: He engravedthe sacred bnameof God bon its mouth, and it would declare and say: “I amthe Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2), band: “You shall not haveother gods” (Exodus 20:3). The idol would quote the two prohibitions from the Ten Commandments that prohibit idol worship, causing the people to worship it even more devoutly than before., bAnd there arethose bwho say:Gehazi bpushed the Sagesaway bfromcoming bbefore him,i.e., he prevented them from learning from Elisha, bas it is stated: “And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, behold this place where we are staying before you is too cramped for us”(II Kings 6:1). It may be derived bby inference that until now they were not numerousand the place was not bcrampedfor them, as Gehazi would turn people away., bThe Sages taught: Always have the lefthand bdrivesinners baway and the right drawthem bnear,so that the sinner will not totally despair of atonement. This is bunlike Elisha, who pushed away Gehazi with his two handsand caused him to lose his share in the World-to-Come, band unlike Yehoshua ben Peraḥya, who pushed away Jesus the Nazarene with his two hands. /b,Elisha drove bGehaziaway, bas it is written: “And Naaman said: Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silverin two bags, with two changes of garments” (II Kings 5:23). Naaman offered Gehazi payment for the help Elisha had given him. The verse states: b“And Elisha said to him: Where from, Gehazi? And he said: Your servant went nowhere at all. And he said to him: Went not my heart with you, when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it the time to receive silver and to receive garments, and olive groves, and vineyards, and sheep and cattle, and menservants and maidservants?”(II Kings 5:25–26). The Gemara asks: bAnd didGehazi btake all that? It ismerely bsilver and garments that he took. /b, bRabbi Yitzḥak says:This was the incident involving Gehazi: bAt that moment, Elisha was sitting and teachingthe ihalakhotof the beightimpure bcreeping animals.Now bNaaman, the general of the army of Aram, was a leper. A certain young Jewish woman who had been taken captive from Eretz Yisrael said to him: If you go to Elisha, he will heal you. WhenNaaman bcameto him, Elisha bsaid to him: Go immerse in the Jordan.Naaman bsaid to him: Are you mocking meby suggesting that this will cure me? bThosecompanions bwho were withNaaman bsaid to him: What is the difference to you? Go, tryit. Naaman bwent and immersed in the Jordan and was healed.Naaman bcameand bbrought toElisha ball thoseitems bthat he hadtaken with him from Aram, and Elisha bdid not agree to receivethem bfrom him. Gehazi took leave from before Elishaand bwentand btookfrom Naaman bwhat he took, andhe bdepositedthem., bWhenGehazi bcame, Elisha saw the leprosy that had grown onGehazi’s bhead.Elisha bsaid to him: Wicked one! The time has arrived to takeyour breward forstudying the matter of bthe eight creeping animals.Since the silver Gehazi received was his reward for studying the matter of the eight creeping animals, Elisha enumerated eight items that Gehazi sought to purchase with the silver that he took. Then Elisha said to Gehazi: b“The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your seed forever. And he went out of his presence a leper as white as snow”(II Kings 5:27). With regard to the verse: b“And there were four men afflicted with leprosy at the entrance of the gate”(II Kings 7:3), bRabbi Yoḥa says:These were bGehazi and his three sons,as he and his descendants were cursed.,§ bWhat isthe incident involving bYehoshua ben Peraḥya?The Gemara relates: bWhen King Yannai was killing the Sages, Yehoshua ben Peraḥya and Jesus,his student, bwent to Alexandria of Egypt. When there was peacebetween King Yannai and the Sages, bShimon ben Shataḥ senta message btoYehoshua ben Peraḥya: bFrom me, Jerusalem, the holy city, to you, Alexandria of Egypt: My sister, my husband is located among you and I sit desolate.The head of the Sages of Israel is out of the country and Jerusalem requires his return.,Yehoshua ben Peraḥya understood the message, barose, came, and happenedto arrive at ba certain innon the way to Jerusalem. bThey treated him with great honor.Yehoshua ben Peraḥya bsaid: How beautiful is this inn.Jesus, his student, bsaid to him:But bmy teacher, the eyes ofthe innkeeper’s wife bare narrow [ iterutot /i].Yehoshua ben Peraḥya bsaid to him: Wicked one!Do byou involve yourself with regard to thatmatter, the appearance of a married woman? bHe produced four hundred ishofarotand ostracized him. /b,Jesus bcame beforeYehoshua ben Peraḥya bseveral timesand bsaid to him: Accept our,i.e., my, repentance. