1. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 3.1 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 3.1. וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ שָׁמַעְתִּי בַּגָּן וָאִירָא כִּי־עֵירֹם אָנֹכִי וָאֵחָבֵא׃ 3.1. וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָאִשָּׁה אַף כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן׃ | 3.1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman: ‘Yea, hath God said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’" |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Proverbs, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2, 3, 4, 4.7, 5, 6, 7, 8.5, 8.12, 9.10, 14.12, 22.17-24.22 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
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3. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 9.10, 111.10 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)
| 9.10. The LORD also will be a high tower for the oppressed, A high tower in times of trouble;" 111.10. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all they that do thereafter; His praise endureth for ever." |
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4. Septuagint, Ecclesiasticus (Siracides), 39.3, 51.21 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE)
| 39.3. he will seek out the hidden meanings of proverbs and be at home with the obscurities of parables. 39.3. the teeth of wild beasts, and scorpions and vipers,and the sword that punishes the ungodly with destruction; 51.21. My heart was stirred to seek her,therefore I have gained a good possession. |
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5. Epictetus, Discourses, 1.22.9-1.22.10 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
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6. Josephus Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, 8.143, 8.148-8.149 (1st cent. CE - 1st cent. CE)
| 8.143. Moreover, the king of Tyre sent sophisms and enigmatical sayings to Solomon, and desired he would solve them, and free them from the ambiguity that was in them. Now so sagacious and understanding was Solomon, that none of these problems were too hard for him; but he conquered them all by his reasonings, and discovered their hidden meaning, and brought it to light. 8.148. He says also, that Solomon, who was then king of Jerusalem, sent riddles to Hiram, and desired to receive the like from him, but that he who could not solve them should pay money to them that did solve them 8.149. and that Hiram accepted the conditions; and when he was not able to solve the riddles proposed by Solomon, he paid a great deal of money for his fine; but that he afterward did solve the proposed riddles by means of Abdemon, a man of Tyre; and that Hiram proposed other riddles, which, when Solomon could not solve, he paid back a great deal of money to Hiram.” This it is which Dius wrote. |
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7. Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies, 1.12 (2nd cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
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8. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 164b. והלא אינו דומה זמנו של זה לזמנו של זה פשוט מלך שנה מונין לו שנה שתים מונין לו שתים מקושר מלך שנה מונין לו שתים שתים מונין לו ג',וזימנין דיזיף מיניה זוזי במקושר ומיתרמי ליה זוזי ביני ביני ופרע ליה וא"ל הב לי שטראי ואמר ליה אירכס לי וכתב ליה תברא,וכי מטי זמניה משוי ליה פשוט וא"ל הני השתא דיזפת מינאי,קא סבר אין כותבין שובר,ומי בקי רבי במקושר והא ההוא מקושר דאתא לקמיה דרבי ואמר רבי שטר מאוחר זה וא"ל זונין לרבי כך מנהגה של אומה זו מלך שנה מונין לו שתים שתים מונין לו שלש,בתר דשמעה מזונין סברה,ההוא שטרא דהוה כתב ביה בשנת פלוני ארכן א"ר חנינא בדק אימתי עמד ארכן בארכנותיה,ודלמא דאריך מלכותיה אמר רב הושעיא כך מנהגה של אומה זו שנה ראשונה קורין לו ארכן שניה קורין לו דיגון,ודלמא עבורי עברוהו והדר אוקמוהו אמר ר' ירמיה ההוא ארכן דיגון קראו ליה,ת"ר הריני נזיר (הינא) סומכוס אמר הינא אחת דיגון שתים טריגון ג' טטריגון ארבע פנטיגון חמש,תנו רבנן בית עגול דיגון טריגון פנטיגון אינו מטמא בנגעים טטריגון מטמא בנגעים,מנא הני מילי דתנו רבנן למעלה אומר (ויקרא יד, לז) קיר קירות שתים למטה אומר קיר קירות שתים הרי כאן ארבע,ההוא מקושר דאתא לקמיה דרבי ואמר רבי אין זמן בזה א"ל ר' שמעון ב"ר לרבי שמא בין קשריו מובלע פלייה וחזייה הדר חזא ביה רבי בבישות א"ל לאו אנא כתבתיה ר' יהודה חייטא כתביה א"ל כלך מלשון הרע הזה,זימנין הוה יתיב קמיה וקא פסיק סידרא בספר תהלים אמר רבי כמה מיושר כתב זה אמר ליה לאו אנא כתבתיה יהודה חייטא כתביה א"ל כלך מלשון הרע הזה,בשלמא התם איכא לשון הרע אלא הכא מאי לשון הרע איכא משום דרב דימי דתני רב דימי אחוה דרב ספרא לעולם אל יספר אדם בטובתו של חבירו שמתוך טובתו בא לידי רעתו,אמר רב עמרם אמר רב שלש עבירות אין אדם ניצול מהן בכל יום הרהור עבירה ועיון תפלה ולשון הרע לשון הרע סלקא דעתך | 164b. bBut the date of this one,a tied document, bis not the same as the date of that one,an ordinary document. In ban ordinarydocument, when the king has breignedfor one byear,one byear is counted for him,and when he has reigned for btwoyears, btwoyears bare counted for him.By contrast, in ba tieddocument, when the king has breignedfor one byear, twoyears bare counted for him,and when he has reigned for btwoyears, bthreeyears bare counted for him.If a tied document is simply opened up and used as an ordinary document, then it will emerge that it is postdated by a year.,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi continues: bAndthere are btimesthis can be problematic, as in a case bwherethe debtor bborrows money fromthe creditor, and the details of the loan are written bin a tieddocument. bAndthe debtor bchances uponsome bmoney in the interim,i.e., during the first year after the document was written, bandhe brepaysthe creditor, band says to him: Give meback bmypromissory bnote,as I have just repaid you. bAndthe creditor bsays tothe debtor: bI lostthe document and cannot give it to you. bAndin lieu of returning the promissory note, the creditor bwrites a receiptfor the debtor, as protection against a second collection.,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi continues: bAndthen, bwhen the time forrepayment written in the promissory note barrives,the creditor will bmake itinto ban ordinarydocument by undoing its stitches and opening it up, bandhe can then bsay tothe debtor: bIt is now that you borrowed thismoney bfrom me,as attested in this promissory note, and the receipt you have in your possession is for a previous debt, as its date precedes the date on my document.,The Gemara answers: Rabbi Ḥanina ben Gamliel bholdsthat bone does not write a receiptin such cases. If a creditor loses his promissory note, the debtor need not pay him at all, out of concern that the debt may one day be collected again when the promissory note is found. He is not required to pay the debt and accept only a receipt, which he will then have to guard permanently to protect himself against a second collection.,The Gemara asks with regard to the previous discussion: bAnd was RabbiYehuda HaNasi bexpert