Sanhedrin 101a — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: “All the days of the poor are bad” -

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is one whose mind is constricted.

For he takes to heart all the worries of his fellow, and worries about everything that is destined to come upon him.

“But the good-hearted person has a continual feast” -

this is one whose mind is broad,

for he does not take the worries so much to heart.

And Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said:

it is written:

“All the days of the poor are bad.”

And it is difficult:

but there are Shabbatot and Festivals,

for even a completely impoverished poor person eats delicacies on them!

Rather, the reason that even his Shabbatot and Festivals are bad is

as

the words of

Samuel.

For Samuel said: A change of regimen

[custom], when he eats more than he is accustomed to -

is the beginning of intestinal illness

for this change causes him to become ill in his intestines.

Therefore the poor person’s Shabbatot, too, are bad, because the fact that he eats delicacies, to which he is not accustomed on weekdays, causes him intestinal illness.

The Sages taught: One who recites a verse of the Song of Songs and makes it into a kind of song,

that is, he does not recite the verse according to the cantillation, but with another melody. And although its principal character is song, it is forbidden to make it into a kind of song.

And

likewise

one who recites a verse in a house of feasting out of its proper time,

that is, he makes an ordinary weekday feast and recites verses aloud, in order to amuse himself with them among the participants in the feast -

brings evil upon the world.

[But if on a Festival he recites verses over the cup, concerning the character of the day, he brings good upon the world.]

And the reason is

because the Torah girds itself with sackcloth

552 , and stands before the Holy One, blessed be He, and says

before Him: Master of the world! Your children have made me like a harp upon which jesters play!

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to it

the Torah:

My daughter, when

Israel

eat and drink -

with what will they occupy themselves?

It said before Him: Master of the world! If they are masters of Scripture -

let them occupy themselves with Torah, with the Prophets, and with the Writings.

If they are masters of Mishna -

let them occupy themselves with Mishna, with halakhot, and with aggadot.

And if they are masters of Talmud -

let them occupy themselves with halakhot.

Let them study

the halakhot of Passover

during the Festival of

Passover, the halakhot of Shavuot on Shavuot,

and

the halakhot of the Festival on the Festival.

Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar testified in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Hanania: Anyone who recites a verse at its proper time,

that is, as we said above, that he recites and studies verses and matters of Passover on Passover, and the like -

brings good upon the world. As it is stated: “And a word in its time, how good.”

We learned in our Mishna:

“And one who whispers over a wound, and so forth.”

Rabbi Yohanan said:

What we learned, that one who whispers over a wound has no share in the World to Come, applies specifically to one who whispers over the wound

and spits upon it,

for this is the manner of those who whisper, to spit before the whisper. And one who does so has no share in the World to Come,

because they do not mention the Name of Heaven over spittle.

It was stated: Rav said: Even

if he spits and whispers the verse

“The mark of leprosy

when it is in a person and he is brought to the priest,” for the purpose of healing, even though there is no mention of the Name of Heaven over the spitting, he has no share in the World to Come.

Rabbi Hanina said: Even

if he spits and whispers the verse

“And He called to Moses,”

which contains no Name of Heaven, and he does not even mention it for the purpose of healing, but thinks that he will be saved by the merit of the words of Torah that he mentions, it is forbidden to whisper it.

The Sages taught: One may anoint and massage the intestines

of a sick person

on Shabbat,

and there is no issue of healing in this, because anointing was equated with drinking, and this is permitted like drinking.

And

likewise

one may whisper a spell over snakes and scorpions on Shabbat

so that they will not harm, and there is no issue of trapping in this.

And

likewise

one may pass a utensil over the eye

that is painful

on Shabbat,

for this is the practice, to place a metal utensil on a sick eye in order to cool it.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel said:

What we learned, that one may pass a utensil over the eye,

in what case is this statement said -

with a utensil that may be moved

on Shabbat, such as a key, knife, or ring.

But with a utensil that may not be moved,

that is, a muktze utensil -

it is forbidden.

And one may not inquire of demons on Shabbat.

For it is the practice, when something is lost, to inquire by means of a demonic act, and they tell him. And it is forbidden to do so on Shabbat, because of “seeking your own affairs.”

Rabbi Yose says: Even on an ordinary weekday it is forbidden

to inquire of demons, because of danger - as follows.

Rav Huna said: The halakha is according to Rabbi Yose,

that even on an ordinary weekday it is forbidden.

And Rabbi Yose stated it

[that it is forbidden even on an ordinary weekday] -

only because of danger.

As in the case of Rav Isaac bar Joseph, who

was accustomed to inquire of demons, and the demon sought to harm him, and a miracle occurred for him, and

he was swallowed by a cedar

[he was swallowed into a cedar],

and

afterward again

a miracle was performed for him,

[a miracle occurred for him],

the cedar split open and expelled him

[the cedar split, and expelled him outside].