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya btook no notice of him. One dayYehoshua ben Peraḥya bwas reciting iShema /iand Jesus bcame before himwith the same request. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya bintended to accept hisrequest, and bsignaled him with his handto wait until he completed his prayer. Jesus did not understand the signal and bthought: He is driving me away. He wentand bstood a brickupright to serve as an idol band he bowed to it.Yehoshua ben Peraḥya then bsaid toJesus: bRepent.Jesus bsaid to him: Thisis the tradition that bI received from you: Whoever sins and causes the masses to sin is not given the opportunity to repent. And the Master says: Jesus performed sorcery, incitedJews to engage in idolatry, band led Israel astray.Had Yehoshua ben Peraḥya not caused him to despair of atonement, he would not have taken the path of evil., bIt is taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbi Shimon ben Elazar says:With regard to the evil binclination,to ba child, andto ba woman, have the lefthand bdrivethem baway and the right drawthem bnear.Total rejection of the evil inclination will lead to inaction, unlike channeling its power in a positive direction. One should not draw them too near, lest they lead him to sin, but one should not drive his wife or his child away completely, lest he cause them to abandon the path of righteousness., bThe Sages taught: Elisha fell ill with three illnesses: Oneillness was due to the fact bthat he incited bears toattack and eat bchildren(see II Kings 2:24–25); band onewas due to the fact bthat he pushed Gehazi away with two handsand caused him to despair of atonement; band onewas the illness bfrom which he died, as it is stated: “And Elisha was fallen ill of his illnessfrom which he was to die” (II Kings 13:14), indicating that he had previously suffered other illnesses.,Apropos the death of Elisha, the Gemara says: bUntilthe time of bAbraham there was no aging,and the old and the young looked the same. bAnyone who saw Abraham said: That is Isaac,and banyone who saw Isaac said: That is Abraham. Abraham prayed for mercy, that he would undergo aging, as it is stated: “And Abraham was old, well stricken in age”(Genesis 24:1). There is no mention of aging before that verse. bUntilthe time of bJacob there was no weakness,i.e., illness. Jacob bprayed for mercy and there was weakness, as it is stated: “And one said to Joseph: Behold, your father is ill”(Genesis 48:1). bUntilthe time of bElisha, there was no ill person who recovered, and Elisha came and prayed for mercy and recovered, as it is stated: “And Elisha was fallen ill of his illness from which he was to die”(II Kings 13:14). That is the first mention of a person who was ill and who did not die from that illness.,mishna The members of bthe generation of the flood have no share in the World-to-Come and will not stand in judgmentat the end of days, bas it is stated: “My soul shall not abide [ iyadon /i] in man forever”(Genesis 6:3); bneitherwill they stand in bjudgment [ idin /i] norshall their bsoulsbe restored to them. The members of bthe generation of the dispersion have no share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of all the earth”(Genesis 11:8), band it is written: “And from there did the Lord scatter themupon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:9). b“And the Lord scattered them”indicates bin this world; “and from there did the Lord scatter them”indicates bfor the World-to-Come. The people of Sodom have no share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “And the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly”(Genesis 13:13). b“Wicked”indicates bin this world; “and sinners”indicates bfor the World-to-Come. But they will stand in judgmentand they will be sentenced to eternal contempt., bRabbi Neḥemya says:Both bthese,the people of Sodom, band those,the members of the generation of the flood, bwill not stand in judgment, as it is stated: “Therefore the wicked shall not stand /b |
