10. Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah, None Tagged with subjects: •portraits, imperial, power, roman, legitimacy of Found in books: Ando (2013) 64| 18a. הוגה את השם באותיותיו והיכי עביד הכי והתנן אלו שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא האומר אין תורה מן השמים ואין תחיית המתים מן התורה אבא שאול אומר אף ההוגה את השם באותיותיו,להתלמד עבד כדתניא (דברים יח, ט) לא תלמד לעשות אבל אתה למד להבין ולהורות,אלא מאי טעמא אענש משום הוגה את השם בפרהסיא דהוי ועל אשתו להריגה דלא מיחה ביה מכאן אמרו כל מי שיש בידו למחות ואינו מוחה נענש עליו,ועל בתו לישב בקובה של זונות דאמר ר' יוחנן פעם אחת היתה בתו מהלכת לפני גדולי רומי אמרו כמה נאות פסיעותיה של ריבה זו מיד דקדקה בפסיעותיה והיינו דאמר ר' שמעון בן לקיש מאי דכתיב (תהלים מט, ו) עון עקבי יסבני עונות שאדם דש בעקביו בעולם הזה מסובין לו ליום הדין,בשעה שיצאו שלשתן צדקו עליהם את הדין הוא אמר (דברים לב, ד) הצור תמים פעלו [וגו'] ואשתו אמרה (דברים לב, ד) אל אמונה ואין עול בתו אמרה (ירמיהו לב, יט) גדול העצה ורב העליליה אשר עיניך פקוחות על כל דרכי וגו' אמר רבי [כמה] גדולים צדיקים הללו שנזדמנו להן שלש מקראות של צדוק הדין בשעת צדוק הדין,תנו רבנן כשחלה רבי יוסי בן קיסמא הלך רבי חנינא בן תרדיון לבקרו אמר לו חנינא אחי (אחי) אי אתה יודע שאומה זו מן השמים המליכוה שהחריבה את ביתו ושרפה את היכלו והרגה את חסידיו ואבדה את טוביו ועדיין היא קיימת ואני שמעתי עליך שאתה יושב ועוסק בתורה [ומקהיל קהלות ברבים] וספר מונח לך בחיקך,אמר לו מן השמים ירחמו אמר לו אני אומר לך דברים של טעם ואתה אומר לי מן השמים ירחמו תמה אני אם לא ישרפו אותך ואת ספר תורה באש אמר לו רבי מה אני לחיי העולם הבא,אמר לו כלום מעשה בא לידך אמר לו מעות של פורים נתחלפו לי במעות של צדקה וחלקתים לעניים אמר לו אם כן מחלקך יהי חלקי ומגורלך יהי גורלי,אמרו לא היו ימים מועטים עד שנפטר רבי יוסי בן קיסמא והלכו כל גדולי רומי לקברו והספידוהו הספד גדול ובחזרתן מצאוהו לרבי חנינא בן תרדיון שהיה יושב ועוסק בתורה ומקהיל קהלות ברבים וס"ת מונח לו בחיקו,הביאוהו וכרכוהו בס"ת והקיפוהו בחבילי זמורות והציתו בהן את האור והביאו ספוגין של צמר ושראום במים והניחום על לבו כדי שלא תצא נשמתו מהרה אמרה לו בתו אבא אראך בכך אמר לה אילמלי אני נשרפתי לבדי היה הדבר קשה לי עכשיו שאני נשרף וס"ת עמי מי שמבקש עלבונה של ס"ת הוא יבקש עלבוני,אמרו לו תלמידיו רבי מה אתה רואה אמר להן גליון נשרפין ואותיות פורחות אף אתה פתח פיך ותכנס בך האש אמר להן מוטב שיטלנה מי שנתנה ואל יחבל הוא בעצמו,אמר לו קלצטונירי רבי אם אני מרבה בשלהבת ונוטל ספוגין של צמר מעל לבך אתה מביאני לחיי העולם הבא אמר לו הן השבע לי נשבע לו מיד הרבה בשלהבת ונטל ספוגין של צמר מעל לבו יצאה נשמתו במהרה אף הוא קפץ ונפל לתוך האור,יצאה בת קול ואמרה רבי חנינא בן תרדיון וקלצטונירי מזומנין הן לחיי העולם הבא בכה רבי ואמר יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת ויש קונה עולמו בכמה שנים,ברוריא דביתהו דר' מאיר ברתיה דר' חנינא בן תרדיון הואי אמרה לו זילא בי מלתא דיתבא אחתאי בקובה של זונות שקל תרקבא דדינרי ואזל אמר אי לא איתעביד בה איסורא מיתעביד ניסא אי עבדה איסורא לא איתעביד לה ניסא,אזל נקט נפשיה כחד פרשא אמר לה השמיעני לי אמרה ליה דשתנא אנא אמר לה מתרחנא מרתח אמרה לו נפישין טובא (ואיכא טובא הכא) דשפירן מינאי אמר ש"מ לא עבדה איסורא כל דאתי אמרה ליה הכי,אזל לגבי שומר דידה א"ל הבה ניהלה אמר ליה מיסתפינא ממלכותא אמר ליה שקול תרקבא דדינרא פלגא פלח ופלגא להוי לך א"ל וכי שלמי מאי איעביד א"ל אימא אלהא דמאיר ענני ומתצלת א"ל | 18a. b pronounce the /b ineffable b name /b of God b with /b all of b its letters, /b i.e., as it is spelled. The Gemara asks: b And how could he do that? But didn’t we learn /b in the mishna ( i Sanhedrin /i 90a): b These /b are the people b who have no share in the World-to-Come: One who says /b that b the Torah is not from Heaven or /b that b there is no /b source b from the Torah /b for b the resurrection of the dead. Abba Shaul says: Also one who pronounces the /b ineffable b name /b as it is written, b with /b all of b its letters, /b has no share in the World-to-Come.,The Gemara answers: Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b did it to teach himself, as it is taught /b in a i baraita /i with regard to the prohibition against sorcery: b “You shall not learn to do” /b (Deuteronomy 18:9); this indicates: b But you may learn to understand and to teach. /b In other words, certain prohibitions do not apply when one is acting only in order to acquire knowledge of the subject.,The Gemara asks: b Rather, what is the reason /b that b he was