Gittin 57b (נז:) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin said that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korha said: An elder

told

me, one of the people of Jerusalem, that he had received a tradition concerning what occurred during the time of the First Temple:

me, one of the people of Jerusalem, that he had received a tradition concerning what occurred during the time of the First Temple:

In this valley

the Beit Yadayim Valley,

Nebuzaradan, chief of the executioners, killed two hundred and eleven ten-thousands.

See Sanhedrin 96b, where they mentioned only those killed in Jerusalem and the matter of the boiling of Zechariah’s blood. It may be said that those killed in the Beit Yadayim Valley were not killed for this sin, and the verse, “blood touched blood,” was not said with regard to them.

And in Jerusalem

Nebuzaradan

killed ninety-four ten-thousands upon a single stone.

Until their blood

of those killed

flowed and touched the blood of Zechariah

son of Jehoiada the priest, whom the officers of Judah killed in the Temple courtyard, at the command of Joash, when they bowed to Joash and made him into a deity.

To fulfill what is stated

in the prophecy [Hosea 4:2]: “

And blood touched blood.”

He found

Nebuzaradan found

the blood of Zechariah, which was boiling and bubbling up

his blood was seething and giving off vapor.

He said,

Nebuzaradan:

What is this?!

Blood does not ordinarily behave in this manner; certainly there is something unusual here that causes the blood’s nature to change.

They said to him,

to Nebuzaradan:

It is the blood of sacrifices

it

that was spilled

and was not treated as prescribed, and that is why it is bubbling.

He brought the blood

they brought the blood of animals

but they did not resemble it

they did not resemble the blood that was boiling in the Temple courtyard. It can therefore be inferred that human blood had been spilled there, and not animal blood.

He said to them: If you tell me

if you tell me what this blood is

it will be better.

And if not, I will rake your flesh with iron combs.

If you do not tell me, I will comb your flesh with iron combs until you are forced to explain to me the meaning of this blood.

They said to him: What can we say to you? We must admit the truth: He was a prophet, our son, who would rebuke us with matters of Heaven.

They said to him: What shall we tell you? We must acknowledge the truth: he was a prophet, our son, who rebuked us for our deeds in the name of God.

We rose up against him and killed him,

we rose up against him and killed him,

and many years

had passed,

yet his blood had not ceased

from bubbling.

He said to them: I will appease him,

by delivering a homily and avenging his blood.

He brought

the Great Sanhedrin

a

of seventy-one,

and

the Lesser Sanhedrin

a

of twenty-three,

(of twenty-three),

and killed them for his sake

and killed them because of Zechariah’s blood,

but

still

it did not subside

from boiling.

He

brought

young men and maidens,

and

killed them for his sake

and killed them,

but

still

it did not subside

from boiling.

He brought the schoolchildren, killed them for his sake, but it did not subside.

He said to it

Nebuzaradan said to Zechariah’s blood:

Zechariah, Zechariah,

behold,

I have destroyed the best of them,

and is it possible that

you are pleased that I should destroy them all

is it pleasing to you that I destroy them all?!

When he said this to it,

when Nebuzaradan said this to Zechariah:

It subsided,

the blood ceased boiling.

At that moment,

at that time,

Nebuzaradan contemplated

Nebuzaradan

repentance in his mind.

repentance in his mind.

For

he said

in his heart:

And if for a single soul

that Israel killed

such

punishment came upon them,

that man

that man—and he was referring to himself

who killed all these souls,

who killed so many souls,

all the more so

that he would receive his punishment.

He fled, went away, sent a will to his house, and converted. Nebuzaradan fled and sent a document specifying what should be done with his property, and he converted.

He fled, went away, sent a will to his house, and converted. Nebuzaradan fled and sent a document specifying what should be done with his property, and he converted.

The tanna taught:

a.

Naaman was a ger toshav

he did not accept upon himself the other mitzvot, but undertook not to worship idolatry.

b.