inthe ihalakhotof btieddocuments? bButwasn’t there ba certain tieddocument bthat came before RabbiYehuda HaNasi, bandwhen bRabbiYehuda HaNasi saw the date he bsaid: This is a postdated document. Anda Sage named bZunin said to RabbiYehuda HaNasi: bSuch is the custom of this nation;when the king has breignedfor one byear, twoyears bare counted for him,and when he has reigned for btwoyears, bthreeyears bare counted for him.The document is therefore not postdated. From this anecdote it is clear that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi himself had not been familiar with this practice.,The Gemara answers: bAfterRabbi Yehuda HaNasi bheard it from Zuninhe accepted the explanation band held thisway himself, and that is what prompted him to raise his objection.,§ There was ba certain document on which was written,as its date: bIn the year of so-and-so, Archon [ iArkhan /i],a title for a ruler, without stating any particular year of his reign. bRabbi Ḥanina said: Let it be investigated whenit was that this bArchon rose to hisposition of barchon,i.e., find out the year he came to power, and the validity of the document is established from that year.,The Gemara suggests: bBut perhapsthe writer of the document was using an Aramaic or Hebrew term, and intended to say bthat the reign ofso-and-so had already bextended [ iarikh /i]for several years. bRav Hoshaya says: Suchis bthe custom of this nationwhere the document was written: In the bfirst yearof the king’s reign bthey refer to himwith the title bArchon;in his bsecondyear bthey refer to himwith the title iDigon /i. /b,The Gemara suggests: bBut perhapsthe people bdeposedthe ruler band then reinstated him,and the document was written in the first year of his second reign. bRabbi Yirmeya said:In bthatcase, btheywould brefer to himwith the title bArchon iDigon /i. /b,§ Apropos these Greek terms, the Gemara cites two ibaraitotthat mention them. bThe Sages taught( iTosefta /i, iNazir1:2) that if one said: bI am hereby a nazirite iheina /i,or stated a similar expression with other comparable Greek terms, bSumakhos saidthat his status depends on which term he used. If he used the word iheina /i,he is a nazirite for boneterm of naziriteship, i.e., thirty days; if he said idigon /i,he is a nazirite for btwoterms of thirty days each; if he said iterigon /i,he is a nazirite for bthreeterms; itetrigon /i,for bfourterms; ipentigon /i,for bfiveterms., bThe Sages taughtin another ibaraita( iTosefta /i, iNega’im6:3): bA round house,or one that is shaped like ba idigon /i,i.e., it has two walls, one straight and one curved, or one that is shaped like ba iterigon /i,i.e., a triangle, or one that is shaped like ba pentagon, does not become susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots.If it is shaped like ba itetrigon /i,i.e., a quadrilateral, it bbecomes susceptible to the ritual impurity of leprous spots. /b,The Gemara asks: bFrom where are these mattersderived? The Gemara answers: It is bas the Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: The Torah bstates above:“If the plague be in the walls of the house” (Leviticus 14:37). The verse did not state: bA wall,but b“walls,”indicating that the house in question has at least btwowalls. And where it bstates below:“If the plague has spread in the walls of the house” (Leviticus 14:39), instead of stating: bA wall,the verse states b“walls,”indicating another btwowalls. There barea total of bfourwalls mentioned bherein order to indicate that a house can become impure through leprous spots only if it has four sides.,§ The Gemara relates: There was ba certain tieddocument bthat came before RabbiYehuda HaNasi, band RabbiYehuda HaNasi, not realizing it was a folded document, bsaid: There is no date on thisdocument, so it is not valid. bRabbi Shimon, son of RabbiYehuda HaNasi, bsaid to RabbiYehuda HaNasi: bPerhapsthe date is bhidden between its tiedfolds. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bopened it and sawthat the date was in fact between the tied folds. bAfterward, RabbiYehuda HaNasi blooked athis son bdisapprovingly,as he held that one should not write a tied document. His son bsaid to him: I did not write it; Rabbi Yehuda Ḥayyata wrote it.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid tohis son: bTurn away fromuttering bthiskind of bmalicious speech. /b,Another btime,Rabbi Shimon bwas sitting beforehis father band reciting a section of the book of Psalms. RabbiYehuda HaNasi bsaidto him: bHow straightand neat is bthis writingin this book from which you are reading. Rabbi Shimon bsaid to him: I did not write it; Yehuda Ḥayyata wrote it.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi btoldhis son: bTurn away fromuttering bthiskind of bmalicious speech. /b,The Gemara asks: bGranted, there,in the first episode, bthere is malicious speechinvolved, since Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was displeased with the writer of the document, bbut here,in the second episode, bwhat malicious speech is there?Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was complimenting the writer of the book of Psalms, not criticizing him. The Gemara answers: It is bbecause ofwhat bRav Dimiteaches. bAs Rav Dimi, the brother of Rav Safra, teaches: A person should never speak the praises of another, as out of the praisespoken about bhimsomeone may bcome tospeak to bhis detriment. /b, bRav Amram saysthat bRav says:There are bthree sins from which a person is not spared each day.They are: Having bsinful thoughts, andcommitting sins concerning bdeliberation in prayer, anduttering bmalicious speech.The Gemara asks: Can it benter your mindthat a person cannot go through the day without uttering bmalicious speech? /b |
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9. Babylonian Talmud, Moed Qatan, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 16b. אף דברי תורה בסתר,יצא רבי חייא ושנה לשני בני אחיו בשוק לרב ולרבה בר בר חנה שמע ר' איקפד אתא ר' חייא לאיתחזויי ליה א"ל עייא מי קורא לך בחוץ ידע דנקט מילתא בדעתיה נהג נזיפותא בנפשיה תלתין יומין,ביום תלתין שלח ליה תא הדר שלח ליה דלא ליתי,מעיקרא מאי סבר ולבסוף מאי סבר מעיקרא סבר מקצת היום ככולו ולבסוף סבר לא אמרינן מקצת היום ככולו,לסוף אתא א"ל אמאי אתית א"ל דשלח לי מר דליתי והא שלחי לך דלא תיתי א"ל זה ראיתי וזה לא ראיתי קרי עליה (משלי טז, ז) ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים אתו,מ"ט עבד מר הכי א"ל דכתיב (משלי א, כ) חכמות בחוץ תרונה א"ל אם קרית לא שנית ואם שנית לא שילשת ואם שילשת לא פירשו לך,חכמות בחוץ תרונה כדרבא דאמר רבא כל העוסק בתורה מבפנים תורתו מכרזת עליו מבחוץ,והא כתיב (ישעיהו מח, טז) לא מראש בסתר דברתי ההוא ביומי דכלה,ור' חייא האי חמוקי ירכיך מאי עביד לה מוקי לה בצדקה ובגמילות חסדים,אלמא נזיפה דידהו תלתין יומין נזיפת נשיא שאני,ונזיפה דידן כמה הוי חד יומא כי הא דשמואל ומר עוקבא כי הוו יתבי גרס שמעתא הוה יתיב מר עוקבא קמיה דשמואל ברחוק ד' אמות וכי הוו יתבי בדינא הוה יתיב שמואל קמיה דמר עוקבא ברחוק ד' אמות והוו חייקי ליה דוכתא למר עוקבא בציפתא ויתיב עילויה כי היכי דלישתמען מיליה,כל יומא הוה