Yoma

there was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.1 [Furthermore]: And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.2 Now from the implication of the text: ‘And their faces toward the east’, do I not know that their backs were toward the temple of the Lord? Why then does the text state: ‘With their backs toward the temple of the Lord’? It teaches that they uncovered themselves and committed a nuisance toward that which is below.3 The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Michael:4 Michael, your nation has committed sin. Michael answered: Lord of the Universe! Let the good ones among them be considered sufficient! He replied: I shall burn both them and the good ones among them! Immediately then: And he spoke unto the man clothed in linen, and said: Go in between the wheelwork, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and dash them against the city. And he went in my sight.5 Thereupon: And the cherub stretched forth his hand between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took thereof and put it into the hands of him that was clothed in linen, who took it and went out.6 R. Hana b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simeon the Pious: Were it not for the fact that the coals of the hand of the cherub became cold [in the process of coming] into the hands of Gabriel,7 there would not have been left over from the ‘enemies of Israel’8 one to remain or one to escape, for it is written: And behold the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn on his side, reported, saying: ‘I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me’.9 R. Johanan10 said: In that hour Gabriel was led out behind the curtain and received forty fiery strokes, he being told: If you had not executed the command at all, well, you simply would not have executed it.11 But since you did execute it, why did you not do as you were commanded?12 Furthermore: Don't you know that:13 ‘One brings no report about mischief’?14 Thereupon Dubiel,15 the guardian angel of the Persians, was brought in and placed in his stead, and he officiated for twenty-one days. This is what is written: But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I was left over there beside the kings of Persia.16 Twenty-one provinces and the port of Mashmahig17 were given to him. Thereupon he said: Put down for me Israel for the polltax! They did so. Put down the Sages for the poll-tax! They did so. When they were about to sign, Gabriel came forth from behind the curtain and said: It is vain for you that ye rise early, and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of toil; so He giveth unto His beloved in sleep.18 (What does ‘So He giveth unto His beloved in sleep’ signify?R. Isaac said: This refers to the wives of the scholars who deny themselves sleep in this world, and acquire the world to come).19 No attention was paid to him. He said before Him: Lord of the Universe, if all the wise men of other nations were in one scale of the balance, and Daniel, the man of pleasant parts, in the other, would he not be found to outweigh them all? — The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Who is it that pleads the merit of my children? They replied: Lord of the Universe, it is Gabriel. He said: Let him come in, as it is written: ‘And I am come [in] because of thy words’. Having commanded that they bring him in, they brought him in. He noticed that Dubiel held the document in his hand, and he wanted to take it from him, but the former swallowed it. Some say: [The document] was written out, but not signed. Others say: It was also signed, but as he swallowed it, the signature was blotted out. Hence there are some people in the kingdom of Persia who are obliged to pay poll-tax, while others are free from it. And when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come.20 He cried and cried and none minded him. Or, if you like, that [abstention from] washing is considered an affliction is deducible from here. For it is written: And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: ‘Get thee to Anatoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted’.21 And concerning David it is written: For they said: ‘The people is hungry, and faint and thirsty in the wilderness’.22 ‘Hungry’ because of no bread; ‘thirsty’ because of no water; ‘faint’ because of what? Would you not say: Because of no washing?23 — But perhaps ‘faint’ [means] because of no sandals? — Rather said R. Isaac, [it is to be deducted] from this: As cold water to a faint soul.24 But perhaps it means: [Faint] from [lack of] drink? — Does Scripture read: ‘Into a faint soul’? Upon a faint soul is written! And whence is to be inferred that [abstention from wearing] sandals [is considered an affliction]? Because it is written: And David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went bare.25 ‘Bare’ of what? Obviously ‘of shoes’. Perhaps it means bare because without horse and whip?Rather, said R. Nahman b. Isaac, the inference comes from: Go and loose the sack-cloth from off thy loins, and put thy shoe from off thy foot,26 and it is written: And he did so, walking naked and bare.26 ‘Bare’ of what? Obviously bare of sandals. But perhaps [it means he went] in patched shoes. For, if you were not to interpret thus, ‘naked’ would also have to be explained as stark naked? Rather, must you here too explain: [naked] i.e.. in shabby garments, thus also ‘bare’ in patched sandals! — Rather, said R. Nahman b. Isaac: [It is derived] from here: Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst,27 i.e., withhold thyself from sin lest thy foot become unshod; withhold thy tongue from idle speech, lest thy throat become dry [faint with thirst]. Whence do we know that [abstention from] marital intercourse is considered an affliction? — Because it is written: If thou shalt afflict my daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters,28 [i.e..] the MSS. which omit this whole passage. own wives, in denying sleep to themselves in this world (taking ‘yedid’ ad hoc as if derived from ‘nadad’, flee, avoid i.e., sleep) earn eternal salvation. God thus protects them. When this argument proved unavailing, they made another attempt by comparing Daniel with all non-Jewish scholars, and this was accepted by the Lord.