Chagigah

and raking1 the oven. She took it and put it on her foot and burnt herself; thus her luck was impaired and I brought her. Said R. Bibi b. Abaye to him2 : Have ye3 permission to act thus? He answered him: Is it not written: ‘There is that is swept away without judgment’? He countered: But behold it is written: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh!4 He replied: I have charge of them5 till they have completed the generation,6 and then I hand them over to Dumah!7 He [then] asked him: But after all, what do you do with her years?8 He replied: If there be a Rabbinic scholar who overlooks his hurt, I shall give them to him in her stead.9 R. Johanan, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: And thou didst incite Me against him, to destroy him without cause.10 A slave whose Master, when they incite him yields,11 is there any help for him? R. Johanan, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones.12 If He does not put His trust in His holy ones, in whom will He put his trust? One day he was going on a journey and saw a man gathering figs; he was leaving those that were ripe and was taking those that were unripe. So he said to him: Are not those13 better? He replied: I need those for a journey: these will keep, but the others will not keep. Said [R. Johanan] this is the meaning of the verse: Behold He putteth no trust in His holy ones.14 But is it so? For behold there was a disciple In the neighbourhood of R. Alexandri, who died in his youth, and [R. Alexandri] said: Had this scholar wished, he could have lived!15 If now it be [as R. Johanan said] perhaps he was one of those of whom it is said: ‘Behold He putteth no trust in His holy ones’! — That [scholar] was one who had rebelled against his teachers!16 R. Johanan, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: And I will come near to you to judgment and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages.17 A slave whose Master brings him near to judge him, and hastens to testify against him, is there any remedy for him? Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai said: Woe unto us that Scripture weighs against us light like grave offences.18 Resh Lakish19 said: Whoever wrests the judgment of the proselyte is as if he wrests the judgment of the All-High, for it is said:20 And that turn aside the proselyte21 from his right: the consonants [can be read]: And that turn Me aside.22 R. Hanina b. Papa said: Whoever does something [wrong] and repents of it, is forgiven at once,23 for It is said: And [that] fear not Me.24 But if they do fear Me, they are forgiven at once. R. Johanan, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every hidden25 thing.26 A slave to whom his Master accounts errors27 as wilful offences, is there any remedy for him? What is the meaning of, concerning every hidden thing? — Rab said: This refers to one who kills a louse in the presence of his neighbour, so that he feels disgust thereat. And Samuel said: This refers to one who spits in the presence of his neighbour so that he feels disgust thereat. What is the meaning of, whether it be- good or whether it be — evil?28 — The School of R. Jannai said: This refers to one who gives alms to a poor person publicly,29 like the story of R. Jannai. He [once] saw a man give a zuz30 to a poor person publicly, so he said to him: It had been better that you had not given him, than now that you have given him publicly and put him to shame. The School of R. Shila said: This refers to one who gives alms to a woman secretly. for he brings her into suspicion. Raba said: This refers to one who is in the habit of sending his wife on the eve of the Sabbath meat that has not been cut up.31 But Raba [himself] used to send! — The daughter of R. Hisda32 is different, for he was sure of her that she was an expert!33 R. Johanan, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them.34 A slave whose Master brings many evils and troubles upon him, is there any remedy for him? What is the meaning of ‘evils and troubles’?35 — Rab said: Evils which become antagonists36 to each other, as for instance the [bites of] a wasp and a scorpion.37 And Samuel said: This refers to one who furnishes money to the poor person [only] in the hour of his extreme distress.38 Raba said: This is the meaning of the proverb, For [purchasing] provision a zuz is not to be found, for hanging up [in the basket]39 it can be found. Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them.40 R. Bardela b. Tabyumi said that Rab said: To whomever ‘hiding of the face’ does not apply is not one of them;41 to whomever [the words] and they shall be devoured42 does not apply II, 4. XIII, 13. side with the lighter offences of perjury and financial oppression. makes it a busy time for the housewife, who in her hurry may forget to porge the meat. dangerous. When, therefore, both occur together there is no remedy. for at an earlier stage the help rendered would have been of far greater and more enduring benefit. But according to Tosaf. this is an explanation of Deut. XXXI, 21 and is an instance of added trouble, illustrated in the following proverb. V. n. 9. translates: ‘when one is about to be hanged’, and explains thus: A man is threatened with execution unless he offers a ransom; being poor, a small ransom would be accepted. But now the arrangement of a mortgage is offered him; this serves only to aggravate his misfortune, for the ransom price is raised. A third explanation is given by Maharsha a.l.