ראש השנה 17 — Soncino English Talmud

¹and squeal and rise again, as it says, And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name and I will answer them. Of them, too, Hannah said, The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. Beth Hillel, however, say: He that abounds in grace inclines [the scales] towards grace, and of them David said, I love that the Lord should hear my voice and my supplication, and on their behalf David composed the whole of the passage, I was brought low and he saved me. Wrongdoers of Israel who sin with their body and wrongdoers of the Gentiles who sin with their body go down to Gehinnom and are punished there for twelve months. After twelve months their body is consumed and their soul is burnt and the wind scatters them under the soles of the feet of the righteous as it says, And ye shall tread down the wicked, and they shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet. But as for the minim and the informers and the scoffers, who rejected the Torah and denied the resurrection of the dead, and those who abandoned the ways of the community, and those who ‘spread their terror in the land of the living’, and who sinned and made the masses sin, like Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his fellows — these will go down to Gehinnom and be punished there for all generations, as it says, And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have rebelled against me etc. Gehinnom will be consumed but they will not be consumed, as it says, and their form shall wear away the nether world. Why all this? Because they laid hands on the habitation [zebul], as it says, that there be no habitation [zebul] for Him, and zebul signifies the Temple, as it says, I have surely built thee a house of habitation [zebul]. Of them Hannah said, They that strive with the Lord shall be broken to pieces. R. Isaac b. Abin said: And their faces shall be black like the sides of a pot. Raba added: Among them are the most handsome of the inhabitants of Mahuza, and they shall be called ‘sons of Gehinnom’. The Master said [above]: ‘Beth Hillel say, He that abounds in grace inclines [the scales] towards grace’. [How can this be], seeing that it is written, And I shall bring the third part through the fire? That refers to wrongdoers of Israel who sin with their body. Wrongdoers of Israel who sin with their body! But you said that there is no remedy for them? — There is no remedy for them when their iniquities are more numerous [than their good deeds]. We now speak of those whose iniquities and good deeds are evenly balanced, but whose iniquities include that which is committed by sinners of Israel with their body. In that case they cannot escape the doom of ‘I shall bring the third through the fire’, but otherwise, [in regard to them], ‘He that is abundant in grace inclines towards grace’, and of them David said, I love that the Lord should hear. [On this verse] Raba discoursed as follows: What is meant by the words, ‘I love that the Lord should hear’? The Community of Israel exclaimed before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of the Universe, when am I beloved in thy sight? At the time when thou hearest the voice of my supplications. ‘I was brought low [dalothi] and he saved me’: although I am poor (dallah) in the performance of religious duties, yet it is fitting to save me. What is meant by ‘wrongdoers of Israel who sin with their body’? — Rab said: This refers to the cranium which does not put on the phylactery. Who are ‘the wrongdoers of the Gentiles who sin with their body’? — Rab said: This refers to [sexual] sin. ‘Who have spread their terror in the land of the living’: [who are these]? — R. Hisda said: This is a communal leader who makes himself unduly feared by the community for purposes other than religious. Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Any communal leader who makes himself unduly feared by the community for purposes other than religious will never have a scholar for a son, as it says, Therefore if men fear him, he shall not see [among his sons] any wise of heart. ‘Beth Hillel say: He that abounds in grace inclines [the scales] to grace’. How does He do? — R . Eliezer says: He presses down [the scale of merit], as it says, He will again have compassion on us, he will press down our iniquities. R. Jose b. Hanina says: [He does so] by raising [the scale of iniquities], as it says, Raising iniquity and passing by transgression. In the school of R. Ishmael they taught: He puts aside every first iniquity; and herein lies the attribute [of grace]. Raba said: The iniquity itself is not obliterated, and if there is an excess of iniquities [God] reckons it with the others. Raba said: He who forgoes his right [to exact punishment] is forgiven all his iniquities, as it says, Forgiving iniquity and passing by transgression. Who is forgiven iniquity? One who passes by transgression [against himself]. R. Huna the son of R. Joshua was once ill. R. Papa went to inquire about him. He saw that he was very ill and said to those present, Make ready provisions for his [everlasting] journey. Eventually, however, he [R. Huna] recovered, and R. Papa felt ashamed to see him. He said to him, What did you see [in your illness]? He replied, It was indeed as you thought, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them [the angels]: Because he does not insist upon his rights, do not be particular with him, as it says, Forgiving iniquity and passing by transgression. Who is forgiven iniquity? He who passes by transgression. [The verse continues], ‘to the remnant of his heritage’. R. Aha son of R. Hanina said: We have here a fat tail with a thorn in it: ‘for the remnant of his inheritance’, but not for all his inheritance.^ᵃ^ᵇ^ᶜ^ᵈ^ᵉ^ᶠ^ᵍ^ʰ^ⁱ^ʲ^ᵏ^ˡ^ᵐ^ⁿ^ᵒ^ᵖ^ᵠ^ʳ^ˢ^ᵗ^ᵘ^ᵛ^ʷ^ˣ^ʸ^ᶻ^ᵃᵃ^ᵃᵇ^ᵃᶜ^ᵃᵈ^ᵃᵉ^ᵃᶠ^ᵃᵍ^ᵃʰ^ᵃⁱ

^ᵃnote:On account of their punishment. Al. ‘struggle and rise’. [Ginzberg L.: ‘be singed’, i.e., by the fires of the Gehinnom, and after this experience arise thence and be healed. V. Moore S.F. Judaism III, p. 198].
^ᵇnote:Zech. XIII, 9.
^ᶜnote:1 Sam. II, 6.
^ᵈnote:And does not doom them to Gehinnom.
^ᵉnote:Ps. CXVI, 1. Further on we read, The cords of death compassed me (v. 3).
^ᶠnote:Ibid. 6.
^ᵍnote:This is explained infra.
^ʰnote:Mal. III, 21.
^ⁱnote:V. Glos. The reference is probably to the Judeo-Christians, as the Sadducees would be included under ‘those who denied the resurrection’.
^ʲnote:ohxruehpt ; those who treat the Rabbis and students of the Torah with disdain. If this is meant, then we should insert with MS.M. the words ‘and those’ before the word ‘who’.
^ᵏnote:Rashi deletes these words, (on the ground that they do not designate a separate class, but are a general description of all the classes mentioned.
^ˡnote:A phrase borrowed from Ezek. XXXII, 23. It is explained infra.
^ᵐnote:Isa. LXVI, 24.
^ⁿnote:Ps. XLIX, 15.
^ᵒnote:Ibid. (E.V. ‘for it’. [It is through the sins of such as these that the Temple has been destroyed (Rashi). If the reference is to Jewish Christians it may allude to their repudiation of the claims of the Temple as the place where alone true and perfect worship could be offered, V. Herford, Christianity in Talmud p. 135].
^ᵖnote:I Kings VIII, 13.
^ᵠnote:I Sam. II, 10.
^ʳnote:[The passage is difficult. Read with MS.M. ‘The Master said (above) "Of them (of the intermediate class) Hannah said The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up". R. Isaac b. Abin said, And their faces (that is, of the intermediate class) shall (on rising from Gehinnom) be black like the sides of the pot. Raba added, And yet (despite this disfigurement) they shall be more beautiful than the most handsome men of Mahuza who shall be called the sons of Gehinnom’. V. D.S. a.l.].
^ˢnote:Which was explained above to refer to the intermediate.
^ᵗnote:I.e., that after passing through the fire they become dust.
^ᵘnote:Even this in an Israelite is sufficient to merit Gehinnom.
^ᵛnote:Heb. Parnas. (V. Git., Sonc. ed., p. 280, n. 9).
^ʷnote:I.e., not merely to make them keep the commandments.
^ˣnote:Job XXXVII, 24. E.V. Men do therefore fear Him; He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.