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4. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, 114a (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 114a. מניין לשנוי בגדים מן התורה שנא' (ויקרא ו, ד) ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים ותנא דבי רבי ישמעאל לימדך תורה דרך ארץ בגדים שבישל בהן קדירה לרבו אל ימזוג בהן כוס לרבו,אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן גנאי הוא לת"ח שיצא במנעלים המטולאים לשוק והא רבי אחא בר חנינא נפיק אמר רבי אחא בריה דרב נחמן בטלאי על גב טלאי,ואמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר ר' יוחנן כל תלמיד חכם שנמצא רבב על בגדו חייב מיתה שנאמר (משלי ח, לו) כל משנאי אהבו מות אל תקרי משנאי אלא משניאי רבינא אמר רבד איתמר ולא פליגי הא בגלימא הא בלבושא,ואמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר ר' יוחנן מאי דכתיב (ישעיהו כ, ג) כאשר הלך עבדי ישעיהו ערום ויחף ערום בבגדים בלואים ויחף במנעלים המטולאים,תנן התם רבב על המרדע חוצץ רשב"ג אומר עד כאיסר האיטלקי ועל הבגדים מצד אחד אינו חוצץ משני צדדין חוצץ רבי יהודה אומר משום רבי ישמעאל אף מצד אחד חוצץ,בעא מיניה רבי שמעון בן לקיש מר' חנינא מרדעת מצד אחד או משני צדדין אמר ליה זו לא שמעתי כיוצא בה שמעתי דתנן רבי יוסי אומר של בנאין מצד אחד ושל בור משני צדדין ולא תהא מרדעת חשובה מבגדו של עם הארץ,מאי בנאין אמר רבי יוחנן אלו תלמידי חכמים שעוסקין בבנינו של עולם כל ימיהן ואמר רבי יוחנן איזהו תלמיד חכם שמחזירין לו אבידה בטביעות העין זה המקפיד על חלוקו להופכו ואמר רבי יוחנן איזהו ת"ח שממנין אותו פרנס על הציבור זה ששואלין אותו דבר הלכה בכל מקום ואומר ואפי' במסכת כלה,ואמר רבי יוחנן איזהו ת"ח שבני עירו מצווין לעשות לו מלאכתו זה שמניח חפצו ועוסק בחפצי שמים והנ"מ למיטרח בריפתיה ואמר רבי יוחנן איזהו תלמיד חכם כל ששואלין אותו הלכה בכל מקום ואומרה למאי נפקא מינה למנוייה פרנס על הציבור אי בחדא מסכתא באתריה אי בכוליה תנויה בריש מתיבתא,ר' שמעון ב"ל אמר אלו כלים האוליירין הבאין ממדינת הים למימרא דחיורי נינהו והאמר להו רבי ינאי לבניו בני אל תקברוני לא בכלים לבנים ולא בכלים שחורים לבנים שמא לא אזכה ואהיה כחתן בין אבלים שחורים שמא אזכה ואהיה כאבל בין חתנים אלא בכלים האוליירין הבאין ממדינת הים אלמא סומקי נינהו לא קשיא הא בגלימי הא בלבושי:,ר' ישמעאל אומר מקפלין כו': ת"ר (במדבר כח, י) עולת שבת בשבתו לימד על חלבי שבת שקריבין ביום הכיפורים יכול אף של יוה"כ בשבת ת"ל בשבתו דברי רבי ישמעאל,ר' עקיבא אומר עולת שבת בשבתו לימד על חלבי שבת שקרבים ביו"ט יכול אף ביוה"כ ת"ל בשבתו,כשתמצא לומר לדברי רבי ישמעאל נדרים ונדבות קריבין ביו"ט וכי איצטריך קרא ליוה"כ לדברי ר"ע נדרים ונדבות אין קרבין ביו"ט וכי איצטריך קרא למישרא בי"ט אמר ר' זירא | 114a. bFrom whereis it derived bthat changing clothesis a display of honor? bAs it is stated: “And he will remove his garments and will don other garments,and he will bring the ashes outside of the camp to a pure location” (Leviticus 6:4). bThe school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The Torah taught you etiquette. The clothes in which one prepared food for his master, one does notwear bto pour his master wine.Since cooking makes one’s clothes dirty, he should wear fresh clothes when serving his master., bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: It is disgraceful for a Torah scholar to go out to the marketplace in patched shoes.The Gemara asks: bDidn’t Rabbi Aḥa bar Ḥanina go outin patched shoes? bRabbi Aḥa, son of Rav Naḥman, said:They only prohibited patched shoes bif there is a patch upon a patch. /b, bAnd Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: A Torah scholar on whose clothes a fat stain is found is liableto receive the bdeathpenalty, bas it is stated: “All those who hate me love death”(Proverbs 8:36), and the Sages said: bDo not read: Those who hate me [ imesanai /i]. Rather,read: bThose who cause me to be hated [ imasniai /i].Those who cause people to hate the Torah by creating the impression that those who study Torah are unclean deserve the death penalty. bRavina said:A fat stain [ irevav /i] was not stated, but rather ba bloodstain [ irevad /i] was stated(Rabbeinu Ḥael), which is a greater disgrace. The Gemara adds: bThey did not disagreeover the ihalakha /i. Rather, the dispute is whether bthatwhich we learned concerning stains on a Torah scholar’s clothes refers bto an overgarmentthat people wear over the rest of their clothes, while bthatwhich we learned with