Chagigah 15a (טו.) — the Talmud in English

For Shmuel said:

I can

have intercourse by angling, and

have intercourse several times without

emitting

blood

of virginity.

Since that is so, there is concern that perhaps she had intercourse by angling and thereby became forbidden to a High Priest, and for that reason her hymen was not damaged.

Or perhaps:

the possibility of intercourse in the manner

of Shmuel is uncommon.

Since we see that her hymen was not damaged, we attribute her pregnancy to conception without intercourse, as the Gemara proceeds to explain.

Ben Zoma said to them:

The method

of Shmuel

is indeed

uncommon—

and

therefore

we are concerned,

we rely on this to be lenient by saying:

perhaps she conceived in a bathtub [

a vessel in which the entire body is washed ]

and became pregnant.

A man had bathed in that vessel before she bathed in it, and emitted semen into it; the semen entered the woman’s body when she bathed in its water, and she conceived from it. She nevertheless remains a virgin, since she did not have intercourse, and she is permitted to a High Priest.

And we raise an objection to this:

But Shmuel said: Any semen that does not shoot like an arrow cannot bring about conception.

Presumably, when the semen emerged from him into the bathtub, it did not shoot like an arrow and therefore could not bring about conception. How, then, can we attribute her pregnancy to conception in the bathtub and permit her to a High Priest? And we answer:

Perhaps, initially as well [

perhaps even at the outset, when it emerged from him ]

it did shoot like an arrow,

and therefore she is permitted.

The Sages taught:

An incident involving Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah, who was standing on the upper landing on the Temple Mount, and Ben Zoma saw him but did not stand

Ben Zoma

before him,

before Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah.

From this Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah understood that Ben Zoma was preoccupied.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah said to Ben Zoma:

From where

are you coming,

and to where

is your mind preoccupied,

Ben Zoma!

He said to him,

Ben Zoma said to Rabbi Yehoshua:

I was gazing,

I was contemplating the act of Creation, and I looked

between the upper waters and the lower waters, and between them there is

at the place where the firmament’s vault joins the earth

only a measure of three fingerbreadths.

As it is stated: “And the spirit of God was ‘hovering’ over the surface of the waters!” “Blowing over the surface of the waters” is not written here; rather, “hovering,” teaching you:

“Like”

a

ike

dove hovering over its young, but

nevertheless

not touching

them [Bereshit Rabba].

Rabbi Yehoshua said to his students: Ben Zoma is still [

Rabbeinu Hai reads:

already ]

outside

the settled state of mind, since it is impossible to derive this from the verse he cited:

Now,

after all,

“And the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters”—

when was this? [

when did this occur? ] It was

on the first day,

as is evident from the verse.

But the

separation

between the waters and the waters occurred only

on the second day. For it is written

in the account of the second day of Creation:

“And it separated between the waters and the waters.”

And

since Ben Zoma’s words were rejected, it is necessary to determine

how much

the distance between the waters and the waters actually was.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: The thickness of a hair [

a hair ], that is, as thin as a hair.

And the Sages say: Like the wall of a bridge [

the surface of the bridge ]. When boards are arranged beside one another, there is inevitably a small gap between them; the distance between the waters and the waters was of this measure.

Mar Zutra, and some say Rav Asi, said: Like two garments spread beside one another [

like two garments spread beside one another ], between which there is inevitably a small gap.

And some say: Like two cups overturned beside one another [

like two cups overturned beside one another ].

We learned in the beraita above:

Acher cut down the shoots:

Concerning him,

concerning Acher,

the verse says: “Do not let your mouth bring your flesh into sin!”

For Acher sinned with his mouth, as the Gemara proceeds to explain.

And we explain:

What was it

—what happened?

For

he saw [

Acher saw ], when he ascended to Heaven, an angel named

Metatron, who was granted permission for one hour each day to sit and write the merits of Israel [

he was granted permission to sit for one hour each day in order to write the merits of Israel ].

A spirit of heresy entered Acher, and he

said:

Behold,

it is an established tradition [

a received tradition ] that

above

in Heaven

there is not:

neither sitting,

for no one sits there other than the Holy One, blessed be He,

nor competition, nor “back” [

for on all sides the angels have faces ],

nor weariness [

fatigue ].

If so, how can Metatron be sitting?!

Perhaps, Heaven forbid, there are two authorities in Heaven,

and Metatron is not an angel, but another authority, Heaven forbid.

Immediately, they brought out Metatron and struck him with sixty fiery lashes [

a blow with a rod, Rashi ]

of fire [

they brought him out and struck him with sixty blows of fire ].

For

they said to him,

to Metatron:

Why, when you saw him, did you not rise before him [

when you saw Acher, you did not rise before him ], thereby causing him to err and say: “There are two authorities, Heaven forbid.”

And

he was granted permission to erase Acher’s merits [

Metatron was granted permission to erase Acher’s merits ], because he had cut down the shoots.

A Divine Voice emerged and said: “Return, rebellious children, except for Acher! For

he

knew My glory [

when he entered the orchard ]

and

nevertheless

rebelled against Me.