Nebuzaradan was a righteous convert.

c.

Some of Haman’s descendants studied Torah in Bnei Brak.

In Tiferet Shlomo, he raised the difficulty that it is stated in the Pesikta that converts are not accepted from Amalek; how, then, did they accept Haman’s descendant? In Gilyonei HaShas, he answered that one may say that his daughter married a gentile from another nation, and the son follows the father, as stated at the end of chapter Ha-Ish Mekaddesh; and “his descendants” need not be understood literally.

d.

Some of Sisera’s descendants taught children in Jerusalem.

In Sefer Asara Ma’amarot, it is written that Rabbi Akiva descended from Sisera. See Maharamsheif for what he wrote about this.

e.

Some of Sennacherib’s descendants studied Torah publicly;

and

who are they

who are they?

Shemaiah and Avtalyon.

?

The Gemara now returns to Zechariah’s blood, which they would cover, but the blood would reappear and bubble up again in order to avenge his vengeance.

This is what is written

Ezekiel 24:7–8: “For her blood was in her midst; she placed it upon the bare rock; she did not pour it upon the earth to cover it with dust, to arouse wrath and take vengeance;

I have placed her blood upon the bare rock,

a smooth stone,

so that it not be covered.”

The Gemara now returns to expounding the matters of the destruction during the time of the Second Temple:

It is written [Genesis 27:22]: “

The voice is the voice of Jacob, and the hands are the hands of Esau:” “

The voice:”

This

is the voice of outcry and weeping that Isaac saw prophetically would arise from the descendants of Jacob during the time of

the emperor Hadrian, who killed

Jews

in Alexandria in Egypt, six hundred thousand by six hundred thousand,

which are

twice the number of those who left Egypt. “

They did not say “one million two hundred thousand,” in order to indicate that this count includes males alone and not women and children, as does the six hundred thousand who left Egypt—Maharamsheif. “

The voice of Jacob:”

This

is the weeping of the descendants of Jacob during the time of

the emperor Vespasian,

who killed in the city of Beitar four million, and some say

there are those who say:

forty million. “

See the glosses of the Ya’avetz and Maharatz Hayyut, who read “during the time of Hadrian,” since Vespasian preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Beitar occurred fifty-two years after the Temple was destroyed by Titus. “

And the hands are the hands of Esau:”

This is the kingdom

of Edom,

the wicked one, which destroyed our houses, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land.

Alternatively,

another exposition of that same verse: “

The voice is the voice of Jacob:”

There is no prayer that is effective unless it contains something of the descendants of Jacob

“voice” is an expression of prayer; it is effective only when it is “the voice of Jacob.” “

And the hands are the hands of Esau:”

There is no war that is victorious

there are no victors in a war by natural means

that does not

include

something of the descendants of Esau,

for Esau received Isaac’s blessing [Genesis 27:40]: “And by your sword you shall live.”

The Gemara now returns to what we said above: Because of evil speech, the Temple was destroyed and many tens of thousands were killed.

And this is what Rabbi Elazar said,

meaning, concerning this matter, Rabbi Elazar cited the following verse [Job 5:21]: “

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,

and you shall not fear destruction when it comes”—that is,

at

a time of

tongue-provoked quarrels

quarrels caused by evil speech

you shall hide,

lest the scourge strike you.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: What is the meaning of that which is written

Psalms 137:1: “

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat; we also wept, when we remembered Zion”?

It teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed David

in prophecy

the destruction of the First Temple and the destruction of the Second Temple.

The destruction of the First Temple, as it is stated: “

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat”

when we were exiled there with the destruction of the First Temple—

“we also wept.”

The destruction of

the Second Temple,

which was at the hands of Edom:

as it is written

there, verse 7: “

Remember, O

Lord, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said: Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundation.”.

See above, 56b: “A wicked son of a wicked man, the grandson of the wicked Esau,” and the note there in the name of Maharsha.