מלוי ליה מר עוקבא לשמואל עד אושפיזיה יומא חד איטריד בדיניה הוה אזיל שמואל בתריה כי מטא לביתיה א"ל לא נגה לך לישרי לי מר בתיגריה ידע דנקט מילתא בדעתיה נהג נזיפותא בנפשיה חד יומא,ההיא איתתא דהוות יתבה בשבילא הוות פשטה כרעה וקא מניפה חושלאי והוה חליף ואזיל צורבא מרבנן ולא איכנעה מקמיה אמר כמה חציפא ההיא איתתא אתאי לקמיה דר"נ אמר לה מי שמעת שמתא מפומיה אמרה ליה לא אמר לה זילי נהוגי נזיפותא חד יומא בנפשיך,זוטרא בר טוביה הוה קפסיק סידרא קמיה דרב יהודה כי מטא להאי פסוקא (שמואל ב כג, א) ואלה דברי דוד האחרונים א"ל אחרונים מכלל דאיכא ראשונים ראשונים מאי נינהו,שתיק ולא אמר ליה ולא מידי הדר א"ל אחרונים מכלל דאיכא ראשונים ראשונים מאי היא א"ל מאי דעתך דלא ידע פירושא דהאי קרא לאו גברא רבה הוא ידע דנקט מילתא בדעתיה נהג נזיפותא בנפשיה חד יומא,ודאתן עלה מיהא אחרונים מכלל דאיכא ראשונים ראשונים מאי היא (שמואל ב כב, א) וידבר דוד לה' את דברי השירה הזאת ביום הציל ה' אותו מכף כל אויביו ומכף שאול,אמר לו הקב"ה לדוד דוד שירה אתה אומר על מפלתו של שאול אלמלי אתה שאול והוא דוד איבדתי כמה דוד מפניו,היינו דכתיב (תהלים ז, א) שגיון לדוד אשר שר לה' על דברי כוש בן ימיני וכי כוש שמו והלא שאול שמו אלא מה כושי משונה בעורו אף שאול משונה במעשיו,כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר (במדבר יב, א) על אודות האשה הכושית אשר לקח וכי כושית שמה והלא ציפורה שמה אלא מה כושית משונה בעורה אף ציפורה משונה במעשיה כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר (ירמיהו לח, ז) וישמע עבד מלך הכושי וכי כושי שמו והלא צדקיה שמו אלא מה כושי משונה בעורו אף צדקיה משונה במעשיו,כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר (עמוס ט, ז) הלא כבני כושיים אתם לי (בית) ישראל וכי כושיים שמן והלא ישראל שמן אלא מה כושי משונה בעורו אף ישראל משונין במעשיהן מכל האומות,א"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן מאי דכתיב (שמואל ב כג, א) נאם דוד בן ישי ונאם הגבר הוקם על נאם דוד בן ישי שהקים עולה של תשובה,(שמואל ב כג, ג) אמר אלהי ישראל לי דבר צור ישראל מושל באדם צדיק מושל יראת אלהים מאי קאמר א"ר אבהו ה"ק אמר אלהי ישראל לי דבר צור ישראל אני מושל באדם מי מושל בי צדיק שאני גוזר גזרה ומבטלה,(שמואל ב כג, ח) אלה שמות הגבורים אשר לדוד יושב בשבת וגו' מאי קאמר א"ר אבהו ה"ק ואלה שמות גבורותיו של דוד,יושב בשבת בשעה שהיה יושב בישיבה לא היה יושב על גבי כרים וכסתות אלא על גבי קרקע דכל כמה דהוה רביה עירא היאירי קיים הוה מתני להו לרבנן על גבי כרים וכסתות כי נח נפשיה הוה מתני דוד לרבנן והוה יתיב על גבי קרקע אמרו ליה ליתיב מר אכרים וכסתות לא קביל עליה,תחכמוני אמר רב אמר לו הקב"ה הואיל והשפלת עצמך תהא כמוני שאני גוזר גזרה ואתה מבטלה,ראש השלישים תהא ראש לשלשת אבות הוא עדינו העצני כשהיה יושב ועוסק בתורה היה מעדן עצמו כתולעת ובשעה שיוצא למלחמה היה מקשה עצמו כעץ,על שמונה מאות חלל בפעם אחת שהיה זורק חץ ומפיל שמונה מאות חלל בפעם אחת והיה מתאנח על מאתים דכתיב (דברים לב, ל) איכה ירדף אחד אלף,יצתה בת קול ואמרה (מלכים א טו, ה) רק בדבר אוריה החתי,אמר רבי תנחום בריה דרבי חייא איש כפר עכו אמר רבי יעקב בר אחא אמר ר' שמלאי ואמרי לה אמר ר' תנחום אמר רב הונא ואמרי לה אמר רב הונא לחודיה | 16b. bso too, the words of Torah,which are “the work of the hands of an artist,” i.e., God, must remain bhiddenin the study hall.,Despite Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi’s decree, bRabbi Ḥiyya went out and taught his two nephews, Rav and Rabba bar bar Ḥana, in the marketplace. RabbiYehuda HaNasi bheardwhat he had done and bbecame angrywith him. When bRabbi Ḥiyya cameat some later date bto visit him,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi mockingly bsaid to him: Iyya, who is calling you outside?By asking this question Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was intimating that Rabbi Ḥiyya should leave his house. Rabbi Ḥiyya bunderstood thatRabbi Yehuda HaNasi bhad taken the matter to heartand was insulted, and so bhe conductedhimself as if he had been badmonished,as a self-imposed punishment, bfor thirty days. /b, bOn the thirtieth day,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsent hima message, saying: bComeand visit me. However, bhe laterreversed his opinion and bsent himanother message, telling him bnot to come. /b,The Gemara asks: bAt the outset what did he hold, and ultimately what did he hold? Initially,Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bheld thatthe legal status of bpart of the day is likethat bof an entireday, and since the thirtieth day already begun, Rabbi Ḥiyya’s time of admonition had ended. bBut ultimately he heldthat with regard to this issue bwe do not saythat the legal status of bpart of the day is likethat bof an entireday., bIn the endRabbi Ḥiyya bcameon that same day. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi basked him: Why have you come?Rabbi Ḥiyya bresponded: Becauseyou, bMaster, sentme a message that bI should come.He said to him: bBut I sentyou a second message bthat you should not come. He responded: Thismessenger that you sent, i.e., the first one, bI sawhim and I did as he said, bbut thatmessenger, i.e., the second one, bI did not see.Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi breadthe verse baboutRabbi Ḥiyya: b“When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him”(Proverbs 16:7), as it was clear to him that Rabbi Ḥiyya had merited divine assistance.,§ Concerning the issue with which the entire incident had begun, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi asked Rabbi Ḥiyya: bWhat is the reason thatyou, bthe Master, acted asyou did, ignoring my instructions not to teach Torah in the marketplace? Rabbi Ḥiyya bsaid to him: As it is written: “Wisdom cries aloud in the streets”(Proverbs 1:20), which implies that Torah should be publicized in the streets. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi bsaid to him: If you readthis verse once, byoucertainly bdid not readit ba second timein greater depth; band if you readit ba second time, youcertainly bdid not readit ba third time;and bif you readit ba third time,then bit was notadequately bexplained to you,as it is clear that you do not understand it properly.,The words: b“Wisdom cries aloud in the streets,”should be understood bin accordance withthe opinion bof Rava. As Rava said:With regard to beveryone who occupies himself with Torahstudy binsidethe privacy of his home, bhis Torahknowledge bwill proclaim hisgreatness boutside,as it will be revealed to the masses and they will see his greatness.,The Gemara asks: bBut isn’t it written: “From the beginning I have not spoken in secret”(Isaiah 48:16), implying that the Torah should be taught and proclaimed in public? The Gemara answers: bThatverse is referring to bthe days of the ikalla /i,the gathering for Torah study held during Elul and Adar, when many people come to listen to Torah discourses. During this time, it is not only permitted but even recommended to teach Torah to the masses. In this way, the verse can be explained in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.,The Gemara asks: bAnd what did Rabbi Ḥiyya do with thisverse: b“Your rounded thighs are like jewels”?How did he understand it? This verse implies that the Torah must be kept hidden in the study hall and not publicized in the marketplace. The