Nedarim 39b — the Talmud in English

Rava said: Shmuel - ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

found our Mishna difficult [

the words of our Mishna were difficult for him].

And this is how he found it difficult: If the Mishna is speaking of a case in which the property of the sick person is forbidden to the visitor, and the reason that he is permitted to visit him is because he did not prohibit him from his life-support, then

why specifically does it teach

that he visits him

standing, but he may not sit?

After all, sitting too is his life-support!

Conclude from it

that the Mishna is speaking of a case

in which the property of the visitor is forbidden to the sick person.

Reish Lakish expounded: A hint to visiting the sick from the Torah -

From where?

As it is stated

with regard to the assembly of Korah:

“If these men die the death of all men, and the visitation of all men is visited upon them, etc.”

What does it indicate?

How do we learn the mitzva of visiting the sick from this verse?

Rava said:

This is the interpretation of the verse:

“If these men die the death of all men”—that they are sick and bedridden, and people visit them,

and this is what is written: “and the visitation of all men shall be visited upon them,”

What will people say? -

“The Lord has not sent me” for this.

Rava expounded: “If the Lord creates a creation.”

If Gehenna is a creation -

it is better that it exist. If not,

for Gehenna has not yet been created -

the Lord shall create

Gehenna now.

And we raise a difficulty:

Is that so?

But it was taught in a beraita: Seven things were created before the world was created.

That is, they arose in thought to be created before the world was created , because the world cannot exist without them.

These are they:

The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, and Gehenna [

for the thought of creating Israel preceded the world, and it is impossible that there would not be wicked people whose punishment would require Gehenna, and likewise the other things. RAN],

the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah.

The Torah -

as it is written: “The Lord acquired me as the beginning of His way, etc.” [

and the end of the verse is: “before His works from then”] .

Repentance -

as it is written: “Before the mountains were born and You brought forth, etc., You return man to contrition, etc.”

как написано: «И насадил Всевышний Бог сад в Эдене, с востока...»

The Garden of Eden -

as it is written: “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, from the east, etc.”

как написано: «Ибо приготовлен со вчерашнего дня Тофет».

Gehenna -

as it is written: “For it is ordained from yesterday, the Topheth.”

как написано: «Утверждён престол Твой изначально».

The Throne of Glory -

as it is written: “Your throne is established from then.”

The Temple -

as it is written: “A throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,

the place of our God.”

The name of the Messiah -

as it is written: “May his name endure forever, etc.”

пусть Всевышний создаст его

Rather, this is what he said: If a mouth was created for it [

if a mouth was created for Gehenna] -

it is better, and if not -

the Lord shall create

now.

And we raise a difficulty:

But it is written: “There is nothing new under the sun,”

and how is it possible that the mouth of Gehenna should now be created?!

And we explain:

This is what he said: If here the mouth is not near, let it come near here.

That is, if the mouth of Gehenna is not here, let it come near here. And this is not a new creation, but merely a bringing near.

Rava expounded—and some say: Rabbi Yitzhak said: What is [the meaning of] that which is written: “The sun and moon stood in their habitation”? The sun and moon in Zevul -

what are they seeking [

what are they doing there]?

But they are fixed in the firmament,

as it is written: “And God placed them in the firmament of the heavens,” and Zevul is above the firmament!

It teaches that the sun and moon rose from the firmament to Zevul

at the time of Korah’s dispute ,

and they said before Him [

before the Holy One, blessed be He]:

Master of the world, if You execute judgment upon the son of Amram -

we shall give light. But if not -

we shall not give light!

At that moment He shot at them

the Holy One, blessed be He, at the sun and moon,

arrows and spears.

He said to them: Every single day the nations of the world bow down to you

the nations of the world -

and

nevertheless

you give light. For My honor -

you did not protest; for the honor of flesh and blood,

that is, for the honor of Moses -

you did protest?!

And every single day arrows and spears are shot at them -

and they give light, as it is stated: “By the light of Your arrows they walk, etc.”

It was taught in a beraita: Visiting the sick -

has no measure.

What does “has no measure” mean?

Rav Yosef thought to say: There is no measure to the reward for its performance

of this mitzva.

Abaye said to him: And all

the other

mitzvot -

is there a measure to the reward for their performance?

But we learned: Be careful with a minor mitzva as with a major one, for you do not know the reward given for the mitzvot!

And this means that for this reason you should be careful even with a minor mitzva, because you do not know its reward, since it has no measure.

Rather, Abaye said: Even a great person -

must visit

a lesser person.

Rava said:

He must visit the sick person

even one hundred times a day.

Rabbi Aha bar Hanina said: Whoever visits a sick person -

takes away one-sixtieth of his suffering.

They said to him: If so, let sixty enter and raise him up [

let sixty people enter him and raise him up from his illness]!

He said to them:

I meant that each one takes one-sixtieth -

in accordance with the tenths of the house of Rabbi [

as follows].

And

further, this is specifically

in

such a case where the visitor is

of his own age and astrological sign [

where the visitor was born under the same constellation as the sick person].

And what is “the tenths of the house of Rabbi”?

For it was taught in a beraita, Rabbi says: A daughter who is sustained from the property of the brothers [

after the death of their father] -

takes one-tenth [

a tenth] of the

property

that her father left, for the purpose of her dowry.

They said to him

to Rabbi:

According to your words, one who has ten daughters -

and a son,

it follows that

he has nothing for the son in the place of the

daughters,

for the daughters will take all the property for the purpose of their dowries?!

He said to them

Rabbi: This is how the daughters take for their dowries:

The

first

daughter to marry -

takes one-tenth of the property. The second -

takes a tenth

of what the first left over,

the

third -

of what the second left over,

and so they all do.

And

afterward

they return

all

and divide equally

what they took. [And this is speaking of a case where they came at one time; but if they came one after another, each one receives a tenth of the property that remained. RAN]

Here too, it is so. The first one who visits indeed takes one-sixtieth of the sick person’s suffering. But the second again takes one-sixtieth of what remains, and so all of them. Therefore, even when sixty people visit him, he will still not arise from his illness .