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said; and some say: Rabbi Ami, and some say: a tanna taught in a beraita:

There was an incident involving four hundred boys and girls who were taken captive for disgraceful purposes

boys for pederasty, and girls as concubines.

The boys realized

the boys

for what purpose they were being sought

why they had been captured and what would be done with them.

They said

they asked one another:

If we drown ourselves in the sea,

will

we enter the life of the World-to-Come?

Some explain that the children wondered whether they would be judged like one who takes his own life knowingly, who has no share in the World-to-Come. But if so, it is not clear how this matter can be proven from the verse. See Maharsha, who explains that they wondered whether they would arise to the life of the World-to-Come through the process of the dead rolling through underground passages. See Ben Yehoyada, who writes that the children did not wonder whether or not to sacrifice their lives; rather, they wondered whether to do so immediately, out of fear that later they would no longer be able to do so, or whether it would be preferable to wait until they reached dry land and could be buried.

The eldest among them expounded for them

the verse [Psalms 68:23]: “

The Lord said,

‘I will bring back from Bashan; I will bring back from the depths of the sea.’” “

I will bring back from Bashan,”

from between the teeth of the lion.

“Bashan” is an acronym for “from between a tooth.” “

I will bring back from the depths of the sea:”

These are those who drown in the sea,

and all of them will enter the World-to-Come, even though their flesh was digested in the lion’s stomach and they were not buried on dry land.

When the girls heard this, they all jumped and fell into the sea,

and sacrificed their lives so that the gentiles would not defile them.

The boys drew a kal va-homer for themselves and said: If these,

girls,

whose usual purpose is this

for sexual use, and whose disgrace is not as great as ours,

nevertheless

sacrificed their lives,

we, whose usual purpose is not this, all the more so

should be worthy to sacrifice our lives, and

they too jumped into the sea.

And concerning them the verse says

Psalms 44:23: “

For Your sake

for the sanctification of Your Name,

we are killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.”

And Rav Yehuda said: This

verse was said concerning

the incident involving a woman and her seven sons;

and this was the incident:

They brought

the

first one before the emperor,

and

said to him: Worship idolatry! They brought the first son before the emperor and said to him: Worship idolatry!

said to him: Worship idolatry! They brought the first son before the emperor and said to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Exodus 20:2: “

I

[They brought the first son before the emperor and said to him: Worship idolatry!]

am the Lord your God,”

and I believe in Him and will not worship idolatry.

They took him out and killed him.

They took him out and killed him.

They brought the other one

the second one

before the emperor,

and

they said

also

to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Exodus 20:3: “

You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Each of the children said a different verse, since he understood that his brothers had already quoted the preceding verses—Maharamsheif. See also Maharsha, Etz Yosef, and Geresh Yeruham, who explain that the seven verses cited here teach seven matters.

They took him out,

the second one as well,

and killed him.

They brought the other one

the third one, and

they said

also

to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Exodus 22:19: “

One who sacrifices to gods

other than God

shall be proscribed.”

They took him out,

the third one as well,

and killed him.

They brought the other one

the fourth one,

they said to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Exodus 34:14: “

You shall not bow down to another god.”

They took him out and killed him.

They brought the other one

the fifth one,

they said to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Deuteronomy 6:4: “

Hear, O Israel, the

Lord is our God, the

Lord is One,”

and there is no other.

They took him out and killed him.

They brought the other one

the sixth one,

they said to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Deuteronomy 4:39: “

Know this day and take it to your heart, that the

Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is none else.”

They took him out and killed him.

They brought the other one,

the seventh one,

they said to him: Worship idolatry!

He said to them: It is written in the Torah

Deuteronomy 26:17–18: “

The

Lord you have affirmed

today to be your God, to walk in His ways, to observe His statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and to heed His voice;

and the

Lord has affirmed you today

to be His treasured people, as He promised you, and to observe all His commandments.”