regard to a bloodstain refers bto an undergarment,where a bloodstain is disgraceful but other types of spots are not., bAndsimilarly, bRabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: That which is written: “As My servant Isaiah went naked and barefootfor three years” (Isaiah 20:3), is not to be understood literally. Rather, bnakedmeans that he wore btattered clothing, and barefootmeans that he walked bwith patched shoes. /b, bWe learnedin a mishna bthere: A fat stain ona donkey’s bsaddle interposes, i.e.,if the saddle becomes impure, its immersion in a ritual bath is invalid unless the stain is removed. bRabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:A stain interposes only when it is as large bas an Italian iissar /ibut not smaller. bAndif there were a fat stain bon clothing on one side, it does not interpose,but if the stain is bon both sides it interposes. Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Yishmael: It interposes even on one side. /b, bRabbi Shimon ben Lakish raised a dilemma before Rabbi Ḥanina:Is a stain on a bsaddlean interposition even if it is bon just one side, oronly if it is bon both sides?Rabbi Ḥanina bsaid to him: That, I did not hearexplicitly. However, bI heardsomething bsimilar to it. As we learnedin that same mishna that bRabbi Yosei says:A garment belonging to bbuilders [ ibanna’in /i]is considered to have an interposition if it has a stain bon one side, and that of an ignoramus,who is not meticulous, is considered to have an interposition when the stain is bon both sides. Andcertainly a donkey’s bsaddle cannot be more important than the garment of an iam ha’aretz /i. /b,The Gemara asks: bWhoare the bbuildersmentioned here? bRabbi Yoḥa said: These are Torah scholars, who are engaged in building the world all of their days. Andwith regard to this, bRabbi Yoḥa said: Who is a Torah scholarof whom the Sages said bthat onemust breturn a lost object to him based on visual identification,even if he does not provide an identifying sign for it? bThat is one who makes sure his upper undergarment is turned inwardso that the uneven stitching is not visible. This means that he conducts himself like a Torah scholar in all his ways, even in matters of cleanliness and order (Maharsha). On a related note, the Gemara adds that which bRabbi Yoḥa said: Who is a Torah scholar whomay be bappointedas a bleader of the community? This is one who is askedabout bmatters of ihalakhaon any topic and heis able to banswer, and evenif he were asked about btractate iKalla /i,a tractate that few have mastered., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said: Who is the Torah scholar for whom the inhabitants of his city are commanded to perform his labor for him? This is one who sets his own matters aside and engages in matters of Heaven.It is therefore fitting for the community to support him. bAnd that applies only to exerting themselvesto provide him with bhis bread,as it is appropriate that they sustain him. bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said: Who isincluded in the category of ba Torah scholar? Anyone who is askedabout the ihalakhawith regard to any topic andis able to bstate it.And they say: bWhat are the practical consequencesof this question? It is bto appoint him a leader of the community. Ifhe is an expert bin a single tractate,they appoint him as a leader bin his place; ifhe is an expert bin all of his learning,they appoint him bas the head of the yeshiva. /b, bRabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Thesegarments of the ibanna’inmentioned in the mishna are bthe clothes of the bath attendants [ iulairin /i] that come from a country overseas,on which stains are apparent, and these men are meticulous about their cleanliness. The Gemara asks: bIs that to say that these are white garments? Didn’t Rabbi Yannai say to his sons: My sons, do not bury me in white garments nor in black garments.Not in bwhite, lest I not be acquittedin judgment, band I will beamong the wicked blike a groom among mourners.And not in bblack, lest I be acquittedin judgment, band I will beamong the righteous blike a mourner among grooms. Rather,bury me bin the clothes of the bath attendants who come from a country overseas,which are neither black nor white. bApparently, theseclothes of the bath