Gemara explains: bHe interprets itnot as a reference to Torah, but as referring btoacts of bcharity and loving-kindness,which should certainly be performed in private.,This incident demonstrates bthat, apparently, admonition of thosewho live in Eretz Yisrael lasts for bthirty daysand not for seven days. The Gemara answers that this is not a conclusive proof, since Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was the iNasi /i. bThe admonition of the iNasi /iof the Sanhedrin bis differenti.e., more severe, than the admonition of anyone else.,The Gemara asks: bAnd howlong bis our admonitionin Babylonia? The Gemara answers: It is only bone day, as inthe case involving bShmuel andthe Exilarch bMar Ukva. When they would sit and study ihalakha /i, Mar Ukva would sit before Shmuel at a distance of four cubitsas a sign of respect. Mar Ukva would conduct himself as though Shmuel were his teacher because Shmuel was much greater than him in Torah matters. bAnd when they would sittogether bin judgment, Shmuel would sit before Mar Ukva at a distance of four cubitsbecause Mar Ukva was the Exilarch and the chief judge. bBut they would lower a place for Mar Ukva in the mattingupon which he sat, band he would sit on it so that he could hearShmuel’s bwordsof Torah even when they were engaged in judgment., bEvery day, Mar Ukva would accompany Shmuel to his lodgings,in the manner that a student would show honor toward his teacher. bOne day,Mar Ukva bwasso heavily bpreoccupied with a casethat had been brought before him for judgment that he did not realize that bShmuel was walking behind himto show him respect due to his position as the Exilarch. bWhenMar Ukva breached his home,Shmuel bsaid to him: Is it not enough for youthat I accompanied you until here? bRelease me, Master, from my obligation,so that I may return home. Mar Ukva bunderstood thatShmuel bhad taken the matter to heartand was insulted. Therefore, bhe conductedhimself as if he had been badmonished, for one dayas a self-imposed punishment.,It was related that ba certain woman was sitting alongside a pathwith bher leg extendedwhile bshe was sifting barley. A Torah scholar passedby her on this path, bbut she did not yield to himand move her leg to make room for him. bHe said: How rude is that woman!The woman bcame before Rav Naḥmanto ask if this statement should be deemed as excommunication. bHe said to her: Did you hearthe word bexcommunicationexplicitly issue bfrom his mouth? She said to him: No. He said to her:If this is the case, then bgo and observe an admonition for one day,as it appears that the Torah scholar sought only to admonish you.,§ bZutra bar Toviyya wasonce breading the portionof the Bible bbefore Rav Yehuda. When he reached the verse: “Now these are the last words of David”(II Samuel 23:1), Zutra bar Toviyya bsaid toRav Yehuda: If it is written that these are the blastof David’s words, bby inference there are firstwords as well. If this is the case, bwhat are these firstwords of David? Prior to this, it mentions only David’s song, but not his words.,Rav Yehuda bremained silent and said nothing to him.Zutra bar Toviyya thought that Rav Yehuda did not hear what he had said, so he bthen said to hima second time: If it is written that these are the blastof David’s words, bby inference there are firstwords as well. If this is the case, bwhat are these firstwords of David? bHe said to him: What do you think?Do you think that anyone bwho does not know the meaning of this verse is not a great man?Why are you stressing the fact that I do not know the answer to your question? Zutra bar Toviyya bunderstood thatRav Yehuda bhad taken the matter to heartand was insulted. Therefore, bhe conductedhimself as if had been badmonished for one dayas a self-imposed punishment.,The Gemara asks: bButnow bthat we have cometo discuss this issue, since the verse mentions David’s blastwords, bby inference there arealso bfirstwords. bWhatthen bare these firstwords of David? The Gemara answers: The first words are: b“And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul”(II Samuel 22:1), as that song is also referred to as words.,The Gemara elaborates: bThe Holy One, Blessed be He, said to David: David, do you recite a song over the fall of Saul? Had you been Saul and he were David,then bI would have destroyed many Davids before him.Although I decreed that Saul’s kingdom would not continue, as an individual he was far greater and more important than you.,The response to this admonishment bisfound in the verse, bas it is written: “Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite”(Psalms 7:1). bIs Cush his name? Saul is his name. Rather,this is a designation that indicates: bJust as a Cushite,a native of the ancient kingdom of Cush in eastern Africa, bis distinguished by hisdark bskin, so too, Saul was distinguished by his actions,as he was absolutely righteous and performed many good deeds. Therefore, David uses the word ishiggaionas an allusion to the error [ ishegia /i] that he had made when he sang a song of praise over Saul’s downfall.,The Gemara notes: bSimilarly, you can explainthe verse: “And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses bdue to the Cushite woman whom he had married,for he had taken a Cushite woman” (Numbers 12:1). bBut is her name Cushite? Zipporah is her name. Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by hisdark bskin, so too, Zipporah was distinguished by her actions.The Gemara continues: bSimilarly, you can explainthe verse: b“Now when Ebed-Melech the Cushite heard”(Jeremiah 38:7). bIs his name Cushite? Zedekiah is his name. Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by hisdark bskin, so too, Zedekiah was distinguished by hisrighteous bactions. /b, bSimilarly, you can explainthe verse: b“Are you not as much Mine as the children of the Cushites, O children of Israel?”(Amos 9:7). bIs their name Cushite? Israel is their name. Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by hisdark bskin, so too, the Jewish people are distinguished by their actions,and they are different bfrom all theother bnations. /b,§ Having mentioned the last words of David, the Gemara continues to explain other expressions in that passage. bRabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: What isthe meaning of that bwhich is written: “The saying of David, son of Yishai, and the saying of the man who was raised up on high [ ial]”(II Samuel 23:1)? It means as follows: bThe saying of David, son of Yishai, who raised the yoke of [ iulla /i] repentance,as through his actions he taught the power of repentance. The word ial /i, on high, and the word iullaare comprised of the same consots in Hebrew.,The passage continues: b“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, He that rules over men must be righteous, ruling in the fear of God”(II Samuel 23:3). The Gemara asks: bWhat isthis verse bsaying?What does it mean? bRabbi Abbahu said: This is whatthe verse bis saying: The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me:Although