Bava Metzia 84b — the Talmud in English

And now the Gemara returns to the story of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, who said about himself: “Rejoice, my innards, rejoice. And if your doubtful cases are thus, your definite cases, all the more so.”

And even so, Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon did not rely on his own opinion. He did not rely upon himself; rather, he was concerned lest he had mistakenly delivered to the kingdom a person who was righteous, and he would seek mercy and forgiveness for this.

He did not rely on himself. Rather, he was concerned that he might have mistakenly handed over to the authorities someone who was righteous, and he prayed for mercy and forgiveness for this.

He accepted sufferings upon himself. He accepted sufferings upon himself in order to atone for his sin.

He accepted suffering upon himself to atone for his sin.

In the evening they would spread out sixty blankets for him, in the evening they would spread beneath him in his bed sixty clean sheets.

and at night they would place sixty clean sheets beneath him in his bed.

In the morning they would draw out from beneath him sixty basins of blood and pus. In the morning they would remove from beneath him sixty basins filled with blood that had turned white, from the boils that had come upon him.

In the morning, they would remove from beneath him sixty basins filled with blood that had turned white, from the boils that had afflicted him.

The next day, his wife would prepare for him every morning his wife would prepare medicine for him,

every morning a remedy,

sixty kinds of lifda, sixty kinds of food made from figs,

sixty types of food made from figs,

and he would eat them and become healthy, and he would eat them and recover.

He would eat them and regain his strength.

And his wife would not let him go out to the beit-midrash. His wife would not allow him to go to the beit-midrash,

His wife would not let him go to the beit midrash, the house of study,

so that the Sages would not distress him, for they were strict with him because he had delivered thieves to the kingdom.

so that the Sages would not cause him pain, since they were angry with him for handing thieves over to the authorities.

In the evening he would say to them, in the evening he would say to the sufferings:

In the evening, he would say to the suffering:

“My brothers and my companions, come!”

In the morning he would say to them, in the morning he would say to them:

In the morning, he would say to them:

“Go,”

leave me

because of the neglect of Torah,

for he would study all day in his house.

One day, his wife heard how he would say in the evening to the sufferings that they should come upon him.

One day, his wife heard him saying in the evening that the suffering should come upon him.

She said to him: “You are bringing them upon yourself!”

You are the one bringing this suffering upon yourself.

You are consuming the money that I brought from my father’s house, through the many foods that I have to prepare for your recovery and the garments that are rotting because of the sufferings.

You are using up the money I brought from my father’s house, through the many foods I must prepare for your recovery and the clothing that is ruined because of the suffering.

She rebelled against him,

she rebelled against him,

she went to her father’s house, and went to her father’s house.

and went to her father’s house.

Those

sixty

sailors sixty sailors, who had been in danger when their ship was about to sink in the sea, prayed to be saved in the merit of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon. And when they were saved in his merit and came up from the sea,

Sixty sailors whose ship was in danger of sinking at sea prayed to be saved in the merit of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon. When they were saved in his merit and came up from the sea,

they brought him a gift,

they sent him a gift,

sixty slaves, each holding sixty purses. Sixty slaves, with sixty purses in their hands.

Sixty servants, holding sixty purses.

And they prepared for him sixty kinds of lifda. And they prepared for him, for his recovery, the sixty kinds of food.

They prepared for him, as a remedy, the sixty types of food.

And he ate them. And he would eat them and recover.

He ate them and recovered.

One day, she said to her daughter, one day his wife said to her daughter:

One day, his wife said to her daughter:

“Go, investigate your father: what is he doing today?” Go and check what your father is doing today.

Go and see what your father is doing today.

She came,

she arrived.

Her father said to her

her father:

“Go,

go,

tell your mother:

the wealth

that is ours is greater than theirs.”