attendants bare red.The Gemara answers: This is bnot difficult,as a distinction can be made. When Rabbi Yannai indicates that they are red, bthatis referring bto overgarments;the statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish that indicated that they are white, bthatis referring bto undergarments. /b,We learned in the mishna that bRabbi Yishmael says: One may foldclothes and make beds on Yom Kippur for Shabbat if Yom Kippur occurs on Friday, and the fats of the sacrifices that were brought on Shabbat were offered on Yom Kippur that occurs on Sunday. The verse b“The burnt-offering of Shabbat on its Shabbat,besides the daily offering and its libation” (Numbers 28:10) btaught, with regard to the fats of Shabbat, thatthey bare offered on Yom Kippur,because Yom Kippur is also called Shabbat, and the verse indicates that the Shabbat offering is offered on another Shabbat. I bmighthave thought beventhe fats bfrom Yom Kippurofferings could be sacrificed bon Shabbat;therefore, bthe verse states “on its Shabbat”to specify that it is not so; this is bthe statement of Rabbi Yishmael. /b, bRabbi Akiva saysthat when the verse says: b“The burnt-offering of Shabbat on its Shabbat,”it teaches bthatthe bfats of Shabbat are offered on a Festivalthat occurs on the following day. bI mighthave thought that they could bevenbe offered bon Yom Kippurthat occurred on the day after Shabbat. Therefore, bthe verse states “on its Shabbat”and not on another one., bWhen youanalyze the matter you bwill findthat you can bsay that, in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Yishmael, vows and free-will offerings are offered on a Festival.If sacrifices that fulfill vows can be postponed to a weekday but are nevertheless brought on a Festival, certainly fats from Shabbat can be offered on a Festival that follows it. bAnd the verse is needed topermit offering Shabbat fats on bYom Kippurthat follows it. However, baccording to Rabbi Akiva vows and free-will offerings are not brought on a Festival, andtherefore bthe verse is needed to permitsacrificing the fats from Shabbat bon a Festivalthat follows it, but on Yom Kippur it is prohibited. bRabbi Zeira said: /b |
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5. Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, 69b (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 69b. אין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית דוד בלבד שנאמר (דברי הימים א יז, טז) ויבא המלך דוד וישב לפני ה' כדאמר רב חסדא בעזרת נשים הכא נמי בעזרת נשים,והיכא איתמר דרב חסדא אהא מיתיבי דתניא היכן קורין בו בעזרה ראב"י אומר בהר הבית שנאמר (נחמיה ח, ג) ויקרא בו לפני הרחוב אשר לפני שער המים ואמר רב חסדא בעזרת נשים,(נחמיה ח, ו) ויברך עזרא את ה' האלהים הגדול מאי גדול אמר רב יוסף אמר רב שגדלו בשם המפורש רב גידל אמר (דברי הימים א טז, לו) ברוך ה' אלהי ישראל מן העולם ועד העולם,אמר ליה אביי לרב דימי ודילמא שגידלו בשם המפורש א"ל אין אומרים שם המפורש בגבולים,ולא והכתיב (נחמיה ח, ד) ויעמוד עזרא הסופר על מגדל עץ אשר עשו לדבר ואמר רב גידל שגדלו בשם המפורש הוראת שעה היתה,(נחמיה ט, ד) ויצעקו אל ה' אלהים בקול גדול מאי אמור אמר רב ואיתימא ר' יוחנן בייא בייא היינו האי דאחרביה למקדשא וקליה להיכליה וקטלינהו לכולהו צדיקי ואגלינהו לישראל מארעהון ועדיין מרקד בינן כלום יהבתיה לן אלא לקבולי ביה אגרא לא איהו בעינן ולא אגריה בעינן,נפל להו פיתקא מרקיעא דהוה כתב בה אמת,אמר רב חנינא שמע מינה חותמו של הקב"ה אמת,אותיבו בתעניתא תלתא יומין ותלתא לילואתא מסרוהו ניהליהו נפק אתא כי גוריא דנורא מבית קדשי הקדשים אמר להו נביא לישראל היינו יצרא דעבודת כוכבים שנאמר (זכריה ה, ח) ויאמר זאת הרשעה,בהדי דתפסוה ליה אשתמיט ביניתא ממזייא ורמא קלא ואזל קליה ארבע מאה פרסי אמרו היכי נעביד דילמא חס ושלום מרחמי עליה מן שמיא אמר להו נביא שדיוהו בדודא דאברא וחפיוהו לפומיה באברא דאברא משאב שאיב קלא שנאמר (זכריה ה, ח) ויאמר זאת הרשעה וישלך אותה אל תוך האיפה וישלך את אבן העופרת אל פיה,אמרו הואיל ועת רצון הוא נבעי רחמי איצרא דעבירה בעו רחמי ואמסר בידייהו,אמר להו חזו דאי קטליתו ליה לההוא כליא עלמא חבשוהו תלתא יומי ובעו ביעתא בת יומא בכל ארץ ישראל ולא אשתכח אמרי היכי נעביד נקטליה כליא עלמא ניבעי רחמי אפלגא פלגא ברקיעא לא יהבי כחלינהו לעיניה ושבקוהו ואהני דלא מיגרי ביה לאיניש בקריבתה,במערבא מתנו הכי רב גידל אמר גדול שגדלו בשם המפורש ורב מתנא אמר (נחמיה ט, לב) האל הגדול הגבור והנורא,והא דרב מתנא מטייא לדרבי יהושע בן לוי דאמר רבי יהושע בן לוי למה נקרא שמן אנשי כנסת הגדולה שהחזירו עטרה