bI rule over man, who rules over Me?It is ba righteous person.How is it possible to say that a righteous person rules over God, as it were? bAs I,God, bissue a decreeand the righteous person bnullifies it. /b,Similarly, the verse states there: b“These are the names of David’s warriors; Josheb-Basshebetha Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite; he raised his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time” (II Samuel 23:8). The Gemara asks: bWhat isthis verse bsaying? Rabbi Abbahu said: This is whatthe verse bis saying: These are the names of the mighty actions of David.These expressions should not be read as names of people but instead as descriptions of David’s good deeds., bJosheb-Basshebeth [ iyoshev bashevet /i]indicates that bwhenDavid bwould sit [ iyoshev /i] in the study hall, he would not sit upon pillows and cushions,as an important person ordinarily would. bRather,he would sit bon the groundlike one of the students. bFor as long asDavid’s bteacher, Ira the Jairite, was alive,Ira bwould teach the Sageswhile sitting bon pillows and cushions. WhenIra bpassed away, David would teach the Sages, and hedid this while bsitting on the ground. They said to him: Master,you bshould sit upon pillows and blankets. He did not accepttheir suggestions, since in his humility he did not wish to appear as the teacher of the Jewish people.,In this verse, David is described as b“a Tahchemonite [ itaḥkemoni /i].” Rav said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Since you have humbled yourself, be younow blike Me [ itehe kamoni /i].How so? bAs I issue a decree, and you,owing to your righteousness, bmay nullify it. /b,David is also described here as b“chief of the captains [ irosh hashalishim /i]”because God said to him: bYou will be the head [ irosh /i] of the three [ isheloshet /i] Patriarchs. “The same was Adino the Eznite”;this alludes to the fact that bwhenDavid bwould sit and occupy himself with Torah, he would make himself soft [ ime’aden /i] as a worm, and when he would go out to war, he would make himself hardand strong bas a tree [ ietz /i]. /b,The expression: b“Against eight hundred people, which he slew at one time,”means bthat he would throw an arrowin the air bandwith it bkill eight hundred people at one time. AndDavid bwould sigh over the two hundredwho were missing from fulfillment of the Torah’s promise, bas it is written: “How should one man chase a thousand”(Deuteronomy 32:30)., bA Divine Voice issued forth and saidby way of explanation as to why the promise was not entirely fulfilled: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, bsave only the matter of Uriah the Hittite”(I Kings 15:5). Had David not committed this sin, then all of the promises mentioned in the Torah would have been fulfilled in their entirety through him.,The Gemara returns to the ihalakhotof ostracism and mentions that bRabbi Tanḥum, son of Rabbi Ḥiyya, of the village of Akko, saidthat bRabbi Ya’akov bar Aḥa saidthat bRabbi Simlai said, andsome bsaythat this tradition was transmitted in the following manner: bRabbi Tanḥum saidthat bRav Huna said, andothers bsaythat bRav Huna himselfmade this statement without the chain of transmission: |
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10. Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 116b. דהוה שקיל שמא דלא מקבל שוחדא בעו לאחוכי ביה אעיילא ליה שרגא דדהבא ואזול לקמיה אמרה ליה בעינא דניפלגי לי בנכסי דבי נשי אמר להו פלוגו א"ל כתיב לן במקום ברא ברתא לא תירות א"ל מן יומא דגליתון מארעכון איתנטלית אורייתא דמשה ואיתיהיבת ספרא אחריתי וכתיב ביה ברא וברתא כחדא ירתון,למחר הדר עייל ליה איהו חמרא לובא אמר להו שפילית לסיפיה דספרא וכתב ביה אנא לא למיפחת מן אורייתא דמשה אתיתי [ולא] לאוספי על אורייתא דמשה אתיתי וכתיב ביה במקום ברא ברתא לא תירות אמרה ליה נהור נהוריך כשרגא א"ל רבן גמליאל אתא חמרא ובטש לשרגא:,ומפני מה אין קורין כו': אמר רב לא שנו אלא בזמן בית המדרש אבל שלא בזמן בהמ"ד קורין ושמואל אמר אפילו שלא בזמן בית המדרש אין קורין איני והא נהרדעא אתריה דשמואל הוה ובנהרדעא פסקי סידרא בכתובים במנחתא דשבתא אלא אי איתמר הכי איתמר אמר רב לא שנו אלא במקום בהמ"ד אבל שלא במקום בהמ"ד קורין ושמואל אמר,בין במקום בהמ"ד בין שלא במקום בהמ"ד בזמן בהמ"ד אין קורין שלא בזמן בית המדרש קורין ואזדא שמואל לטעמיה דבנהרדעא פסקי סידרא דכתובים במנחתא דשבתא,רב אשי אמר לעולם כדאמרן מעיקרא ושמואל כרבי נחמיה דתניא אע"פ שאמרו כתבי הקדש אין קורין בהן אבל שונין בהן ודורשין בהן נצרך לפסוק מביא ורואה בו א"ר נחמיה מפני מה אמרו כתבי הקדש אין קורין בהן כדי שיאמרו בכתבי הקדש אין קורין וכ"ש בשטרי הדיוטות:, big strongמתני׳ /strong /big מצילין תיק הספר עם הספר ותיק התפילין עם התפילין ואע"פ שיש בתוכן מעות ולהיכן מצילין אותן למבוי שאינו מפולש בן בתירא אומר אף למפולש:, big strongגמ׳ /strong /big ת"ר ארבעה עשר שחל להיות בשבת מפשיטין את הפסח עד החזה דברי רבי ישמעאל בנו של רבי יוחנן בן ברוקה וחכ"א מפשיטין את כולו בשלמא לרבי ישמעאל בנו של ר' יוחנן בן ברוקה דהא איתעביד ליה צורך גבוה אלא לרבנן מ"ט אמר רבה בר בר חנה א"ר יוחנן דאמר קרא (משלי טז, ד) כל פעל ה' למענהו והכא מאי למענהו איכא רב יוסף אמר שלא יסריח רבא אמר שלא יהו קדשי שמים מוטלין כנבלה,מאי בינייהו איכא בינייהו דמנח אפתורא דדהבא אי נמי יומא דאסתנא ורבי ישמעאל בנו של רבי יוחנן בן ברוקה האי פעל ה' למענהו מאי עביד ליה שלא יוציא את האימורין קודם הפשטת העור מ"ט אמר רב הונא בריה דרב נתן משום נימין,אמר רב חסדא אמר מר עוקבא מאי אהדרו ליה חברייא לרבי ישמעאל בנו של רבי יוחנן בן ברוקה הכי קאמרי ליה אם מצילין תיק הספר עם הספר לא נפשיט את הפסח מעורו מי דמי התם טלטול הכא מלאכה אמר רב אשי בתרתי פליגי פליגי בטלטול ופליגי במלאכה והכי קאמרי ליה אם מצילין תיק הספר עם הספר לא נטלטל עור אגב בשר | 116b. bwho disseminatedabout himself bthe reputation that he does not accept bribes. They wanted to mock himand reveal his true nature. bSheprivately bgave him a golden lamp, andshe and her brother bcame before him,approaching him as if they were seeking judgment. bShe said tothe philosopher: bI want to sharein the inheritance bof my father’s estate. He said to them: Divideit. Rabban Gamliel bsaid to him: It is written in ourTorah: bIn a situationwhere there is a bson, the daughter does not inherit.The philosopher bsaid to him: Since the day you were exiled from your land, the Torah of Moses was taken away and the iavon gilyonwas givenin its place. bIt is written inthe iavon gilyon /i: bA son and a daughter shall inherit alike. /b, bThe next dayRabban Gamliel bbroughtthe philosopher ba Libyan donkey.Afterward, Rabban Gamliel and his sister came before the philosopher for a judgment. bHe said to them: I proceeded to the endof the iavon gilayon /i, and it is written: I, iavon gilayon /i, bdid not come to subtract from the Torah of Moses, and I did not come to add to the Torah of Moses. And it is written there: In a situationwhere there is a bson, the daughter does not inherit. She said to him: May your light shine like a lamp,alluding to the lamp she had given him. bRabban Gamliel said to him: The donkey came and kicked the lamp,thereby revealing the entire episode.,We learned in the mishna: bAnd whydoes bone not readthe