Ketubot 111a (קיא.) — the Talmud in English

As it is stated:

“They shall be brought to Babylonia [Jeremiah 27].

And there they shall remain—

until the day that I attend to them, says the Lord.”

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that

verse

is written with regard to sacred vessels,

as explained in the preceding verse, which speaks of sacred vessels and not of people.

And Rav Yehuda

held that

another verse is written [Song of Songs 2]:

“

I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,”

“that you not awaken or rouse love [the love with which the Lord loves His people and settles them in His land]—until it please.”

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that

verse teaches

that Israel should not ascend

to Eretz Yisrael

as a wall,

by force. But each individual is permitted to ascend on his own, not by force.

And Rav Yehuda

held that the verse

“I adjure you” is written elsewhere,

forbidding one to ascend even without force.

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that

other “I adjure you”

is needed for the teaching of Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina.

As he said: These three oaths—

why?

One: that Israel should not ascend as a wall,

together, by force.

And one: that the Holy One, blessed be He, adjured Israel not to rebel against the nations of the world.

And one: that the Holy One, blessed be He, adjured the nations of the world not to subjugate Israel excessively.

And Rav Yehuda

held [Song of Songs 2] that there is a repetition in the wording of the oath, for

“that you not awaken or rouse

love until it please,”

is written,

and it follows that there are six oaths here, one of which teaches as he said: It is forbidden even for an individual to ascend from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael!

And Rabbi Zeira

held that the repetition in the wording

is needed to

teach

in accordance with Rabbi Levi, who said: These six oaths—

why?

Three—

those that we stated.

And

the others,

the additional three—

that the prophets among them should not reveal

the end

and should not hasten

the end

through their sins,

and that they should not reveal the secret to the nations.

[Song of Songs 2]

“By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field”—

Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: If you fulfill the oath, it is good.

But if not—

I will permit

and abandon

your flesh to the gazelles and the hinds of the field,

which are food for the wild animals.

Rabbi Elazar said: Whoever dwells in Eretz Yisrael dwells without sin.

As it is stated [Isaiah 33]:

“

And the inhabitant shall not say, ‘I am ill’; the people that dwell there shall be forgiven their iniquity.”

Rava said to Rav Ashi: We teach it with regard to those who suffer from illnesses.

Rav Anan said: Whoever is buried in Eretz Yisrael—

it is as though he is buried beneath the altar.

It is written here [Exodus 20]:

“

An altar of earth you shall make for Me.”

And it is written there [Deuteronomy 32]:

“

And He shall atone for His land, His people.”

Ulla was accustomed to ascend

to

Eretz Yisrael.

He died outside Eretz Yisrael.

They came,

and

said to Rabbi Elazar.

He said,

Rabbi Elazar:

You, Ulla:

You are Ulla; I apply to you the words of the prophet in the Book of Amos [chapter 7]:

“You shall die on an impure land.”

They said to him,

to Rabbi Elazar: But

his coffin

of Ulla

came

from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael so that he could be buried in the Land.

He said to them: There is no comparison between one whose earth of Eretz Yisrael

received by the soil of the Land of Israel

receives him during life,

and one whom it

receives

only

after death.

There was a certain man

who lived in Eretz Yisrael,

to whom a yevama fell

for levirate marriage, and the yevama lived in Babylonia, in a place called

“Bei Ḥozai.”

He came,

the yavam,

before Rabbi Ḥanina and said to him,

and asked him:

What is the ruling regarding descending

—am I permitted to leave the Land

and perform levirate marriage with her

where she lives, in Babylonia?

He said to him,

Rabbi Ḥanina:

His brother married a gentile woman

[a harsh expression for his leaving Eretz Yisrael],

and died; blessed is the Omnipresent who killed him! And he would descend after him?

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: Just as it is forbidden to leave Eretz Yisrael for Babylonia, so is it forbidden to leave Babylonia for the other lands.

For Babylonia is a place of Torah, and one who leaves it leaves a place of Torah.

Rabba and Rav Yosef both said: Even from Pumbedita to Bei Kubei

which is nearby, one should not leave, for it is not a place of Torah.

There was a certain man who left Pumbedita for Bei Kubei, and Rav Yosef placed him under a ban.

There was a certain man who left Pumbedita for Astunיא, and died,

he passed away.

Abaye said: Had this Torah scholar wished, he would have lived,

had he not gone there.

Rabba and Rav Yosef both said: The worthy ones of Babylonia—

Eretz Yisrael receives them; the worthy ones of the other lands—

Babylonia receives them.

And we raised a question about this:

For what

purpose was this stated?

If you say for

the matter of

genealogy?