ליושנה אתא משה אמר (דברים י, יז) האל הגדול הגבור והנורא אתא ירמיה ואמר נכרים מקרקרין בהיכלו איה נוראותיו לא אמר נורא אתא דניאל אמר נכרים משתעבדים בבניו איה גבורותיו לא אמר גבור,אתו אינהו ואמרו אדרבה זו היא גבורת גבורתו שכובש את יצרו שנותן ארך אפים לרשעים ואלו הן נוראותיו שאלמלא מוראו של הקב"ה היאך אומה אחת יכולה להתקיים בין האומות,ורבנן היכי עבדי הכי ועקרי תקנתא דתקין משה אמר רבי אלעזר מתוך שיודעין בהקב"ה שאמתי הוא לפיכך לא כיזבו בו,וקורא אחרי מות ואך בעשור ורמינהי מדלגין בנביא ואין מדלגין בתורה,לא קשיא כאן בכדי שיפסיק התורגמן כאן בכדי שלא יפסיק התורגמן,והא עלה קתני מדלגין בנביא ואין מדלגין בתורה ועד כמה מדלג בכדי שלא יפסיק התורגמן הא בתורה כלל כלל לא,אמר אביי לא קשיא כאן בענין אחד כאן בשני ענינין,והתניא מדלגין בתורה בענין אחד ובנביא בשני ענינין כאן וכאן בכדי שלא יפסיק התורגמן ואין מדלגין מנביא לנביא ובנביא של שנים עשר מדלגין | 69b. bSitting in theTemple bcourtyard ispermitted bonly for kings of the House of David, as it is stated: “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord”(I Chronicles 17:16)? How, then, could the High Priest have been sitting? The Gemara explains: bAs Rav Ḥisda saidin a similar context: This took place not in the Israelite courtyard, where the prohibition against sitting applies, but bin the women’s courtyard. Here, too,the reading was bin the women’s courtyard,where it is permitted to sit.,§ The Gemara clarifies: bAnd where wasthis statement bof Rav Ḥisdaoriginally bstated?It was stated bin relation to the following:The Sages braised an objectionbased on that bwhich was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bWhere did they readthe Torah scroll in fulfillment of the mitzva of assembly, in which the Torah is publicly read on the iSukkotfollowing the Sabbatical Year? It was read bin theTemple bcourtyard. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says:It is read bon the Temple Mount, as it is statedconcerning the public reading performed by Ezra: b“And he read from it before the wide road that was before the Gate of the Water”(Nehemiah 8:3). bAnd Rav Ḥisda said:The courtyard referred to by the first itannais bthe women’s courtyard. /b,Apropos the verse in Nehemiah, the Gemara interprets an adjacent verse homiletically. It is stated: b“And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God”(Nehemiah 8:6). The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe meaning of b“great”here? bRav Yosef saidthat bRav said:It means bthat he ascribed greatness to Him byenunciating God’s bexplicit name. Rav Giddel said:He established that one should say at the conclusion of every blessing: b“Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity”(I Chronicles 16:36)., bAbaye said to Rav Dimi:Why does Rav Giddel interpret it this way? bPerhapsthe meaning of “great” is bthat he ascribed greatness to Him byenunciating God’s bexplicit name?Rav Dimi bsaid to him: The explicit name may not be enunciated in the provinces,i.e., outside the Temple courtyard.,The Gemara asks: bAndis this really bnotpermitted? bIsn’t it written: “And Ezra the Scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose...and Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God” (Nehemiah 8:4-6); band Rav Giddel said:“Great” in this verse means bthat he ascribed greatness to Him byenunciating God’s bexplicit name.Since this event took place outside the Temple (see Nehemiah 8:3), it suggests that God’s explicit name may indeed be enunciated outside the Temple. The Gemara answers: That cannot be proven from here because the permission to use God’s explicit name in that context bwas a provisional edictissued in exigent circumstances, since the people had uniquely come together in a prayerful commitment to God.,The Gemara recounts the event described in the verses: The verse states: bAnd they cried with a loud voice to the Lordtheir bGod(Nehemiah 9:4). bWhat was said? Rav said, and some sayit was bRabbi Yoḥawho said: bWoe, woe. It is this,i.e., the evil inclination for idol worship, bthat destroyed the Temple, and burned its Sanctuary, and murdered all the righteous ones, and caused the Jewish people to be exiled from their land. And it still dances among us,i.e., it still affects us. bDidn’t You give it to us solely for the purpose ofour breceiving rewardfor overcoming it? bWe do not want it, and we do not want its reward.We