Writings on Shabbat? bDue to suspensionof Torah study bin the study hall. Rav said: They only taughtthat it is prohibited to read from the Writings on Shabbat bduring the hours ofstudy in bthe study hall; butwhen it is bnot during the hours ofstudy in bthe study hall, one may readthem. bAnd Shmuel said: Evenwhen it is bnot the hours ofstudy in bthe study hall one may not readfrom the Writings on Shabbat. The Gemara asks: bIs that so? Wasn’t Neharde’a Shmuel’s placewhere he was the rabbi of the town, band in Neharde’a they concludedtheir bregular weekly discourse with Writings on Shabbat afternoon. Rather, ifa dispute bwas statedin this matter, bit was stated as follows: Rav said: It was only taughtthat there is a prohibition bin a placewhere there is a bstudy hallnearby that people can attend; bbut not in a placewhere there is ba study hall, one may readWritings., bAnd Shmuel said: Whether it is in the place of the study hall or it is not the place of the study hall, one may not readanywhere bwhen it is during the hours ofstudy in bthe study hall;but bwhen it is not during the hours ofstudy in bthe study hall, one may read. And Shmuel follows hisline of breasoningstated elsewhere, as bin Neharde’a theywould bconclude theirstudies with bWritings on Shabbat afternoon. /b, bRav Ashi said: Actually,the dispute is bas we stated initially, and Shmuel saidwhat he said bin accordance withthe opinion of bRabbi Neḥemya. As it was taughtin a ibaraita /i: bAlthoughthe Sages bsaidwith regard to bsacred writingsthat they bmay not be readon Shabbat, bone may studythe midrash on bthem and teach thembefore the congregation; if bone requires a versethat is written in the Writings, bhe bringsa book band looks in it. Rabbi Neḥemya said: Why did they saythat bsacred writings are not read onShabbat? bSo thatpeople bwill say: Sacred writings may not be read, all the more sothat is the case with bordinary documents,i.e., contracts and letters. If so, according to Rabbi Neḥemya, reading any sacred writings on Shabbat is prohibited so that people will refrain from reading non-sacred documents on Shabbat. It was not prohibited to encourage attendance the study hall. Shmuel himself does not hold in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Neḥemya., strongMISHNA: /strong bOne may rescue the casingof a Torah bscrollfrom a fire on Shabbat together bwith the Torah scroll, and the casing of phylacteries along with the phylacteries, even if they have money inside them. And to where may one rescue them? Into an alley that is closed,which, if it is surrounded on three sides, is considered to be a private domain by Torah law. bBen Beteira says: Even into an openalley., strongGEMARA: /strong Apropos the mishna, the Gemara cites that which bthe Sages taughtin a ibaraita /i: If bthe fourteenthof Nissan boccurs on Shabbat,and the Paschal lamb is offered but not roasted until Shabbat ends, bone flays the Paschallamb bup to the breastto enable removal of the parts of the animal that are offered on the altar on Shabbat. One flays the rest of the animal after Shabbat. Further skinning is only to facilitate eating the animal, therefore, it does not override Shabbat; this is bthe statement of Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥa ben Beroka. And the Rabbis say: One flays it in its entirety.The Gemara asks: bGranted, according tothe opinion of bRabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥa ben Beroka,who said one may flay only part of the animal, the ihalakhais understandable. bSince it hasalready bbeen used for its divine purposeof having its blood sprinkled on the altar, the animal no longer should be flayed. bBut according to the Rabbis, what is the reasonfor their opinion? bRabba bar bar Ḥana saidthat bRabbi Yoḥa said: The verse states, “All that the Lord has made is for His sake”(Proverbs 16:4), meaning that a prohibited action is only permitted if its performance honors God. The Gemara asks: bAnd here, whatmanifestation of bfor His sake is therein flaying the remaining hide from the Paschal lamb? bRav Yosef said:The Rabbis permitted removing the entire hide so bthatthe sacrifice bwill not putrefy. Rava said:The Rabbis permitted removing the entire hide so bthat the sacred sacrifices will not be leftin disgrace blikea half-stripped banimal carcassleft unattended.,The Gemara asks: bWhat isthe practical difference bbetween them?The Gemara answers: bThere isa practical difference bbetween them whenthe Paschal lamb bis laid on a golden table.In this case, there is indeed a concern that the carcass will putrefy, although there is no element of disgrace. bAlternatively,there is a practical difference on ba day with acold bnorthern wind.In this case, there is no concern that it will putrefy but there is a concern of disgracing the sacrifice. The Gemara asks: bAnd what does Rabbi Yishamel, son of Rabbi Yoḥa ben Beroka, do with theverse, “All bthat the Lord has made is for His sake”?The Gemara answers: He uses it to permit removing part of the hide, basif it was bnotfor this verse, it would have been possible bto remove the sacrificial partsoffered on the altar bbefore removing the hideby puncturing the hide of the animal and removing the fats through the opening. The Gemara asks: bWhat is the reasonthat the Torah prohibited doing so? bRav Huna, son of Rav Natan, said: Because ofthe bhairs,so that they do not become entangled in the sacrificial parts and distort them., bRav Ḥisda saidthat bMar Ukva said: How did the members of the group respond to Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yoḥa ben Beroka? This is what they said to him: If one may savethe bcasing of aTorah bscroll along with theTorah bscroll,why bmay one not strip the Paschallamb bof its skin?Here too, in the case of skinning the Paschal lamb, once part of the action is permitted one should be able to perform the entire act. The Gemara is surprised at this: bAre they comparable? There,in rescuing the casing of the scroll, only bmovingis involved, which is prohibited by rabbinic law; whereas bhere,in the case of the Paschal lamb, the act of flaying is a bprohibited laborby Torah law. bRav Ashi said: They are disagreeing with regard to twoissues: bThey disagree with regard to movingthe hide along with the flesh, band they disagree with regard to the laborof flaying the animal. bAnd this is what they said to him: If one may rescuethe bcasing of the Torah scroll along with the Torah scroll,will bwe not movethe bhideof the Paschal lamb btogether with the fleshof the sacrifice? The sacrifice should be moved with its skin so it does not putrefy. |
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11. Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)