He applied to himself the verse

He applied to himself the verse: “

“She is like the merchant ships; from afar she brings her bread.” which is said concerning Torah. That is, through the merit of Torah, he merited wealth from the sailors who had come from afar.

This verse is stated about the Torah. That is, in the merit of Torah, he became wealthy through the sailors who had come from afar.

He ate and drank and became healthy, until he grew strong.

until he regained his strength.

He went out to the beit-midrash, he went to the beit-midrash [since there was now no one to prevent him].

He went to the house of study, since no one now prevented him from going there.

They brought before him sixty kinds of blood, the women brought before him sixty shades of a woman’s blood, so that he could examine whether it was niddah blood or pure blood.

The women brought before him sixty shades of women’s blood, so that he could determine whether each was menstrual blood or pure blood.

He declared them pure. He declared all the appearances pure, and permitted the women to their husbands.

He declared all the appearances pure and permitted the women to their husbands.

The Sages were murmuring about Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, and saying:

The Sages in the house of study spoke critically about Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, and said:

“Does it enter your mind that there is not one doubtful case among them?” How is it possible that not even one of those appearances should be doubtful niddah blood?

How could it be that not even one of those appearances was possibly menstrual blood?

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon said to them:

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, said to them:

“If it is as I say, that all these women are permitted to their husbands,

and all these women are permitted to their husbands,

let them all be males,” let them all conceive tonight and give birth to males.

they will all conceive tonight and give birth to males.

“And if not,” but there is even one among them who is doubtfully pure,

if at least one of them is of uncertain purity,

“let there be one female among them.”

They were all males! And they called them

They called them

“Rabbi Elazar,”

after the name of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon.

after Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon.

It was taught: Rabbi said: “How much procreation did this wicked one prevent from Israel,” the wicked kingdom that appointed Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon to apprehend thieves caused the prevention of procreation in Israel, because Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon could not always come to the beit-midrash and rule concerning the blood appearances of women. [Another explanation: the “wicked one” refers to his wife, who prevented him for many years from coming to the beit-midrash].

The wicked authorities, who appointed Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, to apprehend thieves, caused the interruption of procreation in Israel, because Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, could not regularly come to the house of study and rule concerning the appearance of women’s blood. Alternatively, “this wicked woman” refers to his wife, who prevented him for many years from coming to the house of study.

When his soul was departing, when Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon died,

when Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was dying,

he said to his wife

to his wife:

“I know concerning the Sages that they are angry with me, I know that the Sages are angry with me because I delivered thieves to the kingdom, and among them were also their relatives,

I know that the Sages are angry with me because I handed thieves over to the authorities, including some of their relatives,

and they will not attend to me properly,” they will not attend to me after my death with the honor that is fitting.

They will not attend to me honorably after my death.

“Lay me down in my loft,

lay my body down in the upper room,

and do not fear me,” and you need not fear anything.

You need not fear at all.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: The mother of Rabbi Yonatan related to me,

the mother of Rabbi Yonatan told me,

that the wife of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon had related to her, that the wife of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon had told her:

that the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, had told her:

“No fewer than eighteen and no more than twenty-two years

at least eighteen, and perhaps even twenty-two years,

I laid him in the loft.” He lay in the upper room.

He lay in the attic.

“When I would go up,” when I would go up there,

when I would go up there,

“I would examine him through his hair,” I would examine his hair,

I would examine his hair.

“when a hair would come loose from him,” when a hair would fall out from him,

when a hair fell out of him,

“blood would come out” from there—blood would come out!

Blood would emerge from that place.

“One day, I saw a worm coming out of his ear,” one day she saw a worm coming out of his ear.

one day she saw a worm emerging from his ear.

“My mind was distressed,” I was concerned lest from then on his body had begun to stink and decay.

I was concerned that from then on his body would begin to smell and decay.