are prepared to forgo the potential rewards for overcoming the evil inclination as long as it departs from us.,In response to their prayer ba note fell to them from the heavens upon which was written: Truth,indicating that God accepted their request.,The Gemara makes a parenthetical observation. bRav Ḥanina said: Learn from thisthat bthe seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is truth. /b,In response to the indication of divine acceptance, bthey observed a fast for three days and three nights, and He deliveredthe evil inclination bto them. A form of a fiery lion cub came forth from the chamber of the Holy of Holies.Zechariah bthe prophet said to the Jewish people: This is theevil binclination for idol worship, as it is statedin the verse that refers to this event: b“And he said: This is the evil one”(Zechariah 5:8). The use of the word “this” indicates that the evil inclination was perceived in a physical form., bWhen they caught hold of it one of its hairs fell, and it let out a shriekof pain bthat was heard for four hundred parasangs. They said: Whatshould bwe doto kill it? bPerhaps, Heaven forfend, they will have mercy upon him from Heaven,since it cries out so much. bThe prophet said to them: Throw it into a containermade bof lead and seal the opening with lead, since lead absorbs sound. As it is stated: “And he said: This is the evil one. And he cast it down into the midst of the measure, and he cast a stone of lead upon its opening”(Zechariah 5:8). They followed this advice and were freed of the evil inclination for idol worship.,When they saw that the evil inclination for idol worship was delivered into their hands as they requested, the Sages bsaid: Since it is an auspicious time, let us pray also concerning theevil binclination for sinin the area of sexual relationships. bThey prayed, and it wasalso bdelivered into their hands. /b,Zechariah the prophet bsaid to them: Seeand understand bthat if you killthis evil inclination bthe world will be destroyedbecause as a result there will also no longer be any desire to procreate. They followed his warning, and instead of killing the evil inclination bthey imprisoned it for three days.At that time, people bsearched for a fresh egg throughout all of Eretz Yisrael and could not findone. Since the inclination to reproduce was quashed, the chickens stopped laying eggs. bThey said: Whatshould bwe do?If bwe kill it, the world will be destroyed.If bwe pray for half,i.e., that only half its power be annulled, nothing will be achieved because bHeaven does not grant halfgifts, only whole gifts. What did they do? bThey gougedout bits eyes,effectively limiting its power, band set it free. Andthis bwas effectiveto the extent bthat a person is nolonger baroused tocommit incest with bhisclose brelatives. /b,The Gemara returns to its discussion of the verse in Nehemiah cited above: bIn the West,i.e., Eretz Yisrael, bthey taughtthe debate concerning the verse “the Lord, the great God” bas follows: Rav Giddel said: “Great”means bthat he ascribed greatness to Him byenunciating God’s bexplicit name. And Rav Mattana said:They reinserted the following appellations of God into their prayers: b“The great, the mighty, and the awesome God”(Nehemiah 9:32).,The Gemara comments: bThisinterpretation that bRav Mattanasaid bleans to,i.e., is consot with, the exposition bof Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Why arethe Sages of those generations bcalled the members of the Great Assembly?It is bbecause they returned the crownof the Holy One, Blessed be He, bto its formerglory. How so? bMoses cameand bsaidin his prayer: b“The great, the mighty, and the awesomeGod”(Deuteronomy 10:17). bJeremiahthe prophet bcame and said: Gentiles,i.e., the minions of Nebuchadnezzar, bare carousing in His sanctuary; where is His awesomeness?Therefore, bhe did not say awesomein his prayer: “The great God, the mighty Lord of Hosts, is His name” (Jeremiah 32:18). bDaniel cameand bsaid: Gentiles are enslaving His children; where is His might?Therefore bhe did not say mightyin his prayer: “The great and awesome God” (Daniel 9:4).,The members of the Great Assembly bcame and said: On the contrary, this is the might of His might,i.e., this is the fullest expression of it, bthat He conquers His inclinationin bthat He