But didn’t the Master say: All the lands

are considered

a dough

[a doubtful mixture, like a dough that has been mixed]

with regard to Eretz Yisrael,

in matters of genealogy?

And Eretz Yisrael—

is a dough with regard to Babylonia!

Rather, with regard to

being received for

burial.

Rav Yehuda said: Whoever dwells in Babylonia—

it is as though he dwells in Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated:

[Zechariah 2]

“Ho, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylonia.”

Abaye said: We have a tradition: Babylonia is not subject to the pangs of the Messiah!

They interpreted it

to refer to

Ahuṣel of Benjamin, and they called it

after its being saved from the pangs of the Messiah

“the horn of deliverance.”

Rabbi Elazar said: The dead outside Eretz Yisrael will not live, as it is stated:

[Ezekiel 26]

“And I shall place the glory in the land of the living.”

The land in which I take delight—

its dead will live.

The land in which I do not take delight—

its dead will not live.

Rabbi Abba bar Memel raised an objection:

[Isaiah 26]

“Your dead shall live; my corpses shall rise.”

What, does “Your dead shall live”

not refer to

the dead of Eretz Yisrael?

“My corpses shall rise”—

the dead outside Eretz Yisrael.

And what is the meaning of “And I shall place the glory in the land of the living”?—

Nebuchadnezzar

the king of Babylonia

is the one of whom it is written,

for the Merciful One said: I shall bring against them a king

I shall bring against Israel a king

who is light as a gazelle,

for he is swift as a gazelle!?

He said to him: Rabbi, I expound another verse:

[Isaiah 42]

“He gives a soul to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk therein.”

This implies that they will live only in Eretz Yisrael!

He said to him:

But is it not written, “My corpses shall rise,”

which implies the resurrection of the dead everywhere!?

He said to him:

That

verse

is written with regard to stillborn infants.

And Rabbi Abba bar Memel—for what purpose does he use this verse, “He gives a soul to the people upon it”?

What does he do with it?

He needs it for the teaching of Rabbi Abahu.

For Rabbi Abahu said: Even a Canaanite maidservant in Eretz Yisrael—

it is guaranteed to her that she is destined for the World to Come.

For

it is written here: “to the people upon it.”

And it is written there:

[Genesis 22]

“Stay here with the donkey”—

a people resembling a donkey.

“And spirit to those who walk therein”—

Rabbi Yirmeya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Whoever walks four cubits in Eretz Yisrael—

it is guaranteed to him that he is a member of the World to Come.

And we raised a question about this:

And according to Rabbi Elazar,

even

the righteous outside Eretz Yisrael will not live

at the resurrection of the dead?

Rabbi Ila said: Through rolling

to Eretz Yisrael, where they will live.

Rabbi Abba Sala the Great challenged this: Rolling for the righteous is suffering!

Abaye said: Tunnels are made for them in the ground.

[Genesis 47]

“And you shall carry me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial place”—

Karna said: There is something to the matter. Our father Jacob knew that he was completely righteous; and if the dead outside Eretz Yisrael live—

why did he trouble his sons

to bring him up and bury him in the Land?—because Jacob was concerned

that perhaps he would not merit the tunnels.

You can say the same with regard to:

[Genesis 50]

“And Joseph adjured the Children of Israel.”

And so on,

Rabbi Ḥanina said: There is something to the matter. Joseph knew himself that he was completely righteous; and if the dead outside Eretz Yisrael live, why did he trouble his brothers

to carry him through the wilderness

four hundred parasangs?

Because Joseph was concerned

that perhaps he would not merit the tunnels.

Rabba’s brothers sent to him

his brothers who were in Eretz Yisrael sent him a letter containing words of persuasion that he should ascend and join them, and this is what they wrote to him:

“Jacob knew that he was completely righteous, and so on,”

And

Ilfa

also

added to the matter: There was an incident involving a man who was distressed over a certain woman

in order to marry her,

and he requested to descend

after her to outside Eretz Yisrael in order to marry her there.

When he heard this, he rolled himself

endured and refrained from descending

until the day of his death.

And you too, our brother Rabba,

although you are a great sage,

one who learns on his own is not comparable to one who learns from his teacher,

and it would be good for you to ascend and learn here from the master.

And if you say: You have no teacher!

You do have a teacher!

And who is he?—

Rabbi Yoḥanan!

And if you do not ascend, take care with three things:

Do not sit excessively—

for sitting is harmful to the lower organs,

and do not stand excessively—

for standing is harmful to the heart,

and do not walk excessively—

for walking is harmful to the eyes,

but spend one-third sitting, one-third standing, and one-third walking,

Any sitting that is not accompanied by support—

standing is more comfortable than it.

And we raised a question about this:

Could you have thought that standing?

But you said: Standing is harmful to the heart!