“He appeared to me in a dream,” he appeared to me in a dream,

and

“he said to me: ‘It is not from him!’” Do not be concerned, because this happened to me as a punishment for the fact that

Do not be concerned, because this happened to me as punishment for the fact that

“One day, I heard an affront to a Torah scholar, and I did not protest as I should have.” Once I heard that the honor of a Torah scholar had been harmed, and I did not protest as I should have [and therefore I was punished in my ear].

Once I heard someone dishonoring a Torah scholar, and I did not protest properly; therefore I was punished in my ear.

And throughout all that time that the body of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon lay in the loft, people did not know at all that he was dead.

When two litigants would come for judgment, when two litigants would come to the house of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon to litigate before him,

when two parties to a legal dispute would come to the house of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, to litigate before him,

they would stand at the doorway. They would stand at the entrance.

they would stand at the entrance.

One would state his matter, and the other would state his matter. Each one would present his claims.

Each one would present his arguments.

A voice would emerge from his loft, and a voice would come out from the upper room,

a voice would come out from the attic,

and say: “So-and-so, you are liable!”

“So-and-so, you are innocent!”

One day, his wife was quarreling with her neighbor. One day Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon’s wife quarreled with her neighbor.

One day, the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, quarreled with her neighbor.

The neighbor said to her:

the neighbor said to her:

“May you be like your husband, who has not been given burial!”

The Sages said: “All this? Certainly, this is not proper conduct.” Since the matter had already become known publicly, that he was not alive and had not been buried, it was no longer his honor to leave him in this way and not bury him.

Since it had already become publicly known that he was no longer alive and had not been buried, it was no longer an honor to leave him in that state and not bury him.

There are those who say: The reason the Sages were aroused to bring him for burial was because

that the reason the Sages took action to bring him for burial was that

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai,

who was Rabbi Elazar’s father,

appeared to them in a dream, appeared to the Sages in a dream and

appeared to the Sages in a dream, and

said to them: “I have one fledgling

a fledgling

among you, and you do not wish to bring him to me?!”

The Sages went to attend to him, the Sages went to bring him for burial.

the Sages went to bring him for burial.

The people of Akhbara did not allow [שם מקום הסמוך לעירו של רבי אלעזר ברבי שמעון] [the name of a place adjacent to the city of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon]. The people of that place did not allow Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon to be removed from his house,

Akḥbaraya was a place near Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon’s city. Its residents did not allow Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, to be taken from his home,

because all the years that Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon slept in his loft, all those years that he had been lying in his loft,

throughout all those years that he lay in his attic,

“no wild animal entered their city.”

No wild animal entered their town.

One day—it was the eve of Yom Kippur— the eve of Yom Kippur arrived.

The eve of Yom Kippur arrived.

They were busy, when the people of Akhbara were occupied,

when the people of Akhbaraya were busy,

the Sages sent to the people of Biri, they sent the Sages to the people of the village of Biri, adjacent to Akhbara,

they sent to the people of the village of Biri, near Akhbaraya,

“and they brought up his bier and brought him to his father’s cave.” They took the bier of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon and brought it to the entrance of the cave of his father, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

They took the bier of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, and brought it to the entrance of the cave of his father, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai.

They found a serpent that encircled the cave. There was a serpent there that encircled the cave, with its tail in its mouth.

There was a snake there, circling the cave with its tail in its mouth.

They said to it, to the serpent:

to the snake:

“Serpent, serpent,

serpent,

“open your mouth,” and move your tail away from your mouth,

and move your tail away from your mouth,

“so that a son may enter to his father!”

It opened for them. The serpent opened its mouth and allowed them to enter the cave.

The snake opened its mouth and allowed them to enter the cave.

Rabbi sent to speak with the wife of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, so that she would agree to marry him.

to the wife of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, asking that she agree to marry him.

She sent him in reply:

she sent him this reply:

“A vessel that was used for the sacred—

shall the profane use it?!”