Acher said

Acher:

Since that man has been banished [

he said this about himself ]

from that world [

since I have been banished from the World-to-Come ],

let me go and enjoy this world [

I will go out and enjoy this world ].

Acher went out to heretical culture.

Acher

found

a prostitute,

and

proposed

that they engage in sexual relations!

She said to him,

that prostitute said to Acher:

But

is it possible that

you are not Elisha ben Avuya, whose name has become known throughout the land?!

Acher

uprooted

a radish from the garden [

a radish from the garden ]

on Shabbat and gave it to her [

and gave it to her ], in order to show her that he was violating the prohibition against labor on Shabbat.

She said

that prostitute said: If so,

he is Acher,

meaning, he has gone out to heretical culture!

Acher asked Rabbi Meir after he had gone out to heretical culture: [

He said to him,

superfluous ]

What is the meaning of that which is written: “God has made this corresponding to that as well”?

He said to him,

Rabbi Meir said to Acher:

Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created something corresponding to it [

something equal to it; that is the meaning of “this corresponding to that,” Maharsha ].

For

He created mountains—

He created

opposite them

hills.

He created seas; He created

opposite them

rivers.

He said to him,

Acher said to Rabbi Meir:

Your master Rabbi Akiva did not say [

explain ]

this way. Rather, he said: He created the righteous,

and

He created the wicked. He created the Garden of Eden,

and

He created Gehinnom.

That is, corresponding to the righteous He created something equal to them, namely, the Garden of Eden; and corresponding to the wicked He created Gehinnom [Maharsha].

And

each and every person has two portions, one in the Garden of Eden and one in Gehinnom; if the righteous merits it,

then

he takes his portion and his fellow’s portion in the Garden of Eden; if the wicked is found liable,

then

he takes his portion and his fellow’s portion in Gehinnom.

Rav Mesharsheya said: What is the verse

from which we know that Rabbi Akiva’s statement is supported by Scripture?

With regard to the righteous it is written: “And you shall be called the priests of the Lord; you shall be called the servants of our God.”

Therefore, in their land they shall inherit ‘double’ [

a double inheritance ], and “everlasting” joy shall be theirs, that is, in the World-to-Come [Maharsha].

a double inheritance; “everlasting” joy shall be theirs, meaning in the World-to-Come [Maharsha].

With regard to the wicked it is written: “Let my pursuers be ashamed, but let me not be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed; bring upon them a day of calamity”

“Let my pursuers be ashamed, but let me not be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed; bring upon them a day of calamity,”

and double brokenness [

double ruin ]

break them [

with the vocalization kamatz and tzere ]. That is, in the World-to-Come, in Gehinnom.

Acher asked Rabbi Meir after he had gone out to heretical culture:

What is the meaning of that which is written:

“And wisdom—from where can it be found, and where is the place of understanding?”

“It cannot be valued against gold or glass, nor can its exchange be vessels of fine gold” [

and its exchange cannot be with vessels of fine gold, Rashi on Job ]?

He said to him,

Rabbi Meir said to Acher:

These are words of Torah, which are as difficult to acquire as vessels of gold and vessels of fine gold, and easy to lose

through forgetfulness

like glass vessels

that are quickly lost through breaking.

He said to him,

Acher said to Rabbi Meir:

Your master Rabbi Akiva did not say this!

Rather:

Just as these vessels of gold and glass, even though they have broken, can be repaired, so too a Torah scholar, even though he has sinned, can be repaired.

He said to him,

Rabbi Meir said to Acher:

You too,

who have sinned,

repent,

returning in repentance!

He said to him,

Acher said to Rabbi Meir:

But I have already heard

in Heaven,

from behind the curtain: “Return, rebellious children, except for Acher.”

The Sages taught: An incident involving Acher, who was riding on a horse on Shabbat, while Rabbi Meir walked behind him to study Torah from his mouth.

When he reached the Shabbat boundary [

the Bach ],

he said to him,

Acher said to Rabbi Meir:

Meir! Turn back, for I have already measured by the footsteps of my horse

that

this is the Shabbat boundary.

He said to him,

Rabbi Meir said to Acher:

You too, turn back! He said to him,

Acher said to Rabbi Meir:

Did I not already say to you: I have already heard from behind the curtain: “Return, rebellious children, except for Acher”?

Rabbi Meir seized

Acher and

brought

him

into the house of study [

he seized him and brought him into the house of study, perhaps he would repent and return, Maharsha ].

Acher said to him,

Acher [Rabbeinu Hananel]

said to a child: Recite your verse for me!

He said to him,

the child said to him:

“There is no peace, said the Lord, for the wicked,”

meaning, repentance will not benefit him [Maharsha].

Again,

he brought

Rabbi Meir brought Acher

to another house of assembly [

he brought him to another house of study ],

and said to the child: Recite your verse for me!

He said to him,

the child said to him:

Even [

also ]

if you wash yourself with natron [

a type of soft earth used for washing ]

and use much soap [

the name of a cleansing plant ],

your iniquity will remain stained before Me [

your iniquity still stands before Me like a stain ]!

That is, repentance will not benefit him.

Again,

he brought him into another house of assembly [

he brought him to another house of study ].