^ʸnote:[Read with MSM. R. Eleazar].
^ᶻnote:I.e., press down the scale of merit against our iniquities, Micah VII, 19.
^ᵃᵃnote:E.V. ‘that pardoneth’.
^ᵃᵇnote:Ibid. 18.
^ᵃᶜnote:Rashi and Asheri explain this to mean that if without the first iniquity the good deeds are in excess, then the first iniquity is not put back in the scale.
^ᵃᵈnote:I.e., if even so the iniquities just balance the merits.
^ᵃᵉnote:So as to count him guilty.
^ᵃᶠnote:Lit., ‘passes by his measures’.
^ᵃᵍnote:Lit. ‘the world (life) was getting weak for him’.
^ᵃʰnote:I.e., prepare shrouds.
^ᵃⁱnote:A certain breed of sheep in the East have very long tails which are esteemed a great delicacy, but as they trail on the ground they often pick up thorns. Hence the proverbial expression, ‘a tail with a thorn in it’ for a good thing containing a snag.

²[What it means is], for him who makes himself a mere remnant. R. Huna contrasted [two parts of the same verse]. It is written, The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and then it is written, and gracious in all his works. [How is this]? — At first righteous and at the end gracious. R. Eleazar [similarly] contrasted two texts. It is written, Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, and then it is written, For thou renderest to every man according to his work. [How is this]? — At first, ‘Thou renderest to every man according to his work’, but at the end, ‘unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy’. Ilfi (or, as some report, Ilfa) [similarly] contrasted two texts: It is written, abundant in goodness, and then it is written, and in truth. [How is this]? — At first, ‘truth’, and at the end ‘abundant in goodness’. And ‘the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed [etc.]. R. Johanan said: Were it not written in the text, it would be impossible for us to say such a thing; this verse teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, drew his robe round Him like the reader of a congregation and showed Moses the order of prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sin, let them carry out this service before Me, and I will forgive them. ‘The Lord, the Lord’: I am the Eternal before a man sins and the same after a man sins and repents. ‘A God merciful and gracious:’ Rab Judah said: A covenant has been made with the thirteen attributes that they will not be turned away empty-handed, as it says, Behold I make a covenant. R. Johanan said: Great is the power of repentance that it rescinds a man's final sentence, as it says , Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears and understanding with their heart return and be healed. Said R. Papa to Abaye: Perhaps this was before the final sentence? — He replied: It is written, ‘and he be healed’. What is that which requires healing? You must say, the final sentence. An objection [against this view] was raised [from the following]: ‘If one repents in the interval, he is forgiven; if he does not repent in the interval, should he even offer [subsequently] all the rams of Nebayoth, he is not forgiven’! — There is no contradiction: the latter statement refers to an individual, the former to a community. A further objection was raised [from the following]: ‘The eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it [the land of Israel], sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. How sometimes for good? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly wicked at New Year, and scanty rains were decreed for them, and afterwards they repented. [For God] to increase the supply of rain is impossible, because the decree has been issued . The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends down the rain in the proper season on the land that requires it, all according to the district. How sometimes for evil? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly virtuous on New Year, and abundant rains were decreed for them, but afterwards they backslided. To diminish the rains is impossible, because the decree has been issued. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends them down not in their proper season and on land that does not require them’. Now, [if the decree can be rescinded], for good at any rate, let the decree be rescinded and let the rains be increased? — There is a special reason there, namely, that this is sufficient. Come and hear [a further objection]: ‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, they saw the works of the Lord . . . For he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves thereof . . . they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man . . . They cried unto the Lord in their trouble . . . let them give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy etc. [The Psalmist] inserted here signs having the same force as the ‘buts’ and ‘onlys’ of the Torah, to indicate that if they cried before the final sentence they were answered, but if they cried after the final sentence they were not ‘answered’! — These also are on the same footing as individuals. Come and hear [again]: ‘Bluria the proselyte put this question to Rabban Gamaliel: It is written in your Law, [she said], who lifteth not up the countenance, and it is also written, The Lord shall lift up his countenance upon thee. R. Jose the priest joined the conversation and said to her: I will give you a parable which will illustrate the matter. A man lent his neighbour a maneh and fixed a time for payment in the presence of the king, while the other swore to pay him by the life of the king. When the time arrived he did not pay him, and he went to excuse himself to the king. The king, however, said to him: The wrong done to me I excuse you, but go and obtain forgiveness from your neighbour. So here: one text speaks of offences committed by a man against God, the other of offences committed by a man against his fellow man. [This explanation was generally accepted] until R. Akiba came and taught^ᵃʲ^ᵃᵏ^ᵃˡ^ᵃᵐ^ᵃⁿ^ᵃᵒ^ᵃᵖ^ᵃᵠ^ᵃʳ^ᵃˢ^ᵃᵗ^ᵃᵘ^ᵃᵛ^ᵃʷ^ᵃˣ^ᵃʸ^ᵃᶻ^ᵇᵃ^ᵇᵇ^ᵇᶜ^ᵇᵈ^ᵇᵉ^ᵇᶠ^ᵇᵍ^ᵇʰ^ᵇⁱ^ᵇʲ^ᵇᵏ^ᵇˡ

^ᵃʲnote:I.e., who is self-effacing.
^ᵃᵏnote:Ps. CXLV, 17.
^ᵃˡnote:How can God be both righteous (i.e., just) and gracious at the same time?
^ᵃᵐnote:When He sees that in strict justice the world cannot endure.
^ᵃⁿnote:Ps. LXII, 13.
^ᵃᵒnote:Ex. XXXIV, 6.
^ᵃᵖnote:Ibid.
^ᵃᵠnote:Lit., ‘emissary’; the one appointed to lead the congregational prayers. It is usual for such a one to draw his robe over his head.
^ᵃʳnote:I.e., read from the Torah the passage containing the thirteen attributes.
^ᵃˢnote:Lit., ‘He’. The Divine name YHWH (E.V. ‘the Lord’) designates the divine attribute of mercy (Rashi).
^ᵃᵗnote:Enumerated in this verse. According to one reckoning, ‘The Lord, the Lord’ count as two, according to another reckoning only the second of these counts as an attribute, and the expressions ‘keeping mercy’ and ‘unto the thousandth generation’ count as two attributes. V. Tosaf., s.v. aka .
^ᵃᵘnote:I.e., that Israel will not be turned away empty-handed when they recite them.
^ᵃᵛnote:Ibid. 10.
^ᵃʷnote:Lit., ‘tears up’.
^ᵃˣnote:Isa. VI, 10.
^ᵃʸnote:Between New Year and the Day of Atonement.
^ᵃᶻnote:Cf. Isa. LX, 7.
^ᵇᵃnote:Deut. XI, 12.
^ᵇᵇnote:I.e. at New Year their evil deeds in the past clearly exceeded their good deeds.
^ᵇᶜnote:E.g., gardens and orchards.
^ᵇᵈnote:E.g. on barren land.
^ᵇᵉnote:Sending the rain in the proper place and time.
^ᵇᶠnote:Ps. CVII, 23-31.
^ᵇᵍnote:In the Hebrew text an inverted nun is inserted before the verses 23-28 of this passage.
^ᵇʰnote:It was a principle of R. Akiba that wherever the words lt (but) and er (only) occur in the Pentateuch, they are meant to except something which is not explicitly mentioned in the text.
^ᵇⁱnote:Valeria.
^ᵇʲnote:Deut. X, 17. E. V. ‘who regardeth not persons’, ‘countenance’ referring to man's. It is here, however, taken as referring to God's in the sense of ‘who shows not favour’, as in the passage next quoted.
^ᵇᵏnote:Num. VI, 26.
^ᵇˡnote:Lit., ‘to what the thing is like’.