Chullin 89a — the Talmud in English

And Rava said: As a reward for Abraham our forefather saying ![](pamud.bmp "

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“From a thread to a shoe strap,”

because he did not wish to derive benefit from stolen property,

his descendants merited two mitzvot

connected with a thread and a strap:

the thread of sky-blue wool

in tzitzit,

and the strap of tefillin. 2 .

The Gemara discusses this:

Granted, the strap of tefillin

provides a person with benefit, as

it is written: “And all the peoples of the land will see that the Name of the Lord is called upon you,”

and they will fear you.”

And it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: This refers to the tefillin on the head,

which are visible to everyone; the verse says that the gentiles will fear Israel when they see the tefillin on their heads . This is indeed a benefit, since the gentiles fear them.

But the thread of sky-blue wool—what is its significance?

What benefit does it provide?

And we answer:

As it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Meir says: Why is the

color of

sky-blue wool

that the Torah commanded to place in tzitzit

different from all other colors?

Because sky-blue resembles the sea, the sea resembles the sky, the sky resembles sapphire, and sapphire resembles the Throne of Glory! As it is written: “And they saw the God of Israel, and beneath His feet

was something like a pavement of sapphire, and like the very heavens for purity.” Thus, the heavens resemble sapphire.

And it is written: “Like the appearance of a sapphire stone was the likeness of a throne.”

Thus, the sapphire stone is the Throne of Glory.

When the Holy One, blessed be He, looks at the Throne of Glory, which resembles sky-blue wool, He recalls this mitzva, which is equivalent to all the mitzvot. This is the benefit of the mitzva of sky-blue wool .

Rabbi Abba said: Theft that has been consumed is difficult

to repent for and return,

for even completely righteous people,

like Abraham our forefather,

cannot return it! As it is stated: “

Except only what the young men have eaten ...

they shall take their portion” from the property of Sodom. Abraham himself returned everything to the king of Sodom except what had already been eaten [and this was not actual theft, since if it had been, Abraham would certainly have returned even what had already been consumed. Rather, according to strict law, Abraham was not required to return any of the property of Sodom; he acted beyond the letter of the law, but did not impose upon himself the additional stringency of returning what had been eaten] .

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Yosei the Galilean: Wherever you find the words of Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yosei the Galilean, in homiletic interpretation,

make your ear like a funnel!

This is what he used to expound: It is written: “

Not because you are more numerous than all the peoples did the Lord desire you ...

because you are the fewest.”

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: “I desire you,

because

even when I bestow greatness upon you,

you make yourselves small before Me!”

This is the meaning of the verse: “Not because you are more numerous”—because you do not consider yourselves numerous, therefore “the Lord desired you”; “because you are the fewest”—because you make yourselves small through humility .

“I gave greatness to Abraham”—

he said before Me, “I am dust and ashes”!

I gave greatness

to Moses and Aaron—

they said, “What are we”!

I gave greatness

to David—

he said, “But I am a worm and not a man”!

But idolaters are not so. I gave greatness to Nimrod—

he said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city”!

I gave greatness

to Pharaoh—

he said, “

Who is the Lord

that I should heed His voice?” I gave greatness

to Sennacherib—

he said, “

Who among all the gods of the lands

has saved his land from my hand, that the Lord should save Jerusalem from my hand?”

I gave greatness

to Nebuchadnezzar—

he said, “

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.”

I gave greatness

to Hiram, king of Tyre—

he said, “

I sit in the abode of God

in the heart of the seas,” for he built seven copper heavens for himself over the sea, ascended, and sat upon them.

Rava said, and some say Rabbi Yohanan: Greatness

is

ascribed to Moses and Aaron more than to Abraham. For concerning Abraham it is written, “I am dust and ashes,” whereas concerning Moses and Aaron it is written, “What are we,”

for they did not regard themselves even as dust and ashes.

And Rava said, and some say Rabbi Yohanan: The world endures only on account of Moses and Aaron. For here,

concerning Moses and Aaron,

it is written, “What are we,” and there it is written, “He suspends the earth upon nothing”!

The earth is suspended by the merit of those who regard themselves as nothing.

Rabbi Ila’a said: The world endures only on account of one who restrains himself,

who closes his mouth,

at a time of quarrel. As it is stated: “He suspends the earth

upon nothing”!

Rabbi Abbahu said:

The world endures only through the merit of

one who makes himself as though he were nothing! As it is stated: “And beneath

are the everlasting arms”!

One who allows himself to be trampled beneath everyone is the everlasting arms!

Rabbi Yitzhak said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Indeed, do you speak righteousness silently? Do you judge people uprightly”?

This is what we expound:

What is a person’s craft in this world? He should make himself like one who is mute!

For “indeed, silently” means that silence is a fine craft .

Could he even make himself like one who is mute with regard to words of Torah,

remaining like one who is mute?

The verse therefore says: “You shall speak righteousness”!

Could he become arrogant? The verse therefore says: “You shall judge people uprightly”!

A person should make himself like a level plain, which is flat ground easily trampled.

Rabbi Zeira said, and some say Rabba bar Yirmeya: One may cover

the blood

with the earth

of the burning of

an apostate city.

And we object:

Why?

After all, this ash

is prohibited for benefit,

so how may one cover the blood with it? And we answer:

Ze’iri said: This was necessary only with regard to the earth of its earth!

The statement does not concern the ash of the city’s burning, but the earth of the city’s ground, with which it is permitted to cover the blood, since it is not subject to the requirement that the property of an apostate city be burned.

For it is written: “You shall gather all its spoils into the midst of its open square

and burn it,”

and we derive:

Anything that requires only gathering and burning,

which can be burned merely by gathering it, is subject to burning.

This excludes this,

the earth in the ground,

which requires uprooting, gathering, and burning!

It must first be detached from the ground, and therefore it is not subject to burning.

And Rava said:

In fact, the statement may even concern the ash of its burning. Although it is prohibited for benefit, it is permitted to cover the blood with it, because covering the blood is a mitzva—

and mitzvot were not given for benefit!

Mitzvot were not given to Israel for personal benefit; they are the decree of the King. Therefore, it is permitted to perform a mitzva with an object prohibited for benefit, since performing the mitzva is not considered benefit .

Ravina was sitting and reciting this teaching

of Rava, that mitzvot were not given for benefit.

Rav Rahumi raised an objection to Ravina:

It was taught:

A shofar of idolatry,

which is prohibited for benefit,

one may not sound it!

And we analyze this:

What, is it not saying that if one sounded

it, he

has not fulfilled

his obligation, because he benefited from an object prohibited for benefit? This indicates that performing the mitzva is considered benefit, which is difficult for Rava. And we answer:

No!

Rather,

if one sounded

it, he indeed

fulfilled

his obligation, because mitzvot were not given for benefit [rather, one should not initially sound a shofar of idolatry because it is repulsive] . Rav Rahumi further challenged Ravina: We learned:

A lulav of idolatry—

one may not take it!

And we analyze this:

What, is it not saying that if one took

it, he

has not fulfilled his obligation? And we answer:

No! If one took

it, he

fulfilled his obligation.

But it was taught: If one

sounded a shofar of idolatry, he

has not fulfilled his obligation!

And likewise, if one

took

a lulav of idolatry, he

has not fulfilled his obligation!