Ketubot 111a — the Talmud in English

As it is stated: ![](pamud.bmp "

precise page location") [Jeremiah 27]

They shall be brought to Babylon.

And there they shall remain—

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

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that

verse

is written concerning sacred vessels, as is explained in the preceding verse, which speaks of sacred vessels, and not of human beings.

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 does of the field,

if you awaken and if you arouse the love [that the Lord loves His people and settles them in His land]—until it is willing.

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that

verse teaches

that Israel should not ascend

to the Land of Israel

as a wall,

with force. But each individual is permitted to ascend on his own, without force.

And Rav Yehuda

held that the verse

“I adjure” is written elsewhere,

which forbids ascending even without force.

And Rabbi Zeira

held that

that other

“I adjure”

is needed for the teaching of Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina.

For he said: These three oaths—

for what purpose?

One: that Israel should not ascend as a wall,

together, with force.

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

And one: that the Holy One, blessed is He, adjured the nations, the idolaters, not to enslave Israel excessively.

And Rav Yehuda

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

“if you awaken and if you arouse

the love until it is willing,”

is written,

and it follows that there are six oaths here, and one of them comes to teach as he said: it is forbidden to ascend from Babylonia to the Land of Israel even for every individual!

And Rabbi Zeira

held that the repetition of the wording

is needed to

teach

as Rabbi Levi, who said: These six oaths—

for what purpose?

Three—

these are the ones we stated.

And

the others,

the additional three—

that they should not reveal

the prophets among them

the end, and that they should not force away

the end

through their sins,

and that they should not reveal the secret to the idolaters. [

Song of Songs 2]

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

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

And if not—

I will make

your flesh ownerless

like the gazelles and like the does of the field,

which are food for the animals of the field.

Rabbi Elazar said: Whoever dwells in the Land of Israel dwells without sin.

As it is stated [

Isaiah 33]

“And the inhabitant shall not say, ‘I am ill’; the people dwelling in it shall be forgiven of sin.”

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

Rav Anan said: Whoever is buried in the Land of Israel—

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

the Land of Israel.

He died outside the Land.

They came,

and

said to Rabbi Elazar.

He said,

Rabbi Elazar:

You are Ulla—

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

“Upon an impure land you shall die.”

They said to him,

to Rabbi Elazar: But

his coffin

of Ulla

has come

from Babylonia to the Land of Israel, so that he may be buried in the Land.

He said to them: It is not the same

for one whose soil of the Land of Israel

receives him during life, as for

one whom it

receives

only

after death.

A certain man

who lived in the Land of Israel

had a yevama fall to him,

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

“Bei Hozai.”

He came,

the levir,

before Rabbi Hanina, and said to him,

and asked him:

What is the ruling regarding descending

—is it permitted for me to leave the Land

and perform levirate marriage with her

in her place of residence, in Babylonia?

He said to him,

Rabbi Hanina:

His brother married a gentile woman [

a sharp designation for his leaving the Land of Israel],

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 the Land of Israel for Babylonia, so it is 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.

A certain man who went out from Pumbedita to Bei Kubei—Rav Yosef placed him under a ban.

A certain man who went out from Pumbedita to Astitonia died,

and died.

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

had he not gone out there.

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

the Land of Israel receives them; the worthy ones of the other lands—

Babylonia receives them.

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

For what purpose,

for what matter is this said?

If you say for the matter of

the matter of

genealogy?

But the Master said: All lands

are considered like

a dough [

a doubtful mixture, like a mixed dough]

with regard to the Land of Israel,

with regard to genealogy.

And the Land of Israel—

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 the Land of Israel, as it is stated: [

Zechariah 2]

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

Abaye said, we have accepted: Babylonia does not see the pangs of the Messiah!

He interpreted it

as referring to

Ahuẓal of Benjamin, and they call it

after its deliverance from the pangs of the Messiah

“the horn of deliverance.”

Rabbi Elazar said: The dead outside the Land of Israel will not live, as it is stated: [

Ezekiel 26]

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

A land in which I have My delight—

its dead will live.

A land in which I have no delight—

its dead will not live.

Rabbi Abba bar Memel raised an objection: [

Isaiah 26]

“Your dead shall live; my corpse shall arise.”

What, is it not that “Your dead shall live”—

the dead in the Land

of Israel.

“My corpse shall arise”—

the dead outside the Land.

And what is

Nebuchadnezzar

the king of Babylonia

of whom it is written, “And I shall place the glory in the land of the living”?

For the Merciful One said: I shall bring upon 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 in it.”

And it implies that they will live only in the Land of Israel!

He said to him:

But is it not written, “My corpse shall arise”,

the meaning of which is resurrection of the dead in every place!?

He said to him:

That

verse

is written concerning miscarried infants.

And Rabbi Abba bar Memel, what does he do with this verse, “He gives a soul to the people upon it”?

What does he need it for?

He needs it for the teaching of Rabbi Abbahu.

For Rabbi Abbahu said: Even a Canaanite maidservant in the Land of Israel—

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 for yourselves with the donkey”—

a people resembling a donkey.

“And spirit to those who walk in it”—

Rabbi Yirmeya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Whoever walks four cubits in the Land of Israel—

it is guaranteed to him that he is destined for the World to Come.

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

And according to Rabbi Elazar,

is it so that even

the righteous in the Diaspora will not live

at the resurrection of the dead?

Rabbi Ila'i said: Through rolling

to the Land of Israel, and there they will live.

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

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 substance in the matter. Our father Jacob knew that he was completely righteous, and if the dead outside the Land live—

why did he trouble his sons

to go up and bury him in the Land of Israel?—because Jacob was concerned

that perhaps he would not merit the tunnels.

In a similar matter you say: [

Genesis 50]

“And Joseph made the children of Israel swear.”

And so on,

Rabbi Hanina said: There is substance in the matter. Joseph knew of himself that he was completely righteous, and if the dead outside the Land 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.

His brothers sent to Rabba

his brothers who were in the Land of Israel sent him a letter containing words of persuasion that he should ascend and join them, and thus they wrote to him:

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

And

Ilfa

also

adds words to it: It once happened that a certain man was distressed over one woman

in order to marry her,

and he sought to descend

after her to the Diaspora in order to marry her there.

When he heard this, he rolled himself

that he 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 master,

and it is fitting for you to ascend and learn here from the mouth of the master.

And if you will say: You have no master!

You do have a master!

And who is he?—

Rabbi Yohanan!

And if you do not ascend, beware of three things:

Do not increase sitting—

for sitting is difficult for the lower organs,

and do not increase standing—

for standing is difficult for the heart,

and do not increase walking—

for walking is difficult for 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 difficulty concerning it:

Could standing have entered your mind?

But you said: Standing is difficult for the heart!