Sanhedrin 100a — the Talmud in English

Never have they renewed for us a novelty that is not written in the Torah, for

it is written in the Torah, as

they did not permit a raven for us, nor did they prohibit a dove for us

they did not permit a raven for us, for it is written in the Torah that it is forbidden to eat it; and they did not prohibit a dove for us, for it is written in the Torah that it is permitted to eat it].

Rava, when they would bring before him the question of a terefa from the house of Binyamin

when the people of the house of Binyamin would bring before him a question concerning a terefa,

when he would see in it a reason for permitting it

when he would see in that terefa a reason for permitting it, he would

say to them: “See, I am permitting a raven for you”

“Look! I am permitting a raven for you!”]. That is to say, here you have a permission that is not written in the Torah, but rather the Sages stated it.

When he would see it

when he would see

a reason for prohibiting it,

he would

say to them: “See, I am prohibiting a dove for you”

“Look! I am prohibiting a dove for you!”]. That is to say, here you have a prohibition that is not written in the Torah, but rather the Sages stated it.

Rav Pappa said: For example

one

who says

when referring to a certain Torah scholar:

“These Sages”

that scholar], which is an expression of contempt. For he should have said: “Our teachers in such-and-such a place”.

Rav Pappa forgot

forgot,

and said

in this expression:

“such as these Sages,”

which is an expression of contempt,

and sat in a fast

and fasted on account of it].

Levi bar Shemuel and Rav Huna bar Hiyya were preparing coverings for the scrolls of the house of Rav Yehuda

they were making coverings for the scrolls of the house of Rav Yehuda].

When they reached

when they reached the making of a covering for

the Scroll of Esther, they said

Levi bar Shemuel and Rav Huna bar Hiyya said in the form of a question:

“This Scroll of Esther” —

certainly

“does not require a covering”

like the other scrolls]?

And this is an expression of disgrace, for they should have said in the form of a question as follows: “Does the Scroll of Esther require a covering, or does it not require one?”

He said to them: “In this manner”

such an expression as you said

“also appears to be apikorsut”

also appears like heresy].

Rav Naḥman said:

An apikoros is

one who calls

his

teacher by his name.

For Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “For what reason was Gehazi punished?”

Because he called

Elisha

his teacher by his name.

As it is stated: “And Gehazi said: ‘My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha revived.’”

But Elisha was his teacher, and he called him by his name.

Rabbi Yirmeya was sitting before Rabbi Zeira, and he was sitting and saying: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring forth a stream from the Holy of Holies, and upon it will be all kinds of delicacies

kinds of sweet fruits].

As it is stated: “And by the stream shall rise upon its bank, on this side and on that side, every tree for food; its leaf shall not wither, and its fruit shall not fail; every month it shall yield its first fruit

in every single month its fruits will yield their first fruit],

for its waters issue from the Sanctuary, and its fruit shall be for food, and its leaf for healing.”

A certain old man said to him

to Rabbi Yirmeya:

“Well said!”

And so said

also

Rabbi Yoḥanan

as you say.

Rabbi Yirmeya said to Rabbi Zeira:

Is

“does such a thing appear to be apikorsut?”

He said to him: “This old man

this

is supporting you,

for he is telling you that Rabbi Yoḥanan also said as you did, and certainly there is no apikorsut in this!

Rather, if you have heard

something that appears to be apikorsut —

this

which follows

is what you have heard:

Like that incident in which Rabbi Yoḥanan was sitting and expounding: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring precious stones and pearls that are

the size of

thirty by thirty cubits, and he will carve in them

an opening with a width of

ten

cubits, and

a height of

a height of

twenty

cubits,

and place them at the gates of Jerusalem.

As it is stated: “And I will make your windows of kadkod

a type of precious stone

“and your gates of stones of ekdach, and so on.”

Thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, will carve into precious stones [and this is the meaning of “stones of ekdach,” for the Holy One, blessed be He, will carve into them as with a drill], and make the gates of Jerusalem from them.

That student mocked him

Rabbi Yoḥanan

The student said: “Now, when we cannot find even an egg-sized stone of a small bird called a tziltzela

for behold, at present we do not find a precious stone even the size of the egg of a small bird called a tziltzela, how can it be that

we will find anything so enormous

that such a large stone will be found]?!

And this is apikorsut!

After some time, that student’s ship sailed

of that student

on the sea. He saw

he saw

ministering angels who were sawing

who were sawing

precious stones and pearls.

He said to them: “For whom are these”

for what purpose are you sawing these stones]?

They said

the angels said to him:

“In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will place them at the gates of Jerusalem.”

When he returned

when the student returned from his journey,

he found Rabbi Yoḥanan sitting and expounding

he found Rabbi Yoḥanan sitting and expounding].

He said to him: “Rabbi, expound! And it is fitting for you to expound.”

For

just as you said —

so I saw

with my own eyes.

He said to him: “Empty one, if you had not seen —

would you not have believed? You are mocking the words of the Sages!”

He directed his eyes at him

he directed his eyes at him,

and made him a heap of bones

and he died. For the dead become a heap of bones] .

The meitivi:

It is written:

“And I will lead you upright.” Rabbi Meir says:

“Upright” means two heights. That is, a height of

two hundred cubits, like the two heights of Adam the first man

for the Gemara in tractate Hagiga says that the Holy One, blessed be He, diminished Adam the first man and set him at a height of one hundred cubits] .

Rabbi Yehuda says:

“Upright” means

one hundred cubits, corresponding to the Sanctuary and its walls. As it is stated: “That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; our daughters as corner-pillars hewn in the fashion of the Sanctuary, and so on.”

And the length of all the walls of the Sanctuary was one hundred cubits . And this is the interpretation of the verse: “That our sons may be grown up,” meaning that in the future our sons will be grown up like trees. “Our daughters as corner-pillars, and so on,” meaning that our daughters will be grown up like the walls of the Sanctuary.

In any event, the height of people in the future will be two hundred cubits, or one hundred cubits. How will they be able to enter through an opening whose height is only twenty cubits?

And we answer:

When Rabbi Yoḥanan said

that there would be openings of twenty cubits, this means

for the windows of the house of wind

for windows through which the sun and air enter. But in truth, the gates will be taller.

What is the meaning of “and its leaf for healing”?

What is meant by the word “healing”?

They disagreed concerning this

Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Avudimi and Rav Ḥisda.

One said: “Healing” means “permitting the mouth.” Those leaves are useful

for

to permit the mouth above,

the upper mouth in a person’s body; that is, to open the mouths of the mute, so that they will speak .

And one said: To permit the mouth below.

That is, to loosen and open the opening of the womb of barren women [and this is the mouth below], so that they will be remembered favorably by eating from those leaves.

It was stated:

They also disagreed about this matter, Hezekiah and Bar Kappara [but they stated the matter explicitly, and not by way of the hinted expressions “the mouth above” and “the mouth below”]:

Hezekiah said: To open the mouths of the mute.

Bar Kappara said: To open the mouths of barren women.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “And its leaf for healing” means

for actual healing.

Those leaves heal a person.

What is the meaning of “for healing”?

What healing do they perform?

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said:

They are beneficial

for the beauty of the faces of those who possess the mouth .

Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon expounded: Everyone who darkens his face over the words of Torah in this world —

the Holy One, blessed be He, will brighten his radiance in the World to Come. As it is stated:

“His head, and so on, his locks are black as a raven,”

“His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars,”

“His mouth is most sweet.”

And thus the verse is expounded: “Black as a raven”—one who darkens his face over the words of Torah; and this is “His mouth is most sweet,” the words of Torah, which are sweet things that he brings forth from his mouth. In the end, in the World to Come, he will merit that his appearance will be “like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.”

Rabbi Tanḥum bar Rabbi Ḥanilai said: Everyone who starves himself over the words of Torah in this world —

the Holy One, blessed be He, will satisfy him in the World to Come. As it is stated: “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Your house, and You shall give them drink from the stream of Your delights.”

That is, if they starve themselves and are satisfied from the fatness of Your house, studying Torah in the beit-midrash in this world, then “You shall give them drink from the stream of Your delights” in the World to Come .

When Rav Dimi came, he said: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will give every righteous person a full handful

a full handful of goodness.

As it is stated: “Blessed is the Lord day by day; He loads us with the burden; God is our salvation forever” .

Abaye said to him: “Is it possible to say so?”

How can a person receive the full handful of the Holy One, blessed be He?

“Is it not already stated: ‘Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and measured the heavens with a span’?”

For the entire world has no measure other than the span from the little finger to the thumb of the Holy One, blessed be He; and where will a person receive the full handful of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is greater than the entire world?!

He said

to him, Rav Dimi:

“Why are you not found among those versed in aggada”

why are you not familiar with aggadot? If you were expert in aggadot, you would not ask.

For they say in the West in the name of Rava bar Mari

“In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will give every righteous person three hundred and ten worlds. As it is stated: ‘To endow those who love Me with substance, and I will fill their treasuries.’”

The word

“substance” —

its numerical value is three hundred and ten .

If so, since every righteous person will have three hundred and ten worlds, he will have a place to receive the full measure of the Holy One, blessed be He .

It was taught: Rabbi Meir says: With the measure that a person measures —

they measure for him.

For if he measured and gave a poor person his full handful, the Holy One, blessed be He, will return to him a full handful of goodness .

As it is written

in the Book of Isaiah:

“With measure, when she sends it forth, You contend with her” .

Rabbi Yehoshua said: “Is it possible to say so?”

And if

a person gives his full measure to a poor person in this world, does the Holy One, blessed be He, give him His full measure in the World to Come? Is it not written: “He measured the heavens with a span”?!

And where will a person receive the full handful of the Holy One, blessed be He, who is immeasurably great? Rabbi Meir said to him:

“And do you say so?”

But

which is the greater measure: the measure of goodness or the measure of punishment?