And she further sent him:

“There they say,” in the Land of Israel they say a proverb concerning such a case:

In the Land of Israel, they use a proverb about such a case:

“In the place where the master of the house hangs his weapon,” on the peg where the warrior was accustomed to hang his weapons,

on the peg where the warrior used to hang his weapons,

“the shepherd’s dog,” the contemptible shepherd,

the lowly shepherd

“hangs his sack!” he hung his sack there!

hung his sack there.

He sent to her

Rabbi:

“Although

indeed

in Torah

your husband was

greater than I, but in good deeds, who is greater than I?”

She sent to him

to Rabbi:

“As for Torah, at least, [that he was] greater than you, I do not know; I do not know whether he was greater than you in Torah, except that you admit this.

I do not know whether he was greater than you in Torah, except that you yourself admit this.

But

in deeds

good deeds,

“I know

I know that he was greater than you,

for he accepted sufferings upon himself.” For he accepted sufferings upon himself.

For he accepted suffering upon himself.

And the Gemara explains:

“With regard to Torah, what is it?” From where did Rabbi know that Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon was greater than him in Torah?

How did Rabbi know that Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, was greater than he in Torah?

For when they would sit, when the two great men of the generation would sit,

when the two great scholars of the generation would sit,

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha, and many other Sages

along with many other Sages,

on benches on the benches in the beit-midrash,

on benches in the house of study,

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi would sit before them,

they would sit before them,

on the ground,

on the ground,

asking and resolving, and they would raise difficulties and give answers concerning the sugyot being discussed in the beit-midrash.

they would challenge and resolve the issues under discussion in the house of study.

They said, the Sages sitting on the benches in the beit-midrash said:

the Sages sitting on the benches in the house of study said:

“From the waters of

of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi

we drink,” that is, we learn Torah from them,

meaning, we learn Torah from them,

“and they sit upon the ground?!”

They made benches for them they also prepared benches for them,

They prepared benches for them as well

“and brought them up,” and seated them upon them.

They seated them on the benches.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said to them, he, who was Rabbi’s father, said to the Sages:

Rabbi’s father, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, said to the Sages:

“I have one fledgling

one fledgling

among you,” and he is my son,

and he is my son,

“and you seek to destroy him from me?” He was concerned lest the evil eye rule over him because they had raised him to sit on the bench.

He was concerned that the evil eye might affect him because they had raised him to sit on the bench.

They brought Rabbi down they brought him back down to sit on the ground.

They brought him back down to sit on the ground.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha said to them

to the Sages:

“One who has a father should live, while one who has no father should die?!” That is: Is it so that concerning Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon, whose father, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, had already died, there is no need to take care lest the evil eye rule over him?

That is, is it the case that with regard to Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, whose father, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai, had already died, there was no need to be concerned that the evil eye would affect him?

They lowered Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon too,

bringing him back down to the land.

His mind was weakened

Rabbi's mind was weakened,

and he said: “You have counted him as equal to me,

that you are also concerned about the evil eye affecting him just as you are concerned about it affecting me”?

Until that day,

until that particular day,

when Rabbi would say a matter,

when Rabbi would say something in Torah,

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon would assist him,

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon would bring him proof for it.

From that point onward,

once Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon saw that Rabbi did not regard him as worthy,

when Rabbi would say: “I have something to answer,”

when Rabbi would merely begin to say that he had something to challenge, immediately

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon would say to him: “This and this is what you have to answer,”

you certainly want to challenge in this and this manner, and

“This is your answer!”

he would immediately tell him the resolution.

“Now you have surrounded us,”

had I not answered you immediately, you would have surrounded us with

bundled answers

with many questions,

“in which there is no substance!”

Rabbi's mind was weakened,

once he realized that Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Shimon was greater than he in Torah.

He came and told his father.

He went and related his distress to his father.

He said to him: “My son! Do not let it trouble you! He is a lion, the son of a lion, whereas you are a lion, the son of a fox!”

And this is what Rabbi said: “There are three humble men.”