The Sages taught: One may anoint and massage the intestines on Shabbat, provided that he does not do it in the manner in which he does it on an ordinary weekday.

How does he do it?

Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina said:

He changes from the manner to which he is accustomed on an ordinary weekday. On an ordinary weekday they are accustomed to massage and afterward anoint; therefore on Shabbat he changes the order, and

anoints -

and afterward massages.

Rabbi Yohanan said: He anoints and massages at the same time.

The Sages taught: The oil

and the eggs

[a demonic practice in which they inquire by means of oil],

and the eggs

[a demonic practice in which they inquire by means of an eggshell tube] -

it is permitted to inquire through them.

Rather,

they refrained from inquiring through them

because they lie

in their answers.

The practice of those who perform a demonic act is that they

whisper over

oil that is in a utensil, but they do not whisper over oil that is in the hand,

because it is not effective.

Therefore, one may anoint with oil that is in the hand,

for there is no concern that a demonic act was performed with it, and there is no danger in it.

But one may not anoint with oil that is in a utensil,

because of concern for a demonic act.

Rav Isaac bar Samuel bar Marta happened to come to a certain inn.

They brought him oil in a utensil.

He rubbed

[he applied oil to his face] -

eruptions came out on his face

[boils came out on his face], because of sorcery.

He went out

[Rav Isaac bar Samuel went out]

to the marketplace.

A certain woman saw him

[one woman saw him],

and she said: The wind of Hamat

[a demon-wind whose name was Hamat]

I see here

[on your face].

She did something for him and he was healed

[that woman did something to him - and he was healed].

Rabbi Abba said to Rabbah bar Mari: It is written: “All the disease that I placed upon Egypt I will not place upon you, for I am the Lord your healer.” But since He did not place

the Holy One, blessed be He, illness in Israel -

why healing?

For what purpose is healing needed?

He said to him: This is what Rabbi Yohanan said: This verse

is expounded from itself. For it says

at the beginning of the verse:

“And He said: If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God.”

And this means:

if you heed

the voice of the Lord -

I will not place

illness upon you.

And if you do not heed

the voice of the Lord -

I will place

illness upon you. And this is what is stated at the end of the verse, that

even so,

even though I place illness upon you -

“for I am the Lord your healer,”

you will have healing.

Rabbah bar bar Hana said: When Rabbi Eliezer became ill, his disciples entered to visit him.

He said to them: There is fierce wrath in the world

[he said this about himself, that the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him and intensified his illness].

They began,

the disciples,

to weep, while Rabbi Akiva laughed

[smiled].

They said to him: Why are you laughing?

He said to them: And for what reason are you weeping?

They said to him: Is it possible that a Torah scroll

[this is what they called Rabbi Eliezer, their teacher]

is suffering, and we should not weep?

He said to them: For this reason I am laughing. As long as I see

the

wine of my Rabbi not turning sour, his flax not being struck, his oil not becoming foul, and his honey not becoming thin

[spoiling and becoming liquid because of heat], that is, that there was success in all his deeds,

I said: Perhaps, Heaven forbid, my Rabbi received his world

[all his reward] during his lifetime.

And now that I see

my

Rabbi in suffering -

I am happy,

because this is evidence that he did not receive all his reward in this world, but his reward is preserved for him in the World to Come.

Rabbi Eliezer said to him

to Rabbi Akiva:

Akiva!

How can you say that I suffer because of my sins?

Have I omitted anything from the entire Torah?!

Rabbi Akiva said to him

Rabbi Akiva:

Our teacher, you taught us: “For there is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin”.

The Sages taught: When Rabbi Eliezer became ill, four elders entered

to visit him. And these are they:

Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Joshua, Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Akiva.

Rabbi Tarfon responded and said

to Rabbi Eliezer:

You are better for Israel than drops of rain. For drops of rain -

are in this world. But my Rabbi, in this world -

and in the World to Come.

Rabbi Joshua responded and said: You are better for Israel than the sphere of the sun. For the sphere of the sun -

is in this world

[but in the future the luminaries will be renewed].

But my Rabbi, in this world -

and in the World to Come.

Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah responded and said: You are better for Israel than father and mother. For father and mother -

are in this world. But my Rabbi, in this world -

and in the World to Come.

Rabbi Akiva responded and said: Sufferings are beloved,

for they atone for sins.

Rabbi Eliezer said to them

to his disciples:

Support me, and I shall hear the words of Akiva, my disciple, who said that sufferings are beloved.

He said to him

to Rabbi Akiva:

Akiva, this,

this matter, that sufferings are beloved,

from where do you have it?

He said: I expound a verse: “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem, and so forth, and he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.”