exercises patience toward the wicked.God’s anger is flared by the gentile nations’ enslavement of His people, yet He expresses tremendous might by suppressing His anger and holding back from punishing them immediately. Therefore, it is still appropriate to refer to God as mighty. bAnd theseacts also express bHis awesomeness: Were it not for the awesomeness of the Holy One, Blessed be He, how could one people,i.e., the Jewish people, who are alone and hated by the gentile nations, bsurvive among the nations? /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd the Rabbis,i.e., Jeremiah and Daniel, bhow could they do this and uproot an ordice instituted by Moses,the greatest teacher, who instituted the mention of these attributes in prayer? bRabbi Elazar said:They did so bbecause they knew of the Holy One Blessed be He, that He is truthfuland hates a lie. bConsequently, they did not speak falsely about Him.Since they did not perceive His attributes of might and awesomeness, they did not refer to them; therefore, they cannot be criticized for doing so.,§ It was taught in the mishna: bAnd he readsfrom the scroll the Torah portion beginning with the verse: b“After the death”(Leviticus 16:1), bandthe portion beginning with the verse: b“But on the tenth”(Leviticus 23:26). Although both of these portions appear in the book of Leviticus, they are not adjacent to one another. Perforce, the High Priest skipped the sections in between the two portions. The Gemara braises a contradiction:It is taught in a mishna in tractate iMegilla /i: bOnemay bskipsections when reading the ihaftara bin the Prophets, but onemay bnot skipsections when reading bin the Torah. /b,The Gemara answers: bThis is not difficult: There,in the mishna in tractate iMegillathat teaches that one may not skip, the intention is that one should not skip if the sections are so far apart from one another that the delay caused by doing so will be bof such length that the translatorwho recites the Aramaic translation bwill concludehis translation before the next section is reached. In that case, the community would have to remain in silence while waiting for the next section to be reached, which is considered disrespectful of the community’s honor. bHere,in the case of the mishna, where it is permitted to skip, the delay caused is bof suchshort blength that the translator willstill bnot concludehis translation before the new section is reached.,The Gemara challenges this resolution: bBut it was taught concerning thisstatement in the continuation of that mishna: bOnemay bskipsections when reading bin the Prophets, and onemay bnot skipsections when reading bin the Torah. And how muchmay bone skip?One may skip bwhen thesection skipped is bofsuch short blength thatwhen the furling of the scroll is completed bthe translator willstill bnot have concludedhis translation. The ibaraitaimplies that the qualification for the length of the section that may be skipped applies only to reading the Prophets, bbutwhen reading bthe Torah,one may bnotskip bat all.The Gemara’s resolution is therefore refuted.,The Gemara offers a different resolution. bAbaye said: This is not difficult. Here,in the case of the mishna here, where it is permitted to skip, it is referring to when both sections bpertain to a single topic,and therefore the listeners will be unaware that sections were skipped. bThere,in the mishna in tractate iMegilla /i, which teaches that one may not skip, it is referring to when the two sections bpertain to twodifferent btopics. /b, bAs it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bOnemay bskipsections when reading bin the Torahwhen both sections read bpertain to one topic, and in the Prophetsone may skip from one section to another even if they bpertain to twodifferent btopics.Both bhere and there,one may skip only bwhenthe section skipped is bof suchshort blength thatwhen furling is completed bthe translator willstill bnot have concludedhis translation. But bonemay bnot skip from onebook of the bProphets to anotherbook of the bProphetseven if both pertain to the same topic, and even if the gap between them is short. However, bamong thebooks of the bTwelve Prophets one may skip,as the twelve are considered one book for these purposes. |
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