Eruvin

a place for planting of vineyards.1 R. Jeremiah b. Eleazar further stated: Come and see that human2 relationship is not like that with the Holy One, blessed be He. In human2 relationship when a man is sentenced to death for [an offence against] a government, a hook must be placed in his mouth in order that he shall not [be able to] curse the king, but in the relationship with the Holy One, blessed be He, when a man incurs [the penalty of] death for [an offence against] the Omnipresent he keeps silence, as it is said: Towards Thee silence3 is praise;4 and he, furthermore, offers praise, for it is stated: ‘praise’; and not only that but he also regards it5 as if he offered a sacrifice, for it is said6 in Scripture: And unto Thee the vow is performed.7 This8 is exactly in line with what R. Joshua b. Levi has said: What [is the meaning of] what is written: Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; yea, the early rain clotheth it with blessings,9 ‘passing’ is an allusion to10 men who transgress11 the will of the Holy One, blessed be He; ‘valley’ [is an allusion to these men] for whom Gehenna is made deep;12 ‘of Baca’ [signifies] that they weep and shed tears;13 ‘they make it a place of springs’,14 like the constant flow15 of the altar drains;16 ‘Yea, the early rain clotheth it with blessings’, they acknowledge the justice17 of their punishment and declare before Him, ‘Lord of the universe,18 Thou hast judged well, Thou hast condemned well, and well provided Gehenna for the wicked and Paradise for the righteous’. But this19 is not [so]? For did not R. Simeon b. Lakish state: The wicked do not repent even at the gate of Gehenna, for it is said: And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men, that rebel20 against me etc.;21 it was not said: ‘that have rebelled’,22 but ‘that rebel’20 [implying] that they go on rebelling forever?23 This is no contradiction, since the former24 refer to transgressors in Israel and the latter25 to transgressors among idol worshippers. Logical argument also leads to this conclusion, since otherwise26 a contradiction would arise between two statements of Resh Lakish. For Resh Lakish stated: The fire of Gehenna has no power over the transgressors in Israel, as may be inferred a minori ad majus from the golden altar: If the golden altar [the layer] on which was only of the thickness of a denar lasted for many years and the fire had no power over it, how much more would that be the case with the transgressors in Israel who are as full of good deeds as a pomegranate [with seed], as it is said in Scripture: Thy temples are like a pomegranate,27 and R. Simeon b. Lakish remarked, ‘Read not, "Thy temples"28 but "Thy empty ones"29 [signifying] that even the worthless30 among you are as full of good deeds as a pomegranate [with seed]’.31 What, however, about what is written: Passing through the valley of Baca?32 — That [refers to the fact] that [the wicked] are at that time under sentence to suffer in Gehenna,33 but our father Abraham comes, brings them up, and receives them, except such an Israelite as had immoral intercourse with the daughter of an idolater, since his foreskin is drawn and so he cannot be discovered.34 R. Kahana demurred: Now that you laid down that [the Scriptural expression,] ‘That rebel’35 implies ‘that they go on rebelling’35 would you also maintain36 that where it is written in Scripture: That brings out37 or That brings up,38 [the meaning is] ‘that always brings up’ or ‘that always brings out’?39 You must consequently admit40 that [the meaning is] ‘That brought up’ or ‘That brought out’ so [may one render here] also, ‘who rebelled’.41 R. Jeremiah b. Eleazar further stated: Gehenna has three gates; one in the wilderness, one in the sea and one in Jerusalem. ‘In the wilderness’, since it is written in Scripture: So they, and all that appertaineth to them, went down alive into the pit.42 ‘In the sea’, since it is written in Scripture: Out of the belly of the nether world cried I, and Thou heardest my voice.43 ‘In Jerusalem’, since it is written in Scripture: Saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem,44 and the school of R. Ishmael taught: ‘Whose fire is in Zion’ refers to Gehenna, ‘And His furnace in Jerusalem’ refers to the gate of Gehenna. Are there, however, no more [gates]?45 Has not R. Meryon in fact stated in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi (or, as others say: Rabbah b. Meryon learned [in a Baraitha of the compilation] of the school of R. Johanan b. Zakkai):46 There are two palm-trees in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and between them smoke rises, and it is [in connection with] this [spot] that we have learnt: ‘The stone-palms of the iron mountain are fit’,47 and this is the gate of Gehenna? — It is possible that [this gate] is the same as the one in Jerusalem’.48 R. Joshua b. Levi stated: Gehenna has seven names, and they are: Nether-world,49 Destruction, Pit, Tumultuous Pit, Miry Clay, Shadow of Death and the Underworld. ‘Nether-world’, since it is written in Scripture: Out of the belly of the nether-world cried I, and Thou heardest my voice;51 ‘Destruction’, for it is written in Scripture: Shall Thy Mercy be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in destruction;52 ‘Pit’,50 for it is written in Scripture: For Thou wilt not abandon thy soul to the nether-world; neither wilt Thou suffer Thy godly one to see the pit;53 ‘Tumultuous Pit’ and ‘Miry Clay’, for it is written in Scripture: He brought me up also out of the tumultuous pit, out of the miry clay;54 ‘Shadow of Death’, for it is written in Scripture: Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death;55 and the [name of] ‘Nether-world’ is a tradition. 50 But are there no more [names]?56 Is there not in fact that of Gehenna? — [This means,] a valley that is as deep as the valley of Hinnom57 and into which all go down for gratuitous58 acts.59 Is there not also the name of Hearth, since it is written in Scripture: For a hearth is ordered of old?60 — That [means] that whosoever is enticed61 by his evil inclination will fall therein. [As to] Paradise, Resh Lakish said: If it is in the Land of Israel its gate is Beth Shean;62 if it is in Arabia63 its gate is Beth Gerem,64 and if it is between the rivers65 its gate is Dumaskanin.66 In Babylon, Abaye praised the fruit of Eber Yamina67 and Raba praised the fruit of Harpania.68 BETWEEN THEM [THERE MAY BE] AS MUCH [SPACE AS TO ADMIT TWO etc. Is not this69 obvious, for, since it was stated that they are to be TIED TOGETHER, do we not know that they would not be APART? — It might have been presumed that TIED TOGETHER implies: ‘As if they were TIED TOGETHER’ but not actually so, hence we were told: AND NOT APART. ONE TO ENTER WHILE THE OTHER GOES OUT. A Tanna taught: One team70 to enter while the other team goes out. Our Rabbis taught: How much [is the total length of] the head and the greater part [of the body] of a cow?71 Two cubits. And what is the extent of a cow's thickness? A cubit and two-thirds of a cubit rt. as uvu,hah ‘they make it’. acknowledge the justice of the divine judgment. statement to be reconciled with the last cited one of Resh Lakish? 11. ‘Its fruits are the sweetest in all Palestine’ (Rashi). by an enormous fountain formed by the confluence of nineteen springs flowing south of Fahl and terminating in the Jordan (v. loc. cit.). space between them.