| 87a. בצבו נפשיה לקטלא נפיק וצבו ביתיה לית הוא עביד וריקן לביתיה אזיל ולואי שתהא ביאה כיציאה וכי הוי חזי אמבוהא אבתריה אמר (איוב כ, ו) אם יעלה לשמים שיאו וראשו לעב יגיע כגללו לנצח יאבד רואיו יאמרו איו רב זוטרא כי הוו מכתפי ליה בשבתא דריגלא הוה אמר (משלי כז, כד) כי לא לעולם חסן ואם נזר לדור ודור,(משלי יח, ה) שאת פני רשע לא טוב לא טוב להם לרשעים שנושאין להם פנים בעולם הזה לא טוב לו לאחאב שנשאו לו פנים בעוה"ז שנאמר (מלכים א כא, כט) יען כי נכנע (אחאב מלפני) לא אביא הרעה בימיו,(משלי יח, ה) להטות צדיק במשפט טוב להם לצדיקים שאין נושאין להם פנים בעוה"ז טוב לו למשה שלא נשאו לו פנים בעוה"ז שנאמר (במדבר כ, יב) יען לא האמנתם בי להקדישני הא אילו האמנתם בי עדיין לא הגיע זמנם ליפטר מן העולם,אשריהם לצדיקים לא דיין שהן זוכין אלא שמזכין לבניהם ולבני בניהם עד סוף כל הדורות שכמה בנים היו לו לאהרן שראויין לישרף כנדב ואביהוא שנאמר (ויקרא י, יב) הנותרים אלא שעמד להם זכות אביהם,אוי להם לרשעים לא דיין שמחייבין עצמן אלא שמחייבין לבניהם ולבני בניהם עד סוף כל הדורות הרבה בנים היו לו לכנען שראויין ליסמך כטבי עבדו של רבן גמליאל אלא שחובת אביהם גרמה להן,כל המזכה את הרבים אין חטא בא על ידו וכל המחטיא את הרבים כמעט אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה כל המזכה את הרבים אין חטא בא על ידו מ"ט כדי שלא יהא הוא בגיהנם ותלמידיו בגן עדן שנאמר (תהלים טז, י) כי לא תעזוב נפשי לשאול לא תתן חסידך לראות שחת וכל המחטיא את הרבים אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה שלא יהא הוא בגן עדן ותלמידיו בגיהנם שנאמר (משלי כח, יז) אדם עשוק בדם נפש עד בור ינוס אל יתמכו בו,האומר אחטא ואשוב אחטא ואשוב למה לי למימר אחטא ואשוב אחטא ואשוב תרי זימני כדרב הונא אמר רב דאמר רב הונא אמר רב כיון שעבר אדם עבירה ושנה בה הותרה לו הותרה לו סלקא דעתך אלא נעשית לו כהיתר,אחטא ויום הכפורים מכפר אין יום הכפורים מכפר לימא מתני' דלא כרבי דתניא רבי אומר על כל עבירות שבתורה בין עשה תשובה בין לא עשה תשובה יוה"כ מכפר אפילו תימא רבי אגב שאני,עבירות שבין אדם למקום וכו' רמי ליה רב יוסף בר חבו לרבי אבהו עבירות שבין אדם לחבירו אין יוה"כ מכפר והא כתיב (שמואל א ב, כה) אם יחטא איש לאיש ופללו אלהים מאן אלהים דיינא,אי הכי אימא סיפא ואם לה' יחטא איש מי יתפלל לו הכי קאמר אם יחטא איש לאיש ופללו אלהים ימחול לו ואם לה' יחטא איש מי יתפלל בעדו תשובה ומעשים טובים,אמר ר' יצחק כל המקניט את חבירו אפילו בדברים צריך לפייסו שנאמר (משלי ו, א) בני אם ערבת לרעך תקעת לזר כפיך נוקשת באמרי פיך עשה זאת אפוא בני והנצל כי באת בכף רעך לך התרפס ורהב רעיך אם ממון יש בידך התר לו פסת יד ואם לאו הרבה עליו ריעים,(ואמר) רב חסדא וצריך לפייסו בשלש שורות של שלשה בני אדם שנאמר (איוב לג, כז) ישור על אנשים ויאמר חטאתי וישר העויתי ולא שוה לי,(ואמר) ר' יוסי בר חנינא כל המבקש מטו מחבירו אל יבקש ממנו יותר משלש פעמים שנאמר (בראשית נ, יז) אנא שא נא ועתה שא נא ואם מת מביא עשרה בני אדם ומעמידן על קברו ואומר חטאתי לה' אלהי ישראל ולפלוני שחבלתי בו,ר' ירמיה הוה ליה מילתא לר' אבא בהדיה אזל איתיב אדשא דר' אבא בהדי דשדיא אמתיה מיא מטא זרזיפי דמיא ארישא אמר עשאוני כאשפה קרא אנפשיה (תהלים קיג, ז) מאשפות ירים אביון שמע ר' אבא ונפיק לאפיה אמר ליה השתא צריכנא למיפק אדעתך דכתיב לך התרפס ורהב רעיך,ר' זירא כי הוה ליה מילתא בהדי איניש הוה חליף ותני לקמיה וממציא ליה כי היכי דניתי וניפוק ליה מדעתיה,רב הוה ליה מילתא בהדי ההוא טבחא לא אתא לקמיה במעלי יומא דכפורי אמר איהו איזיל אנא ' לפיוסי ליה פגע ביה רב הונא אמר ליה להיכא קא אזיל מר אמר ליה לפיוסי לפלניא אמר אזיל אבא למיקטל נפשא אזל וקם עילויה הוה יתיב וקא פלי רישא דלי עיניה וחזייה אמר ליה אבא את זיל לית לי מילתא בהדך בהדי דקא פלי רישא אישתמיט גרמא ומחייה בקועיה וקטליה,רב הוה פסיק סידרא קמיה דרבי עייל | 87a. bof his own will, he goes to die; and he does not fulfill the will of his household, and he goes empty-handed to his household; and if only his entrance would be like his exit. And when he saw a line of people [ iambuha /i]following bafter himout of respect for him, bhe said: “Though his excellency ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds, yet he shall perish forever like his own dung; they who have seen him will say: Where is he?”(Job 20:6–7). This teaches that when one achieves power, it can lead to his downfall. bWhen they would carry Rav Zutra on their shoulders during the Shabbat of the Festivalwhen he taught, bhe would recitethe following to avoid becoming arrogant: b“For power is not forever, and does the crown endure for all generations?”(Proverbs 27:24).,§ It was further taught: b“It is not good to respect the person of the wicked”(Proverbs 18:5), meaning, bit is not good for wicked people when they are respected in this worldand are not punished for their sins. For example, bitwas bnot good for Ahab to be respected in this world, as it is stated: “Because he humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days”(I Kings 21:29), and Ahab thereby lost his share in the World-to-Come.,The opposite is also true. The complete verse states: “It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, bto turn aside the righteous in judgment”(Proverbs 18:5), meaning: bIt is good for the righteous when they are not respected in this worldand are punished in this world for their sins. For example, bitwas bgood for Moses that he was not respected in this world, as it is stated: “Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me”(Numbers 20:12). The Gemara analyzes this: bHad you believed in Me, your time still would not have come to depart the world. /b,They said: bFortunate are the righteousbecause bnot only do theyaccumulate bmeritfor themselves, bbut theyaccumulate bmerit for their children and their children’s children until the end of all generations; as there were several sons of Aaron whoessentially bdeserved to be burned like Nadav and Avihu, as it is stated:“The sons of Aaron bwho were left”(Leviticus 10:16), implying that others were left as well although they deserved to be burned with their brothers. bBut the merit of their father protected them,and they and their descendants were priests for all time.,On the other hand: bWoe to the wicked,as bnot only do they render themselves liable, but they also render their children and children’s children liable until the end of all generations.For example, bCanaan had many childrenwho bdeserved to be ordainedas rabbis and instructors of the public due to their great stature in Torah study, blike Tavi, the servant of Rabban Gamliel,who was famous for his wisdom; bbut their father’s liability caused themto remain as slaves.,Furthermore: bWhoeveraccumulates bmerit for the public will not have sin come to his hand,and God protects him from failing; bbut whoever causes the public to sin has almost no ability to repent.The Gemara explains: bWhat is the reasonthat bwhoeveraccumulates bmerit for the public will not have sin come to his hand?It is bso that he will not be in Gehenna while his students are in the Garden of Eden, as it is stated: “For You will not abandon my soul to the nether-world; neither will You suffer Your godly one to see the pit”(Psalms 16:10). On the other hand, bwhoever causes the public to sin has almost no ability to repent,so that bhe will not be in the Garden of Eden while his students are in Gehenna, as it is stated: “A man who is laden with the blood of any person shall hasten his steps to the pit; none will support him”(Proverbs 28:17). Since he oppressed others and caused them to sin, he shall have no escape.,§ The Gemara returns to interpreting the mishna. It states there that bone who says: I will sin and I will repent, I will