Chagigah 14b — the Talmud in English

The one

that the men of trustworthiness did not cease to be

in words of Torah.

The one

that they did not find a man of trustworthiness

in business dealings.

In words of Torah, they were

men of trustworthiness, but

in business dealings they were not

seekers of trustworthiness.

The Sages taught:

An incident involving Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, who was riding on a donkey and leaving Jerusalem.

And he was walking on the road, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh

his student

was driving the donkey behind him, to learn Torah from his mouth.

He said to him

Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said to Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai:

My teacher! Teach me one chapter in the Account of the Chariot.

He said to him

Rabban Yohanan:

My son!

And is it not so that

I taught you thus: And one does not

expound

in

a matter

of the Chariot to an individual [

as we explained above: to an individual],

unless he was a sage who understands on his own?!

He said to him

Rabbi Elazar:

My teacher! Permit me to say one thing before you

from the Account of the Chariot

that you taught me.

He said to him

Rabban Yohanan:

Say it!

Immediately Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai descended from the donkey, wrapped himself, and sat upon the stone beneath the olive tree.

Rabbi Elazar

said to him:

My teacher! Why did you descend from the donkey?

He said

Rabban Yohanan to him:

Is it possible

that

you are expounding the Account of the Chariot, and the Shekhinah is with us, and the ministering angels are accompanying us, while I—

shall ride upon the donkey?!

Immediately Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh began the Account of the Chariot and expounded, and fire descended from Heaven and surrounded [some versions read: “and set ablaze”]

the

all the trees in the field,

and

all the trees opened, all of them, and recited song.

What song did they recite?

“Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps, fruit tree and all cedars.

And thus they concluded the entire chapter, until

Hallelujah.”

And some say: This song

is what

the trees

said:

“Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy.”

And even an angel responded from within the fire and said: Indeed, this is truly the Account of the Chariot.

This is indeed the Account of the Chariot!

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai stood and kissed him upon the head

of Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh,

and

Rabban Yohanan

said: Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who gave Abraham our father a son who knows how to understand, investigate, and expound the Account of the Chariot like Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh.

And Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai added and said:

There is one who expounds well but does not practice well,

and there is

one who practices well but does not expound well; but you, Elazar ben Arakh: you expound well and practice well. Fortunate are you, Abraham our father, that Elazar ben Arakh emerged from your loins!

And when the words were spoken [

they related the incident]

before Rabbi Joshua, he and Rabbi Yose the priest were walking on the road.

They said: We too shall expound the Account of the Chariot.

Rabbi Joshua began and expounded the Account of the Chariot, and that day

was

the season of Tammuz,

when it is not the way of the heavens to become covered with clouds.

And the heavens became covered with clouds, and something resembling a rainbow appeared

And the ministering angels were gathering and coming to hear the Account of the Chariot, like human beings who gather and come to see the entertainments of a bridegroom and bride [

various forms of amusement with which they amuse themselves before them].

Rabbi Yose the priest went and related the matters before Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.

And

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai

said: Fortunate are you, and fortunate is she who gave birth to you.

Fortunate are the

eyes

that saw this way [

the reading of the Rashash].

And even I and you, in my dream, were reclining on Mount Sinai, and a heavenly voice was given forth over us

and said

the one calling through the heavenly voice:

Go up here! Go up here!

Great reception halls are prepared for you, and beautiful couches are spread out for you.

You and your students, and your students’ students, are designated to sit in the

seat

of the third

of the groups sitting before the Shekhinah.

And the Gemara raises an objection to the statement that Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh expounded the Account of the Chariot:

Is that so!

But it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Yose ben Rabbi Yehuda says: There are three lectures

in the Account of the Chariot

that

there are:

a.

Rabbi Joshua lectured on matters before Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai.

b.

Rabbi Akiva lectured

on matters

before Rabbi Joshua.

c.

Hananiah ben Hakhinai lectured on matters before Rabbi Akiva.

And the Gemara infers:

But Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh—

is not counted [

he is not mentioned] among those who expounded the Account of the Chariot. And how do you say that Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh expounded the Account of the Chariot?!