punished? /b The Gemara answers: He was punished b because he would pronounce the /b ineffable b name /b of God b in public, /b instead of privately. b And his wife /b was condemned b to execution /b by decapitation b because she did not protest his /b doing so. b From here /b the Sages b stated: Anyone who has the capability to protest /b effectively the sinful conduct of another b and does not protest is punished for /b that person’s sin.,The Gemara asks: b And /b why was b his daughter /b condemned b to sit in a brothel? As Rabbi Yoḥa says: Once, the daughter of /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b was walking before the nobles of Rome, /b and they b said /b to each other: b How pleasant are the steps of this young woman. /b Upon hearing this, b she immediately took care /b to keep walking in such a fashion that b her steps /b would continue to be pleasing to them. b And this is /b the same as that b which Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: What /b is the meaning of that b which is written: “The iniquity of my heel encircles me” /b (Psalms 49:6)? It means that b the sins that a person tramples with one’s heel in this world, /b i.e., dismisses and pays no attention to them as they seem to lack importance, e.g., the way that one walks, come and b encircle him on the Day of Judgment. /b ,The Gemara relates: b When the three of them went out /b after being sentenced, b they accepted the /b justice of God’s b judgment. /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said: “The Rock, His work is perfect; /b for all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). b And his wife said /b the continuation of the verse: b “A God of faithfulness and without iniquity.” His daughter said: “Great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open upon all the ways /b of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways” (Jeremiah 32:19). b Rabbi /b Yehuda HaNasi b said: How great are these righteous people, that /b these b three verses, /b which speak b of /b the b acceptance of /b God’s b judgment, occurred to them at the time of accepting the /b righteousness of His b judgment. /b ,§ b The Sages taught: When Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma fell ill, Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon went to visit him. /b Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma b said to him: Ḥanina my brother, do you not know that this nation has been given reign by /b a decree from b Heaven? /b The proof is b that /b Rome has b destroyed /b God’s b Temple, and burned His Sanctuary, and killed His pious ones, and destroyed His best ones, and it still exists. /b Evidently, all of this is by Divine decree. b And /b yet b I heard about you that you sit and engage in Torah /b study, b and convene assemblies in public, and have /b a Torah b scroll placed in your lap, /b thereby demonstrating complete disregard for the decrees issued by the Romans.,Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to him: Heaven will have mercy /b and protect me. Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma b said to him: I am saying reasonable matters to you, and you say to me: Heaven will have mercy? I wonder if /b the Romans b will not burn /b both b you and /b your b Torah scroll by fire. /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to him: My teacher, what /b will become of b me? /b Am I destined b for life in the World-to-Come? /b ,Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma b said to him: Did any /b special b incident occur to you /b which might serve as an indication? Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to him: I confused /b my own b coins /b that I needed b for /b the festivities of b Purim with coins of charity, and I distributed them /b all b to the poor /b at my own expense. Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma b said to him: If /b that is b so, may my portion be of your portion, and may my lot be of your lot. /b ,The Sages b said: Not /b even b a few days /b passed b before Rabbi Yosei ben Kisma died /b of his illness, b and all of the Roman notables went to bury him, and /b they b eulogized him /b with b a great eulogy. And upon their return, they found Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon, who was sitting and engaging in Torah /b study b and convening assemblies in public, with a Torah scroll placed in his lap. /b , b They brought him /b to be sentenced, b and wrapped him in the Torah scroll, and encircled him with bundles of branches, and they set fire to it. And they brought tufts of wool and soaked them in water, and placed them on his heart, so that his soul should not leave /b his body b quickly, /b but he would die slowly and painfully. b His daughter said to him: Father, must I see you like this? /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to her: If I alone were being burned, it would be difficult for me, /b but b now that I am burning along with a Torah scroll, He who will seek /b retribution for b the insult /b accorded b to the Torah scroll will also seek /b retribution for b the insult /b accorded b to me. /b , b His students said to him: /b Our b teacher, what do you see? /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to them: /b I see the b parchment burning, but /b its b letters are flying /b to the heavens. They said to him: b You too should open your mouth and the fire will enter you, /b and you will die quickly. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to them: It is preferable that He who gave /b me my soul b should take it away, and one should not harm oneself /b to speed his death., b The executioner [ i kaltzatoniri /i ] said to him: My teacher, if I increase the flame and take off the tufts of wool from your heart, /b so that you will die sooner and suffer less, b will you bring me to the life of the World-to-Come? /b Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b said to /b the executioner: b Yes. /b The executioner said: b Take an oath for me, /b that what you say is true. Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon b took /b the b oath for him, /b and the executioner b immediately increased the flame and took off the tufts of wool from his heart, /b causing b his soul /b to b leave /b his body b quickly. /b The executioner b too leaped and fell into the fire /b and died., b A Divine Voice emerged and said: Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon and the executioner are destined for the life of the World-to-Come. /b Upon hearing this, b Rabbi /b Yehuda HaNasi b wept and said: There is /b one who b acquires his /b share in the b World /b -to-Come b in one moment, /b such as the executioner, b and there is /b one who b acquires his /b share in the b World /b -to-Come only b after many years /b of toil, such as Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon.,§ The Gemara relates: b Berurya, the wife of Rabbi Meir, was a daughter of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon. She said to /b Rabbi Meir: b It is a disrespectful matter for me that my sister is sitting in a brothel; /b you must do something to save her. Rabbi Meir b took a vessel [ i tarkeva /i ] /b full b of dinars and went. He said /b to himself: b If no transgression was committed with her, a miracle will be performed /b for her; b if she committed a transgression, no miracle will be performed for her. /b ,Rabbi Meir b went and dressed as /b a Roman b knight, /b and b said to her: Accede to my /b wishes, i.e., engage in intercourse with me. b She said to him: I am menstruating [ i dashtana /i ] /b and cannot. b He said to her: I will wait. She said to him: There are many /b women in the brothel, b and there are many /b women b here who are more beautiful than I. He said /b to himself: I can b conclude from /b her responses that b she did not commit a transgression, /b as b she /b presumably b said this to all who come. /b , b Rabbi Meir went over to her guard, /b and b said to him: Give her /b to me. The guard b said to him: I fear /b that if I do so, I will be punished b by the government. /b Rabbi Meir b said to him: Take /b this b vessel /b full b of dinars; give half /b to the government as a bribe, b and half will be for you. /b The guard b said to him: But when /b the money b is finished, what shall I do? /b Rabbi Meir b said to him: Say: God of Meir answer me! And you will be saved. /b The guard b said to him: /b |
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