sin and I will repent,is not given the opportunity to repent.The Gemara asks: bWhy do Ineed the mishna bto say twice: I will sin and I will repent, I will sin and repent?The Gemara explains that this is bin accordance withthat bwhich Rav Hunasaid that bRav said,as bRav Huna saidthat bRav said: Once a person commits a transgression and repeats it, it becomes permitted to him.The Gemara is surprised at this: bCan it enter your mind that it becomes permitted to him? Rather,say that bit becomes to him asthough it were bpermitted.Consequently, the sinner who repeats his sin has difficulty abandoning his sin, and the repetition of his sin is reflected in the repetition of the phrase.,It is stated in the mishna that if one says: bI will sin and Yom Kippurwill batonefor my sins, bYom Kippur does not atonefor his sins. The Gemara comments: bLet us say that the mishna is not in accordance withthe opinion of bRabbiYehuda HaNasi, bas it was taughtin a ibaraitathat bRabbiYehuda HaNasi bsays: Yom Kippur atones for all transgressions of the Torah, whether one repented or did not repent.The Gemara answers: bEvenif byou saythat the mishna is in accordance with the opinion of bRabbiYehuda HaNasi, bit is differentwhen it is bon the basisof being permitted to sin. Even Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi agrees that Yom Kippur does not atone for the transgressions one commits only because he knows that Yom Kippur will atone for them.,§ It was taught in the mishna: Yom Kippur atones for bsins committed against Godbut does not atone for sins committed against another person. bRav Yosef bar Ḥavu raised a contradiction before Rabbi Abbahu:The mishna states that bYom Kippur does not atone for sins committed against a fellow person, but isn’t it written: “If one man sin against another, God [ iElohim /i] shall judge him [ iufilelo /i]”(I Samuel 2:25). The word iufilelo /i, which may also refer to prayer, implies that if he prays, God will grant the sinner forgiveness. He answered him: bWho is iElohim /imentioned in the verse? It is referring to ba judge [ ielohim /i]and not to God, and the word iufileloin the verse indicates judgment. Atonement occurs only after justice has been done toward the injured party by means of a court ruling.,Rav Yosef bar Ḥavu said to him: bIf so, saythe following with regard to bthe latter clauseof the verse: b“But if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat [ iyitpallel /i] for him?”(I Samuel 2:25). This is difficult, since it has been established that the root ipllis interpreted in this verse as indicating judgment, and therefore the latter clause of the verse implies that if one sins toward God there is no one to judge him. Rabbi Abbahu answered him: bThis iswhat the verse bis saying: If one man sins against another, God [ iElohim /i] shall forgive him [ iufilelo /i];if the sinner appeases the person against whom he has sinned, he will be forgiven. bBut if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat [ iyitpallel /i] for him? Repentance and good deeds.The root ipllis to be interpreted as indicating forgiveness rather than judgment.,§ bRabbi Yitzḥak said: One who angers his friend, evenonly bverbally, must appease him, as it is stated: “My son, if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands for a stranger, you are snared by the words of your mouth… Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself [ ihitrapes /i] and urge [ irehav /i] your neighbor”(Proverbs 6:1–3). This should be understood as follows: bIf you have moneythat you owe him, bopen the palm of [ ihater pisat /i]your bhand toyour neighbor and pay the money that you owe; band if not,if you have sinned against him verbally, bincrease [ iharbe /i] friends for him,i.e., send many people as your messengers to ask him for forgiveness., bRav Ḥisda said: And one must appease theone he has insulted bwith three rows of three people, as it is stated: “He comes [ iyashor /i] before men, and says: I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not”(Job 33:27). Rav Ḥisda interprets the word iyashoras related to the word ishura /i, row. The verse mentions sin three times: I have sinned, and perverted, and it profited me not. This implies that one should make three rows before the person from whom he is asking forgiveness., bRabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Anyone who asks forgiveness of his friend should not ask more than three times, as it is stated: “Please, please forgivethe transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you. bAnd now, pleaseforgive” (Genesis 50:17). The verse uses the word please three times, which shows that one need not ask more than three times, after which the insulted friend must be appeased and forgive. bAnd ifthe insulted friend bdiesbefore he can be appeased, bone brings ten people, and stands them at the graveof the insulted friend, band saysin front of them: bI have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and against so-and-so whom I wounded. /b,The Gemara relates that bRabbi Yirmeyainsulted bRabbi Abba,causing the latter to bhave a complaint against him.Rabbi Yirmeya bwent and sat at the thresholdof bRabbi Abba’shouse to beg him for forgiveness. bWhenRabbi Abba’s bmaid poured out thedirty bwaterfrom the house, bthe stream of water landed onRabbi Yirmeya’s bhead. He saidabout himself: bThey have made me into a trash heap,as they are pouring dirty water on me. bHe recitedthis verse babout himself: “Who lifts up the needy out of the trash heap”(Psalms 113:7). bRabbi Abba heardwhat happened band went out to greet him.Rabbi Abba bsaid to him: Now I must go out to appease youfor this insult, bas it is written: “Go, humble yourself [ ihitrapes /i] and urge your neighbor”(Proverbs 6:3).,It is related that bwhen Rabbi Zeira had a complaint against a personwho insulted him, bhe wouldpace bback and forth before him and present himself, so thatthe person bcould come and appease him.Rabbi Zeira made himself available so that it would be easy for the other person to apologize to him.,It is further related that bRav had a complaint against a certain butcherwho insulted him. bThe butcher did not come before himto apologize. bOn Yom Kippur eve,Rav bsaid: I will goand bappease him. He methis student bRav Huna,who bsaid to him: Where is my Master going? He said to him:I am going bto appease so-and-so.Rav Huna called Rav by his name and bsaid: Abba is going to kill a person,for surely that person’s end will not be good. Rav bwent and stood by him.He found the butcher bsitting and splitting the headof an animal. The butcher braised his eyes and saw him. He saidto him: bAre you Abba? Go, I have nothingto say bto you. While he was splitting the head, one of the bonesof the head bflew out and struck him in the throat and killed him,thereby fulfilling Rav Huna’s prediction.,The Gemara further relates: bRav was reciting theTorah bportion before RabbiYehuda HaNasi. |
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