And we answer: In truth, Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh also lectured on matters of the Account of the Chariot. And the reason the tanna does not mention him is that only those who

lectured, and before whom they lectured—

he counts

the tanna.

For the tanna enumerates in the beraita only those who expounded before others and before whom others also expounded, but Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh

only

lectured

before others,

and before him they did not lecture [

they did not lecture before him]—

he is not counted.

And we raise a difficulty against this:

Is that so! But Hananiah ben Hakhinai, before whom they did not lecture [

they did not lecture before him],

and

nevertheless

he is counted

in the beraita?!

And we answer: The reason they mentioned Hananiah ben Hakhinai as well is that

he at least lectured before one before whom they lectured,

since he lectured before one who had lectured.

That is to say: There was no need to mention Hananiah ben Hakhinai either, since they did not lecture before him. Rather, they mentioned his lecture before Rabbi Akiva in order to inform you that Rabbi Akiva lectured before him, and he lectured before others.

The Sages taught: Four entered the orchard,

they ascended to the firmament through the use of a Divine Name [Rashi],

and these are: Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Aher [

Elisha ben Avuya],

and Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Akiva said to them: When you arrive

at the firmament

at stones of pure marble [

which shine like clear water],

take care that you do not say:

Behold,

water, water

is here, and how shall we proceed?

For it is stated: One who speaks lies shall not be established before My eyes!

And this one exists, and they are not water.

And the Gemara explains what happened with these four sages after they ascended:

Ben Azzai gazed

toward the Shekhinah

and died,

and concerning him the verse says: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones,”

for it is difficult in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed is He, that Ben Zoma died while young, but nevertheless it is impossible that he not die, for the Torah said: “For man shall not see Me and live.”

and died.

And

regarding him the verse says: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones.”

Ben Zoma gazed

toward the Shekhinah, and was stricken! He became insane from the terrifying sights, which his understanding could not bear [Rabbeinu Hai in Ein Yaakov].

And concerning him

concerning Ben Zoma

the verse says:

If

you have found honey—

eat your fill,

for it is enough for you to eat only part of it.

Lest you become sated with it and vomit it up!

“eat only your fill,”

Aher—

he cut down the shoots!

He corrupted and distorted when he entered the orchard and cut down the shoots; and since at the beginning of the matter they compared them to one entering an “orchard,” it used the expression “he cut down the shoots.”

Aḥer—

Rabbi Akiva [

entered in peace and]

exited in peace, [Ein Yaakov], for he was more complete than all of them, because he gazed properly and looked as was fitting; his understanding contained those mighty and terrifying things, and the Holy One, blessed is He, gave him life; and every matter that he saw, he considered with a correct thought and sound understanding [Rabbeinu Hai in Ein Yaakov]. They asked Ben Zoma: What is the ruling regarding castrating a dog [

whether it is permitted to castrate a dog]?

He said to them:

It is written: “And crushed, and shattered, and torn, and cut, you shall not offer to Him,”

“and in your land you shall not do” [

this thing, to castrate any animal or beast, Rashi in his commentary on the Torah], teaching you:

He said to them:

Everything that

you have

in your land,

even a dog, you shall not do

this thing, to castrate it.

in your land,

The following passage is explained according to Rashi’s second interpretation.

Further,

they asked Ben Zoma:

A High Priest, who is prohibited from [a woman who had] intercourse, married a woman presumed to be a virgin, and even found blood of virginity upon intercourse, and it was subsequently clarified to him that she was a pregnant virgin,

before he had intercourse with her—

what is the ruling

that it should be permitted for him

the High Priest

to keep her? Is he required to be concerned that, since she became pregnant, although her virginity was not damaged, she certainly had intercourse; or perhaps she became pregnant without having intercourse, as will be explained.

The Gemara explains the sides of the doubt:

Who—whether is it prohibited for him to keep her because

we are concerned for Shmuel’s statement—

to remain married to her? Must he be concerned that since she became pregnant, she certainly had intercourse with another man, even though her virginity was not damaged? Or perhaps she became pregnant without having intercourse, as will be explained.

The Gemara explains the alternatives of the question:

Does

he perhaps have to be prohibited from remaining married to her because

we are concerned about Samuel’s ruling—