And he explained to them:

We have already sworn to the Holy One, blessed be He, that we will not exchange Him for another god,

as it is stated: “You have affirmed the Lord”—that is, you have set Him apart and distinguished Him from the gods of the nations.

And He too swore to us that He would not exchange us for another nation,

as it is stated: “And the Lord has affirmed you”—that He set us apart from the nations of the earth “to be His treasured people.”

The emperor said to him: I will throw down my seal

my seal

and

you

will bend down and pick it up, so that they will say: He has accepted upon himself the king’s authority. The emperor said to him: I will throw my seal onto the ground; bend down and pick it up. From a distance it will appear as though you are bowing to my image engraved upon it, and they will say that you have accepted the king’s authority.

will bend down and pick it up, so that they will say: He has accepted upon himself the king’s authority. The emperor said to him: I will throw my seal onto the ground; bend down and pick it up. From a distance it will appear as though you are bowing to my image engraved upon it, and they will say that you have accepted the king’s authority.

He said to him,

the seventh son:

Woe to you, emperor! Woe to you, emperor!

If

for your own honor

you

go to such

great lengths to make it appear that I obey you,

for the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, all the more so

should one go to such lengths and sacrifice his life.

They took him out to kill him

they took him out from before the king in order to kill him.

His mother said to them: Give him to me, so that I may kiss him a little. His mother said to them: Give him to me so that I can kiss him briefly.

His mother said to them: Give him to me, so that I may kiss him a little. His mother said to them: Give him to me so that I can kiss him briefly.

They returned him to his mother, and she

said to him

and to his brothers:

My sons,

from the place where you are in the heavens,

go and say to Abraham your father: You bound one altar,

your son Isaac,

but I have bound seven altars,

all seven of my sons. When the mother saw that they wished to force her to worship idolatry,

she too climbed to the roof, fell, and died.

For she encouraged them to sacrifice their lives. See Etz Yosef and Geresh Yeruham. Maharal. See there.

A Divine voice emerged and said

about this woman: “

A joyful mother of children.”

This is the language of the verse in Psalms 113:9: “He makes the barren woman of the house sit,” who remained barren without children, and nevertheless, “a joyful mother of children.”

And this is what the verse says: “For Your sake we are killed all day long”—these are the sons; “we are regarded as sheep for the slaughter”—this is the mother of the children.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: “

For Your sake we are killed all day long”—

this is circumcision that was given

to be performed

on

the

eighth

day, since the infant’s blood is spilled, and sometimes he dies, yet all Israel circumcise their sons.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: These are Torah scholars, who

in order to clarify the laws of ritual slaughter thoroughly,

demonstrate the laws of ritual slaughter on themselves

on their own necks, even though it is dangerous.

As Rava said: A person may demonstrate anything on himself, except ritual slaughter and another matter

leprosy. A person may demonstrate anything on himself, except slaughtering with a knife, lest he drive it into his throat, and except examining the manifestations of leprosy, because by doing so he endangers himself, lest leprosy erupt upon him.

leprosy. A person may demonstrate anything on himself, except slaughtering with a knife, lest he drive it into his throat, and except examining the manifestations of leprosy, because by doing so he endangers himself, lest leprosy erupt upon him. Rashi. Maharsha writes that this impairs his fortune, in accordance with the principle: “A person should not open his mouth to the Satan.” If speech can bring this upon him, certainly an action can, as they said below concerning leprosy.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long” was said concerning

these are Torah scholars who mortify themselves over the words of Torah,

for only in this way do they merit that the words of Torah endure within them, in accordance with the words of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish.

For Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The words of Torah endure only in one who kills himself over them.

For, in order for a person to be able to cleave to Torah consistently, he must “kill his body,” that is, cast off his excessive desires and material wants.

As it is stated [

Numbers 19:14 ]: “

This is the Torah: when a person dies in a tent.”

The Gemara now returns to the destruction of Betar.

Rabba bar bar Hana said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: